Meeting Jasper // #1

'Dutch Langton, I swear to God, if I catch you lazing about this morning, it'll be me you have to deal with,' Buckthorn called, grabbing a halter from next to Harpy's stall and stalking out the door like he was on a mission. Dutch himself was stood outside the barn, leaning on a windowsill and chatting to one of the new stablehands, but when Buck stopped and glared, he seemed to jump as though he was hit.

'Ah, right, yeah. I'll catch you later, Wes, yeah?' He jogged up to where Buckthorn had walked off to, towards the paddock where Sunspear, Harpy, Bear, Parakeet and Chai were lounging under the sun. It was a warm day, like it usually is in Goldstock, but today seemed different - there was an excitable air to the surroundings, the usually quiet atmosphere of Maplefall Acres being abruptly interrupted by the bustling traffic of trying to get all of the chores done before their trip. Specifically, a trip to a local farmer's land, where two herds of Teddy Cobs had located themself. These were ready to be adopted, and it was tradition for most people at Maplefall to try before they left. Buck was one of those people - he had heard there were a couple of stallions in this herd, but specifically, a pretty red and white one with a blue eye and four white feet. He was called Jasper by the locals that watched over them and managed their adoption and social media.

'We're getting all the horses in their paddocks before they leave,' Buck started, but Dutch interjected smoothly.

'Then why are we walking towards the paddock?' He pursed his lips, hands behind his back and a glint in his eyes. 'With my horse's halter?'

'Because, Dutch, Harpy is coming with us. It'll be good for him; get him out in the crowd, see if he manages with that the way we think he will.' Buck sighed, throwing the halter at the cowboy and swinging the gate open. 'Go on, hurry up. And grab Sunspear, if you want, I'll go on Harp.'

'Oo, sure,' Dutch hummed, tilting his hat at Buck as he passed by into the paddock.

The leaves were already starting to turn to shades of brown and orange, deeper than usual - Goldstock got its name from being almost constantly in the autumnal season, the weather changing mildly between cold, warm and warmer, but the types of trees that were prominent in the area were all notably accessorised by their pretty reddish leaves. All sorts of horses and ponies thrived in the environment that Maplefall Acres could offer - the warm but modest temperature that Goldstock holds, with beautiful trail routes for miles and a beautiful village named Linston that is thoroughly horse-friendly. They hold festivals every so often and there's almost always a group of Maplefall riders leading a parade, whether it's the stablehands, instructors, or the kids that just love to spend time with the pony they're designated on Camp Week.

Harpy and Sunspear are both Teddy Cobs owned by Dutch himself, and they're awfully fond of each other - they're a good little duo to take out and about. Harpy is confident as he is round (they're trying to slim him down, they really are) to help out Sunspear, who gets rather nervous at times. They're both the epitome of beauty in the eyes of Linston villagers, with their golden-brown coats and pretty brown eyes; Harpy being a Teddy-Eared buckskin with birdcatcher spots and heavy feathering, whilst Sunspear mimics him in a brighter light, with a golden dunalino coat, beautiful striping on his face and legs, and a pure white mane that somehow never seems to get mucky. Dutch and Buck have been trying to figure out how he keeps it so clean, but they just can't get it.

When Dutch wandered over to the group of the five ponies, Parakeet was the first to respond, as always - his snorts and snickers a constant wave of welcome. Sunspear lifted his head briefly to acknowledge Dutch, wandering over and standing next to him quietly.

'Who's my cleverest baby, huh? You're a good boy,' Dutch smiled, ruffling the fur on Sunspear's forehead softly before being thrown into him by another pony, who was eagerly nuzzling into him. 'Jeez, Harpy, chill out a bit. We're going on a trip, today, so you'd better be good for Buck, or he'll have my head.'

He put the brown rope halter around Harpy's muzzle and looped the knot at the top, patting Sunspear and wandering off. Sunspear, an angel in the disguise of a horse, followed effortlessly whilst the little pony they called Harpy trotted and paced beside him. He was very sensitive to his surroundings, and he had noticed how enthusiastic everyone around him was - how the haynets had been travelling towards the car park, how there were more people than usual. The claiming of a new herd of Teddies was always exciting, and everyone was always invited to come as a guest of Maplefall's - sometimes, parents would let their kids go with them to help get new ponies to train for the riding school, and the kids would always pick the one that they'd dream of loaning for years to come. Usually, if the pony they tried for came home, then they'd have first refusal when they became steady enough for loaning, as long as the instructors decided it was a safe match.

'Come on, then, hurry up- what- Dutch, you were meant to at least try to lead Pear with the rope, you moron,' Buck dragged a hand down his face, sighing irritably.

'You only gave me one halter! I trust him, he follows. See? My perfect ponies. He follows his boyfriend everywhere,' Dutch defended himself (and the pony) eagerly, shaking his head elaborately. 'You just have no faith in my training abilities.'

'… maybe.' Buckthorn sighed, taking Harpy's leash from him and leading him to the little burgundy horse trailer that was parked behind the black four-by-four. Sunspear trotted on behind him, before getting sidetracked by the haynet placed eagerly in front of him. Dutch had gone to grab the headcollar for Sunspear to tie him safely on the box, then returned to the barn to get tack for both ponies - a brown saddle and bridle for Sunspear with a pristine white pad, and a black set for Harpy with his signature deep red pad. Harpy had a breastplate with his, also, and an extra leadrope clipped to the d-ring just in case someone needed it.

Once everything was packed, they were off to meet the new herd.

It was a successful trip - both ponies behaved well, nuzzled at each other's nets of hay, but overall, they were good. When they got to the farmland, they were unloaded and tacked up in their usual gear, before finally being mounted by their riders. Today's immediate goal was just to see how they would respond to being around a big crowd of people, dogs, loud children, and ponies that they've never met before. Sunspear was quite nervous, naturally drifting in towards Harpy as his protection blanket. Harpy, on the other hand, was prancing and dancing in the most excited of manners - children would come over and ask if they could say hello, utterly besotted by his warm presence and round ears. But eventually, their enthusiasm was overtaken when people started swarming towards the claimable ponies - including the one that Buck had his eyes on.

Jasper - a pretty chestnut gelding splash with light dapples and mismatched eyes. His feathered feet were a clean white against his orange, his eyes sparkling with mischief. He's a small pony, standing only around eleven hands, if that.

'Hey, take these two back to the trailer and tie them up, if you want. I'm gonna go try and get a couple of ponies,' Buck said as he dismounted the gelding and clipped the leash onto his bit to hand it to Dutch. Dutch nodded, clicking his tongue and encouraging the ponies back to their box.

For now, it was time to meet this little pony.

'Hi, Jasper,' Buckthorn called, black hair pulled into a ponytail behind him so as to not let it blow in the wind too much. 'How are you today? Lookin' very pretty. I like your eyes, have you seen them yourself?'

Jasper nickered back, shoving his tiny nose into the palm of Buck's hand, sniffing at him and licking him. When he didn't find any treats, he seemed mildly disappointed, and he shook his head sadly. Buck laughed at him gently, petting the fur of his neck and running his hands through the long mane. It was slightly knotted, with spindly thorny branches stuck in it with tiny unripe blackberries. He was certainly a sight, and a beautiful one, too. His dapples shone in the sunlight and his mane jingled with the bell ribbons that had already been braided in - some people took a more traditional approach, with delicate braids, and others went for a wilder attempt to just knot it all in in an attempt to get it to be firm and stay. Usually, it was the knotted, tangled one that would slip free easiest - they were more desperate than thought out, but who knows; maybe someone would have more luck than Buck when he was eleven.

'Can I give you this?' Buckthorn smiled softly, taking a golden bell out of his pocket. It was tied around a delicate ice-blue ribbon, paler than Jasper's left eye, and it was slightly shiny under the sun. Jasper nuzzled it and snorted briefly, shaking his head and pushing his forehead into Buck's arms. The man laughed softly, beginning to braid the musical bell into the white of his forelock - it was tight, but comfortable, and not taking up too much.

Once he had braided the ribbon in as securely as he could, he began to run his hands over the fur of the tiny pony's back, checking out his health and conformation - he'd usually do this first, but the little man had made him a big fan already, and he rushed slightly. He had a tail as fluffy and rounded as a pompom, poofing behind him. It didn't seem very practical to keep bugs and flies away, but it certainly did look cute as he waggled it about. The mannerisms seemed more like a dog than a pony, though, his ears pricked and lips nibbling at Buck's jacket sleeve.

'Oi, don't bite me, you little minx,' Buckthorn grinned, shaking his head and battin at the pony quietly, before feeling someone tug at his jeans. A small boy, about three heads shorter than him, was looking up at him with big, round eyes.

'I'm sorry to bother you mister, but could you help me reach his tail? I wanna try and bring him home, but I don't wanna make his mane too heavy!' He explained briefly, fiddling with the ribbon in his hands sheepishly. Buck nodded, smiling earnestly and crouching down briefly.

'Of course I can. There's a tiny bit of white in his tail on the other side, do you want to put it there? Your ribbon would be very noticeable then,' he explained briefly, and the little boy nodded, holding out the bell gingerly for him to take.

'There you go. All done. Good luck to you, kiddo.'