Starlight Stables: Bush Bolts

by Soraya Nicholas

  The ground was cushioned in pine needles and the trees above gave them shade from the hot sun. In some places the branches crisscrossed, making it feel like an umbrella above them, and Poppy loved titling her head back and staring up, seeing the blue pockets of sky where the trees parted.

  On the times she’d ridden with her aunt, she’d seen just about every type of animal, from birds and snakes to wombats and kangaroos. It was so amazing, and when she was older it was the type of place she wanted to live. Somewhere she could train horses and ride every day. Starlight had always been her favourite place in the world, and since her dad had died it was even more special – it was the only place she felt calm, and like she could really forget about everything else. Sarah was right – she was different here, and in a good way. Back at home and at school, she always felt a bit out of place. But here, she felt like she belonged. She knew what she was doing, and she was confident doing it because it was what she loved.

  ‘How are you doing, Sarah?’ Katie asked, jolting Poppy from her thoughts. ‘Do you want to head back?’

  ‘Already?’ Milly groaned before Sarah could get any words out. ‘We haven’t got going properly yet.’

  Poppy laughed. ‘Yeah, let’s head back. The horses will have had enough. Why don’t we see if we can head out tomorrow for the whole day?’

  ‘Yes! We could show Sarah the farm, ride right out to the boundary,’ Milly suggested.

  ‘Why don’t we take a picnic? It could be really fun.’ Katie was grinning and Poppy was pleased she’d suggested a ride out over the farm.

  ‘Sounds like a plan. I’ll ask Aunt Sophie when we get back.’ Poppy paused and looked at Sarah. ‘We might even be able to spot a kangaroo or two,’ she told her, ready to say anything to get Sarah to agree to coming. If she liked this, she’d love riding out over the whole farm.

  ‘Okay. So long as you keep that thingy attached to me.’

  ‘The lead rope,’ Poppy told her. ‘And yes, I will.’

  ‘Awesome. Let’s get back and ask Mrs D,’ Milly said, turning Joe and riding straight through the middle of Poppy and Sarah.

  ‘Milly!’ Poppy yelled, struggling to keep hold of the lead rope then losing it entirely when Joe didn’t stop in time. Missy took a step back to get out of the way and Sarah almost lost her balance, sliding sideways and desperately clutching at Missy’s mane.

  Milly backed up her pony. Sarah looked wobbly as Poppy quickly dismounted and picked the rope up again, giving her friend what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

  ‘Sorry,’ Poppy muttered. ‘Blame Milly, that was her fault.’

  ‘Sorry,’ Milly apologised, looking sheepish. ‘I . . .’

  ‘It’s fine,’ Sarah mumbled. ‘Milly didn’t mean to.’

  Only Poppy knew it wasn’t fine, and she didn’t know why Sarah was sticking up for Milly when they could all see that she was shaken up. She really wanted Sarah to enjoy herself. The last thing she wanted was for Sarah to feel too scared to get back on a horse, especially after she’d done so well today.

  ‘Come on, let’s go,’ Poppy said, deciding it was better to change the topic. ‘I bet Aunt Sophie will have something yummy for us for lunch, and we might be able to help out with another feed if Uncle Mark’s in with the injured animals again.’

  ‘He’s so cool,’ Sarah said as she rode beside them three-abreast now the trail was wider. Katie was riding just behind them. Unlike Joe, her lovely horse Cody wasn’t at all worried about being last.

  ‘You mean Mark?’ Poppy asked. When Sarah nodded she grinned. ‘He is pretty awesome.’ It was so exciting that Sarah liked Mark’s little wildlife centre.

  ‘I would do anything for an uncle like that,’ Milly agreed. ‘He is definitely cool.’

  Sarah and Milly grinned at each other and Poppy started to relax a bit.

  ‘Me too,’ Katie piped up. ‘He’s a vet, he owns this beautiful place and he rides horses. Everything about him is perfect.’

  ‘He’s mine, all mine!’ Poppy declared dramatically. ‘So hands off!’

  The others laughed as they rode back towards the stables. Katie was absolutely right, mused Poppy. Mark was the perfect uncle, and Sophie was the perfect aunt. Having them had helped so much when she’d lost her dad, and she would never, ever be able to thank them enough for giving her Crystal. She’d wanted her own pony for years, from before she could even ride, and because of them her dream had come true.

  ‘How did I never know this was here?’ Milly asked, her shoulder bumping Poppy’s as they followed Aunt Sophie on foot.

  Poppy was tired from the trail ride earlier in the day, but she was curious to see what her aunt had to show them. Poppy had always known there was a plan in place in case of fire, but she hadn’t ever really thought about it that much. She gulped, imagining fire burning across the property.

  ‘So you would bring all the horses here?’ she asked, surveying the huge empty paddock. There were no trees and virtually no grass. It was like a huge dust bowl.

  Aunt Sophie nodded and pointed to the gate at the far corner. ‘It’s really important to make sure the horses are contained, so we would bring them in through that gate there and ensure they’re all locked in here. If we had time, we’d wet the entire area, but as it is there are no trees or vegetation nearby, so nothing to feed the fire, and we ensure this area stays completely grass-free now, other than the little creek running through the middle over there. And if you look around the fence line there is a one-metre break made from sand right around the perimeter to try to stop a fire from spreading, with a line of stones beyond that.’

  ‘When did you do this?’ Poppy asked.

  ‘Mark has become more worried about fire this season, so we’ve slowly been getting it up to standard over the last month.’

  Poppy felt goosebumps all over. She pushed up against Sarah and looped her arm through her friend’s. The thought of having to leave Crystal in this safe area while a fire was raging was too terrifying a thought.

  ‘And they’d be safe in here?’

  She could tell from the look on Sophie’s face that she wasn’t sure about that at all. Her aunt grimaced. ‘It’s the best we can do. We keep that big tub of water full at all times during summer. We’d take the horses’ halters off, and of course none of them would be allowed to wear covers. It’s not nice to think about, but we have to be prepared just in case we’re stuck here with no other option.’

  ‘What if they got out? If they jumped?’ Katie asked.

  Poppy glanced at her, watching as Katie wrapped her arms tight around herself.

  ‘We do everything we can to keep them contained so they’re not a danger to fire crews or other residents. If we had time, we’d truck as many horses as we could to a safe location, but fires are unpredictable. We’re just lucky that we haven’t had one here before.’

  Poppy would bet anything that her aunt would get Jupiter out somehow – he was worth so much money and Sophie adored him. She’d had the big gelding since he was a baby. But she had to believe that Aunt Sophie would do whatever she could to save Crystal and the other ponies, too.

  ‘Can we go now?’ Milly asked, her voice way quieter than it usually was. ‘All this talk about fires is making me feel sad.’

  ‘Sure,’ Aunt Sophie said with a smile. ‘I just wanted you girls to know our plan in the worst-case scenario, because I don’t remember it ever being so dry here. One spark could be devastating for the area.’ Poppy watched as she patted Milly’s shoulder and then gave her a hug. Milly usually acted all brave and dare-devilish, but this time she looked as sombre as they all did. ‘Besides, if we have advance warning, we’ll be getting every single horse out of here. There’s not one animal on this property that I want hurt, not if I can help it. I just need you girls to be in charge of your own pony if there is an emergency, because they know you and trust you, and this is where I want you to bring them.’

  ‘Can we go help Mark now? I think we all need some baby animal cuddling,�
�� Sarah said. She was obviously trying to change the mood, and Poppy smiled at her.

  ‘Well, first I have something else to show you girls.’

  Poppy’s heart started to thud. ‘What is it?’ she asked.

  ‘Is it a horse?’ Milly asked excitedly. ‘Another animal at the clinic? A puppy?’

  ‘Follow me,’ Aunt Sophie said mysteriously.

  Poppy giggled, keeping hold of Sarah’s arm as they raced off, having to slow down when they quickly overtook Aunt Sophie.

  ‘It’s another rider!’ Milly suddenly burst out.

  ‘Mils!’ Katie yelled. ‘Just let her tell us!’

  Poppy traded glances with Sarah. It probably wasn’t as exciting for her because she didn’t love horses, but she still seemed happy to be part of the fun.

  ‘It’s a new horse,’ Poppy whispered. ‘I’ll bet it is. Nothing else would put a smile like that on Sophie’s face.’

  Sarah shrugged. ‘Whatever it is, she looks pretty happy about it.’

  ‘A baby!’ Milly shrieked. ‘You’ve had a baby!’

  ‘Mils!’ This time it was Poppy. ‘She didn’t just pop out a baby!’

  Katie rolled her eyes at Poppy. ‘Yeah, and we somehow missed her big tummy?’

  Milly’s face fell, but Aunt Sophie started to laugh. ‘You girls are terrible! There’s no new puppy, and there’s definitely no secret baby. I promise.’

  ‘So what is it?’ Milly asked, jumping up and down beside Aunt Sophie like she was about to burst from not knowing what was going on.

  ‘Look,’ Aunt Sophie said, her voice so low it was almost a whisper.

  Poppy stopped at the same time as her friends. She’d been so absorbed in trying to figure out what it could be and listening to Milly’s silly suggestions, that she’d hardly taken any notice of their surroundings. And then she saw him.

  ‘Girls, I’d like you to meet Prince.’

  Poppy gaped, her mouth hanging open. No one said a word as the beautiful, majestic-looking black horse trotted over to greet them, nostrils flared, mane flowing as he floated across the ground. He was one of the most incredible-looking animals Poppy had ever seen.

  ‘He’s amazing,’ she whispered.

  ‘Yeah, even I think he’s gorgeous,’ Sarah replied.

  Aunt Sophie stepped forward, leaning over the gate and holding out her hand. The colt approached cautiously, snorting, his neck arched. ‘He’s my new baby.’

  ‘Mrs D, he’s . . .’ Katie started, then stopped, clearly lost for words.

  ‘The most beautiful creature in the world,’ Milly announced, pushing past Poppy to get to him. Poppy nudged back, not about to let Milly get there first. She grinned when Milly pressed up against Aunt Sophie, poking out her tongue at Poppy. Poppy just rolled her eyes at Milly before staring at Prince. She couldn’t take her eyes off the new horse.

  ‘Did you get to name him?’ Milly asked.

  Aunt Sophie smiled. ‘Yes. The stud we purchased him from never name their young stock. He’s only rising two years old and they didn’t do a lot with him except the basics, and aside from that he’s just been turned out with their other youngsters. Now he’s my new baby, and I thought it was the perfect name for him.’

  ‘He sure looks like a Prince,’ Sarah said from behind Poppy.

  ‘Yeah, definitely the perfect name,’ Milly said, sharing a smile with Sarah.

  Poppy reached out a hand to touch his gleaming black neck. He pawed at the ground and stepped backward, turning fast on his haunches before cantering off down the paddock again. His trot had been magical, and his canter was just as incredible.

  ‘Jupiter is getting older now, and even though I know he should have years left ahead of him, I want to have a young horse sitting quietly in the wings,’ Aunt Sophie explained. ‘Prince will be started under saddle as a three year old, then turned out to mature a bit longer, before I slowly start to train him.’

  Poppy felt a pang for Jupiter, because the older gelding was used to having all Sophie’s attention, but she knew he wouldn’t be able to compete at the top level forever.

  ‘Aunt Sophie, have you ever thought about what you’ll do with Jupiter when you retire him?’ Poppy asked, suddenly curious.

  Her aunt turned. ‘Why’s that, Pop? I guess I haven’t thought about it much.’

  ‘It’s just . . .’ She wasn’t sure how to say what she was thinking, mainly because she wasn’t sure what she was trying to get across! And she almost didn’t want to say it because she loved Crystal so much, but . . .

  ‘Are you asking me if you could have him?’ Aunt Sophie said gently, her voice low and soft.

  Poppy’s face burned hot, she could feel the blush straightaway. ‘No! I mean, well, yes.’ She buried her face in her hands, embarrassed. ‘I mean, I love Crystal, don’t get me wrong. But I would love to ride Jupiter when you’ve finished with him, once I’m older. I was just worried that you might be thinking of selling him.’ She should have asked Aunt Sophie on her own, brought it up when it was just the two of them, and now she felt silly for even saying what she had. Of course her aunt wouldn’t have thought about Poppy riding the amazing gelding one day – he was way too valuable and it would be years before Poppy would even be capable of taking him on! And just thinking about being too tall for Crystal upset her, even if it would be amazing to ride Jupiter one day.

  ‘Poppy, if I decide to retire Jupiter from high-level competition when he’s older, then of course I’d consider you riding him.’

  Poppy’s heart beat fast as she looked up and met Aunt Sophie’s gaze. ‘Really? You’re not just saying that?’

  ‘Of course I mean it,’ she laughed. ‘But hopefully that’s years away, and I’m fortunate right now that I’m in a position to own my own competition horse without having to have a partner. If I ever lost my sponsorship deals or things changed financially, then selling Jupiter could be a possibility.’ She reached out for Poppy’s hand and squeezed it. ‘But that’s so unlikely and it would break my heart even thinking about it, so don’t go getting worried, okay?’

  ‘Okay.’ Poppy nodded, still staring at her aunt. All she could think about was that one day, maybe, she could be learning dressage on a horse that had qualified for the Olympics and the World Dressage Champs. One of the best horses in the country. It only made her all the more determined to learn everything she could and become the best rider she could be. She might want to be an event rider, but if she had the chance to ride Jupiter and learn dressage, then that’s exactly what she would do.

  ‘Can we go in with him?’ Milly asked, her voice jolting Poppy from her thoughts. Her friend was leaning right over the top rail of the fence, looking desperate to get up close and personal with the young colt.

  ‘He’s only been here a few days and I don’t know him well enough to trust him around you girls yet. How about we just admire him from this side of the fence to start with.’

  ‘Okay,’ Milly grumbled, sounding like it was far from okay.

  Katie had climbed up next to Milly, and the two of them continued to stare obsessively at Prince. Poppy glanced at Sarah, hoping her friend wasn’t finding it all too boring, and realised Sarah had dropped to her knees and was rubbing Casper’s belly. The dog must have snuck up behind them when Poppy was daydreaming about riding Jupiter.

  ‘Girls, we have a few cattle that need to be checked on,’ Aunt Sophie said, holding up her hand to shield her eyes from the bright sun. Poppy felt a trickle of sweat down her back and suddenly realised how hot it had become. ‘Mark purchased two dozen yearling heifers, and it’d help us out big-time if you could ride out and check on them, make sure they don’t have any visible injuries and check their water troughs. Could you do that for your ride tomorrow?’

  ‘Sure thing,’ Poppy replied.

  ‘Yep, no problem, Mrs D,’ Milly answered, still staring at Prince. Poppy followed her gaze and laughed when she saw him rear up at another horse in the paddock, pawing out with one of his front legs then land
ing back on all four hooves before cantering off.

  ‘Will you be okay going riding again, Sarah?’

  Poppy watched Sarah, crossing her fingers behind her back and hoping that she would say yes to Aunt Sophie’s question. They’d had fun out trail riding even though they’d only been walking. Surely she’d want to ride again!

  ‘Um, maybe,’ Sarah replied.

  ‘Maybe?’ Poppy planted her hands on her hips. ‘You have to say yes! Missy was so good for you and you were great and . . .’

  ‘Fine!’ Sarah laughed. ‘I’ll go. But walking only. There’s no way I want to fall off and land on my bum.’

  Milly giggled. ‘That’d actually be pretty clever if you landed on your bum. Most people land on their head or get dragged behind the horse with their foot in the stirrup when they hit the ground for the first time,’ she said.

  Sarah went white.

  ‘Milly!’ Aunt Sophie scolded her before Poppy could kick her. ‘First of all, that’s untrue, and second of all, it’s downright mean to scare Sarah like that.’

  Milly shrugged. ‘Sorry.’

  ‘Has anyone ever actually fallen off Missy?’ Katie asked. ‘She has to be one of the sweetest ponies here.’

  Poppy bit the inside of her mouth to stop from smiling when she saw Aunt Sophie wink at Katie. She was secretly thanking her for turning the subject around.

  ‘I don’t remember it ever happening. That’s why we use her for the learners.’

  Sarah still looked unsure, but she eventually sighed and gave in. ‘Okay. I’ll do it. But if my legs or my butt hurt too bad, I’m changing my mind.’

  ‘Yay!’ Poppy threw her arms around Sarah and jumped up and down.

  ‘Can we go and see if Mark needs a hand feeding the baby animals?’ Sarah asked once the happy dance was over.

  ‘Sure thing. You girls run on ahead. I’m going to spend a few minutes with Prince.’