[KathrynKat]

 Owner       >>> caf.
 Name                >>> Glory
 Gender         >>> Gelded Male
 Adoption Price         >>> 6 2014 Christmas Deer
 Training         >>> [Fully Trained] +1
  =====
  .only cares about winning
  .stubborn
  .secretive

 [Discipline >>>>> ]
 [Shows Entered > R: W: E:]
 [Shows Won >>>> R: W: E:]

 [Ej > ] [Ep > ]
 [Eh > ] [Ws > ]
 [Wp > ] [Wt > ]
 [Rf > ] [Rs > ]

[caf.]

Mark.

I've decided to call him I Go For Glory. Still thinking of a barn name. First touch

[caf.]

Stepping out of the Ranch Owner's office, Alex took in a whiff of the somewhat fresh, manure-scented air. "A Neravontii, huh," she mumbled to herself, glancing at the far-off pasture where he was said to be located. 'I take a one-week leave and I come back to an alien creature,' she grumbled inwardly, stepping forward to see this thing that had been captured. Already he had been gelded and tagged - the next step was training. As she approached the gate, she was astonished to see a creature standing six feet tall at the shoulders at the edge of the pasture, shooting 'glares' at the other two Thoroughbreds. It was apparent that he had no eyes, nor 'hooves.' KC was a racing stable - what was this thing doing here? The words of the Ranch owner came to her; "He was stealing grain, bothering horses, and just being a pest. I had a feeling I couldn't drive him off, so why not try and make him useful?" Shrugging, Alex stepped into the barn to grab a pail of grain for the threesome, keeping her good eye aimed at the door as customary. After her left eye had been lost in a freak accident, she'd always been a bit more cautious, a bit quieter, and a whole lot nastier. She took insults from nobody, but she was good with the horses and the Ranch Owner liked her.

Thump. Alex clumsily tripped on a pitchfork leaning haphazardly to her left on the barn wall. "Idiots," she snarled to herself as she entered the pasture. "Nobody seems to try and put things away. Like, hello - we have clumsy, tiny-brained, delicate horses here. Pitchforks in the barn aisle are a gre-" She was cut off in surprise when a ridiculous thundering sounded behind her. Whirling around, she took a second to register that a dominant Neravontii was charging her, head down and feet flying. "What the-" she yelped in shock, swinging the bucket in defense. It grazed his shoulder as he swerved by, the KC colors flashing on his white body. Looking miffed, he spun and faced her, ears pinned. Realizing she had to show him some respect before she got trampled, she took a serious tone. "No." The gelding sniffed and lifted a foreleg to carefully clean his 'hands.' Satisfied with his cleanliness, he took a step forward with his nose almost touching the bucket. Alex firmly shoved his nose away and pushed on his chest before he could react. Once more the creature backed off, looking confused about being usurped by such a small being. "Naughty," Alex stated firmly, waggling a finger at him. 'He can't see me,' she thought as she raised her hand, but hey, maybe he could sense the gesture with those...things that replaced his eyes. After about a minute, Alex stepped cautiously towards the trough, keeping him on her left. He never moved, just watched her closely. 'Well,' she thought as she emptied the bucket, 'at least he has some decency.' The gelding charged and buried his head in the grain before Alex could even step away. Sighing, Alex left the pasture, unsure of whether the Thoroughbreds would need an extra share after the Neravontii was moved. It was certain they weren't getting one now.

-----

For the second time that day Alex left the Ranch Owner's office, this time with her head whirling. Apparently the entire incident had been caught on camera, and the Ranch Owner had decided to let Alex train him - and name him. "I'd like something special," she'd said. "I know a creative young mind like yours could do it." As she stepped down the path, she decided to watch him for awhile and see about his personality. Already she knew he was dominant, sassy, and maybe a bit vain. And he sure didn't like other horses. Jealous, maybe? She snatched a sketchbook out of a hay shed and straightened her KC STAFF t-shirt as she headed off to the paddock once more. The gelding lifted his head, sniffed in her direction, then pinned his ears and trotted off. Alex sketched, trying to capture his confidence and arrogance on paper.

KC C I've Got It?

No, too sassy and studdish.

KC RoyalBlueAndGold?

Color names don't do justice to such a creature.

Why should I name him? He hates me.

KC SonOfAGun

KC Blackhearted

KC Authority

KC Under The Odds

KC TakeItFromTheTop

KC FeelinLikeAChamp

No, no, no....

Suddenly, Alex's head came up as she glanced at the horse-like beast, her dull blue eyes taking on a new light.

KC I Go For Glory

'Perfect.'

Completed 1/9/15. Link.

"So what're you going to name him?" Joel, a stout, short man in his early forties and one of the few faces at the farm Alex tolerated, stepped alongside her with curiosity.
"I already told you. I Go For Glory."
"I know, but his barn name. What are you going to call him?"
"...I don't really know. He so....different than the horses around here."
"You aren't kidding. He's a weird one, all right."
"What do you mean?"
"He won't pay attention to anyone - human, horse, dog, nothing. Just secretive."
"Huh. He seemed pretty dominant with me."
"Oh, he is. He almost ran over Mike this morning."
"Just needs some respect."
"Yup, yup. You're training him, right?"
"Yeah...."
"How's it going?"
How was it going? Alex had started by walking around with him in the pasture, forcing him to obey her movements. Then came the day of the halter - the day he lifted her off her feet and nearly flung her over the fence. He tolerated nobody for days afterward. Maybe it was that Alex was used to Thoroughbreds who had domestication bred into their very genes, but she almost couldn't handle him. For awhile, he pretty much ran amok around his private paddock. Finally, Alex took a mind to head in there with a whip and a longe line. She cornered him, clipped his lead to the halter, and longed him until her hands were as sore as his sides were sweaty. That became the routine; corner, catch, and longe until the cows came home. That is, until the Ranch Owner had had enough of this business. "He needs something new," she'd told Alex. "It's time to tack him up and ride him for a change." How was it going?
".... Fine."

Alex wasn't greeted by a familiar yellow-blue-and-white face at the barn. Instead she was greeted by a familiar yellow-blue-and-white tail. I Go For Glory stood facing away from the door, calmly grooming a long-fingered hand and blatantly ignoring his trainer. "Hey, NV," Alex called. "Alien. Over here." As usual, she was ignored, her fluffy-eared counterpart continuing to ensure the integrity of his feet. Sighing, she tapped on the barn wall, knocked, and finally resorted to tapping his rump. "Always go through all the levels of aggressiveness," she remembered her instructor telling her. "It will save you time, energy, and hurt feelings in the future." The gelding whirled to face her, his ears back and his 'eyes' glaring. "Oh, yeah, real funny," Alex rumbled, giving the creature his routine morning pat and treat. Stepping down the aisle, she picked up a small English saddle she thought would be best for the animal. 'Lighter saddle, less freakout,' she'd figured.

Wrong. As she stepped in, the creature spun to ignore her once again. Shrugging, she decided to throw the pad on his back and see what happened. Bam! The pad hit the roof and dropped like a stone into the shavings. 'Of course it isn't that simple.'
And so the next hour passed, Alex carefully placing the pad on his back in a number of manners in hopes of getting it to stay and I Go For Glory nonchalantly sending it flying, often with his trainer attached. Finally, after being swung off her feet and slamming into the door, she stormed out, feeling absolutely finished for the day. Sweaty and red-faced, she stomped down the aisle, her hands balled into fists and empty as she had left the tack in the stall.
"Alex?" Joel inquired as she stormed past. She whirled on him. "Do I look like I want to talk?" Ignoring her apparent fury, he questioned her again. "How'd it go?" Without a word, Alex lifted her arms and watched shavings fall like rain. "What'd you try?"
"What do you think I tried? I tossed the pad on his back and he threw it - and me - across the stall."
"No, I mean, how did you do it?"
"I put it on his back."
"He didn't know what was going on."
"What?"
"See, these Thoroughbreds here have saddles bred into them. They almost inherently know what one is. He doesn't. You need to show it to him. Show him what you're up to. He might be a little more accepting."
"Huh. I hadn't thought of it that way."
"When you've worked at the same stable for 27 years, you can't help but know a few things."
"Thanks, Joel."
"No problem! Go take a break and head back later and see what he's up to."
"Okay, will do."

Sure enough, two hours later as the sun set, Alex trekked back to the barn. I Go For Glory was standing as far away as possible from the saddle and bridle. "Hey, boy," she cooed, already trying to make a difference from her businesslike ways. The Neravontii's ears pricked up slightly at the change in tone. Carefully she stepped into the stall, reaching out to pet him. His skin twitched under her touch but he reluctantly accepted the affection. Slowly Alex stepped over to his side, placing two hands squarely on his back. Curiously, the creature turned to see what she was up to. The girl began to mime throwing something over his back. At first he sidestepped away from her, trying to escape her flying hands, but eventually he realized nothing was being thrown. "Good," Alex told him, once again stroking his neck. Picking up the saddle pad, she offered it for him to smell. He recoiled, and she realized he hadn't been angry - he'd been confused and afraid. Slowly, he started to accept its presence, and slowly, slowly, she inched it towards his back. He recoiled again, but by the time he gained his bearings it was on his back. Alex held her breath, and waited. It was as if the creature was in slow motion as his nose went to the pad, sniffing it and figuring it out. Wait, wait, wait.... With a deep sigh of relief, Alex offered a treat to the nose nudging at her pocket. "Good boy, goooood boy," she praised, petting him furiously despite his disliking of overdone affection. It was done - everything would fall into place from here, she hoped.

The hours passed slowly but surely as Alex introduced the saddle, then the girth. I Go For Glory stood stock-still the whole time as Alex fed him a steady stream of sugar cubes, replenished from the feed room. It seemed to take forever, yet before she knew it the trainer was looking at a Neravontii with a full saddle, breastcollar, and pad. He'd even accepted the girth. Feeling a growing sense of accomplishment, she picked up the last item - the bridle. This one might be difficult, but she had an idea of what to do. As per usual, the gelding sniffed the tack piece with suspicion. However, when she placed a treat on the bit, he lunged eagerly. Before he knew what had happened, Alex popped it over his ears and began tightening the straps. "Ha, loser," Alex snickered, watching the creature chewing on the bit. Before she knew it, she was doubled over laughing at his annoyed expression, one arm draped over his neck and his nose searching at her pocket. As each strap came off, the beast hung his head out of sleepiness. Handing him a last sugar cube, she began to leave. "Goodnight," she said, and was surprised to feel warm air on her left shoulder. Turning, she found that I Go For Glory was...following her? There he stood, his ears slightly lifted from their normally pinned position. With a look of confusion, she patted his face one more time. "Goodnight, friend. I'll see you tomorrow. Perhaps we'll see about a quick ride."

Completed 1/10/15. Link.

"Alrighty," Alex grunted, heaving a borrowed Neravontii training saddle out of the tackroom. She had decided not to wait much longer after his first saddle to ride him - why put it off if he seemed calm with his tack? I Go For Glory stood calmly, unmoving as the girth was tightened about his barrel. His indifference radiated off of him to the point Alex thought he might keel over asleep. Tightening the cheek straps, she felt ready to get on his back. It'd been a while since she'd ridden a competitive animal - maybe this wasn't such a good idea. "Hey, whatever!" she told herself aloud with a slight laugh. "It'll be fine."
One, two, three! Alex launched herself into the saddle, realizing just how tall a Neravontii was. Tensing, she waited for him to bolt. And waited...and waited. I Go For Glory stood calmly and quietly. It struck her that the nickname Glory didn't fit him - he was too secretive. The creature started to lower his head, then methodically stepped forward into a slow walk. Carefully, slowly, she began to move around in the saddle, touching on the reins and his shoulders, getting him used to the feel of a human. He didn't seem concerned - she'd been leaning on his back a lot before she ever mounted in order to get him used to her. When she tried to pull his head to the side, he resisted her at first but then relented and turned just so slightly. "I have some control, then," Alex mused, sitting a little more proudly at the thought that she had some decent control over him.
Very suddenly, the creature stopped. Alex had been circling him a bit and stopping him, but now he refused to move at all. "Walk," she spoke sharply, her tongue snapping against the roof of her mouth. Instead he dropped to his knees and lifted his hind legs in the air for a split second while lowering his head, effectively dropping her in the dirt. Alex watched in shocked annoyance as he slowly walked to the arena's corner, watching the sun beginning to dip below the horizon. Sighing, she stood and realized she still had a lot to learn. Watching him, she noticed the way his markings stood out as they were illuminated in the evening light. It almost seemed as if he glowed in the dark.

"But of course," she mumbled, considering his official nickname.

"Glo."

Completed 2/1/15. Link.

[caf.]

Bonus art??? I don't know, just felt like I should throw it on.