The Ties That Bind

Brian went immediately to the feed bags and checked the date on them. He checked bag after bag after bag. He sighed heavily. He went from there to the tack room and inspected all the medicines and every perishable item. He dictated to Angus what needed replacing, which was everything. He was trying very hard not to get angry with Kieran. He finally spoke to Angus softly

"Tell him to either replace it all--including the tack, or to sell the horses and close down the stables," Brian said, deeply depressed now. He hated the thought that animals left in his care, his responsibility, had become so badly treated. "Tell him the hay, the straw, it all has to go. Everything. And we need repairs on the barn and corral itself. The whole bit. I'm sure if we check their vet records they are sorely overdue for vaccines, but we dont' want to bring a muggle vet here now. If we do, one of us will be convicted for cruelty to animals. I've been gone from here entirely too long."

"Maybe Robert needs to check the horses for himself," Angus suggested. "Maybe he can help. He is a healer and a potionsmaster, Brian. Do yourself and the horses a favor and at least ask him before you think about getting rid of the horses, Mate. I know how much you love them. Don't jump to conclusions."

"Oh, I dont' know if any of it is worth it," Brian said softly. He stroked the nose of a black stallion with a white stripe down its nose."

"Brian," he said, a new thought in Angus's mind. "Maybe you need to ask Kate to come talk to the horses. See what they want. You do trust her judgement, dont you?"

"Yeah. I do. If I do that, I can have Steven do that. He can do some of the same things that Kate can. At least in that department. I don't know that I even thought of asking them what they thought. I dont' know why."

"You're stressed."

Cassidy moved back to the tan horse then looked at both men " I'll him " she offered and aperated abck up but right into Steven who chuckled " hey slow down speedy " he said and chuckled as he held her for that moment " still getting those dizzy spells ?" he asked her his hands resting on her waist.

" yes, just alittle " she said and looked at him " brian needs you down in the stables " she said and sat down in a chair Im going to stay here" she said and looked at him shake his head and aperate down to the stables.

steven appered into the stables and looked at the horses again " Cassidy said you needed me?" he asked gently as he walked over to a black and white horse rubing its nose . He moved inside and lift it rear hoof " hes got a stone in his hoof its not too bad but he hates it and wants it gone " he said taking a hook like object he removed it as he whinnied " apart from hungy and annyed at kerian..." he paused and walked over to the tan housr in the stall on the end " shush its ok were here to help you" he said and feeling her brush her head against his shoulder " she's with foul not long till she foals , she's hungry best feed her first with clean water and straw she could go tonight , shes saying shes feeling strange already and knows it wont be long till her time" he said .

He moved down each stall and spoke with each animal in turn finding the same request. Standing he moved back to brian "there hungry and tired being cooped up in here, i sujest the larger horses can go in the paddok but the femal needs to stay in side im not sure she can cope with birthing , Im sure K ate can help her more with her healing abilitys."

"I suggested Brian ask you to come," Angus said, "because Brian is so disgusted with all this that he's thinking of selling them and shutting down the stables. Personally, I'm not sure it needs to come to that. I suggested he ask you to see what the horses themselves might think of being sold and moved. I mean, muggles don't even think of asking them, but it really does involve them. They should be entitled to some input. Do they want to go, or do they want to stay?

"Actually, the organization could use a large place with a lot of land for a training camp. For retreats, for recuperating, for just letting down our hair and having fun. Maybe, in all honesty, the best use for this, if Brian isn't going to be using this for a home on a regular basis, is to let the organization make full use of every inch of it. I'm sure the place would be well kept and the animals would be getting steady contact."

"Do you think the organization would really use it?" Brian asked. "I suppose organization members could each use it for some vacation time, if nothing else. I mean, is this someplace you'd bring your family, Steven? Really?"

steven looked at them and nodded " I'd bring Dalilah and Dylan he loves horses , not the place but the person who was suposed to take care of it " he said looking at kerian" there all in diferent minds, some think if he can look after them properly they will stay, but others just want out "he said and loked at the big blavk and white horse facing him " and hes the tans horse mate by the way " he said " hes pissed at kerian for letting her get this way so if i were him stay out of that stall" he siad and looked at brian .

"I understand how you feel, Boy," Brian said, petting the horse. "I'm sorry, Pal. I'll make it right. None of them are going to understand the concept of months. But if they'd stay for two full moons, then if they still want to go, I'll make sure they get to a really good home. But its up to them. Any of them who really wants to go, I'll find them a good place. Hopefully with a wizard who will understand them. Um..try not to tell Khaat, okay? She'll think that this happened because...well, I have a new life now. I don't want her to feel responsible for distracting me."

"I think I've got the list, Brian," Angus said. Brian gave them all extra feed, the best of what they had left. He promised to have fresh feed and hay and straw delivered today. He double checked the safety of the corral and let them all out. He let the mare choose if she wanted to go or not, but he was glad when she chose not to go.

"I think, if Khaat gets some sleep, she can help me. Robert could have if he hadn't jimmied up his shoulder. Still, he could be useful to a certain point. I'll ask him if we can put Kate on standby, just in case."

Brian sent Angus back to Robert with the list and he stayed and finished up the barn as best he could. It didn't take nearly as long with Kieran's help as it might have with him working by himself. He decided he would check on the mare often to be sure she wasn't left alone.

He felt a need to get back to Khaat. Something positive and familiar in his life that wasn't all buggered up. "I think..." he struggled for words, "I think I just want to be sure Khaat's okay." He went back in the house quietly.

"Checking on Khaat, my eye," Angus said. "He needs to find something in his life that doesn't feel all screwed up."

steven chuckled and nodded " yeah she was a sleep on the couch when i left " he said " Im guessing it was your idea with the blanket , nice touch by the way" he moved to the mare and reasured her she would be loked after but then he winced " erm... if he comes hear her he'd beter wear some protection shes threatened to kick him where his f amily jewles are putting it nicly" he said and looked at him " gues even the animals don't like you any more " he said stroking her side he could feel her ribs and he shock his head it angered he could not understand how he could have let them get this bad but the more he thought about it the more he grew frustrated at keiran.

Kieran rolled his eyes a bit at Steven's comments. Angus didn't miss it. "Dont think for one moment that filling a few buckets of water will impress Brian or anyone else," Angus said. "And I don't think it will turn Brian's mind around. Or endear the horses to you anymore."

"I didnn't come out here to impress you or anyone else," Kieran said sharply. "I don't need your opinion. And, frankly, I don't talk to animals. I never did. They're just a bunch of dumb animals as far as I'm concerned. I was hoping to talk to my brother."

"Oh, now he's your brother! You never claimed him before. Seems mightly convenient...." Angus began.

"I never stopped claiming him as my brother....."

"You left him! He was eight years old! He sat in thta emergency room for hours alone, with not one soul to ..."

"I was a kid too!" Kieran shouted.

"You were 16! Almost 17! You could have stepped up! Been a man!..." Angus said.

"If our parents hadn't always been trying to be something they weren't, they'd still be alive now! Magic never helped us one bit. Never. If they'd just seen life a bit more realistically, they'd ...."

"So that's it? That's why you sold your magic? You blamed magic for that car accident--that very muggle car accident....And that's why you walked away from Brian....you knew he was twice the wizard at 8 that you were when you started Hogwarts...."

"He was always the golden boy! He didn't need anybody!"

"He needed a family. He needed you. He needed Fiona. You both walked away. He doesn't need anyone now but us. Get a clue. We're his family now. You only shared the same sperm donor. That's about all you have in common anymore." Angus was furious. He took his wand and waved it at Kieran and apparated him back into the house. He looked at Steven. "I thought it was about time to take the trash out of the barn."

steven didn't interfear he knew Angus was right as he spoke his arms folded across his chest he didn't once move to stop him and when he saw Kerian leave he felt the whole barn relax " thats ok ever y one here thinks the same as you do " he said and gave the mare an apple " hes a jurk threw and threw " he said looking at him " Im sure now he dosn't care about these animals there not dumb the have feelings and to me they can speack out " he said and sighed " sorry I get so involved " he said and smiled as the mare rooted in his pocket for another apple " sorry girl haven't got any" he said and showed her his empty pockets .

he looked at Angus and sighed " I think im heading back to the main house you coming?"he asked as he walked out the barn door.

"Yeah," Angus sighed. "Let's go. There's nothing we can do here until we get more supplies." He wanted to walk back to the house, but he knew that on crutches that was a long way.

Kieran landed back in the living room in the main house and had a bit of difficulty in landing successfully.
Robert looked up at him, frowning. "You might need to practice landing with a bit more grace if you're going to travel with us."

"I'm not," He said abruptly.

"What's wrong with you?"

"I didn't ask any of you to come here! I didn't ask you to judge me or condemn me or...."

"We came here because you were about to sink the place for Brian and Khaat," Robert said. "You were destroying yourself and them. Thats about what it amounts to. People do not approve of that. Plain and simple...."

Khaat woke hearing the shouting and saw Kieran having a temper tantrum for some unknown reason. He looked at her as she tried to wake and bring herself around.

"Tell me something," he looked at her.

"If I can," she said softly.

"What's he got? Really?"

"Me," she said softly. "Our children. Family. Friends. People who love him. The rest? None of that matters. That is the only true wealth in the whole world. The rest of it? The stuff you're chasing? Its only an imitation of the real deal."

He paused before he spoke. "Is that really what you believe?"

"Yes," she said honestly. "I do." He turned and walked silently up to his room. Robert looked at her, thinking.

"Khaat," he said. "Stay with it. You seem to at least have his curiosity. That was a genuine question on his part. He truly wanted to know."

"I know," she admitted. "He...was kind to me last night. I don't know why."

"Doesnt' matter. Stay with it if you can."

"I can," she said. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I shouldn't have drifted off."

"Its alright. I have it under control," he smiled. She got up and headed for the kitchen.

"Tea?" she asked him.

"Actually, yes. That would be very nice, Thank you," he said to her.

Cassidy saw keiran land and held back a smirk at his uncarismatic landing in the living room . she scoffed at him and moved to the kitchen for a drink of milk again " thats what comes of not using your magic f or so long " she said and chuckled as she moved passed him.

Steven walked beside Angus and shook his hed " it would be quicker if we aperated " he said and looked at him with a smirk " want me to carry you?" he asked as he looked at the biulding ahead of them " you know i can almost smell dinner,even from here " he said his hands now deep in his pockets as he stepped beside him " Im glas Roberts all right i thinks Khaat would have been devistated if he ahdn't been , guess we all would have been " he hung his head as he walked finding it closer than he thought as he finaly pushed open the front door and walked in " hey every one whs up?" he asked and chuckled as he waitd for Angus to join them inside . Henoticed Cssidy in thekitcen with jess ad smiled thelooked at Robert " hows it all going?" he asked .

Jess walked out of the kitchen " casidy says you have a recipy for jasmin rice ?" she asked lokin at Angus " tht sounds quite exotic " she said and move to him " could you help us make it?" she askd knowing whn she was defeated " dinner won't be much longer" she said .