(MxM) Tales Of A Shifter (P1) - The Meeting

Chapter 65 - Complications

Half an hour later Ezekiel was shaking his head.

"Dammit, I knew this was going to happen!" He growled, a flash of bright light chasing its way through his eyes as he looked at Brandon then back at Crystal. The first fawn was born nearly within three minutes of Ezekiel placing Crystal in a pin full of warm clean hay...it was a small female with dark black eyes and a chocolate brown coat, but after that fawn (that Ezekiel decided to name mahogany) nothing else was forth coming.

After fifteen minutes Brandon had watched Ezekiel hop into the pin and like an expert he had reached into Crystals body and tried to help the mare push out the second fawn that he said he could feel inside of her....but nearly another eight minutes had passed and all Ezekiel seemed to have to show for his efforts was a shirt covered in birthing blood.

"This isn't good.....it's stuck." Ezekiel hissed standing next to Brandon, turning to the coiled up rope that he had laid over the post nearly an hour ago, as though he was already prepared for something like this to happen.

"What? How can you tell?" Brandon asked Ezekiels as he watched him uncurl one end of the rope and deftly tie a noose in it. Before he dropped the whole thing back over the fence and started to answer Brandon as he dashed what blood he could off of his hands on his jeans.

"It's been too long and only the tips of the baby's legs are showing. And no matter how hard I pull it's not enough...." Ezekiel explained "To make matters worse, Crystals heart rate...her breathing. It's all getting weak....and so is the baby's." Ezekiels stopped whipping his hands on his pants then and took up the rope off the fence and reached out. "Here... "He said trying to hand the un-noosed side to Brandon. " Help me. I need leverage."

"Wait...me? No! I don't know how...." Brandon tried to balk and dodge the rope, feeling like the wrong person for the job, but Ezekiel didn't let him escape, he grabbed up Brandon's hand and put the rope in it and softly closed Brandon's finger around it, giving him no choice but to hold it, or argue, as Ezekiel took up the other end and began walk towards Crystal. Cooing encouragement and soothing words and dancing about the dazed and en-labored mare Ezekiel finally managed to slip a noose over the two, bloody, and nearly twig like legs and small hooves protruding from her rear end.

"Just pull on the rope." Ezekiel said, walking half way back to demonstrate, before he pulled his own end of the rope taunt. "We're going to help her push. You wait for my signal." Ezekiel grunted and with nothing else to be said....Brandon pulled on his end of the rope, until it grew taunt and strict in his hands.....then he waited. It seemed like hours, before Ezekiel would finally hiss and shout.

"OK! Pull!" And Brandon did. He found very little purchase in the hay, but he dug in and did as best he could until with a frustrated sigh Ezekiel said. "Stop.....give her some slack..." he tugged on the rope and as directed Brandon loosened his hold slightly.

Crystal blew a heavy and exhausted sounding raspberry, Brandon didn't want to see the blood running down her back legs or the still and unmoving legs protruding from behind her tail. The large female panted, sides and ribs blowing up and down, he could tell how uncomfortable she was and he wondered how long she would have the strength to keep on her feet.

Suddenly Crystal knicker'd and grew still, looking like she was straining or pushing to Brandon and it was at that moment that Ezekiel said. "Once more! Pull!"

Brandon and Ezekiel strained and were soon rewarded with the give of rope and a splash of red.

The fawn it the hay like a sack of potatoes. Its head and body flopping like jelly and settling in an eerily silent pile of long limbs and gushy blood and fluids. With a sigh of triumph Ezekiel dropped the rope and jogged over to the fawns still body in the hay. Brandon followed slowly, cautiously. Anxious to check on the baby....but also cautions of what he knew slept inside of him. Of what he also felt burring to life, hunting....watching. Reaching.