The Nameless Warrior

Monster Tamer

A storm brewed in the north and Kindra was about to face down a horse, just like in her vision. The horse was in the woods, loosely surrounded by a dozen of Kindra's warriors. Cougar turned to Kindra and Gar as they arrived. "The storm has it spooked. It won't let anyone near. Al tried and nearly lost an eye."

Everyone looked to her. Kindra had no idea how to subdue a horse, but it was her family's sacred totem and her job to get it back inside the fence. She nodded and entered the circle, and even Gar wouldn't follow her in.

Kindra tried to remember her vision. The storm, the monster horses in the sky, the God saying He would teach her how to fly. Maybe He meant the horse would kick her into the trees.

She stepped forward slowly, hands out at her sides so she wouldn't spook it. The horse eyed her as she walked, snorting air from its nose. Thunder rumbled in the distance and its ears flipped back and forth, agitated.

"Shh, you're fine," she said as she neared it. "No one will hurt you." She reached her good hand towards the rope around its neck, and it snapped at her.

"Well now I am going to hurt you."

She stepped forward with the intent to grab its head and force it to the ground. There was a crack of thunder and the horse reared, kicking at her. "Whoa!" She stepped back and put her hands up to protect herself. "Calm down you monster."

A rope dangled between his kicking legs and she ducked in and grabbed it, yanked the horse down, and suffered a blow to her shoulder in the process. Her arm tingled right down to her fingertips, but she didn't let go.

"Alright monster, I've got you. Calm down."

Gar called to her from the safety of the circle. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Let's get him back in his pen." She tugged on the rope, but the horse wouldn't move. "Come on, Monster, it's just a storm. Nothing to fear."

The horse snorted again and blew snot over her arm. Kindra sighed. Accepting the horse was not the best decision she'd ever made. "You don't want to come? Fine." She tied the rope to a tree limb and started to walk away. Behind her the heavy footsteps of the horse followed. Kindra turned and the horse stopped and looked at her, eyes wide, ears perked forward. It looked like it was asking a question.

She supposed she wouldn't want to be out in the open during a lightning storm either. She turned to Cougar and Gar. "Build it a shelter inside the pen."

"Like a tent?" Cougar asked.

She thought about it. "Like the kiln shelters in Fie Wain. Something to keep the rain out."

Cougar looked at Gar and he shrugged. "It's the God's sacred beast. Let's build it a shelter."

The circle of warriors went to lash together a shelter while Kindra stood under the trees with the horse. When she tried to go near his ears went back, but eventually she was able to reach out a hand and touch his neck. The fur was short and soft, and she stroked it slowly to calm them both.

When the rain started, she kept petting it, trying to keep the horse as calm as possible as she pondered what to do about Oak. If what Petoskey said was true, then they were subjects of the Obsidian Nation—all of them. The Aledans would expect her to do something because she was an Odion, the Bride of Eoin, and the only one who could calm a monster during a thunderstorm. The thought worked its way into the pit of her stomach and sat there like a small creature, unfurling and then condensing tight and heavy.

She ran her hand down the horse's wet nose. "Monster, you're supposed to teach me to fly, and I'm supposed to save my tribe. Unless you sprout wings, I don't think we have a very good chance, do you?"

The horse made a "puh" noise and shook the rain from his eyes.