@Lucky- I love Tony in that episode so much. :'D I just couldn't stop giggling at his insults.
Also, here's the PruHun story. Yes, Hungary
a girl, but she still has plenty firm beliefs in her masculine side. Also, for giggles, I picked one of the manliest names possible; Endre, which means manly, though not literally translated.
I plan on writing more to this, but this is what I managed to get out for now.
I remember how we used to hunt at least twice in a week as two eager, bustling boys with just a little bit too much energy in our bodies we just couldn’t spend.
I was an adorable, little white-haired boy, usually out on either a scouting trip to continue the spread of our Christian religion across Europe or clumsily leaping from trees and bushes so I could attack the prey that always had so much joy in chasing after; to feel the recoil that the shot of an arrow could send through my arms was always appealing. I never took anyone’s opinion, fought for myself and only me, and was always lusting for more power, just as every other empire was. Borders were often snapped, and repairing them was a pain in my neck; losses were only small prices to pay for our main goal. Many wept as I tore away their religions of witchcraft and paganism and replaced it with the much holier and sacred one of Christianity. It was great, back then.
Then there was my best friend. He was a strange guy, with his weird beliefs that often made me cringe. He wasn’t strong or handsome or anything; he wasn’t going to attract any ladies when we grew up, I was sure of that. I always mocked him by saying he looked and sounded like the most disgusting, revolting, grotesque animal I could think of- that was usually a goat. He always made a stupid comeback by saying I looked and sounded like one of the weakest, stupidest, and smallest animal he could think of- that was usually a hamster.
He had light brown, wavy hair that he always pulled back into a ponytail- he said cutting it would make him lose strength, just like Samson in the Biblical tales. I told him that it wasn’t like that anymore, but he still refused. Big green eyes, long eyelashes, smooth jaw lines, and a curved body always made him a bit uncomfortable, but I never said anything. He was a friend I really didn’t want to lose. He acted a lot like adorable little me, except he could be much more serious and wasn’t as stubborn, but he was still a lot like me. He was much more likeable and cooler because of that. He still wasn’t as awesome as me, however.
Today, we went out on a hunting trip, into a different land we weren’t entirely familiar with, but found it to be quite lush and no doubt chock-full of little creatures we could take down with arrows, lances, and spears. We had rode in on our horses, which provided a great way to chase after fleeing herds of the white-tailed deer and smaller antelope that often took about in both the plains and forests. Our equines were accustomed to carrying out weight, along with that of weapons, and we used harnesses to carry the heavier kills back, or slung the smaller ones on their backs. Mine had a smooth sheen over its dapple grey coat, and Endre’s, my friend, was a very light bay, having almost a hay colour to it with light brown markings around its muzzle and hooves. Each one was sleek with large chests- they were great for setting out on chases.
We had been travelling for a decent amount of time, twisting and turned through the brush and tall oaks, alpines, and firs. Nothing was in sight, though the slight scuffling of a rabbit scurrying off or the sound of a meadowlark bellowing out and a quick flutter of wings signaled that there was indeed life in this forest. I gave a groan, shifting on my horse with obvious pain. Having a spine jabbing into your buttocks and having your legs split apart to straddle the wide sides of a horse was awfully uncomfortable, especially if held for a lengthy amount of time. I glanced over at Endre, who seemed perfectly comfortable; he was always a strange one.
Suddenly, both our horses seemed to come to the attention of something, and we stopped simultaneously. Endre listened carefully while I glanced around, only slightly bewildered. I could sense that both equines seemed to have some sort of anxiety running through them, with small shivers and heavier breathing. It didn’t help when I was nearly knocked off by my horse giving a quick jolt forward before shifting side to side. With a small slap of the reins, Endre urged his horse forward, and a nudge to the side sent her into a trot.
I followed in suit, curious, but doing my best to hide it. I couldn’t seem all too interested- it would only hurt my pride when it turned out to be nothing or Endre ended up taking notice and would begin mocking me. We went on for a long time- or it seemed so to me with my habit of having a short attention span- before Endre yanked back on the reins, making his horse give a low whinny and snort as the bit rammed itself into her lips. I stared at him now, not even trying to conceal the obvious interest that nagged my stomach and sent a thrill through my bloodstream.
“Oi, what is it?” I questioned, giving a nod forward.
“You’re an idiot,” he said at first, but soon continued with a more serious tone, “Haven’t you even noticed how there’s no big game at all, as long as we’ve been out here? I haven’t even found a trace- no flattened grounds, no droppings- nothing, Gil. Animals don’t just leave without a trace, not even in the migrating seasons.” He looked around almost as if he was expecting something to reveal itself. “Do you think something drove them out?”
I gave a shrug; I wouldn’t know, since I didn’t even notice anything before, much less did I really care. There were plenty of other places we could hunt that we both knew by heart. We didn’t have to explore and entirely new part of Endre’s land to find some deer.
“Let’s just get out of here, then. I wanna go home anyways. You have way too many boring things around here- I don’t like it.”
Endre gave me a stern glare, which didn’t even make me wash off the least bit of my irritation. It was normal for him to do that anyways. He pushed his horse forward again, and I stared on after him. Where was he going now? If he felt so uneasy about the whole thing, why didn’t he just head on back?
After a moment’s hesitation, I reluctantly followed on after him, though I wasn’t all too happy about it. I just wanted to forget about this and get it over with so I could head on home without a single problem in my life. Endre had gotten a little ways ahead, and I was beginning to lose sight of him, which irritated me further.
Just stay in sight, won’t you? Darn it, you’re going to get yourself hurt! I thought silently to myself as he disappeared. I stopped my horse, knowing he’d probably end up wetting his trousers when he realized he didn’t have my awesomeness around to protect his sorry little butt. I waited for a good five minutes.
He still hadn’t come back.
A small twist in my gut made me call out, “Endre? Oi, if you think this is funny, it really isn’t.”
Not a single answer. Not even the birds would talk to me and tell me that someone else was here other than me. I shifted again on my horse, who now had his ears back, seeming awfully frightened of something. He began to take a few steps back, but with a jerk of the reins, he stopped. What was happening?
“Endre, look! Let’s just get back already! You don’t have to-“
My obviously angry speech was soon cut off by an unnatural screech from the direction Endre had headed off to. My eyes widened slightly, but I kept the panic that rushed through me under control.
I didn’t have to wait long until I saw my friend bursting through the bushes, pale like he had seen a hellish demon. He darted past me, and without second thought, I turned my horse around and bolted in the other direction. Getting next to Endre, I leaned over and gave a tug on the back of his tunic, and with some struggle and his assistance, I managed to get him on. We raced through the forest, my horse naturally jumping over brush and small, fallen trees with ease. As awkward as it was, Endre was just gripping the sides of my own tunic tightly, pressing his forehead into the top of my back.
----
We soon made it out of the forest and into an open clearing, which Endre announced it was time to stop. He let go of me and I hopped off, immediately plopping down onto the ground and pulling an arrow out from the quiver on my back. I tossed it back and forth between my hands, staring down at it. This always did seem to be a nervous twitch I had. Endre slid off, landing in the grass a little ways away from me, rolling over onto his back as he breathed in a slightly laboured fashion.
“You alright?” I questioned as I noticed him having the slightest troubles breathing. What had even happened back there? He wasn’t willing to tell, that much I was sure of. However, I was a little concerned for his wellbeing.
“I just ran a little fast, that’s all,” he simply replied, before rolling over onto his side, away from me.
I didn’t dare question him further, not really having a fancy towards getting punched in my gut. It was already bruised from the last time.
Still, what had happened?