Post by Maja Windward on Aug 6, 2016 6:59:30 GMT 10
“Looking for a new horse, miss? I'll make you a good trade on that one you're riding now, if you like.”
The proprietor of the horse barn at Crescent Moon Village eyed Maja's cremello Morgan mare with an appreciative eye. “Nice looking mare, there.”
Maja laughed. “Thanks, but not looking to trade away my Pearl. She's a keeper for sure!”
The man nodded sagely. “I would too. So then, looking to increase your herd? I have some fine horses here. Just got some new thoroughbreds in. Take a look at this flea-bitten grey. Isn't he a lovely gelding? Fast, too. Just the thing for racing across Jorvik.”
Maja looked politely at the grey but knew he wasn't the right horse. Besides, she was just looking. She had decided to save her money and wait for a very special horse, perhaps a new breed Jorvik hadn't seen before. No, the grey held no interest for her.
“Now this here is a fine Arabian, wouldn't you say?” The man reached up to pat the dark bay Arabian mare's nose.
“Fine, yes, but I'm just not partial to these dainty Arabians.”
“Big sturdy draft more to your liking? This shire's just the ticket, then!”
But Maja had already turned away, or rather, Pearl had. The Morgan mare nickered softly, calling to a nervous looking buckskin Morgan stallion. Something about him drew Maja just as surely as it had her mare. His huge soulful brown eyes seemed to hold a great sadness as he pranced nervously in the stall.
He was as fine a Morgan as Pearl herself, with a strong short back, gracefully arched neck and fine head. Hard black hooves graced the straight, sturdy legs. His conformation was perfect and the intelligence in his eye matched it. There was certainly something special about this horse, and yet...
The proprietor shook his head. “You don't want that horse, miss. I'm an honest man, so I have ta tell ya.. That one, well, he's got issues.”
“Issues?”
“Trust issues. He dasn't trust anyone. I'm good with horses but I haven't been able to get through to that one.” He shook his head, sighing.
“What happened to him to cause trust issues?” Maja asked, eyeing the stallion thoughtfully.
“Well... he's got a history, this horse. He was a twin, you see..”
“A twin?” Maja's eyebrow lifted. Twins were highly unusual with horses. Mares just weren't built to carry two large, leggy foals, and even when a mare carried twins to term, it wasn't unusual to lose one or both as they became entangled in the birthing process, or later, if one failed to thrive.
The man nodded, running a leathery hand through hair more grey than black. “A twin. Two stud colts, both fine specimens. Someone else thought so, too, and stole the both of them when they were barely weaned. No one knows quite what happened but about a month later, this fellow was found wandering, skinny and white eyed, running from anyone that tried to get close.”
The buckskin whinnied fearfully and kicked the back wall of the stall, though there was nothing nearby to cause his sudden fright. Pearl nickered softly, stretching her nose toward the stallion's dark nose and the buckskin settled once more, almost touching her nose with his, trading breaths, letting the warmth of her confidence settle into him.
The man regarded them in surprise and clicked his tongue against his teeth, then continued his story. “The authorities had to bring in a local horse rancher to even catch the little guy, but eventually he was identified as one of the stolen colts and returned to the ranch where he was bred. The breeders tried to work with him, but he was just plain scared wild, so they finally just turned him out for a few years. When they brought him back in he was still as flighty as before. He went through a few hands, I think, before coming to me.”
The proprietor laughed ruefully. “Got taken on this one, I did. Beautiful animal and I was sure I could work with him. Nothin' doin'. He's just not right in the head any more. Whatever was done to him flat ruined him. I'll never get the money back I paid for him.”
The stallion was standing calmly now, his tail swishing softly behind him, looking for the world like a completely different horse than the wild-eyed panicky stud he had just been moments before. The mare's neck rested lightly on his and every so often she nibbled at his shoulder, grooming him comfortingly.
“He sure is taken with your little mare, miss...?”
“Maja,” she supplied. “Yes, and she with him, it seems,” she added reluctantly. “But it's late. We had best get home. It'll be dark soon and and Valedale is a long ride. I thank you for your time and the story about him. A twin, huh?”
“Solo now, but ya, he was a twin. Who knows whatever happened to the other one?”
“So they never caught the thieves or recovered the other colt?”
He shook his head. “Nope. Too bad, too. I hate horse thieves. Thieves in general, but especially horse thieves and most especially whoever ruined this fine horse. They deserve worse than jail for that.”
Maja nodded in agreement. “Well, good night, then. We will probably be back in the morning to look at him some more.”
The proprietor frowned. “Maybe you'll want to ride one of my other horses instead, yeah? I'm sure we can find a good one for ya.”
The girl nodded absently, reining the Morgan mare around and heading for the bridge to South Hoof. Her head was so full thinking about the stud she couldn't remember the trip later, but Pearl always got her home safe. She was as much of a gem as her namesake.
She did remember the trip back, though, in darkness only broken by starlight. She slid from Pearl's back, the mare's sides heaving as she caught her breath from the long run. Maja left the cremello in front of the buckskin's stall and slipped away to the house she knew belonged to the proprietor. She knocked sharply.
“Sir? It's Maja. From this afternoon. I know it's late, but.. I want him. I want the buckskin stud. I arranged for transport tonight. I want to start...”
The door opening interrupted her.
“Wha..? Whoa, missy! I really think you should find a different horse. This one..”
“I know what you said, and I saw him. I know what I'm in for, honest. I'm good with horses too and.. and.. and I'll enlist the aid of some of the druids if I have to, but I can't stop thinking about him. I tried. Really I did. He just has to come home with us!”
She studied the man's face anxiously. He just had to let her buy the Morgan! He had to! She and Pearl both were counting on it.
He studied her intently. “The druids, you say? Hmmm... well... if anyone can reach him, I reckon they can, and maybe you can too, if you work with them. But...”
“Yes? I mean... yes! Yes, we can!”
“But I can't come down much on the price, Miss.. Maja. You understand? I paid more than normal for him, but I'll let you have him for the usual price. I'll just take a bit of a loss on him. It's worth it, I suppose, if you can do anything with him. Shame for such a fine animal to go to waste.”
“Oh, yes!! I mean I don't mind the price. I will work with him.. We will. Pearl and I both. I promise! Thank you, thank you!”
“Looks like that'd be your transport, eh?” He gestured to the truck and trailer pulling up to the stable. “All right, let me write up the sales receipt while you get him loaded, you and your mare. I reckon if anything can keep him calm to load and travel, that mare of yours can.”
Maja counted the coins quickly and shoved them into his hand, then ran to the stable to assist with the loading. The stallion allowed himself to be bridled and led, meek as a kitten, as long as the cremello mare was right beside him but he started dancing nervously when Pearl was loaded first, forcing him to wait outside the trailer without her. He loaded eagerly, nickering to the mare as he entered the trailer. The ride was quiet and offloading was much the same as loading. He became anxious when the mare was unloaded first, but calmed quickly when he was once more at her side.
Maja stabled them together for the night, talking softly to the stud as she settled him in and filled the trough with fresh water. She stuffed the hay net full of fragrant green hay, watching her newest charge. His ears pricked attentively at the enticing aroma of the hay, but he stayed his distance until she moved away from the hay net. Only then did he approach and nibble a few wisps tentatively, carefully watching her as he did. When Maja made no move to come closer, the buckskin finally began to munch in earnest.
Maja sat back against the far wall of the large stall, content to watch the stud as he ate and sniffed his new home, and mostly as he nuzzled Pearl. She was right at his side, touching his shoulder gently with her nose any time he seemed to become nervous. If it took time for him to trust Maja, Pearl was there to bridge the gap. He would learn to trust Maja through the cremello mare. Pearl was once again proving her name well earned!
More than an hour later, Maja curled up in the hay in the far corner of the large stall. The stallion was already drowsing at the other end, his head only inches from the mare's.
“Solo. The Solo Twin. That's what I'll call you,” she murmured as sleep claimed her, too.
The long night drifted into morning as the stars above Jorvik surrendered to the morning's soft, pink rays.
The proprietor of the horse barn at Crescent Moon Village eyed Maja's cremello Morgan mare with an appreciative eye. “Nice looking mare, there.”
Maja laughed. “Thanks, but not looking to trade away my Pearl. She's a keeper for sure!”
The man nodded sagely. “I would too. So then, looking to increase your herd? I have some fine horses here. Just got some new thoroughbreds in. Take a look at this flea-bitten grey. Isn't he a lovely gelding? Fast, too. Just the thing for racing across Jorvik.”
Maja looked politely at the grey but knew he wasn't the right horse. Besides, she was just looking. She had decided to save her money and wait for a very special horse, perhaps a new breed Jorvik hadn't seen before. No, the grey held no interest for her.
“Now this here is a fine Arabian, wouldn't you say?” The man reached up to pat the dark bay Arabian mare's nose.
“Fine, yes, but I'm just not partial to these dainty Arabians.”
“Big sturdy draft more to your liking? This shire's just the ticket, then!”
But Maja had already turned away, or rather, Pearl had. The Morgan mare nickered softly, calling to a nervous looking buckskin Morgan stallion. Something about him drew Maja just as surely as it had her mare. His huge soulful brown eyes seemed to hold a great sadness as he pranced nervously in the stall.
He was as fine a Morgan as Pearl herself, with a strong short back, gracefully arched neck and fine head. Hard black hooves graced the straight, sturdy legs. His conformation was perfect and the intelligence in his eye matched it. There was certainly something special about this horse, and yet...
The proprietor shook his head. “You don't want that horse, miss. I'm an honest man, so I have ta tell ya.. That one, well, he's got issues.”
“Issues?”
“Trust issues. He dasn't trust anyone. I'm good with horses but I haven't been able to get through to that one.” He shook his head, sighing.
“What happened to him to cause trust issues?” Maja asked, eyeing the stallion thoughtfully.
“Well... he's got a history, this horse. He was a twin, you see..”
“A twin?” Maja's eyebrow lifted. Twins were highly unusual with horses. Mares just weren't built to carry two large, leggy foals, and even when a mare carried twins to term, it wasn't unusual to lose one or both as they became entangled in the birthing process, or later, if one failed to thrive.
The man nodded, running a leathery hand through hair more grey than black. “A twin. Two stud colts, both fine specimens. Someone else thought so, too, and stole the both of them when they were barely weaned. No one knows quite what happened but about a month later, this fellow was found wandering, skinny and white eyed, running from anyone that tried to get close.”
The buckskin whinnied fearfully and kicked the back wall of the stall, though there was nothing nearby to cause his sudden fright. Pearl nickered softly, stretching her nose toward the stallion's dark nose and the buckskin settled once more, almost touching her nose with his, trading breaths, letting the warmth of her confidence settle into him.
The man regarded them in surprise and clicked his tongue against his teeth, then continued his story. “The authorities had to bring in a local horse rancher to even catch the little guy, but eventually he was identified as one of the stolen colts and returned to the ranch where he was bred. The breeders tried to work with him, but he was just plain scared wild, so they finally just turned him out for a few years. When they brought him back in he was still as flighty as before. He went through a few hands, I think, before coming to me.”
The proprietor laughed ruefully. “Got taken on this one, I did. Beautiful animal and I was sure I could work with him. Nothin' doin'. He's just not right in the head any more. Whatever was done to him flat ruined him. I'll never get the money back I paid for him.”
The stallion was standing calmly now, his tail swishing softly behind him, looking for the world like a completely different horse than the wild-eyed panicky stud he had just been moments before. The mare's neck rested lightly on his and every so often she nibbled at his shoulder, grooming him comfortingly.
“He sure is taken with your little mare, miss...?”
“Maja,” she supplied. “Yes, and she with him, it seems,” she added reluctantly. “But it's late. We had best get home. It'll be dark soon and and Valedale is a long ride. I thank you for your time and the story about him. A twin, huh?”
“Solo now, but ya, he was a twin. Who knows whatever happened to the other one?”
“So they never caught the thieves or recovered the other colt?”
He shook his head. “Nope. Too bad, too. I hate horse thieves. Thieves in general, but especially horse thieves and most especially whoever ruined this fine horse. They deserve worse than jail for that.”
Maja nodded in agreement. “Well, good night, then. We will probably be back in the morning to look at him some more.”
The proprietor frowned. “Maybe you'll want to ride one of my other horses instead, yeah? I'm sure we can find a good one for ya.”
The girl nodded absently, reining the Morgan mare around and heading for the bridge to South Hoof. Her head was so full thinking about the stud she couldn't remember the trip later, but Pearl always got her home safe. She was as much of a gem as her namesake.
She did remember the trip back, though, in darkness only broken by starlight. She slid from Pearl's back, the mare's sides heaving as she caught her breath from the long run. Maja left the cremello in front of the buckskin's stall and slipped away to the house she knew belonged to the proprietor. She knocked sharply.
“Sir? It's Maja. From this afternoon. I know it's late, but.. I want him. I want the buckskin stud. I arranged for transport tonight. I want to start...”
The door opening interrupted her.
“Wha..? Whoa, missy! I really think you should find a different horse. This one..”
“I know what you said, and I saw him. I know what I'm in for, honest. I'm good with horses too and.. and.. and I'll enlist the aid of some of the druids if I have to, but I can't stop thinking about him. I tried. Really I did. He just has to come home with us!”
She studied the man's face anxiously. He just had to let her buy the Morgan! He had to! She and Pearl both were counting on it.
He studied her intently. “The druids, you say? Hmmm... well... if anyone can reach him, I reckon they can, and maybe you can too, if you work with them. But...”
“Yes? I mean... yes! Yes, we can!”
“But I can't come down much on the price, Miss.. Maja. You understand? I paid more than normal for him, but I'll let you have him for the usual price. I'll just take a bit of a loss on him. It's worth it, I suppose, if you can do anything with him. Shame for such a fine animal to go to waste.”
“Oh, yes!! I mean I don't mind the price. I will work with him.. We will. Pearl and I both. I promise! Thank you, thank you!”
“Looks like that'd be your transport, eh?” He gestured to the truck and trailer pulling up to the stable. “All right, let me write up the sales receipt while you get him loaded, you and your mare. I reckon if anything can keep him calm to load and travel, that mare of yours can.”
Maja counted the coins quickly and shoved them into his hand, then ran to the stable to assist with the loading. The stallion allowed himself to be bridled and led, meek as a kitten, as long as the cremello mare was right beside him but he started dancing nervously when Pearl was loaded first, forcing him to wait outside the trailer without her. He loaded eagerly, nickering to the mare as he entered the trailer. The ride was quiet and offloading was much the same as loading. He became anxious when the mare was unloaded first, but calmed quickly when he was once more at her side.
Maja stabled them together for the night, talking softly to the stud as she settled him in and filled the trough with fresh water. She stuffed the hay net full of fragrant green hay, watching her newest charge. His ears pricked attentively at the enticing aroma of the hay, but he stayed his distance until she moved away from the hay net. Only then did he approach and nibble a few wisps tentatively, carefully watching her as he did. When Maja made no move to come closer, the buckskin finally began to munch in earnest.
Maja sat back against the far wall of the large stall, content to watch the stud as he ate and sniffed his new home, and mostly as he nuzzled Pearl. She was right at his side, touching his shoulder gently with her nose any time he seemed to become nervous. If it took time for him to trust Maja, Pearl was there to bridge the gap. He would learn to trust Maja through the cremello mare. Pearl was once again proving her name well earned!
More than an hour later, Maja curled up in the hay in the far corner of the large stall. The stallion was already drowsing at the other end, his head only inches from the mare's.
“Solo. The Solo Twin. That's what I'll call you,” she murmured as sleep claimed her, too.
The long night drifted into morning as the stars above Jorvik surrendered to the morning's soft, pink rays.
*** To Be Continued ***