m_findlow

Title: Tough extraction
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Ianto, Owen
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 1,133 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for badly_knitted's prompt "any, any, Stopping a bolting horse" at fic_promptly
Summary: Never work with children or animals

'Are you sure you've got the settings calibrated right on that thing?' Owen asked.

Jack looked askance at him. 'A tumble dryer in the 51st century has more complexity than this,' he said, waving the scanner about, as if that answered the question.

Jack set off across through the long grass and mud towards a field surrounded by tall wooden fencing. He'd already spied their quarry as it moved slowly about, nibbling at the fresh grass at its feet. It was a beautiful specimen, with long muscular legs, chestnut coloured coat and jet black hair. He didn't wait for the others to catch up with his long stride as he shucked off his coat and cast it backwards, Ianto only just managing to catch it as it flew at his head. Owen's mutterings about the filthy countryside faded into the background as he put more distance between them. He threw a leg up and over the tall, crisscrossed fence and sat on the top, his legs straddling either side as he checked the readings again, looking up and out across the field.

'Definitely the horse,' Jack confirmed.

He jumped down onto the other side and began pacing slowly over to the elegant equine. Owen and Ianto clambered over the fence to join him, neither one able to make it seem as effortless as Jack had done. As he came close to the horse, its ears pricked up and it gave him a considered look, as if wondering why he was pointing that strange device at it. The others joined him moments later.

'It's lodged somewhere in there,' Jack said, pointing at the horse's torso.

'Are we saying the horse ate it?'

He was sure these things never happened to the other members of the team. On the plus side, at least Owen was here to dull the blow.

'Probably. It's pretty small. Might have dropped into the grass and gotten picked up that way. Either way, we can't leave without it.'

'We can't just take someone's horse,' Ianto replied emphatically. 'Besides, how would we get it home, and more to the point, where would we put it?'

'Who said anything about taking it? We don't need the horse, we just need what's in it.'

Both he and Ianto looked at Owen.

'I'm not doing surgery on it, if that's what you're implying. You can get it out the old fashioned way,' he confirmed, 'and just before you say it, no there's no medical expertise required that makes me better suited to the task than anyone else. You're all fair game on this one.'

'Fine,' Jack said, 'we'll let luck decide.'

'No, we are no roshamboing. You cheat.'

'How can you cheat since it's rock, paper or scissors?'

'Since you invented dynamite,' Ianto replied, gesturing with two fingers held together. 'I'm not falling for that again.'

'Fine. There's a small stable over there in the far corner of the field. If we get the horse tethered over there, at least we won't have to scour the entire paddock for presents.'

Jack made his way gently over to the horse, reaching up for the loose makeshift rope bridle that hung about its face.

'This I have to see,' quipped Owen, crossing his arms.

The horse took a step back from his approaching form and he made gentle shushing noises. Just as he was about to get a grip on the bridle the horse got skittish and threw her head up violently.

'Easy girl,' he said, trying to reach again. This time the horse bucked and ran, clearly upset at the people in her paddock.

At first she just ran in large sweeping circles whilst Jack tried to get close enough to calm her, then she changed direction, and Jack could tell that she was running straight towards the fence behind him, intending to jump. They couldn't let her escape. Owen and Ianto watched on as the horse came bolting straight towards the fence and Jack. Jack threw his arms out, trying to make himself as big and scary as possible to stop her, but it was no use. She was going too fast to stop or change direction. Owen twisted his head away, and Ianto's hands flew to his own as they both witnessed the horse trample straight over him.

Jack was flat on his back, and covered in mud, when the face appeared overhead.

'What did you think you were doing?' Ianto chastised as Owen was checking him over for serious injury. Jack tried to wave him away, knowing that everything would be basically okay now that he was alive again, and any bruises healing as they speak.

'Trying to stop it.'

Ianto shook his head. 'For a man who lived through the age before cars, you clearly didn't learn much about horses.' Jack groaned as he let the pair of the pull him to his feet.

'You know, the worst part is that's not the first time that's happened.'

'Nor the last if you keep on like that,' Ianto scolded.

'Now what?' he asked, watching the mare placidly parked twenty yards away, munching on grass again, and oblivious to the three of them and the events that had just transpired.

Ianto slowly made his way over to the horse, careful not to startle it again. It was only about six or seven yards from the fence line. He came up by its side and reached out for the mare's flank. It sidestepped slightly from his touch but didn't kick back when he came to rest his hand firmly there. He slid the hand slightly further along its body, and the mare took a few steps forward. He walked alongside, keeping his hand pressed against her side and moving it slightly further up. Each step forward brought her closer to the fence, until she was right up against it, and Ianto's hand was halfway along her long neck, and then within inches of the bridle on her cheek. He gripped it and continued walking, and the horse obediently followed until they reach the corner of the paddock and he was able to tie off the bridle to the post.

His two teammates stood there stunned.

'Where did you learn to do that?'

Pony rides at the local fair hardly counted as expertise in rural animal husbandry. 'Robert Baden Powell's "Scouting for boys". Specifically the chapter on how to stop a bolting horse. I believe it specifically says you should not run out in front of it, waving your arms. You should read it some day.'

'Nice work, Ianto.'

'And I do believe this qualifies me an exemption from the next task.'

'No argument form me,' said Jack. 'Owen?' he asked, thrusting out his fist.

'Fine,' Owen grumbled. 'One, two, three.'

'Ha! Paper beats rock.'