Hey Readers! I still don't own anything besides my OC's and I'm totally cool with that. This is a redo of the first chapter since it was a train wreck waiting to happen. Anyway, onto the story!
PLEASE TRY AND MAKE IT PAST THIS CHAPTER.
Kiora waited for what seemed like forever, the forever that started the moment she slipped into her bed almost four hours ago. The soul-sucking darkness of the shadows unnerved her but she wasn't scared of the dark, just of what could be lurking in its midst. Her eyes flicked towards the door as she saw the lights go out. Then, she heard the sound of footsteps resounded in the hallway as her parents headed off to their room.
Suddenly, Kiora saw a shadow appear, and she sucked in her breath. The shadow seemed to thread its way into the shaft of light that peeked through the space beneath her door. Her heart stopped suddenly as the shadow didn't waver, didn't disappear. She could hear the doorknob jostle from across the room. Quickly slowing her breathing, she closed her eyes and relaxed her muscles. The door creaked as her father opened the door, peering into the dark void. His soft, relieved sigh sounded out in the room. After a moment he left, and Kiora released a breath she didn't even realize she was holding in.
When she was finally sure that no one was awake, she slipped out of the bed and down to the floor. Grabbing her boots, she snaked out her door and down the hall. Suddenly, she heard the soft rustling of sheets. A wave of guilt swept over her at the moment she realized it was coming from her parents room. Tomorrow they would wake up to find their daughter missing. She paused, the silence deafening as the sound of her parent's movement faded away. Eyes falling to the floor, Kaira swallowed hard and continued forward into the main room, keeping in the shadows. The sound of her heartbeat grew steadily louder as she drew closer to the door.
Kiora stopped in front of the door, hesitating. Her hands were shaking. Taking a deep breath she reached out slowly and pulled the door open slightly, the wind moaning softly through the opening. She looked down for a moment and hurried outside, easing the door closed behind her. Her heart slammed hard against her ribs when the door hit the door frame, a soft thud ringing out in the darkness. Stopping briefly, she waited. Silence fell heavily on her ears and she breathed a sigh of relief and began walking away from her house. Snow crunched beneath her feet as she slipped between the buildings. It had been almost too easy to sneak out of her house. It didn't matter though, it just had to be tonight. She had to leave tonight. Varrick had promised her passage to Republic City, but he was only holding out until the moon was at its peak.
Her eyes darted around, searching for any sign of life. No one appeared, and a slight feeling of unease rippled up and down Kaira's spine. Stepping into the shimmering light within the stable, she caught sight of her best friend, Faolan. She smiled as she ran towards Faolan, throwing her arms around the raynder horse's neck. Faolan was the only one of his kind that anyone had ever seen this close, and he belonged to her. She smiled warmly at him and grabbed his saddle, throwing it atop his broad back. Strapping it in place, she stepped back and reached for the bridle. Throwing over his antlers, she secured it with a clip on one side of his face and stretched the reins out to their full length. Then, sinking to her knees, Kiora brushed back the mound of straw hiding her pack. To her horror, she found that it wasn't even there. Faolan suddenly whinnied softly, looking out past her towards the door.
"You were going to leave without saying goodbye?" Tears formed in her eyes as she turned to Katara. Smiling sadly at the older woman, she hugged her.
"I have to get out of here, you know that." Katara smiled and shook her head.
"And there's nothing I can say to change your mind?" Kaira shook her head slowly. "Well then, I guess there's no stopping you." Kiora laughed quietly and threw herself at Katara.
"Thank you, Katara," she whispered softly.
Katara looked at her for a moment and reached behind her back, pulling out a small bundle. She smiled sadly at Kiora. "Don't thank me yet. You still have to catch up with Varrick."
"He's left already," Kiora cried out before her voice fell, taking to muttering curses under her breath.
Katara stepped forward, watching silently as Kaira leapt onto Faolan's back. Silver tears pooled in the corners of her eyes as she handed Kiora the bundle. Staring at the bundle, Kiora slowly pulled back the one layer. Her jaw almost dropped at the sight of her missing travel pack. Her eyes glistened slightly as her eyes flicked over to Katara's face. The older woman moved back slowly, still maintaining that soft, sad smile.
"Be safe, Kiora," she whispered hoarsely.
Kiora nodded quickly, not trusting her voice.
"Let's go," Kiora whispered hoarsely, her knuckles whitening as she gripped Faolan's reins.
Faolan lurched forward, speeding off into the endless night. Kiora turned quickly and waved back at Katara as she faded into the distance. When she finally lost sight of her mentor's figure, she glanced back at the way ahead of her. Now, with only the stars above and Faolan, she set off in pursuit of Varrick.
Ok, so for those of you who want to know about Faolan's reins, it's a band that comes up behind his head. It has a brow band, a crown piece, and a throat latch, and the actual reins attach to the intersecting point between the three pieces. I'm basically using only a certain portion of a bridle.