Chapter 7: Trust

The next morning, I moved slower than I had in months. I can't believe everything that happened last night! It's a wonder no one was badly hurt or even killed, except for a few horses that couldn't be captured. I yawned heading into the other room, where mom was already awake and making breakfast.

"Goodmorning mom," I said forcing a smile, "what are you making?"

"Goodmorning Kate," she responded handing me an apple, "I am currently making bread for the feast tonight."

"There's a feast tonight?!"

"Yes..."

"For what? Capturing the Herd? Forcing them into tiny stalls so that we can force them to do whatever we want? A feast for taking freedom of others?"

"No! What has gotten into you? We're having a feast to celebrate the arrival of Shar Methef."

"Who?" I asked incredulously making mom sigh.

"The Water Whisperer."

"Oh. Yeah. Where is the famous 'Water Whisperer' anyway?" I asked finger quoting the words water whisperer.

"What's with the finger quotes?"

"She has trained many horses before but never a Kelpie, and quite honestly I don't think she can!"

"Okay... Well, how about you go watch her training with the Kelpie today?" I stared at her blankly for a minute before finally nodding, what could go wrong?

I saw them as soon as I stepped out of the house, they had made a makeshift roundpen sometime last night just down the hill from our house. As soon as I reached it I had to fight through a literal crowd just to see Ocean and the famous Water Whisperer.

She had a lunge line clipped to the reins of the bridle, she hand't even bothered to put a halter on because even she knew if she didn't have the reins then she couldn't control Ocean. I'm not the only one who realized this, however, in fact many of the Hunters around me were trying not to laugh as she lunged Ocean.

"I hear a lot of laughter from a crowd of people who spent years trying to capture or even kill this very same Kelpie that is with me now." She didn't sound snakry, angry, or even afraid of the Hunter's laughter, in fact, she seemed almost perfectly neutral, calculating.

"That is where you have it wrong, miss." Elder Brian said walking forward slowly.

"Explain to me how I'm wrong."

"It didn't take us years of hunting the kelpie to kill or capture him. It took us years to hold the reins of his enchanted bridle in our grasp so that he could no longer harm our village."

"So you think because you hold the reigns of a magical bridle your all suddeny safe? What happens when that grip falters? What happens if the reins are suddenly lost in the middle of a crowd? Then what?"

"Yet, clear as day, you attached your lunge rope to the reins rather than a halter."

"That is because and only because he is not ready for it to come off yet."

"You plan on taking the enchanted bridle that was put on this beast, for a reason, off?!"

"Yes. Your village wants full control over him, right? Using a bridle isn't full control, I will work with him until he is broke enough to the point anyone in the village can use him as a tame horse."

"How do you plan on accomplishing that!?"

"Trust. Plain and simple, you gain someones trust and they will do anything for you. I must warn you though, that breaking ones trust can be more devastating then however they were before."

"Your going to build trust with the Kelpie?"

"Yes," she said turning to face the crowd and letting him stop, "first thing first, this Kelpie needs a name."

"Ocean!" I said immediately and a lot louder than I intended causing both Ocean and The Water Whisperer to look at me.

"Ocean. Does seem to rather suit him I guess, with him being made of water and all that-" Suddenly there was a loud CRASH causing everyone to jump and look over to the extra makeshift stalls that had been set up. A black mare had just broke her stall door! She took off at a dead bolt towards the crowd causing everyone to panick and scatter. No one moved and before we knew it she had cleared the wooden fence of the roundpen and was charging directly towards Ocean and The Water Whisperer.

Everything seemed to slow down, Shar lept away from Ocean, still grasping the lunge line in her hand, and the black mare ran strait into it, snapping it on impact. Hunters began yelling and scattering as the mare crashed through the other side. I thought everyone was just as focused on Ocean and Shar as me but was quickly proven wrong when a loud BOOM echoed through the village, mirroring that of last night. I glanced over to the crew of Hunters standing by the mares body. The mare moved her head, how is she still alive? I began to walk closer until I saw the bullet wound in her leg and Hunter Kyle's gun pointing at her head.

Just before he pulled the trigger someone else jumped in front of the gun. I leaned to peak around some of the Hunters, it was Herbalist Hardandra. She was stopping Kyle from pulling the trigger and killing yet another mare.

"She is down, wounded, and no longer fighting, what would killing her solve?" Hardandra ground out kneeling down by the wounded leg and instsnly getting to work to stop the bleeding.

"It would save us time, resources, and in the long run energy." Hunter kyle snapped back.

"Your Herbalist is correct, the mare doesn't need to die she was just frightened. A lot has happened to their Herd in twenty-four hours." Shar said standing up and brushing dirt off her clothes. "Besides shouldn't we be trying to get a rope back on the Kelpie before he escapes and is never caught again?" The entire group surged forward immediately surrounding Ocean as a younger Hunter ran off to find a new rope. I however, waited and watched as Hunter Kyle slowly vanished into the crowd and I lost him.

I turned my attention back to the crowd around Ocean who was now rearing as soon as anyone came close to grabbing his reins. He wasn't afraid, I would feel it if he was, but he was most definitely restless. I pushed through the crowd to stand directly in front of him as he reared up again.

"Ocean," I said quietly as h landed on the ground again, he immediately froze focusing on me. I closed my mind as Ocean used the bond to send images to me. The first one was him with the Herd in a meadow, the next of him running into the water, then of me the night of the moon dance. Roughly translating to: You know what this kind of freedom feels like and the Herd and I both miss it. I focused on trying to send him images in response the first one being of terrified villagers running into their houses to escape a flood, the next of Hunter Kyle holding the gun to the black mares head just now, and last a picture of everyone relaxing while Shar held his reigns. Which I hoped would convey the message that without someone holding his reins everyone would want to kill him for fear he would cause more natural disasters.

I did not expect the response, there was an image of Hardandra crying, then Me jumping onto Ocean's back and taking off, then another of me losing the reigns, and the most confusing one, an image of him running into the ocean with no bridle on at all. I opened my eyes staring into his deep glowing ones. What could those images possibly mean? You want something from me, I thought, don't you? But what could you possibly want that I could give you? I tilted my head slightly, watching him closely. He snorted, lowered his head, and turned so that his reins were practically in her hands.

She caught them immediately, causing Ocean's eyes to lose the glow once more. Everyone began clapping, except for me that is, I glanced around taking in the expressions on everyone's faces. How could so many people feel so good about taking away another creatures free will or even killing them. Speaking of killing, I thought, where did the mare and Hardandra go?

"I think that's enough for today," Hunter Ryan said, stepping forward to take the reins, "I'll put Ocean up. Everyone else do your job and if you don't have one find somewhere to volunteer or go home, it's been a long day and we haven't even made it to the feast yet."

"Hunter," Shar said hesitantly looking at the reins, "we have barely begun training. Not only that but-"

"No buts," Ryan interrupted, "like you said trust is a fragile thing and Ocean has probably had enough 'trust building' for one day."

"No! You don't understand! He calmed down and practically let us control him again that's a step in the right direction!"

"All due respect, but you should know not to push trust with as much as you talk about it and also something tells me that was only because Kate was here. This Ocean of yours, seems to be more of a Kate's Ocean not a you Ocean." That was that, he turned and left with Ocean and mumbling the crowd slowly dispersed as well.

"Kate!" Herbalist Hardandra said tapping me on the shoulder and causing me to jump.

"What? When did you get here?"

"Some Hunters and tame horses drug the mare into an empty stall as soon as I patched up her leg. So I came back over to watch all the commotion... Ocean he showed you something didn't he?"

"Yes. but it didn't really make sense... Its hard to describe."

"I understand," she said biting her lip and looking up to the sky, " it's just that..."

"It's just that?"

"Nevermind, it's getting late, we should probably go help your parents finish prepare for the feast." And that is exactly what we did.