Watchful Eyes [Khida]

[Naiya]

Rue

Summer Day 30, 513 AV

Today was her first day back to her morning training, and after a week of rest, it felt like starting over. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration, but it certainly was sub par. Ignoring the heat Rue pushed herself to meet her last goal, two hundred and fifty repetitions of each exercise, but despite her best effort, her straining muscles just weren't at the top of their game. She decided after her first round that if she wanted to do each exercise, she better cut her work in half.

Push-ups and sit-ups, leg lifts and squats, handstands and kipups, it felt good to get back in the rhythm of things. She practiced taking a fall for a few chimes, and afterwards her rolling, both -she had been reminded- were just as important as the kicks and punches that followed. Her uncle had reminded her upon his return home that if she did not keep all her parts in good use, they would not come as easily in a fight. She was careful all the while, waiting for the tell-tale pull of her healing skin, the sting of breaking scabs, but the pain didn't come, and she was grateful.

When she was done she took the time to stretch again. She probably shouldn't have jumped right back in to her exercises like that, but windmarks or no, Rue refused to go all soft. All the same, she would take a hot bath later, make sure she didn't over tax any of her muscles. It would do no good to have taken a week off to heal only to push herself into an injury on her first day back in the swing of things.

She could hear Wildfire munching on grass behind her as she stretched. He was always happy to just laze around eating. It made Rue wonder sometimes how he managed not to get big and round doing it, and sometimes even wish she could join him. Really she needed to keep in mind that if she didn't ride him, he would get big and round. Exercise isn't only for humans.

With that thought in mind, she decided on a plan for the day. She had heard talk of the city approaching a lake to the north, still too far off to walk to, but easily within riding distance. With a horse that never stopped eating, the ride would be healthy, and she could bathe when they arrived.

Relishing the thought, she left Wildfire to graze while she gathered her things, then, wiping sweat from her brow, she slipped the yvas on her mount, attaching her quiver to one of the rings and laying her bow across the opening of the quiver. She carefully lifted herself and her rucksack up in the exaggerated looking movement that allowed her to land delicately on the back of a creature so much larger than herself. She picked up her bow, sliding it over her arm where it could rest safely and in easy reach.

A soft urging with her voice got her steed to move off at a walk through the city, and moments after they left the edges of the tent city a second soft command and a nudge with her legs set them at an easy trot through the grass.

Nightsong

[Khida]

Morning found Khida aloft, as it often did, a dark blot visible against the clear blue dome of the summer sky. She basked in the sunlight, harsh though it would become as the day wore on; in the soft summer breeze which whispered past her feathers; in that glow which was entirely inward and had nothing to do with the summer today, but hummed with the well-being of her bondmate. She was altogether pleased with the day, simple as it had been thus far -- at heart, the Kelvic asked only to be, and to be whole, both of which conditions were met. It was thus with a nonchalant eye that she gazed upon the world stretched out below her: the tents which rustled in the breeze, the cattle and horses at their grazing, the dogs leaping and scuffling and sniffing at the earth. The grasses swaying in the wind, other birds flitting to and fro, and insects humming their loud buzzy sounds. None of this was remarkable to the falcon, and none piqued her interest -- not until a horse separated itself from the city, one with a rider mounted astride. It was a girl, the rider, a woman of... whatever human age it was that looked a little younger than Khida's own human skin. Armed with a bow, the falcon noticed, but still alone, and she looked like she intended to ride a while. Maybe she went out hunting, though in Khida's opinion the earlier bells gave better results. Curious, and entirely without other distractions at the moment, the falcon tilted through a leisurely bank until her course more or less aligned with the rider's own. More or less. She was really just casually tracking with the horse...

[Naiya]

Rue

Rue looked out upon the grass, watching carefully the rise and fall of the land and looking out for hoof-snatching holes hidden by the tall grasses. She laughed aloud as her passage set creatures running to get out from under foot. As their shadows vanished into the grass around her she noticed one shadow in particular that swooped down across her path.

She glanced up in the sky searching for the bird large enough to cast such a shadow so across her path. A falcon crossed her vision, underside the color of ash with dark spots that reminded Rue of a log in the fire, added too late to keep the blaze high, but that burns the bark white, the dark cracks between a lingering reminder of the past. It was almost majestic, but it was odd, seeing the bird follow it's course, not circling, or lazing, or even seeming to hunt for prey.

It gave her a chill to think about the odd behavior, and she considered briefly shooting the bird down. What kind of bird took interest in a rider and her horse? Her hand touched her bow, but the falcon banked into a turn and the eerie feeling left her. Mostly.

"Did you see that, Wildfire?" Rue asked, leaning forward over his shoulders and neck. He shook his head, tousling his mane and hitting Rue in the face with the cream colored strands. "Good, me either." She laughed again, stepping him into a canter to try and chase away the feeling that lingered of the bird.

More shadows crossed, but the quicker pace kept her eyes on the ground looking out for dangers that lurked beneath the shade of the grass. All the same she enjoyed the canter, the crunch of her stomach as she followed the rocking motion of his stride. The pace was more fun too, like running as quickly as she could, blowing her hair back behind her in a twirling mass of red.

This. This was what it meant to be a Drykas. Free to run, to ride, like one with your strider, tattooed, marked forever as chosen to be Drykas. It still thrilled her to think of her windmarks, still fresh in her mind the sting of the needle, tingling up her hip, across her back, and around her shoulder.

She slowed to a trot again all too soon, with no real need to rush there was no point in wearing out Wildfire, and keeping a pattern of canters and trots would help to increase his endurance.

They kept to no schedule, trotting, cantering, and walking periodically. They followed a trickle of water that grew larger as they neared the lake. During one of their walks she gazed up at the sun, judging how far it had moved in the sky, no more than two bells had passed, but already her body began to ache from the exertions of such a long ride. Sweat trickled across her brow and down her back, her clothes stuck to her where they had grown damp. Rue took another drink from her wetskin, glad that she had remembered to bring it with her. Even so her legs wavered in their grip at Wildfire's girth, and her stomach burned like she had been doing sit-ups the entire ride, so when the water came into sight she was beyond grateful that her extended ride was almost over.

The lake was wide and cool, sheltered by the boulders that grew up from the dirt and reached for the sky on the far side of the bank. The stones faced the East, casting shade across the water and creating a warm dry spot for her things. She dismounted, pulling her bag from the yvas and and the yvas from her mount. She laid her yvas and her bow and quiver near the water but out of the reach of the liquid before climbing to the water's edge. She stripped herself of her clothes, kneeling on the bank while she dipped the sweat soaked fabric in the cool water. It was best to let her body cool from the ride before she dove into the water anyway. From her bag she removed the soap, taking the time to scrub her clothes and lay them to dry in the sun before allowing herself the luxury of climbing into the water.

Nightsong

[Khida]

The horse rode on, leaping ahead at a run, though not as swift in its pace as Khida had seen others travel. The rider seemed set on a course well away from the city; the falcon didn't attempt to match its pace, but watched on from her lofty vantage. For some reason, she felt uneasy at seeing the girl continue out alone into the tall summer grass, without another rider or even a dog in her company. As the trek wore on, the falcon climbed higher, the better to see a greater distance -- for she continued to shadow the horse at a remove. Watching it, but more importantly watching the grass around it, for they were traveling quite a ways from the tent-city. Any number of creatures might see the lone horse as a potential meal... and out here, there was no backdrop of human activity to turn them more wary. It was foolish of the rider. It was something Khida shouldn't have cared about. Any number of Drykas had come and gone from the city throughout past seasons, and she had hardly given most of them a thought. Yet here she was, watching over this girl... Eventually, the girl directed her horse to stop, dismounting and... doing something at the shore of the glittering lake. It took a while for the falcon to close the distance herself, letting the wind carry her at its own pace rather than working for it. She wasn't in any hurry... at least so long as no predators showed, and the Kelvic hadn't noticed any such yet. By the time Khida drew near, the girl was well into washing her clothes. She laid them out on the rocks to dry, then climbed into the water herself. The falcon observed as the girl apparently settled in for a leisurely stay in the lake... despite the isolation and solitude. After a few moments, she dropped out of the sky to land on the earth away from the lake's edge, at what she considered a safe distance from both girl and horse. Khida shifted there, crouched on the uneven pebbles of the shore, and looked over at the girl. "Why did you come all the way out here?" It wasn't an accusatory question, despite being very direct; only curious, and mystified. oocYour discretion whether Rue is looking when Khida lands/shifts, or gets surprised by her speaking.

[Naiya]

Rue

Wildfire snorted at the bird, stomping his foot twice to draw Rue's attention. It was almost frightning to her, how quickly the horse learned his training for war. The signals and calls shared between them both as though her thought was enough for him to gain understanding. If it hadn't been so wonderful, she might have been scared of the intelligence he showed.

All the same, he was uncomfortable with the appearance of the bird, and she soon understood why as the form of the bird disfigured. Rue's hand was on her bow when it became clear to her that the creature across the shore from her was a woman, or at least had the shape of one now. It was that thought that helped to settle her, another woman, bird or not, was someone Rue could handle.

'Some kind of mage, maybe.' She thought as the other woman spoke, and she stiffened as the thought came to her, she did not know how to deal with a mage. Would her arrow save her if the woman decided that Rue's death would serve her? She didn't seem dangerous, crouching naked on the bank, but Rue knew that she appeared similarly harmless small and female.

Common words were odd in her ears, and the lack of sign left her to try and discern the emotions of her words without help. It was frustrating, like speaking pavi with her eyes closed. She would make the effort, though, if only because playing the game of the stranger was safer than her other choices.

"I came to..." The word eluded Rue, her common too long with out use. She searched her mind 'bathroom' seemed wrong, 'clean' was closer but she knew there was another word. "Wash." Yes, that seemed right, she said it again this time without the pause. "You follow me. Why? What reason?"

She had not moved since the woman came, her hand drying in the air beside her weapon, she would be ready if she needed it. The water rippled around her waist as she leaned her hip against the stone ledge where her weapon rested. If the woman was a magic user, Rue would need every second to defend herself.

Nightsong

[Khida]

The horse whuffed towards her, and stared at her, ears pricked and posture intent. Khida wasn't sure if his manner meant interest or fear or aggression -- horses remained difficult to read. She glanced towards him, keeping the girl visible in the edge of her vision. Maybe he just wanted his presence acknowledged. He had the build and coloring that she thought meant Strider; on the strength of that, the Kelvic sketched a brief greeting towards the horse, as she had previously to others of that breed. Maybe then he would go back to doing horse things. The other human, for her part, was more patently wary to Khida's eyes. She kept a hand on her bow, which the Kelvic eyed in turn -- but didn't seem keen to immediately turn it on Khida. Fluffed feathers and measuring stares, she took it as: the caution and uncertainty of meeting a stranger. That was only to be expected. But coming all the way out here to wash... her brow furrowed, uncomprehending. "Why come here to wash? There is water in Endrykas." A long ways to go alone... to wash. Granted, the girl had her bow and her Strider... but she was still alone. The girl turned the question back around at her; that part didn't come as a surprise. "I was watching," Khida answered, forthright, as if that should suffice for answer all by itself. "It is not smart for humans to go out alone." Which opinion (and truth) didn't keep the Drykas from doing so relatively often... though most traveled in groups, that she had seen. Pairs, trios, entire families. But this girl... didn't now. She had helped the hunter that other night. It couldn't be said that the Kelvic felt debt for that... but she was disposed to like her, in a sense. "You did not have another to watch for you. I could, so I did."

[Naiya]

Rue

Wildfire bobbed his head at the familiar sign, seeming to count the woman as - if not a friend, at least less of a threat for the current moment. He dropped his head to drink again, but kept a large eye directed towards the stranger.

The Pavi sign caught Rue's attention as well, striking her more as odd, than reassuring, but at the same time affording her some peace. She must be civil with other Drykas to learn the language.

When she spoke again and much of the tension left her.

"You come to make me safe?" The thought made her brow furrow, she was not used to having others look out for her, always she had to watch herself. All the same, her hands signed gratitude for the unexpected. She continued to speak then, deciding she could offer the bird-woman a more thorough answer to her question.

"I wanted to ride. That is why I come so far to wash." She nodded at her horse to indicate it was his name she spoke next. "Wildfire only eats. He will be fat and lazy if I let him. I needed to wash and he needed to exercise so we come here for both."

She sank lower into the water, still cautious, but less so than before, the woman crouched opposite her on the bank seemed truly to mean no harm.

"Wildfire watches too. He even can tell me what he sees." She amended. "Usually." She looked at the woman once again, considering. She looked human enough now, but she had been the bird that had unnerved her so as she rode. What, Rue wondered, was she?

Nightsong

[Khida]

lThe girl made a gesture Khida almost understood, what she took as a variant of thank you. She bobbed her head in acknowledgment. As the girl went on to talk about her Strider, the Kelvic regarded the horse with mild curiosity. "He does not run on his own, without being ridden?" That seemed odd -- she remembered his Strider dashing about the crater in some equine whimsy from time to time. But people could be lazy; why not also horses which had some odd connection to humans? The girl lowered herself into the water, her hand no longer to her bow. At this indication of continued civility, Khida rearranged herself in turn to sit on the pebbled shore, knees drawn up near her chest. Not for any semblance of modesty, which she continued to show no concern about, but because it was the easiest pose to take... and would still let her move somewhat quickly if need be. Though that no longer seemed likely to be called for -- not with a conversation established. The horse told her? "Because he is a Strider," Khida supplied. It wasn't a question, not after her past conversations with Drykas on that score. Neither was it disbelieving; she accepted that as a matter of fact. It was no more outré, after all, than the bond she shared... and that boy had applied the same word, bond, to his relationship with his Strider. "Your Strider." The Kelvic considered further, examining the idea of telling in the new context of her own bond. She had asked, once, if the Strider bond were similar to her own kind, but the boy asked had no experience with the latter to gauge by -- and neither had Khida herself. Now, part of that had changed. "He doesn't talk," Khida ventured diffidently, almost but not quite certain on that point. "Does he tell you with feelings, inside? Or is it... like he would tell another horse, by posture and ears and sounds?"

[Naiya]

Rue

"Run little, eat more." Rue replied, a soft laugh escaping her lips. It made her more comfortable to see the woman take a pose more decidedly human, sitting on the bank rather than crouching like she might jump into flight at a moment's notice.

The other seemed to consider Rue's words further, asking a question that she mostly understood. "He stand tall, ears look sound." She mimicked his ears swiveling atop his head with her hands. "Stomp feet have meaning." Her hands fell back to chest height signing 'scent dangerous, familiar, human'. The motion brought her attention to her nudity, something that had been second to the potential threat before. It didn't seem to bother the other woman, she as bare as Rue.

Birds don't wear clothing anyway, she mused, so why would the lack of clothing bother her? Did she ever wear clothing?

Too many questions she didn't have answers too, instead she decided that until said otherwise, she would ignore that either of them was without clothing.

Nightsong

[Khida]

The girl spoke of physical signals -- ears, feet, probably more too, as communication with the body tended to involve the whole body. Khida nodded slowly, then echoed two of her gestures: Scent query, human query, she signed back, not recognizing their meanings. She did recognize that the girl seemed discomfited by something; canting her head, she peered at her with momentary curiosity. But the girl didn't say anything, so the Kelvic shortly disregarded it. The girl didn't say anything else either, and Khida let her attention wander, drifting first to the horse cropping grass nearby. She thought, from the way he oriented himself, he was still keeping watch on the Kelvic. The girl practically stared too, a direct and sustained regard that she thought most humans tried to avoid using. It was strange. Not really bothersome -- but strange. As she noted the girl's continued stare, silence rendering the thoughts behind it entirely opaque, Khida's fingers flickered unconsciously. Some of the motion seemed meaningless, nonsense; part seemed close cousin to the sign confusion. Not quite question, not just idle motion, it suggested she had greater familiarity with signed than spoken Pavi -- odd, for a foreigner undoubtedly raised with signless Common.