Bloodless Day

Freeing

Bloodless Day soon came under saddle. He took to it calmly, for him. Three broken halters and a snapped fence board later, he was lunging along as sweetly as any lesson pony. Jack sighed as he leaned against the gate. "I can't decide if I'm relieved he's reacting this well or mad he didn't before."

I didn't reply. The Thoroughbred bent neatly into his circles, ears trained on me, watchful but trusting. It was still an honor for him to trust me so much, an honor I was scared I'd chase away.

"Alright, let's put him back before he snaps." Jack finally decided as BD started acting up. I knew he wasn't anxious, only bored, and tugged against the line as he hop-skipped and let out a kick.

"To me."

At my command, he turned towards me. The line went slack as BD walked straight up to me, dropping his soft muzzle into my palm. I murmured nonsense to him as I unhooked the line and led him in.

He was turning out gorgeous. Constant exercise made him round and muscular, and his fuzzy clipped coat smoothed out with regular grooming. Dapples were beginning to show, dark as night on his points. Bloodless Day was truly stunning.

He stepped neatly into his stall and waited for me to remove his saddle before he spun into the corner, head already lowered for hay. I lifted my eyebrows at Jack. "So much for friends over food."

"What are you talking about?" He asked, perfectly straight faced. "To him, friends are food."

He chuckled as I laughed and pointed at the saddle. "Get Shamrock. The track is clear today."

My heart nearly stopped. The track! In my mind I could picture the flat expanse, the raked sand and inviting oval. A peaceful place for war. "Seriously?"

"Better late than never." Jack rapped on the helmet I wore around BD as a precaution and slipped from the barn. Dazed, I stumbled towards Shamrock's stall, where the filly greeted me with a nicker.

Where Bloodless Day was made of shadows and the stuff of mysteries, a constant swath of darkness, Shamrock was light. She was honest. Her eyes shone a caramel brown where Bloodless Day's were black, her flaxen mane a friendly poof where Bloodless Day's was dark and slick, like water. As different as they were, I loved them both equally, but for different things. Bloodless Day for needing help, and Shamrock for helping me. The student and the teacher.

Shamrock stood patiently as I saddled and bridled her, and soon we were heading out to the track.

It was a beautiful day, one that inspired laziness and a longing to lay in a meadow, picking grass and staring at the clouds. A brisk breeze lifted my hair and my spirits, but the sun had decided to show its face once more. Winter was on its way out, after so long. Beneath the blue sky, Lilac and a bay colt were already jogging around the perimeter of the track, looking easy and natural. I felt like a fraud- what was my three months compared to her lifetime?- but Jack shot me a grin as bright as the sun above us.

"Let's get you up and out! Lilac will help rate you."

Shamrock danced as Jack threw me up into the saddle, mouthing at the bit and impatient to move out. Her ears were pricked, knowing what was next.

The bay colt whinnied at us then quieted as we stepped on the track. I pushed my filly into a trot and hovered easily above the saddle, careful to check Shamrock. Nothing could go wrong today. It was a day for a living, a day that cleaned out the ghosts of winter.

And I had a lot of ghosts.

Clucking Shamrock into a smooth canter, we soon reached Lilac and her mount, who she let run alongside us. "Ready for a gallop?" She asked, voice playful, eyes dancing.