|
"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 Seventeen- Reasons to Bail (o) Duo's POV I was aware of the firm floor of the stall and that I was lying on it. It felt pretty good, considering my head hurt on one side more than it should and I could tell it was light out. I didn't ordinarily nap on the floor of the stall during the day, and I wondered why I was doing it now. Then I heard a shuffle of hooves and snuffle of noses far too close to my ears. I opened my eyes and stared up the noses of four horses. I could see two more a short distance off through the curtain of my mane flung helter-skelter over my face. Drat. I willed them away, which did absolutely no good. I could still hear them. "He's awake!" "I can see that." "Duo, are you okay?" "He's fine, just back off, Quatre." "It wasn't my idea." "He knows that, Trowa." "Give him some air." "Let Heero deal with this one." "Well, okay, now that he's awake. I was so worried." "He knows, Quatre. Go." "I'm so sorry, Duo! I-I just don't know what happened to my horse-sense this time!" My eyelids snapped shut just as I wished I could shut off the rest of the universe and erase my memories. I wanted to sleep and wake up someplace else. I recalled everything. I wanted to crawl under the floorboards and disappear. I wanted to be anyplace than where I was dying of humiliation. "You fainted." Well, duh, Heero. How about some sympathy? My lips remained sealed, leaving my mind to run rampant. "I didn't know a horse could do that." Glad I could complete your life experiences. I kept that thought to myself too, but I shoulda said it out loud just to be mean, but I didn't wanna face them all. Not yet. Maybe that got through to Sunshine or maybe I could will some of them away, 'cause I heard the scuffle of retreating hooves. Not Heero, though. "You just slumped down on your knees then leaned over and-" "I get the picture. Stop. Enough." "-that's why I knew you weren't hurt. You didn't hit the floor hard." Why did I think Heero heard me? "Everyone's gone. You can get up now." You're not gone. "Duo, talk to me." "Don't kick me. It won't make me move faster." Actually, it did; I forced my legs to respond and hefted my bulk to all fours. I wanted him to back off. I didn't want to talk to him. I really, really wanted to be alone. For about five years. Five should be enough to wipe away the vision of my stall buddies having sex with one another. "That wasn't the talk I meant." A lip brushed the hair from my eyes. So gently. Were we still good? That had felt good. "Not talking," I muttered, knowing it sounded stupid. Aside from the lip, he wasn't touching me. He was keeping his distance and looking contrite enough for us to be good. "The others are in the arena practicing their jumps-hurdles, I mean." Yeah, yeah. So I could hide in my stall and be all alone, if I wanted. I was so mad at them, and embarrassed, it wouldn't have surprised me if I'd broken out in blisters. But I hadn't. I'd fainted. I could run off and hide away. Or I could buck up and just march in there and practice, too. Hell! I didn't do nothing wrong! Why should I hang my head? If they don't wanna be walked in on, they can shut their damned doors! What more did 'Ro expect from me? He certainly expected something since he continued to stand there. Waiting. Well, he wasn't gonna get any complaint from me. If he wanted something, he could kiss my aa-ah... forget it! "Let's go, then. I can use some limbering up." The temperature rose a few notches. I felt hot (again!) as he gave me a warm look, pride oozing from his pores. "You've got guts," he told me. "Chutzpah. I've got chutzpah, and don't you forget it!" "I won't. I'll never underestimate you." When we stepped into the barn, I wouldn't have guessed four other horses were working out. Silence reigned, the kind of quiet that had just happened. I bet that if I'd been able to sneak in, incognito, moments before I'da heard all the whispered conversations. Sorry to have interrupted them, again. I didn't see as much as feel lots of eyes tracking my progress into the arena. Heero walked at my side and spoke to me loudly enough for the others to hear. "I suggested we raise the height. We have to clear the top and Trowa estimated it to be higher than what we've been jumping. We should practice before the humans interfere. I'll go first." I kept my focus on him and watched him sail over the obstacles effortlessly. The second time around, Spot counted aloud the steps 'Ro took before leaving the ground. The third time, I had the pattern in my head. I could jump the extra height. I might need one or two more steps to keep up my speed, though. I wouldn't have to clear much distance to get over the fence, just height. I'd have plenty of running room out there in the pasture to do it. Sunshine gave it a try, but turned away at the last moment. He wasn't any better at hurdles than me, actually. Wufei only just cleared the new height. Spot's long legs gave him an advantage, but his general athleticism was his real strength. The Count could have jumped them all backwards, legs bound, carrying a rider, and dragging Goldie, teeth buried in that white plume of a tail. I couldn't count the steps, but I remembered at what point Heero's hooves had left the ground. When I got there it seemed a mile from the hurdle. I moved on and lost my concentration enough to miss my chance for that one. I ran to the next without letup and felt it and leaped. My rear hooves clicked on the top edge, but I made it over. I'd have to do better, though. Goldie ran with me and his smooth cadence on the approach helped. We jumped together and cleared it fine. "Yay! I want to try that!" Sunshine trotted up to us, eager to beat the new height. I felt the team pull together and around me. One more hurdle accomplished. Our activities were interrupted by the humans and their need to go riding, which was fine. I didn't mind the fresh air and opportunity to avoid one-on-one chats with my friends. The exercise was welcome, for sure, and I enjoyed the grooming when we got back and the nice meal waiting for me in my stall. Also waiting for me, low and behold, was a fluff of white fur. Percy greeted me with a loud purr. "Hey, little buddy, how are you doing? Nice digs, horsehair nest and everything. I was just wondering if you've met the new horse, last stall down?" Aw, don't yawn. C'mon look at me, you flea-bitten hairball. No, you don't need a bath now either. "He's snowy white like you, in fact." That did it. Getting personal. I had Percy's attention now, so even if he couldn't understand what I was saying, I leaned in to keep my mouth close to his ears. "He's not a horse like us. He's a vampire horse. One of the undead. He sucks blood to re-animate himself and turns his victims into more like him. Yeah, a real bad guy." Meow! And a tail flick! "Oh, yeah, and he's active at night. Watch him! He doesn't have to restrict himself to just other horses (although I didn't know this for a fact). You could be next!" Yeow! I guess I scared him that time, or maybe I stepped on his tail- "Oh, yeah. I was hoping you'd be interested. Whoozzat?" (o) Wufei's POV With so many issues hanging over the herd, I thought it a foolhardy expedition to take on the Mustangs so soon. I questioned 01's leadership, but not enough to challenge him directly. If I searched my soul, I knew somewhere I'd come up short. He was stronger in so many ways. He was a tough defender of the herd and, more importantly, the original three loved and respected him. Despite his refusal to submit completely, I could tell 02 did not mean to threaten 01's position. 03 and 04 likewise showed no signs of divided loyalty or desire to test their leader. That left only Zechs. Clearly he came from superior stock, regal in carriage, with the heart of a warrior-and of a leader; at least, at one time. He was damaged now, but with my guidance I was certain he could rise against 01, and gain the Alpha stallion role. That would put me in second place, or third behind 01. I had no doubts that I could take on 02, 03, or 04 in any fight to the top. Did I want to fight my way to the top? I'd finished eating my nice mash, when I heard a heavy hoof at my stable door. Our stalls hadn't been secured for the night, so it could be anyone. Who would I welcome? Any doubt as to what I wanted was swept away by the tickly, swipe of silky, white tail across my back and the velvet, husky tone of Zechs' voice near my ear. "You look magnificent in this lighting. Glowing." Melting into the floor, was more like it. I was certain I had honey for joints. "I was thinking about you." "Were you? Good thoughts?" "Yes, of course." "Our coupling wasn't too soon for you? I don't want your spirit broken if you weren't ready." Too soon? Not at all! Dragon Clan did not break! I thought I'd proven just how receptive I was. "It would take more than a single act of dominance play to undo me." "Dominance play? You think that was all there was to it? That I have no deeper feelings for you?" Or that my feelings for you, Zechs, run so shallow? That was left unsaid. I found I liked that hint of neediness coming from those noble lips. "I hope not. You left bite marks as proof of your dominion, however." That seemed to amuse him. He licked my slightly damaged shoulder. "I imagine I was carried away by you. Intoxicating." So was the tongue sliding up my neck to my ears and down my face to my oh-so sensitive lips. Oh, my... What had I been thinking about? Bite marks. Oh, yes. 02. "What shall we do about 02?" I half meant this as a private musing, but, there, I'd said it aloud. Zechs suspended his laving exercises. Drat. "02? Oh, the stunning black horse, Duo? Nothing." When I opened my eyes, his were staring directly into mine, as if he were trying to read my intentions. I don't know what I gave away, nothing intentional to lead him to his next inquiry. "Unless you are suggesting a threesome some afternoon, and if you are, and I'm not saying I'm completely unopposed, I do not believe his lover would allow any such contact." Not that! I did not want to share Zechs or my climb up the chain of command with 02! "No! Not at all." Especially not Zechs! "I see." "I don't think you do. It's bad enough that he thinks you are some evil vampire out to seduce us all to the dark side-" "Well-" "And that you humor him so!" "He has a delightful imagination." I snorted. I had an active imagination, too! I snorted again and turned away, jealousy gripping my jaw shut. "And his opinion holds some sway over Heero." Zechs said as he wrapped his neck over mine, veiling my face in his mane, diaphanous as a spider's web. I had to assume he understood that what fell into my mouth when my lips parted was mine. I chewed over what he'd said with his offering. "He's the chink in Heero's armor," I said. "Or, in time, at some point after Heero has had more experience and 'hardened' to prevent himself from wearing down when used, Duo could provide him some invaluable 'tempering'." "Tempering? What do you mean?" Was his sexual connotation intentional? Oh, of course it was. Everything Zechs and I discussed had sexual overtones. "It's that second heating process which reduces the hardness a little but toughens the material. It also significantly reduces the brittleness of the material so that it does not break easily. The whole process is called 'hardening and tempering' as it applies to blade making, but it has other applications." This wasn't the direction I wanted to take our conversation. "I don't care to improve Heero's leadership prowess. I want you to replace him!" I was fairly certain that's what I wanted. But not fully certain... "Me?" "Yes! You can challenge Heero for top spot in the herd." "You misunderstand me. I- I was once entrusted with leadership... my troops were all destroyed." "That was the fault of the humans. You surely realize that?" "Was it? I could have veered in another direction, changed course, led my following away from the firestorm and certain death." "A cowardly action, and disloyal. For all you know, such an action might have left many more in the lurch, resulting in many, many more deaths." "Anything is possible. You are a good balm for my suffering soul, my golden dragon lover." And I can be more! "So, you see how your experience can be of great consequence to the herd, how you ought to test 01 to determine the best leader." "Oh, my darling, high-spirited, social climber." "I'm not... that! Not exactly. You make it sound so negative." "Only if you are unscrupulous," he said, "or if you make trouble simply to feel more important." "It's not that at all! In a society where class and status are clearly defined, upward mobility can be deemed a negative thing, I suppose, if it weakens the band, but how I was instructed, it was more of a virtue. We don't 'rise above our station' in a meritocracy, where we have achieved our positions based on our achievements, we 'overcome the circumstances of our birth.'" "Hmmm." He hummed in a most thoughtful and provocative way. "We aren't upstarts and parvenus, we are success stories then?" "Yes." "Of course social climbing, like anything, can be done unscrupulously." "I would do no dishonorable act to achieve a goal." Not intentionally. Accidents did happen, however. "No? Well, I'm glad to hear that. There really is no time to resolve issues with Duo. And, yes, Heero has to be strong and focused to be a good leader but, in truth, does it really matter?" "Certainly! We must be represented by a strong leader when we face down the Mustangs!" "True, he needs to be on form to negotiate with the wild horses, but I imagine that Quatre will do most of the talking there? I understand he's a fine negotiator." "Possibly-" Was Heero so important then? I hadn't seen that far ahead. I could see my inferiority before one as wise and experienced as Zechs. I am lower than the dust beneath his coal-black, polished hooves- "Now, go beyond your instincts and think about it, Wufei, my darling. He's not even going to be here in the near future." "So, after 01 is secured with the Mustangs, we will be without a leader-and you simply step in and fill the void?" "Conceptually. A temporary arrangement that may suit the circumstances." Yes, that would work just as well, until he returned. If he returned. If. There was no "if". But then... Zechs' judgment was based incomplete information. I'd seen 01 facing the Mustangs. Our leader had been impressive. "It is my belief that 01 is determined enough to survive, and if he is alive, he'll come back to 02." I didn't see an easy route to the top. "Conjecture and speculation so farfetched... this is giving me a headache. Can we consider the subject closed for now and speak of more pressing things?" "Fine. What did you have in mind?" He pressed his physical 'need" to my hind quarters. "Do you mind so very much being the lover of a vampire horse?" "Not when it's you." But before we got to snuggling again, I had a duty to perform. I was not going be unscrupulous in my methods. I would warn 02 first, alert him to an impending change, even if it might be slightly askew of the truth. I excused myself as gracefully as possible, promising to return, to meet Zechs back in his stall in a short time, and then set out to speak to 02. I hoped to find him alone in his stall, and as luck would have it, I did. He was conversing with 04's cat, or thought he was. "Pathetic. Preying on the poor animal's superstitious nature. It's ridiculous what you ask of that animal, or think you are asking. You aren't communicating." "Goldie, I'm recruiting watchdogs, er, watchcats. Go away." "Then you wouldn't want to know what he was saying back to you-" "I'll survive." "I know what you are doing with all your spying, and you know my low opinion of it, but Trowa explained the importance of freeing up your... time, and, so, I agreed to do my part and keep Zechs under surveillance at all times." "Uh, huh. Whatta huge sacrifice. I already decided you were a goner, fallen under the villain's spell, after seeing you get speared." He said this while sneaking peeks at my neck. "Stop that!" I ignored his crudity and turned to hide the "love bite" Zechs had given me when he'd held me in place on mounting. "I said I'd watch him and I will. I'm a horse of honor, which brings me to my point-" "You do that, but just in case you sleep at night, I want Percy here in on the game." "Whatever. My purpose in coming here-" "There! I saw a bite. I found proof! The attack of the vampire!" "It's nothing of the sort! I saw the same mark on you from when oh-one, ah, when Heero," I corrected, "attempted to-" He trampled my words into oblivion. "Don'tcha think you and him are moving a heap too fast? Geez, Goldie, he just got here!" "Don't you think you are moving too slow?" I countered. Zechs had suggested that we'd moved too soon. I hated that they might be right in some way I was unaware of, making me testy. We tried to stare down one another, but matching stubborn streaks got us nowhere. "It's not your business," he said. I blew out my held breath, sending straw bits fluttering, some catching in Percy's fur, who then hissed at the indignity. "You are correct. Our private behavior should remain so, even when we have so little actual seclusion. No one asked you to storm in on us." "I didn't mean to! I was looking for any of you, Sunshine in particular." 04, that stupid, well-meaning, little schemer of a horse! I tried to conceal a flicker of worry and wide-eyed surprise that 02 might have figured out his ploy-not that I agreed to participate. I did not perform intimate acts for spectators. That was 04's privilege. I especially wasn't going to train 02 and 01. "That wasn't some setup scheme of our little Sunshine's trying to get me in the mood or some such crazy notion of his?" "I cannot speak for the others, but Zechs and I... it was completely unplanned." "Okay, I'd believe that. You'd never want an audience. Still, with Spot and Sunshine going at it a stall away? A coincidence?" "Yes." I stomped my foot and arched my neck to show him I was serious. "They came in after us. There wasn't a thing I could do about it, or I would have!" "Okay, sorry then." "Forgiven. I'm... sorry also for offending you with our-" "-Don't say it! It didn't offend me, just surprised me." Anyone could tell he was uncomfortable and wanted the conversation to end as he quick-stepped around me. Oh, no. I wasn't finished with him. I had more to say and blocked his path. "However-" He stopped short of running me down. "Huh?" "In your case, what upsets Heero affects us all." "Not this song and dance again. He's fine-" "No he's not. He's tense and distracted. He's worried about that human girl stealing him away. He's worried about what that might do to you, his departure. He's worried about Quatre's plan failing because the Mustangs refuse to shelter him or lie about it. He's worried sick and he needs you to reassure him of his leadership role." "We all do that. And he's not gonna explode just because we don't get it on like you guys do." "Do I have to spell it out for you?" "Spell away to your heart's content. I can't read." Frustration! "Don't be a wise guy." He mumbled something about time to go and I knew I hadn't much more time before he'd start kicking. "If he can't top you and someone else does, that puts him in a bad position, organizationally speaking," I said. "Someone else does-? Who'd try a stunt like that?" "Do you really want to find out?" "NO!" This time I stepped aside and walked away. "Think about it. You haven't much time. Our herd has to have the hierarchy sorted out as soon as possible to operate efficiently." I caught sight of a white tail sweeping the floor at the end of the stalls, and headed that way, drawn by need and desire. I had warned Duo and my conscience was clear. (o) Duo's POV Think about it? Think about who'd challenge my Heero by mounting me? The Count, obviously. Ugh. That was not something to think about. Not now. Not me. I didn't want anything to change. I liked things as they were. Why did Howard have to bring in a vampire horse to mess with our happy herd? Heero roused me from my dark thoughts with a rap at the stall wall separating us. I wanted him near, but I didn't want more "discussion" of the topic du jour. Everyone could just stay celled up tonight. His head must have been out the outdoor window and turned my way; I could hear him clearly. "Duo, we're going out early, all of us, to find the Mustangs. We must know if they will harbor me or not." "Gotcha. Early A. M." He said no more, so he must have read my mood. Good. I'd been projecting "leave me alone" pretty plainly. Ugh. Would the night never end? Percy slipped in to wade through a puddle of my tail hair. After snarling it into a nest, I heard his purr settle in. "Hey! You can't sleep! You gotta watch the big white horse!" I lugged myself from the floor to my feet, and tipped him over. "Rawr!" "Don't be such a wimpy kitten! Yeah, yeah, well, no sleep for me either. Now git!" Could a cat move more slowly? I didn't think he'd watch The Count for nocturnal nastiness, so I stayed alert. I don't think I dozed at all. The hint of dawn tinted the haze rising off the pasture the color of Sunshine's mane. A bird twittered. A crow called and a cacophony answered. Time to boogie. I dispatched latches with ease; the electric locks had never been fixed, and freed my fellow stable mates: Heero, then Spot-Sunshine, Goldie, and then The Count. His tail had the same rumpled, knotted, Percy-do as mine, so I guessed the cat had done his guard duty after all. "Help me with ribbons, Trowa!" Ah, Sunshine was ready to carry out his plans. I could feel a wind as the big spotted horse changed directions from checking out the rose bushes with me to assisting his pretty stall-buddy. "Sure, but who'll keep Duo from eating every rose he finds?" Spot! Hey! "I will," came a rough and ready voice from over my shoulder. As long as it was Heero, okay. He held branches and I nipped until we had a load of stems. Spot carried out a cloth scrap. "Beautiful says to wrap them in this." "An oats sack?" Heero asked, not that it sounded as if he was questioning ole Spot. It looked to me as if he was more interested in nuzzling it open to nibble the remaining contents. Not that there were any. "Empty." "Sorry." Spot didn't sound any too sorry, though. The pointy ends slipped inside the bag and the loose ties, I discovered, pulled tight to secure the necks and provide a carrying handle. The flowers dangled tantalizingly below my chin. They smelled so good. "Don't drool on them and spoil them." Damn that spotted clown anyway! If I opened my mouth to comment, I'd drop them. The Count and Goldie stood waiting, a bit aloof from the rest of us. Too bad for them. Sunshine raced past, pastel ribbons streaming by. "Here, everyone! Take some!" "I'll look silly," was Goldie's protest. "You'll look-" I hoped The Count wouldn't say "distinguished" or I'd drop the flowers. "-enticing carrying those. The other horses will be intrigued." Yeah, which got them all started discussing the Mustangs, the hierarchy, which fascinated The Count and Heero and bored me to tears. So now I was drooling and crying, well, dripping goo. With the roses and ribbons hopefully we'd be able to bribe the Mustangs into sheltering Heero for a short time. I hoped a short time, but who knew how long a human like Relena would look for him? How would we know for sure Heero's be forgotten by her? I had to stop re-thinking the problem or I'd go nuts, and blow it. We had a plan. It had sounded good at the time and probably was. We'd deal with issues as they arose. For all I knew we wouldn't even find the wild horses again. All this worrying got me to the first gate. I had to drop the flowers to get us past, but they didn't look worse for wear and we trotted onwards and upwards across the doctor's land to the next gate. All the way, Spot timed our distances-how long it took us to walk to the far fences and pass through easy gates. Between him and Sunshine there was a timetable now. Spot shook the forelock out of his eyes. "We can pony up and walk that faster, if we need to." "Like if someone changes the gate locks on us," I said, watching as The Count studied the last barrier. Then he sniffed at the fence, examining the wires and coming to the obvious conclusion. "Electrified." "You think?" I pawed at the rocks rather than chewing the rose blossoms. "That's why we've been jumping hurdles." "Mmm, how far does it extend?" "I don't know. Why dontcha take a walk thatta way and see." It would take him over a cliff eventually. "Duo!" Heero snorted at me and then kicked at my hooves, warning me not to provoke the big, bad white horse. "I don't see the wires ending," Spot put in and then shook out his beaded mane, yeah, beads with the braids. His human adored him, I guess. "I smell them. Not far away." He meant the wild horses. "Forget it, Zechs. It goes on for as far as we can see. We can all jump the fence," Heero said. "Let's just go and get this over with." I agreed and took a running start. I'd either make it or-not. I flew over it like a crow and landed like a...horse. Sunshine cheerfully passed the roses through the wires. "Wish me luck?" "You bet. Show'em how you fly." He made it, too, with ribbons fluttering and with room to spare. Spot's long legs sailed over right behind him. Goldie jumped next and may have made it spark; either that, or he just glittered in the sun too much. The Count followed him as if he was hopping a rabbit hole. Heero, last, cleared the fence with grace and room to spare. "All right. Let's find the Mustangs," Heero said. Spot muttered his counting stuff and we paced ourselves, moving along with the rising sun, when he reared up with a whinny. "What's wrong, Trowa?" Heero demanded. "Big cats." Horse notes: A Good Leader The social dynamics holds the horse bands together, and each individual knows his or her place in the order. Rules of band behavior are carefully followed. Punishment to a young animal is swift; usually just a head movement with ears laid back or a nip or gentle kick is sufficient to correct the error. When an older horse breaks the rules of the herd, it is rejected and vulnerable to predators, which is very dangerous. Rejection is undesirable and, so, teaches horses to be submissive and dependent upon leaders for survival and food. Once the pecking order is established, the herd gets along peacefully. However, it is very normal and natural for every horse to periodically challenge others for its place in the herd. This insures that the herd is led by the most worthy leader at all times. A good leader is fair, consistent and effective. Most lead horses are assertive but not overly aggressive, dominant but not mean. Most horses don't actually want the alpha position. They would rather follow another horse. Horses want someone to lead but the leader must be worthy. If that horse is not worthy they will take over.
|
