Hoping for Tea

Lani stared down the mare. Teatime had been rolling; it was apparent. The mud caked into her side, the way she was currently sprawled out, looking like she was having the most wonderful carcass time.

 

The mare was absolutely disgusting.

 

Yni've was standing behind him, leaning over the fence, as Lani stood just across the barrier. They'd just picked up their stallion, Sammy, and brought him home. He was happily settled in with Dogfish, since they didn't have a specific pasture for him yet, and Lani desperately wanted the mare for his..boyfriend? Yni've certainly thought so, and Lani certainly hoped. Lani glanced back towards his father, staring at him before swallowing hard. The mare was right there! Blue ribbon gone, and he knew he could try again. Claiming was going to be hard with someone so rambunctious, but at least he had a chance. He tried to force a grin, tried to push his excitement down into his chest, keep it from his throat where it felt suffocating.

 

"I've got this." Lani gently echoed the encouragement Yni've had given his mother, Clara, much more concerned than she was interested. He was glad she decided to stay home today; there was only room for one nervous person, and that was barely enough!

 

He walked towards Teatime, leaning his head gently to the side as he examined the young mare. She was sleeping, he was certain, and while he would gladly do the ribbon while the mare rested, he wanted some confirmation that she hadn't immediately rubbed off the ribbon, even if he was certain that's exactly what happened. He was unlucky! He knew that; he was shocked that he had gotten Sammy home so quickly, that his ribbon had stayed firm despite all the movement and the rush of the semi-wild herds. 

 

Lani approached with practiced calm, used to Spaghetti and the two-year-old's antics, and settled down beside Teatime, trying to be gentle. His fingers reached forward, slowly brushing hair away from her face. He snorted softly as he noticed that half of her face was starting to cake with mud from how she'd snuggled into her snoozing spot. The cream coloration that he'd initially fallen in love with is now turning brown with the wet of the recent rains. He let himself flop after a moment, landing a bit harder on the ground than he preferred. He smiled as he noticed Teatime stir, not jolt, or panic, raise her head slightly as she slowly awoke. 

 

"Good morning." Lani gently breathed out, his eyes locked onto the mare's face, his face spreading into a smile as she seemed to stare at him, tired. The mare released a loud snort, obviously a bit upset that she had been roused up. She leaned her head towards Lani, though, remembering the carrot that he'd brought her last time. He tried not to laugh, quickly reaching to dig into his pocket, drawing out the tasty treat and gently pressing it to the mare's lips. Teatime perked up slightly, leaning down before moving to bite down into the carrot, her ears twitching forward. 

 

Lani smiled more, trying not to giggle at the way she just sprawled herself out to eat the carrot, almost leaning down into his other hand to be able to lie down as she did. She seemed lazy when there weren't any other mares competing for her food, and honestly, he could feel that! Having someone else trying to steal the good food was always awful, he remembered a few dogs that had done that to him. He scratched gently by her cheek, the mare closing her eyes for a few moments after getting herself more comfortable. 

 

"I'm going to tie a ribbon in your mane, do you mind if I do that?" Lani decided to ask for permission, not wanting to spook the mare or distress her. He wanted her to know exactly what he was planning to do, "just like I did last time, just right in your mane where it won't fall off. Okay?" His voice tittered on slightly nervous. Teatime didn't seem to care too much; the mare was trying to stretch out some before suddenly rolling up. Lani backed up, wanting to make sure that she had enough space. The mare threw her head to the side before she moved to roll. 

 

Lani watched, smiling some, as Teatime threw her legs up, rolled her whole body, then threw herself over to the other side, almost wallowing in the mud. She stretched herself up towards the sky before finally pulling back to the side she had started on. Lani snorted; the dirt that firmly caked her body only thickened with the movement. Teatime finally moved to get her hooves underneath herself, placing them down hard before slowly dragging her body up from the ground. She took a step, balancing, before shaking her entire self out. Lani stood back, still just observing the mare as she got herself comfortable. 

 

"Can I approach you again?" He spoke softly, his words gentle and comforting. He glanced towards where Yni still stood, patiently waiting at the fence and observing his son with a level of confidence. The man believed more in Lani than Lani did, but the young avian was glad for the confidence, pleased that someone had the energy he needed to do this. He stepped forward, Teatime letting her ears perk as he did. She stared, flaring her nostrils before tossing her nose slightly at Lani. 

 

"I'm just going to tie this knot into your mane, I promise, nothing else, okay?" Lani spoke softly, taking a few steps towards the mare's side before placing his hand softly upon her neck. He stared at her for just a moment, observing her body language, the way she shifted her weight away from him for just a moment, as if ready to take off, before she settled down into her hooves. Her back was still cocked, though at an angle that seemed to suggest resting the foot rather than any uncomfortable or angered movement. 

 

Lani tried not to smile at himself.

 

He tried not to get too happy.

 

Nothing was guaranteed.

 

"Okay, I'm going to take your mane into my hand now." Narration was the way to go, use words that were soft, gentle, and make sure that the mare was able to hear every single one of them. Make sure that she understood what he was doing and wasn't uncomfortable during the process. When Teatime didn't move or pull away, Lani gently reached his fingers into her mane.

 

Lani pulled the mane towards himself, carefully and gently, starting with small pieces to make sure Teatime would be tolerant of him playing with the hair, before finally pulling a larger chunk. The slight pull that occurred managed to elicit a soft sound, a snort, and a slight squeal, which Lani nodded some, immediately letting go and raising his fingers from her mane momentarily. He gently pressed his hand against her neck instead, brushing against her, despite the mud that immediately covered his entire hand. He snorted.

 

"Okay, we'll do it slower. How's that sound? You look like you're still sleepy. Do you want another carrot, and I'll try again to tie up your mane?" Lani gently offered, his voice as steady as he could get it, leaning into his pocket before offering the treat to the mare. Teatime stared a bit at the carrot before finally turning her head to gently take it, biting into it with a loud 'crunch.' 

 

Lani tried not to giggle at it, holding it still for the mare for a few moments before letting it go, confident that Teatime wasn't going to drop it. He leaned away from her, softly going to brush through her mane again, the carrot seeming to be a big enough distractor that she didn't notice his fingers pulling strands of hair apart. He liked braids, something he could tie the bell into, something that he could start the ribbon at the base of her mane. 

 

"You can't rub this one off," Lani explained after a moment, fingers softly pulling the blue ribbon into the base of her mane before slowly starting to braid it down, careful that the bell was still exposed and the colors were bright and vibrant. He didn't want anyone to mistake it as someone else's ribbon if it did stick, if he got lucky enough that Teatime didn't rub this one away. He glanced at the mare's face for a moment before a smile spread across his lips; she was just happily munching on her carrot. He stepped around to her front after a moment, gently reaching to pet her face again.

 

Teatime perked, her ears settling forward as she tried to find out if Lani had any carrots left or any treats to give her, the initial concern about her mane completely gone. He smiled more, patting her face gently as he started to scratch down her muzzle. He leaned his head slightly to the side before he put himself a bit closer, voice dropping down into a gentle whisper.

 

"If you come home with me, I think you'll love my best friend, he's the one I wanna show you too, ya know? I have a new horse, Sammy, and I'm sure he'd love you because he loves Sammy. We're going to give you all the carrots, so please don't rub that ribbon off. I really, really like you." Lani whispered, his voice low and gentle, trying to confirm with Teatime that she should keep that ribbon in at all costs. He could at least hope, even if he knew his hopes for it to stay in were low. She was caked in dirt after all! Do you know how much rolling she must get into? 

 

Teatime pressed hard against Lani for a moment, her face pushed against his hand before she shoved against his clothes, trying to see if he was holding out on her, hiding carrots from her, before she finally drew back, snorting louding and stopping her front right hoof a few times, opposite to the one she had cocked, Lani snorted gently in amusement, patting himself, honestly, he couldn't remmeber if he'd brought more treats for the mare or not, he upturned a few pockets before he gave her a bright, playful pout. 

 

"Looks like I forgot the carrots, will you forgive me if I promise a ton ton more next time I see you?" He gently asked out, smiling some as the mare shoved her face against him again, she perked though, hearing a few soft nickers out in the fields. She took a few steps, flicking her tail and perking her ears. She looked back towards Lani, as if weighing her options, seeing if that weird creature was going to offer anything new before she decided that he was a lost cause, tossing her head at him before taking a few strides towards the herd that was still out and about, grazing and romping. 

 

Lani stared at her as she headed out towards the herds, turning towards his father before finally just grinning, almost laughing as he came running back towards the fence. He shoved his weight (nearly) full force against it, being careful that he didn't cause anything that would break the wall. Yni've leaned his head to the side, moving to help his son back over, watching the mare prance off.

 

"So I'm suspecting you got that ribbon tied really well into her mane." Yni've asked quietly, smiling some as he watched his son's expression quickly bloom into a grin. Lani nodded, shoving to hug his father tight before taking off back towards home. He had to feed his three horses! And wait to see if he could add one more to their band.