To 8Ball3- I liked Orbona too :(
To An-Unnamed-Goose- BECAUSE I WANT TO, MWHAHAHAHA! XD
She spent the following evening practising with her sword, choosing a forest clearing as her stamping ground. Leaves rustled around her, a cool breeze tickled over her skin. All day, she had moved through this forest, stepping over tree roots, inhaling the scent of pine trees. She had no destination, just a six-year-old kicked out of a nice bookshop to walk in the woods. The only enjoyment she got from it was the subtle sounds of nature, but even that was muted by the fact that she was once again on her own.
Her drawing of Arnie remained in her backpack, in the front pouch so it was protected from her other belongings. She would give up all the drawings and colourings in the world just to see her friend again.
Ignoring the rumble in her stomach, she sniffed and wiped at her eyes. That's when she found the clearing, calling on her sword. Frustration tightened her throat- what had Arnie done to deserve that? She slashed at the air, stabbed forward. Her backpack thumped against her spine, she spun the blade into a defensive block. Number Two had trained her. Salacia- a goddess- had trained her. But when it came down to it, when her training was really needed- she had lost. Poor Arnie had paid the consequences, because she hadn't been good enough.
A single noise snapped her from her thoughts- a startled, high-pitched peal of a scared animal. She immediately dropped into a defensive crouch, shuffling her way over to conceal herself behind a tree.
She heard the noise again, a rustling. A voice came with it. Help! I'm stuck, help!
Louisa didn't move, running that voice through her mind. Because that's where it was. She heard the voice in her mind, not her ears. She had only heard fish and horse-fish talk in her mind before and last she checked, fish and horse-fish didn't dwell amongst tree roots.
Please help!
It seemed to come through the bushes, just to her left. She inched forward, sword at the ready. She peered around the trunk, scanning the area cautiously. The voice cried out again- I'm here, I'm here!
It was not a monster.
It was a foal. With tufty little wings. It saw her instantly, whickered pleadingly at her, dark eyes pained. Its spindly leg was caught in a thorn bush. It snorted at her, its tiny wings flapping in desperation. Louisa considered it for a moment; the thorns seemed to have wound themselves around the leg. How had that happened?
The foal whinnied, shaking their head. Please help me, please help me!
"You're talkin' to me." She said. The foal looked at her, sniffing the air.
You are like my master. Please help.
Like its master? Louisa rubbed at her nose, regarding the creature again.
Oh, of course. Horses.
"OK, I'll help." She set her sword down beside the foal, a young filly, leaning closer to examine the trapped leg. There was no yanking it loose. She lay a hand on the foal's neck, stroking the dappled grey fur with her fingers as she thought. A warm snout inspected her face curiously. "OK, I'm gonna try 'n' cut you out. Don't move."
Thank you.
With the tip of her sword, she cut the thorns back bit by bit. She scraped her hands and lower arms quite a bit, wincing at the multitude of stinging pains. The foal huffed and snorted, her leg bleeding in various places.
The sky had turned a deeper orange by the time she had finished. She gently tugged the foal out, setting her on the grass and stretching out her injured leg carefully. "It don't look broken." She said, scratching her chin. "Um, hold on." She freed her arm from her rucksack, swinging it around to look inside. Her fingers closed around the water bottle. She acted on instinct, pouring the contents over her hands. The nicks on her skin began to seal over within seconds, not a single mark to show they had been there.
With a little concentration, Louisa had the water coat her lower arms in a fine sheen. The foal watched in amazement as her wounds sealed. Does that work on me? She asked.
"I don't know." Louisa looked at her hand, flexing her fingers. Water always made her better, practically of its own accord. The filly raised a good question- if she tried, could she heal someone else?
With a wiggle of her fingers, she called the water back from her arms, more spiralling from the bottle. It gathered in her hand, swishing as she examined the injured leg.
Glancing at the foal, seeing her hopeful gaze on her, she sprinkled the liquid over the wounds, imagining the cuts and scrapes healing like her own. The foal watched too, curious and snuffling Louisa's arm.
For a moment, nothing happened. She tried again, pressing her watery hand to the leg instead. It was instantaneous, she laughed victoriously, stunned, grinning. Within seconds, the leg was as good as new. The foal snorted, surprised and pleased, clumsily rising onto her hooves. Louisa stood as well, holding her hands out as the foal tottered. "You OK now?"
I am! Thank you!
"How'd you get stuck there?" The foal's joy faded, ears drooping, wings shuffling nervously.
I… I was running away. My mother told me to run.
"Run? From what?"
The monster. It had one eye, snuck up on us. It hurt my mother; she could not fly. She told me to run.
"You're… you're alone." Louisa lay her hand on the filly's nose. "I'm sorry."
You are alone too.
"Yeah."
What is your name?
"Louisa. Yours?"
Mother called me Storm.
"Storm. That's a cool name."
I owe you, Louisa. You saved me. Storm nudged Louisa affectionately, appreciating the scratch behind the ears she got in response. She knew what she had to do, what they both needed, could feel it in her chest.
"Let's stick together." She said, wriggling her fingers through the knots in the short mane. "I don't wanna be alone anymore." Storm whickered, delighted. Giggles escaped Louisa as the foal pushed her snout in her face, snuffling and huffing air.
Storm liked apples. Louisa only had to ask a dryad and they were given all the apples they could eat and more. A gut feeling told her not to give Storm too many though, making sure she ate grass as well.
The pegasus, as she claimed to be, was too young to fly yet. She walked alongside Louisa, occasionally headbutting her for behind-the-ear scratches or to talk to her.
"I'm sorry about your mom."
She was brave. Storm nodded, ears lying flat. She took that monster down with her.
"You said it had one eye?"
Yes.
"Cyclops. I…" She hesitated, voice catching. Storm snorted at her, ears pricking up in interest. Louisa sighed, looking at her feet. "I lost my friend to Cyclopes."
I'm sorry.
"Not your fault." Louisa mumbled. Storm bit at her sleeve, nuzzling into Louisa's hand. She absent-mindedly toyed with the fuzz of mane.
Where are you going?
"I don't know."
Why?
"Just… don't know." Louisa shrugged. She recounted her time at the bookshop- after explaining to Storm what a book was- and then of her father's interruption. "He just said I had ta go. Didn't tell me why. Didn't say where. Just…" She motioned with her hand, an unenthusiastic chopping motion. "Go." Storm snorted, a question in her eyes. "I'm just walkin' now. Don't really…" She trailed off. Don't really know what to do. Don't really want to do anything. Don't really want to be out here. It was all so pointless, now Arnie wasn't at her side.
Weird. Storm remarked. Louisa raised an eyebrow at her. It's true. Why would Lord Neptune send you out here without telling you anything?
"I don't get told lots of stuff."
Like what?
"If I don't get told it, how am I gonna know?"
I knew that. I was just making sure you knew that.
"Right. Of course."
You smell funny.
"You smell funny." Louisa retorted, leaning this way and that to avoid the inquisitive snout in her face. Failed, of course. Storm was rather persistent. "No. Stop it. Wh-?" She caught the foal's face in her hands, staring her down.
Smell funny.
"Mmph. Demigods smell funny." Storm wriggled herself free, resting her head on Louisa's shoulder instead. Louisa sighed and opened the brown paper bag of goodies she had acquired that morning. Some bread and butter, more apples for her new friend, three tins of soup, a packet of cookies and some wet wipes.
And a cupcake, a bit squashed now in its box. Storm snorted at it, leaning closer.
What's that?
"It's a cake. For, um… for… it's my birthday."
Yay!
"Yeah." Louisa sighed. "Yay."
Not happy?
"No."
Then why that?
"I dunno…"
How old are you?
"Seven."
Seven? Storm snuffled at her again. Seven what?
"Years."
Wow, you're old. The foal flicked her ear, a cheeky light in her eyes. A snort of laughter escaped Louisa, taken aback by the honesty. Can I have some?
"No, it's mine."
Share!
"No!"
Don't like you!
"Don't like you! Hey, no bitin'!"
