Sabbath: "Mannnnn… It had to snow. How the fuck do we get snow and palm trees in the same place?"
Gregor: "I do not know. Carol brought in another horse, though. Fresh hoofprints, and the heater is on in stall 1."
Sabbath: "Did she call?…"
Gregor: "I do not think so. I checked the landline voicemail, nothing. No missed calls either."
Sabbath: "Huh… Usually she calls when one gets dropped off."
Sabbath: "Weird… No footprints. Just hooves."
Gregor: "They must have been shallow enough that the snow filled them in."
Sabbath: "…Woah. Uh. Okay-… Just, uh-…"
Gregor: "…Het ess neén evellienn ine."
Gregor: (…This one could be sick.)
Sabbath: "Skin is warm and dry, no lesions or crusting… No fever… Not favoring any leg…"
Sabbath: "Can you go get him a blanket, please?"
Gregor: "Yes."
Gregor: "Is he warmer?"
Sabbath: "Yeah. Smart move with the fleece lined one."
Gregor: "Good. I am going to call Carol and ask about this one. You would assume she would know better than to transport a hairless animal without a blanket-… Wait. Is it blind?"
Sabbath: "Not sure. The eyes are milky, but he seems to be able to see just fine. He could just be responding to touch and sound."
[beep-beep-beep, beep-beep-beep, beep-beep-beep-beep]
[dial tone]
Carol: "Oh, hi Gregor. How are you and the horses holding up? I heard a blizzard swept through [Gibbi Point]."
Gregor: "We are fine. Sabbath's truck is a little buried, so she wasn't able to go to the dressage… Thing… She wanted to do with Funeral Suit."
Carol: "Damn. I know she was looking forward to that."
Gregor: "Yes. But the horse you brought out recently--"
Carol: "Funeral Suit or Dancing With Ghosts? Are they okay?"
Gregor: "They're fine. I mean the--"
Carol: "The sport mix from [Komorebi]?"
Gregor: "--He is fine too. I mean the one you brought last night or early this morning."
Carol: "…"
Carol: "I didn't come out to [Gibbi Point]. The snow kept me at home."
Gregor: "…"
Carol: "Gregor?"
Carol: "Hello?"
Gregor: "Sorry, uh… This one just looks… Odd."
Carol: "How odd?"
Gregor: "Hairless. No mane, no tail either. He didn't have a blanket on him or anything, but he was in stall 1."
Carol: "And now--?"
Gregor: "He is warm now. Blanketed, with the heat on."
Carol: "Good, good. Can you, um. Can you email me a picture of him? He might be lost. I know [Gibbi Point] has wild horses, but… I don't know. A horse without fur in this cold would probably keel over quick."
Gregor: "Yes. Just a moment. I'll take a few pictures. [email protected] right?"
Carol: "Yeah. Just send those pictures to me and I'll handle it. Just take care of him until then. Gotta go."
Gregor: "…Okay. Bye."
Hello, Carol. This is Gregor. I took a few pictures of the horse I called you about earlier today. Neither myself or Sabbath know what breed he is, what kind of condition he has, or even where he came from.
He is blanketed right now because of the cold weather. The heater is on, too. He is vocal and easily upset. He is being quarantined while we figured out what is going on with him.
We checked for a microchip or a brand and found neither, unfortunately. He may very well be a feral horse, or suffering from neglect from a prior owner.