While we were talking... [Open]

[Sheila Unati Jestin]

It took a while to get back on Star. My whole body was sore and Star had to much fun to stay at one place for two seconds. In my head I was mumbling some unhearable sentences. I knew what I was saying, but he didn't. And that was a good thing cause he wouldn't be thankfully if he knew. For the thousandth time I tried to get on his back and now he stay just long enough for me to get in the saddle. I really didn't like falling off a horse, but in these last few days I have fallen more then in my entire life. It was strange. No matter how difficult he was or how hard he tried to bully me, Star was the best horse I ever was allowed to ride. Maybe it was because of the whisper thing, but I was sure that our connection was further than that. Why else would he have chosen me from all the people who came in the whisper stables?

With a face full of pain I sat in my saddle while I hoped to stay there longer then last time. Our first ride, a few days ago, he had promised me to be nice for one day, but ever since that ride was over I haven't been able to get something properly done from him. Still I couldn't give up. I had way to much to lose if I was thrown of the academy and I wasn't planning on losing the best horse I could think off. At least, not before I tried everything...

I hadn't trained with the whisper aspect. It's not that I didn't want to use it, I just didn't know how. My adaption to this whole new aspect wasn't very good. Actually my adaptations in general weren't very well. I haven't reacted well on changes for at least a few years. It was just a stupid thing but a really hated changes and surprises. Control was more my thing. As long as I knew what I could expect I was happy, or at least I wasn't unhappy. Cause the last time I was truly happy, I can't even remember.

This time I would use the whispers. Or I would try. I sat on his back and I waited on the next attack of craziness. I had already had more surprise-attacks then I could ever imagine but this time it wouldn't be a surprise. This time I was prepared and I would stay in the saddle. That's what I told myself, but it was more to convince myself than it was a sure thing. I gave pressure with my legs and he started to move. Still slowly, nothing surprising. Except maybe that he had actually listened and did what I had asked. A little encouraged I gave more pressure and he went into a faster walk. This was - except for that one ride - the longest time I had been on his back so there was a reason to smile. And smiling I did. Unfortunately Star could hear me tell myself that it went well and he decided to give me a surprise. He started countering as fast as he could and pulling the reigns had no effect. He had taken the bit in between his teeth and now I had lost all control. In my madness I yelled "STOP!!" and at my surprise he actually stopped. "You don't have to yell you know. I can hear you perfectly without you raising your voice." I heard a little voice say in my head and like always I didn't knew how to answer. It's not that I didn't want to, I just couldn't get used to the talking with my horse.

A little uncertain I talked back. It had been a few minutes quiet while we started walking again but I felt like I was being rude by not answering. However I couldn't figure out what to say, I started babbling. If you don't want me to raise my voice, stop being annoying I started and immediately I heard the replay in my head. Learn how to ride He answered trying to bully me, but now I couldn't let him win. I was the boss not he. "I can ride, but I just have to get used to having a horse with a crazy opinion." Cause we were talking I hadn't payed attention to the rode we were walking on. All of sudden I realized that we were lost and I had no idea how to get back to the academy.

[angel]

The forest wrapped around him; a blanket of living companions. They had had many guests under them before. Each displayed a very gentle hospitality, never dismissing their visitors or speaking ill of them. They were such kindly souls. They provided shade to shield against the summer sun, a seat in which you could cry, and pure hearts that listened without judging. The trees were silent, noble people. They gave selflessly, but took nothing. Tenderly, they gave themselves to those around them. They could be felled by the very man they helped in the rain. It was just the life of these nomadic beings. They were so innocent; without taint to mar their names.

In this, one boy found the proper company he had hungered for. Beneath a fir tree, he could feel safe. Her wide needles encased him from unwanted eyes, while her perfume of pine lulled him into a state of content. The greenery was welcoming in a view of white. The snow was beginning to fall again, heavy flakes fluttering to the earth. Yet, she became his umbrella. She was gentle hearted, permitting the boy beneath her dress to curl into her bosom. His face rested to the cool bark of her trunk, listening to her very heart thunder close to his ear.

The heart of a tree is an amazing thing to hear. It beats according to its age. A young tree has a rapid beat; one that you could almost dance to. An older, wiser tree has a beat that is slow, but echoes. It is this echo that resonates time. A tree can live for a hundred years and longer if given peace to grow. It can outstretch its hand and capture the sun while all others below merely gazed upwards, unable to even see the top of the pine. The heartbeat is, however, very quiet. One must listen carefully if one is to hear its gentle tempo.

Beyond the beat, he heard something entirely new. Hooves began to crunch in the snow. Someone was riding out there? He lifted the gown of his friend to peer out into the outside world. Lo and behold, his eyes settled upon a pair of creatures far off. One was, obviously, the form of a horse. The other belonged to that of the rider. A gust of wind carried the blonde hair into a gentle wave. Such a beautiful color… Had he seen her before?

A silent goodbye was given to his fellow mute, before he crawled out from beneath her. The snow was falling heavier now. The large flakes clung to his hair and eyelashes. He bid them leave with a swipe or two of his hand. The snowflakes struggled but for a moment, before melting away from the heat of his face. They were not so heavy or falling so hard that he lost sight of the two ahead of him. Glancing back to the trail, he turned yet again towards the pair far off from it. If they continued that way they’d get lost. Why were they off the trail?

Giving chase, he followed after them. The pair seemed confused about something, and this puzzling nature held them up. A voice announced the rider to be a girl as he’d assumed. She seemed to be snapping at the equine beside her, arguing almost. His approach was made with as much noise as he could muster. He stepped on twigs, kicked up snow, knocked on the bark of trees… Anything that would announce him before he startled her with his sudden appearance.

When they’re attention turned upon him, he raised his hand in a friendly “hello” gesture. A timid smile ran over his lips. His blue eyes gazed upon the new faces before him, taking each one in turn and engraving their features into the wall of his memory.

The horse was a massive beast. His wildly flowing mane and tail gave him the appearance of a phantom. His handsome features were alluring. From behind the curtain of bangs he could see deep brown eyes gazing back at him, just as curiously as he looked into theirs. The single blaze contrasted to the rest of his onyx coat. Skirting that deep ebony dye was a touch of red. It appeared as if he’d been dipped into some crimson pool at birth and still bore signs of the incident today. The horse was a Hercules. His muscles rippled from beneath his unusual pelt. He was something to be admired and praised; like Queen Elizabeth I with her dressage of lace and jewels. As for him, he was just a peasant to this beautiful creature. A single breath from that massive muzzle could send him back upon the earth.

The girl standing beside the horse was younger than him. She still retained her babyish features, but time would morph them into the cheeks of a lovely lady. Her features were molded into perfection. Her eyes weren’t too far apart, her nose not too big or to small, her lips were dry but full. The pale complexion of her face gave way to a bit of blush from the chill of the outside. The tip of her nose followed suit, appearing as though she had rubbed it to cause the tint. Her locks of blonde hair caught in the breeze. They dragged in soft threads over her face, caressing it with teasing tickles. Her eyes were as brown and deep as that of the horse’s. They were not merely tools of which to see, but a window into her being.

The moment of silence passed of the three gazing at one another, before the boy moved his hand to his coat pocket. The white pea coat was warm inside despite its rather thin appearance. It enhanced his angelic features, giving him the look of a celestial spirit rather than the mortal that stood before them. From the pocket, he withdrew a small notepad with a pen clipped to the black cover. The pen was removed and poised at a fresh piece of parchment. Another moment of silence before the paper turned to face them.

“Do you need help?”

A charming, kind smile fell over his face. Like his father, he was a regular heartbreaker. His features were as lovely as a Greek sculpture. He was the kind of person you wonder why they weren’t in front of a camera, modeling and strutting their stuff on the runway. And yet, there he was, smiling a genuine smile with snowflakes falling into his brown locks of hair.

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[Sheila Unati Jestin]

OOC: thanks for answering and I'm sorry if my post isn't as long as yours 'cause I'm not so good at that.
I hope this post is oke...

IC: In the moment that followed after her argue with her horse, she heard trenches break. It was a bit unexpected and her suspicious nature came up. She turned in the direction of which the noise came. She saw the vague picture of a men coming in her direction. However she was a bit relieved that there was someone who she could ask the way to the path, she couldn't hide her suspicion towards the unexpected person. But she wasn't planning to be unkind. Her suspicion wasn't the most important feeling. She mostly was curious to find out who this person was and why he or she was here. Mostly she was curious to why he didn't just announce his presence by talking in stead of making noise the way he did.

As he came closer, she could see that he was a boy or better, almost a man. Her eyes were drown towards his face as he walked towards her. She was fascinated about him. Why she didn't know. He was without a doubt a beautiful boy. As he came to her in his white coat and snow in his hair, he looked like an angel. She kind of lost herself in his deep blue eyes and had a lot of troubles to keep her mouth shut. This moment looked so unrealistic and yet so real that she had trouble to believe she wasn't dreaming.

Then the man lifted his hand as a hello and again she wondered why he didn't just talked to her. Still she didn't ask, maybe because she was to shide, maybe because she still didn't regain her confidence that she wasn't dreaming or maybe just because she didn't want to be unfriendly. As answer she just did the same. She raised her hand with a kind smile and with the other hand she held the reigns.

Because it wasn't easy to talk when you at different heights, she descended of her horse and stood next to her horse waiting on what would happen now. It was still silent since non of them talked. Then he took something out of his pocket. When she looked closer, she saw it was some kind of book and he started writing something. When he turned the book in her direction she saw the question he had written and she started blushing. Now it was clear to her why he hadn't said a thing. He couldn't speak.

A moment of silence followed again. However he was smiling kindly, she still had trouble to find the courage to start talking. She wasn't very much of a talker but now it was even worse then ever before. She started mumbling a bit but since she didn't know how to start, she just was kind of talking to herself. She didn't even knew she was mumbling out loud. It wasn't the intention that he could hear what she was saying. Then she took a deep breath and said almost in a whisper and still a bit hesitating Well... I ... I'm kind of lost... I mean ... I don't know where I am... I wasn't paying attention to the rode... I...

grr, why can't I just be normal. Why do I have to be so, so uncertain. Why can't I just be relaxed and talk to other people She thought, mad at herself for stumbling and for being lost. She should have payed attention and she shouldn't have argued with her horse. At the other hand, then she wouldn't have met this interesting person. Still, she hadn't made a good impression by ending up lost in the woods. What would he have to think about her. And why did she even care what he thought... By talking to herself like that, she became even more mad at herself then before. Her eyes started glazing dangerously but she wasn't planning of starting to cry and certainly not with someone around. And it was after all her own fold that they ended up here.

[angel]

Lost?

The girl seemed very down about being lost. Her voice had taken to a slight tremble. Her eyes peered down at the snow-covered ground at their feet. Everyone got lost. He knew that he had lost his way many times. You either found your way out or acquired a guide. Searching for the exit could be a frightening process. You never knew if a door would grant you your freedom or just sink you into further confusion. So, if one could, one should always pick the option of a guide.

Before he could write down a response, he saw the liquid line of tears welling in her brown eyes. The congregation threatened to spill over and roll down her face. His hands shot up and waved back and forth. Don’t cry! She must be scared to be in tears. He certainly couldn’t blame her for them. Even now when he got frightened he broke into fits of tears and sobs. Even if it was such a trivial matter he cried until his eyes were red and puffy. Judging her for revealing them wasn’t a taint in his heart. He understood why they were clinging to her lashes and why she stumbled so desperately over her words. All the same, he couldn’t let her cry. It made him sad to see her tears.

Reaching again to his pocket, he dug around in search for something. Notebook and pad in one hand, the other ruffling about desperately, he’d give her a thorough wave of confusion. At last, the means of his digging was revealed. In his hand he held the treasure of one cherry-flavored lollipop. He held it out to her with a smile, insisting upon her taking it until she finally grasped it in her hand. Candy always made him feel better; maybe it would for her too?

The notepad was again scribbled upon. He turned the note to her; the smile still alighted across his countenance.

“I can show you the way back to the trail. Follow me.”

The message received, he turned around and began to fulfill his promise. He retraced his steps with his sneakers crunching in the snow. Even showing this girl the way back became a game for him. He jumped over sticks, reached out to touch this or that, marveled at an icicle hanging from a tree branch. Such small works of art captivated him. If he found something particularly interesting, he’d beckon her over and gesture to what had caught his eye.

One of these things turned out to be a rabbit, nibbling away at some dry grass. He froze and peered past a veil of branches to see it. Turning to face her yet again, he waved an arm for her to come closer. When she was at his side, he pointed to the source of his attention so that she could see it herself. A rabbit? So much excitement for a rabbit? And yet his face was glowing. It was as if he’d found the hidden utopia of freedom from the world. His eyes turned back to her, that smile still upon his face.

The beast that had been following them let out a whiney. The rabbit perked up, ears erect, and then darted into the safety of its burrow. He smiled all the wider and opened his mouth as if he’d laugh. Not a sound.

Taking no heed of it, he wrote in the notepad,

“It’s just a little further.”

Climbing up the slope, he found their last part of the journey to be the hardest. While a horse could easily jump upon the ledge without bothering with the ice, humans weren’t so fortunate with their stubby legs. He climbed up with a stumble or two, but eventually made his way to a standing point. He reached out a hand to help the girl behind him make the final steps without falling. Once all three were away from the sloped edge, he pointed to the dirt path a mere distance away from them.

“The trail will take you back to the school.”

He reached out a hand to stroke the muzzle of the horse. His eyes looked back to her with a kindly smile on his features. He was glad to have helped her. No more tears!

[Sheila Unati Jestin]

She needed all her strength so she wouldn't cry. The woods weren't her favorite place. The only reason that she had come here was that it's full of paths to ride with horses. To be honest, she hates woods. There is nothing that frightens her more then being alone in the woods. Yet she went, only not alone, with her horse. It could actually make them closer since she would have to trust on him as soon as they entered the woods. you see how well that turned out was the thought that went through her had. Here she was with this stranger who she had to rely on.

She hated herself that she had let herself go. It was just a relief not to be completely lost anymore and then that anger... But now that boy had seen her almost cry. He would be able to use that against her and even if he doesn't, he would still know... She looked at the ground. Her eyes were dry again and her feelings back under control.

When she looked back up she saw the cherry lollipop. It was very sweet of him to give it to her, but her suspicious nature reminded her of the words her mother used to say: don't take candy from strangers!! Then she saw the smile on his face and he looked so innocent and for a moment she lost her self preservation and grasped the piece of candy. Her cheeks started to blossom. Candy was something that could help when you were sad and as he probably already knew, with her it was just like that. The sweet taste of the lolly made the world shine, almost like all the colors became intenser. She could really enjoy a lollipop if she wanted, but now she felt a bit guilty since it was his lolly and he hadn't taken one himself.

Thanks Her cheeks were still glowing, her smile was big, but just to mask her insecurity and her eyes were pointed to the ground. There was just no way she could talk to him and look him in the eyes at the same time. It was just not how she was. Although her insecurity may be clear, her suspicious nature was less obvious. And she was glad about that. She scared enough people off as it was now, she didn't need another bad impression to do that.

With Star still at the leads I followed the guy after he had shown me his notebook. She was really grateful that he wanted to help her get back on track but still she was happy that he had turned around so he couldn't see her face anymore. That he wasn't looking at her anymore made her feel more secure about the situation and she started to walk with more confidence too.

Her face lighted up when she saw how he made a game of everything. It was almost like watching a little kid exploring his environment and it worked contagiously. Her mood was back to where it was before, happy and joyful and her smile became more natural. Every time he 'called' her to watch at something, she looked interested and she was glad that he was her to show her all those things.

When he showed her the rabbit, her first reaction was predictable. Why so much commotion about a rabbit. But then she smiled to. Just the fact that they had seen a rabbit and that it hadn't ran away immediately was kind of something beautiful. It was good to see that he had so much fun and that she hadn't ruined his afternoon.

There was the notebook again with a double message. It was good that they had finally arrived back at the path but then he would probably leave again and it had pretty much become a funny afternoon because of him. But how was she to keep him busy longer then it took while she had disturbed his plans.

A moment later they were at the path. She read his message and smiled. While she looked at him as he was stroking Star's muzzle, she felt sorry that this was the end of the rode. But when he looked at her with a kind smile, her uncertainty came back and she became nervous again. It was one of the things she hated about herself. If she was with someone she barely knew she became all nervous and suspicious and there was nothing she could change about that.

Thanks She stroke Stars neck while she looked at her shoes. For showing me the way back I mean