Louisa's POV
Blanco stopped at the edge of the hunting ground.
I patted his neck and said, "What happened old chap?"
Blanco snorted and shook his head.
"I can't go in there. They're flying arrows. It's too dangerous," he said.
"OK. So you stay here and wait for us," I said.
Blanco neighed, "What?! You can understand me?!"
"Yeah," I said. I flipped off his back with Will and was about to get into the woods, but my hair was pulled by something.
When I turned back, I saw that Blanco was chewing my hair.
"Don't do that. That's my hair, not hays," I protested.
"I know. But I can't let you get in there. You'll be shot dead and nobody can talk to me," Blanco said.
"What is he saying?" Will looked up and asked me.
I lifted him in my arms and said, "Will, I need you to change into mist and get in the woods to look for Darren. Blanco says there will be some flying arrows."
"They won't get me. Don't worry!" He smiled at me and said. But then, he frowned and said, "I can't leave you alone here."
"Blanco's here with me," I said.
Will looked doubtfully at the horse and said, "But he's just a horse."
Blanco whined, "And you're just a kid! Don't be so rude!"
I explained, "Blanco runs very fast, so whenever there's a danger, he can carry me away. Don't worry. Go ahead. When you see Darren, just call my name. I can hear you."
Will wrapped his arms around my neck and said, "But I don't want to leave you. Every time you're away from me, you get into trouble."
I kissed his little cheek and said, "I promise I'll stay right here and I won't get into any trouble."
"OK," Will said reluctantly.
"Please take care and drink something. You look too pale." I said.
"Don't worry. I'll sort something out. Stay here. Don't move. I'll be right back," he said.
He changed into a blast of mist in my hands and disappeared into the woods.
"Wow," Blanco said, "That's so cool. I wish I could be like that."
I grabbed some grass from the ground and fed him.
He munched the grass happily and said, "You don't want to tie me to a tree or something? I might run away without you."
"No," I said, looking worriedly into the woods.
I saw some blurry figures wearing orange suits. One of them was trying to get out of the hunting ground but was shot to death by the soldiers guarding on top of the towers at the edge of the woods.
"You look very serious. Is this Darren person very important to you?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied, picking up more grass to stuff into his mouth.
"Wow, you're really not a big talker, aren't you?" He took a mouthful of grass and said.
"I'm worried about my friend. He's being hunted like an animal by those dignitaries," I said.
Blanco said, "My master never enjoys doing cruel things like that. He's always very kind to me. Once, when I was little, my father was sick. He stayed in the stable for a whole night to take care of him. He passed away in his arms."
"I'm so sorry," I said while stroking the back of his ears.
"Aaaah! It feels so good. Can you do that again?" He asked.
I massaged the back of his ears gently.
"Aaaah!" Blanco felt so relieved that he forgot to chew the grass.
"You were born in the royal stable?" I asked.
"My father used to be the ride of the late King. He was horrible."
"Your father or the late King?" I asked.
"Well, both of them. They were very grumpy, but they were surprisingly patient with each other." Blanco said. "You know, my father used to be a wild horse living in the Tatra Mountains. Some horse thieves took my mother away from him, tying him to a cart. So he followed them, walking all the way back to King's Land."
"That's cruel," I frowned.
Blanco neighed and said, "The late King was kind to my parents. He spent seven days taming my father, but every time he got on my father's back, he would throw him down."
"Really? But he was the King!" I said.
"We're horses. We don't see Kings and thieves. We only see people," he said.
"So what happened next?" I asked.
Blanco took another bite of grass from my hand and said, "Well, on the eighth day, the late King approached my father and took a deep bow. Then, my father allowed him to get on his back."
"That's it?" I asked.
"That's it," Blanco replied.
"Is that why Alpha Zackery asked me to bow to you before getting to your back?"
"Un-huh," Blanco said. "My father said that we're Tien horses. We have to keep our pride in front of other species."
"It's amazing. Have you ever gone back to the Tatra Mountains?" I asked.
"Not really. I wish I could go back there. Maybe one day I'll be back." He said while poking me with his head.
"What?" I was confused.
"Can you feed me with more grass?" he asked.
"I didn't tie you up, you can walk around and eat something." I pointed at the grass around us and said. "It's not because I'm not enjoying our conversation. It's just because I really have something to do now."
I was trying to hear what Lucas was talking about from a distance. Even though he was standing on the other side of the woods, I could hear him talking if I concentrated on it.
"But I want you to feed me and stroke my ears." He snorted and said. "If you feed and stroke me, I'll tell you a secret about my master. Nobody knows about it except me."
"I don't want to know any secrets about Alpha Zackery. He's a very important person. And people like him ought to have lots of secrets. If he wants to keep it a secret, there must be a reason. So you really don't have to tell me about it."
Blanco kept poking my head with his head and asked, "What if I tell you that this secret concerns you? You still don't want to know about it?"