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Description
More from the MidAir Stables storyline

TWD Team on Ice: Part 12 out of 14
Next
Previous
Start of TWD Endurance Race
Intro

Image type: Phase 3 - nearing Lillehammer, Norway
Characters: Sky Diamond
Characters and art belongs to: Volt-Draws
Reference: My own stock used for characters | BG reference: provided by show hosts.

A timid rider, a spooky horse, a protective mama moose, and her curious calf. What could go wrong? 8D

Inspiration: For Phase Three, teams encounter cold rain, and tough conditions. Further down the trail teams can encounter chest deep snow, and wild animals. Though not as short as Kite, Diamond is a smaller pony, so I imagine she'll struggle a bit in the snow. Chances of a moose encounter and a northern lights were high in this phase, so I was eager to draw those!

As expected, Diamond was a bit spooky leaving the start. With so many new smells, sights, and noises happening around her, all at once, Sky could see that the poor mare was experiencing a bit of a sensory overload. “Poor Diamond, she doesn’t look like she’s having any fun. I’d like to put in a bit more time with helping her to calm down, but we’ve still got a race to…forget the race. I’d rather come in dead last with a calm horse, than have a good place with a stressed out one.” With all that’s happened, Sky at this point would accept any place her team finished TWD in. To finish was to win, and if anybody back home was keeping track of their progress, they could see for themselves how spectacular these rescues were. If they needed to bring back a prize just to prove that, they probably weren’t the right future owners for her team. Sky took some time out to calm her horse and helped her work through each problem or spooky situation as they arose. Diamond was thankful for her reassurance, and started to seem a lot more relaxed walking along the trails than she was before. As a result they both were finally able to enjoy the ride, and the journey.

Further in the race they arrived at a dense forested area. All the frozen trees in their path made it even more difficult to travel in the already tough to navigate chest deep snow. Sky led Diamond to a clearing so they wouldn’t have to keep weaving around. About an hour later, Diamond stopped moving and didn’t respond to Sky’s requests to go forward. “What’s wrong? Oh, you’re stuck in the snow aren’t you? Don’t worry, Zorro and I got stuck a few times too…Don’t tell anybody, haha. I’ll look for something in our pack to dig you out with.” Before Sky could open it, a loud sound nearby caught her attention. “Was that a cow mooing? It couldn’t have been, I don’t remember hearing anything about cattle in this area. What could it have been then? The sound was too high to have come from a bear, and too low to have come from a deer…Hmm, the only other animal I know that would make a sound like that is...” At this moment, it finally hit her. Moose. The 8th note on the list she couldn’t remember was: "Watch out for moose!” If she would have remembered that vital note, she would have tried to stay closer to the trees on their journey, to give them something to hide behind incase of an encounter. Now they were stuck in the open, and a moose was nearby. All she could do now was hope moose here weren't in bad moods like the ones back home were.

Sky and Diamond both started to tense up when they saw a cow moose and her calf coming from behind a tree to their right. The cow moose stopped in her tracks when she saw Sky and Diamond standing there. Cow moose are known to get very protective over their calves, and charge anything that seems like a threat. If Diamond were to spook now and make a sudden move, they’d be in pretty big trouble. Diamond wanted to run away, but she couldn’t move her legs because of the snow. She was about to panic and try rearing up, but a well timed soft, and calm voice came from behind her. “Easy girl, it’s okay. I know those moose seem scary…and they kind of are- but I need you to be brave for me and stay really still.” Diamond would have preferred to be quickly freed from the snow so they could run to safety, but because of all the scary things they overcame together earlier in the race, Diamond knew everything would be okay if she followed her rider’s lead. Diamond then settled down and started to stand still.

With Diamond calmed, Sky started thinking back on everything she could remember about moose safety. “Um…Hi there mom. Sorry to ruin your night walk with a talking human encounter, but moose safety said it was a good idea to softly and calmly make you aware of our presence. Yes, we were supposed to back away at the same time, but we’re a little stuck right now…have mercy.” The cow moose stood her ground. Staring at them intensely, keeping watch for any sign of threatening behavior. The calf, however, must have found the both of them intriguing, because it walked forward to investigate them further. When the little moose calf walked up to Diamond, it sniffed her face and bridle. Sky could tell that her mare was a little frightened, but she was pleased to see that she remained still and didn’t move a muscle. When the calf noticed Sky, it looked at her with it's big and adorable eyes, then moved closer to say hello. Sky’s heart almost melted when it's warm, and fuzzy nose rubbed against her hand trying to sniff at her glove. The animal lover part of her wanted to pat it's nose, but the part of her that wanted to stay off the protective mother's bad side, prevented her hand.

Thankfully the calf lost interest in them, and quickly returned to it's mother. With her calf safe and close again, she guided them down the snowy hill, and the both of them went their way. “Phew, that was close!” Sky said in relief. Diamond then let out a breath which she probably held since the calf inspection started. “Haha, I couldn’t agree more!” Sky hopped off her back and looked into one of their packs. “This should help us dig you out, and this treat should help you to know how proud I am of your brave little self!” Diamond gladly received the token, and stood patiently as Sky dug her free. Now that the both of them were aware of the moose in the area, the team stuck closer to the trees as they went on their way, guided by the northern lights.

Description
More from the MidAir Stables storyline

TWD Team on Ice: Part 12 out of 14
Next
Previous
Start of TWD Endurance Race
Intro

Image type: Phase 3 - nearing Lillehammer, Norway
Characters: Sky Diamond
Characters and art belongs to: Volt-Draws
Reference: My own stock used for characters | BG reference: provided by show hosts.

A timid rider, a spooky horse, a protective mama moose, and her curious calf. What could go wrong? 8D

Inspiration: For Phase Three, teams encounter cold rain, and tough conditions. Further down the trail teams can encounter chest deep snow, and wild animals. Though not as short as Kite, Diamond is a smaller pony, so I imagine she'll struggle a bit in the snow. Chances of a moose encounter and a northern lights were high in this phase, so I was eager to draw those!

As expected, Diamond was a bit spooky leaving the start. With so many new smells, sights, and noises happening around her, all at once, Sky could see that the poor mare was experiencing a bit of a sensory overload. “Poor Diamond, she doesn’t look like she’s having any fun. I’d like to put in a bit more time with helping her to calm down, but we’ve still got a race to…forget the race. I’d rather come in dead last with a calm horse, than have a good place with a stressed out one.” With all that’s happened, Sky at this point would accept any place her team finished TWD in. To finish was to win, and if anybody back home was keeping track of their progress, they could see for themselves how spectacular these rescues were. If they needed to bring back a prize just to prove that, they probably weren’t the right future owners for her team. Sky took some time out to calm her horse and helped her work through each problem or spooky situation as they arose. Diamond was thankful for her reassurance, and started to seem a lot more relaxed walking along the trails than she was before. As a result they both were finally able to enjoy the ride, and the journey.

Further in the race they arrived at a dense forested area. All the frozen trees in their path made it even more difficult to travel in the already tough to navigate chest deep snow. Sky led Diamond to a clearing so they wouldn’t have to keep weaving around. About an hour later, Diamond stopped moving and didn’t respond to Sky’s requests to go forward. “What’s wrong? Oh, you’re stuck in the snow aren’t you? Don’t worry, Zorro and I got stuck a few times too…Don’t tell anybody, haha. I’ll look for something in our pack to dig you out with.” Before Sky could open it, a loud sound nearby caught her attention. “Was that a cow mooing? It couldn’t have been, I don’t remember hearing anything about cattle in this area. What could it have been then? The sound was too high to have come from a bear, and too low to have come from a deer…Hmm, the only other animal I know that would make a sound like that is...” At this moment, it finally hit her. Moose. The 8th note on the list she couldn’t remember was: "Watch out for moose!” If she would have remembered that vital note, she would have tried to stay closer to the trees on their journey, to give them something to hide behind incase of an encounter. Now they were stuck in the open, and a moose was nearby. All she could do now was hope moose here weren't in bad moods like the ones back home were.

Sky and Diamond both started to tense up when they saw a cow moose and her calf coming from behind a tree to their right. The cow moose stopped in her tracks when she saw Sky and Diamond standing there. Cow moose are known to get very protective over their calves, and charge anything that seems like a threat. If Diamond were to spook now and make a sudden move, they’d be in pretty big trouble. Diamond wanted to run away, but she couldn’t move her legs because of the snow. She was about to panic and try rearing up, but a well timed soft, and calm voice came from behind her. “Easy girl, it’s okay. I know those moose seem scary…and they kind of are- but I need you to be brave for me and stay really still.” Diamond would have preferred to be quickly freed from the snow so they could run to safety, but because of all the scary things they overcame together earlier in the race, Diamond knew everything would be okay if she followed her rider’s lead. Diamond then settled down and started to stand still.

With Diamond calmed, Sky started thinking back on everything she could remember about moose safety. “Um…Hi there mom. Sorry to ruin your night walk with a talking human encounter, but moose safety said it was a good idea to softly and calmly make you aware of our presence. Yes, we were supposed to back away at the same time, but we’re a little stuck right now…have mercy.” The cow moose stood her ground. Staring at them intensely, keeping watch for any sign of threatening behavior. The calf, however, must have found the both of them intriguing, because it walked forward to investigate them further. When the little moose calf walked up to Diamond, it sniffed her face and bridle. Sky could tell that her mare was a little frightened, but she was pleased to see that she remained still and didn’t move a muscle. When the calf noticed Sky, it looked at her with it's big and adorable eyes, then moved closer to say hello. Sky’s heart almost melted when it's warm, and fuzzy nose rubbed against her hand trying to sniff at her glove. The animal lover part of her wanted to pat it's nose, but the part of her that wanted to stay off the protective mother's bad side, prevented her hand.

Thankfully the calf lost interest in them, and quickly returned to it's mother. With her calf safe and close again, she guided them down the snowy hill, and the both of them went their way. “Phew, that was close!” Sky said in relief. Diamond then let out a breath which she probably held since the calf inspection started. “Haha, I couldn’t agree more!” Sky hopped off her back and looked into one of their packs. “This should help us dig you out, and this treat should help you to know how proud I am of your brave little self!” Diamond gladly received the token, and stood patiently as Sky dug her free. Now that the both of them were aware of the moose in the area, the team stuck closer to the trees as they went on their way, guided by the northern lights.