A New Home
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By Eque
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In the heart of Wyoming, a plane touched down on the black tarmac, sending Boden's heart pounding as his head slammed against the seat's headrest. He grabbed the seat in front of him and gritted his teeth. Landings were his least favorite part of flying. Not that he got much enjoyment out of it to begin with, given his height and the limited leg room available. Mostly, however, he hated not knowing how his horses were doing.
Deep in the belly of the plane, a coal-black stallion with a heart as naughty as anyone on Santa's list chuffed and pawed at the door to his air stall, unamused at the violence that shoved him into the side of the padded room. He was becoming bored and restless, the long flight from Russia wearing on his naturally thin patience. Where is that dark-haired man with the weird hat? he trumpeted, biting at the air.
The bumping continued as the plane taxied to the jet bridge, slowly making its way through the small airport. The stallion continued his restless movements, shaking out his mane and snapping at the air. When the plane shuddered to a stop, he paused for a moment. Door… door…. Begging for a change did nothing. With an angry whinny, he stomped twice — and then the floor shifted underneath him! He braced himself as the air stall traveled down a steep incline and rumbled its way across the airstrip, until finally it stopped and he heard the voice of the dark-haired man in the odd-brimmed hat.
"Thank you, gentlemen," the man was saying. "I'll load him into the trailer and then you can take this away." His voice had a slow drawl to it, a calmness where the stallion felt nothing but anxiousness to see the blue sky again.
And then… freedom.
The door opened only a touch as the man moved to enter his air stall, but the stallion took the opportunity. Nosing his way past the man, he reached his neck out as far as his tied lead rope would allow to see a beautiful cerulean sky, touched with the faint pink and purple lines of sunset.
Pbbbt. He snorted, the tension of being locked away slowly draining from his body. A full-body quiver ran over his skin as he adjusted to the warmth offered by the sunlight instead of the sterilized cleanness of the air stall.
"Easy, boy," the man murmured, smiling slightly as he untied the leadrope and pushed the door the rest of the way open. "You'll get to see plenty of Wyoming on our drive. It's a bit like your Russia, you know. Except a little more brown." He chuckled at that.
As the stallion followed the man down the ramp, taking in everything around him — the absolute barrenness of the place, especially — he caught a few words from the mens' conversation. "Yer welcome, Boden," the rounder man in the bright yellow vest was saying.
Boden. The stallion committed the man's name to memory and took to studying his new owner. Boden's nearly black hair matched his own coat, and came about level with his sixteen-hand-high withers, reaching just slightly above it. He wore red and black flannel, with a white shirt underneath and a bandana of a matching fabric hanging from his back pocket. And he wasn't paying attention.
The stallion ducked his head down, and before Boden could react, stole the bandana from his pocket. With a satisfied snort, he lifted it high into the air, prancing a little in his pride. Boden's green eyes lit up with laughter as he reached for the bandana, putting pressure on the stallion's halter with the lead rope to guide his head down to where he could reach it.
"Naughty boy," he warned, sliding his fingers into the stallion's mouth and forcing his teeth apart.
I'm bored, the stallion snorted in protest, shaking his head and flicking his ears back.
Boden almost seemed to understand what he was saying, returning the bandana to his pocket and pulling out a small white object. "I know the plane ride was long, and I hate to disappoint you, but we still have about a two hour drive to my ranch. The boonies are a great place to live, except for the driving part. So here's a peppermint to cheer you up, and you'll get some more hay in the trailer."
Lipping the peppermint from his hand, the stallion couldn't help but agree that a long drive was likely the third thing on his most hated list — after rabbits and long flights, of course. He shuddered at the thought of a rabbit. Hopefully, Wyoming would be just as lacking in those evil creatures as it appeared to be lacking the color green.
Boden led the stallion up the trailer ramp, guiding him into the stall and closing the gate. Then, he reached into a small box hanging from the side of the wall and pulled out a small red jolly ball. "Maybe this will keep you entertained." Boden held out the ball, and the stallion sniffed it curiously before nodding his head twice and snatching the handle.
Before leaving the trailer, Boden checked that the hay bag on the trailer had a snack in it and the water bucket wasn't empty. Then, patting the stallion's shoulder, he exited the trailer and closed up the ramp.
🙦 🙤
Thunk. The stallion's eyes fluttered open as the trailer ramp slammed onto the ground. The darkness outside was lit by the numerous lights hanging from the porch eaves of the stable surrounding the hard-packed dirt driveway. Boden stood in the doorway, weariness dragging at his shoulders.
"C'mon boy," he drawled, untying the lead rope and with a chk-chk, led the stallion down the ramp.
The dark night covered the landscape, but the lights scattered about the ranch the stallion could make out a good look at his new home. The trailer was stopped in a circular driveway, a large fountain in the center with a rearing horse perched atop. A large U-shaped building with pale green siding surrounded three sides of the circle, the porch roof supported by strong dark wooden pillars. The stable lights were elegantly exposed bulbs placed out of reach of horses given the height of the porch. Each door into the stable offered the traditional X-shaped appearance. The front door was a double-wide door that slid along a barn door track on either side, a black steel bar capped with artistically shaped cogs like that of a train wheel. Many of the stall doors opened to the outside, but were closed and locked for the night.
In the brisk air, Boden and the stallion's breath puffed out in white clouds as they made their way to the front doors. Boden pushed the doors apart easily before leading the stallion in, his hooves clopping loudly on the cobblestone floor inside. A sharp left took them past two small rooms and toward a long hallway, where they took another left and traveled a few stalls down.
Boden came to a stop at the second to last stall in the row on the right side, the outside Dutch door already closed both top and bottom. Inside the spacious stall, a mat floor covered in soft sawdust awaited the stallion. He eagerly pushed his way past Boden to inspect the stall.
"Enjoy your rest, boy," Boden encouraged, looping the red lead rope nicely and hanging it on a hook beside the stall door.
He swung the door closed. The dark wood bottom thunked gently against the edge of the mat, and the wrought metal bars on top clanged as the lock settled in place. "I'll leave you for a day to settle into the space, and then we'll move to the arena and do a little groundwork."
The stallion whickered at him, which Boden took to mean he would be fine for the night. With effortful steps, he made his way back outside to where the truck and trailer awaited him. Too tired to unhitch it, he drove both up to the ranch house and parked them in the driveway for the night.
Back in the stables, the stallion settled in for the night. He'd been standing for so long with that flight, and the sawdust looked so comfortable, so he laid himself down in the inside corner and tucked his head close to sleep.
🙦 🙤
The next morning, the stallion awoke to the rattling sound of Boden filling his feeding trough. He pushed to his feet and shook his coat out, sawdust flying everywhere. Good morning, he snorted at Boden before burying his face in the feed.
"Good morning to you too," Boden responded, laughing. The stallion was quite expressive, he thought to himself. "While you eat, I thought we could discuss what kind of name you might like. You were rather naughty last night, and I quite think that suits you. The only remaining matter is to finish your name — Naughty can't be the only part."
The stallion lifted his face from the bucket and blew his lips at Boden huffily. What a terrible name!
"Naughty List, perhaps," Boden mused, studying the stallion. "You know, it being just past Christmas and all that. What do you think?"
The stallion arched his neck and huffed again. Naughty List? Rather rude, if you ask me. Can't I have a normal name?
Boden reached through the bars to scratch under the stallion's chin, then pulled back and reached into the breast pocket of his flannel. Pulling out a peppermint, he palmed it and slid his hand through the bars again. The stallion snatched it, crunching it quickly.
"Maybe I'll call you Coal for short. A little more normal, but it still puts in mind a bit of a mischevious boy," Boden suggested.
The stallion considered the name. He was dark, like Coal, and he did like to cause a little trouble. With a great bobbing of his head, he consented to the name. Fine. Those will do.
Boden laughed outright, the booming sound filling the empty stable hallway. "You're alright with that one, eh?" he asked. "I'll get your name carved into the door then, since we've agreed."
Coal pushed his lips through the bar again, seeking another peppermint as he lipped at the shirt pocket. Now that that business is over, more treats? But Boden pushed his nose away and scolded him, before rubbing his nose and striding away to deal with the day's chores.
A few minutes later, a click and a thunk sounded from outside as Boden opened the top of the Dutch door, allowing Coal to reach his head outside and take a look around in the daylight. The trailer had been moved so Coal could see the flowing fountain and its statue in the center of the dirt courtyard.
Rising high above the rooftop of the other side of the U-shaped stable, the mountains of Wyoming welcomed Coal. Their peaks stood out starkly against the blue sky filled with fluffy sheep-like clouds, and they stretched as far as the eye could see.
Boden was right, Coal thought, resting his chin on the door. It is a little bit like Russia, but different.
The snow on the peaks was an obvious sign that Wyoming was still in the throes of winter, as was the low temperature outside. Coal's skin rippled as he took in the biting air, though he did not feel as if it were cold, with his dense coat to keep him warm. Nonetheless, Boden appeared a few moments later and pressed a button on the stall post, lighting up a red light overhead.
"Just a little something to keep you comfortable," Boden explained before disappearing again.
Coal allowed his muscles to relax as he took in the beautiful landscape, the dirt road leading into the courtyard, and the slightly snowy fields beyond the stable. Home, he whickered. A warm place of beauty and comfort… and hopefully, a little bit of mischief.
With that thought in mind, Coal turned back to the stall door and pushed his face as far through the bars as he could manage. Then, with dexterity of the lips that few horses can boast of, he wiggled the latch loose and pushed it open.
Time to explore.
He trotted down the main hallway, the cobblestones of the floor betraying his escape.
"Coal!" A shout came up from the far side of the stable as Coal increased his speed, heading out the door before Boden could catch him.
He paused to take in a deep breath of the clear mountain air. Ah, adventure.
Characters
- Naughty List - "Coal"
- Boden - handler
XP Breakdown:
- +21 - 2112 words
- +4 - 2000+ rider/handler words
- = 25 xp total
Submitted By Eque
Submitted: 4 days ago ・
Last Updated: 4 days ago
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