Mischievous Escape (Prompt Party)

Cassandra eyed the open gate of the field and then looked in the direction of the stables and then back to the open gate. How the flint mare colored mare had managed this one was beyond her. She’d figured all the gates had been pretty well made tamper proof after the last escapades, but apparently she’d been mistaken.

Turning back towards the stables she figured she’d best catch the tabby marked mare before any more damage could be done. Though it seemed she’d waited just a bit too long to return as the sound of a stall door crashing into something  echoed along the brick walkways of the stables. 

She barely had time to step aside when the maned, flint colored horse came racing by. Their darker colored tabby markings stood out in the bright, early morning light, as their unnaturally long, curly tail swept several feed buckets from the spaces as they whipped around the corner and towards one of the other doors to the stables. 

“I’m sorry, Ms. Sinclair,” one of the stable hands said as they came jogging up at a quick pace. “I tried to catch her.” 

Cassandra eyed the broken lead rope and then the individual with a mild kind of amusement. “Well, clearly she had other ideas. Go find me a new lead rope and clear out whatever of the feed buckets you can before she takes out any more.” 

The stable hand nodded and took off to fetch the requested items as Cassandra turned and followed Purple Haze at a leisurely pace. The mare wasn’t causing horrible damage and chasing her wasn’t likely to prove fruitful yet as she still seemed to have a lot of energy, but Cassandra had several questions that needed answering. Namely how had the clever mare gotten out in the first place. 

As Cassandra came around the corner, she spotted Haze picking at one of the locked gates with their lips. Rather than interrupt, the demonkin leaned quietly up against the wall as the mare fiddled with the opening. Finally, unable to get the door open, the mare offered the door a swift kick with her white stockinged front leg before trying again. 

Cassandra almost laughed, having had much the same feeling when picking a particularly stubborn lock herself, but managed to keep quiet as the mare continued to try and get into the hallway that led to the feed room. They’d taken pretty good precautions to make sure the lock was secure, but just moments later Haze managed to get it open. 

Cassandra just managed to catch a glint of pleased, purple eyes before the mare took off towards the feed room at a quick pace. 

“Here you are, ma’am.” The stable hand came up on Cassandra, breathing hard as he placed a lead rope in her hands. “Do you want me to help?” 

“No, thank you.” Cassandra murmured, heading in the direction of Purple Haze. “I’d like to see what she’d got for myself. She’s a clever thing.” 

The stable hand nodded and headed back to their work, too used to Cassandra’s temperament to be surprised by her rejection. 

Cassandra followed Purple Haze towards the feed room. The tabby marked mare was new to Thorn Rose, so the demonkin wasn’t overly familiar with them yet, but she had to say she was impressed. 

As she entered the feed room, Purple Haze turned her gaze in the direction of the sound, her purple mane already littered with the grain she’d gotten into. 

“Yes, I see you. Yes, you’re going back outside. No, this isn’t a negotiation.” Cassandra smiled, Haze was clearly unrepentant and was already looking for a way out of the feed room. Unfortunately for the mare, there was really only one way in and out. 

Haze snorted, their long tail whipping back and forth as they contemplated their next move. 

“Don’t even try it.” Cassandra snapped as Haze lowered her head, seeming ready to charge the demonkin. 

Haze snorted again, but didn’t make any move to run at Cassandra. They did, however, manage to dodge the lead rope as Cassandra moved to put it on her. 

“Really?” Cassandra looked at the flint mare. 

If horses could speak, Cassandra was certain she’d have been met with a mirrored reply as the horse’s purple eyes watched her. 

“Look, I’m not rewarding this behavior with a treat.” Cassandra shrugged. “Either I put this on you and take you outside, or you go outside yourself. It’s your call.” 

The purple-grey horse’s purple eyes met Cassandra’s yellow ones. The mare’s nose sniffed at her, her muscles quivering, which set off the darker tabby markings that swirled on her side into something like a dance. Finally, the mare abandoned her ill gotten gains and walked over Cassandra. 

There was no apology in the horse’s stance. Rather there was a hint of defiance under the horse’s seeming compliance. 

“Don’t go getting ideas.” Cassandra side eyed the horse. 

The pair walked back out to the field without incident, Cassandra turning the mare loose and watching for a time as the stunning horse raced around the space. Something told her the horse wasn’t finished with their antics yet as the purple hued tabby kept glancing at her with their bright yellow eyes, their unnaturally long tail swishing in anticipation of something. 

Finally, curious to see what the mare would do, Cassandra moved back into the barn and into a stall where she could see the field but it was unlikely the mare would spot her. 

Purple Haze pranced around for a bit, watching the area before finally heading back towards the gate. She looked around again and swung her abnormally long, curly flint tail through the gate. At first nothing happened, but she did it again, and again until she caught something just right in the thick hair and the latch gave way. 

Cassandra grinned. She wouldn’t exactly call it picking a lock, but it was clever and she’d definitely have to find a way to prevent that from happening again in the future. 

She headed out into the hallway of the stables to wait for the mare, and the look of disappointment on Purple Haze’s face was almost enough to convince her to just let the horse have the win for a moment. However, encouraging the behavior was sure to end badly overall and so Cassandra just pointed back out the way the mare had come. 

With a resigned sigh, Purple Haze turned and walked back out, looking at Cassandra as the demonkin closed the gate and secured the latch with a temporary tie. One way or another, this wasn’t over yet.