//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 Haven from Horses // Story: Equinophobia // by eLLen //------------------------------// Ryan stared happily at the human, words of relief flooding her. She stayed that way for several moments, lost in the entry of the heavenly present, until said human spoke again. Ryan didn’t understand it, of course, but it was appealing nonetheless to have something pleasant talk to her. “Uh, hi,” she said, it coming out more weakly than intended. The bed sheet-clad woman looked confused for a moment, giving Ryan a worrying scare. Had she said something wrong? She didn’t mean it! They’re speaking different languages; how could she know? The woman looked outside from her spot in the doorway, glancing at some unseen spectacle but looked back soon enough, her confusion magically erased by some force. It didn’t go by unnoticed by Ryan’s attention, though. Before she could pursue the matter, the woman stepped in and shut the door. She put on a face of thought for a moment before settling on a gesture. She pointed in an odd way by using her entire hand, her fingers hanging loosely, at Ryan’s body, who in turn looked back with a perplexed look. Her message not going through, she tried again, this time pointing more closely at a few select areas, all of which happened to be covered by bandages. “Um… how am I?” Ryan guessed. The woman tilted her head, obviously not comprehending the words. Of course she wouldn’t, Ryan berated herself. She tried again, this time trying a gesture as well. She held up her hand in front of her, her thumb pointing up. The woman once again gave a look, this time shaking her head. “Okay,” Ryan said to herself. Of all the times to be bad at charades… She pointed to herself using one finger, unlike what the other person had done, and put on a wide smile, pointing to it for further emphasis. The woman seemed to get it if her returning smile and nod indicated anything. She stopped to think again for a moment before indicating Ryan, this time replicating the one-finger hand position, and imitating a chewing motion with her mouth. That one was easy. Or she was politely asking if she could eat her, but that was doubtful. The gesture was returned with a nod and a motion to the kitchen. As an afterthought, she pointed to the bunny at their feet then back to the kitchen again, leaving a trail to follow with her finger. The woman looked down at the bunny and said a short phrase, leaning down to pet it. Ryan briefly wondered if that would’ve happened if she knew the full story but disregarded the thought. The woman then motioned to Ryan and pointed down to where they stood, giving an expectant but hopeful look. Ryan nodded in return, actually having a vague idea of what it meant to go off of, as the other left into another room for a reason only she knew for sure. The woman still in the room, however, didn’t plan on doing nothing while she waited. She walked over to a window and peered out, pushing aside the curtain. Some distance away on the bridge were two recognizable forms of horses, one purple and the other orange, soliciting on the spot. And one was a winged unicorn. Great. More mythical creatures. She peered at the orange one, recognizing it under further scrutiny as the pursuer from the farm. The woman could also see it holding something. Something small and reflective… Not unlike her phone… It actually did steal her device! She grit her teeth, but also noted a difference from how she remembered it: it only went up to her waist area in height. Huh, she remembered them being taller. Funny how that works. A tap on her shoulder made her jump from her concentration but she merely discovered it to be the woman again, wearing an apologetic face for the scare. She held a clump of medical supplies pressed against her stomach which she clumsily set down on the table and turned to Ryan, looking at her inquisitively before giving an unrecognizable gesticulation of her own. Now it was Ryan’s turn to be confused. Not bothering to try to decode the message, she shrugged back. The confusion swapped back to the woman as she failed to comprehend what a shrug meant. Trying to avoid a pattern, she went back to pointing, aiming at Ryan and then the window. Was I not supposed to do that? Ryan thought. She held up two fingers two her eyes then targeted it at the window, nodding at the end. In return, the woman gave another blank look, this time moving her arm in a waving motion at her side, not unlike a wing flapping. “I can’t understand a thing you’re saying!” Ryan cried out, her patience tried and startling the other woman. The woman looked just as bad for a moment, then retreated once again to the somewhat-safety of pointing, doing the same one as earlier when she had left to another room. This time, however, she headed for the door, leaving with a passing glance at Ryan. Maybe she did understand? Or she got a completely different message? No idea. The one left in the house turned back to her spot at the window, watching with intrigue as the woman made her steady passage to the horses outside. Fluttershy approached her friends on the bridge who were watching her rather soon return curiously. “Um, we might have a problem,” she said. “What is it,” Twilight and Applejack coincidentally said in unison. “I can’t understand her.” Applejack spoke up, “Since when has that stopped ya before? Ya’ll talk to animals all the time, don’ ya?” “Yes, but it’s not really talking,” Fluttershy said, “It’s more like reading their gestures and small signs of emotion. I don’t know anything about her species or ones like it, if there are any, to look for anything.” Her friends put on a thinking face for a moment before Fluttershy continued, “But that’s not all. She’s actually speaking an entirely different language, one I’ve never heard of. I think she could be just as intelligent as us.” “I was suspecting that could be the case based on her record player here,” Twilight said, “It’s awfully advanced for something a wild animal to have.” “Is there anything we can do ta help?” Applejack asked. “Maybe. Twilight?” she asked, turning to the alicorn, “Are there any spells that could help us communicate? Like a translation one?” “Mm,” she mmed thoughtfully as she recalled knowledge from her repertoire of magic, “There are translation spells but they’re each dedicated to a certain two languages. We’d have to know what language she was speaking in order to cast one. Otherwise… well, we’ll worry about that if it comes. Want me to stop by later on to see if we can identify the language?” “I’d like that,” Fluttershy said with a smile. “I’ll do that. Now, is there anything else you needed?” The former pegasus stopped for a moment until her eyes met a shiny glint from the device Applejack held. “Could I take that back to her? I’m sure she’d appreciate it.” “Sure thing,” the farmer said, ignoring a stifled “aw” of disappointment from the science-devoted mare next to her. There went hours of fun study and experimentation. “Thanks,” Fluttershy said, “I’m going to go back now if that’s okay. She’s probably wondering what’s going on.” Twilight nodded, “Alright. You know where to find me if you ever need anything. Good luck!” “Thanks again,” she called back, saying her farewells to the two as they made their own. One problem a bit closer to being sorted, she made her way up to the small cottage on her two legs. The woman was greeted by a wide-eyed look from Ryan as she reentered the cottage. Ryan pointed to the window with her thumb and a wave of her hand but adjusted it into a pointer-finger indication at another lack of comprehension. The woman nodded, though not quite confidently, still not sure what Ryan was trying to say. “Eh,” Ryan said to herself, trying to figure out how to word her wordless question. With a bit of embarrassment she put her hands up to the sides of her head above her ears, forming what she hoped were horse ears with her fingers. She twitched her head towards the window as to indicate it. The woman gave a moment of thought, possible meanings running through her mind, before she proceeded to bring up her hands trying to imitate. The sound of a facepalm rang out. Ryan took a step to the table and began to drum a pattern with her knuckles that resembled the sound of galloping hooves. At that, the woman made a sound that was upbeat in nature. She glanced at the surrounding home before settling on a target, where she then moved to pick up a picture frame and showed it to Ryan. On it were six horses of varying colors posing for a picture, each with different expressions ranging from shy to brash. She actually recognized three of them: the lavender one was just outside, albeit the picture didn’t portray it with wings, the orange one was just outside as well, and the third was the… bastard she’d met just upstairs. Speaking of which… Ryan nodded to the woman in answer to the previous question. If it was a question. Argh! Language barriers are annoying! She pointed out the horse in the picture, and once sure the other saw the new subject, motioned about the house and floor, drawing special attention to the room upstairs. She put on a serious face for it, trying to convey the importance of the question. After a moment of thought, the woman smiled and shook her head. In ten of minutes, Ryan was sitting on the couch as the woman sat down next to her with the supplies she had obtained earlier. Like last time she dropped them neatly on the cushion into a pile, drawing a curious look. Maybe she was just a natural klutz, Ryan thought. The woman reached for a roll of bandages before pausing, a thought seeming to occur to her. She looked at Ryan, a finger pointed at herself, then said a word slowly, it coming out as “lore-ay,” accented by her… accent. Ryan sat trying to understand, prompting her to try again in the same way. Then an idea of comprehension came. Ryan, with a raised eyebrow, pointed back, saying, “Loray?” Loray, it seemed, nodded back. Ryan briefly wondered what her name translated to, if it even had a meaning to translate, then remembered it was polite to return names. She mimicked Loray’s movements as she said, “Ryan Wolfe,” then repeated more slowly, “Ry-an.” “Rhyan?” she said, trying her best to pronounce the unfamiliar name but doing a well-enough job. Ryan gave an encouraging nod accompanied by a smile. Well there’s one word down, Ryan thought. Loray returned it then went back to her medical supplies, picking up the bandages once again. She gently touched Ryan’s leg and indicated for her to lift it up to the couch, which was agreed to. She looked for and found the end of the old bandages on the leg, hesitating briefly before reaching with her nearest hand to grasp it. First trying with her finger tips, she failed to get a grip, her digits constantly slipping off. The woman looked at her uncooperative hand for a moment before bringing it closer to look at her fingertips, more specifically her nails. She tried again, this time using her nails, but either was doing something wrong or the bandages were on much tighter than she intended. Even with the nails she only succeeded in a weak grasp that certainly wasn’t enough to get the job done. Ryan watched awkwardly at the display of incompetence. Honestly, it shouldn’t be that hard, even with the most stubborn of the stuff. She considered leaning down to do it herself but Loray beat her to it. In a rather… weird way to say the least. Ryan watched dumbfounded as the woman leaned down and actually bit the wrapping, and even more surprisingly, peeled it up effortlessly. Not wanting to stop the flow out of a mix of curiosity and shock, Ryan helplessly watched as Loray took off the bandages with the grip of her teeth, occasionally letting go to get into a position with more leverage. Soon enough the leg was free, revealing the still-wounded yet healing skin underneath. It didn’t hurt too much at the moment, fortunately, but stung at the removal of the glue from the covers. Besides, what did pain matter after that show? Loray looked up, triumphant, but faltered at the incredulous look that met her eyes. Unsure of what it meant, she pointed at new bandages and then to the leg. Ryan just nodded, not really capable of anything else, but watched thankfully as her makeshift-doctor used her hands for the easier task of reapplying new ones. Within the hour they were done, the rest of the smaller patches having been replaced, though with Ryan’s helpful hands much more active. She didn’t feel like having her personal space violated. As Loray got up to put away her supplies, Ryan stayed on her couch, looking around until she spotted a familiar phone next to an also familiar picture on a stand. She got up to investigate and became surprised to find it was indeed her own. Loray must have gotten it for her when she went outside to the horses. But then, how did she know it belonged to Ryan? Add that to the growing list of questions she had. She picked up the phone, accidentally knocking the picture frame on its front as her hand bumped into it. She righted it, glad to see it was fine, but the contents caught her eye. The picture of the six horses caught her eye, but one in particular drew the most attention. The pink-haired one stared back with a gentle, conniving smile to Ryan. She forced it and the thoughts away. Not now. As Ryan put down the picture frame, Loray walked back in, smiling a gentle warmth. Ryan returned an honest smile of her own. As night wove its shadowy rise by the moon, Ryan sat, leaning against the couch, her head slightly bobbing to her music. Her phone had about forty percent power, which she saw as enough. Not like she would be making any calls or web searches without service anyways. Loray had seemed curious upon discovering Ryan’s recovery of her device a few hours ago but wasn’t too interested. She seemed happy for Ryan in any case. The two hadn’t spent much more time together outside of acknowledgements and occasional gestures for the rest of the day. Loray had plenty of things to do pertaining to the many animals she cared for. Is that why she’s helping me? Ryan thought absentmindedly, Does she think of me as another being who needs help? I can’t deny I do need help… It’s kind of her to do this though. A strong piano song came on in her ears, bringing her smile. Picking up at a new measure, she followed with her hands the notes, bringing down her fingers as she would as if she were playing on a keyboard instead of her lap. It was at this time that Loray appeared from her dish-washing spot in the kitchen, having been there ever since making a simple salad for the two of them for dinner. She watched the dancing of Ryan’s hands to an inaudible melody for a bit in interest before drawing attention. She lifted up a pillow, putting against the side of her face, then pointed to the stairs leading to the bedroom. Ryan nodded, going back to her musical interlude, but ended up looking back up as Loray stayed in the same spot, a glint in her eyes. This time she pointed first at Ryan then upstairs. “Oh, me,” she said, getting the message, “Sure.” She got up and followed the other woman, making a detour to the bathroom briefly, then up to the bedroom. She noticed at some point the sheets had been changed for her to clean ones and arranged into a precise fold. How nice of her. Ryan promptly impacted the bed with a sound of soft, fluffy resistance being emitted as the neatness died in agony. She sighed contently as she sunk into the mattress. Loray indicated to herself then downstairs, and after a lazy nod in return, she left with an unrecognized gesture, leaving Ryan alone. Ryan resumed her listening, her thoughts launching off again. As a slow yet pleasant song came on she wondered once more about what was going on around here. Thinking about it, it was pretty clear that she wasn’t on her own planet anymore, as strange and impossible as it sounded. It was weird to her just to think about it. Perhaps it was automatic denial, but she found it surprisingly easy to accept as compared to earlier. Maybe that was because she didn’t have someone on her side then. At her mention, her thoughts turned to Loray. As grateful as she was, Ryan couldn’t deny she was an odd one. Really, who can have better coordination with their mouth than their hands? Nonetheless, she seemed likeable enough. She took Ryan in on the fly just because she needed help, something Ryan couldn’t admit she’d be able to do. Loray also had a bit of mysteriousness about her, she observed. From what she’d seen so far, Loray was the only human around in a society of equines. Why was that? If her apparent conversation with the horses said anything, she was fine with it and fit in alright. Maybe she was like Ryan, just dropping in to this land and eventually adapting to it. Of course, that implied she either didn’t want to go home or had never found a way. Meaning it could be impossible to get back… Ryan pushed the thought aside. Don’t think like that, she scolded herself, I’m finding a way home once I’m able, she thought, satisfied with her goal. Besides, if Loray was like her, she would speak both the native language and Ryan’s. Unless she spoke a different language originally. So many what ifs. If only it wasn’t for the language difference she would get some easy answers. At least they weren’t completely cut off from communication though, she figured. It was a bit weird that they shared a select few gestures but hey, she wasn’t complaining. She stayed silent, vocally and mentally for a few shifts in songs, just relaxing to the tunes while she had the moment of peace. Finally deciding to actually get some rest, she let out her ear buds and turned off her phone before settling into a snug spot on the tranquil bed. She didn’t bother with the blanket. She was still in her clothes after all. Speaking of which, she would have to ask for new ones. These ones were torn and starting to smell after constant use from however many day cycles. Hopefully Loray would do more than offer a sheet to her. She rolled onto her side, catching a glimpse of the stand next to the bed. It was the same spot the horse from earlier had stood in. The pink-haired one from the picture, she recalled. The thought of it brought back the recent bad memories her mind was already trying to forget of being broken down by the thing’s cruel and sadistic game. This time, however, she didn’t push aside the feelings. She felt a sense of dread come to her but anger as well. Out of all of the things she had seen, she hoped she’d never see that one again. Ever. The scary thought of waking up to it crept up to Ryan, but she forced it away, replacing it with the unspoken promise from Loray. It wouldn’t come back. Not as long as her caretaker was here, she was sure. She shut her eyes, confident that the woman downstairs meant her word. The new human downstairs sat on her couch, her own thoughts adrift, as she amusedly watched her own hand awkwardly obey her commands. Her Angel Bunny hopped onto the spot next to her, then onto her lap. She smiled down as she tried petting him, experimenting with different hand positions. “I’m glad this is working,” she said to Angel, who just sat enjoying the attention but did turn his head to get a look at his owner’s unfamiliar appearance. “I think I’m going to be like this for a bit,” she said, “Just until I earn her trust enough so she’ll be okay with me when I’m normal.” Fluttershy yawned. “Or until she’s healed enough to leave on her own…” she paused, “I wonder where she came from. I’ve never even heard of her kind before this.” She adjusted her position, taking a minute to find a suitable form, until she was lying on the couch. She laughed at the thought that she already had all the bed sheets she needed. With that, she drifted into sleep herself with the company of her bunny, eager for a new day and feeling like her optimistic thoughts were coming to light.