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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 Three-Four's a Charm (o) Howard's POV "Who? Why, yes, certainly I'll hold." For the representative of a rich Arab sheik with a horse to shuck? Sure, I'd hold. I felt that the new purebred horse venture was going well. The first three stallion acquisitions got along marvelously; the shy, quiet, new one balancing the other two, and actually giving the Thoroughbred a run for his money. Oh, I'd been warned against stabling a herd of bachelors, but these were special. Survivors. We received calls daily from horse owners ready to dispose of their unwanted "treasures". I said "no, thank you" to them all. I was very selective. I surely didn't want to introduce a mare or even a neutral gelding into the all-stallion bachelor herd. The chaos that would ensue from that mix was mind-boggling to imagine. No, I had a mind to acquire at most six horses, one for each of the doctors and one for myself. That would be all. So each new acquisition had to count. "I can do that. Calendar is free. I'll look forward to meeting you, er... Mr. Rashid." Yes, I was setting up an appointment to meet some Arab spokesperson, a horseman named Rashid. Instructor H wished to join me at the meeting. He was another contributor to the horse sanctuary, and a rather fat one, who might improve his health with some time spent riding. He looked the part of an eccentric scientist with his receding hairline and a thin, dark mustache standing straight out at the sides, and spent his time as a design engineer at MO-III. What intrigued me was how familiar he was- in ways I didn't understand- with the workings of the Maguanac Corps. He informed me that Rashid was the head of that military organization. Great. I circled the date on my calendar twice and bought a new Hawaiian shirt for the occasion. Wanted to look my best. When Rashid arrived, he arrived accompanied by twelve of his men looking fresh from the desert sands. While three men unloaded the horse, Rashid got right to the point. "Sheik Winner only keeps mares for his harem," Rashid said. "When this colt was born he was hidden with the other fillies by a, well, not ill-intended but confused individual. After that no appropriate placement was found." He also had scarring on his legs, ruining him for show, I noticed. More was left out of this animal's history than was said. He was a stunningly attractive animal in a rare color that was not a true palomino in Arabians but a phase of chestnut called Flaxen Honey Chestnut- a very light yellow color, with a flaxen mane and tail. No beauty such as this was being given away without a very good reason. I guessed it was temperament. That might explain the scars, too, if he had had to have been chained up at one time. Ribbons in pastel blue and greens flowed from bows in his mane and tail smothering him in silk. Gold clinking coins dangled from chains circling each ankle. "This rare yellow color was so highly prized by the Arabs, we've given it the desert name of Asfar," Rashid told us. Instructor H shook his head and pulled at his moustache as he circled the young stallion, looking him over. I was glad to have his support because the tall Arab with the imposing stature made me feel uncomfortable. I patted the stallion's neck. He seemed friendly enough to me. I could easily imagine him dashing over rolling sand dunes, happy and free. He certainly seemed spirited, shaking his mane and stepping around, sniffing my hair, the air, and Instructor H. "As far as what, I wonder?" Instructor H shook his head some more, as if he were imitating the horse. "Can't use that name. He's our forth purebred and so distinctly French in nature, making his name quite obviously Quatre." Oh dear. Rather than attempt to correct the instructor's confusion of the horse's color for his name, the tall Maguanac stood and offered his hand to close the deal. "If he doesn't fit in, use him as you wish. We want nothing more to do with him." Rashid announced. "I'll be sending along his personal toiletries," he added over his shoulder, and then he took his leave and his men, loose pants, garish vests, red fez caps and all. "I hope he and Duo get along," was my next concern. "It would give Duo another outgoing horse to socialize with. And another hot-blooded horse. Heero needs a lot of exercise and the two can run off their excess energy." To my surprise, it was the other horse, our withdrawn Appaloosa, who re-acted the strongest to the new addition. As I led the dazzling young Arabian stallion into view of the other horses, Trowa shook the hair out of his eyes and whinnied. It was the first loud noise I'd heard out of him. "Dear Lord! What could he possibly object to?" "H" asked. "Maybe the jangling reminds him of the circus. I'll remove the ankle decorations." Once he understood what I was doing, the Arabian turned out to be eager to please us. He picked up each foot with refined delicacy so I could remove the coin decorations, and waited courteously for me to offer a carrot before nuzzling my hand affectionately. Quatre nickered his pleasure when the last of the noise-makers were tossed away. "What lovely manners." I couldn't have agreed more. Such a prize being handed over to us for nothing in return puzzled me. I hoped I wouldn't regret accepting Quatre. (o) Trowa's POV Oh. My. He's beautiful. Beautiful. Look at him! Never, ever, ever has there been a more beautiful horse. Come here, my beautiful, beautiful out-of-a-dream horse so I can see if you are substantial. You smell real. Drop dead gorgeous. I'd seen a lot of good-looking horseflesh, only the best in the circus, but the ray of sunshine being escorted out to the pasture was breath taking. When I got my breath back, I looked at him with both eyes and the most primal call bubbled up and burst from my mouth. What could I do? My legs wobbled, knees knocked, teeth chattered. I'd become a nervous shattering wreck. What's more, the other two stallions were watching me make a fool of myself. Not that they had anything over me. It was obvious how the bay doted on the black one and how the black one adored the bay. They were hardly out of contact, touching all the time. I didn't know there were other stallions that felt the way I did. Mares didn't attract me at all. And here was another pair like me. Now, I wished so hard for this new one to be my special friend. Howard and another man I didn't recognize led the beauty my way. My way, not our way, because I reached the corral fence several lengths before either Duo or Heero. I could hear Duo snickering and whispering to Heero before he shouted out, "Hey! That's my tail and it doesn't belong in your mouth!" "Give him some space." I wasn't sure if Heero meant the new horse, who did look a little hesitant to join up with the three of us hurtling our way toward him, or me. Couldn't be me. I wasn't acting particularly territorial, was I? "Okay, okay! I get it. His shackles are up. Geesh, I see. Oh, wow! Getta load of the jewelry their taking off him. And the stuff in his mane; what's with that?" "Streamers. Some part of a costume-" "And that thing on his back-?" My attention moved away from my stall mates to concentrate entirely on the beauty a nose-width away. Our noses touched. I felt light. Transported far and away to some exotic land. He smelled of incense and spices some of the clowns wore. He was full of fire packed down and repressed for the moment. He was afraid of us but brave enough not to back away. "Hello." "Hi! I'm 'The Asfar One'. Prize of the desert! Um, they are calling me Quatre." "Can I call you Beautiful?" It just came out of my mouth. I think Duo had a bad effect on me, somehow loosening my inhibitions. I stepped back, expecting a bite. "Oh! Aren't you sweet? That would be lovely! Ahh... I love your coat." "I'm an Appaloosa. We all have spots. I, ah, like your blanket, too." "Oh, thank you, the wrap was new for the trip. A little gaudy, of course-"He turned around to show off the horse blanket embroidered in roses and shining in the sun. Suddenly he came to his senses. "I'm sorry." "No need to be." "I haven't even asked your name and I've never seen anyone like you. I've seen creamy white pudding with rose petals, though, and you remind me of that." "Pudding?" I hoped that was good. "Um, I'm Trowa. So, you like roses?" I'd kick Duo's ass if he'd eaten them all today. "Yes! Aren't they delightful? Are they a rare treat here, too, ah, Trowa?" "Very rare. Don't go away. I'll get you one." I took off as if I had an elephant keeling over my way. I had to breathe. Get some air. Find just one blessed bloom. A bud. One pathetic little bud would have to do. Damn. Duo and Heero were boxing him in. Shouldn't have left him. Duo looked like he was ready to romp across the arena and take my Beautiful out into the pasture. "Thank you for the kind offer, Duo, but isn't it rather messy?" Quatre looked upset over the mud on his polished hooves. Duo, I could tell, thought his worries were over the top. "Mebbe a bit." Heero explained better. "We just had a thunderstorm. It'll be dry in a day." "If it were bad, 'Ro wouldn't get me to muck about in the mud, not with this tail!" Duo swished his magnificent tail to show off. I couldn't blame him for wanting to show off his best assets, but I felt it was time for me to step in. "A rose! Thank you!" "Would you rather see the stalls?" I asked as he munched the rose bud. He seemed contented. "Yes, please." "You can exercise in the barn if you prefer. The ground will be dry soon and the grass feels nice under your hooves." "Grass?" "Um, you'll see." Where had Beautiful come from? Even Duo had seen grass in city parks. "Oh, what a splendid place!" He loved the barn. He ran around in it and kicked up his heels. Something had hurt him once, from the looks of the marks on his legs. But that was unimportant. Even without the fluttering ribbons he was eye catching. "Which spot is for sleeping? I see no straw." "Not in here, actually. We each get a private stall. Pretty roomy and clean. Heero will know for sure which is yours, but probably next to mine on the end." He didn't seem excited about his stall. I couldn't imagine why. It was plenty large, larger than any I'd seen, and those amazing cushy floors were kept pristinely clean. Still, he shook off his melancholy by the time the other two joined us. Duo went out of his way to make him feel at home and not about to be attacked. Heero seemed agitated, which only made Beautiful nervous, so the two ended up back outside for a run. Leaving me with the most beautiful horse to grace the land. We walked around and around the barn, reminding me of my circus job. (o) Duo's POV Coming from different places made communication rough at times between all us horses. Even though I thought 'Ro an' me were on the same wavelength most of the time, we had to work on our translations. I told Heero that he really needed to chill a bit with these new horses. "Before you blow a gasket or something." "It is too hot out to get chilled and I have no 'gasket'." "You think you don't, but that vein in you neck's throbbing something fierce." And he was starting to grind his teeth, which I didn't mention. He snorted at me. "You are going to go over-board," whatever that meant, "or run off with one of them." "Ah, geez... you ought to know by now I'm not about to abandon you for some other cute tails. Sure Spot's a hunk and this new hotty is eye candy for us all, but you are The Stallion to head a Battalion of others." He shook his head either agreeing or giving up, which was much the same thing. For the most part I'd given this new blondie a wide girth, letting Trowa do the heavy lifting of showing him around and making friends. This new little ray of Sunshine was a bit of a nervous Nelly when all of us hovered about. Then the humans messed about with cleaning and food and the vet gave him the once over, bringing another day to a close. I was about to take my nightly siesta, when the noise started up. I was about to shout at 'Ro to settle down, but the racket wasn't coming from his direction. "Hey, Spot, buddy? Problem over there?" I guessed that it was the new passionate blond stallion kicking the hell out of his stall and not my quiet next-door neighbor. Spot replied succinctly, "Not me." Just as I'd suspected. I unlatched my door and stepped out, disturbing Heero's meditation. "Where are you going?" he asked. "Checking on numero cuatro before he breaks something." "Let me out," Heero demanded with an impatient hoof stomp. "Just settle in there, 'Ro. Too many hooves and noses." "OUT!" "Gimme 5 and then I'll report back, 'kay?" "Five? Five what? What are you talking about?" Spot poked his head out and stretched his neck to the max. "He means five minutes on the clock over there." "The clock?" Heero's words, but echoing my own thoughts. Now I really wondered what circus pony meant. "Gimme 5" was just a phrase I repeated. I hadn't thought it really meant anything. "With the hands," Spot elaborated. He wasn't much of a chatterbox. "I see no humans anywhere." I agreed with Heero on that one, and since Sunshine number four was still crashing the boards, I decided to just let Spot distract Heero with his nonsense, so I could mosey over and investigate without further argument. "They're on the clock face...you have to watch the hands." "They don't move!" "Watch!" Uh, huh, you do that, guys. I gave blondie a bit of a warning before nosing over into his space. "Howzit goin', bro?" Another board splintered. I heard a sniffle and quiet. He'd stopped kicking the shit out of his door and turned around. "Hey, remember me? Duo?" "Oh, yes, certainly. I'm so sorry. I-I'm just so, so-" Crazy? "Lonely?" "Yes, very. And you've all been so nice and everything." "Yeah, well, been there. Change is hard. Say, can I let you out? Would you like to walk around the barn a bit? Might help." "I-I don't know. Uh, you can come in. Yes, please, come into my stall and talk. That would be quite nice." "O-Kay. Kinda tight squeeze for two of us." The stalls were actually quite roomy, just not built for two adult stallions. But we weren't dancing, so I quit crabbing and circled round for a place to lay down, settling at last with being a part on, part off his straw pile. "How 'bout this?" "Oh this is much better. Cozy." "So, tell me about yourself, Sunshine." Ah, he had long fluttering eyelashes. "I don't know where to start." But he had no problem filling in the middle and avoiding coming to an end. I listened, some, replied with a couple of timely "uh, huh's" and "yeah's" to show I was still conscious, and chewed on some tasteless straw, facing the stall wall with my back toward him. He lay on his back. What horse does that, I asked myself? None. His head rested on my shoulders. And then he was quiet. "Is that so?" I said, figuring I'd missed a significant cue. When he didn't answer, I decided he'd drifted off and if I was going to leave, I'd better go now. I slid out from under his head and out of the stall. "Hey, Spot." "Your 'five' is up." "Yeah, thanks for that info. Um...do me a favor and take watch duty over lonely number four there." "How?" "Go in. Don't wake him up. Lie down." "Close to him?" "There's no way you won't be. Before he notices I've gone. I think he's used to a warmer climate." "It's hot here." "During the day, yes, but not so much at night. Listen, just do it and we'll figure something out for tomorrow." Snort. Well, "snort" to you too. "Got a better idea?" "No." I left him to deal with the blonde and checked on Heero next, mostly so he'd see I'd returned. Heero just stared ahead with that full-bore concentration he had. I followed his eyes, but there was only a human device on the barn wall, a stationary one. "Ah, something wrong?" "Watching the hands move over the face." No hands. No movement. No face. "Sorry, bro." "The thin objects are 'hands' and they move slowly over the face pointing to numbers and... there! That one moved from the '3' to the '4'!" "Uh, huh." I think it's more like the '03' moved to the '04' stall. Figured it would keep the jumpy ray of Sunshine quiet for a while." Heero tore his eyes off his 'clock' to glare at me. I guessed that was to get a grip on reality. Then he asked, "Quatre is afraid of being in a stall?" "Sorta, yeah, he was used to the crush of a harem of mares for company. And he was cold." "M-mares?" "Yep, then he got dumped with warrior stallions. He said they slept in tents with their humans." "Why?" "Company?" "No, why warrior stallions?" "Oh, ah, to toughen him up?" "He's tough?" "Well, not in my book by a long shot." "Correct. I've seen cats that could whip him, possibly rats that could take him on." "I guess, or he's tougher than he looks mebbe. Anyway after that he was sent up for stud duty, but he failed in the studdery department, got entangled in barbed wire-" "In the 'studdery'?" "No, when he ran to get the hell out of the studdery, I think he said. I was drifting off for a bit. But the point was he spoiled his legs for show work so here he is." "Here he is. Well, he is quiet now. I think I'll go back to... thinking." "You do that, 'Ro. Night." I returned to my stall since it looked like Heero'd given up on the moving hands illusion. That Spot and his hocus pocus was such a clown. 'Ro was scary with his fixations. And this new ray of Sunshine was clearly off his rocker in ways I was afraid to delve into. (o) Trowa POV He'd never lived where grass grew from the ground and waved in the wind. "Sand for a far as you could see. Except for the oases. That's where water could be found and there were palm trees." I could not imagine such a place so I understood why he felt shell-shocked here. "You understand? You're amazing, Trowa. I've never met another stallion like you, so in tune with your environment and with, well, me." "Oh, it's... nothing." He likes me! My Beautiful. I danced for joy out in the sun and grass, and it thrilled him that I could. Oh, it was just foolish tricks, any horse could do, but most never did or put them together. I'd rear up and turn around on my back legs and hop. Circus crap. He was so excited; we went for a run and located Heero and Duo out in the pasture resting the way they did, head to tail with a neck over the other's back. Very cozy. Heero wore a blissful expression, his eyes shut as Duo's tail swished over them both. Then Beautiful whinnied, snorted, and backed away. "Is it a snake?" Heero demanded, completely alert and ready for action all of a sudden. "Snake? No!" Now Beautiful was all flustered. "It's my h-hooves!" Duo nosed about, endangering his head to a kick, and came up looking empty. "They look okay to me." The tall grass, starting to turn dry, wrapped around two of his legs and another seemed anchored in place, mud caking over his dainty, white stockings. I had the sudden urge to lick that leg clean and stopped myself only because that leg lifted with a "thuck" out of the muck. "What is this stuff?" "Grass?" Duo was totally confused. "You can eat it, see?" Chomp, chomp... He did not understand about the scars or the sand. He didn't know all I did. So I talked to him. "It's okay, Beautiful. The grass is soft and breakable. The mud is like...ah... mash more than sand, but you can't eat it. It will be dry and hard by tomorrow in the sun here." "Oh. Oh, of course. I'm being silly. Sorry." "No problem. Would you like to go back to the rocky arena?" "Yes, but... I can't believe grass grows like this. I really must give it a try." He shook each leg free, one at a time, then dove for a mouthful. He seemed at peace so I grazed alongside him, nudging him from time to time just to get him to look at me. I felt very happy. Contented enough to pretty much ignore Duo's chatter. To a point. "Hey, 'Ro? Didya hear that? He called the new blond Beautiful. Whaddya think, huh?" "I think you should scratch my back and ignore them." "Oh. O-kay, boss." Now that's what I'd call good leadership. Horse Notes: Arabians have beautiful, floating paces, and are quick and intelligent. They are the other "hot blooded" breed and if poorly handled can have short concentration span, show impatience, have tantrums when something is too difficult, and prefer a good gallop to a challenging training session. Arabian horses are well known for being affectionate and bonding well with humans. Arabians have also become the breed of choice in the endurance world because of their stamina and agility, their friendly nature and willingness to work. Arabians are the most prized and costly horse breed.
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