And then the parents or the guardians of the 5 15 year olds stepped forward, each to give their child things that could help them. They each could only receive 3 items, to keep up the stakes. Ari's guardians walked forward and presented to her a hunting knife, a package containing bread and cheese, and a flask containing fresh water. She thanked them for their kindness, and they hugged her before returning to the crowd. And then, Eldest announced that they were to depart tomorrow at dawn.

Ari glanced over at Gavin, and chuckled at his puffed out chest. "Loosen up a bit. You look like a pufferfish." She pushed him in the chest lightly before walking away, swinging the satchel as she went.

"Itll be nice to get out of this village and explore. Havent been anywhere but here in three years. And,, Im not sure. I think the Forest Dragons are cool, but the kind of dragon doesn't matter to me. Our compatibility is whats most important. And no, I dont think you do. The last everyone to try that got eaten." She smirked at him before saying, "Im going to my house real fast to grab my coins. I did a lot of studying last night on the rules of the trial, and all challengers are only allowed to be GIVEN 3 items. Therefore we can obtain whatever else we want on our own. So, I need to run a few errands before tomorrow. Wanna come with?"

she rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Well, there's the 3 given item rule. The 3 year rule. The dont die rule. And the "you get kicked if you dont bring a dragon home" rule." She counted all the rules on her fingers as they walked, then smiled to herself, sure she had gotten them all. "You couldn't remember them?"

She shoved him right back after he punched her, laughing. "I was thinking of buying a horse. One bred for traveling? Farra and her brother Codac sell and breed horses on their estate... I was thinking about buying one or two." She paused for him to speak, and she laughed when his face turned red. "We can share the tent, you dumbass."

"Its only weird if ya make it weird, Gav." She paused before continuing. "And,,, no.... but Im sure it's not... TOO difficult. And yeah!! Sounds awesome!!! Meet ya back here!" And she dashed inside her house. She trotted through the entranceway, and up the stairs to her bedroom. She went to her side table, pulled out the drawer, and removed her sacks of coins. She took out 5, each having 50 primo inside, shoved them inside her dress pocket, and dashed back down the stairs and out the door. She arrived first, and stood in the street, waiting for Gavin.

As he turned away, she grabbed his shoulder gently, and with such a tenderness, she clearly cared about him. "Hey. Gav?" She turned him around to face her, and she used her other hand to raise his chin and force him to look at her. "Whats wrong?"

"Hey. Gavin- Gavin!" She shouted at him with growing intensity, and she struggled to remove her hand from his grip. "Gavin, let GO! GAVIN!! Please, you're scaring me! Talk to me.. Gavin..?" Her voice shook.

"Gavin.. Gavin, no. No, you're not.. hurting me. Okay? You're not." She tentatively reached both her arms around him, hugging him, her heart racing slightly. He smelled nice.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." The cold air rushed at her when he broke their embrace, and she realized how much safer and warmer and happier she had felt in his arms. She shook the feeling away. "Of course guys cry. Its a better way of dealing with your problems than slamming things around." She looked him up and down, her arms crossed (mostly to keep out the cold). She noted that he was definitely trying not to cry, and said, "you CAN cry in front of me, you know. We've been friends for the past 3 years. You've seen ME cry."

She searched his face for a few moments before saying, "Yes. Okay." She wrapped her arm around his waist, laughing, her hair falling into her face. "Hell yeah!"

She moved away from him when he pulled away. She laughed a bit awkwardly before saying, "I've been here once or twice to browse. They have some gorgeous animals here." She opened the gate and began walking towards the stables where Farra was already waiting.

"Hello, Gavin. Ari." The brown haired, dark skinned girl responded without looking up from her paper. After a few moments, she made eye contact with them and said, "I have 7 horses I will be presenting to you today, 4 stallions and 3 mares. Come." And with that, she strode into the stables, not waiting to see if they would follow. Ari shrugged at Gavin, and walked briskly after her.

"Their eyes aren't black. They're brown. And no. Some horses have blue eyes, or both, depending on their genetics." Farra replied from ahead. She led them through the barn, and out the back entrance, leading them towards the outdoor horse market area, and led them inside. It was a less nice barn than the main one. Farra turned on a lantern which illuminated the 7 stalls that had horses in them. "Okay. The three mares are on the right, and the four stallions are on the left. The mares names are Blossom, Breaker, and Finley, and the stallions names are Hudson, Red, Revelation, and Caesar. If you're interested in one, let me know and I can tell you about them."

Farra walked over behind him. "That one is Caesar. He's decently fast, definitely built for long distance riding. He's calm in most situations, and very agreeable. Although, he's definitely not the smoothest ride, and he's not the smartest horse." She chuckled a bit before adding, "He seems to like you something awful, Gavin." Are walked over to Farra and Gavin. "Hey, Farra, which horse has the most personality?" Farra turned to her and said, "Thatd be Breaker. She has a major attitude." Farra gestured to the other perlino horse before walking over to her. "Breaker here is SUPER fast, and can sprint for miles at a time. She loves to run, and has a crazy amount of endurance. She has a major attitude, is really smart, and might as well be bombproof. She'll test your skills for sure. Her only downside apart from her flair would be her ride. Her trot and gallop have the tendency to be choppy, but her canter and walk are alright. She needs a confident rider." Ari smiled.

"She sounds AWESOME. I'll take her. Hey Gav, you getting that one over there? Because I'm getting her." Breaker snorted and tossed her head at the shout, but she allowed Ari to touch her nose after a bit.

Breaker snorted and nibbled at his fingers. Ari laughed, saying, "Gavin, if you need to go, go. I can take care of the rest."

"See you tomorrow, Gav. Goodnight!" She handled his sack of coins. "Alright Farra, how much?" Ari led both cream colored horses out of the stable. Farra shouted a goodbye, and she replied with the same. She had bought both horses a halter and lead rope, an english saddle and bridle, a saddle pad, saddle bags, a bucket, and a bowl. Ari bought a set of cleaning supplies and a sack of grain for her and Gavin to share. Both horses were wearing their saddles and saddle bags with all their respective supplies in or tied to the saddle bags. Ari ended up paying 1,700 coins, Gavin 40 coins less than that. The horses clip-clopped down the stone street in the middle of town, before she veered onto a dirt road that led towards her and Gavin's side of town. After a while of walking, as Breaker was being difficult, she arrived at their houses. All the lights were off in both homes. She took Breaker and Caesar and tied them to her guardian's hitching post.

After making sure the horses were securely tied, she jogged back to Gavins to let him know she got everything and to return his money. She ran up the few steps, onto the porch, and lightly knocked on the door.

"Hey! No problem. I got all the stuff we'll need to ride and take care of the horses." She pointed behind her shoulders. "Uh, I would, but Im really tired, and I wont be able to wake up if I don't sleep. Thank you for the invitation though." She dropped the sack of coins into his hand before turning to walk away. "Oh yeah! Gavin, do you want Caesar over here, or is he good to stay at my place tonight?"

She stood there for a moment, startled by his hug. Then she smiled to herself and walked to where their horses were standing. Breaker was pawing at the ground. Caesar blowed in greeting. She untied them both and led them out to the run-in shelter where there was also a tack room. She tied them to the hitching post there, unsaddled them, and put the saddles on empty racks in the tack room. She brushed them both down, led them over to the pasture gate, opened it and walked them inside. Her guardian's horses, Calivar, a black mare with a white blaze and three socks, and Pushim, a bay stallion with a white star and 4 low socks, raised their heads in greeting, and both started walking over to meet Caesar and Breaker. Ari took off their lead ropes, but leaving the halters on to catch them in the morning, stepped back, and waved her arms clucking so they could roam free. Both cream horses went out to sniff their pasturemates. Ari hopped over the fence and returned the ropes to the tack room before heading home.

Ari stepped through the back door, grabbed a piece of bread and took it up the stairs and to her room. She took a few bites of the bread before taking out taking out the journal she had bought earlier that day before the announcement ceremony, and wrote an entry about her day. Then she closed the book, and started packing while eating her bread.

She placed two pairs of clothes in the satchel along with her journal, writing utensils, a book, a lantern, and some matches. And then she replaced the hunting knife, food, and water. She dropped it on the edge of her bed, changed into her bed clothes, shut off her lantern, covered up and immediately fell asleep.

Ari tossed and turned in her sleep. Nightmares plagued her almost every night. The back of her shirt was soaked through with sweet.

She bolted upright awake at the sound of something tapping on her window. Her heart seemed to stop working as she lay there, perfectly still. She was hyperventilating but she didn't notice. Her breathing was probably audible through the window. Tears filled her eyes. She slowly reached into her satchel and grabbed her hunting knife, drawing it out of its sheath.

"Oh my God.." she looked down at the knife she held in her shaking hands. Images of Gavin coming in through her window and out of fear, her stabbing him. Distressed moans escaped from her mouth. The knife clattered to the floor, and she clutched her hair, tears streaming from her face.

Tears still streaming down her face, she stumbled out of her bed and to the window. Her stabbing Gavin flashed through her head again. She stood there, leaning her weight on her desk which was right in front of the window. Her knuckles her chalk white she was clenching it so hard. She started hyperventilating again.

(😳 HE CHEATIN?!?)

Hearing his voice was able to break her thoughts enough that she was able to reach forward, open the window enough for his hand to get through and then collapse back onto the floor, still sobbing.

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly, sobbing into his chest. He was very warm.. comforting.. her breathing began to regulate.

She sniffled. "You can sit next to me, dummy." She laughed a little.

"No." She said curtly. He had asked a lot over the years about her nightmares, and family, and she had always shut him down about it. 'I wonder if he's starting to piece it all together.' She thought. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, suddenly feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.

She opened her eyes when he moved, and she sat up straight, looking at him with confusion.

She ran her hand along the top of the box. Her hands shaking, she opened it, and lifted out the silver necklace of a dragon. She gasped, and she traced its shape delicately with her finger. "Its beautiful, Gavin. Thank you." She smiled at him, and slipped it over her neck.

She smiled, blushing slightly. "Thank you." She suddenly felt super exhausted from having that panic attack earlier, so without even thinking, she curled up next to him, her head resting in his lap, and she started dozing off.

Her body completely relaxed when he started stroking her hair. The repetitive motion lulled her and she soon fell asleep.

Ari opened her eyes when the sky became light, still in Gavin's arms. She bolted upright, and shook Gavin, trying to wake him. "C'mon Gavin, we have to sneak you back home."

She laughed at him. "See ya later Gav." She picked up her knife off the floor, resheathed it, and put it back in her satchel. "Welp. Won't be seeing this place in a while." A small bit of sadness crept over her, but she shook it away. Today's the big day!!

Ari got dressed in a nice shirt with no sleeves. It was brown. She wrapped a piece of lighter brown cloth around her waist and tied it. She put on a pair of black, tight pants. Then she put on her dark brown fingerless gloves. She brushed out her hair in the small mirror on her desk, and French braided her hair, tucking the tail underneath the braid, as well as pulled put 2 framing strands from behind her ears. Deeming herself acceptable, she swung her satchel around her shoulder and trotted down the stairs, where her Guardian Mother stood in the kitchen cooking some food.

With food still stuffed in her mouth, she thanked her guardian mother, ran to the door, and opened it, smiling widely, her cheeks puffed put. She waved, chewing.

She had finally swallowed her food. "Okay! You just... walk up to him and clip the lead rope to his halter. Farra said he catches easy." She grabbed her own lead rope, and swung herself over the gate to go and catch Breaker.

Breaker, of course, was being a little shit, and required 10 minutes to catch before finally, Ari was able to lead her to the gate and out, and tie her to the post. She went inside the tack room and retrieved both saddles and saddle bags. She handed Gavin Caesar's saddle, and saddle bag, before going over to saddle up Breaker.

"Okay, hold on." She finished tightening the girth on Breaker, and walked over to Gavin, saddling Caesar and explaining how the whole way.

"Haha, Im not really.. good at this either." She laughed, swung her left foot up into the stirrup, and swung over and onto Breaker's back. "And its easy!! We just... go, and theres crying, and we leave! Now hurry and get on, I wanna see how she rides."

Ari gave Breaker another squeeze, and she broke into a canter. Ari started laughing as her hair whipped in the wind. Breaker's ears flicked back to her, showing she was paying attention. Ari patted her neck, and clutched close to her neck, loving the adrenalin coursing through her veins. She glanced behind her, and doubled over in laughter at the sight of Gavin trying his best to ride Caesar.

She rolled her eyes at him and laughed, and pulled back on the reins slightly to slow Breaker down to a trot. She mother****er, of course, didn't listen, and sped into town like all of Hell was chasing after them. Finally Ari was able to get enough control to grab the very front of the reins and pull her head as close as she could to her stomach, pulling her into a tight circle. After spinning for a bit, she released Breaker's head and made her stand. Ari was breathing heavily.

She laughed a little, seeming embarrassed. "I know. I can't believe I did that." Her voice was shaking a bit from adrenaline. "And hey. Theyll be fine. Besides. You'll put Caesar on edge, with how tense you are. Loosen up a bit." She patted his leg, and started Breaker walking into town again.

"Yes, that sounds good. I mean, we're already basically there, so we can just ride until it gets dark to stop and make camp. The question is if we want to stick with the road or not." Breaker tossed her head when Caesar rubbed against her accidentally.

"Sounds awesome." She quickly dismounted Breaker and led her the rest of the way there, smiling all the while. She couldn't wait to get out into the open.

Ari grabbed his hand and pulled him straight up. "Dont hunch over like that. It'll make it harder for you to breathe." She squeezed his hand and smiled at him. She could feel Breaker's warm breath on her neck. "Its going to be okay, Gav. We're in this together!"

Ari, unsure of how to comfort him, stayed a decent distance behind Gavin. Breaker was antsy as ever, wanting to be moving faster than she currently was. Ari laughed at the mare, and patted her cheek. She wished she could express to Gavin how much he means to her.

Ari smiled up at Eldest Rodakin. Eldest gave a small smile back before saying, "we have gathered here to see off our younglings. I wish you all the best of luck on the villages behalf, and I will be looking forward to seeing you all and your new partners." She raised her left hand with all but her pointer finger and ring finger pointed downwards. Ari repeated the gesture, as did the rest of the younglings, and then the villagers. "Su as wenga." Said Eldest. "Su as wenga." Ari repeated, as did the other younglings, and in turn the villagers. The Eldest bowed and turned, and Ari swung back into the saddle. Breaker pranced with anticipation. "C'mon, Gav! Let's go!" The dawn light gave the land an unrealistic glow. Ari smiled. She was ready.

Ari whooped as Breaker broke into a speedy canter, taking the lead. She ate up on the reins to gain more control, and she leaned forward slightly, hugging Breaker's neck. The mares white ears flicked back to her, and Ari smiled. This was the most fun she had had in years.

The creature screamed, a sort of echoing noise a few times before it inevitably bled out and fell to the ground. It appeared to be a part of the equine family. White furred, with a silver mane and tail. It had feathered hooves, and a long, black and twisted horn protruded from its brow. Gavin, it seemed, had killed a unicorn. Ari turned her head sharply at the sound of a twig snapping. And then another. And another. She gazed in awe as a herd of unicorns stepped into the clearing. It seemed odd that they stepped in at different intervals around the clearing, almost as if they were closing in on her, but Ari paid them no mind. They were beautiful. How could they ever harm her...

She slowly slid off of Breaker's back. Both of the horses were snorting and the whites of their eyes were showing, but again. Ari paid them no mind. Her gaze was transfixed on the biggest, most handsome of the unicorns. She slowly began to walk towards the massive, majestic beast.

Ari, once more paid Gavin no mind. She stood directly before the massive beast and reached up to stroke his face. The other Unicorns had her surrounded in a very tight circle, but Ari didn't care. They were lovely, and that was all that mattered. She didn't even notice when the group started to slowly escort her into the forest.

The unicorn directly behind Ari crumpled to the ground, screaming. Then, the unicorn to her left snapped its head downwards, sank its fangs into Ari's leg, and started to drag her off all in one motion. This broke Ari out of thd trance she was in, and she screamed, trying to break free of the monster's grip. The other 3 unicorns had turned to Gavin. Their hooves had separated into 3 very sharp talons, and their jaws hung open to reveal a mouth full of fangs. Their previously docile looking eyes had turned to slits, and low growls rumbled in their throats.

While the beast was dragging her through the woods, she managed to grab a sharp rock. She had multiple cuts and bruises from being dragged, but they barely stung. Blood ran down the leg the unicorn had a hold of. Occasionally the animal would adjust its grip, much like how a dog would on a toy, and accidentally sink its teeth into a different area on her leg. It took a ton of effort, but finally she was able to twist her body in such a way that it allowed her to throw the rock at the beast. The rock landed in the animals left eye, and the creature screamed, calling to its companions. Ari could hear similar noises in the distance. A chill ran down her spine. The unicorn released its grip, while calling to its companions, and then it became preoccupied with trying to dislodge the rock. When it was a little ways away from her, she shoved herself to her feet, and started climbing this massive oak tree.

Seeing their pack leader dead, the two remaining unicorns ran into the forest, nipping at each other, trying to gain dominance over the other. Ari's muscles trembled as she pulled herself onto a branch that was high enough the unicorns couldn't reach. And just in time too, for two others burst through the underbrush and each started attempting to mount the one whom had dragged Ari. She looked away, feeling uncomfortable, and after a few minutes of screaming and fighting, the trio chased each other away into the underbrush. Her breathing was heavy and she leaned against the tree trunk. She began to apply pressure to her bloody leg, and gasped at the pain. Black crowded the edges of her vision, but she pushed it away. She applied even more pressure, trying to stop the bleeding the best she could, and she involuntarily screamed.

She laughed at him a little before, saying, "Gavin, Im up here." Her voice shook slightly. She was clearly in shock.

"Yeah, that was crazy." She sounded almost like she was getting ready to cry, but before she could, she shakily started to climb down. Her muscles shook with the strain, and she had to take frequent breaks. Her breathing was labored at the pain. When she was about halfway down, her bad leg scraped off the tree, and then, as one, her muscles just stopped working and she fell.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" She sat up a bit, her face looking down at him. "Breathe Gav, in and out." She rolled off of him, holding her breath. She gripped her leg, continuing to apply pressure to the wound.

"Gavin, what do you mean? You saved my ass." She touched her bloodstained hand to his face, before breaking eye contact and stumbling to her feet. She held onto the treetrunk to maintain some sort of balance.

She hugged him back and fully relaxed into him, trying to ignore the feeling of blood running down her leg. She could tell he was crying, and knew he needed this badly, so she forced herself to ignore her pain.

She let go of him, and slowly started to limp back they they had come before her legs buckled and she crumpled to the ground. She cried out in pain, and forced herself to take deep breaths to try and lessen the agony. "Gavin, I-" She paused, applying pressure to her wounds again, wincing before continuing. "Gavin, I uh,, I dont think I can walk."

"Dont apologize, its okay." She winced the whole way back to camp. She gasped, saying, "Oh God, that really hurts." Her arms were crossed, and they were clutching her arms so hard, her knuckles were turning white.

Her face went pale, and her pulse quickened. "Gavin... Gavin,," Her hands shook, but she was fixated in place, immobilized. She leaned over, her hands raking through her hair as her breathing became heavy. After a moment, her voice hoarse and breathless, she looked up at him. "Gavin.. I-I can't. I can't. I can't. I can't." Each time she repeated the words "I cant" she grew more and more distressed. She couldn't feel the pain in her leg anymore. All she could feel was her fear.

She gripped his hands tightly. "Thank you Gavin for saving me from those... monsters! Thank you,," Her hands continued to shake violently, and her breathing was still heavy. He could probably feel her pulse while he was holding her hands.

"Okay... okay.." She started to take deep breaths, and closed her eyes like he asked. Although, her hands continued to shake.

She nodded in reply. And then... she felt him kiss her on the cheek. Her eyes sprung open and she looked at him in shock, unsure of how to react. And then she felt the needle prick her skin, and she looked down, and suddenly felt extremely dizzy. "Oh God, oh God, oh GOD!!" Her entire body tensed up, and she started to reach for his hand, but then drew back and started pinching her neck instead.

"You- you....." it finally hit her that he, Gavin, had kissed her, Ari, on the cheek a little bit ago. He was about halfway down the wound, right in the middle, where when he inserted the needle, she buckled over and screamed bloody murder. Her body was wracked with spasms, and she started sweating immensely.

Her entire body convulsed, and her muscles began to shake. Gavin wrapped his arms around her tightly, and she started to say "Gav-" before a scream erupted from her mouth involuntarily. Her body began to shake so violently that anyone who wasn't familiar with the effects of the antivenom would've assumed she was having a seizure. She started gasping for breath, trying to somehow gain control over her body, but all she could think about was the absolute agony she was in. Sweat covered her body, and she screamed again, sobbing. She felt so helpless, and her mind was so foggy. Black began to crowd at the edges of her vision.

"GAVIN, HOLY ****!!!" Black gathered around her vision even more. She screamed again, grabbing onto him tightly. Tears streamed down her face. "GAVIN ****,,,"

And just like he said, the pain began to subside. It seemed to flood out of her like water. Her body relaxed, although her body continued to sporadically shake. She opened her eyes and looked into his saying, "Gavin, what.." She searched his face, trying to decipher his intentions. The black crowding her vision began to dissolve.

She just stared at him while a storm of conflicting feelings raged through her mind. Her pulse sped up, but... not in a bad way, like before.

She felt... cold, without his arms wrapped around her. She shrugged the feeling away, seeing as this was kind of important. "What is it Gav...? Is everything okay..?"

Her heart sped up even more, and she just stared at him, not quite sure how to react, or what to say, or how exactly she was feeling. Eventually she finally stammered, "You- you mean as like... just a- a super good f-friend, r-right? I mean-" She cut herself off.

She looked away, and her voice was soft when she said, "No- No. I..." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before turning to face him, still not making eye contact with him. She just... smiled at him slightly. And then tears entered her eyes and she looked away again, clutching her knees.

Her face snapped over to him. "What?! No!! No,, dont... dont stop." Tears silently slid down her cheeks. "I just... I dont know what it means to... to be loved, Gavin." Her lip trembled, and she looked away, clenching her hands together.

She looked at him with an extremely anxious expression. 'Does he know..?! He cant!! He... he would hate me for it.' She then looked away and whispered to herself, "what if I cant move on..?"

She wrapped her arms around herself as sobs started to wrack her body. So many thoughts were racing through her head, and she didn't know how to get them out.

"I love your hugs" she said through her tears. Her voice was muffled as her face was pressed into his chest, and she hugged him back tightly.

She winced, but forced herself to take a deep breath. "Okay. Okay. Itll- Itll be fine." She hesitantly placed her leg in his lap to make it easier for him before wrapping her arms around herself and continuing to take deep breaths.

She laughed a little too. "Yeah, I know. The biggest mess you've ever seen I bet." She winced as he unwrapped her neck bandages.

"It still is really sore." She winced at his touch. "And that poor lamb,,, I think we'd get along" She smiled at him, her face still puffy from crying.

"Thanks, Gav. I uh... yeah. Im just.. gonna go to bed now." She smiled, and limped to the tent. She took out fresh clothes and started changing.

She still hadn't quite figured out her feelings, or what all of this meant for their relationship, and their journey when Gavin reentered the tent and laid down on the opposite end. 'Holy shit, its freezing out' she thought, shivering from the cold. She tried adjusting her blankets, but no matter how hard she tried, she wasn't getting any warmer.

"Its ****ing freezing, what do you mean?" She whispered back.

She leaned up, reached over, and grabbed his hand. Her hand felt like death its so cold. "HOW?!"

"Ain't that the truth." Her face then turned extremely red, although he probably couldn't see it in the dim lighting.

She started laughing hesitantly, still extremely horrified that she had actually said that.

"Uh... s-sure!!" She slid underneath the blankets next to him, feeling nervous for whatever reason, and curled up next to him. She immediately started to warm up and relax, and she started feeling tired.

"You're really warm,," she murmured, trying to not fall asleep, but was failing miserably.

The repetitive rhythm of him stroking her hair relaxed her even more. She snuggled up close to him with her back right up against his side, still trying to not fall asleep, but was starting to doze off.

She smiled when he pulled her closer, and after a bit she finally drifted off, feeling warm and safe.

Feeling well rested, she opened her eyes to Gavin still snuggling with her. She smiled to herself and hugged his arm, enjoying being close to him, as well as being warm.

"Mmmmm goodmorning..." She felt... so happy and peaceful in this moment, she never wanted to leave it. She could feel herself starting to drift off again.