“Bang!” a heavy reverberation carried throughout walls of metal and rubber. A second more metallic clang from the aluminum metal structure on wheels, added to the first sound. A sleek muscular beast held captive within, began a second array of slams and stomps on the four-beast trailer in which he was the only occupant. A high pitched squealing mixture of a whinny and a nicker boiled forth from somewhere in his gigantic dappled silver-grey chest, in the depths of the almost equally silver grey trailer. A girl stood, leaning into the passenger door of a gigantic Navy painted dually. Shuffling about for a minute, she pulled out a small ruddy brown hair net and a black velvet helmet. Swiftly collecting a foot of hair into a twist above her head, a motion she completed expertly; she pulled the net over the mass of hair, and then her helmet. Many years of practice already under her belt, she moved at these little tasks of readying without pause.
Another quaking of truck and trailer, with some snorts and whinnies. Butterflies danced in her chest, her nerves welled from navel to collar bone. She finished readying herself and pulling in a deep breath she released it puffing out white clouds into the cold morning air. Even after all these years, each time was like a new experience.
A chill of excitement went down her spine, her face broke into a brilliant white toothed grin; she was ready!
Slamming the heavy door the girl turned stamping through the wet grass in her tall, black leather boots. As she wiggled her toes at the wonderful feeling of her worn boots and thick socks, that and to experience some circulation. As she walked to the trailer to remove her mount from its confinement, the trailer rocked side to side annually with periodic pauses in motion when the beast inside stopped to listen for a response to its commotion. Occasionally met with a call from the gathering of its kindred kind, a near 20 yards away, the beast became even more impatient.
She climbed up the door-made-to-be a ramp, located in the middle of the side of the great metal structure. Within the darkened trailer, smells unlike any other place dwelt. The kind of smells you receive in dwellings built for powerful, graceful beasts like this to be kept in; smells that might be less then appreciated to some. Much like the ones rising out of steamy piles left in the stalls. However, to some, even that smell is so much better than the inside of a building, or the new scent of plastic, and upholstery inside a shiny new vehicle. Dried cut grass, leather, and the beast itself combined for the three most notable mixtures. The three most enticing. The three key scents to waken excitement within the girl; she breathed deep, enjoying the familiarities, and the beckoning of her senses to be ready for the experiences to come.
Reaching up she remove the thick cherry brown leather harness by a huge gold brass buckle located next to the beasts great soft brown orb that blinked at her as she let the harness fall to hang against the trailer from its attachment. Opening the cold metal latch she took hold of braided leather reigns under the chin.
She turned and went down the ramp, surprisingly, she handled the prancing, foot pounding, giant, easily leading it into the cold mid-morning light. A momentary thudding of four oiled dark grey hooves resounded while each of the feet slammed down at different intervals. Snorting once and pushing out great breaths of white vaporous cloud around its flaring nostrils, the beast strode energetically in the grass, on the verge of breaking into a jog. The morning sun reflected off the bodies of other beast of burden, already bearing their riders. A last whinny escaped his inner depths. Once away from the trailer, they stopped.
Turning to the beast she paused looking over the creature, his long, dark grey tipped ears firmly pointed forward striving to hear anything and everything. She calmed his nervousness with a few soft words, and a gentle stroke against his glossy smooth neck. Hair shaved short to keep from overheating, his body was fit and smooth causing a great feeling of power as muscles rippled under her touch. Much of his strength braced, impatient to join its fellow giants. She continued to whisper sweet nothings into his keen hearing, her own perfect understanding for his excitement elevating. Her lips next to his wide smoky grey skinned nose, she kissed the soft surface above a nostril, loving the sinking of his flesh from the lack of bone or cartilage beneath that spot. She breathed deep his scent, nothing to compare it to accept the scent of his brother beasts, even those distinct to each creature.
You could never mistake this kind of creatures scent for another. It was not like the mud dried scent of beasts meant for milking and eating, or the overwhelming nose drying scent of the winged and beaked creatures. Neither was it like the oily, wet, mangy smell of the bugling four pawed beasts meant to sniff out the crafty spit fire creature they gathered to play a game of hide and seek with; that miniature creature of stealth, even more fowl smelling with its reeking spray. Different from all the others, this scent was filled with deepness, a depth of fresh air, green grass, and earth touched by warm blood and fur coated flesh. She lingered on the ground; taking in the majesty of Gods creature.
Creating a tension in her reins by “gathering them up” she pinched a single bob of one of the two dozen braids extended from between his ears to the end of his long cresty neck in her hand. Careful not to pull out the braid she placed a foot in the stirrup and giving herself a bit of jump, very agilely came to rest in the saddle. Her steed a bit impatient had already begun to walk towards his friends as she alighted onto the soft leather saddle.
As they paced on she gazed about at the splendor of the fields, at the hills covered with oranges, reds, and still hints of green in an abundance of foliage. Thick heavy leafed grass, sparkly with dew covered the ground. Fences hewn of rough wood stretched into the distances, disappearing down hills and reoccurring on others. A few gaps in the lines had shorter heights of different materials; Stone hedges, or stacked logs making places for the crossing of fields.
Already scouring the ground, kept in one area by the calls of their masters, the four legged hunters sniffed about. She watched the zigg-zagged mess of off white, brown and black bodies as the pair joined the group of mounted elite. With each step her mount took, her hips swayed left and right. So relaxed in this picture, she pushed her heel and held loosely the reins in one hand, the other rested on her hip, elbow out. The Master appeared from between two trailers, his gallant dark bay steed striding forward with age old confidence. A bugle like horn sounded, the Master and his little red coat crew of mounted co-leaders signaled the four legged hounds to gather and begin the chase. Taking off at a brisk pace, Master and posse of all different beasts advanced to the great hill, up and down their black bobbed heads went, the large mass of others in traditional dark shades of black, navy, and green pursued at a distance. Following a fence line, the same pace continued for a time. Knowing her mount was more than ready for the hours ahead, the girl and her dappled, towering mount, trotted briskly behind the Master. Heart pounding and her muscles almost shaky with the slowly rising flow of hormones, she felt her beasts’ great blood pumping source, working hard with her own.
Suddenly in a mess of bugling, sniffing, paw footed creatures, the scent most sought after was found! The real pursuit began! The hounds ran through the fence, and into a wood beyond, the leaders made an s-bend away from the fence and finding a good place, broke stride and in a few bounds, leapt the fence. This was it! The beginning of the greatest adrenaline rush she had ever felt! Her steed more than adequate to make the jump only took a bit of guidance for a proper approach, and with a countdown, three, two, one… They easily cleared the fence. Galloping on through a trail found in the wood, they went through anything, and as fast as ones beast had the agility to take him. Over knotted tree roots, through gullies with thick mud, streams and rivers, sometimes as high as to cover her boots with water. Through dew softened fields they continued, mud flying up from under hooves, into faces and once shiny bodies of chestnut tinges, blacks, bays, whites and grays became the same ruddy brown speckle.
Crossing over black snakes of pavement, the great herd of creatures made its way across the country side. After a couple hours, without a single sighting of the crafty little beast, the group stopped. A whip cracked in the hair from a red coat, demanding the attention and gathering of the four legged seekers. After a time of silence, accept for the occasional long bugle call and whip crack, the hounds had been counted and the game ensued. Beginning again with a brisk trot, the hunters of various forms made their way down a side of the hill, not long down the hill the first sighting occurred. Up to the right of them all, along a tree line sped a tiny fleck of brilliant orange, only for a minute until it disappeared in the darkness. The four legers went wild! From under, behind, and between the mounts, they dashed, Master immediately behind. Reaching the wood, the hounds barely paused at the brush barriers. The mounted found a path nearby and went down it. For a time they traversed the country side back and forth. The hounds hot on the trail of the bright little Cheat. He didn’t want to be found.
Within the wood the hounds had taken off into an area full of thorn bushes. A silent choice made by the Master, and the group continued walking down the path, hoping for a route around, or the fox to zigzag back across their path. Every human silent, the soft echoing sounds of a stick broken by a hoof here or there, or the crushing of pine needles echoed in the still dark wood. The Red coats bugled once for their hounds, two of which, with a soft spoken word from the Master, galloped on down the path, disappearing through the trunks of trees. Much time passed at this slow pace. In the distance a sudden mass of sharp howling occurred. The Master stopped his beast one hand held up, sending a clear “Stop and silence” message to the group. All of which obeyed. The intensity of bugles increased, moving closer, but from what direction? Listening for what seemed a lifetime, the Master, took a step or two. He stopped again. Almost as if they knew exactly what everyone was waiting on, each mount stood deathly still, ears tipping towards the loud cries. Nerve racking sounds pitched in the distance. If they didn’t know better it would have sounded like the creatures had found the hunted and attempted to shred it to bits. In that moment, when it seemed the Master would go one, a cat like creature of orange, black and white, appeared right in font of them. On a pile of rocks to the left of the path, it gently climbed to the top of the rocks, black paws resting lightly. Its tailed moved behind it with each step, in a manner to mimic a squirrel. For a long moment it stared at the pursuers. Its left ear would occasionally turn down and back for the sounds behind it. It stood there with a surprisingly unconcerned look on its face, a look that seemed to say, “I would have come if you hadn’t brought those mangy growling beasts.”
With a sudden intensity the hounds had came quite close. The fox, agile, jumped to the ground, and almost saying “excuse me” by its demeanor as it trotted past the master and down the path past much of the group until it turned left into the wood and was never seen again. The hounds appeared with two exceptionally muddy Whips cantering toward the Master and group on the path. The Master shouted to the men they just missed their friend, laughing in jest at their tattered mud soaked jackets. The hounds burst through the underbrush, under, around, behind, then disappeared after the fox. “Let’s call it a day boys. We got a pretty good glimpse thanks to you.” The group broke into laughing and conversations; the goal had been meet, they won the game this time. Still respectful of the Master, each person moved over to one side on the path, and the Red Coated posse led the way home, signaling their hunters to follow.
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