~ FIRST TOUCH ~
The young red-haired rider had seen the magnificent blue and red Neravontii brought in with the last shipment, and had fallen deeply in love with his colouring, she hadn't even noticed his beautiful fins until she had moved closer to get a better look.
After reading his special instructions, she had put in her offer to buy him and then sat back to wait for the new owner to be chosen. It felt like forever, but it was only a week before the young red-head arrived at the stables to find an owner's notice posted in the office.
She couldn't believe it when she saw her own name listed on the adoption form and literally squealed out loud (which gave everyone a start, they weren't used to squealy riders).
The rider wasn't really sure how to approach her new Neravontii, so she took some time to just watch him, and see what he was like. She could already tell he was going to take some work, especially his dislike of other Neras. It's a good thing my herd is so laid back, there's not a lot that can upset her little family of oddballs, she smiled as she thought about her babies.
She got up and wandered over to the finned Neravontiis stall. It was time to meet this beautiful boy head-on. She was cautious, but she had a secret weapon...she'd noticed his healthy appetite, so she'd stashed some good snacks in her backpack to use as a bribe to win him over.
He stood at the back, sniffing the air, trying to figure out who was coming closer. He'd managed to successfully keep all the staff at bay til now, but what he really wanted was to meet his new owner. He needed someone to look after him (not that he would ever admit he needed anyone), having his very own human was his goal.
He stood in the shadows waiting for whoever it was to leave, but they just stood there, watching him as if waiting for him to make the first move. Eventually, she opened the gate and came in, talking softly as she made her way over.
"Hey, I'm your new owner, I'm sorry I didn't come visit, but I was kind of nervous, I wasn't sure if you would like me?" He noticed her reaching into the bag she was carrying and got ready to move. "It's ok, I'm not going to hurt you, I figured the best way to your heart was through your stomach, so I brought you something to snack on while we get to know each other? What do you think of the name Kaiju? I thought it was impressive enough to suit you?"
She pulled out the large bag of Neravontii snack food and poured it into his food bucket. His stomach definitely ruled, she hadn't even finished pouring and he was shoving his head right into the bucket. She laughed at his greediness and even tho he moved a bit further away from her laughing, he didn't pull his head out of the food.
"I guess I was right, then?" She smiled. While he ate, she started talking again, and turned back to the paddock opposite, where all her other babies were watching. She leaned in close and spoke softly, "I figure I should introduce you to the family, you'll meet them a bit later, after you get used to being with others, but for now, I'll just tell you about them."
She waited until his ears swivelled in her direction again. "The white boy with the blue chevrons on his neck," she pointed, "he was my first, and he was the best I could have learned with, his name is Jaye and he's the sweetest boy you could ever hope to meet" she waved to Jaye, "he's a bit of a derp tho" she smiled as he took off in a sprint across the paddock.
Kaiju was visibly relaxing the more she rambled on, so she continued. "That lovely blue lady covered in stars, her name is Starlight, and she's the leader of the group and I swear she thinks she's my mother sometimes" she smiled as she waved to her lovely lady, who leaned over the fence to keep an eye on her rider. "I don't mind, it's nice to be looked after sometimes."
That beautiful blue boy with Starlight is Jake, he was my third Neravontii, and he's a lot like Starlight. They run the group, they're the most responsible, where the others can be a bit of a handful." She watched as Jake turned his head to keep an eye on Jaye, who was still running around like an idiot.
While she talked to Kaiju, she very slowly reached her arm over and lightly scratched behind his ear. He shuffled a bit but didn't stop eating, so she was encouraged to keep going.
The young red-head continued her story as she kept petting Kaiju. "My next boy is very special, when he was just a wee baby, he was attacked and his leg was so badly injured, the vet had to remove it." She looked fondly at Jaxx as he stood on his hind legs and tried to climb the fence. "He doesn't let it stop him from leading a full life, the only thing he can't do is carry a rider." She looked sad for a moment. "I wish I could have ridden him, but his prosthetic just couldn't take the extra weight." She gave Jaxx a little wave and watched him trot after Jaye.
She moved her hand down Kaiju's neck, softly stroking the downy skin. She felt him shiver but he didn't move away. She kept talking as she let him get used to her hand.
"See that green boy over there? His name is Jack and he was my late xmas present. I waited weeks to get him, I'm so glad he was still there waiting for me when I came back for him." She smiled and waved as again, he too trotted off to run around with the other boys. She shook her head at their antics.
The bright blue boy playing with the soccer ball, he was a special adopt. His first owner wasn't able to train him, so I asked if I might have permission to add him to my little family." She kept stroking Kaiju's back as she talked. "It took a little bit of time, but his owner let me adopt him, and he's been creating havok ever since." She laughed as he bounced the soccer ball off Jaye, who then proceeded to chase Jace around for it.
She turned to look at Kaiju, who had finally finished his meal and was listening to her with his full attention now. "Then it was your turn to join my little family," she smiled at him. "I loved you the moment I saw you, even tho I knew you would be hard work, I kndpew it would be worth every second." The girl kept up her slow petting of the blue Neravontii.
She turned back and pointed to a Nera just behind Starlight and Jake. "And just yesterday, I adopted that pretty pink girl, her name is Venus and she's still a bit shy, I haven't had a chance to train her yet. I wanted to concentrate on you, so you could get used to having an owner." She must have done something right, the next second she was getting a very grumpy version of a hug and then he disappeared into the back of the stall again.
The rider didn't mind, she understood that while he was happy to have a rider, he didn't like to show it. He would take a bit of time getting to where he could join the others, but that's fine, she had plenty of time. She opened the gate and went to visit Venus.
