[Gift] Day 1 - The Garden

The air was so crisp Sam could almost see how cold it was outside the airplane window as he watched puffy clouds floating across the sky obstructing Sam's view of any land as they started to decline in altitude. He let out a sharp breath, his foot rocking nervously as he scanned down the aisle and then met his lover's green eyes next to him. He smiled softly, then leaned into him briefly and rubbed the side of his boot against his for comfort that was further given with soft words in Adam’s sweet cajun twang. That their horses would be fine, that they were going to be fine, and that he should stop worrying and that he should let himself relax and enjoy the trip. Sam always got antsy traveling, especially with flying, and he had preferred more often to stay at home than not but he wasn't going to stay home alone while his husband flew across seas for the annual event hosted exclusively for Loshenkas and he was happy as long as Adam was happy to have him there and competing with him.

And Hafs wasn't particularly the best event horse, really, the horse that was bred for elegance and dressage wasn't good for these fancier shows at all with his moody disposition and spicy temperament. But Adam insisted it would be fine, despite the mishaps that had happened in the last (not racing) event he had signed up for. The water here was certain to be far colder than the water in New England, and trekking through Norwegian wilderness seemed far more intimidating than trying archery from his back, and the simple idea of releasing Hafs into an arena to show off his arrogant elegance in a liberty display seemed like a good way to ask for an accident with the energetic stallion.  

But much like Adam had said, Hafs was fine, Shade was fine, they were fine, and once the tired horses were taken from plane to trailer and then trailer to stable to stretch out and rest from the trip, the married couple got to spend a nice night in a cabin on the Norway country front where they played honeymoon. 

The morning air was brisk, leaving Sam with a hundred and one ways to complain as they got ready for the day and they hadn't even stepped outside yet. He put on his warmest coat, topped with his hat and one of Adam's bull riding buckles adorned at his hip. At the first crunch of snow under his boots, a string of curses spilled from the red head's mouth with that strange southern bell and cajun mix. Adam laughed at first, but immediately stepping out behind him, had released his own remix of Cajun cursing that could double as a new EP. The petite man's jaw clattered, his hands shook fiercely and he tilted his head down to use his brimmed hat to fight off the cold breeze that burned his cheeks and nose as they turned pink and the two hugged themself, shivering as they started speed walking towards the stable and hope that it would be much warmer. 

The leopard appaloosa hadn't been much happier about the weather, despite the stable being much warmer than outside and the blanket on his back. The animal was built for the weather, yes, but he had grown accustomed to the Louisiana humidity just as Sam had. Sam swore he heard a string of curses from the spotted animal as he removed the blanket from his body, and he could have sworn he heard Shade take amusement in it with the way the striped flame colored stallion whinnied as he was pulled out of his borrowed stall where Adam prepared him for his own in hand showing. Surely, the gentle cow pony would be a lot easier on the eyes of judges, and most certainly, more behaved. Sam had hoped that maybe the time with Shade would have curved Hafs’ behavior for the show, but the race horse was stuck in his ways and Sam, unwittingly, enabled him. 

Sam gave some soothing words and some pats, followed with the bribery of treats before he walked out into the frigid air where the sun had just started to break past the horizon and melt away what little snow had been missed on the rooftops and fences. A thin fog lingered at the bottom of the mountains and blanketed the woods past the property, painted in yellows and pinks from the sunlight that danced and cast long shadows. 

Their breaths could be seen in the air with heavy snort, pant, sigh or curse from Sam's cracked lips, who stood there rubbing his gloved hands together and hid his nose with the front of his lined jacket in his attempt to stay warm as Adam stood behind him and rubbing his upper arms. Sam had to admit, it was peaceful out here with the scent of Russian sage in the air despite its competition with the smell of horses and other less than familiar scents to the American.

They watched the first two entries as they made their way past the gazebo, waiting their turn as the menace starting to groom the brindled stallion's mane next to him, as if the style he had that day wasn't good enough for him and Shade stood patiently at first before finally having enough with the spotted bay stallion and gave a firm correction in the form of pinning his ears, nipping at him and then moving just out of his reach.  

Hafs rumbled, huffed and puffed over it until it was time to go, fire under his hooves as Sam kept his eyes focused on the stallion in worry that he would decide to act out in ways he was notorious for. And the stallion certainly thought about it, with stiff legs at first from the cold and now threatening to throw a temper tantrum that only a five year old child could pull off as he was led on his rope from a walk to trot. 

The natural born racer looked ready to make the executive decision to take off from his jockey, snorting as Sam jogged next to him- muttering curses at the cold and quiet warnings to ‘just fucking behave for once’ or ‘oh quit your whining, I know it’s cold’ with a clattering jaw. And then getting ‘that damned horse to stand square’ was its own hurdle, with Hafs not wanting to stay still now that he had broken a sweat and the cold breeze from the mountains upwind of the arena. Sam wasn’t safe from the sweat going cold either, trembling as he stood there and with an embarrassing amount of coaxing, finally got Hafs to stand square enough, for long enough, to be able to return to the gazebo in a hurry and bury his face into Adam’s chest as his husband rubbed his back and arms to warm him up and told him he had done a good job as he tried to ease the shaking that was a mix of chill and anxiety.

Once Adam started his turn, Sam ended up standing next to Hafs- using him as a shield from the cold and a source of heat as he watched his husband walk around, then trot across his view, before bringing the cow horse to stand square with ease. Sam couldn’t help but offer a playful scold to his appaloosa, pointing out that that’s how he should have done it in his southern bell and getting nothing shy of an apathetic sigh in response with flickering ears. To be expected from the self centered horse.