Katti's Dark Fantasy

A booming whinny burst from one of the stables' many stalls, echoing off the stone walls and creating a defeaning cacophony of noise. As it began to fade away, silence seeping back into its place, a series of aggravated bangs upon wood rang out, following a steady, impatient rhythm. "Knight!" called a voice from the feed room. The banging was silenced almost immediately and a black head peered out of the stall, the stallion's eyes bright as he nickered. From the feed room emerged a slimly built, black-haired girl, a large and rather heavy bucket held in both hands. She looked over at the stallion with gentle, dark brown eyes and smiled fondly. "Brekkie time!" she cheered, stumbling under the bucket's weight as she walked. The instant the bucket was hung on the stall door Knight's muzzle disapeared within it, a flurry of chaff thrown into the air and loud snuffles drifting to her ears. Katti laughed softly to herself and stroked Knight's dark ears, wondering who else was around the stables this early. Dawn had only just passed, but she needed to get a lot of practice in before the big competition.

(rp with HollywoodUnicorn)

Tim drove his Ute into the parking lot of the large, expensive stables he was boarding his Clydesdale filly, Flick at. There was a freshly painted, white horse float attached to the glossy red Ute. He turned off his car and jumped out, walking towards the horse float. The boy fiddled with the locks and gently let the door fall to the ground with a barely audible thud. He walked into the float and ran his hand along the big filly's back with a smile, "Hey," Tim said quietly, watching as Flick's ears twitched in response to his soothing words. Unattaching the rope, he backed up, Flick walking with him. His mare had always been quiet and calm during travelling, unlike most horses. Tim was new here and he already new the stall they had. Number 7. He tied Flick up to the fence loosely and shut the float door and walked her inside. The boy headed straight for the stall. There wasn't many people here since it was a little early, but there was a girl and a black horse together in one stall down to his. Tim watched them for a minute before unclipping the lead rope that was attached to Flick's halter and headed towards the office.
A secretary with glossy blonde hair looked up at him with a pleasant smile. "Hello, what can I do for you?" She asked quickly, putting her hands in her lap.
Tim smiled back politely, "Uhh.. I'm Tim, the new boarder here. I applied last week with my Clydesdale filly, Flick," He told her.
"Ahh.. yes!" The secretary said brightly, "Okay, your signed in," She said.
Tim nodded, "Thanks," He said and walked back towards Flick's new stall.

Once the boy had left the stable corrider, heading off towards the office, Katti wandered over to his horse in the stall nearby. "Hey there, you must be new around here." she said softly, reaching out to stroke the filly's muzzle gently. Though she was unfamiliar with most of the riders, she knew almost every horse at the stables and knew instantly that she had never seen this one before. The filly was exceptionally cute, looking at her with bright, curious eyes, and Katti couldn't help but smile. An echoing snort came from Knight's stall and as she glanced over she noticed a few stray pieces of chaff floating through the air, spiralling to the ground. Chuckling softly, she didn't notice the sound of footsteps behind her that heralded the boy's return. Instead, she walked back to Knight and ruffled his forelock, cooing to him lovingly.

Tim saw a girl with long black hair gently stroking Flick. He slowed his pace and watched them for a second, a smile playing on his lips. The boy moved into a quicker pace as she started walking off and walked up towards Flick's stall, watching as her ears flicked back and forth nervously at the girl's presence. He stroked Flick's white blaze gently, "We might do some training today and maybe sneak in a trail ride," Tim told her and glanced over his shoulder at the girl and her horse. The boy was thoroughly interested in them, but turned away and continued petting his filly.

When a voice spoke behind her Katti was startled for a moment, turning swiftly to see who it was. Calming down instantly when she saw the boy, she blushed at her sudden fright and stroked Knight's cheek, whispering softly to him and telling him to relax. As she stroked him, she glanced over at the boy, her dark eyes curious. Now she had no doubt that he was new, as he was completely unfamiliar. For a moment, she considered introducing herself, but a sudden nervousness swelled inside her and the idea immediately seemed like a bad one, for a reason she couldn't quite put her finger on. Katti shook her head and walked into Knight's stall, picking up a brush and starting to groom her stallion's pitch-black coat.

Tim looked around the tidy, empty stables. Many horses were in the pasture and there was barely anyone here except for 2 more riders, the girl and himself. He shrugged his shoulders and caught her looking at him for a brief moment as he looked over at her. The boy grinned and brushed the back of his hand along Flick's neck gently before walking out of the spacious stall. He walked over to Katti and Knight and leaned against their stall door as he unoticeably walked over and watched them for a second in silence. "Hi.. uh, I'm new here. I'm Tim and that's my Clydesdale filly Flick," The boy said, keeping his voice quiet and soft. He felt exceptionally nervous and he suddenly didn't know what else to say so he waited until she introduced herself, if she was going to that was.

Dark eyes bright, Katti looked up as soon as the boy, Tim, spoke, surprised for a second. She hadn't heard him approach, and if Knight had he hadn't reacted. The stallion was still too busy concentrating on his food to notice much else. Smiling warmly, she dipped her head politely and gave a strange, half-shrug. "Hey, Tim. Welcome to the stable, I guess." she began quietly, feeling nervous again, "Uh, I'm Katti... Oh, and this is Knight or, uh, Dark Fantasy." As she said Knight's name she patted his rump with a free hand and the horse snorted. Looking back at Tim, she continued, "Flick's gorgeous! She's a very sweet little filly." A blush started to appear in her cheeks and she looked away, flicking some dirt off Knight's coat. Something twisted in her gut, perhaps a jolt of embaressment or shyness, and for a second she winced, hoping Tim hadn't noticed. What more should she say?

Tim grinned. Dark Fantasy was a nice name and it suited the large, black horse well. "Nice, I suppose you name him yourself then? Oh and thanks. Yeah, she is sweet, but she can be a total brat too," He laughed cheerfully, "You see, she isn't fully broken and its risky to ride her since she enjoys throwing people out of the saddle out of playfulness. It can hurt since she is quite tall," The boy told Katti with a smile. His eyes flickered to Knight out of curiosity, he was quite a pretty horse, as was his owner.

Unable to stop herself from grinning back at Tim, Katti was quickly finding his cheerful, bright nature to be infectious. It was as though talking to him had lifted some unknown weight from her shoulders. As he explained the darker side of Flick she cringed, hissing inward through her teeth. "God, that does sound painful." she shook her head sympathetically, eyes dark with concern, "Though I named, er...renamed Knight, I never had to break him in." Shaking her head again, she was very glad she hadn't had to. Picking up on her shifting mood, Knight turned his head and gave her a gentle nudge with his muzzle, large eyes bright. Laughing softly, Katti ruffled his mane and patted his neck, glad that he behaved himself most of the time. "How long have you had Flick?" she asked quite suddenly, looking back at Tim and smiling. Until now, she hadn't really thought about how good-looking he was... She quickly wiped the thoughts from her head, feeling a blush starting to reappear.

Tim could see the filly's ears prick out the corner of his eye. A smile broke out on his face, "Well, not long actually. I got her about 2 months ago. I saved up enough to buy her with some spare cash. I thought she would be a challenge for me and that she is," He paused and walked over to the stall the filly was in, leaning over the door, he stroked her velvet muzzle gently. "Although, she can be quite naughty, she is normally a good girl, aren't ya?" The boy chuckled and pulled out a chunky slice of carrot from his pocket and offered it to Flick, "I am thinking of breeding her once she is out of the habit of throwing people." Tim told Katti and walked back to the stall Knight and Katti were at.

"Really?" Katti replied, somewhat surprised. It took her a moment to remember that Knight was in fact a stallion, and she wondered if he may have brought the matter of breeding up because of that. Knight was so well-behaved and sweet; he contained none of the often boisterous nature some stallions had. Reaching out with a gentle hand she rubbed his black rump, smiling brightly at Tim. "It's been a while since I've bred Knight to anyone." she said after a hesitant pause, "Hey... would you like to ride with us?" asked Katti, tilting her head at Knight, "We could go out in the arenas or on a trail ride. But maybe not today, you've only just arrived.." Her sentence trailed off into a slightly awkward mumble, and she wondered if she was going to fast. She felt a little embarressed, too, and hoped she wouldn't blush.

Tim nodded and listened carefully, "Yeah, I've been wanting to breed her for some time now. I think little draft foals would be cute." He chuckled quietly and leaned against Katti and Knight's stall door, his eyes resting on the girl. "Nah, its no problem. I suppose we could go riding now? How about a trail ride? I think Flick would be aching to run since she was in the trailer for just over 6 hours," The boy told her and threw a glance over at the energetic filly, who was now pawing the ground anxiously at the word 'trail ride'. He laughed at her in a quiet tone, "But thats totally up to you! We can go whenever your ready," Tim told her casually.

All embarressment suddenly gone, Katti's smile became bright again and she nodded eagerly. "Heading off now sounds good. I'll groom and tack up Knight while you're getting Flick ready." she told Tim, still smiling. Why was she so thrilled that he had yes? Trying to suppress the rise of excitement inside her, she jumped when Knight suddenly knocked his bucket from the rail and it crashed against the stall door as it fell. Knight, however, wasn't at all bothered by the sudden noise and pushed his nose against her expectantly, asking for more.

Tim laughed softly at the stallion as he expected more than what he had been given, "Okay, I will go get Flick ready then!" He said to Katti and turned on his heel, heading towards Flick's stall. The boy strongly hoped that she wouldn't play up today, but she probably would because of her energy spurt. He let himself into her stall and started giving her a quick brush over before he saddled her. Tim kept his eyes on the curious mare for a while, before glancing over his shoulder over at Katti and Knight. The boy dropped the brush into the kit and snapped it shut, walking over to the tack room. He grabbed Flick's saddle, saddle pad and her bridle. That was the first thing he had done when he arrived, brought in her tack and grooming kit. The rest was still in the car. Tim walked back to the stall and saddled Flick up.
Once done, he checked her over and gently stroked her muzzle, offering her a slice of apple. The boy glanced over his shoulder again to find Katti and Knight almost ready. He gave his filly another pat and treat while waiting patiently.

"Breathe out, Knight!" Katti grumbled as she tried to tighten the girth. Obediently, Knight released a long, deep sigh and his head drooped lazily, allowing her to reach a higher hole. With that done she scooped up Knight's bridle from the stall door and moved over to his head. Raising his handsome head, Knight looked at her expectantly and stood still while she slipped on the bridle and checked the straps and bit. Satisifed that all was in order, Katti patted Knight's neck and gave him a quick hug before leading him out of the stall. "Ready to go?" she callled softly to Tim, glancing into Flick's stall. She noticed that the young filly was already tacked up, and hoped that Tim hadn't been waiting for too long.

Tim grinned and watched as Katti tacked up Knight, leaning against the stall wall in the process. A thoughtful shadow danced through his eyes. He continued watching them until she had finished and walked over to their stall door. The boy raised himself up off the wall and smiled, "You bet!" He said and walked Flick outside the spacious enclosure, "What trail have you decided on?" Tim asked in a conversational tone. The boy stroked Flick's nose gently and reached over, giving Knight a little pat.

Flicking his ears towards Tim, Knight nickered softly and turned his head to nudge the boy. Katti smiled, but she was still thinking about Tim's question. "Uh, to be honest I hadn't thought about that." she paused and shrugged, "I suppose we can decide once we get out there." Her smile brightened and she stroked Knight's muscular shoulder for a moment before leading him over to the doors. Glancing over her shoulder to make sure Tim was coming, she smiled at him, her eyes bright. A thought slipped into her head, startling her a moment, and she quickly shut it away, looking back at the doors and leading Knight through them and into daylight.

Tim swung the reins over Flick's head, careful not to startle the jumpy, excited mare. He started leading her with them, using them as a lead rope. Looking around, his eyes rested on the trails down the side of the mammoth-sized stables. He felt suddenly eager to get riding since he had never been on these trails before and not knowing where they would lead or what type of adventure would be ahead of them. Tim quickened his pace as he realised he had fallen behind in thought. Gazing around, his gaze decided to settle on Katti for a second, then his eyes began drifting again, trying to take in as much as he could. "Do you have a favourite trail?" He asked and felt a eager nudge on his shoulder from Flick. The boy looked behind him to find Flick staring intently at the trails ahead of them, her eyes bright and glittery while her ears were pricked to the fullest.

Looking over and seeing Flick's intently eager expression, Katti smiled and let out a small laugh. Then her eyes shifted to Tim, the smile still bright on her face. "Well, I do like going down the river. The trails fairly flat that way, and very pretty. There's a few little logs around, too." she told him, picturing the trail in her mind. At this time of year, the forest they went through would be abundantly green, filled with freshly bloomed flowers and song birds. Just the image made her sigh happily, but the thoughts were chased away as Knight lifted his head and started to nibble at her ear. "Knight!" she giggled, cringing away.

Tim shrugged, a half-smile turned up on his lips. "Sure, it sounds nice. Lets go then!" He said cheerfully and quickened his pace so they were out of the stables. Once they were, he vaulted himself up onto Flick gracefully and quickly gathered the reins so she wouldn't bolt off at a top speed towards an unknown destination. Tim glanced down at the filly and heard her stomp her hoof in irritation, her ears flattening. "Be good," He warned and patted her wither, glancing back over at Katti and Knight, "Sorry, she just is a little excited..." Tim said sheepishly and turned around so he no longer had to face them.

A chuckle still lingering in her voice, Katti smiled up at Tim. "No worries. She certainly looks fired up." she replied, gathering up Knight's reins. Turning away from Tim, she elegantly lifted herself into the saddle and sat down lightly on Knight's back, ruffling his dark mane once she was seated. Feeling her familiar weight, Knight tucked his head onto the bit and nickered happily, eager to be off. Looking over at Tim again, Katti gave him a half shrug. "So uh, off we go?" she asked, her shyness peeking out again.

Tim grinned, "Yeah, she's always like this when it comes to trail rides or when the chance comes to throw me off," He laughed and stroked the big filly's neck gently, watching as Katti mounted elegantly onto the big, black horse. Giving her a heart-stopping half smile, Tim shrugged and loosened the reins, letting Flick take off at an energetic, eager canter. He smiled as he realised Flick was only cantering because she was waiting for Katti and Knight to catch up to lead the way. Tim grinned and looked behind at them, waiting for them to catch up.

Heart racing and not entirely sure why, Katti shook her head and tapped her heels against Knight, asking him to canter on. Leaning forward in the saddle as Knight leapt into a canter, she encouraged him to lengthen his strides and smiled when he did. Before long she'd caught up to Tim and cantered alongside him, smiling. "So it's a race, then?" she asked cheekily, a grin on her pretty face. Without waiting for a reply she tapped her heels against Knight's girth. "Hup, boy!" she called, and the stallion responded instantly, surging forward into a easy gallop, white socks flashing. Luaghing as the wind blew against her face and pulled at the hair sticking out from her helmet, Katti glanced over her shoulder at Tim and Flick.