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It was a typical February day. Grey clouds hung in the sky as if threatening snow and the cold temperatures promised if any snow did fall it would promptly stick and accumulate. Thankfully though, there had been no forecast for snow, only an overcast day with little to no breeze at all. With such a promising day ahead of her, Chailee had decided to head right to the stable after school.

She changed out of her school uniform and into warmer and more durable jeans with a pair of riding boots (Multiple layers of socks on inside), a few layers of long sleeves under a hoodie and her coat. She had promptly prepped Willow for a leisurely ride before throwing on her ear warmers and riding helmet. An hour after her arrival at the stable Chay was well on the trail with her mare who was more than excited to be out of the stable and paddock. Chailee wasn't about to let Willow stretch her leg fully, there was still quite a bit of snow and ice on the ground, but the duo seemed to be really enjoying their ride.

The trial they had taken was an easy one and brought them out on the otherside of the narrow tree line that separated the stable from a direct view of Destiny City. On the other side the trail continued along the tree line which eventually led into the park. There didn't appear to be too many people out today so Chay let Willow venture out into the fields. The mares hooves had little issue with the snow pack that was slowly dwindling away thanks to a few above freezing days. As Willow happily moved through the snow, Chailee caught sight of someone walking up the path and noted that the girl looked to be around her age. With a smile she clucked to Willow who's ears swiveled back to her before directing the mare towards the solitary walker.

"Hey!" Chailee waved as she brought Willow to a walk. The mare flared her nostrils and snorted letting Chailee know that she did not approve of the change in pace, but Chay paid her no mind. "I saw you walking by yourself." Her smile never faltered. "I am Chailee and this here is Willow! I promise she won't bite."

Chailee laughed. "Yea she definitely makes a pretty picture."

With the reins in her left hand Chailee dismounted Willow so that the other girl wouldn't have to look up at her the entire time. There was no reason to give poor Mercy a sore neck. "It's nice to meet you Mercy. My mother use to ride when she was younger and I think that's the only reason I ever won out with getting my own horse." She winked. "They are a lot of work but I wouldn't say it's dangerous." She paused for a moment before correcting herself. "OK so, it can be dangerous at times. But if you know what you're doing you'll be fine."


"Here." She pulled a sugar cube out of her pocket and almost instantly Willow was turning her head towards to the girls wanting the little tidbit. "Now now girl. Just hold on a minute." She pet Willow's nose with a finger. "Just keep your hand flat and offer it to her. She'll take it gently. Willow can be a greedy thing when it comes to treats but she's a sweetheart about taking them."

Chailee stepped back a bit to give Mercy some room. Willow realized that Chailee didn't have the treat anymore and promptly took a step towards Mercy, nosing the hand that contained her sweet treat.

Willow happily took the sugar cube and made a point to get Mercy's hand an extra lick to make sure that there was nothing left on it. The last thing the mare wanted to do was miss out on anything tasty and sweet!

"Sure! She's really easy-going and since you just gave her a sugar cube you are practically her best friend right now." Chailee stroked the mare's neck as she held onto the reins' keeping her head near Mercy. "She enjoys a soft scratch just below her eyes."

Mercy's excitement was so endearing to Chailee. She herself couldn't imagine what it would be like to be told that riding a horse would be too dangerous and not be able to even get near one. Sure, things could go wrong when riding but that could happen not matter what you're doing. That's when a thought came to her.

"So, after you're done petting her, would you like to go for a ride? I'll lead her for you so you can just enjoy being in the saddle." She smiled broadly expecting she knew what the answer to that question would be.

Chailee laughed full on at Mercy's reaction. The surprise hug had been a bit of a surprise and caused Willow to throw her head a bit having been startled out of her half-dozed state from the attention. Chay didn't have any problem keeping the mare in line though and Willow quickly settled back down though was a bit more alert now with her ears pricked forward.

"It's alright. I am just glad you're so excited! Now, let me warn you, unlike most saddles you're use to seeing on TV, the saddle I ride with is an English style saddle so there's no pummel. I'll help you up onto her back and you can hold onto the front of the saddle by the lip or lean forward a bit and gently hold Willow's mane until you get comfortable. She has a pretty easy gait though and I am not going to let her go past a walk." She smiled. "Let's get her onto the path there to make everything easier on us."

Chailee clicked her tongue and pulled on the reins a bit to lead Willow onto the paved pathway that was, for the most part, clear of any snow and ice. "Alright, I'll help you up. Just put your left foot in my hand and I'll help push you up and swing your right leg over. You can use the saddle a bit if you need to, but agian, the lack of a pummel doesn't give you much to hold onto."

Chailee crouched down a bit and made a sling with her hands to help the girl up. She had no problem helping Mercy into the saddle and once the girl looked somewhat comfortable Chailee grinned. "Alright. I am going to slowly move her." At this point, Chailee had the reins completely over Willow's head and used them to guide the mare along the path at a slow walk. All the while she kept her eyes on Mercy to make sure she was alright.

Willow obediently followed Chailee at the agonizingly slow pace that was set but didn't object much besides a half-hearted toss of her head to get more lead. Chailee smiled and reached over with her free hand to pet the mare's nose who took the attention as repayment for the slow pace.

Glancing back at Mercy it was obvious the girl was really enjoying her little jaunt on Willow. Mercy was looking everywhere and doing her best to get comfortable with Willows gait and wasn't doing too bad of a job with it. Willow certainly didn't seem to mind the girl on her back and that was always a good sign.

When Mercy brought up getting lessons Chailee didn't answer right away as she pondered over the possible problems with that. She didn't want to go against Mercy's father's wishes. Sure she was letting Mercy ride now but this seemed innocent compared to giving her lessons. Plus there was the fact that once the weather got nicer she'd be busy training with Willow in show jumping and that would take up a lot of time.

"Hm...I'll let you come over for three lessons. But after those you need to tell your dad about it. I wouldn't feel comfortable going past 3 lessons if he didn't know just in case something -did- happen. Also once the weather gets nice I don't know if I'll have much time for teaching you things since Willow and I will be in training again. But if your father approves, I can teach you at least until spring."

Chailee didn't want to dash the girls dreams so this was the best she could come up with.

Chailee grinned and nodded. "Good! We have a deal then! I have a spare helmet you can use. So just come dressed from the cold and wearing jeans and a pair of boots if you have them. If you don't a sturdy pair of sneakers will work for now."

Chailee continued to lead Willow around while Mercy enjoyed the atmosphere form the mare's back. It made Chailee happy to see how thrilled Mercy was about the whole thing despite the girls obvious hesitance to tell her dad about the lessons she'd be having.' If you want, I don't have anything going on next Thursday. Do you want to meet up after school and I can get my dad to drive us over to the stable?"

Seeing the end of the path up ahead Chaille led Willow around a circle to take them back the direction they had come from. With a swish of her tail the bay mare snorted softly with her change of direction but didn't protest the speed at which they were going anymore. The soft clopping of her hooves upon the pavement echoed off of the rather barren parks snowy cover.

"We'll have fun in our lessons! It'll be nice for Willow to have a rider besides me on her back too."

"Perfect! Then we'll meet up after school on Thursday!" Chailee was actually pretty excited about their plans herself. She really enjoyed spending time with other people, especially other girls her age.

Glancing up at Mercy when she mentioned getting down, Chailee had Willow stop before coming up alongside the saddle. "It's pretty simple. You'll come down the same way you went up. Just use the stirrups to stand up and swing your other leg over and down. I'll be ready to catch you if you have any problems."

Chailee watched as Mercy negotiated her way down and smiled once the girl was on the ground. "See. You learned some basics today!"

"We're not too far from where we met up either so that worked out well." She patted Willows neck as the mare sniffed at her pocket for more treats. Chailee pulled out the second sugar cube and offered it to Willow who happily munched it down.

"It was great meeting you! I am looking forward to our lessons, they're gonna be a lot of fun."

"OH! Yes we could totally meet up to go shopping or maybe go visit a bakery! I know a place in town that makes some really good sweets." She laughed as she pulled out her cell phone.

"Here's my number." She quickly relayed it to the girl before getting Mercy's and adding it into her own phone.

"If you ever want to hang out or something toss me a text. As long as I have enough notice I can make sure that I am free."

Chailee flipped the reins back over Willows head before mounting the mare in a smooth solid motion. Willow tossed her head as Chay turned the mare back in the direction of the stable path.

"It really was great to meet you Mercy! Don't be a stranger and feel free to call me whenever you need me." She winked as Willow gave a little anticipated dance. The bay was ready to move.

"Alright Willow hold on just a second." She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I swear she has no patience sometimes. Anyway, call me whenever. I'd definitely like to hang out more! Now I better get going before she bolts off on me."

With a wave Chailee gave Willow some head and the mare promptly took off at a trot. As they made their way back through the snowy fields and pathways, Chailee thought back to the girl she had just met and smiled happily. She patted Willows neck as they negotiated the path. "I think we made a new friend today girl."