>> on the road again [CR]

[rain]

[ Character - Domeena "Domi" Taylor ]

Since arriving as Bar-B's resident trainer, Domi had opted on trying out the residents from the top of the list down. First out of the barn, and already becoming a fast favorite of hers was the darkened dun Quarter Horse stud, Done Dunit. The broad beast was a smooth ride and pretty responsive despite being a bit of a butthead, like most studs had the habit of being. Having gone through his paces around the barn first, and satisfied that he was of (mostly) sound mind and sound body, Domi decided to venture out into the open wilderness around the facility.

Once they were out of sight of the barn, Domi immediately felt at home in the trees and brush. Watching as Dunit's ears twitched sporadically, she made mental note to keep an eye on him while at the same time keeping an eye out on the environment around them. Having grown up in mountain lion territory, outdoor excursions could be quite interesting if you don't stay on your toes. She was keenly aware that something was nearby, but chalked it up to nothing more than a deer or rabbit. Maybe a fox, who knew? But Dunit was clearly aware of it also and his neck arched in excitement, huffing through flared nostrils. Rubbing his neck reassuringly, Domi chuckled softly at him. "Easy, big guy. No worries."

[dream]

The long grasses of Spring brushed softly against her underside, tickling her skin. Her pelt twitched in response as she shook her head irritably. The wind blew from behind, sending her scent barreling in front of her - and leaving her painfully unaware as to where she was headed. Lifting her head and scanning her surroundings, her careful eyes caught sight of a trail of sorts. It winded between the scarce trees like a snake, almost like a deers would be - though slightly thicker. Trotting from the field, the dark bay mare lowered her head and sniffed the ground, her nostrils flaring. She could smell other horses and the faint scent of leather and metal. Lightning wrinkled her nose in disgust before moving on again at an easy pace, moving off the trail and leaving the smell behind her. Moving back towards the center of the grass, she lowered her head and grazed, pulling at the life giving foliage and ripping it out of the ground. Her ears flicked back and forth, listening for any sign of trouble. The meadow was alive, with scampering rabbits and chirping birds - she felt at home here. The suns' golden rays rained down on her back, warming her wonderfully - but with good weather comes bugs. The dreadful pests landed on her back rump and she flicked her tail, whisking it against her side. The winter had passed, and not soon enough. With Spring came life, but Lightning was feeling quite alone in the world. She was yet to come across another wild horse that hadn't been affiliated with the humans in one way or another. It was a sad thing, to think that the wild was slowly being turned into a humans slave. Lightning's peace was interrupted as she heard whispers in a language she could not understand. Lifting her head ubruptly, she pricked her ears.

[rain]

Despite the measures she took to calm the big boy, Domi could feel Dunit as his muscles tightened in anticipation. Clearly, the stud could tell something of importance was nearby. She furrowed her brow a moment as she watched his head jerk to the right, his focus strictly pointed that direction. A bird broke from the left and immediately Dunit pounced into action as if waiting for an excuse to have a tantrum. His head craned down against the sweet iron snaffle and his back snapped upright. Quickly, Domi threw her feet forward and leaned back, cranking the dun's head around to the left as he bucked himself into a tiny circle. Soon, he didn't have the balance to get his hind off the ground again and simply began to circle tightly. Satisfied the climax was over, Domi gave him his head again and encouraged him to stop. He did, though he was now breathing a bit heavily through rushed adrenaline, his focus still locked in the same direction prior to his explosion.

Trying to peer through the dense brush ahead in the area he was so intently staring down, Domi decided the only thing to do was check it out. No point in continuing a ride that would only be a continuous fight with the 1200 pound brute. So, with gentle guidance, she picked the clearest path through the foliage and set him off at a brisk walk again. Dipping around branches that reached out to scrape at them both, losing a bandanna along the way, they finally broke through the treeline after just a few yards. As they did, Dunit stopped immediately and lifted his head to bellow out quite a frantic call. Obviously, he smelled something worth talking to.

[dream]

Lightning flicked her ears back, turning slightly to match the current direction of her head. In the near distance she could faintly hear what sounded like the pounding of hooves. It only happened for a moment, but it was enough to catch Lightning's attention. The animals had quietened, though the occasional chirp still rang through the air. Snorting and flicking her tail, the following quietness only intrigued her more. She already knew that another horse was nearby, that much was easily told, but whether she wanted to meet this horse was the question. Though she still sought the company of other horses, Lightning was all-in-all a very solitary being: a rogue, as she was known. Not far off, leaves rustled together, creating a music that was normally so lovely towards the ears. But the breeze had stopped in the moment, so it was an unnatural sound. Only a second later, a brutes call echoed through the air. Standing on the opposite side of yet another treeline and further down, Lightning could not see if there was another accompanying him. Stomping her back hoof, she made the decision to find out. Flicking back her long forelock, the darkly colored mare nickered in response. Moving forward slowly at first, the fearless female picked up a slow lope and easily weaved in between the trees to the other side. Emerging from behind a piece of bush, she stuck only her head and neck out. Directly in front of her stood a light brown stallion with some type of restraint tightened around his face. Lightning wrinkled her nose at the human on his back, but didn't flee like a normal horse would. Her bravery could only be matched by her stubbornness as she stared them both down, unafraid.

[rain]

Domi had to laugh as he called out into the forest, ruffling his mane in play as she let him do his thing. They remained still after the bellow, and for a moment, she readied them to move onward. However the soft nicker found its way through the dividing treeline ahead of them and immediately Domi froze. She was aware there were wild horses scattered throughout the wilderness, though she had yet to encounter one and was slightly skeptical as to their real existence. But that skepticism quickly vanished as something that sounded much larger than a deer began to break through the line ahead of them.

Quickly moving Dunit out of the treeline and a few steps into the clearing for safety's sake, her worries were validated when he began to jitter from side to side in a highly excitable manner. "Eeeeasy, son. Eeeeasy." She coo'd to him on a low, soft tone, letting him move his feet so long as they stayed on the ground. A worried horse standing still was only allowed to continue to worry. If she kept his feet moving, it kept him better distracted than if he were allowed to focus solely on what was bothering him. Soon, the creature had come through the final bout of brush and trees, though Domi could only make out a head and neck which contrasted the foliage behind it. It was indeed a loose horse, though she was unsure as to whether it was wild or not. She guessed so, as she had already gone through and met the resident horses at Bar-B and this was not one she had seen yet. "Wouldja look at that?" She certainly didn't have to say it, Dunit had been trying to "look at that" since he first caught the mare's scent a hundred yards back. Once she was in clear sight, his head snapped up again and he locked on her, this time nickering lightly in a studly fashion.

[dream]

Lightning simply watched, shifting her weight as she relaxed her back right hoof. Her eyes trailed up and down the pair, sizing them up as she lifted her own head in an act of confidence and her willingness to not back down. It was an understatement to say that Lightning wasn't worried about the female that rode upon the stallions back, it was the stallion that had caught her eye. Moving from the trees, she high-stepped into the grass and back into the sun, slowing moving parallel to the tree line to get a better look at the domestic stud. Her own body was quite pretty to look at, as she was an Arabian-Morgan crossbreed, with a dished face and dainty but strong frame. Her mane was long and split on either side of her neck in pieces, fading to a palomino color at the ends. On her forehead was a strip-like star, the only white on her body besides the slim coronet on her back right leg. Standing still for a moment in silence, she flicked her head back and let out a horsey laugh - which was really just a loud nicker. Snapping her head back and forth, she snorted in amusement as if to say "as if". She was clearly no longer interested in the stud before her. He was almost as small as she was, and besides, he was domestic - and it was something she didn't get. How he just let that human upon his back, like he couldn't throw her easily enough. Was that a pleasure? To carry an unneeded and definitely unnatural piece of flesh and bones on you back? And the leather bindings that wrapped around his head and stomach, along with the saddle they strapped there? It was a mystery to the wild horses, it truly was. Not even the freed mares and stallions that now roamed the wild could explain why they did it - it made them look weak, an emotion Lightning had never felt as long as she had lived. What right did people have anyway? To break the wild horse?

[rain]

The pair took the opportunity to observe this creature in its raw form. In truth, Domeena was quite intrigued by the feral types. Their primal response to everything around them was so refreshing in comparison to the long line of domesticated animals she worked with on a regular basis. Unlike her brother, a heading roper who would have pulled out the nearest lariat and started going to town after the black beauty, Domi simply sat and appreciated her splendor. Dunit, on the other hand, wanted to make friends and proceeded to arch his back in frustration as his need to meet this new animal was repeatedly rejected by his rider.

Frowning at his lack of behavior, she proceeded to move him off in small figure eight's on their side of the clearing, her gaze moved back to the other dark equine in intense fascination. Taking note that it was indeed a mare, hence the stud's intensity, she looked beyond the other horse for a brief moment. Surely she wasn't alone, only bachelors traveled alone. True, she could be without herd, but she considered it unlikely. She couldn't break away though, far too intrigued by coming face to face with such a refined looking feral, she couldn't just...leave.

[dream]

Lightning tilted her head in a curious fashion as the stallion began to move in a looping pattern, obviously guided by the rider on his back. Lightning snorted, pawing at the ground as she invited the stallion over in a friendly manner; wanting to become acquainted with the unfamiliar horse. She nickered yet another greeting, motioning him over by nodding her head up and down. When he turned another loop and bucked and cantered in the same direction he was going, only to slide to a stop and watch as he turned away - feeling a little rejected in the process. Snorting in distaste, she paced in the same directions he trotted in, catching onto the pattern soon enough. Quickly becoming bored, she stomped her hoof in frustration, confused and upset. She shook her pelt in that animal way, showing her irritation before she just locked her knees and stayed put; her only movements being her whisking tail and forever moving ears and eyes. Her delicate ears swiveled as she listened to the stallions thumping hooves and her own soft breathing. She was unsure as to what to do next as she searched for the studs attention, looking to catch his eye as she had only moments before. Her dark back attracted the sun like a moth to a flame and she quickly became hot - but she wasn't currently focused on that type of thing. Fascinated by the pair before her, she once again began to mimic his hoof steps, as she was left with nothing else to do.

[rain]

Dunit was clearly frustrated with the arrangement and Domi was not letting up. What kind of trainer would she be if the first mount of her arrival got the best of her? She was, however, amused at the mare's mimicking gestures, watching as she danced in a similar pattern that Domi was putting Dunit through to keep him semi-focused. The stud snorted in disgust with his situation and finally stopped on his own accord and began to paw incessantly. He just wanted to say hi! Among other things... "I know buddy, I know." And she did know, she'd worked with enough studs and was thankful he was at least listening in some form. She'd been aboard the ones who completely disregarded her and would do all they could to dump or ditch her just to get what they wanted. Dunit was obviously a sound minded horse, something else she appreciated about him.

The sun was beating on the odd trio and sweat was soaking her torso as they sat exposed to the intense rays. Frowning as she felt herself dehydrating and watching as Dunit's shoulders darkened in his own sweat, she watched the mare for a minute longer, trying to decide what to do from here. She needed to get Dunit back to some water, but she didn't want to leave this encounter. She was horribly torn in indecision, but her professional manner finally outweighed her personal curiosity. Sighing in disappointment, she gazed at the mare a bit longer before preparing to turn the stud 'round again. For a moment, she spoke solely to the mare. "Well doll, it's been a pleasure, but we need water. Maybe we'll see you around again?" As much as she wanted to have some kind of involvement with this stunning beast, she was in no way prepared or of the mindset to force this animal to come along or cooperate. It just wasn't Domi's style. She much more preferred a working relationship of cooperation and respect, but it wasn't going to happen here and now.