“These two…,” Liam said, shaking his head, waving at Larry and the giant black horse. “I don’t know about them. By rights that black brute should be the leader of the herd but he defers to Larry. And it’s not just the size, but the strength….”
He trailed off, whistling.
Loch nodded, agreeing. The two horses gave off incredibly strong auras. Larry was a little weaker than the black horse, which should have let the black horse lead but instead he let Larry lead, serving as a kind of bodyguard or second-in-command. In many ways, it reminded Loch of the way Brian Jefferson followed him. Not that Brian was as strong as Loch.
From what Liam had said, in the couple of days his group had followed Larry and the small herd, it wasn’t just normal herd life. Because of the cows and the wagon, the going had been incredibly slow for the group, taking longer than it would have if they had just walked. But there had been valuable gear in the wagon. It had given time for Larry and the herd to show off just how much things had changed for them in this new world.
A couple of times monsters had come out of the woods on either side of the road. Larry had behaved like a general, controlling the actions of the other horses, directing where to attack and how to defend. Liam, who had been around horses his entire life, had never seen anything like it. Some of the horses surrounded the wagon and people, forming a defensive line, while Larry and the big black tore into the monsters.
And when Liam had said tore, he had meant it. Loch hadn’t seen what the new Adapted Larry could do, but Liam had said it was amazing. And scary. The big black was even more terrifying.
Loch was interested in learning more about the big black.
He stood with Liam in one of the small grass areas that had not been given over to crops, looking at the small herd of horses. Twelve of them. Larry was in the back with Harper. Piper, Cerie following alongside, was stroking the side of one of the smaller horses. A brown and white mare. That one hadn’t looked like she’d grown when being Adapted, but when Loch had used Evaluate on her, she felt almost as strong as Larry.
SWIFT STORM MARE
Out of the herd, those were the three most powerful. There were a couple others that seemed to have changed but the rest were still horses, feeling the same as they would have Pre-Connection.
He found it interesting that the three were all variations of Storm, whatever that meant. Cerie had said that the area had a lightning affinity and it would affect some of the creatures. It seemed to have affected the horses when they Adapted.
Loch could hear the sound of building as a barn was quickly being erected. Progress on the barracks had been stopped the day after Liam and his group had arrived. The barn was needed to shelter the cows and horses. It took priority.
The first night having the cows tied up in the fields, Mutated Coyotes had attacked from the woods. That was a regular occurrence, but these had run straight for the cows, not probing the edges of the schoolyard or going after the crops. They hadn’t gotten close to the cows before the Guards had put them down. The guards had barely beat Larry and the big black to the monsters. Both horses had rushed to protect the cows. They hadn’t gone far since. The herd surrounded the cows, with Larry and the other two Storm horses patrolling the edges.
In the few days they’d been there, Loch had seen the evidence that the three were different. They were smarter, faster, stronger.
And more dangerous.
Especially the giant black, the War Storm Stallion.
It stared at Loch as he stared at it. Both sized each other up. The horse lowered its head, almost nodding at Loch. He smiled, understanding the gesture as acceptance. He walked forward, the War Storm Stallion also moving. They stopped a couple feet from each other. Loch reached out, running his hand up and down the horse’s nose.
“Where did Larry find you?,” Loch asked, knowing he wouldn’t get an answer.
The horse chuffed, stamping a fur clad hoof. The ground shook slightly.
“That was probably an answer but I don’t speak horse.”
The horse chuffed again. Loch laughed. A loud whoop caught his attention. Turning, he saw Harper riding Larry. It had been years since he’d seen her ride a horse and it didn’t look like she’d forgotten. Even if there was no saddle.
Larry didn’t seem to mind. He pranced around the field, head held high. Harper held on with just her legs, hands raised as she yelled excitedly.
A second yell of excitement came from Piper. Somehow she’d gotten onto the mare’s back. She wasn’t as steady as Harper, but managed to keep herself from falling off. The mare moved slower than Larry, a little more uncertain.
Loch felt a nudge on his shoulders, strong enough to make him stumble. The War Storm Stallion looked at him, raising its head.
“You want me to ride you?”
The horse moved its head up and down.
Loch looked at his girls and then back to the horse. It dwarfed him in size and presence. The War Storm Stallion was a beast. He’d taken some riding lessons when the girls did, but had never got as into it. Kelly had been the rider. She’d grown up with horses, riding for decades, and gotten the girls lessons when younger. The idea had been for the whole family to go on one of those riding vacations.
It had never happened. Life just got in the way.
The girls had the largest smiles on their faces. Loch hadn’t seen them that happy in a very long time. Smiles of unbridled joy, a release of cares.
The War Storm Stallion nudged Loch again.
“It’s been a very long time,” Loch said, walking around the side of the horse.
He ran his hand along the animal’s sleek fur. He could feel the muscles of the horse, feel the power from its core. Something about it resonated with Loch. He could feel a static charge coming from the horse.
No saddle meant no stirrups or horn to use to help pull himself up. He’d never ridden a horse without one. Watching the girls, how natural they looked without saddles, he didn’t think they’d ever ridden without one either but it didn’t seem to matter. How had they mounted the horses? Harper could have just jumped or Shadowskipped. But Piper? The mare wasn’t that big, compared to Larry and the black, but still too tall for Piper to pull herself up. There was no one around that could have given her a hand. Had she jumped?
Stolen novel; please report.
Placing his hand on the War Stallion’s back, Loch used it to hold himself steady, to provide guidance. Taking a deep breath, He pushed up with his legs. Rising high enough, he used his hand to swing himself over the horse, landing with both legs straddling the body.
“Can’t believe that worked,” Liam said.
Loch looked down, far down, at the other man. Liam was about Loch’s height, but he looked short from on top of the giant black horse. The horse stomped its hooves, eager to get going. Shrugging, Loch grabbed some mane, being careful to not pull it.
Not liking having reins, Loch wasn’t sure about giving the horse control. He could see the girls enjoying their rides, both coming closer now that they’d seen him on the black. They appeared safe enough. The family had known Larry for years. The girls had never ridden him, but they’d spent time with him almost everyday they’d lived in Northwood. He was unsure about the mare, but she seemed to be following Larry’s lead. Piper looked happy enough.
“Dad,” Harper said, huge smile on her face. “This is awesome.”
“Can we go for a ride?,” Piper asked, also smiling.
Cerie, sitting on her shoulder, didn’t look as thrilled.
Loch looked down at the black, whose head had turned. His large eye focused on Loch, who felt the connection being formed. He felt he could trust the horse. It wouldn’t intentionally cause him harm, and would fight to protect his family and people. Loch smiled, patting the horse’s neck.
“Yeah.”
***
Loch smiled, feeling the wind against his face as he leaned close to the big black’s neck. He held on to the mane, legs tight, but didn’t feel like he was in any danger of falling off. The horse raced down the broken street, easily jumping the jagged and pushed up sections, leaping the cracks and avoiding the small dents. It never lost its footing. Loch had been nervous at first, without the reins or a saddle and with the speed of the horse, but it didn’t take long to gain confidence and trust in the animal.
The mare Piper rode was the fastest, easily outpacing Larry and the black. They had pulled ahead but before Loch could yell anything, not even sure Piper would hear him as she was lost in the ride and the wind, Larry neighed. That sound carried, the mare easily hearing it. She slowed, allowing the others to catch up. The big black was the slowest, but Loch had a feeling it could also run the longest. There was such strength in the animal.
They headed east out of the schoolyard and it hadn’t taken long to get to the entrance to the Meadows. Loch was amazed at just how fast the Adapted horses were. They’d always been faster than walking, but what he was experiencing was beyond that. The three horses seemed to communicate, knowing where each was going to be to avoid running into each other as they jumped, swerved and avoided all the obstructions in the ruined roads to try and find the best routes.
Harper and Larry were in the lead as they reached the entrance to the Meadows. She pointed at the road, looking over her shoulder at Loch. He nodded. That was all she needed, spurring Larry on. The horse shot off, turning off Route 4 and into the Meadows parking lot.
There had been no reports of the Phoenix returning since Loch and others had killed them weeks ago. The parking lot had been mostly empty any time a scavenging team would wander by. They’d seen deer, chipmunks and other animals. Both Mutated and not. But nothing that was that aggressive. The hunters had gone through the Meadows a couple of times. They’d found tracks and game animals, but nothing that dangerous.
The metal gate that had prevented cars from going down the wide main trail, what had used to be a dirt road, had disappeared. Been taken by the Worldcore. It had been replaced by fallen trees. Lots of them, the entrance looking like it was blocked.
Loch wasn’t sure how they’d get through, wanting to signal to the girls to move into the parking lot and take a side trail, but the horses didn’t want to stop. He could hear Harper’s loud woops of joy as Larry jumped the first tree, the two ducking under another just before leaping over two. In the air, Larry’s rear hooves touched down on a wide trunk, pushing off to propel them over more.
The mare took her first jump, barely touching down between two fallen trunks before leaping again. She landed, twisting to the side and running along the trunk before leaping into the air again. Where Larry jumped his way through, the mare danced.
Loch had an idea how the big black stallion would handle the obstacles. The smaller and thinner branches and trunks were shattered under the horse’s hooves as he jumped and landed, pushing through branches before leaping over larger trunks. Loch leaned in closer, as splinters exploded in the air around them. None seemed to hurt the brute.
Clearing the fallen trees, the three horses picked up their speed. Unlike the road, filled with broken pavement, the hard packed dirt road was in decent shape. Loch had walked the Meadows dozens of times, ridden mountain bikes a couple of times, but never horses. There had always been horses in the meadows, trailered in for rides on the roads and trails. He’d never imagined he’d be riding a horse through the familiar trails.
Mostly familiar. He could see areas where the distance had increased when the world had grown. But for the most part, it was what he’d recognized. He caught a glimpse of the old car that had been in the woods for decades, unknown how it’d gotten there.
They turned right, riding down the hill, the lake coming into view on the left. Loch could barely make out the area where they’d been not that long ago, before heading to Demon Pond. The lake was so much larger now. They went uphill, turning left instead of following the road further up where it would end up looping back around. One more left and the horses starting to slow as they approached the water’s edge.
The three Bradys dismounted, letting the horses walk to the water. All three heads bent down, lapping at the water. Loch looked around, somewhat surprised that the picnic table which had always been there had disappeared. He didn’t think any of the scavengers had come down this far to grab it. The table had been big and heavy. They could have used the wood, but there wasn’t enough for the effort it would have taken. The Worldcore must have taken it.
Piper reached into the Spatial Bag, taking out a couple bottles of water and some jerky.
“Not what we would normally bring to a picnic,” she said, handing them out.
“This is perfect,” Loch said, both girls smiling.
They all knew it wasn’t. Kelly was missing and the food wasn’t anything special. But all three realized how good the moment really was. With all the fighting, danger and stress, just having the time to relax made it worth it.
“What are you guys going to name them?,” Harper asked.
“Name who?,” Piper replied.
“The horses,” Harper laughed. “It’s pretty obvious they’re yours.”
Loch hadn’t really thought about it, but Harper was right. He’d felt a connection with the big black, and Piper had been drawn to the Mare. There had already been a connection with Larry, but that had carried over to the other two. He looked at Piper, watching her study the horse. Through the years, Loch had always loved the names Piper had come up with for her stuffed animals and dolls. There had been a doll that had started out as Chocolate, the name changing to Castle Unicorn for a while. There had been three or four stuffed unicorns named Uni.
“Swift,” Piper said.
Loch chuckled. A typical Piper name.
He looked at the black. What could he name such an animal? When had been the last time he’d named anything? Decades.
The name had to be strong, powerful. Nothing corny. Not fancy as the horse seemed wild, barely tamed. Loch knew he didn’t control the horse, the horse did what it wanted. It wasn’t a leader, deferring to Larry, even though it could have been. The horse was a protector, using its strength to defend the rest of the herd and even those not of the herd, like the cows.
In many ways, it was like Loch himself.
“Jarl,” he said.
The big black lifted its head, looking at Loch. It chuffed, nodding, going back to drinking. Loch took that to mean he liked the name.