A/N: I feel like I'm stealing Ransom's name from somewhere. Am I? Does anyone know? Ha. I may just be paranoid.
Also, Liam's horse isn't named, is he? I made up a name because I couldn't remember it having one/him ever saying it.
-----
"You won't actually be riding for a while," the Shang Leopard informed his students, "but you'll learn to feed and groom your horses. Your training as riders will be staggered. Those of you with more background experience, and those who show more aptitude for horses in general, will be riding in as soon as two weeks. Others may have to wait over a month, sometimes two months. Do you understand?"
The children nodded solemnly. Yes, yes, they understood. Could they see the horses now? Well, that was how Rani felt. She knew that some of the girls and boys were a little nervous about having to pick horses, but she was excited. She'd always liked horses.
The Shang said that it was important to bond with a horse, even before learning such things as foot fighting. If a person couldn't be kind to an animal, they said, then that person didn't deserve to be a Shang at all. Rani was glad for their methods, as she knew that muscled strength, as the Hare had pointed out, would be her greatest weakness. She'd seen some of the older students practicing fighting, and there were a lot of set exercises, especially among those in their second year, where her quickness really wouldn't be able to help her.
As she took care of a horse, though, the Shang would be able to see that they had chosen her for a good reason, and hopefully she would be one of the first people to actually to be able to ride. She wasn't spectacular, of course, but she was relatively good for someone her age. She'd even practiced a little on Liam's horse, Laughter. Oh, she missed that horse. He looked menacing, but anyone who knew him could tell that he was really quite a sweetheart. Laughter. She wondered where he was new, who he had gone to when his master had died. Maybe the Lioness, but she doubted it. From what Rani had heard, Alanna had her very own warhorse, and she wouldn't just give it up to take care of Laughter. Who, though?
She almost leapt into the air when the Leopard said, "Alright. Head into the stable and try to find a horse who will work well with you. Remember, if you find that you and your chosen horse simply cannot get along, you may trade after the initial period of two weeks, but we highly discourage that unless it is absolutely necessary, and would much prefer that you find the perfect horse the first time around."
Next to Rani, her friend Deltonia was clearly forcing herself very hard not to jump around elatedly. Rani grabbed her hand, squeezing tightly. Like Rani, Toni was looking forward to picking a horse. The other girl's family owned a farm, so she knew a lot about riding. Along with the rest of the group, they entered the stable, inhaling the strong horsey smell and looking out for a creature who seemed to match their temperaments.
Almost right away, Toni saw the one for her. She ran to his stall, grinning as he pranced happily at her touch. Rani, however, was not so lucky. She knew she would fit with a sleek horse, but she wanted a strong one, too, one that would balance her out, have strengths where she had weaknesses. There was no horse that she was drawn to initially, though, and soon she was one of the few children who still hadn't found a horse.
Just as she was beginning to think she was being too picky, she saw him. Oh, Goddess, he was gorgeous. Immediately, she was at his stall, standing on her toes and reaching out to let him sniff her hand. He leaned his neck down and did so. Quickly bored with her hand, he began sniffing around her shirt, trying to find something to eat.
"Here." Rani turned to see the Shang Leopard standing next to her, a cube of sugar held out between her fingertips. She took it with a smile, then held it out in the flat palm of her hand for the beautiful almost-white horse to take in his teeth.
"Thank you, sir."
"You're welcome." He reached out to pat the horse's nose. "Ransom is a good choice for you, though a little big, maybe."
"Pardon, sir, but I think that all may be a little big for me." He chuckled, and she continued, "His name is Ransom?"
The Leopard nodded. "King's Ransom." He scratched behind the horse's fuzzy ear. "He's a good horse. I learned on his dam, actually. Bought her from the school so I could bring her with me for my year in the world."
"Is she here, sir? Can I see her?" The girl studied the man's face absentmindedly. He was maybe thirty, thirty five at the most, with the guarded kind of expression that many of the Shang seemed to carry on them. He had the kind of impossible tan skin that only existed on people who spend the vast majority of their time in the sun. He also had some sort of circular scar near his right eye that she couldn't fathom the cause of. She'd no idea what made a scar that shape.
His face grew a little sad as he shook his head. "She passed on last year."
"Oh, I'm sorry, sir!"
"No, she had a good, long life. Died of old age. It was her time." He stroked Ransom's nose one last time before saying, "Get to know him."
"Yessir." She watched for a moment as the Leopard walked to the next student, a five year old whose name Rani didn't know, and the horse that he had chosen.
Ransom neighed quietly, trying to get her attention. She laughed, giving it to him. "Good horse," she said, petting him, and again, "You're a good boy, Ransom. What a good horse."
---
Review review review!
And ignore old reviews because they pertain to chapters that no longer exist, and many make no sense any longer.
