oasis

I've drawn this girl once before but its time for her to get a proper story going

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In addition to the land the buildings resided on, Vechnyy owned 300 acres of fenced in bush and mountain land surrounding the stables. It was there that the Obertaurers were released in the winter and it was here that Moole's dam, Sonja, had been kept since they made the move to Colorado. Everyone at the stables had gotten so busy the chestnut mare had very literally been forgotten until Keenan had seen a picture of her and wondered aloud what horse that was, resulting in a stable-wide "oh shit" moment and a massive scramble to make sure the mare was still alive. 

Luckily she was found several days later, high up on a ridge in the mountains, fat and content to have been left alone until now. Or at least they thought it was her. A quick check with the nearby BLM had revealed that all the grey horses in the wild herds had been recently accounted for and none had been reported missing, so the horse in their pasture had to belong to the stables. Admittedly no one had paid much attention to her but everyone was positive she had been either silver bay or liver chestnut the last time she'd been seen and the photo album confirmed it.

There was yet another scramble for her papers to be found and it was revealed that she was a Cruising foal out of a Crosstown Dancer mare, meaning she had most likely inherited the grey gene from her sire. She had been born in 2002, also meaning that the mare was still young enough to have a successful jumping career and that it was realistic she would've gone grey by now. 

A short-lived attempt to recapture her was shot down the second she saw them, the mare bolting into a thicket of trees and promptly vanishing. A plan was derived and due to his deep respect for the mare that bore his favorite and most successful horse, Keenan volunteered to catch her himself and set out with Summer to the place the sport horse was last seen. 

Not realizing how feral the mare had become, it took the man several days to settle down within 100 yards of her without the mare bolting. Thanks to the warm weather and Summers patience, he'd managed to drag several bales of hay out and scattered them around his camp in an attempt to attract Sonja and keep Summer closer. Unfortunately he'd also underestimated how long he would be out there and ended up sleeping on the ground most nights, the saddle pad tucked up as a pillow. Predators weren't really something Keenan had to worry about seeing as they were fairly close to the stables and the horses would warn him if anything dangerous got close but that didnt keep him from lying awake at night, watching the two horses move through the trees. 

Sonja let the cremello mare approach her almost instantly, remembering her from several years ago and the two settled down grazing. The hay surrounding Keenans camp area meant Summer drew the grey mare closer and closer to the man as the feral mare became curious and after a few days he was able to hand feed her. Unfortunately whenever he moved to touch her she would bolt away once more, leaving the man to sit back down and wait.

After 5 days of very little progress the man gave up, choosing instead to tack up Summer and go back to the stables to sleep in an actual bed for a few days and maybe try again later. As the two picked their way down the mountainside, Sonja trailed behind, curiously drawing closer as they neared the gate. 

Positioning the mare so he could open the gate, Keenan noticed the grey horse standing a few yards away, eyeing them warily. Extending his hand, he let out the universal Vechnyy "come here" whistle and both mares pricked up, Sonja stepping slightly closer at the idea of food. As the mare sniffed at the saddle bag, the man quietly looped the long rope around her face, forming a makeshift halter and she reared up in alarm. 

Shuffling backwards Sonja swung around as Summer paralleled her movements, jumping forward as she reached the end of the rope. Luckily Summer was typically used to pony young horses and stood calmly as the older mare jumped around like an idiot,  hopping back and forth each time the rope grew taunt. 

Keenan wasn't sure if she wore herself out or remembered what halters were for, but after what seemed like several minutes Sonja stopped her hissyfit and stepped forward hesitantly as Keke tugged on the leadrope. She followed Summer closely up the driveway, spooking and slamming into the mares side each time a bird so much as chirped but they eventually made it to the stables in one piece, everyone gathering around to see her.

No one really thought Sonja would end up being caught so a space hadn't been prepared and after a quick deliberation it was decided that she would be put in a broodmare stall, Summer on one side and her only foal on the other, Moole obviously overjoyed to see his dam again. The broodmare stalls also had a small paddock attached so the horses could still get exercise and Sonja charged back and forth or nearly an hour, circling around the massive stall to jump through the door and buck in the paddock, her colt skittering around the enclosure every time the mares hooves hit the sand.  

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Sonja and art: Jyynxx
Refs: fav.me/d7ghh89 fav.me/d421e7v