Thread by @nerothecryptid, #sheith | centaur Keith | human Shiro

New Altea Ranch was beautiful, serene. The fresh air was already calming the shaking in his arm. Matt had suggested this place when Shiro had a full blown breakdown, saying that it would be good for him. Matt's never steered him wrong before.

He looked around, rubbing his right arm where his prosthetic attached to his flesh, and found a woman outside one of the barns.

"Um, excuse me, but..."

"Oh!" She turned around, beaming. "You must be Shiro! I'm Allura," she extended her hand. "Nice to meet you!"

Shiro shook her hand with his flesh one, trying his best to give her a smile. "It's nice to meet you too. I uh, I've never-"

"Been around cryptids?" She grinned, motioning for him to follow. "Most people aren't. We also have normal animals if that's what you prefer?"

"Er, no it's- ok. I just..." He glanced at his arm, grimacing. The prosthetic was new, he didn't want to scare anything away-

"Oh, dear." Allura patted his arm gently, "Not to worry. How about we start with something small, hm? I'll give you a tour."

Shiro nodded, thankful-

For the change of subject. He was to start his new job here, helping around the ranch and such.

Allura showed him the various pens and barns, the cryptids that could speak saying hello to her as they passed. They seemed happy, at least. Shiro had seen plenty of, unpleasant-

Things about cryptids when he was overseas, war not included.

"Allura!"

She stopped when a tall, skinny farmhand ran up to them. "We have a problem."

"What happened, Lance?" Allura turned to Shiro. "You can come, if you want. Part of the job and all."

Shiro frowned, but followed. Lance, as Allura had called him, told her about a case they had picked up from a shady auction. The centaur was, for lack of better words, fucking pissed off and possibly wild.

"Wild?" Allura seemed surprised. "How did they catch a wild one?"

"We're thinking it was a smuggling ring, cause we aren't sure." Lance huffed. "It's in pretty bad shape..."

Shiro looked passed them and into the barn, hearing people talking loudly and angry grunting and hoofbeats. He wasn't sure why, but something urged him to enter the barn.

Shiro's eyes widened at the sight, the centaur kicking and galloping in an attempt to escape. A thick harness bound its arms, a bit in its mouth looked too tight, and blood caked into the white fur and hair on it.

It barreled towards him and the open barn door, bit Shiro was too shocked to move. The centaur skidded to a stop in front of him, sides heaving for air. Its eyes were wild, hazy with adrenaline and maybe pain. It stopped its hooves at him, like it was trying to get Shiro to-

Get out of its way. It finally reared up and kicked out its front hooves at him, and Shiro backed up quickly to avoid getting trampled. The centaur bolted again, but a rope slung around its torso stopped it. It kicked and reared and tried to gallop, but they managed to get-

A tranquilizer dart into its flank. They let the centaur tire itself out, making sure it was dazed and out of it before herding it further into the barn.

"I can't believe it..." Allura watched them go, eyes wide. "The Ghost of Daibazal Pass..."

Shiro swallowed, not really listening as Allura spewed on about how exciting it was that they actually caught the centaur.

"You...will let him go, right?" Shiro was shaking, still looking towards where they took the centaur.

"Oh, of course we will!" Allura seemed a little offended at his question. "We never keep cryptids against their will. Ghost is, well, sort of a guardian angel at Daibazal Pass."

Shiro nodded, giving a shaky sigh and rubbing the back of his head. "Will- will he be alright?"

Allura patted his shoulder. "We can only hope. Ghost is a celebrity around here, since we're so close to the Pass. He's said to watch over the local herds and humans that stray off the paths."

"Does he belong to the herd?" Shiro frowned, hoping that the centaur would be missed.

Her expression turned sullen. "Unfortunately, no. In fact, the herd seems to be terrified of Ghost. They always run from him, or one of the bigger stallions fight him off."

Shiro's eyes widened. The only thing he really knew about centaurs was that they were social-

Creatures. A lone centaur never lasted.

"Don't worry, as soon as he's healthy we can release him."

Shiro bit at his lip, but nodded, following Allura to finish the tour of the ranch.

-----------------

Shiro was early to the ranch the next day, eager to see how Ghost was doing. He wondered if the centaur had a proper name, if he could speak. It took a bit, but Shiro eventually found the pen the centaur was in, and his heart sank.

Ghost was in a new harness, though it looked far more comfortable than the one he had on before. He looked, thinner than Shiro had originally suspected, but his fur and hair were white as fresh fallen snow. Shiro read the chart on the door to the pen, grimacing.

Apparently, Ghost had a broken jaw, so they had to wire it shut. Malnutrition, a broken arm, cracked ribs, and other problems that Shiro didn't understand the terms for. Before he knew what he was doing, Shiro slipped into the pen, sitting quietly at the far end.

He watched the centaur sleep, looking him over from his pointed ears to the thick feathering around his hooves. Shiro got more comfortable, but the sound of the straw shifting woke up Ghost. The centaur's eyes fluttered open, gaze unfocused and glassy, until he saw Shiro.

Ghost tensed up, but made an upset noise when his body didn't do what he wanted.

"It's ok.." Shiro kept his voice soft, not wanting to cause distress. "You're sedated pretty heavily."

That got Shiro another upset noise, but Ghost stopped trying to move.

"You uh, you're gonna be ok, ok?" Shiro couldn't help but talk, his nerves on fire. Would Ghost even understand him? "But, the people here are nice. They'll get you better."

Ghost huffed, leaning more into the padded surface he was resting on, but kept his eye on Shiro.

Shiro rambled about the ranch, what he knew of it and how nice Allura seemed. He told the centaur about how he was the new guy working here, but Ghost had fallen back to sleep before he finished. Shiro kept an eye on him, wondering why he was so entranced by the centaur.

----------------------

Shiro came in the next day to see Ghost actively trying to kick the workers getting him into a holding rack.

"How the fuck is he fighting the sedatives?!" Lance griped when they finally got the centaur in the rack. "You need a hoof trim, you behemoth!"

The centaur huffed, weakly kicking at the gates until he saw Shiro. His brow furrowed, but at least he quit kicking. Shiro walked closer to the rack, smiling a little as the centaur watched him.

"Hey, Shiro. Just in time." Hunk handed him a cup with a straw. "Maybe you can get-

Him to eat."

"W-why me?" Shiro took the cup, and prayed the shaking in his hand wasn't noticeable. He had a rough night, night terrors keeping him awake.

"Well, we've all tried, and we all struck out."

Shiro gulped, looking at the cup. It looked like a smoothie, which would make sense since the centaur had a broken jaw. He could try, at least. He approached the rack, Ghost's eyes watching his every move.

"You uh, should eat something.." Shiro held the cup up, but Ghost huffed-

At him, turning his head.

"Here, it's good." Shiro took a sip when Ghost was watching again. All Shiro could taste was berries, but he was sure there were vitamins in it as well. "See?"

The centaur glared, but sniffed at the straw, and eventually sipped at the drink.

"Don't drink so fast, you'll get sick." Shiro chuckled when the centaur quickly gulped at the smoothie, pulling away to breathe when he was done. Without thinking, Shiro thumbed away some smoothie from the corner of Ghost's mouth.

The centaur's eyes widened, and he jerked back into the gate behind him.

"Er- sorry! Sorry, I uh, you had smoothie on your-" Shiro stammered, but he stopped when Ghost just stared at him.

They managed to get Ghost back into his pen after his hooves were trimmed,

But he still had a limp.

"His hooves are in awful shape, but with regular trimming he should he walking fine again." Coran's mustache twitched.

"But, what about when you let him go?"

The look on Coran's face didn't sit well with Shiro.

"Only if he fully recovers, lad."

------------------

It took about a month for Ghost's jaw to be healed enough, but now Shiro knew what Coran meant by the centaur healing fully.

He was actively trying to escape, and hurting himself in the process. Currently, he was slamming himself into the bars of the pen-

He was in, kicking at the gates with all his strength. It even looked like he bent some of the bars.

"Hey!" Shiro climbed the bars, hopping into the pen even as his brain was screaming at him. "You'll keep hurting yourself doing that!"

Ghost whirled on him, eyes wild, and charged him. Shiro braced for impact, but a cloud of dust hit his face. The centaur was heaving for breath, face twisted in a pained snarl.

Shiro stood his ground. "You can't leave if you keep hurting yourself like this."

"You can't keep me here forever."

Shiro blinked, surprised by the gravely sound of Ghost's voice. Dangerous in tone, a slight accent Shiro couldn't place.

"I don't want to, but I don't want you to keep getting hurt."

"Why do you care?" Ghost stomped a hoof at him, struggling in the harness still around his torso.

"You shouldn't have to be hurt, Ghost-"

"Stop calling me that!" The centaur snarled, baring surprisingly sharp canines. "That isn't my name!"

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