Bryce was exhausted. He had barely slept the past day and a bit before he even set off on his travels. The fact that he had actually been able to sleep with some warm blankets in a good tent was a miracle.
He was still asleep well into the morning, however eventually he knew he had to get up. If he was being honest he was nervous for today. He probably wouldn't be able to make it in and then he'd have to make the walk of shame back home, in the cold, alone, like always. Sighing, he pulled on his boots and jacket, exiting the tent.
“Ah, there ‘e is!” Dierks called, pointing to behind Silkwik. Silk turned, giving a lit-up smile, even though he was relatively nervous.
The two men had been working Hiss all morning, trying to get him tired out so he’d be less of a fight for Bryce. Silk knew that the horse had favorites, but also had people he hated with a livid passion. Normally, it was bad versus good, and Silk had always trusted that. For example, the scarred-up stoic face of Dierks showed up one day, Silk didn’t trust him whatsoever, but he was the very first one that could actually wrangle Hissy. Ever since then, Silk had trusted the man with more than his life.
“Mornin’, Fox!” Silk called, his smile unwavering as he waved a hand over. “C’mere, I’ll get you some tea.”
Bryce game a small smile and a wave back, slipping his hands into his pockets as he trudged his way over. He let out a breath, trying not to seem as nervous as he was. He felt like his stomach was about to come flying out his mouth at any moment, "Morning, sir," He said softly once he was in audible range. He walked up to Silk standing close by as he eyes up Dierks and the horse. Oh yeah, his stomach was definitely going to come out his mouth now, "That- That Hissy?"
“Sure is,” Silk replied, gesturing to the post beside him so Bryce could take a seat. He leaned over, grabbed a cup of tea that was much colder now, but still generally warm, and handed it over to the kid.
He looked out past Dierks, nodding to the stallion. Hiss was a large buckskin, his mane and tail a pitch black while the rest of him was a lighter cream, the same color black a stripe down the long of his back, and crawling up his legs like braces. He was beautiful, sure, but also more dangerous than one could imagine, and Silk knew it.
“Here, come sit,” he said, scooting over. “We can see what you’re workin’ with this morning.”
The younger male gladly accepted the tea, even though it might have been slightly cold. He didn't care, though, just glad of something to drink. He sat down next to Silk, keeping his eyes trained on the horse with a nervous look. He was beautiful, the horse. There was something about him that was almost frightening and yet captivating at the same time. Like he wanted to get closer even though it could end really badly, "He'd gorgeous…" He said after a moment, not daring to take his eyes away.
“He is, isn’t he?” Silk replied. “Assuming we’re talking about the horse, and not Dierks. In which case, they’re both pretty, but I’d probably take the horse over that scar-face.”
His words seeped with humor. The relationship between Dierks and Silk was more of a sibling relationship, considering it consisted of mainly playful insults and sarcasm.
“But, all joking aside, I don’t think you’ll have much trouble. We swear Hisswit has that weird thing they say unicorns used to have. Like, finding the ‘pure of heart’ and all that apparent garbage. He’s still a tough one, though. You think you’re up for the challenge of breaking him?”
Bryce cracked a smile at the joke, finally taking his eyes off the horse to look down at his feet, "Dierks ain't my type so I was definitely talking about the horse," He replied, taking a sip of his drink, "I don't think I'll ever be ready for it, but I'm certainly willing to give it a shot. Even if I fail at least I tried."
“I like your spirit,” Silk responded, chuckling. “That bodes well for you here. You seem cool, kid.”
With that, Silk hopped down from the rail, taking a saddle beside him from the rack and beginning to carry it with ease. He nodded to Bryce to follow him as he made his way out to the clearing.
“He’s pretty worn down,” Dierks said once they had gotten close enough to hear. He helped Silk saddle up the horse, Hiss slightly nipping at the leather. Silk waved the animal off, muttering as he tightened the straps and slipped on the bridle.
“Alright, kid, you’re main goal is to just stay on ‘em,” Dierks explained. Hiss began eyeing Bryce expectantly, his tail swishing back and forth. “An’ if you can ride ‘em… hell, even I’ll be surprised.”
Silk stood aside gesturing for Bryce to mount. “As will I. You ready to go?”
Bryce glanced between the two for a moment, however his gaze was mostly kept on the horse. He nodded to Silk, releasing a long, nervous breath, "Yeah, I'm ready."
He bit his lip. He hoped Hiss would let him ride him, or at least stay on him for long enough. He swiftly mounted the horse, remembering back to all his horse training from when he was younger.
With that, Dierks gathered up the lead rope and tossed the whip to Silk, the two men stepping away until they gave the duo enough room.
“You really think this is a good idea?” Dierks muttered under his breath as they backed up.
“Absolutely not,” Silk whispered back, but raised his voice with his next words. “Good luck, Fox!”
Hiss stayed uncannily still, waiting for the boy’s instructions. The horse was still breathing heavy from working, but seemed like he had energy enough.
"Hey buddy," He said quietly, gently patting the horse on the neck, "Let's… try and go slow, yeah? Please don't buck me off for anything.." He voice was too quiet for the other men to hear, thank god. He clicked his tongue, hoping to send the horse into a.. somewhat steady canter.
Hiss stayed still for what seemed like too long, then decided that he wanted to start on his own terms. He slowly took a step forward, then another, then went into a slow trot. Since he was bigger, the trot was much easier and steady than one would imagine, the saddle doing him justice.
He began to sort of jog forward, but his tail still swished behind him and he kept his head high, ears perked forward like he was ready to do anything.
He couldn’t help but release a breath, making sure to still hold on in case the horse decided to take off out of no where, “Thank you. Thanks for going slow.” He mumbled. He didn’t know if the horse could understand him but if he did he hoped Hissy would be gentle. He needed this to work.
(holy goodness I forgot about this and how much I enjoyed it— So so sorry for being MIA for so long!!)
Silk cocked his head to the side, walking forward from the posts to lean against the fence. Dierks bit his bottom lip, following suit and squinting out to see Bryce.
“I don’t—,” Silk began, but Dierks cut him off.
“Hush. It’s Hiss. Just wait,” he growled forcefully. “I don’t trust this steadiness he’d got going on.”
“Yeah. I mean you can see ‘is ears. He’s ready to do whatever,” Silk replied, gritting his teeth.
But Hiss seemed to stay relatively relaxed, eyes glaring each way as he followed Bryce’s orders.
(all good man, I understand)
Bryce loosed a breath. He could feel his heart racing and almost thought it was going to beat out of his chest. He could do this. he had to do this. There was no other option. Well, there was, go home and forgot about all this but there was no chance in hell he was letting it go.
"Come on. Let's try going a little faster, yeah?" He clocked his tongue and lightly tapped the horse with his foot.
