The Alfheim Archives

On My Way...

  After a good six or so hours of cantering down the road, I decided to take a break and let Moonshine have a breather. I had been hungry anyway. I slid off of her back and led her to the side of the path, where I made a bowl with my fire and the clay in the ground. I filled that with water and let Moonshine graze and drink her fill. I made camp and looked around for some wood. Spying some in the distance, I left Moonshine to graze, and grabbing the firewood, I returned to the camp. I stacked the wood in a pile and set it aflame. While I watched the sunset at a slow, agonizing pace, I laid my sleeping bag out to get some sleep. As I lay on the ground next to the fire, I ate my jerky from the night before and enjoyed the warmth. Once I was full off of the jerky and water, I buried myself in my sleeping bag. 

As I was about to pass out, I opened an eye, and looking at Moonshine, I spoke. "Moonshine, you won't run off, will you? I really like you and I think we have a huge future for us. If you ran away in my sleep I would be pretty upset, but I would understand, of course. Also if you do go, take good care of yourself. Goodnight, Moonshine." The horse stopped grazing for a second and threw a glance my way. As I drifted off I heard the footsteps of her creeping closer to me and she laid down next to me. I smiled and slipped into a deep slumber. When I woke up the next morning I seen Moonshine, still by me, grazing on the grass nearby. I sat up and called her name, and laughed as she looked at me and trotted over to me. I stood up and stretched, feeling the kinks make their way out of my muscles. I looked at the sky, and judging by the sun, decided it was about ten. Moving slowly, I decided I was done with jerky so I went to go hunt down something else. About a quarter-mile from my clearing, I saw a bush of wild berries. I picked them and tossed a small bundle in my mouth. 

It was amazing tasting something other than rabbit, rabbit jerky, and water. I enjoyed the taste of them so much, I literally stood there and marveled at the sweet taste of the berry juice. I had gathered a large amount when I noticed that, not far from me, stood a large tree whose branches were overgrown with big, plump apples. I climbed the tree and snagged a couple of the apples from the lower branches. I threw them in my bag with my berries, pausing to look around and admire the view of my green forested surroundings. A breeze ruffled my hair, leaving my face cooled. Eventually, I dropped from the tree branches and began strolling back in the direction of my camp. As I walked into my clearing, I chucked an apple in Moonshine's direction and watched her follow it with her gaze. She trotted over and snatched up the apple, finishing it in two bites. I threw her another one and started to pile a good amount of the berries in front of her. I cleaned up my sleeping bag, folding it neatly, placing it in my bag, and put out my fire. I ate the last few berries and an apple and climbed onto Moonshine's back. "Let's go on our way to Farandar. We are near our destination. We should reach it today." She let out a huff and we began walking down the road, an elf and his horse, on a mission.

 As the sun rose slowly but steadily, we kept a steady pace in the direction of Farandar. By noon I was sure we had to be just about there. As I was admiring the nature around us, Moonshine whinnied and I looked up to see Farandar on the horizon. My heart leaped for a moment as I thought about what I was going to do. I was joining the military and in a matter of time, my parents and I's wishes were one more step closer to reality. "Do you think this is the right thing to do Moonshine?" I couldn't help but feel nervous. It felt like I had butterflies swarming in my stomach. But as I sat atop Moonshine, she snorted and reared up. I held on to her hair, terrified she was revolting but instead, she landed on her front hooves and took off galloping towards Farandar, full speed ahead. I smiled and yelled out a quick cheer. "Thank you, Moonshine. Let's go!" I laughed and leaned forward, urging her to go faster, as we thundered toward the town that held all hope of redemption for me and my parents.