The Gibsonvale Hunt

:: The Gibsonvale Hunt Boxing Day Meet ::

Horses: Bluebird in the Belfry and Samhain
Riders: Emma Doherty and Alexandre Lopes
Dog: Maçã
Stables: Nightingale Stables
Classes entered: Best Jumped; Team Chase

---

"Christ, why is it so cold?" Alex protested, blowing a not-warm-enough breath onto his palms, the rubber band holding the braid he'd been tying flying off and getting lost somewhere among the straw. Groaning, he rubbed his hands together instead, unbraiding the patch of dark mane that had been ruined by the wayward band to start again. Even in the relatively warmer air of the stables, it was still far too cold for him, much colder than he was used to - he certainly felt sorry for the poor grooms who would have to prepare their horses outside by their lorries.

Samhain and Belfry, as well as the horsebox, had been left at Oak Hollow while he and the Doherty siblings drove off in their small blue Corsa to spend Christmas in Ireland - so, neither Alex nor Emma had thought it necessary to remove the horses from their stalls that morning, finding it much easier (and warmer) to prepare them in the calmer atmosphere.

"This isn't Portugal. It's warm there, compared to this. But I thought you'd have gotten used to it, by now," Emma replied, winking at Alex with a grin that earned a very annoyed glare from the younger boy - if it weren't for her proximity to Belfry, she'd have had the packet of elastic bands lobbed at her head, too. "'s just one more day," he murmured, even though the glance he cast through the open door was slightly wary. He wouldn't have the added warmth of the heavy coat he now wore once they mounted up and rode off, and while he'd been counting on the adrenaline and exercise to keep him from freezing, by now he was starting to regret not wearing more layers under his tweed jacket.

"I've got tea!" The call was enough to stop any bickering, and both turned to their stall doors, watching Aimee as she stepped through the gate, a smoking mug held in each hand. "Oh, Aimee, you're an angel," Alex breathed, shaking his hands to get rid of the numbness that seemed to have settled after half an hour of braiding. It had been by pure luck that Samhain had kept herself perfectly clean during the night, or he'd have been there for far longer. Stepping outside the stall, he took the mug into his hands, a small smile tugging at his lips as he waited for it to cool down enough to be drinkable.

"So, how was Christmas?" While Emma had spent Christmas with family (and Alex), Aimee had travelled down to Lakewood Farm, taking Banoffee to ride at their traditional Christmas Eve Hack and staying for Christmas day - if anything, it had been a good chance to see her brother, Alec, who worked at the Farm. "Lovely," she replied, leaning on the stall door with a secretive smile. "I finally got to meet Alec's girlfriend, too. Properly, this time." She had been at Lakewood before - however, she'd been a bit too busy with the show she'd been attending to do much socialising. And while she knew most of the staff there, Twitch had, so far, avoided introductions. "Hmm. How's she?" Aimee shrugged. "She seemed a bit shy, but nice. Alec really likes her, too - I haven't seen him so happy in a long time." Emma hid her grin on her cup of tea, leaning against Belfry's sturdy frame. She knew how much Alec meant to his sister - she'd do anything to ensure his happiness.

*

Alex hadn't been wrong - taking off his coat quickly proved to be a mistake. No sooner had he found himself atop Samhain's back, than it started to rain. Small, barely there droplets that clung like mist to his coat and to the mare's braided mane, but rain nonetheless. Thankfully, he'd always been quite fond of it - Emma, on the other hand, seemed to be far more worried, muttering under her breath about how soggy, muddy and slippery everything would be when they finally set off. Holding Samhain, who was chomping on her bit and pawing impatiently at the ground, until Emma was ready and firmly seated atop Belfry, he called Maçã, who had been running about with a tiny black dog, to join them.

*

Said dog proved to be the most fearless of the hunt, tearing through hedges as if they were nothing, while horses and riders struggled to leap over and keep themselves from falling. Emma's pessimistic predictions proved to be true - soon enough, the horse's bellies  and legs were covered in mud, the ground soft, giving way to strong hooves on the approaches to hedges - by the end of the hunt, when he idly chatted with a Scottish-accented blonde - who, as it turned out, was the tiny black dog's owner - over a pint of whatever-it-was, stopped at The Royal Oak, he found himself wondering how he hadn't fallen off at all.

---

I don't know what happened there. I must've gone a bit mad. I've worked on this for ages! That story took me so long to write, too, but I think it was worth it.

Critique (both to the story and the picture) is always welcome.

_{Lakewood Farm, Austin, Twitch © Tattered-Dreams
Scottish-accented blonde & tiny black dog (a.k.a. Jenny Paterson & Bruce) © ElreniaGreenleaf}