Kipp

He thought to himself. His breath hitched then, and his hands clenched into fists. "Men do not cry. Girl's cry. Babies cry. But men do not. No matter what." His father had told him, and it may have been when he was ten, but it stuck. It stuck too well in fact. Here he was, a grown man, on the verge of losing his sanity because someone decided to drill it into him. "I'm not a man though, sir. I'm a kid." Vivian remembered looking into the hard blue eyes of his father, he remembered then too how his father had yanked him up off of the floor after he had fallen and had shaken him so hard, he began to cry out of fear. That's when he said it. "Men. Do. Not Cry." he repeated it to his son's face, the boy's eyes shining with tears. Vivian absentmindedly rubbed his jaw, there was a scar there. Another incident from another time. Eventually, his breathing evened out and the night passed uneventfully.

Kipp began his morning when the sun began to show its yellow rays just starting to brush against the treetops. It started about as normally as Vivian could make it when he was on a mission. He rubbed his eyes slowly, blinking away the last bits of sleep. His eyes lingered for a moment on his armor before he snatched the sewn metals from the ground. The sounds of sleep leaving the camp had started, and when Vivian peeked through the fabric, he could see them. Some of the riders had started breakfast for themselves, slicing things, and then prepping a neat space to eat. They had started to converse amongst themselves, and inside, Kipp was pulling on his boots. He was ready to re-enter the space that his riders provided for him. Several of them were new, but most of them Vivian had built a solid bond with. He pulled his hair away from his face, tying it off in the back and then promptly stepped out into the ever-growing sunlight. "Ahh, there he is!" Someone placed their hand on Kipps shoulder, and he almost flinched away before he realized that it was Robbie. He smiled at the other man before a plate of food was put in front of him, with the other rider encouraging him to eat. Robbie was more than Kipps's general; he was a friend. The two had met in a hurry, and when things had slowed to a halt they had met again. Kipp trusted the red-haired man, and in turn Robbie trusted him.

Kipp ate, occasionally glancing around at the others who were finally settling down with their own food. It was mostly meat and bread. It was salty and savory, and it made his mouth water, so he reached for a drink. He was content for the time being, surrounded by those he trusted and cared for. Robbie was right by his side when he declared they had to keep moving. "Alright, the sun will be high soon, men. Let us progress." His voice carried to the others, who followed his lead. Vivian bit back a yawn before turning his horse down the ever-winding road, making sure everyone else lined up accordingly. The rhythmic plotting of hooves on dirt became soothing to Kipp, his heart beating in time with his mount's steps. Steady, 1, 2, 3, 4. Over and over.

Despite the sun being in the sky, bright and blazing, the air around them was cold and biting. Kipp tugged on his gloves and pulled his hood closer to his face. The creaking of the saddles and the ringing of steel mixed with the chatter the others created in Kipps ears, and eventually he joined in.