Free The Winds of Crowns and Wolves by K.E. Walter

the man
claimed.
    Neach was always fond of a good challenge
and this seemed to pique his interest.
    “Sounds like a good deal,” Neach
responded.
    “You have three tries, son, if you can’t do
it in that amount, then you n’er would be able to in the
slightest,” barked the man.
    His rude nature seemed to spark a charisma
inside of Neach. His desire to win and prove the man wrong would
hopefully lead to his success ultimately.
    He approached his first attempt
cautiously.
    Neach placed his hand firmly on the back of
the horse and prepared to hoist himself up on top of it. After a
few pumps to gain his footing, he threw himself upward.
    What happened next was comical. He overshot
the horse and flew over the other side of its body, crashing to the
ground below.
    The man stood laughing with his stable hand,
bearing all of the three teeth he was in possession of.
    Neach fumed with anger. He clenched his fist
and seemed eager to throw all of it into a punch directed at the
stable owner.
    But he remained composed and walked over to
the horse again.
    The horse was a beautiful chestnut color,
with eyes as big and brown as the trunk of the trees that lined the
hills in Spleuchan Sonse. He seemed relatively good natured and
Neach hoped to gain his trust. This time he thought he might take
the more reserved, cautious approach, as opposed to hauling himself
up quickly.
    He again walked toward the horse, intent
upon mounting it and taking it under his control. Placing his hand
on its back again, he put his foot into the left stirrup. This time
he was set upon making it atop this majestic creature and riding it
off into the sunset.
    This lift was much smoother, and he threw
his right leg over the other side of the horse and his left
remained in the stirrup. Unfortunately for Neach, the horse was not
keen on having him sit atop him. He reared his head and shouted out
into the air as Neach flew backwards of his back, once again
crashing into the ground below.
    He was furious now.
    Unsure of what to do, but equally unwilling
to give up just yet, Neach sat down on the ground beside the horse.
He closed his eyes. All he could hear was the laughter of the
stable owner, but he attempted to drown that out. After a few
moments, he was successful. The only thing which he could hear was
his own heartbeat.
    Until something spoke to him.
    “ He knows you, you know
him,” it said.
    “ As the clouds roll in, you
too must roll; show your benevolence,” it spoke again.
    In a state of serenity, Neach opened his
eyes and rose to his feet. In front of him stood the horse,
majestic and strong, a representation of all that was natural and
good in the world.
    He heeded the advice of the mysterious voice
and crouched down onto the ground again. He and the horse made eye
contact, and Neach slowly pushed himself forward until he rolled
right in front of the animal.
    “The hell is he doing la?” queried the
curious stable owner who was looking on.
    But Neach seemed to know something the
others did not.
    As he reached the feet of the horse, it
turned itself sideways toward him. Seemingly beckoning for him to
mount him, the horse breathed slowly and heavily. Neach cautiously
touched its back again and placed his right foot into the stirrup
this time. With a swift motion, he hauled himself and his left leg
over the top of the horse.
    His left foot slid into the other stirrup as
the two men looked on in disbelief. Perched atop this stunningly
beautiful animal was a village boy who had never ridden a horse
before.
    He sat there, without moving, for a few
seconds. A smile as wide as the river outside the city walls spread
across his face as he comprehended the reality of the situation. He
trotted around the enclosed area of the stable and the stable owner
looked on in awe.
    “How in the world did you do tha? Never in
my life must-- you“, before he could finish, Neach gave the reins a
bit of a tug.
    He could be seen riding off into the
distance, out of the