Shorter Than Me

2 Ecyn

My legs hurt so much I can barely control the maneuver gear. I try not to complain, cursing under my breath at him when he can't hear me. It lets some of the steam off. I understand why he's making me practice these over and over. He wants me to know them really well. He gets mad at me whenever I mess up and glares at me when I get something right. He's so different than everyone else. It makes me wonder about his past.

After what feels like forever, but has only been about an hour, he tells me to stop. We hang in the trees for a minute. I catch my breath, and his stare sends chills down my spine.

"When you need the horses back, you whistle." He whistles loudly and we wait. After only thirty seconds, I hear the horses. I see them a second later, and we swing down to land on them. "Follow me." He eases his horse into a gallop, and I follow slowly. I'm still not used to the constant jerking motion of the gallop, and I feel like my head is going to fall off. When he slows to a trot, he says, "Stay on your horse and follow me. Keep your eyes on me. Don't worry about the trees; the horses are trained to avoid them even when the rider doesn't tell them to." His cables shoot out and he lifts off the horse. I keep my eyes on him and lead my horse in his direction. She avoids the trees just like he said. After a while, when I finally get used to controlling the horse, he hovers above me and whistles. I hear his horse before I see it racing through the trees. It stops for him, and he lands on it like he's done it a hundred times before- which he has. "Get off your horse and follow me." He doesn't look at me while he's saying this, and I obey him. With a start, his horse starts galloping. I follow them. The maneuver gear can go a lot faster than the horse but he's turning sharp corners so fast the horse looks like it's dancing. I don't know how he can stay on it so well, but it's probably his small size and experience.

It takes my complete focus and concentration to change directions fast enough and to keep track of the agile horse and his rider. It's not as hard as controlling a horse, so he has me stop after a little bit.

I practice maneuvers for another hour, and I think I'm getting used to it. He has lunch already in his saddlebag and eats quickly, staring at me the whole time. His gaze is unnerving but I try to ignore it as I eat the sandwich. In the uncomfortable silence. After lunch, he has me remove the maneuver gear and run a mile and a half with him. He shows off by keeping his maneuver gear on and finishing before me, and with more ease than me. Then I practice the maneuvers again and again.

***

The next few days fall into a routine. I get up, have breakfast, and then go with Captain Levi into the forest on the horses and with the maneuver gear. I run a mile with the gear. Then I practice the maneuvers while the captain calls out random sequences. Some we do together, and some I do alone.

I notice his skill with the maneuver gear. He uses it as naturally as he walks or rides a horse. I had heard about him being extremely good, but I hadn't expected such ease. It's almost- almost- beautiful.

After practicing the maneuvers, he makes me run another mile. We eat lunch and practice more maneuvers, this time with the blades out. We end with another mile together, well as much as we can be together when he finishes three minutes ahead of me. Then we ride back as fast as we can. He goes fast and I try to keep track of him as he turns corners sharply and tries to lose me.

After we get back, I put the horse in her stall and hang her tack back in its place. Then, I go complain to Briine. He's barely sowing anything hard with the maneuver gear while Captain Levi is making me learn complicated maneuvers and blaming me when I mess up. It seems like everyone else is going slowly too. They don't come back from training groaning from bruises and sore muscles. They don't wake up cringing with every movement. They can walk without hobbling on aching legs.