[paradise,]

There are three main tasks you must complete in order to tame and care for your new crownie. If these tasks are not completed by December 1st, your crownie will be rehomed.

The task can either be drawn or written, and must be posted on your adopted crownie's page. Written tasks need to be a minimum of 250 words long, while drawn tasks must include color.

Everything must be done by you and cannot be ordered by someone else.


Task #1 - Introduction
Upon meeting your new crownie, its obvious they will need some time to adjust to being in your stables. Get to know them and their behaviors, and try to gain their trust the best you can.

Task #2 - General Care
Your crownie has been neglected as far as specialty care. They need a good feeding, washing, and trimming to improve their attitude. Scrub off the gunk and condition their coats, and dont forget to trim their hooves, teeth, and fins. As for dinner, a nice juicy steak sounds pretty good...or whatever you have lying around at the moment.

Task #3 - Breaking In The Saddle
These crownies have never been ridden or introduced to any kind of tack before. Show your new companion that its not so bad, and take them out for a good trail ride.

Username: casimir
Number Of CTs You Currently Own: one cx
Preffered Coat Colors (3 Max): surprise me! c: I love darker coats, but lighter coats are also lovely!
Preffered Coat Patterns (3 Max): Anything but brindle c:
Favorite Color: its a toss up between maroon and seafoam at the moment, honestly. weird, huh?

Show Name: Hallow's Eve
Barn Name: Eevie
Height: 13Hh
Coat Color: Grullo Snowflake Appaloosa
Gender: Mare
Completion: 100%

[casimir]

Show Name: Hallow's Eve
Barn Name: Eevie
Gender: mare
Height: 13Hh

[casimir]

___________________________________________________________

xxThey say that she came from the wilds. Where the thickets coat the badlands in a shielding layer. Papa warned me that she would never be tame, we would never truly own the fluttering creature dancing about the ranch the solitary paddock separated from the rest of the pasture. Papa saw the flame that rages within her as a flicker that could spark the fields around us. Be wary of the members - though dim, they could still ignite. He saw the destruction of fire, the ashes it left. But I see the promise of a path bathed in orange.

xxShivers tore every vertebrae nestled beneath the hefty coat I wore. Even under the protection of three sweaters beneath, the crisp air burned. My fingers felt detached - white with tremors. Once hot, the mucky black liquid sloshing around in my coffee mug no longer held any warmth. I hadn't planned to see the break of dawn, nor endure the coming winter's chill, but if she was awake, I wanted to be awake.

xxThere she was, ears erect, hooves plucking precariously from the last few tufts of grass caving beneath the approaching frosts. From her body language I could see her new home had rather unsettled her, but for what reason I was unsure. She had free access to the awning that would shield her from the grabby fingers of gusting wind. Plenty of hay and even a few special treats to nibble - but the morsels remained untouched and unmoved. Since her arrival in the middle of the night during my sleep, she hadn't rested - Papa said she'd made an awful ruckus all through the night. I wouldn't know - Momma had been right to say I sleep like a hibernating grizzly. Distress coated those blazing eyes; they chilled me more than the wind.

xxHands stuffed in the folds of my coat, I abandoned my chilled coffee for the other side of the fence. I was under strict instruction not to approach. We didn't know how the mare would react, nor what her temperament was - but something called me forward. She had no idea the effect she had. Immediately upon my slithering over the oak fences, the Crowntail stiffened, her head rising dangerously with a stomp of her foot. I teetered on the balls of my feet, drawing my lower lip into my mouth. A kick from her hooves would surely leave me shattered; with great strength came horrible consequence. I removed my hands from my pockets then, rolling my wrists to show her my empty hands. This did little good in calming her rigid stature.

xxAnchored to the edge of her pasture, the Crowntail flicking one ear. Smiling as if she'd understand my show of respect, I ambled onward, reaching my hands out toward her in a slow swooping motion. She did not move.

xxA brave soul, this one.

xx"Easy girl," I urged. "I won't hurt you."

xxA low nicker left her muzzle as I drew near, giving her a respectable amount of space. The Crowntail eyed me carefully, a weary glint shimmering in her starling eyes. She was truly breathtaking - the shininess of her coat, the ruffles of her mane, even the curve of frost that left her nostrils held me in awe. I reached outward, overwhelmed, curious, needing to touch, but she jerked her head away her front legs leaving the ground with a deafening shriek. Gasping, I scuttled backward, shielding myself from her falling hooves. Upon prior experience I expected her to dart away, but the Crowntail merely bobbed her head frantically, pawing at the ground as she did so.

xxHad she never been stroked before?

xxLips pursed a made a dashing - and perhaps a wee ignorant - decision. Eyes shut and face turned away I placed my palm against her nose.

xxLike the frozen Earth, we fell still.

xxShe looked into my eyes, her ears running forward as she drew quick breaths, marveling just as I was at the power of a hand to her muzzle. She seemed intrigued, curious even, as I gently swept my fingers one at a time away from her nose. Once I'd pulled my hand away entirely, I pressed my palm to her nose once more, repeating the same petting motion for as long as I dared.

xxWe stood there in the pasture for nearly an hour with me stroking her muzzle and her muscles relaxing one by one.

xxWhat a powerful thing, touch.

[casimir]

___________________________________________________________

xxPapa said she reminds him of coming midnight. Hallow's Eve. I think that fits her well; Eevie. Though I'm sure the rambunctious mare would have something snarky to say about our choice - as I've come to discover that she's rather pesky. I can approach her, reach out, and be ready for a brief moment of affection, then she'll toss her head to the sky and trot away. Stubborn thing - just like a thought she might be upon her arrival. It's been a few days since our first encounter and already I've become aware of how the flighty Crowntail works. She's a spirit unlike any other - one I plan to hold dear for as long as she lives.

xxDespite the bitter winter hovering over the ranch, Eevie is in definite need of tender loving care. Her hooves have grown far too long, her mane scraggly and uncut. Even her coat is plastered with dirt and mud from God know's what. It was a tricky task to bind her with a rope to her stable door - she doesn't care much for anything around her muzzle - but with coaxing of some chicken cutlets, she seems to have approved of my compromise.

xxFirst it was time to clip her hooves. She was none too happy of this at first - she even tried to kick me once or twice - but the second she felt the lightweight of her newfound footing, Eevie allowed me to continue on with my tasks.She rather enjoyed the spray of the hose when it came time to nurse her neglected coat. I spent nearly two hours scrubbing away the past from her shimmering fur. Once it gleamed as bright as her fiery eyes, I took a step back to marvel at what a beautiful creatue lay beneath all that mistreatment.

xxI'd collected my things, ready to release her into the pasture when I heard the sizzling of the grill close to the porch. Eyes pinching, I swiveled to look at the towering Crowntail, peering at me with almost pleading eyes. We were going to have steak for dinner, in celebration of our new family member. A smile pinched my lips. Shouldn't she take part in our party? After all, she was the featured guest.

xxOn feet swift as a fox's, I slipped from the barn and rocketed up the steep hill that our house sat on. Hunkered behind the bushes, I grabbed a rock and aimed for the buckets at the side of the house. Pesky critters were always trying to get into our garbage - Papa had set the pales there in hope of catching the stray raccoon snagging our left overs. With a grunt, I chucked the rock at the buckets, undetected by my father as he took off from the porch in search of the robbers.

xxDiving for the grill I stabbed a juicy steak (luckily already cooked!) with a nearby knife and flopped it onto one of the plates he'd brought outside. Doing my best not to fall on my face as I surged back to the barn, I ducked within the doors and briskly made my way back to Eevie's stall, breathless, but grinning ear to ear.

Eevie smelled the steak from miles away, because she was straining against her rope to nibble at the air. Giggling, I reached to pat her nose. "Easy, now," I told her. "It's still ho- hey!"

xxBlinking, I watched as the crowntail devoured the entire steak in darn near one gulp, ignoring the sizzling of the meat. I shut my eyes for a brief moment, then opened them with an unamused expression as she flounded over the empty plate I held. "What?" I scoffed. "No thank you?"

Eevie snorted, then dropped her head to nibble at the stray strands of hay lining her stall.

I sighed. I guess that answers that question.

[casimir]

___________________________________________________________

xxxxCome the next full moon Eevie was as restless as I was. There was not much to do in the pasture. Still separated from the other Crowntails, Eevie would often whiney to them in the middle of the night. I would lay there and listen, lips pursed and hands pressed tight around my waist. To hear her cry was far more than I could handle. She was not as happy as she could be; and that was a problem. I spent night upon night trying to decipher the message behind her soft braying, but it wasn't until I felt the same restlessness in my legs that I understood what it was she wanted. She needed to be free - and not in the sense that Papa thought she already was.

xxRiding alone was strictly forbidden. When mother fell from her Crowntail and took herself from us, I feared he'd never let me on our Crowntails again. It'd taken years to convince the aging man that sometimes things could not be prevented and though the loss of my beautiful mother was tasking, he'd finally understood that the Crowntails could give me something that nothing else ever could. Still, he refused to allow me on their backs without a helmet and plethora of protective gear. So, as I scrambled from the house and raced over the field in search of my dearest Hallow's Eve, my heart leapt into my mouth. How would she react to the saddle? Had she ever been ridden? My guess was not the best of answers.

xxHer bright eyes seemed surprised that I would be visiting her so late. She craned her neck over the rise of the fence to nibble at my shirt. She always expected me to have brought some snacks for her, but this time I hadn't any meat to give - only the proposal of liberty. Saddle in hand I shoved the gate out of my way and raised it to her muzzle. Eevie snorted in disgust, taking a few steps back. Already I could see the detest in her eyes. Lips pursed, I narrowed my eyes at the dark mare. I pointed a finger to her, telling her to hold still.

xxShe allowed the saddle to her back, but the second I tried to buckle the leather together, Eevie bucked. It wasn't a violent notion, but the saddle went flying clear over the fence, landing with a dust-clouded thump well out of my reach. Mouth agape I flung my hands to my hips and stomped my foot. Eevie gave a snort - was she laughing at me?

xx"I am trying to help you," I told her aggravatedly. "You'd kill me if I tried to ride without the saddle!"

xxOr... would she?

xxDetermination drowning the protesting voice in the back of my head, I grabbed hold of the nearest fence post and climbed upward so that I was at her side. Eevie gazed at me with blistering eyes, but remained where she stood. Cautious, I reached over to place my hands on her shoulders, eyeballing her the entire time. I caught her gaze, transfixed by the burning need that fluttered within the heat of her irises. She wanted me to continue. She would not move. She did not dare.

xxGrunting, I swung my leg over her back and plopped into the middle, wriggling until I could find a good place to remain still. Eevie pawed at the ground furiously, bobbing her head up and down as I buried my hands into her mane. Thinking better than to rely on the strands of hair, I leaned forward and clasped my arms around her neck. We stood there, the both of our breathing accelerating and heaving our chests.

xx"Run," I whispered.

xxAnd oh God, she did.

xxFrom the pasture we flew right through the open gate. I wasn't sure if her hooves even caught the ground before they left again. The world was a blur and so were we. Face buried in her coat, I drew my eyes up, peering at the oncoming forest. A sudden rush of exhilaration hit me. Not even the trees could halt us.

xxEevie and I became one - rider and loyal friend.

xxI would not trade her for all the fortune in the world.

xxShe was all the luck I needed.

[paradise,]

congratulations, you have now trained your crownie c:
hope you enjoy them! the writing is beautiful, oh my gosh