Scars to Your Beautiful (New)

With Spring Comes New Things

Slowly winter passed into spring, and the moment there was a hint of green and warmth, I was working with Tomas again. After a month, I was sparring against different weapons and multiple opponents. My training became more focused on building skills and learning new moves than the rigorous workouts it had been before winter. This gave me free time in the mornings before heading to Nyko's. And apparently, Indra thought that if I had free time, I had the time to learn something new.

And that something new was not hunting as I had anticipated. Nope. Not even close. It involved something I had only seen in movies and in the distance. Indra decided it was time I learned how to ride a horse. The idea made me incredibly excited and scared shitless as I headed to the stables.

As a kid, horses, wolves, panthers, cats, and dogs were as fantastical as mythological creatures in stories. They only existed in the imagination or books and videos. But that was the same with a lot of things when you were surrounded by metal. It in no way prepared me for what I'd eventually encounter.

But coming to Earth, feeling the sun against my skin, and seeing trees that reached higher than the dropship and some just as big around...to see animals...it blew my mind. And when I found out that Tondc had domesticated animals...I imagined I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning, giddy with excitement and anticipation. But that quickly faded once I realized how smelly, loud, annoying, and mean they could be. Except for the cats and dogs. I loved those fuckers. I could play and cuddle with them all day, every day. But the pigs, goats, cows, and chickens...no fucking way. I'd happily eat whatever came from them, but otherwise, I avoided them like the plague.

Horses, on the other hand, were different. I had no problem watching them from a distance, matching them up with what I'd seen in movies and shows. Beautiful and strong, with manes and tails flowing behind them as they ran. But their looks couldn't distract me from their size. Even from a distance, I could see that the horses were massive. Their heads sat higher than some of the village's tallest, and chests were as broad as gonas like Tomas. And if you got enough horses together and they decided to run, it was like neverending thunder that you could feel in your soul.

The horses were incredible but also scary as fuck. And Indra wanted me to learn how to ride them. It made me briefly question the woman's sanity. I mean, a former Sky person riding a horse. Surely, that's asking for trouble. Right?

As I neared the stables, the air began to fill with the scent of fresh hay and something earthy, like a combination of dirt, new grass, and woodsy. The smell was unexpected but not unpleasant. I thought I'd be greeted by the fetid mixture of hay, shit, and piss. Not something that immediately had my posture relaxing and I liked. Curious now, I stepped past the threshold and into the warm interior of the barn, finding it empty of animals. There were a couple of people working inside cleaning the stalls.

Recognizing both, I called out, "Hei, Esa, Maggi."

Both looked up, but it was Esa that said, "Hei, Ruk. You're a bit far from the training pit. Did you get lost?"

I chuckled, blushing, and scratched my neck, "Nah. Wocha decided I needed to learn how to ride. Said to meet up with Minni?"

(A/N: Minni is named after Minnie Spotted-Wolf, the first female Native American to enlist in the U.S. Marines (1943-47). She was part of the Blackfoot tribe and was known for her skill in breaking horses on her father's ranch before joining the Marines.)

"Ah," Esa replied and gestured to the open bay leading to the pasture and training rings. "Minni's out that way in one of the rings. Just look for Rosie."