one step away {semper}

[Knuckles]

Jed

Frost nipped at his nose. Jed drew his ratty jacket tighter around his shoulders trying to block the bitter chill. Compacted snow crunched beneath his feet with every single step. It was cold, yet working on a farm meant waking up before the butt crack of dawn making sure the animals were still alive. Sometimes it involved putting more straw in the stables as well as making sure their water wasn't frozen over. Most of the time he felt his animals had it better than the people living in the world, and it pissed him off.

Why should the animals of the earth have it better than human beings when they're only created to die anyway?

Each breath crystallized before his eyes. He didn't know where he was heading, and truthfully, he didn't care. Anywhere was better than living in a place where the higher ups didn't care. It was probably better living beyond the fence with the risk of hypothermia and death. Anything was better than waiting for the escort to call his name.

But he wasn't able to survive on his own.

He had tried many times, and now he was back home trying to mend his broken relationship with his father. Jed would never forget the moment his father slaughter Jake for food.

Animals deserved to live just as much as every person living in this world.

His animals needed food, yet he went through the outer part of the district. Jed wanted to avoid as many people as possible because talking wasn't something he felt like doing. Besides raising the suspicions of the peacekeepers was always fun. Crossing the line was easy, but right now it wasn't time.

Soon.

Soon the world would fall into place. Soon he would have the answers he needed, but right now he was simply lost if someone asked him.

He continued walking, and during the trudge through the winter wonder land, Jed picked up various stones shoving them into his pocket. They were currently all he had, and maybe in the district square someone would use them to trade.

Or maybe he could find his friend so they could press their luck with the peacekeepers by pelting them with stones he carried with him.

[semper]

sewanee clark

The mare’s got spirit an’ that’s that I like ‘bout her most. A real shame that the people who had her last couldn’t see her potential: you jus’ gotta work with her, find what motivates her, an’ you got a friend for life. She’s smart, too, ‘cause I made the mistake’a puttin’ diced carrots in the same pocket each time I’s teachin’ her groundwork so she began anticipatin’ an’ stickin’ her nose right at the pocket. Not only that, bu’ she done figured out how the gate latch works, so she jus’ let herself outta the stall an’ pasture whenever she felt like it. I rigged both up with a clip now so she can’t go wanderin’ through the garden no more an’, hell, she been snatchin’ eggs from the hens on rarer occasions. Had t’ nip that one early on. If she could teach herself that, who knew what we’d be able t’ learn together?

She’s doin’ real well under saddle, too. I ain’t a real big fan’a bits, so I jerryrigged a hack an’ she’s respondin’ good to it. She don’t need a heavy hand, neither; a gentle pull an’ she slows, light pressure of the reins on either side’a her neck an’ she’s turnin’ where I want her to. Responds well t’ leg pressure, too.

Followin’ along Ten’s fence, I’m puttin’ her through a pattern of askin’ for different gaits. Much t’ my relief she don’t get too excited whenever I ask for a gallop, so I’ve got her runnin’ a little stretch ‘til I pull back t’ ease into a walk, lettin’ her catch her breath an’ take it slow for a bit since it’s still snowy. I’m thinkin’ ‘bout turnin’ ‘round, anyway, since I still got some things at Mace’s t’ take care of, an’ bein’ out in the cold is startin’ t’ get t’ me.

But there’s a guy o’er yonder there, stoopin’ down periodically like he’s pickin’ up rocks in the snow. Somethin’ I’d do, honestly; can’t ever have enough rocks. So, out of curiosity, I give the mare a li’l nudge an’ she’s puttin’ a pep in her step as I steer her o’er t’ where the feller is.

”Nice day for collectin’ rocks, huh?” I smile at him, pullin’ the mare to an easy halt, lettin’ the reins loose as she stands.

[Knuckles]

Jedidiah James

You can take my heart, you can take my breath
When you pry it from my cold, dead chest

Compacted snow crunched beneath the weight of his steady gait, yet it stopped the moment he stood still. Each rock he gathered twirled between his fingers before the rock was safe and sound within the confides of an old, holey jacket. It was all he had, and sometimes he yearned for more. Something heavier to keep the cold out. Freezing to death was a huge possibility, and Jed had seen it before. It was terrible, but that was the sad reality of the world he lived in.

A heavy sigh left his lips as he placed another rock into his pocket. Joe was nowhere to be found, and it kind of sucked because Jed wanted to hang out with him. He wanted to find more rocks to throw at innocent bystanders. He wanted to do something fun, but his friend was only pushing him further and further away.

Numb hands reached for another rock, yet he stopped in his tracks as a voice echoed through his ears. The voice didn't belong to Joey, but Jed turned around anyway. Eyes locked on a man and his horse. Jed owned a few horses of his own, but they were back home locked away in the stables. It was far to cold for them to venture out; or was it?

"Yeah." He kept his voice low, eyes dropping to the rock setting in the palm of his hand. "I got a nice rock collection going on at home, and being out here is the easiest way to collect the better ones." It was all a lie, but Jed didn't know this man, and the last thing he wanted was someone to run and snitch on him. He knew what the peacekeepers were capable of doing, and it kind of scared him.

"Nice horse." He added with a smile of his own. Maybe it would get the attention off him collecting rocks and onto something else.

District Ten | Eighteen

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322 words