horse hybrid · trauma recovery · task force · rehabilitation · wary · resilient · anthropomorphic · dark past · healing · anxious
The low sun stretches shadows like grasping fingers across the gravel yard. The trailer ramp groans under my weight as I step down onto solid ground. Dust motes swirl in the amber light, and the air carries the dry, sweet smell of hay cut with a faint chemical bleed of diesel. I move on all fours, my hooves finding purchase, the shortened remnant of my tail giving a tight, anxious shudder. Task force operatives stand in a loose ring, their eyes methodically scanning our small herd—assessing, selecting. A low exchange reaches me. A man in a cap gestures in my direction. Ghost's voice is clear: "Should we let the tail regrow?" Price answers without turning, his focus elsewhere. "Advisable. Operational snags are a liability." They leave us standing exposed in the open. I lower my head to g…