{"sf1_id":411786,"sf2_id":"rm8WqOle","title":"New Horse: \"Separate Ways\"","author":"Claymore","words":559,"posted_at":"2012-08-04T20:26:00.000Z","tags":["Anthro","Bromance","Clydesdale","Equine","Horse","Romance"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/411786-new-horse-separate-ways","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/rm8WqOle","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/80/9e/809e547d-eadf-4d46-946f-462e9dba39e2","description":"An abrupt departure from the picnic and a twist in the plot. What's caught Kimi's attention?","content":"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; An insistent jangling that might have been a music clip suddenly interrupted the conversation, and Kimi stopped to answer his phone.\u0026nbsp; Clay was just out of earshot but could see the young stallion bobbing his head and laughing.\u0026nbsp; A moment later, the call ended, and Kimi trotted to catch up with Clay.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Claymore, I'm so sorry, but I have to head back into town.\u0026nbsp; One of my classmates called and I have to, I have some urgent business to attend to.\u0026nbsp; I'm so sorry, can we do this another time?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; Outwardly, the Clydesdale's expression didn't change from the pleasant smile he'd worn on the drive out of town; his voice remained even and friendly.\u0026nbsp; \"Sure, that's fine, some other time, buddy.\u0026nbsp; Got things I need to do around the shop anyway.\"\u0026nbsp; Inside, far away from prying eyes and careless blows, his heart felt slightly hollow.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Beer sounds pretty good right now,\" he thought as he strode to the passenger side of Kimi's little ecomobile.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Good strong beer.\u0026nbsp; Several pints of it.\"\u0026nbsp; In the refrigerator at home such beer was waiting him, as faithful as an old Black Labrador Retriever and nearly as strong and dark. Might be a day to catch up on some gardening too; but first, the beer.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; The ride back to the diner was uneventful, with Kimi chattering excitedly about the coming school year and his interest in the field of business.\u0026nbsp; Apparently his Business Calculus course was particularly intriguing for some reason, but Kimi was coy regarding details.\u0026nbsp; In an unusual display of discretion, Clay chose not to probe for information.\u0026nbsp; His demeanor was pleasant, even jovial, but those who knew him better would have called him reserved.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\"All right, Kimi, thanks for the lift,\" Clay neighed as the ecomobile pulled up to the diner. He extended his hand, which Kimi took with both his front hooves.  \n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \"Clay, I'm really sorry to bail like this, I'm gonna get this taken care of and we'll do this again soon, okay?\"\u0026nbsp; His voice trailed off, an apologetic smile on his muzzle.  \n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Don't worry about it, colt.\u0026nbsp; Manure happens, right?\"\u0026nbsp; Clay clambered awkwardly out of the vehicle, a tight fit even for someone of his smaller-than-typical Clydesdale stature.\u0026nbsp; \"Take care of yourself, Kimi, and I'll see ya soon.\"\u0026nbsp; His voice was steady and sincere, his smile well matched to his words and tone, but it was the presentation he'd honed in years of dealing with the public.\u0026nbsp; The words were sweet to the ear, but almost completely empty.  \n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"You're the best, Clay, talk to you later!\" Kimi neighed as he drove off.\u0026nbsp; Waving politely, Claymore waited until the car was out of sight before hopping into his truck.\u0026nbsp; _What the hell was I thinking?_ he grumbled silently to himself, jamming the key into the ignition.\u0026nbsp; As usual, the old S10 kicked over a couple of times before catching.\u0026nbsp; Might want to do that tune-up before I grab those beers, Clay thought, signaling and pulling onto Quaker Street.\u0026nbsp; There was a Napa store on the way home, sometimes open on Sunday during tourist season.\u0026nbsp; Clay hit a button on the radio, and part of an old 'Journey' song came blaring from the speakers as he drove north toward the auto parts store.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n  \n\n"}