Pernicious Family

Chapter 2

Shades POV (Lex’s horse)

I was born in the middle of the night.  In the morning I went to great the human.  One of the other horses kicked me back breaking my foreleg.  My mother told me to find an Ameliorate, and that they were the only ones who could fix the break.  She pushed an image of an old human with blood red hair and violet eyes.  I hobbled past the humans and out into the forest in the direction my mother told me to go.  I came to a large bush.  The berries looked good, so I dropped to the ground, and tried to eat them.  I saw a small human run in from the other direction so I trumped to it.  It had red hair, puffy violet eyes, and welts all over its body.   It came over to me and healed my leg.  It ate some of the berries, and then started to talk at me.  I did not respond so it started to throw berries and other things at me.  I got up and we chased each other around the area.  I followed it to its home.  A human yelled at it, and when the human headed towards me my little human pushed me behind it.  The big human hit my little human very hard and the little human fell to the ground.  I stood over it till it woke up. 

I have since found out that my little human is a girl and she insists on calling me Golem.  I will follow her wishes that if she can not give me a command I am to bring her to her mother.  This male human is going in the right direction so I will travel with him for a bit.  My human is starting to twitch in her sleep so I have to dig my hoofs in some and try to separate myself from the male one.

The outrage he is ignoring me.    

He is pulling us towards a clearing.  She just kicked me I think she is up.

*coughing noise*

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Lex’s POV (Memory over a decade ago)

She runs towards the ruins covered in blood.  Today is her first day ever of her courses and it in only one of the reasons for the blood.  Her skirt is ragged and torn, her shirt is mostly missing, and her back is covered in whip marks.  It takes hours to get to the ruins, even though the short cut that barely fits a just teen aged girl. 

In the centre of the ruin she hears a faint horse challenge call.  She sees a small white foal by the Thornberry bush.   The foal is trying to eat the berries and is covered by the juice. 

She slowly approaches and sees that the right foreleg is at an odd angle. She softly talks to the foal and reaches down to its leg.  She sets the bone then lays her hands on it and focuses her gift. 

She reaches up grabs some of the berries and stuffs them into her mouth.  “Get up now little foal.”  The foal just looks at her.  She reaches under the bush and grabs some over-ripe berries she throws them at the foal.  “Get up.”  The foal still does not move.  She reaches under the bush and starts pelting the foal with the stuff she finds.  After awhile the foal gets up and looks at her with a cocked head.  She giggles and runs to the other side of the clearing.  The foal and her play chase for a little bit.  She looks at the sky.  It is time for her to go home.  The foal follows her through the forest home. 

 Her step-father is waiting for her.  He yells at her about breaking his son’s finger.  He then looks behind her and see the foal.  He yells at her about bringing home strays and tells her he is going to get rid of it.  Alexis tries to hide the foal behind her.  Her step-father backhands her and she sees only black.

**

Alexis wakes up coughing.  She tries to wipe her mouth but her hands are tied.  She feels Golem under her and it feels like they recently stopped.   She sees the stranger from before getting off a horse in front of her.  He has his mask off.  “Delayed reaction, interesting.”

Did he just say delayed reaction?  What does that mean?  The stranger unties her from the saddle but leaves her hands tied. 

“Are you going to run?” 

Lex shakes her head no.  Why would I run I have a perfectly good horse?

The stranger reaches up and touches her check.  Expecting pain she flinches back causing her hood to fall back and her hair scarf to be exposed.  She feels a tingling sensation where the strangers fingers are, not the searing pain she expects.  She leans into the strangers touch revelling in the feel.  Human touch with no pain, it is possible. 

Lex leans forward and kisses the stranger.  I am going to die soon anyway.  I might as well live for a change before I cough up something vital. 

The stranger pushes on Lex’s chest with his other hand, contacting her breast.  He deepens the kiss. 

**

Lex wakes up in the strangers arms.  Her hands are tied still.  She goes over to Golems saddle bags and pulls out her small hand spade.  She feels a knife at her throat. 

“You said you would not run.”

Lex slowly turns around with the spade in her hand.

The stranger snorts.  “You should have told me that you hand to do the necessary.  My name is Xan Blight.”  He unties her hands.  “I am keeping your horse till you get back.”  His eyes follow her as she walks into the forest to find a quiet spot to poop. 

Lex digs a hole and does her business passing blood as normal for her.  She cleans herself up and goes back to the camp. 

“What is your name?”  Xan asks.

Lex tries to answer but she starts coughing.  She pulls out her handkerchief to catch the blood. 

“It is ok you do not have to talk.” Xan says concerned.

Lex grabs a stick and writes her use name in the dirt. “Lex Knit” She kicks dirt over it after Xan reads it.  They both climb up onto their perspective horses.  They both get provisions out of the saddle bags.  Lex follows Xan to where ever he is going.  One place is as good as another for whatever time I have left.