forum Are You An Angel..? / OxO / closed! Pm if interested!

Started August 06, 2020 by @ElderGodSwimwithGamers group

tune

Matthew wrapped his wings around them a bit, rubbing Rowan's back.
"I've got you…"

"I-I'm sorry…" Rowan whispered weakly, huddling closer to Matthew for comfort. "We… w-we can go ahead and start walking. I'll get over it…"

"You don't have to be sorry…" Matthew started walking a bit, still focused on helping Rowan for now.

Rowan sighed and nodded, falling silent as he buried his face in Matthew's shoulder. He didn't know where he was going anyway, so he figured he'd just let the avian take the lead for everything.

Matthew carried Rowan into the forest, Fluff following behind. Matthew looked around a bit, coming to a stop.
"I'm going to whistle for the horses," he said, giving Rowan warning before he did so. He let out a loud and sharp whistle, a long note followed by two quicker ones.

Rowan looked up when Matthew whistled, holding tightly to the other whole he waited for the horses to show up. "Don't we need saddles?" He asked.

"They wouldn't fit," Matthew explained. In a few moments, two horses came running up- a painted quarter with black and white markings, and a white Arabian. Both, of course, has wings. Matthew reached out with one hand while holding Rowan close with the other still to the painted quarter.
"Hey, Starks…" He smiled gently, patting the horse's muzzle.

Rowan eyed the horses' wings warily, huddling a bit closer to Matthew. "S-So… we're just going to ride bareback? They aren't gonna try to fly, right?"

"Yes, we are. And they won't unless given as signal to. Are you ready to get on, or do you want to get to know them a bit? Don't forget you'll be riding with me."

"U-Um… we can… we can get on…" Rowan replied weakly, hesitating before reaching out one hand to gently touch one of the horses.

The horse, the one Matthew hadn't mentioned the name of, lightly pushed into Rowan's hand before stepping forward, feeling him over for treats.
"Here," Matthew said. He pulled out a small lump of sugar, putting it in Rowan's hand. "She'll love you forever if you give her this." He gave a gentle smile.

Rowan accepted the sugar and examined it for a second or two before shyly offering it to the horse, unable to keep from giggling a bit when it took it from him. He was still clearly nervous, but he was trying to relax.

Matthew knew Rowan had said they could get on, but he didn't really believe that.
"This is Whitney," Matthew said if the white horse Rowan had fed the sugar to.
"She's really gentle, and she loves treats. You'll be riding her when you feel ready to on you're own."

"Okay…" Rowan tentatively pet the horse again, keeping close to Matthew just in case. "And you're sure that the horses won't try to fly without the signal? What if I fall off? What am I supposed to hold onto?"

"I'm sure. If you fall off, the best thing to do is roll away. It's hard for horses to know where they're feet are. And I'll show you how to hold on while you're riding with me." Matthew went back to holding Rowan with both arms.

Rowan nodded nervously, burying his face in Matthew's shoulder. "I-I… um… alright… let's just go ahead and get on then, yeah?"

"Are you sure you're ready?" Matthew set a saddle bag on Whitney, lightly patting her back.

"Ready as I'll ever be…" Rowan sighed, looking up at the horses with a nervous expression. "Um… can you help me up?"

Matthew nodded. He simply picked Rowan up, carefully setting him in front of the wings of Starks. Matthew pulled himself up, right behind Rowan.
"How are you doing?" Fluff jumped up on Whitney, purring softly and settling down.

"I-I'm okay…" Rowan was laying forward on the horse, hugging its neck to try and feel more secure. "Are you sure this is safe?"

Matthew slowly pulled Rowan up off the horse's neck, instead wrapping one arm around him and holding him close.
"It's completely safe, I promise…"

Rowan whimpered quietly and clung tight to Matthew's arm, closing his eyes to try and relax. He was still incredibly nervous and looking down at the ground from atop a tall horse wasn't helping.

"Here, keep focused on me," Matthew said gently. He wrapped both arms around Rowan, squeezing his legs a bit. Starks started walking slowly, gait gentle. Whitney followed after. "I've got you…"

Rowan drew in a few quick, wavering breaths, just allowing Matthew to hold onto him. "U-Um… how long… how long is this trip?" He asked anxiously.

"Five days on horseback," Matthew said gently. He held Rowan to himself, Rowan's back to his chest.
"Do you think you can handle that?"