Eyes of Emerald

Chapter 40 - Horses

I groaned as I descended the ladder down from my bed the next morning. I didn't think it was possible to ache this much. And all I had done was throw a few knives and practice the aerial movements that Ffi insisted would save our lives one day. At the moment, I would be happy to stay in bed. Especially as we were meant to be learning to ride a horse today.

            I'm going to be crap at it, I thought to myself as I shook Angel awake, blinking sleepily in the barely-there light. I was sure it was earlier than yesterday, as the sun hadn't even started to rise above the hills yet. The stars were still blinking above, fading but still distinct. The air was cool against my skin and there was a slight breeze which raised goosebumps on my arms. I heard Iris and Rania yawning loudly as they stretched like cats, ready for the day ahead, which was surely going to be even more painful. I hoped that because of all this, we wouldn't be exhausted by the time they attacked.

            I stretched, groaning, dreading the morning run, which was now longer and faster and more painful and tiring than before. I managed to keep up with the werewolves, who were usually at the front, but I would still feel sick afterwards. It would be hard to catch my breath, and I would feel weak and I would be covered in sweat. I groaned, as the first rays of the morning sun hit the clouds, igniting them in a shower of colour. It was as if the world itself was waking up.

            "Beautiful, huh?" came a voice from my side and I looked around. I blinked, thinking it was my imagination.

            "Wynn?" I asked disbelievingly. He smiled crookedly at me and I hugged him tightly. "You shouldn't be out, you're not well enough -" I said as he wrapped his arms around me, holding me in a warm embrace. I wanted to freeze time and not worry about the war, or anything. I just wanted to be with him. Was that so bad? Was it so terrible that we had only just got together, and now we would be torn apart by the cruel force of war? Why did it even exist, anyway?

            "You're right, I shouldn't." he smiled into my shoulder. "But I came out specially. I'm meant to be resting for another week, but I'm just badly bruised. That's not going to stop me from getting in as much training as I can." he kissed my forehead, and I closed my eyes. Why did my stupid father have to choose this moment to attack?

            "It's going to hurt," I told him, watching as the sun rose over the hills. He held me there, us both feeling warm. But I knew it wouldn't last. One day, no telling how soon it would be, we would be torn apart; one or the other of us dying and leaving the other. What would I do if he died? Would I move on?  

           

            The horse I was supposed to be learning to ride on seemed to hate me. I could swear it was glaring at me through its heavily-lidded eyes. I narrowed my eyes at it as Ffi patted the horse on its smooth neck. It was very soft, and it smelt nice, but it did not like me. The feeling was mutual.

            "Okay, just step up onto the mounting block and put your left foot in the stirrup." she instructed, flicking her hair out of her eyes. Those words like stirrup and mounting block did nothing for me. They were like a foreign language that I didn't yet understand. I frowned at the horse, which whinnied and shifted as if it felt the same way as I did about getting on it. "Come on, he won't bite." she grinned at her joke. It looks like it would, I thought as I hefted myself up into the saddle. It felt weird, like sitting on a very unstable boat that could sink at any second. The horse swayed, I'm sure on purpose.

            "Is it meant to be like this?" I grabbed Ffi's arm hard as the horse swayed more. It made my head spin and all I wanted now was to get my feet back on the ground. Nice, solid ground. It didn't move, like this horse was.