Worries

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[Edited on 10/04/2016]

The gelding had been standing perfectly still for a good while now, head turned against the wall, seemingly unaware and uninterested on his surroundings, even as Shane poked and prodded and finally slipped a needle through his thick skin.

"Hey. Look at me, boy." Alex held the end of the rope connected to the gelding's halter, and other than the occasional flick of an ear, when he was spoken to, he had so far seen no other reaction on Mochi's part. He'd never met a horse like this. It made him wonder if this horse could be saved - or if he was worth saving at all. Surely living like this wasn't worth it. He seemed withdrawn, as if living in a world of his own far away from all this. Not that he was entirely sure horses could actually do that. Licking his lips, he stepped forward, scratching the horse's forehead, running his fingers through his forelock. Mochinho heaved out a deep breath, letting his eyes slip shut just as the vet stepped away, rubbing his hands together. Alex grinned. Well, that was something.

"He needs some fattening up, a bit of farrier work, and he'll be as good as new," Shane stated, patting the horse's hip affectionately. "I'll tell Sara to call Fred. Loki needs a trim, anyway."

"Physically," Alex said, rubbing Mochi's furry chin, his eyes fixed on the older man. "He'll be fine physically. But what about his mind?"

Shane shook his head in response, a small smile tugging at his lips. "There's no need to worry, kid. Once he figures out he's not going to work anymore, you'll start to see him flourish. This is a safety mechanism, a little safe place in his mind that he goes to whenever he feels threatened. Not much different from us humans, really. We just need to coax him out." He ruffled the other's hair as he walked past, leaving Alex to furiously attempt to style it back while he led the passive gelding back to his stable.

Still, annoyed as he was, Alex was thankful; Shane's statement had reassured him more than he dared to admit. He decided, then and there, to start showing Mochi just how nice it was to live here. The gelding stepped into his stall the moment the halter slipped from his head, and moved to a corner, pawing at his bed of straw for a few seconds before laying down with a quiet huff.

Alex knew that clinging to a horse's past was the wrong thing to do, but he couldn't help but wonder just how many times this horse had had such a nice bedding before in his life. Not many, he'd wager.

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Yees Mochi's design has changed a bit since his first appearance. He's got more fleabites now.

Ooh my freckled boys. *squishes*

As always, if you see something wrong with all this, or have any tips when it comes to improvement, both in drawing and writing (mostly in writing :I) don't hesitate to tell me.

_{Used a photo from a book as reference.}