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Equus	By : Deb Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2855 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, it belongs to Bandai, Sotsu and associated parties. I do own the equines though, please do not take them without permission. Written for pleasure not profit.

Chapter List
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“Equus”

Chapter 77

Carl and June were both happy with Heero's wish to take their horses to the show when he approached them the following day. With the consent of all the owners given, Heero downloaded the entry forms, filled them all out and posted them to the show secretary along with copies of the horses' jumping cards and a check for the entry fees.

“How do you think Nataku will go, Heero?” June asked as she helped with saddling up Orion.

“The actual jumps shouldn't worry her at all,” Heero replied. “The true test will be in her reaction to the show atmosphere. She could remain calm and happy, or she could recall her previous times at shows with that animal of an owner and completely freak out.”

June giggled. “Freak out?” She couldn't believe she'd heard those words from Heero's mouth.

Heero shrugged. “It seems an apt way to describe what could happen,” he replied in his defense.

“Well, I'm betting she will be a perfect lady, jump everything you ask her to and remain calm all the way,” June insisted.

“One can always live in hope.” Heero removed the halter and began to lead Orion from the stables.

June followed along behind pushing the pram with Max sleeping soundly inside. Although the baby was only a week old, June didn't want to miss out on her usual trips to the stables to see her horse and decided the child would have to get used to it.

Duo had almost had a coronary when she'd turned up at the stables complete with the baby a couple of days ago. He'd pretty much given her the third degree, more concerned for June's health and that of the baby and chastising her for wanting to be back amongst the horses so soon.

June had assured him she was fine and no harm would come to the baby; but she missed the equines and wanted to be back and doing things as soon as she was allowed to.

Duo had given in, rolled his eyes and walked off muttering under his breath about horse people and how they were completely blind to anything other than their four legged friends.

But June was a good and careful mother, always making sure the baby was well out of any danger. She also knew her own limits and didn't try doing anything she wasn't ready for yet. She just wanted to be back amongst the horses, something Heero could understand and relate to so he welcomed the woman back with open arms and kept a discreet eye on her.

June 'parked' herself under the tree on the outside of the schooling paddock to watch Heero working Orion. She was more than impressed with the way her horse had come on under Heero's careful schooling. The black was a willing and keen jumper, calm and sensible with tons of potential. June knew he would soon be up to A grade and really hoped that by the time Max was old enough for her to leave at home with her husband for a while so she could resume her jumping career again, that Orion would have several shows under his 'girth' at A grade level and she would be able to take him back over and continue to compete successfully on him. She hadn't told Heero yet, but her secret goal was to try and get selected for a Nation's Cup team, or dare she even dream; an Olympic team.

Orion only needed to place in the first three at this next show and he would be upgraded to C grade. Given the way the horse was progressing, June estimated he would only need around six months in C grade before upgrading again into B grade. By that stage, she hoped to be able to start riding him again herself at home and still have Heero take him to the shows to compete on. She also crossed her fingers that Heero would agree to take her on as a pupil once the horse reached A grade. Heero was a talented teacher, one only had to look at Frank and Jester to see how far they had come under his careful instruction.

But all of this was still in June's mind right now and would one day make it into reality. For now she had baby Max to take care of and her jumping career would have to wait a bit longer. Checking that Max was still sleeping and comfortable in his pram, June switched her attention back to Heero and her horse and what they were doing.

Heero worked the black on the flat for a while, loosening him up and getting him ready to jump. He particularly paid attention to having Orion shorten and lengthen stride when he asked. With the black's progress, it was time to start introducing speed into his jumping. Heero had asked for some speed and corner cutting in his jump offs with the gelding, but they had been steady ones; now it was time to take that to the next level. As Orion's experience had grown, so had his confidence. He was a willing horse, happy to try anything Heero asked of him and it came as no surprise to Heero that the black would listen carefully to his aids and try to please him.

Keeping all of those thoughts in mind, Heero began to practice by sending the black forward and then shortening up the reins and asking for the horse to slow again as quickly as he could. He'd set some cones up in the paddock to act as marker points and started to ask Orion to approach one, go slightly past it, slow up and turn as quickly as he could. It didn't take long for the black to cotton on to what Heero wanted and he started to make some impressive turns.

“Good boy,” Heero praised and patted the black neck, bringing the horse down to a steady trot. “You've caught onto that very quickly, now let's see if we can put it into practice over some low jumps.” Turning the gelding, Heero rode towards his jumping course and picked out a couple of low ones to start his practice over.

Deliberately picking out a couple of jumps that wouldn't require too tight a turn, Heero rode the gelding forwards, making sure he had the horse well balanced and listening to him. They cleared the jump easily and as soon as Orion had all four feet back on the ground, Heero sat deep and shortened his reins, his legs remained steady as they kept the horse balanced and retained the impulsion.

Orion recognized the aids and immediately slowed his canter, his hocks coming deep under his body and making a turn as his rider asked. Once the turn was complete, Orion surged forward again at his rider's insistence and spotting the jump ahead, he lengthened out his stride and cleared it easily.

“Good boy,” Heero praised the gelding. “You're a quick learner. I think we will try that again a couple of times and then try something a little harder.”

Orion cocked back an ear to listen, knowing from the tone of voice that he'd done well.

Heero took the black over the same two jumps another three times, each time Orion managing to make a neat turn, maintain his impulsion and clear the second jump. Deciding that the gelding was really getting the hang of things, Heero selected another two jumps to try. This time the turn would need to be a bit tighter, but nothing that the black shouldn't be able to handle.

They cleared the first jump, Orion shortening his stride as soon as he was asked. The turn followed, not as tight as what Heero wanted but tighter than the previous exercise. Orion managed the turn but lost a little impulsion and came into the jump half a stride out. He took off a little early but stretched as best he could and managed to clear the second jump, albeit rather awkwardly. Heero still praised him though as he'd not tried to refuse and had done all he could to please his rider.

The second time they tried it, things went a little better. Orion managed a tighter turn and met the jump on the correct stride this time, but he still lost a bit of impulsion and it wasn't the neatest of jumps. Heero tried it a third and last time, Orion starting to get the hang of things and managing a slightly better effort. Deciding the horse was starting to respond well and not wanting to overdo things, Heero called a halt to the lesson and brought the black to a walk. He patted the sweaty neck and let the gelding stretch out as he walked and cooled off. Spotting June still under the tree, he rode over to see what she thought of Orion's progress.

June was impressed and spent a few minutes discussing things with Heero and feeding her horse some well deserved apple slices. Orion took them from his mistress and eagerly crunched them up. Just as June was feeding the last of the apple slices to the gelding, baby Max started to wake up and make a few whimpering noises. Heero took that as his cue to head back to the stables. June went to attend to the baby, telling Heero she would be up shortly to help out.

*

Angel stood under the tree in her paddock and dozed lightly. She shifted her weight from hind foot to hind foot, her insides feeling rather squashed and uncomfortable. A light tremor passed through her body and she gave a low snort. The uncomfortable feeling began to grow and Angel shifted again, trying to settle herself but the feeling wouldn't go away.

She flicked her tail at a fly and followed with a grunt as a contraction passed through her belly. Sweat began to break out behind her ears and she decided to take a little walk to her feed bin and see if there were any scraps of food still there. The walk might also ease her discomfort a little.

In the paddock next to Angel, Comet was busy grazing. She cocked an ear and turned slightly to watch as her paddock neighbor moved closer to the fence. Comet caught a whiff of something on the air and immediately stopped her grazing, raising her head and looking across at the gray mare. She gave a low wuffle, Angel returning the soft call. Comet ambled over towards the fence and the other horse.

Having checked out the feed bin and come up empty, Angel wandered over to the fence where Comet stood and touched noses with the other mare. The discomfort was building in her belly and she gave a low groan. Across the raceway from the mares, Zero had also picked up on the scent in the air and paused in his grazing to run an eye over his 'herd'. Sniffing the air again and catching the soft groan from the mare, Zero raised his head a little higher and gave a whinny. Angel returned the call with a neigh of her own and immediately lowered her head as another contraction swept through her.

A little further down the raceway, June had finished settling Max and heard the calls between the horses. Tucking the blanket a little tighter around the baby, she glanced down the raceway to see what was going on. She could see Angel and Comet standing close together by the fence between their paddocks, Zero caught her eye next as the stallion was walking with a purpose towards his fence and as close as he could get to the two mares. June frowned. “I wonder what's up with them?” she asked Max. The baby just yawned at her. “I guess we should go and see.” With the baby firmly in her arms, June walked down the raceway to see if she could figure out what was going on with the horses.

Reaching Angel's paddock, June ran her eye over the mare and her jaw slackened. “Oh shit!” she stated, the excitement starting to build inside. “Hang on, Angel, I'll go get Heero,” she murmured to the mare before spinning on her heel and jogging as fast as she could back up the raceway and towards the stables where she knew Heero would still be settling Orion.

*

Heero had just finished brushing Orion down and was about to put his rug on when June came jogging into the stables. He looked up at the quick entry, startled in case there as something wrong with the baby or June herself. “Are you alright?” Heero asked and leaving Orion for the moment, he made his way to a slightly out of breath June.

“Yes, I'm fine,” June panted. “Heero, I think Angel is about to foal.”

The words hit Heero like a ton of bricks and he stood in mute shock for a moment before his brain finally kicked in. “What?”

“I think Angel is about to foal. She's looking rather uncomfortable and starting to sweat a bit. She's by the fence and Comet is right next to her.”

“Ah, right, okay.” Heero blinked for a moment and tried to collect his scattered wits.

“Heero, is Duo at the practice or in the cottage?”

“Cottage.”

“You finish rugging Orion, I'll go get Duo and be right back, okay?”

Heero nodded, his brain still a little scrambled.

June turned and jogged out of the stables and towards the cottage. Just what was it with men and females giving birth? She thought to herself with a chuckle. Reaching the cottage, she slowed to a walk and knocked on the back door.

*

Duo was sitting in the lounge room enjoying a few moments of peace and going through the acceptances to their up coming wedding. He'd ticked off those that had responded so far and was now busy writing up place cards for the celebration afterwards. Heero had insisted he wanted Duo to have a wedding to remember and that included a seating plan for their guests and that meant place cards.

The place cards had been printed off Heero's computer and all Duo had to do was fill them in with each guests name. Heero had flat out refused to do it, citing his handwriting was terrible at the best of times and no one would have a clue where they were sitting if it was left to him to fill out the cards.

That left Duo to do the job.

A persistent knocking at the back door of the cottage drew Duo from his task and lifting Smokey from his lap where she'd curled up to snooze, he went to see what the problem was.

“Hey, June,” he greeted when he opened the door to the woman standing there with the baby in her arms. His jovial attitude suddenly turned serious when he saw the look on June's face. “Is there something wrong with the baby?” He felt a cold shiver pass through him.

“No, nothing's wrong with Max, or me for that matter,” June replied as she caught her breath. “It's Angel, she looks to me like she's starting to foal. I've let Heero know and come to get you just in case.”

The relief that had begun to wash over him soon vanished when June explained her reason for summoning him. “Right, I'll just grab my shoes and come down to the surgery stables to get any gear I might need. Thanks.”

“No problem. I'll start heading back to the stables and give you a hand if you wish?”

“Thanks for the offer, but Heero and I should be fine with the gear,” Duo replied as he disappeared back inside the cottage to grab his shoes.

“I'll go on back to the paddock then.” June turned and headed back towards the paddock, stopping on the way to retrieve the pram and secure Max inside.

*

Duo grabbed his shoes and shoved his feet into them. He slammed the back door of the cottage as he raced towards the stables. He spotted June on her way back down the raceway but couldn't see any sign of Heero. He soon found his lover though when he charged into the surgery stables.

Heero had just finished putting Orion in his stable and was about to go out to the paddock and Angel when Duo came hurrying in.

“June said Angel was foaling,” Duo stated as he quickly unlocked the door to the small dispensary and disappeared inside.

Heero didn't get the chance to answer, and even if he had it was unlikely Duo would have heard him. Checking Orion's door was secured, Heero aimed for the dispensary and his lover. Just as he reached the door, Duo came back out, stethoscope around his neck and several bulges in his pant's pockets.

“Just needed to grab a few things in case we need them,” Duo offered in explanation. “Come on, we have a foal to deliver.”

Shaking his head, Heero followed the vet, an amused smile on his face. He really didn't know who was more excited about Angel's impending foal; himself or Duo.

*

June was careful to keep the pram and baby well away from Angel, she didn't want to upset the mare. Max had gone back to sleep much to June's relief so she parked the pram alongside the fence outside Angel's paddock. Climbing through the rails, June only moved into the paddock a few paces, close enough that she could see Angel and yet still able to get to the baby if he needed her within a couple of seconds. Spotting Heero and Duo jogging down the raceway, she smiled to herself.

Angel also noted the arrival of the humans and she gave a soft whinny. Comet remained on the other side of the fence and offered support to the pregnant mare. Zero paced along his paddock fence, scenting the air from time to time and emitting a soft call to the mare every now and then.

Climbing through the fence, both men acknowledged June before proceeding at a walk to where Angel stood, June having told them she would be remaining where she was because of Max. Understanding the woman's logic, the two agreed it would be best for both mare, foal and baby Max if the pram were to remain outside the paddock.

“Hey, Angel. You okay, girl?” Heero said softly as he approached the mare. Duo hung back a touch, letting Heero catch Angel before he would move in to examine her.

Angel blew softly through her nostrils and rubbed her muzzle against Heero's chest when he stood beside her. Now that her master and the other nice human were here she felt a lot better. She knew what was going on, remembering the last time she'd foaled, but it was still comforting to her to have the softly spoken pair by her side.

With Angel caught, Duo moved in. He went directly to the mare's rump and lifted her tail. He noted the softening of the muscles, the dipping of the rump muscles and although there wasn't any sign of feet yet, his years of study told him Angel was well into the birth process. Removing his stethoscope he checked her heart and breathing rates before taking a quick listen to her abdomen. Exam completed, he stepped back and faced Heero with a wide grin. “She's definitely in labor and all is proceeding normally. I think we will have a foal anywhere in the next half an hour.”

Heero gave a sigh of relief and patted the gray neck. “You're going to be just fine, Angel,” he reassured the mare. Turning back to Duo, he asked, “What should we do?”

“Nothing, Heero, nothing. You can let her go and we will sit back and let nature take its course. If she gets into any problems we're right here to help her out and if the worst should happen, Hilde is up at the surgery and easily accessible to give us a hand; not that I anticipate anything bad happening,” he added quickly when he noted Heero's face.

Giving the mare a pat, Heero unclipped the lead rope and stepped back out of the way.

“I think we should wait just over here a bit, Heero. We're still close enough to monitor her but far enough away to give her some peace.” Duo moved away a little further and squatted down to wait and watch. Heero followed him after letting June know what was happening.

Angel shuffled around in a small circle, her muzzle close to the ground. The contractions were getting stronger and she wasn't sure if she wanted to lie down or stay standing up. Comet stretched her neck over the fence and gave a couple of encouraging snorts.

Finally Angel decided she wanted to lie down and having picked her spot, she let her knees buckle and sank gratefully to the grass.

“Is she okay?” Heero asked, his tone concerned.

“She's fine. Sometimes they like to lie down, other times they stand up. Don't worry, Heero, it's all going according to mother nature's plan.” Duo held the chuckle, his lover was so adorable when he was worried like this over something completely natural.

Another contraction passed through Angel, this time a bit stronger and she grunted. Deciding she didn't want to stay lying down any longer, she pushed her forefeet out and shoved her hind ones underneath, pushing her body back up. She stood for a moment before giving a shake and rubbing her face on a foreleg.

“What's she doing now?” Heero demanded.

“I'd say she's got an itch and is scratching it.”

“Duo!” Heero growled.

Duo laughed. “She's just decided she wants to stand up again, that's all.” Duo also stood, relieving a little of the cramping that had started in his legs.

“Aa.” Heero couldn't help it if he was feeling overprotective of the mare. The almost inaudible sound of a 'hmm' came from his partner and Heero immediately zeroed in on the vet. “What?”

“I think we might be getting closer. Think you can hold her for me for a sec, Heero? I just want to check under that tail again.”

Feeling his heart rate speeding up, Heero calmly approached the gray and clipped the lead rope onto the halter once more. Angel placed her nose in the crook of Heero's elbow. “It's okay, girl. It will all be finished soon,” Heero reassured and gently stroked the gray ears.

Keeping one hand on the mare's flank so she would know where he was, Duo slid his hand along and over the rump to the mare's tail. Gently he lifted the tail and took a quick peek. The smile on his face grew a little wider. “We have feet,” he said quietly.

“We do?”

“Yup. There's a pair of little hooves just poking out of her vulva. Looks like she will start to push very shortly.” Duo lowered the tail and stepped back. Heero released the lead rope but Angel kept her head resting against him.

Another contraction swept through Angel, this time a little different and she followed her natural instincts. Drawing in a breath, she grunted as she strained.

“What's happening now?” Heero asked, the grunt startling him a bit.

“Second stage of labor, Heero. The foal is all set to be born and now she's pushing. Should be delivered in the next five or so minutes.”

“I”ll be glad when this is all over,” Heero muttered.

“I think Angel will be too,” Duo chuckled. “Uh, might want to move there, buddy.”

Heero scrambled to get out of the way as Angel decided she wanted to lie down again and right where Heero was standing was the spot she wanted. Another grunt escaped her as she found the grass, moments later she lay flat on her side and strained when another contraction passed through her body.

Duo had darted around to the tail end and had his eyes firmly fixed on the tiny hooves that were protruding. With Angel's push, the hooves came out a little further and the small tip of the foal's muzzle could be barely seen through the amniotic sac that still surrounded it.

“Almost there,” Duo informed Heero.

With a quick look over the mare to make sure she was okay, Heero moved to join his partner down the rump end, his eyes widening when he saw the small hooves.

The mare rolled herself over and to her chest, her head swung around to look at her tail and she gave another, strong push. This time the hooves, legs and the foal's head slid forth, shoulders and the rest of the body remaining inside Angel for the moment.

“Why has she stopped?” Heero's tone was one of agitation. A hand on his arm drew his eyes from the mare to Duo's face.

“This is all perfectly normal. Once the shoulders are through the rest of the foal will follow pretty much straight away. The amniotic sac should also tear in a minute or two, if it doesn't, I'll intervene.”

Heero nodded and turned his gaze back to the mare who appeared to be resting with no concern at all that she had half a foal hanging out of her back end.

Relaxing, Angel even managed to grab a couple of bites of grass while waiting for the next contraction – which didn't do much to lower Heero's anxiety level. Chewing on the grass, Angel appeared to be completely preoccupied with something only she was privy to. She finished off her mouthful of grass and decided it was time she got down to business. Another contraction began and this time, Angel pushed as hard as she could.

Watching from the rear, Heero's eyes widened as the foal began to slip out. Beside him, Duo was also watching carefully, but he was looking for any sign that might indicate Angel was having trouble. So far, all was well.

The shoulders came forth and were quickly followed by the rest of the body, the hind legs remaining inside Angel for the moment. The sac tore with the effort the mare put in and fluids spilled out everywhere. Duo darted forward to pull the sac away from the foal's nose and mouth, allowing the tiny creature to take its first breath.

The foal snorted fluid everywhere and shook its head – albeit rather wobbly. Hearing the snort, Angel let go with a low rumble and turned her head to see what she'd produced. The foal snorted again, Angel responding with low rumbles that came from deep within her chest.

Tears began to form in the corners of Duo's eyes as he watched the tender exchange between mother and baby. He would never tire of this. Heero was in a similar state beside him, awed by the miracle of birth. Angel and the foal were completely oblivious to it all, all their concentration was on each other. Angel snuffled at the bundle and gave a couple of licks, the foal shaking its head.

“What is it?” Heero whispered, not willing to break the spell of the moment.

“A foal?” Duo replied, clearly not understanding Heero's question as he was still processing the miracle of birth.

“I know it's a foal, but what sex is it?” Heero tried again.

“Ah, I dunno, I haven't looked yet,” Duo sheepishly replied. “Could be a little hard though seeing how the back legs are still inside Angel.”

“Aa, right.”

Angel decided then that it was time she stood up again and thrust out her front legs. She started to stand, the hind legs of the foal sliding completely out of her as she did so. Once on her feet, Angel turned around and began a careful examination of the new bundle she'd delivered.

“Oh, yuk,' Heero stated and started to turn green. Duo stifled the snicker, noting Heero's comment was directed at the remains of the amniotic sac which hung down between Angel's back legs, still attached to the mare through the placenta which still had to be delivered.

“Don't worry, Heero, it's all perfectly natural. The placenta will detach and be expelled in the next few minutes,” Duo informed. “Shall we try and see if we can discover what sex and color the foal is?”

Averting his eyes from the rear of the mare, Heero nodded and moved a little closer.

Duo kept a soft stream of words flowing to soothe Angel as he approached the foal. The baby was still lying down, fluids and the remnants of the sac all around it. Carefully he pulled the remains of the sac from around the hind legs and lifted the stubby tail to take a quick look. He grinned and looked at Heero who was waiting impatiently.

“Congratulations, you have a filly,” he announced.

The grin that broke over Heero's face threatened to completely consume him. A filly! I have a filly! He thought to himself. Zero's past two offspring that Heero had bred had both been colts so it was nice to have a filly for a change.

“Looks like she's also going to be a gray, either that or black,” Duo continued on, knowing better than to expect a reply from Heero right now. Having learned the basics, Duo stepped back again and left the mare and foal to acquaint themselves. Catching June's waving from the corner of his eye, Duo glanced at his partner and deeming Heero to be in his own little world for the moment, he walked across the paddock to give June the news.

“What is it?, What color? Is Angel okay? Does it have any markings?” June assaulted Duo with questions just as soon as he was close enough.

“Whoa, slow down there, June,” Duo chuckled.

“Sorry, but I want to know,” June replied.

“Okay, first up, Angel appears to be fine so far. I'll know more soon when I've examined her properly. The foal also appears to be healthy and I'm guessing either black or gray. It's also a filly and as for markings, right now I couldn't tell you, probably better to ask Heero that.”

“A filly! Wonderful,” June squeaked. “Oh I'm so happy for Heero and Angel,” June said in all sincerity.

Duo found it highly amusing how June had worded her thoughts. “I'd better get back over to them and check mother and foal.”

“Yes, of course. Oh, this is so exciting!”

Shaking his head in amusement, Duo walked back over to the new mother, baby and his partner.

~ * ~

tbc...
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Equus