Goats are People Too (Pygmy)

[Vanator]

Vanator had turned his head slightly as Pygmy shimmied off his cloak and took the tunic from his hand. He only caught a flash of pale skin as the Kelvic deftly donned his garb. Even for the experienced warrior, it was a bit awkward that the woman exhibited no shame, no hesitation or expectation that he should avert his gaze while she dressed. He had nevertheless.

When he was satisfied that she was properly covered, Vanator turned back to Pygmy. She was just finishing shuffling the hem of the shirt over her thighs. He looked down at her feet, relieved to see that her legs did not end in hooves.

For a moment he studied the stout, well -proportioned girl. She was nothing like a Drykas woman. Pygmy lacked the lean muscled limbs of his people. Not that the Kelvic appeared weak. Her bared arms and legs possessed the bulk of firm muscle beneath a smooth-skinned roundness. The fullness of her hips stretched at the fabric of the tunic. Indeed, Pygmy's human form clearly carried the traits of her natural goat shape. That similarity extended to the cherub-like features of her round face, framed in her roughly cropped short hair. His eyes met hers again, the slitted pupils still startling. Vanator had made a practice of studying people's emotions in their eyes. He found he could not discern anything from her inhuman gaze.

Vanator smiled at Pygmy's question, willfully setting aside the strangeness of the goat-girl. He decidedly liked her, in spite of his stark unfamiliarity with her kind. He detected no guile in Pygmy, just an honest curiosity. It was refreshing to meet her, and he found he had dropped his guard, and his axe, in the woman's presence.

He leaned down to retreve his cloak at Pygmy's feet. "The Sea of Grass is vast, and the people who live in it relatively few. Like I said, we travel in groups, not spread out in settlements. I can assure you, though your caravan may not have seen us.....we have seen you."

The Drykas were keenly aware of when travelers cross their lands, and fiercely protective of it. Those who stray too far from the marked trade routes risked an unpleasant encounter with a band of Drykas horse warriors.

"There is also a city, our capitol. It moves across the plains like our Pavilions do." He walked over to Backlash, crouching to pick up his abandoned battle ax along the way. Tossing the cloak across the Strider's withers, he then slid the long haft of the ax through a leather loop in the yvas.

Vanator leaned an arm against his mount, turning back toward Pygmy. A brisk breeze kicked up, stirring his auburn hair, tugging gently at the pair of thin braids that hung at either side of his face. Small, aged bronze and silver bands woven in them reflected dully the late winter sun. The air cooled his neck, drying the trace of sweat that had gathered beneath his mane. He reached up and absent-mindedly brushed away a stray lock. Somewhere nearby, a ground bird clucked.

"Where did you come from Pygmy, If I may ask? And where are you going?" Vanator's inquiry may have been a bit intrusive, but was delivered with a pleasant tone. He was Drykas, and he thought he had every right to ask what an outsider was doing on Drykas land.

[Dhanya]

Pygmy was tempted to argue that he hadn't seen her coming because she hadn't smelt a soul aside from him and her nose had never lied to her before. She had no idea just how connected the Drykas were to the plains. She believed he was bluffing and was about to tell him as much. Her words were swallowed when Vanator picked up his axe.

He moved nicely. Pygmy considered such an observation to be high praise, though she had no intention of telling him so. His step was light, his shoulders shifted easily under his shirt when he dipped and rose. He had a quality she could appreciate, as a dancer. Even a simple movement had a silent sort of poetry to it. She decided to let her competitiveness slide just this once, though only because she liked listening to his voice and because he was nice to look at. Even if he was as old as Jenon, they were nothing alike.

She ran a hand through her hair, brushing it out of her face as Vanator tugged on his braids. He had such interesting hair, it almost made her consider growing her own out so she could braid it in a more feminine style. She'd never considered braiding anything into her hair before.

Pygmy had no qualms with answering his question, she liked to talk about her travels. Perhaps more accurately, she liked to hyperbolise them until a rather wonderful story came to be. You couldn't let the truth get in the way of that.

"I'm from far away and plan on going farther still." She replied, smiling still and stepping closer, taking a measure of how comfortable he seemed with his horse.

It wouldn't do to tell her life story right away. She cared more about the lack of intrigue involved in telling it that way than the risks of exposing herself. What did they do to bad little runaway slaves? Was it good? She thought not. Clever girls kept the mystery going just a little, even if they weren't clever enough to change their names straight away.

"Perhaps I can visit you at your city, if I can find it." She continued, biting her lower lip to keep her grin manageable. "I'm sure I can. Do you think you could find me, you said the Drykas know where everyone is... I think you're just trying to impress me because I'm a tourist and everyone knows they'll believe anything."

It was fairly obvious that she was baiting him to tell her something interesting but playfully at least. Her grin was bright and her eyes were as difficult to read as before but someone like Vanator would have been aware that she was standing closer now, with shoulders rolled back and her arms uncrossed. One hand was on her hip and the other was facing palm-forward. She was listening to him and if he told her something she wanted to hear, chances were she'd reciprocate. It was a pity no one had ever explained quid pro quo to the girl because she'd have liked the concept.

[Vanator]

First impressions could be deceiving, and Vanator was beginning to realize that had certainly deceived himself. Granted, he was at a disadvantage because he had never met a Kelvic before. Even so, what he thought was some bumbling animal-girl that had stumbled onto the plains miraculously unharmed was proving to be a coy, sharp-witted and clever woman.

Pygmy drew closer, unintimidated by Vanator's Drykas bravado. Her staring slitted pupils never left his, even as she casually brushed at her wind-tossed mop of brown and caramel hair. Neither would Vanator concede and avert his gold-flecked brown gaze from her. The horseman found himself reassessing the young woman who stood unabashed before him.

He studied the bold attitude of her body. Her arms were not folded, as one who felt defensive, but relaxed her sides, one hand resting defiantly on her hip. In fact, the set-shouldered carriage of her compact form exuded a confidence that impressed and intrigued Vanator. Perhaps Pygmy was more like a Drykas woman than he thought.

At the Kelvic's elusive explanation of her journey, Vanator laughed heartily. She was shrewd too. He found himself liking her more every chime. The Drykas almost found himself revealing more than he himself wished, when he recognized her devious ploy. Pygmy was trying to bait him using his own racial pride. She was good, and he embraced the challenge.

"Oh, Endrykas is a wonderful city full of people. But I cannot tell you where Endrykas is. That is only for the Drykas to know." He too surpressed a grin, moving towards the head of the grazing Strider, feigning interest in picking stray burs from her dark mane. "But I tell you, if you were ever able to find it, I would certainly be able to find you." His tone was no longer sober and formal, but had shifted to a mocking brag, laced with a knowing playfulness. A sidelong glance landed squarely on the goat-girl's deceptively sweet face. Vanator wondered if all Kelvics were so interesting. He admitted that he certainly did like this one.

"After all, if you were able to get this far from wherever you came from, surely such a resourceful creature could find the migrating city." A taunting smirk curled at the corner of his mouth. His hand and moved to a loose strap on the yvas. With a jerk he freed the strap and tossed it to Pygmy. "I think a belt would look good with that tunic."

[Dhanya]

"That's surely true." She replied, already thinking of how to best spend the next few days looking for the place, she did not know it was going to be harder than she thought. "I'll be there within the week, I'd put money on it."

She caught the belt as Vanator threw it. It was as if he'd read her mind. She looped it around her waist and fumbled with the clasp, it was a make she hadn't used before but well-designed. She figured it out after a moment. It made the tunic ride slightly higher, though not enough to defeat the purpose of wearing it in the first place.

"Where is your saddle?" She asked, taking a closer look at the contraption Vanator apparently used to hang things like her new belt. "I've never seen a thing like that."

She pointed to the yvas, then took a step and poked it. It was sturdy but she couldn't see how you'd sit on it or whatever it was you should do. The leatherwork was good, as far as she could tell, she didn't know much about that sort of thing. She wondered if it was something a girl should learn or whether it was best left to the experts.

"I'm not a creature, you know." She added, almost absent-mindedly, while running a hand over Backlash's withers.

[Vanator]

Vanator grinned at Pygmy's brash statement. He wondered if the Kelvic could find Endrykas. She seemed to be full of surprises. The Drykas found himself hoping against his better judgment that the goat girl would come across the city.

Running his calloused hand over the worn leather of the yvas, Vanator adopted the tone of a teacher instructing a student. "This is how we control our Striders. We do not constrain our mounts with bridles, or use reins." He stepped towards Backlashes long head, rubbing her forelock affectionately, Then moved to the opposite side of the yvas.

"We use our knees, heels, toes and verbal signals to control our horses, leaving our hands free for weapons." Moving around behind Backlash, his hand slid along her rump and across the worn saddle bags as he passed back to stand next to Pygmy.

He looked at the small woman for a moment, her hand caressing the mare's buckskin shoulders. Vanator realized he may have stepped out of bounds. Pygmy was certainly unique in his experience, but he had not meant to insult her...she was no mere 'creature'. He met her eyes again, trying to gauge her intent in those curious eyes, still to no avail.

Vanator leaned against the horse, his fingers flicking the fletched ends of the arrows hanging from the yvas in a quiver. He smiled wryly. "Would you like to try it out? I'm sure Backlash wouldn't mind." The Strider swung her head around at the sound of her name, expelling an apathetic snort.

[Dhanya]

"Riding without reins? How does the horse know where to go?" Pygmy had enough trouble learning all the many intricacies of caring for and riding a horse, she didn't think she would be able to manage without tack.

She looked between Vanator and Backlash's yvas, brows drawing close together. Her lips pursed into a frowny pout. She wasn't sure whether she should say yes, she'd only been riding for a few months and horses were valuable. Pygmy didn't want to hurt Vanator's horse or do something to upset it. Still, she'd never tried riding almost bareback before, without a bridle.

Curiousity won over consideration. Pygmy nodded her head, first to herself and then at Vanator, more firmly. She felt so small next to the mare.

"Could I get a leg up?" She was almost embarrassed to ask, it seemed that most equestrians expected a rider to be able to get onto any horse on their own steam. Pygmy didn't think she could do it, good at jumping though she was, she hadn't yet tried the skill on a horse. Rocks had done well enough for her, or lengthening the stirrups for as long as she needed to.

He trusted her on his horse. People didn't often trust Pygmy with things that were important. It made her chest feel funny and for the first time in days, she thought of her mother and decided she missed her.

[Vanator]

Vanator didn't think Backlash would mind Pygmy on her back. The mare tended to get sassy with him at times, a result of the unique bond they had developed over time, like a good friend who will tell you when you are behaving like a fool. But his mount seemed especially unperturbed by the Kelvic's presence. Perhaps the steed understood the true animal nature of the girl better than the man did.

When Pygmy agreed to try the yvas out, Vanator grinned. Usually, he did not let others ride his Strider. Only the most trusted of his little cousins had been allowed on her back. Pygmy was different though, and it could prove a way to learn more about her.

He adjusted the rust-colored pad on upon which the yvas rested, then crouched down, lacing his fingers together, palms up. He held them out, offering a step up for the goat girl. As she gripped the yvas and placed her small bare foot on his hands, he felt the coolness of the skin of her sole, absorbed from the winter-chilled earth. He inhaled, noting the woman's earthly scent. It made him think of freshly harvested wheat.

When she was ready, he lifted up, looking up to see Pygmy swing her leg over the horse and land firmly in the seat. He stood to full height, resting his hand on the handle at front of the yvas. "Keep your self upright by clamping your legs around her barrel." He tapped the outside of her knee with his other hand. "You may also hold onto this." He added, tapping the yvas handle. "But a true Drykas does not hold on." He teased.

Moving to the Strider's head, Vanator raised up to speak an Pavi admonishment in Backlash's fuzzy ear, then stepped back. "Now, simply jab her in the ribs with your heels." The mare stepped off smoothly in a slow, even gait, carrying the Kelvic across the shallow depression.

[Dhanya]

Pygmy concluded that this was about a four out of ten on her scale of distress. Many hours of her life had been spent on a horse but with a comfy saddle, made for stock work, the kind you couldn't fall out of. She felt as though she'd been thrown in the deep end and her hands reached for pommel of the yvas like it was a lifeline. She assumed it was the pommel, Vanator had pointed to it. She caught his eyes as Backlash began to walk, releasing a small sound of distress that was more to release her tension than to ask for help.

How did you ride without reins? How did you ride without reins? She wanted to jump off but her pride stopped her.

Pygmy let her feet tap from side to side with the movement of the horse, it was supposed to help her pick the speed of her horse's walk though she knew that Backlash was largely obliging her. She leant to the left, tucking her heel in with a small amount of pressure, hoping to turn the horse. Backlash did.

Well. Looky that.

Pygmy tried it again, in the other direction. She looped Backlash in a figure eight, never moving above a walk. Small steps to start with, you had to crawl before you walked.

Actually... She had walked before she'd crawled. She'd spent a lot of time as a kid when when she'd been a baby.

"So... I'm guessing you Drykas do a lot more than this?" She said, face red from the embarrassment of having difficulty doing something simple in front of someone accomplished.

She hadn't hopped off Backlash yet, though she did lean back. She had to correct her posture when Backlash began to walk backwards. Striders were sensitive... She had to almost lie down on Pon to make him go back. With her legs so far foward it was ridiculous, no less.

[Vanator]

Vanator watched the puckish girl with amusement. She appeared almost like a child on the tall Strider. But she soon surprised him again, managing to direct Backlash with her heels alone. The Drykas could see the self-consciousness in her flushed cheeks, but the Kelvic was doing quite well, considering she was on his Strider. He was still trying to figure the girl out, still having a hard time connecting the charming, plucky human with the playful little goat he had seen before. Well, there was a similarity in their personalities, he conceded. He found Pygmy's simple, cheery persona quite contagious.

Vanator walked closer, seeing Backlashes tail switching more briskly. She was getting antsy. When the mare had a rider (and only he rode her) she wanted to run.

The steed veered towards Vanator and halted. The man reached up to fuss with her forelock, thanking her in Pavi. Then his eyes lifted to Pygmy. "Let me show you what a Drykas and his Strider can do."

Arching his arm around Backlashes neck, he pulled her head down until her ear was near his face. He whispered some more to the beast, who responded with a short shake of her long dark mane.
He stepped around until he was next to Pygmy. Vanator held his arms up, offering to help her down. He did not want to insult her, but it was a long way down from the Strider's back. If she wanted, he would let her get down herself.

Once she was dismounted, Vanator vaulted into the yvas. Settled into his seat, he looked down at the heart-faced woman. "You know, the best way to know how a Drykas rides is to ride with one!" He gave her a wide grin and stretched his arm towards Pygmy, offeriing to pull her back onto Backlash.

[Dhanya]

Pygmy had one arm straight and the other holding her elbow, looking pensively at Vanator's hand. She'd felt so relieved to be back on the ground.

And yet...

She nodded, taking his hand and allowing him to pull her back onto the horse.

She had thought of saying no but dismissed it as quickly as thinking. Pygmy didn't know why. Her heart was pounding, unsure of just what a Strider and her rider could do but feeling as though she couldn't step away.

The words were there, hiding in her throat and unable to get past the knot of her tongue.