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Post by Raine Adylin on Apr 28, 2009 20:50:20 GMT 2
Word Count: 554
For: Shane
Status: Complete
Lyrics: Superman by Five For High
The engine revved, biting at the bit to catch a little more speed. It didn't leave much to be bargained with. Raine pushed down on the pedal, gripping a little bit tighter on the steering wheel with her one hand as the new bout of speed brought with it a stronger wind. It blew her hair out of her face and it tumbled out behind her, licking the air with sharp flicks. Her large sunglasses protected the young socialite from the intensity of the sun. Out here in desert-like terrain, it was just a little bit different from Los Angeles. Raine's 1967 Ford Mustang hummed comfortably now, not at all as noisy as it used to be. The car had been fully restored with new parts that gave the old machine a bit more American Muscle, like it had had back in 1967. Raine absolutely adored the Mustang but truth be told, it brought back memories she would rather keep back with the cobwebs, collecting dust. It was a present from her father. Just the thought of him and she felt the shakes coming on. Raine grabbed the steering wheel with boths hands, hitting it even as she angrily warned off the tears. Biting her bottom lip she blew all of the air out her lungs. Her shoulders relaxed and she leaned her elbow against the car door again.
It wasn't a long drive to the riding school but the area between was fairly deserted. It was a pleasant drive with the sun shining down on you, the wind billowing around you and creating a barrier. You heard nothing but the flap of the wind against your hair and the gentle hum of your cars engine. Raine found that she was relaxing and as she looked over to her left she could see the riding school. It didn't seem so distant now and inviting. With the paddocks in view, she could see the horses grazing peacefully. She was hoping to see some riders in their lesson. She loved to watch the horses in action. It was peaceful to watch them in the paddocks but a little excitement, like in the jumping, would be quite inviting.
Wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I'll never see
It may sound absurd, but don't be naive
Even heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed, but won’t you conceed
Even heroes have the right to dream
And it’s not easy to be me
Rai pulled into the driveway, taking care of her Mustang as she descended slowly into the parking area. Bump after bump, what else could you expect in rough horse territory? The pleasant smells in the air blew through her car window and her hair finally settled against her back. It reached quite far down and with her tank top, it covered most of the bare skin on her back. Adjusting her shirt strap, Raine opened the car door and stepped out. She was quipped with white sandals, loose bell-bottom jeans that rested low on her hips and a baby blue tank top that brought out the grey in her eyes. She closed her car door behind her, the keys jingling in her hand. Rai looked out over the yard, locking her car and, well, standing. Where to first? There were so many options to choose from that it seemed impossible. Well...she could always check the arenas. They were on the far side of U Star Stables, so she headed off towards her now known destination. On the way she looked out at the paddocks, admiring the well-groomed horses in them.
inet-charlie.com/c&c/history/images/67-68.ford.mustang.500.jpg
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Post by shane on Apr 28, 2009 21:34:26 GMT 2
Shane McCullen straightened out Torque, her white and black paint gelding, toward the 3 foot high oxer. The sun gleamed on the newly painted jump in the outdoor arena. Torque continued to canter towards the jump. As he got closer, Torque got faster. He loved jumping. At the last second, Torque's front hoofs left the ground, then the back, gliding over the jump. Shane smiled. She loved the feel of being up in the air. Torque's hooves landly softly on the ground on the other side. Shane looked back and saw the rails firmly in the holder. Didn't touch one. She hasn't jumped that high in years. The highest she's gone since Ferelli was put down when she was 15. She loved being back.
Shane trotted Torque around the ring, then walked, cooling him down a little. She looked across the ring and saw a car in the parking area next to the house. "Who could that be?" she asked herself aloud. She wasn't expecting anyone. Shane dismounted and patted Torque on the neck. "That was good Toe." Torque nuzzled Shanes shouder, making her smiled. She saw a girl walking towards the ring. Shane led Torque out of the ring and closed the gate behind her.
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Post by Raine Adylin on Apr 29, 2009 14:54:16 GMT 2
Word Count: 295
Status: Complete
Lyrics: Superman by Five For High
Raine had passed most of the paddocks, her hands half hidden in her jeans pockets with her thumbs hooked over the sides. Her well-tanned skin was extremely smooth, soft to the touch. It was as if she'd spent her whole life in this hot Arizona sun. Her hair swayed gently from side to side, caressing her back as she walked towards the arenas. She had approached the outdoor arena first and as she was arriving, someone was taking her horse over one of the jumps. Raine couldn't dream of completing any kind of jump, let alone getting onto a horse herself. The horse was particularly attractive, with the black patches on a gleaming white coat. The piebald had blue eyes, so she noticed. Often a Paint Horse's blue eyes were quite...shocking to see, if that were the right explanation. They were so sharp it was quite intimidating. Well, at least in Raine's head.
Wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I'll never see
It may sound absurd, but don't be naive
Even heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed, but won’t you conceed
Even heroes have the right to dream
And it’s not easy to be me
Hi. You were fantastic going over that last jump.
She gushed, smiling fairly brightly. Rai had always been friendly and especially warm to others. She also liked to chat up a storm if given the opportunity but lately, since having to come to Westin, she had been quieter than usual.
Is he your horse?
Raine asked, studying the Paint again. There was no breeze to cool her down and she couldn't imagine how hot the two of them must have been, since they had just been out in the jumping arena. Rai's hands were still in her pocket and her feet pulled in towards each other. Her expression looked slightly nervous, as if speaking to someone she didn't know made her feel insecure. Truth be told, she did feel insecure. She was especially vulnerable after leaving LA and so many memories behind. |
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Post by shane on Apr 29, 2009 19:49:09 GMT 2
She looked at the girl who approached her. She didn't look like she was from around here."Um, thanks."She looked up at Toe. He snorted and pulled his head towards the girl and sniffed her hair. "Stop that Torque." She said, slightly pulled on the reins.
"Yeah he's my horse. His name's Torque." Westin was a fairly small town where everyone knew everybody, and Shane certainly didn't know this girl because she certainly would have noticed her.
It was hot outside and she wondered how long she would have to stay out there talking to her. She didn't wanna not talk to her, she just wanted to get out of this blistering heat. Her and Torque hadn't been out there for long, just for a warm up and jumped the course once. She had set up the jumps last night when it wasn't as hot.
"Do you want to come with me to the barn so I can hose him down?" She started walking toward the bigger of the two barns, hoping she would follow.
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Post by Raine Adylin on Apr 30, 2009 20:04:53 GMT 2
Word Count: 295
Status: Complete
Lyrics: Superman by Five For High
When the horse stretched out to sniff her hair, Raine smiled. She held out her hand for him to sniff, watching the horse when the other girl mentioned his name.
Its a good name.
She commented, tilting her head a little then removing her attention from him to her. Raine's tanned skin glowed with a light layer of perspiration, looking like a shade of gold under the heat of the sun. For a city girl it wasn't very flattering to get down and dirty unless it was in a different context but Raine didn't seem to mind. It was like being in a western movie, watching two of the guys racing each other on their horses on the plains, all the stetson hats...it was almost surreal. But it was a reality, she just needed to get her proper bearings. Life was slower here but boredom never crossed her mind. She had Scruffy, her work and times like this that kept her occupied. Also, caring for her grandmother was a big thing as well. Raine wasn't the only one who had suffered a loss.
Wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I'll never see
It may sound absurd, but don't be naive
Even heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed, but won’t you conceed
Even heroes have the right to dream
And it’s not easy to be me
Oh, yeah. Sure.
Raine followed en suite, realizing she had held up the pair from getting out of the heat. She tucked her long blonde locks behind her ear, her arms swinging casually by her sides.
Do you jump higher than that last one you did?
She honestly had no clue what to call those jumps. Rai just loved horses, knowing a lot of breeds, colours and anatomy but not really much of the stuff that mattered in terms of caring for one, nor riding one. She had probably been on one pony at a fair during the times when she was still little but otherwise, nothing had come of her passion. |
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Post by shane on Apr 30, 2009 21:39:29 GMT 2
"Yeah. That was only three foot. I've been over four and a half." She told the girl.
They finally got to the barn. It was very hot outside so she was glad they were in the barn. Since it was an open barn, there was no air conditioning, but there were two big fans on either side of the barn aisle. Shane stood in front of one of them for a couple seconds.
"Can you hold him while I get his halter from the tack room?" She said, handing the reins to the girl, not waiting for her reply. She ran into the tack room, which was right next to the fan she was just standing in front of.
"Ahhh, air conditioning." The tackroom was nice and cool. She hurried up and got Torque's synthetic halter. He had two. A syntheitc one, that was meant for outside, and to get dirty. And a barn halter, the one he keeps on in his stall. He rarely wears one outside though. Except when Shane know that she is going to work him, or use him at all that day. Having a halter on him makes him easier to catch.
She hurried and took his halter down from the peg underneath his name. She didn't want to leave the girl with Torque for too long. She knew Toe wouldn't do anything, he was a sweetheart. he just had a habit of running off when no one was holding onto him.
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Post by Raine Adylin on Apr 30, 2009 22:04:00 GMT 2
Word Count: 204
Status: Complete
Before Raine had a say in it, she was handed the reins and left standing with a total strangers horse. Well, it wasn't like she could run away with Torque anyhow. She smiled at the image in her head of her on his back, practically thrown all over the place as she tried to hold on. Rai held back a giggle, biting her lower lip. She stroked Torque's neck, tilting her head a little bit.
Wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I'll never see
It may sound absurd, but don't be naive
Even heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed, but won’t you conceed
Even heroes have the right to dream
And it’s not easy to be me
A few stray strands of her hair fell from behind her ear, tickling her neck and lingering against her skin. A breath escaped her, falling heavily from her lips. When her mind wasn't occupied or kept busy, she was thinking about her parents. Keeping the tears back was like fighting something triple your size. It just kept persisting. So she tried to think of anything else, and so she cooed to Torque, just trying to change the subject on her mind.
Such a handsome boy.
She let him sniff her hand. He was an absolute sweetie. He reminded her of her little kitten, Scruffy. Scruffy was brown and white, but he also had patches like Torque.
I wonder how'd you'd react to Scruffy.
She mused, laughing a little bit. |
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Post by shane on Apr 30, 2009 22:49:03 GMT 2
Shane hurried out of the tackroom to find Torque and the girl still standing there.
"Thanks." She took the reins from the girl and walked a few stalls down to the hot and cold wash stall. She replaced Torque's bridle with the halter and crosstied him in the stall. She then took the saddle and saddle pad off and set it just outside the stall so it wouldn't get wet.
As she turned the hose on and wet down Torque, shane asked, "You never told me who you were."
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Post by Raine Adylin on May 1, 2009 9:33:59 GMT 2
Word Count: 144
Status: Complete
Raine held the reins a bit loosely once Torque's owner came out of the tack room. Her fingers brushed the leather before returning her hand to the inside of her pocket, hooking her thumb over the denim. Still there was no breeze from outside but the fans on either side of the aisle blew her hair about her face. Rai didn't seem to mind. Her hair was already pretty wind-blown from her drive from inside town to up here to U Star.
Wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I'll never see
It may sound absurd, but don't be naive
Even heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed, but won’t you conceed
Even heroes have the right to dream
And it’s not easy to be me
Oh, right. My name's Raine.
She replied, realizing that they didn't have any names to go by.
Raine Adylin.
Raine was a bit uneasy revealing her name. It was such a small town and her grandmother hadn't been able to keep their news under control. The recent loss of her daughter and son-in-law, and Raine and Justin's parents. She missed Justin terribly. |
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Post by shane on May 1, 2009 19:27:32 GMT 2
"Shane McCullen. Nice to meat you Raine." Torque snorted as he felt the cool water over his body. The white swet from under his saddle ran off his body. The outline of the saddle pad gleaming white and black again. She didn't want to wash him with soap and shampoo, it would take too long to wash him, and dry him. Firestarter and Black still needed to be ridden. She wondered if Raine could help. Maybe she could ride Firestarter. Black is a little rambunctious, so she didnt trust anyone with him. He still needed some training.
"Hey, do you know how to ride? I still have to excersice two more horses." She asked as she turned the tap off and started to use a sweat scraper to get some water off of Torque's coat.
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Post by Raine Adylin on May 1, 2009 20:35:24 GMT 2
Word Count: 193
Status: Complete
Its a pleasure.
She replied, fully unaware of the fact that Shane was the owner of U Star. Raine had in fact never visited the riding school before, although she had passed it which was exactly how she had found out about it. She though she would visit more often, maybe with her camera next time. She watched on as Shane continued to hose down Torque, the water pelting off of his coat in some places, and running down over his coat and dripping off of his stomach where the water had run off of his barrel.
Wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I'll never see
It may sound absurd, but don't be naive
Even heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed, but won’t you conceed
Even heroes have the right to dream
And it’s not easy to be me
Raine's eyes popped out of her head when Shane mentioned her having to exercise two more of her horses. She opened her mouth as if to speak then closed it again. However, she did try again.
I've actually never ridden before.
She replied, beginning to nibble on her bottom lip. She could taste the gloss she had put on her lips and ceased, swallowing and looking from Shane to Torque.
Would love to learn though.
Rai admitted, although she did not sound very suggestive. She had sounded pensive, watching Torque as he reacted to Shane's touch. |
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Post by shane on May 1, 2009 21:00:26 GMT 2
"Thats ok. You can ride Firestarter. She was my mom's. She easy."
She finished getting all the water off of torque and got a towel and was hanging off of a bar on the side of the stall and towel dried his mane and tail. They'll dry more in the sun.
"I need to put Torque in the field, and i'll get the other twos tack. You wanna come with me to get the other two from the field?"
She was hoping Raine would say yes because she hated leading Black and another horse together. Black always tried to nip at the other horse. Under the saddle, he's perfectly fine with other horses. He just still likes to rear and gallop when he the rider isnt paying attention.
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Post by Raine Adylin on May 1, 2009 21:12:23 GMT 2
Word Count: 196
Status: Complete
Wow, okay.
Raine couldn't hold back her little bit of laughter, so she put her hand over her mouth and tried to hide her goofy grin. It was good to see her smiling again. Rai needed a little bit of help to get her mood uplifted and Shane had no idea, but she was contributing towards that. Tucking the her unruly hair behind her ear, Rai wondered what on earth her wavy hair looked like. It couldn't have been exactly picture perfect but she hoped it wasn't at all bad either. She searched in her pockets for a hairband and eventually found one, pulling her hair back out of her face and tying up her hair in a high ponytail. It was out of her face except for a few exceptions, but that wasn't too bad.
Wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I'll never see
It may sound absurd, but don't be naive
Even heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed, but won’t you conceed
Even heroes have the right to dream
And it’s not easy to be me
Its the least I can do for you.
She answered on Shane's suggestion. Rai followed en suite and the two were able to make the trek up to the wide-spread paddocks that held the many horses here at U Star.
How many of these horses are yours?
She asked curiously, her arms swinging by her sides in a casual fashion. |
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Post by shane on May 1, 2009 21:54:37 GMT 2
Shane smiled as she , Raine, and Torque walked down the dirt path that led in between two of the paddocks. Most of the horses were in the right paddock. The horses she had ridden were in the right one. Firestarted and Black were in the left one. She already had a couple lead ropes hanging over the fence. She lead Torque over to the right paddock gate and opened it. She walked in a little with Torque and let go of the lead rope. She hit Torque back lightly with the lead rope to get him going. He galloped in the other direction to the other horses.
"They're all mine." She finally said, remembering that Raine had asked her a question.
"Actually, they were the families." She said as her and Raine went into the left paddock to get Firestarted and Black.
"But, my parents passed a couple years ago, and I inherited the place." She put her head down. She rarely talks about her parents. But, thankfully, they got to one of the horses, Firestarter. Black, being stubborn, and galloped in the opposite direction as soon as he saw them coming.
"Ok, leading a horse is easy. Always stay on the right side of the horse. And ou clip the lead chain to the halter. Firestarter already has one, so you dont have to worry about putting a halter on her." She took off the lead road the was looped on her belt loop. She showed Raine how to clip the lead road to the halter. And how to hold it, right hand closer to the clip, the lead rope folded in the left hand. As she showed her how to have the extra rope in the left hand, she noticed how soft her hands were. She blushed.
She hurried away to get Black. He bucked a couple times, but Shane finally got him. When shane got next to Raine, she said, "When your leading, always make sure you look ahead of you." She smiled.
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Post by Raine Adylin on May 1, 2009 22:06:53 GMT 2
Word Count: 337
Status: Complete
All Raine could do was follow, really. She had no idea who was who, and who was where. It was obvious from Black's name that she would be looking for a black horse, but she was supposed to be handling Firestarter. Who? She thought amusedly to herself. Shane launched into an explanation about the horses after releasing Torque. Raine had her head down, staring at her feet and trying to block out the millions of emotions pounding in her head like a headache. She was glad to be led to the opposite paddock and towards two horses. She knew who Black was and was able to distinguish who Firestarter was. The horse was some kind of albino, she knew that from the light pink around the eyes and unusual colour.
What a pretty girl.
She cooed, holding out her hand for the mare to sniff. Shane was explaining how to lead a horse and Raine listened intently. If she was going to learn anything, she had to pay attention. And as an added bonus, it kept her mind occupied. Shane's hands touched Rai's and she thought nothing of it, until she saw the flush in Shane's cheeks. Where did that come from? She cleared her throat, holding the leading rope in her hands.
Raine made the effort and Firestarter was gentle, which was helpful. Rai clipped on the lead after stroking the mares neck, speaking to her softly. Holding the lead like she had been shown, she waited for Shane, whom seemed to be struggling with Black. Once they were alongside each other, Rai's smile showed itself again, despite how weak it seemed to be.
Okay..
She hadn't meant to take the lead but it happened and she opened the gate, leading Firestarter out and waiting on the accompanying pair. She held firmly onto the lead rope, feeling her skin chaffing a bit. It wouldn't be a bother. She hoped to make this a regular thing, if of course she didn't make a total idiot of herself.
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