modernknight (modernknight) wrote in the_colony, @ 2010-11-13 23:03:00 |
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Entry tags: | ^ week 22, gregory blair, jacklyn baker, | greg and jack |
Week 22: Sunday
Characters: Greg and Jack
Location: the barn
Summary: Greg goes out to check on the horses and finds Jack already there.
Rating: G
Jack was not supposed to go near the cows by herself. Jed had pretty firmly established that as A Rule and she’d been trouble if she was found with them. But nobody said anything visiting the horses.
The period of getting used to so many new people in the house was hard and awkward. Jack was still adjusting to all of them but there was nothing difficult about having horses. She loved animals and while she’d never ridden one, it always seemed like it would be fun. Jack was willing to bet she’d be good at it, too. The horses were pretty, too.
Just in case the horses kicked like cows, Jack stood well back from the first one, only just close enough to slowly reach her good hand out towards its nose.
“I’d be careful if I were you,” Greg called out in amusement as Ginger eyed the teen with a wary eye. The Chevalier had just finished guard duty and came to check on his horses, thinking he’d let them out into the pasture for a bit. Finding Jack there wasn’t a huge surprise, girls and horses had been something he was long sense familiar with. “Ginger doesn’t ordinarily bite, but you’ll want to keep a close watch on her eyes and ears.”
Jack pulled her hand back. “Why? What happens with her eyes and ears to make her bite?” She hoped the horse wouldn’t bite her. If cows kick and horses bite, she’d never be allowed to do anything with them.
“They’re a guide to the mood of the horse.” Greg moved alongside of the girl as Ginger whinnied at the sight of her owner and second favorite human. “Hullo Ginger,” he cooed to the horse in a soft voice and reached to scratch her lightly between the eyes. “If her ears twitch or flatten and eyes go wide, that’s a sure sign they’re frightened or upset.”
Jack studied the horse’s eyes and ears carefully but they looked normal for whatever horse’s eyes and ears were supposed to be. Or at least like what Jack had seen in the movies. “Does Ginger and the other one kick? I’m not supposed to be around the cows cause they kick.”
“Ginger is all right to be around, but I’d rather you not go near Gustav without myself or Abigail with you.” Greg brought the girl’s good hand up to Ginger’s head and the horse dipped her head down further to get closer to the source of the petting. “She’s a good mare, sweet and gentle most times. Gustav is trained as a warhorse and has the temperament to match. Until he’s used to having you around I’d not go near him.” A snort from the aforementioned stallion caused Greg to glance over at him in amusement. “Don’t snort at me, sir, ye know the truthfulness of the statement.”
The girl giggled at Gustav’s noise and Greg’s words to him, though she was glad she’d initially picked the nice horse to approach. “Hi, Ginger,” she said in the voice she used on Bosie most of the time. The horse’s long nose was soft and Jack grinned at petting her. “You’re a nice horse.”
“She is at that.” Greg nodded and stepped back, watching girl and horse interact. “Do y’know how to ride?”
“No.” She kept stroking Ginger’s velvety nose. “But I can skateboard.” Those weren’t the same things but you had to be gutsy to skate and you had to have good balance. Neither of those were bad .
“Then I shall teach you this spring, once your arm is healed and the snow has melted.” If he was going to settle amongst these people it was better to start forming bonds with them now, rather than keep them at arm’s length. Besides, Jack reminded him somewhat of Danielle. The pain of his daughter’s loss was softer now than it had been in the time right after her death along with that of her mother in the plague. Time and distance helped to slowly heal the wound.
This time Jack turned her smile up at the man. “Really?” she asked excitedly. “That would be awesome, thank you.” A pause. “There’s nothing I can do now?” Spring felt forever away while the cold of winter was still here.
Greg pretended to ponder the question for a moment, though truly he’d made up his mind the moment Jack had asked. “Well...I suppose I could teach you how to care for them. How to wash her and brush her, care for her gear and things such as that. I wouldn’t expect you to take over caring for her, but helping me would give you the opportunity to learn.”
That sounded like a lot of work but when it was something she was truly interested in, Jack didn’t mind the work. “I can do that,” she answered, trying to sound like she took the responsibility seriously.
“Good.” Greg smiled and patted her on the shoulder. “It sounds worse than it is, and once you’ve learned you’ll have a skill you’ll be able to use for the rest of your life. Caring for horses is something that will be very good to know in the future I should think.”
Speaking of useful skills... “Is it hard to learn to do what you do? With the swords and bow and arrow and stuff?”
That question caused Greg to look at her more closely, scrutinizing the girl and what had made her ask the question. “Hard? Not exactly, though it can be very frustrating and take long years of practice to become skilled.” Not to mention she’d be at a disadvantage going against a male opponent, but they’d simply have to find a style that would compensate for that once she’d reached her full growth. “I can teach you unarmed fighting much faster though, and would provide a good foundation for sword and bow if you truly wished to learn.”
Jack wasn’t sure how something that took years of practice to get good wasn’t hard but okay. “I know some fighting already. Zoe, she used to be in our group,” before she abandoned us. “She knew lots of martial arts. She taught me.”
“I see.” A nod accompanied this statement as he opened Ginger’s stall to let her out into the pasture for a while. “Then we shall have to see what she taught you and where you are in comparison to the others I teach. I have been teaching Nathan and Abigail since I found them, so you and they may be close to the same level depending on what you’ve learned.”
“Okay,” Jack answered before smiling again. “If I do good, can I get to try a sword when my arm’s better?”
The Chevalier looked over his shoulder at the girl as he saw to Ginger getting out into the pasture. Teaching the girl how to ride and care for horses was one thing, teaching her how to use the sword was another and he didn’t know how the others would respond to it. “Mayhap. I do have a few wood practice blades in my baggage. If you truly want to learn the art of the sword then I shall teach you, but you must be willing to listen when I teach.”
“I will be. I mean, I am,” she answered quickly. Jack watched Ginger move, trying to ignore how cold it was out. The barn had been warmer. With luck, by the time she started sword stuff, it would be much warmer out. Hopefully. She was glad Greg seemed so easy-going about teaching her. Asking her to listen wasn’t bad and she wondered if Jed would feel the same way. Another hope. Greg’s sword and bow and arrow were too cool for her to be willing to stay away from.
“Good. I teach after morning chores before breakfast. I’ll expect to see you then.” Greg made his way back into the barn as Ginger pranced around in the pasture, eager to burn off energy and to stay warm. He would bring Gustav out and let the two horses spend some outdoor time for a while before bringing them back in. It was cold out, but not as cold as it would be in Vancouver.
Inwardly, Jack cringed at how early that was. “Okay. Thank you. I’m going to go back inside cause it’s freezing out here.”
That caused a chuckle from Greg as he led the second horse outside. “Don’t blame you, youngster. Not one bit. Talk to you soon.”