I slipped out of my sleeping bag, looking around for Athos. When I didn’t see him, I rubbed my bleary eyes. But the second time that I tried to scout for him and still came up empty handed, I could feel the panic starting to set in.
A tight little knot bubbled up in my throat, and it seemed as though I couldn’t breathe around it. My chest tightened, and my palms began to sweat.
Nothing could have happened to him… right?My mind started racing with possibilities, all varying levels of ridiculous. But I was too nervous to distinguish how preposterous most of them were.
It couldn’t be IMRA. They’d have taken me, too. A wild animal? But he was larger than anything I could imagine out here. What could possibly rival him? And why would they target him instead of me?
Could he have gone for a hike and been injured? Fallen down the mountain? My imagination began to run away with me, only increasing my panic.
“Athos?” I called out. My voice caught, tripped up by that constriction in my throat. I coughed, trying to clear it. “Athos?” I yelled, louder this time.
I spun in a circle, trying to look in every direction at the same time. I made note of a fire that had to have been built this morning. The logs had been stacked to keep it burning slowly and steadily.
That was clearly Athos’s handiwork, which meant he’d been here relatively recently. If I could just calm down, I probably would be able to piece together more clues. But in that moment, sensibility and clear thinking were not my strong points.
“Athos?” I shouted again. I was not sure how loud it came out, but in my head, it felt like I was screaming.
There was a rustling behind me. I whirled around to find Athos emerging from a row of dense bushes. In his hand was a home-made spear, fashioned from a thick branch that he’d sharpened. Two rabbits were impaled on its end.
“Breakfast will be ready soon,” he announced, making his way toward me.
My knees turned to jelly at the sight of him. Spinelessly, I sagged to the ground. The tension seeped out of me as quickly as it had grown, leaving me temporarily exhausted.
After a moment, I gathered myself. Feeling better, I stood up and punched him in the arm.
“Don’t ever scare me like that again,” I scolded, stamping my foot. “You didn’t need to go hunting. We still have some canned food and potato chips.”
“I’m sorry I scared you. I didn’t think about that. But I wasn’t just hunting.”
“Then what were you doing?” I demanded, still feeling slightly exasperated with him.
He smiled at me secretively but didn’t answer. Walking past the fire, he reached for a hunting knife. I crossed my arms impatiently, and he pretended not to notice.
He walked a distance away, digging a shallow hole with his hoofs. Kneeling beside it, he quickly dressed the rabbits for our breakfast meal. Leaving the waste in the hole, he buried everything to prevent any unwanted smell. It wouldn’t take long for the stench to become overwhelming when the midday sun came into full force. Then he returned to the fire and set them up to begin roasting.
“Come with me.”
He lowered himself so that I could ride on his back. I climbed up, sliding my leg across him, and he carried me off. It didn’t take long before my worries were forgotten. Riding Athos filled me with a sense of peace and serenity. The world could burn around us, but when we were together like this, it felt like everything was just how it was supposed to be.
I could feel his muscles move and bunch underneath my legs. The drumming of his hooves was muffled by the thick carpet of leaves and vegetation, but he still proceeded with the same hypnotic rhythm as always. As I swayed gently on top, I felt calm and relaxed.
The forest was dappled with sunlight, the tree leaves allowing only the briefest breaks in the shade. Occasionally, it opened enough to permit a glimpse of the brilliant blue sky. The aroma of tangy spruce and pine filled my nostrils, along with the pungent scent of damp, moldy leaves. The air was crisp and clear, and made me feel bright-eyed.
Since there was no real trail, Athos picked carefully along. Several times, he had to step out of his way to go around an overturned tree. We moved slow and steady, but I was in no rush.
Little squirrels and rabbits scampered off as we came near. We disturbed a flock of birds resting in a tree. They all took off, their wings beating in a hurry, to scold us shrilly from the air.
We proceeded for a short distance, stopping on a plateau that overlooked a valley.
“I found it this morning,” he said.
Here, away from the cover of trees, I had to shade my eyes from the sun to see. With one hand making a visor across my forehead, I looked down into the valley below.
On this side, the earth sloped gently down to the lowest point in the middle. Green grasses undulated below. The far side of the valley had a steeper rock face, with a jagged bluff at the top.
“It’s where I’ll build our new home. But I’ll need your help.”
“Of course I’ll help. You’re my mate. We’ll do everything together, from now until forever.”