I Did It My Way

[Katherine Lorelia]

Kitty hummed softly to herself as she checked her girth for the final time before taking a hold on Pride's reins and leading him out into the yard, heading off in the direction of the Ridge Trail. She didn't go far, though, thinking that Cass might not know which way she'd have gone, and so instead, the blonde elected to fasten the strap of her helmet under her chin, thread a foot into a stirrup and vault neatly onto the grey's back where he stood.

Having adjusted her reins, checked the girth once more, and established herself comfortably in the saddle, the Irish girl tossed both reins lightly into one hand, the other resting on her thigh as she sat waiting. She was in no particular hurry, of course, but it was rather cold to be standing around doing nothing for any length of time, and Kitty did hope that the boy wouldn't take long.

It was bloody cold, in fact, despite the number of layers which the blonde had piled on, and she thanked God that she'd decided to put her thick socks and pants on. Carefully tightening the strap on one white leather glove, the Irish girl turned her head from one side to the other, trying to decide which kept her out of the wind.

Caspian Collins

[Caspian Collins]

Cass gave the stable hand, who seemed to hover just outside the grooming stall he had Slick in, a withering glare as he got the gelding ready for a trail ride. Sure, he had come down to the barn on his crutches today, but he was fully capable of readying his own horse. Once the studs were screwed into the gelding's shoes, he clipped his helmet under his chin and led the horse out of the barn.

Once the girth was checked, Cass led the horse over to the mounting block and swung himself into the saddle, got his right foot into the stirrup and clicked the horse into action. "Get up." He laughed as Slick did nothing more than turn his head to look at his rider. "You aren't a pampered pony, we're going on an adventure!" He laughed again as he felt the horse sigh and they made their way to the spot he had said he'd meet up with Kitty.

[Katherine Lorelia]

Kitty gave the gelding a gentle nudge, beginning to move at a gentle amble around the yard. She didn't want to let Pride get cold before they'd started, because warming up was essential before any kind of athletic activity. Although she'd considered bringing out Fee, she'd eventually decided against it; on one of the trickier trails in the winter, the mare was just too unpredictable to risk, especially when she had to think of Cass, who didn't know the area. If something went wrong, she didn't want it to be because she'd been too busy trying to control her horse.

The sound of hooves on the floor of the yard echoed off the buildings, and the blonde turned her head, grinning as she saw the boy making his way towards them. "Hey!" she called brightly. "You made it, then! Up for a challenge?"

[Caspian Collins]

"Hey." He returned the greeting. "Challenge? Why, that would be my middle name... or maybe my first name at times. I've often been referred to as a challenge." He rubbed Slick's neck as the gelding seemed to be assessing the Kitty's horse. "Don't be a snob." He muttered to the Mustang. "It's just as important for you to make friends. Plus he's a damn sight bigger than you, so now is not the time to make enemies."

[Katherine Lorelia]

The blonde grinned. "Perfect!" Herself, she also loved a challenge- there was no point in making life too easy for yourself, after all, or else it would quickly become very boring indeed. Besides, if she wanted a boring life, then she certainly wouldn't have brought herself and two horses to the other side of the world to attend a school. It wasn't as if they didn't have them in Ireland. "Well, then, I hope you're prepared, because we're going out on the rocks!"

[Caspian Collins]

Cass shrugged. "I make a habit of not preparing for anything." He said with a confident smile. "Makes life a bit more of an adventure on the way." He patted down the jacket he was wearing. "With that said though, let's just make sure that I've got my phone on me." He laughed as he located the phone in the pocket of the trackpants he had chosen to ride in that day. "Led the way, and we'll follow. This way, Slick can make sure he doesn't follow your path, if your woolly mammoth slips." He gave a cheeky grin and motioned for her to lead the way.

[Katherine Lorelia]

Kitty giggled. "Yeah, right..." she teased. "Never prepare for anything, except the things you're prepared for, right?" Admittedly, the blonde did have her own phone tucked safely away under her jacket, but that was different; that was just common sense. If someone got stuck, she certainly wanted to be able to call for help without having to ride all the way back.

"What is he saying about you, Pride?" the Irish girl gasped in mock outrage, though the grin on her face rather betrayed it. "I'll have you know that this horse is the outcome of centuries of breeding for the best." And, with a regal nod, she nudged the gelding forwards onto the trail.

[Caspian Collins]

Cass blushed and shrugged. "The number for the man who knows everything about my leg is on my phone. If anything goes wrong, he'll know the answer."He said with another shrug, and that was the real only reason he carried his phone everywhere with him.

He laughed as Kitty seemed to take offense to her horse being called a woolly mammoth. "If the size fits." He laughed. "Centuries of breeding huh? Well, Slick here probably has the same time frame of breeding into turning him into what he is too, except his ancestors were all wild." He often wondered if there was a chance that Slick had his own progeny, as he was a two year old when rounded up. "Your family breed Pride?" It was a stab in the dark, but she seemed to know a lot about the large horse's family tree.

[Katherine Lorelia]

"You mean you can't hop all the way home?" she teased, glancing back over her shoulder to shoot him a grin and a wink. "All this time I've been overestimating you, Cass. It's such a disappointment." With a melodramatic sigh, the blonde shook her head.

Rolling her eyes goodnaturedly, Kitty stuck her tongue out at the boy behind her before returning her attention to the surface in front of her- it could get tricky along here, and though she knew the path well, it never paid to get too complacent. "They did," she confirmed. "Pride, and my other horse, Fee. So, obviously, I'm their biggest advocate."

[Caspian Collins]

Cass couldn't help but laugh at her words. "Just so you know, I could easily hop the way home, or hobble beside my horse." He informed her. "There are just some things that are better dealt with at the time, rather than leaving them for later." Like if he injured himself where fake leg joined with the real tissue.

He held the reins at the buckle, giving Slick his head so that he could find the best way to follow the bigger horse. If the Mustang had been barefoot, there would be no need for studs, as this guy was from some pretty strong stock, and he was sure that he would be as surefooted as a goat, but that wasn't for him to decide, as the horse as been shod when his parents bought him. "It must be great to know their entire family tree." He rubbed Slick's neck, not knowing the gelding's past wasn't an issue.

[Katherine Lorelia]

Kitty shook her head, horrified. "Oh, I couldn't let you do that!" she exclaimed. "I'd... I don't know, but I'd think of something." She giggled. "You could sit in front of me; I'm sure my 'wooly mammoth' could cope." It wasn't as if Kitty herself was very heavy- although she probably ate more cake than she really should, there was still very little of her, really- and she often felt as though Pride was really rather wasted on her. But, being selfish as she was, she didn't intend to give him up if she could help it.

"Confusing, more often," she admitted honestly. "I could never really get my head around it. Kind of cool, though; I could probably trace Pride back to... oh, I don't know. Before World War Two."

[Caspian Collins]

Cass laughed. "Don't worry. The last time I injured my leg while riding, was the day I lost my leg." He shook his head as he pursed his lips. "And to this day, I still haven't found it." He heaved a dramatic sigh. "Guess he's wondering the woods by himself, looking for a limb to keep company."

He released a low whistle. "Impressive. I bet there aren't too many horse people who can do that, other than the Thoroughbred studs who claim to have bloodlines back to Man o' War, or something like that." He settled back in the saddle, letting Slick chose his own path as they followed the other pair.

[Katherine Lorelia]

The blonde giggled. "Well, you'd better not damage that one as well," she warned. "Otherwise... you wouldn't have a leg to stand on." It was a bad joke, she would happily admit, but, personally, she enjoyed it, and so she would not apologise. Well, not out loud, anyway.

She shrugged. "Well, my mum's a fanatic for that kind of thing, and when you grow up surrounded by it all, you just kind of... absorb it." Certainly, Kitty had no particular reason for recalling the details of any horse's lineage- she was no snob; she might firmly believe the Irish Sport Horse to be the best breed in the world without exception, but that was of no account.

[Caspian Collins]

Cass laughed at her joke, so pleased that she was already comfortable enough around him to make jokes like that! Normally it took months before people would even attempt them, and they weren't even close to being funny. "Yeah, it might actually put an end to my days as a rider." He said sagely. "If I had another major injury on horseback, I'm certain that mom would ban the very mention of horses."

He looked around as they rode along, almost wishing that he'd brought his camera along for the journey, as there were so many things that he could see that would make great photos, but he'd wait until his next trail ride before he tried the no-hands riding. "The trails must be a lot more fun in the drier months." He commented as he reached up and pulled a leaf from a low branch, laughing when he ended up creating a shower as the water fell of every other leaf and branch attached to that one.

[Katherine Lorelia]

The blonde gasped melodramatically. "We can't have that!" she exclaimed, shock evident in her tone. Although she felt rather rude, not looking at Cass as he spoke to her, the fact remained that this terrain wasn't exactly the best to ride over, and it was always a good idea to know what it was that was coming up. Though Pride was fairly surefooted, and had been over this ground many times before, one never knew what might happen, and it was always best to be alert. Kitty might act like a dumb blonde, and she would not exactly deny the charge in its entirety, but she was still quite capable of looking after herself, her horse, and anyone who might happen to ride with her.

"Oh, I don't know," Kitty returned lightly, giggling as she shook her head to clear a few water droplets which had made their way onto the ends of her loose hair. "It's a lot more exciting in the winter." Some might have preferred to call it challenging, but, so far as the Irish girl was concerned, the two things were often the same.