KING OF BEASTS (Hiatus)

The horse brought to Ares was a large creature, with powerful broad shoulders that made it appear to be something more akin to a regal beauty than just a horse. Though what was a horse if not a regal beauty? Yet within those amber eyes smoldered something beyond that of a typical horse, there was something that was balled up, something it could not bring the world due to its constraints.

 

“He’s magnificent,” Ares said.

 

“She is,” Arthur replied.

 

Ares nodded, smiling towards Arthur. He brushed a hand along the horse’s neck and then along it’s side, seeing the short white fur slip between his fingers. The horse was pure white save for its eyes.

 

“Will she listen to me?”

 

“If she’s in the mood.”

 

Ares laughed and then nodded. “I hope she’s in the mood then,” he said with a smile on his face.

 

“She will obey you, but it will take a short while for her to be completely under your sway.”

 

“That’s fine,” Ares said. “We will spend a long time together, alright?” Ares said as he then climbed onto the horse, who allowed him such a mercy for the moment.

 

“What’s her name?”

 

“We do not have such things for the horses,” Arthur said.

 

Ares nodded, though he didn’t quite understand.

 

The others were becoming acquainted with their own horses, each of which were slightly different than the other. Ezak’s especially was much smaller than the others, and so was Ozondo’s, who had graciously accepted a small horse as to not be the only one walking.

 

“A pony? Is it because I’m a dwarf?” Ozondo growled as he lumbered onto the pony’s back, which trot along almost instantly without Ozondo’s wants.

 

“Hey now! Hey now!” Ozondo exclaimed as the pony continued to trot for a little longer before stopping and then working on eating some foliage, allowing Ozondo a moment of peace to gather himself.

 

“I’m not sure when we’ll return,” Ares said. “It may take some time for us to return to Rivea and speak of the deal with one another.”

 

“Take your time,” Arthur said. “It is an important matter.”

 

Ares nodded. “It’s getting late so we should be off,” he said as he bowed his head at Arthur, who returned the bow.

 

Then Ares and the others were off, trotting along with their newly acquired horses.

 

Uta and Zika were given a pair that were big and broad, they seemed more like oxen then horses. Uta’s was dark, though Ares thought it looked like a chest nut with how it’s upper body and mane were dark and the rest of its body was lighter. Zika’s horse was grey, like a cloudy afternoon, and it would often gallop away before Zika reined it in by grabbing onto its neck and hissing, which caused the horse to slow.

 

The other horses were similar to that Ares received, large and broad, but not quite the hulking masses that Uta and Zika received. Jiaga seemed to be comfortable with his horse, which was as black as the night.

 

"This creature is as strong as a buffalo!" Uta exclaimed with great delight as he darted off into the distance, leaving the group and the village behind.

 

Ares threw a look back at the village and waved before he rubbed the side of the white horse's neck and then began galloping away. The others soon followed as Ares caught up to Uta, who had finally slowed down, laughing heartily as he rubbed the horse's neck eagerly.

 

"Careful to not run too hard," Ares said. "You don't want to tear its skin off."

 

Uta continued to laugh.

 

The darkness of evening rolled in like a fever, quickly setting against the party consisting of nine and nine horses.

 

The walls provided some comfort around them, keeping contained the heat of the meal. Ares had also created an enclosed area for the horses to sleep possibly nearby. The dwarf had been awfully quiet during the long ride, except for some grumblings about bouncing on the pony when they moved too quickly.

 

"Sorry about the detour, Ozondo," Ares said. "I do hope the pony makes up for it."

 

"She's a fine horse."

 

"At least we get some fresh milk now, huh?" Ares chuckled. The female horses had provided each of them with a fresh bowl of warm milk, and though Ares enjoyed the milk from the oxen, the flavour of the horse's milk was a little richer and flowed down smoothly.

 

"The earth says we'll be close to the entrance. The day after tomorrow at noon." Ozondo said.

 

"How exciting. We'll drop you off and then head further west, though I would love to speak with your people one day."

 

"I will bring such word to my people."

 

Ares smiled and then made way to bed. Once in bed Ares brought out a carrot and began to chew on it, thinking of Rivea as he did. Flashes of Lana came to him first, for the night was cold without her. Of course his children were in his thoughts as well, and it was then that his stomach began to cramp.

 

Ares reached down and slapped his stomach. He bid away the cramp from within the shadowy wound, slapping it a few more times for good measure. Then he shifted his hand to flames and pressed it against the skin.

 

He sighed as the warmth filled him, before the pain kicked in. It was as though he had been stabbed in the gut again. Ares wondered what the lingering wound was and what it did to him. The only thing he noticed was that sometimes he would get a little sick and need a rest, and sometimes it would feel as though there was a blade in his gut which someone was twisting so cruelly.

 

Morning came quickly and the group continued along after a light breakfast. The horses had very little to eat, though Ares did offer them some fruit to keep up their mood.

 

On their journey they would stop and allow their horses to graze on what little they could find, and Ares would also make small holes in the earth before filling them with water so they could drink too.

 

With the horses they covered double the ground in a single day, though would often rest their horses and so would be able to walk around and rest their sore thighs.

 

"Oxen are a little easier to ride," Ares said, pulling over the scarf to cover his eyes from the sun's wrath.

 

"I would have to agree," Torak said with a nod of his head.

 

"There are many lizards which feel as one with you," Zika chimed in as she tore into some flesh Ares had provided her.

 

"There are some fish which are the same in water," Ezak said from under his scarf. He was drinking quite a bit of water due to all the heat.

 

"What kind of fish?" Torak asked.

 

"There are many which are quick. Cappers are my favourite, they are quick and tough. They look like mushrooms."

 

"Have you eaten them?"

 

Ezak nodded. "They taste like buffalo."

 

"Buffalo!" Ares exclaimed.

 

The others snapped their heads towards the King, who was currently rubbing his face. Ares wiped down the front of his face mostly due to embarrassment.

 

"Uta," Ares began, "on the way here we saw a large mass of buffalo, maybe a few hundred, a giant stampede of them, running along the horizon. Do you know anything about that?"

 

"That could mean a number of things," Uta shrugged. "It could be a sign of great distress or misfortune, or it could be…"

 

"It could be what?"

 

Uta remained silent. "No, nothing."

 

Ares stared at him for a long while but Uta shook his head.

 

"We should continue along, we are close," Ozondo said.

 

With that the group moved onward. Ozondo led the group, followed by Ares and Orndu, and then the rest followed behind. Sometimes Uta and Zika would go out beyond them and around due to their steeds being so pent up, but they would often return soon after.

 

"This doesn't seem like your first time on a horse," Ares said. "Did you often ride back home?"

 

"Often," Jiaga said with a nod, "though the horse I rode was not quite as magnificent."

 

"I'll be sure to let your King know."

 

Jiaga's eyes shot wide at Ares, though he did not protest. Ares just laughed as they rode onwards.

 

"How are you finding Rivea?" Ares asked.

 

"Rivea has been good to us," Jiaga said after some thought.

 

"Good, good. That is what Rivea should be doing."

 

"Though many do still miss home."

 

"I can imagine," Ares said as he thought of Rivea. "Home is where the heart is, but one day you will return."

 

Jiaga nodded and looked off to the horizon, yet his eyes were not looking at it, but beyond.

 

Jiaga was a man that had marched away from his home to protect his King, and he was a good man for it. Ares knew of the feeling, he had been ripped away from his home too, never to return. Jiaga and his people would not fall to the same fate.