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!.
"dids you bring my dad?" Logan's expression became apologetic as he shook his head, "I'm sorry sweetie, he wasn't there, but I promise to get him as soon as we get you home." He rubbed her back sympathetically, trying to be a good enough substitute for her currently unsuspecting father. "i dont's feel bwave." He rubbed her back again in a soothing manner, kissing her gently on the forehead. "You have been very brave, I wish I was as brave as you," He kept a watchful eye on Kalona, but the desperate run over seemed to have settled his temper for a moment and instead his ears and eyes twitched to the surroundings, uninterested in attempting to eat the children. "t-there hurts." He nodded seriously, "Okay, we can patch that up in no time when we get back," He was feeling better to know that she was just a little banged up but nothing serious.
He didn't want Chance to feel interrogated, but he was hoping that it might keep his mind busy to try and remember, and sometimes it was easier to remember whilst it was fresh. "it .. it was white and yellow?" Logan nodded, listening to him, "it wasn't bigger than kye.." He nodded again, "Okay, that's great bud, it narrows it down a lot." He smiled encouragingly - it was true, plenty of people had Shepard types or black or chocolate labs, or spaniels. If it was smaller than a colour and yellow and white, there weren't a lot of them around. Logan's eyebrows furrowed when he felt Chance flinch, hesitating as to whether he should retract his hand but deciding not to - he needed to know that the touch was okay, that it was harmless; one of comfort not pain. "no i .. i could have done something. i could have scared the dog away .. tried to grab it." He was already shaking his head, "No, you couldn't - nobody could have bud. Animals are quicker than we are, especially when hyped up. Even me or your uncles would have been in the same situation. You did everything right." They had all been there, and sometimes there was just nothing that could be done to stop it.
"you'll tell uncle l-leo i'm sorry right, i .. i didn't mean for t-this to happen to maya." Logan deflated a little, feeling a pang of sorrow for his worry. "Oh mate, Leo won't hold anything against you," He knew that for sure. Leo might be protective but he didn't go around pointing fingers at defenseless kids; especially of his own blood. "He might go after the dog's owners but he won't be out for your blood, I can promise you that." He gave a small chuckle to try and lighten the mood. He stuck by his side, trying to inspect the cut without making it worse or hurting him. "i think i l-landed on a rock. i d-don't think they're broken though.. just s-sore." Logan nodded though worry panged of course; he needed Chance to get checked out before he relaxed. Maya too, but he wanted to be sure about the head wound mostly - it could be a concussion more than the cut being an issue. He glanced between the kids and the horse in his hands and made his decision. "Alright, I'm going to put you two up onto Kalona, and we'll head back to the yard." He wasn't sure if Kalona would support his weight behind them and he'd rather not chance it; they'd be walking back to the yard but the youngsters were injured and he didn't want them to have to walk back. "I'll pop Maya up in front and then just boost you up behind, okay bud?" He asked, just incase Chance really didn't want to. After all, they knew Kalona and were told to keep away, he was not a child's ride. But he wasn't small, and Logan knew him well - he would take them home safe.
"i want to put money on two minutes, especially since lily just walked out with more meat." Logan chuckled at that and pretended to flip open a pad and pretend to write this down. "Anymore takers on two minutes?" He asked with a small grin. Logan reached down to ruffle Kye's ears again as more of his family settled down with them. They had a collection of garden chairs in their corner, arranged so they could still enjoy the sun as it slowly went down and keep an eye on the kids as they ran ragged. They would hopefully all be tired for the night and sleep well - he could see Chance zipping in and out helping keep them entertained and his heart warmed to see how well he'd relaxed into the family.
"he doesn't have the attention span to be a chef." Logan craned his neck up to look at Ranger when he moved past and came to sit beside him, Thatcher peacefully in his arms. "a child sure, but not a chef." He snorted at that and shook his head. "Careful now he'll come after you with the tongs for that kind of comment," He joked, though even Leo wouldn't call himself a chef by any means- meat was about all his skill point, it was himself or mostly Lily that had the hand for cooking in the family. "though i'm not itching to end up in hospital again, so i wouldn't mind if leo took over the BBQ." Logan grinned and shook his head slightly. "I think we'll be alright; just check the chicken," He winked, though he trusted Luke enough to at least get BBQ right.
Of course his voice had carried, "logan .. even you? my bestest buddy?" Logan gave a hearty laugh as his comment was overhead and he turned in his chair to give Luke a cheeky grin, "I had to go with the majority and... I'm sorry dude but I was there that time you tried to make tuna pasta bake. I still have nightmares," He shuddered and then grinned to show he was just messing. Seeing Chance coming his way he smiled, "hey bud, you giving your uncle Luke a hard time too?"
"alright, true," He kept that sterner look on him until he was sure it made the right impression. Sometimes Ranger was just that little bit too free-spirited and easy going. There was a time and place to allow people to worry and fuss; it meant looking after yourself. "might not be the best choice of words." He hummed an agreement at that. Logan was not one keen to mess with fate given the things that had happened to them over the years - everything else aside, if Ally's death had taught him anything it was to never mess with fate, and to always appreciate people whilst they were there with you.
He tilted his head slightly as the babies cry reached them once more, interrupting his thoughts like a spear. Considering his and Ranger's inability to have kids naturally, it was a bitter sweet sound to hear. Knowing that he would never be in that situation, never hear his child's first cry, the first testing of their lungs. Logan was aware they could look to adopt, and he hoped that with his experience and everything else he might be lucky, but he knew their family history was not the best and it could stick a potential spanner in the works. It was something him and Ranger had discussed, but not for a little while, and he wondered if it might be something worth bringing up again, so they could see how realistic their options were.
"well i wouldn't complain if they did spike it, but i promise i don't have those floaty out of this world feelings right now." Logan gave a small smile, "Ah, that's a shame. I was going to see if I could tap a vein for myself," He joked back, coming back a little from his worry - perhaps it would help him chill out a little if he did. "well maybe we should go back to my place till he forgets about it." Logan frowned slightly at that, he often forgot about Ranger's until he woke up and found the other side of his bed empty and cold. "Remind me why you still have that again?" He knew that he could move out of the house technically - it was by proxy Lily's house, and some people would wonder why he would want to live there with her family and Leo's, but it made sense. He had always been with his siblings, and with them all working at the yard it felt silly to look at moving away. The house was big enough to keep them all anyway.
He smiled as Maya came running over with a loud "uncle logan!" Arms held upright for him to reach for her - it was obvious what she wanted. He didn't need to tell her to take it easy though, his mouth opening to warn her with Kalona but she was already slowing as she reached them. He wasn't Logan's first choice for this but he was glad he'd come straight out, his eyes assessed them both rapidly, catalouging every cut, every scrape, every movement. He forced himself to calm, ignoring his inner turmoil of worry so that he could appear calm and in control. "Hey Mays, I got you don't worry." He reached down to scoop her up with one arm, shifting her carefully onto his left hip and keeping Kalona on his right.
"You're being so brave," He said softly, clucking to the horse for him to walk forward toward Chance so Logan could check him too. "Does anything hurt?" He asked her, she may have run over but adrenaline was a good way to hide the pains and aches. His gaze turned to Chance, looking a little unsteady. He had already seen the cut on his forehead and though it was bloody, luckily it looked to be stemming already which meant it might not need stitches. Head wounds were horrific - they bled like a massacre but were often easy fixes; most of the time. He noticed everything, the hand to the ribs, the slight shaking, as Chance stepped forward. "this dog.. it came out of nowhere." Logan couldn't help but frown. "Did you see what kind of dog it was?" He asked. Dogs and walkers were permitted on the trails, but as they were private property there were strict rules to ensure that horses were given right of way at all times, and that any dogs were to be kept on leads if they were unable to recall correctly. He might be able to find out who owned it if he knew the dog.
"it .. i think it bit rocky cause he freaked and bolted and he ran into that tree trying to get away .. that's when i fell and they were gone." Logan looked back and then nodded, the horse would have gone for home, he was a solid pony and he'd be okay, he had faith. "i don't know if it bit pancho but maya fell too .." He reached out to touch Chance's shoulder gently. "Hey, it's okay, you did the right thing." There wasn't much even an adult could have done in that situation. His hand raised to Chance's cheek gently. "The same question to you, what hurts? And be honest," He said softly, not wanting Chance to try to downplay anything. With Maya still comfortably in his arms he bent down to draw Chance into a hug with his free arm. "I'm here now, you're safe okay?"
Logan clucked to Kalona as the horse hesitated beneath him, unsure whether to trust his rider. "Go on," He encouraged the black stallion, making a further clucking noise to urge him forward without too much pressure applied from his legs. Kalona appreciated good co-ordination between hand and leg but his favoured support was from the seat and verbal commands - too much leg and the horse would throw himself away from it, be it forwards or sideways - too much hand and the horse would throw himself up to evade. It was tough work to find the balance but once you did, the horse was the best he'd ever ridden - ridiculously responsive, felt like the supple flowing of a river, it was incredible - he'd never felt anything like it.
He normally didn't keep his phone on him with Kalona, it was best not to have any distractions, and noises like the ringing of a phone would often upset him. He'd left it on vibrate for now, but even the buzz was enough to make Kalona snort and throw his head, tension running along his neck and back as he hollowed, ears flicking back to listen to the sound. Logan murmured to him and ran a hand over his neck, settling him a little and easing him back to a walk so he could answer his call. He frowned as he saw Chance's name flash up on his screen, it wasn't often he called and a flash of unease shot though him. "dad? there's been .. i mean i .. i lost rocky. we both fell .. on the forest trail. maya's okay." Panic, a clear bolt of it at the words. "Are you okay?" He asked, firstly that was most importantly. The horse would make his way home and Chance had already said Maya was okay.
"Stay calm, I'm coming to get you. How far along on the forest trail roughly?" He asked, clamping down on his worry he had to stay calm for his son, so that he didn't worry. "Don't worry I won't be long, Rocky will come home." He knew Chance would start to worry once he calmed a little, but so long as he wasn't hurt Logan could get them home without the need for an ambulance. "I'm coming, son, just hold on. Everything will be fine." He promised, and it felt awful hanging up on him but he couldn't handle Kalona with the phone to his ear. "Time to prove yourself a little bud," He muttered to the horse - he wouldn't get a car down there, and he didn't want to waste time swapping horses. So, he reached down carefully to open the gate from above. He didn't rush the horse, but he wasn't as calm as usual - for once Kalona seemed to understand that this was important, and his head lowered, he turned on his hocks neatly to swing the school gate open, and then he leapt away beneath Logan's hands as he encouraged the horse straight on into a canter, directing him to the forest trail.
The horse opened his stride and though Logan's worry pounded in time to Kalona's hooves a tiny part of his head marveled at what a horse this was, smooth, sleek and sure footed he flew along the trail without so much as a stumble, flying over a couple of fallen logs in his way. It felt like the horse almost enjoyed himself, and almost didn't pull up when Logan spied the kids sat just off from the edge of the trail, waiting. Both seemed to be okay from his rapid cautionary glance, "thank you," He breathed as he settled Kalona and then leapt off - the stallion threw his head at that and jittered a little but didn't pull away as Logan tugged him carefully over to the kids. "Hey, I'm here, what happened?"
"if i frustrate you, guess that means i fit in with the family." He blinked. Well damn, he couldn't really fault that logic - his family frustrated him most days, though some more than others. "You don't need to take from their example, you know." He answered after a moment. "last one, i promise." Logan fixed him with another stern look, though it was all born of a place of worry and he knew Ranger knew that - he just couldn't figure out why Ranger hadn't told him, and he had to admit there was a tiny bit of hurt there too for the fact he hadn't been told what was going on.
He dipped onto the bed carefully, not wanting to jostle anything; plus having come in his yard clothes he was a bit concerned about making a mess. "oh yeah. all you need is an axe slung over your shoulder." Logan gave a small chuckle at that - relenting a little but touching the hand on his cheek gently. "no drugs, just water. so if i'm crazy it's all me." Logan shook his head slightly, not believing it. "cross my heart and hope to die." Logan sighed, "let's not use those words and tempt fate, shall we?" His brow furrowed at the loud cry of a baby, making good use of it's lungs down the hall. "I'm not sure about lumberjack, I think your fluids might be spiked," He sighed and shifted carefully on the bed. "so on a scale of one to leo, how mad was he that he needed to go instead of you?" Logan thought back to his brother's face and gave a half shrug, "I'd say it was Lily's 'someone hasn't changed the toilet roll' on the scale, but he understood when he realised why."
"i call this .. better than before?" Logan let out a heavy sigh, exasperated and a little frustrated, running a hand over his weary face as he felt at least some of the tension release. Well, clearly Ranger was well enough to be talking and back chatting him, so he wasn't on his death bed. But it still wasn't a particularly nice call to receive so out of the blue. "That's not funny," He said, still not quite ready to smile yet. He might not have the quick fire temper his siblings had, but he did get irritated, the same as any person, and his concern and worry ran deep, making it harder to pull him out of his moods than other people.
He gave his hand a squeeze, as if to check that everything really was okay. "you know making light of it is what i do best." He felt the returning squeeze and his expression softened a little. "I know, but you shouldn't. It's very frustrating." In case Ranger couldn't already tell. "i'm sorry. i am." Logan fixed him with a look but he softened just that little bit more, allowing himself to be tugged to the bed he was careful where he sat, mindful of the wires and of taking up too much of the space. He might not be broken but Ranger was sill clearly unwell.
"i promise, next time i'll let you know sooner and i'll let you be my knight in shining armour, though i really am digging the lumberjack look. but on the plus side, once this drips done you'll be able to take me home." Logan rolled his eyes and looked down at himself. "I look like a lumberjack?" He glanced to the drip currently feeding his other half, "What drugs did they give you?" and he was only half joking too. "Did they honestly say you could leave after or are you trying to placate me again?"
Logan frowned at the scream, and straightened up, dropping the item he'd been holding and dusting off his hands. He turned toward the source of the noise, seeing a young girl and presumably her father and immediately heading over. On his way, his eyes sought out his son, making sure he was okay as his habit always was, and then he sought out his siblings, concern growing the closer he got - and then he saw the object in hand. A pretty well preserved Seven Oaks jumper. His brows pulled low over his eyes as he looked at it. "Where was this found?" He assumed in the rubble somewhere, but perhaps it had been left by a visitor.
"that's tripps ... isn't it? tripp callahan?" Logan looked over to Chance and then back to the jumper. He knew Tripp mostly by reputation, he had the same penchant for trouble that Leo had. But he didn't think he would be the type to get involved in something so serious. "but why would it be here? Does this Tripp person come to BA a lot?" He glanced to the woman who had spoken and then shared a concerned look with Lily. "I imagine he would have friends here?" He supplied, though he couldn't say he knew the young lad well enough to confirm.
He fixed Ranger with a look that was a mixture of concern and frustrated, looking down on his other half who almost seemed to cower a little - a part of Logan thought 'good', that he knew he was wrong to have tried to hide this, but the other half of him felt guilty. This was likely why Ranger hadn't wanted to tell him. But how could he not? He could have driven him in, or come home to look after him, or done something, rather than just be dumbfounded to receive a call that his boyfriend was in hospital on a drip. It had to be bad to have gotten to that point. "because how else would i get to see you bust in here all rugged, handsome and worried looking?" Logan sighed, deflating a little as he rushed to his bedside. "Ranger.." he started, though he didn't exactly do 'angry', it was more frustration or disappointment. "This is not the way to do things." His voice lowering.
"because i was fine." His eyebrows came down over his eyes, brow furrowing slightly. "You call this fine?" He questions, glancing to the hospital set up and the drip he'd been put up on. "i'm fine. i wasn't dying, some fluids and i'm all good now." Logan reached out to take the hand that Ranger raised, threading their fingers together and squeezing gently. "It was bad enough to land you in hospital Ranger, can we please not try to make light of it. If you won't be honest with me, this makes being a couple very difficult." It was that which frustrated him mostly, he didn't like lies or half truths and at what point did it have to get so bad that Ranger would go to hospital before telling his partner he was that unwell?
Logan rolled his eyes at Leo's comment, still only halfway through his beer. "You're an ass," He didn't raise his voice too loudly, though it was far from the worst words the children would have heard in their years growing up as the Whites. He didn't really mean it either, his brother's sense of humour was not for everyone but he didn't tend to give them a choice either way. He took another sip of his beer and then rested it against his knee, watching Leo walk away and then get distracted by the BBQ. "Bets on how long it takes before he wrestles tongs out of Luke's hands?" He joked, shaking his head. His brother had a thing about BBQing, he just loved wearing the apron. Even Logan couldn't pretend to understand his brother's brain sometimes, and Leo was not exactly the most complicated of people.
He reached down with his free hand to scratch at Kye's head. The border collie was getting on in years now and though he watched Bear prancing about, much like his sister, Pixie - Lily's Merle collie - he didn't attempt to join in. He was happy to lie in the shade beneath Logan's chair and bask in the atmosphere, tail softly wagging at the touch of his owners hand. Logan had had him since arriving in Hickstead, picking him up as a pup along with his sister as a present to Lily for letting his stay on as hired help. Leo had already brought home Bear before that - without so much as a warning, picking him up abandoned from the side of the road. "I do hope Luke doesn't burn everything though," He admitted, knowing exactly how terrible a cook his best friend was.
Logan hurried into the doctor's surgery and straight up to the front desk. Unfortunately, he had been here far too many times to count and knew the layout inside out - not that it was particularly big for a hospital. Quinn had called him in a quiet moment to let him know about Ranger, not feeling that he should travel home on his own. Her worry naturally made Logan worry - his general day to day state - and he'd dropped his work for the day to come and get his boyfriend. He knew Ranger had been unwell, he'd been trying to take care of him as much as he could, though Ranger made it hard sometimes, but he hadn't known how bad it had gotten. Why Ranger didn't think to tell him and had waited until Logan was out for the day to crawl his way in was beyond him.
Given the room number where Ranger was, he picked up his pace, not even needing the directions the nurse started to offer. He was going to kill him for sneaking off like this. Logan had been going to pick a horse up today but luckily, Quinn had called before he'd left, and Lily had put the task onto Leo instead, who had been about to argue but seen the concern on Logan's face and decided against it. Logan had come straight here, still dressed in his scruffy yard clothes and wellie boots. He didn't bother to knock as he found the right room, opening it and rushing through. "Ranger," He greeting, his tone coloured with worry and a hint of frustration. "Why didn't you tell me it had gotten this bad? Are you okay?"
He grunted as they heaved a particularly large piece of beam aside, and he helped the other person carry it over to the wood pile, in awkward shuffling steps. The pile was growing - which was a good thing really. At least it meant the debris was out the way and then they could clear the wreckage and get it ready for the new barn. The site already looked a bit less of a wreck with some of the big pieces of the structure out the way. People scuttling around picking up items to bin or keep looked like giant ants as they went around fixing.
Logan let out a long breath as they dropped off that piece and went back for another, carrying over several big lumps in pairs until most of the barn was scraps and ashes. He dusted off his hands and head someone say they'd found something, and he glanced over with a raise of his eyebrows, wondering what it might be. His eyes searched for Chance again, having kept an eye on his head as he'd been moving things.
Logan arrived a little later than his siblings. He'd needed to wait on the yard for a delivery, which had timed just right for bring Chance with him who had needed to finish at school. Maybe it seemed a little odd to bring a young teenager to a wreckage but Logan thought it was an important lesson - to think of your actions and the implications before just diving in. Whoever had burned down the barn may not have thought of the consequences and the devastation - he hoped they had realised it now.
"Be careful please. No lifting anything big or trying anything silly, okay? This isn't a playground, people can still get hurt." He warned Chance - he knew the kid wasn't stupid and wouldn't take unnecessary risks, but he wanted to make sure he knew the boundaries, and he was likely to hurt himself trying to help someone that being stupid like his own brother would. He let Chance loose and went over to help with some of the aforementioned heavy lifting.
GENDER: male AGE: twenty-five D.O.B: may 30th SEXUALITY: bisexual STATUS: dating PLAY-BY: aaron bruckner HEIGHT: 6ft2 HAIR: blonde EYES: bright green
"WHEN DARKNESS COMES UPON YOU, AND"
TATTOOS: none SCARS: some from his childhood and horses DRINK: very occasionally - usually sociable settings SMOKE: nope DRIVE: ys GLASSES: reading glasses HOME: seven oak stables, main house BORN AND RAISED: london, england
"COLOURS YOU WITH FEAR AND SHAME, BE STILL"
caring, considerate, thoughtful, over-thinker, forgiving, quiet, peace-maker, pacifist, patient, romantic, keeps to himself, withdrawn at times, internalises things, open minded, observant, careful, cautious, thinks before he acts, takes a lot to get him angry, approachable, honest, hard working, obsessive at times, likes to get things right, gentle handed, rational, a worrier and often goes through the 'what ifs'
LIKES: freshly baked bread , coffee first thing in the morning , learning new things , libraries and old books , horses , getting to figure out a horses' trigger , starry nights , family evenings , reading in quiet , getting up with the dawn , detective shows , sunday walks DISLIKES: being upfront , manipulation , drunks , being forced into something , getting things wrong and making mistakes , people who blame their horses , nightclubs , heavy metal music , road ragers , movies with plot holes , cheese and onion crisps , homophobes STRENGTHS: forgiving , patience of a saint , good at problem solving , problem horses - helping them , quick learner WEAKNESSES: terrible at letting his hair down , flirting , coffee cake , withdraws into himself , saying no FEARS: that he will be a bad father , seeing his parents again , failing with a horse and being unable to help them SECRETS: feels guilty for ally's death even though it wasn't his fault
"AND KNOW THAT I'M WITH YOU, AND I WILL SAY"
STATUS IN SOCIETY: middle class OCCUPATION: part owner and instructor at seven oak stables EXPERTISE: showjumping , anxious/nervous/problem horses WEALTH: considerable PROUDEST MOMENT: coming out as gay, it was a terrifying ordeal for him to admit it following his relationship with ally, and how he had always been interested in women previously. his family were so supportive, not that he thought they wouldn't be, but it was still terrifying. MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT: too many to count, but one of the worst was leo catching him as the victim in one of his ridiculous pranks - the issue was that it happened in front of a load of people at school and they took the opportunity to taunt him about it for weeks after; until leo caught wind and shut them all up.
"YOUR NAME, IF TERROR FALLS UPON YOUR BED"
FATHER(S): marcus nick white - 48 - construction worker/lives off benefits MOTHER(S): marie samantha white - 48 - occupation unknown STEP-PARENT(S): none OTHER HALF: dating - RANGER KEEGAN REYNOLDS - 25 - medic/firefighter/dj SIBLINGS:LEONARDO SAMUEL WHITE - triplet - 25 - instructor/part owner of seven oaks LILIANA HONEY WHITE-COLE - triplet - 25 - instructor/main owner of seven oaks JAMES EDWARD WHITE - half brother - 25 - instructor/part owner of seven oaks COUSINS: ASHLEY HARMONY WHITE - 22 - vet nurse @chriswhite - 24 - stable hand/bartender AMBER ELENA WHITE - 23 - barwoman CHILDREN: adopted - chance - 13 adopted - thatcher - newborn
A rocky childhood, though there were a string of good memories throughout. Home life was relatively settled for Logan's first few years, right up until he was out of his toddler years and approaching double digits. His father was laid off work, and had to scrounge for two jobs to replace the wages he had previously been getting. His mother quickly became overwhelmed with having three children, the housework, and then having to pick up an evening job to help pay the bills - from there things began to deteriorate. Logan often kept to himself, trying to stay out the way and not make trouble for anyone. Leo was always trying to take lead, and Lily often argued with him for control, Logan was never going to step up to try and play the oldest. Their mother eventually walked before the kids were ten, up and vanishing one day with not a trace. She never contacted them again.
Left with a hell of a lot to handle, Logan's father forced responsibility onto Leo, and Leo took over most of the care of his siblings wherever possible. Helping them with school work though he wasn't the smartest of them, and packing their lunches. Lily ended up taking over the more maternal side of their lives when she saw how much Leo struggled; likely in their best interests when it came to cooking dinner. Logan spent his time keeping his head down and trying to avoid his siblings having to do anything for him, his room was ridiculously neat and tidy, he tried to help Lily with the food when he could and tried to keep his brother out of trouble, and arguing. As they neared eleven, their father finished descending his slippery slope and became a fully fledged alcoholic - lashing out with mostly his words and then eventually he brought in his fists at whichever child was closest. Leo soon learnt when the temper tantrums were coming and how best to get his siblings out of the house before they could bear the brunt of their fathers anger. They took to going to friends, and when a few years older, parties. Logan hated parties, and when he could get away with not being dragged, he went to Luke's. Sometimes, Luke dragged him out regardless but they spent a fair bit of time at his house, playing games and studying.
The only thing that came from the family that was good was the cousins. They lived over in Ireland with Leo/Lily/Logan's father's brother (their uncle) and his wife. They visited the cousins for some school holidays and sometimes they came to them, but the visits petered out when they were older, their father stopped caring, and the teens had other things going on. Amber was never part of this - unfortunately, her father - also brother to Logan's dad - did not wish to be involved with the family or have much to do with them. Logan tried asking Leo once if he'd ever heard from Amber - he had no idea how to contact her once they stopped visiting, but Leo had always been caging in his responses and Logan felt there was something there he wasn't being told.
As with his siblings, his only constant in life was horses. He worked alongside his siblings in exchange for lessons, and found his patience and gentle hand did well with the nervous horses. He spent a lot of time with some of the unbacked youngsters, even though it was some time before he got on board those types of horses. He enjoyed the variety and seeing their steady progress, and he became known for picking up the horses riddled with anxiety and nervous habits. When his brother had a sickening accident on Kalona, he spent time with the animal, seeing what the fall had done to the horses' mentality. It was the cause of many arguments later when Leo claimed the horse was dangerous, but Logan refused to give up on him, eventually buying him for next to nothing to work on him in their own time.
Logan didn't dream about getting out, he thought that was his lot in life, and he tried to keep out of his father's way. He wanted to finish school and college and go off to a good university. That was his plan, and his way of 'getting out'. Leo began to stay out more as they got older, and Logan's head retreated into his books and his studies, turning away the opportunities to party. When Lily was gifted the stables, Logan refused to go. He didn't want to take it as charity, it felt like a cop out. He tried to get Leo to go with Lily, caring for their safety, but he refused to leave. Logan was frustrated, he was the quiet one but he was not a baby and did not need sitting. It all came to a head one evening when Leo went out on the promise from Logan that he was going to Luke's - he wasn't. He wanted to finish a project at home, the same night their father was on a particularly bad bender. Leo returned home to find Logan beaten half to death. Without Logan's consent, Leo got him so drunk he had no idea what was going on, packed their bags and took them down to Lily's new home.
He resented it at first, his hard work at college was lost, considered as a drop out as it was impossible to transfer without his father's consent at the time. He eventually found that he didn't need to finish his college degrees, and that his dream of uni faded, the horses and the yard taken over. He began to make a home for himself, and a life, and though he never thanked his brother for what he did, he stopped resenting him a long time ago.
