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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 Nine- Getting a Second Chance (o) Duo POV Howard dressed us in horse rugs and the darnedest, funniest-looking hoof covers, which Sunshine called booties, before kicking us out into the elements, but now the cold and wet just added insult to our potential injuries. No, make that soon-to-be castrations! "Geez Louise! If I lose my balls because of you, believe me. I won't squander a second before ripping yours off with my teeth-" "Duo...everyone! Calm down I'm sure he misunderstood. Howard wouldn't do that to us-" but poor Sunshine couldn't shed a sunbeam over the current problem. "C-castration?" Heero blurted past his gritted teeth. "You heard it straight from the horse's mouth," I said. Our leader's body language was pretty angry and I hoped Goldie could read it as good as the rest of us. "Do you know what that will do to us?" he asked. "Sure he does." Spot bumped against Goldie hard enough to knock him off his stance. "That's why he didn't want to tell us what the humans were saying." Goldie bumped him back, but Spot had his legs spread and was the bigger horse so he didn't budge. "You think I want to lose my edge either?" "No, no! None of us want that to happen." Sunshine rushed in to keep the other two males from ratcheting up their pushing match into a brawl. "We must learn to get along and work together. Can you do that, Wufei?" Despite being the target for most of the anger, Goldie looked anything but defeated; in fact, at the moment he appeared ready to bite Sunshine's head off. He bristled with indignation. "Can I-?" I decided to get a word in edgewise and offer my suggestion. "Stop with the criticizing-you can start with that." The Gold warrior-wannabe sniffed and looked sulky, shifting his feet and turning away. "Condemn the critiquer." "Horse feathers," Spot snuffled. "You pass judgment on the rest of us as if you're somehow better." I wouldn't let go of the ring, now that I felt like I'd won a round. "Shhh," Sunshine tried again, this time getting our attention. "Howard and that man he's brought with him are watching us." "Evaluating-" Heero agreed, becoming terser under stress. "-Who's to get cut first," Spot finished in a mutter, his voice full of concern. "I've seen geldings, poor fuckers." "Bad pun, Spot ole buddy," I told him. Sunshine fidgeted in place. "I think geldings are nice." "Complacent work horses," Heero said it like a condemnation of the entire community of males stripped of their manliness. And the fear of being cut moved in and set up camp in my belly. "I'd see them out on the streets, pulling loads, squashed, and settling for the hard life. I don't wanna settle, 'Ro!" "Nor do I." I guess I must have been all worked up. I couldn't keep the rain outta my face and look up at the same time. I wasn't the only one frustrated, though. I heard Spot shaking out his tail and mane and telling Goldie, "You've gone and done it now." "I did nothing. What? What did I just do?" "You upset Duo. More than keeping his herd safe, Heero cares about keeping Duo content, because when Duo's happy, he's happy-capeesh?" I noticed, barely, Goldie dip his head in one, curt little nod -a gesture that didn't satisfy my bud Spot. "Just keep your mouth zipped in the future," he added with more than a blob of menace on top. "I dunno," I said with a hopeless shake of my mane. "You can lead a man to water, but you can't make one drink, as they say. You know, horses, like people, will only do what they've a mind to do." "Maybe it would help if we all shared a personal story?" Sunshine offered. Once again, I got the feeling he could sense when our excitement was about to explode into something dangerous, but what a weird thing to say. He won the incredulous stares from an unappreciative audience. "I don't know," Spot murmured. But Sunshine ploughed (this spelling's for Waterlily) forward undeterred. "I'll even start." He glanced over at Spot with a desperate look. "It might possibly help make my nightmares go away." "No mares hanging about in this place- day or night," I said, by way of a joke no one appreciated. Didn't matter. Howard and this other man with him towed Goldie off toward the barn, ending our dilemma unceremoniously. (o) Howard's POV "That new horse is a proud one. If he'd been mine, I'd have had him castrated." Jenkins ran a hand through his thinning hair and covered the wisps with his well-worn cowboy hat. It was cold out and I wished I'd worn mine. "Doesn't solve my predicament." I knew the man had a point. I'd known him for years, worked with him. He was second in command of the Sweepers Guild of horse handlers. I was the director in charge, but I knew enough to listen to what he had to say, and I was paying him enough to come study the horses and give me some ideas, be a sounding board for my own out here at the Haven, so I'd better listen. "They are all fine looking horses, but that one is gold medal material. You can tell he was raised for show, but ready also to go into battle-" I'd forgotten how much he liked to hear himself talk. "Humph." That wasn't my evaluation of him and, frankly, all I cared about was that I had a touchy male to subdue. "-Armies prefer the use of stallions to that of geldings for warfare, you know. While geldings may enter battle as mere transport, the war stallion is quite capable- when trained- to not only carry his warrior master but to fight with him using teeth and hooves also!" "Yes, but what am I to do about Wufei? I can't let his behavior go unpunished and I can't let him hurt any of the other well-mannered stallions. Look at the Arabian; he's from a band of warrior horses (with an odd penchant for silk ribbons) and he's perfectly behaved." "Spectacular horse, that one, too. Well, without an outlet for his energy, he'll continue to act up. Being a gentlemen's mount and standing around most of the day is ill suited to any temperament other than passive." "They get plenty of exercise and entertainment, otherwise the Thoroughbred and the Arabian would be acting up. Everything was fine until I introduced the Akhal-Teke. Look now at how the Appaloosa protects the Arabian!" "Interesting behavior. That's the one you got from the circus? Attractive animal, in a showy kind of way-they all are, in fact. I can see why you're concerned; you've gathered an astonishing collection of stallions here." "Yes, I have. But-?" "How is he with humans? If the horse has learned that it is far stronger than his handlers and is able to dominate them, it is extremely unlikely that his behavior will be changed - and it may become worse." "He is perfectly well-bred and responsive. I'll show you." I was more worried about Heero in that department, but kept that fear to myself. One problem at a time, I always said. Too bad life didn't follow the same rule. Wufei seemed agitated, and almost surprised- if I could affix a human emotion to him- to be culled from the snorting, foot-stomping herd, but he didn't pull back or refuse to come along. Jenkins and I took him into the indoor arena, where I let my old friend introduce himself before putting the horse on the long lead and through his paces. The golden horse behaved perfectly and seemed to enjoy the undivided attention. "Exquisite animal," Jenkins said of Wufei, putting on his professorial face, which warned me of another lecture coming. "Too late now, of course, once male behavior patterns form it is pointless to expect castration to 'put the clock back' in any reliable sense. I'd take him off your hands, certainly, if it comes to that." I pulled on the rope and let Wufei trot up to me for a carrot. He wouldn't go hunting like Duo did. That horse practically mauled me as he checked each pocket for hidden treats I was keeping from him. Sneaky, devil. Had to love him. No, this horse stood with his head raised as if at attention, staring, following my hands, waiting for an offering. An immensely proud and sometimes silly horse. "I'll mull that over, thank you, Jenkins, but I have to tell you I hope to keep him." "Well, considering how well the other four get along, I'd recommend that you give him more time to fit in then." "Good advice." At least, I agreed with it. I watched the golden horse lean into the man's touch, obviously enjoying an ear scratch. "How's the lead stallion doing? The Thoroughbred. He's a young one." "Heero is stronger than new rope, and capable of keeping them all in line." I was pretty sure the young thoroughbred could handle the Akhal-Teke, and feeling better about them now that Jenkins agreed with me to give him more time, but I was less comfortable with of Heero's hair-trigger around fire-wielding humans. "Well, they caused you some expensive damage today. Hope he does a better job in the future." I did, too. It wasn't the stall damage that concerned me; I didn't want my horses injured. "Just horse play and rough housing. Stallions are just big boys at times. If I could keep Duo, that's the black Morgan, from figuring out the latches, short of locking them in at night-ah, well." "It's all a game the Morgan plays with you, you think?" "No, not a game exactly. He has time to kill and is a showoff. If I don't challenge him every month or so with a new latch system, he might start on the hinges or begin dismantling the trucks." "Ha!" I opened the door and saw a chilling combination of rain and hail bouncing off the horse's backs. The Arabian looked the picture of misery. A bit of weather wouldn't hurt them, now that they had their feet protected and wore warm blankets, and with no chance of an electrical storm to panic the Thoroughbred. What spoiled sensitive creatures my stallions were! "Go on." I gave Wufei a gentle push, which he chose to ignore, not that I blamed him. Who wouldn't choose to remain in a heated arena over going out into an icy downpour? "Do you all good to chill off for awhile." Jenkins pulled the collar of his jacket up around his neck, and looked up into the sky, assessing the weather. I paused at his side to wait out the deluge. "So, you're coming back here for the Haven's big winter party next week?" "Sure am. I hear the Doctors invited all the Sweepers, too?" "Yes, the whole gang. Bring your 4-wheel. Snow's forecasted." "Will do, Howard. Now, I'd better get off to the auction. Anything I can try to find for you?" "I'm looking for a horse of my own, but I already have one in mind. Trouble is the owner's not ready to give him up." I caught a look at Wufei out of the corner of my eye. He'd been standing at my shoulder and I swear the way he watched me it was as if he's been listening. Very strange, intense animal. "The hail storm's over now, you can go outside," I told him and this time slapped his hindquarters. He didn't even flinch when I struck him. He held up his head, flicked his tail, and stepped slowly, regally out into the muddy path, as if it had been his intention all along. (o) Back to Duo's POV "Oh, dear!" Sunshine cried, "It's no use. Howard's taken Wufei away, and now the moment's lost, I'm afraid." "Good riddance," was all I could muster. "You were hoping a little tell-all session would help make him feel a part of our group?" Spot shook the water out of his face sending a spray in all directions. Sunshine and I danced out of range. Heero had his back turned to stare into the gloom of the pasture. Sunshine appeared miffed by the circumstances. "Yes, I did, and now, our talk will have to wait." "S'okay, Sunshine. I'm not so sure I wanna open my soul to him." "And I'm not sure I want to see what he's got inside his," Spot remarked. "What are we doing out here in this awful weather?" "We've been banned from the barn." "That's not funny, Spot." "Aw, Sunshine," I broke in, "lighten up. Just think how great the grooming job will feel when we go in." "You hope that's what next." Heero stared me in the eye, holding me under his power. "The vet's not here," Spot remarked intelligently, "and I don't think Howard's cutting us himself." "True." Heero nuzzled the back of my neck, lifting the drenched mane then dropped it. "It must weigh a ton wet." "Yes it do, my dear friend, and let's hope, while we're all hoping for miracles to happen, that it doesn't freeze, 'cause then I'd be in an even bigger fix." "Fix? Ugh! This is just horrible. My mane is all soggy. It's terrible." I put a couple feet between Sunshine and me, cozying up beside Heero to share warmth. Let Spot deal with the whining. And then I felt an icy pin-prick on my nose. "Aw, nettles and thorn bushes! Whazzat? Ice?" Sunshine confirmed the downturn in the weather with a disappointed sounding shriek of his own. "Eeee! What's this?" "Stick out your tongue, Beautiful." Even Heero snapped to attention to see what mischief the other two were getting into. You'd have to be duller than a sheep to miss what was going on between Sunshine and Spot. They were pretty close stall buddies and the best of play mates. "But it stings!" "Not much. Now taste it." "It's gone! It was hard, cold water all along!" "Yep. Hail. Snow's softer. You'll get a snort-full of that sooner or later." "I'd prefer the softer and the later." Spot rattled out a strange sound from his throat then said something I didn't understand, "I'd prefer harder and sooner back at the stall." Before I could ask him what he'd meant, Heero was shoving me around to look the other direction. "He's coming back." Heero grunted and shook the water from his mane, which I could no longer do because my mane had become a mat the size of a newborn colt. Luckily, my tail was still bound up in a funny braid, or it would be colt number two. Sure enough, Goldie swanned out to the mud flats to add his own brand of misery to the ample portions nature was dishing out. Heero let him get nailed with a few smart hail stones and feel the wet chill of winter before beginning interrogations. He just fired them off: "What were you doing? What did Howard want? What are the pertinent issues being discussed." I thought Goldie would let the questions ricochet off his hard skull and remain mute as a rock, and he did, for a minute, and then that frosty exterior crumpled a little. Must have been that heated glare of 'Ro's. "Sadly, gelding is still an issue, but I was making too much noise running in circles to hear the details." Spot snorted at that. That guy could run circles around circles and not miss a thing. "What good are you?" "I did overhear some remarks about you, Duo." Goldie looked askance at me through eyes closed to mere slits. His long, black eyelashes were frosted, giving him a sultry look rather than intimidating. I blew air out my lips and made a rude sound. "Oh, yeah? So what?" "He changes the latches to keep you occupied so you don't damage anything important, but he might lock us in at night with something you can't operate." "That would be your fault as well. If Howard's afraid of what we'll do fighting with you, he'll want us separated. And how better than to keep us locked in our cells?" "Not necessarily so. Howard thinks Heero's still a threat. He said something about putting him on a stronger rope." "Not the stable boy attack again! Geez, will they never forget about that?" "One more thing." "What is it?" I wanted Goldie to shut the hay-hole. Heero had enough worries already. "Howard wants to buy another horse, one for himself." "Not another-?" Heero whirled about to face the cheeky gold horse. "Then you'd better settle in." "Yeah," I agreed. "If Howard and the doctors are afraid our herd is falling apart then we all gotta fix that. None of us wants to be turned into a bunch of...of-" Sunshine supplied the words I couldn't say. "Passionless eunuchs." Goldie had the decency to wince and hang his head. Spot snorted. "Time for you especially to hoof the line and play nice." I think Sunshine felt we shouldn't kick a horse when he's down, 'cause he went all shiny and soft. "I'll even share my toiletries with you, if I can figure out how to get the chest open." "I don't want-" A kick in the rear from Spot shut off his spiteful comment. "That's right; you don't want to hurt his feelings, so you just be gracious." At which point we got pelted with tiny pellets of hardened water that grew in size and quantity such that Sunshine started looking a bit too wild-eyed for his own good. "This ain't fun," I said. "I don't care what the human's think we oughta do, they're not out in this mess-that's for sure." "Go in the barn and if the arena's open, we'll go in there." Heero agreed. Sunshine dashed hell-bent for mash toward the light, splashing mud up his legs and all over his coat. I had to give him street creds for his enthusiasm. By the time we reached the barn, there was a whole staff of stable caretakers ready to dry us off and take away our wet blankets and hoof covers. "Looks like our enlightening talks will have to wait," I told Sunshine. "I reckon you're right," Spot said, a bit too cheerfully. And he noticed it, I think, 'cause he quickly added, "Too bad." "Yes, I believe your right, Duo." He may have just agreed with me to be nice, but I think he looked as relieved as the rest of us to put off that ugliness. Sometimes it was hard enough to share my past with Heero, even knowing he'd be compassionate. And I knew Sunshine wouldn't judge me or Spot. I guess I didn't want to give Goldie more fodder for making me feel inferior. Well, I'd have time to think about what I'd say, if anything, because my mane was a revolting mess which would take forever to straighten out. The groom must have been thinking along the same lines. He started on me straight way and had assistants work on the others. One by one, we all got our manes and tails cleaned and then brought out little boxes of colorful bands and new tools. "We're getting braids!" Sunshine squealed with unbridled glee. Spot sighed hugely. "With the flies gone, the hair's protection is less important," Heero said, and then he gave me a queer look, kinda sad, and added, "I'll miss burying my nose in yours." Oh, my knees felt a little weak after hearing him say that. Braiding long manes and tails simplified the grooming, possibly, I don't know. It took a long time to do. While mine was going through the eternal process of being combed out, I watched as the groom fixed up Heero's mane and tail. Goldie kept up a translation of the human prattle for us. "Band it so his neck looks thinner and his mane lies quietly, hopefully," the groom just commented to the attendant doing the work. "It's the untidiest thatch when left free." "What they mean is they hope to control Heero's mess with that gel glop," Spot said. Well, that glop smelled like strawberries, so it couldn't be too bad. They used bands that matched his mane color, and, I have to say, Heero's thick, cresty neck looked finer with all those neat little braids pulled down deep into his mane's ridgeline. "You look hot, 'Ro." He did and I could tell he knew it from the way he snorted and held his head high to show off. Next, Spot was bound in "the English method", Goldie told us. The braid was folded once or twice, depending on the length of the mane, and secured with silver-toned thread, giving a smart "button" effect. "Good look for you," I said and he just glowed, unable to hide behind his now tied up forelock as he usually did. "A running braid is used on horses with unusually long flowing manes," Goldie said. Manes like mine and Sunshine's, who's gleamed the color of fields of pale, dry grass in the sun. Entrancing, really, just to watch it get plaited halfway down so it looked like a net, with the ends dangling loose. We all watched in awe as the groom they wrapped contrasting color tape around the bands, the pearlescent bands shining, highlighting the design, and which really emphasized his neckline. I heard a gasp and Spot's whispered voice remark, "Covering him in pearls." Yep, and I actually saw drool drip from Goldie's mouth, just hanging open like a wasp trap. Then to sparkle up our little ray of Sunshine all the more, the humans further decorated him with some of his own glamorous rhinestones and jewel-toned rings. Yep, he was the prettiest thing I'd ever seen. The groom fixed up Goldie in his usual, patented, no-nonsense braid. Okay, he looked sharp, but he was on my "out" list. It took this long to get my tail and mane ready for braiding, to give you an idea of what I go through. Goldie told me that I was to get the same braid treatment as Sunshine, but with a slightly different variation, "Diamond braiding. It requires the mane to be braided in individual braids and then they band those into a web." Sounded way complicated, and it was, but it took up yards of hair. "Feels great!" I had freedom to move around and shake my head, which really mattered when you carried around as much hair as I did. "Stunning," Heero said, and just about floored me. "Yes." Goldie's eyes looked glazed over after his hair treatment. Musta been a real zen experience for him, either that or... no, he was staring at the groom messing with my tail hair next. "Go away, Chomper." "I'm just watching." The humans were chattering away about my pretty hair, I think. I couldn't tell because Goldie wasn't saying anything. I'd say he was drooling again. "Stop with the drool. What'er they saying?" "Saying? Oh, that. He's noticed where I've chewed your tail. I am truly sorry." Grr... "He says he's going to apply a product designed to discourage equine nibbling. The main ingredient being cayenne pepper and the rest is hair spray. I hate the taste of that." Well, all right then. "What is that brain-numbing smell! Geez Louise!" "That's the concoction I won't like the taste of." *Hack* "Heero will hate it, too!" I felt more like kicking Goldie into a bloody heap than ever now. Not that I could maul him as easily as before. No heavy shoes! When our hooves had last been trimmed, we'd been left unshod, since we weren't running on hard surfaces. It was my first time without shoes and I felt so light-footed. So being shoeless came with good and bad points. I was still hacking away at the terrible smell, when the farrier showed up to examine our feet and sand our hooves to make them smooth. Then technicians applied hoof polish. Goldie, 'Ro and I got black hoof polish painted on. Sunshine and Spot got clear polish on their hooves. "Appaloosas are not permitted to use hoof polish of ANY color, other than clear, and even that is frowned upon," Goldie reported, the little dictator. *Hack* Between the hairspray and the nail polish fumes, I really felt like kicking him. "I hope you gag to death on it the next time you steal a bite." "I probably will-er-would." On the bright side, he reported how pleased the humans were with our behavior, although they were calling the vet if I didn't stop coughing. I gently, so gently, pulled away from my handler and made a beeline for the nearest stall window. I nosed it open and gasped for fresh air. No more vet visits for me. No way. Not taking no chances!
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