barrett1987
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- Feb 3, 2014
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Wyn’s buttocks hurt. The beast bucked again and he bounced up. Crashing back down, barbs of pain shot through his body. He’d long since given up any hope of controlling the monster beneath him. He clung to the saddle in terror. His white-knuckle grip was the only thing between him and a headlong trip into the dirt. The bloody thing would probably trample him afterwards too.
He stared ahead. Stranger didn’t seem to be having any problems. In fact, he looked comfortable. No one could be that at ease on one of these things. He had to be putting on a show for Wyn’s benefit. Whatever he had done to annoy the sadistic creature beneath him, he was sincerely sorry and counting the minutes until he could get off the damn thing.
Wyn looked up at the sky and stifled a sigh. The sun hadn’t even reached noon yet. They wouldn’t be stopping for hours and already his legs were starting to cramp. Only a few minutes earlier he’d had to cover his cries of pain as his legs spasmed beneath him. He wasn’t sure he could last till sundown.
The horse hopped over a small ditch in what, Wyn thought, was too energetic a jump. His backside slammed into the saddle again. They’d only been out of the city for a few hours and already he was fed up. He’d been so happy when The Old Maid had told him that Stranger had agreed to take him away. Out on the road with the legendary Stranger, what could be better? Reality was nothing like he had thought it would be. For one thing he hadn’t expected horses to be so hard to control.
Stranger slowed and Wyn came up alongside him. He wanted to turn his head towards Stranger but was too worried the beast might sense weakness. He kept his grip tight and his eyes locked ahead.
“You’re sitting like a sack of spuds. What the hell’s wrong with you?”
Wyn just stared sullenly ahead. It wasn’t his fault. It’s not like he’d ever ridden a horse before! Stranger heaved a sigh of disgust and grabbed Wyn’s reigns.
“We don’t have much time but I can give you a quick lesson. The poor girl looks petrified”
The poor girl?! This damn horse was trying to kill him and Stranger thought it was the victim. How about poor Wyn, it was his backside that was black and blue. Disgruntled, Wyn allowed the horse to be led off the road and into the woods. Stranger showed no hesitation at picking a path through the trees. Wyn was led deeper into the woods and after a while felt confident enough to look over at Stranger.
The man sat with his back straight, one hand on his own reigns, his other on Wyn’s. He appeared completely relaxed in the saddle and Wyn envied him. His eyes looked towards Stranger’s saddle bags and spied a long silver spear hanging loosely at the mounts side. He again wondered why Stranger owned a spear. He could see a knife jutting from a boot and of course, he couldn’t fail to note the large guns on Stranger’s hips, so why the spear? It seemed a little over kill, unless it was for hunting? He’d heard hunters used bow and arrow to take down prey, a thrown spear wasn’t much different he guessed.
Wyn blinked as sunlight dazzled his eyes. They had reached the end of the tree line and Stranger led him out into a large clearing. Trees circled the area and gave the place a sense of security. Wyn was shocked at how quiet and calm it all felt. The city wasn’t that far away and yet here the idea of a noisy, dirty, smelly city seemed impossible. His hands fell away from the pommel and he inhaled, even the air tasted clean. Smiling he turned towards Stranger.
“This place is wonderful”
Stranger had slid off his mount and was rummaging in his saddle bags. He looked up at Wyn with a bemused expression.
“It’s just a clearing in a wood” his head dropped back down and he continued his search.
Wyn gazed around the clearing and could almost feel the individual kinks in his back loosening. Even the pain in his backside had reduced to a dull throb.
“Ok, dismount”
Stranger’s words brought Wyn out of his daydream and he tensed. Looking down at the ground, he wondered how he was meant to get off without falling. He sat there not moving, frozen with indecision.
“What’s the problem?” Stranger’s voice was terse.
“I…I can’t move”
Stranger stepped close and pulled his foot from a stirrup. He walked around the front of the horse and eased a second foot out. Once done he stood back and just looked at Wyn. Wyn could feel the disappointment radiating from him. He didn’t want to let Stranger down but his damn legs just wouldn’t obey. He blushed with shame.
“Why are you just sitting there? Dismount. We don’t have all day”
“I can’t!”
It took a moment for Wyn to realise that whiny sound was his own voice. He shook his head. Horse riding just wasn’t for him. They were close enough to the city that he could walk back. He should do everyone a favour and head home. He wasn’t cut out for this.
Stranger’s arm shot out and shoved Wyn off the horse. He toppled sideways and landed hard in the dirt.
“There, now you’ve fallen” Wyn glared up from the dirt. He’d landed on his arm and it had gone numb.
“I could have bloody died!” he shouted.
“Yeah but you didn’t. Now get up and remount.”
“Hell no, I’m not getting on that bleedin’ thing, not again. I’m no fool”
“Stop wasting time. Own your fear!”
“What do you mean?” Wyn asked.
“It’s ok to be scared. Fear is good; it keeps you sharp and lets you know when you’re in danger. As long as you own the fear everything is fine. However, if it owns you…” Stranger shook his head. “Decide now, who owns who?”
Wyn sat in the dirt for a moment. All those years spent day dreaming about seeing the world and going on adventures and now he had a chance he was going to throw it away because of some oversized donkey. The horse snorted at him, in what Wyn considered, was suspiciously like laughter.
He had to do better than this, he had to be stronger. He jumped to his feet and scrambled at the horses side, trying to remount.
“Whoa, slow down. Don’t spook the poor beast” Stranger advised.
Wyn slowed a little and eventually managed to get his foot into a stirrup. He heaved himself into the saddle. Once settled, he turned and looked expectantly at Stranger.
“Now, dismount” Stranger said, stone faced.
“What? I just bloody got on it!”
“This will go a lot quicker if you just do as you are told”
Wyn slipped off his stirrups and slid down the horse. “Fine, you happy now?”
“No, not even close. Get back on” Wyn rolled his eyes but did as he was told.
“Now dismount again. Keep doing it until I say to stop”
Angry, Wyn slipped from the saddle and faced Stranger.
“It’s not my fault you’re stuck with me. Don’t take it out on me!” he took a deep breath and carried on. “I know I’m a burden. I heard you talking with The Old Maid, just leave me at the next town. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’ve done ok in Steward’s till now. I don’t need you!"
Wyn’s rant seemed to have no effect on Stranger who just stared at him with no expression. After a few moments, Stranger nodded at the horse and raised an eyebrow. Annoyed, Wyn remounted the horse.
Over and over he repeated the movement while Stranger watched in silence. What the hell was he playing at? This was pointless. After what seemed like an age, Stranger told him he could stop. Wyn sat on the horse, his legs felt like jelly and he was sweating in the bright sun.
“Now you can learn to ride”
Wyn said nothing. He was too tired to argue anymore and besides he doubted if anything he said would have an effect. The man was stone. He was starting to wonder if the Stranger was unhinged. What did he really know about the man? He wandered the lands shooting people, not exactly the sign of a stable well-adjusted personality.
=====================
Ok - my book has alot of tense moments, alot of cool moments. So i have to make sure that when i get a chance to lighten it a bit i do so. the start of this piece is an attempt to make the reader smile.
As i wrote the piece it develops into a Stranger/Wyn conflict. One that eventually will resolve as the book goes on.
(Oh and i explain the get on get off thing later on too. Its not as random as it seems)
Comedy is hard and while this is not laugh out loud gag-a-minute i hope when you read this you are left with impressions of the two characters and the scene was a little light at the start.
Thanks for you're time.
He stared ahead. Stranger didn’t seem to be having any problems. In fact, he looked comfortable. No one could be that at ease on one of these things. He had to be putting on a show for Wyn’s benefit. Whatever he had done to annoy the sadistic creature beneath him, he was sincerely sorry and counting the minutes until he could get off the damn thing.
Wyn looked up at the sky and stifled a sigh. The sun hadn’t even reached noon yet. They wouldn’t be stopping for hours and already his legs were starting to cramp. Only a few minutes earlier he’d had to cover his cries of pain as his legs spasmed beneath him. He wasn’t sure he could last till sundown.
The horse hopped over a small ditch in what, Wyn thought, was too energetic a jump. His backside slammed into the saddle again. They’d only been out of the city for a few hours and already he was fed up. He’d been so happy when The Old Maid had told him that Stranger had agreed to take him away. Out on the road with the legendary Stranger, what could be better? Reality was nothing like he had thought it would be. For one thing he hadn’t expected horses to be so hard to control.
Stranger slowed and Wyn came up alongside him. He wanted to turn his head towards Stranger but was too worried the beast might sense weakness. He kept his grip tight and his eyes locked ahead.
“You’re sitting like a sack of spuds. What the hell’s wrong with you?”
Wyn just stared sullenly ahead. It wasn’t his fault. It’s not like he’d ever ridden a horse before! Stranger heaved a sigh of disgust and grabbed Wyn’s reigns.
“We don’t have much time but I can give you a quick lesson. The poor girl looks petrified”
The poor girl?! This damn horse was trying to kill him and Stranger thought it was the victim. How about poor Wyn, it was his backside that was black and blue. Disgruntled, Wyn allowed the horse to be led off the road and into the woods. Stranger showed no hesitation at picking a path through the trees. Wyn was led deeper into the woods and after a while felt confident enough to look over at Stranger.
The man sat with his back straight, one hand on his own reigns, his other on Wyn’s. He appeared completely relaxed in the saddle and Wyn envied him. His eyes looked towards Stranger’s saddle bags and spied a long silver spear hanging loosely at the mounts side. He again wondered why Stranger owned a spear. He could see a knife jutting from a boot and of course, he couldn’t fail to note the large guns on Stranger’s hips, so why the spear? It seemed a little over kill, unless it was for hunting? He’d heard hunters used bow and arrow to take down prey, a thrown spear wasn’t much different he guessed.
Wyn blinked as sunlight dazzled his eyes. They had reached the end of the tree line and Stranger led him out into a large clearing. Trees circled the area and gave the place a sense of security. Wyn was shocked at how quiet and calm it all felt. The city wasn’t that far away and yet here the idea of a noisy, dirty, smelly city seemed impossible. His hands fell away from the pommel and he inhaled, even the air tasted clean. Smiling he turned towards Stranger.
“This place is wonderful”
Stranger had slid off his mount and was rummaging in his saddle bags. He looked up at Wyn with a bemused expression.
“It’s just a clearing in a wood” his head dropped back down and he continued his search.
Wyn gazed around the clearing and could almost feel the individual kinks in his back loosening. Even the pain in his backside had reduced to a dull throb.
“Ok, dismount”
Stranger’s words brought Wyn out of his daydream and he tensed. Looking down at the ground, he wondered how he was meant to get off without falling. He sat there not moving, frozen with indecision.
“What’s the problem?” Stranger’s voice was terse.
“I…I can’t move”
Stranger stepped close and pulled his foot from a stirrup. He walked around the front of the horse and eased a second foot out. Once done he stood back and just looked at Wyn. Wyn could feel the disappointment radiating from him. He didn’t want to let Stranger down but his damn legs just wouldn’t obey. He blushed with shame.
“Why are you just sitting there? Dismount. We don’t have all day”
“I can’t!”
It took a moment for Wyn to realise that whiny sound was his own voice. He shook his head. Horse riding just wasn’t for him. They were close enough to the city that he could walk back. He should do everyone a favour and head home. He wasn’t cut out for this.
Stranger’s arm shot out and shoved Wyn off the horse. He toppled sideways and landed hard in the dirt.
“There, now you’ve fallen” Wyn glared up from the dirt. He’d landed on his arm and it had gone numb.
“I could have bloody died!” he shouted.
“Yeah but you didn’t. Now get up and remount.”
“Hell no, I’m not getting on that bleedin’ thing, not again. I’m no fool”
“Stop wasting time. Own your fear!”
“What do you mean?” Wyn asked.
“It’s ok to be scared. Fear is good; it keeps you sharp and lets you know when you’re in danger. As long as you own the fear everything is fine. However, if it owns you…” Stranger shook his head. “Decide now, who owns who?”
Wyn sat in the dirt for a moment. All those years spent day dreaming about seeing the world and going on adventures and now he had a chance he was going to throw it away because of some oversized donkey. The horse snorted at him, in what Wyn considered, was suspiciously like laughter.
He had to do better than this, he had to be stronger. He jumped to his feet and scrambled at the horses side, trying to remount.
“Whoa, slow down. Don’t spook the poor beast” Stranger advised.
Wyn slowed a little and eventually managed to get his foot into a stirrup. He heaved himself into the saddle. Once settled, he turned and looked expectantly at Stranger.
“Now, dismount” Stranger said, stone faced.
“What? I just bloody got on it!”
“This will go a lot quicker if you just do as you are told”
Wyn slipped off his stirrups and slid down the horse. “Fine, you happy now?”
“No, not even close. Get back on” Wyn rolled his eyes but did as he was told.
“Now dismount again. Keep doing it until I say to stop”
Angry, Wyn slipped from the saddle and faced Stranger.
“It’s not my fault you’re stuck with me. Don’t take it out on me!” he took a deep breath and carried on. “I know I’m a burden. I heard you talking with The Old Maid, just leave me at the next town. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’ve done ok in Steward’s till now. I don’t need you!"
Wyn’s rant seemed to have no effect on Stranger who just stared at him with no expression. After a few moments, Stranger nodded at the horse and raised an eyebrow. Annoyed, Wyn remounted the horse.
Over and over he repeated the movement while Stranger watched in silence. What the hell was he playing at? This was pointless. After what seemed like an age, Stranger told him he could stop. Wyn sat on the horse, his legs felt like jelly and he was sweating in the bright sun.
“Now you can learn to ride”
Wyn said nothing. He was too tired to argue anymore and besides he doubted if anything he said would have an effect. The man was stone. He was starting to wonder if the Stranger was unhinged. What did he really know about the man? He wandered the lands shooting people, not exactly the sign of a stable well-adjusted personality.
=====================
Ok - my book has alot of tense moments, alot of cool moments. So i have to make sure that when i get a chance to lighten it a bit i do so. the start of this piece is an attempt to make the reader smile.
As i wrote the piece it develops into a Stranger/Wyn conflict. One that eventually will resolve as the book goes on.
(Oh and i explain the get on get off thing later on too. Its not as random as it seems)
Comedy is hard and while this is not laugh out loud gag-a-minute i hope when you read this you are left with impressions of the two characters and the scene was a little light at the start.
Thanks for you're time.
