I do not own Merlin. All rights go to BBC. But I do own Leashay and all her ways.
The next morning, Merlin was up at the usual time, he went and did everything Arthur had for him to do, having everything done by mid morning. Merlin had thought that he would have the rest of the day to himself, but he was sadly wrong. He was helping Gaius in the infirmary with a few things when Arthur came in telling him to go get his horse ready and they were going hunting. So here Merlin was walking into the stables getting Arthur's horse ready, along with his own. He had taken Arthur's horse and tied it outside the stall. He was about to walk into the tack room, but he stopped in the door way, to look in on the strange sight. He looked in to see Leashay and her elk fast asleep in the hay on the floor. The elk was lying down and Leashay was leaned against him with a blanket over her. Merlin thought that he could sneak past them and grab Arthur's saddle, but he was very wrong. He stepped into the tack room, in an instant Leashay had woken up and launched up and at Merlin, pulling a knife out of her moccasin and tackling Merlin, pinning him to the ground with the knife at his throat. "I'm Sorry! I wasn't going to do anything I swear!" Merlin said, lying still as he could. Leashay looked at him and relaxed her grip. "Oh my lord! I am soo sorry! I didn't mean to do that. Are you ok?"She said standing up and putting her knife back in her moccasin. She offered Merlin a hand up, and looked at him, "I'm soo sorry." She said as she began to brush off his shoulders. "It's ok. I should have been quieter." He said looking down at her. "You could not have been any quieter." She laughed "I'm Leashay" "I'm Merlin" he said, he looked up and saw the elk looking at him, it seemed to be studying him. Leashay looked over at him "Rownoch don't worry Merlin is a friend and is sorry that he woke us." Leashay said to the elk. He seemed to understand her and nodded his head and laid his head back down. "So what were you doing in here anyway?" she asked him. "I was going to get Arthur's horse ready to go hunting." He said walking over to Arthur's saddle. "Leashay do you have a place to stay?" he asked "Well no I don't." she said "Well we have an extra bed were I stay with the court physician, Gaius." Merlin said "well thank you, I could stay with you if that s all right." She said "Its fine." He said. "Well I have nothing to do, so I can help you. Tell me which horse is yours and I'll get it ready for you." She said. "Well thanks; he's the dark bay on the end of the line on the right." Merlin said. "Okay." Leashay walked down the stall line to the stall that Merlin's horse was in. The bay was standing there, munching on hay. "Hello, thy beauty." She said telepathically to the horse as she walked into the stall, the horse stopped eating and looked up at her. "You can talk with your mind human?" he asked in the same fashion. "Yes, I can and do you have a name?" she said stroking his neck. "I am Tonto." He said as Leashay put the halter on him and led him out of the stall and tied him up next to Arthur's horse. She continued to talk to Tonto, while she brushed him and talked to Merlin who was brushing Arthur's horse. She walked into the tack room where Rownoch was still asleep, the 500 mile trek had been hard on him, and he needed the rest. She walked over to Merlin's saddle. It was much different then hers, it was larger, bulkier, and heavier. It didn't have a horn in the front like hers, but she lifted it with ease and carried it out towards Tonto. "Don't blow out your stomach, all right." She said as she began to tighten the cinch on him. Bothe Leashay and Merlin got their horses all tacked up at the same time. Then Arthur came around the corner and looked up at them "Well Merlin, I'm impressed. You have all the horses ready." He said not seeing Leashay on the other side of Tonto. "Well he had some help." She said coming around the side of the horse, "Oh Leashay, I didn't see you their sorry." He said "oh its fine no worries." She said "Okay, well Merlin lets go." He said swinging up onto his horse, Merlin did the same. "Oh and Leashay my father wants you to pick and train me a new war horse." He said. "Isn't that your war horse?" she asked looking at the horse he was on. "No this is my hunting horse, my old war horse was killed a while back" he said making the horse move forward "and you can pick a horse out of the three year olds in the north barn. Thanks." And he and Merlin ran off out of the stable yard. Leashay watched them go, then turned back into the stable and walked into the tack room where she grabbed her breakfast out of her bag, and began to walk over to the north barn to pick Arthur's new war horse. She walked along the stalls looking and talking to each of the horses, figuring out if they would be good war horses. The king didn't have many flashy horses, mostly bays, whites, and grays. The horses of Leahsay's home land were paints, buckskins, roans, and blacks. Leashay walked along, not really liking the horses she had seen. Then she looked into the end stall, their stood a tall black stallion. "Hello their beauty." She said, opening the stall and walking in. "So you are the human that can mind talk I have been hearing about?" he said looking at her. "Yes I am. Do you have a name?" she asked petting his head. He was a stunning horse he had long main and tail, all pure black. "I was never given a name." he said "Well then may I name you?' she asked. "I would be honored to be given a name by a Tigrean." He said. All the horses knew what she really was. "I will name you after dark warrior; one who was unbeatable on the battle field, your name is Shaton." She said putting a halter on him. "I am honored." He said as she led him down the stalls. She tied him to a rail outside the stable and began to groom him. Brushing his coat and such she combed out his main and braided it, his main was so long and thick that she had at least 20 braids in it. She talked to him the whole time, explaining what she would be teaching him over the next few days. He was okay with this especially when she told him he would be Prince Arthur's new war horse. "Really? I 'm going to be the prince's horse?" he sounded excited. "Yes you are and you will be the best horse he has ever had." Leashay said looking at him. He seemed to swell with pride. Merlin had said that he would show her where she could stay after he was done hunting with Arthur, and cleaning all the game they got. So she spent three hours grooming and talking to Shaton. Then she put him away and she went to Rownoch. The elk had woken up and was eating the hay. "Good morning. Arthur said that you can have the stall on the end of the line across from Merlin's horse's stall." She said. "Well that sounds nice." He said. Getting up and fallowing Leashay down the stall line to the stall. The stall was and old stallion stall so it was double the size of a normal one, which was good for Rownoch, since he was so big. So Leashay sat with him in the stall while he ate. "You know Merlin has a secret like us." Rownoch said "He does? How do you know?"Leashay asked him. "While you were talking to him I read his mind." He said "what did you find? Tell me!" she said poking his neck. "Calm down. Merlin has magic. He's a Warlock." Rownoch said looking at her. "He is!" she said in surprise. "Yes he is, he is keeping it hidden so they don't kill him." He said. "Wow I wouldn't have thought. Waite, do you think we can trust him with our secret?" she asked him. "I believe he is trust worthy." He said "but you are the one who will tell him, so you decide." Okay." she said as she got up and walked out of the stall "thanks, see you later." She walked out of the stable to see Merlin and Arthur returning. They stopped in front of her, Arthur got off his horse and shoved the rains into Leashay's hands, and he looked pissed off. "I'm sorry Leashay, he's a little mad, he fell off his horse." Merlin said hopping off his and taking the rains from her. "Oh its fine. Everyone has a bad day" she said looking at him "Yaa Arthur has a lot of those" Merlin laughed "Well I better go clean Arthur's catch. I'll see you later ok." That's fine; I was going for a walk anyway." She said as she began to walk away. Leashay knew he would fallow her, she also knew that he was lying about going to clean Arthur's catch, because she couldn't smell any game on them. Even when morphed like this Leashay still had all the abilities of a Tigrean. She had the smell, sight, hearing abilities of a cat. She walked along the trees, completely aware that Merlin was fallowing along behind her, she was going to show him what she really was out here, but she was going to have fun with it. She ran up behind a tree where Merlin couldn't see her. She morphed into her natural form and silently climbed up into the tree, where she perched on one of the lower braches; she was hidden but could clearly see the ground. She watched as Merlin walked below her then stopped, he looked round trying to figure out where Leashay was. Leashay was silently watching him, she inhaled his sent, which was very strong, she could hear his heart beat, which was quickening as he began to panic thinking that he had lost her, ohhh he was soo wrong. Leashay waited for Merlin to turn around then she sprung down off the branch at Merlin! She dove at him with her ears pinned, fangs bared and claws sheathed. She hit him and tackled him to the ground like she had that morning. She pinned him down by the shoulders and began roaring and hissing at him like a cat. She loved the look of sheer terror on his face. Merlin was not as happy as her though. He thought he was going to die! He looked at the snarling face above him and was shocked that he was looking at Leashay. He watched the snarling face slowly turn to a smile and the roars turned into laughter as she rolled off of him onto the ground next to him. Merlin leaned up and looked at her "You should have seen the look on your face!Hahahahahahaha!" she laughed. "Who are you!" Merlin asked in a forceful tone. "Last I checked hahahaha I'm Leashay Stastriker Tigrean hahahahaha!" she said as she continued to laugh. "Okaayy, then what are you?" he asked again. Leashay had finally calmed down enough to talk with out laughing "I'm a Tigrean." She said getting up on her feet. Merlin looked at her, she had changed quite dramatically, and she had silver and black striped wings, with a tail. She had ears on the top of her head like a cats, there was a crest of feathers down her spine and tail that started between her ears. "You're not human!" he said as Leashay helped him up. "I am far from human, Merlin." She said looking at him. "I'm not the only one with a secret." "What are you talking about?" Merlin said, trying to seem as innocent as possible. "Ohh don't lie to me, you have magic." She said "How do you know this?" he said looking at her. "Rownoch told me!" she said, a little offended, "Waite, you mean that your elk can talk?" Merlin said, completely confused. "Yes he can speak and understand human easily. I can also talk to him telepathically." She said. Merlin watched as Leashay began to glow and with a flash, she appeared human again. "Ohhhh….." Merlin said. "Come on we should head back. It's almost dark." Leashay said as she began to walk back towards the castle, Merlin fallowed her. On the way back Leashay explained to Merlin what she was, how Rownoch and her were connected. She told him how she used her telepathic abilities to talk to animals. They came to the stables, and Leashay stopped. "Come on, I need to say good night to Rownoch." She said as she walked into the stable. She walked into Rownoch's stall. "Hello warlock, I take it Leashay has told you about us?" he said telepathically to Merlin. Merlin jumped a little, "You really can talk!" he said looking at the elk. "Yes I can." He said. "Sorry boys may I cut in?" Leashay said telepathically, "Ohh yes." Rownoch said "Shur" Merlin said, "Okay, well good night Rownoch, we need to go in now." She said. "That is fine, goodnight both of you" he said looking up at them. "Night." Merlin said. Merlin led Leashay into the castle, to the infirmary were he stayed with Gaius. They walked in, Leashay holding all her bags. "Ohh hello Merlin, you are late this evening." Gaius said looking up and seeing Leashay "Ohh Leashay I didn't see you there." "It's fine." She said "I told her she could stay here with us. She could use the extra bed we have." Merlin said walking over to the table where Gaius sat, with Leashay behind him. "That's fine; she can use the extra bed in your room." Gaius said. "Wait I thought that the extra bed was in here?" Merlin asked. "No, the only beds in here are my bed and the medical beds." Gaius said giving Merlin a look of "you got yourself into this so live with it. "Okay, this way Leashay." Merlin said, leading Leashay up to his room. They came into is room and he walked over to the empty bed, "this is your bed." He said pointing to it. "That one is mine." Pointing at the other bed. "Thank you Merlin." She said walking over to it and setting her things on the ground next to it. She hopped up on to the bed and stretched out on it "this feels sooo good! I haven't slept on an actual bed in 6 weeks." She said. Merlin smiled and laughed at her. He liked her she was a good friend. He looked at her and realized that Arthur was right, Leashay was pretty, actually Leashay was very pretty. She had beautiful dark green eyes, with short golden blond hair that looked like rays of sunlight. He was snapped out of his thoughts when Gaius knocked at the door, "Dinner is done." He said. Merlin hopped off his bed and began to walk out to the table. Leashay stayed back and grabbed a small bag out of her saddle bag and walked out and sat next to Merlin at the table, she dumped the bag on the table, it was a pine of jerky. "Where did you get this?" Gaius asked. "I have a friend back home who made me a bunch for my trip; this is the last of it." She said picking up a piece and eating it. "Well thank you for sharing with us." He said, they ate their dinner quickly, talking the whole time. Finally after they were finished, Leashay helped Merlin with the dishes, talking to him and Gaius as she did. "Well I'm going to turn in. I suggest you two do the same." Gaius said after they were finished. "All right, thank you for letting me stay here with you." Leashay said as she fallowed Merlin into their room "goodnight." "Goodnight you two." Gaius said. Merlin went over to his bed and pulled off his over shirt, he lay down on his back and looked over to Leashay. He watched as she pulled off her long sleeve shirt and was in a short sleeve one, Merlin had never seen a girl ware that sort of thing be for. She then took off her moccasins and then her pants; she was in a pair of pants that only went to her knees. Poor Merlin was a little shocked, but watched as she dove under the blankets and curled up in them. "Thank you Merlin, and goodnight." She said looking over to him. "You welcome, goodnight Leashay." he said looking at her. He watched her fall asleep; she looked so peace full as she slept. Her gold hair shined in the moon light. Merlin lie back, the in the silence of the night a musical call rang out. Merlin wondered what it was when he heard Leashay's telepathic voice, "Rownoch is telling us goodnight." She said, "Okay" he said, and then he too fell asleep.
Wow that was a really long chapter lol. Idk when the next chapter will be, with the way farming is, u have to expect the unexpected and know that worse can happen and it usually does. Lol! If you don't know what an elk call sounds like look up elk calls on youtube. Please review! I don't care what you say. It all helps! :D
