Death: Here's the second chapter you guys! Oh, and for all fans who are unfamiliar with certain equine definitions, the words in the story that are highlighted BOLD are given a definition in the dictionary at the end of the chapter. Still more to come! The 3rd chapter will be posted soon!
"Ren, Jasper, come on! Get out of the car already!" Fallon huffed, leaping out of the front seats, the leather cushions propelling her to land on the split greenery below.
"Come on, Ren. Wake up will ya?" Jasper begged, bringing the spine of his book to tap the scull of Ren's short, brunette hair. The victim yawned, that deep, tired vocal making itself known to the world once again as eyes like forest soil blinked in greeting.
"Are we there?" She grumbled.
"Duh, come on!" Fallon urged, her rich, obsidian hair whispered to the wind as she twisted her head back to the waking other, her rich brown eyes seemed to glow red just as the light hit it right. Jasper, the blond haired and vermillion eyed, smacked the face of his hardcover book onto the other's cheek, letting it side down to the other's waist as he slipped out the back door of the car.
The sixteen year old pals strode to the front of the designated stable. It's worn, tattered metal roof whined from even the most subtle breeze above the chipped, alabaster paint. They strolled in line passed stained, paling fences until they arrived at the open entrance. Fallon picked a sleeping old man to wake from his slumber beside gate, assuming he was the owner.
"Excuse me sir, are you the owner, Michael Sutton?" The leader of the three asked, her question boomed, sounding more like a threat than a real welcoming. The old man jolted in his creaking rocking chair upon awakening, his dazed, washed eyes falling upon the trio of riders.
"Oh, sorry dear, I didn't see yer there." The frail elder apologized, southern accent and all, dipping his straw hat passed his grey, frayed hairs. "What brings ya out to these parts, young riders?" It was clear that maintaining a cheeky attribute put immense strain on aged vocals.
"Oh, we heard on your website that you were in possession of three handsome horses, and we were interested in purchasing them." Jasper spoke up amongst the three, his breezy eagerness set the mood for the undergoing operation.
"Ah yes, right this way, laddies. But just to warn ya' these fellas are a wily trio, think you nice folks can handle rookie horses?" The old man pointed out, parting the entrance doors to reveal rows of old stalls, wooded in with rusted, fringed bars.
"No need to worry, each one of us has at least ten years of experience, me a little more so." Fallon bragged slightly, blowing a sharp puff of breath to repel a fray lock that gleaned at the edge of her optics.
"No offense, but do you know what's up with the condition of this place?" Ren questioned, jumping slightly as a pair of tan mice rushed passed her tall boots in a scurry to new shelter.
"Ah, a tired old man like me can't help with the upkeep around here, that's why I sold all my animals to find better homes, just as I was ready to move to my retirement home, these three rowdy horses find themselves dueling it out in my fields. Couldn't have no one hurt so I brought em back here. Been lookin' for a place good fit for these youngsters but they just buck off rider after rider like popcorn. I won't blame ya gurls if you don't take em off mah hands, they come cheap for their attitudes too, make a good investment in a show though, I ain't lying when I say I know a good horse when I see one." The man explained, his hands tucked behind his back as he droned in his hunched walk towards a trio of three stalls on the right, each harbored a single, majestic creature within it's withering home.
The one to the far right was a pitch, coal black arabian with an alabaster bleeding star that streaked down his ebon face almost like a battle scar. Long, obsidian mane rivered down that arched neck like a glossy dorsal, the two front locks framing that bleeding star like a coveted jewel. Fallon's eyes locked in a gaze with the 16.2 hand tall black beauty for brief moments before the horse turned and snorted, seeming to dismiss her awing presence staring at it.
"Ah, you interested in that beauty, well he's the ring leader of the three, where he goes the others seem to follow like loyal subjects." The elder chuckled. "Almost like a corporal!"
Fallon's eyes lit up, this was her dream horse! Pitch black as the night, suave as the sky, and wounded by the stars. She blinked, unable to lid her smile, she lay her hands on the latch of the stall. "May I?" She asked, already moving the lock up from it's rest while grinning uncontrollably. The old man nodded his approval before turning to Ren and Jasper, seeming to be hypnotized in their own trance of what was in front of them.
Jasper seemed utterly fascinated by a smaller, 16 hand palomino with a black muzzle and a single white sock that painted the end of his right leg while Ren observed the 17 hand dark bay in the center with a handsome white star on his crown and black stockings.
The three stepped graciously into their stalls, Fallon greeted Levi with a gentle stroke of the ebon neck while Ren and Jasper caressed the front of Eren and Armin's faces in welcome. Levi cringed as Fallon took the time to river her hands through every nook and cranny of his body, over the rump, down the legs and up across the dipped spine before nodding. Ren's examinations were more acute and less smooth, often interrupted by stray air between her fingertips as she only groped the necessary places to scale muscle and check the joints, her eyes washed with a certain omnipotence across her face as always. Jasper seemed more keen with visual examination than anything, oohing and awing at the coat and lean muscle before settling in front of Armin's face and hugging it tightly between his arms, much to Armin's discretion.
"Um, guys. He's on... My face." The palomino noted, producing a weak whine between his clenched teeth, but the male rider's clutch didn't seem to budge in even the slightest between the snug hold, his eyes having been closed.
"You're lucky you're not the one being needlessly groped." Levi snorted, exhaling a sharp breath of air in his displeasure.
"Aw, but Heichou's getting all the massages." Eren almost pouted, whining as Ren gripped the fetlock almost painfully as he was forced to lift each front hoof for inspection.
"Hey ya know guys, my horse is kinda... Small." Ren surfaced from the side of the stall, a scrutinizing look was delivered to Fallon next door.
"Huh? What do you mean he's small? He's seventeen hands tall!" Fallon scoffed, rising above Levi's elbow to knit her brows at the short-haired brunette.
"No, I mean he's... Small." She pointed down below just between the thoroughbred's hind legs. Levi slipped a weak snort in desperate attempt to hold back chuckle as Armin nearly bursted out laughing, wheezing against the stall door as he tried to save his friend the embarrassment while Eren slammed his head against the oak stall doors.
"Ah, I wouldn't worry about that. It still works." Fallon pardoned, trying to be modest with a feeble smile. The bars on both of the horse's mouths utterly shattered as Levi leaked out a harsh snort followed by a cascade of wheezy nickers that spilled from his mouth while Armin erupted into hysterical neighs, incapable of holding back the irony as Eren slammed his head against the stall doors another three times.
Due the courtesy of the old man, the three riders were allowed a test ride of the horses across the pastures of land on the farm. Fallon equipped Levi with a black English saddle over a professional dark green saddle pad and standard white half-pad. His muzzle was adorned with a matching ebon bridle that harbored a silver plated crown piece, decorated with an iron crow's scull as it perched center between an array of silver coated teeth that bared it's fangs across his head. The standard steel bit was slipped between his teeth and over the tongue without a word of protest as he was tacked in the hallway. The others however were unlucky to receive such finicky horses.
Jasper struggled with his hold on the palomino's face as he tried to coax the horse into accepting the soft rubber bit attached to a tan bridle, bedazzled with diamond shaped crystals at the crown piece, over his shoulder while Ren wrestled with the bay who kept swinging his head high to avoid the cold steel between the dark brown bridle with a single, golfball sized golden token adorning the crown piece, going to such lengths as to pick his hooves up to flee from the contact.
"Heichou, help! She's trying to shove that thing in my mouth!" Eren panicked, neighing to rebel the bit from his face as Ren sighed, yielding to his distress.
"Brat, just put it in your mouth. Have you ever tacked up a horse before?" Levi snorted, swerving his head behind him to disapprove of his solider.
"Hey Fallon, can you help me with his bit?" Ren asked.
"Sure, no prob." She accepted, bringing Levi over to position in front of Eren as he followed the pull of her reins that were looped around the right of her arm.
"Just take it in slowly over the tongue and between the teeth when you feel the metal press against your lips." Levi explained, sighing at the fact that he had to explain something so simple to him. Eren whined slightly as the metal was offered once again against his mouth, this time with Ren pinning his neck down and Fallon holding up the bridle. The second Eren tried to pull away, Levi's harsh snort brought him back down to a lowered head, at the mercy of his glower. The bit was slid easily in after a few seconds of the steel grinding against his teeth. Eren jolted at the temperature of the bar, clenching it tightly between clacking teeth before Levi took a step forth and knocked him from his daze with a clout of his muzzle with his own, bringing the thoroughbred's head down to his eye-level as he breathed steadily into the other horse's nostrils. Eren didn't know why, but the act calmed him, forcing him to focus on nothing but the warm, soft breaths that were transmitted between the two as his brown orbs softly lidded. He blinked at the onyx eyes that were eyeing him as objective and serious as ever before he was suddenly nipped on the bridge of his nose out of the trance.
"Ow! Levi Heichou~" Eren whined, whinnying at the ebon arabian as he was tugged away by a smiling Fallon to the mounting block.
"Come on, brat. Don't make me have to touter you on how to be ridden too." Levi snorted as Fallon scaled the steps of the mounting block and swung her legs over his back into the saddle, urging him forwards into the outdoor pasture with a cluck, no leg needed.
The three horses and riders stumbled out of the stable into the wide open pasture where the blades whistled to life, untapped by a stampede of heavy hooves as they proceeded out into the open. Levi seemed to handle a rider on his back flawlessly, treading across the verdant blades with ease as he was steered this way and that to check his maneuverability. Eren seemed to stumble every now and then, trying to adjust having such a seat atop his spine while exercising where to place such large feet. Ren attempted to ease the horse into a stable walk atop the dark brown english saddle and navy blue saddle pad. Armin hobbled over the grass, teetering his little body to and fro to get accustomed to exactly which part of the back he should support with Jasper mounted on top of him and the tan western saddle over a pink saddle pad.
"Hey Fallon, I think something's wrong with my horse... He won't move properly." Ren stated, squeezing the bay lightly between her legs, cocking her head as he merely swished his tail.
"Oh come on, Ren. We've been doing this for eleven years now. Kick him if he won't listen to a good squeeze." Fallon huffed, pivoting Levi around to face the thoroughbred and align him to the side of his ribs as Ren gave a light kick to Eren's side.
"Hey Heichou, what does that mean?" The bay questioned, immune to the blow delivered to his stomach.
"It means go."
"Oh, ok!" The thoroughbred blasted off, whizzing past the blades of grass, uprooting each and every stem as he flew through the stream of dust, dirt, and airborne wildflowers that tumbled across Ren's visuals as she clung to the horse for dear life, speeding forty-five miles per hour.
"FALLON!"
"I'm sorry!" The ebon haired rider called after the brunette, waving her pity to the other.
The three riders got to work, testing their new horses to the brink of exhaustion. Fallon exercised Levi over a few scattered fences around the pasture, old and withered as they come, but good enough to practice over. He flew flawless over each of them, strong legs propelling him into flight while achieving a graceful landing after each of them. He was as fearless as they come while Fallon used her leg as a quiet reminder to ebb and bend around turns when he grew stiff after certain higher jumps.
Most of the time Ren spent with Eren was focusing on calming the frantic thoroughbred enough to preform gaits smoothly and even then he still had a buoyant, gallant trot that Ren assumed unfixable, monitoring his speed by massaging the bit with her reins and blocking with her left and right leg on sharp turns or swerves after the towering jumps.
Jasper communicated to Armin primarily with his voice and reins, seeing how his body need not support with the back end as he had a way of flexing around curved corners and bowing around single poles with supreme ease, showing promise as a barrel racer.
In the end, the three met up in the dead center of the pasture, the summer breeze danced between their fray locks and thickets of mane, each rider seeming satisfied with one's ride as content smiles were woven into each one's expression.
"So, you guys like your rides? Well, besides Ren." Fallon poked fun at the brunette, smirking at the pair as Levi snorted under her towards the bay.
"I could work with him, he just needs to learn how to calm down once in a while. He'd be a nice cross-country horse for me." Ren mused, patting encouragement to the hurt thoroughbred beneath her.
"I think this guy's gonna serve me well in my hobby as a fox hunter." Fallon announced, also dipping a hand down to stroke the arabian's ebon mane, leaning her palms just above the withers near the hunch of the saddle.
"Wait, Fallon. Isn't it rare to enter an arabian in a fox hunt?" Ren questioned.
"Exactly, that's why I'm going to use this guy as a little experiment." She grinned, that eerie gleam in her eyes was evident that she would stop at nothing to get her way.
"She reminds me of someone." Levi whispered to himself.
"Yeah, well my palomino's got a knack for barrel racing. I might even teach him how to cattle rein!" Jasper boasted, reaching down to affectionately scuff the side of his golden neck, receiving a pleased nicker from the palomino under him.
"Well, that pretty much settles it. Any ideas of names you guys want to name yours? I'm naming this guy Crow." Fallon declared, combing her hands through Levi's obsidian locks as he gave a horse-like smirk through a short snort as Armin and Eren just stared wide-eyed at their corporal.
"Mm... Token sounds alright." Ren approved. Eren flicked his ears in acceptance of the name, still knitting his eyebrows in the odd choice of words.
"Hm... Sugar!" Jasper exclaimed in glee, throwing his hands up in the air as nickers and snorts spilled out from the ebon and bay horses across from him, resulting in a mortified looking palomino.
"Um... Jasper you know that horse is not a girl... Right?" Ren noted.
"Nah, nah. Let him. I think Sugar is just the perfect name." Fallon commented, holding back a chuckle through her onyx, leather riding gloves.
"Isn't it?! Oh, gender doesn't matter when you have such a pretty horse!" He stated, collapsing onto the palomino's neck to hug the crest as Armin cringed at the male above him.
"Haha! Armin, you ok there, buddy?" The bay nickered.
"Shut up and let me cry in peace, Eren." Armin bit back.
"It's a fitting name. You've always been on the sweet side, Arlert." Levi added with a nod.
Tall Boots: More professional than regular riding boots, they come up to the knee. Normally used for more professional shows, can also be worn at practice as well.
Hands: The traditional way to measure a horse, measured from the withers to the hoof. To get the height in inches, the number of hands is multiplied by 4.
Arabian: One of the most popular breed of horse (but not exactly easy to come by) they have larger nostrils than regular horses, slightly curved faces, and curved ears. Having one less pair of ribs than any other horse allows them to carry more weight. They are a high endurance horse normally seen in jumper or hunter-jumper shows.
Palomino: A coat marking that is dark to light gold or blond and may contain white leg and/or face markings. Is also a breed of horse. Breeds of these horses are more equipped to western styles of riding.
Bay: One of the most common types of horse markings, bay horses have a dark to light brown coat and have black mane and tails. It is common for them to have black leg markings as well with sometimes white face markings.
Thoroughbred: A breed of horse that was originally bred for racing (and still is). A now common breed, Thoroughbreds can be seen in the jumpers, hunter-jumpers, cross-country and eventing.
Saddle pad: A cushioning pad sewn with normally a cloth surface that goes under the saddle on top of the horse.
Half-pad: A small pad with more cushion shaped to the saddle that is sandwiched between the saddle and saddle pad. Is optional to use, but recommended as to not damage the horse's back. Note that Fallon and Ren use half-pads, Jasper does not have to due to the western saddle.
Bridle: Harnessed to the horse's face, it holds the bit in place and attaches the reins for the purpose of control (honestly just google search images for this thing, it's got all sorts of parts that are too complex to explain -_-").
Crown Piece: Like it's namesake, the portion that is most commonly decorated and lies in front of the forehead of the horse below the ears and above the brow. The locks of the horse's hair are normally pulled out to brush over the crown piece.
Bit: A bar that comes in many shapes and forms that goes in the horse's mouth for the purpose of control.
English Saddle: The most common saddle, they provide more comfort for the horse and allow closer contact with the horse and rider.
Western Saddle: More suited for the comfort of the rider, built for going on long trips with the horse and contains many parts different from the english saddle, such as a horn on the front for you to grab on to. They are apparently so comfortable that you can sleep on them.