Link had heard the scream early on in the attack, but Rhashidi was the one who heard it first. He had been sitting up in the dark woods alone, on the top of a ledge that was nearly a small cliff, and the view overlooked the back of the house and the horse pasture. He had found it by walking along the creek and taking a sharp right. It was a hard hike uphill for awhile, but it flattened out at the top and then the tree-covered cliff sank down to the back of the pasture.
At the sound of movement in the woods, Rhashidi rose from his spot on the ground with his senses on alert. He knew it could possibly be someone coming up to find him, but that was unlikely, for it was nearly black as pitch outside and with no moon. He could only see because his eyesight in the dark was far better than any normal person's, but right now he was relying on his sense of hearing to tell him what was happening. He could tell that whatever was moving around in the darkness was close by, and by the sound of it, seemed heavy or large, or probably both. He decided that the moving object sounded animal-like, and just as he thought this, a terrible loud scream pierced the night.
Rhashidi had seen mountain lions before, but had never encountered one in the dark of night. He bristled and growled deep in his throat. He knew what danger a cat that size could bring, but he was not thinking of that at the moment. He took a few steps toward the sounds of the heavy movement, which seemed to be moving away; maybe in the direction of the house, and this put Rhashidi on edge. He could think of nothing but the horror that would happen if the cat made it that far down into the plantation, and he remembered his purpose of being sent to protect Link. He knew that Link was by far capable of taking care of himself, but Rhashidi would first do what was required of him.
-O-
Jennan had been sitting with her head on her folded arms on the table, but she shot upright at the sound of the scream. It sounded slightly faint, but there was no mistaking what it was. She was frozen stiff for a moment, then called for Matayo.
He came quickly down the steps, with Memnet and Beth close behind. "Did you hear that?" Jennan asked, her eyes wide.
"It's a mountain cat," Matayo said, pulling up the curtain in front of the window and looking out. He frowned and pulled the window open. "But it's way too dark to see anything out there."
"Then close the window," Memnet said, and Matayo obeyed. Beth had her hands digging into Memnet's arm with fear, and her green eyes were twice their normal size.
The door suddenly swung open, and the four of them jumped. But it was just an out-of-breath Artos with Ima in tow, and they came in and slammed the door behind them. "I had to get the horses into the stable," Artos panted, and leaned over with his hands on his knees. "I don't think I've ever moved that quickly in my life."
Ima grabbed another lantern from a cabinet and lit it with a match. "We'll do best to keep ourselves calm." She seemed to look at Beth when she said this, who was still holding onto Memnet's arm tightly.
Matayo clutched his hands on the back of Jennan's chair. "We could just stay in here and wait for it to pass by, but sometimes these things are persistant. So that means pretty much all of us are in danger. If we stay inside, we could be in here awhile, and who knows how easily a cat like that could break into the stables."
"Not very easily," Artos panted, standing upright and leaning against the wall. "I got the doors bolted closed tight. There's nothing getting in unless with brute force."
Jennan drummed her fingers on the table. "Hopefully anyone else outside heard it and got to shelter somewhere."
"I'm not comfortable with just sitting back and doing nothing," Matayo said, his jaw set.
"There's not really anything you can do," Memnet said. "It's not like you can just go outside with a sword and chop it down. It would take a lot more men than only you, Matayo."
"But we've got to do something, don't we?" Jennan said.
"There's nothing we can do," Memnet replied. She was normally brave and unafraid, but was now tense as she sat down on the stairs that led to the upper part of the house. "We just have to sit back and wait."
-O-
Ness jumped and grabbed Link's arm again, her fingers digging into his bicep, her dark eyes wide. "A mountain cat!" she exclaimed. Her voice was already high enough to begin with, but was nearly inaudible when she was afraid.
"I've got to get you inside somwhere," Link said. He had to think quickly, for there was no telling what the next idle moments might bring, and he moved off in the direction of the house with Ness close behind. He did not want to leave the fire unattended, but he did not have much choice at this point, for he did not want to tell Ness to go back to the house alone in the dark. And besides, a light rain was beginning to fall, and if anything happened with the fire, it would not be happening for long.
Link once again wished that he had his sword with him, and it was not far away, but he did not have time to go back to the rock beside the waterfall to get it. He mainly wanted to get Ness out of the way of danger, and if he had to get violent on the way, he would have no choice but to do it with his hands.
Ness had to take two steps for every one Link took, but he was glad that she was fast and kept up with him. Her grip on his arm was now vice-like, and he was starting to wonder if she was cutting off his circulation. Another noise suddenly caught Link's ear, and he stopped quick beside a fallen log to listen. A long, deep bark- more like two barks dragged into one- howled from somewhere nearby, and Link whispered to himself, "Rhashidi!" He looked over at Ness, who was looking back at him with an expression of fear and confusion. "He's got our backs for now. Come on." They continued on through the woods at a quick pace, and Link knew he had to act fast if there was any hope for Rhashidi.
-O-
Rhashidi moved without hesitation and hit the massive cat hard from the side. His teeth snapped together over the cat's flank three times before he sprang back to escape the oncoming razor-sharp paw. It swiped a few inches from Rhashidi's face, who sprang forward again with a terrible growl in his throat, and latched himself onto the back of the cat's neck, which let out an angry scream and struggled to throw the wolf-boy off, who only dug his teeth in harder and clutched tighter with his hands and knees. He was doing what was instinct to him, and that was laying his life on the line to protect someone else. He was not doing it only for Link, but for everyone else who lived on the plantation and had little chance of defending themselves. It never entered his head that the people in the house were locked in tight and in no immediate danger; he was just doing his duty and would fight to the death to protect them.
The cat was trying its best to shake Rhashidi off, but was doing nothing but hurting itself. It let out another angry scream and contorted its body around, and Rhashidi felt its huge teeth sink into his arm. He let go with his teeth and used the cat's back as leverage to jump off, and hit the ground gracefully on his feet, the growl in his throat intensifying to show the cat that he was not here merely to take harm. The two of them stood a few feet apart, growling and spitting, before they clashed together again in a fury of teeth and claws.
Rhashidi found himself pinned down to the ground with the huge cat on top, its claws digging into the boy's shoulder, and its massive jaws closed over his throat. Rhashidi felt no fear, only fury that he would go down dead to leave the cat to roam the land and do as it pleased. And the only thing that saved him was the metal collar around his neck, and it defied the cat's teeth. Realizing that he was alive, Rhashidi bent at the waist and planted both feet onto the bottom of the cat, one in its chest and the other in its soft stomach, and shoved it clear of the ground, then threw it backwards over his head. Its teeth slipped off the metal collar, and it landed with a hard thud in the dirt. Rhashidi somersaulted up to his feet and prepared himself for another hard clash. His jaws were hurting with the effort he had put into his bites, and the blood from his shoulders ran down his back in streaks. He was concentrating so hard on the fight at hand that he did not feel pain; the only thing he knew was the need to protect, and to do that he had to fight.
Rhashidi was six feet tall and all lean, muscled brawn, but he was no match in size for the cat. But he had the will to fight, and with that, size was no matter in this situation. He threw his entire weight onto the cat's head, the most dangerous place he could be, but he did not care. But not to say that he wanted to die- he did not, but if it took his death to protect other people, then so be it.
As his teeth sank deep into the thick throat, his hands clasped hard onto the pointed ears, and he bit down with all the power he had in his jaws. Link was the only one that knew how terrible a fighter Rhashidi was, and no one else would know until they saw it. And now Rhashidi worked his strong jaws in a chewing motion before getting a good hold and clamping down hard. The cat let out a growl and planted its back paws on the ground, and dug the huge claws of the front into Rhashidi's chest and arm, knocking him to the ground once again. It tried to work its teeth over some part of the boy's body, but it was impossible with its opponent hanging viciously to its throat.
The two of them were locked motionless like this for a few silent moments, each trying to get the best of the other, and it would only be a matter of time before one of them died. The cat would lose room for air soon, and Rhashidi would bleed to death before a direct blow could get him down. But the next move was Rhashidi's, and he clamped his teeth tighter and shook his head with great force as a strong dog does when it catches prey, and the cat made a choking sound. It was still struggling to get a bite down on Rhashidi, and was still failing.
Rhashidi could feel blood on his bare chest and arms, but was unsure if it was his own or that cat's. It was more than likely both, for he had managed a few sharp bites before he went down again. He had his ears laid flat to avoid the powerful jaws above, and he growled again. The rain was starting to fall harder, but it was ignored by the two who where locked in a motionless battle. Rhashidi's knee was up and pressing into the cat's stomach, and he felt the claws in his arm dig in harder. Suddenly, the stillness was broken when the both of them decided to attack at the same time, and there was another vicious flurry of movement, blood, and snarls. Rhashidi was getting tired, but the amount of adrenaline got the best of fatigue, and there was nothing on his mind but finishing this battle. He and the cat broke apart for a split second, and in that small space of time, Rhashidi reached to his belt and whipped out his dagger. His animal-like instincts had made him forget all about weapons, but now he knew he had to do what he had to do, and he brought back his hand and stabbed the cat repeatedly at the throat, jabbing the dagger in all the way up to the handle and twisting, then yanking it back out and starting it all over again.
By now the blood had spotted all over the dirt, and was being driven in by the rain. The cat was backing up as Rhashidi was coming forward, and the latter suddenly had a new urge to fight, for he knew now that the cat was going down. He did not think or care that he just might go down with it- all he cared about was taking the life of this beast.
He jumped forward again and hooked his teeth into the thick throat once more, still driving in and slicing with the dagger, and he suddenly felt the fight go out of the huge animal. He flipped the cat over onto its side and hung on to the throat with every ounce of strength he had left in him, and then after a few minutes he felt its body fall limp.
A few seconds passed where Rhashidi did not budge, his sharp teeth and dagger still planted into the throat of the cat, and then he pulled back and spit the blood from his mouth. The fight was over. Rhashidi had at last killed the cat, but was half killed himself in doing it. He fell back and lay staring up at the dark sky, panting hard; not how a wolf pants, but in long, deep, human gasps. He loosened his grip on his dagger, and it slipped to the ground. He was only now feeling the pain in his body, and it hurt to move. He had had some bad fights in his lifetime, but this had to be the most intense. His back hurt from the struggle, and his chest, arms, and shoulders were burning and stinging for obvious reasons. He heard a familiar noise- it sounded like someone calling his name, and he recognized the voice.
-O-
Link discovered Rhashidi lying beside the umoving body of the mountain cat, and the wolf-boy was sucking in large breaths and exhaling just as hard. There was blood everywhere that showed up black in the darkness, and the whole area held the signs of a struggle. Even in the dark, Link could see that the cat's throat was basically lacerated, and he spotted the shine of the dagger beside Rhashidi's right hand. He quickly picked it up and stuck it in his own belt, then bent down with concern at his friend.
"Rhashidi." He reached out and touched the shoulder that was the least torn up, and Rhashidi coughed. Link could not see enough to tell what part of his friend's body was bleeding and what was not, so he just thrust both arms under Rhashidi's body, one around his shoulders and the other under his knees, and lifted him up from the ground. Link felt warm blood soak through his tunic, and he knew he had to get Rhashidi to Ima quick.
Dorobis had told Link to stay away from the house, but Link thought to Hades with that, his friend might be dying. He had already taken Ness back to the house anyway, and now he made his way through the darkness while carrying Rhashidi. He was heavy, but Link could manage him without much struggle.
Rhashidi coughed again and said shakily, "I'm the one that's supposed to be taking care of you."
Link stepped over a fallen log and kept his eyes on the dark trail in front of him. He braced his arms against the other's weight. "Don't fight me. You're the one that needs help right now." There was no return arguement, and Rhashidi suddenly fell limp, but Link could feel the boy's chest rising and falling heavily with the effort of breathing. Link was not sure if his friend was going to live or die, and the sudden thought scared him. But the only thing to do was drive on and get to Ima as quickly as possible.
-O-
Matayo was the first to get to the window at the sound of heavy footsteps on the porch, but everyone jumped at the sudden thud of it. He pulled back the curtain and wiped the fog from the window with his wrist.
"Who is it?" Ima asked, on edge.
Matayo squinted. "It's Link. And it looks like that wolf-boy of his."
Memnet sprang to her feet. "Rhashidi. Is he hurt?"
"Oh, yes," Matayo said sympathetically, and opened the door before Link even had a chance to knock.
Link came inside without anyone bidding him to do so, and Jennan stood from her chair at the sight of him. Her eyes then fell to Rhashidi, and she caught her breath at all the blood.
"He's unconscious," Link said. Ima took the lantern from the middle of the table, threw on a thin tablecloth, and patted the surface. Link lay Rhashidi's motionless body down, and Matayo grabbed the chairs from the table and stacked them in a corner.
"Was he awake when you came across him?" Ima asked Link, opening a cabinet near the ceiling and pulling out a handful of clean rags.
"Yes."
"What about the mountain cat, did you see it?" Matayo asked.
Link kept his eyes on Rhashidi but replied, "The cat's dead. We can thank Rhashidi for that."
Memnet shook her arm free of Beth and came over to the side of the table. "Are you telling us he killed that mountain cat single-handedly?"
"Yes."
Memnet laid a hand on Rhashidi's forehead and pushed back the dark hair from his eyes. "He must be fearless."
Link stepped back against the wall to get out of Ima's way, who was soaking up the blood on Rhashidi's body with the rags and then merely dropping them to the floor once they were too soaked to use again. With Memnet's help, she finally got the blood out of the way and got down to the actual deep cuts on his chest and shoulders. Her jaw was clenched and her eyes sorrowful as she put prsessure on the wounds. "He's lucky to only have the gashes he has. A mountain cat is strong enough to kill someone with a single blow."
Memnet turned to Jennan. "Bring me the bowl of water from upstairs. Hurry."
Jennan dashed past Beth up the steps and quickly returned with the porcelin bowl, filled with fresh water. She handed it over to her sister, who was not finished giving orders.
"Ness," Memnet said, and the one she addressed rose from her spot on the floor beside Artos. "Go out into Ima's dwelling and bring me everything from the medicine drawer. You know where it is?"
Ness nodded and was out the front door in an instant. Link pressed his back against the wall to make himself take up as a little room as possible, to get out of the way of all the dashing women. He suddenly felt someone at his left side, and he looked down to see Jennan. He was pleased to see her there, but would have been moreso if it had not been for the situation at hand.
"Poor Rhashidi," Mement was saying quietly as she continued to stroke his hair from his eyes. She then moved on to massaging his ears gently as Ima continued to mop up the blood. "But he's so brave."
"The question is," Artos said, "is he going to be all right?"
Silence followed the question for a few seconds before Ima said, "It's too early to tell. If he pulls through the basic wounds, we have infection to worry about next."
Ness burst back inside the door, an entire drawer in her hands. "I didn't know what you wanted and what you didn't, Miss Memnet, so I brought the whole thing."
Memnet took it from her. "It doesn't matter, as long as we have what we need." As Ness sat down beside Artos again, Memnet stirred around the contents of the drawer before she found what she was looking for. She held up a bottle with a dark liquid inside, and Link recognized it as what Jennan had used to disinfect the gash on his hand that he had gotten from the axe. He remembered how much it had stung his open wound, and he cringed to think of what it would feel like over a large part of Rhashidi's body.
"That's going to burn, but we have to do it," Ima said, and stepped out of the way to give Memnet some elbow room. The latter leaned over the wounded boy and unscrewed the lid of the bottle, then titled it ever so slightly to where the thin liquid came out in a very small stream, and she ran it down the length of the slice on the wolf-boy's chest. It set into the deep wound and obviously went to its stinging work, for Rhashidi suddenly awakened and jumped nearly a foot into the air before Link shot past Memnet and pinned his shoulders to the table.
Link said something in Hylian, then interpreted into English as to, "Lie back, lie back. Hold still", and Rhashidi ceased fighting. He looked up at the faces above him groggily, and moaned with pain.
Memnet had jumped back against the wall during the quick struggle, and now let out a deep breath. Matayo said on a light note, as if to make the situation better, "Well, at least he is awake." Memnet frowned at him and took her place at the table as Link let go of Rhashidi's shoulders and stepped back beside Jennan.
Rhashidi coughed again and then spit out a whole mouthful of blood between his teeth. It hit the floor with a smack and splattered under the table, and Beth pushed herself onto a higher step and looked sick. Ima reached into another cabinet and pulled out a wooden bowl, then lined it with a clean rag. She sat it on the table beside Rhashidi. "Spit in this if you have to. What's bleeding in your mouth?"
Rhashidi spit into the bowl. "Nothing," he said, his deep voice gravelly.
"It's blood from the cat," Link spoke up, and Beth stood up and rushed up the stairs. Link watched her with an eyebrow raised, then turned with a serious expression to Rhashidi. "It's a wonder you didn't swallow that on the way down here."
Rhashidi spit again and shrugged, then sat up as Memnet silently bade him. She reached into the drawer and pulled out a roll of bandages, also something of which Jennan had nursed Link's hand, and began unwinding a large piece. She cut it off with a small dagger from a pocket in her skirts, and started wrapping Rhashidi's wounds. It was difficult to do it just right, for the cuts and gashes were in places that were hard to wrap, but Memnet managed after awhile. And after she was done, Rhashidi groggily slid off the table and headed towards the door.
"Rhashidi, you shouldn't go just yet," Ima called, and Rhashidi stopped.
Still facing the door, he said, "Thank you, but I'm not meant to just sit around."
"It's recovery, you're injured," Ima argued. He continued out the door and disappeared into the rain and darkness, and Ima took a breath to call him back, but Link waved a hand.
"He's stubborn. You can't get him back in here if he doesn't want to come."
Matayo suddenly cackled. "No wonder you two are friends! You're almost just alike."
Memnet looked at her brother. "And how's that?"
"They're both mule-headed, laid back but terrible when it comes to fighting, and neither of them talk much. Just look at it. Link talks to animals more than he talks to people."
Link was surprised that Matayo had even noticed all of these things, and he looked down at Jennan with no expression on his face, but a laugh in his blue eyes. She looked back up at him, smiling, and then their brief moment was ended with Ima's words.
"I suppose Rhashidi's going to be all right, after seeing his quick recovery," she said.
Memnet pulled back the curtain on the window and looked out. "He didn't recover. He's obviously just too stubborn to sit still. And if that's what he wants to do, I guess none of us should get in his way."
"But he's apparently going to live," Ima said. "Perhaps he's much stronger than I had thought."
Matayo said, "Well, you've got to be strong if you can kill a mountian lion by yourself. By the way, Link, where's the body? Someone should bury it."
"Up in the woods, back behind the pasture."
"I guess Father and I will find it in the morning, and maybe Artos," Matayo said. "And I do have to say, Rhashidi is quite the fighter. And brave, too, just as Memnet said."
After a minute or so of silence, Link finally said that he had to get back to the bonfire. "Which is probably burnt out by now."
Matayo looked alarmed. "You left it burning unattended? You risked the whole forest going up in flames!"
"Matayo," Memnet scolded, but Ness spoke up from the floor.
"It was my fault, really. He could have taken care of it, but I was out there with 'im and he just wanted to get me out of danger. That's all."
"Still..." Matayo said, and then dropped the subject and glanced up the stairs. "I guess I should go see if Beth's all right. She was looking quite sick there for awhile."
Link said that he had to go again, nodded at Jennan, and was out the door in a flash.
-O-
Jennan could not sleep that night, and simply because her mind was on Link. It was strange, really, for she had never dwelled this long on the thought of a boy. There was no mistaking her romantic interest in him, but she was confused. She had no idea how he felt about her, if anything. She was unsure what she had that he would like. Sure, people all the time told her how beautiful she was, and she thought she was okay, but other than that she did not think she had much to offer. She had strict morals, and Link should know that just by her personality. And she thought on her personality for a moment. That could not possibly be a reason for him to like her, could it? Then she scoffed silently at herself and threw off her covers. What made her think that Link liked her at all? Just that she was hoping? Yes, and nothing more.
She looked to her left, over at Memnet, who was sleeping peacefully in her bed. Memnet did not have a particular interest in any man, as far as Jennan knew, and that was sometimes considered lucky. Beth was sleeping in a pile of blankets between the sisters' beds, and Jennan was not happy with this arrangement in the least. She wanted her cousin to go back home, especially when she had started showing interest in Link.
Jennan ran her hands down her silk nightgown and stared up at the dark ceiling. Only a small amount of light was coming through the open window, for the moon was still hidden behind the clouds in the sky, but at least the rain cooled off the air somewhat. She was getting tired of summer, especially because of the unusual heat they were having this year.
Beth and Memnet both seemed to be sleeping without trouble, and Jennan heard Beth roll over on the floor and sighed contentedly in her sleep. Jennan sighed with frustration. She had never lain awake this long without being sick or something of the sort. It was as if her mind and body were ignoring the fact that it was time for sleep, and to her it felt like it was the middle of the day, only that she was lying in her bed in the dark.
After awhile of still not falling asleep, Jennan started considering getting up and coming back to bed when she was tired, but there was nothing she could do in the house that would not wake everyone else up. Matayo and Artos shared the room downstairs that was built from the side of the kitchen, and Ima was in her dwelling just on the other side of the kitchen wall. And she did not want to go outside, for it was raining and dark and she would be able to see nothing. She was still a little wary of going outdoors from the scare of the mountain cat, but Link had said that Rhashidi had killed it, and she would believe anything Link said. Beth, on the other hand, refused to even step out onto the porch, especially by herself. Memnet had tried to tell her that everything was all right, but their cousin would just merely not listen.
Earlier in the night, Artos had gone down past the horse field behind the house to Dorobis' dwelling and assured him that everything was fine, save for the wounds Rhashidi had received. Dorobis did not seem to care too much about what had happened to the wolf-boy, which Jennan thought was strange because Rhashidi was the one who had protected them all from danger, but seemed to care more for what uses he could have for him. He had said to Artos that Rhashidi would make a good guard for the horse pasture, and that he had tried to get Gelert to stay with the horses, but that the dog would not leave Link's side. And little did Dorobis know, but Rhashidi had his protective eyes on the whole plantation, and not just the horses.
Now Jennan rolled over on her side to face the wall and tried to think of some way to make herself fall asleep. She had never heard of such a thing before, so it was probably useless to think on it. She knew Ima had some kind of liquid that would make a person knock out for hours if you took enough of it, but that seemed to be ill use and waste of useful medicine.
After awhile, she finally stopped thinking about sleep and let her mind drift to other things. And with the sound of the rain falling on the house, she finally fell asleep and dreamed of Link.
In the morning, Jennan awoke slowly and felt someone shaking her shoulder. She had always been a light sleeper, but that night was different. She opened her eyes slightly and saw Memnet standing over her, fully dressed.
"Jennan, get up," Mement was saying. She stopped shaking her sister and stepped back from the bed. "Your tutors here, so you had better hurry."
Jennan shot out of bed. Beth was obviously already up as well, for she was nowhere in sight. "It's that late already?" Jennan exclaimed.
"I don't think a cyclone could have woken you up this morning," Memnet said. She reached into a drawer and pulled out her sister's clothes and tossed them onto the bed. "Didn't you sleep last night?"
"Not really." Jennan threw off her nightgown and quickly pulled on her thin undershirt, but before than came her corset. She held it in place in the front and said to Memnet, "Tie this."
Memnet grasped the strings on the back and pulled with all her might. Jennan had to brace herself on the dresser as not to be pulled clear off of her feet. Oh, how she hated corsets. They must be the most uncomfortable piece of clothing in the world. Jennan clutched the dresser and sucked in her breath as Memnet pulled again, and then she felt her sister tying the strings in the back. Her waist was already small to begin with, but the tightness of the corset made it seem even smaller.
"You should have seen how many times I had to tighten Beth's this morning," Memnet said as her sister slipped her dress over her head. "I'd say I had to pull those strings at least ten times. Beth wants it just right, you know. She has to have everything perfect."
Jennan pulled on her light-pink overcoat which came down to her hips and opened a little at the white collar, and then she reached under her bed and pulled out her shoes. It was the type of shoe that all the girls wore, a shiny black with a moderate sized heel, rounded toe, and etched design on the sides. She slipped them on and buttoned them up, then sat down in front of the mirror above the dresses and picked up her brush. She quickly began stroking her long black hair, and when that was done, held it back with a ribbon and pulled it up onto the usual knot at the back of her head, then pinned it in place. She picked up her perfume bottle and spritzed one time on her wrists, then rubbed them together and stood from the chair.
"I suppose I had better get downstairs before Misses Lydia gets impatient." Miss Lydia had been Jennan and Matayo's schooling tutor for as long as she could remember, and she had been Memnet's as well, and the middle-aged woman had always wanted things right on time. Dorobis paid her well to school his children, but she was not making as much money now that Memnet had finished all of her schooling.
"I'd say she already is impatient," Memnet replied. "And I wouldn't expect to eat this morning, because you don't have time. Miss Lyida is already down at the table."
Jennan sighed at her own laziness and hurried and down the stairs. Her tutor sat at the table with her fingers entertwined, and she looked at Jennan sharply. "I was wondering when you were going to come down."
"I'm sorry," Jennan said, and quickly sat down at the table. "I overslept this morning."
"So I see." And they began with the lessons. For the sake of chores and work that needed to be done, Jennan only had to do schooling every other day. One day Miss Lydia would come and tutor her, then the next day she would come for Matayo, and then the day after that Jennan, and so on. Sometimes she tutored them at the same time, but that was rare. Jennan was glad that she had learned to read and write, for she had met some people who had no idea how, and she would not have enjoyed being them. She was also very good at mathematics, but her penmanship was the best in the family. If Dorobis wanted an imporant letter written, he always had Jennan write it for him, because her writing was the most neat and looked the most official.
Jennan found it hard to concentrate on her studies that day, for she was more thinking of Link. She was debating with herself whether or not she should tell him her feelings. She very much wanted to, but when she imagined actually doing it, she became scared and thought twice. She knew he would not be mean or rude to her, but the main thing she feared was when he said he did not like her. Or maybe he would not actually say it, but she would be able to tell either way. And then the whole thing would just result in nothing but her severe embarrassment, and nothing more. But she did not want to pass it up and destroy any chance of him one day liking her in return. For maybe if he did not know she liked him, he would never like her. And then she finally set her mind on telling him today, for two reasons. One, there was there was a slim possibility that he liked her or one day would and something would come out of this. Two, another girl would have to be blind and deaf to not have an attraction to Link, and Jennan had already seen it happen with Beth. So she figured she had better jump at the chance before someone else did.
"Jennan," Miss Lydia was saying impatiently. "I do not know where your mind is, but I can tell you where it needs to be. Pay attention, girl. I'm not here to watch you daydream."
Jennan snapped back to the present. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just a little tired today."
"Yes, and something's on your tired mind. Now pay attention to your studies." Miss Lydia stabbed the book on the table with her index finger.
Jennan tried to pay attention, but her nervous mind was so preoccupied that it was nearly impossible.
-O-
After the frustrated tutor left, Jennan went outside in search of Matayo. It was no longer raining, and the wetness had already mostly dried up. She held her skirts up from the ground and took quick steps towards the stable. She spotted her brother outside chopping wood, where Link and Artos had done it awhile before, and hurried over to him.
"Matayo," she called, and he stopped in mid-swing.
"Is something wrong, Jennan?" he asked.
"No. Is Father home today?"
Matayo lay the axe on the chopping block and pushed back a few strings of black hair from his eyes. "He went with his men on a trading journey, with his broken ribs and all. He won't be back for a few days, and Ima says he's going to make the pain worse if he doesn't rest, but he won't listen."
Jennan was not listening either. She had lost her brother with his first sentence, and she turned back to the house hastily. "Thank you," she said as she walked away.
"Wait!" Matayo called. "What's the rush? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine!" Jennan called back, and went around the house at a near run. She slowed down to a lady-like walk when she came in sight of the pasture, and saw just what she was looking for. Link was back to his job of breaking the wild horse Night Rider, and Jennan hesitated for a moment by the corner of the house. She tried hard to ignore the sick feeling in her stomach, but she knew that what she was about to do had to be done at some point, so it might as well be now.
She made her way down the small slope in front of her, then walked along the outside edge of the fence until she was just a few yards away from Link, whose back was to her and then the horse in front of him. It surprised her to see that Night Rider was wearing a bridle and standing calmly as Link pressed the bit into its mouth with his thumb and forefinger. The horse put up no fight; just opened its mouth to the feel of Link's fingers, and then clamped down on the bit once the boy pulled back. Jennan was impressed.
"Link, that's amazing," she said gently. Night Rider already knew she was there, but she wanted to keep her voice low just in case he spooked. But he did not.
"It is," Link replied, grasping the bridle with his left hand and turning to face Jennan. It was so like him to not take the praise for himself, but act as if this near-miracle had happened by chance. Jennan liked this humbleness.
She folded her arms and leaned them on the wooden fence. "You have such a way with horses. He's not even on edge."
Link ran his free hand over Night Rider's muzzle. "Henry tried to convince me that I was doing it wrong. He said if I didn't use a whip, I'd never get anywhere."
"Henry thinks he knows everything."
"I told him I knew what I was doing, and that a whip doesn't tame a horse. It just causes pain until the horse reaches subjection, and then you have no bond at all. He got angry and yelled that I'd break something, and it wouldn't be the horse. Then he walked off to go sulk somewhere, I imagine."
Jennan had to laugh as she pictured this in her head. It sounded just like something Henry would do. "Henry shouldn't talk of things that he doesn't know about. And anyway, it's obvious that you know what you're doing."
Jennan did not really know that it was unusual for Link to talk like this, or to use as many words as he just had, but he felt comfortable talking to her, for her knew that she would not put him down or criticize. He usually did not talk in such a joking manner either, and he wondered if she knew that or not.
Link said something to the horse in Hylian, and then Jennan realized that she loved the sound of the Hylian tongue. Though she could not understand a word, she could listen to just the mere sound and not grow tired of it, and almost said so before catching herself. That might sound a little strange.
"I've always lived around horses," Link said. Then he abruptly changed the subject with, "Did you see Rhashidi this morning?"
"No, how is he?'
"You would never know he was wounded if you couldn't see it. I don't think anything can get him down, or at least not for long."
"I can tell he's really tough," Jennan said. "He's always been that way, hasn't he?"
"As long as I've known him, at least." Link rubbed Night Rider between the ears. "He doesn't even think twice before throwing himself into a dangerous situation."
"I still can't believe he took down that mountain cat," Jennan breathed. She had gotten so engrossed in conversation that she had forgotten the reason she had come down here.
"You wouldn't believe how strong he really is," Link continued, oblivious to her thoughts. "I wouldn't want to be the one he was angry with."
Jennan was suddenly very curious about Link's past, and she had a quick and playful spark in her eye that Link obviously noticed. He looked at her questioningly, like he wondered what was going on inside her head, and she took a step back from the fence and waved him forward.
"Come with me," she said, a mysterious smile on her face.
Link laughed a little while he said, "Where?"
Jennan took another step backwards. "You can get back to work later. Come on." She waved him forward again, and after a moment of hesitating, he gave in and grabbed the top of the fence with one hand and jumped over in one motion. Jennan headed off towards the woods, and Link followed at a pace or two behind her. She herself was unsure at why exactly she was doing this, but she felt like talking. She did not want to be interrupted, and there was more chance of that happening close to the house than out in the woods.
She changed course suddenly, towards the stables, and slowed down a little to where Link caught up with her. "If we're going to walk, we might as well ride," she said, nodding to the stables. Then she turned to look at Link with an eyebrow raised and a smile on her face. "I know how to ride a horse fine, but you could always help me do better..."
"You want me to show you how to ride?"
Jennan nodded quickly. "You can ride Epona. I know you don't get to do that much." She looked around the corner of the trees and was glad to see that Matayo was no longer there chopping wood.
Link was satisfied with this idea. He did not get to ride his horse near as much as he wanted, and it was just like Jennan to come up with a good idea such as this. He had not been trail riding in awhile, and with a beautiful girl like this, probably never. The two of them entered the stables through the open double-doors, and Epona immediately nickered at the sight of Link.
Jennan laughed. "She missed you."
Link opened the door to her stall and fondled her flaxen mane as she pressed her muzzle into his shoulder. "I guess she's not used to being away from me for that long."
Jennan went to the stall of her own horse, a beautiful palomino mare. Everyone in Dorobis' family had their own horse, but Artos was always the one who took care of them. "I'm not sure exactly how to tack her up. Artos always does that."
Link left Epona and took an English styled saddle and bridle from their places on the wall. "I'll do it." Jennan had thought he would say that, and she watched carefully as he threw on blankets, put the tack in place, tightened cinches and straps, and finally handed the reins over to Jennan.
"You're quick at that," she complimented, and he shrugged somewhat bashfully and moved on to Epona's tack, which was Western style and up on the wall with the rest of everything else. He had her tacked up as well in a flash, and he stopped at the door of the stable to help Jennan into her horse's saddle. He used his left hand for her to step into, and once she did the other was on her back to steady her as she gripped the horse's mane and mounted. She was not in the mood at all to sit like a lady, so instead settled herself into the saddle like how a man rides, a foot in each stirrup, and situated her skirts over the horse's back.
"Thank you," she said to Link, and gathered the reins up in her small hands and watched with interest as he mounted Epona. It was one very smooth, effortless motion on his part, and Jennan could tell just by looking that he had been riding horses for most of his life. She also took note of how he and his horse seemed to nearly be one body of movement when they were together, and she found herself wishing that she could ride like that.
Link seemed to be feeling a little nervous; Jennan could tell this just by his body language and how he kept eyeing her. She could not tell what was on his mind, but she felt giddy and was not even sure what was on hers.
She kicked her horse gently and was carried out of the stable at a trot. Link nudged Epona with his knees and followed a few steps behind before catching up and falling in line beside Jennan. She guided her horse into the woods, through tall weeds and over few small logs before slowing her horse down to a walk and travelling parallel to the creek, heading up the slighty slanted hill that she knew would eventually lead to small waterfall in the creek if they walked long enough.
Epona fell in step beside Jennan's horse on the left side, and they rode on in silence until, to Jennan's satisfaction, they finally reached her favorite part of the creek, where she had sat beside the waterfall and talked with Link while he had worked. She pulled her horse to a stop in the middle of the round dark place on the earth where the pile of reeds had burnt down the night before, and looked out over the creek.
Link reined in Epona and looked over at Jennan with an eyebrow raised. "You already ride very well for a girl. But if you want me to show you a different way, I will..."
"Oh, I do!" Jennan exclaimed. "I want to have the posture you have when you ride."
Link grinned. "And how do I ride?"
Jennan thought for a moment before saying, "As if you were born in the saddle. I want to look professional when I ride. I know it takes time, but I'm a quick learner." She made her voice sound hopeful, and she really was. But honestly she did not care much for how she looked when she rode a horse; she just wanted to have an excuse to spend time with Link without being too obvious as to why she wanted to be around him. Then she figured that after today, it would not matter because she still had her mind set on telling him her feelings at some point or another.
"I can tell you are," Link said. "I just don't think I'm the best teacher."
Jennan thought to herself, I could learn anything from you, but said, "That's all right. Please show me."
He finally agreed, and for the next two hours he gave her tips on how to hold herself in the saddle, when to loosen the reins, how to straighten her back without developing a cramp, how to feel the horse's mouth through the reins and tell if it was either soft mouthed or not, when to relax, when to tighten up, and so on. He would demonstrate his meaning on Epona, and Jennan would study him until she thought she had it all down, and then try it herself to either succeed or fail. Link had said that he was not a good teacher, but Jennan did not agree. He never raised his voice or got frustrated, and if she made a mistake he would calmly show her again how to do it right. She did pick up on what he was trying to show her, but mostly as he demonstrated she spent her time making eyes at him when he was not looking.
Link never moved the lesson out of a trot, but Jennan wanted to try at least a canter. She had never been on the back of a galloping horse before, and she did not think she was yet brave enough to try, so she asked if he would show her how to hold her gait in a canter. He hesitated for a moment, obviously thinking of her safety, but then gave into her anxious look and showed her. She repeated after him, but was having trouble with moving with her horse's quick steps and staying smooth, and she pointed this out.
"I think you're doing fine," Link said, and dismounted Epona. He threw her reins around a low branch of a tree and came to stand at the left side of Jennan's horse, who had stopped at the creek to get a drink of water. Link looked up at Jennan with a crooked smile. "Women don't usually have such an interest in riding. What makes you take to it?"
Jennan quickly looked away, down at the rippling water, and debated whether or not she should say the truth. The most natural thing to her at this point was to say something opposite to the truth to avoid embarrassment, but then she remembered the main reason she had asked him to take a trail ride with her, and she knew that he would never really know that she liked him unless she said so herself. "You like horses. And I like your company."
Link was silent for quite a few seconds, and Jennan was beginning to think that she had offended him in some way until he said, "I was hoping you'd say something like that."
Jennan's eyes snapped to his face. "Were you?"
He reached both hands up to her and said gently, "Come down." She swung her right leg over the back of her horse's neck and slid down off the left side of the saddle, where Link caught her with a hand on each side of her waist, and he let her down carefully to the ground. They were standing very close now, his hands still on her waist, but neither of them made a move to step away. Jennan still had a hand on each of his forearms where she had held onto as he had taken her from off the horse, and she was clutching around the leather guards on his arms tightly.
"Link," she said, swallowing hard and staring up at his face nervously. "I have to tell you that... I... I want to say..." She let out a hard sigh. "Well, it's... I... I..."
Link's fingers touched her stammering mouth lightly and silenced her. "Shh. I know. And I have to say that I feel the same way about you."
He was known for having trouble with words, but here Jennan was the one who had been stammering. She was very surprised at his last sentence and the honesty in his voice, and she took a breath to give her amazed reply when he suddenly leaned forward and his lips met hers in an open-mouthed kiss. Jennan quickly made herself recover from the shock of it and grasped the back of his neck with both hands, closed her eyes, and returned the kiss.
-O-
Well, that was a long chapter, and it's about time I got it done. Anyways, at the end of the last chapter when I mentioned a death, I wasn't just pulling all of your legs. The mountain cat died! Haha! I just had to have a little suspense and make you think something awful was going to happen. So, I'd better get some good reviews here... or they don't even have to be good if you want to flame, just as long as they're reviews.