Yay! A review! I feel so happy and bubbly inside! Thankyou for taking the time to read this. On with the story.

A/N: Some of the events in this chapter are based off of my own horseback riding experiences. Except I haveno idea what it feels like for a guy, and I have(thankfully) never fallen off.

Chapter 3

Snake Face lay awake in the bed that had been provided for him by the clan that night. After the message was delivered no attention was paid to him, not even when he lost his composure over Serpentor's son's teleportation. What was his name? Hsss he'd been called. He felt embarrassed about his little yelp, but no one seemed to notice.

Only once arrangements were made was he paid any mind, Serpentor's aid taking him to temporary quarters for a rest before he set off again in the morning. He was grateful for the hospitality, and considering how exhausted he was there was no way he could refuse. He went back to his horse first, to make sure she was settled in and to fetch his saddlebag before allowing himself to be escorted to his room. As soon as he entered he had dropped his satchels unceremoniously to the floor, and was asleep a second later on the bed without having removed his road dirtied clothing.

He awoke some hours later, but he had no way of telling how long he slept for the room was windowless, lit only by a small oil lamp that still burned. Suddenly feeling very much awake, he took the opportunity to remove his clothes and put on a fresh pair of britches. Sitting himself back on the bed, he took a moment to examine the room.

It wasn't very large; by Snake Face's reckoning it would not have been able to comfortably house two horses were it a stable. It was close to being square, not that it much mattered. Like the rest of the citadel it was carved from greenstone, and smoothed to perfection. The furniture was plain, just a wood-frame bed with a simple straw mattress, a smallish nightstand that held the oil lamp, and a dresser with a metal, water filled basin on top of it. Noting this, Snake Face took a moment to wash his face, taking great care to allow the water to seep between his serpent locks.

And that brought him up to the present when he couldn't fall back asleep. He was content to lay back with his hands interlocked behind his head, watching the tiny flame cast shadows upon the walls. His mind began to wander, as it often did while he tried to sleep.

He remembered how Serpentor had lost it reading the message. His father had lost it, too, but his mother had taken it the worst, raving about how Midgar would never leave her and her children be. Neither they, nor Serpentor had said what it was that upset them, and Snake Face could only assume it was the same thing.

Yawning, he absently stretched and scratched at a loose patch of scales on his side. Running his other hand through his unrestrained serpent hair, he looked back to the lamp. Watching the little flame dance for a moment an idea came to him, something he had been dieing to try ever since he'd seen his parents, and others, do it. Slowly and carefully he reached for the fire, his forefinger and thumb outstretched, and made a grab for the flame.

But it burned him, and Snake Face recoiled with a yelp. Sucking on his injured fingers to sooth the pain, he stared intently at the fire, which seemed to be mocking him. Cocking his head he released his now wet fingers and reached for the flame again, lower this time. The pads of his fingers closed around the place where flame met wick, and it was extinguished with a hiss.

The room was instantly plunged into total blackness, but Snake Face grinned in triumph nonetheless. It never occurred to him that that might have been a bad idea. He lay back down on the bed and turned over, closing his eyes, and was asleep again before he knew it.

"But I've never ridden Saber before!" Hsss protested as his father led him down to the stables. "You've never so much as let me near the cat! Why can't I teleport?"

Hsss now wore a pair of leather riding britches and a leather jerkin, much like what Snake Face had worn. They were borrowed from his father, but the satchel that was slung over his shoulder was his, though some of the satchel's contents were in fact borrowed.

For the most part, Serpentor ignored his son, striding purposefully to the stall that housed his ever-faithful steed. Neither of them noticed that they'd passed Snake Face, once more dressed in his riding gear, as he brushed down his horse, but he noticed them.

"Teleportation is too dangerous! It's too far a distance, and you've never seen Midgar in your life! You'd be sure to end up in a wall! And you're most certainly not walking from here to Midgar!" Serpentor shot back over his shoulder as he walked, before coming to a sudden stop in front of a particular stall. "And Saber is the only one I can really trust with you."

The aforementioned cat stirred at the sound of his name, opening his red, lamp-like eyes to look at them. As a child Hsss had always thought the Saber was huge, and even when he had gone through his final growth spurt the cat still seemed enormous. He was about six feet high at the shoulder, and built robust, with heavily muscled shoulders and neck. He had a stubby tail and two long fangs jutting from his upper jaw, about foot apiece. His fur was a deep, royal blue, marred only by the crimson that dappled his body.

Yawning widely, Saber stood, stretched with a few cracks, and padded over to the stall door, butting his head against Serpentor's hand, a deep rumbling issuing from his throat. Hsss edged away nervously, as his father opened the gate to let the azure cat out.

"Father! Saber is a War Cat!" Hsss' eyes were wide with fear as he watched the blue feline push himself against Serpentor. "I've never ridden anything in my life and you expect me to be able to handle a War Cat on my first time in the saddle?"

Nearby, Snake Face couldn't help but watch the scene unfold as he saddled his horse. He understood Hsss' trepidation, for he had seen how War Horses had to be handled. He doubted War Cats were any different.

"Saber's a good boy."

"But he's still a War Cat!"

Snake Face felt that he had a solution to their problem, and the more he thought about it the more it seemed like a good idea. But should he present it? Might as well. Clearing his throat, he approached them, leading his mare by her reins.

"I couldn't help but overhear your dilemma, and I believe I have a way to fix it." Snake Face's wording was somewhat uneasy, but they seemed ready to listen. "You see, I have to go to Midgar as well, and I was thinking that maybe we could go on the same horse."

Hsss seemed relieved by the offer, but Serpentor narrowed his eyes and cocked his head ever so slightly.

"How can I trust you with my son? I may know your parents, but I do not know you." Serpentor's voice contained the hint of a protective growl, which caused Snake Face to be a bit taken aback.

"Trust that as a messenger I am bound to my word." For emphasis he shifted his shoulder and allowed his white cloak to slip over it.

"I see... so I must take your word for it…" Serpentor skeptically murmured, the last bit to himself than to the Gorgon, as he approached the black mare and looked her up and down. "Are you sure this horse is strong enough to hold both of you?"

"Oh yes, Ebony's been able to carry both my parents, as well as me, when I was a child." Snake Face looked over to Hsss who seemed to really like the idea. "And she's gentle, a training horse. Real patient."

As Hsss approached her as well, Ebony tossed her head and whickered, startling him.

"Don't worry, she's less than likely to bite than a War Cat, if that's what concerns you. In fact, I don't think she's ever bitten anybody," Snake Face reassured, and Hsss gingerly placed a hand on her forehead. Ebony whickered again as Hsss stroked her neck.

"You see, Ebony's a good girl, aren't you, Ebs." Snake Face's voice began to lapse into a highly fluctuated one that the horse seemed to like even more.

"Well, if you are both taken with the idea, than I guess it is all right with me," Serpentor said after a while, seeing that they were right about how Saber was too volatile for an inexperienced rider. He was sure he heard his son hissing 'yes' as soon as the words left his mouth. But neither of them noticed his look of worry.

Snake Face grinned and nodded, tugging slightly on Hsss' upper arm as an indication to follow him into the courtyard while he led Ebony. Serpentor sighed as he watched them go, and turned back to Saber. Rubbing the cat's neck he lapsed into the same voice that the Gorgon had used for Ebony.

"You're a good boy, Saber, but you're still a War Cat." Saber purred and rubbed against him nonetheless.

Meanwhile in the courtyard, Snake Face was securing his and Hsss' saddlebags onto Ebony's back, and giving Hsss a few pointers on riding.

"Always mount on the left side of the animal, by placing your left foot in the stirrup, and swinging your right leg over the rump. Be sure to place one hand on the horn of the saddle to steady yourself," Snake Face explained, demonstrating the maneuver as slowly as he could. "Dismounting is the same, only backwards. Since time seems to be of the essence I won't be able to give you a proper riding lesson right now. Maybe while we're on the road, but for now you'll ride behind me."

Snake Face reached down from his mounted position. Hsss approached hesitantly, unsure of what to do.

"Take my hand with your left and put your right on Ebony's rump." Hsss did as he was instructed. " Now I'll help you pull yourself up; and do what I told you to do for mounting."

Snake Face pulled hard, and Hsss pulled back, only to overshoot and fall off the other side of the horse. The young Gorgon winced in sympathy, remembering his first fall from a horse, and turned Ebony around so that Hsss was once more on the left side. Groaning, the Hydra struggled to stand.

"Don't worry, you'll get it. Now let's try that again," Snake Face reassured as he offered his hand again. As before, Hsss took it, but this time he managed to stay on Ebony's back once he'd pulled himself up.

"Good. Now if you want to stay on while we're moving you have to be holding on to me." Snake Face turned as he spoke, lifting his arms slightly. "Just wrap your arms around my chest and hold on tight."

With much trepidation Hsss did as instructed. He felt Ebony shift beneath them and tightened his grip, burying his central head into the Gorgon's back, squeezing his eyes shut.

"What are you, part constrictor! Le' me breath! Le' me breath! Le' me breath!" Snake Face's shriek came out in an almost constant stream, startling Hsss into slacking his vice-like grip. Hearing her rider coughing and sputtering, Ebony shifted again, almost causing Hsss to squeeze too hard again.

"Not so firm, I won't be able to steer her if I can't breath," Snake Face wheezed. "Gently! You alright back there?"

"No," Hsss whimpered in reply.

"It's fine to be scared, but you'll get used to it. I reckon by the time we get to Midgar I'd have made a half decent rider out of you." But Hsss didn't exactly find those words too reassuring. "Oh, and by the way, the name's Snake Face. Yours?"

"It's Hsss." He sounded a tad ill as he spoke.

A soft growling behind them caught their attention relatively quickly. Turning they spotted Serpentor riding up to them, mounted on Saber. Noticing their puzzlement, he explained.

"Since I already had Saber out I thought that I might as well see you two off," Serpentor shrugged casually as he turned the blue cat around to stand parallel with Ebony. "Are you going or not?"

"Might as well get it over with." Hsss sounded like he was going to vomit, a fact that unnerved Snake Face.

"Don't worry! You'll get used to it. Just hang on, securely, not tightly." He turned around as he spoke, and noticed the Hsss' extra heads were dangling limply at his sides. "Um, you might feel better if you coil those extra heads around your torso."

Hsss did as the Gorgon suggested, but he still felt just as ill. Nodding, Snake Face turned back to the front and clicked his tongue twice, prompting Ebony into a slow walk. With a slight squeeze to the sides, Saber padded after them.

Few were out this early in the morning, just the guards. The watch would change soon, and with it most of the citadel would awaken. Hsss was glad that the courtyard was empty, so only Snake Face and Ebony saw his embarrassing fall from her back. He'd felt like such a failure.

No words were exchanged when the guards opened the main gate for the riders. The large, enameled steel, double doors rumbled outward slowly, just enough for the horse and the cat to squeeze through. The dawn light made the long grass and the dusty road look gray; the sun had yet to peek over the eastern horizon. Hsss and Snake Face would be riding east to Midgar.

"Now I'm just going to be riding with you until we crest that hill over yonder," Serpentor said softly, as though not to disturb the peace of the dawn, pointing to the hill he meant. "Then Saber and I will head back, alright?"

Snake Face nodded and nudged Ebony in the sides, spurring her into a canter. Serpentor followed suit.

Hsss was not happy with the sudden change in movement. He had felt like he had just gotten used to the horse walking, too. It jarred him, and his groin was starting to ache. All he could do was hang onto Snake Face and close his eyes. He tried to stop it, but the smallest whimpers escaped him. He had to ride like this for how long? Seven to eight days, he remembered. He wasn't going to survive this. He would have rather risked teleportation.

Snake Face heard his companion's whimpers, and felt him bury his central head into his back, but he chose not to say anything. He remembered his first time on a horse well, and remembered how terrifying it was. But he got used to it, and so would Hsss.

Beside them Serpentor rode in a very relaxed manner, with only one hand holding the reins. His other was gripping the back edge of the saddle. His two extra heads were held partially aloft and bounced with each stride Saber took. The cat's movements seemed foreign to Snake Face, but he figured that different anatomy meant different step, and Serpentor seemed to be doing all right.

The ride to the crest of the hill didn't seem to take all that long, and as he said he would, Serpentor brought Saber to a halt. The cat's irritated growl caused Hsss to open an eye to peer behind him. The last sight he would have of his father for many days would be of him mounted on the great, blue, rearing cat, one hand on the reins, the other thrown out to the side, and his two extra heads spread wide for balance.

"Just to warn you, I'll be picking up the pace now." The sound of Snake Face's voice brought Hsss back to the present moment, and he closed his eyes again in anticipation. With a sharp kick to the sides, Ebony jerked from canter to full gallop, racing across the plane, just as the sun crested the horizon.

It was midday when Snake Face slowed Ebony to a walk, and then to a stop by a meadow pond. Hsss' mind was muddled by the pain in his groin and thighs, so he barely registered that he'd been given permission to get off. But get off he did, in the only way he could at the time: falling. Thankfully he was out cold before he hit the ground.

Snake Face sighed and maneuvered Ebony away from Hsss' unconscious form before dismounting himself. He removed the mare's bridal, and released the catches connecting the saddlebags to the saddle so he could let her drink and graze. He set the bags on the ground and crouched beside the water, watching his horse out of the corner of his eye as she drank. Cupping the water in his hands, he deftly tossed it onto Hsss' nearest head.

The Hydra awoke sputtering and groaning, trying to untangle himself from his own necks. Snake Face merely splashed water on his own face, keeping his back to him. Hsss could barely think through the pain.

"Everything hurts!" he moaned, trying to avoid movement. Snake Face looked up and Ebony snorted.

"Everything? Well, riding does involve muscles you never knew you had. Right on the inside of the thigh and calf." The gorgon slapped the aforementioned locations on his legs for emphasis. "I said it before, and I'll say it again: you'll get use to it. Trust me."

But Hsss didn't seem so ready to trust, evidenced by his groan. Frowning, Snake Face reached for his saddlebag and began rummaging around inside. Eventually he produced a small, brass canister, the weight of which he tested in his hand. Almost cautiously he crawled over to Hsss, propped him up against his knee, and pressed the container into his hands.

"This is a salve for saddle burn. Just apply it on the parts of your legs that rubbed against the horse." Snake Face released Hsss while he spoke and turned back to the pond. "Don't worry, I won't look."

Grinding his jaws against the pain, Hsss managed to rise enough to remove his riding britches before he collapsed again. He hissed as he saw the extent of the damage: the scales on his inner thighs and calves were rubbed raw, even reddened. Unscrewing the lid on the canister, he dipped his fingers into the blue gel contained within, and smeared the cold substance along the raw patches of scales. It soothed almost instantly, and he sighed in relief.

"Don't use too much. I reckon both of us will be needing it by the time we get to Midgar," Snake Face called to him, still hunched over the water, drinking from his cupped hands.

"Of that I am sure," came Hsss' reply as he continued to rub the salve into the ragged scales, making sure to thoroughly but sparingly do both legs. Satisfied now that the pain was dulled he screwed the top back on and pulled his britches up.

"You done?" Snake Face called out again, half over his shoulder. "You decent?"

"Yes," Hsss answered as he turned back to face his companion, who turned as well, holding out a hand.

"Good. Now give it to me. Just toss it over." Hsss complied, lightly throwing the canister back to Snake Face. He caught it easily and tucked it back into his saddlebag. Hsss crawled over to Snake Face's side at the pond and dunked all five of his heads into the cool water. The Gorgon raised a brow at this.

"Are you sure that's safe?" As if in response, Hsss came sputtering and gasping back up to the surface, water making rivulets down his necks. "Well when we're all rested, we'll be heading off again."

Hsss groaned and Ebony snorted, tossing her head. With both of them staring at him, all Snake Face could do was shrug.

The rest of the day's riding was rather uneventful. Hsss managed to get back on the horse without falling, and by sundown he had gotten off in the correct manner. They had stopped for the night beneath a large, solitary tree in a field. Like before, Snake Face removed Ebony's bridal and the saddlebags, but this time he also removed the saddle itself.

"You did very well today, Hsss," the Grogan reassured, patting Hsss' shoulder as he sat down beside him against the tree. "Especially for someone who had never ridden anything in their life."

"Everything still hurts," Hsss replied, as he massaged the temples on his central head, trying to block out the pain.

"You'll feel much better after some sleep." The sky slipped into dusk, just as Snake Face spoke those words. Shifting he dragged the two saddlebags towards him and reached into his own. Pulling out another cloak, a brown one, heavier than his white messenger cloak, he turned to Hsss.

"You have a cloak? You're going to need it, it gets awfully cold at night out here." Snake Face cocked his head as he asked. "If you don't I have a spare blanket you can use…"

"No," Hsss said almost sharply as he grabbed the gorgon's hand as it reached back into the bag. "No, I have my own."

He grabbed his own saddlebag and pulled out a thick, green, fur cloak. It was his father's really, but Serpentor made him take it. Snake Face was obviously impressed by it.

"Well and good. Now lets try and get some sleep." He wrapped the brown cloak about himself as he spoke, turning away.

"What about Ebony?" Hsss asked with trepidation as he stared at the black horse grazing some distance away.

"She won't wander far. She never has." A cold distant howl sounded, starling all three of them. Hsss' pain was gone in an instant, replaced by fear.

"Shouldn't one of us keep watch? Isn't this Worg country?" The light was fading rather rapidly, and with it the temperature fell drastically. Hsss shivered and wrapped himself tightly in the fur cloak.

"Horses sleep lightly. If someone or something were to approach us, Ebony would be the first to know about it. But I don't think this is Worg country anyway, too flat, they prefer hills. Don't worry! I survived out here seven days with only her as a sentinel. Just try to get some sleep."

But Hsss was not so easily reassured, and he lay awake, eyes wide as night descended. He startled at every little sound, only to realize that it was only Ebony, or the wind in the tree. Eventually the cold got to him and he drifted off, completely buried under his green cloak.

Hsss awoke to some snuffling on his cloak, which was quickly pulled away with the sound of Snake Face's voice. His senses slowly came back to him and he shifted beneath the green fur.

"Hsss? You awake?" A hand came out of nowhere and shook his shoulder, jarring the cloak from over his central head. "It's time to get up, Hsss."

The Hydra blinked as the fresh dawn sunlight hit his eyes. Snake Face stood over him, hand still on his shoulder, but his other hand was hidden, holding something. Nearby, Ebony milled around grazing, whickering every once and awhile. A thin mist hung over the field, but it was fading fast. The air was cold, but the sun was warm.

Snake Face took his hand off of Hsss' shoulder and shifted so as to show him what he held. It was a small leather sack with three round bulges in it.

"You hungry?" Hsss nodded, and Snake Face passed him the bag. "These are bird eggs. I noosed the mother before the sun came up, ate her, and brought you the eggs. They're fresh."

Curious, Hsss worked the ties of the sack and peeked inside. Sure enough it contained three, rather large, lavender eggs with cream-colored dapples. They smelled delicious.

"Thank you," Hsss murmured as he picked up one of the eggs and tested its weight in his hands.

"Any time," Snake Face whispered in reply as he went to collect Ebony's tack. Hsss lifted the egg to his central head and opened his mouth. His thin, forked tongue shot out and tried to wrap around it, to drag it inside. He felt his lower jaw partially detach to accommodate the egg's size. He closed his mouth around it and felt the egg slide down his throat. As his lower jaw hinged back into place, his throat muscles contracted, crushing the egg's shell. Swallowing completely, he went to repeat the process on the other two eggs.

By the time he was done the mist had cleared, and Snake Face had finished saddling Ebony. Without saying a word, they both gathered their stuff into their saddlebags. Once Snake Face had secured them, he took hold of Ebony's reins and stood at her head, looking expectantly at Hsss. All the Hydra could do was look between the two with a confused expression.

"Well… aren't you going to get on and help me up behind you…?" Hsss gestured between Snake Face, Ebony, and himself, thought somewhat loosely. The gorgon shrugged and waved a hand at the saddle before he spoke.

"Not now. I felt you could benefit from a ridding lesson proper, and since we made such progress yesterday, I believe that today would be a good time for it. Go on, mount up, I'll be riding behind you today." Nodding hesitantly, Hsss approached Ebony and placed his hands on her saddle. "Remember: left foot in the stirrup, push up with both hands, and swing your right leg over."

Hsss did as instructed, and found himself nestled comfortably in the saddle. It suddenly seemed effortless, and he got a small sense of power from it.

"Good, much easier with the stirrups isn't it? Make sure both feet are secure. Comfortable?" With a smile, Hsss nodded. "Good. Here I come."

Snake Face tossed the reins over Ebony's head to Hsss, and moved to the horse's left side.

"Take the reins. Now reach your left had down to me. Good. Now when I saw 'pull', I want you to lean to your right, and I'll use that to pull myself up. Don't worry, the only one who has any chance of falling is me if you're properly secured." Snake Face took Hsss' hand as he braced himself. "Pull!"

In one surprisingly smooth motion Hsss hauled Snake Face onto Ebony's back. The gorgon settled himself and gripped his companion by the shoulders.

"Alright, now for the steering basics." He grabbed both of Hsss' elbows and tugged them in either direction as he spoke. "Pull left to turn left, pull right to turn right. Pull back to slow or stop, and a nudge to the sides will make her speed up. You got that?"

"It seems simple enough," Hsss replied as Ebony shifted, but it no longer frightened him.

"Yes, it is. The hard part is getting adjusted to the horse. They all react differently." Snake Face's hands slid back up to Hsss' shoulders. "Now Ebony starts walking from an verbal signal: two tongue clicks in rapid succession. Can you do that?"

Hsss' only response was to expertly mimic the sound Snake Face had made when they'd first started. On the command, Ebony began walking and Snake Face couldn't help but grin.

"Good, good. Now steer her onto the road." Hsss pulled on her left rein and she turned without a struggle. "You ready to pick up the pace yet, or would you rather keep it slow for a while?"

"I'd rather not speed up just yet," Hsss answered over his shoulder.

"I thought you would, but she can go faster that this and still be walking. Just nudge her a bit," Snake Face suggested, and Hsss complied. Ebony's pace was actually quite fast, just a bit below a trot. They actually covered some good distance. But to get to Midgar, haste was needed.

"Are you ready to speed up now?" Snake Face asked after a time.

"Yes I am," Hsss answered as he squeezed Ebony's sides harder. Her pace quickened and her riders began to bounce on her back, a fact that disturbed both of them.

"No, not trotting! You need to bring her to canter! A swift kick should do it!" Snake Face half shouted, somewhat brokenly. Hsss did as instructed, driving his heels sharply into Ebony's flanks. She leapt into a full out run at the blow, and the bouncing stopped.

"Good, good, now keep periodically applying pressure to keep her from slowing down," Snake Face breathed out in relief. "This is a good pace. Hsss, how do you feel?"

But the only answer Hsss gave was a shrill short laugh, so enthralled he was in the rush of power it seemed to give him. He could get used to this all right; in fact, he could even begin to love it.