Leto's Vengance (Completed)

Ride or Die

Amber's POV

After the training session, Jewel took me to the barn, Hawk and Ronan followed. Inside the barn, I saw an assortment of horses. She walked us down the row of stalls. She told us each horse's story. Most of them had been abused or neglected. Each one spoke highly of both Jewel and Maya. Especially Maya. They spoke of her great heart and capacity to understand what each needed. I was in awe. At the end of the first row was a beautiful stallion, latte colored like the mare with the paint and hair lots of hair.

Across the aisle was a small red gelding. He was not a fancy-looking horse like the stallion but there was a fire within him. He spoke much like I would guess a warhorse would.

"Baron is my mom's ride or die. He helped her fight off several rogue attacks." Jewel opened the stall twirled her finger as the gelding turned you could see the claw marks on the sides of his shoulders and hips.

"You would risk yourself?" I asked Baron the little red gelding.

"For Maya always." He breathed. "I was covered in wounds, so skinny I could not stand. Mays found me, healed my body, and mended my soul. I will serve her any way I can." He turned to me fully his muzzle just near my hand. "Your heart is much like hers, I have a feeling you will be just like her." Baron turned back to his hay.

I felt tears prick my eyes. This love felt the truest and most honest I had felt. I wiped my eyes quickly and followed Jewel. We went a few more stalls down, there stood the baby I had seen with the paint stallion and his mare. he was way more mature now, his grey-blue coat, slick and shiny. His broad white face going down his nose and past his eyes on each side. He had white on his front and back feet. A dark line ran down his back as I saw on a few others.

"Hello," I smiled. sticking my fingers through the bars of the stall.

Jewel said nothing stepping back to stand next to Hawk and Ronan. "Hello," the horse answered back.

"I see you have grown, you are just as beautiful." I grinned. "Do you have a name?" I asked.

"My mother and father call me Phantom." He puffed. "The humans have not given me a name."

"Then Phantom it is," I chirped looking back at Jewel who nodded.

"I will let the staff know." She smiled.

"Why are you in here?" I glanced back at Jewel.

"Because I wanted to serve you as these horses do Maya, Jewel, and her family," Phantom answered without hesitation.

"I do not know how to ride," I sighed. "I am not sure I will get the chance to learn."

"We will learn together." He nodded his head up and down. "I will ask the dragon tomorrow when he comes," with that the young horse went back to his food.

"What did he say?" Hawk came up to pull me into his waist.

"He said we will learn how to ride together." I breathed. Tears danced in my eyes threatening to fall.

"Then it is a blessing for you to learn," He hugged me close as little Ronan wrapped his tiny hands around my neck as well.

I smiled inward, as I felt a wave of so many emotions. How had I gone from living in a cell to the love of the most terrifying demon to finding a dream of mine and being able to ride a horse? My dreams were filled with horses always. My power started protecting Phantom and his very parents. Riding, a dream that I would see happen. Life changes so much in such different ways. much like the books, I loved taking on new chapters.

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The following morning after training, Maya took me out to the barn. There she taught me how to put a halter on Phantom and walk him to the round pen. There we worked on establishing body language and how important it is for human/horse communications.

"Relax your body, envision your energy transferring to him as if you have a thin line connecting you two," Maya spoke steadily and strongly.

I closed my eyes, thinking of that line between us. Thinking of what Baron said about being Maya's ride or die. I felt the energy start to transfer, as he leaked toward me and mine toward him. The connection grew, as things and pictures transferred with emotions.

"See, we will be good friends too" I heard in my head as I felt the words and emotions of Phantom.

"Having a solid connection is the basis for all my work." Maya grinned. "I see you and Phantom, have already started." She winked.

We worked a while longer before Maya said Phantom needed rest. So we took him back to the stalls. I had a lot to learn about this horse stuff. But I could tell that Maya and I would get along great. Athens too seemed to have a lot of insight into horses as we moved them around and Maya and he rode some. I was covered in horse smell and excitement when I made it back to Hawk.

"I got to do so much with the horses," I squealed.

Hawk's brown eyes warmed as he wrapped me in his arms. "Warriors when the horse made a return to my land were meant with great respect and love." I could hear his voice get distant at the memory. "I am happy you can do this." He kissed my temple and squeezed me tightly.

"I can't wait to start riding," I yipped with eagerness for tomorrow.

"I have no doubt you shall learn," Hawk turned us toward the house like Jewel walked up to meeting us at the door to go in for dinner. I wanted this horse thing as much as I enjoyed reading. I vibrated with want and need to be in the barn learning all there was to know about my awesome four-footed friends.