Lifeblood

Chapter 4

A/N:

Thank you for your patience while I finished this chapter! It was a little trickier than the first three, and it turned out a bit longer so I split it into two chapters. 

Have a great Thanksgiving <3

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Cold. Damp. Brown.

Mary wrapped her slate blue cloak tighter, loathing spring with a passion. It was like winter but wet, nevermind the flowers shaking off a layer of frost, the impatient things. The grass shimmered with a dusting of ice, her and Rike's footprints marring the glitter of winter's waning touch. It would all melt within the hour.

Before the treeline, or rather, scrubline, as the trees were too far apart to be called forest, two horses nickered next to Harrison. He strapped saddlebags onto his mount which was noticeably, but not exceptionally, larger than the other two.

Rike joined him, hefting Mary's bags onto a brown mare. The horse shook its mane, catching the sunlight and setting it aglow as if on fire.

Harrison waved, then pulled a final strap into place.

"Morning," Mary greeted, smoothing down the fabric of her cloak.

She nudged Rike out of the way of her horse and mounted. Rike huffed but said nothing as he got on another, a few shades darker than hers.

Now out of the shade, warmth soaked into the cotton of her cloak, contrasting with the soft bite clinging to the air every time the wind shifted. Mary leaned forward to run her fingers through the horse's mane. She hadn't ridden in months.

"He looks like a Reginald," Rike announced, fondly patting his new stead.

'Reginald' snorted, sending up a cloud.

"He likes it."

An elegant name for an average horse.

Instead of voicing her thoughts, Mary swallowed the 'tsk' waiting at the front of her mouth. "I'm sure he does."

Mary followed after Harrison, who led the way to the main road at the edge of town and spurred his horse into a trot.

Houses dotted the landscape, growing fewer and farther between with each mile traveled. Recently tilled fields scattered across, around, and over uneven terrain, eventually succumbing to the hills and disappearing from sight. The well-trodden road grew smaller, and when it was not yet midday it gave itself up in quiet surrender, swallowed under rocky soil and rolling hills.

Rike made most of the conversation. Harrison was even more silent than Mary, but if the faint but present circles under his eyes were anything to go by, he had a lot on his mind. She had traveled alone plenty enough to sympathize, although perhaps not with whatever purpose Harrison was searching for a Shifter in the first place.

Crunch.

What was that?

Crunch crunch crunch.

Mary located the source of the noise and sighed. "Rike, I can hear you eating from here. What even is that?"

"Hrdf tk." He gulped the 'hrdf tk' down and took another bite.

Harrison took that as a cue. "Why don't we stop for lunch?" He dismounted at the foot of a hillock, and she followed suit. A jolt went up Mary's legs and she suppressed a gasp, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

"Ow." Rike rubbed his thighs.

"It'll feel better after a couple of days." Harrison tipped his waterskin back for a drink, exposing a necklace with flat, wooden beads under his shirt. Almost like the ones she sold as charms.