Taming Attempt 3-WF16

The never setting summer sun woke Archer long before his alarm was scheduled to go off. He rolled back over in bed, biting back a sigh of frustration as he tried and failed to fall back asleep. The alarm clock showed that it was 0442 in the morning, and Archer had set his alarm to go off at 0630. He grumbled his way into the kitchen, accidently stubbing his toe on one of the two chairs in the living room. Archer half hopped the remainder of the way, grumbling under his breath and knowing that it was going to be one of those rough days. He cooked himself breakfast carefully, using leftovers from the previous night to create a filling meal. Archer could hear the tokotas stirring and beginning to wake up in the stable as the smell of cooking meat filled the air, and some whines drifted through the open window and reached Archer’s ears. He ate breakfast slowly, trying to enjoy the food and take some time to wake up before he walked outside to handle the tokotas. He was planning on bringing Tisla out with him again, though he did owe one of his friends a favor and needed to pick up one of their toktoas to bring out with him for the day. Archer eventually came to the conclusion that it would be better to be early than late, so he rose from the table and carried his dishes back into the kitchen. He washed them, making sure to clean the plate thoroughly before putting them on the rack to dry. Archer then walked out the front door to the barn and opened the large door, pulling and then pushing the door open. He walked over to one of the front stalls, where a greyish piebald was still sleeping. “Tisla, Tisla, wake up girl.” He said, tapping on the wood of the stall wall gently. The half mane stirred, blinking open her light blue eyes before yawning widely. “Come on girl, let’s get up. I know it’s early but we get to go see one of your friends.” Archer said, slowly sliding the stall door open. Tisla sleepily got to her feet, swaying slightly before Archer took her halter and led her into the center of the stable. He clipped her to the walls, not getting much resistance from the usually hyperactive tokota, and slipped into the tack room to get her grooming supplies and tack. He walked back out with the saddle and saddle blanket first, setting those on a ledge built for that purpose before walking back and retrieving the reins and grooming supplies. Archer bent and grabbed the bucket of brushes and grabbed the reins from the hook before walking back out to Tisla. The half mane turned, tail wagging slightly as she tugged towards her handler. Archer ran the brush through the longer fur on the top of her head before quickly brushing over the shorter fur on the rest of her body. He tossed the saddle blanket and saddle over her back, cinching the girth around her belly. Tisla huffed, but didn’t hold her breath while Archer tightened the girth. After clipping the reins to her halter, Archer led the half mane outside the barn and closed the doors behind them before climbing up onto her back. With a touch of his heels, Tisla was off and trotting down the driveway at a quick pace. Archer guided her towards his friend’s house, where he was scheduled to pick up Iduna at 0700. A quick glance at his watch told him that he was on time, and with Tisla’s fast pace it wasn’t long before she trotted up his friend’s driveway. Introductions didn’t take long, as the black tokota was friendly, although Tisla wanted to play with her new friend. Archer, Tisla, and Iduna set off in the general direction of the bay, with Iduna keeping pace with Tisla while staying off to one of her sides. Archer hadn’t quite decided what he was going to do with the two tokotas for the day, but it had been a while since he had taken Tisla fishing, which was one of her favourite activities. He settled on guiding the two tokotas towards one of the braided streams that ran into the bay which would be filled with fresh, cool, and clean water that ran from the mountain slopes from melting snow. The water would be a little shallow at this time of year, as most of the snow on the lower slopes had melted, but it would make fishing a bit easier for the two tokotas. As the group left town, Archer tapped Tisla’s sides. She didn’t need any more encouragement to break out into a run, with Iduna following close behind. They sped off the dirt paths into the grasslands, running through the knee-high summer grasses. Archer guided Tisla down towards the beach, where she happily ran through the waves and sent pebbles clacking behind her. Iduna stuck towards the grasses, leaping over the occasional streams while Tisla splashed through them. The two tokotas rounded a bend at a full run, coming face to face with a large mound of white fur that shied away from their approach. Iduna reared up, staggering on her hind legs as she slid to a stop while Tisla slid over the slick pebbles, coming to a sudden stop. The large white tokota’s head swung around, fixing the two toktoas with an intense amber stare. She growled, taking a few steps towards Tisla, Archer, and Iduna. Iduna backed up slightly, drawing even with Tisla, who bristled and snarled at the large white tokota advancing at them. Archer grimaced, reaching for his saddle bag when suddenly the large white tokota dipped into a playful bow before Tisla. The half mane stopped snarling, and tilted her head, confused by the large white tokota’s actions. After she whined a couple of times and waggled her rump, Iduna trotted forward and sniffed along the white tokota’s side. The white tokota did the same, before nudging the smaller black with her nose and darting off. Iduna gave chase, and Archer allowed Tisla to run after them. They chased after the large white tokota for a while, until the group gradually drew to a stop, panting in the warm weather. There was a small stream nearby, so the large white tokota and Iduna trotted down to it and rolled in the water, cooling off. Tisla trotted after them and stuck her head into the water before pulling it up. She shook herself before dipping her head back down to lap at the cool water. Iduna was soaking wet, but chose to lay in the stream, lazily lapping at the water flowing past her muzzle. Archer looked up from Iduna to try and see what the large white tokota was doing, but to his surprise she had disappeared. He swiveled his head, looking for the large white pelt, but was unable to find her in the grasses. Archer whistled, getting Iduna’s attention and prompting the large black tokota to haul herself up and out of the stream. She shook herself, sending water flying everywhere, and Archer raised one of his arms to protect his face. He caught a quick glance at his watch, and noted that he had to start to think about bring Iduna back to her house. Archer turned Tisla back towards the house and nudged her with his heels, sending her off at a trot with Iduna trailing behind. They moved through the grasslands at a quick lope, and Archer enjoyed the warmth of the sun on his back. While it wouldn’t quite set, he could tell that the bright orb was starting it’s descent through the sky. Archer slowed the tokotas as they moved up the driveway to Iduna’s house, and dropped her off without any problems. Her fur had mostly dried out during their return trip, leaving her only slightly damp from her dip in the stream. Archer turned Tisla back towards their house, and set off at a quick pace. Tisla padded over the paved and dirt roads between Iduna’s house and their house, enjoying the light that the setting sun cast over the trees and cabins. As Tisla padded up their driveway, Archer tugged on the reins, bringing her to a halt by a gap in the trees that overlooked the grasslands and the bay. The water was lit up with oranges and reds as the sun slowly sank behind the mountains, illuminating their peaks with amber light. Archer sighed, enjoying the view as he ran a hand over the long fur on the top of Tisla’s neck.