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Indi-Icon by Tattered-Dreams

:iconteepee-trials:
#002-A
Horse: Indi
Rider: Aalya

As for the title...I liked it. And it could bring up the question of who exactly is guarding who ^^




I've been wanting to get in my own bonus image for the Teepee Trials for a while now and finally managed it. I originally intended for Aalya to be in it, too, but as I was putting it together, I realised I liked the simplicity of leaving it with just the two animals, so Aalya will show up in her costume later on :) And for those of you who have looked at the Camp map, you may recognise where in the camp this is, just from the picture alone ^^.

I really wanted to get into all the horse painting going on...but then...Indi never did seem like the type to let people splatter her with paint. So...we've gone a slightly different route :D For those who don't want to read the story: there's turquoise beads around strands of her mane, a woven, eagle feather dreamcatcher and two chains of swan feathers.

And Lastly - before the story - This marks the first time I've drawn Shiver, Aalya's Tamaskan dog. I did put a poll up not long ago, and the question of whether Shiver should be male or female has been a tight call in the results. In the end, my mum suggested I draw Shiver, because seeing the dog in my own style may help me decide what I want to do. I'm not sure it worked XD. So - if anyone has thoughts now you've seen my version of him/her, rather than the photo in the poll - I'd love to hear from you ^^. Shiv will have a gender eventually...

Here we go...

And a brief reminder that the teepee trials is present in the Indi timeline, so this takes place now (or technically in the coming summer), whereas the images you've seen of Indi so far have been set in the summer just gone, when she and Aalya were only first working together. Expect the relationship to have progressed in images at the Trials, compared to images of her backstory :)




"Lya!"

Aalya threw her head up, startled, as Ben's voice called out her nickname, directly behind her.

"Jesus!" She yelped, spinning around, and then having to scoop her long hair away from her face. Ben was smirking at her. "Do you have to do that? What do you want?"

But despite the words, there was no sting to them, and she couldn't help smiling back.

"I bring rations," he said holding up a couple of paper bags - rations from the storage containers hidden in the woods outside of the campsite. Since the Trials would not properly take off until the following day, there was a fair bit of 'making the most of it' going on.

"You're forgiven," Aalya said promptly, taking the package he offered her and unwrapping a heated sandwich. "You're my favourite person."

Ben laughed, throwing an arm around her jokingly. "For now I am. What were you doing? You didn't hear a word I said."

Aalya swallowed down a mouthful of her lunch, nodding at the pile of canvas and fibreglass poles that claimed they formed a semi decent two person tent. "Trying to set that up."

Ben shot her an amused glance. "You've been on a ranch your whole life and you can't set up a hike tent?"

Aalya shoved him in the side. "Shut up. This is not my hike tent. This is yours, and its different. I will not be defeated, though."

Ben dropped onto the grass, starting on his own lunch as Aalya finished up hers (they were small sandwiches, and after the busy morning, she was hungry) and turned back to the tent.

Though it fitted together differently to the little thing she had owned for years, the mechanics were simple enough, and around half an hour later, she stood back from it.

Their little pitching plot was right at the edge of the central campfire in the Tribe A sector of the campsite. The fence was sturdy, and with the recent storm, the grass was good grazing, other than a circular patch of earth that had been hardened and left bare with consistent use. That was where their teepee would stand for the week, but they didn't get the materials until the following day. The little hike tent in its place looked even smaller on the bare earth plot. Many people would be arriving in the morning, when the week actually began, but the camp had opened its gates just after noon that Sunday, for those who either couldn't or didn't want to be travelling on the Monday.

Since Aalya and Ben knew they had to contend with a mare who had never gone anywhere, and wasn't the friendliest to start with, they figured the extra day to settle in would help.

"Where is Indi?" Ben asked, almost as though he were picking up Aalya's absent train of thought on the mare.

"I left her up at The Ash Hill with Shiver," Aalya said. "I fenced her in with some of the temporary posts and tape from the containers, but Shiv will keep an eye on her." Indi had settled into life with Aalya, Ben, Scott and the other riding school horses better than expected considering how she behaved when she'd first arrived at Woodgrove, but Aalya could see in the mare's face sometimes, that there was something in her that still called out to that wild world she'd had to leave behind. Leaving Indi to roam free anywhere while they were here would probably result in them going home to New Zealand minus a horse.

"I'll go check on her anyway," Aalya said after a moment. She stood away from the tent and dusted off her hands on her jeans.

"I'll just..." Ben gestured towards the tent. Aalya gave him a withering look.

"You're going to fix it, aren't you? That'll teach me to try setting up your tent. Fine; fine. You have fun. I'll bring the bags back."

She climbed over the fence and dropped down into the worn path that connected their little plot to the neighbouring ones, like houses on a street. Picking up an easy jog, she made her way past the rows of tent plots - some of which were busy with people and horses and little beach-type tents, but many of which stood empty - and out towards the rise of Ash Hill.

Trailers and lorries wouldn't be allowed anywhere on the camp grounds starting tomorrow, but for now, there was an expanse of grass facing the beach that was lined with vehicles. That was option three.

Arrive on Monday and set up your teepee, or arrive on Sunday and set up a tent for the first night, or stay in your trailer.

Farther up the hill where the propped up cone of firewood always stood, the trailers were smaller, and the noise from them almost non existant.

Indi was grazing, her mane blowing slightly in the breeze across the lake below, but she looked relaxed and content, which was rather more than Aalya had been expecting. Shiver was laid in the grass not far from the mare; silver and cream coat ruffled in the light wind and looking at her with large, liquid eyes.

Having deduced that it was not a stranger approaching, Shiver's head dropped back to the grass; returning to an afternoon nap. Instead, Indi looked up and turned towards her. There was something unexpectedly soft in her expression, and Aalya couldn't help smiling as she looked at her.

As Indi turned, a swirl of wind rushed up, over her back, and the collection of items Aalya had wound into her mane snagged in the slipstream. Chains of white, downy swan feathers, held together with careful threading danced like autumn leaves, standing out sharply against her chocolate mane. There were also turquoise beads fastened down strands of her hair, and a small dreamcatcher sewn in farther down, strung with eagle feathers.

Aalya had ground up some flowers and plants not long after their arrival, coming up with some lovely paint colours, but it hadn't taken a genius to suss out pretty quickly that Indi hardly liked the feel or idea of paint going on her coat, so they had given up that plan in favour of weaving feathers and beads into her mane. Indi was happier, and that was the important part.

The mare surveyed her quietly and Shiver carried on snoozing under the overcast sky.

Aalya snatched out her phone and took a photograph of the two animals. In not too long, phones would have to be put away for the week, but she couldn't resist taking a picture of the scene before her. Who knew if there would be another? She adored the two of them, and they made a beautiful picture, whiling time away in peace beside each other.

Happy that Indi was calm, and that Shiver would watch her, Aalya left them to it.

It was time to fetch the last of their bags from the hired trailer and return to the campsite to finish helping Ben set up for the night. She'd be back for Indi and Shiver later.





Just a short snippet to go with it. I personally think this came out a bit thin and...flat? Idk. Maybe I'm used to huge long things at the minute, but somehow this feels incomplete. I think it's because I'm still trying to decide Shiver's gender. Halp? XD Anyway, enjoy.

And as usual, I have to go to bed now :D

Time: A handful of hours. Indi was sketched the other day, and the rest I did in one stint.
Reference used for Shiver: fav.me/d5vzxmq
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LeavingNeverland's avatar
Shiver still looks like a boy to me xD Plus the name 'shiver' in my mind tends to lean more toward the masculine. ANYWAY! Love the relaxed atmosphere here; I love how Shiv's just passed out all warm in the sun and Indi's like 'Da's cool. I'll go entertain myself elsewhere.' The beads in her hair are beautiful as well! The colour really suits her coat and stands out beautifully against her mane. I love Aalya already! She and Chris have to meet and go: "You're from New Zealand? I'M FROM NEW ZEALND!!" And who is this Ben?! I like him.