AUSe Olympics entry

This has been lying around for too long without me being able to finish it. Now, the 1st december is the deadline so I had to finish it up asap. I am pleased with it tho /o/ and all you who wanted to see more Qora Oltin here he is
And yah those birbs are supposed to be white cockatoos taking a sip from that temporary pond of water when Qora comes crashing in and making them take flight /o/ ALL FOR THE DRAMATIC EFFECT And even if the sun would be risen above the horizon by now I wanted a bit of a more shadowy effect so I hid it behind the Uluru  < u <;




Starting number: #033
Horse: Qora Oltin
Breed: Zlesdin 
Rider: Jalil Faijad
Stable: Stable Osmanli
Disciplin: Desert Cross country

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Extra images:
Training: Palmtrees and sand
Arrival: Arriving down under
Plot extra image: Snuggle the wifey

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Story:

Jalil adjusted his prosthetic arm one last time to make sure it was secured and in position to how he liked to have it. It was early morning just before start. God, he hated early mornings and every time he had to force himself up he just wished he could keep sprawling out in bed, snoozing three times before actually getting up. Being more of a night owl it really took some extra energy out of him just to get up in the morning. Luckily Zinat, his wife had taken a flight to Australia and surprised him just a few days before. When he had asked her at home she had said she wouldn’t come with him, blaming it on venomous animals and what not, but soon enough she had been standing there at the facility in Australia greeting him when he came back from a training session and just by her presence everything seemed so much easier. It’s funny how easily things can be done, or at least feel, when you love somebody.

The two had eaten breakfast together in bed, taken a shower and then started to get ready for the big day. Jalil left Zinat to do her make-up and choose her clothes in peace and had gone out to the stable facility. Qora Oltin was standing in his stall staring hard at Jalil as he walked in as if he’d been waiting for hours on his arrival. Jalil had softly booped his muzzle to snap him out of that attitude and then begun to doll him up, not that all the pretty would last long out in the Uluru desert, that godforsaken dust really got in everywhere, but at least his horse would look good before start.

Things had gone smoothly from there and when it began to draw close for the two to get ready for start Jalil gave Qora a smooch on the muzzle followed by a small wink at the horse.
“You know you got this. Just don’t make it hard for me ok?” He said raising an eyebrow where on Qora snorted in response and turned his head as if he was rolling his eyes horse-style.

It was a beautiful day, or well, a beautiful early morning no heat haze, the air was clear and you could see all the way till the horizon where he sun was rising and coloring the sky in yellow, pinks and purples.

Adjusting the girth one last time then putting the foot in the stirrup swinging his leg over his trusty steed Jalil sat comfortable in the saddle and took the rains in hand, attaching it to the prosthetic that had a mechanism to grip and hold.

A small warmup followed getting all those muscles nice and smooth and then headed forth to get into the starting field.
Focus.
Jalil’s ears shut out all sounds from the surrounding crowd for a moment, collecting himself for a few seconds, you know waiting for that moment you just feel ’Now’. Qora was already fired up ready to go and when he finally was urged to do so he bolted, just as he always did.
“Eager beaver you…” Jalil huffed a little under his breath holding Qora back a little to prevent him from tiring himself out too early.

Needless to say both Jalil and his horse were used to deserts and dry climate so this wasn’t anything new to them, however as Jalil had noticed already during training, this dust was something completely different. It billowed like smoke and if he’d been smart enough he’d been riding with skiing glasses on to keep the dust out of the eyes. Too late to think about now tho.

Getting out in the open it was a majestic view, especially when coming closer to the Uluru, this magnificent piece of sandstone rising up in the middle of nowhere. Clearing a few fences on the way they came closer to the first water fence and it was coming up fast. Unaware of what was behind it Qora leaped over it, stretching out his full length and landing into the water with a splash. At impact an uncountable amount of white birds took flight startled by the unannounced incoming horse and rider. Qora turned his ears around and back in a wary manner at the huge amount of birds fluttering all around them and Jalil was sure this was going to compromise their performance. However to his surprise his horse kept going in the same pace AND still in the right direction plunging through the water surrounded by fluttering wings. It made the short ride through the artificial pond feel almost surreal and for a moment Jalil found himself struck with awe by the sight eventually collecting himself as they reached the end of the fence and the birds scattered… 

Word count: 807

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Previous Shows:
1st place  BRls Weekly Show Season | SJ OPEN  | Entry: BRls Weekly: Dressage
1st place Results - Save Gut Caballo Event! | Cross Country Results | Entry: Through the mist

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References:
None