Maverick (A G.I. Joe Fanfiction)

Chapter 21: Horses

Here's the inside of the stables. -Carrath

After I had searched every inch of the outer perimeter of the house, I gave up looking for Duke and just started off towards the enormous barn that stood out of sight from the house. If I hadn't already known where it was I would have never found it, the barn was that well hidden. The few people I've brought here didn't know where I was taking them until we were practically inside, cause that's when the smell hits you.

In my thirty-one years of life, I've come to notice most people find the scents that come with owning a barn filled with horses to be very... revolting. To me, it was the complete opposite. These were my stables. These were my horses. Well, technically the horses I kept here were only two-thirds of all the horses I owned but still.

When I heaved open the shrieking, rusty barn, I winced at the shrill sound and frowned at the lack of repairs. The guilty feeling over the doors didn't last long. In the next moment, the oder of horse dander filled my nose and I was closing the doors I'd just entered before the thought had crossed my mind. I marched to the end of the barn, earning the attention of the horse in every stall I passed, then shoved the backdoors open with one booted foot. Ignoring the doors screams, I strode into the corral and gave it a thorough inspection. When I deemed the wood was sturdy, I returned to the stables and opened the first stall door. I made sure I had a good hold on the horse's guide rope, knowing this particular horse was prone to over-excitement, before directing it into corral then examined the cubicle.

"Vers Libre, Jane has been seriously slacking, hasn't she?" I said to the bay Gotland mare who shakes her heads vigorously up and down.

After enjoying a good laugh at that little spectacle, I tied my hair back into a loose ponytail, swopped out my leather boots for rubber ones, and then armed myself with the one the hoses that reached from corral to entrance. I placed my backpack on the stool I removed from stall then carefully aimed the hose, blasting the sludge to the back corner into the drain.

I was finishing off Vers Libre's stall when I began to feel the presence of someone else in the barn, the hairs on the back of my neck came to attention. I exited the stall and stood facing the corral. I kinked the hose and then bent over to readjust my pants legs. In a flash of movement, I swung up my leg high enough to kick whoever it was in the chin but this person was fast with their hands and caught my ankle firmly in their grasp, by the feel of their hand I knew who it was.

"Impressive grappling, Snake," I praised him, flicking the strands of hair out of my face. "I guess you're just a little faster than other guys in some areas."

"Oh, cut it out you two," Duke called from the corral, the joking tone firmly in place. "Go be suggestively aloof with Snake somewhere else Grace."

I looked over at Duke in disbelief as I mouthed the word 'seriously'. Storm, of course, had to put in his two cents, "Maverick's coyness has nothing to do with what you're implying". During some part of Storm's attempt to defend me, Snake lowered my foot and both ninjas had put themselves closer than I would have normally been comfortable with if it was anyone else. By now, I was used to both Snake and Storm not allowing me complete personal space and looming over me protectively even though they knew I was more than capable of taking care of myself.

"Hey, do any of you know where Timber is?" I asked, getting an all-around no.

Just like that, as if knowing he was needed, the black and gray wolf came racing in and stopped in front of us. I stood there dumbfounded and puttered for a moment. Duke and Storm began to chuckle at my loss of words. After calming what I could of my anger, I thrust the hose into Storm's chest and then ordered, "Stalls. Rinse out." I turned and took hold of a still snickering Duke's ear. I ignored his complaints as I yanked him to the other hose and set him to work on spraying down Vers Libre and the other horses.

After I removed all the horses from their stalls I tied them to the posts that made up the corral. Once I was done with that I began to search for Snake. I found him standing beside my second favorite horse. I had two Percheron, an all-black gelding named Heroic and a gray mare called Epic. As I came up beside Snake, I wasn't surprised to see Heroic being just as cautious as Snake was. I was shaking my head and smiling into the back of my hand as I walked over and grabbed a bucket hanging in storage. I hide a carrot behind my wrist then pass it off to Snake.

"Carrots are Heroic's Achilles heel," I explained, walking up to the massive draft horse. "Epic has more of a sweet tooth."

I grabbed a sugar cube from the bucket and held it in my palm, offering it to the horse. Epic happily took it from me, I laugh at how her lips tickle my hand. Snake snapped the carrot into fours and offered them to Heroic sparingly. When Storm and Duke finished, I paired Storm with my albino Andalusian mare Tanka and put Duke with the bay Vladimir Heavy Draft gelding dubbed Stanza.

"Okay guys, do any of you not know how to ride a horse, be honest it could mean your death if you're not?" I inquired, passing out brushes.

"I think I can speak for all three of us when I ask, why are we riding horses when we can just drive?" Duke countered.

"Because where we're going technology is seen as a weakness and a substitute for the power found in one's own body or that of another living thing's. Because I only let you drive my car that one time due to the fact I was dealing with serious jet lag. Because you three don't need the extra shunning that isn't already associated with the fact that you're outsiders. My rank is only going to help with getting you guys in but you will have to defend each other while we're there. If it's anything like I remember we might have to fight our way out."

All three of them went still at that then slowly turned their heads towards me. I ignored their prying stares and heaved myself onto Epic's back, undoing her French braided mane. I was weaving Epic's dark green ribbon back into her mane in an artful braid that kept her hair out of her eyes. I guess the guys finally couldn't stand being ignored so Storm and Duke asked/yelled, "A little more information please, Maverick?"

"No," I smirked and that was the end of that.