First Class Archery

Cass stood near the start of the archery course, a hand on FMA First Class’s neck, his reins loose in her hands. The roan stallion had some spirit to him, but he wasn’t prone to flights of fancy and had been with her during enough shows that short of truly extraordinary circumstances she wasn’t worried about him trying to bolt. 

She held her bow loosely in her free hand, her arrows already settled into their quiver. Mounted archery wasn’t exactly her strong suit, but she enjoyed the sport well enough to be at least tolerably good at it. 

First Class turned his head, nuzzling at her for attention. She stroked the white diamond on his classic champagne colored forehead, his hazel eyes watching her with amusement. She could feel the slight tension in his muscles that meant he was ready for competition, but beyond that he was clearly relaxed and enjoying himself. 

The demonkin adjusted her bow and checked her arrows as the horse and rider in front of them finished. They’d hit a good number of the targets, though they weren’t the quickest set and had left several hanging that could have been managed if they’d picked up the pace a little. 

“You two are up next.” One of the Applewood staff walked up to them, gesturing towards the start of the run. 

“Thank you,” Cass replied politely as she tossed the reins over the stallion’s neck and swung easily into First Class’s saddle. She set her bow but kept it relaxed, not even bothering to pick up the reins. He responded beautifully to just cues from her legs, so she saw no reason to switch between the two for such a short wait for the competition. 

The announcer gave the signal and Cass nudged First Class into motion. The stallion took off quickly, his white stockinged front legs almost seeming to blur against the changing leaves around them. They’d hunted together enough he knew to take his signals from her legs and not the reins and so she had no doubt the ride would go smoothly. 

She landed the first two shots easily enough, the fact the targets weren’t moving making the activity a little less challenging than she was used to. The third shot went a little high though it still hit the target. 

First Class was making quick work of the route, moving fast enough she bypassed a few of the farther targets and instead opted for a pair that were higher in the nearby trees. The first shot landed as intended, but the second went wide enough to hit the branch instead of the target. 

First Class’s ears twitched back at the sound of the soft curse Cass made at the miss. 

“Oh, don’t you start with that.” Cass chuckled as she landed her next shot, a lower target wedged between two hay bales. “You know full well I’m not going to be able to hit everything. I’m good, but I’m not that good.” 

First Class seemed to have a few opinions on that as Cass wheeled him around for another pass. This time First Class picked up the pace, though they were still responsive to Cass’s signals as they slowed just enough for Cass to get off a quick shot at one of the targets she’d bypassed. It wasn’t a clean shot, but it did stick. 

The next two shots hit neatly into the targets lining the hay bales, one in the center and one just in the last ring. 

Cass smirked, her fangs flashing as she turned First Class to get a better shot at the targets on the other side. They were slightly more difficult placements, but not impossible if you maneuvered your horse right. 

There wasn’t a lot of time for the last few shots Cass wanted to try, so she pushed First Class just a little faster. The stallion was more than capable of it, but it would make the shots all the harder. 

The first one, partially hidden behind a thick branch, she missed. The second, which was just above a pile of leaves near the fence, she clipped the edge of. 

The next one was now just a little behind and certainly high, so she swung First Class around sharply and managed to get off the last shot just as the timer ran out, the arrow landing solidly in the target. 

First Class was reluctant to slow down as Cass turned him towards the exit and resettled her bow. She’d run out of arrows anyway, so the timing was rather perfect. 

As they exited the run, First Class gave an annoyed huff. 

“Yes, we’ll go out hunting again as soon as we’re home.” Cass chuckled as she dismounted and nodded politely to the cheering crowd. She wasn’t sure her run was worth that much applause, but it was good form to at least acknowledge it. First Class seemed to agree as he gave a small bow of acknowledgement himself before looking at Cass for a treat.