New Faces

[Demeter]

Gareth chewed on a toothpick. Sometimes he couldn't believe the things he did for family. He glanced from the peice of paper in his hand to sign post on the side of the road. Why he was checking on some horse when there were other siblings he could do the same favor. Gareth tossed the toothpick into one of the drink holders the car boasted and inched down the rough driveway.

He'd moved out here to get away from his crazy family and he'd still been roped into this. He just hoped the family had some clue that he'd be showing up. Trey had told him they knew but Trey was a bit absentminded at times, especially when distracted by his blue-haired lover. Gareth parked the car and climbed out. The wolf, and the cat, in him paused to sniff the air. He liked to know his surroundings.

He scented horse, naturally enough, along with various other creatures he'd associate with farm-life. And then he scented wolf. Raider, the wolf side of him, shoved aside Storm, his dominate creature, and told Gareth to go find that wolf. Gareth just shook his head. He didn't need to go running down some strange wolf.

He knocked on the door, cleared his throat and waited for someone to answer the door. How he hated doing favors for his family.

[Maira]

She was over at the main house for the typical Sunday afternoon meal, was actually just relaxing on the couch while her mother finished tinkering around with some new recipe in the kitchen, when somebody knocked on the door. All the farmhands and family members that lived on the farm knew better than to knock, so Lissa figured it must be some poor soul who got lost. After all, it was Sunday so it couldn't be the mailman or UPS or anything.

"I got it!" she hollered off in the direction of the kitchen as she rolled off the couch then half ran to the front door. She was in her typical outfit of worn blue jeans and an equally worn tshirt and she knew her hair was likely a bit of a mess from her chores that she'd finished up just before she'd been summoned for lunch so she checked it quick in the mirror by the front door. It wasn't too bad so she just tucked the fly-away pieces behind her ear real quick then opened the door with a smile on her face.

Immediately upon opening the door, Shadowheart was trying to push Lissa out of the way and it took a moment for her to get herself under control before she could ask quietly, "Can I help you sir? Are you lost or something?" If her nose was right though, the man likely wasn't lost. The only reason any wolven came out to her family's farm was to track her down. At least, that'd always been the reason before now. She really hoped he -was- just lost because if he wanted something to do with her, she just wasn't in the mood.

[Demeter]

Gareth gave the young woman nothing more then a causal glance. Storm and Raider were snapping at each other again about just who was the dominate personality, which left Gareth to his own devices. "Yeah, not lost. I'm here as an extension of sorts of Trey. The guy you guys bought a horse from. He's a little bit over-protective of his babies."

And, Gareth thought to himself, the beast was probably part hell horse and Trey wanted to make sure that it hadn't killed anything. He'd asked, the horse was the grandbaby of Khan. "He was supposed to contact you about me showing up. I take it he didn't. Typical."

By this time Raider had gotten a whiff of the woman and he all but sat on Storm to get the cat to shut up. "I really am sorry about this but now is the only free time I have for the next few weeks. All I need to do is see the horse, snap a few pictures and then I'll be on my way. "Ah, the horse hasn't, like, tried to kill anything or anyone, has it?"

Raider was all for sticking near the woman. Gareth beat him back into submission. "Just show me the horse and I'll be out of your way."

[Maira]

It took just long enough for her mother to come to the door for Lissa to grasp what the man had said but before she could answer, her mother beat her to it. "Oh! You must be Mr. Delorme's nephew! He told us he had family nearby and that he was sending a nephew over to check on Lissie's boy!"

Having been so distracted by the sudden appearance of another wolf on her doorstep, Lissa hadn't heard her mother come up behind her and to suddenly have the woman taking charge of the conversation made her twitch. It would have been nice if -she- the owner of the horse in question, had been informed of the imminent inspections of her horse...

Suddenly, Lissa was rather grumpy with her mother and she turned to look at the older woman before sweetly saying, "Yes Mom, this must be him. You go ahead and finish making lunch and I'll take him over to see Journey." Before her mother could say another word, Lissa quickly slipped out the door and shut it behind her. Once outside, she pulled on her boots and headed toward the barn which was just across the gravel turn-around driveway.

As she made her way to the barn, Lissa had to continuously beat down Shadowheart who was demanding to get closer to the other wolf to asses him. Apparently there was something just not 100% wolf-y about him. Lissa too could tell that much but she wasn't about to be harrassed into making small-talk with a perfect stranger who she likely wouldn't see ever again.

The first few stalls in the barn were empty as the horses were out in their paddocks, but down at the end a familiar nicker greeted Lissa and she couldn't help but smile. She turned to the man walking behind her and told him, "He's just down here at the end. We'll stop and get him a bit of grain otherwise he might try and eat your camera." Just then, a loud squawk came from the end stall, followed by a puff of feathers and Lissa looked back just in time to see one of the ducks waddling out of the stall as fast as it could, wings raised as if ready for take off. Following the duck, was a horse's muzzle full of duck tail feathers.

At that sight, Lissa was reminded of the man's question about the horse trying to kill anything or anyone and she started to laugh. Before the man would think she'd gone too terribly crazy, Lissa explained, "The ducks have a game with him, they try and eat his grain and he tries to see how many of their tail feathers he can pluck before they get away. I don't know why the ducks keep coming back since he always wins, but for some reason they keep trying to eat his grain. The dumb things never pesker any of the other horses, just him." She made a quick detour into the tack room, scooped up a small portion of grain and a couple of treats, then rejoined the man and walked the last little distance down to her horse's stall.

"Are you terrorizing the ducks again buddy? Huh?" she asked softly as she kissed him on the muzzle and caressed his jaw in greeting. As if to answer a proud yes, he gave a quick whinny and a small nod of his big head. Of course, the nodding could have been because he liked the treat he was happily chomping down.

Turning back to the man once she had properly greeted her horse, Lissa introduced them. "Well then, you came to see Journey and here he is. Do you need him out in the paddock for pictures or is in here fine? The light might be better out there but in here he'll hold still better." As she finished talking, Lissa felt, then heard, Journey sniffing at her hair and then her neck before he happily put his chin on her shoulder and nuzzled her. She knew he was just being cute to get more treats so she kissed him on the muzzle again and obliged the big baby. "No more until after your photoshoot now you big beast," she teased him when he lifted his head from her shoulder to chew.

[Demeter]

Gareth eyed the horse. "His grandfather used to chase my uncle's chickens." Khan wasn't chasing chickens now, he though while snapping photos with his slim, pocket sized camera. Not even a horse as stubborn as Khan would chase chickens after having his shoulder and chest gouged open. And his foreleg broken in four places. Any lesser horse would have died.

Stupid idiot Custos. The young solider who'd though that joyriding his general's horse was dead now. After seeing to the animal, Trey had coldy exicuted the Custos. But that was neither here nor there now.

"Can you take him out? This thing has a video function."

Once journey was out in a paddock, Gareth shot video while Lissa, he thought that was her name, took the horse through his paces. Gareth didn't know much about the horses heritage. He believed that the new owners knew even less. He'd been around the beasts long enough to recognize the hell horse in Journey. A momentary flash of red fire in his eyes. A glint that spoke of higher intelligence.

Raider could sense it from the animal and he didn't like. Storm, used to Khan and others of his ilk, merely yawned. "Big, old brute," he muttered, "how much of your grandfather is in you?"

He turned off the camera. "Does he let others near him?"

[Maira]

Lissa was happy to oblige the man's request that she take Journey out into the paddock and once outside used the fence to climb up onto the big horse. At nearly 17hh, Lissa wasn't about to jump right up onto him like she could with the average size horses that made up most of the rest of the equine population on the farm. Once settled, with no tack at all, Lissa effortlessly directed Journey through their daily excersizes using almost invisible cues from her legs, or slightly shifting weight.

When Mr. Delorme's nephew asked if Journey let others near him, Lissa halted the big horse a short distance away before eyeing the man a moment. Deciding there was no point in pretending otherwise, she answered, "If the people are like you and me, yes. If they're like my parents and almost everybody else who comes out to the farm, not a chance." After a moment she realized how that sounded and she added hastily, "I didn't train him to be that way though. Just, as he grew he made it very clear he didn't like regular people. He won't hurt them, but he isn't friendly either. He'll bare his teeth at them, paw the ground, do anything he can to intimidate them into leaving him alone. The only reason he doesn't do it to my father, is that he was around for most of the training I did with him I think."

Lissa was absently twining her fingers in the hair at the base of Journey's mane and realized after a moment that she was indeed making small talk with the man she'd already decided she wasn't going to do that with. Leave it to somebody wanting to talk about Journey to bring her out of her shell... Before she could think on that too much, she swung a leg over Journey's neck and slid down his side, landing gently on the ground. "So, do you want to come get a closer look now that you know he won't eat you?" The half smirk that tilted up one side of her mouth went unnoticed by Lissa as she patted the love of her life's big sturdy neck.

[Demeter]

"His grandfather tried to eat me as a child." Gareth shut off his camera and looped the handle around the fence post. "And yeah, he was trained to act all nice and sweet around people like us." He walked up to Journey, stared at him for a moment before grabbing a handful of mane. Using one hand to boost himself up, Gareth did what Lissa didn't. He jumped onto Journey's back. Raider and Storm helped of course.

He could feel the muscles bunching under his legs. "Oh no you don't. I've dealt with meaner horses then you." Working on Trey's farm as a teen, He'd ridden plenty of horses with a greater hell horse concentration then journey."

Though he didn't have the seamless skills of Lissa, Gareth spurred the horse forward. He rode him around the paddock a few times, grinning when he felt the way the horse wanted to run. "Ya got a bridle for him?" he yelled at Lissa as they cantered past her, a wide grin on his face.

[Maira]

Lissa, too, couldn't help but grin when Journey picked up his pace and started into a canter. When the man asked for a bridle she nearly laughed, but managed to just nod her head and walk back inside. She quickly went to the front of the stall and reached over the gate and to the right to snag the bridle off of the hook it typically occupied.

Bridle in hand, Lissa walked back out into the paddock and gave a soft whistle. Journey's ears flicked back in her direction and he slowed to a trot and returned to her. Apparently the big gelding was feeling like showing off because he took his steps and added just a bit of prancing to his trot, tossing his head once when he got close to Lissa. The sight of the big black horse, with his white mane, feet and blaze coming at her in what she liked to call his parade prance, with a very confused looking man on his back finally brought out Lissa's laughter.

"Oh Journey! You goof!" she crooned softly as she reached up to slip the bridle onto Journey's head. Once it was fastened in place, she slid the reins up over his ears and down his neck to the waiting hands of the man sitting on her horse. Then, turning her attention from her horse, to the man, she asked, "Would you like to go play in the arena? I can take some video of you for your uncle if you like."

[Demeter]

Gareth eyed the distance between the fence and where Journey currently stood. The horse could do it, he imagined, but would Lissa be pleased if he jumped her horse out of the paddock. "Yeah, go ahead and take as much video as you want. The Arena would be nice but you wouldn't happen to have a big, empty feild where this guy could really let loose, would you?"

Gareth had ridden Legacy as a child, mostly because very few could get near Khan, and he'd enjoyed the speed a hell horse, even one with only a fraction of that blood running through his veins, could produce. He'd seen the mounted attack his Aunt Nerissa had waged and that had involved a full calvary of mostly pure-blood hell horses. He lived in awe of an animal that would charge down a sand dune and have to be held back by their riders.

When Lissa said that there was an empty field, bother Raider and Storm got a wickedly pleasent idea. They hijacked Gareth's sanity for a moment and plucked Lissa off the ground and plopped her onto Journey, nestled against Gareth's front. Spurring Jouney forward, they sprinted across the short distrance and hopped over the fence. Journey, bit very nearly between his teeth, tore across the ground.

He liked Lissa and all but this man smelled of where'd he grown up. A place where some older man had raced him across fields and jumps and never once urged him to slow down. Lissa had let him do that yet and the man, the once who'd plucked her off the ground, seemed to know what he was doing.

(ooc: Sucky but there)

[Maira]

When asked if there was an open field he could let Journey really let go, Lissa nodded and indicated one off back behind the arena building just opposite from the paddocks of the other horses. It was normally used for the few milk cows her father normally kept but they were in a field farther back on the property to give that one a rest for a couple weeks.

Just after she answered, Lissa felt herself being plucked off the ground and plopped onto Journey's back. Before she could control it, a rather unlady-like squeak escaped her and she couldn't help but turn to glare at the man now sitting grinning wickedly behind her. Only, the person looking at her was not the same as the one she'd been talking to all afternoon. This one seemed more feral and it likely had to do with the beasts, yes there were definitely two of them in him, prowling just under the surface. Her glare faded as Shadowheart wiggled her way out from under Lissa's control and answered the man's beasts with a wicked grin of her own.

Before Shadowheart had a chance to do anything Lissa might truly regret, like getting a good sniff of the man, Journey was off like a shot across the paddock and then he was sailing over the fence and tearing across the gravel yard before taking the fence into the cow pasture.

Luckily, horsemanship came naturally to Lissa and the flying leaps over the fences didn't unseat her, nor did the sudden unhindered speed of her normally very controlled mount. In fact, instead of screaming in panic like most girls probably would have, Lissa just molded her legs around Journey's sides and leaned forward on his neck, her fingers twined in his long white mane. Her body moved in sync with his and she couldn't help but wonder just why she'd never done this before. It felt damn near like flying and she couldn't help but give a small howl of joy. Shadowheart was pleased her other half had let go of her inhibitions enough to howl, and just enjoyed the ride as well.

[Demeter]

Gareth grinned when Lissa howled. He'd ridden double with Saiyuri on Legacy before so he knew what he was doing. He wrapped one arm around her waist to help keep her stable, and because he enjoyed it, while the other kept he firm grip on the reins. Even while he was steering the horse around varoius obsticales, Gareth wondered if Journey had been trained to access that higher gear all hell horses, even the quarter bloods, seemed to have.

He decided to test out the possibily of it. Lissa was a sure enough horsewoman that the change in speed might startle her but he thought she'd enjoy it. She certianly seemed to be enjoying this. He wondered if she'd ever just let Journey have his head and run. Deeming it time that Lissa knew just what her horse could do, Gareth shouted the command word that Trey normally bred into and taught all his hell horses. "Fly!" he shouted, using the pitch and tone that he'd picked up over the years to order these animals around.

Journey seemed to pause in mid-stride, just for a second, while accessing that higher gear. Any bystander would said it looked like a split second hesitation and anyone who'd been paying attention would have said that the animals eyes glowed red for just the slightest fraction of time. Gareth made his own unique sound when Journey exploded with speed. A sort of half-howl/half-growl that was his trademark due to his counterparts.

Journey ran for all that he was worth, ears flat to his skull, and stretching out along the ground. This is what he'd been born for but his calmer dispostion had marked him for a different sort of owner. Still, one could never train the hell horse out of its heritage. One just had to train the hell horse to act within certian limits.

After severel minutes of tearing around the field, Gareth started to pull back on the reins. He shouted the second command word a Deluge horse would learn. "Yeild!" Eventually Journey came to a halt, sweat speckled but barely winded. Gareth grinned at Lissa after jumping off Journey. "Well...what do you think of that?" he asked while helping her down.

[Maira]

To say that the ride Gareth and Journey took her on was exhilerating was a HUGE understatement. By the time her horse came to a halt and Gareth jumped off of him, Lissa was grinning like a fool. Lucky for her, Gareth helped her off of her slightly sweaty horse or she may very well have fallen off. So long as Journey kept moving she'd been fine, now that they were stopped and the adrenaline was starting to wear off she was beginning to feel a bit like a noodle...

Once she was on the ground, leaning against Journey a bit to make sure she stayed upright, Lissa answered Gareth's question. "That was.... Wow... I never knew he could do that. How did you know?" Okay, so maybe her answer wasn't totally coherent but at least she'd been able to answer him right?

[Demeter]

Gareth laughed. "I've been around my uncle's horses for the majority of my life. I saw this guy when he was still a foal trying to gain control of his legs. Do you go in person to pick Journey up?" Gareth knew his uncle. Anyone who arrived to purchase a horse and was willing to haul the animal home received a tour of the mortal half of the farm. The part of the farm included Trey's stud horses, which included Legacy, Khan and Shakhan.

Gareth ran his hands over Journey's back. "If you want, I could teach you how to get him to do that on your own." Most likely, Journey had never been taught the phrase that would activate a hell horse's killer instinct so it would be safe to let Lissa soar around on the animal. With her enhanced reflexes, Lissa would be able to control Journey.

He eyed the way Lissa leaned against her horse. "You okay? I'm not going to have to carry you back to the farm, am I? Also, I'm curious, you wouldn't happen to have the room to board four horses just like Journey, would you?"

[Maira]

The twinge of jealousy that suddenly surged through Lissa when Gareth told her he'd seen Journey as a foal was ignored. Somebody had to have seen him as a foal, after all he -had- been mostly trained when she'd gotten him. And why shouldn't it have been Gareth? He was obviously good with horses and if Journey's breeder was Gareth's uncle, then it made perfect sense.

"I'd love for you to teach me. I've always loved how free it feels to be on a horse running full out but now all those rides seem like they were just a tease. When I closed my eyes for just a moment it felt like we were flying..." The memory of only a few moments ago was likely never going to fade from Lissa's mind. It truly had been amazing to feel Journey move like that under her. While it was fun with Gareth riding double behind her, Lissa just couldn't wait to experience that just her and Journey. Without the added weight of the man, she was sure Journey would fly even faster.

Once Gareth noticed her leaning against Journey and commented on it, Lissa smirked and pushed off from the beast. "I'm fine. Its gonna take a lot more than that to get me in a state where you would have to carry me anywhere."

His next comment was so out of the blue that Lissa just stared at him slightly dumbfounded for a moment before she hurried to answer. "Four more? Just like Journey? We've got room so long as their owners are willing to pay the boarding fees." Honestly, if it had been left up to Lissa, she would have let the other four horses stay for free so long as their owners did all the feeding and everything, but the farm was her family's livelihood and her parents would grumble at her for months if she didn't get boarders to pay. Still... Having four more horses just like Journey around? That was bound to be an amazing sight to see.

[Demeter]

The boarding fees for all four horses had been paid a year in advance. Today all four horses arrived. Gareth glanced down the line of his siblings. He'd already warned Lissa's family that they'd be underfoot from here on out. He narrowed his eyes at the man standing next to Sebastian. He was standing just a hair to close to the man to just be friends. But that wasn't today's problem, he thought as he heard the rumble of the big engine that hauled Trey's six hours plus living quarters trailer. Today was all about the horses.

Shay and Livvie were bouncing on their toes to get ahold of their girls. He knew Sebastian would spend hours just grooming Winter and he'd have to watch Dark Heart for a few hours to make sure the brute didn't break down his stall. And he knew that Lissa would be hopping between all four stalls to stare at the horses.

Gareth watched as the semi hauling trailer pulled into the driveway. After a bit of wiggling around, Trey shut off the engine. Once the rumble died down, and Trey had unlocked the rear doors of the trailer, Gareth and his siblings jumping into action. The girls hauled the doors to the side and secured them to stay open. Gareth and Sebastian slid the rubber covered ramp into place.

His twin scrambled into the trailer and unhooked Winter. Though covered in shipping blankets, Winter still made an impression on anyone who saw him. The gelding was a hell horse/Gypsy Vanner cross. People were often surprised at the speed he exhibited. He had the look of a Vanner but, and this was the closest way they could describe a hell horse to a mortal, the build if a Fresian Sporthorse. Gareth looked at Lissa. He wanted to see her reaction to each horse.

The girls led their girls out, both mares curious to see their new home. He could only shake his head when he saw the tear along Spice's shipping blanket. Sugar pranced alongside Livvie. Once they were safely out of the way, Gareth headed into the trailer. Dark Heart would be secured in the last stall. They'd learned early on that when shipping Dark Heart with other horses, it was best to have a empty stall between him and the others. After snapping a lead onto Heart's halter, Gareth led him out. He had one hand on the halter's cheekpeice and another wrapped around the lead. "Now, you behave."

Gareth took him down the ramp. Trey was along in the living quarters, hauling out of the four trunks of tack and grooming supplies. Gareth circled Dark Heart around. "So, Lissa, what do you think? Wait till you see these guys running. They'll put Journey to shame." He grinned at her. "He'll go faster with these guys around."

[Maira]

After Gareth had left that first day, Lissa had run back into the house to tell her parents the good news, that they were going to be taking on four paying boarders! They had both looked at her with a bit of confusion at first but one she explained, they had been just as happy. Her father especially. He had always been rather in awe of Journey and had always secretly wanted more Three Willows horses on his farm but he just coudn't justify it as Journey only really liked Lissa. He'd seen that trait present in many of the other Three Willows horses as well.

So, when the day came for four of Journey's relatives to arrive at their family farm Lissa, her father, and Gareth all waited rather impatiently on the front porch. Gareth's siblings were all off perusing the stables, arena, and paddocks that their horses would be using in the very near future.

As soon as the rumble of a semi could be heard coming up the gravel road, the three on three on the porch and the four wandering the grounds all congregated in the turn around driveway. The sight of the huge truck and trailer coming up the road had both Lissa and her father drooling and had Shay and Livvie practically bouncing. It had been months since the twin girls had seen their horses and they were very eager to finally be reunited with them.

The only person present who wasn't overly excited was River. He'd never had any involvement with horses so this whole thing was totally foreign to him. He had basically only come because he knew it would be the only way he'd get to spend any time with Sebastian on the day that marked them being together for three months. And for a couple that had been darn near inseperable since the day they met, River didn't figure it needed to start now. He could get used to horses he was sure.

Once the truck and trailer stopped, Livvie and Shay bolted to get the doors to the trailer while their brothers secured the ramp. As soon as everything was set, the girls waited for Sebastian to get his gelding out then they went in to get their mares. Livvie couldn't help but give Sugar a kiss on the muzzle as she unhooked her and led her out. Shay, the overexuberant girl she was, threw her arms around Spice's strong neck and buried her face in the red mane just long enough to get a good wiff of horse before she too unhooked her mare and led her out.

Lissa had been drooling over the truck and trailer because while her family wasn't too poorly off in the equine transportation department, they didn't have anything that fancy. Of course, out of all the family that lived on the farm she was really the only one that showed at a level that warranted something "fancy" so it just hadn't been deemed necessary.

When she saw what came out of the trailer, it took all of Lissa's self control not to start bouncing where she stood. The first off the trailer was Sebastian's gelding and damn was he gorgeous! She knew right away that he had some Gypsy Vanner in him as one of her favorite horses before she went all wolf-y had been a Vanner. The mares came off next and while they weren't as flashy as Sebastian's gelding, they were delicately beautiful in ways that he wasn't. Not even Journey was as pretty and Lissa had always been proud of just how pretty he was.

Finally, last to come off the trailer was Gareth's. The gelding was a solid black version of Journey and Lissa finally gave into her urge to bounce. But only a little. As soon as Gareth turned his attention to her, Lissa stopped bouncing instantly. Unfortunately her shakey voice gave away her excitement as she answered Gareth's question. "They're gorgeous Gareth. It really is an honor to have such fine horses here at Winterbrook Stables."

At this point, Lissa noticed out of the corner of her eye, her father inching closer to Trey Delorme. She was pretty sure what he was going to ask the other farm owner and she couldn't help but smirk. She felt a bit sorry for Trey, her father could be relentless when he got an idea in his head and he wanted to somehow get the smaller Winterbrook Stables name associated with the Three Willows name. After all, all show-jumping fans and three day eventing fans knew that the best horses for those events came from Three Willows. She was fairly certain that her father even had a few mares in mind that he might want bred to some of Trey's stallions.

When she heard Gareth saying that the four new arrivals would put Journey to shame, Lissa turned her attention back to the man, a slight challenging glint in her eyes. Nobody insulter her horse and got away with it. Even Shadowheart's hackles raised a bit. Then he clarified what he meant and both Lissa and her wolf calmed. After that first ride with Gareth and Journey, Lissa knew exactly what he was referring to and she just couldn't wait to see the five of them in action together out in a pasture.

[Demeter]

Gareth grinned at Lissa and jiggled Heart's lead. "And it's an honor that you've let use board them out here. I suppose I should introduce you around. This is Dark Heart. There's a reason why his halter is red. And why I had to spend yesterday reinforcing his stall. He kicks when annoyed." He turned and pointed out his brother's horse. "That's Winter's Surprise and the girls have Sugar and Spice."

Sebastian stared down at the knots in the feathers around Winter's hooves. Though not as thick as a purebreed Vanner, Winter's feathers still required plenty of care. He looked up at his horse. "I suppose its a good thing that I don't mind grooming you."

He looked over at River. He knew that the man was out of his element around these horses but it pleased him that River had come along. He walked Winter over, knowing full well that the sheer size of the animal could startle some people. "River, this is Winter's Surprise. Unlike some horses I could name, he is a sweetie."

Trey eyed the man edging closer to him. When he'd been out at the farm to pick up Journey, the man had hinted at the possibilty of breeding their animals together. He'd have to review what studs he had and which would produce a calmer version of his horses. He knew that if this family ever saw a event that was all Dark Ones, he'd have a lot of explaining to do. While Three Willows horses were the animals to beat in the mortal world, in the world of the Dark Ones, his animals were merely one of the best in a feild of hundreds.

When Daniel offered to show him some of his more promising animals, Trey grinned and allowed himself to be led away. This would require a few hours of research.

Gareth led Heart into the stable and, after removing his shipping blankets, turned him into the box stall he'd prepared for him. He could hear the clop of the others doing the same. He watched as Heart circled the stall. He peered over at Journey, head craned over the sliding half door of his stall. "Hey, Buddy, you've got friends that can keep up with you now."

Gareth didn't linger long. There were still several things to do.

***

Gareth checked the cinch of the saddle before mounting. Heart was one of those who liked to suck in a belly full of air when being saddled. He glanced around, grinning as he watched Sebastian circle Winter around. Lissa didn't believe him when he said that the heavy looking horse could out distance Shay and Livvie's half Arabian mares. He watched as Lissa led Journey out of the stable. She'd be in for a surprise today.

The four horses had been here for a week and been declared offically settled in. Which meant, for the two sets of twins, that it was time to go for a ride. He'd already taken an ATV out and surveyed the area. While he could have taken the time to open any gates, he figured that they'd just jump the fences and not worry about any of the other animals getting loose.

Once everyone was mounted up, Gareth grinned. Used to racing across the extenstive Three Willows farm, the horses were primed for a good run. He glanced around, smirking when he saw that the farm hands and Lissa's parents, were gathered around the area outside the stable. They'd seen what Journey could do and were curious about the four new horses.

They walked the horses to the closest pasture and, once all five were on the springing grass, Gareth spurred Heart forward. Their others quickly picked up the pace, Winter pulling at his reins to get away from Seb's control. Once they had an easy pace going, Gareth shouted out the control word, the same "Fly" he'd used with Journey on that first day. All the horses jumped forward and exploded into a face paced, bit between the teeth, ears flush against skull and stretched out along the ground gallop. Fingers wrapped in Heart's mane, Gareth let out a whoop as his horse plunged foward, trying to nose the lead away from Winter.

Sebastian crowed as he felt Winter's muscles bunching beneath his legs. Gods above but it had been to long since he'd felt like this. Free. He grinned as the five horses bounded up and over fences. That grin grew bigger at the sight of the upcoming woods. He could clearly see the path that cut through the forest but he knew that these horses would not be content to play follow the leader. They already raced in and out of the trees at Three Willows.

Winter plunged into the trees, winding his way through spaces that didn't look big enough to fit a horse of his size. Out of the corner of his eye, Sebastian could see Sugar and Spice sprinting through the trees. Gareth's Dark Heart plunged forward in a headlong manner that looked dangerous. Journey followed behind the girls as they found the surest way through the woods.

Gareth could hear the rushing sound of water over the pounding of hooves. It had been raining heavily the last few days and he knew that the brook would be swollen. He spurred Heart forward as the trees thinned out and howled again as the big horse jumped the distance between banks without the slightest hesitation. The others quickly followed him.

[Maira]

Lissa was used toJourney. Or at least she'd thought she was. Since the arrival of the four other horses from Three Willows he had been a totally different animal. It wasn't a bad change exactly, just totally unexpected for her. Gareth had told her over and over that Journey would likely change a bit once more horses of "his kind" came to the farm but she hadn't truly understood what he'd meant.

Sitting mounted on Journey while she waited for Gareth to finish cinching Dark Heart, she had to fight to keep the big gelding still. It was almost as if he knew what was coming. So far as she knew, the five of them were just going for a ride around the property. Possibly check out some of the trails in the forest on the majority of her family's land. Lissa had done that so many times with Journey that he really shouldn't be practically dancing beneath her, trying to yank the reigns out of her hands. She was on the verge of snapping at Gareth to hurry it up when he launched himself into Dark Heart's saddle.

Sighing with relief, she followed Gareth and the other three to a fence to an unused pasture. At the end of the pasture she could see the woods and she knew that they were indeed going to check out the trails. That alone pulled up the corners of her mouth a bit. It had been a while since she'd run through her eventing course and she'd love to show Journey off a bit.

Before Lissa had more than a moment to contemplate that scenario too long, Journey and the other four horses were launching themselves over the fence and were tearing off down the pasture. After they were safely out of earshot, to the human farmhands and her parents, Lissa heard one word that made her face split in two with sheer excitement.

"Fly."

As soon as Gareth called it, all five horses were off light lightning. She'd never believed him when he'd told her that his brother's horse, Winter's Surprise could outrun the two daintier mares that their sisters rode but in that instant she was proven wrong. Oh so gloriously wrong! The sight of Winter's Surprise running was absolutely breathtaking. Those feathered feet flying across the ground darn near made her drool. Oh how she hoped her father suggested her Vanner to be one of the mares bred to one of Trey's studs!

In what seemed like only a moment, the five horses were crashing through the forest. They were nowhere near the trails! How they were all managing to stay in one piece, Journey and herself included, seemed quite like a miracle to Lissa.

Having rarely ventured off the trails herself, she had no idea they were approaching the brook until she saw Dark Heart launch across it in front of her. She'd not even heard the brook thanks to the thundering of horse hooves all around her. With only an instant to prepare herself for flight, as Journey wasn't about to be outdone by a newcomer to his home turf, Lissa instinctively adjusted her seat, legs and hands. When Journey shoved off of the bank, she could feel every muscle in him bunch and she couldn't help shiver. The pleasure of having such a powerful animal under her, shooting through the air with her atop him, was the reason she had started riding and then jumping in the first place.

Once they landed on the other side of the brook, Lissa knew where they were and she urged Journey headlong past Dark Heart, past the girls and their mares, and managed to catch up with Winter's Surprise. Barely. They had gotten close enough though that she was able to gesture to Sebastian with a nod of her head which way to go. She turned them left and after crashing through a thin line of hedge they were on a rather well maintained eventing course.

Lissa couldn't help but howl with pleasure when she felt Journey shift into a different gear beneath her. -This- was his true love. Flying over the jumps and obstacles were what he lived for when Lissa rode him. And boy did it show. He was suddenly ahead of the flying pack of horses, showing them where to go so that they wouldn't get hurt by any hidden dangers.

When they neared the end of the course, Lissa pulled back on Journey just enough to let Winter's Surprise and the other overtake them again. Running amok through the forest was the other horses' specialty and she felt better letting them show the way for Journey. Having gotten his chance to be in the lead, Journey didn't mind running at the back of the herd now and Lissa and him settled into an easy flowing rhythm.

After what seemed like ages of running wild through the forests, Lissa blinked in surprise when suddenly they were back in the pasture near to the farm proper. She heard Gareth utter the command for the horses to slow back to a normal pace and she couldn't help but frown. Did it have to be over? Already? I

t was then that she looked at her watch and gawked when she saw how long they had been gone. Then she looked at Journey and about fell off as she saw how lathered he was. He'd never run that hard in his life she was sure and she'd likely be walking him for hours to cool him down sufficiently.

When the five horses jumped the fence back out of the pasture and pulled to a stop, Lissa didn't dismount. She wasn't sure she could honestly. She'd become so melded with Journey that she just didn't think her legs would work on their own.

Two words only escaped her when she'd finally caught her breath, "Dear Gods!"

[Demeter]

Gareth laughed when he heard Lissa's exclamation. He turned Heart in a tight circle, trying to wiggle the bit back into place. "I take it you liked that? That is what your horse can do." He good-naturally gave Heart a few solid thumps on the neck before swinging down the from the saddle. He guided the reins over Heart's head.

He paused for a moment to help Lissa down from Journey before strolling with Heart down to the arena. He joined his siblings in walking their horses cool. He could see that Winter was still tugging on his reins. He knew that these four could have gone longer but they'd only been here for a week.

Once the horses were cool and turned out into seperate paddocks, Gareth sat on the front porch of Lissa's parents house and watched as Winter and Heart cavorted around the paddock like foals. They'd been foals together. Heart had been purposefully bred but Winter's mother had surprised them all one morning when Trey went out to check on his newest horse. He shook his head and went back to scrubbing his saddle.

His siblings had already returned to the city. The girls to spend the night studying and Sebastian to hang out with River. Sooner or later, he'd have to ask his brother about River. He knew his twin and his twin wasn't just acting friendly with that man. For now, he was content to strip his saddle down and give it a deeep cleaning. He knew that his uncle would be shipping the trick saddles out. Gabe had gotten his hands on them rather early and Gareth knew that Lissa would be amused to see him and the others flying around on those horses.

Gareth chuckled. He wondered what Lissa would think of Gabe and his habit of controlling eight geldings at once while standing on two. He looked up when Lissa sat down beside him. "Journey all cooled down?" He asked while soaping leather. "Did you enjoy that little adventure?"

[Maira]

For the first time in years, Lissa felt herself starting to stiffen up as she put Journey away in his stall. He was finally cool from the afternoon's run in the forest and now it was her turn to go and cool down. Of course, her "cooling down" probably meant heating up in her parent's hot-tub to soothe some muscles that'd be yelling at her tomorrow otherwise.

When she came out of the barn and started walking across the gravel driveway, she was a bit surprised to see Gareth sitting on her parent's front porch scrubbing a saddle. A small smirk twitching up the corner of her mouth, Lissa continued to make her way over to him and then plopped down on the porch next to him. If she'd known him better she probably would have leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder but the fact was that she didn't. All she really knew about him was that he was the nephew of Journey's breeder and that he had his own gorgeous yet crazy beast of a horse. She would need to learn a lot more about him than that before she'd be anywhere near comfortable enough with him to lean against him so casually.

At Gareth's questions, Lissa nodded, yawned and answered softly, "Yup, the beastie is cooled. We both had an enormous amount of fun, thank you." Then, rather than getting up and going out back to her parent's hot-tub, Maira grabbed up a spare brush and one of Gareth's stirrup leathers and proceeded to help him clean and oil his saddle.

Shortly before they finished, Lissa heard herself ask Gareth, "Some night you should come out here and run with me without the horses. Those woods are great for that you know." Almost instantly she slapped her hand across her mouth and looked side-long but wide-eyed at Gareth. Since when did she speak so outright with others of her kind? Never once had she invited another wolven to run her lands with her. It was then that she felt Shadowheart's presence very close to the surface and she knew it had been the wolf making her talk. Damn beast. Oh well, it was too late now. She'd just have to wait and see what his answer was.