Re: Ghost Ranch (back as a gout get it, hahaha)

[Charlie]

Randy turned his head keep his perriferal view on the path. "I don't believe them any more but sometimes the horses can act weird, get spooked for seemingly nothin'. And sometimes the cattle will just go runnin' for no reason. Then youbget your normal bangs and bumps in the night." he didnt want to touch on how he was the center of a few of the hauntings because he had never heard that rumor and he worked the three cabilleros who gosipped like they were ladies ina beautyshop. "How exactly am I the center of a few of the stories?" his voice was inquisitive.

[Ziva :)]

"Some of the gossiping types round town say that the ghosts saved you when you were a kid, and the othersthink they pushed you off a horse in a bad accident. A few talk of favours and curses, but all tell me to stay away," she shrugged, "You'd think they were too old for ghost stories,"
Champ pranced forward, put Lara reigned him in.

[Charlie]

"All those stories are old wives tales." he laughed it sounded real but he was not one to joke about his accident he preferred not to talk about. "The short of it is, my horse got spooked, and I defied all odds and was able to walk again. It happens. Don't let silly ghost stories get to ya." he smiled. He knew what he believed himself, the ghouls spooked his old jumping horse, he fell and he chose to believe that they put in a good word with the Guy in the sky so he got a second chance.

[Ziva :)]

She made a dismisive gesture, "I don't beleive in any of those tall tales, and miracles do happen,"
Champ shook his head and shied away again. He was being more difficult than usual.

((I've got to go....))

[Charlie]

(I have to go too so this was perfect timing )

[Ziva :)]

((LOL))

[Charlie]

Randy breathed a sigh of relief, someone who finally didn't believe them. And if they did they didn't say, most of the time. He noticed Champ, and tilted his head, in the slightest, "Is champ okay, he doesn't seem like his normal self." He new the horses normal behavior after all he looked after him most of the time.

[Ziva :)]

Lara's brow furrowed, "I suppose he's just feeling frisky. He's a bit wild sometimes, but not usually when I ride him,"
She patted the horse's neck reasuringly.

[Charlie]

Randy knew this, he found out when exercising him one day. Of course that day was so traumatic that the other stable boys said they wouldn't care for the horse anymore. He hoped his mom picked good candidates who weren't little wimps, and afraid of a semi wild horse.
When Lara said the word frisky, it made perfect sense, Lu was acting the same way, hence the way she acted as they headed out of the riding ring. "Maybe its because there's gonna be a weather change?"

[Ziva :)]

"Maybe... it does feel a little humid out today," Lara said uncertainly, she hadn't watched the forcast today- she rarely did.
Champ half bucked, but the red head just shifted her wait forward to bring him back down. "Behave," she muttered, turning the big horse in a tight circle before aligning with the path once more.
"I suppose he's really frisky..."

[Charlie]

Randy nodded, he wished he was better with bucking horses. Well he was, but once again it wasn't when he was on the horse.
Something, shadowy caught his eye. And Lu saw it. She gave a full buck, and Randy stayed in the saddle but he cringed he leaned forward. Lu neighed, and galloped off. He tried to pull back on the reigns but they slid out of his hands, and Lu raced forward. He gripped her neck and leaned forward, as he tried to calm her, to slow her down.

[Ziva :)]

Champ saw the other horse surge forward, and he started to go as well; it was in his blood, and to the big black horse everything was a race.
Lara let him go, and they hurtled towards Randy, gaining slowly.
"Hang in there!" she shouted, attempting to catch hold of Lu's reigns as they drew up, head to head. Only, Lara wasn't an incredibly experienced rider, and they were going fast. She wasn't having much luck.
Finally, she caught hold of the other horse's bridle, and turned both of them. Gradually they slowed down, far from where the crazed race had started. Champ let out a high pitched scream, and bucked again after they stopped, this time throwing Lara.
Thankfully, he had calmed down enough not to start running again, and she sat up stiffly.

[Charlie]

Randy jumped down off Lu. And calmed Champ down a bit more,"Lara, you okay?" He asked, offering his sweaty hand to her. The horses were a bit more than frisky. "Something got Lu spooked, pretty bad."

[Ziva :)]

Lara grasped his hand and stood, "I'm fine- just a bit bruised. Is she okay now? I didn't even see anything,"
She dusted herself off, and caught Champ's bridle, stroking his nose to calm him.

((Brb))

[Charlie]

"Yeah." Randy said. He saw something but preferred not to say. So he didn't. He grabbed Lu's reigns, and stroked her neck. "Maybe we should rest here a bit, before we continue." He then went back to his initial question, "You sure you're okay? I mean I know how it feels to fall off a bucking horse."

[Ziva :)]

Lara stretched and her back popped loudly. "I'm fine," she said, a small grin paying around the corners of her mouth, "But that will hurt in the morning. It wasn't a really bad fall,"
She gently pulled Champ's bit off so he could graze.

[Charlie]

He nodded. Falling off horses was not something that he handled well. Lu was already eating leaves off a tree. He sighed as he pulled the pit out of her mouth. He grabbed a rag from his pocket and wiped the green saliva off of the bit. "If anything starts to hurt just tell me." He said. He was genually worried, he knew that one could walk around after breaking their back and not realize they broke it, till the nerve was pinched enough to cut off the signals from the brain.

[Ziva :)]

"I will, I promise," Lara agreed, noting the sound of concern in his voice, "But I really didn't fall to hard- I've had worse,"
she sighed, her smile fading slightly, "I wonder what spooked Lu so badly, though. Is she afraid of snakes?"

((Brb))

[Charlie]

(okay)

"Nah, if it was a snake I would have seen it." Randy said. He kept his eyes on the trails. He couldn't risk Lu getting bitten. He paused, and thought about the first thing that she said. He tried not to get angry at the comment. Talking about falling of horses was a very sensitive subject with him. "I said that too." he almost scoffed.

[Ziva :)]

"Easy- I didn't mean to offend you. We've all had some pretty bad spills. I know you even broke your back in one. I guess I just got lucky that time; I'll try to be more careful,"

[Charlie]

"Look just drop it okay." He said. His tone was harsh. He knew he would offend her, but the way she talked so lightly about falling off a bucking horse, or falling of a horse at all. The way she talked so lightly about him breaking his back, it just rubbed him the wrong way. He pulled Lu away from the tree, and put the bit back in her mouth, "Lets finish the ride." He said, his tone was less than happy.

[Ziva :)]

"Geez," Lara muttered under her breath, slipping Champ his bit and pulling herself onto his back.
"Maybe we should just go back," her face was slightly flushed with anger. What was this guy's problem? How was she to know he was so sensitive about the subject?

[Charlie]

"You can go back if ya want. I'm finishing my ride." He said, his tone a bit softer. He never cut his ride short, unless he or the horse was hurt. He paused, after he swung himself up onto his brown Thoroughbred, "Look, I'm sorry."

(this is a note for me his horse Greyson is a Hanoverian)

[Ziva :)]

((KK- Champ is an Akhal Teke))

Lara looked up at him for a moment and sighed, "Me too,"
She turned Champ's head back in the direction they had been travelling.
"Come on,"

[Charlie]

Randy headed on. Following her, she or her horse, didn't like being behind. He needed to calm a bit after the whole ordeal. She would find out eventually about his fear of falling off a horse, which is weird for a jumper. But she was smart, he figured, she could put the pieces together and figure out that he had a fear of falling off horses. It was just a matter of time.

[Ziva :)]

She rode on silently for a bit, letting Champ stay just in front, and giving Randy some space. It was nice outside- despite the humidity.
Lara's mind wondered, as they rode, to the incident earliar. She still couldn't think of anything that would have made the horse spooke except another animal, and then they would probably have seen it. She sighed. Randy sure had acted sort of oddly when Lu had bucked, and later after she had fallen.
She dismissed the idea of him being afraid, at first- he was too good of a rider.
After a while, Lara reigned Champ in until the two horses were level.
"So... how far is the lake?"

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