Between the Veil and Crown

Kylin 28

Taking such a long ride back to headquarters on Vicious was nothing short of a challenge. Even though he had used his final days with Amelia taking Vicious out on rides out of the paddock, she had not settled enough for him during the trip. The times she was well behaved were the times he was most on his guard, knowing she was just trying to lure him into a false sense of security before taking off into the wilderness. Or even just attempting to buck him off.

And they did have to pause several times for Vicious to do just that. Some of those times Kylin suspected she was just too excited and didn't care for saddle manners.

He noted the moments of improvement, and did his best to praise her for them. However, it was going to be a long time before he could get her to the level of behavior he had with Wylett. Allowing himself to be distracted in the saddle and trust that she would continue on was not an option.

It was a trip that took him much longer than it needed to, but he had finally arrived at the headquarters.

He pulled Vicious to a stop, keeping a tight rein on her as he took a moment to stare up at the treehouse before him. A small sense of relief unwound in his chest, making its way out in the form of a sigh. He could still call this place home. Even though it was coming at such a high cost, it was still home. How much it would have ached if he had actually decided to leave the Rangers.

He was about to nudge Vicious forward, to bring her to the horse master while he went to look for Rei, when he noticed a figure descending the stairs. The figure noticed that he was there the same time he saw her, and lifted her head.

Her hood slipped off her head, revealing the cascade of curls belonging to Marta. A grin split her face when she recognized Kylin. She launched herself off the final steps and towards him.

He smiled softly at the sight of her and began to dismount. Vicious, who normally would whip her head around to see if she could get a bite or snort in, had her attention fully focused on the woman flying down the path.

Marta pulled herself to a stop just in reach of Vicious. Before Kylin could greet or warn her, Vicious stretched out her neck and snapped at Marta. She was quick enough to avoid any damage to her shoulders or face, but her hair was not so lucky. Vicious pulled back on the lock she had grabbed and began munching all too happily.

Sighing with a hint of a growl, Kylin slipped his finger into the corner of her mouth to encourage her to open her mouth. Despite Vicious's attempts to fight, she was still forced to release Marta in order to get Kylin's hand away from her mouth.

Marta wiped her spit laden curls, still grinning, while Kylin scolded Vicious.

"Is this how she greets everyone, or just me?" Marta asked when Kylin was done.

"Everyone," Kylin said darkly. "'Nice' is not a word in her vocabulary, and it's not because she wasn't taught it."

Marta tossed the lock back with the rest of her hair. "But at last you're finally back!"

He held back the wince to avoid explaining the terms and conditions as long as possible. "Of course I am. I wasn't kicked out."

"Well, no one knew how long you'd be gone," Marta said. "Rei came back a while ago, and never specified when you'd be back."

Kylin didn't immediately answer. Instead, he fiddled with some of the bridle straps, debating on changing the subject or coming up with a nonchalant answer. Or perhaps hoping that Marta would move on.