Run Away

"Wake up, you imbecilic brats!" I snapped awake.

I was rolled up in the covers, my mouth hanging just above a small pool of drool. Shaking my head, I quickly got up and grabbed the closest corner of the sheets with my teeth, before pulling them slightly over my dusty pillow.

Granny Smith sent a keen glare over everypony in the room. She slowly walked past the beds, entering the kitchen to eat breakfast. One small brown foal sped after her to whip up something before she got a beating.

I, on the other hoof, simply cleaned and dusted my already spotless part of the room, before slipping the necklace into my small knapsack.

It was had the slightest color of a dull purple in it, and two storage areas. The fabric was slightly torn, but not enough for their to be an actual hole for anything to slip out.

All I carried in my bag was two books and a potion of minor health.

I also carried a few wraps of cast for injuries. I only used it if I wanted to draw something I would have to throw away, like spell mechanisms or notes about certain magic subjects.

Granny Smith was keen in getting us all kicked out of the orphanage that morning. She's keen about everything.

Once we were milling about towards school, she slammed the door shut and left for breakfast.

Her assistant was outside, slowly tilling the dirt to add more seeds in.

I sighed.

It was the tenth of First Seed, the cold weather just barely edging away for the plants to be grown.

Most of the children went on to the shops to buy their lunch for the day.

They earned money through the charity, it was quite a bit they got each week, on Sundas.

But, by the time I would get there, which was never first, it'd all be gone.

I have to live off of the fish in the river- and their foul salty taste never eases my hunger. I kept to the side streets by the Black Briar Meadery, away from all the other foals.

I was the oldest, save for one brown imperial colt, but it never helped me any.

They were tougher, better fed, and strong through their roots.

I was a thin, starving, slender cat possibly abandoned by their parents.

Most of the children here had parents whom died in war, serving either the Imperials or the Stormcloaks. It was a surprise they didn't rant and fight each other over their political roots, but everything was a mystery to me.

I knew little of anything outside of Riften.

I knew little of the whole world.

"That concludes today's research. Remember, we have a test next class, about the Stormcloak's goals and ideals" our teacher, a gruff Nord earth pony muttered to us as we huddled out the door. My furry head poked out above the rest as I pushed myself away from the crowd to a nearby bush.

I quickly stopped and took out the necklace from my knapsack.

It was a bit more polished- I'd had time during our lunch break to scratch a little rust off.

Putting it on, I scooped the knapsack back up. I was near the temple of Mara right now. An overcast was setting in quickly.

I planned on escaping this wretched city, running away.

And I needed to leave now, if I was ever going to.

The foals were milling about around the shops. I watched intensely, making sure no pony was out.

I nodded with content as I finished my count.

Grabbing my knapsack, I hefted myself to my hooves, and crouched just low enough to evade sight. If any pony saw me leave; it was game over.

I mapped out the way around the meadery and past the guards. With precise movement even a thief would admire, I stalked my way quickly through the small snowberry bushes.

They were prickly, that's for sure.

I soon past the first stone fence that sat near the stone border of Riften. An open path led into the cemetery, and barely any tall plants hung in the area- the only lot in Riften with a tended garden.

Bracing my self, I dashed out of the safety of the thick bush.

I could see another bush around the bend of another stone wall, which was connected to the Temple of Mara, right past the iron fence of the cemetery.

A sudden thud behind me interrupted my hurried run.

Glancing back I noticed one of my books, a survival guide. I skidded to a halt.

I needed that book.

With a suspicious glance and a twist of my ears towards the open entrance to the cemetery, I backed up and ducked my head to swipe the book up.

From the edge of my vision I saw a shadow emerging from the opening to the graveyard.

My mouth grasped loosely around one corner of the blue worn book before I twisted around and ran with hard hoofsteps towards the wall.

The shadow was a guard, I saw just before disappearing into the bush. They couldn't see me past the wall, unless they wanted to climb the sharp coal fence, but I felt safer if I could shrink back and cover my form.

I heard the guard come close and mutter something about his brother out fighting dragons before leaving.

Dragons?

Beasts of legend?

I shook my head before leaving the bush to look around. No guards were currently stationed on the rest of the way to the Riften gates, though I could only see up until the last bend to the large wooden doors.

As a sharp fresh cold breeze hit mu face, I for once I took in a full view of the surroundings that were something besides ponies and 'safe zones'.

The Wall I stood beside stretched up quite far, ending only as a red hay roof stuck out some to seal the temple shut.

The bricks were placed seemingly randomly, with barely a pattern visible.

The Black Briar Meadery, which sat just past another dirt trail leading to the market was a large fenced in lot, guarded by intimidating stone walls created with great craft and ash stained iron fences with sharp spears at the tips.

It looked like a kingdom in it's own, fit for the best of thieves and richies.

And it was.

The Black Briar family line had owned the mead brand 'Black Briar', one of the most popular beverages of taverns ever- the brand was sold all over Skyrim, from what I'd heard.

They were rich hard people, not entirely strict in a sense but definitely rude.

I shuddered. The one time I'd talked to any of them, they spat at my face and I had to evade a low drunk punch.

Never said a word to them again.

There was a tall porch that wrapped around the second floor of the building, and a large vacant space in the backyard.

Wild plants grew in great amounts, untended by the Black Briar's.

A guard began walking up the trail beside the Briar's home.

He was already about half way through, and I stifled a gasp as I fell back into the thick bush behind me. The guard came around the corner of the wall that hid the bush.

I was as still as possible, my position rather uncomfortable- I had my back hind leg stuck over my front one.

The guard stopped in front of my bush. I couldn't tell what he looked like, his whole body had some leather clad covering it, but I could tell he was a Pegasus. Though even the wings were fully covered in the same leather material.

He sniffed, and covered his mouth just before a fit of coughs took over.

I flinched- he only stopped when he began choking.

He shook his head to shake away the fit. Then, after looking around, he continued on his duties.

Even though it was the beginning of First Seed, the cold was still getting to ponies.

During this month, the range of sickness was fading, but those unlucky enough to catch seemed to have the hardest time.

Wether it was the temperature or some other reason, I shook away the thought.

The guard had left. I poked my head out of the bush to look for any other ponies.

Once I saw no one, I crept out of the bush, forcing my front leg back and over my hind leg to free them while doing so. I glanced around the wall.

The coast was clear.

I made my last dash across the trail. It was longer, but it was more doubtful any pony else would come up the trail. I hid behind the wooden cart for a second before rushing over to a thin set of mountain flower plants. These were overgrown and large, but thin and prickly.

I kept fidgeting in the itchy grass.

'Not a good hiding spot' I noted.

I looked around for a split second before leaving the plants and trotting over to the last wall before the gates.

The guard was standing there, though he seemed to be engaged in a conversation with another guard I couldn't see. Lots of tall plants lined the five feet to an iron gate in front of me, so if need be I could dive for salvation.

I mentioned it already, but if the guards caught me, I was Horker meat.

They knew the foals were supposed to be confined to the middle of Riften after school, a precaution set in by Granny Smith and the Jarl in an attempt to decrease the amount of bandits and, in most cases.... Murders.

The thieves guild, I'd heard, had been pinpointing outer races, like Orcs and me, but I hadn't believed it. I mean, whoever this thieves guild was, I doubted they murder the children that would grow up to probably be like them, with them.

I sneaked up to the gate, it's simple yet elaborate design casting an exotic shadow across my face. Biting the handle, I opened it slowly, trying to make sure it didn't creak.

A low screeching sound emitted from it, in which I pulled slower.

It only carried on longer.

With a sigh, I yanked the door back so it didn't have time to make such a distracting noise.

The guard's hadn't noticed me. As I hid behind a small edge in the iron wall border of Riften, a sudden thought yanked my head into panic.

How was I going to get PAST the guards!?

I had to stop myself from beating my head on the wall. I was stupid!

Why didn't I think about that!

The guard nearest to me shifting uncomfortably in the cold wind. I stop dead in my face-hoof, watching intently. If they turned around, I could bury myself in a heap of Mountain Flowers and Night Shades next to me, but I wanted to be sure they weren't about to look.

The guard stretched before turning to the one on the other side of him, who was leaning against an iron wall-like pillar, about as bored as the bland atmosphere of a kid's book.

He lifted his chin as the other guard spoke, "It's the end of my shift. Mira's supposed to cover for me, but I need some dumb sense put into that no-good Reeka for trickin' me off like some Beggar o' his".

"I take you're asking me to come help?" the guard asked lazily.

"Yeah. You and I both know no pony 'an beat him in a fair brawl".

"... Fine. Let me end Shak'ra's shift. She's right outside the gate. Told 'er I'd get if I left". The guard got up and unlocked the gate. He poked his head out, mumbled something, before another guard, a Unicorn, came trotting inside.

"It's freezing outside" she complained, her Nordic (Sounds Russian) accent frozen and bitter.

"Let's go then" the first one muttered.

I watched them disappear behind the door to the bee and barb before looking back at the Large spruce gate doors.

They were solid hard, uneasily penetrated by any hard surface, and refined after the last war with the Altmer.

I could hear the faint whistle of the trees beyond the door.

In truth, I'd never been anywhere outside of Riften. Once, on a field trip with mr. Randal, our Nord teacher, I got to see the stables, but a Khajiit caravan had begun to pull up, and he'd pressured us inside as quickly as possible.

That was the first time I'd seen a lot of my kind; even that amount was quite a lot compared to the weak amount of Khajiit's throughout Skyrim.

Now, as I pushed the door open, I saw the same beautiful scenery as that one day.

Trees more abundant than imaginable made up a surrounding forest, a large wooden structure with open spots in it played as a stable.

I heard about two legged monsters that put horses in stables for their homes before. Bleh, that was a nightmare!

We, on the other hoof, herd goats.

They're the only equine that hasn't evolved to our level, or well, anything above a Wild Cat. There are different breeds of them too, some more sturdy, or fast, or can hold more.