The Year of the Horse (Book two of the Almair Series) (Completed)

Chapter 26 (Edited)

Like Faolon had said, it had taken me a week to get to where I thought that there would be horses. I mean, it did look like a place where it would have horses, and the whole place felt... magical, like my backyard.

I snorted and shook my head, breaking me from my thoughts, while my heart started to clench with pain. I still missed the backyard and everyone in it. However, I knew that I would still be ignored, even if it hadn't been my fault in the beginning.

Again, I shook my head breaking me from those thoughts, while I flicked my ears around. I was in wolf form, scouting out the area, wanting to make sure that I was alone and that I was safe for now. My whole body was on guard mode, not knowing this area, or even the people that were in it. I just hoped that they would be kind enough to let me stay.

The trees started to get thinner and more apart, and I couldn't help but stop at the edge of the woods, not wanting to go any further. I laid down and started to crawl through the underbrush, not wanting to be seen by anyone just yet.

Finally, when I reached the place where I could see where I was at with no one seeing me, I looked out of the woods, wanting to see what discoveries I could make about the place.

The farmhouse was small, probably about two stories high, with a basement underneath. It was made of entirely out of wood, probably because that was what was out here. Around the front of the farmhouse, was a porch with a covered roof, also made out of wood as well as tar.

To the right of the farmhouse, stood a small chicken coop with chicken fence around it, so predators couldn't steal the chickens from the family that lived here. The chicken coop was also made out of wood.

To the left of the farmhouse stood a barn with probably around four stalls, as well as a feed room and a tack room. Like the rest of the buildings around, it was made out of wood, with windows in every stall.

And, behind all of the buildings, laid nothing but pasture, that was separated from the rest of the world by a wooden fence. That was, also, the place that smelt more magical than anything else, and I couldn't help but sneeze.

"Matt, don't go out there!" a female yelled, making me jump at the sudden noise. "Play with your brother."

"But, Mo-om, he can go out there, also. He knows the secret about us, not like the Almair," a male said, making the female huff.

There was a slap and a small 'ow', while the door opened to reveal a young male with his mother, having a hold of his ear. I could see that there was a scowl on her face, while she glared at the young boy behind him.

Quickly, before they noticed me, I ducked my head behind the brush. A small, soft grunt escaped me, while I was poked in the ribs by some of the underbrush. My blue eyes shone through the branches, while I waited for whomever to speak next.

"Don't you dare disrespect her again," she said. There was a bit of venom in her voice, and I couldn't help but smile a little, grateful that this female was standing up for me. "It wasn't her fault not knowing what was going on beforehand, and she is the one with that is also the-"

"Ya, ya, ya," he said, sarcastically, cutting her off. He waved his hands around and rolled his eyes. "She is, also, the all mighty True One. However, she is a wolf. I despise wolves because-"

"It wasn't their fault that your father is dead, Matt. It was those damn Dark Forces. They controlled the male wolf."

Matt snorted, and I could tell that he had rolled his eyes, again. "Whatever," he muttered, glaring at her. "I'm going in there, and I will be back later." And with that, I heard movement as he ran off the porch and into the pasture behind them.

The mother sighed and shook her head, probably annoyed with her son's behavior. "And to think that he cared about his brother." There was shuffling, while she turned around and the door closed again, letting me know that the mother had went back inside.

I couldn't help but sigh in relief, glad that they hadn't noticed me. A small frown appeared on my lips, while I wondered why the male hated my kind in the first place.

***

A few minutes later, the door opened again, breaking me from my thoughts.

I couldn't help but looked up curious as to what was going on. I couldn't help but shake my head while I saw a young boy looking around to see if anyone was watching him. I rolled my eyes when the young boy closed the door before he ran into the woods, going out alone.

Something inside me told me to follow him and to make sure that he was safe. I couldn't help but to follow my instincts and go after him, making sure that I couldn't be seen while he was in my line of sight.

After a few minutes, a loud snap had sounded through the quiet forest, making both of us jerk to a stop and tense. Another snap sounded, while I waited for whatever was to come out of the forest and attack the small boy.

My whole body tensed more, while I sensed that they were Dark Forces, and I knew that they didn't mean well at all. I couldn't help but lift my lip up in a snarl, while I waited for them to appear. Anger and adrenaline rushed through my body while I felt the boy's heart pick up speed.

"H-hello?" the young male asked, his voice sounding frightened He looked around, his whole body starting to shake in fear. "Is anyone there?"

There were a few snarls, making the young boy jump back and me growl softly, not loud enough for the young boy to notice.

"I-I don't mean a-a-ny harm. I have to get b-b-back." He started to back away from where he was standing, while three black wolves came out of the forest in front of him. The boy's face started to pale tremendously while he took a look at them.

The wolves were all black as night, and they had black eyes, indicating that they were Dark Forces. There was saliva hanging from their mouths, making it look like they had rabies, even thought they did not. They snarled, again and took a step closer to the boy, making him take another step back before falling to the ground, tripping over an unseen root.

His heart rate started to pick up while the wolves started to come towards him. He scrambled away, but he was too slow for them. Fear and some bodily fluid started to smell while they still came forwards some more.

It was when he had urinated, letting me know that I couldn't stay hidden any longer. With a loud howl, I jumped over him and landed in front of the wolves, blocking him from view. A snarl was on my face while my hackles were raised. A growl escaped my throat while I watched them, waiting from them to make a move.

The young boy gasped in surprise and scrambled up, making one of the wolves move towards him. The boy paused while the wolf was about to lunge at him, only stepping back when I attacked the one that was going to attack me.

The wolf howled, signalling the others, and they all went to attack me at once.

No fair, I thought before I dodged the attacks that they were throwing at me. I couldn't help but attack them, making them more angry, before running away with all three of them chasing me and ignoring the young boy.

"Mommy!" I heard the young boy yell before he started to run home.

I ignored the boy while I ran away from him, trying to make sure that they didn't catch me. My whole body was tense, while I found a spot that I knew they couldn't get behind me and turned around.

My heart thundered in my chest while I waited, flicking my ears around. I wasn't panting hard, while they came into view.

A small smirk appeared on their face, probably seeing that I was trapped, before they started to attack me at once.

A small smirk of my own appeared on my face, while I leapt at them, letting all of my anger and feelings out at them.

And the only thing that was heard at that moment were the snarls, growls, and yelps of pain, while we attacked each other, trying to get the upper hand and stay alive.

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A/N: Dun Dun Dunnnnnn how did you like this chapter? What do you think will happen next?