โโโโ ๐ฌ๐ณ๐น๐ฐ๐ช ! !
โโโโ ๐ฎ๐จ๐ณ๐ณ๐จ๐ฝ๐จ๐ต
x โโโโ ๐ฎ๐จ๐ณ๐ณ๐จ๐ฝ๐จ๐ต
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โ โข prince โข he-him โข 21 โข location: the woods/ the secret meadow โข mentions: xx โข tags: kit
Elric leaned forward into Nelson, feeling every pounding hoofbeat vibrate through both their bodies as it slammed the damp ground. The sun had broken through the morningโs mist, the ground was sprinkled with puddles, but Elric could tell the day would blossom beautifully. A squirrel dropped from a tree above them, narrowly missing a quashing via nelsonโs hoof.
I wonder if squirrels can talk to each other, he thought, squeals have got to mean somethingโฆunless a squeal is like a scream for humans, and thereโs a whole different language theyโve got and we just canโt hear it.
He loosened the reins and nelson slowed his pace a bit, smoothly moving to a jog, and opened his mouth to ask Kit what he thought of the squirrel question, but stopped, instead noticing a thin opening, overgrown and shrouded by bushes; a place that was only noticeable to those that knew to look, it veered off the often-ridden main path. Elric lifted his wrist to pull Nelson's reins, but the horse knew what Elric wanted him to do and turned sharply before he put any pressure. They slid into the forest and thundered down the narrow trail. Elric wound one of his hands through nelsonโs mane and leaned forward to whisper in his ear: โDonโt listen to the sirens!โ He began to hum to himself, a shanty song about the famous three sister sirens who haunted the forest they rode in. โWhere did I hear that?โ he interrupted himself, โMaybe one of the stablehands?โ And went back to singing: โBe-ware the sis-ters and their song!โ
A few moments later, Nelson and Elric emerged from the shadowy woods, they burst together into the final destination of their journey, one of Elricโs favorite places to be. He grinned and whistled as the meadow unraveled around them. Tucked, hidden away in the forest, the meadow was a bright patch of yellow and green, speckled by wildflowers. He adored it. In one corner, nestled in the bottom of a rolling hill, was his and Kitโs pond.
He remembered the first time he discovered the secret meadow. It was what now, nine years ago? He had gathered a whole group of kids, anywhere he could find themโkitchens, stables, the villageโhe wanted to show everyone. He rode Nelson, who was young then, and this dusty pack of kids followed him, they poured into the meadow. For a moment it was perfect, and then a little girl stepped in a hornet nest and a swarm came pouring out.
Chaos ensued.
Screaming girls, boys cryingโNelson, still a baby, couldnโt handle it; he went tearing forward, full gallop, completely out of control. As he arrived at the pond, he began to get stung, neighed deafeningly, and started to buck. Little Elric couldnโt handle it, or hold on long at all. But in the midst of all of this mayhem there was a boy, blond, with bright, attentive blue eyes. (His eyes were what defined Kit, really.) Elric wasnโt really sure how it happened, but one moment that boy wasnโt there, and the next he was flying through the air and the boy was, right on the bank of the pond. โAm I dead?โ He lay in Kitโs lap for a moment, and when it had been established that he was, in fact, still in the realm of the living, they set off together in pursuit of a petrified Nelson.
He smiled at the memory and ruffled Nelsonโs mane so that it stuck up. โYou donโt like bees, do you boy?โ
Elric glanced over to Kit, who looked,to him, much the same as he had at fourteen, holding a wiry twelve-year old Elric above the earth, when his face imprinted Elricโs memory for the first time. He wasnโt too good at remembering details like that. He supposed Kit was somehow sharper now. And he laughed a little more. Kit was seated on a horse too, that was new. His attention turned to Kitโs mount.
โI love Bendita!โ Elric rode to Kitโs side and reached out a hand to pat the gentle mare. โItโs nice today, isnโt it?โ Nelson mimicked the gesture, bumping his dusky tan nose with the mareโs dappled gray. Elric hopped off of Nelson and began towards the pondโonce Nelson had gotten over the residual fear of bees, he had grown to love the pond. Elric suddenly remembered the squirrel question, and cupped his hand around his mouth. โKitty-cat?โ he called. โDo you think animals can communicate? Like, when a dog barks, is he saying โgive me bacon!โ...I wish I knew what Nelson was thinking right now.โ He carefully tied Nelson to a tree near the water so that he could drink, and awaited Kitโs response, the familiar sound of Bennieโs approach, and the sound when Kit dismounted and joined him. He flopped down onto the grass and rolled onto his back, partially shaded by the tree. He loved the feeling of grass, it was cold, while the rest of his body was warmed by the sun.
He thought about the sun, and whether people could ever live on it, and after a minute or so of this, he realized Kit wasnโt there. Leaning up onto his elbows, he squinted and called for him. โKit?โ It was unusual for Kit to stray far from his side. He was like an extension, and it didnโt feel quite right when he wasnโt near. He didnโt have to be speakingโa fair amount of the time he wasnโtโbut he was a presence, nonetheless, and now that presence was vacant. He finally placed him, across the field, with someone else.
Why would someone be at our secret meadow? He pulled Nelson loose and launched onto his back, spurring him onwards towards Kit. Whoever else was there had vanished by the time he arrived.
โKit?โ He slowed to a walk. โWho was that?โ
