Post by femalefred on Apr 16, 2008 18:50:24 GMT -5
Damien wasn't entirely sure what he was doing here. He had homework to do, and he didn't have a lesson today. He only had them once a week, and the sixteen year old didn't really have other reasons to go to the barn. But he'd felt compelled to come here from school rather straight home. It wasn't as if there'd be anyone there - his sister was still at work and his father was still in Afghanistan with his troop - and here there was the intriguing presence of Nell.
She was the horse he'd been learning to ride on. Well, so far, he'd been learning to walk and trot on. He'd had five lessons now, and he'd been told that he might be up to cantering soon. But the mare herself was an odd one. She was a big, heavy looking horse with some feathering at her feet, and she really ought to be as confident as her size dictated, but she was nervous around most people. Now that Damien was seeing her once a week, and grooming her for twenty minutes before he even rode - for an hour, usually - she actually stepped up to the front of her stall when he passed by.
"Hello, biggun," the small boy murmured softly, slipping the bolt of the stall across and letting himself in. The big grey snorted, almost happily, her ears pinned on his slight frame as she stepped over and nudged him gently in the shoulder. "Oh, so you want attention for once, do you?" he asked, smiling broadly.
It was odd, he'd started riding to impress a girl who he now really considered a friend rather than potential love interest with a side interest in making new friends and it was really the horse he'd connected with. Nell, he felt, was just scared of new people. That was exemplified by the fact she was actually happy to see him now, whereas before she'd be hiding at the back of the stall. That might've been because he had a small bag of horse treats in his school bag, which he slipped from his shoulder and unzipped quietly.
"I'm going to do some homework in here," Damien announced, and immediately felt a bit stupid for doing so. Nell appeared to appreciate the sentiment though, and stuck her muzzle into the bag, carefully lifting out a pad of paper, which she promptly dropped on a pile of hay. "Well, you clearly approve. Here you go," the boy said with a grin, holding out his palm with an apple based treat he'd grabbed from the bag before Nell's silent invasion, smiling as she gladly accepted the offer.
She was the horse he'd been learning to ride on. Well, so far, he'd been learning to walk and trot on. He'd had five lessons now, and he'd been told that he might be up to cantering soon. But the mare herself was an odd one. She was a big, heavy looking horse with some feathering at her feet, and she really ought to be as confident as her size dictated, but she was nervous around most people. Now that Damien was seeing her once a week, and grooming her for twenty minutes before he even rode - for an hour, usually - she actually stepped up to the front of her stall when he passed by.
"Hello, biggun," the small boy murmured softly, slipping the bolt of the stall across and letting himself in. The big grey snorted, almost happily, her ears pinned on his slight frame as she stepped over and nudged him gently in the shoulder. "Oh, so you want attention for once, do you?" he asked, smiling broadly.
It was odd, he'd started riding to impress a girl who he now really considered a friend rather than potential love interest with a side interest in making new friends and it was really the horse he'd connected with. Nell, he felt, was just scared of new people. That was exemplified by the fact she was actually happy to see him now, whereas before she'd be hiding at the back of the stall. That might've been because he had a small bag of horse treats in his school bag, which he slipped from his shoulder and unzipped quietly.
"I'm going to do some homework in here," Damien announced, and immediately felt a bit stupid for doing so. Nell appeared to appreciate the sentiment though, and stuck her muzzle into the bag, carefully lifting out a pad of paper, which she promptly dropped on a pile of hay. "Well, you clearly approve. Here you go," the boy said with a grin, holding out his palm with an apple based treat he'd grabbed from the bag before Nell's silent invasion, smiling as she gladly accepted the offer.
