The Horse in the Prince's Stables

Chp. 15

here's chapter 15 finally... @_@

once again.. not a huge fan of this chapter, at least the beginning. but i guess it improved as i went along...?

soo... the images on the side was done by myself :) 

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                                                                                =15=

=Philip=

          I decided to wait up tonight. It wouldn't be long until Aurora showed up. Perhaps a few hours at most. I could always sleep in. That just meant we would have to walk a little faster the next day. I know we're in a hurry to get home and all, but honestly, a few hours taken off everyday didn't seem like a huge deal to me.

          Once we stopped for the evening, I sat down and ate another ration of my food. Now I only had enough food for tomorrow's breakfast and dinner. As I nibbled at the jerky, I tried to remember how to make the simple hunting snares that Alex had showed me. 

          The mare was busy chewing at some leaves from a bush. Maybe it was just me, but she didn't seem to care too much for the green stuff. But my imagination is probably just running off again. All horses like nature's green delights. And it's everywhere, so I thankfully don't really have to worry about feeding her.

          I scouted out my new campsite, making sure nothing else lived where I was about the spend the night. Seemed pretty clean, however tucked away under a small bush was a small hole. Alex's words came back to me from one of our many forest excursions:

          "...tend to be snake holes... Some signs like this means that it is... careful. They're very venomous..."

          I couldn't quite remember everything. That was a really long time ago. Another peek revealed that it was a vacated nest, or at least I was almost positive that it was. I set up camp closer to the river, wanting to be far away from the snake's den. It bothered me that I couldn't remember exactly what it was.

          Still lost in thoughts about snakes, I found some broken branches here and there for the campfire. 

          Stars began to gradually appear in the night sky. A cool breeze brought out goosebumps along my skin. I shivered as I began lighting the fire.

          I hoped that Aurora had enough clothing to keep her warm. Tonight felt especially chilly. Last time I saw her, she had only been wearing some baggy men's trousers and shirt. Perfect for the warm weather we've been having, however.. It wouldn't keep much warmth in.

          As hard as I tried, my eyelids began to feel heavy once the fire had been started. The heat was making me feel tired. The flowing water of the river was immensely calming, and the chirping on the crickets stared to become very lulling. I wasn't sure how much longer I could fight off sleep.

          I'm sure a little nap wouldn't hurt. Just a few minutes...

          One moment my mind drifted through various memories of the day. In the next, she was there. Her brown eyes peered right into my own, a smile pulling at the corners of her pretty lips. Long strands of her dark hair spilled over her shoulders, brushing against my shirt...

          The next thing I remember, is someone lightly shaking my shoulders.

          "My prince?"