New horse in Town.

Eric halted Monty and frowned. His standing didn't seem right. Eric dismounted Monty, he didn't quite see anything out of the normal. He moved towards the colts leg that he kicked out with. With the crop, Eric touched the colts leg, he didn't move it. Eric looked at Monty and touched the same leg with the crop "Leg up Monty" Monty lifted his leg. Eric looked at his hoof but couldn't see anything caught in it. He took Monty's reins and led him around in circles. The movement seemed right. Maybe he just stepped on the wrong leg. With a shrug Eric mounted his colt again. "I think his fine" Eric told Erin but wasn't sure. He put pressure on Monty's sides and walked on.

.

Erin dismounted Solo, "Stand." The filly stood statue-still, dark, intelectual eyes watching her movements. The girl walked over to Monty and Eric, stopping only five feet away and observing the horse's movements. He looks fine, she thought, twirling a strand of stray hair around her finger. Frowning, Erin paced around Monty, making sure she didn't spook him with a sudden noise. She raised an eyebrow, "Do you mind if I take a look at his mouth?"

Eric halted Monty and looked at Erin "I don't mind" As Eric starred at Erin again, Monty threw his head up high enough so Erin couldn't touch his mouth. Eric tightened the reins on Monty "Let her look" he murmured but Monty didn't listen. What was up with him today? He wondered.

Erin walked towards Monty from the side. Slowly, she reached up and stuck her fingers in his mouth. When the horse opened his mouth, Erin grabbed his tongue so he couldn't close it again. The girl studied the bit quietly for a moment, then ran her smallest finger across the roof of his mouth. Withdrawing her hand and letting Monty have his tongue back, Erin looked at Eric, "Nothing, he might just be excited, or perhaps he has too much rich food?" She unbuckled her helmet and ran a hand through her hairsprayed hair. Giving Monty a pat, the girl turned around and whistled to her filly, whom was watching her impassively. Solo whinnied and high-stepped towards her.

Eric smiled at Erin for her suggestions but knew she was wrong. He has never been excited anywhere before and his food is the same as always. Eric mounted Monty again. Monty threw his head about. Eric hit his rump with the crop to make him stop. Finally Monty stopped throwing his head around. Eric put pressure on his sides, asking for a walk. Monty obeyed. He smiled as Monty was behaving, he was just about to finish warming Monty up. He put more pressure on Monty's sides to make him canter. While Monty was cantering, Eric felt that he was going to step on the wrong lead as he begun to turn. When Monty stepped wrong he kicked out again but it was smaller then last time. Eric hit him on the rump with the crop again. "Work properly boy" He murmured.

Erin frowned, "He looks tense..." She dug deep into her jeans pocket and withdrew a tiny glass bottle. The girl tossed it about in her hands, "It's lavender oil, it might calm him down." She held out the lavender oil on the palm of her hand, beckoning Eric to take it. Solo nuzzled Erin's pocket, clearly looking for treats. Erin giggled and scratched the bay's nose with her free hand.

Eric grinned at Erin "Thanks but I think he might be fine. He is just being stuborn" Eric could feel that he was warmed up like normal. He looked around to see what jumps there were. Maybe a cross bar will do first off. He spotted one not far from them. Putting pressure on Monty's side he cantered towards the cross bar. He sat deep in the saddle ready to take off. The air was amazing and they cleared the jump. Eric patted Monty on the neck "Good that's how you're suppose to work" he murmured softly to Monty.

Erin glared at Eric and rammed the lavender oil back into her pocket. Picking up Solo's reins, she lead the bay out of the indoor arena, heading towards the Thoroughbred stable block. The girl swung the seven foot gate open and lead the filly through, taking the reins over Solo's head and letting her walk at her own pace. The bay paced down the stone trake merrily, her ears lifting forwards as she passed her father, five times Grand National winner, Stag. The stallion cantered towards the fence, nickering to Solo. Erin smiled and lead her filly onwards.

~

Erin vaulted over the seven foot gate and back into the livery yard. She flung herself down on a bale of hay and withdrew her blackberry phone from her pocket. "No messages..." She said to herself.

Eric saw her response to what he had done and felt bad. Ever since that accident he had always refused things from everyone. Only his horse made him better. Maybe it was time to open up... at least with Erin. He put pressure on Monty's sides telling him to go but he didn't. Eric couldn't stand Monty being stuborn. He kicked the colts sides to make him go. Maybe if he couldn't find Erin he could find her mum. He didn't take the chance of not finding her. Straight away he went to the office where her mum would be. He got her number off her mum and ran back out to where Monty was standing. Quickly he pulled his phone out and messaged her 'I'm sorry about what I did, where are you now?' the message said. He mounted Monty and put pressure on his sides waiting immpatently for a message back.

Erin's phone bleeped, "A message!" She read it, then realised who it was from. Fingers shaking, the girl typed a few words back to Eric. When she had finished her note, Erin realised she was crying. For what? Her message wasn't emotional, not even in the slightest. Mascara-filled tears splattered onto her Blackberry as she tried to read what she wrote:

I'm sitting on a bale of hay behind the feed room.

She wiped her eyes with a finger, bringing copious amounts of black eye makeup down her face and onto her hands. "There goes my makeup," she said bitterly. Erin fished a mirror out of her pocket. She laughed at herself, back tear tracks stained her face.

As soon as Eric heard his phone go off he pulled it out to read it. He wanted to see her. Quickly he messaged her back saying 'I will be there soon' When he put his phone away he kicked Monty's side and headed for the feed room. Hopefully she was fine with him coming. He let Monty canter freely while he headed to Erin.

Erin read Eric's text. She looked at herself in her pocket mirror and tried to rid herself of her black tear track stains. She rubbed hard, but only a small fraction of the eye makeup came off. The girl sighed and lay back onto the bale of hay, savouring the sweet scent it carried.

Eric could see the feed room up ahead. He slowly Monty to a walk so he didn't go past. At the feed room door he halted Monty and dismounted. He walked behind the feed room to see bales of hay there. He tied Monty to a pole nearby and patted his neck. "Stay there boy" He walked over to the hay bales and saw Erin laying on one. He sat down quietly near her not sure what to say to her. He realised some of her makeup was on her face "You've been crying" He murmured. It wasn't really a question.

Erin blinked and sat up, her face expressionless, "I have." She ran a hand through her gelled and sprayed hair and looked at Eric. She picked at the binder twine around the bale of hay and sighed. The twine snapped, making the girl's heart miss a few beats. Erin smiled sadly as she felt a pulse calm. She gestured to the empty space next to her, "Feel free to sit down."

Eric was quiet but moved to sit next to her. He didn't look up from the ground. He hoped she didn't cry because of him. He was sitting forward, his arms on his knees. "What made you cry?" He asked. He wanted to know if it was him are not. He looked up to see Monty starring at him and Erin. He smiled slightly at Monty then turned to Erin for the answer. His heart fastened a little as he watched her.

"I'm an emotional wreck, Eric, it just happens," Erin replied, hugging her knees, hiding all but her eyes from him, "partially because of what you said, but it's mainly me. I cry over nothing; I laugh during sorrow; I'm angry when I do something good." She shivered and buried her head into her knees. The girl felt hot tears splatter her jeans, Erin dare not look up.

Eric didn't think about his next steps, he hugged her. He could tell she was crying agian and sighed. Why did this have to happen to such a beautiful girl? Suddenly he realised what he was doing and stopped. He turned red. "I'm sorry" He sad softly and looked away. Why did he just hug her? He didn't look back at her for a while.

Erin looked up at Eric and smiled. She leant on his shoulder and sighed, "It alright, really, it's just how I am." But it wasn't always this way... the girl thought mournfully. Three years ago it started, but it was just a year ago when it climaxed. Erin wiped her eyes and gave Eric a sad smile.

Eric smiled at Erin. What could he do to help her? "Want to walk and talk? Instead of being here?" He asked softly. He stood up and wait for her answer. He wasn't sure if he would tell her his story yet. He saw that Monty had calmed down now.

Erin stopped hugging her knees and stretch her long legs in front of herself, "Sure." She wiggled her toes, they hurt from being in her jodphur boots all morning. The girl unzipped her half-chaps and kicked her boots off. Her feet were covered in a pair of luminious pink socks. Erin stood up, "Let's walk down by the lake."

Eric nodded and walked over to Monty who was standing the patiently. He untied him and walked beside Erin. He wasn't sure what to say right then. He looked at the ground while trying to think about what to say. Eric took her hand in his as they walked. He smiled at her but didn't say anything.

Erin smiled at Eric and squeezed his hand. She winced as she stepped on a particularly sharp piece of stone. "Three years ago, my friend was diagnosed with cancer of the liver," the girl said, taking a deep breath, "they did some chemotherapy with her, but they had caught it too late." Erin choked on her words for a moment, "Six months they said, she had six months to live, so I decided to make those six months the best months of her life. We went skydiving, rally driving, we made our mums bet on horses in the Grand National, I always had her over for a night or two. Six months passed, but she was still alive and well, I thought the cancer had died away. But we still lived our lives to the full. And she was so full of life on one particular sleepover. We sat down to watch a movie, and when it was finished, I asked her if she wanted icecream. No reply, she had died during the movie." Erin felt another load of tears cascade down her face.

Eric listened as Erin told her story. His expression was sad. When he looked at her, he realised she was crying more. He dropped Monty's reins and put his arms around her "That must be hard for you" He said to her soft in her ear. He wanted her to stop crying and be happy but knew it was stupid to think that. He kept his arms around her and suddenly he lost his step and fell taking her down with him. He laughed softly but knew it wasn't the time to laugh "Sorry" He murmured. He saved her from landing on the ground since he landed on the ground. Realising she was on top of him, he let her go so they could stand again.

Erin blinked, suprised. She felt a hot rush of blood colour her face as she got up and dusted herself off, "It's alright." She grabbed Eric's hand and pulled him to his feet, then began to brush some dirt off his shoulder. The girl blinked again and realised what she was doing. She blushed and reached up to Eric's hair. Erin withdrew a leaf from his hair, "Look, you've gone native."