incaseof FIRE (semper)

[Amgine Delov]

Honestly, I’ll be fine, this isn’t my first ( T I M E )
... // I V E T A K E N B L O W S B E F O R E ;;
. . . . . . . . . . .

The sun had just pushed its way above the horizon, a large orb sitting low in the sky, a sight that would make Apollo proud. Amgine pulled into the nearly empty lot and killed the ignition on her old dodge truck, abruptly cutting off the rambling traffic reporter who moments before was babbling about yet another wreck on the main highway. The door squeaked slightly as she swung it open and she made a mental note to fix that later. The mist was still rising off the ground, shrouding the pastures in a thick blanket; a few horses could barely be seen, mere shadows of the morning. The girl stepped through the front barn doors, the sounds of munching hay and quiet nickers filled her ears. She couldn’t help but smile as she inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of leather and horses.

She walked down the aisle way, a few horses poking their heads out to watch the stranger pass by, most however, ignored her as they were far too busy enjoying their breakfast. She stopped in front of a stall labeled ‘Nikita’ and glanced at the dapple grey mare inside. The 16hh thoroughbred stood rigid in the far corner, eyeing Amgine warily. This was an improvement of course, considering how unmanageable the mare had been a month ago when Amgine had outbid a meat buyer at a local auction to save her. She was an ex-racehorse, retired at the age of five, she was sent to auction half a year later after being handled none too kindly. At least that’s what Amgine had gathered.

The girl grabbed the leather halter hanging on the hook by the door and quietly she entered the stall, she spoke softly, her voice low and calm, tinged with her native Russian accent. Ah, hello my pretty one, there’s nothing to be afraid of dear one the mare had her ears pinned slightly, her head bobbing, defiance in her eyes. Amgine had chosen the name Nikita because it meant ‘Unconquerable’ in Russian and this mare had made it clear she was just that. She took calm steps forward, stopping not half a foot away from the horse, who snorted loudly, still not completely sure about the human in front of her. Amgine slipped a hand in her pocket, extracting a few sugar cubes and offering them to the horse I know you like your sweets the mares ears flicked slightly at her voice, her nostrils flaring as the scent of sugar reached them. The girl watched as the mare slowly lowered her head, extending her delicate nose just out of her reach, she blew on her hand before cautiously reaching out and lipping them off her palm. Ah, that’s a girl, see, I’m not so scary. It took a while but she eventually got the halter on the horse, clipping a lead shank to it she led the none too happy mare to the round pen.

She was going to attempt another ‘join up’ with the dapple grey, it was a way to establish a sense of trust and respect between horse and human. Amgine would send the mare out around the circle until the mare showed her she was ready to come into the middle. She started by unclipping the lead rope, the horse trotted quickly away from her, stopping and looking out over the pen. Amgine clucked her tongue and took the longe whip(a long whip with a longer string at the end) and flicked it behind the mare, sending her forward. The girl squared her shoulders with the horses and kept her eyes on the mares, watching for subtle signals. The horse snorted and threw a few bucks, her trot melding quickly into a canter and then a hand gallop. You’re feeling good today, aren’t you lovely? the Russian girl said with a smile in her voice. The mare snorted again and slowed to a brisk trot, her stride elevated and springy, her silver head held high her deep mahogany eyes on Amgine. The girl noticed her inside ear turned towards her, which meant she was paying attention. That was a good sign. She took a step to the side, her shoulders now moving in front of the horses, she turned her gaze to the horses’ hindquarters. This was a signal to stop and turn towards her, and much to her surprise, the mare did. She kept her eyes on the horse, hoping that she would take the next step and move towards her in the middle. A few moments passed and she didn’t, Amgine sighed and smiled softly at the mare. It’s okay, I don’t trust people either. Nikita shook her head, her eyes, for a moment, turned soft as if she understood.

. . . . . . . . . . .

... ( AND EVERY TIME I HAVE SURVIVED )

semper (tagged)
sevenhundredandninteyfive (words)
forgive the general crappiness, I haven’t rped in a while. (notes)
click (

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LikeAStariNight @ Caution 2.0 (credit)[/right]
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[Semper Capone]

nobody said it was _{e a s y,}

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^{it's such a shame for us to part.} - - - - - -

A lot of people think I'm crazy for spending the night in the barn. I, however, tend to think of it as "having my space," or "my alone time." No one bothered me there but the horses, and to be honest, at times, I'd much rather have horses for company than people. They didn't talk back, they didn't yell at you when you were desperate for someone to listen to you, and they didn't break your heart. Well, that may be a bit too harsh... I didn't want to believe that Chicago broke my heart more than once -- I just wouldn't have any of that shit sticking in my head, so no wonder I tended to forget about it. Well, no, I didn't forget about it... it really hurt to know that she cheated. But it's not worth it all now. Chicago was dead; she's been missing for nearly two months and no one has heard anything from her. Not even Kaleb and his team of investigators had any evidence as to where she was, so those little smoldering embers of hope inside of me were finally extinguished. Chicago Rae Eastlyn was no more -- the love of my life was no more.

A gentle nudging on the side of my face woke me up from my light slumber, quickly followed by a large puff of warm air hitting me. I quickly recognized the scent of air as Bell, and I slowly opened my eyes, seeing the blurry image of a very large bay shire right in my face. I blinked a few more times to clear my vision, then reached out with a hand and rubbed Bell's forehead, ruffling her black forelock. "How are y', Bell?" I asked, my voice cracked and weak from not having used it all night. She nickered and nudged my hand, taking a few steps back and putting her nose into the black rubber bucket that was hanging on the wall of the stall.

Usually at night, Bell and Gatsby stay outside in the pasture since a) they're not house pets, so they deserve to be outside, and b) since I'm the son of Demeter, I figured that it'd be best for them to be out in nature, like they're supposed to be, and live like real horses instead of being boxed up all day. But in times like these, I needed them -- really needed them -- and so I'd put one of them in their stall and I'd curl up in the corner on the sawdust and sleep. So far no one's told me I couldn't, and I've gotten away with it for four years now, so why bother stopping now?

I slowly pushed myself up and dusted the sawdust from my clothes. I knew that she wanted food, so I patted her hindquarters before going out of the stall and to the feed room. The floor was cold on my bare feet -- going barefoot in a barn wasn't the best idea, but I did it all the time back home that I never bothered to end the habit -- but it woke me up some more, so I didn't mind it. I got a large scoop of feed and brought it back, dumping it into the bucket and letting her chomp down. I returned the scoop to the feed room and by the time I managed to drag my feet back down the hall, Bell was peering out at me from her stall, ears perked forward and her eyes watching me as I came back.

"Fuckin' hell, y' done with it already?" I said, lightly smiling as she dipped her nose toward my hands as if looking for more food. "I don't got nothin' else, Bell." She exhaled a large puff of air before pulling her head back into the stall, circling around and then going back to the rubber bucket, poking her nose in as if it had magically refilled. I couldn't help but chuckle. "C'mon, Bell, le's go out t' Gatsby." I picked up her halter and lead rope from a hook outside the stall, undoing the latch and opening the door. Bell, who recognized the word "let's go" to mean that we were going somewhere together, came over to the open door and allowed me to slip on the black and red patterned rope halter. I reached back and draped the lead rope across her withers so that it dangled down on her opposite side and so that she wouldn't trip over it. Turning so that I was facing the way her head was pointed, I took a step forward and waited for her to follow, which she did. Then another step, then another, and another, and she followed yet again. A satisfied smile drew across my face. The latest trick Bell and I had been working on was her following me without a lead rope, and so far things seemed to be going well. That was, until we passed the feed room. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her ear flicker sideways as she caught a whiff of the food that was behind the closed door. As her head began to turn, I reached out and grabbed onto the part of the lead rope just below the halter, gently pulling her head back around and leading her for a few steps before letting go again, watching her as she began walking behind me with a spring in her step, knowing full well where I was taking her, though that could honestly end badly... anyway.

The enormous mare trailed beside me out of the barn and toward the pasture -- it was a very beautiful morning with the low-lying mist and beams of sunlight illuminating the fog -- but the sound of pounding hooves made me stop. Bell also stopped, but judging from where the sound was coming from, she was blocking my view, so I ducked enough to look under her neck, spotting the source of the sound.

The mare was at a quick canter in the round pen, but soon she stopped when the girl in the center of the round pen turned toward her. The mare looked familiar because I pretty much live at the barn, so I know all the horses that are there, but the girl I didn't know as well. I could barely hear her as she spoke, but she sounded foreign. Russian, maybe, but there were a lot of students here from all sorts of places with all sorts of accents, so maybe I had seen her before and just not realized it.

I looked back at Bell, who had her ears up like a pointer dog and her eyes wide, watching the other mare curiously. That was one of the good things about Bell: she loved meeting other horses and teasing them, so I didn't see any harm in going to let the two equines get to know each other from opposite sides of the fence. But, of course, I wanted to make sure that the girl in the center would be alright with us disrupting her training or exercising.

Bell anticipated my movements as I turned toward the round pen, ready to take off to the other horse, but I quickly reached out for the lead rope, holding her back. Well, it was a good start to walking without leading; but as they say, practice makes perfect, so all we needed was more time to practice.

"'cuse m', miss," I called out to the girl in the round pen as Bell and I neared it. "Do y'mind if Bell meets yer mare?" The large dappled mare was beautiful, both in color and physique, and judging by her long legs I assumed she was a thoroughbred. "She a thoroughbred?" Thoroughbreds, though beautiful and incredibly awe inspiring when they race, weren't one of my favorite breeds. But hey, all equine breeds are good in their own way; I just happened to be biased favor drafts, mostly because they were the only ones I could fit with my height. But that's besides the point.

oh let's go back to the start.

words ;; 1348
notes ;; I love this template! xD <3
music ;; The Scientist by Coldplay
The Scientist Coldplay

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[Amgine Delov]

Honestly, I’ll be fine, this isn’t my first ( T I M E )
... // I V E T A K E N B L O W S B E F O R E ;;
. . . . . . . . . . .

Her eyes stayed on the mare, making sure she was paying attention. She stepped to the side again and the horse turned her head to look at the girl, she repeated this walking the other way and again Nikita kept her focus directly on Amgine. She scrunched up her face in confusion, running her long fingers through her wavy brown hair. Well, I’ve got your attention, and that’s the first step to building any relationship, don’t you think? she looked at her horse, half expecting her to answer back and then shook her head, biting back a smile. So what if she talked to the horses? They were good listeners, and the best part was they couldn’t lie, they only reacted. She’d had longer conversation with this horse than she had with any student or teacher on campus, but that just goes to show how introverted she could really be.

Something shifted suddenly in the mare, if Amgine hadn’t been paying such close attention she wouldn’t have seen the mares body tense, every muscle coiling into a spring, just moments before her head shot up and her ears pricked forward, her attention no longer on Amgine. The girl let out a puff of sigh Well, it was nice while it lasted. and winced as the mare shot an ear splitting whinny into the air. She turned her grey blue gaze in the direction the mare was looking. A horse and human had exited the barn and had stopped to look at her and Nikita, she shook her head and smiled at the mare before turning her sights back to the duo. They had started down towards them, and it took her a moment to gather just how massive they both were. The horse was a shire, huge and hulking but very elegant, and her owner, well he had to be at least—a lightbulb turned on in Amgine’s head and she had a sneaking suspicion that this boy was 7’1” and his name was Semper…

As they neared the pen, she felt the mare tense even more, her nostrils flaring in an attempt to catch the scent of the other equine. The boy spoke, his voice heavy with a southern drawl, 'cuse m', miss, Do y'mind if Bell meets yer mare? Amgine looked at her mare, and then back to the boy, It’d be at your own risk, I have no idea as to how she’ll act she said, her voice peppered with her Russian accent and as if on cue the mare took off at a nervous trot, her head high and her eyes glued warily on the other mare, Amgine gave an apologetic smile and added Or if she’ll even come close to Bell another trumpeted whinny split the atmosphere. The mare broke into a gallop, flying around the circle. Amgine stepped back into the middle, squaring her shoulders with the mare, she spoke softly to her in Russian, her voice soothing, the mare once again turned her inside ear towards the girl and slowed to a trot and then a walk, halting and turning to face Amgine. She a thoroughbred? the voice rang softly in her ears, she looked at the boy again, a crooked smile on her face All 1,000 headstrong pounds of her. Her hand moved through her hair, her grey blue eyes on the boys, she offered him a warmer smile. I’m Amgine, and you, forgive me if I’m incorrect, must be Semper.

. . . . . . . . . . .

... ( AND EVERY TIME I HAVE SURVIVED )

semper (tagged)
fivehundredandeighty (words)
Mehhh. (notes)
click (

[/b]outfit)
LikeAStariNight @ Caution 2.0 (credit)[/right]
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[Semper Capone]

nobody said it was _{e a s y,}

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^{it's such a shame for us to part.}

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By the way the thoroughbred mare was carrying her head so high, it was obvious that she was nervous. Hell if I didn't know nervous horses, that's all you get when you work at a slaughterhouse. Since my dad ran the local business I was obligated to help out, and I didn't mind it. We did everything humanely -- or at least my dad and I did. Most of the other people that worked there were humane in their ways too, but there was always that select few that took advantage of the situation, especially with trapped animals. Because we didn't have the money for a freeze branding kit, we had to go old-fashioned and use hot irons, which my dad really hated, but it was all we had to separate the herds into their categories. Even then, all we marked on them was just certain tally marks, but still. We'd always quickly tend to the burns after they were placed, so I was no stranger to panicked animals. Often they'd try to strike back, but that's just instinct kicking in. That's also where the abuse from those certain workers would come from. They'd take advantage and hit the animals with the iron rods when they attacked, and once I tried to stop them, but that obviously didn't go over well for me.

I'm off on a tangent again. Anyway.

So as I watched the nervous mare begin to trot around, I kept an eye on the way she picked up each of her hooves. "S'alright, I'm no stranger t' nervous horses." I replied. Bell was watching the thoroughbred also, but with hardly any intensity at all, only curiosity. I could only imagine what was going through either of the horse's minds right now; I bet you Bell was thinking somewhere along the lines of meeting a new friend, but the thoroughbred definately had other thoughts. She took off at a gallop around the circle, but the girl in the center quickly gathered control of the situation, facing the mare as she sped around and used her body to slow the dappled mare down until she came to a halt and faced her.

"I’m Amgine, and you, forgive me if I’m incorrect, must be Semper."

Ah, so that's why she seemed familiar. I remembered talking to her in the school's chatroom, and I remembered what she had said about her mare and that she was off the track and had been abused, or something like that. My memory never fails to fail me at the most inappropriate times. "Nah, yer right on the dot." I said, returning the smile she was giving me. I then looked back at the mare in the ring. "Nikita, right?" The name sounded foreign, and I could only guess that it was Russian since Amgine was from Russia. I had no idea what it meant -- or if it meant anything at all -- but it was a beautiful name. The fence, as short as it was, was to the point where it made a good leaning post for me, so I crossed my arms and set them over the top rail so I could lean against it. "Y' seem t' be makin' good progress, from what I remember y' sayin' last time." I heard Bell shifting her weight beside me and a low, soft nicker escaping her, bringing my attention back to her. "If y' want, I can take Bell away so she don't distract her..." I turned my attention back to Amgine, starting to take my weight off the rail, somewhat anticipating what her answer might be.

oh let's go back to the start.

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words ;; 600
notes ;; I don't remember if she ever told him Nikita's name, but it was all I could think of to keep things rollin'. D:
music ;; nein.
Lyrics © The Scientist Coldplay
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