@Fraust
Rowan eventually managed to fall asleep and started shifting around a bit after he did. At some point during the night, he ended up cuddled up with Matthew, smiling gently.
Rowan eventually managed to fall asleep and started shifting around a bit after he did. At some point during the night, he ended up cuddled up with Matthew, smiling gently.
Matthew smiled gently in his sleep, his wing resting over Rowan gently when the other came closer. He was the first to awaken in the morning, glancing at the man next to him. He kept smiling, adjusting the wing that was over Rowan.
Rowan had his head tucked under Matthew's chin as he slept. He awoke a little while after Matthew did and jumped back when he realized what position he was in. "I-I'm so sorry!" He stammered nervously, his face flushing.
Matthew blushed slightly.
"It's alright, really!" Matthew sat up a bit, smiling gently. "It was… Nice."
Rowan flushed harder and buried his face in his hands. "I-I'm still sorry… but we really should get going now, right?"
Matthew sat up, nodding.
"Yes, I think that would be a good idea. Do you still have your robe?" He offered a gentle smile. His hair was a bit tangled, and he worked on it as he got out of bed.
"Yeah, I left it on the floor over here… folded, of course." Rowan grabbed it and held it out to Matthew. "Here."
Matthew accepted the robe with a smile, packing it away in the bag. He tied his hair back, picking up the bag.
"Ready?" He asked finally.
"Y-Yeah, um… I'm ready." Rowan moved a bit closer to Matthew as he walked, clearly nervous as they approached the door. He knew they'd have to fly down.
Matthew called out softly, and Fluff came running up. He opened the door, turning to Rowan and holding his arms out to Rowan.
"It'll be over soon, I promise."
Rowan whimpered quietly as he clung to Matthew. "Okay, okay… just… b-be as quick as possible, please…"
Matthew held Rowan close, rubbing his back a bit.
"I will, I will…" He held Rowan close, stepping to the door. Fluff followed, leaping out first. Matthew followed, holding Rowan close to him. He landed quickly, holding Rowan close.
Rowan had a death grip on Matthew's shirt by the time they landed, trembling lightly, but managing to not cry this time. "Is… is it over…?"
Matthew held Rowan close, not setting him down.
"It's over," he promised gently. "And you aren't going to have to fly again, okay?" Matthew held Rowan close, running his fingers through Rowan's hair.
Rowan nodded weakly and drew in a few quick, wavering breaths. He kept his grip on Matthew, clearly not wanting to be put back down yet.
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.
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