Returning from Business

[Tobias Xayarath]

Tux unclipped Fred's leash when they reached the official start of the campus trail, heading back to campus. He had left the dog tethered while he attended to his business in town, but now it was time for them to head back, and the dog could have his head.

They had made it halfway back to campus when something in Fred's gait made the man pause and call the dog to him. He reattached the leash and held the dog's neck, trying to feel along the dog's leg. This was made harder by the dog fidgeting, and Tux grumbled, "Hold still, Fred."

[Cara-Jean Kitchi]

Cara rubbed Pyre's neck as they followed the township trail. She wasn't going all the way into the town, but the trail itself was nice and the mare had needed some time outside the arena.

"Easy girl." She soothed as the mare skidded to a halt, with a loud fart, when they heard a noise ahead of them. She squeezed the mare forward and approached the noise.

The sight of the Evening Primrose head barn hand was a welcoming sight, yet the dog caused her skin to crawl, and she did her best to keep her cool as the black mare sidestepped nervously in reaction to her rider's sudden anxiety. "Is...is everything alright, Mr Xayarath?" She asked as they approached.

[Tobias Xayarath]

Tux looked up as he heard hoofbeats behind him, briefly distracted from the dog's fussing. He recognized the petite girl on her pony, and shook his head, "Fred managed to hurt himself somehow, I saw him limping. It might be nothing, but I wanted to check his pad just to be sure he didn't tear it or something." He shrugged, "But he's not being very good about letting me check it."

[Cara-Jean Kitchi]

Cara gave a concerned frown at the information that the canine had injured himself. She closed her legs against the pony as he side-stepped. "Sorry." She whispered to the pony. "Settle, you're alright." She closed her eyes, feeling as though her heart was trying to beat out of her chest. "Would you like some... help?" The thought of going any closer to the dog made her skin curl, but she could handle being around Sina's dog, so this was no different than that... right?

[Tobias Xayarath]

Tux wanted to agree to the offer of help - It'd certainly make things easier, with Fred being so fidgety. But there was hesitation in the girl's voice, and the pony wasn't happy about the situation either. "Only if you're comfortable, and Pyre is willing to stand around nearby." He paused, thinking, "I can loop his leash around his face, if you'd like." He did so, forming a crude head halter, which held the dog's mouth just a touch. Enough to be reassuring, he hoped.

[Cara-Jean Kitchi]

Cara nodded her head, holding back the shudder that wanted to run through her. "Pyre is reacting to me, Sir, she will ground-tie nicely." She said honestly as she slipped from the saddle, untied the rope from around the mare's neck, grabbed some bailing twine from the saddle bag and tying it around the ring on the headcollar and then clipping the leadrope to that, should the mare take off and stand on the rope, the twine would snap, and the Irish martingale would stop the rains from falling over her head.

She shook her head to the idea of the leash being around the dog's muzzle. "He wouldn't..." She licked her lips as she approached. "He wouldn't be on campus if he were dangerous." And the dog was already injured so she didn't want to add insult to injury. "What... what would you like me to do?" She could feel herself shaking, but she'd said she would help, and help she would. She just needed to get out of her head.

[Tobias Xayarath]

Tux nodded at the girl's reassurance - More for herself, it seemed - and let the leash drop. Now was probably not a good time to point out that injury could test even the best-tempered dog, and he doubted Fred was that badly injured. He paused, considering which end she would probably rather handle, and then decided he would rather check the dog's leg. "Would you mind holding his head? He likes being scratched here." He demonstrated, cradling the dog's head and then scratching along the dog's ear.

After that, he moved away from his head and towards the dog's leg, running a hand along the dog's back as he went.

[Cara-Jean Kitchi]

Cara nodded her head, a little too quickly as she had to blink away the spots that danced across her vision, and knelt down beside the dog. "Hi." She greeted the dog as she steeled herself and moved into the position the man had been moments before, cradling the dog's head and scratching along the ear.

Not wanting to allow herself to get lost in her thoughts, she quietly began the French version of Castle on a Cloud, which was called Mon Prince Est En Chemin Déjà (my prince is on the way). Not only did the song stop her thoughts from returning to the past, and trapping her there, it also meant that she had to breathe properly.

[Tobias Xayarath]

Tux waited a moment, watching Cara and Fred for a brief moment before he shifted towards the dogs' leg and started manipulating it, testing it for pain. As he worked, he kept a close eye on the dog's head and facial expression, but after he'd completed a basic range of motion test, he frowned and dropped the dog's leg, "Nothing."

He stepped back and then nodded at Cara, "Thank you, Cara. You can let him go." He paused, "He probably just stepped funny and I overreacted. Thank you for your help in reassuring me of that, though."

[Cara-Jean Kitchi]

Cara's fingers subconsciously worked in circled on the canine's ears, as well as the song, it gave her something to think about, and ear work was great on stressed out horses, so why not dogs as well?.

Her brows shot up at the news and her fingers stilled as she released the dog from her hold, running a hand along the dog's back before she stepped away. She shook her head at his thanks. "I would have done the same had he been any other animal." And that was the truth, it was just the dog thing that had held her back. She shook her head, not wanting to think about that right now. "I'm pleased that he is uninjured. He could have got the canine equivalent of a stone bruise?" The pads on their feet were that sensitive, right? She didn't know, she dealt with what her ponies were afraid of, not her own fears.

[Tobias Xayarath]

Tux smiled at the girl's brushing away, "Yes, but I still appreciate you taking the time." He paused at her question, "Could be." They would probably never know. He took the leash and looked at the dog, "No more rollicking around if you're going to hurt yourself, though, bud." He turned to Cara, "So, were you heading to town? Hopefully we didn't hold you up too much."

[Cara-Jean Kitchi]

"You could teach him to sit on the horse behind you." She had seen pictures of cattle dogs sitting, or lying, on the back of the horses at the end of a long drive.

She shook her head to the question. "I enjoy this trail, because it is quieter than the others." She walked over to where Pyre had gone to eat the fresh green grass growing at the foot of a tree. "You could use some arnica and peppermint oil on her foot when you get home." She spoke without really thinking about it. "The arnica will help with any bruising and the peppermint will sooth and cool." She had an ointment in her locker in the tack room that she rubbed on her ponies after long schooling sessions and shows.

[Tobias Xayarath]

Tux chuckled at that idea, "That'd involve finding a horse to be okay with him sitting on them." He still only rode occasionally - The calm, older horses that the school owned. He just preferred working with the foals and keeping his feet firmly on the ground, thank you.

He nodded at the girl's response, "It is a less-traveled trail." He hadn't really seen anyone else on it. He took Cara's advice with a nod, although he didn't plan on following it - He wasn't a big follower of the homeopathic remedies, and if Fred was fine, Fred was fine. "I will consider it." He shifted the dog's lead to his hand and raised a hand to wave at the girl, "Enjoy the rest of your ride, Cara. I'll see you in class."

[Cara-Jean Kitchi]

Cara nodded, as she knew that neither of her mounts, or really any of the ponies she rode at the Academy, would stand for having a predator lying across their back.

She enjoyed the peacefulness of the trail, as it wasn't often that she came across anyone, and was less likely to be pulled into a conversation that she didn't want to carry or listen to someone else talk for the sake of filling the silence.

She returned his wave and nodded. She would miss his classes when the year came to an end, and miss playing with foals. She vaulted into the saddle when they were alone again and squeezed the mare forward.