As he sat there, sobbing quietly as his partner in crime faded away, crossing the rainbow bridge.
"Please, not like this Quail, I can't lose you too." The boy spoke in a gentle whisper as his steed took her last breath.
once she was gone he cried out in agony once more as though he'd been shot. He knew he shouldn't because society would look down on him, but he couldn't care less.
Closing the mare's eyelids for her and giving the sweet bay a final kiss on the forehead goodbye and smoothing her mane down he stood up.
"I'll never forget you my sweet girl, go have fun with your new friends in the sky."
walking away with somber look in his eyes and heavy footsteps Lancaster picked up Quail's tack and headed back to where he was staying.
wanting to look back down the trail to make sure Quail was really gone and hadn't just laid down for a snooze.
but then again a horse doesn't just lay down and refuse to get up unless something is seriously wrong.
"I'll go home and put her stuff away then come back, just to be sure." stealing a glance behind him, Quail hadn't moved, her sides didn't look like moving up and down with each breath she took.
Finally getting back to his small home Lancaster put the tack in a shed where it was all supposed to go then grabbed a cyan halter off it's hook, went back out closed the door to the shed, then took off running.
We as the readers know that Quail is gone, she'd crossed the rainbow bridge but the heart broken teen refused to believe it.
He'd been through enough shit, getting deadnamed, bullied, kicked out, shunned by his family, cast aside by his peers after his best friend outed him.
Losing Quail was like losing the only one who maybe understood how you felt, that mare was the only family he had left, and He refused to believe he'd lost her, though he knew she was already gone.
Skidding to a stop and kneeling down beside his old mare he rested his head against her side, listening, waiting, watching for any signs that he was wrong and Quail was still with him.
He was there for hours, the sun had started to set and still there was no sign, Lancaster eventually fell asleep beside his lost companion.
As Quail's ghost wandered aimlessly through the wooded thicket watching as Lancaster sobbed over her corpse.
Nickering softly as she watched her beloved companion weep and nudge his shoulder with a transparent nose, she hoped to console the boy.
Lancaster gave his sweet, sweet mare a proper burial. Wiping away the tears that came out from his eyes.
Saying his last goodbye he went home, never to be seen again.
All that remains of our brave boys soul is a lone stable in the woods.
