Falcon's Flight

Twenty-Four

There were several more days of travelling. Fen wasn't sure how many days exactly as she struggled to keep count but she didn't care too much. She was far more concerned with Shan Yu and of course Hayabusa. The falcon had flown high above them during their travelling, occasionally disappearing to find food and sometimes testing on Shan Yu’s shoulder or Fen's arm when he didn't want to fly.

Out of necessity, Fen was quickly learning how to ride a horse. The more they rode, the less her legs ached from riding. She was glad, the pain was irritating and she feared it would drive her insane if they were always going to hurt that much.

“Where are we going?” I asked as I lay down. I couldn't bear standing any longer, not with my legs hurting.
“Away from China, to a place where we can stay for the winter,” he explained as he stroked Hayabusa's feathers.
“For the winter?” I repeated with raised eyebrows.
“Yes, and then we'll move for the spring,” he said. “I want to go more east than north but winters are always cold, you might struggle a little.” Fen hummed. She had the feeling she would struggle a lot.

“Why don't you lie down?” she asked. Shan Yu stopped stroking Hayabusa and let the falcon fly outside to find somewhere to perch for the night. Then, he made his way over to Fen and lay down next to her, staring up at the ceiling of the ger. “Do we have to travel for much longer?”
“A few more days and then we’ll reach where we usually stay for the winter,” he replied. Fen rolled onto her side and snuggled into his side. If she was ever cold during the night, she just pulled the furs and blankets closer as she snuggled into his side.

“My legs don’t hurt as much as they used to.”
“That’s good,” he said. She smiled. “You are learning quickly then.”
“I guess so,” she said. While the thought of having her own horse was wonderful, she did enjoy riding with Shan Yu.
“Hopefully tomorrow we will encounter a clan we can trade with. If they are still here, that is,” he said. “We can trade the gers, hopefully for cattle amongst other things.” They didn’t need as many gers now there were far less people, Fen supposed having more cattle wasn’t a bad thing at all.

“Will there be somewhere to bathe when we get there?”
Shan Yu laughed. “If you can stand the cold, yes.”
“How cold is it?” she asked, a little nervous about what the answer would be. It was already far colder here than it had been in China but she could get used to the cold, she had lived at the edge of mountains. She was far more worried about how cold it would be once she got out of wherever she was bathing. It was always colder after leaving the water.

“A lot more than you think it is,” was his answer and I just sighed. “And you will have to avoid the others if you are awkward about bathing with other people, it is much easier to bathe in a stream or river than it is to carry the water to a tub.”
“Do you bathe with the others?”
“Sometimes,” he said, turning his head to look at her. “You really do like your questions.”
Fen’s cheeks heated up. “I just like finding things out,” she said, smiling.

Then, Fen thought of the idea of bathing with all of the other people. If it was just Odsar, she probably wouldn’t mind too much but she didn’t really know the others. “I think I will avoid the others, I’m used to privacy with that sort of thing.”
“Do whatever you like, just try not to get hurt or lost,” he said. Fen’s smile widened.
“I suppose you could always come with me,” she said. “Just in case, since I know I won’t get lost if you’re there.”

He chuckled, the hint of a smile on his face. “You can just ask.”
“Alright,” Fen said, laughing a little. “Can I bathe with you?” Eventually, more than bathing together would happen and she supposed it might make what would happen later a lot less awkward if they were comfortable around each other while doing things like bathing.
“Yes, you can,” said Shan Yu as he wrapped his arm around Fen. She smiled, Fen was quite enjoying her life, because it was nothing like what she had been told it would be and because she was with Shan Yu, of all people, and she loved him.