The Lost Hero

Chapter 10

Dahvi awoke to a tickling sensation against his face, and his heart immediately froze. He didn't dare move a muscle as a horse snorted, warm breath against his cheek. He kept his eyes closed as he waited; had the mare dared to come closer and check him out? One sudden movement and he was sure he would be dead. He waited, feigning sleep as her nose moved over him, sniffing and snorting until she finally gave up and moved away from him. Dahvi opened his eyes to see her just yards away, grazing happily, her tail swishing in the breeze.

Dahvi moved slowly, pushing himself up in a seated position. The mare watched him as he did so, but she did not startle like she had the night before. Keeping his movements slow and steady, he moved to reach for his pack and pulled out two apples he had gathered. The mare's ears flicked toward him, and he bit into one of the apples, satisfying the hunger in his stomach. He ignored the mare, no longer watching her, and focused on his breakfast. When he finished, he tossed the core out into the plains. At the corner of his eye, he watched the mare. She was sniffing the air now, likely smelling the fresh apple in his hand. Without turning to her, he rolled the apple toward her and waited.

The mare was alert, her head perked up and her ears forward as she watched the apple roll away from him. Her eyes moved from the apple to Dahvi and back to the apple before she relaxed and moved towards it. Her nostrils flared as she snorted and sniffed, then took the apple into her mouth with a loud crunch. Within seconds, the apple was gone, and she turned back to grazing on the grass, not bothering to distance herself from Dahvi.

Dahvi smiled, then lay back against the ground, his eyes on the clouds as they moved listlessly by. A warm breeze blew across the plains, and he closed his eyes with a content sigh. He listened to the crunching sounds of the grazing mare. Slowly, the sounds of grazing neared, little by little as she made her way to greener grass. Soon, she returned to his side. Her nose moved over him, sniffing and snorting, then moved across his face, her short whiskers tickling his nose. But he forced himself to remain still as she studied him.

Her attention, however, was not on him, but drawn to his pack instead. Her hooves were dangerously close to him as she nosed at his pack. Dahvi opened an eye and watched as she found the opening of his pack and rummaged through it, snorting, until she found what she was looking for. The contents of his pack spilled out, revealing two more apples as they rolled across the ground, and she eagerly bit into them.

"You're a glutton for punishment, you know," Dahvi said softly.

The mare turned her gaze to him but did not back away. When she finished the first apple, she took the second into her mouth and chewed happily. When she finished, she turned her attention back to the pack, looking for more.

Dahvi sat up slowly, speaking in a low voice as he did so.

"You know," he said. "You shouldn't take what isn't yours."

The mare sidestepped as he reached for the bag, but her hunger for more apples kept her from wandering off. She watched as he reached into the bag and pulled out another apple.

"If you want it, you'll have to come and take it," Dahvi said, holding the apple out, his palm open and flat.

The mare seemed to consider her options for a moment. Her neck stretched out toward him and she sniffed at the apple in his hand. She snorted, then stepped closer. Her lips reached for the apple, pulling it into her mouth. Dahvi did not move as she chewed, and she did not back away from him.

"Pretty good, huh?" Dahvi said. He watched as her nose returned to his palm, sniffing and snorting, as if hoping another apple would appear. When she did not pull away, Dahvi dared to press his palm carefully against her muzzle. She jerked back and tossed her head for a moment, then returned to Dahvi, pressing her muzzle against his palm.