Well, I was looking for something that I could use as a tester; this was the first thing that I came across. Hope that you will enjoy it if you choose to expend the time in reading... :)
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Saddle leather creaked between my thighs as my horse, Easter, shifted beneath me. I really did need to oil my saddle again, or I would start to go crazy from the racket that each motion produced. Of course, I thought ruefully, that probably wouldn't do any good here anyway. That salty sea breeze is just so "conditioning" to dead skin. If by "conditioning," one meant "detrimental!" A rush of mirth struck me, and I shook my head at the turn my thoughts had taken. I was bored and trying to entertain myself as I waited with my 4-H club mates for the last few stragglers to arrive. And, speaking of the salty sea breeze, it had started to pick up. I could smell the brine of the ocean less than a quarter mile away. I even fancied that I could hear the crashing of waves like I had that morning - very early that morning. I glared sternly at the back of Easter's ears. Brat! I tried to silently reprimand him. He twitched an ear. I was taken aback; there's no way he could have known what I was thinking...oh, there's a fly buzzing around. Again, that flash of mirth appeared.
Of course, that morning I hadn't found it funny. We were on our annual 4-H camping trip to Nehalem Bay, OR. It was gorgeous out there. Our campsite was surrounded by huge dunes covered in tall "saw tooth" grass. Beyond the dunes the wind whipped and the waves crashed onto a perfect sandy beach. The only damper on the windswept beauty of the place was the weather. It was a truly wet damper at that! There had been a constant drizzle that soaked everything within range. It wasn't enough to dissuade people from coming, but it sure wasn't comfortable when your only protection is a tiny tent. In fact, I hadn't been able to dry out before crawling into my sleeping bag the night before - not that any of that mattered. I was having a good time…until that morning had dawned.
Hoof beats had entered my dream. It was distinctly odd. I hadn't been dreaming of horses. My dream had been more of a fog, a mist, with only a few sounds. The hoof beats drowned out everything. They were loud, oh, so painfully loud in my head. The rhythm sent me spinning and smothered my half-formed incoherent thoughts. Sleepily, I opened my eyes. Dew hung on the tent walls. It was still dim outside as the sun was just barely peeking over the horizon. I could tell from the angle of the light falling onto the tent. Beside me Mom and Bro slumbered on, but Dad wasn't there. That's not so unusual, I thought, he's always an early bird.
Gravel crunched just outside the tent. Strange, that sounded a great deal like metal on the rocks. Kinda’ like a horseshoe, I thought drowsily. Even the crunching pattern was the same as a canter with three distinct foot falls at the correct intervals. Hoof beats...running away from our tent. Was the echoing shifting of gravel a human? It sure sounded like a biped's run. Dad must be running around outside. My thoughts trailed along like molasses, or so it seemed. The hoof beats...Crap, Easter got out of his corral!
I dove from my sleeping bag only to come crashing down on top of it. Easter was running away outside with Dad chasing him, and I couldn't feel my right leg. Grimly, I hauled my body over to the door, grabbed a pair of flip-flops, shoved them on, and started to struggle with the zipper on the tent. The crunching of gravel slowly faded into the distance. Those thoughts that seemed like molasses must have come in a flash, or I wouldn't be able to hear the fading sounds over the faint crashing of waves. I finally gained the exit and closed it up to prevent Mom and Bro from freezing. My right leg still refused to support me properly, but at least I could feel some pins and needles travelling down it. Soon circulation would return, but until then I hobbled as quickly as I could down the road after Dad and Easter whom I could still see in the distance.
By the time I reached the bend in the road, I was terrified. Easter could run so far that we'd never find him again in this place. What if Dad hadn't been able to keep up? The sight that met my eyes as I rounded the turn caused me to dissolve into relieved laughter. Easter stood eating the long grass just off the road. Dad was attempting to slowly approach him from the side, but it wasn't working. I couldn't stop the huge grin that stole over my face. Each time Dad got within 10 feet of him, Easter would jerk his head out of the grass, look quickly around as though afraid, and then run off to another patch of grass at least 20 feet away. That brat! I could tell he was enjoying himself! Dad turned away in exasperation and saw me coming up behind him. "I'll get him, Dad. Don't worry about it." A hint of relief touched my father's face.
By now my leg was actually supporting me properly so I slowly strode toward Easter while muttering under my breath. As I neared, his head once again flew out of the grass, and he wildly looked around. His muscles tensed as he prepared to bound off out of reach yet again. Then his gaze fell on me striding toward him. He froze, quivering in place. Right then and there my minor annoyance drained out of me. He must have seen the change in my demeanor. As I reached out and took a light hold of his face, he reached out with his (wet) nose and started searching my shirt for a carrot. Incorrigible horse! Still holding his nose, I turned and lead him back toward our tent picking up Dad on the way. I was shivering, and my hair was still wet. But, oddly I wasn't cold anymore.
My mind came back to the present as our last member mounted up. I suppressed a snicker at the memory. Dad had been trying to feed Easter breakfast, but had neglected to consider Easter's state of mind. Easter had escaped out the gate just as Dad turned to close it behind himself. Ungrateful horse! I started to chuckle quietly as we moved out down the trail. The day had just begun, and it was beautiful.
That cheerful mood lasted for the entire trail ride. I was still amused as we made our way back toward camp along the sandy beach. Easter danced away from every single wave not wanting to get his hooves wet. That just added to my lingering hilarity. I glanced over as Casea Peterson rode up next to me on Teddy.
"Hey! Are you bored yet?" She asked.
"Maybe, what were you thinking of doing?"
She grinned wickedly. "I bet that we could beat you guys in a race!"
"Really? Want to test that theory?" I grinned back.
"Sure. Whenever you're ready..."
Sand flew as Easter and Teddy dug in their feet and rocketed off. I had never been able to run him full out because of the confines of our arena. Casea and Teddy are gamers. They do nothing but run, and it showed. Teddy was a length ahead as we took off. Of course, he's also bigger with longer legs than Easter.
Easter couldn't believe that I was asking him to...run! After the second cue, he switched from a lope to running in earnest. I could feel his muscles bunch under me almost gleefully as he stretched out. It was the fastest we had ever gone.
Teddy was two lengths ahead of us now and still increasing his pace. Even without seeing, I knew when Easter's gaze fell on Teddy and locked there. The already bunched muscles between my legs tightened even further. His stride lengthened. The roaring of the sea next us, the dunes whipping past, the breeze that had turned to a gale in our faces - all of it faded into the background. Easter stretched even further with his strides, eating up the sand, as I asked for more. The rolling disappeared from his gait. I could still feel the strain of his muscles as he dragged us forward, but atop him everything was still. Our hoof beats echoed behind us. Casea and Teddy were beside us...and Easter and I raced. We raced for the pure joy and freedom of it. For that time, we were one...and we flew.
-----
Saddle leather creaked between my thighs as my horse, Easter, shifted beneath me. I really did need to oil my saddle again, or I would start to go crazy from the racket that each motion produced. Of course, I thought ruefully, that probably wouldn't do any good here anyway. That salty sea breeze is just so "conditioning" to dead skin. If by "conditioning," one meant "detrimental!" A rush of mirth struck me, and I shook my head at the turn my thoughts had taken. I was bored and trying to entertain myself as I waited with my 4-H club mates for the last few stragglers to arrive. And, speaking of the salty sea breeze, it had started to pick up. I could smell the brine of the ocean less than a quarter mile away. I even fancied that I could hear the crashing of waves like I had that morning - very early that morning. I glared sternly at the back of Easter's ears. Brat! I tried to silently reprimand him. He twitched an ear. I was taken aback; there's no way he could have known what I was thinking...oh, there's a fly buzzing around. Again, that flash of mirth appeared.
Of course, that morning I hadn't found it funny. We were on our annual 4-H camping trip to Nehalem Bay, OR. It was gorgeous out there. Our campsite was surrounded by huge dunes covered in tall "saw tooth" grass. Beyond the dunes the wind whipped and the waves crashed onto a perfect sandy beach. The only damper on the windswept beauty of the place was the weather. It was a truly wet damper at that! There had been a constant drizzle that soaked everything within range. It wasn't enough to dissuade people from coming, but it sure wasn't comfortable when your only protection is a tiny tent. In fact, I hadn't been able to dry out before crawling into my sleeping bag the night before - not that any of that mattered. I was having a good time…until that morning had dawned.
Hoof beats had entered my dream. It was distinctly odd. I hadn't been dreaming of horses. My dream had been more of a fog, a mist, with only a few sounds. The hoof beats drowned out everything. They were loud, oh, so painfully loud in my head. The rhythm sent me spinning and smothered my half-formed incoherent thoughts. Sleepily, I opened my eyes. Dew hung on the tent walls. It was still dim outside as the sun was just barely peeking over the horizon. I could tell from the angle of the light falling onto the tent. Beside me Mom and Bro slumbered on, but Dad wasn't there. That's not so unusual, I thought, he's always an early bird.
Gravel crunched just outside the tent. Strange, that sounded a great deal like metal on the rocks. Kinda’ like a horseshoe, I thought drowsily. Even the crunching pattern was the same as a canter with three distinct foot falls at the correct intervals. Hoof beats...running away from our tent. Was the echoing shifting of gravel a human? It sure sounded like a biped's run. Dad must be running around outside. My thoughts trailed along like molasses, or so it seemed. The hoof beats...Crap, Easter got out of his corral!
I dove from my sleeping bag only to come crashing down on top of it. Easter was running away outside with Dad chasing him, and I couldn't feel my right leg. Grimly, I hauled my body over to the door, grabbed a pair of flip-flops, shoved them on, and started to struggle with the zipper on the tent. The crunching of gravel slowly faded into the distance. Those thoughts that seemed like molasses must have come in a flash, or I wouldn't be able to hear the fading sounds over the faint crashing of waves. I finally gained the exit and closed it up to prevent Mom and Bro from freezing. My right leg still refused to support me properly, but at least I could feel some pins and needles travelling down it. Soon circulation would return, but until then I hobbled as quickly as I could down the road after Dad and Easter whom I could still see in the distance.
By the time I reached the bend in the road, I was terrified. Easter could run so far that we'd never find him again in this place. What if Dad hadn't been able to keep up? The sight that met my eyes as I rounded the turn caused me to dissolve into relieved laughter. Easter stood eating the long grass just off the road. Dad was attempting to slowly approach him from the side, but it wasn't working. I couldn't stop the huge grin that stole over my face. Each time Dad got within 10 feet of him, Easter would jerk his head out of the grass, look quickly around as though afraid, and then run off to another patch of grass at least 20 feet away. That brat! I could tell he was enjoying himself! Dad turned away in exasperation and saw me coming up behind him. "I'll get him, Dad. Don't worry about it." A hint of relief touched my father's face.
By now my leg was actually supporting me properly so I slowly strode toward Easter while muttering under my breath. As I neared, his head once again flew out of the grass, and he wildly looked around. His muscles tensed as he prepared to bound off out of reach yet again. Then his gaze fell on me striding toward him. He froze, quivering in place. Right then and there my minor annoyance drained out of me. He must have seen the change in my demeanor. As I reached out and took a light hold of his face, he reached out with his (wet) nose and started searching my shirt for a carrot. Incorrigible horse! Still holding his nose, I turned and lead him back toward our tent picking up Dad on the way. I was shivering, and my hair was still wet. But, oddly I wasn't cold anymore.
My mind came back to the present as our last member mounted up. I suppressed a snicker at the memory. Dad had been trying to feed Easter breakfast, but had neglected to consider Easter's state of mind. Easter had escaped out the gate just as Dad turned to close it behind himself. Ungrateful horse! I started to chuckle quietly as we moved out down the trail. The day had just begun, and it was beautiful.
That cheerful mood lasted for the entire trail ride. I was still amused as we made our way back toward camp along the sandy beach. Easter danced away from every single wave not wanting to get his hooves wet. That just added to my lingering hilarity. I glanced over as Casea Peterson rode up next to me on Teddy.
"Hey! Are you bored yet?" She asked.
"Maybe, what were you thinking of doing?"
She grinned wickedly. "I bet that we could beat you guys in a race!"
"Really? Want to test that theory?" I grinned back.
"Sure. Whenever you're ready..."
Sand flew as Easter and Teddy dug in their feet and rocketed off. I had never been able to run him full out because of the confines of our arena. Casea and Teddy are gamers. They do nothing but run, and it showed. Teddy was a length ahead as we took off. Of course, he's also bigger with longer legs than Easter.
Easter couldn't believe that I was asking him to...run! After the second cue, he switched from a lope to running in earnest. I could feel his muscles bunch under me almost gleefully as he stretched out. It was the fastest we had ever gone.
Teddy was two lengths ahead of us now and still increasing his pace. Even without seeing, I knew when Easter's gaze fell on Teddy and locked there. The already bunched muscles between my legs tightened even further. His stride lengthened. The roaring of the sea next us, the dunes whipping past, the breeze that had turned to a gale in our faces - all of it faded into the background. Easter stretched even further with his strides, eating up the sand, as I asked for more. The rolling disappeared from his gait. I could still feel the strain of his muscles as he dragged us forward, but atop him everything was still. Our hoof beats echoed behind us. Casea and Teddy were beside us...and Easter and I raced. We raced for the pure joy and freedom of it. For that time, we were one...and we flew.
~
Ahh, such a wondrous tale of freedom. *snickering* Didn't expect THIS, now did you?
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