Warnings and disclaimers in first part.
It took almost an hour to find Duo and then it was only possible with Mick’s help, who Trowa found behind the house out of pure luck. Following the direction of Mick’s beefy finger, Trowa walked what felt like a mile before he came to a dusty dirt road on which he saw a building. Hoping Mick hadn’t been leading him wrong, he approached the building carefully, walking around the side to discover two large bay doors.
Seeing his own truck, he felt fairly safe going inside, though he was careful not to step under the large lift his truck was suspended on. Apparently Duo didn’t have the same reservations, directly under the truck and looking up into the motor. From the tension in Duo’s body, he knew Trowa was there. “Find out what’s wrong with it yet?”
“I replaced the water line and found the oil leak, one of your valves went bad a long time ago, but I still can’t get it to work. Your transmission is on its last legs, but that’s not the problem. I’ll take another hour or so today, then call Dave if I can’t get it going.”
“Who’s Dave?”
“A mechanic in town. He can run a diagnostic on the truck that will determine all the problems.” Hands over his head, Duo met Trowa’s eyes with a look of pure disgust. “Where in the seven blazing hells did you get this piece of shit?”
“I needed something of my own that wasn’t associated with Quatre. I got a pretty good deal, I think.”
“You actually paid for this piece of junk?”
Remembering Quatre had said almost the same thing in a more polite manner, Trowa defended his truck. “It’s not that bad. It gets me where I need to go…most of the time.”
Letting his arms drop to his sides, Duo shook his head, “If this was a horse I’d put it down and out of its misery.”
“Put it down? Kill it?” Trowa was aghast at the idea. “People really do that if a horse gets sick or hurt?”
The look he received was one of wry amusement and sympathy of his naiveté. “If a horse gets sick I usually treat it with medicine or by calling the vet. If one breaks a leg, I’ll shoot it, Trowa. In the head, clean and quick.”
“Why? You can’t put a cast on it or something?” The idea of killing a helpless animal was horrifying for Trowa. He thought it should be for Duo, unless the man had no feelings at all for the creatures.
Duo said nothing as he lowered the truck then washed his hands to remove the majority of the grease. Walking out of the garage, he jerked his head, “Come on. Let me show you something.”
Wary of what he would see Trowa reluctantly followed Duo to the other side of the road and through some thick brush. Emerging on the other side, Trowa stared at the large group of cows being moved by several men on horses. “Now look,” Duo instructed, pointing at a beautiful brown horse with white spots. “That’s a Paint. Good breed for ranching and rodeos, very willing to follow a good rider’s lead. Her name is Light. Her owner is Star Blackhawk, one of the pure-blood Cherokee Indians that chooses not to live on a reservation. Star lives on my land and works for me when she isn’t going to class at the college in the next city.”
Narrowing his eyes, Trowa tried to make out features of the rider, giving up because the distance was too great. “What’s your point?”
“Star helped deliver Light, has raised her from a foal into the beautiful horse you see now. If Light was to break a leg, what do you think Star would do?”
“Take the horse to the vet.”
Turning to face Trowa, Duo’s eyes were sad. “No. She’d shoot her horse. She might cry about it, because everyone here that owns their mounts loves their animal, but it’s the right thing to do. You can’t repair a broken leg on a horse, Trowa. Look at their bodies. It’s too much weight for a broken leg to support.”
“Couldn’t you keep it from putting weight on it by making it lie down?”
“A horse that lies down too long forms blood clots. Those blood clots kill them. It’s a long and painful way to die. I’ve seen it happen. Shooting them is the humane thing to do,” Duo sighed and turned his head to watch the commotion for several seconds before speaking again. “A good rider makes sure their horses don’t get in a position where a leg can get broken, but it does happen.”
Shielding his eyes from the sun, Trowa watched as the cows were herded into a different field, frowning when he saw a jeep ride into the field once it was empty. “What are they doing?”
“Let’s find out.” Lifting fingers to his lips, Duo let out a shrill whistle that carried across the empty pasture. Within minutes, the jeep pulled alongside the fence, a man jumping out with youth that didn’t fit the wizened face.
Dark brown eyes assessed Trowa for less than a second then went away, focusing on Duo. “Hey, boss. Thought you weren’t coming out today.”
Rolling his eyes, Duo winced at the title. “Had to give a quick lesson on horse anatomy. Burt, my friend Trowa. Trowa, this is Burt Holcombe, the ranch manager. Find any problems?” he continued immediately as Trowa’s hand was grasped in a rough shake.
Burt’s eyes narrowed briefly as he tipped his hat up so it rested high on his lined forehead, “Found some fence one of the heifers got through. Me and Jack fixed it and he’s rounding up the ones that got out.”
“Jack is Burt’s son,” Duo explained. “You do a head count yet?”
“Not yet. I’ll do one after we get the herds moved, at the end of the day. Next week we’ll start branding, but I guess you want a count on the calves, too?”
“Yeah, just in case. I’m thinking we might have a problem with some coyotes. Those calves should bring us a lot of money next year.” Duo scratched the back of his head, “Is there any way you can count all the cattle, not just the ones in this field? I know it’s a lot to ask, but I’d like to get an estimate on what we’ll have to take to market.”
“I’ll get Jack and Tex to help after we get the herds moved. You thinkin’ there’s a problem?”
“After finding those carcasses last week, I’m starting to think the herd looks a bit light, but I could just be paranoid.”
“You got it, boss,” Burt jumped back into the jeep and tore off across the field, leaving Trowa and Duo alone.
“A man of few words,” Trowa observed.
“Burt’s lived on a ranch since he was a boy. His family fell on hard times and they had to sell the ranch they lived on and go to work for someone else. When I bought this place, he came and asked what I intended to do with it, telling me he had some suggestions. Next thing I know, I’m a ranch owner.” Duo chuckled lightly, “It’s really his ranch, I just happen to own the land it sits on.” Face growing serious, he shook his head, “I don’t like hearing about another broken fence, though. It’s happened too often for me to think it’s the cows breaking through.”
“You might not have any missing,” Trowa stated as they moved back in the direction of the house.
“It’s not just this. There have been other things…” Duo trailed off with a blink. “You don’t need to hear about my problems.”
Assuming Duo didn’t want to talk to him because he wasn’t used to confiding in others, Trowa gave a half-shrug, sticking his hands into his pockets. “Listening to you talking to Burt helped me forget I was a rich boy’s play toy for seven years.”
“I suppose all the awards you got from the Preventers were given to you out of sheer kindness.” When Trowa nearly tripped over his own feet in surprise, Duo grinned, “Just because I don’t see you guys don’t mean I don’t keep up with current events. I know about you working with Wufei on some cases, like Heero still does from time to time when he gets bored. I also know the cases you’ve all worked on together have been difficult. Wufei keeps me up to date as often as he can.”
Feeling even guiltier for never checking up on Duo, Trowa silently vowed to make it up to the other man. In hopes to make up for some of his indifference, he returned to the previous topic. “Do you think someone is stealing your cows?”
Duo stopped for a moment, searching Trowa’s face. Eventually he began to walk again, veering toward the large barn instead of the house. “It’s called rustling, Trowa. They are cattle, not cows. Get the terms right, city boy. It doesn’t make sense for someone to take them; I’m not a big threat in the market since the ranch is small by normal standards.”
“Have you had any other problems?”
“Broken fences, missing grain, equipment break-downs when they were working perfectly the day before, nothing big. Stuff like that happens all the time.”
“But?” Trowa prompted as Duo lifted a hand to wave at Mick, running a brush over a black horse at the opposite end of the barn that stood a full two feet over the huge man.
“We’ve had as many problems in this season as we did in the first five years. It makes me suspicious. Add to that I’ve had thirty head shot without anyone hearing a gun and another fourteen lost to what appeared to be coyotes. The attacks I could have dismissed, but there hasn’t been a coyote attack in this area in over a decade.”
“You told Burt to look out for coyotes,” Trowa frowned.
Duo shook his head as he stopped in front of a stall and pulled the door open. “He knows what I mean. We’ve discussed the possibility of someone causing problems for some reason. He’ll be looking for the two-legged kind of coyote.”
As Duo went into the stall, Trowa looked inside and made a sound of pity, “Is he okay? His belly is distended. Did he eat something he shouldn’t have?”
Resting his cheek against the animal’s neck, Duo smiled, rubbing the large head with obvious affection. “He is a she, Trowa. A very pregnant she.” Watching Trowa with eyes almost as wide as the horse’s, Duo held out a hand,” Come and pet her. She’s a big baby.”
“She’s big, all right,” muttered the tall man, allowing himself to be pulled into the stall. Duo’s hand remained on his as he stroked the horse’s neck, moving only when Trowa raised his other hand to feel the mane. “It’s coarse,” he exclaimed of the rough texture. “Her fur is very soft. Does she have a name?”
“Iliana.” Tilting his head at the next stall, Duo clicked his tongue, snickering when Trowa quickly backed up as a huge dark red head appeared over the wall that separated the stalls. “Her mate, Rashid. It fit.”
Daring to reach his hand to Rashid, Trowa laughed when the horse snorted at him. “How many do you have?”
“I have twenty-two, but I use these eight to breed. They’re my favorites,” Duo admitted, gesturing for Trowa to follow him. After closing the stall behind them, he whistled quietly, smiling when horses stuck their heads out of stalls on either side of the barn. “This is Wing,” he rolled his eyes, scratching the completely white horse between its ears. “Self-explanatory, I think. His mate, Goose. Don’t ask about that one. She makes a horrible sound sometimes. You don’t want to hear it,” Duo insisted, making Trowa laugh as the smaller man indicated a horse that appeared to roll its eyes at him.
“This pain in the butt reminds me of a surly man we both know,” Duo chuckled as he moved forward, only to be bumped by a head that suddenly moved. “Her name is Natuku. She was given to me by Star’s father when I helped their tribe out a few years ago. Her ancestors were warriors.”
“Wufei would like that,” Trowa agreed, not needing to ask where Duo had gotten
the name. “Her mate?”
“Thunder. He’s in the field right now, helping out with the cattle. She would like to be there and that’s why she’s mad at me. She can’t go out until the vet can see if she’s pregnant or not.”
Turning to look at the huge animal Mick was grooming, Trowa pointed, lowering his hand quickly when surprisingly intelligent black eyes turned toward him. “That one?”
“Deathscythe,” Duo stated proudly, his eyes shining. “I’ll warn you, don’t try to ride him. He’s not fond of strangers.”
“That’s a promise I can make easily. You actually ride him?”
“We have an understanding, don’t we, Scythe?” Duo asked, moving closer to what Trowa believed was the biggest horse in history. “As long as he doesn’t try to kill me, I let him live this cushy life he’s got.”
Trowa raised an eyebrow in wonder as the horse’s head dipped slightly, as if nodding his agreement. His other brow joined the first as the massive head swiveled to stare into a stall with no warning. In less than a second, Duo was peering over the stall door, looking inside for an instant before ordering in a firm voice, “Mick, get Scythe out to the paddock and lock it. Evie’s in labor.”
Mick instantly dropped the curry comb and rushed to do as he was told. Trowa could only watch in horror as the horse jerked the rope out of Mick’s hands and headed right for where Duo stood. Knowing he would never be able to get Duo out of the way before he was trampled to death, he opened his mouth to shout a warning. His intended warning got stuck in his throat as Duo calmly turned and faced down the animal that outweighed him by at least two thousand pounds.
At the last possible moment, Scythe pulled to a stop, stretching his neck over Duo to peer into the stall. Trowa could see the affection Duo felt for the horse as he reached up without fear to stroke the stallion’s neck. “I’ll take good care of her. You have to trust me.”
Amazingly, the horse stepped back and lowered its head to stare Duo in the face, ears laid back threateningly. Trowa tensed as a hoof pawed the ground, positive the small man was about to be flattened. Duo rubbed the big head between the eyes, “You have to go into the yard. She needs my attention and you’re in the way. Go Scythe,” he said more firmly than his previous words.
The horse gave one last stomp of his hoof before turning away and trotting over to where Mick patiently waited, glancing back as he was led away. Trowa’s legs refused to move until Duo stepped into the stall, following to discover a spotted red horse lying on its side, breath coming rapidly. Crouching beside Duo, Trowa forced a smile, stunned his heart hadn’t beaten its way through his chest. “Evie?”
“Take a look at her and tell me what you think of,” Duo suggested absently, hands sliding over the bulging belly.
It took him several seconds to tear his eyes away from those hands, realizing how long and slender the fingers were as they moved competently, searching for something Trowa didn’t comprehend. Taking a better look at the colors, he said the first thing that entered his mind, “She has the same colors as Heavyarms,” he noted of the light orange and white spots, surrounded by dark red fur. “You named her after my Gundam?” he asked, strangely pleased by the idea.
“She hated being called Armin, so it became Evie. She doesn’t seem to mind it so much.”
When Duo sat back on his knees with a sigh, Trowa put a hand on his arm, blinking when Duo jumped in surprise. “Is she okay?”
“She’s fine and so is the baby. She’s in pain and she’s scared, but I expected that. This is her first baby, isn’t it, girl? Before long you’ll be helping your baby greet the world,” the cobalt-eyed man said softly as he rubbed the side of her neck. “You should go up to the house. I won’t get anything else done on your truck today.”
“I can stay and help,” offered Trowa, heart shuddering at the sight of Duo’s obvious concern. No matter what the other man said, the horses were more than mere animals to him. “Do you want me to call a vet or something?”
“There’s a phone in the tack room, but there shouldn’t be any problems. I’ll give a shout if I need her help.” Duo met Trowa’s eyes, “There’s nothing you can do. It’s a long and messy business, Trowa.”
His head was telling him to do what Duo said and go to the house; he had no idea what to do. Yet he remained where he was, crouched beside the mare. The distress in the horse’s eyes and the worry he saw in Duo’s were enough to have him speaking. “I’ll stay. Tell me what to do.”
Gratitude flooded Duo’s features, proving he hadn’t wanted to be alone. “Mick will be bringing water. Just talk to her, keep her calm.”
“What am I supposed to say?”
“Anything. It’s the tone more than the words. Talk and rub her head and neck like this,” Duo took Trowa’s hand and guided it over the horse in broad sweeps.
Still a bit nervous about the horses, Trowa let the other man lead him for several seconds, trying to decide which was warmer, the horse or Duo’s hand on his. Searching for something to say, he opted to speak to Duo while looking into Evie’s wide eyes. “It’s odd how you put Scythe and Evie together. It might be fate.”
Duo glanced up from where he rubbed Evie’s belly, “I didn’t put them together. As soon as I brought her in, Scythe began to take care of her. They’re the only pair in here that stays together by choice and the only ones I don’t dare separate. Scythe sleeps in the same stall.”
Recalling the strange reaction from the black horse, Trowa decided Duo was right not to separate them. “Is that normal for horses? Scythe seems…different.”
“Scythe is different. He understands me.” Plopping onto his butt, Duo was apparently comfortable with the scratchy hay. “I found him the first day I moved here. I was driving by a ranch in time to see his former owner hit him with a whip. Scythe reared up and almost trampled the son of a bitch. I stopped and asked how much it would take for me to buy that big bully of a horse. Six thousand dollars plus another two for a horse trailer and I was owned by an animal.”
“Why did that man hit him?”
“Scythe was captured with a group of wild horses. The man was mad because he couldn’t break him.” Trowa’s blank expression had Duo trying to explain, waving one hand for emphasis. “Breaking is a term used for training a horse. There are a lot of ways to do it and some can be painful for the horse.”
“How did you break him?” Trowa disliked the word and the thoughts it brought to mind. In his opinion, it sounded like the human was trying to break the horse’s spirit.
“I didn’t. I explained to him he needed a home and I needed a horse. Since then, we’ve gotten along just fine.”
“He’s not just a horse to you, is he?”
“I guess not. He’s too intelligent for that and he’s more honest than most people I’ve met in my life.”
Evie shuddered under Trowa’s hand, emitting a whinny of distress. With a lot to think about, he fell silent and watched as Duo worked with the pained horse, following orders as they were given.