Raulin's Oath

She blinked her eyes open and found herself lying in that same green pasture, but to her confusion, she was alone. She stretched, the pain that usually plagued her fading, then hoisted herself up. As she stood, she slipped the coin into the pocket of the white robe she wore. Off in the distance in one direction, there were mountains that reached the heavens. They looked as if they were drawn onto a canvas, as she couldn’t see the point that they met the pasture, their cool grays floating against the tranquil sky.

She looked in the opposite direction, which was filled with rolling hills and grass that swayed with the wind. The farthest point her vision could pick up was what looked like the tops of trees. The skies were a royal blue, and she could just make out wisps of clouds over the mountains in the distance. The first sound that reached her ears was a very faint rumbling, like thunder. The only difference was that instead of a rumble followed by silence or rain, it grew steadily louder. In the direction of the thunder, something was moving in the air off towards the mountain range. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion, lightning licking down towards the ground, and in its trail came a dark fog. From above the lightning, a figure swooped down, resembling a bird, but as it grew in her vision, it became evident that it was too big to be a bird, and it moved through the sky in a serpentine pattern. The rumbling was getting louder, and that was when she saw them. They ripped across the meadow over the rolling hills towards her, all those who had been absent in her surroundings. A wave of panic hit her as she connected the dots. The herd was stampeding. They were still pretty far away, but the line of horses stretched far enough to either side that she knew she couldn’t get around them.

“I’m about to become Mufasa,” she said to herself quietly, a panicked laugh escaping from her.

A roar pierced through the skies, a violent scorch of flame reached towards the stampeding herd. She was definitely mistaken when she thought it was lightning. The fire was coming from the bird-like creature, though at this point, she was fairly certain that these were no birds. Upon closer inspection, it looked reptilian. Is it… is it a dragon? She dismissed the idea, thinking it to be ridiculous, yet in a land of impossibilities, she would soon learn that the realm of fantasy blended with reality. She turned and began running as fast as she could away from the flying creature that had caused the stampede. She risked a look over her shoulder as the ground began to shake with the pounding of hooves. She glimpsed the red stallion, Raulin, leading the pack. As she made eye contact, he veered slightly to align with the direction that she was sprinting.

“You must flee!” he yelled as he approached. Duh! Arietta thought fervently. At the last second, he dipped his head and yelled, “Grab onto my mane!”

Ari grabbed the thick red mane and was lifted onto Raulin’s back. She held on with a vice-like grip, and terror pumped adrenaline through her veins. As Raulin swept across the meadow at a full gallop, an ear splitting roar made Arietta’s ears ache, which was followed by an acrid-smelling dry heat that now blanketed the land, erasing that sweet grass scent she’d grown to love.

After what seemed like hours of galloping across Equus, the herd finally reached cover in the form of a forest that stretched as far as the eye could see in both directions. The trees were colossal, with the canopy reaching several hundred feet in the air. As the herd entered the forest, day became twilight as the canopy allowed very little light to filter down to the ground. With the herd safe from aerial attack, Raulin slowed to a trot, and then a slow walk. Every member of the herd that she could see had a thick white foam oozing out of the side of their mouths. Most had a wide-eyed terrified look that she soon realized had very little to do with the attack. The forest that they had entered was eerily quiet. The noises that the many hooves made were muffled, as was the breathing of the herd. Ari leaned forward and whispered into Raulin’s ear, “Are we safe from the creatures? “

Raulin answered in a tired, raspy voice, “Those were no ordinary creatures. They were members of the Draconis, the Dragon race. They come from a land on the other side of the mountain range that has kept them out of Equus for ages. I have heard whispers that the Draconis have been testing their power with small acts of aggression, as they are led by a new, powerful leader. It is a dark day indeed; many brave stallions and mares have fallen to the flame.”

Arietta looked at Raulin with wild eyes. “I have to go back to Equus! My grandpa told me that I could never leave it! That is Rule 2. You have to take me back!”

“You cannot go back; it’s not safe. We now have to focus on making our way through the Silent Forest. Many have tried to make the trek through, but few have reached the other side, at least with their minds intact. They say that the immortuos roam these woods, feeding on the living. We must keep our wits about us and stay together,” answered Raulin.

“I think I’d rather take my chances in Equus, where I know I can get home; this forest certainly doesn’t sound very safe.” She was getting angry, and honestly was quite scared. “What are the Immortuos anyway?”

“Immortuos are the undead spirits that still walk the lands. The way to Equus is blocked, but there is another path for you to reach home. It lies on the other side of the forest. You need to be brave. While any stallion from the Herd of Zeus lives, no harm will come to you,” Raulin answered.

“That sounds horrible. I really, really don’t want to be brave,” she groaned. Raulin ignored this comment, taking this time to process the events of the day. He’d lost many friends, had seen their bodies engulfed in flames. Yet he knew that this was not the time to grieve, for the entire herd was looking up to him to be their leader, to be brave. Honestly, he didn’t feel like being very brave at this moment either.

The herd marched in single file through the dense forest. Raulin led the way, keeping to the same general direction, with the herd following quietly behind. After what seemed like several hours with little to no noise, Raulin announced that it was time to set up camp for the night. A stream burbled nearby, which would supply water for the herd.

The ground crunched under Arietta’s feet, and she lowered herself to all fours for a few mouthfuls of water. It numbed her throat as it slid to her stomach in gulps. There was a slight saline taste, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. Arietta found a spot near Raulin and snuggled in next to him, trying to keep warm. Sleep would not come easy on this night, and the forest was unnaturally void of sound. The quiet was so complete that Arietta’s ears pounded. She sat up and wrapped her arms around her legs, shivering. Through the absolute dark that permeated the forest rolled a thick luminescent fog. When it reached Arietta’s feet, the stinging of a thousand miniscule needles that soon began to numb her senses. Her teeth chattered, yet they made no sound. A deeper sense of uneasiness formed deep in the pit of her stomach that quickly spread to every part of her being. She knew that she would never see her family again. She wanted nothing more than to go to sleep, and never wake up. No more softball games, no more victory pizza dinners, just nothingness for the rest of eternity.

She took deep, calming breaths, hands clasping. The cold that had numbed her toes expanded to every part of her body. A soft muffled moan escaped from several in her group. Her breath heaved in and out, wispy gray tendrils exiting her nose as proof she was one of the living. She shivered violently, head jerking towards movement in her peripheral vision. Her lips parted slightly, eyebrows coming together in concern.

“I can hear your heart beating, child. I know why you cry. You are alone, and no one is coming to help you. No one cares but me. You can join us, and we will be together forever,” a voice whispered in her ears. “I can hear the wheezing of your breath. Let us relieve you of the burden of breathing, child. We will never let you suffer again.” The voices were sickeningly saccharine, and she shuddered further. She couldn’t remember a time she had ever felt so alone and afraid.

She took a shaky breath, wishing that Grandpa Gus was with her, and did the only thing she knew how to do: she began to sing. “When I am afraid,” she sniffled, “and the fog rolls in, I won’t fall to the bitter weight of the sins; just come now and stand by me.” There was an awful shrieking noise, but she continued her war song. “Just come now, come and stand by me.”

As she sang, her eyes became luminescent, glowing blue in the night. The herd, though far away from the pocket of numbing reality that the Immortuos had pulled her into, took notice, and they understood why Raulin had spent such time with the girl. They knew now that she was the one of which the prophecy spoke.

***

Back in the hospital, Gustoff’s eyes opened in a flash, breath hitching.

“Oh come now, stand with me.” His haunting notes pierced the air, and the ghost of Arietta’s voice sang quietly with him. He closed his eyes, and an overwhelming light clouded his vision. He was being summoned to a place that was dark and cold, yet he knew that Arietta needed him. Her form materialized in the air beside him along with a backdrop of trees. Arietta looked over to him, grabbing his hand.

Singing in unison, they continued, “If you stand with me, the gentle rain will wash away the pain.” A loud crack was nearly deafening, and the rain cut loose. It was pure gold, tears of the gods. It was cleansing, and the smell of magic attached to it permeated the air. It washed away the evil beings and broke the trance the pair was gripped in, and they were back with the herd. The blue glow from her eyes began to fade.

“She summoned the Great Wizard! She will be our protector,” Raulin announced, hoping that this would settle the herd’s anxious nature, not realizing that this only put more pressure on Arietta.

“Grandpa?” She was hushed, but she persisted in a quiet tone. “Grandpa Gus?”

“Yes, dear.” His eyes bounced from tree to tree, a nervous energy surrounding him.

“When do we get to go home? I’m done with this place.” Her haunted eyes broke his heart. He wrapped an arm around Arietta and pulled her into a warm hug.

“Well, we will need to reach a city called Belamoris. There is an old man there who might be able to help us.”

She tilted her head. “What’s his name? Why can’t we leave now?” she inquired. Her ears pricked at the quiet sobs coming from Corin, whose head was shoved into his mother’s side.

“His name is Arkas, but don’t let that fool you. He is a very powerful and wise wizard.” He took a weary breath before continuing. “I met Arkas during one of my longer stays, when I had my headaches. He really helped me out that time. We need to get some sleep; tomorrow will be a long day.”

While the night had blanketed the forest in inky blackness, the sun rose to cast the shadow of twilight throughout the forest. The group continued moving in the same direction during the day, stopping for only brief periods. Progress was slowed by the vast number of trees along with the diminished visibility, and without being prepared for the journey, they all relied on the moss that grew at the base of the trees for nourishment. With each passing day, the herd grew steadily weaker.

The fourth day in the Silent Forest brought with it fresh hope, as Gustoff returned to their campsite with two small furry animals that he quickly made into a nice breakfast stew. Arietta rose with a deep, tired yawn to a smell that made her stomach roar.

“Lucky for us, the herd only eats veggies,” he said with a smile.

“That smells wonderful, Grandpa. I am so hungry, I could eat a horse!”

Raulin gaped at her, and surrounding horses whinnied nervously, giving the ravenous girl some space. After sensing the tension, Arietta cleared her throat. “Sorry, it’s an expression where I come from that means that you’re really hungry. We really don’t eat horses.” With that, the herd relaxed.

Arietta and Gustoff sat down to the first hot meal that they had eaten in four days. Raulin, finished munching on the tree moss, made his way over to them. Ari devoured her soup, not remembering a meal that tasted so good. She pulled her robe tight, trying to keep in the warmth that spread from her stomach that was now full of soup. She let out a small burp and peered at Gustoff. He stared through the trees, appearing to be deep in thought. His white beard seemed thicker and longer than she remembered.

“Grandpa? Your hair…” She trailed off as he met her. He grabbed at his hair self-consciously. “You look like a real wizard now.”

“Do I?” The edges of his mouth curved upward. She nodded and smiled at him.

“This place is full of danger; we must keep moving,” Raulin interrupted sternly, but not unkindly. The herd moved in relative silence as they plodded through the forest, with Raulin continuing to urge them on, ever-vigilant to the predators that had made the forest their home.