31-Day MCSM One Shot Challenge - July Edition 2018

Aware

Generated prompt of the day: Aware

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Clip-clop-clip-clop

The sound hoofbeats was the only sound Jesse heard, the continuous, rhythmic pattern echoing in her ears. Her mind however was a million miles away, not even registering the sound of the horse's hooves.

"How much further?"

Olivia's sudden voice made Jesse's head jolt up slightly, her mind getting yanked back to reality. She blinked a few times, noticing they had crossed into a jungle. How long has she been lost in thought?

"Could you stop asking that every single hour?" Soren asked in annoyance, glaring over at Olivia. "You're just as annoying as you were on the trip here!"

"You're saying that like you haven't complained once." Olivia muttered, rolling her eyes.

Jesse sighed, holding her reins in one hand and raking her other through her hair. As much as she agreed that Olivia complained a lot on these journeys, she was desperate for a break herself.

"Maybe we should take a break." Ivor suggested. "If we camp here for the night, it should be a clear stretch back to the fortress in the morning."

"What do you think, Jesse?" Olivia asked, turning to look at her.

Jesse bit her lip, looking up at the dark sky. She wanted to get back as quickly as possible, but it was late and everybody were tired.

"I think it would be wise to take a break before facing the storm." Jesse said. "We'll stop here."

Everybody nodded, not arguing. They pulled the horses over near a small cave, trying them up close enough to pond so they could drink.

Nobody said much as they put down some torches to light up the cave, settling down in little groups for the night.

"I'll go see if I can find us anything to eat." Jesse offered, turning around and leaving the cave again. Reuben excitedly trotted after her.

She stopped outside the cave, breathing in the crisp night air. Luckily they stopped in a jungle this time, not a swamp. Finding a patch of melons shouldn't be challenging at all.

"Come on Reuben." Jesse whispered, walking off into the thick trees with him trotting after her,sniffing the air curiously.

Honestly, Jesse only offered to go get food so she could be alone for a little while. They probably didn't even need food, there'd most likely still be some in their saddle bags.

Sensing his owner's mood, Reuben squealed softly and gently head-butted Jesse's leg. She looked down at him, smiling for the first time in a while.

"What's up boy?" Jesse asked, kneeling down to pet Reuben's head. He affectionately nuzzled his snout into her hand.

Jesse scratched his head, before standing up again. She looked into the dark jungle, for a second forgetting that she had meant to set out for some food.

Groaning, Jesse leaned back against the nearest tree, allowing herself to sink to the ground. She held up one of her hands, watching her fingers tremble violently. She hadn't admitted this to anybody, but ever since they left the Farlands, there's been this new sense of fear hanging over her head.

Reuben titled his head to the sound, snorting curiously before giving Jesse's shaking hand a comforting lick. Jesse smiled at his efforts to make her feel better, gently lifting the little pig onto her lap and scratching his ears.

Resting her back against the tree, Jesse looked up at the stars. She wondered how Petra, Axel and Ellegaard were holding up against the Wither Storms. Were the Wither Storms following them to the fortress like they planned? Were they still OK? Was Petra getting any sicker?

Jesse looked down at Reuben, who had promptly fallen sleep. She gently stroked his head, trying to distract her thoughts from her own fears for a while. She's been putting a brave face for the entire trip, trying her hardest to hide how scared she actually was.

But in all honesty, when Jesse looked down at her new set of armour, if she did so much as thought about the diamond weapon dangling from her belt; her hands would start to shake with no control. Her heartbeat would pick up the pace, and she would feel her breathing start to accelerate. She was terrified of what's to come.

"I don't want to do this." Jesse whispered, lowering her head and burying her face against Reuben. "I'm not sure if... if I can do this."

Reuben opened his eyes and let out a sad whimper, licking Jesse's face. He didn't seem to care at all as a tear rolled down her cheek, dripping onto his back.

"They're putting this faith, this trust... in me." Jesse whispered softly. "They're entrusting me with this weapon... they're expecting me to end this."

Jesse wiped her tears away, looking up at the stars again. She was too scared to admire the beauty of it all, the millions of silver dots scattered across the navy sky.

"What if I let them down?" Jesse whispered, her brown eyes shining slightly with tears. "What if I'm not the hero they all expect me to be? I'm just... I'm just.. me."

Reuben cocked his head to the side, listening to every word Jesse spoke.

"I can't back out, now matter how scared I get." Jesse whispered, not lowering her gaze from the night sky. "Everybody's relying on me... they expect me to save them. They think I'm this strong, brave person who would step up to save them all. I'm just a person, I'm not perfect. And if I screw this up, the whole world will be at stake.. the lives of everything, the world is in my hands...

Are they even aware of this pressure?"

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I'm proud of the one shot, disappointed in it's length.

Sorry this one is so short, guys. >.< I liked how it ended, and I always feel like I might ruin a one shot by stretching them out to reach the desired word count. I hope you liked it nonetheless.

When I got aware, my first thought was that nobody was ever aware of the fact that the brave and strong Jesse had her own breaking point. That she too was scared and afraid sometimes, that the pressure will always affect her even if she doesn't show it.

I was thinking, she didn't really have a choice during the wither storm. It was kind of just decided that she would craft and enchant that weapon and that she would then be the one to fight the wither storms. Nobody stopped to really ask how Jesse felt about doing that, it was just dumped on her. 

So this short little 920 word one shot was born :') 

I hope you guys liked it, and I'll see you tomorrow with whatever the word generator spits out next!