The Smallest Change {cwriteshp}

- Chapter 2 -

I woke up the next morning with my hair covering my face. My sheets were falling off of the bed, and my windows were open, the breeze helping them. I pushed my hair out of my face and stretched. Wow. I thought. I  get to try show jumping today! I was so excited. I hopped off the bed, almost stepping on my two cats, Steven and Samantha. I pulled my drawers open and grabbed my riding clothes. I put them on and searched frantically for my boots until I remembered that I left them in my tack trunk. I walked downstairs and I tot he kitchen. It was 4am, so no one was awake accept for Colin and Carolyn. Carolyn and Caroline. Weird, right, that my parents would name us sort of the same. We're twins. They thought it'd be cool, I guess. I grabbed a bagel out of a ziplock bag in the bread box and headed to the barn. My home barn housed the family horses, which included Ronnie. Since Carolyn and Colin's horses, Scalend and Emoff, were going to be ridden later, I took them, too. When I arrived at the barn, the owner, Carla, decided to greet me with a dapple-grey stallion in hand. "Now, I know that you've been wanting to try showjumping, but I have an assignment for you." She said. "Oh no," Was my immediate reaction. Carla loves buying crazy stallions to have me train, and I could see this one was tough. Even with a chain lead over his nose, he was pawing and grunting, having fun with his ability to buck whenever he pleased. Carla had to jerk the chain quickly almost every second, which worried me. I decided to accept the challenge. "Alright. But today I'm going to need the back arena for the day. I remember when Nike (a horse I had ridden previously) jumped out of the top arena (which was outdoors) and went wild all over the property." Carla hooded, and abruptly handed over the horse. As she walked away, I yelled, "What's his name?" She didn't even look at me, abut yelled, "Fly!" I took a deep breath in. "Fly," I whispered in Fly's ear. I walked to his shoulder and gave him a pat. Immediately, he pinned his ears, reached back, and bit my coat. I jerked the lead and yelled, "What the hell, Fly!" He lowered his face, his ears still pinned. I rolled my eyes, and starting walking towards the back arena. I opened the big door and walked Fly in. Sitting on the mounting block was a lunge whip. I shut the door and grabbed the whip. From one look at the whip, Fly backed up and kicked. "Calm." I soothed him. Fly pinned his ears, but stayed calm. I uncoupled his lead, and waved my hands at him. He started trotting around, and I walked into the middle of the arena. I clapped my hands loudly, waving the whip in the air, and Fly started cantering. I sprinted beside him, kicking Dort at his shoulder and yelling. I clapped my hands again and cracked the whip. Fly kicked the wall, making a mark in it. "Damn you!" I yelled, cracking the whip again. I yelled and clapped and kicked dirt. Fly reared and whinnied and kicked and bucked. I ran behind Fly, waving the whip. He turned around so many times that I couldn't count. Finally. He slowed down into a walk, and started panting in a corner. I knew he wasn't down, so I cracked the whip. I was right. He wasn't done. He started whinnying loudly and rearing for the umpteenth time. Finally, he slowed down. And then, to my great surprise, Fly stopped, and then walked over to me. I slowly walked to him, to make sure that he was calm. He was. He finally walked all the way to me, and put his face in my hands. I scratched his nose, and slipped his lead on. I walked him slowly out of the arena. Then, I saw a paramedic's truck outside of the barn next to the arena. I clapped a hand to my mouth, when I saw Carla's father, who was living in the main house, laying on a stretcher. I saw Carla crying, and I started to cry. I looked at Fly, and he went to bite my coat again. The Ariat symbol on it was un-threaded, and I was so upset. I walked up the hill to Fly's stall. I walked him in, and removed his halter. I said goodbye to him and ran to the ambulance. I looked at Emily. "He fell down the stairs, and couldn't get up. He passed out." She said. I felt more tears roll down my face. I looked at Carla. "Caroline, listen. My dad here bought Fly. I don't know if we'll lose him, but if we do, I need you to do one think for me. Train Fly, to be the best jumper, best flatter, best horse, and best friend. I need you to do this, because it is what will make him happy. I saw you I'm there with him, how he went to you. You will do this, and you will do it well. You have definitely proved yourself. You. Have this." Carla said this, and then a paramedic called her over. And then I realized, I am her last hope. Fly, I'd her last hope. Don't fail, Caroline.