After the orientation and amazing performance by Dakotah and Talutah, I left the building as fast as possible to avoid my grandmother. Walking the perimeter, I find a stable and pasture beyond the rink's parking lot. Everything separated by a dark red fence. When I neared the stables, a building that was two-storeys tall with white paint and a blue roof, I saw at least five horses milling about. Two were Chestnuts, one was white, another grey—and my favorite—was the black and white pinto with a tobiano pattern. The horse looked part Arabian, according to my experience as a horse-hand on my friend's ranch.
Reaching the fence, I casually lean against it, the wood nice and sturdy under my weight. Staring at the horses, I felt calmer, more relaxed. Seeing my grandmother at the rink had stressed me out big time. She expected so much from me and by not attending the full orientation, I feel like I've already let her down—even though I hated her guts, she managed to make me feel like I owed her something. By enrolling me into this school, I knew she had ensnared me in her web of zealous ambition.
I also couldn't believe what she wanted me to do, especially after that brother-sister performance. How was I to compete against that? With at least fifteen years of nonstop skating? Sure, I've skated since I was five, but I took a break and started skateboarding around the time my mom passed. Was I up for this? This seemingly impossible task? I started stressing out again from the path my thoughts were heading.
The horses must've sensed it too, considering all but the pinto walked towards a safer part of the pasture: away from a nervous wreck like me. The pinto didn't seemed bothered by it, just remained where it was, with ears forward and staring right at me. Looking at the horse, "Hey there."
One ear twitched. So I kept talking, "How's the—" taking a quick glance at it's anatomy, "good boy doing?" The horse snorted then and I wondered if he thought I was another human pervert since I did a basic "head-to-toe" look-over. Of course, that was one voiced random thought of many, and I must be going crazy if I think the horse actually glared at me. However, I talked to him for a good part of the afternoon. The creature getting closer as some trust developed. About three hours had passed before he had walked from the left side of the fence to the front. He now stood three feet away and was listening soundly, his calm demeanor affecting my own.
Wondering if he'd let me touch him, I reached out a hand. The pinto looked at me for a while before slowly moving closer. I let him sniff my palm and he let me rub his muzzle in exchange. It was wonderfully smooth and tickled my hand a bit. I then moved from his snout to his cheek, the hair soft and clean beneath my touch. I would've pet him all day if I didn't have anything to do. That's how great it was. Just the two of us, outcasts in an unknown world.
"Seems he likes you." A familiar voice calls from behind me. Turning around, I see a smiling Dakotah. Dressed in a red t-shirt and blue jeans instead of the Roman bodysuit he wore earlier. "His name is Zonta, it means 'honest and trustworthy' in the language of my people, the Sioux."
"Really? That explains a lot." Thinking back on how the other horses had surrounded him in the pasture before I arrived, it made a lot of sense. Zonta seemed to be the leader of this small herd and his patience with a human like me was astounding. I've met plenty of horses when I helped my friend at his ranch and not even half of them enjoyed listening to me talk, let alone being anywhere near them. "So he's yours?"
"Yes. Why, do you like him?"
"Of course! He's magnificent. Wish I had a horse here."
"Would you like one? My family owns many of them, but there are a few here that haven't been claimed yet. They're for the new students as a welcoming gift. You can choose first if you like, the others haven't arrived yet."
"Could we? I'd love to look at them. As for owning one, I could pay you. I feel kind of terrible for getting a gift from your family."
Dakotah walked closer then and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Don't sweat it Will, just think of it as a gift from me."
"That might be even harder to accept." I replied, blushing.
Dakotah chuckled and grabbing a hand, "Let's go meet the arrivals."
Feeling the warmth of his large hand clasping mine, I let him lead me to the small courtyard right outside the stables, opposite the pasture. There we met a young blonde with her hair in a ponytail and a rider's helmet on. Wearing a navy blue jacket, tan breeches, black dress boots that were knee-high and matching gloves; she adjusted her helmet with one hand and held a riding crop with the other. I could tell she was annoyed as soon as our eyes met.
"Greetings Veronica." Dakotah says, beaming one of his charming smiles at her.
Veronica seemed irritated despite the smile. "What do you want Dakotah? Going to spoil another Freshman? You know what happened with the last one—"
"Enough." The word was so sharp and unexpected, I thought I had misheard something. Daring to look at Dakotah's face to check—the smile replaced by a grimace—I immediately regretted my choice and had a desperate urge to run far, far away. Remembering that my hand was still firmly in his, I tried to pull away but it just made him clench tighter. Great, I thought to myself, we're all going to die…
"Whatever." Veronica said, as if she didn't seem fazed one bit by the sudden temperature drop. Then again, the girl seemed just as icy as Dakotah currently did. "You know where the stables are." Walking past us, careful as to avoid Dakotah but purposely bumping into me, she briefly whispered into my ear: "Be careful," before leaving us in the tense silence. Dakotah looked pissed and I wanted to be nowhere near him. It was like the calm before the storm and with one wrong move, all hell would break loose. Since I couldn't get away, I instead stood beside him patiently, waiting for the storm to pass.
About ten minutes had gone by before a whispered, "I'm sorry," broke the silence.
"About what?" I asked, moving my legs a bit. They were starting to feel numb from all the standing.
"About Veronica. She's upset with me."
"Why?"
Dakotah just looked at the ground, his hand squeezing mine simultaneously. "Maybe another time." Was all he said, before lifting his head up. "Let's go."
Controlling my curiosity, I remained silent and followed him into the stables. Immediately, I smelled a mixture between clean horses, hay and dung. I almost wanted to gag from the assault. Dakotah didn't seem to mind though, and he led the way past fifteen stables to the last ten in the back. Looking around, I gasped. I couldn't believe the students were going to be gifted these magnificent creatures. Letting go of Dakotah's hand, I examined the stalls.