Messenger

Chapter 11

 A horse jostled beneath Piko as he grasped the reins nervously. It'd been a half-hour since he wasn't completely afraid of the animal bucking him, but he still was worried about falling off based on his own lack of coordination. Flower would have a field day with that.

Though she already was. She had watched him go through the embarrassing process of trying to mount his mare and nearly fall into horse scat along the way as well as attempting to show him how to command the horse without it getting annoyed with him. Piko was exponentially grateful for the animal's patience, but Piko was still concerned that it was wearing thin.

He was also grateful for Flower's patience. As much as she teased him for his ineptness in riding, she still was nearby calming him and his horse alike. Flower could have been galloping off into the sunset, but instead, she was leading Piko on a gentle training path at a snail's pace. Talk about an exciting afternoon.

"Are you really okay with this? You could go with the others and I'll be fine." Piko offered not wanting to put a damper on her time.

"That's a lie. Besides, I'm having fun. It's not every day that I can teach someone and they actually listen." She joked. Piko looked off to the grass in front of him, suppressing a sigh he wasn't expecting to be there. She just likes that he listens to her. That's... fair, but he didn't know why that made him down.

Flower rode close into Piko's personal bubble and nudged his arm. "Are you okay? You're kinda just staring off into space."

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"You're clearly not fine. What's going on?"

The problem was that Piko didn't know why he was feeling weird. Everything around them objectively was doing okay. The weather was warm with a little breeziness, the younger people were trying to race, and the older two were strolling around the edge of the space clearly enjoying their time off. By all means, it was a great day, but he didn't fully feel a part of it as if he would be jolted awake and realize that this was all a pipe dream or something.

Flower started riding ahead. "Follow me."

"Wait, to where?" Without Piko signaling anything, his horse pulled onward to the tree line that she was leading them to.

"As cheesy as it sounds, it's a surprise." She answered. The path in sight looked unused but it was clear that that was only a recent development with brush dusting over it while being easy to sweep away. Other than that, there wasn't a specific destination in sight. So, how does one explain that they were murdered by a princess on an off-trail horse riding adventure? Piko decided to figure that out when he got there.

Not long after the open plain was out of view, Flower dismounted her horse and tied the lead to a branch signaling Piko to do the same. "Just curious, are we close to your mystery place?"

"Yep. This is supposed to be a walking path, so the next part isn't the most animal friendly. Plus, these two can get a little snack break out here." Flower said patting the mane of her furry companion. "Just don't go too far off the path and we probably won't get lost."

"Somehow I'm having problems believing that."

"Ye of little faith. I've come down here since I was eight. If I didn't get lost then, I don't think we'll get lost now."

Piko put up a mock pout. "So you're saying I'm just not as dim as an eight-year-old?"

"Are you calling eight years old me dim?"

They both laughed at their own joking pettiness. "Wouldn't dream of it."

The pair continued on as the trail slowly delved into more wooded territory with trees forming a veil of shade that projected patterns on the forest floor. Blips of vibrant color shown through patches of wildflowers and quiet scattering of creatures filled the comfortable silence. Piko completely understood why anyone would want to come out here. It was like a different world of peacefulness that would never change no matter how much time had passed.