Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

[Cannon Eric Ryland]

They were good - he and Bully - but good wouldn't cut it in the future. Three star event horses would kick their behinds right now, not to mention four star. He sighed as he sat atop his gelding in the field, eyeing all the solid jumps set up in a confusing and challenging course. Didn't seem like anything they couldn't handle.

He had just finished warming the horse up in the jumping ring and ran him around the field a bit. He grabbed the reins and readied himself. Ready to go boy? He asked his firey red chestnut. Bully huffed and shook his neck out. Alright, let's go. He gave him a squeeze to get him going, first at a walk, then up to a trot, directly to a canter, and then a slow gallop. They headed down to the first jump, taking the right distance and gliding over it with ease. Anyone who watched the pair while competing would know that Bully's expression was always bored. He always wanted a challenge. If there was another horse nearby, he'd go faster, showing off, wanting to race, but other than that, he just does his job and waits for something more exciting.

Bully saw the water up ahead and his ears perked forward. He loved going through the water. Can had to hold the Thoroughbred back so they could get the right distance and not fall on their faces when they landed. Once they hit the water, Bully was like a little kid, splashing around and soaking himself to the bone, happy as can be.

As they came to the finish line, Can pressed the stop button on his Eventer's Watch and looked at the time. Decent. Something he could work with, but not what he had hoped for. He let the horse canter for a bit to cool him off, slowly decreasing to a trot, and then finally a walk. He stopped him by the stables and drenching him with water, scraping the water off of him almost immediately, bringing his body temperature down.

[Aspyn Brooke Kenna]

As much as she knew she would be sore after this, the brunette mounted the already hyper gelding. Aspyn rolled her eyes, rubbing his shoulder affectionately. He was crazy and high strung, but everyone who had ever met her knew that she adored him. Besides, that's just what you got when you rescued an off the track Thoroughbred - a high energy animal. And that's just what he was. Of course, he wasn't a nervous animal anymore, and why should he be? The pair had been together for about two years, and he had been her sole project. Not that she was complaining. He had more than enough endurance and speed for cross country, which was the only sport she had dreamed of practicing as a small child.

Shock snorted beneath her as she reminisced on their first months together. She smiled, releasing her tight grip on the reins to allow him to move into a fast paced walk. She could feel the tension in the reins as he tugged at the bit, encouraging his owner to let him go.

As the cross country course came into view, she finally let him move into an extended trot to let him warm up. Even though he was always ready to go, she feared not warming him up properly. No horse was immune to soreness and injuries, even if they thought they were. Shock braced against the bit, raising his head high and breaking into a canter. Aspyn sighed, massaging the reins to bring him back into contact with the bit, eventually bringing him back to a trot. "Chill out, kid," she instructed him, unable to keep from smiling. The bay gelding's tale smacked against her leg as though he were trying to tell her off. She giggled, continuing to trot him in circles and figure eights.

Eventually, the pair transitioned to a canter, Shock's strides progressively getting longer and more powerful. She knew today would be a day of fighting to keep him from racing over the jumps, but at least he wouldn't refuse them today. Deciding it was time to test her theory, she brought him up to the first obstacle which Shock bounded over like a puppy chasing a bunny. As he caught sight of a water obstacle, his head darted up, ears immediately flying forward. His pace quickened, but as his hooves touched the very edge of the water, he slid to a halt, sending his rider over his head and into the pool of water.

She had to admit, it hurt pretty dang bad to be tossed into the water, but at least she had managed to not hit her head. Her leg, however, was pretty sore. As she got up, soaked from the surprise bath Shock had given her, she felt the pain shoot up. She was decently sure it wasn't a serious wound, just a pulled muscle or bruise, but she was totally sure that more riding was out of the question, as much as she hated not getting back on. But the pain was a bit too bad to keep riding. She scoffed, shaking her head as she snatched the reins of her puppy dog eyed gelding who seemed to be begging for forgiveness. Not wanting to let Shock think he had behaved correctly, she tugged on his reins, pulling him into the water. "See, it didn't eat you," she sighed, leading him through the water and back towards the barn.

Noticing all the sweat, she brought the gelding towards the hose, spotting another boy with what looked like a Thoroughbred as well, rinsing his horse off. Limping slightly past him and his horse, she took the other horse and began to spray Shock down, who danced sideways as the coo liquid hit his coat, nearly bumping into the boy's horse. Aspyn shook her head, bringing him back to where he had been. "Sorry about that; he's being a butt today," Aspyn said, glancing towards the boy with a half smile.

[Cannon Eric Ryland]

Can heard hoof beats coming up the path towards his gelding and himself, and a quick glance over told him that the pair had just come off the cross country course. He continued to cool Bully off, not wanting him to get too hot before he was put out in the field to graze. When the horse and rider stopped beside them, he stayed focused on keeping Bully from becoming too much of a bother, making sure the horse didn't try to cause trouble.

It was then that the other horse tried to moved away from the water pouring out of the hose and nearly swung his rear end into his horse. He offered a friendly smile towards the girl as she apologized, shaking his head. Don't worry about it, Thoroughbreds can be a bit hard to handle at times. He laughed to her. He then noticed the limp in her step and couldn't help but asking about it. Did you take a fall just now? He asked her, scraping off more water from Bully's drenched coat. He could only imagine what would happen if he fell off the first red chestnut. Bully would most likely take off at a full on gallop, boasting his freedom to the world; until he felt the stirrups hitting him, that is. He was truly a coward at heart, afraid of every little thing there was to notice about the world. Jumps were one of his favorite objects to make a show of, and Can had learned the hard way that he had to train it out of him.

[Aspyn Brooke Kenna]

Aspyn's small fingers wrapped tighter around the lime green lead rope as the gelding protested about the water and standing still in general. Not that it was a big surprise. Shock wouldn't know how to stand still if he were completely tied down to the ground. Between his race horse training and his high levels of energy, it was a miracle if he ever stayed still, even in his sleep. Still, as he tossed his head up in rebellion against her bracing grip, she couldn't help but laugh at him. He was such an annoying animal, but she adored him. "Stop that," she commanded softly, reaching her other hand up to stroke the raised muzzle. Quickly, the handsome bay lowered his head, snorting softly. Oh, how silly her horse could be.

She flashed a smile over to the boy as he brushed off Shock's butt swing. She was glad he wasn't one of those riders that freaked out over Shock's antics, as many of them did. They always thought she was such a terrible horse person for not training her horse better. But half of them had no idea how time consuming and exhausting an ex race horse could be! Especially one like Static Shock. She nodded to his comment, commenting, "Some of them are hard to handle all the time. Especially when you're only 5' 4"." She smiled warmly, raising a brow and letting her blue eyes fall on the pawing gelding. She smacked his chest, causing him to fling up his head all over again. "Oh, stop," she sighed, rubbing his forehead, bringing him back to relaxation.

She pursed her lips as she heard the boy's question, feeling a bit ashamed to admit that she'd taken a fall. But every good rider fell sometimes. She nodded slowly. "Yeah, Shock decided that today water is scary," she replied, laughing softly and shrugging her shoulders. "The base of the water obstacle is harder than it looks," she added, eyes dropping to her sore leg for a moment before looking up with a grin. "I'm Aspyn, by the way. And the big doofus is Shock."

[Cannon Eric Ryland]

Can chuckled at the other gelding's antics, silently thanking his own for behaving himself. Some days he was a jerk, and others he was well behaved. Today, he left the tom foolery up to the new guy. He seemed full of energy, probably annoyed that he didn't get to finish his workout, seeing as she must have fallen off and called it quits during their workout.

He nodded in a agreement to her words. In my experience, if you have a pure Thoroughbred that has seen a racetrack and isn't hard to handle at times, someone's doped it. He chuckled to her, I can't say either way about the height issue though, last time I was your height I was riding ponies. He chuckled with a shrug.

When he asked about her fall, she seemed embarrassed by the fact that'd she'd gotten thrown off. She then said that her horse, who he assumed was the one she addressed as 'Shock', was afraid of water that day, which made him laugh. That's the one thing I can count on from this big guy, He said to her, splashing the last of the water in the bucket over his back, He'd rather die in the water than a feed room. He sighed to her, scraping off the last of it and then tossing the sweat scraper back into the empty bucket before grabbing a dry sponge to get the rest which was soaked into his coat. He shrugged at her comment on the base jump by the water, the one which he very well could have fallen off on also. Yeah, he got a bit excited there too. Had to hold him back, otherwise we might have been in the same condition. He said to her with a grin. When she finally said her name, he smiled at the sound. Well, Aspyn, it's nice to meet you. Shock, too. I'm Cannon, and this is Bully. He said to her, patting the gelding on the neck as he watched the other pair with curious chocolate eyes.

[Aspyn Brooke Kenna]

Shock's large muzzle bumped against Aspyn's shoulder as if to encourage her to stop talking and pay attention to him. Absent mindedly, the petite brunette pushed back against him, causing him to yank his head back with a snort. She giggled softly at the horse, shaking her head. One thing was for sure; he had the biggest personality out of any horse she'd ever met before. But that was just another thing to love! He always kept her... entertained, if not injured and exhausted. She'd taken more falls off of him than any other horses she'd ridden in her life combined. Yet she always got back on. Perhaps she was crazy, but there was no doubting her dedication.

She laughed at his words, looking him over once. He was rather tall. "I still have people ask me to ride their ponies," she chuckled. "But I just can't stay away from the big guys," she added with a grin. Then, realizing how suggestive that must have sounded, especially to a tall guy, she grinned innocently. "Er, the big geldings, that is." She shrugged with a laugh, deciding it didn't really matter if she had sounded flirty. Who knew, maybe he was into open relationships or friends with benefits. She wasn't looking for a man to be in her life, but who would turn down a bit of innocent fun, right? Her brows furrowed as she thought this over, wondering whether or not it was even an appropriate thought to be having.

She smiled as he began explaining about his gelding's love of water, glancing over at Shock and wishing he'd decide to be that way, too. The big gelding had a love for cross country, but he was a big baby. "That's a rare quality! My guy would never want to see me again if he were left in a feed room," she mused, patting the gelding's thick bay neck affectionately. "Like owner like horse, eh?" She grinned. Although she was thin, not as thin as some of those gross models mind you, but she was in shape, it was no secret that she loved to eat. Which some guys hated, but hey, she'd rather not be with those guys anyway.

"Well, it's nice to know we weren't the only ones with a chance of injuries today," she commented with a smile, appreciative that he was trying to make her a bit more comfortable with the situation. "I take it you're a cross country rider as well, then? Most other riders don't even attempt the course." Luckily, the course she had been on was one of the easier ones, so it was more friendly to other discipline riders. Although she loved all disciplines, she couldn't imagine dedicating all her time to anything but cross country. Though running barrels had been pretty fun. And dressage, on a trained horse, had been a dream.

"It's nice to meet you guys, too." She nodded in recognition of their names. "Interesting names though. But don't let him hear you calling him that, you may hurt his feelings," she joked, grinning. His name was Bully, after all. "Are you new here? I haven't seen you around before." Her brows furrowed, realizing that had made her sound far more popular than she was. In fact, she had a friend count of one. "Not that I see everyone that goes here or anything," she added with a soft laugh.

[Cannon Eric Ryland]

Cannon chuckled lightly as her horse went on attention seeking, while Bully sat there, content with the cold water, and mostly because he was ready for a nap.

He nodded at the fact that she still rode ponies, believing it. When she clarified that it was Geldings she was talking about, he couldn't hold his laugh back through his growing smirk. Yeah, I'm sure that's what you meant. He teased her with a smile. She seemed to be thinking about something, but he didn't bother wondering. He still have to get Bully in his stall so that he wouldn't pass out right then and there, not to mention, there was still plenty to do with his tack and grooming supplies.

She spoke of her gelding's love of food, and he couldn't help but laugh. Yeah, it sure is. It's not helpful when he wants to stay and play in it during the competition, though. He chuckled. Just today, I had to give him a kick to keep him running through it, he decided it was time to splash as much as possible, not jump. He sighed. He chuckled at what she said next. Couldn't be more true. She ate, a lot apparently. That was good, he thought about the girls back where he grew up, about how they all wanted to look like the starved supermodels, all skin and bones. He was disgusted by that. He was happy to find a girl who felt otherwise, without going completely overboard with it.

He nodded at her question, glad that she seemed a bit better. 3 Day, yeah. Though, if I had to choose one event, Cross Country would win. He said to her. How about you? You ride often? He asked her, laughing softly at himself, knowing that sounded like a corny pick-up line. Cross Country, that is.

She warned him not to let Bully hear him calling his name. Oh, trust me, he knows he's a bully. It's just times like these, where he's a teddy bear whimp, that he's called Son. He said to her with a shrug. She then asked him if they were new to the school, which he responded to with a nod of his head. Yeah, just got her a day or two ago. I'm guessing you're not? He asked her with a raised eyebrow as he rung out the sponge and tossed it into the bucket with the sweat scraper. He grabbed a towel and started to rub the gelding's coat lightly, getting rid of the rest before he would take him in.

[Aspyn Brooke Kenna]

Seeing as Shock had finally begun to settle down, the girl turned the hose back on and gently began running water down his lanky red legs. The gelding shook out his mane, snorting and standing calmly. "Oh, you jerk!" she hissed about him but couldn't hold back a grin. He was by far the biggest pain in the butt she'd ever worked with. But she'd been called the same thing before. No wonder she and Shock were such a good team. Most of the time.

She burst out laughing as he caught how suggestive she had sounded. She shrugged, grinning slyly, but playfully, at him, raising her right eyebrow. "So now you think you know all about me, huh?" she teased with a playful smile. She hadn't found someone to joke around with since Tyson, who she hadn't seen in a while now. And it was great to finally get to be the playful, puntastic, care free person she was. Though the issue of her father still tugged on the corner of her mind, she pushed it aside, not ready to be dragged down again. Today was a good day, after all!

Aspyn raised the hose slowly, drenching the large Thoroughbred's body with the cool liquid. Now he seemed to be almost enjoying it, realizing it wasn't there to hurt him, but rather to aid in cooling him down. She shook her head, rolling her eyes at the goofy horse. As she heard Cannon's comment about how Bully wanted to splash around today, she giggled, eyeing the horse. "Maybe he just thought you smelled bad and needed to get cleaned off!" she replied with a wry grin, shrugging casually as though it were a perfectly good reason. It crossed her mind for a moment that a comment like that could come off as offensive, but so far, he had been easy going and fun. Besides, he probably had gotten a good idea of her playful side by now, so perhaps it wouldn't strike him as insulting.

She nodded as he spoke about the discipline he practiced. She'd always thought about eventing, but she didn't have enough of a dressage background to get very far. "Well, I'm impressed. You're just good at everything, huh?" She smiled, shifting her weight slowly. But as he asked if she rode often, and quickly added cross country, she laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure that's what you meant!" She laughed, repeating what he'd said early. She raised her eyebrow, sending him a c*cky grin. "But yeah, I do ride cross country a lot. We dabble in lots of things, jumping and barrels and whatnot, but we just can't stay away from the cross country course."

Aspyn smiled at his horse as he commented on his name. He seemed like a sweet boy to her, but so did Shock right now, too. And everyone knew that was far from the truth most of the time! "So he's a water loving teddy bear with a dark side/" she laughed softly, brushing a stand of dark hair away from her face. Her eyebrow raised in curiosity as he remarked that he was new. "Where are you from? And how do you like it here?" She tilted her head slightly as she asked her questions. "And I've been here a few months now," she added.

[Cannon Eric Ryland]

He could tell, as her horse shook water all over her and she laughed about it, that she really loved her animal, which was good in a horse owner, or any animal owner. He was happy to see that it wasn't a rare thing, knowing that here, just about everyone he had met absolutely loved their animals, no matter what.

She raised an eyebrow and he nodded, shrugging in return. Maybe not all, but I know how you think, and that's a pretty crucial piece of information that you probably don't want to let strangers know about. He winked at her, chuckling. He wasn't usually like this, talking during the day, laughing even. Perhaps it was because of his workout with Bully that made him so relaxed, or maybe it was the fact that he had plenty of time, it seemed, to do what he needed to do, even though they all knew that plenty of time meant just enough.

As she made her playful blow at him, he fake winced, holding his hand to his chest. Well that was just rude. He laughed, shaking his head. By the way, this is my natural scent. He grinned to her. He didn't usually take anything as an insult, which worked out well for him, considering if he did, he'd have a lot less friends.

He laughed as she caught onto what he was saying, and copied him in return. Aren't you just a copycat? He asked her with a chuckle as he saw her grin. He then raised an eyebrow as she mentioned that she ran barrels. You ride western too? I've always wanted to. He said to her as he looked back to his gelding, combing out his mane quickly.

He nodded at her dissection of Bully's attitude. Pretty much so, yeah. He laughed to her.

She then asked where he was from, and he didn't even have to think about it. I grew up on a farm out west, my parents filled the stables with eventers so I could become the best... so this was just the next step I guess. And I haven't really decided yet, I guess you could say. It's definitely better than my old school, but not so sure about everyone. He nodded when she said she'd been here for a few months. And how do you like it so far?

[Aspyn Brooke Kenna]

Aspyn's brow raised as he decided that he knew how she thought already. She laughed, shaking her head softly. This guy was pretty cool, and she was hoping he'd have time to see her again. She hadn't had a friend that spent time with her since Tyson. Sara was a good friend, but she was pretty busy between training that new dog, her boyfriend, and school. Besides, girls weren't very good friends with benefits candidates. Not that she necessarily needed one, but hey, it would be fun. And if she liked the guy, perhaps commitment of some sort would come later. Much later. For now, it was high school, and everyone deserved some fun and freedom. "Maybe I'm just tricking you to think you know how I think. I've got you right where I want you," she replied, wriggling her eyebrows mischievously.

She giggled as he pretended to be hurt, realizing how similar they were. She had often done the same thing when she was playing around with friends. She went along, covering her mouth and widening her eyes as though she had just committed the worst crime and was only just now finding out that she did it. "Oh, please, forgive me kind sir. I know not what I do!" She grinned, taking a fake bow for her performance. As he spoke again, she stepped closer to him, sniffing the air near him before winkling her nose. "Well isn't that something to be proud of," she replied with a laugh at his natural scent. Truth be told, all she was picking up was wet horse and shampoo.

She laughed again as he accused her of being a copycat before shaking her head in a 'no.' "Not at all. Much more of an elephant than a cat." She grinned, wondering if he'd even understand her joke. It was no secret that elephants had killer memories, which meant they could, if they actually spoke, use something someone else said against them at any given time.

"Yeah, a friend of mine offered to show me the ropes of barrels, and Shock loved it. You guys should come try it out with us sometime," she offered, smiling in hopes of setting plans to see the boy again.

Shock snorted, bumping his muzzle against the brunette's arm to regain her attention. She giggled softly, turning to plant a kiss on his muzzle before pushing him away gently. He was such a silly creature, but what wasn't there to love?

She returned her attention as she heard his rather attractive voice again, nodding as he spoke, blue eyes staying on him. "So you're the child protegee huh? I guess I'll make sure to sign up in every competition you're in," she replied slyly. "They put a lot of pressure on you to become the best?" she questioned a bit more softly, furrowing her brows. Her parents had always been generally supportive, if not completely uncaring, but they'd never pushed her. Perhaps because they'd never spent enough time with her to even know what she was and wasn't capable of. "And I feel about the same way about it here. It's a wonderful school with great staff. But I haven't found many friends around here that.." she paused, contemplating what she wanted to say. "That seem like genuine people," she finished with a shrug.

[Cannon Eric Ryland]

She responded to his words with something that made him laugh. Well, if you're tricking me, I'll be in for a shock. He said to her with a grin, knowing he was joking, and she was probably well aware of that. He didn't assume at all that he knew what anyone was like, or anything about them; that came with time and trust, learning more about a person daily, not in the 10 minutes they had been talking.

As she went along with the joke, he laughed, realizing that she was more fun than he had thought; quick to catch on, and easy to play around with. She was a funny girl. And the academy award goes to... He grinned to her as he reattached Bully's lead shank. That is for sure something to be proud of. He protested. Wet horse is almost as appealing as wet dog. He said, knowing that's all he ever smelled like when he was around Bully.

She compared herself to an Elephant, rather than the copy cat he'd called her. Why? Can you remember all the numbers in Pi? He chuckled to her, shaking his head.

She then spoke of how she first tried barrel racing and he was jealous, no doubt. His parents had focused so much on eventing that when he'd asked about barrel racing, they'd slammed down their foot and said not until he proved to them he was the best, which meant winning the eventing show at this new school and any along the way. Only then could he try something different, loosen up for a day. He sighed at her joke, nodding his head. Maybe some day. I'll be sure to kick your butt into next week if you do. He laughed to her. She then got a little serious, asking about the pressures of it all. Yeah, they do. Some days, riding comes before school for them. He said to her with a small sigh.

He knew exactly what she meant about the people here. I haven't even been here more than a week and I can already tell there are a whole lot of secrets with these people. He nodded to her.

[Aspyn Brooke Kenna]

She grinned as he spoke, deciding nothing else really needed to be said. A bright smile stayed on her face though as she watched him for a moment, thoughts racing through her mind. Finally, she'd found another companion, perhaps someone that would actually stick around for a while. It would be fun to have someone that understood her and wasn't afraid to act silly or outrageous with her. And he seemed like a completely down to earth, relaxed guy. Just the kind of guy she needed... For a friend, of course. She crinkled her nose as she thought, trying to fight off the small thought in her mind that he was attractive. Which he was, in case anyone was interested.

As he went along with her act, she grinned, laughing softly before striking a crazy, shocked pose. "Oh, for me?" she gasped, eyes wide, hand smacked against her chest in fake awe. "I'd like to thank my dog, Cassie, and my horse, Static Shock. Without them, I'd never have had an audience to practice for." She took a bow before looking up and grinning playfully. It was a good sign that he hadn't run off from her apparent weirdness yet. Maybe he really was a promising candidate for a friend. One could only hope.

The sound of Shock's hoof stamping against the rubber mat he was standing on caused her to jump, her heart beat racing. Her head whipped around, hair smacking her in the face, as she glared at the bay Thoroughbred who innocently watched her. She rolled her eyes, patting his muzzle gently before turned back to Cannon to hear him defend his scent. "That is very true. Once you achieve wet dog stench, I'll be impressed," she giggled, tossing in a wink for good measure.

She raised a brow at his question, displaying a coc*y grin. "3.1415926535897... That's as far as I remember." She laughed softly, figuring he didn't even expect her to remember that much. No one ever expected it from a girl like her.

"Oh, we'll see about that. You'd be shocked at what Shock and I can do," she replied with a grin at her pun using Shock's name. She knew her jokes were totally lame, but she loved them all the same. Although she knew he was joking with her, something told her he wasn't exaggerating as much as he wanted to make it seem. If his parents really had put so much pressure on him, there was no doubt in her mind that he was more talented of a rider than she was. Besides, her main focus was training, not showing. Though she loved to show, her real passion was training.

She raised both eyebrows as he described how important riding was to his parents. Before school? Her parents had never cared about school or riding much, but it seemed as though most parents stressed that if the schooling went well, a child could ride, not the other way around. "So that's why I'm smarter than you," she teased, smiling. But her smile slowly softened as she examined his expression for a moment. "That must be tough, though. Why is you being the best so important to them?" Her voice was softer, smoother, and quieter now as she felt the seriousness begin to creep in.

She nodded at his comment about the people around here, completely agreeing. "I know what you mean. It's impossible to find a friend, everyone is too busy hiding something." She paused, creasing her brows in thought. "I feel left out. I must need more skeletons in my closet. Or a smaller mouth." She grinned up at the boy.

[Cannon Eric Ryland]

He chuckled at her acting. Sure, she was a little eccentric, but why prefer someone dry? He liked being around fun people, and she fit the bill.

She commented on his scent again and he couldn't help but laugh. I'll go pick up a few dogs from the animal shelter, it shouldn't take too long. He said to her with a grin. He was always around his horse throughout the day, no matter what, which meant he smelled like it. The daily baths didn't help much, but at least he didn't smell like a sweaty horse.

As she started to recite what she knew, his eyebrow raised. I'll admit, I'm impressed... I know all the way up to 4, but I think I'll have to admit that you know more than I do. He said to her with a smirk.

She then told him that she and her gelding could give him a run for his money, and boy did he sure hope not, while at the same time hoping that maybe they did. All of his competition were well into their thirties, it would be nice to find out that someone else had wasted their whole childhood training for 3 Day Eventing, though the chances of that were all too slim.

He laughed at her comment, shaking his head. Most likely, you are. They just didn't see where school would help me with Eventing, so as far as they were concerned, I only went enough days to pass onto the next grade. He said to her with a shrug, knowing that she was starting to catch on that he was not as happy and carefree when speaking of it.

She asked him why it was so important to his parents and all he knew was all he said. Because they never got to. He sighed to her as he said this, knowing everything they went through, and how hard it had been, which is why he was always given such high standards.

He chuckled at her comment. No, I don't think the R.A. would appreciate all those bones. He winked to her.

[Aspyn Brooke Kenna]

Aspyn's eyes wandered down towards her leg as the shifting of her weight began to leave her leg aching once again. She winced slightly, shutting her eyes for a moment. Why did it hurt so much? It must be one heck of a bruise. She glanced back up at him, smiling, hoping he wouldn't catch on to her pain. She was certain it was just a bruise. After all, she'd only fallen in water. How dangerous could that be? Albeit, the bottom of the water obstacle was pretty hard, but still.. At least she knew it wasn't broken. She wouldn't be standing if there was a break. Although standing was becoming increasingly uncomfortable, but she was sure she'd get over it. She wasn't going to be the wimp that had to sit down.

"Just come visit me; my dog would love a cuddle buddy to share her scent with," she laughed softly, pushing the pain out of her mind. It was true. The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever loved attention from anyone she could get. She was just a big, loving fur ball. And Aspyn adored her, just as she adored her dorky horse who was currently stretching out his neck and peeling his lips back. She laughed, shaking her head. He could entertain himself if he were locked in a box the rest of his life.

She grinned as she impressed him, nodding once. "Well, all of us are nerds in some way. I personally love math and playing Halo on my Xbox," she replied with a shrug. "I'm sure you'll eventually impress me somehow, too," she added, smiling softly.

She nodded as he spoke about his parents not caring much about school. She could partially relate. She had been known to skip school with her parents' knowledge. They had their own busy lives and were barely home; they couldn't have cared less where she was during their work hours. "Well, if you're a good a rider as you say you are, I guess it paid off," she responded softly. "Besides, what kid actually goes to school all the time anyway?" she added, trying to keep the mood light.

Again, she simply nodded. So his parents were living through him? It seemed to happen a lot, sadly. "And if you didn't have their expectations to live up to, would you still be practicing so hard for Eventing?" she asked, tilting her head, watching him curiously.

She laughed, but before she could respond again to him, her stomach twisted. Her brows furrowed. What was this? She felt sick to her stomach. Was it from the pain in her leg that was upsetting her stomach? She placed a hand on her tummy for a moment, willing the sick feeling to go away. She glanced back up at him, a soft red tint coming over her cheeks. She'd never liked admitting to being in pain or not feeling well. She dropped her hand, putting on a grin. "No, I think there's a strict rule about limiting the number of bones we keep," she replied jokingly, though her voice was a bit weaker.

[Cannon Eric Ryland]

{I promise I will respond by this weekend! Sorry about the wait, I've been swamped with work!}