Nusac

Chapter 6

Faith’s POV

Ok I’m getting this riding thing down. Slowly but I’m starting to get there. I can put the bridal on with the damned animal nearly taking my thumb off. It’s weird ‘cause you have to put your thumb behind its very back teeth to get it to open its mouth wide enough to pop the bit in.

The saddle is much easier you just have to put it over Aries’ back and do up the strap thingy under her belly. I think Namine called it a girth. So there I am tacking up hopefully so I can get Namine to teach me to stay on the dammed thing. I fell off twice yesterday. You’d think with all this slayer skill I would have a little more balance.

Namine has already finished tacking up but my horse is being stubborn. “Come on just open up.” I shoot an almost death glare towards my companion as she begins to giggle. Finally I get the opening I’m looking for and push the bit right to the back of the horse’s mouth. It sounds cruel but apparently it doesn’t hurt them.

I continue to do up all of the buckles around her head and have to roll my shoulders a few times. I feel really dirty. I must have been here the best part of a week and I haven’t been able to shower. It’s not like there is any running water here. How are you supposed to explain the concept of a shower to someone who has never heard of running water?

She sees this movement and calls me on it so I just tell her I feel dirty and need to wash. I mean I have washed while I’ve been here but were just talking about a bowl of warmish water and some soap that’s about it. “I need a bath.” I say this more to myself than to my friend. I slowly run my hand through my increasingly greasy hair and can’t help but groan.

“Bath.” I said the word in English and I don’t know how to translate it for her I don’t think there is a word for it.

I do however have the words to describe what one is. “Take a long soak in water.”

“You mean a balineum.” I’m going to assume that means bath and nod. She smiles and gets onto her horse. “Not a problem.”

Ok this sounds good to me. I try to get up into the saddle. So here I am bouncing on one foot the other in a stirrup trying get enough balance and momentum at the same time to get onto the back of the animal. This gets easier right?

She’s full on laughing at me now. I’m not pleased. Finally I get up and have to give my triumphant smile. Ha I did it all on my own.

She just shakes her head at me and turns herself in the other direction. I’m going to assume that I have to follow. I’ve kind of got the steering under control. Well nearly. “Tighten the rains.” She tells me looking back to see how I’m doing.

Tighten them? If I tightened my grip on them any more I’m going to break them. I’m already white knuckling as it is. She almost senses my confusion at her comment and brings herself to my side and pulls the rains through my fingers. Well after she convinces me to let go a little bit and pulls them they are taught between my hands and Aries’ head.

Well this makes it easier.

She leads me to the woods at the back of the house. Yes it’s a house not a hut. Once you get used to it you could almost call it a home. I mean there is no home comforts that I’m used to. Like electricity or running water. But it’s comfortable in a whole different way. In a way where you totally independent everything you do you have to do on your own. Like you have to go down to the river and get water to drink or wash in. it almost makes you feel good inside because you’ve had to go out of your way to get something where normally you would just turn on a tap.

Anyway. When I say wood I’m going to assume you think of the small group of trees you would find back in the other dimension. No, no, no this place is huge. Not going to be running out of trees for wood any time soon.

So we’re going in a direction that we haven’t before. She doesn’t like the idea of me going off on my own which I just need to do sometimes. She thinks I don’t know enough of the language to risk getting attacked by someone. Does she not think I can take care of myself? Women.

We come up in a very large clearing and what confronts my eyes leaves me dumbstruck. “Wow.” She’s smiling at my reaction.

Now I bet you want to know what I’m seeing for this reaction right? Well I’ll tell you but I’m not good at explanting this sort of thing so bare with me.

It’s a huge clearing the canopy of trees breaking letting the sunlight filter down and reflect off the light green water. On the other side of the large lake is a waterfall. Well by that I mean about three falling down but I think it comes from one river, above the rocks at the top are just disrupting the flow of the water.

All around the edge the trees lean in all trying they’re hardest to get that little extra bit of light that they crave. The water itself even though it’s slightly green looks clean and inviting. The only movement is the ripples from the waterfall at the other side. It’s beautiful. I think that word pretty much sums it up.

“You said you needed a bath.” She says bringing my out of my wonder.

“Well wasn’t expecting that.” I was expecting a tub, which I would have to heat the water and fill up myself. But here we are. Not complaining.

She’s smiling. “Well I think I better leave you to it.” She says pulling her horse about to leave the clearing.

“You could always join me.” I’m only half joking at this. She has been really kind to me and she is quite hot and I don’t know how else to thank her or anyone else for that matter.

She looks at me like she’s thinking about it but eventually shakes her head no. Then nudges the beast beneath her to leave the clearing.

“Just you and me then.” I say to Aries who has already started to munch on grass. I dismount and comment. “Some company you are.” She kind of grunts at me but never stops eating.

I roll my eyes and begin to undress and then begin to dip myself into the deep water. It’s surprisingly warm. I expected to freeze in here.

The water both cleans and sooths me. If you have ever gone without a shower for a while then got into a bath you wouldn’t understand the feeling. It’s almost orgasmic.

I even take a swim around why not I have the space. I dip my head under the water a few times trying to push the greases out of it a little but without shampoo this will have to do. Not complaining this is almost like heaven.

I get as clean as I can stand. I don’t know how long I’ve been here but I’ve gone all wrinkly.

So I swim out to the waterfalls, what? I’m curious. I just gotta have a look around me. I step into the spray and have to stay there for a few seconds just to saver the feeling. Pushing my way further in I can see a cave, which is totally hidden from the outside world.

Fun I found myself a little hidey-hole. Could get that alone time if I need it after all. I’m not naive to think that Namine doesn’t know this is here but I think she would get the idea I don’t want to be found if I am in here at any point.

Cool. Maybe I should start heading back? I must have been here for well over an hour.

After I get myself reasonably dry without a towel and dressed I untie my horse from the tree she’s finished eating and looks positively bored. I get into the saddle and adjust it to get a little more comfortable and set off in the direction of my new home.