Cassie didn't like Anya's idea.
And to protest her decision, she let herself be dragged across town, lying on her back. Too bad if she brought tons of mud with her, Anya deserved it. The latter pulled the young woman behind her, royally ignoring her chirps as she sang stupidly.
"Castaways, we are castaways
Ahoy there, ahoy, we are castaways
We're stuck where we are, with- "
"No matter how many times you will sing this stupid song, I won't go back on my decision," Anya interjected. "You need training."
"-Ahoy! We are castaways!
We were out at sea on a sailing ship! "
Anya pretended not to notice the half-amused, half-reproachful looks of the inhabitants of Polis. Cassie, meanwhile, persisted in continuing to sing despite the glares she received. Obviously, they found her very childish and were amused to see their general carry her in spite of herself.
Anya climbed the hills, Cassie sliding on the ground behind her. The young woman couldn't help but notice that Anya didn't seem bothered in the slightest, as if she weighed nothing. She raised an appreciative eyebrow.
The dirt track appeared in front of them, the horse accompanied by Tris in the middle. Anya pulled Cassie up to her seken, then untangling the rope she had tied around her ankles and pulling her to her feet without Cassie being able to stop her. Tris continued to gaze suspiciously at the young woman, but a flash of compassion flashed through her eyes when she noticed the wound on her forehead.
"You need to train, Natshanagada. It is not by remaining hidden in the tower that you will be able to move forward."
"First of all, all those nicknames give me a lot of Russian vibes. Second, I'm still don't like horses. They're tall, scary, and dangerous," Cassie replied. "I don't even know how you could let a kid close to this monster. No offense, Tris," she added in the direction of the girl, who nodded.
Anya rolled her eyes.
"They are not dangerous. I chose this one because he is the calmest and most docile of all the horses in the stables. He won't hurt you."
"Maybe you should name him."
The two women turned to Tris, who was calmly stroking the animal's neck, receiving appreciative ear movements.
"If you give him a name, you might be less afraid of him."
Cassie exchanged a look with Anya, who nodded with a shrug. Cassie turned to the animal, considering its brown hairs and black eyes that looked at her passively.
"Can I call him Magnus?"
Anya sighed.
"Just name the damn horse, Skaigada."
"Alright, alright. I'm gonna call him ... Toothless. Exactly, he's Toothless!" She enthusiastically hopped in place.
Tris gave her a confused look.
"But he has teeth."
"No, I mean ... Toothless is the name of a dragon, in a movie. He's really cute," Cassie explained.
"What's a movie?"
"She'll tell you later," Anya interjected. "Now, get on the horse."
"Toothless, his name is Toothless, bestie."
But she obeyed and climbed painfully into the saddle, remaining awkwardly seated.
"Alright, put your feet in the stirrups," Anya ordered, still holding Toothless' bridle. "Hold onto this," she added, pulling the bridle over the horse's head, showing her how to hold the reins.
Cassie took a deep breath.
"Alright, buddy, we're gonna do this together," she told the horse. "We're friends, you and I, right? We're super-friends."
"Lightly press your legs against his side," Anya ordered.
Cassie did as she was told and the horse started off, circling around the muddy track. Cassie stood still, pursed lips, tighter than ever.
"Relax," Anya ordered, following her at a distance. "You don't need to sit so straight."
"There's nothing straight about me," Cassie replied, gradually relaxing her muscles, taking a deep breath.
Tris remained standing in the middle of the track, spinning around to follow the horse's progress. Cassie gradually got used to the steady movement of the animal, which didn't seem to mind the weight on his back in the slightest. She leaned forward slightly, stroking the horse's neck, gently running a hand over his bay-colored hair. Toothless waggled one ear in reaction.
"You're a nice friend. I think you are doing a good job," she whispered.
"That he is. I told you, he is harmless," Anya interjected. "Try to direct him by pulling the reins to one side.
Cassie hesitantly pulled to the left, then a little harder. Toothless immediately understood the message and began to peacefully walk in the direction indicated.
"Awesome!" Cassie exclaimed.
"Now try to get him back on the track."
She pulled to the right, brought the horse back to the circle formed in the earth and continued to direct him with concentration.
"Okay, that's good," Anya commented after a long time repeating the exercise. "Now, you're going to try to go faster."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Cassie worried.
"I think it is. Trust him, and trust me. And also, trust yourself. You're doing just fine."
Cassie took a deep breath, reassured by her kind words. Anya continued to watch her closely.
"Do the same thing you did to make him walk."
Cassie pressed her legs against her side, with a quick jerk, and the horse quietly settled into a slow trot.
"Okay, in rhythm with the horse, pull yourself up into the stirrups keeping your knees bent."
Cassie hesitantly obeyed, taking a few tries before finding her rhythm to avoid being thrown in the air. Toothless continued his run peacefully, trotting around Anya and Tris. Cassie smiled victoriously.
"Want to try faster?" Anya offered after a long time.
"Can I?"
"Of course. This time, when he's accelerated, pull yourself up into the stirrups with your knees bent, lean slightly on his neckline and keep your position."
Taking a deep breath, Cassie followed her directions after setting Totthless to a gallop. The wind began to blow through her hair and whip her face, cooling her cheeks and nose. Cassie let Toothless rush her around the circle, a huge smile on her face.
Never in all of her life had she been so fast. Never had she felt such a wind on her and never had she had this intoxicating impression of flying in the air. The horse's hooves pounded the ground, sending clods of earth flying with every step. The air smelled of rain and wet grass, cold and trees.
Cassie thought maybe that was the taste of freedom.
She burst out laughing. In the middle of the circle, Tris laughed too, jumping in place, clapping her hands, excited.
Cassie was still laughing when Anya ordered the horse to slow down and then stop. A big smile on her face, the young woman painfully dismounted her mount as Tris came running up to her, giggling. Her shaking legs knocked her down to the floor as Anya grabbed Toothless's bridle.
She gave her a smile, which Cassie found dazzling.
"See? I told you you could do it."
Laughing, Cassie leaned on Tris who was sitting next to her, a big smile on her lips.