Their band of nineteen horses created clouds of dust. The costs to feed the combined bulk even with the supplements of whatever they could find must be taking all Nettle’s bitcoin. Even very healthy grasses was not enough to replenish the energy expenditures. Not every stop could offer high enough quality feed for them either. Keeping in proper shape for such a long haul was always an important focus for her. Laural knew it would take considerable effort not to make a mistake again.

  It would have been more complicated without the Quad. The four twin or clone horses had the effect of evening out vast majority of the horse around them. As was their typical practice in the middle of the gray pack, they always surrounded Sleepnir. Her biggest problem was Sleepy. All of these horses were considerably taller than him so it had the effect of often making Sleepy disappear into the misty flanks of the four horses.

  Naturally, if any of the horses acted up the Quad tended to float over and surround and claim the injured or upset horse. The Quad also measured the level of worry. If it appeared to be a big enough problem, they’d find and fetch Laural to try and fix the issue. Actual predators, they alerted everyone too and rounded up the herd to protect them all.

  The four horses often had that extra twin power that people barely understood in humans. These creatures moved in accord. Despite Dustrians and Buddy’s size, the two hulking horses were not the main force of power in the area. The stallion most in charge of the group and therefore lone leading was Spoon’s Arkle, the jumper. The big bay never ran out of energy and his stubbornness and undeniably long lasting energy turned him into the respected leader to most except of course Sleepy. Sleepy was the grouchy uncle that had been accepted into the family but only just barely. Whenever the Quad worked together, he seemed to be on his own ideas. A horse more than willing to cause his own kinds of trouble, but only at certain times.

  She’d been shocked at how much him and Nettle managed to stay together. The skewbald, neither skewed nor bald, took a weird liking to the Fae. The chestnut on the rum with white along the neck usually threw his riders. She’d intended it to be short, but now the two rode peacefully together. Very strange indeed.

  When not occupied by a rider, Jack did his best to start trouble among the whole herd. Getting Par to kick out at him and accidentally clip Dustrain which got her to pin back her big ears and bite back all while Jack danced away. Arkle hurried over to break up the fight and managed it with only a few shoving around of shoulders.

  Dustarian looked down her big nose at him. She ambled away letting the border collie like horse have his way. It wouldn’t be worth her trouble to let Arkle go hopping around all the time and waking her up when she wanted to sleep. Par wanted to complain about it since someone started trouble but he’d not seen Jack and so the only one looking on and seeing this stealthy trouble making was Sleepy. Buddy ignored everyone chomping away at more tree branches that would probably make him sick later.

  Sleppy put down his ears and glared but did nothing else. Apple went over to him. The two had an affinity to one another slightly higher than the other horses. Apple went to flapping her tail to get the flies off his face and he reluctantly returned the favor in his spot leaning against the only cart left, The Ripple.

  Hard Tack hadn’t woken up from his spot. Unlike the others, he stretched out in full on the ground, looking very much like dead carcass until he took his deep snoozing breath in for the time being. For a pack animal, he sure ate an awful lot more than the others. The other horses loafed around quietly.

  Laural often got much more than this from their background chatter, but it was hard to keep up with the entirely of all of them while also interacting with the other beings around her. And if she didn’t pay attention, they might put together a whole plan without her noticing. It might even be one that made her worried about keeping the horses safe. RIP pantyhose couldn’t happen again.

  She understood the horse’s many, many complaints well enough. Ordinally it wouldn’t be such a damper, but these horses barely had any consideration for when everyone might be in grave danger.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  In her brief foray into being horse thief, she’d generally found herself enjoying dumber horse conversation more often. But she’d been a bad horse thief and most of the time got spent worrying about not getting caught.

  She did resell other horses once they’d been recovered enough, but for various reasons, she’d found giving the remaining ones out a challenge. A shocking amount of people couldn’t stand that Pair and Par matched so poorly. They didn’t look all that great from the aesthetics standpoint. Sleepy was Sleepy. Nobody wanted him. The Quads gave uncanny valley when they moved. Nobody wanted all four of them or at least nobody she who could care for them as they needed.

  She liked Dustain well enough, and Apple, but Jack, she could have done without. Arkle fit in so well despite his higher pedigree that she had to admit to herself this horse was a cut above most horses she’d interacted with. It made her wonder where Spoon got him. Spoon’s ability to ride did not jive with the horse he had been sitting on.

  If anything, she highly suspected the horse in question made it seem like Spoon had more skill than he actually had. She didn’t mind seeing such a beautiful animal moving to his purpose, confusing though it may be. Overall, they’d be better off with only one two horse cart. Now it would be much better rotating the horses pulling. Not all the horses could take shifts pulling due to either not having the training in pulling or because they’d shown no ability to do the work.

  Shackling Sleepy in with any other horses would be ultimately bad for both horses involved. Sleepy barely let her ride him and she couldn’t imagine him doing much more than biting the other horse. She’d done her best to cross train when they had the capability, but this would take time. That she never had enough of. Everyone rushing forward off to find their new grail or whatever. Nettle should really tell them what they were questing for.

  It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary the attacks to increase. Everyone knew it got more dangerous the further from Adville they got. A world full of magic has many downsides, especially when heading to the wilder places. Most cities formed various barriers to make sure they had their own layer of protection from errant magic or wondering monsters. The mountains funneling so many of the big creatures into the lower valleys created a natural protection barrier on one side of Adville and the river covered the back. River Silver a half a day’s ride out to the other side also helped make it safer too.

  If she’d been back there, back at home they’d all be safer. Chasing a Quicksand hadn’t been very fun. She couldn’t explain how Day kept the Ripple with them, but she’d done it. Inexplicably she’d done it. She didn’t ask the horses about it. Any time she brought up the Ripple, three-fourths of the Quad yelled over everyone how that it was “Nay, Nay, Neigh!” Tyer kept her opinions about it to two loud unhappy neighs.

  The others said stuff like “Supernatural!”, “Ultra whacky!” and “Unusual” which was a lot from them. Whenever she asked for more, they all clammed up. Weird behavior without a doubt.

  “Spoon, what horse does a vampire ride?” Laural answered herself. “A steeplechaser.”

  “I have Arkle. Now are you ever going to stop and help us?”

  After a very uncomfortable, because the Quicksand could become slowsand and they’d all die, but largely boring road of following a sand pile, they’d encamped upon a small treed area. Hoping that if the Quicksand returned they’d see the trees falling and be able to escape in time. Everything ached and felt tired. It’d been a struggle supporting the horses in an organized rush away. Both calming then bolstering them and trying desperately to watch for a safe path. They’d followed for a long time before breaking off and finding this spot in the woods. They’d have to find the road again in the morning, but Day had the map and nobody wanted to pull it out yet.

  Largely, because they were still digging. In the small open area, with the horses shoved in close, and a caravan, they had a mud man. Whatever soil got on Bodi hardened into a none floating bubble of extremely dense concrete like outer layer. Everyone else took turn chipping away at Bodi’s stomach hoping to crack the shell and free him. Even Day sat stumped staring at the thing.

  Laural just this once wanted to relax instead. “Let him sleep in it. It’s getting dark and we’ll feed him dinner.”

  “You want to leave me like this?” Bodi had become more vocal. “I really need to go to the bathroom. No way I can wait all night.”

  “One of you guys should have the good idea. I need food for my brain to move.”

  Reluctantly, they left the rocked Bodi. Laural thought it served him right for wanting rock-skin. See how well that actually went. But she hoped they’d be able to find a solution for him to get out, just as she hoped they’d all be safe in the end. But she’d done all she could during the day’s ride. Now she’d just have to wait.

  Reluctantly over dinner Day admitted. “I’ve heard of someone. They live in the burrows around these mountains. But you guys have to swear not to be mad.”

  Distantly by the cart they heard Bodi, “I swear. I swear. Can someone bring me dinner?”

  Her face clouded. “The rest of you swear it! You won’t freakout.”