two for one ;; {Illy!}

[poppies]

Putting the final touches on the halter she looked at it with satisfaction. It had probably been her fifth or sixth time, maybe her fourth making a rope halter. It was perfect and had taken her about two days to complete, the day she was on the plane traveling to West Virginia and that morning. All though there was one small error it had been fixed with some duck tape. Sliding the bolt to the gelding's stall door she was expect a phone call about a new horse.

Her name was Azalea and she had put an eight thousand dollar bid on the mare about a day or so ago. The bay mare was beautiful and had a single star on her head. Sleek and a nice shining coat, no problems in her past but she had a problem of bulging and bolting. Besides that it would have made a great goal for her along with working on Juniper. Today was her second day of working her bay mare with the palomino gelding.

Both were working on team work, all though Rocky didn't need any work he was there to help the mare calm down. In a few days she would take the gelding on a trail ride and finally after knowing the trail she'd hook the mare with a lead line and take her for a walk with him. It would help seal the deal on a perfect horse.

Her bright green tank top lite up the whole stable yard really and a pair of shorts just sat on her hips. The small rop at the band tied as tight as it would go, her paddock boots stood with the zippers un zipped. It was her style when she was having a lazy day and decided to not really work. Slipping the new handmade halter onto the palomino's face he nickered and accepted it. Clipping on a lead line she walked ahead of him and he followed within a milli-second.

Releasing him into the ring she decided to go get Juniper. Patting his neck she exited the round pen and secured the latch before turning to get Juniper. Walking to the stall she saw how nervous she had become now that her neighbor was gone. The other side of the mare's stall was empty and the other side of Rocky's stall was gonna be Azalea's if her bid was accepted. If so the mare would be flying in from Ireland in a few days.

Unbolting the stall door she grabbed the break away halter and the lead line. Securing the lead line over her neck she takled to her in a hushed voice before slipping the halter on. Leading her outside into the aisle she exited the barn and touched the soft dirt. Immediately the mare spooked and tossed her friend before nickering to her friend who was laying down and sun bathing in the round pen.

"Your so lazy Rocky!"

At the sound of his name the gelding lifted his head and got up in his own timing. By then she had already entered the round pen and released Juniper. The two horses confronted each other and Shawna guessed it was time to start. Flicking the lead at both horse's rumps, Rocky took action into a springy trot. Juniper stood stock still until the lead line tapped her rump. The round pen was big enough to add a third horse but either way two was good enough.

Keeping a much farther distance from Rocky she seemed dissappointed and tapped the mare with the lead line again. Moving faster she broke into a canter and Rocky moved into a canter as well. Both horses seemed to be doing fine before Juniper broke into a buck when Shawna asked them to turn around. Rocky squealed and reared up at her, then he bit her rump and told her to move forward.

"Be nice you two."

In a few more minutes if someone came along she was gonna ask them to hold Rocky while she worked Juniper alone. After ten minutes the mare broke into a sweat all over her body, and Rocky seemed to just wanna keep going. Her ears were against her skull and Rocky was turning to look at her now and again. Juniper was going to a clinic out in New York in two months for a big time horse show and people brought their horses.

Rocky wasn't going because the man was going to work on her seperation problems as well as her tweaks. No whip, just his hands was all. Thinking about that she almost missed where Juniper was trying to get close to her and wanting to bite her. Tapping her with the lead line the mare set off at a wild gallop around the round pen. To the outside of Rocky she bucked and twisted and tried to turn, only to see the gelding approaching her.

[milkyway]

CHASE PARKER

‘i rememer the time i knew what hapiness was [/right]

Chase still wasn't over the fact he had another brother. It may have been naive, but it didn't seem it to him. And it was even harder to take that this guy who called himself a Parker was older than him. Why? Why, why, why, why why?!? He rested his head against Illiad Blu, his trusty mare's, neck. She turned around to look at him, nibbling on his gray tee shirt.

"What, huh?" he cooed to her, stroking her blue roan withers. She nickered, then anxiously looked outside. "Wanna go for a ride, huh? Okay," he slowly exited her stall, into the open, soothing hall of Pinewood Stables. He entered the tack room and simply grabbed Illy's plain western bridle. It was simply brown leather, no jewels, fancy stitching, or anything. A curb bit rested at the end. He stared at a place where it was starting to break. 'Crap, I hope I can afford another,' he thought, walking back to Illy's stall, admiring the little silver nameplate in front of it. Of course everyone had one, but their was just something special about a plate that had the name of something you loved dearly on it. He slipped the old bridle over her head, setting it in just the right place. He stroked her lovingly as he led her from the stall. He felt no need for a saddle that day.

As soon as he was out of the barn he hopped up onto Illy's back, stradling her. He scooted up so he was in the exact spot he'd be if he were in a saddle. After he got his reins in his left hand he kissed to her and she started her slow, enjoyable walk. He slouched, not feeling like sitting straight. He was too busy thinking about family matters rather than proper posture.

He came to the round pen after a while, and saw someone working with a few horses. Interested, he stopped and watched, letting the reins droop so Illy could graze some. After a few seconds he dismounted, leaving the reins hang on the ground. Illy was trained to ground tie, so he didn't worry like some would have to. He leaned up against the rails watching the girl work with her horses. They were pretty, they were. And the one was especially fiesty. He turned around to Illy, who was breathing on his neck. He was glad she wasn't like that. He wasn't a good rider as it was, Blu was quite enough for his few years of experience.

[poppies]

Holding the lead line with a steady hand she watched as tragedy was about to unfold. Yet luckily Juniper wasn't a complete nut head. Moving to the inside at last minute she almost ran into Rocky who was thinking the same thing. Turning back around she whipped after Rocky before Shawna shook her head. Juniper was taking this as a joke and right now she was trying to get the mare socialized. Instead the mare was chasing him away from her and playing mind games with him.

Juniper started bucking by the entrance to the round pen and Shawna whipped her body around. Only to see a man and his horse standing near the round pen. Offering a smile she turned back around and followed the horses as they cantered. Rocky was now behind Juniper and was about ready to bite her. She slowed her pace and then Shawna smiled. Asking Rocky to halt with soft commands he stood patiently waiting for Shawna.

"At a boy. Your just gonna go into the small paddock."

The round pen she had chose had another gate on the opposite side of the round pen and in five seconds they were at a paddock. Opening the gate she let the gelding walk himself there, he waited for her to open the paddock. Opening the gate he trotted in and immediately dug into the small hay pile that another horse had made. Closing the gate she entered the round pen again and grabbed her lead line.

She had heard of something that horseman used to gain a more bonding trust with a horse. But she believed that time and effort made a great horse, not something that could take about thirty minutes or so. Juniper stood at the gate looking at the other horse, her ears pinned and her teeth barred. In sudden shock of the lead line tapping her butt she began a bucking spree.

Back legs flying in the air she squealed and tossed her head as Shawna continued to chase her with the lead line. Chasing her as in standing in the middle and tapping her with the whip. Only an idiot would literally go behind the horse and run after them. All though the thought of it made her laugh. Once the mare was actually going she smiled and offered a small wave at the stranger who was watching her.

In moments the mare was sweating once more so Shawna decided to let her slow down. Biting air Juniper seemed to like the tasteless field surrounding her, and finally she settled into a walk. Approaching Shawna she receieved a pat before following her. Walking once around the round pen Shawna approached the gate. Looking at the stranger she noted his impressive good looks and his beautiful horse.

"Hi."

Small words, but it basically took baby steps to talk to a new person. Yet in Shawna's case she was nervous she knew no one, now in Kentucky she would be lunging at people and making friends in the snap of someone's fingers. Or she'd approach a stranger and tell them all her problems, walk away and she'd feel completely better. All though some of her problems were waiting for a perfect person.

[milkyway]

CHASE PARKER

‘i rememer the time i knew what hapiness was [/right]

As he watched he stroked Illy, who stood kindly, her blue roan coat giving off a shine in the sun. All the while Chase imagined what it would be like having Illy act that way. He'd probably never ride. But in the back of his head it wasn't Illy he was thinking of. It was Dustin. Dustin, Melody, and Cassidy. He couldn't believe he had nieces! Five year old nieces! And he was only seventeen!!! Even more so, he couldn't believe his dad had cheated on his mom to produce a half brother who pops out of nowhere!

And then Charlie. He didn't mind Charlie was getting married and becoming a father, but he was still a little in shock. While Chase was still in New York, Charlie hadn't even written. Charlie stayed so out of touch that he wasn't even contacted when their father had died, and Chase and his mother weren't called and told about Hayley, or how he knocked her up. It was all new, like they were complete strangers. He shook thoughts out of his head as the girl approached him.

"Hey. I'm Chase," he smiled, his usually friendly smile. He was a type of person to talk to random strangers, befriend them, and this would be one of his lucky new buddies. He was runnign his rough fingers through Illy's mane as he spoke, messing up the forelock and ruffling the mane. "And this is Illy," he said, patting her soft neck. In turn she sighed, aparently bored. He knew she hted being groundtied, but it wasn't all about her, even though he was the reason she was like that. He spoiled her silly. Maybe becasue the world seemed so mean, he tried to be nice as much as he could. Well, to everyone but that son of a bitch Dustin.

Yeah, sure, Charlie would say, "blah blah nab yada yada. It's not his fault, Chase, lay off! nananananaanananablahblah," but that's not how it seemed from Chase's point of view. Charlie had alwasy been his role model at hime, until he left. So of course Chase automatically made their father his most-looked-up-to. When he died it was unreal. He cried for so many days. But the real torture way made with the knife wielded by Dustin. It was like Dustin had walked up to him, slapped his face, kicked him in the gut, shoved him on the ground, spat on his face, then stabbed him when he said he was Chase and Charlie's half brother. It was like simply walking up to someone and sying, "Your father is a good for nothing pice of crap who cheated on your mom,"

[poppies]

Juniper stood now in the center of the round pen. Hooves square, ears flat against her skull and her mane and tail being whipped in a strong breeze. Her morgan heritage showed whenever she stood still, thoroughbred was shown when she ran and all the other breeding inside her showed when she was being ridden. An hour before she had begun to round pen the horses she had taken Rocky for a small trail ride. His bridle was bound to fit Juniper and it was hanging on the hook of the round pen.

"I'm Shawna and that hot headed piece of horse flesh is Juniper."

Smiling she turned to look at the mare who pricked her ears at the sound of her name before tossing her head. Pounding her front hooves against the round pen surface she squealed and barred her teeth. Grabbing the bridle that hung on the small latch to the round pen's gate she shook the thing in Juniper's direction. In a quick motion the mare tossed a buck and trotted in a small circle before looking at Shawna.

"What brings you out here Chase?"

Of course he had a good reason then again Shawna knew nothing. He could have been coming back from a trail ride and happened to stop by. Or he was just checking on his horse and taking the horse for a walk. Who knew. Shawna took Juniper and Rocky for walks when she didn't feel up to riding or let them run about in the riding ring for a few minutes.

Giving a small yawn she hid the fact as best she could and then felt an even colder breeze start to pick up. Her body shook once before she looked at Juniper who was looking at the sky. Something always made Shawna think that she had once been wild or something like being left in a huge pasture for sometime. However the fact that the mare hated to be even near a herd sometimes confused her and worried her.

Horses were meant to be herd animals, it was how they survived. Yet Juniper had lived her five months with Shawna being a social equine except for trailing Rocky every now and again. When she did turn the mare out with a herd at her parent's barn she went to the creek and drank or hid under the large apple tree while the herd grazed. Sometimes she started a fight with one of the older mares which usually caused Juniper getting a cut or bite marks.

Looking back at Chase she gave a friendly smile, one she was known for. In her show pictures it seemed like the same smile each time. At the Spring Nationals for Green Hunters she had the same smile as all her other pictures. No matter what it never changed but it always meant the same thing.

[milkyway]

CHASE PARKER

‘i rememer the time i knew what hapiness was [/right]

Chase listened kindly to Shawna. He was always a good listener, hence he had good people skills. When she asked what he was doing he laughed a bit. His answer was going to be somewhat humourous. "Illy wanted to go for a ride. Kinda weird, I know. Normally it's the person who tells the horse to come," he explained jokingly.

He sighed, petting Illy again. She seemed happier now, as she watched with ears pricked towards the other mare. "She's quite a handful, isn't she. She's beautiful though," Chase said, reffering to Juniper. He was dazzled by her, but still preferred his horse, as any sensible horse person would.

[poppies]

Offering her smile she looked like a kid before begging their parents for something. Scratching her nose for a second she turned to see Juniper prick her ears at her name before pawing the ground and squealing for her attention. "Yeah well we share something. I take my two out when they want to go. If I don't I usually let them blow some steam in the riding arena for a little." Heck every word she said was true. When Juniper wanted to go out, she went out. Even if Shawna didn't fel well the mare got a good free lunge in the round pen. Or a gallop around in the english practice arena. Either way released some energy for the horse.

Rocky however was perfectly fine with missing a day but Shawna always took the gelding for a good gallop or walk in the woods. Her smile turned to a straight face and she rolled her eyes when he said a handful. Then she started to laugh a little. "Handful isn't the right word. A devil in disguise that I love dearly is perfect for her but long. Just crazy lands it. But it isn't her fault. It is her last owner, they sort of abused her." Juniper walked forward and nickered to Chase's horse. It wa amazing the mare never made connections with other horses. Sneaking her head through the bars she lifted her lip and whickered to the mare and the boy. Well it seemed like Juniper was gonna make two new friends.

[poppies]

[[oh.... okay.]]

[milkyway]

CHASE PARKER

‘i rememer the time i knew what hapiness was [/right]

Chase smiled, glad he wasn't making a fool of himself by telling about how he listened to his horse. As she spoke he watched her horse carefully. She was really beautiful. As Shawna spoke about her horse being a devil, he laughed. But his laugh died out as she said that she was abused. "Well, that's terrible. I don't understand people sometimes. Why would someone do something like that?" He patted Illy. He couldn't imagine treating her badly. She shook her mane in his face.

{UNFIN!!}