They had been flying for a while already before Arin finally decided to hesitantly voice his doubts.
'You do know which way is west, right?'
Upon hearing his words, the horse snorted and lightly bucked.
'Got it, you do! Of course you do! I never doubted that you would!'
The fear of being thrown off in mid-air made Arin twist and tighten his fists' grip on the horse's mane. The horse, apparently quite satisfied by his pathetic response, chose to not retaliate any further.
Feeling a little aggrieved now, Arin slumped down low over its back. He decided he had no interest in communicating with the damned creature again, any time soon. Who knew what it might take offense to the next time he dared open his mouth. Instead, he would much rather use this time to get an idea of the terrain.
They had started their journey in a different direction than the one they'd first arrived from. For far too long, the stretch of forested land underneath them remained maddeningly unbroken. At times, it almost looked like one single, wavy slab of green, with no definition or detail to speak of. Arin could feel his eyes crossing and vision blurring from the sheer monotony of it all.
He had almost convinced himself that the white-haired man's real test had secretly been about not falling asleep and plummeting to his death off the horse's back, when there was finally a break in the scenery.
Arin saw something shimmer in the distance. It was right on their path, and as they flew closer, he saw that it was a fairly large, deep-blue lake. Even from their height, he could tell that it had remarkably clean water. Its surface sparkled invitingly in the sunlight, and all of a sudden, Arin realized that his throat was exceptionally dry.
It made sense, of course. It had been several hours since he'd been transported to this world. He had first arrived during the hottest hours of the day, and no one he'd met had had the decency to offer him any refreshments.
The white-haired man, especially, had sent him on his way without so much as a glass of water. Clearly, he couldn't have been less bothered at the prospect of his beloved student's body shriveling up from dehydration.
As such, even if Rin had spent the last few minutes before Arin's arrival somehow managing to chug gallons of water while also beating up that angry boy, it would still make sense for him to be completely parched by now.
Mind made up and feud conveniently forgotten, Arin lightly nudged the horse's side with the heel of his foot. 'Hey buddy. Do you think we could take a break? Just for a few minutes?' he asked.
The horse glanced back at him, flicking its ears.
'Yes, yes, I know that you're the one who's been doing the actual work. Thanks for that.'
Arin sighed. Lowering his voice as much as he could while still being audible over the sound of the rushing wind, he continued, 'It's just that… I think I'm dying of thirst. Really! We could just stop for a sip, and then be on our way again. It won't take longer than a minute. C'mon... Please?'
He knew that the horse had relented when he noticed its slow descent.
In just a few seconds, they had landed by the shore of the lake. Arin leaped off the horse's back and onto the soft, wet silt. Avoiding the sparsely scattered shrubs in the area, he immediately made his way towards the edge of the lake to quench his thirst.
He had meant it when he'd said that he wouldn't take long. The fewer the risks taken while in unfamiliar terrain, the better.
He noticed then that the horse had also gingerly approached the shoreline, stopping by it a mere few feet away from him. Clearly, it planned on joining him in taking a drink from the lake.
And to think that it had faked reluctance and made him beg for the pit stop! Pig-headed thing.
…Oh well.
Anyway, he had no qualms about sharing a water source with the horse.
Firstly, it wasn't even an actual horse. And while Arin didn't know what exactly it was, it had definitely shown more promise and intelligence than his younger brother, back in his own world.
Secondly, even if it had been a simple horse, it had managed to both rescue and support him within the half-a-day's time they had known each other. He owed it.
Thirdly, they were drinking from a natural lake, out in the open. There were reeds near the edges and dragonflies skimming its surface. Even he, a city-dweller used to water filtration systems, recognized the importance of adjusting to circumstances.
And so, Arin crouched by the edge of the lake and cupped his hands. Clear, icy-cold water filled them with the promise of a refreshing drink. Lowering his head, Arin paused for a moment, then drained it all in one go.
He could've sworn that this was the most delicious water he'd ever tasted.
Somewhere in the distance to his left, he could hear the horse gulping down the lake water just as eagerly. Good for it. Over and over again, Arin repeated his actions – excess water dribbling along his arms and spilling down the front of his clothing in his haste – until finally, he was satiated.
Thirst quenched, Arin sighed in relief. He didn't move for a few heartbeats, content with simply sitting in place and marveling at the heavenly blessing that was potable water. At least, he hoped it was potable water. Finally, he turned to face the horse.
'You done?'
The horse had straightened up, contentment apparent in its soft, brown eyes. It blinked at Arin.
'…the…re.'
Arin stared at the horse, his eyes widening in disbelief.
'Did you just… say something?'
Apparently not.
The horse had gone very still. Its eyes had widened in shock that mirrored his own, and its ears were flicking in vigilance. The tense silence didn't last long.
'Who… is there?'
The voice spoke again, louder this time. Arin could barely make out the muffled words. There was an eerie, distorted quality to them. It took a moment before he understood why that was.
The voice was coming from inside the lake.
'Holy shit!'
Abruptly, Arin stood up. The horse snorted and stomped its hooves. The two of them shared a concerned look, then started retreating from the lake. They had only made it a few feet away when the voice suddenly emerged again, roaring now -
'WHO -S THERE!?'
The surface of the lake roiled violently, like something large was about to push its way up to the top. Something was coming for them, and there was nothing Arin could do about it.
Once again, and all at once, he was forced to acknowledge that he was in a new world, with new rules.
And he was afraid.
But even as Arin felt his limbs stiffen and heart race in shock, his mind went into troubleshooting mode.
There had been nothing visibly wrong with the lake. No strange phenomena, and no monsters slumbering beneath its clear surface. Having seen it both from the sky and up close, he could be sure of this.
Since everything had seemed ordinary, both he and the horse had relaxed and taken quite a while to quench their thirst. Even so, they had remained undisturbed throughout it all. Nothing had happened until…
Until he'd spoken.
And the more he'd said, the more frenzied the response had been.
Arin quickly turned to look at the horse that was still backing away from the lake. He caught its eye and held his index finger up to his lips.
Even as he hoped that it would be able to understand what he was trying to convey, a gigantic hand broke through the surface of the lake. It was so large that it seemed to block out the sunlight for a moment. Then, it slammed down onto the ground right in between Arin and the horse.
'WHO. IS. THERE!?'