1.3: Epistaxis

"Epistaxis: An acute hemorrhage from the nostril, nasal cavity or nasopharynx."

Epistaxis; more like EPICtaxis
...no wait, sorry, that was silly. Nevermind that :'>

You thought you saw me do my worst in this horrible storyline? Oh please, things are just warming up. Time to turn the karma cannon towards someone else, no? Who'll be next?
Aww, Andy is trying to be all matchy-matchy with Sagir, only to have it ruined by red, which totally isn't part of the colour coded outfitttt.


The horrible storyline so far:
Part one: One terrible phonecall
Part two: Just a regular day at the job




Story
Some things never change. It can be a frustrating point to consider although in times of turmoil it has its own calming quality; granting an illusion of stability.
One thing that never changes is a horse's feeding time - indeed, should one ever neglect to be precisely there at the time the consequences could be dire. Zdrasti, for example, would be liable to take your arm off when you finally did show simply to make a statement - the mare was like clockwork, and woe to those who failed to realize this.
Annie and Andrzej always took turns with the horses' morning feed routine - getting up at that ungodly hour was their least favourite chore, after all. It was also a very efficient bargaining tool: "if you do this for me, I'll do the morning feeds five days in a row..!" and other such negotiations were commonly used baits for both of them. 
This morning Andrzej was happy to rise before the birds, however - well, perhaps 'happy' was an overstatement, but less reluctant at least. This night had been another bead in the necklace of more or less sleepless nights that had been his lot this past week. His fever, although low-grade and fluctuant, was a reality and kept him awake despite the fact he felt exhausted. The cycle was vicious; each day feeling a bit worse and each night sleeping a bit less. This morning was no different, and he rose feeling every bit as tired and worn as the night before. He could not decide which was worse - lying uselessly around not being able to sleep, or forcing himself out and about with every fibre of his body complaining loudly about it. The former, he finally agreed with himself. At least he could be useful when he was up.
The dawn sun peeked through the layer of clouds above, painting the sky an elaborate mix of bloodied reds and dull oranges and welcoming another day of spring - one of those humid, grey spring days that Denmark could so proudly boast an abundance of, if one were to judge by the way the air hung heavy over the fields. It had an almost ominous feel this morning, not unlike the way a cat might loom over an aquarium, silently watching and ready to strike. 
The horses collectively pricked up their ears and turned their heads as Andrzej approached. Sagadir, as always, made sure everyone heard that he was up and ready to be fed. The name 'Sagadir' translated to 'Screamer', and it was not a name that had been chosen by random. 
Silence once again fell on the stables when the feeding procedure was over. The sound of chewing horses rose pleasantly and was a welcome alternative to Zdrasti's vicious kicking and the way Kvante would always try to drown it out in more vicious kicking. 

Azaria arrived at the stable shortly before noon bringing no news from the hospital. Three days had passed since the accident that left Connor hovering between life and death, and so far there was no change in his condition.
Andrzej reflected on that information as he saddled Sagadir and shortened the stirrups the usual two holes, wondering oddly to himself if those stirrups would ever have to be lengthened again. It was a perverted thought, he realized, and he was surprised by his own reaction. Had he always been this pessimistic?
It was Kaisa who interrupted his thoughts. 
,,Hey Andy," she greeted in passing as she headed for Zdrasti's stall.
,,Hi Kai," Andrzej answered 100 percent certain she was already out of earshot, but saying it out loud all the same. It was their usual greeting, and it was another thing that never changed. Some things need to remain unchanged.

Despite the fact the sun seemed to have given up on trying to break through the iron curtain of grey-bellied clouds that threatened to open into rain anytime, Andrzej decided to use the outdoor riding arena rather than the indoor one. The air was humid and heavy, but out here at least there was the unlikely possibility of a refreshing breeze. Maybe that would be enough to dispel the terrible headache that Andrzej had picked up.
Sagadir seemed entirely unmoved by the depressing weather, his attention instead everywhere at once. That was another thing that had never changed - Sagadir's concentration skills, or lack of such. He had been like this since the very beginning when Andrzej had bought him as a promising, young 2-year old and Annie had been skeptical to say the least. She had warmed to the abrasive, young stallion eventually - in particular once she realized how good her husband would one day look atop his white charger "like something out of a fairytale", as she told it with a glint in her eye. Andrzej had not been entirely sure how serious Annie had been when she spoke that phrase, but it remained one of those sentences he would refer to whenever she had since spoken ill of Sagadir and his 'diva fits'.
Kaisa passed by on Zdrasti near the side of the arena and gave a small wave. Heading for the forest she soon disappeared among the trees in the distance.
Andrzej started the warm-up on Sagadir. The stallion was supple and well-responsive to even the lightest aids and moved easily, fluently and seemingly effortless between the transitions. Connor had truly done wonders with this horse for the few years he had been training him. The finest corrections prompted an immediate response from the horse and Andrzej reflected back with amusement on the days where Sagadir had barely been able to perform a walk without converting to some kind of awkward Skeggas-gait. 
It did not take long for Andrzej to become entirely out of breath and he credited it to today's humidity as he slowed the horse to a walk. Sagadir, who was only just getting started and barely had his pulse up, obeyed with some impatience. When Andrzej once again urged the horse into a canter it did not take long before he was heaving for air again, although this time accompanied by the feeling of lightheadedness. Black spots danced across his field of vision and the world started keeling as if it were indeed flat and threatening to tip over.
Andrzej felt his pulse racing and the tinge of panic graze his consciousness - or was it a tinge of panic that had made his pulse race? Seconds ticked by, each one as long as time itself. Then the world was still again and only now did Andrzej realize that Sagadir, picking up the sudden lack of orders, had halted by his own account. 
Grateful for this rare display of thoughtfulness on the stallion's account, he reached out to pat the dappled neck - he was not prepared to see his own hand dappled in blood. He glared at the sight for a few seconds, unsure what to make of it. The uncanny feeling of hot liquid trailing down from his nostrils to his chin gave him an idea of its origin. The taste and smell of metal was suddenly overwhelming and Andrzej wondered why he had not noticed this before. 
,,Oh," he said to nobody in particular for lack of better words.

,,Yikes, look at you --" Azaria snorted as Andrzej returned to the stable.
,,Yeah well, you should see the other guy." Andrzej retorted; meant as a joke although it came out angry.
The strange glance Azaria dealt him in return had little impact, she realized, and she decided to not pursue to issue further. She did find his tone odd, however - she had never seen Andrzej angry before. Some things -and people- do change, after all. 


To be continued...
Next:  End of the line








Andrzej, Azaria and Kaisa reside with me
So does ZS Sagadir   
Ground textures: cgtextures + own