Bow and Sparrow

CH 13

"I'll be leaving for a few days."

Rylan swung a canvas bag over his shoulder, another bag lay at his feet. I had been watching quietly from the bed, my feet tucked underneath me as he paced around his cabin, tossing extra clothes into his knapsack. I had kept my distance from Rylan since the equinox. I was in enough danger as it was but for some inexplicable reason, I would let my guard down when I was around him. With a few days apart, maybe I could gather my senses.

"When are you leaving?"

"We'll set out at around midday."

Even though he said 'we', I knew from experience that that didn't include me. My father would say the same thing in the rare moments he talked to me like a son before realizing his mistake. 'I'm going into the city' or 'I have a meeting', he'd often correct himself.

"I'm leaving Anders to look after you while I'm gone." Rylan pulled me from my thoughts when he spoke, but my eyebrows shot upward.

"I'm not a child. I don't need a caretaker."

Rylan turned his back, but when he responded, I knew he did so while rolling his eyes. "That's not what I meant. Anders will just be here in case you need something."

"Is he taking your cot?" I nodded towards Rylan's makeshift bed that I could barely see through the open door. Rylan's shoulders tensed.

"No." -I let out a breath of relief- "He'll be in the tent next door."

It didn't take long for Rylan to finish packing his bag, he was only going to be gone for a few days and it wasn't like he was going on a luxurious trip into the city. He was going to be camping in the middle of the woods, you didn't need much out there. I followed him out of his cabin and down to the stables that housed a dozen or so horses near the entrance. For a camp as large as this one, it surprised me they had so few horses.

I peeked into the new tent that had been set up next to Rylan's cabin as we walked past it. The canvas was stained on the side by dirt but it was one of the larger tents I had seen, which made sense. Anders was a large person and even he could've stood upright in that tent. Through the tent flap, a neat bed roll lay unoccupied inside next to a small makeshift table with a few belongings haphazardly stacked. We passed too quickly for me to identify any of it.

The horses were restless, unable to contain their excitement at going for a ride and shuffled in their stalls when we walked past. The smell of hay and wild animals was overwhelming but not unwelcoming. There were other soldiers waiting at the stables, saddling up their respective horses. They gave us friendly smiles as Rylan and I approached. It was strange to witness the shift in their manner and I realized that it had started after the equinox. I returned their smiles.

We walked all the way to the end of the stable, stopping at the last horse. It stood taller than the other horses and if I stood side by side, it would've dwarfed me by a few feet. Its coat was a slick black and its mane was just as dark.

"What's her name?"

"Dava," Rylan said, gathering the horse's reins from a hook next to the stall. Dava leaned over the gate and swung her massive head towards Rylan. She let out a soft snort from her round nostrils that ruffled Rylan's hair. He chuckled, running a hand through his hair, although it seemed to only make it messier. "Yes, yes. I'm talking about you, big girl."

Rylan reached his hand out and stroked Dava between the eyes. She leaned into his touch, her big brown eyes closing in contentment. Rylan slung the reins over the gate to the stall and he walked a few steps away to grab a saddle off a rack nearby. Dava turned towards me where I stood rooted in the same spot. I took a step back before reaching a hesitant hand out towards her. She nudged my palm and I scratched the soft fur above her nose.

"She remembers you." Rylan sauntered back with a traveler's saddle in his arms. With one hand, he opened the gate to her stall but Dava didn't pay him no mind.

"Remembers me?" I asked. My hand had moved up to scratch behind her ears but when Rylan put the saddle on her back, she swung her head around to him. Rylan fastened the saddle and hooked the reins around to her bridle, leading her out of the stall.

"She's the one that brought you in. Isn't that right, Dava?" Rylan kept Dava's reins clutched in one hand as we walked through the stable, although she didn't steer off path. When we passed through the arch of the stable, there was now a group of soldiers gathered outside, each with their respective horses and waiting for their captain.

We stopped at the entrance to the camp and as Rylan attached his bags to the saddle, I strode around to the front of Dava. Her head hung low, almost level with mine as I stared into her intelligent eyes. She stared back and I felt something inside me pull towards her. I brushed my hand against her muzzle and leaned forward until my forehead was touching hers. "Thank you, Dava." I whispered to her.

When I straightened up, Rylan was looking at me over Dava's shoulder with raised eyebrows and one hand on his hip. "What?" I asked.

"You just never thanked me is all."

I rolled my eyes as Anders sauntered over to us, hands deep in his trouser pockets with a big grin on his face. He stood taller than any of the horses and they scampered back from him when he approached, except Dava. I couldn't imagine a horse that could even hold Anders.

"You're not holding the captain up, are you, Lady Nori?" Anders slung an arm over my shoulders and my knees almost buckled from the weight of it.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that." I shrugged Ander's arm off, nudging him in the side with my elbow.

Rylan grabbed hold of Dava's saddle, swinging his leg up and over until he was four feet off the ground. The midday sun shadowed his silhouette, forming a golden glow around him. From down here, he looked every bit the captain he was. A swell of emotion swept through me when I looked at him then. I clamped down on it with a firm grasp, forcing it back down. That was new. I sucked in a deep breath between my teeth.

"Be safe."

"Careful, my lady." Rylan picked up the nickname Anders had given me. "People might think you care."

"I was talking to the horse." I patted Dava's thigh, her coat warm from her body heat beneath my fingers.

Rylan nudged his heels into Dava's side and she took off at a trot. He let out a loud whistle, jostling the other soldiers into action. They had mounted their horses just after Rylan had, following the suit of their captain. Rylan looked back only once as they trotted down the trail from camp, a smile appearing on his face when his eyes met mine. I lifted my hand in a small wave. I stayed by the stables until I couldn't hear the hoofs of the horses anymore and Rylan disappeared through the trees.