So this is Love ● The Beast

{6}

  I opened the door, stepping out of the house. I walked over to the small home Finnegan had built for our horse, Festus. I opened the wooden doors after moving the wood slab used to lock it, Festus was on his feet after a few minutes of me picking a few rocky remains from his hooves. I stood with him, adjusting the clip holding my hood up, I pulled the fabric of the cloak around me tighter as the winds blew through the stall.

It had been getting colder as of late, I knew the snowfall was approaching, it was so much earlier this year.

I grabbed the reins from the ground a few paces away and attached it to Festus' muzzle, he shook his head with a huff, his ears flapping against his long neck. I smiled softly before letting my hand run down the side of his face, leaning forwards I looked into his dark eyes. "You're going to be my eyes out there, Festus. You're our only hope at finding Lucille." I could feel his powerful legs shift the ground beneath us, how his head went to the left against my shoulder. "We can do this buddy, but we don't have much time."

I took at deep breath and slid over to his backside adjusting the saddle, pulling st the strings and buckles holding the fabric together. When I deemed it good enough, I opened the doors wider to let Festus through easily.

He galloped out of the small space, he trudged forwards a few paces as if finally happy to be outside. He walked over to me, nudging my shoulder as I placed the slab back into its place and turned to him. I placed a hand over his wide muzzle before taking a deep breath, "Just one more thing."

I turned towards the house as I heard a small thump from the back door, I looked up in surprise, my eyes wide and slowly pulling away from Festus. There stood Poppy and Papa, they held saddened expressions and shrunken exteriors with their backs hunched, Poppy was still sniffling from earlier.

"Maybe she really did go with Mr.Deboef." Poppy tried, her normal jubilant voice now small and fragile as she rubbed her arms from the bitter cold.

I looked away towards the village, I could still see the candle lights from here, "Deboef came back to town 2 hours ago. He hasn't seen Lucille, and no one else has for that matter." My lips set together in a straight line as I tightened the small bag I had brought with me, filled with water and food for Festus and me for a few days, at the side of the saddle strap. "He didn't even bother to offer to go after her."

I lift my left leg up to the saddle hoop below, I grab onto the reins for support before hauling myself over Festus with ease. I wrap the reins around my wrists with a steady grip before pulling the reins lightly, Festus moved to the right trudging slowly to the end of the village before stopping.

Papa was already hobbling painfully down the walkway from the house, I looked down at the reins in my hand as he spoke to me desperately. "Don't go, Jose. Don't go. Give me the reins, I'll go after your sister. I'm the one who drove her away, this isn't your fault." He reached out to me, his hands around the edge of the thin rope. "I should go, not you. Your not a hunter, you don't know the forests like men like, Gaston. Ask him, maybe he'll help you."