Jayden (POV):
The morning air felt cool against my skin as I rode down my favorite trail. The forest was silent and I enjoyed the peace of it. For as long as I could remember this had been my morning routine. Even before I could ride mum would take me out here. Some of the best memories I had with my mum were spent out here. It had been awhile since I last spent some one on one time with my mum, if I was honest with myself I was starting to miss it. 'Maybe I'll ask her to come tomorrow' I thought to myself as I exited the forest. I scanned the beach ahead of me making sure it was clear of any danger. Slowly I made my way towards the waters edge. The ocean was fairly still today, I couldn't remember the last time the ocean had been this still. Shadow my gorgeous 6 year old stallion pawed at the ground impatiently as he waited for me to dismount.
"Okay, okay I'm getting off." I chuckled as I swung my leg over his back, I slid gently to the ground giving his shoulder a pat.
Shadow stood patiently as I removed his saddle and bridle. Searching threw my backpack I found the towel I had been looking for. I quickly ran the towel over Shadow, drying him off as much as I could. He nudged my shoulder with his nose, I couldn't help but chuckle knowing he was asking for his treat. After a moment of searching through my bag I pulled out the apple that he was so patiently waiting for.
"Here you go buddy, now go have fun with your friends." I said as I patted his shoulder as he finished chewing his apple.
He let out a soft whiny before trotting off across the beach. Our mornings had always consisted of letting Shadow go for a run while I hung around on the beach. A few years back we found a herd of wild horses wandering along this beach. Shadow had immediately been drawn to them, I was quite surprised he was so interested in them since he never tried to social with our other horses. The herd however wouldn't let us get near them, I knew they could smell my wolf on me even though I hadn't shifted yet. I always respected their space knowing my scent was probably just making them nervous. I was amazed to see how quickly they welcomed him into the herd once I removed all his equipment. After that day it had become routine to take him to visit his little family. I had thought about letting Shadow stay out here, but anytime I'd attempt to leave would just end with him following behind me.
After watching Shadow greet his friends I walked to find the perfect spot to set up my blanket. Reading on the beach had always been one of my favorite things to do. My mum always thought it was adorable when I would get lost in a good book. She would sometimes call me her little bookworm and she was the only person who could get away with calling me that. The sun was beginning to rise higher into the sky causing the air around me to warm slowly. When I found the perfect spot I began to set up my blanket. After rolling it onto the sand I searched my backpack for my book. I stretched out on my blanket enjoying the feeling of the sand beneath it. Suddenly I heard a gentle splash off in the distance. I didn't see anything at first since the sun was reflecting off the water. Squinting my eyes I could just barely make out the silhouette of a person. From what I could see it looked to be a woman.
Jasmine (POV):
The morning suns rays felt warm against my skin as floated in the ocean. I always enjoyed the mornings when the water felt as though it was at it's calmest. The way the water muffled all the sounds around me allowed me to get lost in my thoughts. These moments of peace was everything that I craved. Sometimes being the daughter of a king was overwhelming. The constant stress of always being the perfect princess was overwhelming even on the good days. My father wasn't necessarily one to push me to do things I didn't want to, this however was different. He didn't have another heir to the throne, there was only me. Which meant I take over when he can no longer rule or we give the title to someone outside of our family. Which knowing my father would rather die than risk us losing that kind of power.
