Story 1: A memory of a lifetime
The rays of the sun touched the land below. A horse ranch that goes by the name of Horseland bustled with activity. Newcomers and continuing students began their cleaning duties before beginning their first lessons of the day, including a much younger group of children which a beautiful young lady named Sarah had to be in charge of. 3 years ago, a boy named Will would have been up to the challenge. Although, at the time, he was just a 15 year old boy, he had knowledge beyond his years and was mature enough that just about anyone could mistake him for a much older person over a phone call. Will left Horseland to improve his skills at a different state. He had been well missed by his friends and family, but today welcomes his return to his aunt and uncles ranch, which is why all of Sarahs friends, Nani, Alma, Molly, Bailey, Zoey and Chloe, had the unfortunate job of tidying.
Teaching a small group of 5- to 7-year-olds is going to be her first challenge. Sarah normally taught much older kids but since Alma and Molly had other assignments, Sarah volunteered herself. She took a few deep breaths before starting the group lesson. She always found herself to be horrible at teaching kids as they can be so pushy and snobbish, but that didn't stop her from trying. Sarah is known around Horseland for being the most patient person, but even the calmest and collected has their limits.
Class started smoothly. Assuming that they had no idea how to ride, Sarah started the lesson with the basics. She repeated showing them several times to go from a trot to a canter. The children glanced at each other confusingly. Sarah clapped her hands and they individually placed themselves in different sections of the arena, practicing their transitions. A young brunette with a pink long-sleeved shirt and leggings tried her best to make her pony go from a trot to a canter smoothly. As it's her very first time at the ranch, she failed multiple times as did some of the class, thus Sarah continued clapping her hands and counting from 1-3 rhythmically. The brunette became frustrated with her companion and Sarah thought it best to step in, "Melissa, I think you need a break. Any pony or horse you ride on can sense your emotions and can act out accordingly."
Melissa glared as Sarah continued, "you'll have better luck with Campion after you take a breather,"
"Campion and I have done this many times you know!" Melissa argued, "we're just not use to this uneven arena, and we're not use to you bossing us around."
Before Sarah could argue back, Melissa and her pony walked away, she got off her pony and soothed him. It'll be quite a day for Sarah.
Meanwhile, after mucking out Jimbers old Stable and dusting himself off, Bailey stepped in the driver's side of the truck and started the engine. He adjusted his mirrors, turned on his GPS and drove off towards the airport. It was a good 2 hours away from Horseland as they live on the outskirts of the city depending on traffic. Bailey, being the careful driver that he is, took his time to get to the airport. Once he arrived, he was met with beeping cars, angry drivers, and crowds.
'How does anyone ever get by this place?!' thought Bailey.
After some time, he finally located the airline name and parked in front of the pick-up section. He made his way in and found himself at the baggage claim section. Bailey checked his text while walking slowly, trying to find the airline number at the top of the conveyor belts, when suddenly an arm reached around his neck and pulled him back, making him drop his phone. He was in a rather strong chokehold.
Bailey struggled frantically until he heard that familiar voice, "let's see you try to get out of this one."
He stopped squirming and grinned. At the top of his lungs he shouted, "HELP! STRANGER DANGER!"
It worked. Baileys frantic cry for help definitely turned some heads at the baggage area. He laughed, facing his cousin who was rubbing the back of his head out of embarrassment.
"Geez Bailey!" Will chuckled, he reached his hand out to rub his little cousin on the head, "you trying to get me arrested on my first day back?"
Bailey crossed his arms, "you told me to get out of it, so I did. Its every man for himself out there."
"Stranger danger? Really?" he bent down and looped his duffle bag before dragging his luggage out the door. Bailey replied helping him with his other 2 luggage's, "I still got out of it didn't I?"
"No, no, NO!" Sarah said strictly. The whole group lesson was a mess. After some time, the children started getting bored and began either talking with their peers, making an excuse to use the bathroom or getting off their ponies just to sit on top of the fence. It was all just chaos and Sarah didn't have a clue what to do get their attention. She sighed, rubbing her temples, "you know what? Everyone send your ponies to the stables! We're finished for today."
This got a rather gleeful reaction from the children. They cheered while leading their ponies in. They untacked, fed and cleaned their companions before going home. Frustrated than ever, Sarah, along with her horse Scarlet, galloped out of the arena. She had never met a bunch of unruly children in her life, she had no idea how Molly and Alma survived it all the last 3 years. She didn't care where she was going, all she knew was that she needed some space. Anywhere was better than Horseland at this time.
The travel back had been extremely relaxing. The carpool lane had cut down the time it would take to reach Horseland but Bailey didn't mind if there was any slow down at all. He missed Will the most. He took the travel time talking with his cousin and catching him up with Horseland news. In return Will did the same, but half way towards home, Will had become almost silent. As Bailey kept going on with the conversation, Will couldn't help but shift slightly in his seat. He tried multiple times to get his cousin to listen to him, but to no avail. The younger boy was too talkative to notice. Will had been holding it in for a while and the road, that use to be smooth pavement, had turned into dirt. The bumpiness of the dirt road didn't help with his need either, but it's a sure way to know that they're closer to the ranch.
Sweat beaded down his brows and he made one final attempt to ask Bailey. No use. He couldn't take it anymore. Will grabbed the stirring wheel and turned, surprising his young cousin. Bailey took his hands off and let Will take control. The truck swerved before completely stopping on the side of the road. Putting it on park, Will quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door, "sorry Bailey! But nature calls!"
He was familiar with the area, knowing that a stream was just beyond the trees. Will hurriedly made his way towards there. Bailey on the other hand, turned off the engine and with Will completely out of sight, he grumbled, "he could've just said so."
Sarah and her dark Arabian mare galloped through the forest, following the trail onwards. She couldn't help but shed a little tear. Scarlet huffed when a flock of birds flew right in front of them. Scarlet reared up, kicking her front legs out. Sarah held on. The horse's ears folded back and she ran faster, her emotions starting to get the better of her. Scarlet was now in full flight mode. She tried her best to control Scarlet, she pulled back on the reigns but only just enough to make her horse look down. Scarlet was strong-willed however, and ignored Sarahs signals. She had no choice but to hang on for dear life.
"Come on please! Calm down!" yelled Sarah. She looked around and noticed they were going up. She once again pulled on the reigns, but this time to the right, making the spooked horse veer towards that direction. It was the worst decision they ever made, Sarah and Scarlet realized that they were heading towards the edge of the cliff. They would have no choice but to make the jump and hope for the best.
He made it to the stream in record timing. Will, having speed walked nearly half a yard from the road, decided best to do his deed. The place was surrounded by trees and bush. Just another yard from where he's standing would be the orchard that they came upon one morning years ago. A side of a cliff provided good cover, he decided to pick a bush just a tad bit closer to the cliffside, unzipped his jeans and relaxed. But his seconds of peaceful bliss was sadly interrupted. A Shriek rang above him and with it a dark horse flying close over his head, causing him to scream like a little girl.
Scarlet had almost made a perfect landing, but the height of the cliff was still too much for her. Her front legs gave way as her hoof made contact with the ground. She fumbled. Sarah had already jumped off her horse to the side. Those horse falling classes had come in handy, she landed safely but not without some bruising. brushing off, the teen made her way towards Scarlet who was lying on her side, heaving heavily. With her soothing voice and tender touch, she was able to calm the horse down while checking for any signs of injury.
Will stared on, Sarahs back towards him. He was already at the point of no return; his body wouldn't let him hold another drop. His only hope is that she hadn't have noticed him from the top of the cliff. Besides the noise he was making being on flight number one, he dared not to make a sound, hoping that she would just help Scarlet stand and walk away together. It was easy to recognize Scarlet by the red shades on her mane, that would only mean that the rider is one of his good friends. Even though Sarahs back was facing towards him, her long, slightly wavy beautiful dark blonde hair is what gave her identity away. Will was glad to see her, but she could have picked a better time to hop out of nowhere to give him the scare of his life.
'don't turn around,' Will thought repeatedly in his head.
Scarlet neighed as she carefully stood with the help of her rider. She lifted her left leg off the ground a little. Sarah noticed and bent down to check on it, "I'm so sorry Scarlet," said Sarah. Scarlet lowered her head and poked Sarah on her shoulder, letting her know that she's going to be just fine. Sarah smiled, rubbing the ridge of the horse's nose, but then she remembered. She had thought she saw someone just underneath them during the jump. Sarah turned around to apologize, "Sir I'm so- "she cut herself off, recognizing that face immediately. His light blonde hair, and icy blue eyes staring back at her with those familiar facial features and physique, she could jump for joy right now but her legs were sore, "Will?! I- Oh my gosh!" realizing what he was doing, her face made a shade of red and she swiftly turned away, her back facing towards him again.
Will sighed, what luck did he have today, "hey Sarah," he greeted rather non-enthusiastically, "um, what brings you here?"
Sarah thought about it, shook her head and just gave into her frustration, "running away from problems, I guess. And what brings you- I mean. Never mind."
"Drinks were mighty tasty on the plane, and Bailey wouldn't stop yapping long enough for me to put a word in," Will chuckled.
Sarah couldn't help but smile. It definitely felt good to have Will around. For some reason, she felt more safe and secure. His presence had always brought more relief and reassurance to the gang, especially to her. On days like these, Will is her go-to person in these types of chaotic situations, "Will, I need to talk to you," she said. He knows Sarah well enough that the phase 'I need to talk to you' could only mean disaster had struck at Horseland and Sarah had been caught in the middle of it. Will glanced down to the bush he's aiming at, then back to her, "you mean right now?"
"Shh! I need you to listen," Sarah demanded. She continued to describe what had happened during the lessons. Ranting about a few of the children in the group before complementing on the good ones, but was short-lived switching back to the young girl Melissa and the other rowdy younglings. Will listened intently. He remembered all the times teaching a younger group of kids and not once, had he ever had a problem. What Sarah had described them as didn't sound like kids, it sounded like a bunch of cavemen in a crowded cage. Although, he fondly remembers a group of tweens that he had to put up with, that almost never listened to him. But the days spent with them were his most memorable times.
Sarah continued her rant, oblivious that Will had made his way to the stream to wash his hands. Will already knew where the conversation was going. He quickly finished up and made his way back to Sarah, "that Melissa kid," he said, "sounds like a piece of work,"
"I know right?!" Sarah said feeling some relief, "I just don't get it. And the rest of them- "
"She's probably right you know," Will cut her off. He could tell that she wasn't thrilled about what he said, having suddenly gone stiff, "before you get mad at me," he continued, "I'm in no way picking sides. But it's evident that they've ridden before, I don't need to see them to know that they do. Instead of starting the lesson with what they should do, let them show you what they CAN do, and it'll be easier to see what each of them can improve on separately, and together."
Sarah realized that all the lessons she had with Will had come back to her. One by one they would each show off their skills. Even if it was just the littlest things, Will would make sure to inform them of posture, form, timing. Sarah hadn't noticed how observant and patient Will had been with them during each lesson, today Sarah was definitely not a reflection of that and admitted it to herself. She made a move to turn around and face Will, but paused. He sighed, "you can look. I'm finished."
Finally facing Will, Sarah couldn't help but take in all of his features, the first thing she noticed always was his blue eyes observing her. His facial features showing a kind yet confident expression. Will had never physically looked muscular, but his toned body hid his strength. To her, he was absolutely a work of art.
"Beautiful," she whispered. Will tilted his head slightly, "pardon?"
"The scenery," she had no idea what was going on with her. she hadn't seen him for 3 years and for some reason it felt like she was seeing him for the first time ever.
Will rubbed the back of his neck and walked up to Scarlet. He took the reigns and got on her horse. Scarlet didn't mind, they never really spent much time getting to know each other, but his energy and confidence was enough to earn Scarlets trust on the saddle. She felt, at this moment, strong and powerful, making her ready to take on any challenges along the way. Jimber must have felt the same.
He reached out his hand and Sarah shook her head, "I can ride on my own you know,"
"No, you can't," he said softly, "you're hurt."
She took a step forward and her leg almost gave way. Will caught her just in time by the arm. Just then, her body started feeling sore all over. The fall from earlier had still took a toll on her, which would mean a few days rest for the go getter. Sarah gave in, took his hand and let him lift her up to the saddle. She wrapped her arms around his sides for security, "Horseland isn't too far from here, let's get you back," said Will softly.
As they started towards the direction of the ranch, Sarah had thought back to earlier, remembering every little detail, or maybe little was just an understatement. She tried holding in her laughter, small chuckles escaping her. Will raised a brow, "something funny?" he asked.
"Will, its just…" she paused, letting a laugh pass by. She blushed and continued, "there were bigger bushes you know,"
His face grew red, she just had to remind him, "just log that off your mind! You saw nothing."
She was already laughing so hard that tears started to form, hardly even caring if she's sore all over. This is something that she'll never forget, "Thank you for the advice, and welcome home Will!"
Meanwhile, Bailey's patience is deteriorating. he shuffled around his seat until he had enough, "what's taking this guy so long?!"
Thanks for checking this out! Lemme know what you all think. It's supposed to be a oneshot, but I've been thinking of adding on more stories of our now older Horseland characters. All comments welcome!