Chapter 28: Wait For It
“He am WHA?”
Travis nodded, letting Breaker know that he heard him right.
“Joffwey am miwkie feef. Heaw him tawkies tu Waisin wast dawk-time, he take hew miwkies, an Twavis nu fink fow da fiwst time.”
“Am dat wai dewe nu babbehs in hewd?” Crusher asked with a hushed voice, there was pretty far away from the rest of the herd on another food collection run, but he was still being careful.
Travis nodded again. “Fink su, dey nu hab anee miwkies su dey aww gu foweba sweepies fwom tummeh-huwties.”
Breaker seethed. “Fwuffies need gub bov bwuddas foweba sweepies, wigth nyo.”
“Nu.” Travis nearly shouted out, catching himself just in time. “Nu can gib dem foweba sweepies nyo.”
“Wai nu? Twavis say nu gib dummehs foweba sweepies cos nu knyo wha udda Fwuffies du. Bweaka fink dat mawes hab heawt-happies see Wamsey an Joffwey gu, den dey can hab miwkies fow babbehs.”
Travis could see the anger in Breaker’s eyes, and he felt it himself, but he still knew they had to be cautious.
“Mawes am soon-mummah, nu can wun way gud if Wamsey ow Cawwot du sumfing meanie. Dose am deiw own babbehs an dey nu cawe, dey gib soon-mummahs foweba sweepies if Fwuffies du sumfing dummeh. Need wait fow babbehs tu come, mummahs need tu move if bad fings happen.”
Breaker’s rage flared for just a moment, but then Travis saw him calm back down again, slowly recognising the wisdom in Travis’ words.
“Ok, Bweaka nu wike it, bu Bweaka undastan.”
“Fank yu, Twavis knyo dis am hawd, bu Wamsey am biggesh dummeh, dat am dangawous, need be smawt Fwuffies bout dis.”
Breaker just nodded, he took a deep sigh and turned away.
“Bweaka gu wook fow nummies oba dewe, wet Fwuffies knyo if find aneefing.”
Travis and Crusher watched as Breaker slunk off, his dejection showing obviously in his body language. Travis heard Crusher sniff back a tear as he watched his mate looking so done in.
“Bweaka weawwy nu wike dis, du he?” Travis asked.
“Bweaka nu wememba his mummah, she gu foweba sweepies befowe he tawkie babbeh, hab tu be waised by meanie daddeh who gib Bweaka wowstesh huwties, teww Bweaka be stwonga Fwuffy, betta Tuffie. Bweaka nu wike it wen Fwuffies nu wook afta deiw babbehs, wemind him of meanie daddeh.”
“Sound wike Bweaka daddeh wan Bweaka be stwong, suwvive by sewf.”
“Maybe, bu Bweaka onwy wememba da huwties.”
Crusher gave Travis a curt nod and jogged after Breaker, hoping to console his mate during this difficult time. Travis himself could understand their frustrations, they followed Travis because they believed him to be smart enough to BE a leader, and the first major choice he made had them immediately questioning him.
Hell HE was questioning himself, Ramsey and Joffrey were clearly dangerous, they didn’t care about the foals, likely the only thing stopping them from raping Raisin and Lilypad was the disconnect, the ability to blame the mares for not feeding their young rather than blaming the stallions for enfing a soon-mummah.
Was Travis foolish for being so cautious? Could the chirpy-babbehs survive the narrow window between their birth and the coup against Ramsey? Or was it better to risk everything now and get Ramsey over and done with?
No, no Travis’ gut told him to wait, to ensure any casualties were kept to a minimum, he wasn’t going to be responsible for the death of another babbeh. Raisin looked only a few days away from popping, Lilypad not too far behind. He could wait that long, all he had to do was play nice until then.
Pushing away some branches, Travis came across another berry bush, this one not as bright and colourful as the last one, but it had enough to keep the herd satisfied for today.
“Fwiends, oba hewe.”
The trio brought the berries back to Ramsey, who naturally was not impressed.
“Bewwies gain? Dese am bowing nummies.”
“Dese am aww Twavis an fwiend find Smawty, hot-times nu wast as wong nyo, hawda find gud nummies.”
“Pfftth.” Ramsey snorted derisively. “Dummeh jus nu wook hawd enuff. Smawty am hungwy, dis gud fow nyo bu dummehs need find betta nummies in da bwite time.”
Travis simply nodded and stepped back as Shitbrick was brought in as the taste-tester. The poor brown stallion barely got the chance to enjoy the sweetness before he was kicked away while Ramsey and Carrot dug in. Travis looked over as Joffrey watched the other stallions gorge themselves, once again not taking anything himself.
Now knowing the truth, Joffrey’s already disgusting features sickened Travis even more, his sweating rolls of flesh dripping off of his chin highlighting his gluttony, his teeth, so few and yet so weak and brown being shown openly and proudly touting of his sickening thievery, and his breathing, so rasping and laboured, proof that his own body was rejecting his cruelty, but Joffrey cared not.
Not wanting to look at the fat fuck any longer, Travis grabbed some errant berries and took them over to Raisin ad Lilypad, he didn’t like the idea of adding to Joffrey’s milk drinking but the two of them needed food.
He dropped the bundle down in front of Raisin. “Hewe, gud nummies fow tummeh-babbehs.”
Raisin looked at the berries, there was a beat as she processed the fact they were in front of her and not being forced into her mouth. Then she looked up at Travis only to look away just as quickly.”
“Waisin nu awwowed tu tawkies tu nyu Fwuffies.”
“Wai nu?”
“Wamsey say nu tu.”
Travis looked back, Ramsey and Carrot both had their backs to them as they gorged on the berries.
“Twavis nu fink he cawe.”
Raisin, much to her own shock, giggled a little. “Waisin am sowwy, nu mean waugh at Twavis.”
“It ok, yu nu du meanie waugh. Twavis jus wan gib soon-mummahs nummies, am gud fow tummeh-babbehs. Had sum fow yu twu Wiwypad.”
Travis took another bundle and dropped them in front of Lilypad the green mare didn’t look at him, but Travis could see her trembling quite badly.
“Nu tawkies tu nyu Fwuffies.” She spoke so softly Travis almost didn’t hear her.
Looking back to ensure that nobody was listening in, Travis leaned in closer and whispered to Raisin and Lilypad. “Twavis knyo wha happen, knyo wai dewe am nu babbehs hewe. Twavis hab finkie-pwace pwan tu gib Wamsey foweba sweepies nu need…”
As soon the words had left his mouth about Ramsey, Raisin’s eyes went wide and terrified, before he could say anything else, the pregnant mare spoke loudly and quickly.
“FANK YU FOW NUMMIES NYU FWIEND! Dese am gud nummies fow tummeh-babbehs.”
Travis was taken aback by the sudden shout that he couldn’t think of what to say, until he heard the shouting behind him.
“RRRREEEEEEEE! RRRRREEEEEE!!! Git way fwom enfie-mawes dummeh, yu nu tawkies tu enfie-mawes.”
Joffrey’s high-pitched squealing alerted Ramsey to what Travis was doing, the large grey stallion pounded over to Travis, throwing out a left hook that Travis narrowly avoided.
“WHA AM DUMMEH DUIN WIV ENFIE-MAWES?!” Ramsey bellowed at Travis.
“Fwuffy onwy gibben soon-mummahs nummie, need tu make babbehs big an stwong.”
“DOS AM NU YUW BABBEHS, DEM AM SMAWTY BABBEHS, DEM AM SMAWTY ENFIE-MAWES, DUMMEH NU GU NEAW DEM!”
Travis flashed a look at Raisin, the look of pure, unbridled terror was enough to tell Travis to let this one go.
“Ok, sowwy Smawty, Twavis onwy wan hewp.”
“Mawes nu need hewp, hab Smawty wook afta dem.”
To emphasise his point, Ramsey kicked the berries – which Travis had already brought over – into Raisin’s face, the poor battered mare whimpered as the jagged twigs irritated her face but said nothing. Travis gave an apologetic look to her and turned away, heading back to the mouldy corner where Soot and Shitbrick were resting.
If Travis needed anymore proof that Ramsey didn’t care for the mares, the very deliberate choice not to refer to either of them as ‘Special-Friend’ confirmed it.
Travis lay down beside Soot, his body nearly collapsing under the weight of his defeated melancholy, Soot just smiled at him, once again with her eyes betraying her inner depression.
After a moment she broke the silence. “Wamsey am big meanie.”
Travis nodded. “Twavis jus tawkies tu soon-mummahs, nu wan be meanie.”
“Dat nu matta.” Shitbrick sighed out. “Wamsey see yu tawkies tu mawes, dat mean yu wivaw. Yu am gud Fwuffy, nu be meanie tu mawes, Wamsey nu wan mawes hab fwiends, gid dem heawt-happies, make dem fink dey be happy wun bwite-time. Shitbwick twy be fwiends wiv pwetty mawes wunce.”
Shitbrick’s eyes darted to his busted leg, while it had healed since it was broken, it hadn’t fixed itself to 100% and Travis could tell it still gave the brown stallion a lot of issues.
“How Shitbwick git bwoken weggie?”
“Shitbwick tawkies tu Wiwypad, she gud Fwuffy, nu mind dat Shitbwick am poopie Fwuffy, ow dat nu hab speciaw-wumps. Shitbwick wan ask hew be speciaw-fwiend, bu Cawwot gib Shitbwick wowstesh sowwy-hoofies, gib weggie wowstesh huwties. Teww Shitbwick am jus dummeh poopie, nu awwowed hab speciaw-fwiend if nu can hab babbehs. Shitbwick twy teww Wamsey, wan Smawty wook afta hewd, Smawty waugh an make Shitbwick watch as Cawwot gib Wiwybad bad speciaw-huggies.”
Travis felt his stomach twist, he’d seen stallions cucked by Crowley’s herd and the trauma was palpable, but for Shitbrick to watch the one piece of hope he had after a lifetime of human abuse be violated like that… that had to hurt even more.
“Twavis am sowwy yu see dat, Cawwot am biggesh dummeh.”
Shitbrick shook his head. “Maybe he am wight, maybe Shitbwick nu git speciaw-fwiend, wham awe wan ugwy nu wump dummeh wike Shitbwick.”
Shitbrick turned and left, his head hung low as he found a damp spot to fall down onto, Travis started to go after him but Soot stopped him.
“Dewe am nuffin Twavis du fow Shitbwick, he need west, be betta in da bwite-time.”
Travis sighed but did as she suggested. By chance he looked up and saw Ramsey staring at him, as though daring Travis to help the poopie stallion. Sensing the hostility, Travis made a point of laying down even further, making it clear to Ramsey that he wasn’t going anywhere, eventually Ramsey turned away and resumed eating.
“Wamsey nu wike yu.” Soot said matter-of-factly. “Twavis need be cawefuw, nu wet Wamsey buwwy him.”
“How du Fwuffies fowwow Wamsey, he biggesh meanie an dummeh, wet fat-ee bwudda takw miwkies fwom soon-mummahs.”
“Soot knyo, Bweaka teww Soot wha Twavis teww dem.”
Travis looked around, noticeing his friends absence. “Whewe am Bweaka an Cwusha?”
“Ousside, Soot fink dey jus wan be awone fow wittew bit.”
Glancing out one of the holes in the wooden walls of the hut, Travis saw a patch of blue amongst the browns and greens of the forest, and it was moving rhythmically back and forth.
He turned away, given the stallions their privacy, and returned his attention to Soot. “Du dis awways happen, Wamsey wet Joffwey hab aww da miwkies?”
Soot sorrowfully nodded. “Aww da time, nu matta who hab tummeh-babbehs ow eben if dey Smawty babbehs ow nu, Joffwey take aww da miwkies, babbehs neba hab anee. Soot onwy hab wittew miwkies cos…”
Soot swallowed back her tears, it still hurt her to say the next part, knowing the implication of what it meant.
“Cos mummah num bwuddas an sissies su Soot hab sum miwkies.”
Travis could barely believe what he was saying. “Bu wai? Wai take miwkies fwom babbehs, wai hab babbeh if nu gib dem nummies?”
Soot scoffed. “Yu teww dummeh stawwions dey nu hab enfies, see wha happen. Wamsey an Cawwot nu cawe bout babbehs, fink dey tuu mush wowk, tiww Twavis come dewe am onwy Shitbwick fow nummie finda, he nu find enuff nummies fow aww hewd AN babbehs. Wamsey fink it ee-see-ah tu jus wet babbehs hab tummeh-huwties, nu need find mowe nummies an Wamsey an Cawwot stiww git gud-feews. Joffwey take da miwkies cos he nu can hab nummies wiv bad teethies.”
“Du Wamsey du… bad fings tu babbehs?” Travis asked, his mind flashing with Crowley’s herd and their enfie raid.
Soot shook her head. “Nu, Wamsey nu gib enfie tu babbehs, nu babbeh wive wong enuff tu gib enfies tu.”
“Stiww, Wamsey need tu gu.”
“Gu whewe?” Soot let out a small, agonised giggle. “Twavis gun gib Wamsey foweba sweepies?”
“Nu knyo yet, stiww finkies bout fings.”
“Twavis need finkies bout fings soon, Wamsey git angwy at Twavis mowe an mowe, he du sumfing dummeh if Twavis nu du sumfing.”
Travis pondered what Soot said for a moment, Ramsey was getting noticeable more and more agitated with each passing day Travis was with them, even bowing to Ramsey’s demands hadn’t made life any easier. His gut still said to wait but… maybe he was making a mistake by doing so, there was little point in waiting to save the hostages if there was no more hostages.
He shook his head and tried to think of something else, of warm beds with Big Mummah, or snuggling in with his brothers and sisters, of cuddling closer with Angel while she sung to her tummeh-babbehs, of…
Of Raisin?
For a brief moment Travis’ memory flashed him Raisin’s laugh from earlier, faint, distorted, and yet unmistakable her. And it was in that moment that Travis felt something, a slight tingle that he hadn’t felt since… well since Angel.
He shook his head again and put it out of his mind, now was not the time to have THAT on the brain. Travis rolled over and went to sleep, once again it came to him sporadically and painfully, only this time for a different reason.
Travis was woken again that night, at first he thought it was Joffrey taking milk again, until he head a much deeper, and much closer voice.
“Babbeh wakies.”
Ramsey’s voice sent a shockwave through Travis’ nervous system, he tensed up, hoping the Smarty didn’t notice anything was off about his sleeping. There was a soft rustling and a moment later Travis heard Soot’s voice.
“Wha Smawty wan?”
“Smawty wan knyo if yu big Fwuffy nyo?”
The chill in Soot’s soft, scared whimper was hard to ignore. “…Nu?”
Ramsey let out a harrumph, then Travis heard sniffing. There was only one reason why a stallion would sniff a filly and Travis could tell Soot was hurt and embaressed by her situation. He tensed his body even tighter, trying not to get involved, not until anything happened.
Eventually Ramsey backed off. “Yu nu am mawe yet, but yu cwose, wen hab mawe smeww Smawty gib yu tummeh-babbehs, hab stwong babbehs fow hewd.”
“Bu… Smawty gib speciaw-huggies tu mummah, Smawty am da…”
There was a violent thump, followed by Soot’s body slamming onto the floor, Ramsey stood over her and snarled into her ear.
“Poopie babbeh am NU Smawty babbeh, poopie mummah hab wots of speciaw-huggies. If Smawty say yu nu am Smawty babbeh, den yu nu am Smawty babbeh. If Smawty wan gib poopie Fwuffy enfies den Smawty gib poopie Fwuffy enfies, yu am NUFFIN tu Smawty, wememba dat.”
The night was filled with the creaking floorboards as Ramsey returned to his bed, followed closely by the distraught whimpering of Soot as she curled into a ball and wept, Travis wanted so badly to comfort her, but where should he even begin with something THAT horrific.
Suddenly waiting felt like a really bad idea.