Simone hadn't noticed how broad Shayn's shoulders were until she found herself sitting directly behind him on his horse. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of needing to lean on him… though honestly it would probably annoy him more than anything.
But still. She'd never been the type of girl to throw herself at a man, and hugging him around the waist during a horseback ride seemed to be exactly the sort of thing that qualified.
He didn't believe her story. Idiotic man. As if he were the type that she would WANT to throw herself at, were she inclined to do such a thing. Even so…
That moment when he leapt off his own horse to calm hers stuck in her mind. Despite her mount's sharp hooves flying through the air, and the very real possibility of serious injury, he hadn't hesitated. Had she imagined the split second where their eyes met? His had seemed to hold a promise of safety. That he would fix everything, and make sure she was safe.
Surely that was a flight of fancy. She'd read so many books that it was possible she'd put more into the situation than was there. It had only been a second. It had probably meant nothing at all to him.
She felt awfully precarious holding onto the horse with just her legs, which were admittedly feeling like jelly after her frantic, panicked dash shortly prior.
When Shayn's hand reached back to put hers on his waist, it was more of a relief than she wanted to admit to herself. The permission to touch him for balance was badly needed, and she moved her other hand to hold on as well.
She'd never been this close to a man. The heat of exertion from the ride and the desperate calming of her horse radiated from his back, and she could feel it between them, across the short distance. It was a strange sensation. Not unpleasant, but not familiar enough to be comfortable.
The horse's hoof caught a loose stone, altering its stride enough to make her sway forward, almost into Shayn's back. She had been holding herself stiffly away from him as best she could. How long could this ride be?
The terrified plunge into the forest seemed interminable at the time, but it couldn't have been more than… a few minutes? Simone realized she honestly didn't know. It all seemed to happen so quickly, but it also seemed to never end. Her perception of time was grossly skewed by the fear of the moment.
She could have been a couple of miles from the wagon by the time Shayn managed to save her.
She grimaced as another awkward step made her sway again. His horse picked up its speed, destabilizing her seat, and forcing her to hold to him more tightly.
Her face burned, in embarrassment for having to do it, and also for being so ungrateful for his aid.
"Thank you," She said quietly enough that she wasn't sure he heard her, except that the muscles in his back visibly tensed.
"Pardon?" He turned his head slightly and threw the word carelessly over his shoulder.
"I said, thank you. You may have saved my life, or at least my neck. I'm thankful." She said a little more loudly. "Hopefully you don't regret it someday."
"I won't," He shrugged. "I make it a point to never have regrets."
That was an odd thing to say, but she accepted it at face value as a peace offering. The rest of the ride passed in silence. After a moment or two, she could see him relax a little, and as if responding to the unspoken prompt, her muscles did too.
Her stomach clenched in an unfamiliar way. Perhaps the anxiety of the unexpected ride, or the fear of encountering that terrifying creature again, whatever it was that had come through the anomaly.
This feeling was… unpleasant, maybe? She couldn't decide. It was definitely strange. Was she going to be sick?
The trees gave way to the road, and a very anxious Victoria was pacing next to the wagon. When she saw them, she cried out with relief.
"Shayn! Simone, are you all right? You're not hurt are you? Oh but your poor horse, what happened to her??" The girl rushed forward, concern on her face. "Why did you run her back? Didn't you know the higher heart rate of exertion can exacerbate bleeding??"
"Um, honestly, not really. It didn't cross my mind," Shayn replied. "We were anxious to get back quickly and make sure you two were all right."
"Why wouldn't we be? The portals haven't done anything dangerous… have they?" Victoria looked at the pair sharply.
Simone had let go of Shayn's waist when they stopped, but was unsure about whether she could jump down without a stirrup's aid. The man solved the problem for her, swinging his leg over the front of the horse to jump down, and then seemingly reluctantly holding his arms up for her.
Simone eyed him for a moment before electing to scoot herself forward onto the saddle so she could make use of the stirrup and get down without help. Surely they had already had more than enough physical contact for one journey.
He shrugged and stepped away to allow her space, turning to Victoria.
"Did you see anything odd about the anomaly?" He asked. "Did anything… come out of it?"
The doctor's daughter was already busy cleaning the horse's wound with a kit hastily procured from the wagon. "I didn't. I heard a weird buzzing though. Kyler?"
"I didn't see much of anything from on the wagon," Kyler's mouth twisted in chagrin as he walked over with his crutches. "Sorry. Why, what did you see?"
"I saw nothing." Shayn glanced at Simone, and she closed her eyes in frustration.
Hopefully they believed her.
As concisely as she could, she described the horrifying human-faced scorpion-locust and its actions, looking intently into each of their faces in turn to convey that she wasn't insane. There was a pause at the end of her story as Kyler and Victoria absorbed it, and she held her breath for their verdict.
"I wonder what world it was from! I don't think the Cetoans have seen anything like that, have they? I write letters to my friend Quilina, but of course she isn't really Cetoan and since she's my age and a girl she's not been to another world, but she tells me the stories she's heard…" The young woman stopped as seemed to realize she was rambling.
"I've read all the Cetoan books they have sent for the book exchange program, and I haven't seen anything like this creature described. It was terrifying, and looked venomous," Simone was encouraged by Victoria's curiosity, and added what she thought.
"I hope our poor mare wasn't poisoned!" Victoria looked distraught over the idea as she finished treating the wound. "She shouldn't be ridden at least the rest of today. I think walking behind the wagon won't be too taxing for her."
"Thank you, Victoria," Kyler smiled at her. "It's good to have you with us."
"I'll walk next to her to make sure she stays all right. I'll keep up, I promise!" She vowed.
The man shrugged his consent. "Simone, looks like you get to ride with me."
"Should we… that is, given what's happened…" She began.
"You want to know if we should turn back to Klain and report what you saw," Shayn finished, and a grateful look flickered across her face. She didn't want to seem like a coward. "No. It makes it all the more important that we get a comprehensive map completed. We'll write a report and send it back via letter from the Northern military garrison. We should pass it tomorrow."
Simone breathed deeply, satisfied that the message would be received, while also concerned for their safety. That… whatever it was, was still out here in the wilderness, too small to be seen readily, but clearly dangerous enough to harm them.
"That makes perfect sense, thank you," She nodded, and then went to climb up onto the wagon seat with Kyler. Best to end the conversation with Shayn before things turned into an argument.
Riding with the elder brother was infinitely more pleasant than trying to get along with the younger. He was easygoing, and jovial. He lapsed between natural conversation and comfortable silence. None of the tension hung in the air the way it did around Shayn.
She was tempted to ask why Shayn was so much harder to get along with. However, after the younger's assertion that Kyler might be involved in the matchmaking efforts, it seemed ill-advised.
"Where do you think Walter decided to set up camp? Will we reach it soon?" She asked as the sun began to sink lower in the sky.
"We had better. We slowed down a bit to accommodate the injured horse, but not by much. I'm getting hungry." He grinned slightly.
"Me too." Simone agreed, hoping Victoria was a good chef and a good teacher. She could definitely use the lessons.