Help! (Colt)

[silverdreams]

A silver truck pulled into the drive and gravel flew, Kate jumped out of the truck and ran to the trailer. The door flew open and she disappeared inside for a moment. Loud clattering came from inside the trailer before the palomino came limping out. Each step sent the horses head flying back in pain, the cause of pain clearly marked by the makeshift boot on the horses right front leg.

Kate tied Scotch to the trailer and ran in, " Help! is anyone here? " she yelled her brunette hair flying as she turned looking for somebody, anybody...

(grr....i have no muse)

[.:x:.A.rtemis.:x:.]

Colt stood quietly in the round pen behind his office, lunging the crazed mare with feigned patience when the truck pulled up. Sighing heavily, slightly angered at the interruption, he tied the mare to a post before stepping out and closing the gate behind himself. He heard the clatter and knew the horse was being unloaded. Likely it had thrown a shoe and the owner wanted it replaced. He didn't hurry, but he didn't take his time either. He walked to the back door and stomped off his boots before he stepped inside. They were habits left from the time Novalle was alive. He frowned at them for a moment, then walked in, glancing up at the beautiful young woman with eyes the cool of hammered steel.

His eyes were never blue anymore. They only turned that slate blue color when he was happy or looking forward to something. These days the only thing he looked forward too was the silence of the grave. Tipping his hat slightly to acknowledge the woman's presence, Colt stepped over to his desk. What can I do for you? His voice was deep and... hollow? Yes, that was the only thing to describe the lack of emotions in his tone. He didn't offer his name, or bother to introduce himself. He no longer cared about social formalities. He no longer cared about anything except his horses.

Colt waited for her reply with an indifference that showed clearly in his relaxed stance and bored eyes. Awfully empty eyes they were too.

[silverdreams]

She stammered nervously, she hadnt been around horses her whole life and this was her first real emergency. "My horse scotch, he threw a shoe and it cracked his hoof and it punctured the frog...i didnt know what to do, so i threw some duct tape on it to keep out debris and came right over here" her eyes were wide with fear and started tearing up very quickly.

She rushed out to the trailer, not looking back or waiting for him to follow, wiping her eyes quickly as she went. Scotch stood at trailer, his eyes were wide and the white were showing. His front left foot was raised up in the air and a coating of sweat covered his golden body.

"He stumbled and cliped the shoe with his back foot and then spooked and took off from me, thats when the damage was done" she said self blamingly, putting her hand to to her forehead "I should have been paying more attention" she added, she had a problem of always blaming herself for everything that went wrong.

[.:x:.A.rtemis.:x:.]

Colt followed the girl, but, again, he didn'thurry but he didn't take his time either. His eyes didn't change as he assessed the horses hoof. He soon assessed the situation. The girl was practically hysterical, but he wasn't in a mood to comfort her. He nodded for a moment, even though he wasn't really listening. Slowly, he stepped forward and soft words of enchantment and encouragement poured from his lips and towards the horse in a soothing manner. He reached for the leadrope as he moved gracefully forward.

[silverdreams]

Kate took in another breath, but exhaled without another word, there was something about his nonchalant manner and calmness that seemed to help calm her down in a way. She brushed her bangs out of her face and followed him quietly. Although she was calm she still blamed every bit of the current situation on her, and with every right.

Scotch's ears perked at the calm words, and he slowly followed, his head jerking back in pain with every step. A bit of gravel flew up with every step as he hopped along, but other than that his general manner was quite calm, and he followed more than willingly.

[.:x:.A.rtemis.:x:.]

Colt led him slowly, taking extra care not to hurt his hoof anymore than it already was. They soon reached the small stable behind the office. He tied the stallion in the aisle and murmered softly before he walked to the tack room which covered half the stable. It held all his equipment. He quickly gathered supplies and other things he would need. Luckily the girl had wrapped the hoof early, preventing any other bacteria to be introduced. He grabbed bandages, hoof nippers, hoof knife, rasp, antiseptics, and many other little things. Soon he was back to the stallion and he laid all the supplies on a table a few feet away which stood beside the tack room door.

Turning, he went back to the tack room and put a large pot of water on a small stove to boil. It didn't take long until it started boiling. Turning, he mixed it with enough warm water to bring the temperature down. Then, gathering the large bucket, he walked back to the aisle.

Soon he stripped the hoof clean and examined the wound on the frog closely. It wasn't bad, but infection could easily set into a scratch, much less a puncture wound. He set about cleaning it quickly and efficiently, not stopping until it was done. Luckily, the crack was only a toe crack, and a very small one at that. Preventive measures would have to be taken to be certain that infection didn't set in and to make sure that the crack didn't worsen. Quickly, he clipped the horn and rasped it down until it was smooth. Then he wrapped the hoof and set it gently on the floor. He walked away from the stallion and towards the back of the stables where he kept the heating equipment. Soon, he worked up a fire that was hot enough to melt stone, much less metal and then he walked back to the front and caught up the stallion's lead rope, murmering soothingly all the while.

Soon he had him tied a short distance from the fire and, soon, he heated a small piece of metal shaped like a ring but a good bit larger until it was cherry red. Then, picking up the stallions hoof, he pressed it to the end of the crack, metaling the wall of the hoof until the end of the crack was no longer there. It would help hold it together. Then, he threw the metal into a bucket of water and rewrapped the hoof. For the first time since she arrived, Colt looked at her.

[silverdreams]

Kate stood silently against the wall, just watching him as he worked on Scotch...it was truly interesting to see the connection he had with horses. It was so strong he had the complete trust of a horse that he had just met...and was injured and scared. It was one of those things that you could just sit and admire for hours upon end and not even notice you are doing it.

The emotional strain of being so worked up over ht incident had truly worn her out, but she took notice as he finished and looked at her. She brushed her straight brunette bangs out of her eyes " You have no idea how grateful i am, not only for helping Scotch....but for dealing with me. I know i was a bit hysterical... " she trailed off, blushing a bit.

She walked over to Scotch who seemed to welcome her small hand on his forelock. She rubbed it softly, looking into his eyes....silently apologizing for any pain that she had caused him, again blaming herself. Then her attention was back to Colt....

[.:x:.A.rtemis.:x:.]

Colt nodded brusquely. Things like this happen. If your gonna keep horses, you have to be ready for it. His voice wasn't exactly cold, but it wasn't friendly either. He was simply stating a fact. He wanted to tell the woman not to worry, that it would be "okay", but giving her a false hope like that would have been worse than lying, and Colt didn't lie. Ever.

Turning away from the girl and the horse, Colt began to gather up his materials and soon had them all organized and put back in the tack building where they belonged. He walked back over to the girl and the horse before he noticed Valentine, standing in her stall with her head hanging over the door. The wild mare never went into the stall if she could help it, but, perhaps the stallion had caught her interest. A small whinny left her chestnut lips as she watched Scotch intently.

Colt smiled for the first time that day, but didn't offer to pet her. The mare had been taken off the range three days ago along with her almost dead foal and Colt wasn't about to get a hand bit off because she looked sweet now. Turning back towards the stallion and the girl, Colt cleared his throat. Keep an eye on that crack in his hoof, if it gets any longer or re-opens at the toe then bring him back up here. Keep it clean and well padded. Don't ride him at all and keep him penned up, preferably in a stall. If you don't have a stall then a small encloser will do just fine. His voice was low, deep, and knowledgeable.

He should be fine, it's just a sand crack and it's on toe besides, but it could get larger and, if it does, then he could go lame. His voice was the same as it had been earlier. Steady, calm. It was so matter-of-fact that he might have been talking about the prospect of rain rather than a determining factor of a horses usefulness. Today's visit will cost you $25. He added the last statement as an after thought, money wasn't the first thing on his mind anymore.

[silverdreams]

Kate nodded solemnly, making mental notes of exactly what to do. She briskly brushed off the coldness of his tone, she realized that she had probably taken up more than enough of his time with her ordeal. She bit her lip as he spoke the last part " Um about that, well see im a little low on funds at the moment....if you would, maybe i could work off the cost? " she said, her cheeks sheepishly red with embarassment. Kates father wasnt exactly proud of her choosing this rural little town instead of going to New York and becoming a lawyer....so he cut off her funds just as quick as he could. All she had was her trailer (which had a small living space), her truck, a few outfits, and Scotch....for now that was all she needed, but soon she'd have to start thinking realisticly and get a job.

[.:x:.A.rtemis.:x:.]

A long sigh left Colt's lips, a sigh that told it's own story of weariness and defeat. He didn't have time to stand over some girl's shoulder, making sure that she did every thing right. He didn't have time to follow after her either, fixing the little mistakes she would inevitably make. What did he have that needed to be done, and thing that would be quick and get the girl gone quickly? Nothing really, the only job he had open would be for a secretary and that was a long time job.

Another sigh escaped him as he realized the futility of the situation. He'd have to at least offer her the job, even if she turned it down. Besides, his office was a wreck. She would take one look at the stacks of files scattered about and run the other way. I have one job open for a secretary. It requires organization, basic computer skills, and a lot of time and patience. It pays $10 an' hour, 8 am to 6 pm. If you don't like that then you can give me an I.O.U. or something like that.His voice was clear, but bored as he turned and started walking back towards the barn door. He didn't really care about the money anymore, hell, he didn't really care about living anymore. He was simply pushing through the motions. His mind was in the simplest type of survival mode. The only message that his body ever really got was "Keep breathing." Sometimes it was the only one his body obeyed.

[silverdreams]

Kate turned on her heels and jogged a bit to keep up, " Wait..ok..i'll take it. Just when do i start? " she said picking up a brisk pace to keep up with his long strides. She didn't have any idea the events would turn as they did, all she wanted was to get scotch fixed and work something out for payment, but what he was offering sounded a bit like a semi-permanent job.

Then a thought struck her mind, " Do you have an open stall? Because you could take boarding out of my check and just give me the rest. " she said a bit bright eyed. She quickly hid her excitement, she didnt want anyone to know her true self, an overrprivelaged daddies girl...but judging by this guy he had probably already picked up on that. Not only would she be responsible for herself and scotch for the first time in her life...but perhaps she would make a friend that didnt want to be her friend to get close to her money...just maybe.

[.:x:.A.rtemis.:x:.]

Colt kept walking. A slow smile of amusement forming on his lips. The girl didn't know what she was getting into, but she was game. You can start now, put your stallion in any stall, except for the ones beside that mare, and don't go near the mare yourself. His voice was deep, but not at all amused or friendly. It was cold, deep, and low. Glancing back at the filly whose ears where pinned in his general direction, Colt breathed out heavily, sighing his tangled emotions out. The mare's dam had been a lot more level-headed than she herself, but, that always was the same with females. After you get him in a stall, feed him some alfalfa pellets or whatever you normally feed him and the you can get to work in the office, if you feel up to it after seeing the office. His smirk was, once again, not really amused. Put all the information into files and then file them alphabetically. Don't get in a rush, I don't think you'll finish filing in less than a month. This time his voice was amused and when he stepped into the sunlight outside the barn, he turned sharply, pinning her with a gaze. Don't go through my desk. I'll give you any papers out of there that you need. His voice was as sharp as his glance, and, with those words he turned and walked to the corral and slipped in, preparing for the mare to try and take a hunk out of his hide.

[silverdreams]

Kate listened to what he said, nodding with every statement he said. Once he was finished with his lecture on what to do she walked down the isle, fetching Scotch from the cross ties and walking him to a stall. She picked a stall a few stalls down from the mare, as he had said. She locked the stall door and made her way to where he said the feed room was. She grabbed a can full of oats, added a handful of beet pulp, and grabbed a flake of hay with the other hand. She dumped his food in the feet bucket and tossed his hay in the hay rack. She gave him a parting pat on the shoulder before exiting the stall, fastening the latch again. She stayed away from the mares stall as she passed in on her way to the office.

When she reached the office she pushed the door open, it was dark and dusty, but not horribly unwelcoming...that is until she found the light switch. Papers were stacked all over the desk and surrounding chairs, tables, and the floor. She raised he eyebrows and crossed her arms, he wasnt joking she thought to herself as she stood there pondering what to do next. She saw some filing cabinet almost fully hidden under more stacks of paperwork...that was where it all began.

She began by finding an old fan, she plugged it in and put it in the doorway facing out, hoping to clear out some of the dust, she also opened the small window that faced out into the isle of stalls. Then she cleared the top of the desk and the chair of the papers, setting them on the ground and clearing off the desk so she could work efficiantly. She started with one stack of papers, she would sort them first by ranch name or by customer, then she would sort them by horse. The slow process began as she took the first invoice off the top of the stack.

[.:x:.A.rtemis.:x:.]

Soon Colt was walking through the corral, towards the dutch door that led into the mares stall. Suddenly, she exploded from the door, flying at him like a bullet out of a gun. He barely stepped out of the way in time. A few curse words poured from his lips, but there was no anger behind it. The mare was considerably more hostile than her dam had ever thought of being. Colt laughed as he lowered his voice, speaking to her gently. I bet your daddy was a mean ol' son. He smmile gently as she turned her heels to him and took off across the corral, showing him her heels as she went. Colt hadn't had a good start with her. That first night he had rode her with force and now she wasn't looking forward to finding out that people could be gentle as well as tough.

Colt knew she wouldn't like learning anything from him, but he also knew that he couldn't release her back into the wild. He was already hooked on her fiery spirit, it reminded him so much of all that he had lost. His sister, his fiancee, his mare. Harsh laughter tried to fight it's way out of his throat. He swallowed it and grimaced instead. The cruel irony of his life was not at all amusing. It filled him with anguish and pain, literally choking the life out of him.

He stood for a moment, getting his emotions under control, beating them down harshly until he was again as numb and non-caring as before. Once, a long time ago, it had taken forever to get to the point where he felt nothing and remembered nothing, but it came easier now. It took less time. Perhaps, one day, their would be a time when he wouldn't have to stop and fight his emotions away. Perhaps one day he would wake up and not remember anything at all. Maybe, one day, he wouldn't have to remind himself to kill his emotions. Maybe, one day, he would simply wake up and find that he had no emotions left to kill.

He held his breath every morning when he awoke and waited, hoping that today all of his hurt and love would simply dissolve, leaving him free of everything. He knew that the day that happened would be the day he died though. The pain was all that let his body know that he was still alive. If the pain ever left then he would simply stop breathing. He knew it would happen, but he didn't fear it. He welcomed that day with open arms, he waited breathlessly for it every moment. Death was the only peace he'd ever know now.

Glancing at the mare through silver eyes, Colt threw away his thoughts and approached her slowly, his hand out, talking to her gently while his mind rolled over the female he had just hired. She was young, probably early twenties, apparently, she liked horses and at least had minimal secritarial skills. He smiled, she was probably more qualified for the job than anyone else that ever owed him money.

Suddenly, the mare lunged turned and lunged at him, ripping through the sleeve of his shirt and gripping the flesh of his shoulder tightly in her teeth. She bit him hard and hung on tight, gouging his softer tissues with her powerful ivories. Then, Colt swept of his hat and flung it in her face, the entire while trying not to yell at the pain that ripped through his arm, pulsing and throbbing along with the blood that slowly stained his torn shirt. The mare spun on her hocks and galloped across the pen, quickly escaping the terror of the flapping cowboy hat.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Colt stumbled to the dutch door and slipped into the barn, silently cursing himself over and over for thinking of a girl when he should have been paying attention to the blasted mustang. He slipped out of the stall, never taking his eyes off the mare as he went out. He walked slowly to the tack room, letting the pain sweep everything away from his mind, silently acknowledging the price of his stupidity.

He stumbled to the tack room, seeing the aisle and stalls through a pain-glazed haze. He reached it quickly and struggled for a moment as he removed his torn western shirt with one arm, turning his naked back to the doorway. Quickly he gathered antiseptics, bandages and medical tape and set them before him. Then he went to the sink and began washing the deep wound roughly with soap and steaming hot water. He ignored the mind-numbing pain and focused on cleaning it. It might need stiches, but he'd see to that later after his shift here was finished.



OOC: Hee hee hee. Drama!!!!

[silverdreams]

Kate noticed Colt stumbling past the doorway, she poked her head out of the doorway in time to catch a glimpse of him stumbling into the tack room. She frown and almost started to go back to work before she noticed a blood trail on the ground. She frowned and walked towards the tack room, she saw Colt standing over the sink, blood starting from his shoulder and dripping down his arm.

Kate rushed forward " Oh my gosh...here let me... " she said quickly, grabbing some gauze and pressing it to the wound, trying to help stop the bleeding. She grabbed some more and began wiping the blood that ran down his arm. She pressed on the wound for a good minute before checking it, it wasnt gushing anymore so she stopped pressing it. " How did this happen? " she asked, looking through the medical supplies. She found some peroxide and began to clean up the wound, she did it gingerly...hoping it wasnt stinging too badly.