*The funny thing is that Sophie is afraid of horses. Well, she's afraid of riding them anyway, but being around these gentle giants has always brought her peace. Animals were so much easier than humans. Animals were much less complicated. There was feeling and instinct and that was pretty much how all animals worked. There were no agendas, no ulterior motives. If an animal liked you, it was because it sensed you were not a threat. Sophie was anything but threatening.*
*The little girl had managed to, somehow, avoid security and make it all the way across campus to the stables. Since it was only three in the morning, all of the students and teachers, as far as she knew, were sleeping. Some of the animals were as well. The one other creature that was awake this hour was a pure white arabian horse in the last stall in the barn.*
*Sophie made her way all the way down as quietly as she could, so as not to disturb the sleep of the other horses in the stalls she would have to walk past. When she was finally standing in front of the horse she looked down and saw a small brass plaque bearing the name "Gypsy." To Sophie, it seemed to fit.*
*To the little girl, this horse could have been a unicorn if it just had a horn in the middle of its forehead. The color was such a pure white that, in the soft light from the full moon, the animal almost seemed to glow.*
*Sophie reached out one small hand to gently stroke the horse's nose, smiling to herself as the horse leaned into her touch.* You're so beautiful. *She whispered to it gently.*
*Sophie was so wrapped up in getting to know Gypsy that her guard was down. She didn't hear the footsteps approaching or sense anyone else around. As far as she was concerned there was just her and Gypsy.*
*The little girl had managed to, somehow, avoid security and make it all the way across campus to the stables. Since it was only three in the morning, all of the students and teachers, as far as she knew, were sleeping. Some of the animals were as well. The one other creature that was awake this hour was a pure white arabian horse in the last stall in the barn.*
*Sophie made her way all the way down as quietly as she could, so as not to disturb the sleep of the other horses in the stalls she would have to walk past. When she was finally standing in front of the horse she looked down and saw a small brass plaque bearing the name "Gypsy." To Sophie, it seemed to fit.*
*To the little girl, this horse could have been a unicorn if it just had a horn in the middle of its forehead. The color was such a pure white that, in the soft light from the full moon, the animal almost seemed to glow.*
*Sophie reached out one small hand to gently stroke the horse's nose, smiling to herself as the horse leaned into her touch.* You're so beautiful. *She whispered to it gently.*
*Sophie was so wrapped up in getting to know Gypsy that her guard was down. She didn't hear the footsteps approaching or sense anyone else around. As far as she was concerned there was just her and Gypsy.*