Tent Troubles (open!)

by **Amelika** on August 16th, 2010, 3:35 am

Timestamp: 50th Summer, 510 AV
Location: A few days ride south-west of Endrykas.
Other: My first thread! Please tell me if I did something wrong XD

Amelika reached up, running a strong hand through her long, dark hair, directing it away from her eyes as she looked across the plains. Fighting to keep the tangle of hair out of her face, she searched the silent land that stretched out before her with serious brown eyes. The wind had other things in mind, pulling and tugging at the smooth, almost black locks, sending strands flying across her face as it rushed towards the Suvan Sea. Needing a better vantage point, she motioned for her mount, Jeryko, to stop his grazing on the long grass and come to her. With ease and practice, she leaped onto the animal’s back and settled herself into a comfortable position before raising one arm to hold her hair back into a pony-tail while she used the other to shield her eyes as the gazed across the beautiful scene before her. The sun was still high in the sky, but it was already beginning the quick drop to earth, moving ever closer to the rolling hills, lit gold by the sun rays filtering over them. Hills and grass, intersected viciously by a river, not very wide though obvious abundant, judging by the trees that lined it’s banks.

Though she had been able to follow the web well enough to know that she was indeed going in the right direction, it was her knowledge of the grasslands and, ultimately, a whole lot of luck that had gotten her as far as she was. Amelika had a feeling that the tent city would only be a few days away on horseback, but Endrykas was nowhere in sight, and it didn’t look like it was going to be long before the sun set, and she wanted to have a tent up before she had no light to by. Besides that, she knew there was no way she would be able to find better shelter than this, and she vaguely considered looking for a spot downstream that might be a better spot where she could set up camp for a couple days and maybe do some hunting before heading out of town. "We still have a couple days of travelling left," she whispered in Pavi, presumably to her horse, though most likely it was to remind herself that she was almost at her destination. Once she got to civilization and restocked her supplies, she would be able to return to the grasslands, where she felt comfortable and at home.

More than ready for a good night’s rest, Amelika nudge Jeryko gently with her feet, telling him to walk in the direction of the river, towards a particularly thick clump of trees. The horse was tired; they had been riding all day long with only a couple stops for water and he had had to carry not only the young woman, but all of her supplies as well. They walked along the tree line for a couple minutes, keeping a slow pace for the exhausted animal, before the dark-eyed girl was able to spot the perfect location to set up her tent, with flat ground and big enough area for the large tent. Finally satisfied with her location, Amelika slipped off of her horse’s back, bracing herself on with a hand on his withers, which she used to stroke down his back until she reached the saddle bags. Struggling slightly with the weight of her gear, she lifted the bags off of the horse and set them on the ground in a pile with the pack off her own back. She turned back and removed the yvas as well and placed it in the pile with her other belongings before running both hands along the horse’s back, massaging his strong muscles as she went. She quickly checked his legs and chest for any swelling or injuries before patting his rear and sending him off in the direction of the river to eat and graze.

There didn’t look like there would be enough time for her to hunt and kill something with her bow before the sun went down, so she settled for the knowledge that there was a week’s rations of jerky, bread and honey still left in her pack and removed the bundle of wooden tent pole off the top of the saddle bags so she could begin pulling her tent out of the saddle bags, which was not an easy feat. As she tugged at the thick, durable fabric of the tent, which did not seem to want to come out of the bag, she fondly thanked her mother for packing the food for her. If she hadn’t had to spend so many hours hunting for her meals, Amelika would probably already be in Endrykas, her tent set up somewhere within the city and her ass firmly planted in one of the lush cushions at the tavern, celebrating with herself for finally reaching her destination. Or so she fantasized, as she would probably only buy a couple mugs of ale, worrying too much about the dent it would have on her change purse. Suddenly, the tent began to shimmy loose, along with a number of other objects, and her body lurched back, stopped just in time from falling by the tent snagging in the bag again.

"Shyke, that was close," she muttered, readjusting her position before placing the saddle bag on her lap. Now, she was more patient and pushed and pulled at the objects in the bag much more gently before she was able to remove the tent from the bag, tangled with her rope and a few other objects that were loose in her bag. As she began untangling the mess and spreading it out on the ground, there was loud whinny, which Amelika instantly recognized as belonging to Jeryko’s. Her head shot up, scanning in the direction for her horse, knowing that is there was any trouble the skittish animal would come prancing to her with his eyes wide and his nostrils flaring. Though she ignored the noise for the moment and went back to work at her tent setting, the young Drykas would later realize that it was her friendly horse happily greeting some stranger he had happened to wander across.

by **Kayiri** on August 21st, 2010, 9:00 pm

Secret :

Kayiri trotted along the Sea idly, enjoying the feeling of the seemingly impossibly long grass brushing against his legs as he rode. His hawk-like eyes detected movement on the horizon, that of a horse. Kayiri gently urged Serenity onwards, squinting against the fading sun to make out the details of the horse.

As he came closer, it appeared more and more like a Strider, until he was absolutely, one hundred percent certain it *was* a Strider. Curious indeed. Kayiri stopped alongside the mare, looking at it curiously. It still wore it's yvas, suggesting its rider was nearby.

Kayiri looked once more at the setting sun, deciding safety in numbers was really, really damn important for camping in the Sea of Grass. He patted the Stalion's neck softly, speaking to it in Pavi.

"Now, little Stallion, where is your Rider, I wonder?" he whispered softly, tilting his head curiously. He took the Strider's reigns gently, leading it back in the direction from whence it came.

Aha! There! A woman, attempting to put together a tent. He smiled warmly, bringing the mare up to her.

"I believe this is yours," he said, waving from the back of his horse. "Might want to pay a bit more attention to him. He's your life out here," he then said honestly, hopping off of Serenity's back, removing her Yvas.

"I am Kayiri of the Starweaver Pavilion, Diamond Clan. Would you mind if I camped with you tonight? We are much safer together than we are camping alone. Two swords are better than one against the dangers of the Sea," he spoke honestly.

by **Amelika** on August 24th, 2010, 10:34 pm

Secret :

Jeryko noticed the approaching stranger and instantly his ears perked forward and he whinnied a loud greeting to the new potential friends, though he didn’t approach them. When Kayiri began to pat his neck, the friendly palomino did not shy away, but began sniffing at the strange smells on the man’s clothing. This was the first time the animal had ever met anyone new without his rider, but the stallion didn’t mind all that much. He was just moving to nip at the shoulder of Kayiri’s tunic when the young man took the reigns, startling the horse slightly. He snorted loudly, his eyes went wide and he gave his pale golden mane a wild toss. Calming down, he stomped the ground twice and snorted again, as if angry with the man for grabbing at him so suddenly. Otherwise, he didn’t resist, even when the stranger started leading him over the hill.

When they arrived at the temporary camp, Amelika still sat on her knees, attempting to put the first pole up, but not doing so well. In the few days she had been away from her family, she had found that putting a tent alone was much more difficult than it was with her brothers of father there to help her. It took up so much of her concentration that she didn’t even notice the rhythmic foot-falls of the horses coming towards her until Kayiri had come right up to her camp, while normally she would have recognized Jeryko’s gate long before without even having to look. At the sound of a voice, Amelika quickly stood, spinning to face the stranger and instantly shifting into a defensive stance. She wasn’t wanting to fight this newcomer, but if it came to it she wouldn’t be caught off guard. Her horse whinnied softly before trotting happily towards her and nudging her shoulder with his nose. She pushed his face away gently, and, unfazed, the Stryder found a spot to graze that was within sight and hearing range of his rider.

“Thank you. He is not a very good horse,” she said, scowling slightly before realizing what she had just said. “Well, I mean he is not well behaved. Otherwise, Jeryko is the perfect horse,” she corrected herself and the tiniest hint of a smile touched her lips. The horse was her best friend and she loved him more than anyone. Kayiri was right, he was her life, and she realised that she would have to take better care of him from now on, especially now that she would be in Ednrykas, where she was undoubtedly going to run into travelers and traders and scoundrels. Such a beautiful and friendly Strider; who wouldn’t be tempted to just walk away with her horse, especially if he willingly followed them? It didn’t matter that he didn’t have the beautiful bi-coloured mane or other trait markings, he still ran faster than perhaps any horse Amelika had seen in Cyphrus. Though she had grown up with many of them, and perhaps because of that, Amelika had very little trust for most travellers in the grasslands, especially if they are from somewhere else.

“My name is Amelika Thunderfoot. I am also from the Diamond Clan, and it is nice to see a friend here rather than someone who would just take my horse,” she replied, her face fairly expressionless though her words and tone were friendly. “Camping together sounds like… a good idea,” she said, eying her tent pessimistically. Of course, she would never ask him outright if he would help her set up a tent. Though she not refuse a hand if he happened to offer.

by **Kayiri** on August 27th, 2010, 5:36 am

Secret :

"Easy, stranger. I mean you no harm," Kayiri said, holding his hands up in a gesture to symbolize this. His face held a neutral expression, his eyes locked calmly with hers.

"Even if I were to take your horse, he would find you again. That is the bond a Strider holds with it's rider," Kayiri said. He smiled warmly. "Serenity here is a wonderful girl," he patted her neck affectionately, resting his head on it for a moment. "Not too mention, she's a very beautiful and well-trained girl. I couldn't ask for another horse," he then commented, pulling the tent from her back.

After a moment, he cursed a few times, examining the fabric of his tent.

"My stitches from Winter broke," he said simply after he was done cursing, letting out an annoyed sigh. "I'll have to get it fixed when I return to Endrykas," he then added, folding the tent back into it's bag, dropping it on the ground near her tent. He pulled out his bedroll, rolling it out on the ground, a look of dismay on his face as he scanned the sky and the horizon.

Kayiri rose to his feet, walking over to Serenity. He lifted each hoof off of the ground one by one, checking for cuts or swelling bumps. He repeated this until all of the hooves were checked, and then did the same thing with her legs and underside, giving her sides a through check as well. He would spare no expense when it came to the care of his precious horse.

Curiously, his eyes fell upon her tent, and he smiled, a slight chuckle escaping his lips. He approached her and the tent, watching as she struggled for a bit longer, an amused smiled playing across his lips. "Need some help with that, Amelika?" Kayiri asked, his head tilted curiously.

by **Amelika** on August 31st, 2010, 11:26 pm

Amelika just nodded at Kayiri, noting that he seemed comfortable talking. Thus far, all she had managed to put out were awkward mumbles that just showed off her social gracelessness. She watched Kayiri unfold his tent, brows furrowing as he explained his own troubles. It seemed she wasn’t the only one who was having a hard time, and it made her understand even more how important it was to take care of your equipment. At the same time, she wasn’t hasty to let him sleep in her tent. He seemed safe enough, but she had only just met him. He had a bed roll and hopefully a blanket, if not, she would lend him hers. Following the young man’s gaze, Amelika looked up at the grey sky in the distance, trying to judge whether the wind would blow the intimidating clouds in their direction. There was only a small breeze now, but you could never truly use that to judge out here.

As she tried stretching the fabric of the tent tight while keeping the first pole up, and failing pretty badly, the woman checked the fabric in her hands for any signs of abuse from her earlier hastiness. At the time she had tried to be careful, but all the young woman was really thinking of was how much she wanted a hot bath and a warm, soft place to sleep. She didn’t find any holes or tears, and she said a quick, silent prayer for it. Maybe if she prayed some more she would be better at tent-setting, though she seriously doubted any one of the gods cared about her that much at this point and wasn’t about to rely on that happening. She stretched with her left arm and leg holding up one tent pole and her right arm reaching to secure the edge of the flap to a small tree. If she held it up, she had about a half a tent set, but there had to be an easier way of doing this.

Kayiri asked if she needed help and, upon hearing the voice, she twisted her body as far as she could towards him without tipping over. Amelika wasn’t pleased at the obviously amused expression on his face, but she kept the scowl to herself. “Yes, please,” she replied eagerly as she untwisted her body before letting the tent fall to the ground. Even Amelika knew when she needed help, and though she knew she could eventually get it done her own, if he was a simple, less painful alternative, she would not hesitate to take it. She stared at the tent for a second with a grim expression on her face before looking at Kayiri. “I think I have been doing something wrong, because this should not be so difficult,” she admitted as she pushed some unruly brown hair away from her face.

by **Kayiri** on September 2nd, 2010, 5:34 am

Kayiri nodded as he examined the tent, looking at the pole. He dug the end into the ground, running it through the loops on the tent, bringing it up to meet at the top, only to find out that he didn't have enough pole to meet at the middle. He looked confused for a second, then let out one of those "oooooh"'s that you let out when something clicks. He put the first pole down, pulling out another one, driving this one into the ground in the same manner and actually getting this one all the way up to the top.

"You were using a front pole on the back. The front poles are slightly shorter," he explained, finishing up on the other few poles as he spoke. In a couple more minutes of frustrated cursing, the tent was up, and he walked away, examining his handiwork.

"It'll hold the night, I'm quite certain of that, though we aren't winning any awards," Kayiri commented with a laugh. He sat down on the ground, rolling his bedroll out, placing his blanket on top of it, though he doubted he would need it in this summer heat.

"So what brings a fair woman like yourself out this far from Endrykas on your own? You'd think the Ankal of your Pavilion would at least request you go out with someone. Strength is in numbers in the Sea of Grass... although I supposed I'm not much better, as I am also out here alone,"" Kayiri asked curiously, adding the comment at the end with a purse of the lips. He removed his boots as he spoke, placing them next to his bedroll, along with his shield, his bow, and his arrows. The Diamond Clan Warrior also removed his sword from his hip, but he kept it within arm's reach at all times, not even consciously aware of this little action.

by **Amelika** on September 4th, 2010, 8:01 am

Amelika watched carefully as Kayiri began putting the tent together. She observed his actions, noting that not only did he drive the pole much further into the ground than she had, he did it much more quickly and with much more ease. When he seemed to hit a snag, she frowned, trying to figure out what the problem the problem could be now. Her deep mahogany eyes widened with curiosity as Kayiri ooohed and set the tent pole down, and she was about to ask him why when he grabbed the other, slightly longer pole and shoved that one into the ground in it’s place. At his explanation, she simply nodded while he finished setting the tent himself as she looked on with an impressed half-smile.

Due to her serious lack of upper body strength, she hadn’t even been able to get the pole secured in the ground, which she now realized was her initial problem. On top of that, she had been using the wrong pole entirely. It was a stupid mistake, and she was waiting for him to tell her as much, but was surprised to hear his light, jovial tone as he punctuated his comment with a laugh. He certainly seemed like a happy man, she noted, which made her even more unsure of what she should think of him. For now, at least, he wasn’t a threat. “It is better than anything I could have done on my own,” she admitted awkwardly, still feeling slightly embarrassed at her own mistake. “Thank you for your help,” she added as she began to move her things from the pile she had temporarily placed them in on the ground. Anywhere where she could be alone and... not talk.

As she entered the tent, she removed the bow from her back and placed it, along with her arrows, near the door of the tent. Her other gear, she put at the very back of the tent and then began pulling her bedroll out of the left saddle bag. She spread the bedroll out on the ground before going back to her bags and opening them. Removing her folded blanket, she threw it on top of her bed and exited the tent, leaving her bow and arrows at the door, easy for her to grab, if necessary. Once out, she looked around, first for her horse and then for her new companion. Jeryko had finished eating and was standing near her tent, his rear end facing towards her as he leaned to sniff at some bug. Kayiri was seated on the ground, his own bed roll and gear beside him.

With a quick glance to the sky to make sure that it wasn’t getting too dark, she took a seat beside her small fire pit, crossing her legs and placing her left wrist in her lap. With her right hand, she quickly began un-knotting the leather strip that held the leather and metal gauntlet onto her left forearm. As Kayiri began speaking again to her, she looked up from her task, though her fingers still continued their work at loosening and removing the cords. At his comment about her gender, she bristled slightly, though after the initial temptation to cuss him out for calling her a “fair woman” she brushed off the comment and allowed him to finish speaking. Even as she listened to him finish talking about her Ankal, her father, she was only half listening as she carefully chose and answer to his question.

“When I left my Pavilion, I was not on very good terms with my Ankal,” she explained. Dropping her now loose gauntlet onto her lap, Amelika’s eyes focused on the trees to the left and behind Kayiri and she began combing her hair long hair her with her fingers. “My leaving was not exactly planned, so no, I did not get an escort,” she added and tossed her hair slightly, brushing it all to one side of her neck, out of the way and not distracting her. Refocusing her attention on Kayiri, the young women squinted her nearly black eyes slightly. “What are you doing out here alone?” she asked, reiterating his own question without noticing it. She wanted to go find firewood before it got dark and spooky out. The Sea of Grass was not a friendly place to be at night, and she would much rather be at camp with a fire to protect her before Leth was out.

by **Kayiri** on September 11th, 2010, 6:11 pm

Secret :

"It's not a problem," Kayiri commented. He laid down on the ground, folding his hands behind his head, looking up at the sky curiously. When she explained why she was alone, he nodded (or did his best to)- did his best to nod while laying down- understandingly. He then laughed quietly as she asked what he was doing out there alone.

"Let's just say I'm not too smart when it comes to self-preservation, Kayiri said, chuckling again. "I tend to have a habit of charging headlong into enemies, putting myself in the midst of a battle in which I am outnumbered and out-classed... It's a bad habit of mine," Kayiri then finished, looking at the scar across his right arm. "This one's a reminder of one of those times, along with this one," he pointed to the scar on his face, shrugging simply. "I got lucky. I wasn't alone, my companions came to bail me out. Were it not for them and their level heads, I would have been eaten as food by the monstrous Zith... it's a dangerous life we Drykas lead." He fell silent, sighing deeply.

He rose to his feet, scanning cautiously once more. "I don't like how close we are to Xy tonight. It makes me feel uncomfortable that there's only two of us," Kayiri muttered. "I think we're going to have to take watch shifts. I wouldn't be surprised if a whole flight of Zith flies frighteningly close tonight," Kayiri then added. "We're going to have to put the fire out before it gets too dark, so let's get it up and cook something before it gets too dark," his joking tone had fallen into a serious one, obviously feeling very, very uncomfortable in the night.

by **Ganmedo** on February 6th, 2011, 8:36 pm

Blessings from the Cupbearer

Amelika

XP:

-Wilderness survival + 3
-Horsemanship + 2

Lore:

-Drykas independence
-Camping sites of the Sea of Grass
-Kayiri Starweaver
-Setting up camp
-Accepting help

Kayiri

XP:

-Wilderness survival + 2
-Horsemanship + 2

Lore:

-Drykas introductions
-Amelika
-Returning Striders
-Manly, protective urges
-Proper construction of a tent

COMMENTS:

I would have like to see this finished! Good job to both of you!