Fancy That - Stockman 1

Stockman's Challenge

After what seemed like a long wait, Aithne finally travelled to Australia with Adam. They were assigned to the horse Fancy, who is a very pretty mare. They were told she was quite a brave and responsive mare, which actually disappointed Aithne because she wanted a feisty thing she could tame Oh well, she loves Fancy nonetheless. Fancy already appears to have a few trust issues, even though she is a bold horse, so Aithne is interested to see how her first ride goes.

The background took me ages but I do love it x.x I didn't want to add any more details because I thought I'd ruin it The more I look at it the more I feel I should do more to it, so I might come back to it later and modify it.

I took a stab in the dark at how the stables were laid out and shizz xD I tried to be vague in the story so I didn't get any details wrong lmao.

Story
The heat struck Aithne as they left the plane and she gasped slightly. She had never been to Australia, and it was a shock just how hot it was. She glanced at Adam as he strolled along beside her, not seeming at all bothered by this strange environment. Obviously he wasn't bothered, he had been nearly everywhere in the world on his travels. The small woman hauled her hand luggage all the way through the airport, and it took an hour or so to pass through security. There were quite a few people that day and progress seemed to be slow. At long last, however, they found themselves stood outisde the airport with their luggage in their hands. They had arranged for an old friend of Adam's to pick them up, which Aithne thought was a sweet idea until she saw the battered old four-by-four rattling up towards the pick-up point. Her mouth was slightly agape as she stared at the vehicle. "You're joking," she groaned. Adam laughed and took her luggage so he could put it in the back of the car.
"Oh no," he chuckled. "We're really not joking. This is the only guy who would take us to Sovereign Hills." The blonde trainer grinned at Aithne who rolled her eyes and clambered into the car. She knew this would be a rough ride so she guessed she might as well get it over with.

The road was bumpy and long and Aithne was just starting to think her stomach had been jolted out of her mouth when she caught sight of a sign. At last, they were nearly there. She grinned to herself, the excitement which had faded somewhat during her journey suddenly bubbling back into her. This was going to be an amazing trip. The car started to trundle slowly up a lane lined with fences which marked fields for horses. Aithne could see the horses stood a bit away from the fence as they watched the car curiously. They were all so beautiful and she couldn't help but let out a small squeal of giddiness. Adam rolled his eyes with a soft grin, it was a good idea a responsible adult had accompanied her.

When they arrived at the stables, it appeared they were not the first to get there. Aithne spotted the staff of Somesmera stables and had to dash over to say hello while Adam unloaded the car. They had not brought much, just a suitcase between them and a bit of hand luggage. Adam had assured her they wouldn't need much and the most important thing was clean underpants. They had sent all their tack, and actually a lot of their equipment, with Isadore. The mare was due to arrive by truck later that day ready for her trek up the mountain.

As Adam gave his friend a bit of money and waved him off, Aithne bounded back over after harrassing a few people she knew. "They say we can go see her," she squealed lightly, her voice strained with lack of breath.
"Aithne, please start breathing," the man muttered, pulling a rucksack onto his back. "I'll go put these bags somewhere safe, and you go meet your mare. I'm sure you can't wait another minute and I'm not trailing this suitcase out to a field." He grumbled something under his breath as Aithne jumped on him and hugged him. She bounded off towards one of the Sovereign Hills staff who pointed her in the right direction.

The heat and the dryness was barely bothering her as she bounded through a field towards another gate. She was assured her mare was in this paddock and was a light bay colour with three white leg markings. It didn't take long for the woman to spot the mare. She was grazing peacefully a bit away from the small group of horses. She looked stunning under the baking sun, her coat gleaming and her eyes glinting. It was difficult to think that she had been through such a trauma, but the thought was always there in the back of Aithne's mind. She let herself through the gate and padded slowly towards the mare, being careful not to be too quite or too noisy. The air was still and somewhat heavy, and the noise of rustling grass soon reached the mare's ears. Both ears flicked towards Aithne and the light bay horse lifted her pretty, defined head. The woman held her breath as she saw that head, this horse was gorgeous. For a moment she had forgotten everything her mother had taught her and found herself a bit too close to the horse, who backed away quickly and snorted nervously. Of course, silly woman, no horse likes to be approached like that. Aithne took a step back and lowered herself to the ground, sitting back on her ankles and gazing at the horse's legs so as not to make eye contact.

A good few minutes passed as Aithne gazed at those clean, elegant legs that just would not move. Eventually, however, the mare moved forwards. It was just a few steps, but it was progress. Aithne finally lifted her gaze a bit only to find the horse stretching her head out to get a good sense of this new person's scent. Aithne moved forwards too, almost mimicking the actions of the horse as she reached out slowly with one hand. Fancy whickered lowly and moved forwards again, letting her delicate, soft nose press against Aithne's outstretched hand as she let out a heavy breath and then inhaled again. The small woman had to hold in her joy and minimize it to a broad grin as she let her hand run up the side of Fancy's face and to her poll, rubbing behind her ears gently. "Hey there," she whispered, slowly standing up so she could run her hands along the horse's neck. Fancy lipped at Aithne's t-shirt, inspecting every inch of this new being in her life. Aithne giggled slightly and ran her hands in gentle circles all over the mare's shoulders and back. This really was going to be a fun trip.

Image & Characters © =mapal
Fancy's design by *saregona