Page 2 of Blood Fist
Dogs barked at him as they flew past, people leaped out of his way as they yelled after him. Three young kids cheered him on as Peppercorn cleared Miss Tam’s vegetable garden in an easy jump.
He broke free of the tents, letting the reins slide through his fingers as he looked for his curly headed competitor.Jonen was a good ten lengths back, his face screwed up in determination.
“Hah!” he shouted, pumping one fist in the air. Peppercorn seemed to feel his energy, redoubling her effort. She knew the way by now, her feet quick and sure as she traveled over the uneven terrain for the shade of the trees ahead.
She found the break in the brush without Ridan’s help, diving between the shrubs and into the blissful cool of the small forest. He sat back on his seat, fingers tugging on her mane gently to get her to slow before she got to the thick part of the forest. With her keen senses, she felt it, slowing to an easy jog before dropping to a walk.
Ridan leaned forward, dropping his forehead to her crest to breathe in Peppercorn’s scent. His fingers scratched at her favorite spots, sliding through the foamy sweat that collected on her skin.
“Atta girl,” he said proudly. “No one’s faster than us.”
She snorted, her sides heaving as she caught her breath. Even with the run, she was bright eyed, ears pricked to every rustle in the underbrush. They turned toward the small creek, the sound of water tumbling over rocks growing louder as they cut through the mottled shade.
This patch of forest was deceptive. It was thin and weedy close to the village, mostly picked clean, and used by the people of the clan for a resting place. But to Jonen and Ridan, it was their fortress—big enough to be explored and far enough away from their parents nagging to be the perfect playground. There wasn’t a craggy rock or root they hadn’t stumbled over.
The creek was a small, thin extension of the bigger springs they used for bathing. Laundry and dishes weredone farther down, where the creek widened to a respectable size. But here it was nothing more than a trickle between the shrubs. Still, the water was crisp and cool, and deep enough Peppercorn could drop her muzzle to get a drink.
Ridan dismounted, feeling the glorious pull of his muscles as he dropped to his knees for a drink himself. He splashed himself in the cool water. It was bracing against his heated skin. With cupped hands, he took his fill before splashing some onto Peppercorn’s chest to help her cool down faster.
“You cheated!” Jonen’s voice cut through the peace; his hands crossed over his chest as he came into view. He dismounted as they came abreast of Ridan and Peppercorn, dropping to the sandy bank.
“It’s not cheating,” he refuted smugly. “I’m just smart enough to use a shortcut.”
“You knew you couldn’t beat me and Brownie, so you cheated!”
Ridan rolled his eyes—at Jonen’s tone and theridiculousname he chose for his pony all those years ago.
With his cheeks puffed up and dark curls whipped into a bird’s nest, it was hard to remember that one day Jonen would be an alpha. Right now, he was smaller than Ridan, his big doe eyes more likely to spew tears than cut through challenging alphas.
“Don’t be such a crybaby,” Ridan chastised, moving out of the way so Brownie could get a drink.
Despite being sired from the same stallion, the two ponies could not be any different. Where Peppercorn was a mottling of colors, Brownie was a plain bay. His distinguishing feature was his thick mane that nearly dragged the ground if Jonen didn’t trim and braid it.
Ignoring Jonen’s protests, he stepped into thecreek. The smooth stones felt good under his dirty feet as he began inspecting the opposite bank for edible mushrooms. Momma Sehleh had been saying she wanted to make a big stew for the upcoming Dry Season Festival. Nudging rocks and half-submerged logs aside, he made his way upstream to where the woods grew thicker.
If he kept following the river, it would eventually widen, banks turning into the clay they collected for pots. He knew the river went even farther than that, traveling north, where the woods turned into a proper forest. Shesto once said you could travel through the forest all the way to Kaledonea, but Ridan thought he was probably just making that up.
His mother would string them up by their thumbs if they left the protection of Stone Blade Lands.
He found some bulbous mushrooms growing between a broken rock. Kneeling on the bank, he withdrew his small hunting knife and worked them free, roots and all. If Momma Sehleh didn’t want the roots then their healer, Iylah, certainly would.
Jonen saw what he was doing and rushed over to help. It was difficult getting through the reedy stalks with just their small knives—they weren’t even very sharp. His mother wouldn’t let him carry anything bigger, and Osmond tattled when Ridan tried to sharpen it.
Stupid, big-headed alpha. Thinks just because he’s older and got promoted to Chief’s Second that he’s better than them…
They found enough mushrooms to fill their pockets. The ponies meandered over to the weeds, growing in a sunny glade, ignoring the boys as they scrambled over downed logs and harassed lizards. Jonen caught a big one, laughing as he lifted it to his ears. Thegrumpy lizard clamped down painlessly on his earlobe, dangling from the skin like an earring.
“You look like my mom!” Ridan chuckled.
Jonen jumped up on a rock, fists on his hips as he postured. “Were you taught to walk by giants?! What kind of game do you think we’re going to find with you stomping around like a newborn Tetratorn?!”His imitation of Chief Restrina was good, and it made Ridan howl with laughter.
When the frazzled lizard eventually released Jonen’s ear, they let him scurry back to his log, finding something new to catch their attention.
His mother was going to lay into them when she heard they’d skipped classes again, but the day was far too nice to waste cramped inside Gustall’s tent learning about borders and clan dynamics. It only took one look from Ridan for Jonen to scramble after him, ducking into the stables to free their ponies and take off.
It would be worth the lecture, he was sure.
They raced each other up trees, and Jonen beat Ridan in a pull-up competition on a low hanging branch before they realized how late it was. In their play, they’d drifted a little farther north than they usually did, and he could just now see the sun slipping closer to the horizon.