[canis,]

We recently got an urgent call from the local authorities. It seems that they were called in after a recent sighting of a very skinny, odd-looking horse left out in the freezing cold. Upon arriving at the scene, they discovered a huge Kleeare stable to be abandoned. The Kleeare were simply left, some in the pasture, some trapped in their stalls. And all extremely emaciated. We responded quickly, arriving at the stable and assessing the condition of each Kleeare. The sight shocked us, but we did not fret. We brought each one of the Kleeare back to our place, where they were evaluated by our veterinarian. Some cases were more extreme than others, but all of them had the chance to be saved. That's where you step in...

This Kleeare was caught up in some violence. It has gashes and an injured leg that will take time to heal.

Username; SpartanAmethyst
Name;
Gender;
Coat Colour; Apricot Dun Blanket Appaloosa
Genotype; ee/aa/prlprl/Dd/Lplp/PATN2patn2/FRFR/StRm

[SpartanAmethyst]

Kleeare Name;
Gender; Mare

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((Please do not post, I will be posting everything here.))

[SpartanAmethyst]

"Oh you poor thing."

The sound of Niabi's voice was slightly forlorn in Amethyst's ears, and it caused her heart to flutter in her chest. The horse that was awkwardly being unloaded from the association's trailer was a complete mystery to her; she'd adopted one of the horses from the Kleeare abandonment, having read an article about it in one of her riding magazines. She'd jumped at the chance to give at least one of these horses a better life, so without missing a beat she'd sent in an email detailing her stables, her achievements, and everything she could that would showcase her candidacy to rehabilitate one of these fantastic animals. All she requested was that it be a mare, as she'd hoped her next Kleeare would be a companion and potentially a suitable mate for her charge Gabriel. She could tell the stallion was lonely when his brother was gone, and she had no other Kleeare to speak of. It was a perfect opportunity. Taking a deep breath, Amethyst steeled her nerves and turned to see the new arrival.

The following "oh my god" was muttered low under her breath as she took in the horse's condition. The mare was literally skin and bone, her hide covered in scars and gashes, and she limped on her right foreleg, a particularly nasty wound on the upper leg there. She was definitely in bad shape, the poor girl. Leaning against the pasture fence from where she stood inside of it, she spoke softly to Niabi, the ranch veterinarian, who stood on the outside with her back to the ranch owner. "I think we got more than we bargained for," Amethyst murmured sadly. "She's going to need a lot of work." Niabi only nodded solemnly, already doing a visual assessment of the mare and making notes in her head for medicines, therapies, and the like. As the fragile mare was finally back on solid ground, the two men from the Kleeare Rescue Group separated, one taking Niabi to retrieve her paperwork and medical charts, the other ever so cautiously leading the mare into her new pasture. Now in the sunlight, Amethyst could see her color; a beautiful apricot dun mare, with an appaloosa blanket spread across her barren hips. She could tell the mare should have heavy feathering, but it had been shaved off to alleviate the matting problem from months of no grooming and muddy conditions. Patches of rain rot bloomed across her back and haunches, and though they were the most brilliant shade of aqua blue, her eyes held no light at all. She just stared at the ground listlessly, slightly shivering, as though if she looked up she'd get beaten for it. Amethyst watched her eventually stumble through the pasture gate, and the Kleeare employee came up to Amethyst and offered her the white lead rope.

"She's all yours," he murmured quietly, as if afraid to spook the mare. But she looked far too tired to spook at much of anything. "I worry about her, because we found proof that she was not only the lowest ranking mare in a fairly large herd, but we think a mountain lion might have tried to get her." Amethyst watched as he pointed out the telltale claw marks of a cougar carved into her shoulders, and she nodded. There was a brief moment of silence and the man sighed. "There's also some signs of abuse, we fear. She's got no confidence and is actually quite scared of humans when she first sees them. You're the first she hasn't immediately shied away from. She's pretty damaged; I hope she warms up to you, because she wouldn't let anyone see her affection. She's too scared." Looking over at the Kleeare, the staff member patted her shoulder one last time and turned to walk away. Amethyst never responded, just stared at the mare until she heard the two men pack up and leave. Only then did she look over, just in time to see the shining metallic trailer as it disappeared into the distance.

After a few minutes of silence, Amethyst took a short step closer to the Kleeare. She moved slowly, every move carefully thought out and planned. Gently reaching down, she put her hands under the mares chin and slowly helped her raise it; Amethyst gave her every chance to pull away, but she never did. Even more carefully, the brunette brought the mare's head level to hers, and the moment their eyes finally met was like a slow-motion scene out of a move. Vibrant ocean to dead sea, Amethyst's eyes were full of light in hopes of passing it on to the poor hurting mare. "Don't you worry now, you're safe. A new start, right? And that deserves a new name." She thought for a moment, then smiled brightly. "Ren," she said. "Because you're fragile and delicate, but still as beautiful as a lotus. Now come on, let's get you settled in to your new stall."

And Amethyst swore that Ren's eyes were already looking the tiniest bit brighter.

[SpartanAmethyst]

"Right this way, girlie."

After a short walk around a few pastures, Amethyst hoped Ren would have become comfortable enough to be introduced to her new stall. Her stallion Michael wouldn't be back from competition until tomorrow, having been away competing dressage in a local show. She'd hoped the big boy would have been here when Ren arrived, but the Kleeare Assn. had made good time and arrived a few days early. Things didn't always work out according to plan, Amethyst knew that all too well.

The two walked slowly, the human taking short strides to allow the mare to amble at her own pace. She talked as they did, telling Ren about the ranch and the staff and even Michael. Especially Michael. Every so often she'd see another rider or a member of staff, and she'd softly call to them and ask them to greet Ren from a good distance. They did, and Amethyst hoped maybe that would desensitize her a bit so others could help care for the sickly mare. After all, she couldn't do it on her own.

The sun was setting by the time Amethyst and Ren managed to reach the brand new Kleeare building; the brunette attempted to distract her from the large structure, worried it might spook her, but Ren gave it no heed. She walked through the stable doors like she'd done it a thousand times. This caused Amethyst to smile and pat her neck lovingly, to which Ren tensed and Amethyst drew back. "It's alright, I won't hurt you," Amethyst reassured her, but gave her a bit of space. After a brief moment Ren's ears moved from their fear position to a more curious one, and her blue eyes looked at Amethyst interestedly, as if to wonder why she wasn't being hit or punished for something.

Taking the initiative, Amethyst turned to the second stall on the right side of the corridor, and let Ren's lead rope drop to it's full length. There was a slight squeak when the stall door slid open, which made Ren toss her head and nicker in worried confusion, but otherwise the mare stood patiently. "Well, if nothing else you have good ground manners," Amethyst commented, taking a step backwards into the stall. The woman gave a soft tug on the lead, encouraging Ren to join her. It took the better part of an hour, but finally Ren came closer, sticking her head through the door to investigate the inside. It was huge, made of beautiful stained wood and green, rust-proof metal bars that separated all of the stalls in the building. The floor was covered in extra bedding, and on the edge of her nose she could feel how soft it was. Eventually Ren gave in to her curiosity and entered the stall; it wasn't too little nor too large, it was perfect. Just small enough to feel safe, just big enough to be comfortable. Then the smell hit her: food. Turning her attention to the grey bucket that hung nearby, she could smell a wonderful scent wafting from it, and upon closer inspection she found it to contain mash. It was hot and soft, and in that first bite she could taste apples and brown sugar. Without a second thought Ren dug into it, now blissfully unaware of Amethyst gently stroking her shoulder. Unclipping the lead rope, Amethyst ensured she had fresh water for the evening, and that there was gentle music playing in Ren's stall. Amethyst then stepped out and gently closed the door, and bid goodnight to Ryan, one of the stablehands who sat in the office on his laptop. "Thank you for watching her, Ryan. Just call me if anything happens." He responded with a "yes ma'am" and a reassuring smile, and the ranch owner left the building, off to try and get some sleep herself. She hoped Ren would sleep well tonight, with a full stomach and a warm bed.

[SpartanAmethyst]

In only a short amount of time, Ren had come to realize that laughter was a very strange sound. It made her nervous and slightly scared, but at the same time, she loved it. She wanted to hear more of it. It made her happy.

This medicine though, definitely did not do the same.

Fresh laughter echoed slightly through the stables when another glob of the reddish paste was spat back onto Niabi's shirt, and the wolfgirl look irritatedly at the human standing outside Ren's stall. "You think this is funny, hm? Well then, why don't you come try it, Oh Great Ranch Owner?" Niabi spat playfully. She'd never met a horse as hard to give medicine as this Kleeare, and for some of the horses Amethyst owned, that was really saying something.

"No thanks, I'm good," Amethyst wheezed, clutching her sides and leaning against the stall door. "This is too funny to miss! Why am I not recording this?"

"Because I'd beat your tail if you did."

"But I don't have a tail?"

"Oh, I'd find a way."

Despite the threat, Amethyst couldn't keep a straight face and eventually ended up writhing on the floor, the only sounds coming from the woman were tiny squeaks as she tried to take in oxygen and couldn't due to uncontrollable laughter. After another ten minutes of the woman nearly dying, Amethyst hauled herself back to her feet, wiping away tears as she watched Niabi manage to get the Kleeare to swallow the last bit of the nutrient paste. It was a home remedy from Niabi's ancestors with a few twists of her own; it had plenty of vitamins and nutrients, as well as natural pain killers like crushed rosemary and devil's claw to ease pain and help with any inflammation. Niabi gave a sigh, then held out her hand with a sugar cube in it. "Just one," she told Ren. "Don't want you getting sick."

"So what other medicines will she be taking?"

"I don't want to give her too much, since her system isn't used to vaccines and medicines. We'll keep her on the paste once a week for now, since it's pretty concentrated. A low-dose antibiotic will help ramp up her immune system, which luckily that we can grind to powder and mix with her mash. Then maybe a salve for her wounds," Niabi said, giving the mare a brief physical examination. "Besides being severely underweight and some trouble putting weight on that one leg, she seems fine otherwise, but I'll examine her daily just to be sure. Never know when something might pop up in a case like hers." Amethyst only nodded, acknowledging what her trusted veterinarian said.

"Alright well, once she's eaten, I'm going to take her to be groomed. Poor girl could really use a hot bath and a nice massage. I'll take care to not touch or bother the wounds," Amethyst spoke, following Niabi out to help her prepare Ren's breakfast mash. Amethyst was so excited about the future she could barely contain herself, but she kept saying in her head "One step at a time".

[SpartanAmethyst]

It had been merely an hour after the medicine fiasco when Amethyst heard the good news: Michael had returned from competition. She'd been waiting on him to be back for going on three days now, since inclement weather had slowed down the trip home. She'd hoped he'd have been back before Ren came to the stables, but she'd been delivered nearly two weeks early. Not that Amethyst was complaining, mind you; it meant her healing process would be two weeks ahead of schedule.

Amethyst had just taken Ren on another walk around the stables to stretch her legs when one of her stablehands came racing to catch up, panting breathlessly and slightly spooking the appaloosa mare. "Miss Barr! Castiel is back with Michael, he's taking the Kleeare to clean up then releasing him into the pasture. I thought you'd like to know as soon as he drove up." Amethyst had thanked him and then rushed off, walking as quickly as she could while still keeping a comfortable pace with the still-very-weak-Kleeare. The two bee-lined straight for the Kleeare pasture, an area Ren had become well-familiarized with in only the two short days she'd called Amethyst Ridge Ranch home. Quickly Amethyst walked in and released the apricot mare, whom only turned and look at looked at the human with a very strange look. What was all this hubbub about?

As Amethyst quickly left the pasture and closed the gate, she looked up to the barn to see if they were on their way yet. Perfect timing; Castiel was just stepping out with a perfectly groomed and bathed Michael, who's heterochromatic eyes seemed to sweep over everything with the sharpness of an eagle. He was still such a breathtaking sight. And, like the knew he would, he zeroed in right on the newcomer in his pasture. The fierceness of his gaze worried Amethyst slightly, but she didn't dwell on it. He wasn't the violent kind.

Giving her boyfriend a quick peck on the cheek, she ushered him towards the gate. "Hurry and release him," Amethyst said. She had faith that Michael would be able to befriend her, and would play a crucial role in her mental and spiritual healing process. After all, not everything was physical. Castiel, still unsure of how soon it was, did as he was asked and opened the pasture to release Michael. All the time the stallion's eyes never left Ren, watching her like she was prey; as soon as the lead rope came unclipped, he began to walk forward towards her. The stallion didn't run, he walked; not too fast, not too slow. A perfect leisure pace, though still his eyed stayed trained on her mottled coat. Finally she looked up and saw the larger Kleeare approaching, and for a moment she mentally panicked. Was he going to attack her? She hoped not. Should she stand her ground? Run? Try and jump the fence? No, she'd never make the fence. He was stronger and would overtake her in seconds; she probably wouldn't make the jump anyways. So Ren just stood there, eyes closed, waiting to feel the dual-toned stallion's teeth rip into her; but they never did.

A soft whuff of air blew across her forelock, and Ren flinched the first time. Another, and she didn't. Opening her eyes, she found him standing face to face with her. She froze again, but only to have him just briefly touch her nose with his own, and when she didn't run away or chase him off, he fully nuzzled her face. Ren couldn't help but lean into the touch, it felt so nice and loving. Within minutes they were grazing together happily, and Amethyst swore the whole ranch had given a sigh of relief.

[SpartanAmethyst]

Amethyst was so proud of her Kleeare rescue mare; in no time flat, she'd improved in leaps and bounds. While she still wasn't in perfect health, she looked like a completely different mare. She was still skinny, but had put on a lot of weight. They'd had to shave her feathering again due to the hair being choppy, but Amethyst was now putting a salve on it to help the hair regrow stronger. Over the past few days, though, Ren had been trying to escape the pasture. She was bored, and every time Michael left for a training run, she'd definitely let anyone nearby know. So, Amethyst decided to start working with her. Exercise would help build muscle!

It didn't take long for Ami to get a plan of action going. First, she'd contacted a friend who owned a nearby racing stable, and acquired three-times a week sessions of working Ren on an Aquatherapy treadmill. It wasn't easy, but Amethyst eventually got her to agree to it, under the agreement that it would not affect any of her horses' training or recovery. Amethyst was prepared to deem Ren "unrideable" due to how badly she limped on that one leg, but she figured the water would help strengthen it at least a little bit. Still, she didn't want to risk Ren carrying a rider and getting hurt even worse. After that, Ren would move up to lunging and cavaletti poles, as well as some ground training and ground trail. As well, whenever Castiel took Michael out on a ride, he'd tie Ren to the saddle pommel and take her along too. She quickly stopped trying to break out of the pasture, and she settled down. It was fantastic. It didn't take long for her body to start filling out readily. Yep, in no time she'd be perfect again, shiny coat and all.

[SpartanAmethyst]

This was it. Today was the big day.

Amethyst had spent all morning grooming Ren to perfection and braiding her mane and tail. The mare was so stunning with her lustrous apricot coat, the white markings absolutely shining in the mid morning sun. All of her fair had grown back, leaving full fluffy feathers and a long, silky set of mane and tail. She still had a tiny bit of weight left to gain, shown by the slightest tiny bump where her hip bones once stuck out like blunt daggers, but that was no huge deal. She'd come so far from that shivering skeleton Amethyst had adopted, and she couldn't have been more happy with how beautiful and alluring the outcome had been.

Now the worker from the Kleeare center was coming to evaluate her healing process, see how far she'd come and if she was thriving (which she was). Today, Amethyst would know if she got to keep the mare or not. She wanted to very, very badly, because Michael had become very attached to the mottled mare. Ami (and Cas) were afraid it would break his heart if she left. So they got ready for everything that could possibly happen, in the hopes of preventing her departure. Bringing her out of the stables, Amethyst heard the truck from before drive down the long driveway to the house, and knew one of her staff would bring the evaluator back very, very shortly. Squ shoulders and taking a deep breath, she patted the now confident and social mare softly murmuring brief words of encouragement both to the Kleeare and to the butterflies running rampant in her stomach. "Alright Ren, are we ready to do this? Make sure you're ours for good?" Amethyst smiled widely, and with a nicker of agreement, the ranch owner led the mare out to face their greatest challenge as of yet.

[SpartanAmethyst]

Hey Canis, can I be added to Color In please? I'd like to snag a version of her reference with the background.

[canis,]

Added^