Relaxation Time (Dawn/Open)

[Saiyuki Takafumi]

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If you do not hope
then you will not find what is beyond your hopes.
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Sai may not be social with people, but being social with horses was a whole different story. He had loved them since he was a little boy, but he couldn’t have one because he couldn’t afford it and because they didn’t have the space. That’s what you got for living in a strict country. He had always had to hide his horse figures when people came over since having anything like that was forbidden. Thank God his dad had let him have them. That was one of the reasons that Sai loved his dad. He figured that he had gotten the trait from both sides, seeing as both his mother and father loved horses. His father had loved them more, and now Sai did too.

He rubbed the horse’s nose. He needed to talk to one of the staff members about taking care of one of the big guys. He wanted a horse of his own, but he knew that with the tuition his father was paying, it was hard to barely make ends meet. He sighed, knowing that he wanted something he couldn’t have. This was one of those times when he really needed a friend to talk to. Considering he was new at the academy, he really didn’t have any friends at the moment. He hoped that that would change, and soon too. He was going to need them if he planned on getting through his first year here.


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WORDS: 241

[River Tam]

**follow the voices**

River is standing in the stable. Just, you know, standing. In front of her horse. Actually, their foreheads are touching. The two seem to be communicating, which they are, but it seems absurd. A girl talking with a horse? Not to a horse, because Altair’s talking back. River’s wavy brown hair hides her face from view, not on purpose, just because that’s where it is, hanging around her head like a curtain. And as such, she’s completely oblivious to anything going on around her. She can hear it all, but isn’t paying the slightest bit of attention.

She reaches up with one hand and places it on the side of the midnight black horse’s neck, rubbing in small circles, yet does not move her head in the slightest.

For once, the slender girl is wearing boots. She’s not particularly inclined to walk into a stable without shoes, being as there are plenty of big, painful horses to step on little River toes, and plenty of nasty things for her to step in.

[Saiyuki Takafumi]

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If you do not hope
then you will not find what is beyond your hopes.
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He was set for the talk that he wanted to have with the administration about him ‘owning ‘ a horse. He didn’t want to make anyone mad, so he had decided to talk through his little speech with a horse. After going through it a couple of times, he felt more comfortable. He was ready now to face them, and he had a feeling that he would get through to them. He had never felt this much confidence before, and it felt good. He wondered if this was the first of many. Considering his personality, he wouldn’t be surprised if it was his last.

He started walking down the aisles, not noticing the girl that had her head against another horse. He was too busy going over his argument in his head, and was actually watching the ground and not where he was walking. He suddenly bumped into her, and he gasped, holding out his hands as if he had done something wrong. “O-Oh! I-I’m sorry…!” He hadn’t meant to bump into her, but he did anyway. He was so clumsy in his human form. He was much better in his wolf form. But no one would ever see unless he did it unknowingly, which he had done in the past. He wasn’t about to willingly shift to his wolf form in front of this girl.


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WORDS: 226

[River Tam]

**follow the voices**

River blinks, once, very, very slowly. Then, out of nowhere, some kid bumped into her. She turns to him with a glare already forming.

He’s over a foot taller than River, but he stammers when he talks, making him seem much less scary. He’s skinny, almost as skinny as River herself (though she hasn’t met anyone who’s thinner than her, as of yet), with dark brown hair and dark eyes. He’s older than her.

“Menontonnya itu!” she exclaims, angrily, not realizing for a moment that she’s actually speaking Malay, an Austronesian language spoken in Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. She switches over to English. “Watch it!”

She scowls up at him, her five foot three inches form dwarfed by his six foot seven inches, but she tries her best to look imposing, which is pretty difficult for her, being as she was always the one being glared at, the one slinking off to sit in a corner, the one kicked out of the circle wherever she went.

[Saiyuki Takafumi]

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If you do not hope
then you will not find what is beyond your hopes.
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Sai frowned. This girl seemed upset that he had run into her. He backed away, hearing her speak in a different language. He had no idea what she had just said. He hated it when people yelled at him though. He just hated it. He had already had enough yelling in his past from his parents, despite his great relationships with the both of them, and he didn’t need more of it now. He looked away, ashamed. If he was in his wolf form right now, his ears would be flat against his head and his tail between his legs.

“Moshiwake arimasenga…” He could speak in another language too. He hated it when people yelled at him for no reason. He switched back over to English. “I-I didn’t mean to bump into you…” His voice was shaky and soft, and it looked as if he was about to cry. Man was he pathetic. He hated himself for being so pathetic. Especially in front of this little girl who looked like she was three feet and seven inches tall. She was a tiny thing, and she had made him cry. No wonder he always got made fun of back home…


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WORDS: 199

((Translation: I'm sorry))

[River Tam]

**follow the voices**

River sighs exaggeratedly. She supposed she could forgive him. “It’s fine.” she says gruffly, then smiles at him. “Don’t cry, blue sky! I’m River. Who are you?”

She rubs her horse’s forehead, trying her hardest not to make Sai even more upset than he already was. It was slightly comical, when you thought about it. A tiny girl making a much taller, older boy cry? Ha. She puts on her best impression of the interested little girl, hoping that he won’t cry. She doesn’t know what to do when people cry.

[Saiyuki Takafumi]

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If you do not hope
then you will not find what is beyond your hopes.
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Sai frowned at her. She seemed really nice now, completely different than the girl that had glared at him and spat what seemed like an insult at him in another language. She looked really sweet, and he turned away for a moment, wiping his eyes. He didn’t want her to see him crying. He would be even more pathetic than he was now. And that was saying something.

He looked at her again when he was done. “I-I’m alright…” He smiled, trying to cover up his crying. He didn’t want her to think that he was weak. He was supposed to be a man, and here he was, crying like a baby. He hated himself for it. “My name…i-is Sai…” His voice was still shaky and soft. He was always nervous when around other people.


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WORDS: 135

[River Tam]

**follow the voices**

Sai, huh? She wonders if it’s short for anything. It most likely is, she thinks. But what, exactly? She stays smiling, trying to make him feel better, not liking the way her stomach twists uncomfortably when she makes people cry. She wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. It was just reflexive. She spoke in the language that first came to mind, and then realized her mistake and said it again in English. It’s the best she can do, really. Well, without going too out of character, that is. Being the loving, compassionate little girl she’s playing right now just isn’t her. River’s more of the brooding loner type. Always has been, always will be. It’s just a fact of life.

“Is Sai short for something?”

[Saiyuki Takafumi]

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If you do not hope
then you will not find what is beyond your hopes.
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Sai looked at her. She was cute, he had to admit that. The fact that she was a tiny little thing made her even more adorable. Sai wanted to hug her, but he was definitely uncomfortable in doing so. He didn’t like to be touched that much. It was part of the whole not-being-social thing that he had. He was sure that if she touched him in any way right now then he would have a panic attack. He did not need that to happen, especially in front of this cute girl.

He smiled a little at her, shifting his weight. He kept his hands behind his back in a formal way, the way his father had taught him to when he was speaking to a woman. He really didn’t talk to people that much, so he looked at the girl, watching her every move. He usually did that when he didn’t speak. He studied people, and learned how they moved, and what their body language told him. He learned more about them that way. He heard her ask the question and he frowned. “Why yes. My real name is Saiyuki. Kind of hard to say all the time, so I use Sai, Sayu, or Yuki for short. Feel free to call me any of those names. I’ll answer to all three.” He looked at her.



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WORDS: 226

[River Tam]

**follow the voices**

She nods, unsure what to do next. “So, uh…” she says, her tongue stumbling over the words, as it always does when she’s not positive on what to say. Her horse nudges her in the shoulder, as River’s hand had fallen from making the small circles on his forehead. She raises her hand and begins to scratch behind his long black ear.

She looks curiously at Sai, hoping he’ll know what to do, because, obviously, River doesn’t.

[Saiyuki Takafumi]

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If you do not hope
then you will not find what is beyond your hopes.
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Sai smiled at her. He could tell that she was struggling to find something to say. For some odd reason, he was good with starting conversations for the moment. He still kept his distance though, just in case something happened. He didn’t want to be near her at all if she suddenly got offended for some unknown reason. He knew that if anyone didn’t invade his personal space bubble, then he wouldn’t invade theirs. Simple enough, right? Apparently not to some people, a.k.a. his roommates. That was going to be a challenge for Sai.

“So, is River short-“ He stopped dead. His trained ears had caught something rustling in the bushes outside of the barn. Considering he was a wolf, even in his human form he had a great sense of hearing. Much better than the average human’s sense of hearing. That was one thing that he was proud of. He frowned. “Excuse me a moment.” He was about to go look when he heard growling. Yes, growling. He knew the sound all too well since half the time it came from his throat. He didn’t like the sound of it either. Suddenly, two wolves came out of the bushes, baring their teeth at the two.

Sai was afraid for his life, but for some reason, he pushed River behind himself. He thought of nothing but his wolf side, and as soon as he was on all fours, he began to growl, not caring if it didn’t sound right. Maybe the sound would scare them. The other wolves advanced slowly, still baring their teeth. Well, he had been wrong about the sound. He was now a fully-fledged wolf, and he bared his teeth back at them. ‘Run River! These guys are hungry and they won’t back down!’ He had thought about trying to speak to the wolves, but he knew that they wouldn’t listen. He had had to deal with that experience himself. Whenever a wolf was hungry, they would stop at nothing to get food, no matter where it came from.

‘Go River! Tell someone about this!’ He only hoped that the girl wouldn’t be stubborn and would resist his orders. He didn’t like it when people told him no to an order. He felt weak and not in charge, and he hated that. But he couldn’t think about that right now. His main priority was to keep River safe as well as the academy. Even if it meant sacrificing his life. He really didn’t have anything else to live for, except maybe his dad, but he had started to second guess himself on that. He shook his head, baring his teeth even more at the enemy wolves. He had to focus on the threat or he would die, and so would River. He was not about to let that happen.


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WORDS: 472

[River Tam]

**follow the voices**

Who to tell? Who to tell?! River doesn’t know where anyone would be. There’s no one to tell. No one within range, anyway. So, instead of listening to Saiyuki, she snags Altair’s bridle from the hook, slides the bit into his mouth, and leaps onto his bare back, using the stall walls as a ladder, all within a matter of seconds. The pair crashes out of the pen, and River reaches one hand down for the boy.

“Sai!” she exclaims, hoping he’d get her message to hop onto the horse, to trust her with this. she has a feeling that he won’t be particularly happy that she disobeyed him and didn’t run for help, but she can’t. All she can do is what she’s doing at that exact moment.

The wolves are closing in, imminent death for the pair of human inevitable. In an act of desperation, River yelps, in the language of the wolves, trying to find the words to beg them not to eat her and Sai. What ends up pouring out of her mouth is something about there not being much meat on the two of them, due to their skinnyness.

[Saiyuki Takafumi]

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If you do not hope
then you will not find what is beyond your hopes.
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Of course the girl didn’t listen to him. It seemed at first that she was going to go for help, but that’s the exact opposite of what she did. Sai watched the enemies, growling and advancing one step. She didn’t seem to care that she might get bitten, but Sai did. He cared if anyone got hurt, but not himself. He was less important than those before him. He gave one final warning to the wolves, telling them with a growl and a snarl to back off or he would be forced to bite them.

He heard her say his name and then something about them being skinny in wolf language, but the wolves did not listen. He looked at her, which was almost a fatal mistake. One of the wolves lunged and grabbed his leg, dragging him with them. It flung him against the side of the barn, and he let out a high-pitched yelp as he hit it. The other wolf lunged for the horse, sinking its teeth into the horse’s leg. Sai got up almost immediately, his shoulder which had taken most of the shock from the wall of the barn throbbing. He was really pissed off now. He growled and lunged at the wolf, who dodged. He then came back and slammed the wolf against the wall like he had been.

‘River get out of here now while you still can! Go get help!’ His thoughts were now pleading more than ordering. He was afraid that he would not make it, but he would do his best to hold off the wolves until he either died or help arrived. He only hoped that the second choice would happen before the first choice was given a chance. The enemy wolf yelped as he slammed into the wall, and then crumpled to the ground. The wolf growled, and got up, ready to face Sai again. They circled each other, and then Sai’s ears flicked back. He had heard the other wolf coming, and he merely side-stepped, letting the other wolf fly by him.

The wolf skidded to a halt before hitting the wall, and the two growled together at Sai. He knew that this situation might end badly since he knew that he could not take both wolves at the same time. He waited for them to lunge, and he did. He bit the one on the shoulder as it lunged for him, and it emitted another high-pitched yelp. The second wolf caught Sai’s front paw, and dug his teeth into the flesh. Sai howled in pain, collapsing to the ground while still holding onto the other wolf’s shoulder. Both howled in pain, neither wolf letting go of the other. ‘Go…River…Tell them…I’m sorry…’ He assumed the worst; that he wasn’t going to make it.


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WORDS: 466

[River Tam]

**follow the voices**

No. She will NOT let this happen. The boy will not die.

River leaps from her mount, not seeming to care about her own safety, and takes the few steps over to Sai. River kicks the wolf-- the one that’s not Saiyuki-- in the nose, hoping it will pull back, give her enough time to do what just might be the craziest thing she’s ever done. She wraps her skinny arms around Sai’s middle, heaving up with all her might. If she can just get him over to Alrair, and if she can heave him up onto her horse, the two of them will live, though it seems unlikely that they will get up onto the gelding.

“Venire su… Merda!” she mutters in Italian, heaving with all her might.

[Saiyuki Takafumi]

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If you do not hope
then you will not find what is beyond your hopes.
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Sai closed his eyes, breathing heavily. His blood was pouring out of his leg wound and dripping onto the ground. He felt dizzy and sluggish. The other wolves were suffering injuries as well, but they all still held onto each other. Sai had been taught never to let go of the enemy or his prey if he was hunting, and he wasn’t about to let go now. Suddenly, the wolf released its grip, and Sai was able to limp away. He collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily still.

He felt the girl wrap her arms around his middle and try to heave him up. He smiled a wolf smile at her attempt to pick him up. He weighed a lot more in his wolf form, so she would have a hard time in trying to carry him. ‘I can…walk…’ He stood up, keeping his injured paw in the air. He then looked at her, smiling a wolf smile and panting more than usual. ‘Just help me to the horse. Let me lean on you please…’ He didn’t have the strength to stay upright for long, but for the short distance to her horse, he wouldn’t have a problem.

He looked behind him and saw the wolves getting up. It looked as if they weren’t finished yet. ‘Kuso…!’ He pushed her out of the way only to be taken down by one of the wolves again. He tried to get up again, but the strength had been knocked out of him. He could barely stand without collapsing. ‘River…g-go…save yourself…P-Please…’ He looked at her, pleading with his eyes. He then closed them and looked away. He knew this was going to be the end. The wolves circled him one last time, growling and baring their teeth as they got ready to attack for the final cue.


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WORDS: 304