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Description

Bid for this lovely sir

Horse Info
Registered Name: SFR's Chasing Sunlight

Nickname: Freki (fr-ick-ee)
Named after "Geri and Freki", the two wolves who accompany Odin. Means "ravenous one".
Age: 7 years

Gender: Stallion

Height: 17.2 hh

Personality: Outwardly calm, cold, and completely aloof. Freki is always watching what is going on around him, without any sign of being truly engaged or involved. Most dismiss the stallion as too quiet to be a threat. In reality, Freki is an extremely curious horse. He's always eager to learn more about any topic. Freki is also exceptionally loyal; he will let nothing get between him and those he cares for.
History: Born in the wild, Freki spent his first years "roughing it" with a small pack of wolves. The small pack eventually dissolved, leading to Freki wandering the mountains on his own. His wandering led down to the edge of SFR's Dragon Acres property. He befriended the resident Mancer herd, composed of Leo and... just Leo. Cece found the two wolf-ponies hanging out. She rounded the stray horse up, luring him with peppermints, and claimed him as her own.
Quirks:
-Huge glutton. Freki will bolt down all of his food and then try to steal everyone else's. In fact, he's more likely to eat other horse's (and people's food), THEN go eat his own.
-Loves scratches. He will prostrate himself in front of people if it means he'll get some good lovin'.
Uses: Currently, Freki is undergoing "desensitization". Cece takes him with her all over Dragon Acres, ponying him behind her horse or going for a quick bareback jog. Freki is completely at ease; nothing about his new environment seems to bother him. His temperament makes him an ideal war-games mount, as well as a general trail horse.

StoryFeaturing: SFR's Fallen Angel 731 , Cece Williams , Luc Williams , Riley Owens , Jordan , and India DeHelk
  Running, always running. Even as he raced down the steep mountain path, his stride never faltered. The stallion crossed the terrain with the ease of a mountain goat. He’d run these paths since he could walk. Snow sprayed as the horse skidded to a stop at the edge of a sharp drop. For a moment, the flakes hung suspended in the air as if by magic. A scream ripped through the night air, breaking the spell. The cry was not his own and came from beyond the edge of the mountains. From here, he could see the faint glow of the buildings in the distance. They were foreign to him.
  The stallion hesitated. He’d never left the mountains before. They were his home. Yet, no longer did he have a family. They were lost to him now. Did he answer the call, or did- The scream came again, louder and more urgent this time, calling to him. That settled it. The stallion screamed in reply. The piercing sound reverberated around him, trapped by the stone on either side. It urged him onwards. Taking one last look at the horizon, the stallion began his descent.
----------
She could, without a doubt, say that today was the kind of day where she should have stayed in bed. There wasn’t enough hot chocolate in the world to thaw out her hands. It didn’t matter that she’d bundled up in every imaginable layer of clothing. It was freezing.
  Sitting up on the fence made the cold worse. The wind was unforgiving. Cece shivered in her bright blue parka. She would never get used to the cold. Having spent most of her life in the moderate climate of Southern California, the coldest the woman was used to was about 50 degrees. It was currently about 3 degrees. Closing her eyes, she imagined the warm beaches back in California. They never had snow there. She didn’t even like snow. It was dirty, wet, and, most importantly, something she had to shovel. Yet here she was, sitting atop the wooden slats of a pasture fence in the middle of a Norwegian winter. Correction, make that fall. Winter wasn’t supposed to start for another month, yet there was snow all around her.
  Cece opened her eyes and glared at the gaping hole in the fence next to her. It would figure that one of the horses would take a chunk out of the fence during a freak snowstorm. Just like back home, it was a routine task to walk the fence lines when bad weather hit. Just their luck that one of the fences was actually down. From the looks of it, someone had given the old wooden boards a few solid kicks. The shattered planks of wood lay off to the side. Luc, her husband, and Riley, one of the staff members, were out in the field herding the pasture residents back towards the ranch proper.     The horses would be stabled indoors until the weather cleared up. Cece had gotten the exciting job of waiting by the hole, just to make sure no one tried to escape through it. It was just her, a cellphone, and a whole lotta snow. She’d been sitting there for over an hour now. What she wouldn’t give for a warm cup of hot chocolate. One with lots of whiskey. Maybe just the whiskey? Groaning low in her throat, Cece burrowed further into her coat.
  The soft nudge came out no where. The motion nearly tipped Cece forward, onto the ground, but she regained her balance after a lot of arm flailing. Cece swiveled on her post. Behind her, meaning outside the fencing, stood a horse. And not just any horse-
  “Leo, what are you doing out there? You know better than to just run off! Naughty naughty boy, you come here this instant” Cece cooed, reaching out to rub a hand across the Mancer’s face.
  The white stallion nearly purred at her touch. At 18 hh, he was a massive horse. His white coat held faint grey striping, which was nearly disconcernable beneath the mass amounts of fur. Leo resembled a shaggy white lion more than he resembled a horse. The stud pushed his head against her chest, eager for his owner to scratch his face. Cece wrapped her arms around his muzzle. Leo pushed again. The movement nearly unseated Cece for the second time.
  “Woah buddy, calm down. Here, how about a peppermint?”
  Cece dug her hand into her pocket, pulling out a handful of the wrapped candies. Leo squealed in excitement. Peppermints were his favorite. Laughing, Cece happily unwrapped two and handed them to the stallion. He slurped them up then stood waiting for more.
  “Nuh uh, not unless you get back in here. I’m not going to chase you around out there,” Cece snorted. She unwrapped one of the candies and tossed it inside the fence. “There. Dig in.”
  Leo stomped a hoof in agitation, but quickly moved to grab the peppermint. The hole in the fence didn’t slow him down. He daintily stepped over the broken boards. Nothing was going to get between the big white stallion and his treat. Cece considered hopping down to catch him, but decided against it. If she got down from the fence she wasn’t going to get back up. Leo wasn’t going anywhere. The big goof was still rooting through the snow, searching for more treats.
Suddenly, his head shot up. He abandoned his quest, trotting the few steps to the fence line, unleashing a noisy stream of bays. Cece shifted sideways, out of his path, before he ran her over. What’s up with him?” she thought, turning her head to catch a glimpse of whatever had gotten the stud so excited.
  “Oh…”
  The other horse stood less than a foot away. The sight of it caught the woman off guard; she sucked in air, only to end up in a rather large coughing fit. The horse seemed completely untroubled by Cece’s loud squawking, but she tried not to make a habit out of getting too close to wild horses. Small snowflakes dotted its pale cream coat, which was at least twice as thick as Cece’s parka. Intelligent gold eyes watched her shuffle. Leo shoved his face over the fence. The other horse stretched its neck out, happy to greet its companion. Cece contemplated the situation. Luc would probably tell her to leave the wild thing alone, but… nah, she was gonna touch it.
  Cece slipped off the fence, careful not to twist an ankle on the icy ground. The two horses paid her no attention. Pulling out another handful of mints, she clucked softly at her own horse. Leo’s ears flicked over but he didn’t move his attention from the other horse.
  “Leo,” she whispered. Nothing.
  “Leo!” This time, with a little more force. Ignored.
  Rolling her eyes, Cece unwrapped one of the candies and chucked it towards Leo. She missed. The red and white missile sailed over Leo’s back to land in the snow on the far side of the fence. He turned to give her the most unimpressed look. The other horse was far more interested in the flying projectile. It walked over to the mint, flicking his tongue out to taste. Apparently it was delicious because he stuffed the entire thing, snow and all, into his mouth. Cece covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. The pale horse’s gaze flicked back to Cece.
  “Want another buddy?” Cece cooed, reaching into her pocket for more.
  The horse’s ears pricked forward at the crinkle of plastic. Following Leo’s lead, the horse took a hesitant step over the downed fence and walked up to Cece. She held out a handful of mints. Leo squealed, eager to steal one for himself, but the other horse bared its teeth. Stunned, both Cece and her horse watched the stranger scarf down the titbit.
  “I wonder… Ok Leo, come here.”
  Throwing a few mint’s off to the side to distract the other horse, Cece walked to the fence with Leo, bribing him with his own handful. ”We are so going to need more of these.” Using the fence as a mounting block, Cece vaulted herself up onto the stallion’s broad back. Leo grunted at the additional weight, but didn’t buck her off. He was used to the erratic actions of his owner. Thanking her stars for Leo’s broad back, Cece turned him in the direction the guys had gone and nudged him into a walk.
  The other horse watched them leave, but made no effort to follow them. Then Cece crinkled the peppermint wrappers lining her pocket. The gold horse broke into a trot to catch up. Grinning, Cece spurred her mount into a canter. Leo surged forward and they raced across the frozen field. The gold horse followed close behind, slowly gaining distance until he ran beside them. The trio slowed down to a brisk trot as the terrain grew rougher. The horses carefully picked their way through the snow, avoiding the hidden holes and rocks that lurked under the snow.
  On the horizon, two figures on horseback appeared. There were only two people who’d be out on this stretch of trail. A grin stretched across her face as she urged Leo towards the pair. Wait until Luc got a hold of this!
------
“How do you always do this?”
“Do what?”
“This.”
“This what?”
“This.”
“This is not specific. Do you mean my hair or my clothes or-”
“Finding stray horses. You found a horse in the middle of a snowstorm. A wild one.”
“Pffff, he is not wild, he’s just… fluffy?” The murderous look Luc shot her way made Cece giggle. “Well, you gotta admit, how much horse can there be under all that hair? He looks like an overgrown pony with that much fluff.”
  The two of them turned to watch the newest addition to their herd. The golden horse (who was apparently male) was currently ripping apart the small bale of hay they’d thrown in with him. He didn’t seem to mind his new surroundings or the people watching him. In fact, nothing about the entire situation seemed to unnerve the horse. He had followed placidly behind Leo for the entire duration of the trip back to the ranch grounds. When both Cece and Leo had grown antsy waiting for the vet to arrive (and the isolation stall to be prepped), the wild horse had weathered through it with stoic ease.
  The only time he’d become upset was when they’d tried to take Leo away. The white stallion had been all to happy to return to a warm stall with a nice lunch. His companion… not as eager. The golden horse rushed after his friend, dragging along his poor handler. Now, Leo was comfortably resting in a stall down the aisle, enjoying his dinner. The two horses could still see each other if they tried, but, for now, both appeared content to eat.
“So, what are ya’ gonna call him?”
  Husband and wife turned as one, watching as India, another staff member, strode down the barn aisle. As one, they both began talk.
“We’re not keeping him” came out at the same time as “What about Goldie?” The pair looked at each other. Without a word, Luc sighed in defeat.
“We’re not calling the poor thing Goldie. It’s unmanly.”
“Do not project your insecurities onto the horse. Goldie is a very masculine name.”
“Maybe if you’re a gelding.”
“Luc!”
  Luc rolled his eyes and shifted his weight to lean on his much smaller wife. Cece stuck her tongue out in response. Glancing back to India, he replied “We’re still thinking about it.”
“Well isn’t he just a little freak?”
  All three pairs of eyes shot to the stall door. A pale, slim figure stood inside: Jordan, the resident demi-god come trainer. If she was around, there was trouble afoot. The trickster ran her finger across the still-eating horse’s side.
  “Jordan, he might kick. Leave him to his food,” Luc hissed, eyeing the stud. Per usual, he was unphased by the people around him.
  “Nah, he’s not going to do anything. Watch.” Jordan gave the horse a solid whack with the flat of her palm. He paused eating only long enough to move his rear out of Jordan’s reach. Jordan glanced back at the trio outside. “See?”
  “And just how do you know that?” Cece was the least afraid of Jordan (she was the one to hire her), and she leaned forward to get a better look.
  Jordan shrugged. “He smells off. More like a dog than a horse. Like ol’ Owlshite over there.” An offended neigh sounded. It only made Jordan smirk more.
“I say we name him Freak because that is what he is.”
“That is even worse than Goldie,” India muttered.
“I agree with India, that isn’t gonna work” Luc replied.
“You got a better idea?”
“Sure, Summer. Or maybe Star.” When both India and Jordan began laughing, Luc looked around. “What?”
“Honey, those are too boring. Since when have we ever had a horse with a normal name.”
“Well, there was Steve but-”
“Steve doesn’t count. Steve was a donkey.”
“Still, I vote-”
“No Steve.”
“What about Freki?” India suggested.
“Ohhh, good one, Europe,” Jordan smirked.
Cece cocked her head to the side. “Freaky? That is just freak with a y.”
“Not freaky, Freki. F-r-e-k-i. It was the name of one of those dogs from Norse mythology.
“Wolf,” Jordan corrected. “And Europe is right. Freki and Geri are the two wolves who shadow Odin.”
“Well, do they mean anything?” Luc asked.
  Jordan snorted, glancing back at the golden stallion, who was still eating. “It means glutton.”

  And so, the horse was officially named Freki, affectionately nicknamed Fre. The stallion quickly became a well-known face around the ranch. Cece ponied him with her everywhere. It was a common sight to see Cece mounted atop one of the regular horses, with Freki calmly plodding behind. He was never tied; Freki merely followed when he was called. Cece attributed his willingness to listen to her endless supply of peppermints and other treats. Jordan insisted that the horse was really more of a dog than a horse. Either way, the end result was the same. Freki, the wolf who stood at Odin’s side, had arrived at SFR.

Art Info
Remember when I said I wouldn't animate again? I lied. I originally wasn't going to enter the art auction, but I've completely fallen for this guy so I had to give it a try <3 The animation itself is Freki running loose with the wolves of his youth. Dragon Acres probably has wolves out there somewhere, but I doubt they'd let a big ol' horse run amongst them.
I started this about five days late? This auction was only two weeks and I just blew that. Given the shorter deadline, I decided to go with a lineless style animation, because I hate lines and they took up way too much time. TURNS OUT a simple lineless run cycle took longer than the lined run cycle I did last time. Coloring this guy nearly killed me; I had to recolor him twice to get the coloring even remotely smooth. Personally, I think non-looping animations are easier to do BI
Shout out to Moonmoon and Tinty, who put up with my continuous whining. Shout out to Cas, who demanded I stream at least 50 times.
EDIT: Since there was an extension, I added three more parts to the animation and I am 100% srrynotsrry.

Programs Used: Paint Tool Sai (all drawings) and Photoshop CS6 (Animation and Effects)

Time Spent: 25+ hours (lots of fiddling with the frames and animations in PS)
Frames: 138 Individual Frames

Music/Songs: Starset's Transmissions Album (specifically "Halo" and "Point of No Return"), Three Days Grace, "Running with the Wolves" by Aurora, and "I Know I'm a Wolf" by Young Heretics
Word Count: 2414 words
Extra Art/Concepts:

Credits
Art (c) me
Design by Westwood-Stud
Drakehest (c) DrakehestCouncil
References: Various videos on Youtube, personal videos/stock, and Shutterstock's massive library of galloping grey Andalusians

Description

Bid for this lovely sir

Horse Info
Registered Name: SFR's Chasing Sunlight

Nickname: Freki (fr-ick-ee)
Named after "Geri and Freki", the two wolves who accompany Odin. Means "ravenous one".
Age: 7 years

Gender: Stallion

Height: 17.2 hh

Personality: Outwardly calm, cold, and completely aloof. Freki is always watching what is going on around him, without any sign of being truly engaged or involved. Most dismiss the stallion as too quiet to be a threat. In reality, Freki is an extremely curious horse. He's always eager to learn more about any topic. Freki is also exceptionally loyal; he will let nothing get between him and those he cares for.
History: Born in the wild, Freki spent his first years "roughing it" with a small pack of wolves. The small pack eventually dissolved, leading to Freki wandering the mountains on his own. His wandering led down to the edge of SFR's Dragon Acres property. He befriended the resident Mancer herd, composed of Leo and... just Leo. Cece found the two wolf-ponies hanging out. She rounded the stray horse up, luring him with peppermints, and claimed him as her own.
Quirks:
-Huge glutton. Freki will bolt down all of his food and then try to steal everyone else's. In fact, he's more likely to eat other horse's (and people's food), THEN go eat his own.
-Loves scratches. He will prostrate himself in front of people if it means he'll get some good lovin'.
Uses: Currently, Freki is undergoing "desensitization". Cece takes him with her all over Dragon Acres, ponying him behind her horse or going for a quick bareback jog. Freki is completely at ease; nothing about his new environment seems to bother him. His temperament makes him an ideal war-games mount, as well as a general trail horse.

StoryFeaturing: SFR's Fallen Angel 731 , Cece Williams , Luc Williams , Riley Owens , Jordan , and India DeHelk
  Running, always running. Even as he raced down the steep mountain path, his stride never faltered. The stallion crossed the terrain with the ease of a mountain goat. He’d run these paths since he could walk. Snow sprayed as the horse skidded to a stop at the edge of a sharp drop. For a moment, the flakes hung suspended in the air as if by magic. A scream ripped through the night air, breaking the spell. The cry was not his own and came from beyond the edge of the mountains. From here, he could see the faint glow of the buildings in the distance. They were foreign to him.
  The stallion hesitated. He’d never left the mountains before. They were his home. Yet, no longer did he have a family. They were lost to him now. Did he answer the call, or did- The scream came again, louder and more urgent this time, calling to him. That settled it. The stallion screamed in reply. The piercing sound reverberated around him, trapped by the stone on either side. It urged him onwards. Taking one last look at the horizon, the stallion began his descent.
----------
She could, without a doubt, say that today was the kind of day where she should have stayed in bed. There wasn’t enough hot chocolate in the world to thaw out her hands. It didn’t matter that she’d bundled up in every imaginable layer of clothing. It was freezing.
  Sitting up on the fence made the cold worse. The wind was unforgiving. Cece shivered in her bright blue parka. She would never get used to the cold. Having spent most of her life in the moderate climate of Southern California, the coldest the woman was used to was about 50 degrees. It was currently about 3 degrees. Closing her eyes, she imagined the warm beaches back in California. They never had snow there. She didn’t even like snow. It was dirty, wet, and, most importantly, something she had to shovel. Yet here she was, sitting atop the wooden slats of a pasture fence in the middle of a Norwegian winter. Correction, make that fall. Winter wasn’t supposed to start for another month, yet there was snow all around her.
  Cece opened her eyes and glared at the gaping hole in the fence next to her. It would figure that one of the horses would take a chunk out of the fence during a freak snowstorm. Just like back home, it was a routine task to walk the fence lines when bad weather hit. Just their luck that one of the fences was actually down. From the looks of it, someone had given the old wooden boards a few solid kicks. The shattered planks of wood lay off to the side. Luc, her husband, and Riley, one of the staff members, were out in the field herding the pasture residents back towards the ranch proper.     The horses would be stabled indoors until the weather cleared up. Cece had gotten the exciting job of waiting by the hole, just to make sure no one tried to escape through it. It was just her, a cellphone, and a whole lotta snow. She’d been sitting there for over an hour now. What she wouldn’t give for a warm cup of hot chocolate. One with lots of whiskey. Maybe just the whiskey? Groaning low in her throat, Cece burrowed further into her coat.
  The soft nudge came out no where. The motion nearly tipped Cece forward, onto the ground, but she regained her balance after a lot of arm flailing. Cece swiveled on her post. Behind her, meaning outside the fencing, stood a horse. And not just any horse-
  “Leo, what are you doing out there? You know better than to just run off! Naughty naughty boy, you come here this instant” Cece cooed, reaching out to rub a hand across the Mancer’s face.
  The white stallion nearly purred at her touch. At 18 hh, he was a massive horse. His white coat held faint grey striping, which was nearly disconcernable beneath the mass amounts of fur. Leo resembled a shaggy white lion more than he resembled a horse. The stud pushed his head against her chest, eager for his owner to scratch his face. Cece wrapped her arms around his muzzle. Leo pushed again. The movement nearly unseated Cece for the second time.
  “Woah buddy, calm down. Here, how about a peppermint?”
  Cece dug her hand into her pocket, pulling out a handful of the wrapped candies. Leo squealed in excitement. Peppermints were his favorite. Laughing, Cece happily unwrapped two and handed them to the stallion. He slurped them up then stood waiting for more.
  “Nuh uh, not unless you get back in here. I’m not going to chase you around out there,” Cece snorted. She unwrapped one of the candies and tossed it inside the fence. “There. Dig in.”
  Leo stomped a hoof in agitation, but quickly moved to grab the peppermint. The hole in the fence didn’t slow him down. He daintily stepped over the broken boards. Nothing was going to get between the big white stallion and his treat. Cece considered hopping down to catch him, but decided against it. If she got down from the fence she wasn’t going to get back up. Leo wasn’t going anywhere. The big goof was still rooting through the snow, searching for more treats.
Suddenly, his head shot up. He abandoned his quest, trotting the few steps to the fence line, unleashing a noisy stream of bays. Cece shifted sideways, out of his path, before he ran her over. What’s up with him?” she thought, turning her head to catch a glimpse of whatever had gotten the stud so excited.
  “Oh…”
  The other horse stood less than a foot away. The sight of it caught the woman off guard; she sucked in air, only to end up in a rather large coughing fit. The horse seemed completely untroubled by Cece’s loud squawking, but she tried not to make a habit out of getting too close to wild horses. Small snowflakes dotted its pale cream coat, which was at least twice as thick as Cece’s parka. Intelligent gold eyes watched her shuffle. Leo shoved his face over the fence. The other horse stretched its neck out, happy to greet its companion. Cece contemplated the situation. Luc would probably tell her to leave the wild thing alone, but… nah, she was gonna touch it.
  Cece slipped off the fence, careful not to twist an ankle on the icy ground. The two horses paid her no attention. Pulling out another handful of mints, she clucked softly at her own horse. Leo’s ears flicked over but he didn’t move his attention from the other horse.
  “Leo,” she whispered. Nothing.
  “Leo!” This time, with a little more force. Ignored.
  Rolling her eyes, Cece unwrapped one of the candies and chucked it towards Leo. She missed. The red and white missile sailed over Leo’s back to land in the snow on the far side of the fence. He turned to give her the most unimpressed look. The other horse was far more interested in the flying projectile. It walked over to the mint, flicking his tongue out to taste. Apparently it was delicious because he stuffed the entire thing, snow and all, into his mouth. Cece covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. The pale horse’s gaze flicked back to Cece.
  “Want another buddy?” Cece cooed, reaching into her pocket for more.
  The horse’s ears pricked forward at the crinkle of plastic. Following Leo’s lead, the horse took a hesitant step over the downed fence and walked up to Cece. She held out a handful of mints. Leo squealed, eager to steal one for himself, but the other horse bared its teeth. Stunned, both Cece and her horse watched the stranger scarf down the titbit.
  “I wonder… Ok Leo, come here.”
  Throwing a few mint’s off to the side to distract the other horse, Cece walked to the fence with Leo, bribing him with his own handful. ”We are so going to need more of these.” Using the fence as a mounting block, Cece vaulted herself up onto the stallion’s broad back. Leo grunted at the additional weight, but didn’t buck her off. He was used to the erratic actions of his owner. Thanking her stars for Leo’s broad back, Cece turned him in the direction the guys had gone and nudged him into a walk.
  The other horse watched them leave, but made no effort to follow them. Then Cece crinkled the peppermint wrappers lining her pocket. The gold horse broke into a trot to catch up. Grinning, Cece spurred her mount into a canter. Leo surged forward and they raced across the frozen field. The gold horse followed close behind, slowly gaining distance until he ran beside them. The trio slowed down to a brisk trot as the terrain grew rougher. The horses carefully picked their way through the snow, avoiding the hidden holes and rocks that lurked under the snow.
  On the horizon, two figures on horseback appeared. There were only two people who’d be out on this stretch of trail. A grin stretched across her face as she urged Leo towards the pair. Wait until Luc got a hold of this!
------
“How do you always do this?”
“Do what?”
“This.”
“This what?”
“This.”
“This is not specific. Do you mean my hair or my clothes or-”
“Finding stray horses. You found a horse in the middle of a snowstorm. A wild one.”
“Pffff, he is not wild, he’s just… fluffy?” The murderous look Luc shot her way made Cece giggle. “Well, you gotta admit, how much horse can there be under all that hair? He looks like an overgrown pony with that much fluff.”
  The two of them turned to watch the newest addition to their herd. The golden horse (who was apparently male) was currently ripping apart the small bale of hay they’d thrown in with him. He didn’t seem to mind his new surroundings or the people watching him. In fact, nothing about the entire situation seemed to unnerve the horse. He had followed placidly behind Leo for the entire duration of the trip back to the ranch grounds. When both Cece and Leo had grown antsy waiting for the vet to arrive (and the isolation stall to be prepped), the wild horse had weathered through it with stoic ease.
  The only time he’d become upset was when they’d tried to take Leo away. The white stallion had been all to happy to return to a warm stall with a nice lunch. His companion… not as eager. The golden horse rushed after his friend, dragging along his poor handler. Now, Leo was comfortably resting in a stall down the aisle, enjoying his dinner. The two horses could still see each other if they tried, but, for now, both appeared content to eat.
“So, what are ya’ gonna call him?”
  Husband and wife turned as one, watching as India, another staff member, strode down the barn aisle. As one, they both began talk.
“We’re not keeping him” came out at the same time as “What about Goldie?” The pair looked at each other. Without a word, Luc sighed in defeat.
“We’re not calling the poor thing Goldie. It’s unmanly.”
“Do not project your insecurities onto the horse. Goldie is a very masculine name.”
“Maybe if you’re a gelding.”
“Luc!”
  Luc rolled his eyes and shifted his weight to lean on his much smaller wife. Cece stuck her tongue out in response. Glancing back to India, he replied “We’re still thinking about it.”
“Well isn’t he just a little freak?”
  All three pairs of eyes shot to the stall door. A pale, slim figure stood inside: Jordan, the resident demi-god come trainer. If she was around, there was trouble afoot. The trickster ran her finger across the still-eating horse’s side.
  “Jordan, he might kick. Leave him to his food,” Luc hissed, eyeing the stud. Per usual, he was unphased by the people around him.
  “Nah, he’s not going to do anything. Watch.” Jordan gave the horse a solid whack with the flat of her palm. He paused eating only long enough to move his rear out of Jordan’s reach. Jordan glanced back at the trio outside. “See?”
  “And just how do you know that?” Cece was the least afraid of Jordan (she was the one to hire her), and she leaned forward to get a better look.
  Jordan shrugged. “He smells off. More like a dog than a horse. Like ol’ Owlshite over there.” An offended neigh sounded. It only made Jordan smirk more.
“I say we name him Freak because that is what he is.”
“That is even worse than Goldie,” India muttered.
“I agree with India, that isn’t gonna work” Luc replied.
“You got a better idea?”
“Sure, Summer. Or maybe Star.” When both India and Jordan began laughing, Luc looked around. “What?”
“Honey, those are too boring. Since when have we ever had a horse with a normal name.”
“Well, there was Steve but-”
“Steve doesn’t count. Steve was a donkey.”
“Still, I vote-”
“No Steve.”
“What about Freki?” India suggested.
“Ohhh, good one, Europe,” Jordan smirked.
Cece cocked her head to the side. “Freaky? That is just freak with a y.”
“Not freaky, Freki. F-r-e-k-i. It was the name of one of those dogs from Norse mythology.
“Wolf,” Jordan corrected. “And Europe is right. Freki and Geri are the two wolves who shadow Odin.”
“Well, do they mean anything?” Luc asked.
  Jordan snorted, glancing back at the golden stallion, who was still eating. “It means glutton.”

  And so, the horse was officially named Freki, affectionately nicknamed Fre. The stallion quickly became a well-known face around the ranch. Cece ponied him with her everywhere. It was a common sight to see Cece mounted atop one of the regular horses, with Freki calmly plodding behind. He was never tied; Freki merely followed when he was called. Cece attributed his willingness to listen to her endless supply of peppermints and other treats. Jordan insisted that the horse was really more of a dog than a horse. Either way, the end result was the same. Freki, the wolf who stood at Odin’s side, had arrived at SFR.

Art Info
Remember when I said I wouldn't animate again? I lied. I originally wasn't going to enter the art auction, but I've completely fallen for this guy so I had to give it a try <3 The animation itself is Freki running loose with the wolves of his youth. Dragon Acres probably has wolves out there somewhere, but I doubt they'd let a big ol' horse run amongst them.
I started this about five days late? This auction was only two weeks and I just blew that. Given the shorter deadline, I decided to go with a lineless style animation, because I hate lines and they took up way too much time. TURNS OUT a simple lineless run cycle took longer than the lined run cycle I did last time. Coloring this guy nearly killed me; I had to recolor him twice to get the coloring even remotely smooth. Personally, I think non-looping animations are easier to do BI
Shout out to Moonmoon and Tinty, who put up with my continuous whining. Shout out to Cas, who demanded I stream at least 50 times.
EDIT: Since there was an extension, I added three more parts to the animation and I am 100% srrynotsrry.

Programs Used: Paint Tool Sai (all drawings) and Photoshop CS6 (Animation and Effects)

Time Spent: 25+ hours (lots of fiddling with the frames and animations in PS)
Frames: 138 Individual Frames

Music/Songs: Starset's Transmissions Album (specifically "Halo" and "Point of No Return"), Three Days Grace, "Running with the Wolves" by Aurora, and "I Know I'm a Wolf" by Young Heretics
Word Count: 2414 words
Extra Art/Concepts:

Credits
Art (c) me
Design by Westwood-Stud
Drakehest (c) DrakehestCouncil
References: Various videos on Youtube, personal videos/stock, and Shutterstock's massive library of galloping grey Andalusians