When you're this high on life (noctourne; Delilah)

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Gabe tightened the saddle on the horses back another few notches and took a deep breath, stepping back to look the animal over critically. North stood still in the crossties, for once not dancing around like an idiot. Gabriel nodded as he finished looking over the horse. He looked excellent, though fluffy in his winter coat and long, unpulled mane. Gabriel himself looked nice as well. He just wanted to look good anytime he knew he was going to see Delilah, even if it wasn't necessary since she knew just about all sides of him. Even though it was cold and snowy, Gabe had dressed nicely and warmly, in appropriate clothes for winter riding. Delilah had never seen him ride and during their teenage years he had never even gotten on a horses back, no matter how much he was cajoled and begged.

Pulling his cellphone out, Gabriel flicked it open and hit the 'browser' button, opening the web-pages to the current weather. It was supposed to hit a high of fifty later that day, but at the moment it was a colder thirty-eight degrees. Appropriate for the early morning. He hit the 'back' button and checked his messages, then sent a quick text to Delilah, telling her via text that he was already heading towards the trails and would meet her there. Gabriel had been looking forwards to this ride/date since they'd planned it. He'd been bouncing around, all smiles and happy and cheerful, for the past several days now.

Gabe put the phone up and pulled on a pair of riding gloves, pulled on his insulated coat, and settled his helmet on his head, then unclipped his gelding and led the frisky horse out of the barn. As he passed by, he glanced into the field where his newest horse, a Cleveland Bay named Jymme, was in. Gabe would have liked to take him out, but he was giving him another few days to finish settling in and he'd already decided that their first ride would be in the arena, where he could test the horse out and where he and Jymme could get to know one another before risking a trailride.

"Alright, North?" Gabe questioned the big Thoroughbred as he stepped into the saddle lightly and with a practiced ease. north's ears flicked back and he skittered sideways a few steps, stopping when Gabe made him and pawing at the ground. Both the horse and riders breaths came out as little white clouds and the cold, combined with the snow, made the already wired Thoroughbred even more hyper. "Take it easy, we're going... we're going." Gabe picked up the reins and asked the horse to move off, and North did so, stepping lightly over the snow, sinking into the cold powder and ice.

"Don't act like an idiot today." Gabriel talked to the equine as they broke into a fast trot, North picking up his legs higher than usual and snorting as the snow flew through the air. "Delly's never seen me ride, and I don't need her thinking I can't ride if you decide to do your gymnastics impersonations."

It took several minutes to reach the trail-head, and Gabe slowed the hyper horse down to a walk, then a stop upon reaching the clearing. They had chosen the Waterfall Trail because it was fairly easy and, with the river on one side and snowbanks and ice in places on the water, it was guaranteed to be a very nice, very beautiful ride. Gabriel dropped the reins to let north stretch down and nose at the snow while he grabbed a pair of sunglasses from his pocket and slipped them on, as the sun glancing off the snow was extremely bright. "Now... we wait... North, are you eating snow?"

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Delilah stepped back, admiring the mount she had selected to take for her very special trail ride this morning. It was a shame that Gabe couldn't see her ride Char on the trails. He'd never even recognize the stallion now. He was a whole different horse than he had been when she'd know Gabriel as a teenager. She had worked endlessly, it felt like, with the stubborn stud to get him in line. But finally, he was to a point she was proud of. Of course, she'd never stop working with him and helping him improve, but the change was overall something pleasing. But since it was a rule around here, and a very good one, that stallions couldn't be ridden with other horses, she had decided to take her favorite horse from the barn she worked in. She was more than thankful to Ms. Carr for letting her use any of the school horses she wanted.

The black Gelderlander gelding bumped his velvety nose against her shoulder, ears pricked forward attentively. She grinned again, rubbing his forehead affectionately before jumping slightly as she felt her phone buzz. An even wider grin spread over her lips as she read the text that had startled her, discovering Gabe was ready and going to meet her at the mouth of the trail. "Alright, bud, how do I look? Are we all ready to go?" She spun around once for the gelding, letting him admire her very warm riding gear as though he actually would form some opinion of her outfit. He bobbed his head up and down, which Delilah was sure he was doing because he was getting impatient from standing in the cross ties so long, but she laughed all the same, patting his neck and uttering a "Thank you!"

Deciding she hadn't forgotten anything, she led the black horse out of the barn where she could safely mount him. In her younger years, she was willing to do anything, but these days, she was taking her safety more seriously. After all, she had a bit more reason to live now. A little small crossed her face as she realized this, feeling a warm, fluttery feeling in her stomach as a particular someone came into her mind. She slid her foot into the silver colored stirrup, swinging herself gently into the worn all-purpose English saddle and gathering the braided reins in her hands, wrinkling her nose as she realized how hard it was to feel the reins through her riding gloves.

Wishful picked up a trot, striding out through the snow and throwing up his head in what seemed to be pleasure. Del was really the only one that took the gelding out, and he seemed more than happy to be back to work. She patted his neck, letting him happily extend his strides without feeling the need to half halt the horse. He was definitely under her control, so she would let him have a bit of fun.

Butterflies flittered in her stomach as her eyes finally fell on the handsome man on an equally handsome horse, a huge grin spreading over her lips. She had been counting down the days until they would be together again, and she hated herself for being so excited about it. She had kept telling herself not to get too involved too quickly, but who was she kidding? She'd always wanted to be with him, and finally, it was happening. Goose bumps prickled on her arms at the thought. But her eyes fell back on the horse, a soft laugh coming through her throat as she saw him eating snow. "The new snow diet, huh?" She grinned, sinking her weight into the saddle and sitting deep to slow the gelding to a walk then a halt near Gabe.

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He was, indeed, eating snow. The puzzled look on Gabriel’s face had disappeared, replaced by an amused grin as he leaned sideways in the saddle and observed his silly gelding for a little while. North was alternating rubbing his nose in the snow and tasting it. “Bub, you’ve seen snow before. This isn’t anything new.” Gabe laughed; tugging North’s head back up only for the horse to nearly jerk him off over his neck. Apparently the horse wasn’t going to be deterred from his new ‘treat’ anytime soon.

Gabriel let him have his way and straightened up, discreetly glancing around and relaxing when no one was in sight to see the almost-fall. “Fine, have it your way.” He slapped North’s shoulder affectionately and loosened the reins, giving him his head to play in the snow.

He heard her before he saw her, heard the horse crunching through the snow, actually… that and North abandoned his snow-food for a few moment to gaze in the direction of the barns, letting Gabe know that Delilah was on her way. The horse, by now, had gotten used to the other horses, so he wasn’t too interested, only nickering once before returning to his previous activities. Gelding him had calmed him down on the pushy friendliness a good bit, but North was still North. Gabriel shielded his eyes, shaded though they were, and watched as Delilah rode up on one of the schools horses. He didn’t try to stop the goofy smile that took over his face at the sight of her. Gabe’s breath caught momentarily as he looked upon the young woman. It didn’t matter what she wore or looked like, she was always beautiful, and it was a near constant shock to him, still, that he’d both gotten her back in his life after so many years and had gotten her back as a girlfriend at that. She was so beautiful that she could be with anyone, and there were loads of people out there better than he, but she was with him. Just the thought made him feel on top of the world; nothing could bring him down.

His eyes flicked to the gelding she’d chosen, but he said nothing until she did, happy to just watch her. He chuckled when she laughed and tugged North’s head up again, letting him stretch his neck out to greet the new horse with a soft blow before losing interest, apparently decided the Gelderlander was alright and not worth the effort to squeal and paw. “Yeah, he’s decided that snow is his new best friend, I think…” He said, not taking his eyes off of her. She was just so… “You ready to ride?”

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Delilah shifted her weight in the worn saddle, trying to get comfortable. She knew she should have selected her personal saddle, but she had been worried it wouldn't fit the slightly high withered mount she had chosen. The saddle wasn't bad, but she had gotten too accustomed to riding in her own worn out saddle. It was probably more used than the one she sat in now. Actually, she was quite certain it was. Not only was it her personal saddle, the one she used most days, but it was also the saddle she'd taken from her father's barn when she'd left. She'd rode from one town to the next in it on Char's back, somehow managing not to die on the high energy stallion. They'd gone all over Kentucky in that wonderful black leather saddle, and she loved it deeply. It had been her father's saddle, but the seat size was luckily a good size for her as well.

She left her memories, laughing softly as she watched Gabe's odd mount munch on the snow. She'd known horses to take a mouthful or two if they were desperately thirsty, but nothing much beyond that. Char had eaten a bit of snow during their journeys in their younger days. It wasn't always easy to come across a water source as a broke, young girl riding a high strung stallion. But they'd always managed. And she was so grateful for how everything worked out. After all, it had all brought her to this moment now. In front of the man she'd always wanted to be with. She could still remember the day she realized he wasn't coming back. He had always been her only true friend, and it nearly killed her to lose him. Not long after, she had taken off with Char. After all, she hadn't been left with much to live for back home.

"Well, that's better than being scared of it, I guess," she chuckled, watching the horse for another moment before looked up at him, wide smile plastered on her face. Her left fingers playing with Wishful's black mane absentmindedly, but her eyes stayed on the handsome man. Not just any handsome man, her handsome man. The thought sent her heart fluttering. She nodded once as he asked, letting Wishful move into a steady walk. "You bet I am. The question is, are you ready to ride, Gabe?" She tilted her head, a playful, suggestive grin playing on her lips. With that, she turned forward in the saddle, letting Wishful extend his stride slightly.

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Gabe tugged at the gloves he wore, tightening the fastening snugly around his wrist. He didn't like a loose feel to any type of glove, be in riding, working, or regular. He once again tried to get his horses head up and gave a grateful grin when North decided to listen and not try and jerk him over his head again. He gave the horse a soft, playful slap across the neck, ruffling up the mane, and shortened the reins to a more appropriate length instead of letting North just have his head.

"It is that." He said, nodding to her comment. "Though, I don't think he's scared of anything. He's too curious, you know." Gabe glanced briefly at the sky, a satisfied look settling in his eyes as he saw what the forecast had been saying. It was a clear day, and could be considered lukewarm if the breeze that fluttered across the land wasn't so cold. The sun was bright in the sky and there were no clouds in sight. A perfect, if not cold, day to ride. Underneath him, North shook suddenly, causing Gabe to glance sideways at the horse.

It took a moment for her comment to really sink in, and by the time it did, she was already ahead of him and North was chewing at the bit, suddenly eager to catch up. Several looks crossed through Gabe's eyes before settling and with a small half-smirk, he loosened the reins and let North trot to catch up, slowing him right beside Delilah and her chosen mount. Gabe leaned over so that he was close to her and gave her a mischevious smirk, "Delilah, I'm always ready to ride." He said, purposely lowering his tone and inserting a double meaning to his words before straightening back up and nudging North back into a trot with barely a squeeze to his barrel, moving out a few strides ahead.

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Beneath her, Wishful shifted his weight, and Delilah assumed it was his attempt to show impatience. The horse was so well behaved, not that it surprised her. In the barn, he had quickly become one of her favorites because of his calm, loving disposition. She leaned forward, rubbing the gelding's neck affectionately, smiling as he let out a soft huff of breath that puffed around his muzzle like a cloud of smoke. It certainly was rather cold today, but the sky was the brightest shade of blue she'd seen in a long time and the sun shone down on them, promising it wouldn't let her freeze completely. And her skin, though unexposed, gladly welcomed the slightly warm feel from the radiation energy the sun sent. All in all, there wasn't much to complain about. There wasn't any snow falling at the moment, though it hadn't been long ago that it had.

She laughed softly, nodding her head once after hearing his words. Char wasn't easily scared, but he was a stallion and could change his mind quicker than ever she could. One day, a tree wouldn't scare him one bit. The next moment, he would spook at the sight of the same tree. But he'd always huff and puff before spooking, so at least she'd get a decent warning that it was coming. "That's not the worst trait in a horse," she replied, offering a warm smile.

Delilah let her hips rock back and forth in motion with her mount's strides, her hands gently following the gelding's head to keep from catching him in the mouth. She was a jumper by trade, but she'd had a bit of lower level work in dressage and had quickly learned how to move with her horse instead of strain against it. She was almost so focused on the rhythm of her horse's walk that she didn't realize Gabe had finally caught up to her and the tall Gelderlander. She jumped slightly as the man's face suddenly grew closer, but relaxed as she heard his voice. She raised a brow mischievously, letting a soft, tinkering laugh out. Her brown eyes locked on his sexy form, thoughts she knew she didn't need to be having at that moment rushing through her mind. They hadn't taken their relationship very far, most likely for her sake, but part of her longed to bring it to that point. Before he took off, while he was still close, she leaned in to him slightly as well. "Prove it," she dared, her voice hushed and sultry.

She grinned as he let North move out, quickly pushing the black gelding into an extended trot to let him catch up to the Thoroughbred that was quickly gaining ground. Luckily for her, Wishful had rather long legs and didn't take very long to catch up to North. She glanced over at Gabe, a wide grin on her lips, wordlessly taunting him as she let Wishful pull up a few strides in front of North.

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Oh, it's on... Gabe smirked, though didn't reply to her words and instead held his gelding back a few strides, letting her get ahead of him. north didn't appear to take to the other horse moving away very well and slung his head impatiently, not enjoying being in the back. He was a lead horse by nature and loved to be out in the front, leading the ride. Gabe let the reins slide through his fingers a few inches before closing his grip, letting the horse have a bit of rein, but not so much as to let North take off. In response, the horse pranced in place, swishing his long black tail in annoyance and sending snow flying.

Gabriel watched Delilah's form as she rode, eyes trailing over her frame for a moment before he remembered his promise to himself and averted his eyes. He wouldn't take her for granted like he'd done with so many others. She wasn't just any girl, afterall, she was Delilah. She was special and deserved to be treated like royalty in his eyes. Still, he cut his eyes back to her form, she was too beautiful to not look at.

The young man let loose a laugh as he pulled away from his thoughts. There'd be time to think later, right now, he wanted to enjoy the cold day with the woman he adored and, dare he think it, loved. "Come on," He muttered, suddenly opening his fingers and letting North's reins slip through, allowed the horse to finally extend his gait into an immediate, plunging canter through the snow. As he and North once again passed Delilah and her chosen mount, Gabe glanced back at her, a wide, arrogant grin on his face as he this time called, "Well, you coming?"

With that said, Gabe turned back to the trail just in time to duck a low-hanging branch. Under normal circumstances, the branch would never have been hanging so low, but covered with several pounds of snow and ice, it hung dangerously low over the trail. Gabe hated to think of what could have happened if he hadn't a ducked, as the branch was right at his neck-line. He didn't slow North down, though, and just kept a lookout for anymore low branches. The horse was enjoying the canter. In a way, it was almost like running through sand... except harder, colder, and not quite as giving.