♥ ── can't help falling in love

[mongrel]

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like a river flows,
surely to the sea,
darling, so it goes,
some things are meant to be.
take my hand.
take my whole life, too.
for i can't help falling in love with you.
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[mongrel]

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to follow along with, if you wish.
your song - elton john
the longest time - billy joel
wouldn't it be nice - the beach boys
can't help falling in love - elvis presley
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[mongrel]

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registered name. adagio's only angel
call name. izabella
gender. mare
age. 7 yr.
height. 16.2hh
discipline. working cow horse
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[mongrel]

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registered name. adagio's sunflower, vol. 6
call name. cecilia
gender. mare
age. 7 yr.
height. 15.3hh
discipline. trail
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[mongrel]

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word spread fast throughout the barn. rumor had it that amelia got a call about a couple
of horses expected to be arriving soon - two mares. something about them was urgent. it
went from stall to stall that this pair was malnourished beyond recognition as horses, that
one could poke a finger through their ribs and their hips jutted out in a kind of way that was
tragic and painful to so much as look at. some would mutter out a couple of sympathetic
words and "poor things," while others would turn their curious, prying foals away from the
barn aisle where such terrible conversation was being had between the elder horses.
the following morning, however, their rumors would be proven wrong. the mares didn't fit
the descriptions of such pitiful individuals. in fact, they seemed just fine. there seemed to
be nothing physically off about the two upon first inspection.
it would be proven, though, where the message of urgency came into play when the palomino
mare would panic at the indication of human touch while her darker grullo counterpart would
become aggressive in defense of the other, determined to keep anyone else at bay through
whatever means possible - unfortunately, many stablehands ended up at the other end of her
fear-driven, powerful actions.
it had rapidly become clear that something certainly was dearly wrong with the pair, despite
the lack of physical evidence on their bodies other than a few questionable, semi-recent scars.
the stable found no success with attempting to contacting the previous owners of the mares,
and were left with no definite information to go off of as a result other than the lip tattoos
that almost all of the horses in the barn were marked with; a sign that, at the very least, the
mares had raced. undeterred by their behavior, they were fondly dubbed izabella and cecilia,
respectively, based on the first initial of each tattoo, and that was all they knew.

by now, though, that was years ago.
through their trials, tribulations and trauma, the pair survived.
and not only did they survive, but they would prove themselves to be truly incredible horses
in their own rights. where izabella excelled in fast-paced, intense cow work and surprised
those who didn't think much of her in the show ring and on the ranch, cecilia was content to
keep to a more laidback lifestyle, where she evolved from a truly fearful horse into one that
would lead a trail ride without any sign of discomfort.
while they had now become perfectly capable when separated and left to their own devices,
it was obvious that the two had formed a sincere, unbreakable bond during everything that
they had been through together. when out in pasture together, they could be observed side by
side under the cool shade of an old oak tree, exchanging words through tender whispers too
quiet for others to hear. their words were not intended to be shared, but it was no doubt that
they were full of affection.
izabella and cecilia were never all that interested in parading their relationship throughout
the barn; they were content with their quiet, candid moments together where they could
enjoy each other's loving presence somewhere they were finally safe.
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[mongrel]

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it wasn't often that izzie and cecilia had as much fun as they did that day.
most of the couple's time spent together is quite mellow. cecilia is the type to stop and
smell the roses in the morning. it seems as though she's constantly reminding her dear
izabella to slow down and enjoy life - not to say izzie doesn't enjoy this downtime. in
truth, it is nice to be able to slow down and unwind from her busy career of flashing
lights and sliding stops. she loves to see the palomino mare in her element, as calm and
serene as mother earth herself.
that being said, izabella is a cow horse. she always has potential built up within her defined,
athletic muscles to launch into action at any given moment. she thoroughly enjoys her job,
for it gives her purpose and something to do with all of her pent up instinct. the rush of
adrenaline through her bloodstream when she's working with cows, the hollering of a crowd
watching her do what she does best, the sheer intensity of it all... izzie adores it.
that's what made it so special when, one day, out of the blue, cecilia decided she wanted
to come to work with izzie, just to "see what all this fuss is about." now, the natural "cow
instinct" that the grullo mare displays certainly cannot be applied to cecilia; more often
than not, she ended up all sorts of flustered and embarrassed, but it was cute. she was
trying terribly hard to impress the other. izzie didn't have the heart to correct her when
she made a mistake like she would with the cow team, and she had no desire to.
her favorite part of the whole event, however, was after this little demonstration. together,
the two would set off onto a trail on the property, where the palomino would pull herself
together and lead them through the dense woods. upon reaching a large clearing, cecilia took
off - it was a challenge. a race. a taunting, "come and get me, if you're so big and strong."
it was certainly a pleasant surprise.
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[mongrel]

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she'd been waiting for izzie to get back from training for a few hours now; she had left
early in the morning, but cecilia knew she spent a lot of time hanging around in the barn
before and after training until the stablehands would eventually bring her back to their
pasture. while she was certainly more than happy to chat with russell or graze mindlessly
with her dear friend carolina, the best part of her day was always, without fail, izzie's
return to the soft, welcoming field where cecilia spent most of her own time.
so, of course, she was overjoyed to see the gray mare coming towards her from the barn. cecilia
waited as patiently as she could at the gate for her oh so precious partner, though she had
a tendency to get jittery out of pure excitement when izzie would be returned to her. it
was routine for them to spend a few moments gently touching noses before retreating further
into the pasture, where, more often than not, they would find themselves underneath the
familiar shade of their favorite oak tree in the field. the others were accustomed to leave
the two to their own, well aware that they heavily valued their quality time together.
underneath that tree, cecilia gently nudged izzie's cheek, gesturing towards her mane.
"you look lovely," she murmured with a sincere smile. the other mare would turn her head away,
embarrassed. "a couple of the younger girls did it," she explained, not seeming particularly
pleased. "they seemed happy, though, so i left it."cecilia's smile grew. despite her rough-and-tough
persona, izzie was always terribly considerate. it was something she'd always loved about her.
"you're very kind," she reassured her, gazing into the other's deep brown eyes.
"flowers always look beautiful on you, you know."
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