[Sea of Grass] Ax, Spear and Secrets (Kashik)

[Vanator]

Timestamp: 28th day of Fall, 510AV Status: Private, tag Kashik Kashik, Khiara and Vanator had spent several days celebrating their union, Vanator taking time to spend with Khiara to create the same bond he and Kashik had had time to forge after they had exchanged vows in early Summer. But now the Drykas husband wanted to spend time with his first wife, outside the domesticated trappings of Endrykas. He longed to take her out again into the wild grassland, where they first met at the edge of a fierce thunderstorm. There were things about her he had yet to learn, even as open and outgoing as the bright eyed woman could be. So, under the auspices of just getting out to find some game, or perhaps some sparring, Van arranged for the two of them to get out for a day. The couple had traded in their wedding garments for more suitable garb, Vanator in his warm woolen breeches, long-sleeved tunic and his hardened leather armor, his compliment of arms strapped to Backlash's yvas. That was another topic to breech, whether he should tell Kashik about the spirit that dwelt within his Strider. He did not like to keep things from her, and this was a significant discovery. Van looked over at Kash as she sat so naturally on Hiloha. His two Luvanor hounds, Avas and Ruhl, snuffled around the horses, prancing and panting, anxious to be accompanying the Drykas into the grassland. The air was crisp and cool, an Autumn sun casting a tempered warmth over the expanse of waving grass as the two Striders casually parted the tall stalks. They had neared a small rise, one that afforded an open view for some distance. Bringing Backlash to a halt, he glanced over at Kashik, a wry grin beaming at her. "Remember the day we met, by the rock? You and I sparred. You bested me, somehow, probably by cheating, and then you took advantage of me." His smile widened at his taunting. "Well, I think it is time for a rematch, before your belly gets too big and you use it as an excuse to refuse to take me on!" Though Vanator would not consider engaging in such martial activity with Khiara, Kashik was raised to use weapons, her body hardened by grassland life. It was one of the things he found so attractive about the young dark woman. He slid from the yvas, slipping the battle ax from its loop on the harness. "Come on my love...try to kill me."

[Kashik]

Kashik had dressed for the cooler temperatures of Fall in her typical leathers - stout riding trousers and the studded leather armor she favored, though she wore a thicker blouse than usual beneath it to counter the occasional chilling wind that cut across the Sea. Her spear was strapped to her yvas, the only weapon she ever really carried, and she'd let Khiara practice the traditional Drykas plaiting on her black curls; they weren't as neat as they could have been, but the girl was learning quite well and if there were a few errant curls springing up here and there, well, weren't there always?

She sat upon the padded blanket atop her Strider, arms lazily propped on the frame of the yvas in front of her as they plodded through the tall grasses. It was true that she looked as if she belonged on the back of a horse - and so she did, having been thrown onto her brother's strider before she was old enough to walk. She'd spent as much time astride as she had on her own two feet, and it showed in the easy way she held herself, the subtle tilt of a knee to guide her stallion, the unconscious shifts to balance herself. She didn't often commune with her Strider the way that Vanator did with his, but there was an understanding between them that only another Drykas could truly comprehend.

As Vanator pulled to a stop and shot her a teasing grin, her stomach fluttered as she sensed something afoot. His words were rewarded with an expression of mock-surprise, her mouth hanging open dramatically as she huffed at his accusations of cheating and advantage-taking. "Oh, mighty big words, husband," she huffed, tilting her nose up just a bit as if she were offended. Like as not, the day I get fat with child will be a happy day for you, for I'll be too gravid to chase you out of bed to do the hunting, you lazy thing," she sniffed, sticking her tongue out at him.

As he slid to the ground, her eyes narrowed slyly and a mischievous smile twisted her lips. "Why don't we see what you and Backlash can do together, hmm? Or are you afraid to be both defeated and unhorsed by your lady-wife?" she drawled, pulling her spear free and settling her thighs more snugly around Hiloha's middle to keep herself in place. The butt of the spear was spun around and nudged against Vanator's shoulder in a silent, mocking challenge as one eyebrow rose to echo the sentiment.

[Vanator]

Vanator and Kashik had fallen into the snarky dialogue that had dominated their first meeting, and many other enjoyable moments since then. Kashik typically oozed self-confidence, though Van had unwittingly uncovered her vulnerabilities as well as the two of them had learned to live together. On this occasion in particular, seated so naturally on Hiloha, looking down at her husband, her weapon of choice in hand, she was feeling her youth and strength. It delighted her husband, who happily played along. With a twisted grin he staggered back a step as the butt of her spear was shoved against his shoulder. "Oh, really? You dare not only to sass-mouth the Ankal's heir, but you have the naivete to challenge one of the most agile Striders in the Pavilion? My, motherhood has emboldened you my brazen wife!" His grin burst into a wide, toothy smile as he grabbed the shaft of her spear with one hand and soundly smacked Kashik high on her hip where it met her arse. Van released her weapon and strode around the front of Backlash. Giving the buckskin Strider a knowing wink, Van scrambled back into his own yvas. With another bright smile cast at Kashik, Vanator pulled the battle ax from its loop and trotted off a ways into the grass. The dogs sat, heads swiveling between the male and female Drykas, as if unsure who to follow. Without saying as much to Kashik, Vanator could not help but treat his wife a bit differently, now that she was with child. Yes, the woman would be the first to say that Drykas women live the same dangerous life as their men, pregnant or not, and Kash's pregnancy was not that far along. But the life she now held in her womb was so incredibly precious to the expectant father, that he could not help but handle his young wife with gentler hands. So, as he held his deadly battle ax in his strong grasp, ready to charge against his beautiful, spear-wielding wife, he wavered. His strikes would have to be carefully aimed, for the war-trained Diamond clan daughter would see that he was taking it easy on her. Van patted Backlash on the neck, experiencing a flitting amusement at the irony of fact that the spirit of his dead wife now stood ready to charge his living one. The husband pulled a leather cover onto the blade of the ax, to prevent him from serioulsy harming Kashik or Hilohia. Raising his ax as a salute to Kashik, and a signal that he was ready, Van waited for her indication that she was prepared to spar before urging Backlash into a run at his beloved opponent.

[Kashik]

Kashik gave a peel of laughter as he mounted, her teal eyes bright with joy at the prospect of a good fight. "As you are the heir of your father, my son will be your heir. You're the one who showered me with honor and made me so ridiculously happy - are you really bitching about the consequences?" she snorted, winking at him as she steadied her grip on her spear.

"Come then, husband, and make me proud of your fierceness," she said, raising the spear in a challenge.

As he urged Backlash into a thundering charge, Hiloha threw back his head and reared just a bit - just a lift of his front hooves and a stomp of challenge upon the grass, and then he settled his weight and prepared for the charge. Vanator's mount might be agile, but Kashik's was known for standing his ground. For all her talk, it was true that none of her family had ever managed to unseat her when she sat Hiloha's back.

[Vanator]

Vanator could not bring himself to raise his weapon against his wife. Not because she was weak or unable to defend herself. She was Diamond clan, raised to fight. It was not because she was a woman, or becuase he was his wife. She could take a knock as well as anyone. But she was now something else. The mother of his child. That fact weighed on him. What if he hurt her, or injured the baby? She was not even showing, their child a tiny fetus of course, but it was theirs. Five years he was married to Tamar and no children. It had become tense, the whispers of the curse once again hissing through the pavilion. Tamar had died without giving him an heir. Now... Kashik was going to give him a child, and he could not bring himself to endanger it. But he would not back down from her challenge, never willing to give his sassy wife reason to gloat. he hunkered down slightly as Backlash thundered towards Kashik and Hiloha. As they approached, Van switched his battle ax to his outside hand, his free hand outstretched. When his Strider brought him next to Kash, Van's hand shot out to grasp the shaft of her spear. If successful, he would try to rend the weapon from her grasp as he rode by. Step one in his plan was to disarm her, step two would unseat her without danger.

[Kashik]

Her bright smile flashed as she watched her husband approach, and she settled herself more deeply against Hiloha's back, her thighs gripping tightly while her knees and calves remained loose and ready to guide him. When he switched his axe to his away hand, obviously loath to use it, she gave another bark of laughter and the victory of that move sparkled through her eyes.

As he thundered closer, he reached out to grab at her spear as they passed by, an attempt to disarm her. Kashik just gave a fierce warcry and touched a single heel to Hiloha's side. The stallion jumped forward - right into Backlash, slamming his chest into the mare's shoulder hard enough to rattle everyone's teeth. If Vanator still had sense enough to make a grab for the butt of her spear, he'd find it twisted in his grip as she tried to shove it under his leg and tip it up to throw him off Backlash's back.

[Vanator]

Even as Van was almost upon her, Kashik stood her ground. Though in the past season he had seen the gregarious and proud woman show vulnerability, weakness and even fear, only confidence and a taunting smile adorned her beautiful features as he charged towards her. This was her arena, sitting tall and almost arrogant in her yvas, gripping her spear, clad in her armor. Vanator found her incredibly desirable even then, as he bore down to attack her, ironically on a Strider harboring the soul of his dead wife. Kashik made no moved. Then at the last moment, She and her mount burst into movement. As Hiloha thudded into Backlash, Vanator's teeth rattled and he shook in his yvas, emitting a surprised grunt. He should have known that, even though he chose to restrain his assault in consideration for Kashik's condition, his wife would not be so inclined. She was Diamond Clan after all, and fighting was something she did with passion. Van was able to maintained his seat, though he failed to grasp the shaft of his wife's spear. The horseman was keenly aware, however, that Kash was as fond of using the butt of her spear as she was the head. He saw the shaft thrust out in an attempted to entangle his leg. Vanator lifted his leg, bringing his boot down on the end of the spear to deflect it, then pushed off of Hiloha's side, coaxing his own Strider away from their opponents, with a loud "Hah!" He laughed, remembering the day they met, Kashik had used a similar trick to trip him up. That day, they both tumbled to the ground, leading to the first time they made love. "That trick worked once my love. But you will have to come up with something new!" The husband smirked at his wife as he trotted several meters away. Vanator turned his horse to face Kashik, shifting his ax back into his right hand. Sitting tall with his own smug smile, he waited, allowing Kash to make the next move.

[Kashik]

Kashik laughed, loud and boisterous as ever as he shoved away from her. Hiloha, feeling the boot upon his shoulder, flashed his head to the side and snapped at it - but then had the sense to look ashamed, for it was only Vanator, not a real enemy. But he was trained for battle, and well, just as his rider was.

"Too clever by far, my heart," Kashik smirked, giving him the moment to collect himself instead of simply attacking again - which she would have, should this have been a real fight. But it was just a friendly spar, and she'd no desire to actually hurt him. Have your space, her indulgent smile said. You'll pay for it momentarily.

Once he got his axe back where it belonged, she grinned again and winked at him. Then she gave another whooping war cry, and Hiloha reared onto his back hooves and gave a thundering whinny that might well have been where he earned his name. Then he bounced forward, straight into a run, and closed the distance between them.

But while Kashik loved her Strider and spent as much time as she could astride him, she was by no means a master horseman. He was better trained than her for battle, and knew more than his rider no matter how confident she might be. Hiloha lunged towards Backlash as if to ram her in the left shoulder again - and at the last moment, as if someone were spinning him like a top, he pivoted on a front hoof and instead and slammed the entire length of his body into Backlash's, leaving them side-by-side and giving their riders ample opportunity to wail on each other as the two horses snapped their teeth and pretended to intimidate each other.

Kashik, however, was not prepared for that particular move, and as the horse spun and the force of the movement almost sent her tumbling to the ground, she had no choice but grab the yvas to keep from falling off. When she finally slammed into Vanator's left side, her spear was caught awkwardly between them, the point of it just barely missing Hiloha's ear. "Stupid, showy, son of a whore!" she muttered, simultaneously trying to regain her balance and elbow Van in the ribs... because she may have been completely thrown off and at a disadvantage, but she was still going to try to win.

[Vanator]

Hiloha and Kashik were having way too much fun, Vanator mused with a smile as the the rearing Strider and determined Drykas warrior made quite a display before launching into a thundering charge. Van urged Backlash ahead to meet them, their advance more controlled than the headlong assault of his competitive wife. As the their mounts impacted, her Strider's own tactical maneuver caught everyone off guard. Vanator was rocked in his yvas, though Backlash's momentum was less than her male counterpart and the collision not as unsettling. He grinned with amusement as he saw Kashik's eye's widen and her hand fly to her yvas in an attempt to regain her balance. Horses yelped and gnashed at each other as the humans struggled to keep ahorse and still strike out at each other. One of Kashik's flailing elbows caught her husband in the ribs, causing him to double over even as she strove to steady her seat. With a savage grin, The Drykas man drew his knees high, his boots resting on small wooden knobs on the yvas strap going around the horse's chest. His right hand abandoned the ax, his left leaving the side where it had come to lay in reaction to Kashik's blow. With a growl he flung himself at his warrior wife, the battle ax slipping to the ground beneath the dancing hooves. His arms wrapped around Kashik, pinning her own against her. Van struggled to pull his leg out from between the two horses, pushing off of Backlash and slipping over Hiloha's other side, pulling Kashik with him. He rolled, placing himself underneath his beloved as they made impact with the ground. The couple landed with a thud that jarred Vanator's skeleton and he emitted a sharp grunt. His arms remained around Kashik in a powerful bear hug as she lay on top of him, his legs wrapping around hers in an attempt to keep her restrained. Freed of their riders, the Striders separated with a few playful nips at each other, bucking and prancing a short ways away before turning to watch the Drykas laying in the grass. "Quite a warhorse you have there, my darling." Van muttered with a strained chuckle in his wife's ear as he worked to keep his hold on her, enjoying the current situation. The exercise hand sent a rush of adrenaline through his body, and he was ready to play rough. Inhaling deeply of Kashik's scent, that mix of honey, oils and sweat that he found rather pleasing. He took her earlobe between her teeth and gave a gentle nip. "Whatever are you going to do now? I have you in my control!"

[Kashik]

Kashik squealed as she found herself suddenly toppled and caught, cursing her Strider and pretty much his entire lineage. When she felt her husband's teeth at her ear, though, she shivered a little as her mood shifted as quickly as a lightning strike.

"I've two virile warhorses," she quipped, wriggling around a little in his arms until she was laying chest-to-chest atop him, her hands planted flat on the ground to either side of his head. There was a familiar fire lighting behind her eyes, and it flushed her tanned skin as well. "And let's just be clear," she said, shifting suggestively against him as she tilted her head down to trail a few kisses against his throat. "You've never had me under control. I just haven't had cause to disagree with you yet," she murmured, laughing under her breath as her fingers twined in his hair and the movement of her body encouraged much less discussion.