Chương 19: Chapter 19

Twyla looked at Iynx eating pancakes in front of her.

Hunter clenched his teeth and sighed before responding to Iynx. "Yes, Iynx. Twyla needs riding clothes. Please."

"Sure. Where are you taking her?"

"What does that matter?" Hunter retorted.

"Well, the clothes will need to suit the place she is going to. Will it not?" Iynx asked, calmly, still eating pancakes. Well, syrup with a bit of pancake.

:"Fine. I am taking her on patrol to the east. Happy? Now, please take her upstairs and clothe her."

"Your wish is my command," Iynx bowed. She shoved the rest of her pancake into her mouth and the next thing Twyla knew, she and Iynx were in her bedroom.

"How's it going…" Twyla asked Iynx, hesitantly.

"Oh fine. Some of us are just not too pleased with Hunter, right now. I'm not sure if you can tell," Iynx breezed.

"Uh huh."

"Oh don't look like that. We have known him since he came out of his mother," Iynx claimed as she looked through Twyla's cupboard.

"How old are you, Iynx?"

Iynx looked at Twyla, a confused look on her face. "Um… I don't actually know. Nymphs aren't really born like you or Hunter. I mean, we can be, I think. But I definitely wasn't. I think. I don't remember."

"Clothes," Twyla said, trying to move Iynx from the topic of her early years. It seemed to be starting to distress her.

"Ah, yea. You definitely don't have anything suitable. We weren't thinking about you riding when we summoned these. And your shoes… I mean, I love the sparkly sneakers, but they are not sneaky at all…I think we need Dimitri. I can summon a few dresses, sure. But putting together suitable patrol clothes is not really what I'm good at."

Dimitri appeared. "Hello, dears. Clothes situation?" Dimitri took in the clothes Iynx had tossed out of Twyla's cupboard and raised an eyebrow. "Ah. Someone's going on their first patrol. Someone needs to teach how to keep sirens out of your head. Though is it possible for humans to learn how to do that?"

Dimitri ran a finger along her chin and she swatted him away. "Please help."

"Of course." He took a look at her and made her turn around. "Hmmm."

"I wasn't sure who's size she was," Iynx told Dimitri.

"You got pretty close. These fit nicely," Dimitri remarked. Iynx beamed.

Twyla stood there as they both studied her body. They stopped talking but by the gestures, it was clear they were still communicating. Twyla threw up her hands in frustration.

"Hey! I'm still here!" she complained.

"Oh, right. We started talking in our minds again, didn't we?" Iynx said, looking bashful. "It's just quicker. I'm sorry."

"But we have decided on an outfit for today," Dimitri compromised and gestured to Iynx who whirled the wind around.

Clothes settled onto the bed and a pair of shoes followed. Twyla walked over to the bed and examined the items. The pants were a soft, elastic material and a caramel colour. They would hug her body.

"They're fitted so they don't get caught in the stirrups or any other part of the saddle," Dimitri cut in.

Twyla didn't know what the stirrups were.

A forest-green button-up shirt was next. It had a chest pocket that wouldn't hold anything.

"So you have some camouflage," Iynx put in.

The last piece of clothing was a cloak. Made of moss green, hardy material, Twyla could see how useful it would be in a forest. It had a simple gold clasp that would hold it together at her throat and the rest of the cloak would give her the freedom to ride a horse. Well, unicorn. The hardy material would also stop her from getting all those scratches she got last time. Those had hurt. They were little but they had been painful. Like many papercuts. This wonderful cloak also had a generous hood. She loved it.

"I love this," Twyla praised, hugging the cloak.

"We thought you would like that best," Iynx smiled. "The shoes?"

Twyla had forgotten about the shoes.

They were gorgeous, dark brown leather boots. They went all the way to her knees so they would protect her legs.

"You guys!" Twyla gushed. "This is the sweetest thing ever. This is the most thoughtful, wonderful set of clothes ever!"

"I am so glad you like it," Dimitri said. "It is the best we can do without making new clothes and we don't have time for that."

"Thank you!" Twyla hugged Dimitri and Iynx.

"Okay, you should get ready. Hunter would have left by now. Have fun," Dimitri teased as he disappeared in a gust of wind.

"Thank you, Iynx," Twyla praised.

"It's no stress. Let's get you changed."

Iynx took Twyla down to the stables where Hunter was waiting.

"Ready?" Hunter asked.

"Sure," Twyla conceded.

"Okay, now it is not hard to ride a unicorn. I have been riding since I was barely walking."

"If you've been riding for so long then how do you know it's easy? Surely, you don't remember?"

"I…" Hunter closed his mouth, stumped. "Okay, well. Good point."

He led her to a unicorn. "This is the gentlest unicorn, Corny. I was… not very imaginative when I named her."

Twyla burst out laughing. Hunter gave her an annoyed look and brought Corny closer. He stroked the thick, white mane around her horn.

Twyla had not realised how large they would be. She stepped back.

"It is okay, Twyla. She will not harm you."

Twyla clenched her fists and stepped closer. Corny lowered her head and Twyla slowly brought a shaky hand up to her mane.

"There we go," Hunter whispered.

Corny was soft and warm, like a cat. Twyla carried on running her fingers through Corny's hair while Hunter put on a saddle.

"Okay, now you are going to jump on," Hunter ordered.

Twyla assessed the height and then looked at Hunter with raised eyebrows. He brought out a box.

Corny stood patiently while all of this happened, Happily nibbling hay that was kept in bundles around the stable.

Standing on the box, Twyla clutched Corny's reins as she tried to block out the thoughts of how bad a fall from this height would be.

"I will catch you," Hunter promised, as if he could hear her thoughts.

Twyla took a deep breath and swung a leg over. She had overcompensated and started sliding off the side. She let go of the reins to grab something solid but her hands slipped on the smooth leather. Hunter was there before she fell and he helped straighten her.

"See? That was not so bad?" he insisted.

"Uh huh," Twyla uttered, breathlessly. Hunter put her feet in the metal holders on the side and she held onto the bit that jutted out in the front.

"You need to hold the reins," Hunter requested.

"But they move!" Twyla complained.

"Well, yes. But they are how you tell Corny where to go."

Twyla grabbed the reins and sat up. She wasn't falling over.

"See?"

But then her thighs started wobbling and Corny started moving and Twyla started falling.

Hunter caught her again.

"Hmm. Maybe for today, you just ride with me," Hunter yielded.

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