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"Horse Tales"Written By: Kaeru Shisho Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Gundam Wing
or its characters, nor do I make any monetary profit off this story. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Yaoi, Very AU, so very AU it's AD, another
dimension. The GW boys are horses. My apologies. Please heed the warning. Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 6x5 Summary: A few lucky stallion purebreds are given a second chance at the Horse Haven Sanc-tuary. A/N: In defense of my writing this extreme version
of a GW story… Waterlily and Snowdragon made me do it, heh, heh… " Horse Tales" Chapter Twelve- Spring Thaw: Meet the Mustangs (o) Heero's POV Howard pushed his employees to restore power and repair the gate. Machines roared, cutting the fallen trees into uniform logs and I watched men stack the results into orderly piles away from the wooden structures. I knew the men would burn the wood, but it didn't appear to be in any danger of bursting into flames while carpeted with snow. I would keep it under observation. Even more satisfying than observing tidy wood piles was to watch Quatre's cat be groomed and his claws clipped. He despised it. I was told a box had been built off the ground so he could rest safely out of hoof reach. My rear hooves could reach it without a problem, if the time should come to rid us of the nuisance. Wufei improved dramatically. Whether it had been just a matter of time or Quatre's "talk it out" strategy had changed his outlook, I don't know. A combination. What was important was my stallion herd was no longer causing Howard a reason to invite the vet for an intervention or to separate us. Ever in the back of my mind, and of Duo's, I knew, was Relena's threat of "a court order" to get me back. There had been a time when I'd wanted nothing more than to be her mount and obey her commands, but now I wanted to remain where I was with my herd, and especially with Duo. It hurt in my chest when I tried to imagine leaving Duo. Of missing his attention, his chatter, and his affection. I would miss them all, but parting from Duo would kill a component of me, the piece he'd awoken and now thrummed whenever he was near me. Call it heart, but it wasn't the muscle pumping my blooded that I meant, a part of me which held the meaning of life and purpose. I was in love with him, and to a depth I hadn't believed I'd had. We had discussed the problem to some extent, but not much. Whenever he raised the subject of us being torn apart, I stopped him. It hurt too much. I'd told him the longing I'd once had for Relena had gone, and I'd vowed to find a way to stay near him, even going as far as to join up with the wild horses. He'd go with me, of course, I knew he'd mean to and would, if he was able. Quatre has always been certain it would never go that far, and Wufei has said that Howard is fighting the court order. Trowa has been smart enough to say nothing about what he can't control. I couldn't ask for a better herd. Our "cozy nest", as Quatre put it, had been torn up once the power had been restored. No more unrestricted, band-of-brotherhood sleeping arrangements; Trowa and Quatre were still allowed to room together at night, though. I don't know why they were allowed that preferential treatment. Duo and I slept apart as usual, since I prefer to stand and he likes to lie down it only makes sense, but I could see the attraction of the group "pile on," if only to hear Duo's steady heart beat. No, so that in particular I could feel his heart beat and the warmth and security of his real-ness next to me. I'd like that a lot. The one wonderful change which occurred was the advent of the jumping hurdles. I had always wanted to jump. Other horses at Relena's stables had been trained, but not I. Again, I didn't understand why, and I felt it was very unfair to overlook me that way. So, when I saw the men setting them up in the indoor arena, I was very excited. Howard had to hold me back or I would have charged right into and over them all. He insisted Wufei go first. He'd been trained to jump with a rider. I couldn't argue with that logic, so I waited my turn and watched and studied and learned. The day came when Doctor J took charge and I jumped alone. Around and around the arena I jumped, timing my leaps and my steps so I moved with fluid perfection. I could tell he was pleased with my progress, because he climbed into the saddle and my real training began. I was a natural, which I'd known all along. I could have jumped far longer than he permitted. My stamina was to be built up, my legs muscles developed gradually, he told Howard, who agreed. I might have figured out the meaning, but it was convenient to have a translator nearby. Yes, I had formed a grudging respect for Wufei; it would have been deeper and more freely given had he not bonded with the cat. We learned to enjoy the snow, although we never ventured beyond our outdoor corral, not after the ordeal we'd gone through before. Besides, we had the indoor arena for exercise. Wufei claimed it made him if not yearn for then feel great sorrow for the loss of his homeland and wouldn't go outside at all, which pleased Quatre. Quatre refused to go out longer than it took to get wet and then said he'd keep Wufei company. Trowa seemed interested in seeing wild horses, but he wasn't fond of the snow. He didn't like cold legs and excused himself from the corral most days. A few times he claimed he smelled cougars out there. Whether he actually did or not, held no significance. Staying within the confines of the corral was fine with me. I didn't care. I had my indoor hurdles for entertainment later. And Duo. Duo was the only one who said he missed the wild. I wondered if his being an urban horse had blocked his contact with nature, and this was a deep-seated need of horses. The wild lands stirred something in him, possibly a break for freedom. I promised him I'd lead us all to the pasture and beyond as soon as there were signs of spring. I wouldn't do that for any horse, just Duo, and not because he was so attractive with the most unimaginably gorgeous tail and mane ever to swamp a horse. He was so versatile. From what he'd told me about his life in the city, he was tireless. He could work hard all week long and look handsome pulling fancy carriages for kiddie rides on the weekend. His loyalty was undivided and nothing scared him, including fire. His rider adored him, so did Howard, and so did I. "Rise and shine! I hear birds singing so it's spring." There were times I liked him less, like when he cheerily woke me out of my pleasant morning doze-a time when I did my best thinking- to head out into the cold air. At least he wasn't urging us out before breakfast was served. I'd put my hoof down about that. It had to be warm and sunny first before Quatre would venture out without food. It baffled me that Duo would venture out without his morning mash; he was very food oriented. When I questioned him, he told me he stuffed himself with hay before going outside. I should have guessed. As much as he ate, he burned every bit of it off. He could run forever at nearly the speed of Quatre. I might outrun them all, but the other horses had more endurance. I had more brute force, but Wufei could apply his with much determination and Trowa more weight. We were a formidable herd and I was proud to lead them. I jumped at Duo's unexpected shout. "OATS?" I didn't like having to greet the day on empty and didn't appreciate Duo reminding me of what I'd miss if I went out, so I grabbed a bite of hay, and nearly ran down a babbling stable boy who smelled of grain. "Where are you going now?" I asked. It was a fair question. Duo'd whipped around and headed back to his stall so fast it was funny. His head, then ass, disappeared back into his stall. His braided rope of tail, usually tied up in a couple loops, had come loose and was all that was left of him, dragging along the floor. The sound of oats and molasses mixing in my feed bucket made my mouth run, and I wondered no longer why Duo had vanished into his stall. I stuck my nose in deep and munched contentedly, while the stable boy moved past Trowa's empty stall and on to Quatre's, chattering to himself as he went. I could barely make out the shuffling of hooves as the other horses readied themselves for the early meal, the very welcome early meal. The stable boy tied up Quatre's hooves, because the desert horse hated the mud. The rest of us pushed on, not caring enough to bother with "booties." "What's the human saying now? He keeps pounding on the stall walls." Wufei nudged the boy away from his feet. "He says they are taking out the stall divider between number... between Quatre and Trowa today. He calls them 'pretty boys', just so you know. It's to give them more room, since they seem determined to share." The news delighted Quatre, who nickered and blew the boy's hair into a mess, and possibly Trowa's, too. He watched the other horse with his single visible eye and said only, "Considerate of them." The morning was the nicest in a long time, and, feeling pleasantly full, the entire herd set out for the far pasture with "an extra kick in our trotters", as Duo put it. I saw no snow, not even patches in the deepest pits or shade. "Grass! Oh! It's so sweet and fresh and green!" Quatre was deliriously happy. His excitement rubbed off on Trowa. He danced for Quatre, I guess, more with Quatre, the two of them spinning around. "If only I had my ribbons! It would be ever so much more fun!" That would have made a pretty sight, although, not very much in keeping with warrior spirit, I thought. I had my questions about those Winner Warrior stallions. Wufei kept his head down, searching for green to nibble. Wise choice. A full mouth was a quiet one. At last, he was learning some tact. Next time I looked up, Duo had joined in the dance. "You'll shake loose your hair ties," I warned him. He shook his rear end harder, and at me. I watched in fascination as the bow slipped and the ties slid... off. "You can't mate with it." Wufei punctuated his comment with a snort. And yet, I'd more than once imagined a way it could be done- "He's too young." "He's not...I wasn't... I know..." I sputtered, unable to finish any of those lame excuses aloud. "Follow me." Mortified that he'd noticed my interest in Duo, one that hadn't been returned in the same manner and that remained unconsummated, and needing a distraction from the alluring adolescent stallion, I shut my mouth and trailed the gold horse. We sauntered to the far edge of the pasture, stopping at the gate, a new one, which had replaced the one I'd bent flat during the blizzard. There we fussed with the latch, without success, and had just resorted to kicking at it when Duo trotted over to show off. Did he have any idea how striking he was, his gleaming black sides, flowing mane, cocky gait? He was young (not too young!) and a member of my all-stallion herd and had repeatedly rejected my sexual advances. So much for trying to divert my prurient thoughts, and not just any sexual thoughts either. And not for the first, second, or third time! "Lemme through, lemme through! Let the pro do his job!" Duo's ass bumped my nose as he passed by. And not for the last time would those thoughts cross my mind. Wufei studied what he did. Very closely. His nose dangerously close to a few stray mane hairs. "How do you get your lips to do that?" "Talent and practice." Duo hopped out of chew-range, bumping me in the process. "Got it! Try as they like, there's no lock I can't beat." "Or one that... *wheeze*... Heero can't beat into submission," Trowa quipped between sharp intakes of breath. I was glad for his interference. Really glad. "Winded?" "A little. Maybe... I should do the hurdles to build my...*wheeze*... stamina." "Or you can dance more with me!" Trowa's head shot up, but not in Quatre's direction, as I would have supposed. If Duo was my "distraction", the pretty yellow and cream horse was Trowa's. But this was something else, his ears rotated forward and he strained to see off into the distance. I snapped to alert. "What?" "Wild horses?" Wufei guessed. "Yes. Close." Trowa's neck stretched and his nostrils cupped in more wisps of scents. His banded mane sported bits of twigs and grass. The clown must have been rolling over the ground. Duo stamped his feet with excitement. "How 'bout we go meet them then." "Is it safe?" Quatre danced nervously ahead. I didn't think he cared, really. He seemed too excited by the notion of meeting "wild" anythings. He tore a tangle of weeds from the ground and waved them around. I was afraid he might start dancing to welcome the Mustangs, which they would probably think was incredibly strange, but he spat out the vegetation instead. At least I had one less concern. Now, if only Duo would stay out of the action, not get involved in a fight, and let me do my job. "No. Not safe at all!" Duo answered for me, racing past me, headlong into danger. Sigh. My job got harder. Quatre caught up with him and then Wufei trailed closely by Trowa. I let the others go ahead, preferring to take rear guard duty and keep an eye out. We galloped further from home than we ever had, noses held high, the wind in our ears. Up the hill and down. Snorting and stomping hooves echoed down the canyon, and they weren't all ours. Wild horses were coming our way. I felt a warm body shove into mine and Wufei's nose appeared in my face. "You realize the danger here." "They are unknown horses." "Territorial disputes are sure to begin. This isn't our home; we are the invaders." Automatically, Duo and Trowa drew up along me. We stood in formation ready for an all-out battle for supremacy. Rumbling like thunder storm, Wufei paced and snorted, running back and forth behind the lineup. Surprisingly, it was hot-blooded Quatre who trotted to the forefront, meeting the Mustang vanguard nose-to-nose. (o) "Hello! I'm Quatre Raberba originally from the Winner Warrior Stables and currently a resident of the Horse Haven Sanctuary. My desert name is Asfar, but you can call me Quat, if you like." The mustang appeared stunned and tongue-tied. Quatre could be a little over the top at times. "Hello? Call me Quat." "Uh, hi, Cat. You seem awfully nice and all but- Listen the boss stallion's on his way and he's not keen on having more stud competition, so I recommend you guys haul ass back where you came from before he gets here." This one appeared healthy; I estimated she was a year younger than I and slightly smaller with shaggy patches of fur, a sure sign of having lived outside all winter. Since his friendly approach was buying us time, I let Quatre prolong the greetings so I could size up the herd moving our way. "Thank you for the warning. What's your name?" "Hilde." She looked nervously over her shoulder. "Look, forget about me. You'd better git and fast." A large, handsome, mature stallion stood, posed, at the back of the wild herd, measuring us with his eyes. I interpreted his intimidating posture to mean business. And yet... too large, too fine-boned. "That is no mere Mustang; that was an escaped purebred." I suspected a couple of the other wild horses were fugitives from human confinement, thinking of the lead mare in particular. She positioned herself front and center of the band of wild horses, a dun-colored female, snorting and shaking her tail and mane aggressively. I didn't think her attitude was a façade to cover for fear, either. I think she was ready to tear us apart. I wasn't sure which looked more formidable an opponent. "Arresting." Wufei breathed in my ear, startling me. I hadn't heard him close in on me like that, because I had focused my attention on that angry, lead mare. I slid a quick glance his way. "What was that?" "The stallion in back is a powerful fighter. I'll take him on." "So is the female, but I aim to avoid a fight." Wufei may have respected my position as leader, but that inflated ego of his made him daring. "I'm capable of beating him." I doubted he could and I had the sense not to say that to his face. "We are outnumbered." It was time for me to decide what our herd would do. I poked at Quatre, nosing him into the line-up behind me. "I'd like to meet your leader," I told the emissary called Hilde, "and then we'll leave." "Well, I don't know how that will go. I don't decide anything, but I'll tell her." "Her?" I indicated the angry one with a shake of my head. "Yes, the lead mare, of course. Where's yours?" "We have no mares," I told her, aware of the guarded pace of the oncoming horses. "Oh, well, our leader is called Lady Une; 'Une' for number one, you know?" "And the older stallion?" "The Alpha. I wouldn't mess with him, or Lady, if I were you." "No." I kept my eyes moving from the stallion to the mare, watching as he left his rear guard duty and trotted to the forefront. They were so close I could hear them speak. "I'll take care of these young lads. Keep your mares back. Way back." "I say we attack and send them back where they come from," the mare countered. "I have mares in heat clamoring to meet the new males." "Oh, dear, don't try to manipulate me with that old line. Now, let me do my job and you do yours." So, I was to deal with the Alpha in round one. I adjusted my stance and looked to my left where Wufei had settled into position. I knew he hadn't any real battle experience, but I appreciated his loyalty while at the same time hoped he didn't provoke the wild horse to attack. And then Quatre appeared on my right again. "Greetings!" he called out as if he were calling his friends to share his afternoon mash. "We come in peace and brotherhood." The forceful personality of the older stallion hit us like a wind. I had to fight my flee impulses to stand my ground. "You bring a herd of stallions to challenge me?" "No, Sir! We were curious who you were." "And if I choose not to believe you?" "I appeal to your supreme wisdom and sense of fair play!" Quatre cried out. As diplomatic as Quatre was being, I decided he was over his head with the Alpha, who was no ordinary horse. I could tell by his refined manner of speech that he had once been a human's saddle horse. A civilized horse gone feral was unpredictable. Duo must have felt the same misgivings. I heard him mutter behind me. "Oh, brother. This could go bad fast." The Alpha continued to display his dominance with his arched neck and aggressive stance. I returned his challenge like the fool lead stallion I felt I was, and he brushed me off with a shake of his mane. "Let me explain how I see this," he said. "Most ranchers attempt to improve the breeding of local mustang herds by killing off the dominant male in the herd and replacing him with males with a pedigree." Quatre gasped, reacting sympathetically, and not at all as the Alpha expected, as I read him. "Oh, how terrible! I just know the Doctors aren't going to do that! They just want to protect you, give you new land to range. They love horses!" Nice try. "Just putting us out to pasture-" The Alpha inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. I wondered if he used breathing to control his urge to execute the yellow horse on the spot, just in time to find his powerful gaze leveled on me. "And you? What are your intentions? You bring no mares of your own. I won't share mine without a fight to the death." Quatre courageously answered back, "Oh! Well, I, ah, that is, some of my friends may be violent and dangerous, but we're all really nice guys. So, you don't have to worry-.*" "We have no interest in your mares," I established, cutting Quatre off, since the other horse wasn't listening to him anyway. "Absolutely not!" Quatre agreed fervently, stepping aside so I would be in front. "Not a bit," Duo said. "Nope," Trowa said. "I wouldn't dream of touching any of them," Wufei said, nose held high. "There's no justice in taking that which isn't ours." "I see. Actually, what I see is a race horse, a carriage horse, a couple of show horses, and," the Alpha raked Trowa over with a searing gaze, "I have no idea what you were used for, but you aren't far removed from the backwoods." "That's very narrow-minded of you," Wufei snapped. He was working himself up for something, and I didn't approve, but I hadn't the experience to know how to stop him. "When you limit your understanding of the breeds, you create absurd characterizations. You are, in fact, wrong on all accounts; two of us are famous warrior breeds!" I was pleased that Wufei had included Quatre in that class, but I wished he hadn't said that. Warrior breeds? Yes. Actual fighters? No! How could he not see he'd lose a pissing contest with the veteran stallion? But it was too late. "Really?" A glint in the mustang's eye was the only giveaway of his sarcasm, one Wufei didn't miss. The golden horse took up an aggressive pose. Damn! He'd been baiting the older stallion to fight him all along, and I'd missed that. "Yes! Your slight to my heritage requires retaliation!" Wufei lunged first, front legs lashing out and missing. Wufei agilely skipped about and avoided a collision with the larger stallion's heavier hooves. I admired his quickness and daring kicks, even though he only landed on onto soft flesh. The Alpha shouted, "My tail!" and I caught a glimpse of hair hanging from Wufei's mouth. Before stepping in to stop the attack, I glanced over my herd to see that they were safe. All I saw were Mustang mares. Damn, again! I'd taken my attention off their leader. How stupid could I have been? I leaped to the side and just missed getting my brains kicked out of my skull and splattered over the rocks. This "Lady" wasn't holding back. I spun around, looking for Wufei. "Eyes on me, purebred!" Purebred. She meant me, of course. I never heard the word sound so sullied. Une drove on, attacking over and over, keeping me from aiding Wufei. While the Alpha had seemed to be toying with him, Une was a blood-thirsty demon intent on damaging me. I was grateful for every drop of my hot-blooded, purebred strength and speed. I sprinted out of her reach and for an instant spied Wufei sprawling on the ground. He may have been nimble enough to trim the powerful stallion's tail, but the older Alpha stallion was cagy, experienced in battle, and had outmaneuvered him. "Wufei! Get up before you get crushed!" (o) Trowa's POV Gol-dern! I wanted to be just about any place else than where I was, surrounded by a bunch of intimidating mares. It stank of the circus. Going in circles with no way out. "Now ain't you cute? And your fur's so fine-like a newborn's. My name's Catherine. What's yours?" "Doesn't matter, ma'am," I said as politely as possible while leaving no doubt of my lack of interest in horsing around. "We'll be leaving in no time." I had an eye on Beautiful, who seemed to be holding his own. He'd been talking a mile a minute. When I switched over to Duo, a female was bumping and grinding into him and he just took it. What was wrong with that coltish stallion? It was as if he didn't recognize a hot mare when he sniffed one. "Hey! No time for messing around," I said, then more sharply I whinnied, "Yo, Duo! Get yer ass over here!" "What?" His eyes were glazed over. Hormone overkill. Great horse feathers! "That mare's set her sights on you and is backing into you, can't you tell? Move away." "I can see that, but so what?" "Haven't you been around a mare in heat before?" "Er, no." "Well now you have. You know what that means, right?" "Overheated?" Oh, shit. He looked totally mystified. Hadn't any of the older horses he'd lived with ever bothered to tell him about the birds and bees? Hadn't he and Heero ever gotten around to trying anything? Talked at least? Ah, crap. "Oooh!" Hilde whinnied with glee. "I've gotta first-timer!" And that's when I knew we were in trouble. We were encircled and out-numbered. I couldn't see what had happened to Wufei, but every so often I could hear Heero snorting over the noise of foot stomping and teeth gnashing. There was nothing I could do for them until I broke free of the mare-corral, penned-in like caged animals. I hated the feeling. "Beautiful, can you get between Duo and Hilde?" I realized my blunder, calling out my personal name for my lover 'round all those mares like that, and paid for it a second later. "You called?" The brown and white patchy lady was in my face again. "Hey, you great, handsome stallion with the crazy spots! Did you notice I have spots, too? Big spots. I'm pinto. Come get a closer look." "Ah, no thanks." I rotated to my left blocking a path for Beautiful. "Er, ah, Quatre, come around behind me now!" "Don't you dare turn your back on me!" screeched a nearly-white mare who'd been bullying my beautiful friend. That made my blood boil. Or maybe I was starting to suffer from the hormone over-load. "I'm sorry, D-dorothy, but I'm not the stallion for you. I-I don't mean to be rude. Oh, dear! Let's not come to blows over this." I guessed Beautiful had his hooves occupied, too. "Duo, just say no." I didn't have time to explain the finer points of male-female romance with the love of Heero's life. "Hightail it over here now and keep away from her. She's trying to get you to mate her." "Well, honey, you sure know one end from the other. Why don't we show him how it's done? Put on a little show?" I had actually mated before, not something I was proud of -or had told anyone about- and I certainly didn't want to do it ever again. I wanted to avoid contact with these mares at all costs and for many reasons- countless reasons and I could count pretty high. There were hormones getting messed with, which were completely separate from sexual desire. If Duo'd never been approached by a mare in heat, no wonder he was mystified. He sure didn't understand what that mare was doing or what happening to him, and he was shortly to become overwhelmed by the lure. I decided to first save my Beautiful and then together we could get Duo and break free of the noose of mares. "I've refused as politely as possible, Miss Dorothy," Beautiful was telling the ivory mare. "You insulted me for the last time. Take this!" she lashed out. Suddenly I saw a bright splotch of red. She'd bit his shoulder! "You hurt me!" he cried. "You're bleeding!" I reared onto my hind legs and came down on the demon horse. "You bit the kindest, gentlest horse alive." Seeing her, the one who'd attacked the beautiful creature my world revolved around, my spiritual guide, well- I may have lost my head about then and possibly over-reacted a tad. I was kicking and nipping, and the circle of mares widened. Others were pushing the females away, and without warning my Beautiful pressed up against me on one side and Duo on the other. "I heard Heero's neigh," Duo shouted in my ear. I heard him then, too. "Trowa! Duo! Get Beauti, er, Quatre out of here! Now! Don't let them trap you!" Of course, that was a bit like shutting the stable door after the horses have bolted. The bad had already happened and the situation couldn't be undone. What we had to do was break out and head for home. Duo moved around to sandwich Beautiful between us. "Let's blow this scene, how 'bout it?" he said. I spotted blood oozing from the shoulder wound and nearly turned back to kick the living shit out of that she-devil, but my Beautiful needed me so I ploughed forward and pushed a couple of the smaller mares aside. Duo and I kept the pace even and steady, going left onto the trail we'd taken in and listening for the hoof-falls of the others before stepping up the pace. "I hear them beating the ground. One's 'Ro for sure," Duo huffed and puffed. I chanced a look over my shoulder and saw Heero and Wufei, the chewer limping slightly. That wasn't a good sign. "Think we won?" Duo asked. "No, they are letting us go, with a warning not to return," Beautiful answered. "I just wanted to make friends. I don't understand what went wrong. I should have picked up on how they felt!" We'd been like colts in the woods and unprepared for the harsh realities of the wild world. I wasn't thinking about a return trip. I was hoping to escape and make it home. A/N: * This was paraphrasing a quote out of the original series. Horse Notes: Wild Mustang horses have no specific conformation. Shapes and the horse's physical build vary because they have mostly been bred in the wild without the benefit of human intervention. It is possible to see the colorings of appaloosa, pinto, palomino, buckskin and black as well as the full range of browns and reds. Horses left to roam free during the winter basically fend for themselves, food wise, unless they are in preserves or sanctuaries.
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