my strength'll destroy you. [august]

[Beau]

Still sore and tired from the night before, Beau Austen managed to drag himself out of bed, bright and early, to fetch the insane horse, Helter from his turnout. Beau had spent the previous day installing electrical wire around the fence, so the horse didn't go near it. If Beau hadn't, the horse would've kicked through it, rampaging and causing havoc around the stables. But now, here Beau was, lead line in hand as he drug his feet towards the pasture. He groaned when he saw the Thoroughbred's state.

Due to the chilly weather, Helter had been blanketed. Now the expensive material had been shredded, torn off and trampled upon. Beau's eyebrows furrowed together angrily. Why was this horse so god-damned ballistic? Why?! Furiously, Beau swung open the gate and stepped inside. Helter had been too aware of the man coming down the walk, his ears flattened and nostrils widened as he stepped inside the pasture. The Thoroughbred snorted, lowering his streamlined skull before he suddenly charged, his vocals ushering out a trumpeting, territorial neigh. Beau acted quick, slipping through the gate before the horse chickened out and quickly galloped along the length of the fence-line. Sighing, Beau was thankful he'd gotten up early.

It took nearly two hours before Beau had rounded up the horse. He'd been bitten four times, kicked once and chased off the rest. His rather expensive jacket was torn at the arms, and one long rip in the side. Now more cranky than he was at his arrival, Beau had to jog in front of the horse to save himself the chance of being bitten or trampled, and possibly dragged by the Thoroughbred. Armed with heavy-duty chains at the cross-ties, Beau had to act quick in tacking up the horse. Oddly enough, once the light-weight racing saddle was introduced, Helter's attitude immediately lifted, even though he'd bitten at Beau several more times in the process. Almost afraid, Beau offered the bit to the horse. The bridle was somehow on his head, after Beau had asked a early-rising stable-hand's assistance. Fearing for his fingers, Beau dropped the bit just as the horse's head came flying at him to snatch it up.

With the assistance of the stable-hand, Beau was able to tack up the Marwari horse, Aus, to act as his own mount. The Marwari was tied to one of the race-track's poles, awaiting his master patiently. The desert horse's lyre-ears were perked forwards at the commotion from the stable. With difficulty, Beau lead the horse towards the opening of the track, the lead long and beaten up from the Helter's snapping teeth. Muttering obscenities under his breath, Beau hastily tugged the Thoroughbred's lead rope as he attempted to start towards Aus, ears flattened with hostility. Hopefully, that jockey would get here fast. The doctors were already on their way, after being called in the previous night by Beau.

[Confuzzled]

August had risen just two hours before she knew she needed to be at the track. It didn't take too long to get ready in the morning. It'd taken her fourty minutes to do her morning run which was about three miles, she wasn't sure exactly. She was used to running six every morning back at home but she didn't know her way around this new town and she really didn't want to get lost since she knew she needed to be somewhere at a certain time. After her run, she'd showered, brushed her teeth, ran a brush through her hair, and of course gotten dressed. She'd fed her rather fat cat, and like every morning had made a comment about how chubby he was getting. She'd stopped at a local espresso shack and gotten her morning quad vanilla breve (my drink of choice), now she was officially ready for whatever she faced at the track, or at least she thought she was ready.

The young woman arrived where she needed to be about 15 minutes early but it was a good thing as Beau and his crazy horse were already there. August had parked her car in the lot outside the barn and since she was already dressed she'd just headed straight down to the track. The blond approached, her large coffee cup still in hand. Tight straight legged jeans clung to her form, sitting low on her hips like her pants always did, clinging to her all the way down to black riding boots. A plain black t-shirt was in place, clinging to her, hidden by a poofy dark brown winter coat. It was chilly this morning and she was certainly not going to be cold while riding, it threw her off.

August made her way over to where Beau stood with the horse and she raised a hand in greeting "Good morning" she said brightly, way too bright and happy for how early it was. She was very much a morning person. She kneeled down, setting her coffee on the ground near her feet before scooping her blond hair into her hands and pulling it back into a messy but tight bun on the back of her head. She picked up the coffee again and tipped it back, draining the rest of the cup as she wandered the rest of the way over to the young man.

[Beau]

Beau's last remaining minutes with the ballistic horse were horrible. Somehow, Helter had snaked his head underneath Beau's arm, tearing the already torn side of his, ripping off a long chunk of fabric. He was swatted away, and chased in a small circle after Beau had seen the lovely piece of black fabric between his lips. The horse was teasing him- Beau's hand outstretched and waving in the air before his hand closed down on the black material, a sharp tug given to snatch it away from the equine. He turned, arms crossed moodily as he muttered beneath his breath. "Damn... horse." He glared.


At the sound of the approaching car, a grin spread over Beau's face. The hell-horse wouldn't be his problem much longer, unless August couldn't handle the killer and toss her. He quickly snarled when the Thoroughbred's teeth closed on his shoulder, tearing the coat once more. With an exasperated grunt, he walked away, holding the end of the lead. Helter snorted, tossing his head and settling to gnaw on the lead, ears pinned as he looked to Beau with distaste. Beau returned the look, having the same feeling towards the horse.


Glancing over to August, Beau grinned. "I would say the same, but I am not having good day." He frowned slightly, shrugging and lifting up the hand that held the torn piece of his jacket, soon moving out of the way as the Thoroughbred caught sudden interest. His head snaked around Beau's side, lips parting to snap at the cloth. Beau's nose crinkled in distaste as he swiftly moved his arm, his other hand tugging on the lead to guide the horse's head elsewhere. "Are you ready? Aus and I will be on track, as well." He jabbed a thumb towards the tied Marwari, who began to look rather bored.

[Confuzzled]

<sup>August laughed slightly as the strip of leather was held up and her eyes grew just slightly larger "From the looks of things i'd have to say your horse doesn't like you very much" she said with a shake of her head. She tossed the coffee cup aside, taking note to pick it up later and actually dispose of it in a proper place like the garbage can. Slowly she moved towards Beau and the horse and smiled "Ok help me on him" she said with a little bit of a nod, looking at the horse warily. He did seem like quite the handful she was rather excited to see how this would go although she wasn't looking forward to getting thrown.

ooc| I know this is incredibly short but I can't think of anywhere to go until she's helped onto the horse xD</sup>

[Beau]

Beau couldn't help but grin, despite the situation he was in with the horse. He nodded softly; he didn't need to be told this again. The horse had it out for him- along with every being among the face of the hellish planet. "No kidding," He mused, hiding a grin as Helter tugged roughly on the lead line, only to have it tugged back by Beau. "Stoppen Sie, es blutige arschloch!" He said, eyeing the horse acidly. The horse could only snort, lifting up his upper lip to attempt to rip his hair from their roots.

Beau's grip on the lead tightened as August came closer. The Thoroughbred's ears flattened as the stout woman came closer, side-stepping with a hostile whinny. Beau shook his head slowly, grabbing the lead rope higher up to hold the horse more steady. "Right," He nodded sternly, before reaching up to grab a bit of the horse's halter, and a bit of the lead. The horse was steadied, for now, and who knew when the horse would begin to buck or something. Helter's eyes rolled about in their sockets, attempting to scope the rider out, almost to predict the lapse of time it'd take to unseat her.

Beau stuck out his hand. "Alright, get up." He jerked his head to the rather expensive racing saddle, one he'd hoped would be ruined by the end of the ride. Beau just didn't hope that August would doubt his strength, and ask for two hands. He was known for benchpressing about two-hundred pounds, and August certainly didn't look that heavy. In fact, Beau had begun to doubt his hold on the furious Thoroughbred; his head attempted to raise higher, snapping at the air for his freedom.

*"Stoppen Sie, es blutige arschloch!" - "Stop it, you asshole!"

[Confuzzled]

<sup>August laughed a little bit, almost nervously. The horse looked pretty insane, beau hadn't been lying at all when he'd said the horse would try and kill her. She swallowed hard, not letting on that a knot was forming in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't sure how someone could keep a horse like this. She shook her head, swallowing any fear she may have felt as she stepped forward. Beau grabbed hold of the lead and halter and she nodded a little bit, looking at the horse through slightly narrowed eyes. She could do this.

The young blond stepped up the horse as Beau held it and she grabbed hold of the reins tightly in one hand. With a little of Beau's help she quickly shoved her foot into the stirrup and swung onto the horse's back, quickly catching her foot in the stirrup on the other side as she also gathered up on the reins. She could feel the horse beneath her, feel him thinking about throwing her, she could feel it in his entire body. This horse was going to be the end of her, she was sure.</sup>

[Beau]

Beau's arm was twisted at an odd angle, making it even more painful when the horse threw his head up as the girl climbed into the seat. His face cortioned with pain, Beau straightened up to slip off the nylon halter and lead, fingers wrapped around the cheek-strap of the horse. "Ready?" He said, looking up to the girl through dark eyelashes. Once she confirmed, he released his grip and stepped backwards, out of the horse's hoof-range. Instead, Helter snorted, tossing his head around and dancing in place, his haunches gathering muscle and power to attempt and unseat her.

Hastily, Beau strode towards the alert Indian horse. It snorted, dancing slightly on its hooves, the shoes clacking noisily against the pavement. Beau swiftly untied the horse's reins, stepping into the iron and rising high on the horse. The Marwari's lyre-shpaed ears perked forwards as Beau urged him towards the duo, but a safe distance away. Beau only hoped that August was able to stay on- Helter could easily throw her and come back to trample her if he wanted to. Glancing towards the track, he nodded towards it. "You first. He will run Aus down." He held the horse steady beneath him, reaching forward to give him a reassuring pat.

[Confuzzled]

<sup>August was having no trouble as of yet, holding the horse back so he didn't take off with her, feeling him dance in place below her. She looked towards Beau and when he gave her the ok. She nudged her heels into the horse, which probably wasn't needed and she let him have his head just slightly. She carried a riding crop in hand but figured she probably wouldn't be needing it. The horse took off and August let him go just focusing on the way his body felt beneath her, she figured she'd be able to tell whenever he was going to throw in a buck which she was sure he planned to eventually.


OOC: ewww so short</sup>

[Beau]

Beau watched uneasily as the two entered the track. Of course, Helter behaved a tad better than usual just because he'd be able to run. The horse's head tossed again, attempting to get the bit into his teeth. Before Beau could believe it, August had the horse running. Calming, Beau urged his own mount onto the track. Keeping to the outer rail, Beau watched the duo and kept his Marwari under control. The horse danced uneasily, wanting to run along with the horse. Beau frowned, knowing in the back of his skull that the horses were often trained for the long, cruel desert races. It was in Aus's nature to run.

Helter's legs seemed to stretch out before him as his strides lengthened. The horse was at a stage where he couldn't exactly be pulled back; only when the horse's willpower ran out, he would go along with it. The Thoroughbred didn't exactly enjoy the feel of a rider up on his back again; it felt like he was being tested for dominance. He'd slown to throw several buck in at random intervals. His legs kicked high and head tossing. Sometimes, the horse had stopped, quickly pivoting and changing directions. Beau often had to ride off the track, in fear that the horse would charge both Aus and him down. His hands were tight on the reins, his torn jacket tossed to the side. It wasn't very helpful anymore- the large rips completely ventilated the clothing.

[Confuzzled]

<sup>August, after getting used to the feeling of the horse she fell into the rhythm of his gallop, swaying with him. She could feel him get ready to buck but when he did she still wasn't prepared and she was thrown forward, catching herself with her hands against his neck, agitatedly kicking her heels into his sides "Get over it, buddy" she mumbled, again knocking her heels into the horse, making it obvious she was serious about him getting over it.

All fearful feeling had faded from the young woman's stomach. She was more annoyed now over the fact that the horse wanted to take her out. What'd she ever done to him? It simply wasn't fair. Of course she knew horse's weren't always fair. They didn't always have good reasons for what they did or how they acted and she'd never held it against them before, why now? Maybe because this horse seriously seemed like he wanted to kill her. Not that he was just against a rider on his back but that he seriously wanted to kill her. She almost felt that if he were to throw her he'd turn around and trample her. She certainly was not planning on coming off the horse...</sup>

[Beau]

Biting his lip, Beau paced the desert horse along the outer rail. He gasped as the horse lurched about in a bucking spree, watching the jockey fall forward onto the Thoroughbred's neck. From this distance, the woman must've done something to piss the horse off, because he shot forward in a breakneck gallop, strides lengthened to the extreme. Beau had to quickly usher his mount into a gallop to exit the track before Helter came near; if the Marwari was in eyesight, the two would be charged. As the Thoroughbred flashed past, Aus whinnied, dancing to show his determination to catch up and challenge the horse.

Guiding his ride back into the track, Beau cantered slowly around the perimeter, following the two. One hand held both reins, the other on the back of the saddle as he twisted in his seat to see. His eyes were strained, but he could tell that the horse was slowing, and he felt another spree coming up. Without thinking, Beau turned the Marwari around and ushered him into a gallop towards the duo. Keeping to the rail, Beau slowed the horse before the Thoroughbred and jockey came into earshot. "Keep him running!" Beau cupped a hand and shouted. It was a clever plan- if Helter kept running, he wouldn't buck. Or, at least Beau thought.

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[Confuzzled]

<sup>August was trying to keep herself calm, hoping it would rub off on the horse but it didn't seem to be working. It wasn't as if the horse were frightened anyway, he was just flat out mean. Most horse's acted like this when they were scared or worried, rarely had she met a horse that was truly mean. She breathed in deeply as he seemed to slow, she knew it was an excuse to throw in another buck but she was ready this time. The buck didn't come as quickly as she expected and Beau came in their direction, shouting to keep the horse moving. She wasn't quite sure why, she almost felt safer having the horse buck rather then running away with her, sure it was weird but right now she felt it best. Oh well. She listened to the wishes of the horse's owner and she gently nudged her heels into the horse, asking him forward, asking him to keep moving. When the horse didn't do as he was asked she tapped his butt with the crop with just pissed him off anymore and he threw a little buck but August wasn't even thrown by this one, sitting it easy.

The horse was beginning to frustrate the young woman, if he would just run instead of worrying about getting the rider off his back he could be amazing. Bent over his withers she continued to encourage him more, keep him running, trying to distract his mind from throwing her from his back. Again she nudged the horse, heading off around the track. Now he was seeming to fall into things, she figured at any second he'd change his mind but for now she was happy with the way he was acting...</sup>

[Beau]

Beau's brows furrowed together when the horse gave a few bucks. He couldn't tell from here, but it was a possibility that she'd used the crop. The horse hadn't shown a sign of tiring, which pleased Beau. He didn't have a stop-watch on him, but the horse seemed to be flying. It was almost a perfect match- long-distance runner, with oodles of speed, save the revolting attitude. It was a nasty con, but somehow, Helter would make up for it.

Swearing colorfully under his breath, Beau settled Aus on a slow canter on the outskirts of the rail. He could feel the horse's muscles collect and tense, wanting to burst out onto the track and catch up to the stallion. Beau knew that the hores would be annihilated if Helter saw him alongside the horse, anyways. He groaned as he saw the horse being difficult, tossing up his heels and attempting to get the bit in his mouth. When August urged the Thoroughbred on, Beau's heart immediately lifted. The horse was focusing on running, rather than unseating his rider. He slowed his horse as the two started to come up behind him.

[/size]

[Confuzzled]

<sup>August leaned over his withers as they picked up speed, realizing the horse was more focused on running now "C'mon bud, we'll be done soon enough" she said in a quiet voice. It couldn't really be heard above the breeze but as the horse's ear cocked in her direction she figured he must have heard her. She continued to encourage him forward, not bothering to use the crop or kick too hard for worry of taking his mind off the running and back to unseating her. They picked up more and more speed and she could feel the horse begin to relax beneath her, she wasn't sure if this was going to last or if he was just preparing for another big buck but for now she'd take it.

They raced around the track, August relieved that the horse was no longer trying to toss her from his back. They were coming up on where they'd started and since the horse was behaving so well she figured she might as well let him stop. As they hit the point where they'd started her hands slowly closed more around the reins, asking the horse to ease down to at least a fast walk. When she got what she wanted, something close to a stop, she swung off the horse, landing gracefully, still grasping the reins. She swung the reins over the stud's head, catching them and stepping back. She pulled a treat from the pocket of her jacket and extended her hand out, offering the treat to the horse.</sup>

[Beau]

Slowly, a smile spread over Beau's lips. It seemed like the horse was relaxing; it's fits of bucks and head-tosses temporarily stopped. This pleased Beau- especially after he'd put August on the spot, and in danger. Squinting his eyes, Beau halted his mount and placed a hand to his eyes, shielding them from the sun. He twisted in the saddle for a quick moment. The Marwari beneath him danced uneasily as he heard hoofbeats behind him, steady until they slowed to a point where Beau didn't hear them. Finally, he turned the Marwari around to face the duo.

Helter's neck was drenched with sweat. Steam had gently wafted through the cool air, which probably felt rather good to the Thoroughbred now. Beau was chillier than hell- goosebumps rose along his arms and the back of his neck. His eyes widened when the horse didn't protest at her means of affection, and the treat. Slowly, Helter lipped up the treat and ate it in bliss. As soon as Beau slipped from the saddle, tieing his horse up to the railing and approached the two for a job well done, Helter lashed out, his lips spread to bite the young male. "Was zur Hölle?!" He exclaimed, backing away with hands up in mercy. He glanced back to the girl with a sheepish smile. "Good job!"

"Was zur Hölle?!" - "What the hell?!"