[Gift] 1.4 Bumps in the Night - Alistair and Satin

It was incredibly late when Alistair awoke with a start and looked around the small room he shared with Harry. The other man was on the opposite side in an identical small bed to his own, still sound asleep. He released a sigh and rubbed his face, quietly getting up and pulling on a coat. He left a note on the night stand to be safe, simply saying he was going out for a walk by the stable.

The night air was peaceful, practically every inch of the town was covered in light but thankfully was fairly empty at this hour. Only his boots against the cobble could be heard as he wandered towards the nearby stables. He hoped perhaps checking on the horses would help clear his head and a brisk walk might make sleep finally come.

However as he arrived in the first barn alley he heard a loud thump which made him jump a bit. He looked about, being indoors the lights were safe to leave off which left the space quite dark. “Hello?” He called out cautiously, wishing he had brought something with him. Worse case scenario he could defend himself but he really didn’t want to tangle with anything right before his show in a couple days. “Is… anyone there?” He called out again, receiving another couple of bumps before it all went silent again.

As Alistair moved forward he realized the noises were coming from further down the stalls, his heart rate picking up as he quickly came to notice it was near the end he had stabled Satin. Soon his foot falls increased as he rushed to her stall and looked in through the bars. The mare lay huffing in her bedding, legs stuck against the wall that she once again kicked, causing the doctor to jump.

“Oh no, oh dear…” he quickly opened the stall and shut it behind himself as he entered. His heart hammered in his chest and he had to clench his hands to keep his form in check. “Harry had mentioned something like this… oh what was it called…” He bit his lip as he slowly moved towards Satin, her eyes on him, ears flicking towards him before making another effort to free herself from her predicament. “Oh who cares what it’s called, I need to get you out of this.” He lifted his hands, making a calming noise as he grew closer. “Hey pretty girl, I’m here, it’s alright… just… stay calm, I’ll get you out of this.” He moved around her, trying to figure out how best to get her rolled back over. With nothing on hand he realized he might have to just pull her back.

Taking a deep breath Alistair gently kneeled down and pulled his jacket off, placing it under Satin’s head and petted her cheek. “Shhh… I’ll take care of you pretty girl, just stay calm okay?” He watched as her eyes stared up at him, her nostrils flaring as she took in breaths. Taking a deep breath himself he stood beside her currently still body and grabbed hold of her legs. The mare stayed as she was, eyes on him as he tightened his grip and grimaced. As carefully but quickly as he could he pulled her legs back towards the rest of the stall. “Come on Satin, work with me here.” He gritted out as he put all of his new muscle into heaving the mare back as safely as he could.

A hoof flailed for a moment and he luckily barely avoided getting hit. He half jumped back as she became a brief mess of flailing limbs before once more she was on her feet. Alistair grinned and carefully moved towards her head where she was still huffing a little from the ordeal. “There we go, what a good girl!” He scratched her favorite spot and planted a kiss on her nose. “Now don’t do that again, you scared the life out of me.”

For a bit longer he stood with the mare, Satin letting him dote on her and pluck bedding from her coat and tail as they both calmed down. As he checked over her body he looked for any signs of injury. Her breathing soon calmed and there were a few small nicks but nothing  needing attention which left him feeling safe to exit the stall. Alistair left briefly to fetch some grooming supplies and a few treats. He found himself able to relax as he smoothed her soft coat back to its previous lovely state. Some careful combing brought her long tail back into order as well. “There we are, good as new hm?” He gave the mare a few more scritches before he fed her the treats he brought over. “I think I’m gonna go check on Daemon and head to bed, you stay safe alright?” The mare nuzzled him, snorting against his now dirty jacket. “Love you too my lil satan.” He gave her one more kiss before exiting the stall and tucking away the tools.

The brisk walk over to check on their stallion was far less eventful, no bumps in the night, just the sound of what few horses were awake pacing their stalls. Daemon was sound asleep however and Alistair smiled seeing the handsome boy alright. He mentally bid him goodnight to keep from waking him and hurried back to the inn. Harry was still sound asleep so he tucked the note back into his messy coat, glad he had packed a spare. After changing into his sleeping clothes once more he tucked himself back into bed. It was far easier to fall soundly asleep after the events of that night.