Animal Husbandry, a twilight fanfic

Disclaimer: While the attempt has been made to be medically accurate, some artistic license has been taken, and statements made by Carlisle and other medical personnel are not to be regarded as authoritative.

The word "Husbandry" is used as a play on words in the title for artistic effect; while terms used for vampire mates are the only ones strong enough to describe the relationship between Bree and King, as I tried to make clear in the story, there is nothing romantic and/or sexual between Bree and her horse.

Do not post without permission. Do not copy/print without including the above disclaimer in its entirety.

A/N: The date of this story is correct for my alternate history, as described in my profile. See my profile for how Bree survived and became a Cullen, and read "King's Cross" to see how her horse became a vampire. (Please also see disclaimer above.) Barbie

Bree

King's Cross was my mate…never mind that he was a horse.

I never called him my mate out loud. Edward knew, of course, and Bella would understand…maybe Jasper would, too. But the rest of them would think I meant something else…wanted King the way they wanted their mates — and that was just disgusting. If there was a physical aspect to our relationship at all, it was this; riding him, becoming one being as I leaned low on his neck and he flew over the ground.

But everything else was the same; the deep affection, the fierce protectiveness, the willingness to die for each other. I hadn't controlled him since he became a vampire.

Well, actually, I never controlled him before that, either, other than to keep him from being afraid of us. It didn't seem right, to trust him because I made him trustworthy. He had to be able to betray me…and choose not to. I had asked him once if he wanted a mare — I would have changed one for him, if he'd wanted it, never mind that it would have broken my heart. But he had snorted in derision. You're my mare, Bree. He had called me "filly" ever since.

Not that his thoughts were as clear as that; I couldn't actually hear the words. But they were more than the urges and instincts of dumb animals. And he could actually say my name; a whinny that was unmistakably "Bree."

It was night, the countryside shadowed in shades of blue and purple. We were running just for the fun of it, though flying was really a better word; even Edward had nothing on King for speed. He was as many times faster than a normal horse as most vampires were than humans. We had never tried going at his fastest gallop; sometimes I wondered if we would be able to break the sound barrier.

Then the beautiful stillness of the night was shattered by a cry, a mental wail of anguish. I pressed my knee to King's side, and he turned smoothly. Slow down, I told him; I had learned how to mentally tell him what I wanted without forcing him to obey.

As we neared the source of the cry, I swung down and ran the rest of the way on foot. It was a poor little rabbit, trapped and helpless in the jaws of a fox, but still alive. Let it go!

I didn't restrain my control this time; the fox had no choice but to obey. The fox yapped once and ran off without its prey.

I darted forward and picked up the trembling, bleeding rabbit.

It wasn't scared of me, of course; no animals ever were…unless I wanted them to be. But I patted it, speaking soothingly and mentally urging it not to be afraid. I tore a strip from my shirt and was just bandaging the worst place when King walked up at "human" speed. His nostrils flared at the scent of the rabbit's blood, and I pulled it protectively against me. "She's not for you to eat."

He exhaled in a long, whiffling sigh. Not big enough to be more than a snack anyway…think there'll be blood for me at the barn?

"Probably," I replied, grabbing a handful of mane and swinging myself up. I really would have kept my promise and killed animals for King myself; he meant that much to me. But I was glad that every few days, we would return to find two or three buckets of blood steaming in the barn. Alice's doing, mostly; she was my best friend — though I could never quite think of her as a sister — and of course she always knew when we'd be coming back to have the blood fresh and still warm.

I let him go into the barn by himself when we arrived home; I never used a saddle or reins, and of course King didn't get sweaty. Grooming him could wait.

I carried the rabbit into the house and lined Mother's roasting pan (I had seen Jacob eat an entire roast turkey at one sitting) with towels to make a bed for it. Stay, I ordered, though I really didn't think it was in any condition to move if it wanted to, and ran up the stairs to get Daddy.

I knocked on the bedroom door before pushing it open. "Daddy!"

He pushed himself up on his arm and growled at me.

I didn't take it personally; he growled at anyone or anything that interrupted him when he was with Mother.

"Daddy, I saved a rabbit from a fox, but she's hurt bad."

"I'm not a veterinarian, Bree." A faint growl of annoyance still ran through his voice.

"Please, Daddy?" I begged.

He sighed. "All right. Take it to my office and wait for me there."

I carried the rabbit carefully upstairs and set the pan on Daddy's desk. When he joined me a few moments later, all his irritation had vanished. He raised an eyebrow. "Esme's roasting pan, Bree?"

I shrugged. "It was all I could find. Please, Daddy, hurry!"

He turned serious then, resting his hand on his desk with a sigh. "Bree, I'll do what I can for your rabbit, but only on two conditions. One, when it gets well you have to release it; no more pets. And two, you are not to attempt changing it, even if I can't save it. Do you promise?"

"Yes, Daddy," I said quietly.

"All right, then." He spread a cloth on the desk and gently lifted the rabbit out.

"You know, Bree, that fox is just going to go out and catch something else," he said quietly as he worked at delicately stitching together the torn flesh. "They have to eat, too."

"It screamed, Daddy," I whispered. "In my mind. It wouldn't have been so bad if the fox had just killed it instantly." I smiled slightly. "I like foxes. I just don't like when they torture innocent bunnies!"

Daddy sighed, shaking his head. "You could have put it out of its misery and let the fox have it."

I looked up at him, wide-eyed. "I could never kill a rabbit, Daddy!"

"Of course not," he murmured to himself.

I fingered the strap of my overalls. "Daddy…you wouldn't eat a rabbit…would you?"

He chuckled. "Quite honestly, Bree, they have about the blandest blood I've ever smelled. Of course if I was desperately thirsty and there was nothing else, I'd take one, but other than that you don't have to worry."

"I've…never eaten a rabbit…have I?" I never listened when Daddy was hunting for me; never looked at what he had killed.

"No. Deer and elk, mostly. Even if rabbits smelled better, they aren't really big enough to be worth the bother." He finished stitching and dabbed the cuts with antiseptic. "That's the best I can do, honey; we'll just have to see if it pulls through. Go change into something that doesn't have blood on it, and then you can stay with it if you want."

"Her, Daddy."

He chuckled. "Her, then."

I stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek before going to my room to change. "Thank you, Daddy."

oOo

I had sat on Daddy's desk the rest of the night, watching the rabbit sleep and listening to her dreams. Rabbits dreamed about dancing in the twilight, jumping over each other in complicated patterns that made me wish I was a rabbit so I could try it.

In the morning, Mother came in and put an arm around my shoulders. "So, that's your rabbit?"

I nodded, leaning back against her. "Isn't she sweet?"

"She is," Mother agreed, reaching to pet the soft nose; I think she liked touching an animal without it being afraid of her. "Why don't you bring her downstairs, Bree, and we'll get her something to eat?" She laughed softly. "I suppose this is why Alice called me at the store two days ago and told me to buy lettuce and carrots…"

I giggled as I picked up the roasting pan to carry it downstairs. I had never known Jacob (who ate most of our props even though he and Nessie had their own house) to turn down any kind of food, but salad wasn't his favorite. He liked lettuce and tomato in sandwiches, or carrots cut up in stew, but a bowl of raw vegetables wasn't his idea of a meal.

"Rabbits like the tops, too," I told Mother as she took the carrots out of the fridge and started to get out a knife.

"All right, then." She put a carrot in the pan and checked to be sure the dish I had put in last night still had water in it. "We'll give her some lettuce, too," she murmured, rinsing off several leaves. A drop of water fell on the rabbit's ear as Mother put the lettuce in, and she flicked it, shaking off the water.

I turned when I heard Daddy's steps coming down the stairs. "Daddy, she's eating!" I called. "Is that a good sign?"

He smiled as he came forward. "Very good." He lifted the rabbit's chin with one finger and looked into her eyes. "I'm not making any promises, Bree, but it looks to me like she's going to make it." He gently squeezed my shoulders. "Take care of her while I'm at work, Bree."

I giggled. "Of course, Daddy."

He started for the front door, and Mother followed to say goodbye. "Daddy!" I suddenly called after him. "Can I name her?"

He paused, turning towards me. "I don't care, Bree, as long as naming her doesn't mean you'll be begging me to change my mind about letting you keep her."

I grinned and leaned my elbows on the table, rubbing my nose against the rabbit's. "Hey, Caramel," I whispered. *

oOo

"She's in perfect health, Bree," Daddy said quietly, three weeks after I brought Caramel home.

I sighed, petting the fur between her ears. "Just until her fur grows back? She might…get sunburned."

"Bree, her fur's already grown back," Daddy said gently, rubbing his finger over the spot he had shaved. "It's just not quite as long as the rest. Will you be able to let her go, honey, or do you want me to do it for you?"

"No, Daddy, I'll do it!" I cried, snatching Caramel up protectively. "She'd be scared of you."

Daddy smiled. "All right. You can keep her the rest of the day if you want, but I want you to let her go before morning."

I sighed. "Okay, Daddy."

He put an arm around my shoulders, and I leaned into him. "I'm sorry, Bree," he said softly. "I wouldn't make you let her go if I didn't think it was for the best."

"I know, Daddy. And I don't mind…much."

Because I didn't. I could catch a rabbit to play with any time I wanted; I could even find Caramel's mind and call her specifically. But I wasn't sure I would; part of me vaguely realized what Daddy was afraid of, and shied away from it. I didn't want to get too close to any one animal with its short lifespan.

Because I wouldn't be changing any more. And not just because of Daddy's edict; I had almost laughed at that, it was so unnecessary. King had been special; I couldn't let him die.

Daddy, of all people, should understand that. Out of hundreds, maybe thousands, of patients who had been dying over the years, he had changed only four — and one of them had been Mother. Surely he knew that indefinable tug that wouldn't let you let a person die.

But then, he wouldn't be able to understand feeling that way about a horse.

Grinning, I swung up on King's back as Caramel's thoughts faded into the distance. "Come on, King," I whispered. "Let's ride." Nights were made for this.

The End

* Illustration for this scene can be found at deviantart . com [slash] femalechauvinist [slash] art [slash] Caramel-Roast-781809838

I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know!

Please note that I have internet access only once a week, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. If you have questions regarding my Twilight alternate history, check my profile first to see if they're answered there. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie