Stupid White Hart

One of the biggest challenges this summer has been keeping the magical animals a secret from their parents. Whether it be unexplained scorch marks or missing gold jewelry, the kids have to think quickly to keep things under wraps. Such is the case with the White Hart who doesn’t seem to understand the word subtle.

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"Sophie! Bree! Trouble!" shouted Shiloh. He threw open the door to Sophie’s room and stood in the doorway. "Move it!"

"What? Mom or Dad issue?" asked Sophie. Sitting up on her bed, she caught the stuffed unicorn Bree was tossing and dropped it behind her.

"More like a ‘That stupid White Hart just appeared in the backyard when Dad was taking out the trash’ issue," he answered. Turning around, he started for the stairs. "Move it!"

"Alright! It’s mission time!" Bree threw her hands in the air excitedly.

"More like busted time!" Sophie raced after her brother. Once outside, she could see that Shiloh was right: the White Hart was just grazing on the lawn as their dad banged on a trash can lid. "Oh, no."

"Get going! Come on, now!" Samson Talbot crept closer to the deer, but it didn’t seem to mind the noise. "Move on already!"

"Uh, what’s going on, Dad?" asked Sophie.

"Stay back, Sophie." He moved between the deer and the kids. "Not sure it’s from around here, but it’s not staying."

"Oh, ummm...that could...totally be from around here," Sophie stammered. "I’ve read about those before. White crows, white tigers, white...rabbits. Totally believable."

"Nice save," whispered Bree. She gave Mr. Talbot a thumbs up. "Totally believable!"

Samson and Cassidy Talbot

Meet Samson and Cassidy Talbot, the parents of Sophie and Shiloh. They run what has become known as the Talbot Compound, a place where people and horses alike can be taught the fine art of horse riding. Samson has been around horses all his life and couldn’t think of anything he’d rather do than train them and the people who ride them. Cassidy runs the onsite veterinary clinic and isn’t afraid to stare down any horse foolish enough to test her patience.

Cassidy is best friends with Bree’s mom, Maxine, from their days in college. When Bree’s parents asked if she could stay with them while they filmed their documentaries, she went a step further and asked if the whole family would like to move in with them. Samson took some convincing on his part, but when he realized it meant they could afford a much bigger compound, he soon changed his mind.

When the girls asked about getting a summer job taking care of animals, Samson was all for it, making the case that he had a job of his own when he was their age. Cassidy was a little more reluctant, but she agreed as long as she be allowed to take over in case of an emergency. Of course, they both still expect the kids to help out around the compound, especially when Samson has a difficult horse that only Sophie’s special way with animals can handle. They’ve been quite impressed with how well they’ve been dealing with their new responsibilities, even more so when they noticed their son, Shiloh, helping out, too.  Then again, they might be more worried than impressed if they fully understood all of the kids' responsibilities this summer.