A Home That Far

A Home That Far
Chapter 3 First Steps.

It was relatively quiet when she woke. She could hear voices, horses, and a number of other animals. But when she turned her head, she realized she was still a horse herself. Something was very wrong with her powers. Staying in animal form through one unconscious spell was a fluke, twice and she knew she was in trouble.

She sighed as she raised her head, fully expecting to find her body covered in blood, but she didn't. she had a number of tiny wounds, some ached, others were just a dull pain. She could smell something though. It was all over her. Whatever it was, it smelled clean. There were three other scents as well, one was vaguely familiar.

She pulled her legs under her, the joints creaking as she did so. Then she noticed her left leg had an odd piece of jewellery. A gold bracelet, or hooflet if you will. She tried to grab it in her teeth, but it proved too smooth, and kept slipping. It wasn't hurting her, so she opted to let it alone.

"Send for Man-at-Arms," she heard a man say. "His mare is waking up."

'Great,' she thought. 'Another one.'

A few minutes later there were sounds of confident footsteps, that stopped just outside her stall. "Hay girl," she heard a man say softly. "I'm glad you're waking up. You've been down close to two days. Come on. You can get up."

If the man were in the stall, she'd've bitten his kneecaps off. But all was quiet for now. "Come on girl, get up," said another voice, rather irritated.

"Stay quiet," said the first. "Don't say a word. She'll get to her feet. I know she will."

She could feel eyes all around her, watching her. It made her skin twitch. She heard a high-pitched neighing from the other side of the wall. Then a thud, and a panel fell down. She pricked her ears forward as the horse on the other side paced nervously. Finally he came to the open bars, and nickered. 'Great, another stallion. Doesn't anyone believe in gelding these guys?' The horse kicked against the wall. She shouted a long barking neigh, and he backed away.

"What was that about?" asked the second voice.

"I'm not sure," said the first. "Mares usually respond better than that to stallions. Get him out of there. I want it quiet for a while."

"Yes sir."

She could hear latches move, and hinges creak, then the prancing feet of an excited horse being led away. She laid her nose in the straw and sighed. How could she get away now? She could hardly move. It hurt so much. There were bars all around her, lots of people she was sure, and she certainly didn't want to encounter that strange energy whip again, or the cattle prod.

There was a soft rustling in the hay in the next stall. She looked up to see a man with brown hair and a thick moustache come to the open space in the bars. Most of his hair was drawn to a tight ponytail high, but short at the back of his head, the rest hung loose at his hairline, but only a few strands. At least he didn't have that ridiculous tail, like the other guy, E'garo. She'd made short work of that all right, though she didn't intend to hurt him as badly as she had.

"Come on girl," he said softly, and she knew it was the man who'd spoke to her, this Man-at-Arms person. "You can do it." She pulled her head close to her belly, she was a bit embarrassed when it gurgled loudly. To loud, and she noticed he'd smiled slightly. He put something on the edge of the stall's solid wall, just inside the bars. It smelled good, sweet, and inviting. She wanted it.

She shook her head and gave a defiant snort. 'You're not a horse Kale!' she said to herself. 'Don't give in.' Her stomach gurgled again, and the smell of whatever it was he'd put down became more and more enticing.

"It's all yours girl. All you have to do is come and get it." The man stepped back a bit to give her room, not that the bars didn't provide protection from her already. It was more her sense of security from him that he wanted her to feel.

It took great effort for her to rise. Her legs hurt like hell, and there were places along her belly that stung when she moved. She staggered a bit when she got to her feet, swaying a bit to balance herself. She gave her body a good shake, to wake the lazy muscles, displacing the straw that clung to her. Carefully she made her way to the stall wall, and inhaled the smell of the offered treat. It did smell good. Before she could even decide to eat it, she found she'd already taken it in her mouth. It was sweet. Very sweet. She let the taste of it float over her tongue. It was hard, but not too hard that chewing it was difficult. She moved it back in her teeth and bit it confidently. She liked the way it crunched in her teeth. Before she realized it, there was another on the wall, and she quickly devoured it as well. When she looked to take another, she saw there wasn't one. She turned to the man in the stall. He didn't move. He just let her look at him.

He was big. His upper arms were thick with muscles, his legs were long and powerful. He wore some kind of armour, but even beneath that she could tell he was toned across his chest. His face was straight and chiselled, with a modest nose, and strong square chin. His eyes were a piercing blue, but they weren't hard. She didn't see any malice in them. She sniffed again for another treat, but she found another scent in the air. The familiar one that was in her stall when she woke, but she wasn't quite sure where she'd smelled it before. The scent was him!

Something blurred across from her left side, she couldn't tell what it was. She balked at it, diving with fury with her hooves, only to run into the wall. It was a window, and there were other horses moving about on the outside of the building. She felt a bit silly, jumping at a wall. Then she figured out why she did. She could hardly see out of her left eye. When she glanced to her right where the man still stood, even he was fuzzy. 'What's happening?' she demanded of herself. 'Why can't I see!?'

"Easy girl," she heard him say. His voice was soft, relaxing to listen too. Why did she care? He had her trapped. That tantalizing smell was in the air again. She saw him a bit clearer as he stepped closer to the bars and place another treat on the wall. He then stepped back. Slowly she went to the wall again, limping a bit from the stinging in her front right hoof where she'd attacked the wall. She took the treat again, and bent her head to inspect what damage she'd done to herself. When she picked her head up again, the man was standing closer this time.

"Father?" came a young woman's voice. "How is she?"

"Doing well. Can you check and see if she has any feed? Use the cupboards rather than going in the stall."

"Of course."

"I'll keep her busy here."

Kale could hear shuffling outside the stall, and then something moved to her right. She balked again, driving her feet to the wall. This time she hit the wall higher, and knocked the panel and a set of bars down. The young woman let out a surprised scream as it fell forward. 'It comes off,' she thought, and continued to attack the bars and panel.

"Teela! I need some help in here!" Men had already started running, some with ropes, others with shovels to brandish in front of the wild mare. "Don't hurt her!!" the man yelled.

"We wont sir!" one of them stated, helping to get the girl out of the way. "We've done this kind of thing before. They'll block her, while we get the bars and panel back into place."

"She may not be able to see very well, so be careful!"

"Yes sir."

It hurt him to watch, as the workers forced the mare back from the stall wall. They didn't get too close, and kept the horse distracted with the shovels while the others re-secured the bars and panels. The task finished, the men retreated, closing the stall door quickly behind them. "Wow, that was fast," said one of the workers, noting that Teela and Duncan were unharmed.

"I've never seen a horse move that fast, father," Teela noted. "What is wrong with her? Doesn't' she understand we don't want to hurt her?"

"I'm afraid not. She's wild. And the first humans who captured her tortured her. She's got a lot of anger towards us, and all for good reason. She doesn't care who we are. We're human, and human's were the ones that hurt her."

"Will she get over it?"

"In time. It will take time." He noticed one of the workers going into the stall next to his horse's to repair the panel there. "No. Leave that one down. Ask the King if you can put his horse elsewhere for now. I think I can make some progress with some limited contact."

"As you wish sir."

"What do you think you can accomplish from another stall?"

"Well for one thing, I can tell her, her name." Teela raised an eyebrow. Why would that really matter? She watched as her father returned to standing in the stall where she'd found him, just waiting for the horse to acknowledge he was there. She acknowledged alright, neighing, and kicking the wall, trying to knock the bars free again, she was sure. "Easy girl," he said gently. "No one's going to hurt you."

She paced in her stall, limping on her front legs from the pain she'd caused, going after the bars around her stall. Duncan just kept talking, his smooth voice floating to her ears, gentle and soft. She found she wasn't pacing as much after that, though she hardly stood still. The man kept talking to her, and she soon found herself back at the open bars, sniffing around for another treat. She was starved. She didn't care if he fed her poison at this point. She was hungry, and she wanted what he had in his hand.

Slowly the man advanced to the bars, and put another treat on the wall, pushing it passed the bars. Kale quickly took it. "There now, Lightning. That wat sot so bad, was it?"

'Lightning!? What the heck is he talking about?'

"The name suites you, don't you think? You move that fast." He noted that the bucket in the stall had some feed in it. "Your dinner has arrived," he said softly, wishing that he could pat her lovely face. She saw something fuzzy drop from a hole in the panel, she could then smell hay. "There you go."

Slowly she bent to eat. The oats were sweet and crunchy, the hay was mixed with a sweet grass, and the water bucket was full of fresh water. Until she could figure a way to escape, she would have to play the part. She'd be his horse, till she could run away.

It was more than two weeks since she'd arrived. The vet had come and performed some king of surgery on her eyes. Duncan, she'd learned he was also called, had opted to have both her eyes worked on, to limit the stress of the operations. For a week she was blind, going only by memory around her stall, and scent.

During her recovery, Duncan would come and talk to her. While she couldn't see, she could hear him enter her stall. In five days, he was brushing her with a soft brush, and removing the tangles from her mane and tail. She wished she could kick him and run away, but there was the little thing about seeing where she was going. Nine days had now past, and she found she was looking forward to Duncan's scent to enter the barn.

"I have something for you, Lightning," he said after he'd given her the treat he always carried. "It didn't seem right that I give you Byron's old halter, so I got this for you. Here we go."

'Halter? Oh no! No way!' she backed away as he brought the harness to her nose.

"Its ok. It won't hurt you. This way I can take you for a walk."

'Walk? Yes! Ok. Walking is good.' She practically pulled the harness out of his hands as she pushed her head through the loops.

"Easy now. Its ok." Duncan adjusted the strap, and clipped it shut. "There."

"Man-ats?"s?"

Duncan sighed. Lately he'd had little time to spend with his horse. Strange things were happening, more to the point, strange things were being found. "Yes, what is it?"

"Mecha-neck is here sir. Another of those things was found. He's brought it for you to examine. It's more intact than the last ones."

"I'll be right there."

'Things? What things? Are they finding the pods?'

"Sorry girl," he sighed, giving her another of her favourite crunchy treats. "I've gotta go to work."

'No!' She followed his scent to the door, and felt him push her back inside. 'No! Please! Tell me more! What are you finding?!' she neighed loudly, but only heard the door close and latch.

"Something wrong with the mare sir?"

"No. She's just a bit restless. Call me when the vet arrives. I want to be here when the bandages come off."

"Yes sir." She backed away as another person's scent passed her door. Slowly she made her way to the back of her stall. He'd be back. She couldn't' believe she was looking forward to him coming back more and more these days. But when it came to going out in the open, she'd play the part she was dealt. She'd have to.

It wasn't' long before she caught the familiar scent of the vet near her stall. She flattened her ears, as his scent got stronger. She didn't like him. Every time he was around, she was either just waking up from sudation, or being sedated. She hated it, and she wasn't going to fall for any of Duncan's tricks any more. She was sure she still had the bruise from the last time.

"Doctor. Good to see you again." She'd been so busy brooding, she hadn't even noticed Duncan's scent re-enter the stable.

"Good to be back. I see you've gotten a halter on her. I must say that black leather really looks good on her."

"Yes. I know. I made it myself."

'Duncan made it? For me?'

"I didn't know you were so artistic. Did you do the embossing as well?" Duncan nodded. She couldn't see him do it, but she could tell he had. "Shall we see if her eyes have recovered?"

"No need for darts. Just wait here." She heard the stall door open and the usual clicking of Duncan's tongue against the inside of his cheek. She liked the sound. She wasn't sure why, but she found her way to him, pressing her muzzle to his outstretched palm. "There now. Come with me." He held her treat at the end of her nose, and kept it just out of reach, as he led her to the half open door. "Just go slow doctor, and you'll be able to remove the bandages without any problem."

"I must admit. I never thought you'd get this far with her, in this short a time." Carefully the man cut the bandage that surrounded her face, holding thicker gauze over her eyes.

'Believe me bud, he wouldn't have normally.' She felt the bandages slide away, and the gauze was taken off. She shook her head as she opened her eyes. Things were a bit fuzzy still, but it was getting clearer.

"Amazing," whispered the vet.

"What?"

"Her eyes. They're green. Not only that, they look human. Like yours or mine. The pupils aren't oblong, like other horses, and she has more white than the others."

"Is that bad?"

"I guess not. She seems to have gotten along this far with it. Now, lets see if she'll let me look closer."

She kicked the stall door in warning, but Duncan's gentle hand on her cheek reassured her that he wouldn't let anyone hurt her. 'Why am I trusting this guy?' she thought, as the doctor shone his light into her eyes. 'I've goget get out of here. I'm starting to really loos it!'

"Well, she should be fine." He laughed as she started to kick the stall once more. "You should take her for a walk. Or she'll climb right over the door before you get the chance."

"Alright, Lightning, you win. I'll take you for a walk. Just hang on for a few minutes. Ok?" Duncan quickly closed the upper bars, and left the barn. The vet packed up his things and left as well.

'Oh come on!!! What does a horse have to do to get out around here!!!'

"Hay girl," it was the younger barn hand. She wasn't fond of him, he smelled odd, like reptiles. Course, having scales for skin didn't help matters either. Normally that wouldn't have bothered her, it was just the smell he gave off that irked her. They boy opened the panel with her water bucket inside. "Not again!"

"What's wrong?" Duncan asked, returning to the barn with another man, equally as bulky as he was.

"He-Man!!! Wow!! Hi! I honestly never thought I'd see you again."

"I'm still around. What's going on?"

"Its this horse. She's really baffling me. She keeps filling her water bucket with waste."

"I was wondering how her stall was staying so clean."

'You don't expect me to just leave it on the floor, do you?' she bobbed her head back and forth, as though insistent to get a drink. The boy replaced the bucket with another, and took the old one away to be cleaned. Kale took a long drink out of the hose he'd left behind, and then let it drop back into the bucket.

"So this is the famous White Lightning you've been bragging about."

"I don't talk about her that much, He-Man."

"No, just every five minutes since she got here," he chuckled.

"Very funny. I asked you here to help me."

"What do you need?"

"She's wild, she's never been led on a line, and I'd like to take her for a walk."

"I see. And you need me to hold the second lead line, right?"

"That's right. Feeling up to it?"

"I'd rather brace against a horse, than fight villains any day."

"Just brace, don't pull. She's been through enough trauma. Now here," Duncan handed the blond man an orange cube. Kale knew at once what it was, and started kicking the stall door, demanding that he give her the treat. "Sugar Carrot is her favourite. It's what I've been using. If you give one to her, she may get the idea that you wont hurt her. Then we can take her for her walk."

"How's her eyes?" he asked, threading his hand gently through the bars. Kale at once took the treat from his flat hand, licking his skin to be sure she had all the taste of it in her mouth before pulling away.

"The vet said they're fine. Birth defect made them different from other horses, but that doesn't seem to have slowed her down any."

'Birth defect!? HEY! I resent that accusation.' The mare tossed her head high. 'These eyes happen to be my real eyes, just bigger. They're one of the few parts of me I CAN'T change.'

"Looks like she's getting impatient. Maybe we should get started." Duncan nodded and opened the bars of the door. Quickly Kale thrust her head out, and Duncan snapped two lead lines to her halter. "No chain over her nose?"

"No. Not this mare. I think she'll come round on her own. You ready. She's gona be fast, and hard to keep back."

"I'm ready." Duncan opened the door, and Kale quickly trotted out. The grip Duncan had on his rope was formidable, but not as strong as the blond man, who'd stood his ground, and kept her from running all out.

'Holly frig he's strong. What do they feed these guys?'

"Easy girl. We're not gona hurt you. We're just going for a nice walk around the barn. Ready?" He-Man nodded, snaking one hand closer to the halter. Kale bucked a bit, to let him know she wasn't impressed with him. He-Man stayed close to her body, so it was difficult for her to get him with her hooves. Duncan's hand came to her cheek, and gently stroked down her face. His hands were huge and rough with calluses, but you wouldn't have thought that as his silk like touch reached her tender muzzle. She could smell her treat on his fingers, and at once started looking for one. "Here we go."

She followed his hand as he drew it back to the line, and slowly they walked her out the door. Well, the men walked, Kale practically pranced. She could finally make a break for it, if she could get Conan off the other line.

Outside, the air was cool, and she could see people putting things away for the night. The sun was setting behind the high castle walls, and it made the gold domes glint with beams of radiant light. There were other animals in the in the yard as well, some shorter in stature than she, and harnessed to heavy loads of supplies. She could sense their fatigue, and relief when their handlers started removing their harnesses. She felt bad for them, but they didn't seem sad. One even had her baby with her. It looked more like a baby rhinoceros, than, whatever its mother was.

The two led her around a corner, off the soft dirt of the yard and onto a brick walkway. This must have been the main courtyard to the castle. There were people everywhere, all in the same kind of uniform, and all wearing the same ridiculous fur like diapers. She couldn't understand why Duncan wore such a thing, and then she noticed that the blond man to her right was also wearing one. She thought it so ridiculous that she neighed loudly in laughter. Duncan patted her neck, and turned her slightly around some planters.

Teela was in the next area. Under her therapist's supervision, she was doing some combat exercises. She felt good to be away from the weight machine, and it showed in her face, and in her performance. She waved to her father and He-Man, and smiled when Kale tossed her head at Duncan playfully. All Kale was doing was pushing him further, hoping that the next turn they took would produce a door.

Around the next corner, Kale balked. Something was there, something big, and dangerous. She could smell it. "Easy girl," Duncan eased. "Come on. We're almost there." She reared high, striking her feet in the air. Duncan and He-Man braced themselves, trying not to let her move back any further.

'I'm not going!' she said, 'You can't make me! If you were smart, you wouldn't either!' Her neighs turned to haggard rasps, her nostrils were filled with the scent of danger. She danced on her feet this way and that, trying to dislodge the lines. But it was no use.

Duncan noticed a soldier come from around the corner, but it didn't seem to settle the mare. "You there!" he called. "What's around the corner?"

"Battle-cat sir," the man answered, keeping away from the enraged beast. "He's eating something the cook gave him."

Duncan looked to He-man, who merely shrugged and handed the loose end to the soldier, and dashed off around the corner. The soldier held fast to the line, but with only a normal person's strength, he didn't hold his ground as He-Man had.

Kale felt the slack in the lines, and pulled once more. Duncan cursed under his breath, as he felt the line he held slip away. Kale gave another defiant tug, and the second line went free as well. Kale bolted the other way, back around the building, and through the main courtyard, sending soldiers diving for cover. Duncan ran after her, yelling for people to block her path, but none heard him.

Luckily for him, the main gates of the castle had been closed for the night, or his precious mare would have dashed off into the trees. Soldiers surrounded her at the gates, as she reared and pushed her full weight against them, not realizing that they opened in the other direction. Duncan pushed his way through, and ordered all the men to hold their staffs lengthwise in front of them, so that the touching ends looked like a rail in her stall. He-Man pushed his way through as well, and waited for Duncan to regain control over the mare.

Kale paced back and forth, her hooves clacking on the hard stones. She kicked at the doors that refused to open, and neighed her displeasure loudly over the crowd. King Randor made his way through the crowd, and added his own staff to the line. He watched as Duncan took his secret weapon out of his pocket, and held it out to the frightened horse.

'Please!' she pleaded, praying that he could hear her. 'Let me go.' Duncan slowly advanced, calling her name softly, telling her that she would be all right. He was close enough now to take one of the lines in his hand, but couldn't understand why she hadn't taken her treat. Kale gently nickered as she pressed her muzzle to his shoulder. He couldn't believe it. She was crying. His horse was truly crying. He wiped a tear as it fell from her eye onto her check. 'Let me go, please.'

"Its ok, girl. It's all right." He patted her chest in reassurance, noting she was coated in sweat. Finally Kale's nose found her treat, and took it. He-Man slowly came over and took the other line.

"I'm really sorry Duncan. I didn't think..."

"Its alright. Battle-Cat has a way with the other animals here, but she's never met him before. Its only natural she'd bolt."

"Duncan, her leg," said the king, pointing down. Duncan looked down and saw a trickle of blood run down his mare's hind leg. Carefully the king went to her, tearing his shirtsleeve into a strip. He-Man quickly picked up her front leg, to make her stand on all three for balance, and ensure that his King, and father, wouldn't be hurt. Randor carefully tied the strip around the cut, just above her hoof, then stepped away. "Its not too bad, it will heal."

"Thank you, your highness. I apologise. Its her first time out..."

"No, Duncan. It was my fault. I should have been more careful where I left Battle-Cat."

"It is no one's fault," Randor announced, following the pair as they lead the mare back to the barn. "These things are to be expected. She was doing well, now she's had a setback. She'll bounce back, you'll see. He-Man. I hope you will be staying for dinner. I'm sure my son will be happy to tell you everything that has been going on in the palace in your absence."

"Ah…thank you, your majesty, but Adam has already given me an earful. Besides, I think it best for the mare that Battle-Cat and I continue on our way. Evil-Lynn and several others of Skelator's men are still out there. I just came by because I was in the neighbourhood."

"I understand. And I thank you. If there is ever anything that we can do, you just let us know."

"I will your majesty."

Back in the barn, Duncan wiped Kale's chest dry with a cloth. Winter was advancing on them, and he didn't want his mare getting a chill. A young man poked his head over the stall door, and quietly cleared his throat. Duncan looked over to him and nodded. "Prince Adam," he said, then bent to inspect the damage to Kale's leg.

"I'm really sorry," the boy stated. "I honestly didn't think. Is she going to be ok?" Duncan patted her leg as he rose. "She'll be fine. She just cut the skin a little. It looked much worse than it is. How's Cringer?"

"Jealous. Cook gives Battle-Cat all the big bones with the meat and marrow still in them, and all he gives Cringer, is cubed meat. Sometimes I think," he quickly looked around. "I think he'd prefer to remain Battle-Cat, just to get the better food."

Duncan nodded, as he took the second line off the halter. 'What's he talking about?' she asked, poking at Duncan's pocket to get the treat she still could smell inside.

"Sorry girl, I'm all out," he said, patting her face. "I'll bring some more tomorrow."

"I've got one. Do you think she'll take it from me?"

"Why not. She did from He-Man."

The boy held out his hand, the sugar carrot cube bright and orange in the middle of his palm. Kale eagerly stepped forward, and took the cube, licking his hand as she'd done to the last visitor. But his hand tasted the same. He even smelled the same. But that wasn't possible! No two people could have the same smell, or taste! It was impossible. Before coe could ponder more about it, and neigh even louder, the pair left the barn, turning off the lights as they went. 'Could it be?' she asked herself. 'Could the King's son, be a mutant?'