Fall was the best time of the year in Justin's opinion. The air was cooler which meant less flies and the horses were so much more in their element. It meant that rides could occur after morning and before evening without both horse and ride suffering from heat exhaustion. He was thinking like a horseman instead of a normal human being. Normal human beings thought of Halloween and pumpkins and scarecrows. Not of hay to feed the horses and apples for treats. He smiled as ran the soft brush over the near silver coat of the newest addition to Witch Creek Stable. He could feel the tension in this one's body as clear as her telling him she was uneasy. She wasn't like Saintly Touch or Midnight Thriller. She didn't bottle her moods up and then explode. Instead she was moody and hard to to deal with because of her human like nature. She'd been with the barn for three days now. She'd learned the routine well enough, but she wouldn't settle. She paced her stall and wouldn't eat outside when turned loose. She just stood in the pasture as though she was expecting to be captured and handed off to the next barn. That wasn't going to happen if Ripley had any say in the matter. The silver filly would not be stepping foot off the property except to be raced and bred to outside stallions. That was it. Done. Justin loved Ripley for her willingness to take in family of resident horses. Not that it made a difference in the horses' minds, but it helped to see that more than one offspring was well off and settled. Nocturnal Runaway packed a powerful punch on both sides. She was related to Saint and Midtee on her sire, Night Stalker, side and related to Bella Luna and Optimus Unstoppable on her dam's side. Noc was definitely more like Optimus and Bella Luna than Saint and Midtee. "You are the prettiest horse I have seen, Noc." Justin crooned as he set the saddle on her short back. The filly cocked an ear, sucking in a breath in anticipation. "Definitely the prettiest and nicest I've been allowed to ride." She snorted, bowing her neck and twitching her tail. She was a charmer, but it was clear she didn't suffer fools. Just like the rest of them. "I'm not sure what Ripley's having me do with you today. She never said." Justin tacked the filly up quickly and efficiently, not realizing that the filly was dozing off between the cross ties until Ripley entered the barn and she jerked awake. "Caught napping," Justin laughed, patting the filly. "Not a bad thing though," Ripley murmured, as she reached out to pet the filly's forehead. "First time I've seen her relax since she's been here. A break is what she needed. Three days was good, but I want to see her move here. In order to get a good gauge, I need you to take her out on that turf track and run whatever edgy energy she has off." Justin looked up in surprise, brown eyes gleaming. "Run her from beginning to end?" "Until she wants to stop. I won't watch because I've heard she's safe unless she has another horse with her. But just be careful and have fun. Walk her back, give her breath and turn her into the paddock after with the geldings. She won't settle down by herself, but no one can resist Jabberwock and Cold Mountain." He grinned as he pulled his helmet on his head. He hadn't been allowed to ride like this yet. He loved when new horses came in. Witch Creek covered most of the bases before setting horses down to stiff training again. Noc would probably get a month before she made her return. Until then, Justin would do his best to get her back into top condition. Noc followed sedately behind him until he left the barn. As soon as she breached the fresh air, Noc slammed to a halt and began to sweat nervously. Justin crooned to her, concerned by such antics. Ripley must have known all along that something wasn't perfectly right with this Night Stalker daughter. And just like that, Ripley was there, soothing the filly with confident, trustworthy hands. Noc relaxed, but she now was prancing like it was her day job. "Just hop on, Justin," Ripley murmured. For this one occasion, Justin was happy to have a shorter horse. He swung aboard easily, gawking from his point in the saddle. For such a small filly, Noc had some muscles and she felt like a ton of horse. He placed his feet in the stirrups, prepared himself for the rush of energy. Ripley led the filly to the grass, released and nodded. For a moment, Nocturnal Runaway swayed in indecisiveness. When Justin clapped his heels to her rounded side and the filly's decision was made. She tore off down the lesser slope, tail streaming out behind her like a cape made of crystals. Justin wrapped his hands in her mane, practically laughing like a loon. The filly was not so quick to enjoy this run. She did what was expected of her which was to run straight until the wire. There was no wire on the turf course and it stretched for 20 Acres. Witch Creek only used a mile and 3/4s of it. When Noc launched up the first hill, Justin felt her stunned surprise. She dug in whole-heartedly, eyes now taking on a fiercely excited light. She was a quick little bugger. She just soared over the track like she was made out of it. He was wildly impressed as she slowed just slightly going down the hills, agile as can be. Noc settled down after the third hill, puffing in and out. It was always a shock to the new horses systems when they ran over the course. It look a lot out of them going over the hills and still have enough energy to go through the brutal three furlong flat. Once they mastered the course, however, there were only benefits. Justin let the reins slacken as she cantered through the final valley. Her ears were pricked at full attention at the steep hill before her. He could sense her trepidation and he implored her to go on, calling to her before he touched her. The chatter helped and she zipped up the hillside, pinning her ears in absolute try, The silver filly nearly stopped on a dime at the crest of the hill. Her brown eyes grew wild and her tail flicked nervously over her rump. The wind picked up at the perfect time, lifting her mane and tail. She was glorious in her excitement. He nudged her forward and she moved down the hill, eyes bright for the first time since she'd arrived. He let her settle down into a hand gallop through the final three furlongs. She'd done everything asked of her and gotten the depression out of her system. Nocturnal Runaway was going to rise like the sun soon enough. And Justin could not wait for that dawn to come.
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