[MustangKnight]

 Owner       >>> Ruby-Skylark
 Name                >>> Starlight
 Gender         >>> Female
 Adoption Price         >>> Gift
 Training         >>> [Fully Trained]
  =====
  . spirited
  . noble
  . patient

 Offspring;
 None

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

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

[Ruby-Skylark]

OMGosh, she's so beautiful *hugs her to bits* thank you so much MustangKnight! <3
I shall name her Starlight

~ FIRST TOUCH ~

It was so dark I could barely see around me. I'd missed the bus and had to walk to the Agency, so by the time I arrived the sun was already going down and most of the Neravontii had been put back in their stables for the night.

Luckily for me, the staff had taken pity and let me in. This was my second visit and I still hadn't found a Nera who wanted to adopt me. As I wandered the stables I felt like I was never going to meet the one I'd been waiting for. All the current adoptables were either already asleep or didn't come over to see me, so I knew they weren't the one.

I got to the end of the path just as the lights went out. While I waited for my eyes to adjust I listened to the nighttime sounds and thought it had been yet another pointless trip.

As I stood there in the dark, I could see something moving out of the corner of my eye. When I turned to look, I could see faint stars moving...moving? Stars shouldn't move like that? I moved closer to the fence but they moved just out of my sight range. I decided to climb the fence to get a better look.

As I reached the top of the fence, the stars suddenly moved right in front of me? I reached out to touch them thinking they must be fireflies or some other type of insect, since stars don't move like that. As my fingers stretched out I felt them touch something soft, like downy skin, and then it moved! I was so surprised that I lost my balance and fell forward off the fence!

As I waited for the ground to hit me, I felt myself caught in strong hands. I was hanging upside down when a face came into view in front me, and I realised that the hands were attached to a Neravontii that was as dark as night and covered in stars. My eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness around me and I could see what was holding me.

I was lost for words at how beautiful this creature holding me off the ground was! As I slowly reached out again, I felt a soft breath on my hand and I felt like a child being chastised for doing something silly. I laughed softly at the expression on the Neras face as I was gently deposited on the ground.

My grin was so huge I felt like it would split my face. I had finally found the Nera I had waited for, and she was perfect! I couldn't wait to get to know her.

[Ruby-Skylark]

~ FIRST SADDLE ~

Starlight stood in her stall with infinite patience, as her rider attempted yet again to get the heavy saddle onto Starlights back. But the young woman was definitely struggling, and after a few more failed attempts, Starlight could see she was losing both will and strength to get the saddle on.

There was no way the poor girl was going to succeed on her own. The only thing Starlight could do to help was to lower herself to the ground. Give her rider a shorter distance to lift the equipment. As she lowered herself down, she turned back to look at her rider and was rewarded with an exhausted smile.

The Neravontii gave a soft snuffle in her rider's direction, as if to say "go on, you can do it" and watched as the young rider gave one last effort and finally got the saddle onto Starlight's back. And then promptly collapsed across it.

Starlight reached over with her tail to give her rider a gentle pat on the back, as if she was proud, and the young girl started shaking. Starlight thought she must have been crying until the girl turned and looked at her..."you do know you're not my mother, right?" She said as she laughed softly. "Because sometimes, I feel like I have two." She smiled a wide grin at her Nera. "Thanks for the help tho, I never could have got that on without it. I think tomorrow, I might have to get one of the stablehands to help, but I think I'm done for today."

Starlight huffed her agreement as she shook her head up and down. Then her rider reached out and stroked her soft downy skin. "You were brilliant today, I'm so lucky you decided to take me on as your rider, and really, what's so bad about having another mum?" This was said with a grin as she slowly pulled the saddle off again and started wiping Starlight down for the night.

"We can try again tomorrow". Starlight gave her a friendly nudge as if in agreement.

[Ruby-Skylark]

~ FIRST RIDE ~

Starlight was startled out of her doze in the sun when her rider poked her head over the stall door. "Are you ready to try an actual ride today?" She asked with a smile as Starlight shook herself awake.

A second later, the young rider pushed open the stall door to let one of the stablehands, carrying her heavy saddle, in. She'd decided to get some help with her saddle this time, if only so they made it out of the stable for their first ride.

After the stablehand had put the saddle on Starlight's back, he left again, and the rider set about the task of buckling the straps and making sure it was safe and comfortable. Once that was done, she led her Neravontii out into the yard, and over to a large stump that some of the shorter riders used as a mounting aid.

"Sorry about this" she said as she climbed up on top of it. "I guess I need to grow a few inches", she said with a laugh. "Not that I ever will, cursed with shortness, I am"

She got her left foot into the stirrup and pulled herself up into the saddle. She didn't have to worry about Starlight moving, or startling, she knew this was a dangerous part of their first ride, and she wouldn't do anything to hurt her rider, any more than her rider would do anything to hurt the Nera.

Once the young woman was seated properly in the saddle, Starlight started off in a gentle walk. She could feel her rider was still a bit unsteady, so she went very slow, until it felt like the young girl was getting used to the movement, and being so high off the ground.

When she felt more confident, the rider gently nudged Starlight into a slightly faster lope around the yard. She was having the time of her life, and Starlight was beginning to relax and have fun also. When she felt the command to go even faster, she did. But after a few minutes of the speedy gallop, she felt her rider getting unsteady again so she slowed down.

"Thanks for stopping, I was getting a bit dizzy...not used to being up so high, I guess" her rider said as she stroked Starlight's neck. I think that is enough fun and excitement for our first day of riding, how about we just take a nice slow walk back to the stable?"

Starlight bobbed her head and turned to "look" at her rider in agreement, then she turned in the direction of home.