Dark Waters

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

"Birdie." Prussia whispered poking his side. The pair shifted a lot through the night. Matthew was in between him and the wall while Gilbert was on the edge. "Birdie, pancakes."

"Gil." Canada muttered sleepily. He pulled the covers up and hid his face. Prussia smiled and pulled them back down. The blond groaned and pushed him away. He yelped and clung to Matthew. The Canadian opened his eyes seeing the albino hanging of the side off the bed. "Oh, sorry!" He said quietly pulling him back into bed.

"Pancakes." Prussia repeated as Canada snuggled into his chest. He sighed and pressed a kiss into his hair hearing him snoring again. The Prussian let him sleep a bit longer before he leaned down and kissed him. The Canadian finally started to wake up. He yawned and looked up at him. "Morgen."

Matthew just grunted as a response. Gilbert hummed and rubbed circles into his hips with his thumbs. The blond yawned again shifting to be closer to him. He pressed light kisses on to his neck and collarbone.

"Time to get up?" Canada asked. His voice was still thick with sleep. The albino nodded excitedly. He sat up and stretched accidentally punching the bunk above them. He groaned really wanting to just lay back down. "I hate mornings."

Prussia laughed standing up. He helped him out of bed pulling him into a kiss. He looked around remembering where they were and smiled. He could see the Storm Hawks sitting up, they looked at him eagerly.

"Pancakes?" Aerrow asked with a smile. Gilbert looked over at him bouncing with excitement.

"Yes, but first we need to get you proper uniforms." Canada said. They nodded as he went over and opened one of the supply crates. He smiled finding sets of clothes. He guessed everyone's sizes giving them the clothes.

"Why are our swords?" Finn asked seeing the insignia on the jacket. "And yours are wings?"

"Swords are for the trainees." Matthew explained. "Wings are for the Scouts, roses are for the Garrison and a horned horse or unicorn is for the Military Police. It's just to show different divisions."

They nodded and looked over the clothes. The couple left them to get dressed and went to the kitchen. Matthew grabbed all of the ingredients and started to make pancakes from scratch. Prussia hopped up and sat on the counter next to him as he started the wood stove. He kept stealing chocolate chips from the bag and eating them. The Storm Hawks came in after a while. They looked weird in the new uniforms when he was so used to the other ones. They watched Matthew cook eagerly. Finn kept trying to steal pancakes from the stack he was making, but Canada smacked his hand away with the spatula.

"Something smells good!" Shadis said loudly coming into the kitchen. Matthew smiled and told them to set the table. He brought the huge stack over and divided them equally among everyone. They ate quickly and quietly happy for the amazing food.

"Well, let's go pick out horses." Shadis said standing up and patting his belly. He took his plate over to the sink and the others copied his action. "How much experience do you have with horses?"

"Just saw them for the first time yesterday." Aerrow said. Shadis stopped in his tracks looking at them like they were crazy. "We don't have them where we're from."

"Well." Shadis shrugged and kept walking. He lead them into the stables and paused. "Pick any of these horses. They've all been broke already and just need a rider."

"Broke?" Piper asked concerned.

"It's just a phrase we use to say they've been trained." Matthew clarified. She nodded and sighed in relief. The Storm Hawks started into the stables looking over the horses.

"So, is the blue thing going to have its own horse?" Shadis asked quietly watching them.

"That's Radarr. Probably not, he'll stick with Aerrow." Canada said and he sighed in slight relief. They probably didn't have a saddle with stirrups short enough. The teens stood beside the horses stalls they had picked and looked back at them. Shadis stepped forward grabbing one of the grooming kits and showing them what each comb was for and how important it is to keep the horses clean.

"It will take you a few times to remember the order." The man said. "The horse will tell you if you're doing something wrong."

Shadis moved into how to tack up a horse. Matthew and Gilbert split to help them as well. Once they were done, they lead the horses out to the arena. Canada quickly assessed the horses. It seemed like they had all picked good tempered animals. Stork still looked a bit nervous about his horse. She kept nudging his side wanting attention, but the merb didn't seem to understand what she wanted.

Shadis quickly explained the basics of how to control a horse, but decided it would be best for them to just get on and ride. The Storm Hawks seem to get a hang of walking quickly and moved up in speed. Matthew noticed Stork was still looking nervous about his horse. He went over to talk to him.

"How's it going?" He asked.

"Fine, just fine." Stork said. "How can I know she's not going to try and throw me off though? Or if she'll run on me?"

"She won't." Matthew said petting the horse's nose. "These horses are specifically trained to be fearless. She already trusts and likes you."

"How can you tell?" The merb asked unsure.

"She keeps nudging you wanting attention. Her ears are facing you which means she's listening to you." Canada said with a smile. Stork still looked sceptical. He knew the only way for him to be sure of the horse was to keep working with her. "She wants your approval and trust too."

"Well, she might just get it." Stork grumbled and Matthew smiled letting him continue to ride. He went over to where Gilbert was sitting on the rails. He climbed up next to him. Shadis was in the centre as the teens rode circles around him.

"They're picking this up vell." The albino said and Canada nodded. "They're young. I guess they'll pick things up easier than others."

"Well you can't teach an old dog new tricks." Matthew smiled. "Hopefully they'll pick up the 3dmg just as well. They've still got a lot to learn."

"Ja, the sooner we can get them back the better. Just encase the time difference is still a factor." Gilbert said and Canada nodded. "One day there vas an hour here, right?"

"I think so." The blond shook his head. "It could already be about a month there then."

Prussia just shook his head looking over watching them. The Canadian noticed it was getting later, close to supper. He hopped off the railing to go start cooking. He knew Gilbert and Shadis could handle the Storm Hawks. He hummed happily picking out his ingredients and started the stove again. He missed cooking. Matthew didn't get many opportunities to do so with the Scouts.

Canada went outside once he was finished and called them to dinner. They hopped off their horses and quickly tied them to a post running for the food. They ate and talked about their horses. After they finished eating they went outside and rode again for a while.

It was dark by the time they finished for the day. The Storm Hawks took care of their horses and the older trio watched. They helped when they were needed, but they knew what they were doing for the most part. Matthew smiled seeing them pet their horse's goodnight. He couldn't wait to finally go to bed.