Well here we go. I'm writing this on my laptop at a friend's house. Whoopee!!! (Not really but you take what you can get) Oh I hate these stupid sunscreen commercials. They show it every commercial break!! Come on!! Let's get some new material already!
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Disclaimer: Don't own anyone. Or anything etc. etc.
Paint In The Wind Chapter 3: Visitations and Findings
It had been almost three weeks since the lion attack. Everyone was okay though Luffy sported an impressive scar on his hind leg. Chopper was tending to stay farther away from the fence border by the forest. Every now and then Luffy would run along the fence checking things out and making sure everything was okay. Shanks still wanted him to take it easy though.
He kept a closer eye on everyone when they were outside. At the moment everyone, save for Chopper, was indoors and Shanks was asleep in his chair.
"Man I'm hungry!!!" Luffy howled as he rolled on the ground.
"Yeah we know Luffy. Believe me we know." Sanji said.
"I wish it wasn't so windy outside." He sighed.
"Hey guys. What's Chopper doing?" Usopp asked as he sat on the windowsill.
Everyone gathered by the window, Luffy jumping on top and struggling to maintain his balance. Outside they saw Chopper leaning over the fence by the forest with great interest. As they looked harder they could see the faint outline of something beyond the fence. They took a closer look at Chopper and saw that he was talking to something.
Luffy launched himself off of the windowsill, yipping quietly as he landed on his bad leg. Everyone bolted after him as he jumped through the pet door and out towards Chopper. As they approached they could hear a little bit of his conversation.
"Hey, why are you so quiet all of a sudden?" He asked.
They could see a shadow beyond the trees. A large shadow. They couldn't identify what it was though.
"Hey, wait! Don't go!" He sighed sadly as a loud rustle and the pounding of hooves sounded out from beyond the fence.
"Who were you talking to Chopper?" Usopp asked as he perched on Chopper's antlers.
"I don't know. She never told me her name."
"What was she?" Sanji asked interested because the mystery visitor was female.
"She said she was a Mustang. Whatever that means."
"Wild horse." Nami said.
"A Wild Horse? Really? I talked to a wild Horse?" Chopper asked in astonishment.
"Yeah I heard that they prefer the term Mustang. They say Wild Horse is demeaning."
"I didn't know we had Wild horses near us." Luffy said as he sat down.
"She said that they were just passing through. Probably weren't going to come through here again."
"That's kinda cool. I guess." Sanji admitted. "I'm gonna go raid the icebox."
The group walked away from the white fence slowly, wind blowing across their fur and feathers. A slightly mesmerized feeling passed over them. Wild Horses. They had heard stories about them. That they could run all day and faster than a greyhound. That they could jump clean over a fence. But they had also heard stories that they were mean and hated humans.
Luffy grew worried about Shanks all of a sudden. What if one of those horses wandered into their land like that cougar did. What if it hurt Shanks?
"C'mere Luffy." Robin said as she picked Luffy up by the scruff of his neck. "You shouldn't be walking too much on that leg."
Luffy growled in annoyance but put up no struggle as he was carried inside. Nami jumped up to the windowsill and watched Chopper head into the stables and out of the blustering wind.
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A few hours later:
By this time the wind had died down considerably and Shanks had waken up. Now after Shanks had fed them Luffy began scratching at he door and whining in an attempt to get Shanks to take them all for a walk out in the forest.
"You wanna go for a walk Luffy?" Shanks asked. "What about you guys?" He asked everyone else.
They all headed towards the door in anticipation of the walk. Usopp perched on Shank's shoulder and cooed affectionately. Shanks moved towards the back door and called to Chopper who ran towards him and walked calmly through the house to the front door.
He opened the door, herded everyone out, and rounded the house to the forest five acres away. As soon as they entered the forest Luffy began chasing birds and leaves as they passed by.
"Take it easy boy. Your leg still needs to heal." Luffy walked back over to Shanks and looked at him sadly.
"Just one more week of taking it easy then you can run yourself rampid. I promise."
The group admired the beauty of the forest around them. As they went in further they could hear the trickling of a stream.
"Race you guys!" Shanks shouted as he bolted forward with the full knowledge that he would lose.
Luffy bolted ahead along with Chopper and Robin. Nami and Sanji hung back at a leisurely pace. As soon as they reached the stream Luffy dove in along with Chopper, Shanks, and Robin. They splashed around while the two cats remained on the shore and sat in the warm sun. They didn't mind water but they weren't in the mood to get wet.
After a while Robin suddenly lifted her head up, ears erect and eyes lit up in alarm.
"What's wrong Robin?" Everyone asked.
"I smell something." She responded.
"What's wrong girl? You smell something?" Shanks asked as everyone made their way towards the shore.
"What do you smell?" Nami asked.
"Something I've never smelled before....and..." She took another sniff at the air. "Blood." She said in alarm.
She immediately bolted while everyone else followed her. She followed the scent as it grew stronger and stronger. She ran through bushes and around trees, stopping every now and then to make sure everyone was still behind her.
As she bolted through the last bit of shrubbery she came to a dead stop. Eyes wide she gazed upon the scene in front of her. Everyone else ran through and copied her reaction to the scene.
In front of them, tied to a tree, was a horse. A huge stallion.
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There you go hope you liked. Tell me what you think. I bet you already know who the horse is. If you don't know then you are extremely dense. If you don't know ask yourself, who's missing?