[OPEN] we used to smoke while we were jaywalking;

[Levi Nicholas Rand]

Levi Nicholas Rand

Girl, who taught you how to move like that?

The southern sun was hot during midday. The young man stood in the center of the smallest arena, a whip settled firmly in his hand. A chestnut thoroughbred trotted around the man, trying to obey to his every command. They were a perfect pair as rider and horse. Both goofballs and playful, although today they were down to business. They had work they needed to get done. Levi wasn't in a mood to play today, although Drifter, the chestnut, was all for it. Levi had woke up in a foul mood, although he wasn't sure if he had any reason for it. He had come down to CrossFire in the hopes it would calm him down, but exercising his gelding was the wrong idea. Drifter just wanted to play, rather than be worked.

Levi cracked the whip on the ground next to him. He wouldn't use it on the horse, unless need be. And even then, it would just be a tap to remind him to stay in line. Drifter moved easily into a lope at the sound of the whip. He knew he should obey Levi, but he found it hard to do with all of the other things going on around him. He liked to be with other horses, and being alone in the arena was actually quite distracting. Drifter was busy listening for other horses. Levi shook his head and cracked the whip again as Drifter slowed down back to a trot. "Drift! No," Levi commanded, and the horse moved back to a canter.

Out of all of his horses, Drifter needed the most work. The young gelding didn't like to pay attention at all. Unlike May, his other thoroughbred, who would obey to ever beck and call, no matter the consequences. Levi was sure he could convince the mare to jump through a ring of fire and she'd abide. Of course, there was also Rain, who was a great horse, but she needed work as well. She was afraid of almost anything. If she was out here for the whip, she'd spook at the sight of the damned thing. He really should be working with her, now that he thought about it. But he also didn't want to deal with her mood swings she seemed to have. Levi ran his fingers through his hair and dropped his whip at his feet. At the sight, Drifter stopped on command and whinnied happily. He had only been running for about ten minutes, but he'd rather run in a larger arena with Levi on his back.

Words: 427.

Tags: open.

Notes: (:

Horse(s): South Pacific

[Bambi Artemis Northwood]

I feel a way of something beyond them

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And I don't see what I can feel

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The weather in Addison had finally begun to take a turn towards Spring, leaving behind the nightly chills that had characterized winter. Dressed in a slouchy grey v-neck and dark skinny jeans, Bambi hopped quickly out of her truck, dropping the keys on the driver's seat before shutting the door with a small bang. Under the heat of the midday sun she had her blond waves tied into a messy ponytail and it swung between her shoulder blades as she jogged quickly towards the shade of the barn. The soles of her paddock boots made small clicking as she made her way towards the box stalls. An angry whinny sounded from around the corner, followed quickly by the sound of hooves striking against a wooden wall. "Dammit." She hissed under her breath, taking the corner at a quick jog. As suspected Kamikaze had his head hung over his stall door, bobbing furiously up and down with teethed bared at any passer by.

"Kaze!" Bambi called sharply, stopping the gelding half a second before his attempt to clamp down on a stable hand. The all-black gelding hated being in his stall, especially over night. But, in being unable to stop by the barn yesterday he had ended up stuck inside for the majority of forty-eight hours and was clearly brooding about it. Naturally, she hated her horse's terrible reputation but he had definitely earned it. Kaze refused to let anyone else ride him, attack most peopled that came into his stall and could not be pastured with anyone besides mares- which was almost always forbidden at Crossfire.

With a sigh she grabbed his halter and lead before opening the stall door and preparing for a battle. After a few minutes of wrestling and swearing she had him securely snapped into his halter, though his flattened ears showed his disapproval. "I was going to take you out for a quick trail ride but I think I'll chase you around the outdoor arena beforehand."

The seventeen hand-high Hanoverian was a handful on a good day and a monster on a bad one. Bambi let out a silent prayer that the lunging ring was cleared and uninhibited. Waiting would just make Kaze worst. Rounding the corner of the barn with her eyes on the round pen, Bambi stopped short and let out a curse. Quickly she attempted to back the gelding up, before he saw what she saw, but failed miserable. Inside the pen a young guy and his gelding were working together, though it appeared they were taking a break. Turning she tightened her grip on his lead, straining against the gelding's pull as he shrunk back on his haunches and let out an angry scream and the indignation that his pen was occupied. "Knock your shit off, Kaze!" Another thing she hated was her habit of swearing like a sailor, but it seemed to be another thing she couldn't change.

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If vision in the only validation

[/color][/font]
Then most of my life isn't real [/center][/font]

tagged: Levi
lyrics:
notes:
words:

[/blockquote]

[Levi Nicholas Rand]

Levi Nicholas Rand

Girl, who taught you how to move like that?

The chestnut flipped up his head, and walked towards the center of the arena where Levi stood. The man brushed his hand over the gelding's nose. Drifter flared his nostrils and snotted all over Levi's shoulder. "Gross, Drift," Levi laughed and wiped the spittle off. The gelding whinnied in response and trotted away from Levi. The man cracked his whip, striking the dust by his feet. Drifter followed the command and began to trot once more around the arena. Luckily, the gelding was obeying to most of his commands. "Good job, Drifter, keep it up," Levi muttered. The thoroughbred wasn't a bad horse, he just would rather play than work. But honestly, who wouldn't?

Levi allowed Drifter to move back to the center of the circle after a few rounds around again. He didn't want to keep the gelding moving constantly. Levi turned around at the sound of an angry shriek coming from behind him. Drifter whinnied and started to move towards the other horse. He only wanted to make friends, but Levi knew this wasn't a very good idea. He quickly bent down and grabbed Drift's lead rope and attached it to the gelding's halter before he could get too close. "Hey, he okay?" Levi called out to the girl who looked like she was straining to hold her horse back. Drift wasn't that hard to handle. "You can have the arena if you'd like," Levi offered.

Words: 238

Tags: bambi northwood

Notes: suckeh post, sorry!

Horse(s): South Pacific

[Bambi Artemis Northwood]

I feel a way of something beyond them

[/font]
And I don't see what I can feel

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Being able to go to the barn for a couple hours and not receive some dirty looks for once would be an amazing gift, but it was still something Bambi doubted would ever happen. Kamikaze's reputation unfortunately proceeded him in almost every event and it was beginning to take a toll on Bambi's own reputation as well. She had heard the rumors plenty of times and knew that many people doubted her abilities to train her horse and keep him under control. They had barely taken a few steps outside of the barn and Kaze had already begun to break out in a light sweat due to his anger at the sight of the other horse. Thankfully, the boy and his gelding seemed plenty calm about the situation: any other reaction would have made Kaze even less controllable. Bambi heard the boy call out from the middle of the ring and turned to look. He had clipped the lead onto his own gelding and was offering the ring to them. "No. Thanks but we're fine." She snapped quickly, whipping her head back to her mount.

Grabbing the halter right under the gelding's chin she pulled his head downward and pushed it back against his chest, forcing him to back up despite his best efforts to release himself. It seemed harsh but she was getting increasingly tired of his temper tantrums. He was a great horse and it was time to start acting like it. Bambi put her hand across the top of the gelding's nose, his favorite spot to be scratched, and leaned against him lightly. "You need to stop constantly acting up, Kaze. You're giving us both a terrible reputation: we haven't even been invited to any shows this season!" In the back of her mind she knew that there was no way that he would ever really change his behavior but she had to work on the way he handled things. "Reactions like these are unacceptable!" She paused, realizing she sounded like an upset kindergarten teacher talking to a naughty kid, but Kaze's ears had just begun to relax slightly and perk forward. Gently he blew out of his nose as if in apology, dipping his head and nudging her softly in the side.

"Fine. You're forgiven." Despite everything it was hard to stay mad at the mount. When he wanted to be forgiven, he loaded on the charm. They stayed that way for a moment, the top of his large nose pressed into her stomach and her hand scratching his forehead gently. With a sigh she turned back towards the arena, realizing how she had snapped its occupant. Leading Kaze forward she stuffed her hands in the back pockets of her skinnies, offering a sheepish smile. "I'm really sorry for snapping... He just gets me a little stressed out some times." Nearing the white fence she gave Kaze's lead rope some slack, allowing him enough space to graze while she climbed the first board of the fence. "If it's any condolence your horse looks really good." Bambi said, motioning to the chestnut gelding. "Um... If you don't mind is it okay if Kaze and I just wait until your finished? I promise he'll behave." The black male snorted quietly when she motioned to him. She could tell that he was uncomfortable being this close to another gelding and had no intention of being friendly but he had learned him lesson for the day.

"I'm Bambi by the way." She flashed her white smile quickly, poking her hand through the fence to offer a handshake.

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If vision in the only validation

[/color][/font]
Then most of my life isn't real [/center][/font]

tagged: Levi Rand
lyrics: Black & Gold
notes: ugh, not my best: Sorry!
words: 613

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[Levi Nicholas Rand]

Levi Nicholas Rand

Girl, who taught you how to move like that?

Drifter nudged Levi's shoulder as if to say he was done with his training. Levi shook his head and smacked the horse's nose lightly. "Drifter, no," he scolded and turned his attention back to the girl and her horse. He didn't have any idea who she was, but he had seen her horse in the barn before. His attitude was pretty much the same in the barn as it was while the woman had a hold of him. Levi had a stubborn mare that he thought was bad, but she was nothing compared to the attitude of this horse. Levi wouldn't tolerate a horse who acted out so badly, and this girl didn't seem like she did either. At the sound of the yelling, Drifter dipped his head down behind Levi's back. The gelding hated being yelled at, or really, yelling in general. Levi turned towards Drifter and stroked the gelding's forelock.

Levi didn't have much of a reputation around the barn yet. Other than he owned one of the few Clydesdales in the barn. He always had a fascination with big horses. Athena wasn't a show horse, but she was one of his favorites. He loved taking the mare out on a trail ride or even just around the arena. She was fun to ride, but it was hard as hell to get up on her back. And of course, she had to be rode bareback as it was hard to find a saddle to fit her broad back. She was much taller than any of the other horses he owned. His thoroughbred mare, May, was another sweetheart. She loved to cuddle up with anyone around, and many people throughout the barn already loved her. And besides, Drifter, there is Levi's Arabian, Rain. She spooks at everything she sees and is extremely high maintenance.

He wasn't going to say anything about the other horse's behavior. It wasn't really any of his business. He nodded at the girl. "You're fine. I understand," the man said, "This one tempts my patience every once in awhile. But it's just cause he doesn't like to work," Levi said, unclipping the gelding from the lead to let him go back to the outside of the arena. He didn't need to lead the horse around the arena if they weren't leaving just yet. "Thanks. He looks good too, besides the misbehaving part," Levi joked, offering the girl a smile. She hadn't offended him at all. "Yeah, that's fine. We're just about done anyway. Drifter hates lunging. He'd rather be rode." Drifter strayed to the other side of the arena. He didn't want anything to do with the other horse. It was probably for the better anyway.

Levi smiled and took the girl's hand through the fence. "Levi, nice to meet you," he offered.

Words: 427.

Tags: bambi northwood.

Notes: suckeh post. Sorry!

Horse(s): South Pacific

[Bambi Artemis Northwood]

I feel a way of something beyond them

[/font]
And I don't see what I can feel

----------[/center]

Bambi nodded softly as he shook her hand, her eyes trailing off and wandering aimlessly around the arena. For years her mother had mocked her of her 'wandering eyes,' which often made her seem uninterested and stuck up. In truth, she was merely curious. In not being too much of a conversationalist, the girl had taken to mostly observing quietly; something that most likely had lead to her lack of friends in Addison. The strength of the sun hadn't faltered since she had arrived and the warmth of its rays cast a golden haze on the farm around them. Slowly she let her head fall backwards, allowing the entire strength of the sun to fall on her face. With her porcelain complexion she knew the risks of a burn were high but she couldn't pass up the feeling of a hot sun, especially after the bitter winter they went through.

Gently she released a sigh, basking in the warmth another moment before lowering her face, a smile on his face. "Nice to meet you, too." She glanced around the fields as he spoke to her, nodding to show she was listening, but curious as to why they were practically the only people out on such a beautiful day. When the last words passed his lips she turned her head back, giving Levi her full attention. "Kaze is the same way, honestly. He hates being lunged and I would much rather have him on the trails right now." She clicked her tongue gently, attracting the attention of her gelding for a short moment. In tugging gently on the end of her ponytail she knew she was appearing anxious but she was truly just itching to get back into the saddle.

"Hmmm..." Glancing once more around the outside of the ring she leaned forward, placing her elbows on the top rail. Her grey eyes danced a little under the gold hue of the sun while she ran her eyes over the boy's gelding. "I know it's a long shot... But would you, you two" She added, motioning to his mount, "Care to join Kaze and I on the trails."

She knew where the offer must had stood in his mind and offered a small laugh to accompany it. "I may not be able to promise he'll behave but I could promise that it would be interesting..." Bambi let her voice trail off, tightening her grip on the black lead rope.

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If vision in the only validation

[/color][/font]
Then most of my life isn't real [/center][/font]

tagged: Levi Rand
lyrics: Black & Gold
notes: ugh, not my best: Sorry for the late reply
words: 548

[/blockquote]

[Levi Nicholas Rand]

Levi Nicholas Rand

Girl, who taught you how to move like that?

Levi turned his attention back to the horse in the arena with him as Bambi seemed to lose focus. Drifter was trotting back and forth along the far side of the arena. It was as if he would never run out of energy. Drifter threw his head in the air, seemingly bored. Levi didn't mind not talking. He was okay with the quiet. Though he could be a goofball, he usually had a very quiet demeanor. It wasn't that he was shy, he was just quiet. The chestnut gelding trotted over to Levi and rested his lips on the man's shoulder. Levi reached up and scratched the horse's nose. He loved being around his horses. He could spend all day with them if he was given the opportunity.

He turned his attention back to Bambi as she spoke. Drifter didn't get feisty, but he liked to be lazy. Work wasn't something the horse wanted to do. However, it was something Levi needed to work on with the horse. As she spoke, an idea popped into his head, though the girl came up with it slightly before he did. "Sure, Drifter would love that. I've just got to get him tacked up," he said and grabbed the chestnut's halter. He clipped the lead back to it, and headed towards the gate. Levi laughed at her next comment. "Interesting it is," he said with a smile and exited the gate. "Meet you at the barn then?" he questioned.

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Levi led the gelding to a cross tie and tied the horse up so he could get him ready for the trails. Drifter was great on trails anyhow. Nothing really scared the big brute. It helped him out quite nicely. Levi headed to the tack room and grabbed the horse's tack from his spot near the corner of the room. Drifter pawed at the ground in impatience. He loved going out on the trails. He didn't have too much time to waste getting the horse's tack on. He had to meet Bambi in a few minutes.

Words: 343.

Tags: bambi northwood.

Notes: again, suckeh post. i promise, they'll get better but i am falling asleep as i write this.

Horse(s): South Pacific

[Bambi Artemis Northwood]

I feel a way of something beyond them

[/font]
And I don't see what I can feel

----------[/center]

The blond returned the smile with a small laugh, happy to see he enjoyed the plan as much as she did and that he wasn't going to hold Kaze's behavior against her. As Levi lead his gelding out of the ring Bambi stayed standing on the fence for a moment, watching as Kamikaze lifted his nose to sniff the flank of the other passing gelding for a moment before returning to his grazing. "Come on, boy." Bambi summoned gently, dropping lightly off the fence. Tightening her grip on the lead rope she lead him towards the back of the barn, closest to his stall and grooming supplies.

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Grooming the gelding only took a few short moments. Like usual, she had let his coat grow out during the winter because she disliked having him clipped, but she had come in a few days ago and took a shedding blade to what was left of his winter coat. As far as she could tell the warm weather was here to stay (finally) but in the event of a cold spell she would just throw a blanket on him. Humming gently to herself she whisked the brush through his tail a few last times before kicking the grooming bucket aside. Bambi cupped her hand under Kamikaze's chin, brushing his forelock out of his face while thinking. Over the year she had collected a various amount of tack for the gelding. Usually she took his out on the trails bareback but, with another male, it wasn't an option today.

After a brief moment she grabbed her oldest close contact saddle out of the tack room, brushing the dirt off the name plate. She had briefly thought of her bareback saddle but she had a definite attachment to her first close contact: it was practically too old for shows at this point but the leather was soft and broken in, making it completely irresistible. To go with the spirit of being comfortable she tacked her horse with an old saddle pad and gift, slipping a simple egg butt snaffle into his mouth before leading him out of the barn. Despite his high-strung attitude, the harshest bit she ever used on him was a snaffle with a little twist. Typically he had a sensitive mouth but when his excitement got the better of him a little more guidance was needed.

She clicked softly to him as she lead him around the front of the barn, singing gently under her breath. "Try to be as well behaved as you can, please." In response the gelding snorted happily, prancing in place a little before settling. No matter the weather, Kaze was always happiest outside on the trails. Raised originally as a race horse, he enjoyed the open stretch of trails in front of him, as opposed to the cramped formation of a ring. On the way out of the barn she had ignored the need for both half-caps and her helmet and instead looked forward to the simple freedom of a peaceful ride. However, despite her height she still needed a step or boost to mount the 17 hh gelding. Leading him over to the fence she climbed the first two boards before slipping her leg over his back and turning her attention to the main barn entrance, where she could almost see the two figures inside the slightly dim structure.

[/blockquote]

----------
If vision in the only validation

[/color][/font]
Then most of my life isn't real [/center][/font]

tagged: Levi Rand
lyrics: Black & Gold
notes:
words: 689

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