Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Going For Gold ❯ Chapter 10 ( Chapter 10 )

Disclaimer: I don't own the G boys, I just borrow them from time to time and return them a whole lot happier. I do own the plot and any other characters, especially the equines, that you will find in this fic. Please do not take them without permission. Written for pleasure not profit.

 

Pairing: 2x1x2, 3x4, 13x6, H+C

 

Warnings: Yaoi, lemon, sap, angst, vet themes, AU

 

Rating: NC 17

 

Archive: www.gundam-wing-diaries.150m.com Anyone else please ask.

 

Betaed by Yami_tai *snugs*

 

Summary: Eighteen months have passed since Heero was advised he was short listed for the Olympic games team. With Zero going well and young Shinigami almost ready to make his showjumping debut, Heero looks set to reach his goal. Life though doesn't always play by the rules.

 

Dedication: To Leslie who gave me the original idea for Equinity.

 

Fic 3 in the Equine Intervention Arc.

 

"Going for Gold"

 

January. 2007 ShenLong

 

 

Chapter 10

 

The morning of the show dawned, the sky overcast and a chill wind blowing lightly across the landscape. Heero hit the alarm button and rolled over on his back, Duo following his movement and snuggling closer. He lay there for a few minutes just listening to the even breathing coming from his lover before he decided he'd better get up and go feed the horses, if he didn't move now he wouldn't get out of the bed at all!

 

"Too early," Duo muttered as his cuddle toy was taken from him.

 

Heero chuckled. "I'll go feed the nags then make you a coffee."

 

"Mmm. Sounds good," replied Duo without even opening his eyes.

 

Shaking his head, Heero slid out of the bed, Duo immediately grabbing Heero's pillow and cuddling it close to his chest. Slipping on a pair of sweats, Heero found a thick pair of socks and windbreaker. He glanced briefly out of the window and shuddered. Whilst it wasn't raining, the dark clouds were looming on the horizon and making the dawn fight to take its place. Placing a soft kiss to the top of Duo's head, the only part of his partner currently visible under the bedclothes, Heero left the bedroom and headed for the kitchen to put the kettle on to boil.

 

With a mug of hot tea in his hand, Heero left the house and went to the stables, sliding the big door back after unlocking it. Immediately his nostrils were assaulted with the sweet smell of horse and hay. Zero gave a low wuffle, Scythe whickered softly whilst Shinigami let fly with a loud neigh.

 

"Okay, okay," Heero muttered. "Hold your horses, I'm coming." He disappeared into the feed room, returning seconds later with three buckets. Zero banged his stable door, impatient to have his breakfast. Leaving Zero's bucket inside, Heero headed out to the paddocks to put Scythe and Shini's feeds in the feed bins there before returning and leading the pair out to the paddocks and their breakfast. With the mare and young stallion safely outside, Heero returned to the stable block and fed Zero. The big gray almost knocked Heero over in his haste to get to his food. Heero gave him a smack to the chest.

 

"Back off and remember your manners, Zero!" Heero chastised.

 

Liquid brown eyes gazed sorrowfully at his master and Zero nudged Heero in the stomach by way of apology.

 

"That's better," said Heero and moved aside after mixing the gray's feed so the stallion could eat. Leaving Zero to his food, Heero picked up the poop scoop and set about cleaning the other two stables. Once they were clean and raked, Heero did Zero's stable, leaving the raking for now. Water buckets were next to be emptied, washed out and refilled. With the stable chores done, Heero took the empty feed buckets back into the feed room and began to fill them with the various feed stuffs for the horses' dinners. With Zero still eating and nothing more to be done in the stables for now, Heero drank the last of his now cool tea and went back to the house to rouse his partner and start cooking breakfast.

 

"Duo? Duo, it's time to wake up," Heero cajoled as he shook his partner's shoulder. "I brought coffee." Heero blew gently over the lip of the cup, the steam and scent of the coffee wafting across the bed and Duo's nostrils. Said nostrils began to twitch and a sleepy, violet eye blinked open.

 

"Did someone say coffee?"

 

Chuckling softly, Heero held up the cup so Duo could see it. "Time to get up, sleepy head."

 

"I'll give you sleepy head," Duo growled. "Coffee. Gimme. Now."

 

Still chuckling, Heero handed over the cup, his lover taking it and sipping greedily at the rich contents. Heero sat down on the edge of the mattress and sipped his own beverage; he knew Duo wouldn't resemble anything remotely human until he had at least half a cup of coffee in him.

 

Feeling the caffeine starting to kick in, Duo sighed and sat up a little more. "Horses?"

 

"All fed."

 

"Stables?"

 

"Cleaned. And before you ask, both Scythe and Shini are out in their paddocks and breakfast is cooked and keeping warm."

 

"How long have you been up for?"

 

Heero glanced at the clock. "Just over an hour."

 

"Guess I should get my lazy ass out of the bed then."

 

"I'll go put breakfast on the table."

 

"Forgetting something, Heero?" Duo raised an eyebrow.

 

"Aa. Sorry." Heero leaned over and took his lover's lips in a gentle kiss. "Morning, Duo."

 

"Much better," Duo replied and smiled. "Now I feel ready to face the day."

 

Rolling his eyes, Heero left his partner to get up and dressed.

 

* * *

 

"Weather doesn't look too good," Duo commented looking out the kitchen window as he ate the plate of scrambled eggs Heero had prepared.

 

"I agree," Heero replied. "It hasn't rained yet though."

 

"I thought the weather forecast said it was going to be fine today?"

 

"It did."

 

"Nice to see they're keeping up with tradition then," snickered Duo.

 

"You never know, it's only overcast right now, it could still clear up by the time it gets to my class."

 

"Yeah, pigs might fly too."

 

"At least I'm trying to think positive."

 

"So am I. I'll be taking my Driazabone and making sure to wear my 'wellies'."

 

"Your what?"

 

"My wellies; you know? My wellington boots?"

 

"Oh, those."

 

"At least my feet will stay dry. You finished yet? 'Cause we need to get a wriggle on and get Zero booted up and on the float if you want to get to the show with time to spare." Duo stood up and took his empty plate to the sink and began to wash up.

 

"Hai, I'm almost done."

 

* * *

 

"So much for the weather forecast saying it's going to be fine," Duo muttered under his breath. "They should all be taken out and shot." Beside him, Heero snickered.

 

"Come on, it's not that bad."

 

"You mark my words, Heero. It may only be a drizzle now, but later on it will become a full on downpour. Don't say I didn't warn you."

 

The clouds were steadily building up, increasing in their intensity. Driving to the show it had begun to drizzle slightly, nothing much, just enough moisture to make you turn on the windscreen wipers and smear all the dirt and dust across the windscreen.

 

"Well, whether it does or doesn't pour down the fact still remains that I have a course to jump and selectors to impress. I'm going to leave Zero in the float for now. No point in taking him off and letting him get wet," said Heero as he brought the car and float to a stop in an open area slightly away from the rest of the cars and floats on the show grounds.

 

"Shame it's not an indoor show," Duo stated. "At least then you wouldn't get drowned."

 

"Would be nice if it was undercover, but I've ridden in a lot worse conditions than this. I'm going to check Zero and then see if I can find the secretary to get my number and have a look at the course map."

 

"Shall I go find a tap and fill up his water bucket?"

 

"I'd leave it for now. He's going to be in the float for a little while. We can check out the tap location whilst we get my number and then get him a drink after."

 

"You're the boss," said Duo and got out of the car. The rain had stopped for the moment but Duo pulled his Driazabone on anyway, besides being waterproof, it was warm too.

 

Heero checked on Zero who was quite happy to remain inside the float eating his haynet. Satisfied his horse was okay, Heero locked the car and with Duo by his side made his way across the damp ground towards the building he thought would most likely house the secretary. Approaching the smell of coffee invaded Duo's nostrils and he deserted his lover to fetch them both a cup from the canteen. Once Heero had his number, he wandered back out onto the veranda and spotted his partner sipping on a styrofoam cup and watching the ring intently.

 

"They look so professional," Duo commented as he passed his boyfriend the other cup and continued to watch the horses currently in the ring.

 

"A lot of them are."

 

"What exactly are they doing?"

 

"It's a hacking class. I guess you could call it a sort of beauty parade, although there is a lot more to it than that."

 

"More information?"

 

Heero decided to keep it as simple as he could. "The horses go around the ring on a large circle at the walk, trot and canter. The judge in the middle picks out about six horses they really like and calls them into the center. From there they are given a 'workout' to do individually. Each one does the same workout and the judge decides which order they would place the horses in based on that workout as well as the horse's presentation, manners, conformation and education."

 

"Sounds complicated to me."

 

"There is a lot more to it than that, but that's the basic idea. Come on, I want to find the ring I'll be jumping in and see if the order is up yet, also the course plan."

 

"Right with you, Heero." Duo tore his eyes away from the ring and followed his partner across the grass.

 

* * *

 

"It looks pretty formidable to me," Duo muttered as he gazed at the jumps set up in the ring.

 

"I've jumped higher," replied Heero. "The jumps at the Nations Cup were a touch higher than these."

 

"They still look big to me." Duo's eyes scanned over the course from where they stood at the side of the ring. The course wasn't open for walking yet, Heero had found the course plan and taken a look at it then come down to stand ring side and get a bit more of an idea of the course in general. He'd have a much better idea of how it would ride once he had the chance to walk around it.

 

"What number are you in the class?" Duo asked.

 

"There's twelve entries and I'm eighth to go. Treize is sixth."

 

"Hopefully the ground won't be too cut up by the time you jump."

 

"At least it isn't going to be hard on the horses legs, that shower of rain earlier would have softened the going a touch."

 

"Let's just hope it doesn't rain too much more then, otherwise you'll be bogged down in mud," Duo chuckled.

 

"I don't think it will. The sky looks like it's clearing."

 

"I'd like to know where." Duo gazed upwards. As far as he could see the clouds were still pretty thick and dark looking.

 

"Over there," Heero said and pointed skyward.

 

Duo followed the line of 'point' and spotted a tiny sliver of blue breaking between two clouds. "I guess you can't be blamed for wishful thinking."

 

"Come on, I'm going back to the float to check on Zero and see if Treize has arrived yet," said Heero as he changed the subject, not wanting to have his hopes of the rain going away dashed.

 

Returning to the float they found Zero still eating the hay in his haynet, the big gray quite happy to remain inside. Treize had also arrived and gone to fetch his number, Joe being left to keep an eye on the horses in his absence.

 

"Hey, Joe," Duo said as he approached Treize's goose neck float.

 

"Hi, Duo. Lovely weather," Joe said sarcastically.

 

"You can say that again."

 

"How's Heero and his horse?"

 

"Both fine and raring to go. What about Treize and Goose?"

 

"Pretty much the same. If they both put in good rounds today I'm pretty sure they will stand an excellent chance of making the Olympic team."

 

"One can always hope," chuckled Duo. "Ah, speaking of Treize, here he comes now."

 

"Good morning, Duo. How are you? It's been a while since I saw you." Treize extended his hand, the vet taking it and returning the offered handshake.

 

"I'm well, Treize, and it has been a while. Heero keeps me informed though. He tells me that Goose is going well and that Romefeller is starting to show some real promise."

 

"Goose is going great. He's come into his peak at just the right time. Romeo is also progressing in leaps and bounds. I'd say that given how that youngster of Heero's is coming along the pair of them are going to be damn good jumpers down the track."

 

"Time will tell, I guess. How do you think you will go today?"

 

"We should do okay, providing the weather stays on our side. If it decides to pour down then depending on the course it could be a completely different story."

 

"Is Zechs coming to watch?"

 

"Yes. He's coming around lunch time. He had a call out to attend to first and then he should be here."

 

"Great! I look forward to catching up with him. I'd better get going and see if Heero needs a hand. I'll see you shortly, Treize, Joe." Duo took his leave and went back to the float where Heero could be heard inside fussing over Zero.

 

* * *

 

Standing in the collecting ring with Zero's reins looped over his arm, Duo watched his lover with Treize in the ring as they walked the course, beside him Joe stood, Goose was still tied up inside Treize's float. The clouds had passed overhead and sent a heavy shower of rain down on the ground but the sun was making a valiant effort to break through.

 

Heero paused and took a look back at the course thus far. It wasn't overly big as far as height went and the course designer had been generous with striding between fences. Turning back, Heero continued to walk.

 

"What's it like?“ asked Duo when the pair returned.

 

"Not too bad at all,“ Heero replied. "There's room between jumps to get your horse settled and re-balanced and none of the jumps are too high. Zero should do okay. I'd say the real test will come in the jump off."

 

"I agree," stated Treize. "Jumps one to five are all straightforward. There's a slight twist as you go from five to six, but nothing hard. The double is straightforward but you will need to have impulsion after landing over part B to successfully clear the wall and following gate."

 

"Okay." Duo gave Zero a pat to the neck. "You hear that, Zero? It's not a difficult course so all you need to do is keep calm, listen to Heero and you'll be fine."

 

Zero wuffled and poked his nose in the direction of the nice human's pocket. He could smell a carrot in there.

 

Chuckling, Duo handed over the carrot.

 

* * *

 

The horses were warmed up and eager to jump. Duo and Joe watched from the side lines as Treize and Heero put their respective mounts over a couple of practice jumps and then brought them to a walk.

 

"Better head down to the ring," began Heero, "our class has been called and I'd say they should be up to the third or fourth competitor by now."

 

"We'll meet you there," replied Duo. The pair on horseback rode off in the direction of the ring, Joe and Duo walking along behind the horses. As they neared so Duo caught the flash of pale, blonde hair out the corner of his eye and turned his head. "Zechs!" he called out as he spotted the other vet scanning the crowd.

 

Hearing his name called, Zechs began to look for the body attached to the voice. He noticed someone waving and then recognized Duo. He waved back and began to work his way across the grass towards Duo and Joe.

 

"Good to see you made it," Duo said as he shook the other vet's hand.

 

"Didn't think I was going to for a while there. Has Treize jumped yet?"

 

"No, he hasn't. He should be in shortly. Tough case?"

 

"Yeah. Had a horse go through a barb wire fence, lots of stitching to do which was pretty tedious and time consuming."

 

"You have my full sympathy," chuckled Duo. He knew from personal experience just how time consuming stitching jobs could be. "Come on, let's get moving. Treize should be jumping very soon and I know he'd like to see you before he does."

 

The three made it to the collecting ring just as the fifth rider was entering, the fourth coming out with eight faults.

 

Treize's eyes lit up when he saw his boyfriend and he gave the vet a warm smile. "Glad you could make it."

 

"So am I. For a while there I didn't think I was going to get here in time."

 

"Tough case?"

 

"Yeah. When are you jumping?"

 

"I'm next to go," Treize replied and switched his attention back to the ring and current competitor.

 

"How many clear rounds so far?" Duo asked as he stood beside Zero.

 

"Two," Heero replied.

 

"How come so few? I thought you said the course wasn't too hard."

 

"It isn't. Some have made simple mistakes which have cost them penalties, but I'd say the biggest factor is the ground."

 

"The ground?" Duo couldn't see what Heero meant with that statement.

 

"That shower of rain we had earlier has softened the ground a bit and the riders aren't taking it into consideration. Simply put, it means you will need to have your horse even more forward going to compensate for the slightly heavier state of the ground."

 

"Ahh, I see," replied Duo.

 

"It's Treize's turn."

 

Duo switched his attention back to the ring where the fifth rider was exiting and Treize was entering. Choruses of 'good luck' echoed around the rider as he put Goose into a slow canter and headed for the judge.

 

With the judge saluted, Treize once more put Goose into a canter and headed for the start flags. The bell rang and Treize was on his way. They passed through the start flags and approached the first jump; a small hedge fence. Goose popped over it easily, ears pricked and looking for the next jump. Jumps two, three and four followed, each cleared in the same easy style. With thoughts of the slight twist that followed jump five, Treize was sure to have Goose listening intently to him. They landed over the off set rails, immediately Treize's seat and leg was on the horse, pushing the animal together and turning to bring Goose into jump six, the barrels with as much room as possible.

 

Goose grunted as he left the earth to clear the barrels, jump seven followed rapidly and was also cleared; then they were approaching the double. Treize steadied his horse, holding the bay in check with a light hand to the reins. Goose responded and settled his pace, ears pricked as he approached the double. They met part A spot on, Goose sailing into the air and clearing it with ease. They landed and took two strides before becoming airborne again. With the double cleared, Treize collected his horse again and finished the remaining three fences in the course without knocking anything down.

 

"Clear round," Heero said with a smile. The commentator confirmed that a second later.

 

Treize rode out of the ring to a smattering of applause, patting Goose on the neck and looking pleased with himself.

 

"Well done," Duo congratulated.

 

"Excellent round," Zechs said with a warm smile to his lover.

 

"That was great, Treize. How did the course ride?" Heero asked as he gave his boss a grin.

 

"Not too badly. You do need to have your horse under control for that slight twist between five and six. The wall to the gate isn't as bad as we thought it would be either. Ground is a bit on the muddy side and adds a couple of inches to the height, but nothing that should worry Zero,“ Treize replied as he slipped his feet from the stirrups and dismounted. He loosened Goose's girth and then handed the bay over to Joe to walk around and keep him warm.

 

The attention returned to the ring where the seventh competitor was having a slight disagreement with their horse and the barrel jump. For some particular reason the horse had taken a dislike to the jump and didn't want to jump it. The bell rang indicating the horse and its rider were eliminated.

 

Then it was Heero's turn.

 

Zero pranced into the ring, tail kinked over his back and he gave a couple of happy snorts. He eyed the jumps and shied playfully at a potted geranium. He was eager to be off and showed it by tossing in a small buck.

 

"Take it easy, you big lump," Heero chastised. "You're going to get your chance to jump soon enough." Finding the judge, Heero saluted, collected his reins and pushed Zero into a canter. The bell rang and they were off.

 

Zero bounded forward, passed through the start flags and was boring down on the first fence. Heero took a slightly firmer hold on the gray as they landed over the hedge, he didn't want Zero getting too cocky and making mistakes. Soon enough they were approaching fence five, Heero remembering what Treize had said about the twist and settling Zero. The gray fought for his head wanting nothing more than to jump. His training came forth though and he listened to his master, steadying his gait and driving his hocks underneath himself.

 

Landing over fence five and having Zero's complete attention enabled Heero to make the necessary turn to bring his horse in properly to jump six. Zero pushed his hind quarters underneath himself and launched into the air. Having successfully cleared fence six, Zero continued to attack the course, his mind focused completely on the fences and the signals he was getting from his master.

 

The double was taken in Zero's stride, the gray hopping neatly over both elements and landing well out on the other side. The wall was coming up and Heero checked the gray, re-balancing and slowing the speed a little. Treize's words about the muddy ground came back to him and he sat down hard into his saddle, collecting Zero up and giving the horse the impulsion he would need to clear the wall and following gate. He felt Zero slip a touch as they leapt into the air, the slip causing Zero's jump not to be as fluid as usual. Heero managed to stay with the horse and they cleared the wall.

 

They landed safely enough, Zero getting his legs back underneath himself and powering on towards the gate.

 

In the collecting ring, Duo and Treize both saw the slight slip, Duo biting his lip and silently praying whilst Treize felt his heart leap into his mouth. The former Olympic medalist let go a sigh as he watched the stallion land safely and cleanly.

 

"Thank god this is the last show to impress the selectors," Duo muttered. "I really don't think I can take much more of this."

 

"Clear round," the commentator announced as Heero left the ring.

 

Congratulations were heaped upon Heero and his horse, Zero knowing he'd been good and politely asking for carrots; he wasn't disappointed.

 

"What happened?" Duo asked Heero when the rest of the group had moved away. He gently pulled on Zero's ears, the gray still munching on his carrots.

 

"The ground is a little boggy out there and I guess Zero put his foot in the wrong place."

 

"I'd prefer it if you didn't do something like that again, damn near gave me a heart attack," Duo said quietly.

 

"We're fine, Duo," Heero replied, "but I promise to be a little more careful. I didn't realize the ground was that boggy."

 

"Is the wall in the jump off?"

 

"I don't know. They will be announcing the jump off course in a couple of minutes, the last competitor is just about finished."

 

The pair stood quietly together, each locked in their own thoughts as the last competitor finished their round. Once everyone had competed, the commentator announced that there were five riders through to the jump off including Treize and Heero. Treize was jumping third, Heero fourth. The jump off course was announced and much to Duo's disappointment the wall was in it.

 

"Fences, one, five, six, eight A, eight B, nine and ten," Heero repeated to himself. "Tough one."

 

"Come on, Heero. We have to go and walk the course," Treize said, breaking into Heero's thoughts. The pair headed off to walk the shortened but raised course leaving Joe, Duo and Zechs in the collecting ring.

 

Heero paid particular attention this time to the state of the ground, especially the take off and landing areas of each of the jumps they would be jumping. With so many horses having already jumped and the showers of rain earlier, the ground was getting quite cut up and muddy. It wasn't too bad though and Heero didn't think it would get much worse. He made a mental note to keep Zero full of impulsion and traveling forward, that way the gray would be less likely to falter at any stage of the course. He voiced his opinion to Treize who agreed with him. The pair returned to the collecting ring and waiting horses.

 

Heero checked his girth, tightening it up and then pulling his stirrups down, beside him Duo held onto Zero's reins.

 

"Please be careful out there, Heero." Duo didn't want to admit to it but he had a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach and it was growing by the minute. Whilst he was usually nervous whenever Heero was jumping, He'd never been this uneasy before. He knew this round was even more important to the dark haired rider, this being his last chance to impress the selectors and make it to the short list, so Duo swallowed his fears and did his best to put on a cheerful face for his lover.

 

"I promise to be careful, Duo. I'm not planning on taking any undue risks and Zero is jumping wonderfully. The place to save time is between fences one and five then six to eight. After that it's straight forward over the wall and gate before heading through the finish." Heero gave his partner a reassuring squeeze to the arm.

 

The announcer began to call for the riders in the jump off to present themselves and with another reassuring squeeze and accompanying smile, Heero mounted his horse and rode away to let the steward know he was there and loosen Zero up a little bit.

 

The first two riders went through the course without any trouble, the first going clear with a time of 50:27 seconds; the second had four faults at the second part of the double. Duo breathed a little easier. Treize was next to enter the ring, Duo, Heero and Zechs all keeping their eyes riveted to the ginger haired man as he saluted the judge and then once the bell went, commenced his course.

 

Jump one was cleared easily, Goose propping and turning at Treize's command and making a lovely turn to bring him into fence five. That was also cleared and within a few strides Goose was soaring into the air over jump six. Landing, the horse took a couple of strides and turned, lining himself up perfectly for the double. Goose sailed into the air, landed and took a couple of strides before popping neatly over part B. With the double cleared there only remained the wall and gate to go. Seconds later Goose was flashing between the finish flags to the roar of applause and several pats to his neck from his rider.

 

Exiting the ring, Treize and his horse were immediately covered with pats and congratulations from everyone.

 

"Clear round in a time of 48:05 seconds," the commentator said. "Next rider to go is Heero Yuy on Zero."

 

Collecting his reins, Heero nudged Zero forward, calls of 'good luck' following him. He saluted the judge and set his jaw. Eyes found the start flags, the bell went and Heero lost himself completely to the course and clearing it in a fast time.

 

Zero could feel the determination in his master and responded accordingly. Each nerve of his body was finely tuned to that of his master's and he instinctively trusted his master to guide them through. The first jump appeared and Zero took it in his stride, landed and then turned as his master's weight and aids dictated.

 

They cut inside the wall, making a sharper turn than Treize had but leaving them with only a couple of strides before fence five was upon them. Zero grunted and gathered himself together, pushing off through strong hind legs and clearing the jump.

 

Waiting in the collecting ring, Duo's heart was increasing in rhythm as he nervously watched his lover. "Shit!" he muttered to himself as he watched the tight turn and Zero give every effort to clear jump five.

 

Treize watched, an amused smile on his face as Heero set out to beat his time. He wished the younger rider all the best. This was all a part of the fun of the sport, knowing you could be beaten by hundredths of a second, pitting your skills and those of your horse against the course designer and fellow competitors. It made for one hell of an adrenaline rush!

 

"Take it easy, not too fast, steady back," Duo mumbled under his breath as he watched Heero clear jump five and then motor on towards jump eight; the double.

 

"That's the worst of it out the way," Treize stated. "The rest of the course is fine."

 

Duo gave the rider a grateful look, knowing that Treize was offering reassurance without it being obvious.

 

Zero gathered himself together for the double, clearing the first element and then bounding cleanly over the second. He gave a soft snort, eagerly looking for the next jump.

 

Heero made the left hand turn and brought Zero towards the wall. The red 'bricks' loomed before them, Zero eyeing it up and picking his take off point. Heero lined the fence up and rode Zero at it. The gray strode out and then began to shorten his stride a little, gathering his hind legs underneath in preparation for the take off. Three strides away and Heero came forward, letting the reins slide a little though his fingers. As Zero's hind quarters came underneath, he placed his front hooves down and then prepared to take off. The big gray soared into the air, stretching out and sailing over the wall easily. Forelegs reached for the returning earth, hooves biting into the mud and churned up grass. As Zero's hind legs came down so his near fore slipped in the mud. For a moment Zero lost his balance, legs scrambling to find purchase in the mud. Heero did all he could to assist the animal, sitting quietly in his saddle, keeping his weight still and letting the reins loose.

 

Back in the collecting ring, Duo's heart had leapt into his throat.

 

Zero recovered, using his hind legs to push himself out of the mud and re-balance. He could see the gate ahead, only six strides away and aimed for it.

 

As Zero regained his footing so Heero took up the contact again and sat deep into the saddle. Zero was on track for the gate and as Heero rode him forward he felt that all was not right. There was a subtle change to Zero's gait, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. The horse seemed a little rougher but before Heero had a chance to think any more on it, the gate was in front of them and Zero was preparing to take off.

 

The slip in the mud had done more damage than either horse or rider realized. Inside Zero's leg the tendons and ligaments that had been strained several years ago, took the brunt of the slip. Whilst it hadn't been enough to tear them, it had certainly put a lot of strain on them and caused them to stretch.

 

Zero pushed himself off the ground, leaping into the air and arcing over the gate, Heero following the movement with practiced ease. Forelegs again stretched out ready to take the weight of the horse and rider as they followed the course of gravity.

 

As Zero's front hooves touched down it was too much for the already strained leg. It buckled and gave beneath him, Zero plunging head first into the dirt.

 

~ * ~

 

tbc...