Chapter 20:
"What?" Michael asked somewhat shortly. Had he heard Kitt right?
Kitt's ears went back in a distressed manner. He easily picked up on Michael's tone and knew exactly where this was headed. This isn't how he wanted it to go down.
"Michael, please, you told me you weren't going to get mad." Kitt said softly, hoping it would calm his partner down some. But, sadly, it did little help to the situation. And it left Kitt feeling remorseful about even telling Michael about Karr.
"Kitt, that was before you told me who that is!" Michael spat frustrated, making Kitt flinch. The man sighed and tried to calm himself down some. "Look, I'm sorry, Kitt."
A moment of silence passed between them. Then, "That is...?" Michael faltered, gesturing towards down the hall where he knew the other stallion was being kept. Kitt could only nod sadly as tears flooded his eyes. "Oh my God..." Michael breathed, covering his mouth with a hand in shock as he began to pace the stall, deep in thought.
Kitt silently watched Michael the whole time. A nervous expression on the young stallion's face. His worst fear was coming true. Right before his very eyes. He knew this was a mistake the minute the words left him. This whole thing was a bad idea from the start. The response he knew he was going to get, was really quite obvious...
But, had he gone through with his earlier worries...he'd definitely never see his brother again.
The thought scared Kitt in two ways. One, he didn't know if this changed anything as far as his family's thinking of Karr, let alone their concern for him now. And two, he didn't even know if he even had a big brother anymore...
No. That couldn't be the case because Michael pointed down the hall...
Could it be...?
"Michael?" Kitt asked quietly, looking up at him skeptically. Internally begging he was going to get the answer he so hoped for.
"What?" Michael replied just as quietly, pausing in his pacing.
"You obviously knew about...Karr before I told you. And when you questioned me, you pointed down the hall. Is-is he..." Kitt faltered, feeling his throat get tight with anxiety. Michael gave him a sad look, making Kitt's heart swell.
"He is. Barely, Kitt." He said softly as he sat back down with the young, striking stallion. Kitt didn't voice anything, but it was clear in his eyes that he wanted to know everything. Michael hesitated though. It was obvious how much Kitt cared about Karr, and last thing he wanted to do was make that pain worse for his long lost best friend.
"They...they don't know right now, buddy." He continued carefully, keeping a soft tone. Fondly stroking the stallion's upper neck. "He's suffering, Kitt. But at the same time, he's fighting. They're torn between."
Kitt swallowed tightly, another tear making its way down his cheek. "You mean that they're gonna..."
"No. Nonono," Michael quickly, yet gently cut in. "no that's not what they're gonna do, Kitt."
The distraught stallion looked helplessly up at Michael. "You said they were torn between. What does that mean, Michael? Why did they say that?"
Michael tried to remain calm as best he could. It was no wonder the rising panic in Kitt's voice. Karr obviously has done wonders to his partner's life while he was...gone.
"Kitt, they said that because...Karr's suffering." Michael gently repeated. "They...they don't..." Michael trailed off as the words caught in his throat.
He couldn't tell Kitt that. He couldn't admit that, and cause him more pain. He'd probably end up causing the stallion to freak and break every bone in his body. Become crippled for the rest of his life. Somehow though, Michael's eyes found Kitt's. It was as if the sadness consumed the man sitting before him. And it was all that needed to happen for Kitt to finally understand what exactly was going on.
They didn't expect his big brother to make it.
It hit Kitt with the force of a speeding semi. His mind reeled for some kind of denial that it wasn't true. His heart hammered out of his chest. His vision blurred with hot tears, who slowly cascaded down Kitt's cheeks. He felt tremors of fear and hopelessness pepper his body as the thought continued to whirl in his mind.
"No, no." Kitt whimpered, his eyes remaining on the small bunch of hay before him. "No, no. Oh Karr..."
The heart broken stallion closed his eyes as he felt his human partner's arms wrap around his head. Holding him close to Michael's chest as the man tried to comfort him. Kitt pushed into Michael's chest, his sobs and heart breaking cries of denial growing louder and louder. Mixing together with that, was his big brother's name. It came out as heart piercing cries, pleading and begging and longing to know Karr was going to be ok.
But the cold truth always countered. And it always won.