Light is a Place [open]

[[Ella] -- gone until 10/25 D=]

ash soleil.

All of the little pieces falling,
shatter.

No matter how hard I tried, the heat of the summer still clung to me relentlessly. And the sweat that dripped down my face was nearly enough to send me dashing back inside the small house for both shelter and shade. The rain, I realized, had stopped though. Thank God.

I was a different person in this forest. The leaves that rustled from the weight of last night's storm, the sound of left over water dripping to the ground--all of that I recieved with open arms. Once upon a time, the silence that pressed against me would have been a sanctuary. But now silence was an enemy. I wanted to be noticed. I wanted someone to talk. I wanted to hear something--anything.

Emerging from the forest, I slid off my horse--a pale mustang of a couple of years. Kade. He was just my size, fortunately, and about the only horse I could ride without hearing a fit from my brother. Roy was always so careful and cautious about his horses. It got slightly annoying at times. Shaking my head, I glanced at the sky.

"Damn." My fingers clenched together, digging into the palms of my hands. Stupid sun. Not for the first time, I wished it was winter. I loved the cold more than the heat, and besides, it was just way too hot for anyone to be truly sane. Plus, The Hunger Games were about to begin. I hoped more than anything that the Arena had air conditioning. If I was Reaped.

"Of course, I could always just run away," I muttered to Kade. I was doing a lot of muttering now. Was it healthy? Probably not. But my brother Roy certainly didn't catch me at it, and that was enough to keep me satisfied. There was no way I was going to see some kind of doctor. Besides, this was District 5. Our doctors were decent, and that was it. Compared to 2, we were nothing.

And speaking of Roy, I was supposed to be at the shop. Not in the small forest near our tiny house. But I had time. He wouldn't be coming home until night. I had a few more hours to kill, surely, before it was time to shop.

Without knowing why, I smiled, before climbing back onto Kade, urging him onward in a slow walk. And far away, the afternoon waited.

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[kaia]

I quickly pull my over sized jacket on myself. It's pretty early right now, just a bit after dawn. The storm last night was a pretty rainy one. The faint heat of the sun radiates and causes the wet ground to arise with steam. It's a bit chilly outside, despite the season we're in. It causes me to tighten my crossed arms against my chest.

I really hope the weather clears up. I need to exercise not only Altai, but about three more horses. Then I have to give riding lessons to Patrica Jones and Lola Peters, the two little 12 year olds that have always watched me ride when Patrica's father, the butcher, comes every once in a while to claim a fat pig I raised myself. Since money has been a little tight for most of the districts, he pays half of what he owes and I give his daughter free riding lessons. Lola's father helps us distribute some of our animals to other districts, so I do the same with the Peters.

I approach the barn with our dog, Sash ,and slide the large door open. It smells of manure and hay....it's wonderful. The barn is so warm from the many occupants, I need to take my coat off. My boot clack against the cement floors.I head to the feed room and I fill 2 buckets of scratch and give them to the chickens and geese. I retreat back to the feed room and gather four flakes of hay for the horses. I personally deliver them to my nickering, impatient horses. I go back to the feed room once more and arrange a meal for the pigs. It consists of all sorts of forage and scraps from dinner in a watery stew. I fill the two troughs and watch the pigs squeal with happiness, then rage as they all fight over apple cores, pieces of bread, and some bark. I take some goat feed and place it in a small trough for our 2 goats.

I don't need to go to the cow barn, Mom is the one who goes near the cows. Altai and I like to herd them around our field, it's incredibly fun. But Mom shares some wierd bond. The cows always drool when they see me near their grain room, thinking I am getting some food for them.

I decide to take the animals out of the barn. It's bound to get warm. I lead the horses to one of our big fields, then I get Sash to herd the lazy, fat swine into a small mud filled pen. I open a coop door for the chickens, and manage to direct the geese to the pond without getting bitten by the aggressive male. Crap..I forgot the rabbits! I run to a small rabbit hutch near our house with a scoop of pellets in both hands for the little guys. I put each handful in a bowl. They're not low on water when I check. I let out a sigh and retreat back to the barn.

***

I feel the reins of the bridle easily slip through my fingers before I put them over Altai's head and rest them upon his neck. Altai looks at me and pins his ears back on his head, munching on the dried grasses he loves so much. He just wants to eat, but once he knows what we're doing for a ride today, he'll be glad he came along with my orders. "Hey, settle down." I say in a voice he's used to hearing when I need him to pay attention. Altai bows his head down again but I lightly tap the bottom of his jaw with the toe of my boot, he shoots his head up again and perks his ears at me, as if he was curious on what I was going to do with him today.I have put my arm through the bridle, I stand on Altai's left haunch. I hold his head back with my right hand and start slipping his bridle on, he gladly takes the bit and gums at it in his mouth to relax and position it comfortably. I smile and withdraw the reins back from his neck and I hold the reins in one hand. I open the stall door and lead him outside. He perks his ears and looks at all the other horses in the field a few yards away. He sees some mares and lets out his loud, ear piercing whinny. We get a couple neighs and whinnies back. But I click my tongue and he snaps back into reality. I lead him to the giant grassy field, no other horses are there to distract him, thank God.

I open the gate and let go of him. He casually walks inside and stops, waiting for me; like a gentlemen. I praise him for being calm and shut the gate. I put the reins back over his head and let them stay. I jog away a few feet, then tell him to stay still. He holds his head up high, then I run at his left side, I lunge forward and get about half my torso on, I squirm on until I can get my leg over. Altai snorts and paws his leg impatiently as I ready myself. "A'ight..I get it boy!" I giggle and pat his neck. "Walk on." I command as I give him a little kick. He walks forward, his head still up with exitment. After about 20 seconds of walking, I nudge him while saying, "Taaa-rot." He starts Trotting. He's got a pretty choppy trot, so it's a pretty bumpy one. I trot a full lap around the huge field, witch takes a few minutes, before asking him to canter. "Caaaan-ter!" I say in a sing-song voice. He then starts cantering. I've gotten used to his choppy canter as well, all our horses have more rocking horse canters. Their nice and easy.

I lead him to the woods at the far north end of the large field. I open the gate while I'm still on him and venture into the trees. He walks calmly through the woods, his head l ow. He will occasionally pick it up when a mockingjay zooms right infront of us, across the trail. I whistle a little song, then a few seconds later, I begin to hear it. The mockingjays were so interesting to me. Always mimicking something the've heard previously.

I begin to think of this year's hunger games. What If I'm chosen? How would I ever fight? I would probably die the first day... It sends shivers down my spine. I pat Altai's neck." If you were with me...I woulf probably survive..at least a little...." I say to him. Altai shakes his head. He then picks it up and perks his ears. A few short seconds pass before he let's out a shrill whinny. I wonder what he's so exited about.

notes;;;; baha sorry. I had to copy/paste a part from a previous post. xD I didn't know what to do and I feel a bit lazy lol.
words;; 1,174 :D

[[Ella] -- gone until 10/25 D=]

OOC: 1,174 words! Aweesome =D

Truthfully, I hadn't ridden Kade in ages.

I knew he was angry with me for that, which probably explained his lack of cooperation as we rounded the area of the forest twice. It was just a warm-up, but I did set him forward at a full gallop. My feet squeezed his sides nervously, the same nerves I always got when I rode him at this speed. He was fast for his age, although he had the constant habit of tossing his head back and forth when rounding a corner. This made hanging on extremely hard.

Roy once tried to correct that habit, but it hadn't exactly worked out. Part of me blamed him on Kade's lack of trust with me. The horse and rider should always be connected. That was what I'd learned in the short years I'd been with my brother. I was sure my mother would have rather killed them than taken care of them. But I wasn't in District 9 anymore.

District 5, now. Kade slowed down to a walk, purposely bumping his bridle against nearby trees. My grip on his reins tightened, trying to still the motion, trying to still my irritation. I exhaled slowly through my teeth, keeping my gaze trained ahead. If it wasn't for the sudden speed of Kade's tossing, I might have never noticed the other horse and rider in the distance.

"What?" I muttered to myself. I urged Kade onward and he immediately reacted in a quick trot. Of course. He had obedience issues as well, although I did admire him for it. We managed to reach the new pair in a matter of seconds, but thankfully Kade had enough control and sense to stop before we collided. I pulled back on the reins gently, just to stable my balance. Then I fixed the girl with a steady gaze.

She was riding an enviable stallion of black hair that seemed to be much taller and possibly older than Kade. Her hair, too, was also pretty dark, but not as dark as the horse. And her eyes--they were a shocking blue. I tilted my head, studying her, sizing her up. It wasn't unnatural to meet riders in woods--this was District 5, after all--but it was unnatural for me to meet someone. I tended to have an anti-social radar. Not many people came near me.

"Well," I began, my voice both startled and flat. "Hi." Hopefully my voice wasn't too cold, and that the atmosphere wasn't too awkward.. I couldn't afford another round of miscommunication.

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[kaia]

Altai's ears are still erect. Well, he whinnied too. That usually meant a horse was around....but was there? I hold the reins tight in my fists from the anticipation. I look down at Altai and rub his tall neck, after hearing hoofprints I suddenly look up. A horse and rider quickly trot up. Altai jumps to the side a bit and lifts his legs up in a small rear. He doesn't go crazy but I have to hang on tightly by the reins. He lowers himself down and I pet him to help him calm down.


The horse before us thankfully stopped before any collision. Altai nervously moved his head around. He wasn't a very aggressive stallion. He was just a bit jumpy and excitable around some horses. I speak calmy to him, "Easy Altai...It's okay..." I rubbed his neck again.

The girl looked at me, she seemed to by studying me or somthing. I looked at her. "Well," she began. I listened attentively. "Hi." she said flatly. I took my reins in one hand and waved gently with the free one, smiling as gently I could in this akward moment. I retrieved my reins correctly and looked at her steed. "What a beautiful horse..." I complimented. "What's it's name?...Oh, sorry. I'm Kaia...what's your name?" I asked curiously.

words;;; 213 xD
ooc;; haha thanks

[[Ella] -- gone until 10/25 D=]

The girl's horse reacted as any average horses would have in the presence of someone as erratic as Kade--it reared, leaning on its back legs. Somehow though the rider was able to hang on, petting her horse slowly to calm it down. I paused, watching them, both impressed and jealous of their connection. Self-consciously I touched Kade's neck with one finger.

"You don't want to compliment him," I warned with a wry smile. "He's very arrogant." I let a little bit of friendliness color my voice. It wasn't something I was used to--opening up to people--but I was working on it. "And I'm Ash." I glanced at the girl again--Kaia--and tilted my head. "What about yours? What's its name?" I opened my mouth to shoot out some other words, about how I too thought her stead was beautiful, but then decided against it. I was just opening up, one bit at a time.

It was difficult in many, many ways. Especially for me. As I thought this though, I kept my gaze on Kaia, wondering what kind of person she would turn out to be. I hadn't met many people I truly liked. So the question itself was probably going to be hard to answer.

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[kaia]

"You don't want to compliment him," She warns with a wry smile. "He's very arrogant."

I smile, "So he's a beautiful horse with an ugly personality?" I joke. "My horse...he can be really head strong...My dad says he might have bloodlines of horses that were raced against eachother, long ago,before the districts even existed!" I explain. "People would bet money on the horse if their choice. And horses even had events when they would jump over pretty obstacles, or run and jump distances, they would even DANCE!" I liked sharing this knowledge with someone with horses.


"And I'm Ash." she says. "Nice to meet cha' Ash." I respond. "What about yours? What's its name?" she asks. "My horse's name is Altai." I respond.

words;;; 123 o_e writer's block

[[Ella] -- gone until 10/25 D=]

So this was what it was like, I realized, to actually talk with someone. My brows knitted together as I thought that and I tried not to smile bitterly. It made me sound so anti-social and pathetic. Then again, self-pity doesn't do me any good. I was better off forgetting about it. What had my brother said again about opening up to others? You weren't supposed to try. You just did.

"Dance?" I echoed dubiously. I tried imagining horses dancing and failed. As for jumping over obstacles, it was a little easier to picture, but where would the obstacles be? A region near the Capitol, maybe? It was hard to think of anything besides the desolate areas of the districts. It had to be the Capitol, then. I couldn't think of anything else.

"Oh, this is Kade," I said, having finally realized that I hadn't answered Kaia's first question. She went on ahead and introduced her own horse to me. Altai. I studied her horse for a split second, trying to come up with its gender. I've never been good with connecting names and genders--it'd never worked with me. Now as I gazed at Altai, I finally managed a smile. "Have you guys ever tried riding over obstacles before?" The thought of it was interesting. Then again, I'd only ridden Kade and nothing more.

OOC: I just realized something:

Kaia & Kade
Ash & Altai

Weird O.O

[kaia]

Ash looks as if I'm lying about the horses dancing. "Dance?" she repeated in doubt. "Yes, they would pick up their legs as if they were marching! Then they would do all these moves..." I went on.

"Oh, this is Kade," Ash answers. I smile and look at Kade, he is a bit smaller than Altai. I now am certain that there are different kinds of horses. Altai's head shape seems a bit different than Kade's, and Altai is bigger, but could it be an age difference? nah...."Have you guys ever tried riding over obstacles before?" Ash asks me. I furrow my brows a bit at the question. "Well....do stone fences count? If yes, then all the time! He even likes to jump over creeks, and logs!" I reply with enthusiasm. "Do you guys jump at all?" I rephrase her question to her.

OOC;; wooaaah!! I didn't notice that xD

and I had a boyfriend named Roy lol

[[Ella] -- gone until 10/25 D=]

Stone fences. I managed another smile because the possibility of that was both amusing and impressive. For a second my gaze flickered to Kade, sizing him up, picturing him leaping over a stone fence. Once again the image fell flat and I shook my head. "Kade's jumped over creeks and logs before," I began thoughtfully, "but never stone fences. Or anything like bars. He's only jumped if it was necessary." I glanced at Altai then and tilted my head. "So he must be very coordinated, to do that. But is he fast?"

Once I said it, I immediately regretted my words. Would that sound like a challenge to Kaia? Then again, Kade was fast. Maybe not as agile as Altai, but quick all the same. As those thoughts entered my head, a genuine smile spread across my face. As if sensing what was going on, Kade bent down to nuzzle the top of my head.

OOC: -glances at Roy suspiciously- >.>

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[kaia]

"Kade's jumped over creeks and logs before," Ash began. "but never stone fences. Or anything like bars. He's only jumped if it was necessary." I nod and look at Kade. I wonder how fast he is. "So he must be very coordinated, to do that. But is he fast?" Ash says. Altai is one of our fastest horses. I smirk at Ash. "Well, like I said, he might have bloodlines of those kinds of horses they used to race.....I think he's pretty quick all around." I answer.

A thought comes into my head. We should have a race.....just to see how fast our horses really are. I have never really raced Altai against any other horses...but he sure loves to run. "Do you....wanna race?" I ask gently. Altai nods his head and stomps his front hoof impatiently. I smile and pat him. It's as if he senses what I want to do. "C'mon. You can run around with us....Altai's getting exited." I state. I click my tounge and pull back on Altai's reins, telling him to back up. I pull the reins to the right and turn him around. I urge him on with a click of my tounge and he begins to trot down the trail we came. Once we get to a long, straight stretch of the trail, near our fence, I make a kissing noise and he canters his choppy canter. The gate must be about 100 feet away. I left it open too. I give Altai a kick and let him gallop the rest of the way until we reach the large field we started in. I pull back and slow him to a canter, then pull him into a circle, so I can see if Ash and Kade decided to follow or not.

[[Ella] -- gone until 10/25 D=]

OOC: I know it's taken me...several weeks to reply, and I'm really sorry! I'll try to be more active ^^'

It was funny, I realized, how quickly anything can turn into a simple competition--even if it was a friendly one. One minute I thought I was doing well with a nice, laid-back conversation, making a new friend, and the next I found myself following Kaia and Altai down the trail once more. The journey to the open field went by in a flash; all I could focus on were the soft thumps of Kade's hooves on the dirt and grass. It amused me somewhat and soon I was smiling when I arrived at Kaia's side. Oh, the irony.

"Look," I said, surprised, moreso to myself than anyone else. Kade was walking around now, even as I tried to slow him to a stop. My feet squeezed his sides and I gave a small tug on his reins, but he continued to move. Disobedient, as always. "I think he's excited too for this." The race, I meant. I looked around, squinted at the dim sunlight in the distance. "So how should we do this? Where's the ending point?"

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