Katherine was just heading to clock out when Flynn flagged her down, a little green unicorn in his arms.
“Katherine. Oh man I’m so glad I caught you.”
“Shame you didn’t.”
“HEY, hey just wait ok. Look we’ve had a few new Fluffies come into the group, one of them being Lily here.”
“Hewwo nice wady.” Lily waved a little hoof at Katherine who remained thoroughly unimpressed at the one-eyed mare.
“So what?”
“So… some of the others are a little scared of her missing eye, we were wondering if you could look after her for the night while we get a place set up for her.”
“And why, in the holy hell, would I do that?”
“Come on Kat…”
“Don’t call me that.”
“…You work in the nurse unit, you’ve dealt with some of the shittiest Fluffies in this place. Literally AND Figuratively. This should be a cake-walk for you, Lily’s a sweetheart, just we don’t have the space for her until her room’s finished.”
“Sorry Flynn, you got this conversation cause your dad’s let me off the hook a couple times, but I ain’t a fucking Daycare to drop your shit off at.”
Lily sniffled in Flynn’s arms. “Huu, wady nu wike Wiwy tuu. Wai fwiends meanies tu Wiwy.”
Katherine looked down at the pathetic creature in front of her and she felt…
Pity?
It was strange but something about Lily just made her feel rotten, every instinct in Katherine’s body told her to walk away but, somehow she couldn’t.
“Fuck it. One night?”
“One night, that’s all we need.”
“Alright give her here, plus give me a 20 for her food.”
Flynn handed Lily over to Katherine and took a note out of his wallet. “Thanks Katherine, you’re a lifesaver.”
“Don’t tank me yet ya little twerp.”
Katherine turned away, already regretting this decision, but it was one night, so long as Lily didn’t shit herself it should be ok.
Plus she had to admit, Lily did feel nice hugging her chest.
Flynn returned to the bay, Jennifer shaking her head at his antics.
“What?”
“Flynn Jackson, I hope to God you’re wrong because if anything happens to Lily I will never forgive you.”
“Look, you said yourself that she’s probably behind Guano’s weird shit fetish…”
“I said MAYBE. She acted weird when I told her the story, I still think you’re over-thinking this.”
“Maybe I am, if so then Lily had nothing to worry about. But if I’m right, and Lily comes back to us a mess, we have grounds to have Katherine thrown out of this place and save the lives of countless foals.”
“Yeah, at the cost of one innocent girl’s life. Again Flynn, I hope to God you’re wrong.”
Jennifer turned and went back to her work, Flynn tried to think of something to say but couldn’t find the words so he just returned to the task at hand. Silently he hoped he was wrong as well.
He’d hate for Jennifer to hate him if he was right.
“Beast was in the army with Jackson, they did a couple tours together before Jackson got his legs blown off. Beast was the one who choppered him back home.”
Lewis turned a corner as he drove his car up a dirt road, a large barn could be seen in the distance. Daniel listened to the story intently.
“Ok, so why’s he called ‘Beast’.”
“Cause he flew that bird into some of the hairiest situation any platoon had the misfortune to be in. Only way he could’ve done that was if he was animal enough to survive the chaos.”
“Sounds like a madman.”
“He’s actually a goddamn sweetheart, once he left the Army with Jackson he set up this little sanctuary, he takes in any outcasts, any disabled, traumatised or just neglected Fluffies and looks after them, gives them a good life before the end. I think he needed the quiet after the war.”
“So why didnae Jackson come work fir him, seeing as they’re pals and that?”
“Cause Beast’s Sanctuary is non-profit, survives on donations and volunteer work, he’s been making a slow but steady loss for the past five years, would’ve been more had Peterson not included him on our subsidies list to help him stay afloat. Jackson would’ve loved to work for him, but he’s got a wife, kids and a disability to look out for, couldn’t afford it. Besides, he’s part of our network so they stay in touch.”
Lewis stopped the car outside a large gate and turned the engine off, both he and Daniel could see a man walking towards them, waving to them.
“Ya ken ye’ve still no told me his name yet right?”
“I don’t know it, neither he nor Jackson’s ever told me his real name. He’s just Beast.”
The two men got out the car and walked over the Beast, his large smile suited his cheery disposition as he shook Lewis’ hand.
“Good to see you again Carter, how’s Jackson coping?”
“Oh you know, crotchety old bastard loves finding a reason to complain. Oh sorry, Beast this is my boyfriend Daniel, he’s the one that found the Fluffies I called you about.”
“Daniel? Nice to meet you.”
“You tae Beast.”
“Ha, I take it Carter’s told you about my little alias.”
“Aye, also says he cannae mind yer real name.”
“Why would he, I’ve never told him what it is. Alright let’s head up the house, I’ll whip up some drinks and we’ll talk shop, you guys good with coffee, tea?”
Lewis nodded. “I’ll take a coffee.”
Daniel smirked. “I’ll have a Highland Malt Whiskey if yer offering.”
“Ooh sorry, I’ve only got a Lowland Single Malt Scotch on tap at the moment.”
Daniel turned to Lewis and smiled. “I like him already.”
Beast placed two coffee mugs and a small glass of Scotch on the kitchen table and sat down at the head, Lewis and Daniel on either side next to him.
“So, tell me about these Fluffies you have.”
Lewis took out his phone and showed him the first picture of Lily. “This is Lily, aside from the eye she’s the most well-adjusted of the lot, a little skittish but otherwise fine. She’s ready to breed if you’re thinking about that.
Lewis swiped to the next photo. “This is Stevie, he’s the stunted stallion I told you about, derped as all hell but seems friendly enough.”
“He dangerous?”
Daniel shook his head. “Wee guy’s a teddy bear, sees everyone as a friend, just wants taw cuddle.”
“This next one is Vanessa, or Ness as she’s more likely know, Stevie’s mate before he was… you know.”
“Got a good coat on her, never seen a patchwork Fluffy before.”
“That’s not a coat, that’s a blanket of her foals.”
“Oh shit.”
“Yeah, she’s utterly traumatised, Danny says she refuses to let go of the blanket.”
“Had a guy try tae take it off her at the first shelter, she screamed fooking murder till he gave it back.”
“The last two are a package deal, Nick and Lena, siblings made to be mates.”
“Jesus.”
“Exactly, from their account they’ve had a lot of fucked up foals, they tried to love them all the same but their owner butchered them all. Now Nick’s asking to be neutered so he doesn’t impregnate Lena again, I think they’re stuck on this whole relationship thing.”
Beast sighed. “Well if that ain’t something. I can’t tell if it’s romantic or disgusting.”
Daniel shrugged. “Bit of both?”
Lewis chuckled and turned back to Beast. “You think you can take them?”
Beast nodded. “I think I can, follow me.”
The three men took a walk outside towards the barn, as they got closer Lewis and Daniel could see a group of Fluffies playing in a pen attached to the side, most of them were brown or green or yellow, unappealing colours, with some of them having missing limbs or broken bones, a couple of them were pillowfluffs sitting together under an awning for shade.
Most importantly though, all of them were happy.
A cheery little yellow mare waddled up to the approaching trio. “Mistah Beest, Sunfwowa nu hab bad-poopies dis bwite-time.”
Beast leant over the fence and tickled Sunflowers’s ears. “Good girl, you keep it up for two more days and you’ll get added to the sketti list.”
“YAY.”
Sunflower waddled away, singing to herself.
“Sunflower was part of a feral herd when they were attacked by a larger, more vicious group of Fluffies. Anyone who survived got put to work, in Sunflower’s case she was the herd’s new enfie-toy. When she came here her anus had been torn open so wide that she couldn’t even feel herself pooping anymore, it took a lot of healing both physically and mentally but she’s safe now, and she’s even found a special-friend.”
Lewis looked over as Sunflower told a brown Pegasus mare about her lack of bad-poopies, the brown mare cheered and hugged Sunflower, nuzzling her neck slightly in a sign of affection.
Beast smiled at Lewis’ expression. “This isn’t Frederick’s Farm Carter, I’m not looking for the Fluffies to breed so they’re free to be with who makes them happy, and if Brownie makes Sunflower happy I’m not gonna tear them apart. But as for your lot, I’ll have Nick and Lena out here, from what you’ve said they sound eager to be put into the good books so I can use them as my eyes and ears, make sure nothing goes wrong with the others.”
Beast then opened a door into the barn and stepped in, Lewis and Daniel followed, finding a number – Lewis guessed about 15 or so – of pregnant or just-given-birth mares all laid out in rows on the floor, some of them were alone with a Nurse mare assisting them, most had their special-friend looking after them.
Daniel looked over the operation with some minor confusion. “Thought ya said ya dinnae dae the breeding thing?”
“I don’t, these are all families who have asked if they could have babies, most of these mares are physically and emotionally fine so I try to adopt them out as a family unit, the one who have issues be it disability or mental illness will stay here with me and one of their foals, the rest go on the adoption list.”
Beast stepped over to where some of the mares were feeding the newborn chirpies, all of them happily singing and feeding no matter what colour or type the babbeh was.
“I’ll put Ness in with the Nurse Mares, it might be difficult for her at first to help with the chirpies but I believe being around foals again could signal her maternal instinct and give her purpose again, break her out of her rut. Stevie I’ll put with the talkies.”
Beast pointed to a well-lit corner of the barn where several older foals were playing together.
“He’ll primarily be entertainment but also a learning tool that derped Fluffies are nothing to be afraid of, we don’t have a lot of bullying here but it’s not uncommon, best nipping it in the bud as soon as possible before it develops into Smarty syndrome. That just leaves Lily, I’m not sure where she can fit in, potentially as another Nurse-Mare but I’ve got enough of those. Tell you what, send her over to me, I’ll have a place for her by the time she gets here.”
“Thanks Beast, I owe you for this.”
“Actually you owe me for several but whatever, I’ll add it to your tab. Send me a message when they’re ready, I’ll drive down later in the week to pick them up.”
“Will do, thanks Beast.”
“No problem Carter, nice meeting you Daniel, keep an eye on Lou for us will you?”
“Oh I cannae keep my eyes off him.”
The three men laughed and shook hands to their agreed deal, Beast returned to his barn while Lewis and Daniel went back to the car.
“See, told you Beast would be a good shout.”
“Aye, ya did. Seems a good yin, why no send more Fluffies his way?”
“Don’t want to overcrowd him, he’s a blessing not a convenience. If I was sending him five regulars Fluffies he would’ve laughed in my face and told me to Fuck off. He’s putting a lot out there to look after these one, and I trust him to do a good job.”
“Will if yer intae him then I’ll no complain. But gies him ma number so he can update me on the wee-yins.”
“I will give it to him when he picks the Fluffies up.”
“Yer a gud-yin Lou, no many lads out there go this far for their boyfriend’s sappy arse.”
“Eh, you’re a decent boyfriend.”
“Decent?”
The couple chuckled to each other as they finally reached the car.
“So, ya think the kids have completely fucked the place over yet or no?”
“Hey, I trust Flynn and Jennifer, what’s the worst thing they could’ve done?”
“You did WHAT?”
Flynn and Jennifer winced at Lewis’ outburst as they told him about Katherine taking Lily, Flynn decided to own up to his actions and took a step forward.
“It was my idea Lewis, I thought Katherine had something to do with Guano based on what Jennifer said.”
“And what did she say?”
Lewis’ eyes stuck to Jennifer, suddenly making her feel very nervous. “I simply said she was acting weird when I talked about him, I never told Flynn to do anything like this.”
“She’s right Lewis, this was all my idea. I thought if I gave Lily to Katherine then we could test her, if Lily came back ok, no harm done, if Lily came back fucked up then we could put in a complaint about Katherine and have her fired.”
“A complaint? You wanted…” Lewis pinched the bridge of his nose. “Flynn, you best hope you’re wrong because A) That is WAY too close to entrapment for my liking and B) If Katherine does get fired then I’m gonna have to punish you for putting Lily in danger.”
“Oh shit, you gonna fire me too?”
“Worse. I’ll tell your father what you did.”
“NO! Lewis man please you can’t tell my dad.”
“So long a Lily come back safe then I won’t say anything, and believe it or not I trust Katherine not to have an insatiable bloodlust, so you should be in the clear. But you best fucking pray Lily comes back safe or I will go through you like fucking tissue paper. Now get outta here, both of you.”
Flynn and Jennifer left with their heads low, both feeling bad about what they did, Flynn especially was feeling guilty.
“I fucked up didn’t I?”
Jennifer nodded. “Yeah, kinda. But you’re heart was in the right place, you might be an idiot but you’re a responsible idiot.”
Jennifer gave her friend a quick hug before jogging off to catch the bus home, Flynn stayed and watched her leave for a moment, before remembering his dad had eyes on the cameras and was likely watching him.
Back in the office, Lewis sat back in his chair, he thought today was going so well and now Flynn had to fuck it up with his misguided decisions. Lewis understood why Flynn did it – hell he’d had suspicions that Katherine knew more than she let on about Guano himself – but that didn’t mean he had to do anything about it.
Lewis locked up the office in time for the shift change, and went home more than a little worried about tomorrow.
As it turned out, tomorrow had something entirely different in mind for Lewis, as when he walked down the aisle towards his bay, he was stopped by Katherine who thrust an envelope into his hands.
“Morning Katherine, what’s this?”
“This is a deal Carter, a deal that I leave you and your fucking hugbox bullshit alone and you don’t ask any question. I’m buying Lily off you.”
Confused, Lewis took the envelope and looked inside, there was cash inside, quite a bit as well.”
“Katherine this is… Lily isn’t even for sale and this is WAY too much for her.”
“I know, I threw in a little extra to help keep things between us. I’m buying Lily to keep as a pet, and it’s not for abusive purposes before you ask.”
Lewis looked at Katherine, then at the money, then at Katherine, he was at a loss for words, he never expected this from her at all.”
“This is… can I say this might be the first time I’ve ever been speechless.”
“I’m not the monster you think I am Carter, I’m not Josef. Josef doesn’t feel guilty about his actions, he despises Fluffies and will happily torture them for his own amusement. I kill a foal and I feel like shit about it the rest of the week.”
“Feeling bad about your cruelty then still being cruel doesn’t mean you’re not still a bad person. It just means you recognise what you’re doing is wrong and refuse to stop.”
“Wow, fuck you too Carter, see this is why I didn’t want…”
“She’s yours.”
“What?”
“Lily’s yours, on one condition. You tell me the truth about Guano?”
Katherine laughed but there was no humour in her voice. “Wow, you figured that out?”
“Had my suspicions, wasn’t 100% until just now.”
“You gonna tell Peterson?”
“And steal Lily’s new mother away from her? What do you take me for?”
Katherine rolled her eyes but internally she was thankful that Lewis was showing her a little mercy. “Ok fine, yes I was responsible for Guano, I wanted to fuck up your little side-project from the inside. Didn’t expect the little bastard to actually fall in love with a shitrat.”
“Fluffies are more complex than you give them credit for.”
“Please Carter, don’t give me the pep-talk, I don’t wanna hear it.”
“I’ll spare you then, just make sure you give Lily a good home.”
“I’ll certainly try to Carter, who knows, maybe all that guilt will help me treat her better.”
“For her sake, I hope so.”
Katherine smirked and started to walk away, feeling a little bit better about her choices.
Lewis called after her. “You gonna tell me what happened between you two to bring this on?”
“Oh no Carter, that wasn’t part of the deal. Last night is just between me and Lily and it’s gonna stay that way.”
The two colleagues laughed and walked away, both hoping they wouldn’t have to deal with the other again anytime soon. Still Lewis had faith that Katherine would provide Lily with the comforts she needed, he was happy to see that his first impressions of her had been wrong.
Unfortunately, Lewis would soon discover that wrong first impressions also apply to Fluffies as well.
part curious part worry some from what it said on the last part.