X-Marks: Hiding Shadows

Trust

We trotted beside each other atop our horse. The murky orange of the lush forest fields had faded into a bright blue and still not a sight of anyone or anything. We had all this land to comb through without a clue of how long Ray had been gone. It would have seemed hopeless, but I had seen the impossible before. We couldn't run from the impossible anymore.

Below on the forest floor, a chipmunk and its tail scattered back into the brush. I felt the back of my horse buckle and sway beneath me.

"It's okay, Mel," I said and ran the back of my hand against the horse's neck.

I made sure to brush in the direction of her coat and not against. It was something the temperamental horse had trained, yes trained me to do.

Nate was behind me and shared my red colored horse. He wrapped his arms around my sides as we scaled a steep hill.

"Are you sure, you've had enough lessons?" Nate asked, and tightened his grip around my waist.

"She's just a little scared," I whispered back to him.

Rafi rode nearby with Valen sitting behind on her white horse. Her gaze was divided as if she was counting every branch, tree, and shrub along the way.

"We need to make a stop," Mat said from behind Ocean, both straddled on her gray horse.

"Stop?" Rafi said and halted her calculations.

"I can't sit on this thing anymore," Mat whined.

Rafi's neck twisted swiftly towards Mat and said, "Thing?"

"Uh, fine," Mat said and groaned, "Tabby, I can't sit on her anymore, you know?"

Rafi glanced up as if she was waking up from a clouded sleep.

"You're right," Rafi said and dismounted from her horse with Valen.

Ocean and Mat slid back down to the ground as well. I felt a tight sore in my own legs. I didn't want to stop, not yet. But it looked like we all had to.

Without the height of the horses and planted on the ground the once dense fields were now limited and flat. How were we supposed to find Ray from here? This wasn't right. How did Mat always find a way to ruin everything?

Rafi handed us packs of dried grain to eat as we sat around a broken stump and traded for our favorite flavors. Rafi stood far from us. Her usual cheery smile was stripped from her face. This definitely wasn't right.

"I'll be back soon," Rafi said and took her horse by its rope.

"Where are you going?" Mat said as he shoveled grain into his mouth.

"I'm getting us some water," she said.

Mat nodded and continued to eat as Rafi set off into a path of the road all alone. Out of all of this, leaving Rafi alone felt the least right.

"Wait!" I said and waved my hand up and ran after her, "I'll come with you."

"Thank you, Evee," Rafi said with a frail smile.

I handed my pack of grains to Nate. His heavy glare warned me to be safe as I walked away.

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I sat behind Rafi on her white horse. I tucked my hands into my sweaters pockets and listened to the trot of her horse against the lush grass below. It was all I could hear within these tall forest walls.

"Do you know where the water is?" I asked Rafi to fill the silence.

Rafi cocked her head back and laughed, "My Isabel can smell water from miles away. I trust her to take us where we need to be."

I puckered my dry lips and hoped she was right.

Rafi loosened her grip on the horse's rope to let nibble on nearby grass.

I focused on the birds flying above in the crisp blue sky and how they funneled up from the deep in the forest. What was making them do this? And just what was that damn sound?

"Did you hear that?" I asked aloud.

Rafi's horse began to trample its hooves and muted the already faint sound further.

"Ssssh," Rafi said and seized the rope of the horse again.

In the distance, with my breath held in my chest, I heard the stifled howl for the first time.

"No! No!" Ray's voice shouted, "Stop!"

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Uh-oh, this CAN'T be good! What do you think happened to Ray? Please be sure to keep voting and commenting below and let me know!