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That seems to calm the horse a little. I can tell that Nora is a little shocked by the silence in the corner. I creep closer, opening the stall door slowly.
“I bet you’re wondering what’s going on, but you got it. You can do this. You’re gonna have a foal after, and you can show them how tough you are. Sound like a plan?”
She snorts, whinnying, but lets me approach. Quietly, I close the gate behind me. I put my hand out. The mare gives me one suspicious glare before putting her nose on my hand. She breathes deeply, smelling me, before she jerks her head away, and a contraction ripples over her belly.
“Tell that baby who its momma is,” I say with a smile.
“You have to have some kind of magic,” Nora whispers.
I shake my head. “No. Just gotta meet them where they’re at.”
Keeping eye contact with the mare, I slowly let my hands slide down her spine and over to her backside. She eyes me warily, but I nod. “Listen, girl. Your baby’s stuck in there. You want it out? You gotta be tough.”
“Clint…”
I wave at Nora. “Come here,” I murmur. Nora inches forward. The mare gives her a mean look, her ears going back, and I click my teeth. “Come on, girl. You’re too good for that. Nora’s just here to get this baby out of you.”
The mare gives her another nasty glare, but when I motion for her to come forward, Nora approaches.
“You delivered a foal before?”
Nora gives me a scathing look. “I was born on a ranch, Clint.”
I see where the mare’s attitude comes from. “Good. Get ready for a tough one, then.”
I wasn’t kidding. The mare is having trouble, and I’m about to try to turn the foal around when the mare releases a huge, shuddering sigh.
A foal, covered in fluids, drops onto the ground.
I smile. “Good job, Thunder.”
The mare leans to try to lick the airway of the foal free. She manages to do so, and the foal takes a sucking breath, blinking at Nora and me.
Then, something seems wrong. Thunder wheezes again, and I look back.
There’s another set of legs sticking out of her.
“Nora,” I say slowly, eying the foal on the ground. “I need you to move this little one.”
“What? Why?”
“Your girl here has twins.”
Nora’s face pales. Twins are extremely rare for horses. Normally one, if not both, of the foals dies. This is going to be bad.
“Move the foal, then call the vet.”
“Thunder—”
“I’ll handle Thunder,” I say confidently.
I move to the mare’s head, and Nora gently to the foal. Thunder’s eyes roll, and she looks back at Nora. She moves like she’s trying to struggle to her feet to protect the foal, but I put a hand on her cheek. If she wants, she can destroy my arm. Better that than destroying Nora, or dying herself, though.
“Hey, girl. You’re gonna be hell on wheels as a momma,” I say with a smile. “You won’t let anyone near these babies, now will you?”
Thunder’s nostrils flare.
“Yeah, that’s right. Somehow, you got two of ‘em.” My heart feels heavy, because the odds that the second foal is as developed as the first one are slim. More than likely, this one will be stillborn.
