Chapter 2: Refuge

"Easy, easy boy," Mary soothed, trying not to further upset the stricken horses as they emerged from the trailer. They had been at this for hours, and they had yet to reach the horses at the very back of the trailer. In all her years as a rescue worker, she had never seen a something like this. Nearly half of the horses were dead, and the ones that were alive had horrible injures. Policemen kept the traffic going away from the wreck, only letting in people with trailers that had come to haul away horses to help.

The workers had nearly reached the end of the load, though. Mary felt relieved. She was sick of this. This was the worst she had ever seen. Many of the workers jumped up as the next horse led out of the trailer reared on his rope and tore away from his handler. Nearly every hand turned and shot after the poor chestnut who scearmed in fear and pain.

She turned to her coworker, twenty two year old Paul Benson. He shrugged at her. "There's only of few horses left," he said in a weary voice. Mary nodded as the a foster trailer pulled up. Paul went over to the driver, so she took in opun herself to grap a leadline and bring out the next horse.

Inside the darkness of the trailer, she made out a dark horse standing near the back. Behind him was a horse laying down, and beside him was a yearling colt. Mary spoke in a soothing voice, chattering nonsense to the horse so that he wouldn't bolt of the trailer.

To her surprise, the stallion turned his head and nuzzled something beside him. She stepped close and saw that a tiny foal was leaning against the stallion, between him and the yearling. Dumbfounded, Mary moved closed and reached slowly for the stallions rope halter. The horse never protested, he let her hook the rope to him with a fight, She gave the rope a tug. The stallion walked along, but not before he nugded the foal and yearling in front of him. Mary stopped momentairly. She tried to nuidge the two other horses back, to stop them from following. But they whinned in fear at being left behind, and the stallion eyes filled with fear. So she let them followed and all three calmed down.

Still amazed at horses acting this way, Mary led the stallion out with the two colts in tow. Paul and a woman she didn't know were the only ones in sight.

"Mary this is Ann Hathaway. She's a foster owner," Paul explained.

"Nice to meet you," Mary said. She motioned to the three horses. "They followed him out. Won't leave his sight," she explained, turning to Paul. "Can you hold them while I load him?"

Paul nodded, and Ann stepped forward.

"That's my trailer," she motioned to a large, white slant load parked nearby. Mary nodded, and started over, tuggin the stallion's lead line. He took a step forward, before he noticed that the two foals were not following. He turned to Paul pushing them towards the trailer.

The stallion stopped and let loose a blasting whinney, which the yearling colt returned. Paul was unable to block the strong youngster, and it broke from him and trotted to the stallion's side. Mary tugged at the stallion's head, but his eyes were locked on the foal. Paul was holding the foal with both hands, and Ann restrained the yearling, grabbing his halter and pulling puching him towards the trailer. Mary pulled the stallion, and he became desperate, nickering to the foal who returned his call.

Ann was paling, as the horses whickering cut through her emotions. "Let him go," she exclaimed to Paul. "I'll take them all," she said, turning to Mary, a plea in her eyes. The horses fear at being pulled apart ripped through her heart.

Mary stared at her for a moment before turning to Paul and shrugging. He released the foal, who stumbled at the sudden moment. Almost unable to hold hiself, he stumbled forward, towards the stallion, whose eyes never left the foal.

The light bay reached they, burrowing his head into the stallions dark shoulder. Ann took in a sharp breath, waiting for the stallion to react. Never, had she seen a stallion take this type of treatment. Usually, stallions were brutal to foals, baby sitting was left to the mares.

But the stallion simply lowered his head and nuzzeled the colt's coat. He raised his head and stred at Ann, as though in graditute.

Ann watched as Mary and Paul carefully herded the horses towards her trailer, Mary with a hand on the stallion's halter. The foal and yearling followed willingly.

Paul stepped aside as Mary securred the horses and bolted the trailer. The two nodded at Ann, and Mary walked towards the people in the distance that were returning with the chestnut horse in tow.

Paul turned to Ann. "Somebody will stop by later with their names and registration and such." he mumbled. "After we get this mess sorted out," he sighed with a nod at the trailer.

Ann nodded, making her way to the front of her beat-up red pickup. "Sure," she replied, afraid to say more. Already, the calamity of the event was threating to overwhelem her as she wished desperatly for David. But the thought of her husband constricted her throat, making it impossible to speak.

She opened the cab of the truck, pulling herself inside and slamming the door. The sound seemed to echo through her heart.

The trailer was almost too quiet. She expected the horses inside to make more of a fuss, to kick around and disturb their surroundings. But all was quiet. She was relectant to go home, to face that empty house, to face the care that theses horses were going to need.

One look at the damaged trailer sent her on the road.

--

The truck and trailer ratteled down the gravel road. The barn and main house was insight, and Ann gave a relieved sigh. As awful as it would be to face this day, this reality, she was happier if she could do it at home, not on a crowded highway.

A single horse dotted the many paddocks in view. A coal black gelding, Dallas Cowboy was the family's only remaining horse from the stock that used to populate the farm. But when David lost his battle with cancer, the animals had to be sold to pay the bills. It was a heart-wrenching time, but Ann scraped and scrimped to keep Dallas.

Colorful and competative, Dally loved barrel racing. Once he stepped into the ring, he became a terrifing competator, speeding around his black legs ablur as he whipped around barrels with his ears flat back. In victory gallops, he was the picture of excitment, tail high and streaming, head high and eyes bright, ears picked as he galloped. If he was ever forced to gallop behind another horse, he would pin his ears and intimidate the other horse. His nature was exburent, but they loved him for it.

As she pulled the trailer up beside the barn, two teenagers came from the house. Ann felt herself elate at the sight of her two children.

Tall and dark haired, William deep blue eyes reminded everyone of his father. At sixteen, he was kind and confident and a quality horseman with their gelding, Dally, but usually let his sister handle the competative side of things.

Andrea was a mirror image of her brother, long dark hair, but chocolate brown eyes that could be melting or smothering. Three years younger than Will, she had found a competative edge with Dally, and competed with his whenever possible.

The two hurried over to the trailer, and Ann jumped out of the truck to greet them. They both saw her, and Andrea rushed over.

"Mom!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around her mother while Will grinned at a distance. Ann realesed 'Andy with reluctance. Although it had been a few months, she still felt empty when she let them go, like she did when she had let David go for that last time...

Ann shook herself from her dark thoughts and turned to Andy. "How was school?" she asked with a teasing air.

"Who cares?" Andy replied, her eyes dancing. "Do you get a horse, Mom?"

Ann nodded, nodding to the trailer. "Yep." she replied. "But be careful," she added as Andy started to the back of the trailer. "There's more than one."

Will gave her a questioning look and Ann returned it. She had always seemed closer to Will, who shared her sensible and logical ways, while Andy had inherited her fathers carefreeness.

"More than one, Mom?" he asked, his eyes hinting at so many things that Ann simply nodded and walked to the side door of the trailer which Andy had already opened and was peering into.

"Special conditions," she explained, looking inside.

The three horses started back to the three humans. The stallion was standing protectivle over the light bay foal, who leaned against him, his eyes half closed. The buckskin colt was busy sampling a cross tie. He paused to gaze over the new people, the returned to chewing. He seemed content and happy, unlike the foal.

The foal tiny rib cage heaved, and he whickered weakly. Ann felt a stab of empathy. The foal was obviously a newborn, and she wondered what had happened to his mother. Had she been killed by the wreck?

The foal whickered again, slidding to the floor. He was very weak and still. Ann turned and called back to Will and Andy as she rushed for the barn.

"Watch them. Keep the foal alive. I'm going to call the emergancy vet."

--

Ok, so that was a bit boring, but I had to introduce the characters. Sorry there wasen't more of the horses, but there will be in the next chapter.

Poor little foal! cough Ponyboy. cough

Please R&R!

- PM