Paving Another Road

[Tobias Xayarath]

Tux smiled as he looked list of names he had created, two to a row, fifteen rows total. His life had changed quite a bit since he had first stepped foot on the campus and began teaching, but most of it had been for the better, and he knew how he was going to run the class this year, with a different setup than the previous year. Speaking of, he scrawled a paper on the top corner of his list, consisting simply of the word 'picnic'. He shifted his list, and one copy of a packet, off of the pile of two more packets that he had made for a pair of his students, thinking that one of them would already have a similar one. A glance at the clock told him that it was almost time for his class to begin, and so, he rose, the two piles of papers in his hands.

After entering the classroom, he chose his regular chair, one that sat opposite the door, and sat down, waiting for his students to come in. If anyone commented on the fact that the gap that gave access to the fridge was on his left, preventing someone from sitting there? Total coincidence, surely. It wasn't like he'd rearranged the room that way... At least, not officially.

As they greeted him, he greeted them, although he waited for his general introduction. He kept an eye on the clock above the door, not really wanting to have late students, but then, if they never started, the class would never finish. They would simply have to see him after class. As the two students he had made packets for entered, he rose and slipped them the papers, which held a copy of generally what he wanted to go over, before sitting down again and waiting to begin the class.

☐ Cassian F. De Fiore
☐ @diana
☐ @ira
☐ @lukamason
☐ @sierra

☑ @neigh
☑ Cara-Jean Kitchi
☑ @radix
☑ Gretchen Holmes
☑ @running5
☑ @rhythm
☑ @maeve
☑ Othello Buskirk
☑ @ronan
☑ Stefan Eder

[Stefan Eder]

Kai had made his way straight to the Evening Primrose barn after cooling Lupus down and grooming the mare. He would be somewhat early, but he could spend the time with his assigned mare, getting to know her outside of class.

He was indeed early, and the time found him outside in the pasture, standing by his mare and grooming her as she stood tied to one of the trees, smiling as the mare leaned into the brush. However, a glanced at his watch showed that it was nearing the time for Foal Handling's first class, and he released the mare from her halter with a smile, "Until later, then." Shouldering the halter, he walked towards the gate, dropping it onto the post where he'd gotten it, where the mares' halters were always kept when they were outside, then made his way into the barn.

After dropping off the grooming kit, Stefan found his way into the classroom, stopping short as he spotted a familiar man sitting there. He chuckled as he moved once again, "So that's why the foals. Good afternoon, Mr. Xayarath." He hoped that he'd pronounced the name correctly, but as the man looked more relaxed than the last time Stefan had seen him, he hoped that he would be more forgiving of such transgressions. He chose the same seat that he'd been in for Equine Reproduction, letting himself fall into the seat.

[Cara-Jean Kitchi]

Equestrian classes were finished for that day, and Cara took her mare out to the pasture for the night. She glanced down at her clothes and screwed her nose up at them. Her jodhpurs and shirt were tidy, clean enough for most people to attend another class, but all Cara could see was the grey hair that flecked the beige jodhpurs and the fact that her boots were dirty from washing the mare after class.

Rubbing her temples, she raced back to her dorm room and quickly threw the wardrobe door open and quickly found an outfit for the foal handling class. Undressing, she took her dirty clothes to the laundry hamper and then looked at the clothes she had pulled out and pulled the espresso coloured longsleeved shirt over her head and pulled the zip up, this was then followed by a pair of dress slacks that matched the shirt, then then put a white shirt on over the top of the brown one and tucked it into the slacks before she slipped her arms into a light grey vest jacket and buttoned it up. Her hair was next to be dealt with as she quickly brushed it out of the French braid it was already in and quickly wound her mass of hair into a ballet bun. Then, slipping her feet into a clean pair of paddock boots, she grabbed the folder she needed for class and raced out of her room.

Making her way across campus, she stopped outside the Evening Primrose barn and took a calming breath. She lifted her chin just a little, and with her back straight and her looking poised and ready she stepped through the entrance way and walked down to the classroom. She clenched the hand that wasn't holding the folder as she could feel herself trembling, but she pushed it to the back of her mind as she entered the classroom, gave the man at the front of the room a bow of her head, and found herself a seat. Part of her wondered why she hadn't grabbed a bottle of water while she was in her room, or her gym bag... though she could already see that she wasn't the only gymnast who would be turning up to training a little late.

Outfit

[Othello Buskirk]

After putting Harry away in his stall after class, Othello put the tack away and gave it a good wipe over before he went to the bathroom to get himself cleaned up - which was mostly to wash his face and head - and then grabbed his backpack and that day's baseball cap from the locker in the tack room.

His decision to step down from being a vet student had been weighing on his mind for a while, though now that he'd done it, he knew it was the right decision. His health was anything but the best lately and if it got worse, he would put even more work on his girlfriend then he had the year before. He smiled as he thought of Miranda.

He left White Oak, headed over to Evening Primrose and walked down to the classroom smiling toward the teacher as he walked in. "Afternoon Mr X." He said as he sat down in one of the chairs and took the hunter green cap off his head and ran his hand over his head, knowing that he would need to shave it again the next morning as it was getting a little fuzzy. "Hey." He greeted the male student he was sitting next to, before he pulled a bottle of Powerade from his bag and took a drink.

[Deleted]

Again he was standing in front of the Evening Primrose barn, but this time not for the class to learn how to deal with broodmares and all that came with it, but to learn about what came after: how to deal with foals, those fuzzy cute little foals. Who, probably, more often were not as fuzzy and cute or little as they seemed. Still, he was excited for it. New horizons to explore, new creatures to befriend, and new things to learn. It couldn't get much better, could it? He just hoped Merletta wouldn't get too excited near the foals - she was a mother hen, and he'd seen her drag chicks in more than once. He'd rather not have a foal as his constant companion, as he didn't think that'd be good for the foal nor exactly handy for him.

He had faith in Mer, though. She hadn't steered him wrong since she he got him her (well, not after the second month, anyway, and that was epic adventure he really rather not remember) and she too would take this new experience in stride. At least the location was halfway familiar, it being the same classroom as for equine reproduction. He didn't pick the exact same seat, but again sat fairly close to the front, idly greeting his fellow students and, somewhat less idly, the teacher, who handed him a packet. Kit accepted it with a grateful smile, internally blanching a little when he saw the teacher's name on the front. That was one hell of a last name! While he mentally tried to figure out how to pronounce it, he sat down, got Mer settled under the table in front of him, grabbed a pen and started to skim over the notes, so he'd know what to expect later.

[Deleted]

Jackson was excited to go to his extracurricular activity, which was still equine related. Foals were so cute and fluffy little creatures, though they could also be little hellions, either way they were cute. That wasn’t the only reason he was taking this class, Jackson was set on learning as much as he could and handling horses all shapes, sizes, and ages was the best thing he could do.

Walking to the classroom where Sir Solomon called the equine reproduction class Jackson knew exactly where he was going, which gave him an ounce of confidence. He day-dreamed about the foal he would be assigned to work with. It was little déjà vu as the boy had done the same thing when he attended the equine reproduction class, except he wasn’t thinking about a foal but about a mare.

Jackson walked into the classroom to see four students already there; he recognized one of the boys from his trail class. Being the type of person he was, he said nothing and just sat down. The sixteen year old waited for more students to trickle in and then for the extracurricular to start. Jackson reverted back to his daydreaming before the teacher would snap him out of it with his voice.

[Deleted]

Jason was a little apprehensive about signing up for Foal Handling, but he walked briskly towards the Evening Primrose Barn anyway. He hadn't had much success with foals at his previous barn. Granted, there had only been two in the four years he had ridden there, but he could still see the way that the little flilly had bolted to the other end of the field. He had a wry smile on his face from the memory as he entered the classroom. "Good afternoon." He said as way of greeting the unfamiliar man.

He was surprised to see that, as of yet, there was but a single female in the room. He had expected that it would be the opposite, just like most of the classes he was in. He went to find a seat and couldn't help but take a second glance at the black-furred dog lying comfortably underneath one of the desks. So that made two dogs on campus, at least to the best of his knowledge. He took a seat closer to the middle and waited for class to begin. By the looks of the classroom layout, the instructor was expecting many more than the six students that were present.

[Deleted]

    After his last equine class, Ronan untacked Tally and walked her out for a while, since the mare was hot, and he had a bit of time before he had to get to Foal Handling. After walking her sufficiently and brushing her down, he went to his tack locker and traded his field boots for muck boots: they would still be safe for working around horses, but they'd be a bit more comfortable. After returning to Tally to give her an apple and one last pat, Ronan made his way over to the Evening Primrose Barn, where he'd been spending more and more time lately. 

    Figuring that he still had a bit of time, Ronan found Lee, his mare for Equine Reproduction, and pet her for a little bit, getting to know her, before walking to the classroom, where they were meeting for Foal Handling. Entering, he smiled at the instructor, who he recognized as the man who had brought the five chestnut foals in earlier. Taking a seat beside Stefan, who was the most familiar face present, Ronan smiled, but didn't say enough. The smile was enough of a greeting, and if he'd learned anything about the other student, it was that he would surely talk if he wished to.      

[Deleted]

    After her last equine class, Maeve returned Ella to her stall and groomed the mare. After returning all of her tack to the tack room, she tidied the room a bit and did a lap of the barn, making sure that everything was in order, and that she'd done everything she could have before she headed off to her Foal Handling class. She'd fallen into her routine as a barn hand fairly quickly, and now she was always finding herself working even when she didn't mean to. It had been the same way at Fox Meadows, so she really hadn't expected for it to be any different here. 

    Once everything was satisfactory, she said goodbye to Ella and headed to the Evening Primrose Barn, which she'd only seen in passing, having had no reason to stop by. Entering, it took her a minute to find the classroom, where they had been instructed to meet. In doing so, she passed through the rest of the barn and was pleased to see the mares and foals who were housed in the barn. Her understanding of equine reproduction was basic, and she'd never been around foals, so this was a completely new and exciting experience.

    Having found the classroom, Maeve entered, smiled at the man who she expected was the instructor, and found a seat among the other students.     

[Gretchen Holmes]

Gretchen was excited for foal handling to say the least. She remembered fondly when Bahir had been a foal, he'd been so cute! She remembered getting to see him and pet him for the first time, he'd been so fuzzy and sweet, and after she'd met him he'd been turned out into the pasture with his mother and he'd romped across the field happily, kicking up his heels and tossing his head.

Despite knowing Bahir and helping a little with taking care of him, she hadn't been quite old enough to actually handle the unruly colt at that age. He was actually quieter as a foal, due to the gentle nature of his mother, but when haltered he had always been pushy since she very first day. He'd nearly dragged Gretchen to the ground more than a once at only a few months of age. That may be part of the reason he was so difficult to handle now, but she tried not to think too much about it. Now she was bigger, surely she'd be able to handle the little horses much easier, especially now that she had a little more experience. No foal was going to be dragging her around!

Walking into class, she offered a small smile and greeting to the teacher before finding a seat at the back of the room. Once seated, she leaned back in her chair and watched the clock, waiting patiently for class to start.

[Deleted]

Back when Amber and her family lived in Ohio, there was a collage owned horse stable not too far away that was open to public visitors and Amber's mother used to take her and her brother there sometimes, and they were always begging her to take them more often.  They loved seeing the horses and Amber especially liked the foals.  They were so adorable and they were the softest and most fun to pet but, best of all, they were just more playful then the big horses.  It was then that Amber decided that she wanted to work with foals one day.  She was very happy when her family moved to Kentucky and got horses, even though they weren't foals, but she sometimes wonder what Rapunzel and Klein were like as foals.

Amber let Rapunzel out into the pasture after her last equine class.  Rapunzel didn't run off right away, like she sometimes did, but stood there and nudged her.  Amber knew that she must want more attention.  She pet her for a little while.  "Sorry girl" she said, eventually,while glancing at her watch.  "I have to get to class now, but I'll come and see you again as soon as it's over" she promised.  

Amber left Rapunzel in the paddock and walked into the classroom.  She saw that there were several students here already.  She choose a seat a little ways away from everyone else. 

[Tobias Xayarath]

Tux greeted the students that greeted him, although he kept an eye on the clock, waiting until it was a couple of minutes past the class' actual starting time. Finally, he decided not to wait any longer, and rising, although he kept facing the same general direction as he spoke, smiled at the students present, "Okay. Let's get started, then. I'm Mr. Xayarath, although you're welcome to call me Mr. X, which will probably be easier. A little bit about me, I've been working with horses for about twenty years. After I went to college, I somehow ended up apprenticed to a farrier, and I enjoyed the work." He paused for a moment as he thought about Ken, then continued, "After my work with him concluded, I started working with a broodmare operation, where I learned to work with the foals. So, now my part is to pass that down to you."

He smiled easily, "Okay, now, I'm going to ask each of you to tell me your name, and something interesting about you, your horse, your experience, whatever you would like. Once we've done that, rules, and then we're going to jump right into working with your foals - Oh, yes, you will be assigned a foal to work with during the course of the year." He sat again as he listened to the students introducing themselves, already trying to match name to face, although it would be easier when he'd gotten each one next to their foals.

Once everyone had gone, it was time for the basic rules, something that, sadly, had to be cleared. His rules were relatively simple, and, he'd admit it, some were taken from the barn manager's way of running his own class, only because they were sensible, "It's wonderful to meet all of you." He grinned as he rose again, "Now, just a few rules. There are not your horses. They belong to the school, in most cases. Others belong to their sire's owners. And yet others are my personal foals. Please remember that should I ask you to change something about your methods. You are here to learn, not to push me into accepting whatever notions you may have. If you have questions about a particular method, you are welcome to stop by after class.

"Other than that, my word, the barn manager, Sir Solomon's, and the other hands' words are law around here. For everything else, use your common sense, and if you are still unsure, ask! That's what we're here for." He paused, "Every time class meets, come here to see where we shall be starting every day. It will be on the board." He gestured to a white board, "Okay, then. Everyone understand? Any questions?"

[Stefan Eder]

Stefan smiled as an older, dark skin boy chose to sit next to him, "Hello." He didn't know the boy, but it seemed like he knew the teacher already, from the easy way Leo had greeted the man. He watched the other people joining them, spotting a few that he recognized from his various classes, and grinned as Ronan sat on his other side, "Can't get rid of me?" He didn't mind in the slightest, and enjoyed having a friend he knew, although it was funny how they shared a lot of classes... But then, they were in the same year, after all.

When the teacher started speaking, Stefan turned his attention to the man, listening to his introduction, grinning as they were asked to introduce themselves, "I'm Stefan Eder, and I have a cat that quite nearly knows how to disappear." He settled back again to listen to the rest of the students, although he could feel his impatience rising slowly. He wanted to meet his assigned foal! After they'd finished, the teacher started going over his rules, none of which were unreasonable, although Stefan did wonder a bit about how elaborate he was about using his methods... But then, there were probably hundreds of methods of raising foals.

[Cara-Jean Kitchi]

Cara felt her body tense up as one boy after another entered the classroom. She breathed slowly and told herself to get a grip, that this was a classroom, not some kind of trap. She closed her fists to hid trembling fingers and did her best to shut out the rest of the class.

When the man started speaking, she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. She detested not only having to introduce herself but also sharing information about her. She listened as the boy who had already been in the room when she arrived introduced himself and shared some information about her cat and then a silence descended on the room. She pressed her lips together, just wanting to go and meet the foals. When no one else filled the silence, she knew she had no choice but to speak. She rose to her feet, the done thing over in England, though she didn't turn to face the class, or even the teacher as she studied the ground in front of her feet. "I am Cara-Jean Kitchi. I am a gymnast." Her clipped words were void of emotion, but at least they didn't tremble. Sure, sharing the information that she had spent the past eight years being schooled around Europe probably would have been more interesting, but it would also have led to questions she really, really didn't want to answer. She brushed her pants as she sat down, making sure the leg cuffs didn't rise up.

She listened to the other introduce themselves and then Mr Xayarath took centre stage again and explained the rules of the class, which Cara diligently wrote down in her folder, wishing that she had at least brought her glasses with her, but then they would have become a hassle later as she hadn't brought a bag with her. She could understand the man's words on not pushing their own notions on him, after all he had the life experience that the rest of them lacked, meaning he could swim the ocean while the students were barely treading water.

[Othello Buskirk]

Leo put the bottle of drink back in his bag as he observed the others entering the room, then turned his attention when their teacher began to speak. He listened to the first two people and then jumped in. "I'm Othello Buskirk, but I prefer to go by Leo. I love rock climbing" He just couldn't do it any more... well, not the kind of rock climbing he used to do anyway. But he hadn't done any of that since he had been diagnosed, though he wouldn't mind climbing again some day.

He listened to the others and then turned his attention back to Mr X as the man told them the rules, which he was pretty clear with from having done reproduction the year before and Sir Solomon's rules had been along the same lines. He shifted in his chair ever so slightly, as he was impatient to go and meet the foals. He was happy that they would be assigned to a single foal rather than all of them working as a large group, because he could see that turning into chaos, at least with one foal each, it would be controlled chaos.

He closed his eyes as nausea washed over him, but he shook it off quickly, knowing that it was only the meds and he wasn't sick, though there was a chance he could be sent from the class if he gave any hint to him being unwell.