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Halia can't believe what she's hearing. She folds her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes. "You... you've trapped me here, haven't you? In the middle of nowhere, with just you in this house on a hill?"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Rhannah says, still sitting on the moving box. "I had this bed ordered and sent here. Figured if I'm going to have a new home, I might as well have a new bed."

"And, did I factor into that decision at all?"

Rhannah shrugs. "It's an Alaskan King, but only because I deserve the best."

"Right, right... it's fine. I'll just find a spot on the floor and-"

"No, you won't!" Rhannah hops up, stomping on over towards her. Quickly, she grabs Halia's arm. "You've been working hard today. You deserve to rest, girl, come on."

Rhannah tugs Halia away and up the stairs. The horse follows her, letting the cow lead for now until they finally make it to the bedroom.

Once there, she notes the sliding door that leads to a balcony overlooking the dairy. But other than that, and the bed, the place is expectedly empty.

"Well, might as well get comfortable, huh?" Rhannah says, unbuttoning her pants and stepping out of them. She slides into bed, patting the space next to her.

Halia rolls her eyes, but she sits on the edge, pulling her shirt up over her head. This gives the cow a view of her muscled back and her everyday white undergarments. Halia gets out of her pants, kicking them off and scooting on inside under the covers. The bed is cool, and it's large enough for the two of them to have plenty of space. She just lays there, staring up at the ceiling, seeing shapes of times best forgotten in the mottled pattern above.

Halia's contemplation of the ceiling ends when Rhannah shifts in the sheets, turning toward her. "So, Halia, I was thinking, maybe-"

Halia presses a finger to the cow's lips. "Oh, no," Halia says. "We're not doing that."

Rhannah blinks, frowns, and furrows her brow. "What the-oh? Oooh!"

She giggles. "Well, now we know what's on your mind, don't we? What a naughty girl you are."

"What?" Halia snorts. "You're the one being all creepy and controlling."

"So, you like creepy women, do you?"

"Who says I like women?" Halia asks, shrugging.

"You certainly seem to have problems with most men," Rhannah admits. "Can't blame you. Sometimes, they just don't understand, you know?"

"Oh yeah? And you'd know that from experience?"

"Maybe... what about you?"

"You want to swap sex stories, now?"

"No, silly. But this is a sleepover. Let's have some girl talk."

"Girl talk..." Halia repeats. "Yeah, right, sure! How about we talk about you? What makes you want to be in control of everything?"

"I honestly have no interest in being in control of things. I run a business, but that's all it really is. Sometimes... I just want to relax and let someone else take the wheel."

Halia shifts over to lay facing the cow. "Even a loss of control is an obsession with it."

"That's not what you were asking me. You seem to be the one obsessed with it. You like to flex those muscles of yours and show everyone you're the boss, but then you also go around and let someone else hold your hand." She reaches under the covers, finding Halia's hand. "People worry too much about things. Ever just want to... let go of those worries? I know I have."

"And you think I can help you do that? It could never be a permanent thing. Just warning you."

"Oh, nothing's really permanent. The days slip away, and we wake up to a brand new opportunity, or we don't wake up at all. Either way, it's not that bad."

"That's... pretty grim," Halia says, pulling her hand away.

"Or it can be beautiful. Ever consider beauty from what is deemed to be ugly? I saw your ugly story when you undressed. The scars.

Halia brushes her fingers over her muzzle. "You don't know the full story..."

"I read the back of the book." Rhannah chuckles. "It's a good quick skim, but I bet there's more to love deep inside." She shifts to turn to face away from the horse. "But it's late. We should get some sleep."

Halia continues to lay there, facing Rhannah. She strokes over the seam of her muzzle, snorting gently. "War... that's the really horrible thing," she whispers.

Rhannah curls up a bit, listening to her. "You only need to share what you want, but... I'd like to hear. After all, if it's anything like last night, then..."

"R... right..." Halia says, scooting away. She shifts to sit up, but Rhannah pulls the cover off of herself and places hands upon Halia's shoulders.

"Hey... I'm okay with it. I don't care if you wake me up in the middle of the night."

Halia places her hand upon Rhannah's, patting it. "Yeah, sure..."

Rhannah smirks and then she lays back down, covering herself up. Halia lays there, waiting until the cow's breath changes, turning slower, more peaceful. Once she is sure Rhannah is asleep, Halia slips out of the bedroom.

The humvee

The explosion

The helicopter.

That fraction of an instant of pain.

The empty numbing nothingness.

Halia jolts awake, pushing herself up from the hardwood floor. The sand of the desert swirls around her, covering her vision.

"Halia..."

Shouts and gunfire blair in the background. She needs to get out, but her leg...

"Halia..."

She's woozy. Her muzzle. Where is it!?

"Halia. Halia." The voice calls out to her, piercing through the fog of dust and screaming. The cow sits in front of her, a hand held out, but not touching her. "You're in my home. You're safe here. It's okay. You're fine."

Halia's breathing returns to normal. Though her heart still throbs in her chest, she grabs a hold of that hand, feeling the realness that's there. A moment later, she embraces the cow, holding her tightly. Rhannah had been there for her, even when Halia didn't want to be a bother to her...