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One-time interaction time with the reviewers!
I-Smell-Cheese: I couldn't agree more with everything you said!
Cadens Stella: :)
Sue1313: It could happen, but then again it might not! You'll just have to wait and see. ;)
Cupcake-chan: Your wish is my command; Here you go! :D
007: I'm pretty sure I did, but in case you need a recap, Cavalry is brown with a darker mane and tail, he stands about 5'9 at the head in human measurements, and I haven't said what his breed is yet, but that's later to come. ;)
Okay, enough of that.
"What about the horse?" Morgan asked.
"He's intelligent, Morgan. Like, super smart." Prentiss explained.
"I thought boy genius over there said that all horses were smart?"
"I did." Spencer said. "But this one goes beyond that, he understands and responds to human commands."
"I'm sure any horse can with the right training." Derek shook his head. "Come on guys, be serious now."
"We are!" Emily half stuttered. "Look. Show him, Reid."
The young profiler didn't need to told twice. He was very eager to help the animal gain some recognition from his abilities, though he apparently had some already judging from that paper he read on the flight over. And maybe, just maybe, he could do even more...
Clearing his throat, he turned to the horse. "Okay, Cavalry, nod-"
"Cavalry?" Morgan repeated.
"That's his name." Prentiss said.
"Um, nod." Reid spoke. The beast began moving his head up and down for a moment, then stopped. He turned to his older colleague with an expectant look on his face.
"Is that all he can do?"
Spencer frowned. "Just you wait." He turned back to the horse again. "Cavalry, stomp your hoof 5 times." He responded by doing just that against the flooring of the trailer.
"Hate to be party pooper, but I'm still not convinced." The dark skinned agent folded his arms.
"Fine." Reid pouted. "But this will. Cavalry, is my name Emily Prentiss?" The horse immediately shook his head then faced the dark haired woman standing next to him and stretched out his neck toward her while nickering.
Morgan froze from where he stood. Okay, now they're getting somewhere.
"Cavalry," Prentiss spoke up. "Who is Walter Walker?" The brown haired animal flattened his ears, flicked his tail and stomped his hoof once, exhaled sharply, then bared his teeth briefly.
"Hm, I agree." She smirked.
"Okay, okay," Derek held his hands up in mock surrender. "You guys got me now, but what do you plan on doing with him?"
"Well, for starters, I believe Walter is going to be facing a judge, and technically, Cavalry is an eyewitness, so he could testify against the man in court, along with the victims parents.." Emily explained.
"I suppose, but how are you going to convince the judge to let him do that?" Morgan asked.
"The same way we convinced you." Spencer smiled.
"Not to mention, the rest of the team, smart ass."
(Spencer Reid!)
"Have they ID'd the bodies yet?" JJ asked after approaching Rossi.
"Only two so far." The Senior SSA replied. "Walter's wife, Nichole James, and the Urbans' daughter Ashley."
"Oh." She sounded disappointed, and Dave didn't blame her. "Those poor parents."
"I know." He said sympathetically. "I'll have the sheriff send an officer to inform the family about Ashley, and Walter."
"Okay." The blonde watched as the veteran profiler walked away. She sighed and partially wrapped her arms around herself, staring down at the ground.
"Hey, JJ!" Spencer nearly shouted, causing her to jump. "Oh, I'm sorry." He quickly apologized. "I didn't mean-"
"It's okay, Spence." She chuckled. "What is it?"
"Emily, Derek and I gotta show you something, and if possible, could you have Hotch and Rossi come?"
"Well, Rossi's busy and I'm not sure where Hotch is. Why, wha-"
"Just come on!" The young genius said excitedly, grabbing her hand and half dragging her along with him.
"What is it, Reid?" She laughed, trying hard not to lose her footing. "Did you find some rare lizard or something?"
"Better than that." He grinned.
They came to a sudden halt and JJ almost fell over. She stumbled for a moment before Spencer helped her regain her balance. When the media liaison looked up, she saw a couple of her co-workers standing by a horse that was now outside of a trailer hitched to Walter's truck. She opened her mouth to say something but Reid dashed over and gestured to her.
"Cavalry, this is our friend JJ." He introduced. Cavalry neighed once and nodded his head, as if saying 'hello' to her. "Okay, can you show JJ what you can do?"
"Guys, what's going on?" The blonde asked, feeling very uneasy at the moment.
"JJ, you got to check this horse out." Derek said. "You will freak!"
"I think I'm plenty freaked already considering I just saw Spence talking to a horse."
"No, seriously," Emily spoke up. "You need to see what he can do."
"Alright..." JJ complied.
After some time, it took her a while to realize that her jaw had been hanging open. She was astonished to say the least at what she just saw before her very eyes. The horse did several things that one normally wouldn't be able to do, couldn't, or even shouldn't. She soon learned that 'Cavalry' had also been present during the killings, he alone could almost guarantee Walter some serious jail time. The bodies were being examined and already fingerprints had been found in various areas, all of which belonged to Walter. Another thing to use against him when the time came. Despite the amount of deaths, this was turning out to be a semi good case after all.
However, JJ knew just as well as the others that Hotch and Rossi were going to be the most difficult to convince, but if it was necessary to solve this case, perhaps they would be willing to accept the... situation.
Just then, the group looked over and saw the two elder profilers approaching them.
"Walter's about to be interrogated, one of us should head over to the station." Hotch said.
"I'll go." Morgan offered. Getting ready to hop into one of the Suburbans.
"Even with the damning evidence we have already?" Prentiss asked.
"We still need a confession." Rossi grumbled. "He'll likely be going to court too."
"Oh! Hotch, Rossi, I was hoping you guys would turn up. I got to show you the horse that was with Walter!" Reid exclaimed.
"Reid, we don't really have time, we-" Hotch started, but was cut off.
"No, just hear me out! It'll just take a little moment, please?" The younger man begged. Aaron sighed, even he found It hard to not give into Spencer's youthful innocence at times, and this was one of them. Hotch along with Rossi allowed themselves to be lead over to the truck and trailer where Cavalry waited. The animal instantly recognized the two men from one of the vehicles. One had a rather stern expression on his face, while the other was a little softer, whom also had facial hair.
"Okay, Reid, what was it you wanted us to see?" The BAU leader asked.
"For future reference, his name is Cavalry, and Cavalry, this is my boss Aaron Hotchner, and my colleague David Rossi." Spencer smiled. "Now without further ado, prepare to be amazed." He and the horse shared a glance before they began their show. What Aaron thought would last a minute or two went on longer than he expected, though he had to admit, he was significantly impressed by this animal, Dave clearly was, as the Senior SSA found himself asking the horse to do a trick here and there. What made Hotch even more pleased was the fact that 'Cavalry' would prove vital for solving the case and putting Walter behind bars.
He watched for a while longer while Reid and Rossi, as well as JJ and Emily entertained themselves with the horse, but he knew he would have to stop their fun eventually. He cleared his throat, catching their attention. He walked up to Cavalry, stepping between his agents.
"So, Cavalry," He began, feeling very foolish for talking to an animal, but he hid it well. "Would you be willing to testify against Walter Walker in court?"
The beast whinnied and nodded it's head quickly. Yes! Yes, of course! It's about time justice be served...
"Good." Hotch returned a nod of his own. Reid grinned from ear to ear as he began to pet Cavalry on the head, just as Prentiss started to scratch his neck. JJ and Rossi complimented on how amazing he was and how they both wished they had had a pet like him. The horse closed his eyes and sighed with content.
He hasn't felt this good in years.
To be continued...
