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Description
Rajial slid the reins over Mr. Darcy's strong neck and breathed a long sigh. Her nerves had eaten away at her stomach all morning, and she wondered how anyone could call them simply "butterflies." Her dappled gray Hanoverian stallion chewed contentedly from his hay net in the luxurious stall. The various sounds of Dark Lake Stables on its momentous day swarmed his ears, and they flicked with mere curiosity. Raj glanced at her shiny black boots and winced at the sawdust that had already marred them. She’d never been the best at caring for English show clothes, much less wearing them! With sudden realization, she noticed that she’d placed her velvet helmet on the stall floor. She gasped when she saw the center filled to the brim with bedding and retrieved it with a low hiss.

“Trouble?”

Raj jumped and hit her head on the bottom of Darcy’s water bucket, forcing tiny trickles to spill across her forehead. She straightened, purely indignant. Colt Jackson, her recent friend and the loyal veterinarian for all of New Horizon’s horses stared back with a sheepish expression.

“Ooops.”

“Colt!” Raj beamed, “What are you doing here?”

“We induced labor last night rather than waiting it out. She was completely dilated and two weeks late, anyways.”

Raj studied his face for a moment. His dark brown hair was still wet, meaning a hasty shower and a few hours drive to reach the show grounds in time for the jumping to begin. His eyes held heavy circles below them which he couldn’t possibly disguise, and he’d somehow managed a shave. The mare he’d been tending had been a good four hours away from NHS, and the trip to DLS added even more. She doubted he’d slept much last night, if at all.

“I’m so glad you’ve come.” Raj said, but the resulting silence made her anxious. An unexpected arrival broke it before she spoke another word.

“Jacob!” She gasped.

Jacob Walker gave Colt the slightest of glances before squaring his shoulders away and towards Raj. He glanced at the ground before hesitantly stepping into the stall to join the two. He was wearing a red polo and jeans without a single speck of dirt upon them, as usual. It was odd for her to see him in anything but jockey attire. She’d been so used to him visiting at random to exercise Esplode until he’d suddenly halted all contact whatsoever. It came as quite a shock to see him here. Colt seemed to share her surprise.

“Hey, Raj,” Jacob said, flashing a wide smile, “I came to wish you good luck, but it appears you already have an admirer... I heard you were competing on Mr. Darcy today.”

She gestured towards the horse who appeared apathetic despite the escalating tension in the air of his stall. Signaling towards her “admirer,” she introduced Colt. The two men met each other’s level eyes with poker faces. Jacob was the first to break composure. He extended a hand with a short greeting. They studied one another with slight reproach.

“Colt has been the vet for New Horizon over the past few months. We’re certainly glad to have him.” Raj explained, hefting the light-weight saddle onto Darcy’s back and continuing his tacking up. She held her breath when casual conversation failed to resume behind her. She supposed it would have been asking too much for her friends to get along. A shrill laugh brought both her and Mr. Darcy’s heads up with a jerk. Chevoda arrived at the stall arm in arm with a rather handsome young man. Before she could ask, Hathien came into view, shooting her stable hand, Thomas Birch, amused glances.

“Oh, Raj, Thomas was just telling me the most----oh!” Chevoda stopped in her tracks upon the small gathering. Her eyes darted between the occupants of the crowded stall, and she erupted into giggles at the sight of Rajial’s exasperated face. Hathien entered the stall without a word and headed directly to the gray’s head, stroking his nose with a kind smile. The horse let escape a low sigh. When Thomas attempted to follow, Darcy pinned his ears and sent him a look of death. Raj smacked him on the neck with a growl.

“I’m very sorry!” She spluttered, “He doesn’t tolerate men well, and this stall’s becoming a bit too crowded for both our tastes!”

“That’s ok,” Thomas said with a bemused expression, “He could use some space...”

“Yes! Excellent idea, Thomas! Everyone, OUT!” Chevoda laughed. With exaggerated arms, she shooed them from the stall.

Hathien remained to help Raj with Mr. Darcy’s complex equipment. Jacob had been particularly hesitant with his departure, but a sharp look from Chevy had corrected him. In a moment, four curious faces were left peering into the stall. Rajial halted her preparation to make lengthy introductions. The men shook hands once again, and Chevoda muscled her way into their circle of formal conversation without a problem. When all attention had finally left her, Raj spoke to her best friend in hushed tones.

“My, my, Hath, he’s quite a looker.” She whispered.

“You’re terrible!” Hathien hissed with a snicker, “I could say the same for your two.”

Rajial rolled her eyes and was about to retort when the announcer called a number she’d been dreading for hours. Her face immediately paled.

“That’s my cue,” She muttered, “I’d better go warm up.”

Rajial led Mr. Darcy from his stall. He craned his neck in an attempt to sneak a few more stands of hay but soon followed without complaint. Her minuscule crowd trailed her to the end of the corridor with repeated “good luck’s.” She halted to clasp her helmet and scanned the bright faces of her supporters. While both Chevy and Thomas appeared calm and reassuring, Jacob sent her a subtle wink and Colt, a crooked grin. The two had made themselves as distant from one another as possible. Hathien left Rajial with a warm hug of encouragement before aiding her into the saddle. She turned the powerful stallion without so much as a backwards glance and headed towards the warm-up pen, keeping her mind on the task at hand: to jump and to jump well. Her team, including her best friend, was relying on her.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

This is my entry for =life-d-sign 's competition! Dark Lake Stables is hosting both singular and team dressage/ show jumping, so go check it out! ~apocalypse613 organized our team which consists of her, *Hathien603 , ~Rosela-Kitsuna and I called "The Quartet of the Golden Sunrise." Obviously, our colors are gold/yellow with mainly gray attire. I can't wait to see the other team entries and how we do!

I'm very pleased with this piece! Raj doesn't look like an old woman, so yay! I put a lot of effort into this background, and, believe it or not, those observers took ages to do. Mr. Darcy looks quite handsome, as well, methinks! I hadn't written a story in quite some time, so I made this one a doozy! Both Hathien and Raj's gangs have finally met in one place! Oh, the DRAMA! The title is"Pride and Prejudice" not only to fit Darcy but to describe the tension between two certain male characters of mine... Enjoy!

PS: Yes, there's a couple making out in the background. Don't ask me why.
PPS: I apologize if my setting/distance is off in accordance to DLS's location! I'll edit the story if I find otherwise.

Art, Mr. Darcy, Chevoda and Rajial (c) Me
Thomas and Hathien (c) *Hathien603

Description
Rajial slid the reins over Mr. Darcy's strong neck and breathed a long sigh. Her nerves had eaten away at her stomach all morning, and she wondered how anyone could call them simply "butterflies." Her dappled gray Hanoverian stallion chewed contentedly from his hay net in the luxurious stall. The various sounds of Dark Lake Stables on its momentous day swarmed his ears, and they flicked with mere curiosity. Raj glanced at her shiny black boots and winced at the sawdust that had already marred them. She’d never been the best at caring for English show clothes, much less wearing them! With sudden realization, she noticed that she’d placed her velvet helmet on the stall floor. She gasped when she saw the center filled to the brim with bedding and retrieved it with a low hiss.

“Trouble?”

Raj jumped and hit her head on the bottom of Darcy’s water bucket, forcing tiny trickles to spill across her forehead. She straightened, purely indignant. Colt Jackson, her recent friend and the loyal veterinarian for all of New Horizon’s horses stared back with a sheepish expression.

“Ooops.”

“Colt!” Raj beamed, “What are you doing here?”

“We induced labor last night rather than waiting it out. She was completely dilated and two weeks late, anyways.”

Raj studied his face for a moment. His dark brown hair was still wet, meaning a hasty shower and a few hours drive to reach the show grounds in time for the jumping to begin. His eyes held heavy circles below them which he couldn’t possibly disguise, and he’d somehow managed a shave. The mare he’d been tending had been a good four hours away from NHS, and the trip to DLS added even more. She doubted he’d slept much last night, if at all.

“I’m so glad you’ve come.” Raj said, but the resulting silence made her anxious. An unexpected arrival broke it before she spoke another word.

“Jacob!” She gasped.

Jacob Walker gave Colt the slightest of glances before squaring his shoulders away and towards Raj. He glanced at the ground before hesitantly stepping into the stall to join the two. He was wearing a red polo and jeans without a single speck of dirt upon them, as usual. It was odd for her to see him in anything but jockey attire. She’d been so used to him visiting at random to exercise Esplode until he’d suddenly halted all contact whatsoever. It came as quite a shock to see him here. Colt seemed to share her surprise.

“Hey, Raj,” Jacob said, flashing a wide smile, “I came to wish you good luck, but it appears you already have an admirer... I heard you were competing on Mr. Darcy today.”

She gestured towards the horse who appeared apathetic despite the escalating tension in the air of his stall. Signaling towards her “admirer,” she introduced Colt. The two men met each other’s level eyes with poker faces. Jacob was the first to break composure. He extended a hand with a short greeting. They studied one another with slight reproach.

“Colt has been the vet for New Horizon over the past few months. We’re certainly glad to have him.” Raj explained, hefting the light-weight saddle onto Darcy’s back and continuing his tacking up. She held her breath when casual conversation failed to resume behind her. She supposed it would have been asking too much for her friends to get along. A shrill laugh brought both her and Mr. Darcy’s heads up with a jerk. Chevoda arrived at the stall arm in arm with a rather handsome young man. Before she could ask, Hathien came into view, shooting her stable hand, Thomas Birch, amused glances.

“Oh, Raj, Thomas was just telling me the most----oh!” Chevoda stopped in her tracks upon the small gathering. Her eyes darted between the occupants of the crowded stall, and she erupted into giggles at the sight of Rajial’s exasperated face. Hathien entered the stall without a word and headed directly to the gray’s head, stroking his nose with a kind smile. The horse let escape a low sigh. When Thomas attempted to follow, Darcy pinned his ears and sent him a look of death. Raj smacked him on the neck with a growl.

“I’m very sorry!” She spluttered, “He doesn’t tolerate men well, and this stall’s becoming a bit too crowded for both our tastes!”

“That’s ok,” Thomas said with a bemused expression, “He could use some space...”

“Yes! Excellent idea, Thomas! Everyone, OUT!” Chevoda laughed. With exaggerated arms, she shooed them from the stall.

Hathien remained to help Raj with Mr. Darcy’s complex equipment. Jacob had been particularly hesitant with his departure, but a sharp look from Chevy had corrected him. In a moment, four curious faces were left peering into the stall. Rajial halted her preparation to make lengthy introductions. The men shook hands once again, and Chevoda muscled her way into their circle of formal conversation without a problem. When all attention had finally left her, Raj spoke to her best friend in hushed tones.

“My, my, Hath, he’s quite a looker.” She whispered.

“You’re terrible!” Hathien hissed with a snicker, “I could say the same for your two.”

Rajial rolled her eyes and was about to retort when the announcer called a number she’d been dreading for hours. Her face immediately paled.

“That’s my cue,” She muttered, “I’d better go warm up.”

Rajial led Mr. Darcy from his stall. He craned his neck in an attempt to sneak a few more stands of hay but soon followed without complaint. Her minuscule crowd trailed her to the end of the corridor with repeated “good luck’s.” She halted to clasp her helmet and scanned the bright faces of her supporters. While both Chevy and Thomas appeared calm and reassuring, Jacob sent her a subtle wink and Colt, a crooked grin. The two had made themselves as distant from one another as possible. Hathien left Rajial with a warm hug of encouragement before aiding her into the saddle. She turned the powerful stallion without so much as a backwards glance and headed towards the warm-up pen, keeping her mind on the task at hand: to jump and to jump well. Her team, including her best friend, was relying on her.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

This is my entry for =life-d-sign 's competition! Dark Lake Stables is hosting both singular and team dressage/ show jumping, so go check it out! ~apocalypse613 organized our team which consists of her, *Hathien603 , ~Rosela-Kitsuna and I called "The Quartet of the Golden Sunrise." Obviously, our colors are gold/yellow with mainly gray attire. I can't wait to see the other team entries and how we do!

I'm very pleased with this piece! Raj doesn't look like an old woman, so yay! I put a lot of effort into this background, and, believe it or not, those observers took ages to do. Mr. Darcy looks quite handsome, as well, methinks! I hadn't written a story in quite some time, so I made this one a doozy! Both Hathien and Raj's gangs have finally met in one place! Oh, the DRAMA! The title is"Pride and Prejudice" not only to fit Darcy but to describe the tension between two certain male characters of mine... Enjoy!

PS: Yes, there's a couple making out in the background. Don't ask me why.
PPS: I apologize if my setting/distance is off in accordance to DLS's location! I'll edit the story if I find otherwise.

Art, Mr. Darcy, Chevoda and Rajial (c) Me
Thomas and Hathien (c) *Hathien603