Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Time, Fault and Out ❯ Chapter 21 ( Chapter 21 )

Disclaimer: I don't own the G'boys, I just borrow them from time to time to play with and return them a whole lot happier, ne?

 

Rating: NC 17

 

 

Pairings: 1x2x1, 3x4

 

Warnings: AU, OOC, Lemon, Yaoi, Angst, Fluff, Sap, Vet themes.

 

Summary: Set 2 years after Equinity. Heero is now riding for the Kushrenada stable as well as attempting to qualify Zero for the Nations Cup team and ultimately his dream of riding at the Olympic games. But life is never an easy ride.

 

Notes: All the information on showjumping, horses, etc is taken from my own knowledge of the sport having been a competitor and now judge for many years and is written from an Australian perspective. The rules and regulations are courtesy of the E.F.A Handbook. (Equestrian Federation of Australia) Should you have any questions just e-mail me.

 

Fic 2 in the "Equine Intervention" Arc.

 

Dedication: To Klingonpoodle who gave me the plot bunny for the first fic and has since supplied my muse with its own plot bunny farm, and to 'Teddy Bear' my own courageous little showjumper whom Zero is based upon.

 

 

"Time, Fault and Out"

 

November. 2005 ShenLong

 

Chapter 21

 

"Who is Zechs?" Hilde asked as she packed away the equipment from the operation.

 

"Zechs Merquise," Duo mused. "He's another vet, usually does locum work. When I was sick with the 'flu once, Heero called up the veterinary board to get a locum in for the practice. Zechs was the vet they sent out."

 

"Ah," replied Hilde.

 

"You'll like him, he's a cool guy. Good vet too. I wonder what he's doing down this neck of the woods?"

 

"I'm sure you'll find out shortly. Can I take Melody back to her stable now?" Heero interrupted.

 

Duo gave the filly a quick once over, she seemed a lot steadier on her feet now. "Yeah. I'll give you a hand with her."

 

They had just finished putting the yearling back into her box when Zechs appeared in the stable breezeway.

 

"Zechs!" Duo called out and then strode over to meet the tall man, offering his hand.

 

"Duo, it's good to see you again," the blonde replied.

 

"Good to see you too, Zechs," Duo said as he shook Zechs' hand. "You remember Heero?" Duo added as Heero stepped out of the filly's box and hung up the lead rope before walking over to shake the other vet's hand.

 

"It's been a while, Zechs. I trust life is treating you well?"

 

"It has been a while, Heero. Life is pretty good."

 

"This is Hilde, she's my assistant vet." Duo introduced the woman as Hilde emerged from the operating theater.

 

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Doctor Merquise," Hilde said with a smile and shook hands.

 

"The pleasure is all mine, I assure you." Zechs gave the woman a dazzling smile. "Please, call me Zechs."

 

Hilde giggled then turned her attention back to Duo. "Everything is cleaned up in the theater, I've only got the instruments left to clean and sterilize. I'll take them up to the surgery and put them through the autoclave, then I'll come back down and keep an eye on Miss Muffet."

 

"Thanks, Hilde." Seeing Zechs quirk an eyebrow, Duo explained. "Had a yearling in with an extra hoof growing out from the cannon bone. We've just finished removing it."

 

"Ah. Sounds interesting. I've never seen anything like that before," Zechs said.

 

"I've got the extra 'appendage' in the prep room if you want to take a look at it?"

 

"Love to."

 

Heero cleared his throat. "I'll leave you guys to chat, I'm going to go do some work on Zero. I'll take over from Hilde once I've finished."

 

"Okay, Heero. We will be up at the house probably." Duo turned to Zechs. "You'll stay and have a coffee, won't you?"

 

"Thanks, I'd like that," replied Zechs.

 

***

 

After showing Zechs the hoof he'd removed from the youngster, Duo left Hilde to keep an eye on the filly and took Zechs up to the house where he made them both a coffee. Sitting down at the table, Duo opened the cookie tin and offered it to the other vet.

 

"What brings you back down this neck of the woods, Zechs?" The question had been burning on Duo's tongue since he'd taken the page from Catherine.

 

Zechs took a sip of his coffee and contemplated the question for a moment. "I've been asked to join the Oakford Equine Veterinary Clinic," he said quietly.

 

Duo gave a whistle. "Nice. I hope you said yes, and, if you don't mind me asking, how did you score that one?" Duo was familiar with the Oakford clinic, it was the equine specialist in the surrounding districts. He also recalled it was the practice that the pink parasite used.

 

"They called me up and asked me to do some locum work for them a couple of months back. I did and thoroughly enjoyed it. They gave me another call last week and offered me a position at the practice. They already have two vets working there, but the clientele is growing and they could really use another vet. So they offered me the position. I'm getting a little tired with all the traveling around involved in being a locum so I took it."

 

"That's great news, Zechs. Congratulations. I wish you every success," Duo said in all sincerity.

 

"Thank you. I thought I would call by and let you know I'll be moving down this way. I really enjoyed the week I spent here at your practice and with us going to be neighbors of sorts I had hoped we could continue our friendship as well."

 

"Of course," Duo grinned.

 

They chatted for a while longer, Heero finished up with Zero and joined them, chatting easily to Zechs while Duo went to check on the filly. Heero was pleased to hear Zechs' news and congratulated the blonde. During the short time Zechs had spent at the Maxwell Veterinary practice, Heero had gotten to know the vet quite well and a friendship had been forged. Knowing that Zechs would be permanently in the next county made him happy that their friendship would continue.

 

Duo had told Zechs about Heero's qualifying and making the short list for the Nations Cup, something that caused Heero to blush and Zechs to offer hearty congratulations. They chatted for a while longer before Duo had to bid his farewells as evening consults were due to start. Zechs took his leave, promising to stay in touch and let the guys know his new phone number and address; when he had one.

 

Duo went off to the surgery, Heero set about bringing the horses in and then making dinner, both their minds slightly preoccupied with Zechs' visit.

 

***

 

Another week went by, Melody recovered well from her surgery and Duo was pleased with the result. He called Mr Styles who came and collected the filly two days after the operation. The older man could hardly believe his eyes when he saw the filly, the ugly growth having been removed and the only visible evidence of anything having been on her leg was the row of neat stitches. Duo gave Mr Styles the run down on care of the wound and advised him to bring the filly back in another eight days to have the stitches removed.

 

Heero managed to enjoy a few more days Relena free and concentrate on working Sandrock and Taurus. Sandy was working well; he'd muscled up nicely and taken out a few larger events. Currently he was graded in B grade and Heero didn't think it would be too much longer before the horse made it to A grade. Ideally he'd like to keep Sandy at B grade for the rest of the season, give the horse a chance to gain more experience before passing into the top grade. If he could finish the season in B grade then when the next season began, Heero could start Sandy off in C grade, the EFA ruling allowing a combination to commence a new season at a grade lower than the one they finished in, in the previous season.

 

Taurus was settling well too. The continuous work over poles and grids had done wonders for the excitable animal. They were now jumping courses again, this time though, Taurus was keeping his attention focused on his rider and actually listening instead of trying to charge off into his fences. Heero was pleased with the progress and had high hopes that the horse would make it through the ranks and become a good A grade animal.

 

Treize was also thinking along the same lines. While Taurus would never make it to international competition, Treize could see that he should be able to sell the horse for a decent price at some stage during the next showjumping season. Sandrock was also destined to be sold, neither horse having that vital 'spark' that was necessary to take it to the top. They were good horses, no doubt about that and would continue to do well in open competition, but Treize had other horses coming into the stable for next season and so the current animals had to be looked at and their fates decided.

 

Treize had already picked out a four year old for Heero to start on next season; a handsome, brown stallion called Altron. The horse had shown a lot of talent when Treize had started to break him in and Treize had high hopes that Heero would be able to take that talent and turn the horse into a top animal.

 

Riding back into the stable area on Sandrock, Heero's attention was taken by a strange car he could see parked just outside the stable area. Beside Heero, Treize brought Goose to a halt and noticed the younger rider's attention focusing on something he couldn't see.

 

"What's up?" Treize asked as he dismounted.

 

"Strange car parked just outside," replied Heero as he also dismounted.

 

A stable boy took Goose's reins as Treize went to have a look. He returned a moment later. "You want to start running now?"

 

"Huh?"

 

"It's Relena."

 

Heero did his best not to show the grimace, but failed. Moments later his worst nightmare appeared around the corner.

 

"Heero, Treize," the woman said excitedly as she was carried from the car and into the stable courtyard.

 

"Relena," murmured Heero and ducked behind Sandy to run his stirrups up.

 

"Ah, Relena. Good to see you again, my dear, but shouldn't you be resting? This moving around can't be aiding the healing of your foot," said Treize.

 

"Don't you start fussing," grumbled Relena. "I'm fine but if I have to spend another minute in that house I'm going to go mad."

 

“Here," Treize disappeared into the tack room and emerged with a chair. "Sit on that."

 

Relena did so, the man that had carried her from the car returned with her crutches and propped them against the stable wall. "Thank you, James," Relena said to the young man who was obviously a groom if his dress was anything to go by.

 

Heero told the young groom who came over to take care of Sandrock that he would see to the animal. Heero knew that if he left the care of the horse to the groom he would be left with no choice but to talk to Relena, and he really didn't want to do that. Having the horse to tend to gave him an excuse to chat from a distance. He knew it was the coward's way out and Duo would probably laugh at his antics when he told him later, but right now, Heero didn't care.

 

Despite the fact that she was chair bound for the moment, Relena didn't give up on her pursuit of the dark haired rider. She chatted politely to Treize, but still managed to let Heero know she wanted him.

 

After several minutes and lots of subtle hints from Relena to try to get Heero to ask her out, Heero had finished untacking the bay. He couldn't use the horse as an excuse anymore and reluctantly handed Sandy over to the groom to be put back in his stable.

 

"How is your foot, Relena?" Heero asked, remembering his manners.

 

"It's coming along okay. It aches from time to time, but I guess that's to be expected," she replied and shifted her foot to show off the cumbersome cast.

 

"I'm really sorry about Zero stepping on you," Heero apologized. He'd already said numerous apologies when the accident had happened, but at the time Relena was too upset and in pain to really take much notice. Heero did feel bad about Zero stepping on her and it was the right thing to do to offer his apologies again.

 

"It was an accident, Heero. I know the horse didn't do it on purpose," Relena replied.

 

Heero still had his doubts about that. Given the way Duo had stuffed Zero full of carrots afterwards and praised the horse for his well timed step, Heero wondered if Zero was going to make a habit of stepping on anything pink with a monotonous voice.

 

"If it will make you feel any better you can take me out to dinner."

 

Heero's head jerked around with those words. "What?!"

 

"I know a nice restaurant in town that serves a good meal. Not too expensive and cozy as well."

 

"Ah."

 

"I'll make a reservation for tomorrow at seven thirty. You can pick me up at seven."

 

"I can't."

 

"Pardon?"

 

"Relena, I can't. I have work to do at the vet practice."

 

"Oh, posh! That Maxwell creature doesn't need you to help him, he has staff."

 

"Yes, he does have staff and I'm part of the payroll too. I can't just take time off when I feel like it." Heero was beginning to get desperate. He really didn't want to go out with this woman and longed to be able to tell her that he already had a boyfriend. Unfortunately, he couldn't reveal the real reason for his lack of interest in her.

 

"I'll call him and tell him you won't be working tomorrow. That will give him enough time to arrange a replacement for you."

 

Was there no end to this woman's gall? Lucky for Heero, Treize stepped in.

 

"Heero, you need to get Taurus saddled up, we have a lesson in the jumping paddock in about fifteen minutes."

 

"Right." Heero gave the older man a smile of gratitude and went to fetch the hot headed chestnut.

 

"Relena, I think you should stop badgering Heero," Treize said as the young man went to fetch the horse.

 

"Why? He's cute, handsome and got a great body on him. I think we would make a perfect pair. Mrs Relena Yuy. That has a nice ring to it don't you think, Treize?"

 

Treize almost choked, but skillfully turned it into a cough. "Getting a bit ahead of yourself, aren't you?"

 

"Why waste time?"

 

"Relena, as much as you persist in this infatuation of yours, have you stopped to consider Heero's side?"

 

"Pardon?"

 

"Heero is a young man with a bright future. He's got skills and a natural talent with horses, a talent I am determined to see nurtured and taken to its full potential. Heero doesn't have time in his life to get married, that's presuming he even wanted to. He's far too busy with his career."

 

"I can help him with that career, Treize. You know the sort of stock I breed, heaven knows you've ridden enough of them. With Heero marrying me we can both benefit. I'd be able to provide him with the quality animal to take him to the top."

 

Treize gave a heavy sigh. It appeared Relena had an answer to everything. "Has it ever occurred to you that Heero isn't interested in you?"

 

"Why wouldn't he be? I'm pretty, astute in business and have a sound wealth behind me.""And you're also female," Treize muttered under his breath.

 

"What was that?"

 

"Ah, I said, have you considered that he might already be involved in a relationship?" Treize didn't want to give anything away, but was determined to try and help Heero out if he could.

 

"He's not."

 

"How can you be so sure?"

 

"I already asked him if he had a wife or girlfriend and he said he wasn't married and didn't have a girlfriend," replied Relena smugly.

 

/Well, he couldn't exactly come out and say he had a boyfriend,/ Treize thought. "Relena, give him some space, please? He has a lot to concentrate on, not only with Taurus and Sandy, but his own horse as well. It's not going to be easy to make the final team for the cup."

 

Relena sighed. "I'm not going to give up," she warned.

 

"I didn't expect you would."

 

"Besides, he's already agreed to take me out to dinner tomorrow."

 

"I don't recall him saying he would. Actually, if I remember correctly he said he couldn't because he had to work at the vet practice."

 

"I know what he said, but I'll call that cat and dog vet and let him know my Heero is taking me out for dinner and he can arrange someone else to fill in. I'm doubtful that they even need Heero. It's only a small practice, not important."

 

Treize was just about ready to strangle the woman, only his sense of etiquette kept him from saying and doing what he really wanted to. Lucky for Relena she was a woman, if she'd been a man Treize was sure he would have decked her by now.

 

Heero returned at that moment with Taurus and began to get the chestnut ready.

 

"I'll head down to the paddock and set up the grid," said Treize. “Once you're saddled, join me and we will give this animal a good workout."

 

"Can I come and watch?" Relena asked.

 

Treize looked at Heero.

 

Heero grunted. "It's okay with me."

 

"All right, you can come and watch. I'll carry you down there, but I warn you. You will have to stay in your seat and no interrupting while I'm working with Heero and Taurus.

 

"Thank you. I'll be good."

 

Treize doubted that but didn't say anything. He walked over and picked up the woman, calling for a stable boy to bring the woman's chair and crutches. Heero was left in peace to finish saddling up.

 

When they got to the paddock, Treize had the stable boy set up the chair by the fence, far enough away that Relena wouldn't be in any danger or restrict the working of the horse, but still close enough to watch what went on. With Relena ensconced in the chair, Treize went to set up the grid.

 

* * *

 

Heero finished saddling up and walked Taurus to the jumping paddock. He spotted Relena sitting by the fence and hoped that the woman would remain there and not interfere with his lesson. Taurus was starting to show something of the form he was capable of and Heero didn't want anything to disturb that. He took the gelding to a corner of the paddock and began to warm up while Treize finished setting up the grid.

 

Once Taurus was loosened up, Heero brought him over to the grid and Treize. "We will start him off over the grid at two foot, just bring him in at a trot and let him settle," said Treize.

 

Heero nodded and turned the horse, riding in a circle and establishing the trot rhythm before turning the horse to face the grid. Taurus lowered his head and neck, brought his hind quarters underneath him and trotted down the line of small jumps effortlessly. Heero patted the chestnut neck and brought him around for another go.

 

The grid was repeated several times, Taurus listening and responding well. Treize then raised the fences to three foot and asked Heero to push into the canter and continue with the grid as before. Heero sat down in his saddle, collected his reins and urged the horse into the canter. Taurus responded well, changing his gait and settling into a steady canter.

 

Approaching the grid again, Heero held the horse until the last three strides then urged him forward. Taurus responded, back legs coming underneath as his head lowered and his back rounded. The grid was taken in good style, Taurus keeping the cadence throughout, striding each fence to perfection and clearing the jumps easily.

 

"That's much better," praised Treize as Heero gave the horse a breather.

 

"He's certainly improving," replied Heero. "If he keeps going this way then there's no reason why he shouldn't be able to compete again next season."

 

"I agree. The true test though will be when he gets onto a show ground again. It will be interesting to see his reaction, whether it brings back memories to him of his last encounter."

 

"Yeah. I guess all we can do is hope."

 

"Right. Okay, you've had a long enough break, let's take him down the bottom of the paddock and try him over a proper course."

 

"No problem." Heero applied a gentle pressure with his legs and Taurus began to move. Treize walked along beside, heading for the jumping course at the bottom of the paddock. Both men completely forgot about Relena.

 

Sitting in her chair, Relena watched the big chestnut as he worked, the long stride and ease in which he jumped the grid bringing a smile to her face. She could really appreciate Heero's riding skills and found her eyes lingering over his body. The loose shirt he wore enhanced his rugged looks and those tight jodhpurs... Well, suffice to say Relena had to look; and had licked her lips on several occasions. She wasn't all that clued up on the male form but she knew enough to realize that Heero did indeed have a very nice package if his jodhpurs were anything to go by.

 

Seeing the two men and horse walking off down the paddock she wondered where they were going. Then the wonder turned to annoyance as she realized they'd forgotten about her. She sat back and wondered what to do.

 

Reaching the other end of the paddock, Treize explained to Heero what he wanted him to do with Taurus. "Take him around the outside of the course, get him going forwards and then bring him in to start. The order I want you to jump them in will be crossbar, parallel bars, upright, oxer, gate, double, wall and the triple. They're set at three foot and that should do him for the first round. Depending on how he goes, we can put him over a second time and then I'll raise them to three foot six and add the stile to the course."

 

"Okay," replied Heero and gathered up his reins. He took Taurus around the outside of the jumps, increasing the horse's gait until he had a forward going canter. Sitting into his saddle, Heero turned the chestnut and began the course.

 

Taurus pricked his ears as he approached the first fence. He listened to his rider and cleared it easily, turning slightly to the left to come into the second fence.

 

Treize watched carefully, noting Heero's riding and how the horse was traveling. A smile crossed his features as he watched the pair. Taurus seemed to be a different horse, listening and responding to Heero's signals. The pair came into the double and Treize held his breath. They cleared the first element, landed, took a stride and were sailing over the second element. Treize released the breath with a sigh of relief. If they were going to have any trouble on the practice course the double would be it.

 

Taurus cleared the rest of the course with ease, only pulling a little towards the end, but nothing that Heero couldn't handle. With a wide grin on his face, Heero turned the animal and rode over to Treize to see what the other man thought.

 

They discussed the horse's performance for a couple of minutes before Heero took the chestnut round again. Taurus once more completed the course with ease, earning himself a few pats and lots of verbal praise. Heero walked the horse around so he wouldn't go cold while Treize raised the course.

 

"Right, it's set at three six now. Do the stile in-between the wall and the triple," Treize said as he returned from adjusting the course.

 

"Will do," replied Heero and turned Taurus to circle and build up speed before attempting the course.

 

Relena sat fuming. She was madder than a hornet that she'd been forgotten. She watched as Heero took the big chestnut over the jumps, annoyed that she couldn't see or hear properly what was going on. Deciding that she'd had enough of sitting there, Relena grabbed her crutches, propped them under her arms and began to stand. Once she was upright, she shuffled the crutches until they were in a more comfortable position and then began the trek across the paddock to where the two men were working with the horse.

 

Heero was concentrating hard. Although the course remained the same, other than the addition of the stile, the height had been increased and that added a whole new dimension to his jumping tactics. He needed to have Taurus on the bit, listening and responding to every touch, every signal he gave the horse. So far, Taurus was responding well, shortening and lengthening his stride as Heero asked.

 

Treize watched carefully. He was pleased with the way the chestnut was going. He'd had his doubts that the horse would be able to cope with the raised fences, but it seemed he was wrong.

 

The two men and horse were so intent on what they were doing that none of them saw Relena get up and start to walk across the paddock on her crutches.

 

Clearing the wall, Heero sat down in his saddle and rode Taurus together. The stile was a tricky jump. It was narrow which made it awkward for the horse to judge its height and the take off point. With a light hand on the reins, Heero brought the chestnut's hind legs underneath him, held the power there until the last second then unleashed it. Taurus pushed himself off the ground with an explosion of strength. He sailed over the stile, landed and immediately felt his rider's legs on his sides, pushing him back together.

 

They made the turn and lined up the triple, Heero adjusting Taurus' stride so the horse met the obstacle perfectly. They launched into the air, clearing the poles with style and ease, landing safely on the other side. Heero sat down again into his saddle and began to bring the horse to a trot.

 

Treize grinned. That had been an excellent effort. He was really pleased with the way the pair had gone and was happy that Heero had talked him into giving the horse a second chance. If Taurus kept going like this then Treize would be able to sell him at a tidy profit for both himself and Relena.

 

Relena.

 

Guiltily, Treize began to turn around. He'd forgotten all about Relena. No doubt she would be fuming by now. As Treize turned he spotted the woman coming across the paddock towards them. She wasn't all that far away now and Treize could see the anger in her face.

 

Taurus also spotted the funny creature coming across the paddock and he stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes boggled, never had he ever seen anything like this. His nostrils flared and he gave a loud snort.

 

Heero ran a soothing hand down the horse's neck. "It's okay, Taurus, it's just Relena, nothing to be scared of. Unless you happen to be me that is."

 

Hearing the snort, Treize spun around to see the chestnut standing stock still, his eyes wide and his nostrils flaring. He watched as Taurus shook his head, snorted again and then spun around before facing Relena again and snorting once more.

 

The spin caught Heero by surprise and he lost a stirrup. He managed to stay on the horse though and continued to try and soothe the animal.

 

Seeing what could happen, Treize shouted for Relena to stop. Relena didn't hear him though. She was thoroughly fed up at being forgotten, her mind only focused on her own plight and she continued to limp across the paddock, intent on giving the two a piece of her mind.

 

"It's okay, boy," Heero said softly, reassuring the horse. Beneath him, Taurus trembled, the muscles shaking, head nodding up and down as his eyes remained fixed on the creature approaching.

 

Treize tried again to call out to Relena. He could see Taurus getting more and more agitated. With Relena either ignoring him or not hearing his call, Treize began to walk towards her.

 

Finally, Taurus couldn't take anymore. The thing walking towards him wasn't recognizable as anything he trusted. His instincts kicked in and took over. Obeying those instincts that had kept the horse alive for centuries, Taurus gave one last snort, spun around and bolted.

 

Several things happened at once. Treize would think back later and comment that it was as if everything went into slow motion.

 

Hearing the snort and then the sound of galloping hooves, Treize stopped and turned. Taurus was bolting. Relena also stopped when she heard the sound of the hooves and stared in open mouthed horror as Taurus bolted, heading straight for the paddock gate.

 

"Oh fuck!" exclaimed Treize before his mouth went dry.

 

"Treize? What the hell is happening?" Relena said, her face worried.

 

"Taurus has bolted. I hope Heero can turn him or stop him." Treize gave a worried look to the woman now beside him.

 

"Can he clear the gate?" Relena asked, her voice shaking a little.

 

"I don't know. It's five foot."

 

"Oh."

 

"But that's not the problem. There's only a two foot strip of grass on the other side, then it's the blue metal laneway." [1]

 

"Oh god."

 

"Heero! Look out!" yelled Treize. But it was fruitless.

 

* * *

 

Heero hadn't regained his stirrup from Taurus' earlier spin so when the horse jumped and spun again, he was thrown slightly off balance. He managed to shove himself back in the saddle though and gather up the reins he'd lost when the horse had turned.

 

"Whoa, steady, Taurus. No need to panic, boy. She's not a predator," Heero said as the horse bolted.

 

Taurus didn't listen. He was thoroughly worked up and frightened by now and intended to put as much distance between himself and the threat as possible. Blindly, he galloped on.

 

Heero tugged on the reins, pulling desperately, but it was as if the horse's mouth had turned to steel. He tried pulling on one rein with all his strength, but Taurus galloped on. The wind roared past his ears, the force of it causing tears to form in his eyes as he tried again and again to stop the chestnut's mad flight.

 

The words Treize yelled out were snatched away by the rushing wind, but Heero caught the 'out' bit. He switched his attention to where Taurus was heading and swallowed hard. Approaching at a fearful speed was the paddock gate. It was five foot high - and closed.

 

There was no way that Taurus would be able to clear it at the speed he was traveling. Heero tried again to turn the animal or check the speed. Taurus didn't respond. Taurus was determined to jump and get away from the thing that had scared him. For the first time in his riding career, Heero understood the term 'being a passenger'. There was absolutely nothing he could do to stop the animal.

 

With that knowledge hitting him, Heero knew all he could do was hang on and try to give the gelding as much assistance as he could. Setting his mouth in a grim line, Heero dug his knees in hard, took a firm hold of the reins and grabbed a handful of mane.

 

The sight of the approaching gate suddenly registered in Taurus' fear filled mind. His stride faltered for a moment, but he was too close to change tack now. If he tried to turn he would fall. There wasn't enough space for him to stop either; he would surely slide into the gate. Gathering his hindquarters underneath him, Taurus gave the leap of his life.

 

Heero flung himself forward in an effort to stay with the chestnut. He felt the power underneath him as Taurus lurched into the air. For a brief second, Heero thought they were going to make it, then he heard the distinct sound of splintering wood.

 

Taurus' hind legs caught the gate, hitting it hard, breaking the top two spars and throwing the horse off balance in mid air. Forelegs stretched out, caught the edge of the grass and slid onto the blue metal, buckling beneath the weight of the animal's body. The head folded under, muzzle hitting the dirt followed by the shoulders as Taurus somersaulted.

 

Heero knew they were going to fall as soon as he heard the wood splinter. As Taurus hit the ground and folded underneath him, Heero did his best to relax and tuck his head in. The force of the fall threw Heero from the saddle and across the blue metal roadway, he hit the road, bounced and then crashed against a tree on the other side.

 

There was a sickening crunch, a sharp pain and then Heero's world went black.

 

~ * ~

 

tbc...

 

[1] Blue Metal: This is a road base used quite a lot here in Aussie as opposed to asphalt in country areas or areas that don't get a lot of traffic. It's also used a lot in landscape gardening for drainage purposes. It's a fine to coarse stone, hardy and colored a blue gray - hence the name blue metal. For more info go here: http://www.anlscape.com.au/page/blue_metal.html