Chase The Wind (Philip)

[MERIDA LIAN DUNBAR]

Merida hadn't gone to all of school today, unsurprisingly. She really did love to learn, but if a better opportunity presented itself... well, she had to take it. Today she had run into a rather interesting boy with a rather interesting contraption. A board with wheels. They had left school together and had a pretty fantastic afternoon. But now, it was nearing four pm and it was time for her to head to the Briar Rose stables to help out her boss, Phillip, in caring for the horses there.

Merida loved horses. She had become rather attached to a black Clydesdale named Angus. The two had bonded almost instantly, as far as she could remember, and she loved it more than anything on this earth.

She entered the stables and skipped around, looking for Phillip. "I'm here!" she called out.

PHILLIP HUNTER WESTBROOK

[PHILLIP HUNTER WESTBROOK]

It had been a long day and Phillip was tired. Sure, he loved his job. Briar Rose Stables were wonderful but also exhausting. He enjoyed working with animals, but his was a job without breaks and sometimes he wished he could have one. The closest thing was the chance to take horses out for a ride. Maybe he should do that today, once Merida arrived. 

That thought moved him through his day and helped him be productive. He really enjoyed spending time with his young assistant. She worked well with animals and was very fun and energetic. He was grateful to have her help.

Sooner than he thought, he heard her voice. "I'm in the back! Come and join me," he called loudly. He'd just finished saddling two horses, Samson and Angus. He couldn't wait to see the look on Merida's face when she realized they were going to go for a ride. It wasn't something that happened every day and he knew how much she loved horses. This was going to be a fun afternoon, he was sure of it. 

He waited for her to round the corner and see what he had planned. Surely she'd like a break from her daily duties too.

MERIDA LIAN DUNBAR

[MERIDA LIAN DUNBAR]

At Phillips call to join him, Merida hurried out back, jumping and skipping on her way. Merida had a hard time staying still unless horses or a storybook was involved. She found him, saddling Samson and Angus. "Phillip!" she squealed happily as she realized what that entailed. They went on rides before, of course, but it was always the best part of the day. They had other duties and they couldn't leave the other horses unattended too much so it was always a nice treat.

She quickened her step until she reached Angus and thew her arms around his neck. "Afternoon, me love," she said to the horse, catching his reigns and leaning back to look at her boss. "Where to?" she asked, hardly able to contain her excitement and happiness.

PHILLIP HUNTER WESTBROOK

[PHILLIP HUNTER WESTBROOK]

Phillip smiled when he saw how excited Merida was. He liked making people happy. The fact that he was certainly going to enjoy the ride too was just a plus. He patted Samson on the neck, "Here we go, boy," he muttered before leading him to the exit out of the stables. He couldn't wait to go on a ride today! There was always something soothing in going for a ride. He turned to face Merida.

"I was thinking you could take a turn deciding where we go, Merida. I'm up for a little exploring, if you are," he said with a smile as he mounted Samson. He was pretty sure giving her the reigns on this one would make sure it was an interesting and distracting ride, which was exactly what he wanted. He couldn't get his mind off of that feeling he told Henry about, the emptiness. If anyone could find a way to distract him, it would be his enthusiastic assistant.

MERIDA LIAN DUNBAR

[MERIDA LIAN DUNBAR]

When he said she could decide where they go her smile grew large. "There's a pass just north," she pointed, "I'm not sure if there is a bridge there but if there isn't the jump isn't that wide. We should at least check it out!" She jumped happily, she had her eye on that pass for weeks now and just hadn't gone because she knew it wasn't safe to go alone. Normally she wouldn't have minded that but since Agnus wasn't technically hers, she didn't want to risk anything without Phillip being with her. This was the perfect opportunity and a really nice day! So, she lifted herself up onto the saddle and leaned forward to hug the horses smooth, black neck. When the sun hit it just right Agnus's hair shined like nothing she'd ever seen. It was only one of the many reasons she loved him.

PHILLIP HUNTER WESTBROOK

[PHILLIP HUNTER WESTBROOK]

He smiled at her obvious enthusiasm. This was going to be fun, as things often were with the young woman. It was part of the reason why he was so glad she worked for him. "Sounds good. Go ahead and lead the way Merida," he encouraged, gesturing for her to go first. He felt that, as her boss, it was his job to make sure everything went well. In order to do that, he had to be behind her. If he was in front, he might not notice if anything  unexpected happened. So he'd be responsible. At least, for now. He was sure that by the end of their trip, they will have gotten at least one race in, which wasn't as responsible, but what was life without a bit of fun? Besides, one of the fun things about going on rides with Merida was racing her. He most definitely was not going to pass up that opportunity.

MERIDA LIAN DUNBAR

[MERIDA LIAN DUNBAR]

Merida was more than happy to lead the way. She always felt like she was a good leader, as long as the activity she was leading was *fun*. She assured that they were prepped to head North, since it was colder up there, and then took off. She went fast at first, which wouldn't surprise Phillip. She always wanted to get a good burst of energy out right away. She led them toward the north mountain and weaved between the trees before slowing down, out of breath, and happy to be so. "The pass is just ahead, I think. A friend told me about it. It leads to some kind of ice castle!" she explained, her tone excited and exhilarated.

PHILLIP HUNTER WESTBROOK

[PHILLIP HUNTER WESTBROOK]

Phillip knew that Merida would love the chance to lead the ride today, so he followed her easily. Samson was his fastest horse, so no matter how fast Merida felt like going he was confident in his ability to keep up, which meant he could keep her safe. He smiled to himself as they few across the countryside for the first while. This was one reason he loved riding with Merida. She knew what she was doing, so they could let their horses really run. He looked at their surroundings with interest, noting they were headed toward the north mountain but not entirely certain why. what was so interesting about this mountain. She slowed and started to explain a little and Phillip grinned. "That sounds like fun. I've never gone through the pass, or seen this ice castle so let's go!" He hesitated for a second before asking, "Do you want me to lead us through the pass?" The mountains were covered with snow, so the pass not be super easy to travel through, but he had confidence in their horses. It should be just fine.

MERIDA LIAN DUNBAR