Frostpony: Of Hounds & Horses

Rini rushed around her bedroom musing over her personal possessions. An open backpack sat beside the door already half full with a few essentials.

She wasn’t one for material possessions and thankfully so, as her list of items was mercifully short.

It wasn’t any single item or piece of personal property that agitated her however, it was the walls around her that pained her so. The knowledge this would likely be the last time she could lay eyes upon this little cottage again. The place she’d grown up in and lived practically her entire life.

Every step was heavy, each grip tight as iron and every breath drawn laden with emotion.

The air was silent, only disturbed by the occasional, quiet whine.

“This isn’t fair,” she stuffed another bundle of wrapped up birthday cards into her pack. “I shouldn’t have to do this.”

A silver plated trophy of a cog followed suit, three more picture frames alongside it. “Why couldn’t the war mutts just stay in their own lane?”

It was a cruel injustice, and righteous earned rage. Rini should’ve been ready to leave her home on her own accord, instead, it was the world who was ready for her leave.

“At least I’m getting the chance to say goodbye, right?”

She turned to look around her, viewing the cobblestone walls lined with wood panels. Bundles of pipes and wires hanging overhead, a less than recent renovation to keep up with the times.

Yet at the end of the day, the walls within were still just as old, if not older than her.

It was quite possible that this one, tiny cottage was older than the town that was built around it, people included.

That fact harmed her more than anything, the memories, the quiet pride, the joy she had. It all had been left behind for not just her sake, but for the sake of those around her. Her gut twisted and her lip trembled.

“Home is what you make of it, right?” She turned to the pictures, the cards, the little wooden toys her dad had carved for her growing up. Even the stuffed plush toy she’d had since she could remember.

It was as if the emotions of years upon years of memory had been compressed, squeezed and juiced into this one moment. This one horrible moment of anguish.

She was leaving her home, she was leaving home, and with no promise to return. Would it even be standing in a year’s time? Would it be demolished in favour of one of those cheap, tacky houses Bramble’s lived in?

Probably…

Definitely…

Rini was going to lose her home.

“N-No, home is where the heart is. If home is what you make of it then…” She looked around, the world a colourless grey blur of shapes. Everything focused down onto the little stuffed doll she held up. The only object of colour to her. “Then my family is my home, my memory is my home. Four walls and a roof, that's what a building needs to be a home.”

Now her eyes panned around the room, drawn to what gave her back those nostalgic moments. The world in rose tinted light.

“But what a home is…is safety, comfort, the ability to rest and be with those you love.” She looked back down at the doll, tears welling up, its button eyes met hers. Her first gift, her first companion, her first friend.

The floodgates broke and she embraced it as though it were flesh and blood. Quiet whimpers echoing throughout the room and into the hall. A moment she spent weeping in silence, knowing it wouldn’t last forever.

She would miss this place, but moving on was more important.

With an unsteady grip, she released the doll and added it to the growingly full backpack. She had her pictures and photos, her relics and treasures, memories and experience. Irreplaceable tokens of lived experience.

Now all that was left was to meet Riley downstairs. Work would begin soon, everything had to be in place.

“My last shift, better make it one to remember.”

With a heavy heart she took one last look at her room. The air filled with the joyful echoes of ages past, echoes she committed to memory as much as she could.

She stepped out, pack on back, and closed the door.

Never did she think the simple act of packing could be so straining.

When she entered the living room and set her pack aside, she found her mom checking and double checking a large, brightly coloured box. Looking to the fireplace, she found both the shelf and the area above it empty. The shotgun and the rifle laid upon the couch, their breaches open and devoid of content.

Meanwhile, a trunk laid upon the floor. Filled to the brim with all manner of items. Tinned food, memorabilia, camping equipment, some spare cloth-

“Are those Gale’s costumes?!” Rini looked inside, then back to Riley who was counting bullets from within the metal box. “Mom’s really not messing around, how did she get Gale’s stuff back?”

It was too much too fast, she had to slow down and focus on one thing at a time. “First, the guns.”

“Are you uh…sure that’s necessary?” Rini couldn’t take her eyes off the firearms.

“Rini, my sweet, sweet lil’ pup…” Riley then turned to her, a disarming smile across her face. “Of course it is.”

The motherly mutt reached for a bandolier and began inserting rifle rounds into it, one by one. “We already know the moment the engines get loud, so will the town. We need something to dissuade them.”

“W-Won’t they fire back?”

“You're assuming we’ll shoot first.” Riley spoke coldly as she finished loading her bullets.

Rini bought a paw up and slowly levelled it, pointing at her. “Good point,” The scrapper then drew her digit towards the trunk, with Gale’s costumes inside. “Where did you get-”

“One of the dopes came in looking to pawn it all off.” She cut in, nodding to the trunk. “Tried to pull my leg so I dangled something shiny. Worked well enough.”

Rini kneeled down and picked one up. It was Gale’s pirate costume, which depicted a seasoned sea captain keen to keep up his flashy appearance. Complete with a big hat lined with feathers and glittering (glass) gemstones sewn into his suit.

“Never thought I’d see this again.” Rini remarked, still able to smell the salty sea air he’d somehow imbued the clothing with. “I have no idea how he does that, but he goes above and beyond for his acts.”

Pleasant memories came creeping back, the echoes of the past lingering in her mind.

A darkened room lit by oil lanterns, with the curtains drawn to block out the sun. A gramophone quietly playing an ambient soundscape of waves and sea life, the occasional crows of gulls in the distance.

“I can see it now lass! We’ll be swimmin’ in more gold than our kids will know what ta do with!” The captain cried, Gale exaggerating his Trottish accent to a cartoonish degree.

“Captain, we're still in training! Don’t ya think we should save the small talk for later?” Rini spoke, trying in vain to hide her smile behind her character sheet.

Brambles meanwhile sat, occasionally taking mouthfuls of snack foods from his side of the table.

“Oh come on ma lady, we gotta prepare fer the future! Ah can already see it now. You as cabincolt, Sir Rocky as first mate, an a crew ta rule to the seas.”

“Does that mean I’ll get more money?” Brambles asked between bites.

“All the money in the world lad!”

“Captain please! Can we just focus on dealing with this rogue vessel first?” Rini spoke, trying to stay in character.

There was a moment of quiet as Gale turned to her, a fake curly moustache sat above his mouth and a smile just barely suppressed. Rini likewise only showed the upper half of her face, least she die of embarrassment first.

Though it seemed that was exactly what Gale wanted.

“When I was thirteen, ah had meself a lil’ tug boat with me pa, and drunk uncle joy. Wanna know why we call em’ that?”

Rini struggled to contain a deep throated laugh on par with a hyena in pitch. Brambles wasn’t so restrained and began quietly chuckling.

“N-No?”

“Well, t’ was because the stallion was a rum runner! Always taste tested his cargo first ta make sure t’ was worth it’s weight in gold!...Shame he went blind though.”

“Sir, please…shut up.” She barely squeaked out.

“A lil’ rude cabincolt but ok!”

Rini mutted only two more words under her breath as part of a sigh, just loud enough to be heard.

“Thank you.”

All three bursted out into hysterical laughter at that. Filling the room with joyous exaltation that may have threatened to disturb the neighbours, had the windows been left open.

Rini smiled as she returned to the present, giving the simple costume a little hug before folding it back up with respect. “Thank mom, really, thanks.”

“You’re welcome, dear.”

She stood back up and turned to her, time ticking by as surely as the clock above. “Do you have the coffee? I need it.”

“Right here,” Riley grabbed a small bag from behind a pillow, which Rini took, “And please, don’t screw this up. There’s a lot of folk out there that can’t imagine living without this stuff.”

The scrapper nodded and hid the bag away, but her mother wasn’t quite done. She also presented a ring with a bright, glowing gemstone atop it and a moment later she noticed Riley was wearing one like it, just above her existing wedding ring.

“And take this, Gale said it’d allow us to talk to each other.”

Rini held the ring up and inspected it, a little thrown off. “Huh?”

“Magic, don’t ask.”

“Riiiiiiiight.” She slid it on and felt something…change. Like an element in the background suddenly came to light. Akin to noticing the ticking of a clock suddenly stop, without having acknowledged a clock was present.

Riley blew into the ring, and suddenly Rini heard that blow as if it were directly into her ear. It took her by surprise and she fought off the instinct to turn to her side, knowing no invisible spector would greet her.

“Does it make sense yet?”

“Yeah, I get it, talk to the ring.”

Riley nodded. “Gotta say, wasn’t expecting Gale to be so knowledgeable. Thought I’d have to seek out some wizard to explain these things.”

“Heh, well Gale has…had a lot of tabletop books. You’d find some of the stuff in his games are based off real world magical items.” Rini smiled. “Great isn’t it?”

Her mother mirrored her joy and set the bandolier aside, now looking at her straight on. “It is, but before you walk out those doors dear, I need to ask you something.”

She turned to face her, ears pointed upwards.

“Do you remember when you went hunting with me? Or your father? Do you remember how to protect yourself?”

“Y-Yeah, I can still shoot straight.” Rini turned towards the guns and grimaced, her ears folding down. “I’d rather not, if I can help it.”

“I just want to make sure dear, things are gonna get intense out there.” Riley jumped off the couch and moved towards her. She placed a reassuring paw under her good cheek and was careful to avoid causing her pain this time.

“You're my everything dear, all my hope, my dreams and my joy. What mother would I be if I can’t prepare my own daughter?”

Rini looked up at her, giving a sincere smile with a wetness to her eyes. A warmness resonated from her chest as she leaned into her mother’s comfort and before long the two came together into a soft embrace.

The day had only just begun, yet Rini already felt tired.

“We’ll get through this my little pup, I swear I’ll never leave you.”

“T-Thank you.”

And the two embraced, for only a moment in time yet lasting an eternity. Ignorant to the clock’s endless march.