long-roads-travelled

[long-roads-travelled]

Chapter 7 Part 1

I lit a fire in the fireplace, trying to be quiet so I wouldn’t bother Ossian and Deklan. It was just three in the morning, according to the clock in the kitchen, and I’ve only slept an hour. I sighed when the fire went and promptly sat on the floor in front of it, my hugging my knees in the otherwise dark and lifeless room. The few mounted heads of rabbits and rams Dek had killed long ago leered at me from the wall to my left.

Owl’s hooting and fox’s barks somewhere out in the woods kept me company in the dimness. The crackling of the fire did too, but it wasn’t living. The flame itself was comforting to stare into, but not enough tonight.

The scuffle I had with Duana a couple days ago hadn’t stopped bothering me. It wasn’t because of Duana herself, though. The way she gripped my neck… well, it brought back memories. Memories I’ve tried so hard to erase that wouldn’t stop trickling back now. I wasn’t yet strong enough to fight them back for good, it seems. Memories, distant shouts of my father’s neverending anger and the far-away shattering of things began to take me over, stomping down any rational thought I’d had beforehand.

I started rocking back and forth, biting my lip with my ears fully pinned. My da’s angry, whiskey-slurred voice rang out in my head nonstop, telling me about how I’d never be worth anything no matter who married me. My ma’s voice shouting, berating me for being unable to have a child most times, hating how I couldn’t keep a spouse. Both of them getting violent.

I began to breathe harder than usual, squeezing my eyes shut and trying to block out the voices, but to no avail. I couldn’t hear anything else. I felt like I was back there. I thought I was.

“You’ll never be worth shit,” I heard. “You’re a damn slag! It’s no wonder you can’t keep anyone you marry!” he bellowed, that gravelly, commanding voice erupting from his throat and echoing through the raggedy old house.

He finished the whiskey and threw the bottle at me with the force of the winter winds on the coast, but missed. I heard the shattering of glass on the wood floor. “Can’t have no kids, can’t ‘ardly weave. Wha’s the point’a ya?! Layin’ ‘round here, wastin’ me precious time!”

I could only sob. It wouldn’t stop.

“A worthless scanger!” He found a fag in his pocket and lit it. A puff of smoke came from his mouth soon after. “I ought’a kill ya. Feed ya to the hounds, out in them feckin’ fields!” I could see him get closer, pointing at me. “You are dead to me. A disappointment! I should’a had a wee laddie. I bleedin’ deserve one!” He threw his fist back, winding up.

I felt a large hand on my shoulder as soon as my father reeled back, flinching away from it hard. I heard a voice, but couldn’t register who it was. “Go ‘way, g-go ‘way!” I pleaded, wailing. “I haven’t d-done an-nythin’!”

“Connie! Hey!” went the voice. I finally recognized it was Deklan, whimpering quietly as I came back to reality, curled up and rocking.

“Connie, you’re okay. You’re safe. Ossian and I are here. Calm down,” he said with the softest voice, keeping a fair distance away and crouched. “Whatever’s got you panicking isn’t here anymore.”

“Mm…” I kept my eyes down, my tail thrashing across the rug. One of them draped a quilt around my shoulders and I basically hid in it. I grunted and rubbed my belly before crossing my arm over it.

“Back with us, mate?” Dek asked. His patience was unmatched.

“Y-yeah,” I muttered. I rubbed my eyes, sniffling. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. It happens,” Dek whispered. He held a hand out towards me, an attempt to be supportive. I looked at it warily, then hesitantly took it. “There we are. Just calm yourself down, Connie,” he crooned, squeezing my hand with the most sincere gentleness. He inched closer, always making sure I was okay with it.

I sighed shakily and looked back down at the floor. I felt horrible for waking them up this early, but I wouldn’t dare say anything. I pulled the quilt tighter around myself, then rubbed my eye, still shaking like a wee leaf.

“Tea?” Ossian offered. I hadn’t noticed he was there, so I jumped, but nodded and took the mug, sniffing it before I sipped it.

Sterrin the buzzard flew out of his cage and landed on the floor in front of me, tilting his head. He’d been away for a couple days, so to see him safe and well again was a relief. I sighed quietly and extended my leg, letting him hop onto what wasn’t under a blanket, rubbing my arm as I took a sip of my tea.

The three of us sat in a comfortable silence for a good while, maybe an hour, Ossian and Dek knowing I preferred it like that when I was upset.

I stared into the fire, mesmerized by it. Who wouldn’t be? I got lost in my thoughts, absently running my thumb back and forth on my bicep. I didn’t pay any mind when Ossian told Deklan that he was going back to bed.

I knew my parents were miles away now—Hell, they were on the opposite end of the island—but for some reason, I still felt panic and dread when they came to mind. Would they come looking for me? Kill me for running? I don’t know. It was a hellish thing to think about, but it came up almost every night, even five years later.

“Hey,” Deklan whispered after the silence, “you wanna talk about it?”

“Uhm.” I shifted uncomfortably, flicking an ear lightly. I cleared my throat. “Not really.”

“That’s okay, I understand,” he hummed, his voice soft and comforting. “I’m here if you ever do.”

“Thanks,” I sighed. Eventually, I looked at him, understandably shy. “Uh. Would ya mind if I... slept in your room with you?”

“Sure man, whatever you think’s gonna help.” Dek got up, helping me up as well. Sterrin squawked and hopped off of my leg when I moved, going off elsewhere.

I followed Deklan back to the guest room he was staying in, rubbing my side, my ears still pinned back. He let me get settled in bed, saying he’d go put out the fireplace. I let him, curled up against the rickety headboard by the time he came back a few minutes later.

—————————

As the sun rose slowly over our patch of woods, a few birds chirped to welcome its presence, the rustle of woodland creatures outside providing background noise. It had finally stopped snowing and the clouds have dispersed. The measly rays of the winter sun peeked through the curtains, so Sterrin hopped out of the makeshift nest that was underneath one nightstand and fluttered up onto the bed, waddling over our legs. They must’ve seemed mountainous to him.

That combined with the sun hitting my face made me finally wake up. I’d slept better with Dek there than I expected, but I wasn’t complaining. I grunted and shooed Sterrin away, which made him squawk, but he did hop off and go into another room. Presumably to Ossian’s room to pester him for food instead. I chuckled at the thought of it; that scrawny bit of a stallion, being harassed by a buzzard! What a sight.

There was a squawk and a distant gekker of surprise from Ossian’s room, followed by muffled jabbering and hoofsteps towards the kitchen a minute later. Atta boy, Sterrin.

I moved to lay back against my elbows, looking down at the still-sleeping Dek beside me. The gargantuan bey he was could hardly fit on the bed, which was obviously made for the humans before us who were under 185 centimeters, so he’d curled up during the night. His hair was fantastically bonkers, too. The fact that I was friends with one of the most amazing beygir in town was astonishing, really. A lowlife runaway like me actually making friends was a shock on its own.

I debated whether or not I should wake him up. I did keep them up pretty late the night before, so I decided not to, as much as I needed one of his absolutely fucking stellar hugs right now. I guess it would be best to let him sleep. Mustn’t risk a cranky giant stomping around.

I stared at him, tracing his face with my eyes as I got to thinking about the question he’d asked me in the woods during our little walk back from the river ages ago. Were things better in Rosnya? Skies above, what a loaded question. I didn’t have a clue. Surely it’s better than this righteous hellhole. All the papers say that Rosyna’s a treacherous land, but knowing the Cotharian government, well…

Bah, I mustn’t get too down on that. I’ve already got myself to get me upset. I’m sure Rosnya’s just fine. I’ve heard that the Rosnyan Empress—Sarangerel, I think—is a bit aloof and awkward, but she seems like a good bey. She cares, or at least tries her hardest to. That’s got to be at least somewhat admirable.

Outside, a nearby bird chirped, snapping me out of my thoughts again. I sat upright again and leaned over Deklan to grab my sketchpad from my nightstand, pursing my lips at the effort it took to not topple onto him. Like I said, don’t want a cranky giant.

“Aha! Got you, bitch,” I muttered to myself upon grabbing the sketchpad and pencil. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed to face the window, then began to draw the usual, yet undeniably stunning, scenery outside. How could I not?

I sighed through my nose, pausing my hand for a minute to think and look up, which was when I also rubbed across my chest absentmindedly. A wee habit of mine, let’s say. I kept on with sketching out the low-lying shrubbery, twisting my hoof as I focused. It was a good time killer, this.

A good while passed—I don’t know how long exactly, but I was nearly halfway done—before I felt the bed shift. I closed the pad and looked behind me to see Dek grumbling with his arm over his eyes. He muttered something about the sun being a cunt, which made me snicker.

“Good mornin’ to ya, toss-head,” I said teasingly, putting my sketchpad up. “Slept in pretty late.”

“Ah, bugger off,” he whined, raising his hand to wave me off. I giggled again.

“I will never,” I grinned and tapped the white spot on the tip of his nose. “As long as you’re in my house, you’ll deal with me and my annoying ways.”

“Shite.” Deklan groaned and sat up, brushing his hair out of his eyes. “Do I gotta?”

“Yes. Now let’s go see if Ozzy’s made breakfast.” I hopped up, slapping his stomach with a cackle before scampering out to the main room.

“Oi! You—“ Dek huffed and chased me, grabbing me from behind. “Come here, squirt!”

“Lemme go!” I squealed, giggling and squirming around. “Noooo!”

“Feeling better from last night already, hey?” Dek commented, a laugh in his voice now too as he held onto me persistently.

“I might be,” I said through laughs. “Now lemme down, you gargantuan prick!”

“What’re you two gurriers doing?” Ossian chided lightly, peering in from the kitchen at us.

“Connie-boy here slapped my belly when I woke up!”

“And he won’t let me go!” I added, still wiggling around.

“Bozos,” Ossian chuckled. “As long as you aren’t killing each other, I guess.”

Dek and I laughed and went back to it, playful growls filling the the room. I gave up on wiggling and turned around in his arms. I climbed up him, swatting his hands away when he tried to pull me off. Cackling mischievously, I maneuvered around to perch on his shoulders, then draped my miniscule self over his head so my nose was against his beard. “Hello!”

“Bastard,” Dek giggled, lightly slapping his hands on my cheeks.

“Thank you. I take that as a compliment,” I stated confidently. I bit his nose playfully, then wiggled down to the floor while he laughed at me.

I sighed and rolled my shoulders once I was at ground level, running my hand through my wild hair, a smile still on my face. It was nice to get my mind off of things for a bit. I skipped over to see what Ossian was doing, wedging my face under his arm since he was so tall, although I did have to slouch over. He snorted at me in amusement and moved his arm to let me.

“Whatcha makin’?” I asked , grinning when he just giggled and shook his head.

“Ulster fry. Gosh, you’re in a fun mood this morning, huh?” Ossian poked my nose. I nipped at his finger, snorting ridiculously through my nose as I did so, which made him jump slightly and cackle.

“That answer your question?” I giggled, finally taking my head out from under his arm. Deklan was making tea now, which wasn’t necessarily a surprise.

“I guess it does,” Ossian chuckled.

I hummed softly, deciding to go get dressed while those two were busy. I popped into my room and closed the door, flinging off my pajamas. I opened my wardrobe and pulled out a cream-and-black chevron sweater, putting it on over my head before crouching down to find some pants, putting them on too. “Now, a final touch…” I muttered happily to myself, slapping on my old and worn leather flat cap with a grin just after. The black leg wraps went on before I left, going to sit at the kitchen table.

“Aye, the man’s clean on! Goin’ somewhere spiffy today then, mate?” Deklan erupted happily, looking at me.

Shyly, I grinned and shook my head, taking a seat in the chair in front of the window. “Nah. Figured I’d look nice for myself, you know. It helps with things like last night,” I replied honestly, looking down as I ran my finger along the grain of the wooden table. Deklan nodded in understanding and came to sit with me.

“Yeah, I get ya,” he sighed, watching my finger. “What was that about, anyway?”

I bit my lip at that, debating whether or not to tell him. Eventually I just shook my head. “I’ll tell ya later,” I murmured, my tail flicking from side to side rhythmically. “Right now I think it’s time to stuff our faces.”

“Agreed,” Deklan hummed, apparently not minding the change in topic. Ossian came over with plates for each of us and set them down in front of us, a smile on his face, as usual. Dek dove in immediately, and I chuckled at him as I ate in a decent manner, going for the sausage first. A pleased little hum came from my throat.

“By God, Dekkie, slow down. You’ll choke on somethin’,” Ossian chided and lightly gave him a pap on the head. Deklan looked up at him, his cheeks looking quite similar to a chipmunk’s and his fluffy ears pricked forward.

“Oh. Sorry,” he mumbled, his voice muffled by the copious amount of food in his mouth. I giggled at him, which made him turn to look at me. “Wha’s so funny?”

“You— you’re— ha!” I snorted, laughing harder once I could see just how silly his cheeks were. He leaned closer to me, also smiling now, which just made me laugh even harder because of how ridiculous he looked. I hit the table, making the silverware clatter.

“Whaaaat?”

“Stop l-lookin’ at me!” I managed to get out through cackles, waving my hand at him. He giggled and swallowed his food, finally letting me catch my breath. Ossian was laughing at me now too, but mostly at our combined ridiculousness.

I kept giggling to myself anyway, in a drastically better mood than last night, which I intended to remain. I sighed eventually and continued on with eating my breakfast. We sat in a comfortable silence after that. Ossian finished first and got up to take his plate to the sink, his usual humming emanating from wherever he was.

“Lads,” Dek spoke up, “we should take a wee trip into town. See if we can find our mate Officer O’Driscoll,” he proposed, turning to look at Ossian when he said the last part. Ossian, unsurprisingly, perked up at that.

“Sure, I can do that. Let me get myself together,” Ozzy said giddily.

Deklan turned to look at me, his bushy blond eyebrows raised. “Whaddabout you, rawny?”

“I guess I can tag along,” I shrugged. “I still don’t like him much.”

“He’s a fine man, Connie.”

“Sure, but, well… I don’t trust the military,” I stated. I feel like I’ve said that millions of times in the past month.

“Give ‘im a chance, mate. He seems harmless enough,” Dek whined at me, his ears pinning and tail snaking about. It was hard to say no to him when he pulled that move.

“Ugh… Alright, fine. I will.” I rapped my fingers on the table before getting up. Deklan fist pumped in triumph, then headed off to put on better clothes, leaving me alone in the main room.

I looked around the place and sighed. My ears went back after a minute. I couldn’t help but acknowledge the feeling that something would go wrong today. Sighing, I shook my head and dismissed it just as the other two came back. They were pestering each other and laughing, as usual.

“Hey! Ready to go, pipsqueak?” Deklan chirped excitedly, stealing my cap to ruffle up my hair.

I snorted and turned to try and get it back, but he held it far above my head. “Really?” I huffed. Dek just snickered and nodded. “You’re forgetting something.” I jumped onto him, climbing up his tree trunk of a body, to which he squealed.

“Bastard! That’s cheating!”

“I’m getting it back fair ‘n square, shut up,” I snickered, giving him a pap on the head as I grabbed my cap back. I jumped down and put it back on with a victorious sigh.

“Whatever,” he chuckled, wiping off his shirt. He grabbed his canvas jacket and tossed me my trench coat, which I caught easily and put on. “No more climbin’ me.”

“Fine.”

“You two are ridiculous,” Ossian giggled as he put on his coat, shaking his head at us, making us giggle as well. He led the way out, Dek and I following him. Once we were on the path to town we picked up to a trot, but for me to keep up with their kilometer-long legs, I had to canter. Guess I didn’t mind some exercise.

—————————————

(this is labeled part 1 b/c i post from my phone so i have a paragraph limit and also it’s been too long since i’ve posted)

[long-roads-travelled]

Chapter 6

I sighed as I took up a flying pace, trying to make it to the bakery. It hadn’t snowed in a couple days now, but it was just cold and cloudy enough so that what was already there stayed around. My hooves crunched the stuff with every hoof-fall, some of the snow getting wedged in because of the force of the impact. I grunted in discomfort but kept up my gait. I was to work with Channe and Deidre today, I was told, since Ossian was taking a sick day. Deidre’d scold me into oblivion if I was late, so I tried to get there quickly.

Panting, I got there just before the bakery opened. I stopped when I was inside and leaned over, putting my hands on my knees.

“Conroy! How good of ya to join us,” Channe exclaimed, that silvery voice of his coming from the counters where we baked. “Sleep in, did ya?”

“A wee bit,” I huffed. I stood up straight again and walked back to accompany the jet-haired lad, hanging my trench coat on the wall rack. I rolled up my sleeves and put on my apron.

Deidre brushed past us to open the doors, her movements appearing purposeful. She turned and looked at us. “Havin’ a gas are we, boys?”

“No, ma’am,” we said defeatedly in unison. Deidre was much older than us and had a bit of an iron fist, which didn’t make a ton of sense, seeing as how this is a bakery. Needless to say I didn’t care for her much.

Channe and I got to work, chatting quietly. I did the scones and pies, eventually getting too focused to talk and going silent. Deidre handled anyone who came in.

I found myself lost in my thoughts. It wasn’t unusual for me to do that during work, really. The concept of Deklan being in a bad relationship without me knowing was just… I don’t know. I was conflicted. One part of me wanted to be angry that he didn’t tell me when it got violent, but the other part wanted to be kind and sympathetic. I know what that situation can be like and I want to help, yet he won’t let me. It’s frustrating.

I grunted, shaking my head at all that. I finished the first batch of scones and put it up in the display counter. I wiped my hands on my apron, waving my tail. Returning to my area, I began the pies, tuning out the ringing of the bell that meant someone came in as time dragged on.

“Reid!” A voice barked. I snapped out of my focus, about to respond when they spoke again. It was Duana.

She grabbed my collar, yanking me into the back room and easily slamming me into the wall. I pinned my ears, instinctively scrunching my face into a submissive snarl, my pupils contracting to the size of a pencil tip as I glared at this living rendition of Lucifer himself. Her slitted ones were constantly switching between blown and paper-thin.

“Tell me where Deklan’s gone, you little skank,” Duana ordered, her hand now gripping the underside of my jaw. Without thinking, I didn’t answer and instead growled harder than any bey usually could without rupturing something, baring my teeth again. That made her snort, and she squeezed my neck tighter, her nails digging into the lightly furred skin below the base of my ears.

“I said, tell me where the lumbering gobshite went,” she spat. I was still keeping up my growl, despite the immense pressure on my neck making it harder to breathe.

“Never,” I rasped. “You’d have to kill me first.”

“You’re a feckin’ idiot.”

“I know your type, dear. You’re a coward. You take your happiness from the physical pain of others, inflicted by yourself.” I snapped my teeth when she tried to cover my mouth. I caught her palm in my canines, making her grunt and take it away. I chuckled at her, the sound high-pitched. “You don’t have the goddamn dick to kill me right here, at my job,” I continued, stomping hard on the tile.

“You’ve no idea what I could do to ya right here, Reid. Not a clue,” Duana sneered. I could tell she was already wavering.

“Maybe I don’t. But beygir like you don’t shock me anymore, Duana, I’ve been through the ringer many times,” I stated, “so I know for a fact that a newborn could outsmart your thick, manipulative, and dull thinking,” I continued.

She was momentarily speechless, so I took the opportunity to knock her legs out from under her, making her let go of me and sending her straight to her ass. I took a deep breath and rubbed my neck where she’d been gripping me, rolling my shoulders.

Duana grunted quietly, growling at me from the floor. She was determined to be dominant, I’ll admit, but she was obviously struggling now that she’s been exposed. “Duana, love, you’re gonna have to come to terms that you were never made out to be at the top,” I said nonchalantly, masking the fact that my heart was beating a million miles an hour.

I took a step to her and forcefully shoved her to her back with my hoof, fully intending to cause pain. Duana gave a high-pitched gekker for that sole reason. Stone faced and straight-eared, I knelt down to look her directly in the eye with my forearm on my knee, waiting for some bullshit to come out of her mouth.

“I was. I am,” Duana grumbled. “I’ll fucking prove it.”

“How so?” I asked firmly, tilting my head and keeping steady.

“You’ll see. You all will. Just wait.” She was just covering her backside now.

“What’re you gonna do, Duana? Kill the mayor? Hm?” I rose a brow, scoffing in amusement when she didn’t answer. “Even oul’ Sean could whip your arse till you’re six feet under,” I growled, putting more force on her chest when she tried to get up so she’d stay down. I saw her arm move, so I preemptively sent my fist across her face. Just one swift punch.

“I recommend you make haste and fucking leave me and Deklan alone,” I growled through clenched teeth, getting in her face. She swallowed thickly and nodded, so I let her up, standing. She paused and glared at me. Instinctively, I lunged to grip her neck, warning her with barks of authority.

I didn’t get a grip on her neck, but she finally began to scamper, barking back at me. I vehemently chased her out of the bakery, grabbing for her clothes. I got her shirt, but she didn’t stop running, causing it to rip. I stopped outside the building, scowling and clenching the shred of her shirt I’d gotten, watching as she galloped away with her tail tucked.

I huffed and went back inside. Nobody cared about that exchange. It was the norm.

I shoved the cloth shred into my pocket, rubbing my neck again. Deidre, shockingly, seemed intimidated by me now. As she fucking should be. Who’s dominant now? I thought to myself. So I was getting cocky, who cared.

“Conroy, why don’t you go home?” Deidre said, eyeing me warily.

“Gladly,” I huffed, taking off my apron and tossing it carelessly to the side. I got my coat and put it on, storming out of the bakery the moment I could.

————————————

Curled up in my recliner, I got to reading the one book in the house I haven’t read yet, my glasses on my nose. Ossian was asleep when I got home an hour ago, so I didn’t mind taking some time to recollect myself. I stretched out my legs with a small squeal before coiling up again.

I heard hoofsteps and knew it was Ossian. I looked up, now covered by a blanket. “Hey.”

He jumped a bit, looking at me with his ears perked. “Oh, hi,” he sighed as he rubbed his eye. “Thought you’d still be at work.”

“Deidre let me go early.” I returned my gaze to my book, absently playing with the fluff that was my tail.

“Really? Deidre did?” Ossian rose a brow. “What happened?”

“I got into a bit of a hierarchical confrontation,” I answered honestly, taking my glasses off to rub my eye for a moment.

“Oh, my! Are ya alright?”

“I’m in good form,” I reassured him. He scoffed and came around to get a better look at me, squinting. I soon pinned my ears in discomfort, not really liking his eyes constantly training on me. “Oz. Please stop that.”

“What’s that on your neck?” Ossian asked worriedly, completely disregarding my request. I figured he just didn’t hear me.

“Nothing,” I murmured.

“Doesn’t look like nothing,” he retorted, trying to get closer to me.

“Lay off,” I snapped, growling quietly and burrowing into my blanket more, hiding what I guessed was a hand-shaped bruise on my neck. I felt the chair shift, so I returned with a tiny kick, not intent on doing harm this time.

“Alright, fine,” Ossian sighed. He left me be, sneezing repeatedly once he got to the kitchen.

I stayed fully under the blanket, my eyes dilating to adjust to the light. I zoned out before putting my glasses back on. I knew for sure that Deklan would ask about it too once he was home.

Actually, Dek wasn’t even supposed to be doing anything today!

I shot out of my chair, discarding my book. If Duana had found him, then there was no way Dek was getting out of that possible exchange unharmed.

“Connie, what—”

“Deklan wasn’t supposed to do anything today,” I blurted, “and he’s not here. Duana came looking for him in the bakery. She- Did anyone come by today?”

“Uh, no? I slept in late. I’ve not the slightest idea.”

“Fantastic.” I threw a jacket on as I headed for the back door. Just as I opened it, I was met with a square view of a broad chest covered with red flannel.

“Connie!” Dek chirped in pleasant surprise.

“I- oh, heya,” I muttered, a bit stunned. “What were ya doin’ out?”

“Getting firewood,” he hummed. I let him inside. “We were low.”

“Ah.”

“Hey, what’s up with your neck?” Dek inevitably asked, his face also turning to a state of inquiry.

“Uhm…” I sighed quietly, rubbing my neck again. God damn my paleness. “Well, Duana came into the bakery today and demanded I tell her where you are.”

Deklan went silent at that, his usually relaxed body now visibly tense. I bit my lip. “Did you tell her?” he whispered after a long minute.

“Of course not.” I ran my hand through my hair. “She had the element of surprise on me. Had me against the wall by me neck. I went on autopilot, felt like, and may have hurt her ego,” I explained further, bringing myself to look up at him. “If she’s got her head screwed on right, she won’t be looking for you for a while.”

“Oh. Good,” Dek mumbled, then cleared his throat, fiddling his hands. “Uh, is someone making tea?”

“Ozzy is.” I handed him a quilt, knowing he liked to feel covered when he was stressed too.

“Grand. I’ll have me some of that,” he said, attempting to get the cheeriness back in his voice. He started towards the kitchen and I followed suit.

Dek stopped with a small exclaim, then a chuckle. I looked around him and saw Ossian had curled right back up on the floor and fallen asleep. “This round of the germ’s got him good, huh?”

“Seems so,” I chuckled, going over and gently shaking Ossian’s shoulder. “Hey, bud. Can’t sleep on the floor.”

“Mmwha?” Ossian woke up begrudgingly, looking up at me, his horizontal pupils slightly blown before they went back to their normal size. “Oh. Oops.”

“It’s no problem, ya wee critter you.” I smiled at him, helping him get up. “Ay, why don’t ya go get comfy on the sofa?”

“But... the tea…”

“We’ll handle it. Promise,” I said as I nudged him to the sofa, the lanky lad grunting quietly. “No need to overwork yourself, scruffy.”

“Alright…” Ossian sat down, and I gave him my blanket.

“Get some rest.”

[long-roads-travelled]

Chapter 5

I woke up to Deklan moving around, grumbling quietly under my breath. Sleepy and hardly aware of what I was doing, I wiggled further into him and tightened my hold around his waist.

“Oh, sorry, did I wake ya?” Dek asked, his voice lower than usual and raspy. I sighed and relaxed at the sound.

“Yeah. ‘S fine,” I mumbled. Realizing what I was doing, I rubbed my eye and hesitantly sat up, starting to get off of his lap. He grabbed my arm gently and pulled me back down.

“You can stay here an’ doze if you want,” he murmured, squeezing my bicep before opening his arms. I slumped against him after thinking about it, knowing he probably needed the cuddling more than I do after last night.

I yawned as I put my legs over the arm of the sofa-chair, crossing my arms and looking out the window. It was snowing again. White mounds were covering the ground, the only contrast being the gray and brown trees that circled the cabin, and I could make out a red stag with a decently-sized rack wandering amongst them for a second before it slipped out of sight.

The two of us sat in a comfortable silence for maybe fifteen minutes, but I interrupted it. “How’re you feeling, Dek? Last night seemed pretty rough,” I said with a gentle voice, tilting my head to fix my eyes on his face.

“Uhm,” he hesitated, “I guess I don’t feel that much better…” Dek mumbled, his ears pinned back now.

“That’s okay.” I moved to be sitting on the arm of the chair instead of his lap. “How’re your bruises?”

“Still sore. Ozzy took the ice pack before he left, since it was warm.”

“Want me to get it?”

“If ya wouldn’t mind,” Dek sighed, scratching just behind his ears.

“Of course not.” I smiled at him and squeezed his shoulder. Getting off of my perch, I went to the icebox, my hooves thunking against the floor.

I opened the top and dug for the ice pack, grunting softly since I had to lean over the edge, as it was all the way at the bottom for some reason. The buzzard—Sterrin, we’ve named him—flew in from the other room and landed on the top of a cabinet, a dead mouse in his talons. I paid him no mind. I eventually found the ice pack, standing up and closing the top before heading back over to Dek.

“Here,” I hummed, giving it to him, getting a small nod in return before he tied it over the large bruise on his chest with a series of quiet grunts.

I watched him, sighing to myself. Deklan was so much more fragile than he looked, I knew now, and it was mildly distressing. He curled up and rubbed his eyes, then yawned with a tiny squeak that made me smile ever so slightly.

“Wanna try to go kayaking?” I asked. He needed to distract himself, so I figured this would be better than moping around all day.

“Oh, sure,” he murmured before putting his legs down again and getting up.

“I still have a coat of yours.” I went to grab it from the coat rack, hearing him follow me. I then gave it to him and sighed. “I’ll be right back, I have to put on some proper clothes.”

“‘Kay.” Dek nodded, staying where he was whilst I went off to my room.

I shut my bedroom door as noiselessly as possible, standing there for a moment. I thought to myself, wondering what kind of other things he could be hiding from me. There was no way Duana was the sole reason why he decided to get shitfaced… Was King Kazimir part of it too? He did seem pretty heavily spooked by that gargantuan stallion. I think most of us beys would be, though. His reaction seemed different, like his fear stemmed from something else about Kazimir.

I shook my head; I could think about this more later. I went to my dresser and pulled out pants and a white button-up that was thicker than it looked, then put a black sweater on over it. The leg wraps went on last. I made my way back out to Deklan, a kind smile on my face.

“Ready now, Con?”

“Yeah, you?”

“Yeah, let’s get going,” Dek hummed. It seemed like he suddenly felt better, but I knew that wasn’t really the case.

I followed him outside, then trotted up to walk beside him. The snowfall had finally stopped, leaving everything covered in about a foot of the stuff, meaning we had to trudge through it. Otherwise, the weather was perfect, although I wasn’t sure we’d be able to go kayaking as planned. We’d probably find something else to do.

The walk to the riverbank where our kayaks were didn’t take long. We maneuvered down the incline carefully, slipping in parts, and got down safely.

“Yep. It’s frozen,” I sighed, walking up to the ice. I stomped on it to see how thick it was. “Goes down far, too.”

“Ah, damn,” Deklan grunted. I heard him walk up behind me.

“Well, we could—” I began before I was promptly nudged onto the ice. Startled, I threw my arms out and waved my tail wildly to keep balance, my hooves slipping. I heard Dek laughing from the bank. “You— You gobshite!” I shouted, squealing at the end, and it only made him laugh harder.

I lost the battle to balance myself and fell on my back. The shock made me groan, and I just laid there for a minute. From what it sounded like, Dek was at the point of keeling over from hiw hard he was cackling at my buffoonery. What a prick I’ve decided to befriend.

“Woah, uh, Connie,” Dek’s laugh dissipated into concern. “There’s a massive crack under ya.”

“Wha?” I sat up and looked around myself. There was indeed a huge crack in the ice. My ears went down, tail flicking as I tried to think of how to get off the ice before it split and sent me into the freezing water below.

“Here, I’ll come to you.”

“No, you stay where you are. You’ll crack it more,” I ordered him as I carefully got onto my knees. Hopefully my pants would have enough friction here. Slowly, I inched my way back to the beach, having Dek hold out a branch so he could pull me the rest of the way.

Dek started giggling again as I managed to stand, his annoyingly charming grin spreading across his face. “That was the best thing I’ve ever witnessed.”

“Yeah fuck you,” I grumbled, gently punching his arm when I walked past him.

“How’s your arse?”

“Sore. I better not catch you making ass-fucking jokes with Ozzy.”

Dek cackled at that and shrugged. “No promises, Roy.”

“Don’t call me that. That sounds weird.” I began climbing up the slope with him in tow behind me.

“Yeah, it does. Oops,” Dek chuckled.

I got to the top of the slope and grunted, rubbing my behind. I didn’t really care if Dek noticed. We were close enough friends that it didn’t matter. I turned around, catching him staring at me as if he was in a daze, all while he was still just on the edge of the hill.

“Hey, I know I’ve got a fantastic rump, but c’mon,” I teased, making him snap out of it. He cleared his throat and quickly got up, obviously quite flustered now.

“Uhm, sorry. I’ve got no excuse,” he muttered.

“It’s fine, man. No worries,” I assured him, beginning to walk back up to the path.

“Alright.” Dek brushed his wavy blond hair out of his eyes as he walked beside me. “So. What’re we doing now?”

“Well, Ossian’s over at Old Man Sean’s to help take care of the chickens and herds, so we could go there,” I suggested, looking up at him to see what he thought.

“Mm, I’m up for it.” Deklan nodded in compliance, putting his hands in his pants pockets. That’s when I noticed he wasn’t wearing gloves. There wasn’t much I could do about it, so I left him be.

We walked through the unbearably deep snow towards the outskirts of town, the two of us mostly quiet. It was a comfortable quiet, though. The grayed bark of the trees was a stark contrast against the bright snow. The tops of bare shrubs poked out, like they were trying to get a breath of air. The snow gradually started to get shallower.

“Hey, Conroy?” Dek asked, his voice soft.

I perked my ears; he almost never called me by my actual name unless he was deep in thought or nervous. “Yes?” I looked at him, tapping the back of his thigh with my tail.

“Uhm…” he paused, biting his lip. “Do you ever wonder if it’s, uh, any better in Rosnya?”

“Oh.” I furrowed my brows as I thought about that question. “I dunno. We never really hear about Rosnya unless there’s been conflict. So, I guess it’s possible.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Any other reasons…?”

“No, nothing else. Just wondering,” Dek replied swiftly. I knew he was lying now.

I simply rose my brow and looked ahead again. I figured if there was another reason, it was personal, so I wouldn’t press him to tell me what it was yet.

——————

We finally started coming up on Sean’s farm. I could see three figures on the front porch, but I was still too far to see who they were. Deklan hollered a greeting, waving at them. The figures turned; it was Sean and August, but the third I didn’t recognize.

Dek and I walked up to the step, and he started talking to them, once again back to his usual self. I studied the stranger, noticing he had white brindling on one side of his body. Looking more, I saw the bisected hooves. A moose-bey in Cothary? Weird, I thought to myself, and even weirder that he’s a chimera.

The stranger introduced himself to us as Doyle Gaughran. He caught my eye and turned his head towards me. Straight away I saw that his eyes were different colors too, and the dark ruddy-brown hair became blonde around the middle.

“Hello?” he waved his hand and snapped in my face, snapping me out of it.

“Oh, sorry,” I squeaked. “Just kinda… fascinated, I guess.”

“Get it all the time. It’s rude to stare,” he growled at me in mild annoyance. I just flattened my ears, looking off to the side.

I couldn’t help but realize the feeling of familiarity that was brought up by Doyle. He wasn’t my father, I knew that for sure, but… I don’t know. I think I’m being weird. I sighed and excused myself from the conversation, going around to the back of the house to find Ossian.

Sure enough, I found him in the chicken pen, but he had Officer Fallon with him. I rolled my eyes. Ossian turned around, a grin breaking onto his face as he waved at me. “Hey, Connie! Deklan with ya?”

“He’s talking with Sean and those other two,” I called back, trotting over to them.

“Ah.” Ossian came to the fence when I did. “Well, I’ve gotten to talk to Fallon some. He’s nicer than you make him out to be.”

“Yeah, whatever,” I sighed, leaning against the fence.

“I’m flattered,” Fallon chuckled, in the middle of swapping the straw bedding in the coop. “Why don’t you like me, Conroy?”

“I’ve never really trusted the military,” I murmured, adjusting my beanie. “It’s a long story.”

“Ah, well, that’s alright. I’m not that upset,” he shrugged. “I don’t much like it myself.”

“Well, I’m glad we could agree on something,” I sighed, rubbing under my beanie when my scalp itched. “I guess I’ll go handle the livestock.”

[long-roads-travelled]

Chapter 4

I flipped the page of the book I was reading, the lamp dimly lit on the side table by my chair, which I was comfortably curled up in. It was late, the only sounds being the pattering of light hail on the windows and roof of the cabin. Ossian was already asleep, so I was alone. Which was exactly the way I liked it.

I had my English-to-Gaelic dictionary on my thigh; it was probably the only one left in town, and I had to go farther south to even get it. I’d saved so much silver to buy it from the little old lady who’d owned it.

I used it to teach myself how to read English. The book was pretty simple, and by the design I knew it was meant for human children, but I had to start somewhere.

I was almost through with it when I heard a knock on the door. I furrowed my brows, but got up; nobody really came by at this time. As I got closer to the door, I heard crying, so I ran the rest of the way and threw it open. Deklan was standing there, a bottle of whiskey in his hand that was a quarter of the way full, sobbing his eyes out.

“Dek—” I started, but was interrupted when he lurched to cling to me. Sighing, I rubbed his back, guiding him over to the chair and taking his whiskey away. “Dekkie. Calm down, man. Whatever it is, you’ll be—”

“Nnno! Won’t be a’ight! Duana—” he hiccuped, “—‘s gonna kill me!”

“What? Like Hell. Not while I’m here,” I reassured him, getting on his lap to keep him from getting up again and potentially hurting himself. “Calm down. It’s okay. You’re safe here, I promise you. Absolutely nobody’s gonna hurt you,” I cooed. I knew exactly what he was feeling and going through.

Ossian came to investigate, but instead of butting in when he saw us, he went to get a kettle started for tea. I thanked him quietly for that.

“Shhe’s— Sh’s mad a’ me…” Deklan slurred, his head coming down to rest in my shoulder as he kept sobbing, dampening my sleep shirt a tiny bit.

“For what?”

“I’unno! Sh-she beat m’up,” he stammered, sitting up again so he could pull up his shirt and show me the damage that’d been caused. I frowned when I saw the bruises and nail marks that littered his chest and stomach. “Hurts…”

“I can tell, blondie. You wait right here, I’ll be right back, okay?” I said soothingly, brushing his hair back as I spoke. He nodded and sniveled, so I got out of his lap, going to the kitchen to find the disinfectant for the cuts and an ice pack for his bruises.

“Is he drunk?” Ossian whispered.

“He’s absolutely pissed. That bottle’s almost empty, and I can tell he drank it all himself,” I replied, digging in a cabinet. “Get me some ice, would you?”

“Yeah,” Ossian nodded, going to the freezer box with a medium-sized burlap bag.

I found the disinfectant and band-aids, replacing the one on my finger while I was at it. Ossian handed me the ice and a rag to tie it to Dek with, so I went back to him, getting in his lap again.

“Show me the worst bruise.”

“Mm.” Dek lifted his shirt once more and pointed to the biggest one, which was right on his left pec. I gently put the ice pack over it, then tied the rag around him to keep it there, making him lean forward.

He sat back with an unrelated whine. I started on putting the band-aids over the smaller cuts, which was all of them, thankfully.

“Better now?” I asked gently, and he nodded slowly. I smiled and wiped under his eyes, scratching his bearded cheek like he loved. He sighed and leaned his head into my hand like a pup, his yellowish-green eyes closing and his ears relaxing.

“Good. Ozzy’s making some tea. Would you like some?” Another nod. “Okay.” I hugged him, keeping him held against me with an arm around his shoulders, the other hand in his hair. He nuzzled into my neck and slipped his massive arms around me in return.

“Than’ya…” he slurred, muffled by my neck.

“Of course, blondie. I know exactly what you’re dealing with,” I whispered. “I think it’s better if you live here with us.”

“‘Kay,” he nodded. “Can… C’n I sleep w’you tonigh’?”

“Sure,” I hummed, rocking him side to side gently, as though he was a child. Technically he was, especially in this state. I could tell he was still upset, but I wouldn’t make him do anything that would potentially worsen it.

Ossian came over with the tea. I made Deklan stop hugging me so he could have a sip, his massive lumberjack’s hands making the cup look tiny. I sipped mine, keeping an eye on him.

“That help?” I asked, and he nodded yet again. “Good.”

“It’s chamomile. It should help you sleep,” Ossian hummed.

“Thanks,” Dek murmured, drinking about half of his before he leaned back in the chair. Looks like we might be sleeping here tonight.

[long-roads-travelled]

Chapter 3

I swung my legs absentmindedly as I sat on the arm of the sofa in the living room of Ossian and I’s shared cabin, watching the still-recovering common buzzard—as we’d discovered it was—pick at a string on the other side. Its wing was getting better, but it’s already gotten attached to me, so there wasn’t much chance of me getting rid of it. I was starting to like it too.

“Tell me again about that Fallon lad you met,” Ossian hummed. He was sitting on the floor.

I snorted in amusement at that. This had to be the third time this morning. Yesterday was worse, though. “Well, he was tall,” I started, “and had weird markings. I thought they were cool. He was nice, too.”

“Oh yeah? He’s an officer, you said?”

“That too. I’ve seen him around before, sometimes he lingers outside our bakery,” I tilted my head a little. The common buzzard made its way over to Ossian and perched itself on his knee. “But he wasn’t wearing his hair up. He’s got white stripes, but otherwise he’s really light blond. And! His fur is dark brown, also with white spots.”

Ossian was just beaming, clearly enthralled by the generous imagery I was giving him. I’ve known he swung both ways. This didn’t bother me.

“We should go look for him in town today,” Ossian suggested excitedly, gently nudging the bird off of his leg to get up.

“Maybe. It’s snowing, and maybe we should wait for Dekkie,” I shrugged. “He’ll be by with the firewood ‘n stuff he’s selling today. We can join him then.”

“Ugh! Fine. Keep me from meeting the stallion of my dreams, why don’t you,” he joked, practically skipping off to go put on his snow clothes.

I chuckled at him and decided to do the same, finding my feather-lined trench coat on our way-too-crowded coat rack. It was a new one since the buzzard had destroyed the last one. I didn’t mind. This one was way softer and arguably way warmer. I went to my room, finding my cannon wraps and putting those on, then my gloves. Which were fingerless. Oh well. That’s what pockets are for.

I grabbed my flat cap on my way back out to the main room, putting it on. I picked up a newspaper as I waited for Ossian, moving my tail in an attempt to get it comfortable underneath the obscenely long trench coat.

I read the headline and pinned my ears immediately. Irish-Scot Kings Come To Lairg. I gekkered quietly; the Kings in my village made my hairs stand on end. Those self-righteous sons of bitches didn’t deserve their place, but I couldn’t do anything about it. They’d killed their father, the last King, in cold blood to take the rank for themselves. I wasn’t fond of their method of enforcing, either. I kept reading, sighing in annoyance, but Ossian came back and snapped me out of it.

“Hey. Look at you, reading the newspaper,” he teased, making me roll my eyes.

“Yeah, shocker,” I snorted. I set the paper down. “I regret it though.”

“Mm. I’m not too excited either,” Ossian nodded, rolling his shoulders.

“How many layers are you wearing, man?”

“Four.”

“Jeez, maybe we should get you a thicker coat,” I suggested quietly, but it was a tease as well.

“I have plenty, I’m just really cold all the time,” Ossian giggled and shrugged. “I’m only a hundred and fifty pounds, Connie. I’m always freezing.”

“Mm. I know, ‘cause you always have to have the fireplace lit,” I chuckled. “You need to put on some weight before December. It’s only gonna get colder.”

“I’m trying!” Ossian squealed, but it was all in good fun.

“Well, try harder!” I squealed back at him, obviously being overdramatic.

“I can’t help that I can’t gain weight like a normal bey!”

“Don’t make me force-feed you venison,” I threatened, wagging my finger at him like a mom chiding a foal.

“Oh, the horror,” he gasped as he put his hand on his forehead, the other on his chest. “Whatever shall I do?”

I just laughed at him, scrunching my nose up as I did so. He also laughed, his hands in his pockets now, looking out the window.

“Oh, Deklan’s here,” Ossian hummed. I looked too, but saw another beygir with him. They had a Garron Highland pony, Fintan, pulling a cart with the wood in it.

“Alrighty.” I adjusted my cap, going to go out the front door. Ossian followed me.

I could see the unknown bey better now, and I realized they were a mare. Who was oddly touchy-feely with Dek. I squared my shoulders subconsciously, but otherwise I tried not to seem put off. If I remembered right, her name was Duana. He’s told me about her before.

“Connie, Ossian! Been a while,” Deklan exclaimed, beaming at the sight of us.

“It’s been four days,” I chuckled, walking along beside him as we all started heading into town. Ossian went to walk beside Duana.

“Still,” he shrugged, nudging my shoulder. “I like hanging out with my best friends.”

“Awh, cute,” I cooed teasingly. He just rolled his eyes at me and adjusted his hold on the pony’s lead. “Don’t give me that look, you know I’m kidding.”

“I do, ya geebag,” Dek snorted and started grinning now.

We were quiet again for a few minutes, occasionally poking at each other with our tails. I took my hands out of my pockets and rubbed them together, even though they were gloved, and looked up at the cloudy sky to watch the snowflakes fall through the barren trees. I couldn’t help but feel like the Kings being in town would result in something horrid soon. I shuddered at the severity of the possibilities that came to mind, but played it off as just being chilly.

I shook my head, grunting quietly to myself. I noticed Deklan had fallen behind with Duana, so Ossian had the lead. I turned back to look at the pair, my ears perked attentively when it seemed like Dek was being scolded. For what, I wasn’t sure.

“Let them work it out, don’t get protective,” Ossian whispered, nudging my arm.

“Hmph. Fine,” I grumbled, my tail waving erratically underneath my coat. I wasn’t very fond of the idea of being less favorable than someone like her. “If she lays a finger on him—”

“She won’t. Leave them be,” Ossian crooned, putting on that soft voice of his that was known to calm me down. “If she does, I’ll let you get loud.”

“Good, ‘cause I’d get loud anyway,” I huffed.

I tied the sash of my coat and adjusted my cap. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ossian’s face scrunch up just before he sneezed. It sounded more like a squeak than anything. I thought it was pretty cute, and it made me snicker each time. That helped distract me from my high dislike of Duana for a moment.

We were almost to the town when I heard a voice raise behind us. I turned and saw Duana was scolding Deklan for something. He had his tail tucked and his ears pinned, and as far as I could tell, his eyes were stuck to the ground. He was scared, I could see, and I immediately started to growl.

“Conroy. Leave it,” Ossian said softly but firmly.

“I can’t—”

“You must,” he said sternly. “It’s his business.”

“He’s my best friend.”

“I know. He’s mine too. We can’t fix everything for him.” Ossian gave my shoulder a squeeze, but I still wasn’t very happy about having to stay out of it.

—————

I grimaced when the rope I was tying around some wood rubbed harshly against my index finger. It would probably become a small little burn, but it didn’t really matter, so I just kept doing what I was doing. Deklan had asked me to bundle the firewood for whoever needed some, as we were set up in the center of our quaint village. Ossian had gone to manage the bakery, but Duana was still with the two of us, much to my annoyance, although she wasn’t exactly helping out. Just lingering.

I handed the bundle over to Dek when I’d finally tied it together, wiping my hands against my coat. The cold nipped at my nose still and it was starting to go numb, so I rubbed my gloved palm against it. That helped just enough for the time being. I grunted at my sore finger and sucked on it for a minute, aimlessly looking around at the floor.

“You alright there, Con?” Dek chuckled, seeing me.

“Oh, yeah. Just got rope burn on me finger,” I nodded, taking my finger out of my mouth.

“Ah. Well, as long as it’s not horrible,” he hummed, his tail waving casually.

“It’s not. I’ll live.” I leaned against the cart of wood, crossing my arms and watching my breath freeze in the air.

“Good. You’re important.”

“Oh— Well, I wouldn’t say that,” I murmured, nudging a small hunk of ice with my hoof. “I’m just a baker.”

“Baker or not, you’re a great friend, and things would be so different if you never showed up a couple years back,” Dek insisted, looking back at me still. “You know your way ‘round the woods and you’re the best hunter. Not even Griffin can beat you in a squirrel hunting contest.”

“Griffin’s a massive klutz with an ego.”

“Fair enough. But my point stands.”

“Yeah, guess so,” I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck and swiveling my ears to the side. I still didn’t believe him.

Deklan got another customer, so our conversation ended and I set back to work, tying two bundles this time. I was careful with my finger, not trying to have it bandaged, and took my time. I handed the first one over when I was done. I’m getting good at this, I thought. I guess it was because of all that time I spent wandering.

A submissive bark came from somewhere nearby, causing all of those who heard to look around, including me and Dek. Unsurprisingly, the Kings were involved—Kazimir, at least. Agripin was elsewhere. The titan of a blonde seemed to be putting another stallion in his place, so everyone else just went on as usual.

I looked at Deklan to give him the second firewood bundle, and I noticed he seemed skittish again. “Dek?” I asked quietly, nudging him with my elbow. “You alright?”

“Oh, uh,” he stammered, “yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. We should probably pack up.” Dek spoke quickly.

“Oh, okay,” I murmured, watching him curiously. “The leftover wood—”

“Leave it, people can just take it.”

“Alright…” I nodded, helping him pack everything else.

Duana moseyed over to us, her arms crossed. “What’re you doing, Deklan?”

“Leaving,” he responded meekly.

“You haven’t sold everything yet.”

“There’s always tomorrow. We’re almost out anyway.”

Duana just huffed, her hoof stomping quietly into the snow as she gave him a particularly threatening look. She let us continue, but I could tell Deklan was in for a lecture. Whether or not he was safe, I didn’t know, but I worried about him regardless.

“Dek,��� I whispered, getting close to him. “Dekkie, hey. If you need to, you can stay with us for the night.”

“I’m alright, but thanks,” he mumbled back. I didn’t believe him, but I didn’t press.

“Okay. The offer still stands, though.”

“I know.”

I just watched him, sighing in exasperation. I wasn’t going to get anything out of him. We finished packing and he headed to his house with Duana. I waved goodbye, since I was staying to help Ossian out in the bakery. I just prayed Deklan would be alright on his own with his poor excuse of a girlfriend.

I trotted to the side of the square where the bakery was, avoiding the place where I last saw King Kazimir. I kept my head low just in case he or his brother was still around.

I walked into the shop and huffed, stomping the snow off of the bottom of my hooves and hanging my coat on the rack near the door.

“Hey, Connie! How was it with Deklan?” Ossian chirped from behind the counter, still as perky as ever.

“It went fine. He got spooked when he saw King Kazimir and left, though.” I went to the preparation area behind the front counter, rolling up my sleeves as I got my apron.

“Ah… Yeah, he does get skittish around the Kings. He’s done it before,” Ossian sighed.

“I’ve never seen him that skittish,” I continued. “He kept fidgeting. Even while we were packing up.” I was quiet for a minute. “Does he have anxiety?”

“Not that I know of,” Ossian shrugged, looking at me. “I know he’s got a history with the Kings, though. I just don’t know what or how.”

“Oh.” I furrow my brows, swiveling my ears out to the sides again as I contemplated.

I started making dough at the same time, heaving a sigh. Doing this often helped me think, so our conversation came to a stop, the only sound being my mixing of the ingredients in a bowl. Ossian helped a mother and foal who came in, and I looked over. The child was only a couple years old, but was hopping around giddily, his little hooves clicking on the rough tile as he tried to decide which of the pastries or pies he wanted while his mother and Ossian watched in amusement.

“Gimme thi’ one, Mamma!” The boy squealed, pointing at the jam-and-cream scone that was in the display case. The mother chuckled and nodded, ruffling his hair.

I flattened my ears at the pair, looking back down at the task at hand. I wasn’t upset because I disliked them, though; it just brought back painful memories that I’ve tried to forget.

I sighed and attempted to distract myself, finally at the stage where I could beat the dough against the counter after dusting the wood with flour. I grunted with each swing, kneading the dough between them. This was going to be a long afternoon.

[long-roads-travelled]

Chapter 2

The wind blew across the quaint area with no end in sight. Trees bent in submission to its anger and the wildlife around my small cabin hid in the shrubbery and the leaves on the forest floor. To add to it, the sky was gray, but I wasn’t sure if it was going to rain.

Ossian came inside from collecting the drying laundry, just to be safe. He didn’t like this weather as much as I did, so his tail was thrashing anxiously, his ears held backwards and his pupils pinned. He muttered to himself, jittery.

“Ossy,” I sighed, “you’re alright. Calm down, man, it’s just stormy. Grab a blanket and hunker down with me over here,” I told him gently, shifting over so he’d have room, but he settled in a different chair after grabbing his quilt. I sighed but let him have his moment.

Deciding it was too cold, I got up, my blanket around my shoulders and my hooves thudding softly against the packed dirt that served as our floor as I walked. I started a small fire in the fireplace, crouched down as I poked at it until it could stay going by itself. I could feel Ossian’s eyes on me, but I didn’t mind it, knowing he was trying to distract himself. I loved this sort of weather, unlike him; it soothed me, gave me peace. Grounded me, most of all. In a good way, it made me feel at home.

“Connie?”

“Yeah?” I looked over my shoulder at Ossian.

“Can you come here? Just need ya to stroke my hair. So I can relax.”

“Oh, yeah. Of course,” I stood up and walked over, standing behind his chair and running my fingers through his short-ish, fawn-colored hair. “How’s that?”

“Amazing. Thanks,” Ossian mumbled softly, his ears becoming at ease as I continued doing it. “You’re going over to help Dek later, right?”

“Yeah. You gonna be okay here by yourself? With the storm coming on and all.”

“I’ll handle it,” Ossian sighed.

I looked at the little analog clock that was on the mantle of the fireplace, biting my lower lip gently. “I should probably start heading over there.”

“Okay. Be safe. Take your coat, not just that flannel,” Ossian said, a gentle firmness to his voice.

“I know, Ossy, I will. Thanks though.” I set my blanket on the back of a chair as I went to find my trench coat. I got it off of the coat hanger it was hanging from and put it on, then set off to my room to dig around for some rain wraps, the door creaking softly as I nudged it open.

It took a bit of digging around in my storage trunks, but I found the wraps and put them on, making sure they’d stay in place so the chestnut fur on my legs wouldn’t be stained by the mud and grime of the roads. I got my gloves too, knowing it’d be frigid.

I grunted as I stood up, finally making my way to leave for Deklan’s cabin, waving at Ossian as I left. The sky was darkening quickly as storm clouds thickened. This was my favorite kind of weather, so long as lightning didn’t strike close. Thunder cracks scare the shit out of me. For now, though, it was perfect and calm. I saw—well, heard—small woodland animals scurrying in the tree branches above my head and the brush on either side of the path, and my ears swivelled to keep track of every other noise as I went at a trot through the forest. Everything was at ease for once in my life.

A loud squawk, followed by two sets of screeches, started somewhere in the trees, startled me out of my moment of peace. Looking up, I could see through the mostly barren trees, so I searched for the source of the sounds. Two raptors were tussling in midair, but one was much bigger than the other. I figured a juvenile had encroached on an adult’s turf, so I was about to let them be when the smaller raptor came tumbling down through the branches, screeching and flapping frantically until it hit the ground.

Without thinking, I went over to it, crouching down. I was cautious, careful to avoid its beak and talons. “Hey— Hush, I won’t hurt you,” I whispered, digging in my pants pocket. There was a small bit of jerky in there, so I offered it to the bird, letting it eat as I took off my coat to use to pick it up.

Once I had it in my grip, I immediately broke into a gallop. I was closer to Deklan’s, so I continued in that direction, making sure to avoid and hop over anything obstructing the path. I ignored the stinging cold now that my coat was off, letting the air breeze through my sweater as I ran with the pissed off raptor in my hands. It was trying to get through my coat as I held it, but it was too thick for its talons, so eventually it stopped.

I ran for a little while until I got to Deklan’s cabin, seeing him sitting on his porch step with a mug of what I guessed was tea. He stood up when he spotted me.

“Connie? What’s going on— why do ya have a bird?” Dek came to meet me halfway, having put his mug down.

“It’s a baby, it…” I had to pause to catch my breath, scrunching my nose, “It got in a turf battle with an adult. I dunno what breed it is, but it’s hurt.”

“Oh! Come in, then! August knows how to treat birds.” Dek ushered me inside, calling for his grandfather, who came into the dining room after we did, a slight limp in his gait from something that happened a long time ago.

“What’s going on?” August asked. His voice was gruff and low, matching his grizzled appearance.

“Conroy found an injured juvenile and we don’t know what breed it is.”

“Alright, move over. Let me see,” he commanded, shooing us to the side and taking the bird out of my coat. It shrieked at him, but he didn’t even flinch, instead giving it a slight but firm pap on the head to make it be quiet as he inspected the injuries.

“Deklan, get me the medical wrap and the scissors. Its wing is broke,” August told him.

“Yessir,” Dek nodded curtly and went to do as ordered. I just stood there, observing, since nobody was telling me what to do.

“Conroy, my lad, come here and help me hold it down,” August beckoned me over, and I obeyed, listening as he instructed me on where to put my hands and how as Deklan came back with the scissors and wrap. August took them and unspooled a bit of the wrap, then cut it when it was at the desired length and started to gently tie it around the bird, pinning the broken wing to its body. The raptor made sounds of distress the whole time.

When August finished, he picked the bird up and went to find something, so Dek and I followed curiously. He uncovered a large bird cage in the den and opened it, setting the juvenile raptor inside before he shut and closed the latch on the door.

“You boys go on now, I’ll keep my eye on it,” August grunted and waved us off.

I flicked my ear at that, quiet for a moment. August intimidated me, so I wouldn’t protest. I looked up at Dek. “Hey, uh. Got another coat I can wear? Pretty sure that bird tore up mine.”

“Yeah, sure,” Deklan gave me a smile and led me to his room, dipping inside to get coats for us. “We were gonna go hunting today, right?” He asked as he emerged again, giving me his tan canvas jacket.

“Mhmm. Good thing I left my stuff here,” I sighed, putting on the massive jacket on our way outside and to his shed.

The behemoth of a blond pried open the stiff doors of the shed, then moved aside for me. I stepped into the dingy little thing, searching the mess for my bow and quiver. My belt of throwing knives were strapped to the quiver too; I liked having everything in one place.

Eventually, I found them, putting the belt on around my waist, the quiver on my back and my longbow in hand. Dek had found his crossbow and darts, the latter being in a leather pouch on his hip.

“Ready?” He chirped, his tail flicking calmly.

“As I’ll ever be,” I quipped back, smiling when he snorted in amusement. “Where’d you get the darts? I thought you ran out last time.”

“I might’ve stolen them.”

“You’re a damn idiot. At least you got away with it, lucky bastard,” I teased lightly, tapping his back with my tail as I passed by to get out of the shed.

“As far as you know,” Dek mused and followed me out, knowing I knew these woods like the back of my hand, even though he was a lumberer and supposedly had it all mapped in his head. I knew where game can be found.

“Dekkie, if I have to help you bust out of handcuffs again, you better repay me this time,” I scoffed, looking back at him with a brow raised and both ears perked.

“Alright, that’s fair enough.”

“In silver.”

“Now that’s a reach.”

“I thought you could steal.”

“Not money, Connie. I’m not that bad.”

“I’d like to argue,” I smirked cheekily.

“Shut up, fucker,” he said casually, except he lightly flicked my arm.

“Never, bitch.”

Dek laughed, playfully shoving me with his hand on my shoulder. I giggled too, enjoying his company more than anything else. Despite knowing him for, oh, two years now, I’m positive that I’ll never get sick of him. He was a mess and a half, sure, but he was intriguing in many ways, and I was determined to learn them. I often wondered if he thought the same about me. It’s a shame he was only interested in mares and was way out of my league.

We walked in a comfortable silence for a while as I led the way towards a good hunting ground. Leaves and frost crunched under our hooves and the occasional bird song rang out pleasantly, as there were yearlong residents here. We were searching for ptarmigans, though, since it was the perfect time to find them; they were almost always at their plumpest, their meat tasted excellent, and their winter feathers made great insulation for making snow clothes. Their bones could be made into jewelry. Nothing about them was wasted here.

Most of the trees had lost their leaves by now, so the sky was clear to see, but it was dark and cloudy today. I could tell it would start snowing heavily soon, but we could get some hunting in first. Thank the skies.

Soon enough, we stopped when we got to our destination. “We’re close now. You go towards the creek, I’ll take the clearing. I’ll neigh if I need you to come to me, and you should do the same if you need me,” I told him, making sure my jacket was buttoned up completely, finding my arm guard in my quiver and putting it on my left wrist.

Deklan nodded in acknowledgment, his shoulders rolling as he got a bolt loaded in his crossbow. “Alright. Where do we stash our catches?”

“Hm, good question.” I looked around at the surrounding trees, trying to see if one of them had a hole. “There, that oak. Put them in the hole in its trunk,” I instructed, pointing at the oak I was talking about.

“Okay, got it. Later. Be safe,” Dek nodded curtly before starting off, breaking into a trot.

“You too,” I returned. I too trotted off toward the clearing, trying to be as quiet as I could, but the leaves were the worst.

When I got there, I found a low-lying branch on the edge of the clearing to settle myself on. It’d be a while before I saw a bird worth killing, but if a squirrel or a red deer stag appeared, I’d take the chance to get at what they gave. I was running low on arrows with usable tips; a stag would fill my quiver, and if it had and impressive rack, I’d be able to make better knives. Squirrel pelts made good hats and their meat made decent trap bait and jerky, so I killed those more often. Stags and hinds weren’t the kind of animal to be hunted regularly.

I got to thinking about that bird that was still at Deklan’s cabin with August. It looked so small and feeble while August had mended its wing. I couldn’t help but pity it, and I was still worried about its wellbeing. If its wing didn’t heal right, I’d have to look after it, and I’m so not sure that I could handle that responsibility. Maybe Ossian would help out. I sighed softly.

I saw movement on the other side of the clearing, so I snapped out of my daze and pulled an arrow from my quiver, nocked it, and took aim. To my surprise, though, it wasn’t an animal; it was another beygir, and they didn’t seem tense. They weren’t Deklan, nor anyone I knew, for that matter.

I studied them curiously, letting myself relax my arms and hold my bow to the side. The unknown beygir was tall and well-built, and although they were wearing a thick coat, I could tell they were muscular. I guessed they were a stallion, just because he was taller than me, but he had long platinum-blond hair and what looked like grayish ears with white patterns. As a matter of fact, he had large markings on his face as well, but I couldn’t see them clearly.

He walked calmly around the oak that was towards the middle of the clearing, then stopped and dragged his hoof down the trunk. He left a mark there by doing that.

The stranger suddenly stopped and turned, apparently alerted by something. Thinking he could smell me, I drew my bow again, just in case he was hostile and started moving towards me. He did turn in my direction and probably saw the arrowhead poking out from the tree, so he eased his posture.

“Who’s there?” He called out, putting his hands up as a precaution. “I’m no harm. I’m from the military. This is my hangout spot,” he added.

I was silent, but I did creep out of the tree, my tail raised high and my ears pinned, keeping my bow drawn and set. The stranger kept his eyes on mine, his tail curled around the outside of his thigh; a sign of respect.

“Have I intruded?”

“No. I’m hunting here, but this is nobody’s land,” I grumbled, gekkering at the end. It sounded like a rattle more than my own voice, but it was an effective warning.

“Ah. My apologies.” He flicked the white tip of his tail. “I’m Officer Fallon Driscoll. My rank is junior cadet.”

I stayed quiet again. A relative of Commander Driscoll.

“What’s your name? You said you’re hunting. What’re you searching for?”

“Conroy Reid. Ptarmigan. My friend’s nearby doing the same,” I responded hesitantly, reluctantly putting my bow downward.

“Ptarmigan? I can show you a better place to hunt them,” Officer Fallon offered, putting his hands back down slowly when I lowered my bow. “You can call your friend over too.”

“He’d be coming anyway,” I huffed. I eyed him before I bellowed out a high-pitched, raspy neigh. I’d never grown out of my foal’s pitch. Fallon’s ears flicked in response, and that’s when I noticed he had two pairs, the smaller set below the primaries. “Butterfly ears.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re a butterfly,” I clarified, flicking my ear. “I’ve never seen that kind of thing. Thought it was a myth.”

“Oh. Yeah. It runs in my family,” Fallon said nonchalantly. “It’s useful. I could hear you.”

“Really? I wasn’t even making any noise.”

“Your breathing. Hooves against bark. Tiny things like that, I can hear. Within a certain distance, of course,” Fallon explained. I just tilted my head.

Deklan finally came trotting up, but when he saw Fallon, he aimed his crossbow immediately and glanced at me. “Conroy?”

“It’s fine. He’s decent, as far as I can tell,” I reassured him, although I still didn’t trust Fallon one bit. Dek eased reluctantly.

“Hello! I’m Officer Fallon Driscoll,” he perked up, but Deklan aimed at him again at the sudden movement. “Easy, friend.”

“Name’s Deklan Blackburn,” Dek said tensely. I walked over to him and made him lower his weapon, then crossed my arms as I turned back to Fallon.

“Dek, he’s taking us to better hunting grounds. Relax a tad,” I whispered, shifting my weight.

Deklan looked at me, his ears turned out to the side. He pursed his lips and nodded, hitching his crossbow to the sling around his shoulder, scratching his bearded chin.

“Are we—Are we all settled now?” Fallon asked cautiously.

“I guess.” I flattened the front of my jacket. “Lead the way.”

“Well, I, uh. Don’t have the time to go with you, I’m just on break,” Fallon sighed, digging in the large jacket pocket on his chest for a second. “But I have a map. One moment,” he said as he got a pen out as well, making some marks on the paper. I tapped my hoof as we waited for him.

Fallon came over to us to hand me the map when he was done. I thanked him quietly, waving my tail.

“Okay, I’ll leave. Farewell, Conroy and Deklan,” he murmured, then trotted off briskly, probably to find a new spot.

I watched after him until he disappeared in the trees, perking my ears. “Alright…” I mumbled. I then looked down at the map he’d given us. “Dammit. Do ya have a compass?”

“Yeah. Here,” Dek grunted as he got it out of his pocket, giving it to me. “Dunno why I have it. I can hardly use it.

“Cheers.” I held the compass next to the map, orienting ourselves. “Okay. Let’s follow this. It looks like it’s in the foothills,” I said as I started heading in that direction, Deklan following close behind.

Thankfully, the foothills weren’t far, so it wouldn’t be long. I was the most efficient with a compass out of the two of us; Dek was helpless and would probably get lost. I thought it was amusing.

“Hey, Connie. There’s your stag,” Deklan whispered after a good while, nudging my shoulder. I looked up and saw it, so I stopped, handing him the map and compass. I took out my bow and drew an arrow, waiting patiently for the right moment. My eyes remained on the stag, and when it turned slightly towards us, I let my arrow fly.

Surprisingly, I actually got it right in the skull, so the animal staggered slightly before collapsing. I jogged over to it, quietly thanking its soul as I removed the arrow and started cutting off its rack to make the body easier to move. I tied the antlers to my belt and had Deklan help me lift it.

“We ought to take this back to your house first, huh?” Deklan sighed, making sure I could carry it on my own.

“Yeah. Good idea, actually,” I nodded, walking towards his cabin so I could get on the road, the body slung over my shoulder. I led the way, of course.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the stranger we’d met—Fallon, that’s his name. I’d seen him around in town amongst the other guards, but I’ve never spoken to him before we ran into him just a moment ago. Those markings of his were unique; they surrounded his mouth and his nose, and he had spots around his eyes and near his hairline. His fur wasn’t gray like I thought, either. He had the darkest brown fur I think I’ve ever seen, but his hair was an impressively light blond with even lighter strips in it. I’m sort of surprised he’s related to the High Commander.

Part of me hoped we wouldn’t see Fallon again, regardless of whether or not he was kind to us.

[long-roads-travelled]

Chapter 1

The cool late-autumn air outside rushed over me when the door opened, making me shiver slightly. I hardly looked up from sweeping though, letting Ossian handle whoever came in since he had the best social skills between us. I tuned out their voices so I could concentrate. It was nearly time for us to close up shop so we could do other errands, so I was pretty determined to finish what I was doing, tidying up the quaint little bakery that was tucked away in the central marketplace of the town. Not realizing it was Deklan who came in, I jumped and barked a tad when I felt someone hug me from behind.

“Hey, relax, Connie. It’s just me,” Dek chuckled, backing off when I reacted the way I did.

“Deklan, you know I don’t like it when ya do that,” I mumbled, clutching to my broom so tightly that my knuckles were white. He occasionally forgot I have issues with personal space. “We’ve gone over this.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” He leaned against a nearby countertop, watching me with calm eyes. “Still up for hanging out today?”

“Sure, yeah. If you wanna join me while I run errands,” I sighed and started sweeping again, getting it all into a dustpan.

“That works.” Dek watched me as I worked, his tail waving calmly. “How long till ya close up?”

“Ten minutes. Can you wait that long?”

“I dunno, man. It’s a long time,” he joked, that low thrum of a chuckle coming from him again. I don’t know why I loved that sound so much.

“Well, be patient,” I snorted, making him giggle more. I went to throw away the grime I’d swept with him in tow, our hooves clacking against the concrete floor until we got outside, where the trash bin was.

“Wait out here.” I stopped him from following me back inside. I helped Ossian close up, making sure the flour was secured in the back cabinets and the countertops were wiped down. Ossian cleaned out the inside of the wood-burning oven and stored the bread from today in a back room. After everything was done, I left and let Ossian lock up, joining Deklan outside.

“That wasn’t ten minutes.”

“Sometimes estimates are wrong.”

“Well, get better at it,” Dek teased, tapping my back with his tail as we started walking to the open markets. I laughed quietly.

The trees were mostly gold and red now, and leaves were starting to cascade down the streets. It beautiful, really, but I imagined it was even prettier out in the farmland. Everyone was wearing layers of some kind of woven fabric; I think the humans called it flannel. I looked around, stalling my errands a little more by doing so. At some point I’d started shivering, so Deklan put his flannel over my shoulders, making me jump a bit.

“Sorry. You look cold,” Dek whispered, watching me again.

“It’s okay. Thanks.” I smiled up at him, putting my arms through the sleeves, which were way too long for me.

I saw the stand I needed to go to and guided him over, looking at the bundles of wheat alongside some other people. I picked up the best three, reaching into the pouch attached to my belt to pay for them, putting the bundles in a burlap bag that the shop owner lent me.

“What else, Con?” Dek asked, really just following me like a helpless cub.

“Uh, butter. I think. And apples,” I sighed softly, my ears swiveling as we walked through the loud street. It was busy today; crowds usually made me nervous, but luckily it was all spread out today, so I could bear it. Deklan being there helped too.

“Apples? Oh! Our apple tree bore some this year. You can take some,” Deklan chirped happily, bouncing a bit as he walked. He lived on a ranch with his grandfather on the outskirts of town, so to hear he had an apple tree wasn’t surprising.

“Really? You sure? I don’t wanna take any of your food before winter,” I said timidly, looking up at him and flattening my ears a little.

“I don’t mind. I’ll have to slip them past Pa, though, but I can do that.” He shrugged, squeezing my shoulder in assurance, which he had a habit of doing.

“Oh. Okay. We can go there after I get eggs.” I looked away from him and at the surrounding shops again, searching for a stand that had poultry products. It was pretty easy, so I guided him over to the first one I saw, grunting softly when I had to shove my way through to see. I apologized profusely as I did, though.

I chose the basket that had the best batch of eggs, paying the shop owner the silver they cost. I had to wiggle my way back out to the street, finding Deklan again.

“Okay. We can go to your place now,” I sighed, my nerves strained by all of the noise and activity going on around us. It was exhausting, in all honesty.

“Alrighty. Would it be better if we dropped that stuff off at the bakery?”

“Probably, yeah.” I nodded and started heading back to the bakery, bumping into Ossian when I turned.

“Oh! Sorry! Just came to join you two,” Ossian laughed nervously.

“It’s fine,” I huffed in bewilderment, my tail thrashing once. “Uhm, we were gonna go back to the bakery to drop this stuff off, then head to Dek’s ranch to get some apples.”

“Alright, I’ll come with,” Ossian smiled at us, walking on my other side as we started going again. He took the burlap containing the wheat, not even offering since he knew I’d refuse if he did. I pinned my ears for a moment, but I let him take it.

I felt tiny, situated between two towering sweethearts. I didn’t mind it when it was them, but if it was anyone else, I’d hate it. I was glad they didn’t make fun of me for my height.

Ossian handed me the key when we got to the bakery. I unlocked the door and went in, the other two waiting outside whilst I handled it. I put the wheat and eggs away in their respective storage spaces. I took a minute to just collect myself, calming my nerves by looking around the humble little bakery. The light from outside came through the windows and hit the wooden tables accentuated the grain in the wood; the glass in the display shelf was almost always crystal-clear; the interior never failed to smell like heaven. I sighed as I enjoyed it all.

I went back outside, joining Ossian and Deklan. I locked the doors behind me, then pocketed the keys, looking up at them. “Ranch, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Dek nodded. He smiled widely at us before turning to lead us. I sighed and watched him, rubbing my forearms, our hooves thumping against the packed dirt that made up the streets and adding to the noise.

Deklan was such a stream of giddiness that he both intimidated and intrigued me. We’ve been friends for maybe two years, but I know there’s more to him than what he shows to me and other people. At night there’s a kind of internal struggle within him and I haven’t quite figured out what it is. I could only imagine.

Ossian was in front of me now, talking to Dek about something, so I let them talk. I stayed pretty close behind them the whole way through the town, not wanting to lose them in the crowd. The thought of being stranded in the middle of the place terrified me, making me pin my ears. I wouldn’t tell them that, though. Deklan would definitely laugh at me and my childish fear.

“Hey Connie, you doing alright back there?” The blond asked, looking back at me with his ears pricked forward. His tail was curled up against his thigh as well. The sound of his voice being directed at me made me snap out of my thoughts, and just on time, too.

“Oh, um. Yes, I’m fine. No need to worry about me,” I said quickly, the tip of my smoky red tail flicking back and forth, like a pendulum. I guess. That’s what it’s been compared to.

“Alriiiight…” Dek rose a brow and turned back around. Ossian glanced at me, but he didn’t say anything, his ears rotated back in slight worry.

The scenery began to shift as we started leaving the inner workings of Crieff. The trees became denser, only parting when there was a grazing pasture. We started to canter after a little while more, although I nearly had to go into a flying pace to keep up with their mile-long legs. Our hooves rhythmically thumped against wood when we had to go over a bridge that spanned across a river. I pulled my borrowed flannel tighter around myself, since the brisk air was quite nippy at this speed.

Deklan’s cabin was just past the end of the bridge, and we stopped outside when we reached it. “Stay out here, yeah? I think Pa’s got a visitor, so he wouldn’t like all three of us in there,” Dek said, and Ossian and I nodded. He went in while us two found a place to catch our breath, not exactly as fit as Dek was, since he was a lumberjack and we were bakers.

“Hey, Conroy. Are you alright?” Ossian asked softly, his tail curled around so it was partially on his lap.

“Yeah, ‘course. Why?” I returned my gaze to his face, basically curled up from how cold I was.

“Well. You’re shivering again, for one. Wanna come get snuggled up against me?”

“Uh, sure. Can’t hurt,” I mumbled, inching closer to him and pinning my ears. He was incredibly careful with me, knowing I usually didn’t like getting this close and trying to reassure me. It worked, so I relaxed a bit, surprised that he was this warm.

“There you are,” he crooned, smiling sweetly at me. I smiled back, curled up in Dek’s massive flannel, which smelled a lot like him. I guess that had a hand in easing my nerves.

I looked up when I heard the door creak open, seeing Deklan was pulling a small bundle of apples out from inside his shirt. I rolled my eyes.

“Here you go! Fresh apples, just off’a the branch,” Dek hummed, trotting over to the log we were sitting on.

“Thanks, Dek. We should probably go put these in the bakery before it gets dark,” I murmured, taking the burlap. “Even if it gets in the way of kayaking later.”

“I got it,” Ossian chirped, taking the bag from me. “I don’t mind. Don’t want this to ruin your plans.”

“Oh. Thanks.” I flicked my tail, watching Ossian get up, Dek and I waving when he started off towards town.

I looked up at Deklan, also standing. “So, uh. Kayaking?”

“Yeah! Yeah, let’s go,” he perked up, essentially hopping off in the direction of the loch. I snorted in amusement and followed behind him.

The loch near his cabin was gorgeous, with trees all along its banks and several small streams leading into it, and flowers sprouting wherever they possibly could despite the season. Our kayaks were tied to a tree trunk, as were the paddles, so I let Dek handle untying them, taking mine to the water and getting in. I pushed off, but lingered near the bank to wait for him, even if he didn’t take that long.

We’d be out here for hours if we weren’t careful.

[long-roads-travelled]

About

Originating from the mind of a human named Ryan Alasdair, hesteben were created during the tensions amongst the Allied Powers during the Cold War. Although the original equiri breed was first made for hard manual labor with powerful horse’s legs and hooves, a second variation nicknamed algben (also known as alceri hesteben or moose-legged) was developed in the Slavic and Eastern European countries for the battlefield, and they possessed the lithe legs and cloven hooves of elk and moose. However, no war ever came; it was a swift but mercilessly brutal annihilation of ninety percent of humankind by the use of nuclear warheads, which were sent mostly by the United States of America. That same country has been rumored to have gone into a civil war at the same time.

Over eight centuries later, hesteben-kind has established itself at an astonishing speed. Though the global population has yet to reach two billion, two prominent kingdoms have formed. Called Cothary and Rosnya, they form large territories as a hierarchical system develops in each; the highest ranking is the emperor/ess, the second highest being high commanders. Kings and queens rule over smaller regions, which are often with names of the countries that the humans had dominated, with some leeway in the borders. The power struggle amongst ranks is in the last lengths of the process of settling down, and ranks are decided through duels with a weapon of the challenger’s choice.

Cothary, pertaining to western European, northern African, and Middle Eastern regions, contains mostly equiri hesteben; Rosnya contains eastern European regions, Russia, and parts of China. Alceri hesteben occupy the majority of this region. There is already proof of racial diversity developing in different areas of each region, despite having only existed as a species for a nanosecond on the cosmic timescale.

Equiri hesteben and alceri hesteben are able to reproduce together; however, the alces gene is recessive while the equus gene is dominant. An equiri carrying the alces gene can only birth an alceri if they copulate with another carrier or a homozygous alceri. All leg coat color patterns are similar to those of the original Equidae. Mutations have been known to happen, but none of them are too well known.