HPU - Richmond Acres

[Hlaoroo]

"A... Spear?" Paul queries, looking up at the mouse in confusion. He finally notices the carnage in the background and his jaw drops.
"My gosh... Forgive the language. I don't usually swear but... What the #%@& happened here???"

~~~~
"Well... Perhaps you guys could suggest some places to look? Locals tend to know the hidey holes in a town better than a response unit like mine that just goes where we're needed. We service the entire county so it's hard to get to know individual towns." Judy suggests after radioing the information to her supervisors.

~~~~
"Oh yeah. Nuttin' but trouble, animal control. Tell you what, kid. I got somewhere you can hide. But I want somethin' in return. Your collar. Whaddaya say?"

~~~~
"Thanks, Leslie..." Phil takes the book absently but returns it to the kitten a few moments later. "Y'know, why don't you keep it? She doesn't read it much any more and I think she'd want you to have it." he offers, grateful for the temporary distraction from his fear.

~~~~
Immediately the policewoman sends forensic units and a dog team to examine the scuff and pick up any scents. Then she looks thoughtfully at Lucky, Richard having noticed and identified the buck for her.
"Tell you what, Lucky," she begins once Richard has moved away again. "You seem a lot calmer than the Brookleys at the moment and you clearly know them and the shop well. Why don't you go with Officer Buddy here and have a good look around and see if you can spot anything else out of place that we might have missed." she suggests, indicating a beagle in a K9 vest.

[Welsh Halfwit]

"There was a colony of Mice in the silo," Kilo said heavily. "They'd been there a while and were armed. Last night the attack came."
"No-one won," Juniper cut in.
"One survivor confirmed on each side," Kilo muttered. "Last night equality lost. Today it can save a life."
"I agree," Nola said before coughing and taking a breath, "with the Mouse today."
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"Well Kilo and Nadia went to check on the silo," Chip said, "but there's always that old Lodge and that half built estate to the, uh," she sucked a finger and put it in the air, "North-east. Where they ran out of cash."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Fank 'ew, mistur Brockley," Leslie said, accepting the book back. "W...would 'ew lyke me to stay wif 'ew a bit?"

[WeirdGamer]

"Well... Perhaps you guys could suggest some places to look? Locals tend to know the hidey holes in a town better than a response unit like mine that just goes where we're needed. We service the entire county so it's hard to get to know individual towns." Judy suggests after radioing the information to her supervisors.

"Well Kilo and Nadia went to check on the silo," Chip said, "but there's always that old Lodge and that half built estate to the, uh," she sucked a finger and put it in the air, "North-east. Where they ran out of cash."
[/color]"

"I agree with Chip," said Ryyn.


Immediately the policewoman sends forensic units and a dog team to examine the scuff and pick up any scents. Then she looks thoughtfully at Lucky, Richard having noticed and identified the buck for her.
"Tell you what, Lucky," she begins once Richard has moved away again. "You seem a lot calmer than the Brookleys at the moment and you clearly know them and the shop well. Why don't you go with Officer Buddy here and have a good look around and see if you can spot anything else out of place that we might have missed." she suggests, indicating a beagle in a K9 vest.

Lucky went to salute hesitated, and then gave an awkward salute. "I'll do my best."

[Keeshah]

"Oh yeah. Nuttin' but trouble, animal control. Tell you what, kid. I got somewhere you can hide. But I want somethin' in return. Your collar. Whaddaya say?"

Yaa do's?
but why you needing my collar fur? it's not like it's going to fits around your neck an all..

[Hlaoroo]

"Um... Sure, Leslie. Why not? Say, do you want some icecream? Here's a fiver. Go pick what you like."

~~~~
"You've checked all the bodies to make sure they are, well, bodies?" Paul asks, pulling on some gloves and gently pulling fur away from the biggest wound he can see in the cat's chest.

~~~~
"True." Flynn confirms. "What about in the woods? Can you think of anywhere there, Senka? You know the woods better than anyone else."

~~~~
"Cool. Here, Lucky. You should put these on so you don't contaminate anything if you touch it. Where do you wanna start lookin'? I'm Buddy, by the way. Such an original name for a dog." the beagle grins, handing the rabbit some gloves and rolling his eyes as he introduces himself.

~~~~
"You callin' me fat, kid?" the fox growls, only half joking. "Look, you don't need to worry about what I need the collar for. All you need to know is you got it, I need it, and in exchange for it I'll help you get away from the fuzz. Do we got a deal?" he queries, extending a paw towards the skunk, slightly wary of the potential of getting sprayed.

[Welsh Halfwit]

"I haven't been much further... I'm looking away from the silo, right?" Juniper asked.
"You are, Juni," Kilo advised her.
"..that way," she continued, pointing away from the path they'd just returned on, "but there were no sounds the other way." The blind mouse gave a watery half smile that failed to hold. "I listened very hard."

Kilo watched on as the human uncovered the entry points for three thrown spears in the Cat's fur. He heard the ratcheting purr and knew it for false happiness. "Uh, Nadia, dear," he said hesitantly, "could you do a quick sweep of that side of the field to see if there are others?"
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Fank 'ew, sir!" Leslie took the cash and skipped into the cafe to get himself some butter Pecan ice cream.

[Keeshah]

~~~~
"You callin' me fat, kid?" the fox growls, only half joking. "Look, you don't need to worry about what I need the collar for. All you need to know is you got it, I need it, and in exchange for it I'll help you get away from the fuzz. Do we got a deal?" he queries, extending a paw towards the skunk, slightly wary of the potential of getting sprayed.

What?? No.. Iz just saying dat you two times my size, it's not going to fit you.
It's not even an adult collar.. it's a puppy sized collar..
Oreo looks around ... backing a bit back away from the fox..
Bee sides, I haf already gottens away from he pet catchers..

[Roarin]

"True." Flynn confirms. "What about in the woods? Can you think of anywhere there, Senka? You know the woods better than anyone else."

"Well... There are a few caves that mountain lions used to use as homes... I think last I saw they were flown off in one of those metal planes... The one with the spinning wings. That was ages ago though. There are a few other dense parts of the forest they could hide in, and... Last time I saw you guys, weren't you investigating some tunnels that led out there?"

[Keeshah]

"Thanks, Leslie..." Phil takes the book absently but returns it to the kitten a few moments later. "Y'know, why don't you keep it? She doesn't read it much any more and I think she'd want you to have it." he offers, grateful for the temporary distraction from his fear.

So who do you think took your rabbit?

[Welsh Halfwit]

Leslie returned with a bowl full of Butter Pecan Ice cream and hopped up into a seat before putting the bowl on the table and placing a spoon on Mr Brookley's side of the bowl before starting on his side with a second spoon.

[Mickey]

Back at the Tyler house....

Flukely watched at Charles prepared camera after camera. The dog was clutching a part of a drone to his chest, a tad bit frightened by the speed the cat was using.

"You wanna maybe...calm down there pal?"

"Huh?" Charles fingers slowed and Flukely noticed them twitching a bit with the small tool in his hand. Charles looked at the small amount of cameras by side."Oh. Oops?"

[Serence Frostbite]

"I haven't been much further... I'm looking away from the silo, right?" Jasmine asked.
"You are, Jasmine," Kilo advised her.
"..that way," she continued, pointing away from the path they'd just returned on, "but there were no sounds the other way." The blind mouse gave a watery half smile that failed to hold. "I listened very hard."

Kilo watched on as the human uncovered the entry points for three thrown spears in the Cat's fur. He heard the ratcheting purr and knew it for false happiness. "Uh, Nadia, dear," he said hesitantly, "could you do a quick sweep of that side of the field to see if there are others?"

"alright , you guys stay here" Nadia said, putting the mice down next to the injured cat "I'll be right back"
And then she ran, so fast and so silently , like the wind itself. The vixen's every sense were filled with so many........sensation , of what happened , and more importantly...........what remain

[Hlaoroo]

Paul nods at the vixen and shaves the area around the wound before applying a dressing that sticks on just three sides to act as a temporary valve to help the lung re-inflate, or at least, to stop it deflating further. He listens to the cat's chest with his stethoscope and checks her eyes for signs of concussion with a small flashlight.
"I'll need to get you back for some x-rays and I'll need to shave your chest to properly assess your wounds. Do you have an owner? And what's your name, by the way? Mine's Paul and I'm the vet if that wasn't already obvious."

~~~~
"True but what's to say they won't find you here? All you gotta do is give me the collar and you'll be safe."

~~~~
"Yeah, we were... I hope they don't get lost down there if that's where they are. If they're down there we have no hope of finding them... We should use drones to scour the forest though. I'll get Flukely, Charles and Tesla to put an infrared camera on one or two to penetrate the tree cover. Can you draw us a rough map of the best spots to look, Senka?" Flynn queries, borrowing Judy's notebook and pen and offering them to the mountain lion before pulling out his phone and punching in Flukely's number.

~~~~
"I haven't the foggiest. We don't have any enemies. I mean, we get the odd disgruntled customer like any business but we've never had any threats... Not that Grandad or Piper mentioned to me anyway... No, thanks, Leslie. You enjoy the icecream."

[Welsh Halfwit]

"Are we safe," Juniper asked Kilo as they were put within swiping distance of Nola and the Cat watched them with an eye.
"I think so," Kilo replied, moving the pair back a bit further anyhow. He made sure she was outside the arc of Nolas' theoretical swing but remained just within it himself and looked back at the cat. There was just the edge of an appreciative smile.
"Tell me the... truth, Doctor," Nola joked against the pain as the Vet worked, "will I ever... play the bagpipes again?" She flicked her gaze to him fully. "I'm <koff> Nola," she managed, "and I'll fine out the other answer later. There's a... chip in there somewhere."

[Keeshah]

~~~~
"True but what's to say they won't find you here? All you gotta do is give me the collar and you'll be safe."

I don't think 'll be safe wif out my collar.. Everyone will think i'm wild n' rabid.. an dat i'm going to spray dem..
An's din day will attacks meeee.

~~~~
"I haven't the foggiest. We don't have any enemies. I mean, we get the odd disgruntled customer like any business but we've never had any threats... Not that Grandad or Piper mentioned to me anyway... No, thanks, Leslie. You enjoy the icecream."

An your positive that she didn't just get scared and bolt off, an is just hiding out?
Rabbits are very flighty..
Kandi turns to the kitten..
Don't eat that too fast, it will make your head hurt..

[Welsh Halfwit]

"OK," Leslie said before digging into his treat. "She wuddn't dew that," he added with a cheek bulging with ice cream.

[Mickey]

"Yeah, we were... I hope they don't get lost down there if that's where they are. If they're down there we have no hope of finding them... We should use drones to scour the forest though. I'll get Flukely, Charles and Tesla to put an infrared camera on one or two to penetrate the tree cover. Can you draw us a rough map of the best spots to look, Senka?" Flynn queries, borrowing Judy's notebook and pen and offering them to the mountain lion before pulling out his phone and punching in Flukely's number.

Flukely couldn't hear his ringtone over the sound of his own focusing. He was so far into the zone all he could see was the drone in his lap. Surprisingly, all it took was a few snaps under his nose to get him back into reality.

"Huh? Whazzup?"

"Your phone is ringing."

Flukley's finally ears perked to the sound of his ringtone, Wild Ride from the movie Robots, and he quickly snatched up the device. He answered and pressed the phone between his shoulder na draised ear.

"Hello?"

[Serence Frostbite]

After a while , Nadia came back , carrying a clumsily made wooden cross.
"I found two more" Nadia said , both to Paul and to Kilo ,her dry , cold words came out between short breathes "Over that way , but I can't move them . I left behind marks like this thing so you can find them , they don't seem like they have much time left. Now , Kilo" she called , picking up the old mouse "we need to go , now"

[Welsh Halfwit]

"Of course, my dear," Kilo said hollowly as she picked him up, "Of course. Might I beg a boon of you, young medic? Could you look after my friend Juniper here? She's quite friendly and doesn't eat much."
"Can't find it usually," Juniper joked, getting a little closer to the vet. "Wh...where are you going?"
"To find some others," Kilo sighed, "and report Piper's not here."

[Roarin]

"Oh, right... map drawing." The lioness furrowed her brow as she gingerly took the pen and paper before she began to sketch out a crude drawing of the area. She had the pen in a very awkward manner though she seemed to achieve a decent result, walking the pets through the map and landmarks as she drew. "Sorry it's not too great. Still getting used to... writing things much less drawing..." Senka grumbled.

[Welsh Halfwit]

"Don't forget, um, the Rail yards," Chip added. "There's a lot of places out that way," she finished.

[Welsh Halfwit2]

"You still alive down there, Cat," Juniper asked.
"I think so, Rodent," Nola replied crustily. "Hume seems to...<koff> know his stuff."

[Hlaoroo]

"Look after her? I guess, sure. For how long? Sam isn't a huge fan of mice but I can find room for her anyway. Does she need medical assistance?" Paul answers Kilo before looking back Nola.
"Well, with a quick operation you can BE the bagpipes! You've got enough holes in you already." Paul jokes. "But okay, we'll scan that chip when we get you to the clinic. Okay. You're stable for now. And I don't think you have any spinal injuries so moving you shouldn't be a problem. Nadia I know you're in a hurry but can you stay here with Nola for a few moments please while I check the other patients? I'll be as quick as I can. Yell out if anything changes or if you need me." The vet changes his bloody gloves for a clean pair and jogs off in the direction that Nadia had indicated. Sadly he's too late to help one patient but the other who is unconscious but still breathing he stabilises as best he can and carefully slides and straps him onto a spinal board as he suspects a back injury. That done he lifts the board and heads back past Nola to his car, sliding the injured cat into the back, and attaches an IV drip to a hook hanging from a handle on the roof. Finally he returns to Nola. The whole process has taken about ten minutes.
"Okay. Time to move you, Nola. We'll put you on this stretcher here. I'm afraid with your ribs and lungs as they are this is going to hurt a bit. So to help with that, I'm going to give you this lollipop. Don't laugh. It's a special lollipop which has a painkiller in it that's absorbed through the lining of your mouth. So just get some spit in your mouth and then suck on the lollipop for a little bit and then when you're ready I'll move you. You can then keep sucking as you need it until it's gone." Paul gives Nola what resembles a large cotton bud with a bright label on the bottom end.
"It'll probably make you feel a bit sleepy and that's perfectly normal so don't worry about it, okay?" Once Nola gives the signal, Paul slides her onto her stretcher and then lifts her into his car alongside the other cat. He makes sure both cats are securely strapped in before heading for the driver's seat and radioing the clinic to let them know he's on the way in with his patients.

~~~~
"Leslie's right, Kandi. Besides she left her glasses and she'd never get far without them. And you heard the ransom call..."

~~~~
"Like I said, kid, I can protect you. All you gotta do is give me the collar!" The fox unintentionally lets his frustration show in his tone of voice at the end of that last statement.
"C'mon. You can trust me, kid!" he hastens to add in an attempt to repair the damage.

~~~~
"No worries, Senka. That looks great. Flukely, it's Flynn. Senka's given us some locations to look around the forest. I'll text you a copy of the map she drew. Can you rig up an infra-red camera so we can see through the tree cover?" Flynn doesn't hear the mouse, distracted as he is by Flukely's answering the phone.

[Welsh Halfwit]

"Sumwun took her," Leslie said, associating the word 'ransom' with kidnappings like he'd seen on TV. He sniffed. "Lyke they took my mom..." he added miserably.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I just need a small space of my own, Doctor Paul," Juniper said, carefully making her way down one of the gates' diagonal beams. "With items that don't move much? Speaking of which, may I have a hand, please?"
Nola tried not to laugh at the lollipop as it tended to hurt. "Least I get some... ow... food outta this." She stuck it in and sucked until she wasn't feeling much and Paul loaded her up.
"Can I go in the front," Juniper asked, guessing where the cats were. "About that hand?" She stayed on the gate, right near the main drop. "It's kinda a 'can't see a thing' thing?"

[WeirdGamer]

~~~~
"Cool. Here, Lucky. You should put these on so you don't contaminate anything if you touch it. Where do you wanna start lookin'? I'm Buddy, by the way. Such an original name for a dog." the beagle grins, handing the rabbit some gloves and rolling his eyes as he introduces himself.

"Nice to meet you," replied Lucky absentmindedly. He put on the gloves and began to look around the store.
----------------
"

"Don't forget, um, the Rail yards," Chip added. "There's a lot of places out that way," she finished.

"They do seem like a good place to start," offered Ryyn.

[Keeshah]

~~~~
"Leslie's right, Kandi. Besides she left her glasses and she'd never get far without them. And you heard the ransom call..."

Well i hope your doing well with all this waiting around for something to happen.
it would drive me crazy to be a police officer, if i couldn't get after the bad guy right away..

~~~~
"Like I said, kid, I can protect you. All you gotta do is give me the collar!" The fox unintentionally lets his frustration show in his tone of voice at the end of that last statement.
"C'mon. You can trust me, kid!" he hastens to add in an attempt to repair the damage.

Oreo paws at his collar, as he backs away from the fox. bit by bit moving farther away from him..
An just how would you protect me, better than i can myself?? well being a skunk n' all.

[Mickey]

"No worries, Senka. That looks great. Flukely, it's Flynn. Senka's given us some locations to look around the forest. I'll text you a copy of the map she drew. Can you rig up an infra-red camera so we can see through the tree cover?" Flynn doesn't hear the mouse, distracted as he is by Flukely's answering the phone.

Flynn would hear Charles voice in the background saying, "One infra-red camera coming up!"

"We'll get right on it Flynn!"

[Serence Frostbite]

"Kilo ?" Nadia asked as the vet drove away "where would the rest of your pack hide ?"

[Welsh Halfwit]

"There are any number of places," Kilo admitted heavily. "First is always theempty shack in the wood but, from there, it depends who's leading. Some might prefer the park, Cornsnap would take them into the fields, Joules would go to the shops and Tracks would take them all the way to the rail yard." He sounded old now, hollow even. "We should go find Flynn," he admitted. "I'm not losing a second family today."

[Hlaoroo]

"Can I go in the front," Juniper asked, guessing where the cats were. "About that hand?" She stayed on the gate, right near the main drop. "It's kinda a 'can't see a thing' thing?"

"Ah. Right. Sorry." Wearing a clean glove the vet puts the mouse in a clean, large specimen jar and then sits the jar in the cup holder in his car. "So you're in a jar in the cup holder in the car. You should be safe enough there. I'll keep you in the jar though just until I've had a chance to bathe you properly and give you your shots so that you're safe. Then we'll see about getting a cage for you." Buckling himself in, the vet calls animal control to report the carnage before starting the engine and speeding towards the clinic.

~~~~
"Cheers, mate. How are you going with the other cameras? Got any drones up yet?" Flynn queries.

~~~~
"Huh, well, as good as can be expected I suppose. I wish I could go after them myself and beat them with a stick!" Phil admits. "What would you do in my place, Kandi? Say if Rocky or Moonbeam got stolen."

~~~~
"You too. So... Seeing or smelling anything? How long have you known the Brookleys? Can you think of anyone tha tmight have wanted to do this to them?" Buddy asks Lucky.

[Keeshah]

"Huh, well, as good as can be expected I suppose. I wish I could go after them myself and beat them with a stick!" Phil admits. "What would you do in my place, Kandi? Say if Rocky or Moonbeam got stolen."

Kandi cackles.
Now you Have met Moonbeam before... Haven't you??
If he doesn't stomp his captors into the ground, he would just drive them so crazy, they would bring him back..
I swear, if he didn't truly believe i would feed him to Senka, he would be completely uncontrollable..
If any hoofer ever takes over the world, it will be him..

~~~~

Meanwhile.. Oreo who had been backing away from the fox, now turns about an bolts off, running in a bouncing wobble across the yards..

[Welsh Halfwit]

"Uh, thank you, sir," Juniper said, uncertainly feeling the bottom of her plastic room as her voice echoed. "Hee, hee," she added, "My voice sounds funny. Aren't your injection needles bigger than me? Feathertail used to say they were. Course, he used to say humans had Mouse cages with tunnels and other units attached..."

[WeirdGamer]

"You too. So... Seeing or smelling anything? How long have you known the Brookleys? Can you think of anyone tha tmight have wanted to do this to them?" Buddy asks Lucky.

Lucky was examining a cabinet. "I've known them for most of my life now."

"And I have no idea who would want to do this to them," he admitted. "They were friends with most every-" He stopped in his tracks as he picked up a small object. "This is part of Piper's collar."

[Serence Frostbite]

"There are any number of places," Kilo admitted heavily. "First is always theempty shack in the wood but, from there, it depends who's leading. Some might prefer the park, Cornsnap would take them into the fields, Joules would go to the shops and Tracks would take them all the way to the rail yard." He sounded old now, hollow even. "We should go find Flynn," he admitted. "I'm not losing a second family today."

".......alright" Nadia said quietly . She could feel as if the air grew heavy with the old mouse's sorrow, but the vixen was never good at saying things at times like this. Her steps quickened , hoping that there was more luck where they're heading.

[Mickey]

"Cheers, mate. How are you going with the other cameras? Got any drones up yet?" Flynn queries.

"Two or three are operational with remotes. And with the rate Charles is making cameras, we should have that infrared camera with its drone here in a jiff!"

[Welsh Halfwit]

"Ah," Kilo said as the pair closed in on the shop and the others, "there they are, over there. Like you needed help to find Flynn, eh?". As a joke it almost worked to raise his spirits. But it faded quickly.

[Hlaoroo]

Being a somewhat sensible creature, the fox knows better than to chase a skunk. He growls angrily before melting back into the undergrowth as though he'd never existed.

~~~~
"No, I haven't, actually. I was going to: you were going to teach me to ride, remember? But I got called away for Gran's funeral. And then went to college from there. You still owe me that lesson, come to think of it. I've still never sat on or patted a horse. Perhaps Leslie might like to try too." Phil grins, having been successfully distracted from thoughts about Piper for the time being.

~~~~
"Call me Paul. I'm not a knight." Paul suggests. "As to the needles, well, it depends. the ones Kandi uses on cows sure are. But we use tiny ones for mice so you'll be fine. I can always knock you out with a bit of gas before the shots if you prefer. Feathertail was right about the cages though. Some owners go all out for their mice. Whoop, sorry. Should have warned you about that pothole."

~~~~
"Huh. That mst have been quite some fight... Okay, can you put that back exactly as you found it please, so we can photograph it?" Buddy instructs. Once the piece is in place, the dog photographs it from several angles, checks it for scents, and bags it.
"Do you recognise any scents other than Piper's on that piece?"

~~~~
"Cool. Lemme know when you get them up an dif you see anything, okay? I'll send you the map now. Cheers, bye." Flynn hangs up, snaps a pic of the map Senka drew and sends it to the inventors.
"Okay. So what's the plan now?"

[Welsh Halfwit]

"I was wondering what the earthquake was," Juniper said from her suddenly acquired, seated, position with a leg under her. "As for the gas, si... uh, Paul? It's up to you. But I'll never see the needle coming anyhow."

To the back of the van, an arm stuck into the air and waved a finger. "Paw lit'l kit'ns," Nola sang slurrily, "they FOWND their mit'ns.... yay! An' they c'n have sum pie..." The arm went down again. "I like pie," she added in an equally slurred talking voice.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leslie, unable to talk through ice cream, nodded that he'd like to try that. Indeed he would.

[Serence Frostbite]

"Ah," Kilo said as the pair closed in on the shop and the others, "there they are, over there. Like you needed help to find Flynn, eh?". As a joke it almost worked to raise his spirits. But it faded quickly.

"They'll be safe" Nadia reassured the old mouse "you'll meet them again soon , I'll make sure of it" she said as they approached the group "hi guys , any luck ?"

[Keeshah]

Being a somewhat sensible creature, the fox knows better than to chase a skunk. He growls angrily before melting back into the undergrowth as though he'd never existed.

Oreo dashes across yards, bolting between houses to scamper along through back yards and SPLASH!!!
falls head long into an in-ground pool..
Ack brrr aackk. spoooo.
Skunk paddling for the edge..

Meanwhile, on the police iPhones.. a new message appears.
Message from pet tracker..
message #1 - pet# 346577, has failed to report to required destination! (pet training school)
message #2 - pet# 346577, Is traveling out of preset boundary limits!

~~~~

"No, I haven't, actually. I was going to: you were going to teach me to ride, remember? But I got called away for Gran's funeral. And then went to college from there. You still owe me that lesson, come to think of it. I've still never sat on or patted a horse. Perhaps Leslie might like to try too." Phil grins, having been successfully distracted from thoughts about Piper for the time being.

Oh I see..
Well we will have to start you out on Rocky, you two would be perfect together..
He is just learning to carry riders, so wouldn't be up to hi-jinks like Moonbeam would..
Kandi rubs her chin..
But then. Moonbeam would be a more stable mount, not prone to spooking..