Running Scared - Buckie
More centaur whump! I gave him a name :D
(Also I forced myself to watch shitty horse trainers for this so I hope you appreciate it!!!)
CW: mythical creature whump, nonhuman whump, whips, trapping, lassos/roping, use of a crush, dehumanisation, exhaustion, starving out whumpee, use of “it” pronouns, lady whumper, non consensual touching, future branding implied.
Taglist:
-
When Vincent woke up, the other centaurs at the ranch were restless, muttering in their own tongue to each other despite being forbidden from speaking. He’d have to teach them a lesson on that later.
But later… He had other plans for today.
Today was the day the new arrival would be broken, just as they all were.
He arrived at the training yards, metal spurs clinking as he walked. He took a moment to pause and inhale the crisp morning air. The sun was just rising over the horizon, casting an orange hue over the dry landscape. Rocks and sparse tussocks of spiny grasses, it seemed a miracle anything survived out here.
The centaur was silhouetted in the light, head bowed slightly and back leg cocked into a resting position.
Over dinner last night they had all decided to call the young colt Buckie. The boss thought it was hilarious.
Vincent whistled sharply, grinning as the creature gave a muffled yelp and darted forward in a sudden panic.
“Hey, Buckie. Gonna behave for me today?” He called out, pulling his stock whip from his belt and swinging it lightly at his side.
The centaur’s eyes narrowed at him, gaze flicking from him to the whip, snorting through his nose with a muffled insult and pawing the ground. The hatred was obvious. This creature would kill him if he let it try.
As the humans gathered around the training yards, Buckie got more on edge. Vincent could tell from the set of his jaw and how his tail flicked rapidly from side to side.
There was a loud clang and the creature startled and trotted a few paces before planting his hooves in the sand, freezing in terror. His teeth gnawed on the metal bit they’d forced on him, mouth rubbed raw and red from the constant pressure.
Buckie hadn’t been fed or watered. The convenience of the centaur was they didn’t require constant supplies of hay and grasses but could subsist on anything humans threw their way.
However they also were easy to starve out, make weak and tired from the lack of sustenance. That was key to the breaking process.
Vincent took up his stock whip, a vicious thing with thin strips of leather at the end to cut into horseflesh.
The ranch hands whooped and cheered as he stepped into the corral with the exhausted creature.
He saw the creature gather up its haunches, prepare to launch itself at him. But Vincent knew what he was doing
“Alright feral, let’s get those feet moving.” He muttered, running forward and cracking the whip against the centaur’s chest. Buckie wheeled around in panic, kicking up his heels and bolting in a circle.
“There we go, get up!” Vincent growled, the whip whistling through the air and snapping against the ground again and again. Making the creature move faster and faster. The creature was being hunted by him, too blind with terror to realise it was hurtling towards a trap.
The tassels of the whip cut into the centaur’s rump just as the gate to the crush opened up.
Seemingly an escape, the centaur bolted for it.
The modified cattle crush was a narrow chute fenced in by unforgiving solid metal. Once the creature was in, it wasn’t going anywhere. Its torso and head was locked in place by a metal yoke.
Buckie roared and screamed through his gag, attempting to buck and rear only to hit his hooves against the sides of the fence.
“Get it prepped.” Vincent snapped.
The order was barked and the gate slammed shut behind him as the ranchers leapt into action, throwing thick ropes around their catch’s torso and pulling tightly. Muttered swears as ropes were looped around his legs to hobble him.
Nearby a fire was burning, an iron clunking heavily into the coals.
Vincent saw a flash of blonde hair at the corner of his eye and stiffened.
The boss was here.
There was a loud whistle and everyone stopped what they were doing.
“Morning, boys.”
She was standing next to the crush, looking over the struggling new arrival with a critical eye. Long boots, tan chaps, lilac polo shirt completed with a stetson. Her blonde hair cascading down her shoulders.
“Ain’t no show pony, I’ll give you that.” Miss Suzie drawled, climbing up on the railing to get a better look.
The creature flicked its tail furiously. But its fight faltered as it looked at the brightly dressed woman.
“Didn’t know you’d be watching, Boss.” Vincent said, clearing his throat. She always put him on edge.
“Well you talked up what a beast it was, I had to see it for myself, didn’t I?” Her sharp eyes were on him and he averted his gaze.
She tutted as she swung her leg over the centaur’s trapped body, sitting in the saddle with a sigh and running her hands over the creature’s withers and up his spine. She felt it go still, a tremble running through it.
“There’s a boy… Quite a young catch, huh?” She murmured. “You’ll look pretty with our brand on you.”
The centaur whimpered through the bit, pawing the ground and kicking up dust. He shook his head vigorously from side to side.
“No?” Suzie smiled, wrapping her arms around his chest and digging her nails into the bare skin. The ranchers tightened their hold on the ropes as Buckie’s tail lashed the side of the railing. He threw his head back and stamped his hoof to the ground.
“None of that, little colt.” Suzie purred, laughing softly. She could feel the beast’s heartbeat thrumming under his skin.
“You’re gonna learn exactly who owns you.“
