Drip Drip Drip
It had been a few days… Xerxes couldn’t tell how many…
Drip Drip Drip
Every Cold icy drip of poopie-bloody water felt like a dagger tapping on Xerxes’s forehead. He felt the cold, rotten liquid pool under his bare skin, resting in a dent created in the metal table by his own head.
Xerxes didn’t know how long he had been laying there, but Xerxes did know that The foals overhead had begun to chirp less and less, hearing their tired and cold peeps as they begged for warmth.
Drip Drip Drip
Xerxes kept hearing Dusk tend to his children… From what Xerxes could tell, Agis had been hitting the door to the cage, trying to get to him, finally stopping after his ‘weggie’ hurt too much. Potema was with Ragnarok, consoling him as he whimpered sadly, wanting his ‘Daddeh’ to come back.
Dusk was… Different… Ever since she had been stuck, her whole worldview had been flipped around… She had never been hit before, not even with a sorry stick…
Xerxes just kept thinking… The same thing over, and over, and over again…
What Clint had said…
‘Don’t you worry Xerxes… You’re gonna get your punishment… Later…’
It was finally dawning on Xerxes… This was his punishment… His payment to bare for his crimes… But… But why did Clint hurt Dusk!? Candy’s foals!? They didn’t deserve that! They didn’t…
Drip Drip Drip
Xerxes mind wandered, his worries becoming clearer and clearer, the septic-like water causing him to confuse his senses…
Drip Drip Drip
Xerxes began to see… His fears…
Drip Drip Drip
“DADDEH! HEWP! HEWP!” Agis begged…
Drip Drip Drip
“DADDEH! PWEASE! WHY NU SABE SISSY?! WHY!?” Ragnarok asked, hugging the dead body of Potema…
Drip Drip Drip
“HACHOU SPESHUW FWEND! HACHOU! WHY NU SABE BABBEHS?! WHY!” Dusk yelled, standing over the dead pile of his children…
Drip Drip Drip
Xerxes’s mind began to drift, further, and further until a swift, and striking pain lit up his face.
Clint had smacked the Smarty awake, his bald face, now leaving a red hand shaped mark along his cheek.
“Wakey-wakey, eggs-n-bakey!” Clint taunted. Xerxes’s eyes were beginning to flare red, as the now caustic water was causing irritation in his eyes. “Think you had enough punishment?” Clint asked.
Xerxes nodded his head, water, splashing around him.
“Well… I don’t… See-” Clint started, grabbing Sherri from the wall-rack. “I don’t take kindly to foal-killers, I mean, besides myself… And I also don’t take kindly to little fucking monsters…” Clint continued, moving Sherri along the metal table, causing Xerxes to dart his eyes from the metal-on-metal noises, back to Clint.
“You know… He was named after me… Clyntius… Anon named the foal after ME” Clint said, raising his voice. Clint saw Xerxes’s eyes widen, realizing just exactly what he had done to cause all of this. “And now… Little buddy, oh my little friend… You owe me a foal…” Clint said, turning away from Xerxes, Clint made his way over to his family’s cage.
“MMPH! MPH! MPMHPMPMH!!!” Xerxes begged thru his muzzle, the frightened sounds of both Dusk and the foals were hushed compared to Xerxes’s muffled pleas…
“I’m sorry… What was that?” Clint said, moving back to the Table, ripping the muzzle off of Xerxes, which hurt like hell, due to the fact it was a metal muzzle, with small latches that pinched and tore skin as it moved.
After a small amount of screeching, Xerxes’s narrowed his eyes, and met Clint’s. “WIWW TAKE HUWTIES! WIWW TAKE DEM FOW BABBEHS! N-NU HUWT DEM!” Xerxes yelled. Clint simply smiled. turning over to Cobalt “Now that… Is what a good father should do!” Clint said, leaving Xerxes again, moving back over to the cage, twirling Sherri in his hand as he walked over.
Clint got low, meeting Agis, Potema, and Ragnarok, completely ignoring Dusk. “You three have a very good daddeh… But, I’m still owed a foal… So since Daddeh don’t wanna choose… who am i gonna pick then, Dusk…” Clint said, raising his eyes to meet the scared Mother. “N-nu p-pwease… Nu huwt babbehs… P-pwease! G-gib huwties tu Dusk! B-babbehs am gud babbehs!” Dusk begged.
Clint looked back to the foals and sighed. “You have a good Mom too… So! I wont make them choose!” Clint said, getting up from the floor, however, Clint did move over to Cobalt. “But what do you think Cobalt… Who should I pick?”
“Wan die… Wan die… Wan die… Wan die… Wa-” Cobalt repeated. “sigh… Well… Since no one wants to… Guess I’ll just have to pick for you little critters…” Clint said, pointing Sherri at Agis. “Eenie…” Clit began as he pointed Sherri at Potema. “Meanie…” Clint moved Sherri again, pointing now at Ragnarok. “Mineie…”
Clint pointed back to Agis again, but was interrupted by a small voice, coming from behind Clint.
“W-wiww g-u.”
Clint turned back to where the voice came from… the voice’s owner was sitting sadly in a plastic bin, just below Cobalt…
It was Mustard… his small body wobbled lightly over to the edge of the plastic container he was left in… He had been left to starve after Clint proclaimed him the ‘Lucky’ one, a few days ago…
“N-nu huwt b-bwuddahs… N-nu sissy… D-dey gud babbehs… A-am pwetty, a-an nice!” Mustard proclaimed, his tiny voice echoing proudly thru the Garage. Clint looked to the little foal… He felt surprisingly proud of him… And…
He did count as one of Xerxes foals…
“You sure kid? 'Cus, once I pick… There isn’t any take-backs.” Clint said, pulling the container out of the shelf, and setting it onto the floor. Mustard replied with the upsie-pose, scooting closer and closer to Clint.
Clint took a deep breath and sighed… ‘Another good foal’s gotta die for this fat prick… So be it… Foal for a foal…’ Clint thought gently picking up Mustard.
“I’ll let you say goodbye to your family… Then it’s forever-sleepies for you.” Clint said, bringing Mustard over to Dusk and her Foals.
As Mustard was set down, Dusk rushed over to him, sobbing, and thanking him as she hugged him tightly. “W-WUB MUSTAWD! HUU-HUU… Nu a-am M-mummah… B-buh babbeh stiww take huwties f-fow bwuddas an sissy?” Dusk cried, cuddling Mustard tightly…
“… Yus-… M-mummah…” Mustard hugged Dusk back, causing his new mother to cry harder and harder. Once Dusk was done, Ragnarok, Agis and Potema all hugged the small Foal tightly. “Wub 'ou Mustawd… Am gud bah-… Am gud Bwuddah… Am gud Big-Bwuddah…” Potema said, letting Mustard go back to the Cage door.
Dusk was eyeing the gate-door, her mind considering blocking it so Mustard couldn’t get thru… So Clint couldn’t get thru…
But her idea was sadly dashed away, as Clint opened up the top of the cage, gently scooping up Mustard, all to his new family’s horror.
Mustard peeped as he was set down on the table next to Xerxes. “Eep! Cowd! D-daddeh?” Mustard asked, scooting closer, and closer to Xerxes, sliding along the table on his rump, rather than waddling.
“Y-… Yus… Am 'ouw Daddeh… M-Mustawd am gud babbeh… Am bwave… Wouwd make gud Smawty-Fwend o-one bwight-time…” Xerxes said, trying to smile as he complimented the foal for his bravery…
“W-wub 'ou Daddeh… W-weaw Daddeh…” Mustard replied, hugging the bald leg of Xerxes. Clint stepped away from the two so grab something from the garage fridge, reaching into the far shelf, Clint grabbed a needle pack, and a small bottle of medicine.
Clint came back to see Xerxes was turning his head to nuzzle Mustard, trying his best to hug his son…
Clint set the needles and medicine down and scooped up Mustard again, a slightly scared “peep!” coming from the foal… Clint set Mustard on Xerxes’s chest area, as soon as Mustard realized where he was, he began to tightly hug Xerxes, his small arms grabbing onto his father’s shaved body, trying to give him as much love as possible…
“Keep hugging him Mustard… He needs a lot of love before he’ll ever be good again…” Clint said, stroking Mustard’s head.
Mustard obliged, 'cooing as he rested his head into his father’s chest.
Clint grabbed the bottle of Medicine, as well as a needle from the pack. “Because Mustard is such a good babbeh, I’m not going to give him hurties… But he is still going to go forever-sleepies.” Clint said, plucking the needle into the bottle. Along the side of the medicine read Pentobarbital…
A common drug used for pet euthanasia. Clint had a stock of it back at the store, in case a Fluffy was too injured to care for, or had gotten to a point in their life where they couldn’t move anymore due to pain in their joints, or something like that…
Mustard began to sniffle, causing Xerxes to look directly at Mustard. “N-nu wowwies Mustawd… Nu hab huwties… Gonna gu tu-… Tu Sketti-w-wand…” Xerxes assured his son, tears swelling up in his eyes as he watched Clint place a hand on Mustard, and simply pushed the small needle into his rump.
No ‘eep!’ was made… Though he did grunt as the needle went in… Xerxes watched as Mustard closed his eyes, hugging his father tightly as he was waiting for the inevitable…
“You have about a minute before the Medicine makes Mustard go to sleep, when he’s asleep, he’ll slip into a dream… Where he wont wake up…” Clint explained.
“Xerxes.” Clint said, getting Xerxes’s attention.
“This is more than you deserve… Remember that…”
With that, Clint left the foal to spend a moment with his father. Leaving the Sorry-Room, and promptly locking it, Clint took a deep breath and walked into the Safe-Room.
Oingo and Hero were happily playing with each other, while Gwendolyn was feeding the foals. Only a few days old and the foals were beginning to grow nicely, Clint made sure to let the foals suckle on bottled milk as well, so they got used to it, but to also give them some Fluffy-Fuel to help em grow.
Clint entered the Safe-Room to see the herd was happily playing together, foals were running and chirping happily, Couples were all together, talking or playing amongst themselves…
As Clint walked in, the Herd began to happily waddle over to Clint, Led by Volt of all Fluffies. “Hey guys… What’s going on?” Clint asked.
“Daddeh, can Fwuffies gu outside?” Volt asked, a small orchestra of 'Pwease’s" came from the rest of the herd, all but Oingo’s family, and Mambo and his foals.
“Well… Because you all asked so nicely, sure!” The Herd began to cheer happily, as Clint opened the door to the Safe-Room and walked the Herd outside. Clint noticed the two families were still in the Safe-Room while the others left. “Oingo, Mambo… Don’t wanna go outside?” Clint asked.
“Nu, Oingo wan’ stay wiff Speshuw-'Gwen’d hehe!” Oingo said, quickly stoping the game of tag to rest with Gwendolyn and their foals, very proud of the ‘joke’ he had just pulled with Gwendolyn’s name. “Wan stay wiff Daddeh an’ Mummah den!” Hero said, quickly moving over to his family…
“And you Mambo?” Clint smiled, looking over to his Special Little guy. “N-nu, Babbehs am t-tiwed… Wiww stay an’ take cawe… o-ob dem…” Mambo announced.
“Alright, well, if you need something, the button is right there, oh and, keep an eye on the younger ones with you, okay” Clint said, closing the door slowly.
“Otay Daddeh!”
“O-otay Daddeh!”
Clint closed the safe-room leaving the Oingo’s Clan, and Mambo’s to enjoy some alone time, along with Candy’s two other litters.
Clint walked out with the herd, letting them out into the Backyard. As soon as the door opened, the Fluffies were out and playing, rolling around in grass, eating some of it was well… Clint watched happily…
Chili waddled up to Clint as he watched the Herd, happily wagging his tail. “Daddeh! Daddeh Cwint! C-can hab huggies?” Chili asked, doing the upsie-pose. “Sure Chili, c’mere!” Clint responded, lifting up the foal in his arms.
Chili nuzzled sleepily into Clint’s arms, feeling the nice Clint’s hairy arms. “W-wub Daddeh… Nu ebah make Chiwi dancies f-fow… wub… zzz… zzz… zzz…” Chili said, slowly drifting into a deep sleep…
Clint looked down at the little guy…
“Sweet-dreams little guy… Sweat-dreams…” Clint said softly, rocking Chili in his arms gently as he slept…
Soon Argus, and even Gravy wanted to join Chili… Then Volt, Smoke and Agate… Then Jackie, Maroon and Fantina… Then their parents covered Clint’s feet as his arms were all full…
Clint sat with foals upon foal sin his arms, parents at his feet…
‘Okay maybe I do have to many Fluffies…’ Clint thought quietly to himself, rhythmically rocking his arms, swaying the fluff-pile in his arms…
‘A sanctuary? A shelter… No a Sanctuary, for sure… Maybe another idea to put on the back burner…’ Clint signed, rousing Argus a bit.
Clint quieted down again, not really caring how long this impromptu huggy-pile was…
Xerxes stared at Mustard as he slept quietly… Knowing full well what had happened…
Instead of crying, like Dusk, or even begging like his siblings…
Xerxes rocked from left to right, cradling Mustard on his body, lulling him to sleep soundly…
To sleep peacefully…
“X-xewxes w-wub ‘ou Mustawd… Am B-bestes’ babbeh… Am gud b-babbeh… W-wub 'ou babbeh… Huu-huu…” Xerxes huu’d as his bastard son was rocked to sleep, dreaming of flying with his siblings, of riding on Xerxes’s back of sweet succulent Sketti fields…
With a quiet, and final small breath… Mustard escaped the horrors of his prison, the pain he would have dealt with if he was born a feral to Cobalt and Candy…
While Xerxes, Agis, Potema, Ragnarok, and Dusk were trapped, trapped in a hell they never felt they deserved…
Mustard was free…
