"Come on, Erin!"

No reply came from the young woman as she thundered through the forest, her breath slowly getting heavier and more labored as her legs moved at an astonishing speed. Her dark hair whipped past her head, her arms moving back and forth as she ran. Her gaze was firmly set on the chestnut centaur who was racing through the forest ahead of her. Erin grit her teeth in frustration as she realized she was slowing down, pushing every bit of strength she had into her legs to try and catch up. Her hands balled into fists and her eyes narrowed in determination.

She was not going to lose this time.

Brighteye glanced back with a smile on his face at the human running after him. "You're going to lose if you keep up that pace!" he called back to her playfully, pausing just for a split second to taunt her before taking off again.

Erin bit her tongue to keep back a sarcastic remark, knowing it was a waste of her breath, and that she needed every bit of that right now. She was practically gasping now as she picked up speed, smirking just the tiniest bit as she realized he was getting a little closer. Her feet broke branches and threw up dirt as she raced, her lean body pulled forward. She took one deep breath in through her nose, allowing the forest smells to hopefully give her a bit of strength back. She could see the end now, and no doubt Brighteye was close. She could vaguely make out her dark-haired mentor off in the distance, waiting for them, most likely with a patient tap of his right hoof. She growled in frustration, knowing it was very unlikely she could pass Brighteye now. Still, he shoved every ounce of her power into her run, imagining in her head that he was breaking the wall of her limits and racing through it at the speed of lightning. Her vision was getting slightly spotted, but she did not care. Her only goal right now was to win.

Brighteye no longer was casting silly glances back at Erin, now focused on the end in sight. His hooves clomped again the earth, going so fast that a normal human eye would not be able to keep up with them. He only the smallest bit winded, but that was no big deal to him. He smiled in determination as he pulled forward, waving at Starrus just before whipping past him. Starrus only nodded back and turned his gaze back to the girl that was not far away.

Less than ten seconds later, she rushed past him as well.

Erin cursed under her breath as she quickly slowed her pace to a stop. Her face frustrated, she glanced up to say something to Brighteye, but that was when her lungs told her she really needed air. Instead she doubled over panting, sweat rolling down her face and her arms as she gripped her knees. Her chest heaved heavily with gasps, her heartbeat thunder clapping in her ears and making her head pound as well. She remained that way for over a minute, struggling to catch her breath, before she looked up again. Starrus and Brighteye were waiting, used to this break to catch air after these kinds of runs.

"I... lost," she huffed breathlessly, her eyebrow twitching slightly as she straightened herself.

Brighteye beamed at her, shrugging his shoulders. "It's no big deal. I always win."

Erin groaned, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. "I know. You always win."

"The point of these exercises is not to win, Erin," Starrus told her, stepping forward. "The important thing we are trying to accomplish here is-"

"I know, I know," the girl interrupted with an annoyed wave of her hand. She brushed some stray strands of hair from her eyes before continuing. "To gain better speed, like that of a Centaur." She sighed, glancing to her left and frowning. "I get that."

Starrus flicked an ear, unamused. "Then I do not understand why you do not feel like you accomplished something. Many other Fey are unable to meet half the speed of a running Centaur."

"Yeah," Brighteye joined in cheerfully, "and you beat that record two years ago! You run so fast to the point where you can clearly see me as we run!" He clapped a hoof against the ground, a Centaur way of emphasizing a point.

She remained unconvinced, her arms still firmly crossed, and her lips still pulled into a frown. "Yeah, I know. Trust me, I was plenty excited about it, too, at the time. But the point of a race is to win, and every time, I've lost."

Starrus sighed slightly, running a hand over his face. "Erin, for the last time, this is not a race. It is not a game, it is not for fun," at this point, the dark centaur gave a look at Brighteye, "and it is not for you to take lightly like some competition."

Brighteye set a hand on Erin's shoulder. "Why do you care so much about it, anyway? It's not as if the herd makes fun of you for being slow. They are just as astonished as we are with you!" He smiled warmly, his ears perking slightly.

Erin could not help but melt a little, sighing and uncrossing her arms. "I guess you're right. It's not that important." She looked over to Starrus and shrugged a little. "Sorry for making a fuss."

"For the twenty-fifth time this week," he muttered until his breath, shaking his head slightly. "As long as you understand the meaning of what we're doing."

"I understand, Starrus," she replied obediently. As much as she hated to admit it, he was partially right. She knew that this was not really a race; and she was proud of what she had accomplished. However, she could not tell him the real reason he was upset. She knew he would not understand. She shoved down her frustration for now, as much as she wanted to argue.

"Now that we're finished," she said nonchalantly, "we can head back to camp, right? I should probably bathe." She wrinkled her nose slightly at the sweat that soaked her skin and her clothes, wiping some away from her brow.

"You humans and your baths," Brighteye joked. "Us Centaurs only have to clean once a week!"

"You just said I'm human," she retorted back with a twinkle in her eye. "I'm not like you. And trust me, I had to get used to the smell of tons of sweaty Centaurs." She snickered as he playfully laughed and took a light swing at her, slapping his hand away.

"Enough," Starrus told them with slight exasperation, like he was dealing with children. "It would be wise to head back to camp now. The sun is to set soon." He flicked his tail before turning, glancing up at the sky for a moment before looking back at the others.

Brighteye trotted after him casually, turning back to Erin for a second. "You wanna ride? You're probably tired after that run."

She shook her head right away. "No, I'll walk, thanks." She did have to admit, the offer was tempting, and she always found it a bit fun to ride on a Centaur. However, she did not want to seem weak in any way, especially now. She took off after them as they walked away, her strides matching theirs almost completely.

Just have to wait a little longer. Then I'll tell him.

~

The forest was alive with the sounds of the twinkling night; the bright, full moon shone down on the herd that was listening calmly to the lullaby of the crickets and the night animals. Because the sky was clear and there was no scent of rain, the Centaurs took no shelter, instead enjoying the open air where they rested. Only a few fires lingered around the camp, their embers whisking off into the night. A faint smell of dinner still lingered in the air, a smell combined of fish and a few herbs. Some of the younger ones still occasionally grazed from where they lay. The littlest ones were already asleep, curled up comfortably by their mothers or fathers.

Silent footsteps were the only indication that Erin was returning from her bath. Her wet hair was stringing over her shoulders as she dried the rest of her face with a cloth towel. She wore a simple black tank-top and jeans, her feet bare as she walked over to where Brighteye was camping. He was resting next to his sister, Glisten, who was already dozing off, if not already asleep. The chestnut centaur smiled up at her when he saw her coming, lifting his head.

"Not going to sleep with Starrus tonight?" he asked her quietly.

She shook her head as she sat down beside him, looking at the dying fire in front of them. "He's having a discussion with his father right now. It sounded important, so I figured I wouldn't bother them," she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Brighteye chuckled. "Knowing those two, who knows how long it could take!" He reached over and ruffled her head, a favorite thing he liked to do with her. "Feel refreshed?"

"Fresher than you," she snorted, smiling at him all the same. She did not mind these gestures of affection; to her, he was family, and she was happy knowing he cared for her.

Glisten flicked her ear ever so slightly, one eye peeking open. "It's getting late, you two. You should probably try to sleep now." She sighed ever so slightly as her eye closed again.

"Sorry," Brighteye whispered. He turned back to Erin, his voice quieter. "Is it alright if I continue to speak with you?" he asked, tilting his head a small bit.

She felt her chest tighten a little bit, nervous about why he wanted to speak with her alone. Had he figured it out? Or did he have suspicions? Despite herself, she nodded slowly, hoping her fear was evident on her facial features.

"Well, I've been wondering as to why you've been so on edge lately," he asked her quietly. "You've been pushing yourself harder than you normally do, which is saying something."

Gulping, she nodded her head in reply, wishing the conversation could end right here and now. She was unable to bring herself to reply, so he continued.

"You get really frustrated with yourself if it isn't one hundred percent, in your eyes, at least," he went on, making small hand gestures. "You've always been a determined girl, but I'm a little worried. Is something bothering you that you haven't been telling us about?"

Erin slumped in defeat, knowing full well she couldn't lie. He was spot on; sometimes he acted like he was not the smartest in the bunch, but in reality, he was very keen about others. She swallowed again and nodded. "Yes," she replied softly.