THOTH & MORVEREN
As soon as he passed through the gates marking the edge of the castle grounds, Thoth felt he was home free. Of course, at the back of his mind, he knew that there was still a chance he could run into someone he knew – just much less of a chance. Avoiding people was something Thoth spent a lot of time doing anyway, but today he had an extra reason for it. Today was his fifteenth birthday.
Once he was passed the castle grounds, he felt safe slowing Junebell down to a trot. What now? His mind had been so focused on getting out, he hadn't considered what he'd done once he was there. He ticked over a few possibilities, each one seeming less desirable than the last, before settling on one. He hadn't visited Sneezewort in ages. Sneezewort, the lovable Dartmoor pony, who was one of the few wild animals which hadn't started shying away from him the minute he'd lost his polylingual abilities. The rest of his herd did, but Sneezewort mostly just seemed bemused by Thoth's silence. He'd usually trot over in earnest, searching the boy's pockets for treats, try and have a chat and then snort in amusement whenever Thoth answered back in English. Eventually, without conversation or nibbles, the pony would get bored and wander back to his mares. He'd gained another one since the ancient creature had come to town, and it burned that Thoth didn't know her name.
He was just pointing Junebell in the right direction, and preparing to urge her into a canter again, when the unthinkable happened: someone hailed him. Thoth's heart stopped for a moment, and he just had time to wonder if he could pretend he hadn't heard and gallop off when the voice shouted again, and this time he recognised it. A mix of emotions started twisting in Thoth's gut as he slowed Junebell down to a halt and turned her around to face his best friend, who was mounted on a much bigger blood bay.
It was the first time he'd ever even seen Tristan on his birthday. Usually he got away very early in the morning, before everyone else was up, and came back late evening or the next day. And then of course, there had been the year he'd spent his birthday out in the wilderness with Junebell, Sneezewort and Sneezewort's herd, right after...
“Was going to see Sneezewort,” he answered honestly. Thoth had learned a long time ago not to bother trying to lie to people, especially Tristan. Telling a fraction of the truth was much easier and got him much further. He meant to ask where were you going? but somehow it ended up as, “who told you?”
Which was a stupid question, anyway. Nimueh was the only person in the castle (or had been) who knew when his birthday was, and she'd only known because Joel had known, who'd only known because Aura had told him. He bit his lower lip.
“Don't tell anyone else,” he muttered, as he turned Junebell back around and urged her to walk on at a slow enough pace for them to talk. “Where were you going?”
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