41 Glade 111
Another chance to take a ride and if there were any changes he could have wished for, Shuai would have wanted for the chance to come a lot more sooner. The first time had been like an entry drug as the boy had grown addicted to the feeling of looking down upon the world from atop a mount. While he would have loved for a chance to be on a horse this time, it was not like he had grown any bigger since to be able to stay on the large animal under his own power so yet again he was stuck to ride on a pony; not that there was anything wrong with them, no longer did he care about what his friends would think of him riding on the piddly little pony as opposed to a large majestic horse. The ponies were calm, tame and most importantly comfortable. It was good that from his first experience with the family, he was able to work through all his preconceptions of the mount as if he were still to be the spoilt, whiny brat a few weeks back when he visited the prairie, he would be in deep trouble here. The great thing about this place was; it was a lot closer to home so no lengthy carriage rides but it was also a private place his friend allowed him to visit for a ride whenever he wanted and making a scene here would be bad, not because he would be booted out but because of the strained relationships which would follow. And this was even though Shuai could trust the people here to keep a secret.And without waiting any longer, Shuai quickly got on the pony for his ride although not quick enough; his host already left the boy behind on a mount of his own. Shuai had been allowed to come to the other's family grounds but that did not mean he was going to bring himself down to Shuai's level in a ride along- he had more advanced circuits to do. What was Shuai's level for his friend to look down on him so? For all intents and purposes practically nothing but at least Shuai had come prepared. He had gotten and learnt from a lot of material ever since that first ride at the prairie, all to get ready for a better second go which all begins by calming his mount down, letting it get to know him. Shuai did his best to relax the pony before the mount allowed him to get close to it. Maybe in the prairie he would not have to do this but he did not know how his friend's mounts were trained and there were no minder's around to take care of him in case something went wrong so it was better to practice some caution in his activities. Ah that was the signal he was looking for right and seeing it, the boy promptly got on the mount.
Now it was time for the ritual so he could enjoy a safe and comfortable ride. How did it go? "You put your right foot in, you put your right foot out~~" When he went through the motions he made sure to step on the stirrup hard so he could make sure it was not ripped or torn or anything which could cause it to suddenly break and become a complication to him during his ride. Then he continued, "you put your right foot in and you shake it all about~~" Shuai made sure to not spook the pony when he gave the stirrup a a vigorous shake, he did not want the pony to suddenly get into a run before he was even properly mounted on it, why, he might end up like that rider he saw on the prairie atop the horse when it went wild. Oh, the results of the test? It was good to go, the stirrup would hold on to his feet firmly as he rode. "Now do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself about~~" This in fact was the hard part, he felt. He had to spin in place on the pony just to make sure the saddle was secured properly on it and think, if this was how difficult it was for him on a pony suited for his size, what about the horses he thought he was capable of riding- but actually not. But now that he had confirmed that the saddle was properly secured for his ride the next part was easy.
"That's what its all about~~" Oh wait he forgot about testing the other stirrup continuing with the song, "you put your left foot in, you put your left foot out~~" just like the one on the right, good. Then "you put your left foot in and you shake it all about"~~" no problems on that end too except for Shuai forgetting to care about the pony and the excessive jerking got a reaction out of it as it too jerked around until Shuai's face landed on the back of the neck... was that a laugh at him? What a cheeky pony! But he should be glad that it was all it decided to do and left it at that. Shuai continued on, everything remained the same for these parts and he encountered no problems out of the ordinary right until he reached the final part again, "and that's what its all about~~" and if that really was what it was all about he would no longer have to waste any more time to get into riding!
Now he knew what the hokey pokey ritual meant by 'that's what it's all about' because that was all he was thinking off as he rode along the grounds. He would have to say, he was... decent. Even he had to have a little humility after he learned he had known nothing about these creatures and at the sight of his friend riding through the grounds, decent was not as good as his friend over there. Maybe this was why his parent's neglected to tell him the details of their planned trip because if he had known about it, he would have prepared and have the moves he was making today- even on the pony which be embarrassing come to think of it. If he had been there, hokey pokey ritual song practiced and riding along with a sense of accomplishment, why the song stuck in his head would force him to have his own little tune which, he let out. "I'm on a horse mother, father, take a look at me~~ Riding straight down by the green prairie~~ On a high note, wind on my coat~~ You can't stop me mother, father because I'm on a horse!" Yeah that would be really embarrassing, if he broke out into a song during his family trip. Even his very small audience froze in place hearing it but did his pony like his singing? It seemed even calmer and manageable now with a ride which became smoother. On his pony he stopped right up by his friend who had yet to move since Shuai broke out into his song. His hand went right up to rest on his friend's shoulder and he squeezed with clenched teeth asked "You're not going to tell anyone what you saw today right? Good... You really are a good friend and remember I'll always have your back."
He actually did not have to pressure or threaten the other boy because he was truly a good friend but such were relationships and they had already agreed from long ago, what happened on the grounds, stays on the ground. Now that Shuai had set his eyes on the other boy, he was reminded of a meek pony. A stark contrast to the confident and gallant boy atop his mount from earlier on. This was not good. How did it go? Respect and care for the animal? Keep it calm? Well if the other boy reminded him of one, maybe the same methods would work? He snapped the other boy right out of it by asking to ride together, restoring a degree of normalcy to the conversation then said "maybe what I said earlier wasn't fair to you but I didn't know I had it in me to break out into a song either. How about this? Lets have a race. If I win you don't tell anyone and if you win, its your choice who you want to tell?" Handing the other boy back his reins of control. Hopefully that would calm him down somewhat.
As for the race, Shuai lost of course. Only a fool would have expected differently. The pony against an actual mount trained to be ridden on? Both animals were just built too differently for Shuai to even have a chance and as good as he tried to give it, it looked as though the pony had its own ideas. So much for them having made a connection. The boy could only hope his host would keep his word that whatever happens on the grounds would stay on the grounds, even if Shuai had to loosen the limitations of it a little bit as a result of his doomed race to repair his friendship and looking back at ho the race started? Ended? He was glad he did. He could remember the scene, he could only see the horses ass and his friend flipping him off at the front.
