Into the Open (Krivak)

[Cara]

Winter 31, 511 AV "Just keep the doors open so we can get them out," Cara called to the two Frostfawn who were holding back the wooden slabs which led in and out of the stables. "One could only imagine how cranky they would be if one hit them on the way out," she muttered under her breath, as she prodded one of the musk ox with her hand, willing it out the door and into the open. The cool winter air, the flurries of snow which fell on a slant, as the wind whistled between them. As the large creature finally made its way out the door, Cara followed it, easing it into the nearby pen, before turning back to her work mates. She pulled her hood up over her head, to help block out some of the wind as she made her way back through the door, and the two women shut it quietly behind her, so as not to spook the animals, or let any more wind or snow in. "Is that all of them?" Cara asked, as she wiped her brow with the back of her hand. She had been helping the musk oxen out all morning, and couldn't possibly imagine that there was much more. She couldn't tolerate there being much more. With how stubborn some of them had been, refusing to go outside so that the others could muck out their stables while Cara watched over them. Considering she seemed the only one with any sort of practical combat skill, should anything threaten the herd, Cara was the best choice. Also consider how she was disliked by a great many of her coworkers, and had mucked out the stables last time they had cleared the animals out, and one knew it was her turn to have the easier of the two jobs. One of the women shook their heads. "No, we still need to get that one yak out of here," she responded, causing Cara to sigh. She was in no mood to deal with a creature which had proven somewhat unstable the day before. Of course it had good reason to act as it did, but still, she was in no mood to handle something that could easily run her down if her magic could not be called forth quickly enough to stop it in its tracks. "Come then, lets go get it," Cara mumbled, as she made her way down to Krivak's stall. "Then once he's out you guys can get to work while I watch the lot prod at the snow, digging for something to eat. Not that they'll find anything this time of year," she added with a subtle shake of her head, as she came to the stall, and opened the door. She strode inside slowly, and pat the animal's nose a few times. "Come on, you're going outside today," she whispered, as she walked around to Krivak's side, and gave him a few more pats, before sliding her hand forcefully against his fur. From the back, before moving forward. "Come along," she muttered, as the two girls waved for him to follow them, causing Cara to inwardly groan.

[Krivak]

Krivak had been watching a lot of hustle and bustle this morning. Two of the young females that tended to the stables, as well as the nice female from yesterday were taking several of the musk ox herd out of their stalls and leading them to pasture. He watched longingly, both wishing to join them, and the constant need to build his own herd. He'd been avoiding it lately, but he'd been having an empty feeling inside, ever since the incident in Ravok. He assumed it to be because Allana had died, but what he didn't realize was that it was because the bond he had with his master had been severed after killing him. He mooed several times at the two young females that kept passing his stall, but to no avail. Why wouldn't they lead him to pasture too? Just before deciding to open his gate himself, the friendly female from yesterday appeared at his stall. She opened the gate and pat him on the nose, illiciting a friendly moo from the yak. The woman whispered to him in the singsong language that seemed to sound more beautiful from her. He couldn't understand her, but knew that she was telling him to go outside. She began to push against him, though it wasn't really necessary, he was already trotting forward. He saw the two young ones motioning for him, but ignored them mostly. He made his way out into the pasture, looking to try and learn the language of the local herd. He approached one of the larger females and grunted a greeting to her. She huffed at him and trotted away toward the other males. He may be stronger than all of the other males here, but a yak would never be a muskox, so the herd would never accept him. He normally would've challenged a male to make himself feel better, but it wasn't worth it. He stood in the middle of the field alone. One of the stable girls was telling the other, "That poor Kelvic. Must be lonely to be in a city with no one you know, not knowing the language. No wonder he never changes form."

[Cara]

Cara smiled as she watched Krivak happily scurrying out of his stall, and down the narrow path that led through the stables, out the door and into the paddock. "Thanks for the help," Cara grumbled, as she walked out the door, careful not to let it hit her on the way out. The other two woman only giggled, as Cara pulled her hood up over her head, and silently, strode over to the wooden fence, and leaned up against it casually. "This is going to be a long day," Cara groaned, as the wind carried the rest of the woman's words to her ears. Something about a Kelvic. Shrugging, and thinking it little more than a joke, the Vantha allowed her gaze to sweep over her herd. "A very long day, considering the weather, and mating season being long past. No fights to watch or break up. Nothing..." Cara's voice trailed off, as she turned her gaze to the yak. He seemed to be alone, stuck in the middle of the pasture as though he were the one black sheep in a patch of white ones. Wonder what his problem is, the Vantha thought, as her violet colored eyes studied his own, wondering what he may be thinking, and why he wasn't bothering to interact with the other animals. Shrugging, she decided he may simply be a bit shy, and in need of assistance. Assistance she could easily provide assuming he decided to do nothing for himself.

[Krivak]

One of the younger bulls broke away from the group to examine the creature that had been invading their paddock for a while now. He'd been watching the strange bull creature and immediately didn't like him. He was bigger than all of them here and kept trying to steal their females. He couldn't let that stand. He approached Krivak, grunting in annoyance. Krivak saw the young bull, and could tell he was at that age between calf and bull. Krivak knew what this was leading to, after all, he'd been that age once. He grunted a warning at the young muskox, trying to get him to turn back. But he would not be stayed, he had the unwarranted pride of youth. The young muskox had the beginnings of impressive horns, but his shoulders and flanks weren't real broad. He would never become alpha bull, even of the local herd. But he wouldn't stop trying until he'd been beaten. The rest of the herd began to watch in curiosity. The young ox squared off across from Krivak. The bull yak prepared himself by lining up, lowering his head a tad, and tensed his legs and shoulders. He bellowed out another warning, only to be answered by a challenging roar. Krivak was never much for waiting, so he dug his hooves into the snow, and charged forward at the bull. The young one appeared a bit startled at the aggression, and was slow to start toward him. They collided with a resounding thud, their horns locking together. Krivak grunted and began trying to twist the bull's head downward. The younger bull, with much less experience, was simply trying to push Krivak backwards. Krivak snorted and shifted his pushing force to the left side of his body. This allowed him to exert more force onto the right of the young bull, further twisting the head down. The young bull quickly realized it was outmatched and began to bellow for help. Krivak took this moment to push as hard as he could on the muskox's horns, and twisted the animal onto the snow. Krivak had won. The young ox, shamed and in pain retreated to a corner of the paddock to sulk. The rest of the herd was now looking at Krivak, and a couple of the females broke away to go join him. But Krivak was no longer interested in the females of the local herd. He grunted at them, snubbing them. He walked back over to the gate to where the kind female was. He wouldn't try to get her attention, but his slouched shoulders, drooped head, and silence would tell her that he wanted it.

[Cara]

Cara's eyes narrowed as the younger bull approached Krivak. Her hands sank into the wooden fence post, her flesh scraping against the rough edges. A cool breeze swept her hair off her shoulders, and several small snow flurries came to dot her long lockes. Her lashes. This can't be good, she thought, as she watched them snort, and stamp their feet. But she knew better than to move. To spook them and get into the middle. To try and end the fight which seemed to be forming. She knew better than to allow herself to be impaled on a set of musk ox or even, yak horns. Crushed beneath their feet; their endless weight. Sighing, she watched Krivak charge. His head brushing up against that of the muskox. His fur ruffled by the wind as his body heaved. Slender silver tendrils of smoke leaving the animal's nostrils. Their horns locked in a battle that seemed to end as quickly as it had begun. Emerging victorious, Krivak came for her. "Showing off?" Cara asked, her voice little more than a whisper when he stopped in front of her. "And then wondering if it was right?" she asked, as she pushed up, and off the fence. Instantly, her body came forward. Now that her feet were firmly planted on the ground, Cara stepped forward, towards Krivak. "Then thinking twice about it?" Cara asked. "Feeling a tad bit shameful?" The Vantha paused as her eyes took on the occasional emerald green fleck. Her head tilted to the side; her hair cascading down the length of her shoulders. "Such a pity, considering all you have done is bother to defend yourself, as anyone or anything in their right mind should." As the words left her lips, they curled into a soft smile. "There is no need to hide your strength... to feel any shame," Cara whispered, as she raised her right hand. Her palm curled slightly, her fingers held together, they eased themselves slowly towards Krivak. Until they met with his cold dark nose. Her palm formed a soft crescent around it, as she gave his fur a slight pat. As she allowed his breath to warm her flesh. "You see?" Cara asked, as her hand slid up the bridge of Krivak's nose, to the place between his dark eyes. Seemingly trained on her. Filled with sorrow, and yet, something else. Something the Vantha could not identify. "No need to fear."

[Krivak]

The friendly female was speaking to him, her voice carrying that singsong language beautifully. But her tone seemed to suggest that she was not happy with what he had done. He watched her climb the fence and approach him, his eyes meeting her own. He couldn't explain why, but her presence soothed him. Then her tone seemed to change, along with the color of her eyes. Her tone now suggested that she was okay with his little scuffle. Then she smiled. Then it struck like a flash of lightning. Krivak was standing over a beautiful woman he had never seen before. But he knew her. He knew who it was. It was Allana. He'd never seen her in human form before, but she was just as beautiful as when she was a yak. Why was she kneeling before him? His eyes were drawn beyond her. There was a naked male corpse laying there, his throat crushed. It was their slave master. Then the reasoning for his rage returned. His flame filled eyes found her tear filled ones. She smiled at him, the first and only smile he would ever see of hers. "At least it is you. Be free Krivak." Then he raised the spiked bat. When did he pick that up? He swung it down fiercely. It was gone as quickly as it came, and Krivak struggled to grasp that he was still in reality. A single tear slid down his muzzle, when he noticed that the friendly women was rubbing his snout. Was she comforting him? Or was he just another animal in her care? When she was done, he shook his large head a few times to get the tear off of him. Why would a bull cry? His shaking had stirred the necklace with Allana's bracer on it. Krivak himself had never learned to read, but to anyone how, would see the name Krivak on one side and Allana on the other.

[Cara]

Cara's hand slid a bit higher, past Krivak's horns, to his floppy ears. Tear drops, with short, cropped fur, wilting as though they were flowers gone without water for too long. She ran her fingers over the soft fur. Tickling her flesh between them, as she stroked. Ruffling the longer, stringier tufts of hair that rested on the inside. Immersing her fingers in his warmth for a time, until he began to shake his head somewhat violently. Startled, Cara's eyes grew somewhat wide, as she pulled her hand away, afraid that he may accidently pierce her flesh with one of his sharp horns. "Guess you don't appreciate affection too much, do you?" Cara asked with a small smile, as she moved past the yak. No matter, perhaps one of the other animals will, Cara thought, as she stepped through the snow. Her feet sinking towards the ground. Crunching the white blanket beneath her step, as even more, lazily fell towards the earth, to replace what had been torn away. The woman wove between the other animals, muskox, male and female alike. Her hands idly slid over their sides. Running through their soft fur. Untangling a few knots, here and there, as she came to the other end of the paddock. Towards a few shier animals. She let her hand rest in front of them for a time. Allowed them to sniff her; their nostrils flaring, before she pat their noses. Before they all, with time, leaned into her. Well, I'm glad someone appreciates me, Cara thought, as her eyes sparkled with pleasure, as her smile widened. As she kept on rubbing the ox's nose. Scratching behind their ears. It's nice to know that you are appreciated sometimes...

[Krivak]

Krivak was confused. Why was the woman walking away from him now? She was being so nice, and now she was leaving him. She went over to one of the musk ox. That was it. He was just an animal to her. No matter what he did, he would always just be an animal to everyone. He wasn't just a yak! He was a bull yak, and smarter than any of them! Snorting, he trotted over to the oxen that she was petting and roared loudly at them, to scare them off. They had all learned not to fight him, but wouldn't accept him as bull. He began shoving with his head, horns, and shoulders, forcing them all away from the female. One female ox had been a bit stubborn, so he gave her a swift kick in the shins, just like he would if a female didn't want to accept his mating. He then sauntered over to the female. HIS female. He buried his snout in her side, not paying attention to his horn that would be pushing into her torso. He began rubbing his head up and down her side. He pulled back, and just like the day before, began to assault her face with his sticky tongue. She was his female now, he would allow no other person to care for him. After all, she got those ribbons out of his fur.

[Cara]

Cara's hands fell away from the two musk oxen as the grumpy yak sauntered through. Her brow furrowed in frustration, her irises becoming a fiery mask from behind which she could hide. Bright yellow flecks writhed angrily through the vibrant orange grounds. Unmistakable red dancing to the forefront as she cast her hands out, as though trying foolishly, to break everything up. "Would you stop that!" the Vantha scolded. "You're probably hurting them you big oaf!" Cara added, as her hand pressed against fur, and then came away. "You already had your chance, and now you're barreling through everybody like a raving lunatic! The least you could do is be nice about it," she scolded, as the musk oxen finally scurried away, allowing her to be further assaulted by the yak. The Vantha could feel its sticky tongue running across her face. Saliva sticking to her skin, threatening to freeze. Further, her brow furrowed, as she pushed the yak away. "Please no more of your kisses. Last time was more than enough," she scowled, as his large horn, pressed tightly against her chest, tossed her a few steps back. The Vantha could feel her hands balling into fists, as she soon stepped back into the wooden fence. She glanced nervously behind her, and soon, pressed both her hands onto the top rung. Seconds later, she was pushing up against them, and easing herself over the side. Well that's enough for one day, she thought, as she crept away. The bears can deal with them now, her mind added, as she allowed herself to go home for the day. Surely, she wouldn't be missed.

[Warden]

Name Skill Points: Animal Husbandry 3 Lore: Clash between Bulls, The Affections of an Animal Notes: Awww, so sad! Will the Yak ever find true love?