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 Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 9:22 pm
"Just let her look at your leg Konoha. I think she can heal it."Path whinnied reassuringly. He knew that if they behaved for now they would have a better chance later of escaping. He followed Destiny calmly.
Gwen tried again. "Come on girl follow your stallion's example. I won't hurt you."she murmured moving closer.
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Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 9:32 pm
Konoha snorted in digust, he had said he wouldn't let the men seperate them at yet here he was following that black mare, like a well trained pony. She gave him a final look and turned to the person approaching her. He may have give up but she wouldn't. Ignoreing the pain she half reared and then reared fully, striking out with her front hooves. She ment to catch the woman but her leg buckled under her and she hobbled before the others buckled and she fell to the ground with a thump. Lieing on her side she made no attempt to stand, thinking that it was completely over.
Colonel saw the mare drop and hurriedly locked the stallion in his pen, then wheeled Destiny around and cantered her to the mare. Men had started to gather around the mare, "Stay back!" He jumped off Destiny, who stood where he had left her, and joined Gwen. "Are you allright?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 9:43 pm
"I'm fine. Can you have one of the men bring me bandages and something to clean her leg?"Gwen said a bit shakingly. She moved forward and kneeled by Konoha's head. "easy there girl you are going to be alright."she murmured reaching out slowly to stroke the mare's neck.
Path paced about his corral. He neighed contemplating the fence. Could he jump it?
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Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 9:55 pm
Colonel waved one of the men over and gave him the orders, to which he ran off. Colonel knelt beside Gwen, but didn't touch the mare. "Can you save her?" He though again of shooting the mare and his hand went to the pistol that was hoilstered at his waist.
Konoha shivered as the hand touched her skin, but it quickly faded and she shut her ears to all sounds, her eyes to all sights. She wanted just to give in, to give up and be nothing more. She didn't want to live with the men but couldn't beleive that Path had went so quietly and left her so alone. She didn't move a single muscle just went completely limp
"What's wrong with her?" It was not normal for a wild horse to be so passive and just let a human touch them. Normaly any horse would try to stand, would try to shake off the hand. He looked up to see the stallion pacing around, looking as if he were to jump the fence. He could if he put his heart into it. The gate side of his pen was not blocked by another row of fencing and if he kept away from the other fences it was only a corner and a straight gallop to the mare.
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Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 10:00 pm
"I think so, but we won't be able to have her with the others. She is giving up"Gwen said gently moving to where she could take a look at the hurt leg.
Path did exactly what the Colonel expected. He galloped over to Konoha stopping right by her. He nuzzled her lovingly. "Don't give up yet, my girl"he nickered.
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Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 10:11 pm
Konoha didn't care anymore, she had fallen into a dream like place, not quite sleep. She heard Path, from some distant place. For a minute she did nothing and then she swilvled one ear toward his nicker. She recognized his nuzzle and came out of the dark place, but didn't open her eyes. It was enough to keep her fighting for now.
Colonel was about to stand and retain the stallion untill he saw the mare's ear flicker toward him. It was a good sign and he was happy that the mare hadn't given up completely just yet. "If you can't get her up then she'll have to be shot." The man sent to get supplies came rushing back with a bucket of water in one arm and a bundle of rags and bandages in the other. Colonel took them and set them by Gwen, dipping one of the rags in water and handing it to her.
She didn't show pain when the injury was touched, just remained completely relaxed, except for the one ear. Her leg was swolen from the hoof to the middle of the cannon bone, but the swelling had started to spread upwards toward her hock. There was no open wound, no blood only the swelling.
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Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:33 pm
Gwen began making a splint. She gave Colonel a pained look when he talked about shooting the mare. Once she was done splinting Konoha's leg, she stood up. She grabbed the mare's lead rope. "If we can get her to stand then there is a good chance we can save her."she said brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes.
Path rested his muzzle on Konoha reassuringly. "You have to get up, my girl. You have to or else all is lost."he murmured.
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Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:46 pm
"You've got five minutes to get her up or she's finished." Colonel wasn't naturaly mean he hated to see good horses go to waste. He had no time to waste on the mare if she wouldn't fight. They needed sturdy horses that would follow their every command, not ones who would give up with little fight.
Konoha winced as the splint was fastened on to her leg. She felt the lead rope pull tight and felt Path's warm muzzle against her skin. Opening her eyes she drew her head up so that her muzzle touched her side. Holding the position for a moment she relaxed then rolled so that her hooves were under her, except for the splinted leg, which stuck out. She straightened her front legs with a grunt and half way stood before falling back to the ground. She kept from rolling back to her side, but didn't try to stand again. "I can't Path, I can't stand." She looked up at him.
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Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:54 pm
"You can to Konoha!! Just try you can lean on me."Path said pawing the ground anxiously. He did not want her to die.
Gwen glared at Colonel. "Over my dead body"she muttered where he would most likely not be able to hear. She tried again concious of the fact that the stallion was trying to help.
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Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 7:07 pm
"Four minutes." Colonel drew his pistol and opened the chamber. He flipped threw them and checked each one for a bullet then clicked it closed again. He placed his tumb on the hammer but didn't lock it into place yet. "Three minutes."
Konoha's head turned around at the click of the gun, she didn't know what it was but had seen one kill a wild creature before. She knew only death came with its thunder. Pushing her feet out in front of her she tried again only to teter before standing up completely and falling back down.
"Two minutes." Colonel thumbed back the hammer but kept it pointed to the ground. "Last try get her up or she's gone." He still didn't aim the gun or call for the mules to haul her away.
She tired again, forcing all her weight on her front legs and managing to get her back feet up. She shifted her weight so it was even between the three good legs but swayed dangerously side to side, about to fall over.
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Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 7:14 pm
"Just lean on me."Path said moving to where not only could Konoha lean on him he was in between her and Colonel.
Gwen just glared at Colonel a hurt and angry look in her eyes. She seriously hated him at that moment. She was upset and really mad.
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Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 7:32 pm
Konoha leaned heavily against Path. She looped her head over his neck and closed her eyes.
"Don't look at me like that. I can't afford to waste time on an injured horse, special one that doesn't want to live." He knew Gwen was upset with him but hoped that she would get over it. Colonel lowered the hammer gently and saved a bullet. "Get her in that pen and take the stallion with her." He pretended not to care about the pair, he had to keep up a face with his men and if they saw him give into Gwen a few of them may start double guessing him.
"What now Path? What do we do now?" Her voice was only a whisper and she never broke contact with Path. Konoha nuzzled him and moved closer, though there was little room between them.
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Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 7:41 pm
Gwen grabbed Konoha's lead rope and slowly began leading her towards the pen.
"Just go wherever they want us to. Once your leg heals we will get out of here, I promise. I will never desert you Konoha, never."Path said nuzzling her.
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Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 7:55 pm
The surrounding men started to dissapear as Colonel left Gwen to her duty and went to his "house". In the Fort every solider shared a house with another group of soliders and every house was bulit directly into the Fort's outer wall. The women got their own houses and Colonel got the fanciests. The front door opened to the main court of the Fort. He leaned against the railing of his pourch.
Konoha refused to move forward at first and then took a step. She tried hopping without putting any weight on the splinted leg but soon she found that the leg didn't buckle under her now. She limped along keeping most of her weight off the leg. She was still mad at Path for leaving her for even the slightest moment but wanted to be near him too much to pull away. She glared at him, not knowing if she could trust what he said after his willingness to go with the man. "Do you mean it or are you just going to go with them next time they pull you one way and me the other?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 8:30 pm
Eclipse had turned her attention to Path and Kohona when she had started showing signs of trouble. She had allowed the men to make her walk until she had fallen, but once she had gone down she'd refused to go another step except for being dragged over a few feet.
Eclipse wasn't sure what would have happened if she hadn't gotten up, but she knew that in the wild if she hadn't she would have died, so she could only assume that's what would have happened with this situation. After she'd gotten up, she reluctantly let the men take her to an enclosure with many other horses, although she watched the pair intently.
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