Convoy

Outlaw Trail
Faerie Promise ridden by Chess Knight
Number: 13
Team: Lawmen

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Event: HARPG Outlaw Trail
Host:

This the mandatory Assignment 4 image.

Horse: Lakewood's Faerie Promise "Mossy"
Horse Age: 7
Rider: Chess Knight
Rider Age: 21
Costume: [link]

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Seven in the morning was just too early to be trooping about the canyons trying to find lost horses. It didn't help that this was the open, sandy run that they'd all galloped down just a day ago to escape an explosion. Mossy wasn't too happy about it, but they had to spread out if they were going to get all the horses back.

She trotted along, body and head low and streamlined; with the long hours of riding, she was remembering her endurance training, and her topline was altering itself for the demand. Though her ears flickered and she snorted at new noises, her stride was clean as they circled several rocky outcroppings on their way back towards the canyons. Chess - sure she'd have a decent sunburn by the end of the week - glanced back to find Peanut.

The little dog had remained at camp earlier, still snoozing. Chess had managed to locate one of the horses; a sweet tempered mare who looked nothing short of thrilled to be led back home. By the time she'd set her loose in the corral, Peanut was bored of guarding the wagons and had decided to come along for the run. She darted every whichway on the path just behind, scouting for any kind of life. She'd already scared an acid green lizard from its sunbathing and large bird resembling a vulture from its roost in a rock. At least she was having fun, even if she hadn't yet found any rabbits (the white ones belonging to the circus for hat pulling were off limits).

Chess smiled at her as she watched the dog leap onto a low, flat rock, spin in a circle on it to check it was clear, and then launch herself back to the ground. Mossy snorted again, but this time, she stopped on the path, throwing her head up and looking around to the left.

Chess rubbed her neck absently, looking keenly forwards again. "Have you found one, Faerie?"

Mossy - soothed as usual by her rider - chomped on the snaffle in her mouth and tentatively stepped onward again. Chess left the reins slack, waiting to see where the little mare carried them.

Around the rock she stopped again and Peanut sat in the sand by her hooves. Chess let out a sudden breath and threw herself out of the saddle.

There was a white stallion ahead. It looked like he'd been grazing at the coarse grasses by the huge rock wall when a large piece broke loose - probably from the explosion yesterday. He was pulling back, head in the air and whites of his eyes showing; one of the side reins on his black harness snagged under the fallen rock, trapping him against the wall. Chess stooped to pluck her knife from her boot. She figured if it was between the horse and the harness, the circus would choose the horse.

She approached slowly, unwinding the long rope she kept in her saddle bags. It was better to get it around him now, rather than risk him running off when he was free. But the stallion was clearly used to people who took care of him, because when she was close enough to break through his haze of panic, he whinnied piercingly, all four hooves hitting the ground with a muted thud. He looked at her, the bit in his mouth pulled tight on one side, but he appeared unharmed.

"Easy," Chess murmured. The words were perfunctory; it was the tone that he needed to hear. "Let's get you out, hey?"

He skittered sideways when she reached his rock and was again pulled up short by the trapped strap. Locked in place, Chess quickly threw the rope noose over his head. He shook it - the tall blue plume on his bridle shivering - and remained still. Chess turned her attention to the strap.

There was no way she could shift the rock, so she turned the knife in her hand and jerked it upwards, slicing clean through the hard-wearing leather with a slick sound. Barely a foot of the rein was left hanging from the bit, and Chess used it to level out the bar so it was no longer uncomfortable for him.A quick look showed that the strap on the other side had already been torn up; what looked like cactus needles were stuck in the leather, so Chess sliced through that too, leaving another hanging rein as she disposed of the piece that had probably been digging into his shoulder.

By this time, the stallion had realised he was now free. Though the panic had gone, he didn't seem likely to settle down any time soon, so Chess guessed he was usually a little spirited. He danced along behind her as she used the broken straps to lead him to Mossy. The mare gave him an uncharacteristically haughty look when he arched his neck over and blew out through his nostrils. Chess laughed as she adjusted the noose and climbed back into the saddle.

"You've got an admirer, Moss," she sniggered, turning the mare back for the camp. Peanut barked and darted ahead while the Stallion gave the rope a confused look. He tried experimentally pulling back and Chess let it slide as much as possible whilst pushing Mossy on. She could walk them both back, but if she could pony him, it would be quicker. It all depended on him, though.

But after the initial puzzlement, the stallion appeared more concerned that Mossy was leaving, and he burst into a floating trot in order to catch up. She pinned her ears as he pressed his muzzle tentatively to her quarters and Chess was so surprised she nearly dropped the rope.

"Mossy!" This mare rarely had anything less than a disinterested reaction for anyone. But she swung her head with a warning snap of her mouth so the Stallion veered away. Chess snorted at the somewhat bigger horse being cowed by Mossy, of all horses. Apparently she was a little different when she was pregnant.

Just to be safe, Chess whistled loudly as Mossy took up a trot. The stallion, keeping his distance, but still keen to impress, began cantering behind them; his feathers fluttering, ropes swining and tail swirling. Peanut raced back to them and Chess pointed behind their little convoy. "Herd up, Pea!"

Understanding this command, the little dog relocated herself to keep the stallion in line from behind and Chess relaxed enough to laugh again as they headed for camp. "Sorry, Boy," she told the prancing stallion. "You're going after the wrong mare. Better luck next time."

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One note: The time line's now a little out, but in my world, the trail took place in a week early this summer. Though it's still technically ongoing, in relation to the rest of Lakewood, Mossy and Chess have been home for months now. Mossy had Poe in early October, so she would have been carrying her when she went to the wild west, but wouldn't have been so far along it wasn't safe

Also, I don't exactly approve of circuses, personally. And I have a thing against these type of side reins particularly (though I don't love lungeing ones, either). So I always planned to have Chess cut them, if they weren't already broken. Me, I'd have probably cut them up and thrown them away, but I'm meaner like that. This bit's not entirely relevant, its just some background on why I had Chess damage the harness. I'm not starting wars or forcing opinions here.

This has taken around 6-7 hours, I think. As usual, I procrastinated and left it to the last two days. That said, and considering I intended it to be fairly quick, I quite like it. I wanted to try out a more comic/cartoon shading style, so I had a lot of fun with that, and I like how it came out, but I don't think I'll be trying it again too soon. It actually takes just as much time this way as it does my usual way and I don't have nearly as much control with it (all the shades on the characters themselves are done with black and white and then I dropped the opacity of the layers themselves).
No refs and I do think some of the leg anatomy especially is a tad screwy. Don't even get started on Peanut (poor girl, I still can't draw her right )
Art and characters copyright to *Tattered-Dreams
The white horse isn't an individual character as such, but he's part of the circus group in the trail. Technically Spicey owns him
Do not take, copy, edit, redistribute or manipulate.