Aches and Pains (solo)

[Tsaksha]

Spring, Day 3, Year 511 AV

She tightened her grip around the horses neck as he rose sharply upwards, focusing all her might on not falling off. She knew she would never get up again as she did. Her trusty mount, her friend, he was her lifeline. The only chance of getting anywhere lay with him now.

Her wolf padded silently behind them, just a few steps back. Tsaksha didn’t turn around to check if he was there. She had faith in him, he had stood by her through everything and he wouldn’t disappear now. She just had to have faith, it was the key. The key to life, happiness, the key to survival.

There was a thick layer of mist enveloping the small groups of strange travellers. She couldn’t see far in front of her, but she didn’t have to look. The horse would know, she was sure of it. She had asked Yahal, she had surely showed her devotion to him through all this. He rewarded those who put their trust in him, showed their resilience. Yet she knew she would still follow him even if he turned a blind eye to her hardships, because he was everything she had now.

He had to be watching over them, surely? She believed every little convenience-The little boat showing up just on time to help them across the body of water barring their entry to Kalea, the mysterious appearance of a stream when they had run out of water, the abundance of firewood on the one freezing night when they had needed it most, this had to be the work of something else, something greater.

So she believed, with her whole heart, and put her trust into the god she had never laid eyes on.

[Tsaksha]

The great brown horse carefully picked his way forward, lead on by something he didn’t understand. Whether it was the will of his owner, or the will of something else, he didn’t know. Somehow he was able to sense the best place to go, the perfect spot in which to climb, the best place to shelter them from the wind.

Tsaksha reached for the little pack she had fastened on the back of her horse, and pulled out some water to drink from. It was nearly empty, but she managed to save some for later. She was sure she would still be around then, however weak she was. Something kept her going, kept the light inside her heart.

The gentle thudding of her mounts hooves became a soothing lullaby, and she was nearly drifting off to sleep. He was so gentle, barely bumping her up and down. He was taking his time to allow the wolf to follow him, and allow his owner to get adequate rest on his strong back. Tsaksha gave him an affectionate little ruffle of his mane, to let him know he was doing a good job.

Her legs were stiff and painful, and she tried not to adjust her position in case she bumped them. She had stayed on the horse for about twelve hours now, and he would be very tired, just like she was. His pace was slowing as he carried on, but as loyal as ever he kept on going.

[Tsaksha]

She wanted to give him a rest, she wanted to give both her animals a good long sleep, but she wanted to get out of these dark mountains first. She somehow felt like something was drawing her over them, there had to be something on the other side. A small village, perhaps, or some more travellers that would help them on their way.

At the very least, they would have a flat place to set up a tent.

Tsaksha started to feel as if her horse was on more level ground now-they had stopped climbing. She patted the side of his neck with a weary arm, and let him continue on. She wondered for a moment if he had made a wrong turn and was collecting his bearings, but she left him to his own devices for a little longer.

She suddenly felt like they were going downhill a little bit, and ever so slightly the fog around them began to lift, and a dark starlight sky was now slightly visible. Tsaksha arched her neck to get a look up above, and the sight made her smile. It wasn’t so different from Eyktol after all, they had the exact same constellations.

[Tsaksha]

The descent began to get a little steeper, and she could feel her horse straining slightly to keep his rider on his back, and to stop his feet from slipping out under him. At a few moments Tsaksha was worried he would fall but he proved her wrong, managing at the last minute to keep himself upright, usually with a proud little snort and toss of his head.

The fog was nearly all away now, and the night was a deep purple. It was so beautiful, one of the nicest skies the group had seen for a long time. She wondered if her little fox was looking up at it too, or whether he was more concerned with things on his own level.

Suddenly something caught Tsaksha’s eye, a bright glittering glare, but by the time she had turned to focus on it, the light had vanished, covered presumably by another mountain or some trees. She kept an eye out for it though, and to her surprise she saw it several times.

Just as the turned slightly to curve round a winding path, she saw something that took her breath away.

She had heard stories, she had known it would be on this continent somewhere… but so close? This had to be more than luck… this was a miracle.

Just further down the mountain, and a little bit away from them, they saw the beautiful city of Lhavit twinkling away under the stars. Tsaksha had heard it was crafted from crystals, or liquid stars brought to earth and solidified… Benshira’s told so many stories, they met people who travelled far and wide. But this city was practically legend, it sounded so beautiful it couldn’t possibly exist…

And it was only a few miles away.

Life was in reach now. Spurred on with new hope in her heart, Tsaksha sat up a little. Maybe this is what she had been looking for these two months…