Welcome to Hickstead, home to both Seven Oak Stables, and Blue Acre - two rival stables. Both offer opportunities for their clients to reach the highest level of excellence. Each stable differs from the other, so choose wisely and never forget, loyalty is everything... Meanwhile as the stables battle it out, there's trouble brewing at the university. Be careful, if you don't pick a side you may get caught in the cross-fire...
This is an chilled out rpg with a super friendly and relaxed atmosphere! Remember to sign up with your characters full name in all caps and don't forget to do your claims! Thank you and Welcome, we've been established since 10th March 2009 but unfortunately have had to close guest view of our boards due to multiple sites ripping off our hard work, such a shame! Come chat to us in Discord before joining if you like!.
chance pulled rocky gently to a halt at the fork in the trail. he'd been riding for a little while and had decided to take a trail he hadn't been down before. he'd been out a few times with either of his dads and logan had showed him all the trails close to home but he'd felt like something different. it had been a little while since he'd been out on a trail on his own and the same old trails hadn't peaked his interest. plus if there was ever a horse to explore strange places on it was rocky. he was pretty solid and chance had only fallen off him twice since he'd started riding him. he generally didn't spook at things but it all depended on the situation, chance knew he wasn't totally bombproof but most of the time he came close.
he patted his neck and took the trail that looked like it would point towards home. "let's go boy." he said as he nudged the horse lightly to get him moving down the trail. it took them a little while to reach another fork in the trail. "this isn't the way back .." he said softly as he turned in the saddle a little to look at the trail they'd just ridden down. he chewed his lip a little and tried not to get worried. it wouldn't get dark for a little while so he had time to find his way home before it got really bad but there was a slight panic starting to form in the back of his mind that he was going to be late home. he didn't want to do that, he hadn't been late yet and he was worried that they wouldn't let him ride out on his own if he broke that trust they had in him. he pressed rocky on down the left fork of the trail, crossing everything he had that this would lead to a road home.
Work had been slow that day, and at lunch time Kas had received a call to say that a delivery of need dog biscuits had been delayed so after waiting another hour, will still no more activity, he had closed the store early and had come to the barn to take his gelding out for a hack, and to give Frank, his African Grey, a chance to stretch his wings.
After being out in the mountains for a couple of hours and the grey parrot now sitting on his shoulder, Kas began to make his way back to the barn, knowing that it was getting late, and the grey horse he was riding tended to get a little grumpy when he knew he should be in his stall eating dinner, and he really didn't want to be out here when it got dark.
Rounding a bend, he saw a horse and rider approaching them. He arched his eyebrows, as the other rider was more boy than man. "You might want to turn your horse around." He suggested as they got closer. "I am sure your parents wouldn't appreciate you being out here when the sun is setting." Ok, there was still time before the sun really began it's final descent, but his parents hadn't like him being out too late in the evening.
chance breathed a sigh of relief when he saw someone else on the trail. hopefully they'd be able to point him in the direction of home so he could get his butt back there before it got too dark and he got himself into some trouble. "back that way?" he said as he pointed to where he'd been coming from. he looked back over his shoulder before looking towards the man on the grey horse. "i haven't ridden this trail before and i got myself turned around." he said, a sheepish and almost embarrassed look crossing onto his face. "i was starting to wonder if i'd ever find my way home." he said with a grin as he patted rocky's neck lightly.
now he had some idea of the direction he was supposed to go so he could find his way home he let himself really look at the other man and the horse. he thought he recognised the horse but there were so many horses at his aunty's stables that he couldn't ever learn them all. he did a double take when he saw the bird sitting on the man's shoulder and he did blink a little, wondering if he was imagining things to start with. "is that a bird?" he asked.
Kas nodded to the question and then gave a warm smile - he didn't find it as difficult to be around children, as they didn't seem to judge adults the way other adults did, which made it easier to interact with them. "I've discovered that getting turned around on these trails is very easy to do." He said. "Any of the trails, really, not just this one." He didn't bother with platitudes of someone would come looking if you didn't return, or the likes, as he felt they wouldn't be welcomed, and often came off as condescending and belittling.
He laughed at the next question, and winced a little as Frank puffed his chest out, digging his claws into the man's shoulder, and flapped his wings. "Bird? Where?" The African Grey asked. "I'm Frank." Kas rolled his eyes. "I think he is a little species-confused." He said as he shook his head. "I'm Kas, this is Wildfire, and as the bird said, he's Frank." He figured that if they were going to be riding in the same direction together, it was best to get introductions out of the way, and cued the gelding to walk forward, which jolted the Westphalian out of his doze and the gelding arched his neck with his ears pricked forward, once again alert and ready to go.
"i know the trails really close to the barn cause my dad showed me but i haven't been out this far yet." he said as he chewed his lip and leaned forward as rocky tossed his head, seeming to agree. "looking back it wasn't the best choice." he said, his grin a little sheepish as he patted his horses neck. he was a little more relaxed now there was someone who could show him the way home. when the bird on the man's shoulder started to talk, chance was a little surprised. he'd only ever heard birds talk in movies or in pet stores. he knew they could do it but he'd never really had the chance to see it up close and when he'd seen it in passing the only words he'd ever heard birds say was 'hello'.
he nodded a little as kas introduced himself and he looked down at rocky. "i'm chance and this is rocky." he said as he looked back up at wildfire. "i've seen your horse around the barn." he said with a light smile. he hadn't known the animals name though. he was only allowed to help with the family horses so he didn't really interact with the boarders horses unless he was helping his dad. "my dad owns a bit of the barn so i'm there a lot." he said, chewing his lip a little in case it sounded weird that he'd been at the barn a lot. he still usually worried about what people thought and he didn't want anyone to question why he was there.
Kas pulled a face and shrugged. "A little adventure is never a bad thing." He told the boy with a smile. "And now you've come this far, you could go a little further next time. I'm sure your horse would have got you home if I hadn't been on this trail, they don't tend to get lost like we do."
He gave a warm smile as the boy returned introductions. "It's good to meet you, Chance." He rubbed Wildfire's neck. "He's not exactly shy about showing himself off." The horse was a little vain, and got upset when ignored. He nodded at the news about the boy's father. "As long as you also like horses, seems a great place to hang out." After all, he'd spent most of his waking hours with the horses he rode when he'd become a Dimitriou. "Most of my time is spent at the pet shop, which is how I ended up with Frank here." The trail was getting darker as the sun sank some more, causing Kas to shiver slightly as the trail seemed to a little more narrow than it had before. "I'd suggest we pick up the pace a little to get back before it is dark."
chance grinned a little and reached down to pat rocky's neck lightly. "yeah, he's always thinking about what he can eat next." as if to prove chance's point the horse lowered his head and started pulling at the sparse grass that was growing through the rocks on the path. he nodded a little when kas said it was good if he liked horses. he hadn't really had anything to do with them before he'd moved here so he was glad that he liked them now. "i like them now." he said as he managed to pull rocky's head up from the ground.
"you work in a pet store? that's so cool!" he said, getting a little excited. he'd always walked past the pet store and looked in the windows excitedly. he'd never had a pet before in his life before he'd come to live with logan and ranger. now he could claim rocky as his own, even though really he was rangers, and he had his dog z.
he'd left him at home this trail because he was still learning to come and chance knew it was bad if there was a dog on the trail who didn't listen. "yeah, they'll have noticed already that i'm not back yet.." he was late and he knew it. he also knew that they wouldn't be mad at him for it but it was an ingrained fear of his.
Kas chuckled "I think we can all be a bit like that, at times." He said, letting the reins slip through his hands as Wildfire wanted to check out the grass too. If it was interesting enough for the other horse, there had to be something to look at. "I was almost seventeen when I discovered horses." He said softly as he collected his reins again, not trusting Wildfire to take off once he discovered he has his head. "And, even though I was in riding lessons with children quarter my age, I'm glad I stayed at it." He rubbed his gelding's neck. "if for nothing else, they're great listeners."
He smiled and nodded. "You don't have to be buying anything if you just want to come and have a look around." He offered. "The fish are always trying to find new ways to rearrange their tanks." Some mornings he was sure that the ornaments in the tanks had moved from where they had been the night before.
"Land ahoy!" Frank stated as he flew back and landed on the top of Kas' helmet, and squawked as his feet slipped on the surface and he slid off. Kas coughed back a curse as the parrot's claws found purchase in his arm, though pleased it was his skin and not that of the horse. "We must be close to the yard then." He said with a laugh as Frank released a few inappropriate words toward the man's helmet. "It's not going to fight you. You can stop with the insults." He looked at Chase again. "Just be honest when we get back." He advised. He'd learned with the Dimitrious that honestly was always the best policy. "There's a big difference between losing your way, and losing track of the time." Once was unintentional, the other was just careless.
chance hadn't had anything to do with horses really until he'd come to live with the whites. he'd been more than a little scared of the animals but with introductions and lessons he'd come a long way. "i didn't ride till i got here a few years ago." he wasn't great yet but he could hold his own on a push button horse like rocky. that's not to say that he didn't have his moments, they were just a lot less dramatic than some of the things other horses liked to throw at their owners. "well rocky seems more interested in food than in listening." he joked as he patted the horses neck.
"no promises. my dog likes to destroy his toys so he's always in need of more." z was still a pup and his teeth liked to bite everything he was allowed to and sometimes things he wasn't. though chance had saved him from chewing on lily's shoes once, he hadn't been able to save him from chewing on leo's. but as much as leo was loud, he was mostly all bluff. at least when it came to being angry at the kids in the house. "what kinds of fish do you have?"
he was distracted by frank as he flew down and landed on the other mans helmet. he couldn't help but grin and be amused by the sight of the large bird trying to get a grip. though he winced in sympathy when those giant claws gripped onto kas's shoulder. "i don't think he believes you." he said with a smile as he gathered rocky's reins a little more to get his attention. "they won't be mad, i know that." he said as he nudged rocky down the train gently. "but i don't like letting them down or worrying them."
Kas nodded. "I'd never been near a horse before I was adopted." He said with a shrug... in the sense of the word, the Dimitrious had adopted him, and he'd been no help in tracking down his birth parents as he had no memories of them. "I think food trumps listening, no matter what species you are."
He chuckled, thinking of all the antics the pups he often got in to adopt out got into. Nothing ever seemed to remain in one piece when they all decided to gang up on a toy. He pursed his lips in thought at the question. "We have angelfish, some tetras, your average goldfish, though calling them average is wrong as there are so many different kinds of goldfish these days. We also have catfish, barbs, mollies, and recently got a couple of axolotl, which seem quite popular with the younger customers."
Kas nodded as the boy spoke of his parents, seeing a lot of himself in the child. "I think they'll just be happy to see you back in one piece, and they didn't need to send a search party out for you." He said with a soft smile as he too got his horse's attention, the gelding groaning as he moved away from the grass, as though it was the last thing he was going to get to eat in a while. "Poor starved creature." He laughed as he flicked some of the gelding's mane back onto the correct side. "No one would believe that you get fed twice a day and have free-range of the grass in between." He guessed he was lucky that Wildfire was an easy-keeper, and didn't put too much weight on when he did eat more than he was exercised.
he'd been adopted? for some reason that surprised chance. it wasn't like he hadn't known other people who'd been adopted. riley had pretty much been adopted by the white family but it still felt a little like he had to prove that he was worth their time. even though everything was official and he knew he was one of them, he still felt like he needed to do more. "i was adopted too." he said, not trying to spark a conversation about it but not opposed to one either.
he listened to the fish as kas rattled them off and he blinked a little, again not sure why it surprised him but he wasn't aware there was that many types of fish a person could have. "i wonder if i could convince my dads to get me a fish tank .." he wondered out loud as he tugged lightly on rocky's reins in order to get him to lift his head to stop eating the grass so they could get home before the sun rose again in the morning.
"they will be. although i think they know i'm pretty safe with rocky." he said as he leaned down a little to pat the horses neck. he wasn't without vices but he tended to be calmer than most of the horses at the barn, only really blinking and reacting when something really startled him. "didn't you know? all horses are starved." he said with a laugh as he nudged his heels against rocky's sides, silently thanking god when the horses walked forward rather than putting his head down again.
Kas' brows rose as the boy said he was also adopted, and the man was hesitant to say more, as there was so much about his own past that this boy didn't need to know, but he would have been only a few years older than Chance when he was found. "I was in a pretty dark place before my parents found me. I probably wouldn't be here today, if not for them."
He gave a small smile at the rhetorical question. "Do your research, write up a business plan of everything you need for the fish you want, and present it to them. If nothing else, they will respect the work you have done, and may help in convincing them that you are mature enough to take on the task." People got the funny idea that a fish was a great 'first pet' for a child, and didn't think of all the responsibility that came with looking after that fish.
He smiled as he glanced over at the boy's mount, his sudden change of attention causing wildfire to toss his head into the air. "Settle you." He chuckled as he rubbed his gelding's neck. He laughed along with Chance and shook his head. "I'm sure that's what they would all like us to think. Don't start!" He quickly said as he felt Frank move. "So hungry." The bird whimpered, wing over his beak, before he dropped to the side and landed on the ground in a heap. "You had to fall down." The man huffed, not even bothering to slow Wildfire down. "You're all dirty now, an just after you finished preening yourself earlier." He gave the boy a grin. "Fish are a much better option to feathered bird-brains over there."
he listened to kas as he spoke about being adopted and he couldn't help but feel a little more at ease. he'd been in a pretty dark place too when he'd been found by logan in the kitchen of the house. "i know how that goes." he said quietly as he stared at the space between rocky's ears. "my dad found me breaking into their house to look for food .. and they didn't let me leave." he smiled a little as he thought of the feeling it gave him to think they'd kept him. this little pile of trouble who'd tried to take something from them and they'd kept him. "i owe them everything." he said even softer than before as he reached down to pat rocky's neck lightly. for some reason it was nice to talk to someone about it. someone who would understand. he knew that logan and ranger would tell him that he didn't owe them anything but he didn't think they could understand. it seemed that kas might though.
"and if that doesn't work, i'll just convince my cousin maya she needs one and she'll beg my uncle leo for one and he'll get it for her." he was joking of course. he wouldn't use maya like that. of course he knew without a doubt that she would do the exact same thing to him to get her own way but he didn't mind that. there was something about his younger cousins that just made it really hard to say no to them. "birds too apparently." he said as he watched the bird fall to the ground dramatically. he couldn't help but laugh at the sight of him and he had to bite his lip to stop from laughing so loud, lest it scare the horses. "i'd love a bird but i think we have too many dogs. plus Z likes to chase chickens." he was currently trying to train that out of his pup with his dads help but it was work in progress.
Kas gave a soft smile. He didn't often talk of his life before the Dimitrious, and even then he glossed over it as best he could, as he'd prefer to think that that's when his life started, though people expected something to have happened in the years before that, and he never wanted to talk about any of that, so he allowed people to believe that he had been in the foster system, and had a lot of really bad home, which was pretty close to the truth. "My parents found me in an alley. I was trying to hide after running away." A silent, terrified, bundle of skin and bone who had no idea who he was or where he had come from. He gave the boy another smile. "That feeling will always be there." He said, he always felt that he needed to pay Lason and Sara back for everything they had done for him, but he knew that it would never happen, and they'd never accept it. "It took lots of years, but I learned that love is priceless, and unconditional." Learning that he didn't have to pay for everything he was given had been a long lesson, but he eventually understood that his new parents did the thing they did because they wanted to, not because they wanted something in return.
He laughed. "A young entrepreneur, I like it!" He could tell the boy was joking, but he saw it in the children who came into the pet store, conspiring amongst each other how they would convince their parents that they needed a particular animal. Kas shook his head at Frank, the bird was made to be a star, and felt that he was wasted spending all his days in the store, maybe he should ask his dad if he knew anyone in the film business that could use a dramatic bird. "Does the dog chase the chickens, or try and herd them?" He asked. As strange as it sounded, the herding instinct was born into some dogs and they just couldn't help themselves when the opportunity arose for them to use that inborn skill, and often it led to dogs harassing the likes of chickens or ducks.
chance had to think a bit when kas asked him if the dog tried to chase the chickens or herd the chickens. he'd never really paid all that much attention to it, he'd just always tried to stop it as soon as it started because he didn't want his dog to be responsible for chomping on a chicken. "i think it's chasing. there's not really a reason to it. he just gets excited and runs from bird to bird." he didn't think it was herding at least, he'd seen them on tv and stuff and it just seemed like the dog was having fun. he reached down to pat rocky's neck lightly as they walked, taking in the changing colours of the sky as the sun started setting off in the distance. he did know that they'd be glad he wasn't on the trail alone but he still couldn't help but picture logan waiting for him at the doors of the barn. "got anything in your shop that might stop him?"
