The New Neighbors

"Bring the carrots and hay, boy!" The stableman strictly ordered the boy. 

He was an old and shrewd man, with crooked and dirty yellow teeth. 

"Right away, sir." The boy said it sharply and left for the farm.

He had a dusky skin tone beneath his restless face, with shabby and curly brown hair. He wore a torn tunic that revealed his chest and abs, and he was already panting from bringing in the logs for the night fire.

"You better make use of yourself here. I'm not like that cunt of leader you served, Jaquer. I despised him, and I thank the God-boy he's dead." 

He nodded up and down repeatedly, like a chicken.

"Was there anything else you wanted to do instead of tending to animals?" The man inquired in a straightforward tone.

"Um…I…I…Um…don't…"

"What did you say your name was, boy?" He interrupted him.

"Erik River!…Sir…" He responded immediately. 

"Oh, I see. Henry River was a good friend. I mourn for his loss every day, like you too." 

Erik River was the personal steward of Jaquer Maclain. He was the son of Henry River. That's why everyone called him the farmer's boy. After he died due to illness, Erik was orphaned, and so he went to serve Jaquer, and no matter how badly Jaquer insulted or treated him, Erik had patience and tolerated him. 

"They'll be here anytime now. Make it quick." He reminded Erik.

Erik River hastily ran over to the farm, which was right behind the stables. It was filled with bright veggies and fruits—apples as red as blood, carrots thick and crunchy, hay stacked on top of each other like giant castle slabs—and the sun brilliantly hydrated the growing crops. 

Erik caught sight of the requested items: carrots and hay, side by side. As soon as he saw them, he grabbed a basket for the carrots; he could carry the hay with his other hand.

Just after minutes of gathering, he had a basket filled with twenty carrots and two giant stacks of hay on his hand. This was enough food for the eight horses. They all had separate names for each of them, but the stableman would always revoke them when they got their own owners. 

Erik rushed back to the stable, and his panting increased.

"Good! Now feed 'em all." He ordered.

"Yes sir!" He exhaled a forced but fatigued response. 

While Erik fed the beautiful stallions, the Stableman saddled them, tying the loose knots together tightly with intricate patterns that Erik had never seen before. Besides, it was his first time at the stables. He has never tended to animals before, so everything seemed like an impossible maze puzzle for him. His sight was aimed at the old man's hands and his excellence in the craft of tying things together. Erik was in awe. 

"Erik! You fool! Watch what you're doing!" The old man raged out of his lungs. 

That was when Erik realized that he was feeding the carrot into the horse's eye. 

"Oh god! I'm extremely sorry, sir!" He pushed himself away from the act, embarrassed and ashamed of himself.

"I got distracted, sir! I'm so sorry." He apologized while his panting persisted.

"Don't you ever take me for a fool, Erik River!" He warned gravely. 

"Understood sir! Understood sir! Understood! He bowed multiple times with sincerity. 

"Now work." The old man went back to saddling the horses. 

There were different types of horses, grand and muscular in size and stature, and their colors radiated a peaceful energy.

There was a black horse with a shining and metallic crest, a large, hairy tail, and white heels. He was the strongest and oldest of them all, thus the most cared-for and maintained one. It was previously ridden by a great warrior from the East who died in a battle years ago. He was neatly groomed, and he smelled fresh. 

The other six were of almost the same color, and height, like siblings. They were all brown, with a different shaded crest.

Erik found them boring, but what he did have his eyes on was the little pony. White as snow. It was white from head to heel, like an angel. It was short with well-built muscles. 

"Don't let the looks fool you, Erik. She is the fastest; she may not be stronger than Devilberry, but her mastery on the battlefield is unparalleled." The old man spoke with passionate energy.

"She is beautiful." Erik exhaled as he stroked her soft and silky hair. 

The old man was on his last horse, and he made sure that every horse got the same careful and respected treatment, be it weak, strong, pretty, or ugly. He kissed every stallion on their foreheads and rubbed his cheeks against theirs. 

As he tied the last knot for the saddle, he heard the voice of a man filled with exuberance. 

…

"What beauties they are!" It was Yin Kang, jumping along the path like a toddler living his happiest days. 

The old man and Erik River noticed the significant switch of personalities in the God-boy. They rubbed their eyes to make sure that they weren't actually seeing what they were seeing, but they were.

"Does he look fine to you, sir?" Erik asked his master. 

"I'm not quite sure." The old man just pushed his breath in utter perplexity. 

The eight of them had arrived.

…

Yin visibly scanned and immediately picked the one he wanted.

"I mean, it's obvious, guys! I'm picking him." Yin pointed to Devilberry, the strongest and oldest of them all. He matched perfectly with how Yin looked. 

"You can rename him, Mr. Yin." The old man informed.

"Please! Just Yin is fine. There is no need for formalities. You're the elder, sir." He said it politely and with a smile.

The other looked at the remaining seven horses and sighed.

"I mean, do we have a choice?" Tara exhaled and picked one of them.

And so did the others.

Though all six horses looked similar, they had unique skin tones and crest gradients, so it was easy for them to differentiate.

But Vegas was hooked to her look-alike horse.

"Wow Vegas! She's your lost twin." Yin and the others mocked her as their eyes stared directly into the horse's. 

"Yep! I'll be glad to have her." Vegas couldn't contain her excitement. They were all able to see it in her face. 

Each of them got on their chosen horses and settled; they hooked their bags and weaponry to the saddle and started knocking.

Luckily, all of them had a decent idea of how to ride a horse. 

"They're all yours now. Take good care of them; I love them all so dearly." The old man spoke with teary eyes.

Erik River's heart was pounding. He had a million voices tackling him in his head, debating whether or not what he's about to say is fine, but if he keeps continuing to stay silent, he would be trapped inside a spiraling darkness for all his life. 

"Sire!" Erik shouted.

And the eight of them quickly looked back at him. 

"Can I serve for you?" Asked Erik.

"Are you a brave fighter?" Yin questioned.

"I'm no fighter, sire. But I'm brave." Erik said it firmly, with no deceit in his eyes.

"Then get on! Let's go." Yin said with a wide smile.

Erik River climbed on top of Devilberry, behind Yin, and they began marching.