Completed [Windmount Stables] A Warhorse in Need pt3

[Tanna]

64 SPRING 515 AV
Continued from here

Another day had passed and she was no closer to discovering a way to treat the injured horse. Her trip south to Mithryn had been for naught yet the Drykas woman would not give up hope. The warhorse was young and completely healthy otherwise, so surely it could recover. The reality, however, was driving her to repeat that over and over in her head, as if some mantra, forcing herself to have hope despite the odds being stacked against it - against them.

It was her thoughts that had led her to the infirmary barn to see the horse, and it was there that Serena found her.

“Tanna. I need you checking on Breeze.”

The Drykas dropped away from the stall gate she had been lounging against, looking defeated yet she gave a firm nod in acknowledgement. “I know... I just wanted to see him and see how he was doing.” Lacking all pretense, she young woman did not hesitate to wear her heart on her sleeve. She was deeply troubled by the prospect of this horse's future and it showed.

The brunette sighed and remained steadfast and professional, not letting the other woman's emotions affect her, “No luck with the herbalist?”

Tanna shook her head and fought a frown.

Unlike the blonde, Serena frowned openly and ran a hand through her hair out of frustration. “I run a business, Tanna. You know this. I -” it was obvious she was fighting and internal battle despite how hard she worked to keep it all under control, “I can't keep a lame horse. If he was a stallion then I could breed him but.. he's a gelding. If he doesn't show signs of improving soon I'm afra-”

Tanna swiftly interjected, “Give time! Please. A few days. Let him have rest for few days. I know he will get better!” She wanted to cringe at how desperate she sounded and how she practically said the latter more to convince herself than Serena. “Do not give up so quick. Please.”

Serena frowned. “I want to, believe me I do. But, as it stands, he's no use to the Order and he's no use to me. I can't keep a horse on the premises for free.. you know that. It's too expensive.”

“Then let me buy Terior.” It was a knee-jerk response that tumbled from her tongue before she even made sense of it and she froze once the words reached her own ears. She wasn't even sure she could afford such a horse, let alone the upkeep. It was hard enough managing Coosa now that she was in the Fortress city and she wasn't sure she could give the horse much of a life if she did somehow find a way to purchase it.

Furthermore, it wasn't even so much that Tanna didn't understand these things or that she had never experienced this before. She knew the harsh reality when it came to lame horses; she understood what needed to be done.. she just wasn't ready to accept it at this time. Not for such a lovely, well-trained and beautiful horse.

“Don't be silly, Tanna.”

“Then please give Terior a chance. You give chance to so many of us. All the people you have taken in – Rhysfar, Ranni, Gunther, Pate. Pate did not even know anything about horses but you still gave him chance and now look at him! He can work with the horses now instead of doing small things around stables.” She hoped her impassioned speech might sway Serena's mind. Surely it would not hurt to give the horse a few more days to see if rest and soft bedding might help.

Serena pinched the bridge of her nose but remained silent. Tanna fell quiet, as well, and the silence hung between them for near a chime before, at last, Serena relented, “Go check on Breeze, Terior will still be here when you return.”

Pavi • Grass-sign • Common • Tukant • Others

[Tanna]

GRADERSTanna injured her shoulder on the 43rd. Since that thread has yet to be complete or graded, it hasn't been specified how badly it is injured but I've been playing her since as having a grade 1-to-2 injury to her AC joint. Thank you.

Syna's light was bright as she made her way across the grounds and she made no show to shield her eyes from the glare. Instead, she tilted her head up and embraced the goddess' glow, shutting her eyes as she inhaled deeply, drawing strength and resilience from the warmth of the sun. “Everything will be okay,” she murmured to herself and she cleared her mind of any dark thoughts, feeling renewed as she strode towards the feed barn and it showed in her posture and stride.

She took hold of an empty cart and filled it with three round bucket before pushing it towards the barn. Plucking one bucket up and out of the cart, she swung it playfully as she she pushed through the barn door and then began whistling – albeit poorly – as she stepped towards one of the feed barrels. Dipping the bucket into the grains, she scooped them up and out and then hauled that bucket back to the cart. Engaging the muscles in her upper arms, she bent her elbows and hefted the bucket up and over the lip of the cart. This small exertion, however, caused her left arm to shake and shoulder to burn due to her old injury and she gritted her teeth against the dull pain. She had intended on settling the bucket down slowly and gently, not wishing to spill any, but her left arm proved weak and gave way on the way down and the bucket clattered against the cart floor, sending bits of feed and grain spilling.

“Shyke” she spat as she eyed the scattered bits of grains, her good hand moving to clutch her left shoulder. Giving it a squeeze, she massaged it firmly despite it being tender and felt the roughness of the muscle beneath. For a moment, she mused about the similarity she shared with the injured warhorse and her frustrations passed.

Salvaging the grains she could, she then seized the handles of the remaining two buckets and brought them around to the water trough that rested against the barn's Southern wall. Filling both, she knew better than to haul both back given the state of her left shoulder and, instead, opted to take one at a time. From there, she wrapped up her stop at the feed barn by shovelling some loose hay into the cart and then made her way towards Breeze's stable. She strained somewhat against the weight of the cart but managed well enough, only needing to pause once to give her shoulder a shake. She knew she'd be fine once it calmed down.

Entering the stable, she clicked her tongue and smiled as the big mare whinnied and stepped forward to look out over her gate. The Drykas wondered how the big mare's mood might be today and she found herself looking forward to immersing herself in studying and tending to the pregnant creature.

Setting her cart down, she advanced towards the mare, cooing and smiling, “How are we today, hmm?” The mare only turned her ears forward, watching. Her lilty voice rose once more, “[b]Have you picked up any Frava yet?” Unknowingly butchering the name of the Svefra language, she proceeded as she leaned down to shove her pack under the bench at her side, “Plenty of Svefra in the city lately...” With that, she straightened and brushed a flyaway from her face, smiling, “I wonder..” she paused and stepped towards the big mare, its big, white-striped face pushing forward to the hand she offered and she grinned as the velvety nose brushed against her skin, seeking the treats said hand had given two days prior, “would that make you a sea horse?” Laughing at her own awful joke, she stroked the mare's muzzle before jerking her hand away as the mare made a move to bite at her fingers.

Stepping away, she sent a sidelong glance in the mare's direction and she tutted, form drifting towards the stable wall where Breeze's rope halter hung from a peg. Taking the rope halter in her hands, she approached the horse's boxstall, cooing gently in an effort to appease the horse, “Come now, easy girl.” She watched the big mare like a hawk, ready to react if the mare decided to act out while unlatching the stall door. Exhaling a breath she hadn't realised she had been holding, she relaxed some as she watched the mare step aside and move towards the back of her box stall and eased herself in. “You ready to go outside and graze, hm?” The mare only huffed.

Tanna made sure not to make the same foolish mistake she had made the first time she had tried to halter the mare and approached the horse from the side, mindful to be on the mare's left. With the rope kept firmly in her left hand, she kept to the horse's left side and gave its muscular withers a good pat to test how the horse might react this time around to being handled. Breeze issued a low bellow and huff but remained where she stood, seeming to accept the hand that touched her. Satisfied with this, Tanna then reached over its neck with her good hand, rising up onto her tiptoes to do so. She then made a move as if embracing the mighty Tiadan, passing the end of the halter rope from her left hand to her right. Now having the two ends in either hand, she shifted forward, manoeuvring the halter around the end of the horse's nose.

Breeze did not want this and bobbed her head upwards, sending the front of the halter flying.

Tanna shied back, dropping the halter from the mare and sighed dramatically. “You can't tell me you haven't had a halter on you before. Come now. Let me get this on you and then I can give you a brush down. The sooner I get this on you, the sooner it is over and you can be outside enjoying the nice fresh grass.”

Breeze remained indifferent.

Twisting her lips, Tanna tried again and successfully managed to get the halter onto the mare's muzzle. Tugging the far end of the rope over – the end in her right hand, she drew it down towards the end in her left hand, that end knotted in a manner that left an eyelet-like opening. She slipped the tail end through the eyelet and then she tugged downward until the halter took shape and moved into place. Satisfied with the placement, she then twisted the tail end around so she could slip it behind the eyelet before bending it and bringing it back under itself to form a solid knot. Tugging that tight, she then tucked the tail end under to keep it out of the way and rewarded the horse with another couple of pats and coos. “There, that wasn't so bad, hm?”

Pavi • Grass-sign • Common • Tukant • Others

[Tanna]

It took some coaxing but she managed to lead the big mare out of its stall and into the open area of the stable. Bits of light streamed through the windows, glinting off dust motes kicked up by the mare's hooves and striping her back in an exotic fashion. Tanna took a moment to enjoy the sight – savouring the simple things – before she tied the horse up.

With curry comb in hand, the Drykas diligently went about grooming the mare from nose to tail, going through the motions quite easily along the horse's broad neck, withers and back but much slower near the mighty horse's flanks. Wary around the latter areas and the mare's strong legs, she tended to these places with greater care and caution. She knew a kick from one of the mare's big hooves could spell an end to her existence and, as amusing as the irony of it would be, she'd rather avoid such a thing if possible. She had sure to take advantage of the horse's acceptance, checking the croup and really getting a feel for how the mare's flank felt beneath her touch, trying to think if it felt any different than others she had felt in the past.

Next, she repeated the process with a soft bristle brush, sloughing off all the dead fur, hair and dirt that the curry comb had drawn to the surface. Her movements were more elegant with this brush, making long sweeping motions as she fell into a near-trance-like state, swaying, reaching and bending fluidly as if going through a dance. Breeze seemed to be enjoying the pampering for the horse remained still, offering the odd blow and nicker of approval even as these sweeping motions moved over the horse's flank.

Trading the brush for a handful of soft straw, she then began sweeping the clump along the horse's body, bringing forth the beginnings of a soft sheen. She paid special attention to the mare's legs, moving the bunch downward and off in long, confident sweeps. Still lost in the calm, trance-like state the process put her in, she remained oddly quiet yet utterly at peace. It was such a soothing act for both groomer and horse.

Her attention moved to Breeze's mane and tail and she seized the curry comb once more. With care, she brushed out any tangles and knots in the mares mane, smiling as her eyes followed the motions. Breeze had a particularly long mane – and tail – and Tanna ran her fingers through it, enamoured and thinking about the many different ways she could style it if given the chance. The mare was truly a beautiful horse, it made sense that she was chosen to be a broodmare, the Drykas simply wondered how much more beautiful Breeze would look with a running braid. A Silly thought, for sure, but it was rare the woman set eyes on long, flowy locks without thinking of how best to plait them.

Without further ado, and still very much lost in the moment and the motions, she began piecing out bits of the mare's long and glossy mane, her focus on the section near the horses ears. Rising to her tiptoes, she split the part of the horse's mane that she held into three separate sections, two woven through her right fingers and one grasped in her left hand. From there, she began to cross the sections, the front-most section over the middle, then the rear over the middle, repeating the process as she drew more of Breeze's mane into the braid, eventually forming a long, somewhat crooked, running braid. Unfortunately, Breeze shook her head and the braid all but came out, causing the Drykas to frown.

Not letting this ruin her mood, she combed out the rest of Breeze's mane and then returned the curry comb to its place. Pausing to stoop down to the bucket of water near her feet, she wet her hands and then ran them along the horse in one final act to get the mare's pelt nice and glossy. Stepping back, she ran her damp hands down her pants legs and gave the stunning mare a good once over with a critical eye. Finally satisfied, her lips broke into another wide smile.

Removing the halter, she let Breeze out to graze, and then went about tidying up the mare's stall. She scrubbed the water trough clean and then filled it with the two buckets of water she had brought before seizing the feed bucket. Hauling it into the stall, she set it down and removed the empty feed bucket that had been put there previously before hefting the full bucket up, hanging it in its place. Rolling her bad shoulder, she plucked the empty bucket up and set it aside before taking up a pitch fork to shovel the hay into the feeder.

Once the cart was empty, she grabbed one more empty bucket and began mucking out the stall, depositing the messy refuse and dirty straw into the buckets. Tanna ran the back of her hand along her brow once she was through and carried the buckets to the cart – one at a time – before pushing the cart out and back into the open, sprawling grounds of the property.

She continued her task, depositing the refuse in its proper place before filling the cart with fresh, soft straw. From there she wheeled the cart back and laid the straw out on the stall floor, making a nice thick bedding for Breeze.

Finally finished with the more arduous – and tedious – tasks, Tanna slipped through the horse's stable, putting a few final things in their places before drifting out to the paddock. There Breeze stood, head bowed to the grass, snuffling and chewing happily. The sight put a smile on the Drykas' face.

She took a moment to observe the horse, trying to identify the mare's distinct mannerisms and take in any subtle nuances. Breeze seemed to be a very independent and imperious horse but Tanna wasn't sure if that was the way the mare always was or if this was brought on by her pregnancy. She made a mental note to ask Serena about this later. For now, she had to focus on getting the mare back into her stall and she knew thew apple in her hand would do just the trick.

Pavi • Grass-sign • Common • Tukant • Others

[Tanna]

Syna had moved considerably along her path by the time Tanna was able to return to Terior's barn, beginning Her decent. Tanna took not of this and hurried her pace, pushing along another cart filled with the same items she had taken with her when she went to tend to Breeze.

Slipping inside, she instantly called out a warm, “Hey boy!” before freezing as not one but two heads moved in response.

“If I had a copper miza for every time someone called me that... I'd be one rich man,” Cameron said as a teasing smile touched his lips before he straightened, feigning seriousness, “I'm use to that coming from a knight, however. Not sure what I think about it coming from you.”

Judging from the glint in his eye, Tanna knew he was stirring and relaxed, stating candidly, “I did not think to see you here.”

“Terior's my horse. Did you not think I'd want to visit him?” There was a whiff of dismay in his words, as if he were aggrieved by such a thought.

Noting his posturing, Tanna sensed he was still teasing her and she folded her arms across her chest before setting her gaze on his face, “I do not know. You did not seem to know how to ride him.” She couldn't help as her lip twitched into a small half-smirk; she always did have an awful poker face.

Lifting a finger as emphasis, the man replied, “Okay.. that stung.”

Tanna's smile broadened as she unfurled her arms and strode towards both man and horse. Pausing at the stall door, she glanced up at Terior, reaching her good hand up to brush over his velvety muzzle before switching her attention back to Cameron, “Sorry.. but true.” Brows and shoulders rose in a Gallic shrug and she smiled openly, revealing her big teeth, as he laughed.

“It is good you are here, though. I think.” Her hands moved to further elaborate, support. It meant a lot to her that he had made the effort to come out and see the horse and she was not shy in expressing such, warming to him. It did not hurt that he possessed a natural charm.

“Ah, well.. It's always good having people looking out for you when you are on the mend.” He smiled, then, and it made hers grow until it was touching every bit of her face.

Glancing up to his horse, he reached up and gave the big gelding's neck a pat before continuing, that gallantry of his returning to his voice as he regaled, “I was injured once, you see, after a skirmish broke out at the docks.” Of course, this 'skirmish' was nothing more than a small disagreement between a two men but Cameron like to stretch the truth from time to time. “A brawl had broken out between a few massive men – big slabs of meat, they were – and my patron brought me along to deal with them. I had subdued one man – completely on my own – and, just as I turned around to help subdue another, I was hit in the face. I dropped like a sack of potatoes.” He paused to make a display with his body, dropping somewhat before straightening, chuckling, “I don't recall what happened next but suddenly this pain ripped though my leg like nothing I had ever experienced before. One of the men had fallen and landed on me, and because he was so big and fat, he near broke my leg!” The reality was far less exciting and included some heated chatting before Cameron accidentally tripped and twisted his ankle.

Tanna listened, smiling, completely ensnared by his story.

“I was abed for days,” he recalled dramatically, “I surely would have died from sheer boredom if not for those that came to keep me company.. keep my spirits up.” He turned his head up to gaze upon Terior for effect.

Tanna nodded and smiled warmly, understanding his reason for telling such a story.

Pavi • Grass-sign • Common • Tukant • Others

[Tanna]

The two shared a moment of comfortable silence before Tanna shot a glance up towards the horse, suddenly curious, “Does 'Terior' mean something to Order.. or in Common?” Her eyes dropped back to the squire's face as she admitted unselfconsciously, “I am still new to some words. I like learning about them, though.”

Cameron, however, looked shocked and eyed her curiously, “You mean you do not know of House Stalinsla?”

Tanna quirked her mouth as she did another Gallic shrug, that word meaning just a little as the horse's name. “I thought, when you first tell me name, that it was Terror. That seem fitting for big warhorse,” She smiled up at the big horse and spun around to rub her good hand up its foreheard to its red forelock a loving ruffle, reaching on her tiptoes to do so. “But Terror does not suit you,” she added, now speaking directly to the gelding, “You are too calm, too sweet.” She chuckled and lowered back to her soles as she glanced back towards Cameron.

“No..” He chuckled in kind, “Terror is hardly fitting. He's actually named after a famed knight of the Order, the second to ever be knighted.”

Tanna sensed another story coming on but knew she had been idle for too long. She brushed by the squire and took up Terior's halter, nodding to the man as she passed him again in hopes of encouraging him to continue.

“He became the Keeper of the Key, the only man not a Dyre to have access to the key to the city.”

By the excitement in his voice, Tanna deduced this was a great honor and bobbed her head before opening Terior's stall and stepping in. Moving to the big horse's left, she reached her good around the back of the horses neck and then went about fitting the halter onto the gelding's broad head. Her words were somewhat flat, distracted, as she led the big horse out of its stall, “He sounds like important man. That big name to live up to.. big responsibility.”

Cameron jumped at this, “Oh, yes. It's a huge honor but whomever named the horse after the man felt he was worthy.”

Tanna managed a weak smiled as she thought about the gelding's fate. Tying the warhorse up, she turned and excused herself before ducking out the stable door to retrieve the cart she had left outside. Giving it a bodily push, she got the cart in past the stable door and wheeled it close to the stall, pausing to let Cameron step out of the way.

The squire moved towards the front of his mount and leaned against the stable wall. He watched her go about her duties before he intoned, “Y'know.. There are many stories about him.” He shook his head, laughing as she pushed away from the wall, stepping forward, hands held out before him, “You'd think he was just a myth. Listening to the stories, you wouldn't even think he was real. But he was.” He dropped his hands, then and looked at her.

She finished shovelling fresh hay into the feeder before pausing, leaning against the pitchfork to probe, “Oh? Like.. like fables? Do you know the stories?” Now she was hooked.

Cameron nodded before continuing, “There's this one that any natural Sylirian would know; it's been told so many times that parent's use it as a fairytale, recanting it to their children.”

Tanna listened intently as she began mucking out the stall.

“It's said that once upon a time, long ago, there was a man who dedicated himself to protecting his fellow people. He did not have much to his name; in fact, he seemed to get by solely on his clever wit. He was an honest man, though, son of tanner, but he was natural – and fearsome – with a sword.”

Tanna glanced between the stall floor and the squire intermittently, listening as she went.

“It's said he used to travel the Kabrin Road, patrolling it, keeping an eye out for the brigands and highwaymen that preyed on his people. There was no Order of Knights then so the road was rife with bandits and outlaws. It was a dangerous thing, indeed, but the man still did it. He did not like to see his people suffer from fear, unable to travel the roads freely.”

Finishing her task, she laid fresh straw on the stall floor and then moved out to retrieve Terior, leading the big gelding back into its stall. Securing him inside, she turned around and turned her full attention onto the squire.

“Then, one day, he caught sight of a carriage that had come under attack. He did not notice the details of the carriage, only that the occupants were in danger, and he sprang to action, slaying the assailants single-handedly. It wasn't until he was through that Lawrence Dyers approached him, shaken, and grasped his arm.”

“The story becomes less of a myth from there, the man being named as Terior Stalinsa and became one of the first to be knighted under Lawrence and Leon Dyres.”

He paused and looked at her before smirking, “I've heard that parents tell this story to their children in hopes they will grow up to be good, honest men and women. It's propaganda, perhaps, but a good story no less. Defend the people, no matter their rank or title, for you may never know who it might be that you help.”

Tanna quirked a smile, pondering this, “But does that not encourage people to help for selfish reason? In hopes of reward? Of possible title, like the man in the story?”

Cameron seemed a bit confused by these questions and was ready to speak when another voice interrupted them.

“Tanna. Serena wishes to speak with you.”

It was Ulliver, his head only just inside the stable door.

“She's in her office. Cameron.. I believe it's time to report to Ser Nicholas.”

Cameron straightened abruptly and stammered out a stiff, “Yes ser,” before bobbing his head to Tanna and ducking out. Tanna, however, linger a tick longer, gathering her things so she could wheel them out on her way to the office.

Pavi • Grass-sign • Common • Tukant • Others

[Tanna]

“You wish to see me?”

Serena looked up from her desk, “Yes, come in.”

Tanna did so, inching over towards the woman. Her eyes took in the sight of her, the tension in her brow – accented by the flickering candle on her desk – and the way she held herself as she leaned over her desk. There were a myriad of things scattered along its surface, all sorts of things. What caught Tanna's attention was the large bunches of green leaves, dotted by pale purple flowers.

On closer inspection, she found the flowers to be bell-shaped but small and narrow, the leaves far broader in comparison and deep, rich green. She found them beautiful.

“What is it?”

Serena's brows arched, as if not expecting Tanna's question. She glanced down to the bunches of flowers before her and then pushed away from her desk, straightening, “I decided to pick up where you left off. This is knit-bone, I got it from the Eypharian at Stormhold Salves. She told me how to prep it but I wanted to do it with you first.”

Tanna nodded, quietly honored to be included in this. “I do not know plant. It will help Terior?”

“Yes – or it should. She said it was not difficult to prepare.” Although having a good understanding of medicine and how to apply such knowledge to horses, Serena was not confident when it came to medicinal herbs.

Tanna stepped to her side and offered an encouraging smile, “What did she say to do?”

Serena motioned to the pestle and mortar that sat at the far end of her desk, “Pass me that, will you.”

Tanna obliged and settled in, arms folding along the desk top. She watched as Serena separated the clumps, removing the leaves and putting a large handful into the bowl. The woman then took up the pestle and began to grind the leaves into a sticky pulp.

“I believe all I need to do is get these mashed up. We'll apply the paste to Terior's leg once we're done and then bandage it up so it stays on through the night. We'll need to apply the paste daily for the next four days if we want to see any improvement.” She exhaled sharply and she ground away at the leaves, “Start removing the rest of the leaves, will you.”

Tanna was elated. So there was a chance! She knew there was something that could help the horse and she could barely contain her excitement as she reached for the bundle of leaves and flowers as she chirped merrily, “So he stays!”

Serena only shook her head but agreed, “Yes, he stays. Now get those leaves separated.. I need to add more to the mortar.”

The blonde tore away at the bundle and then passed another handful to Serena, helping her get the leaves into the mortar.

“Here, take over, I need to get some water boiling.”

Tanna did so, taking up the pestle before pounding away at the mess of mashed leaves and pulp within. Absently, she inquired, “So what does this do.. this knit-bone?”

Serena glanced over her shoulder to the Drykas woman from where she crouched at her hearth, pausing with a piece of tinder in her hand. “It's called Knit-bone. What do you think it does?” Seeing the Drykas cringe in an exaggerated fashion, the brunette only shook her head and chuckled, “The Eypharian said it is good for Terior's type of injury. As you would imagine, it also helps with broken bones and the like, speeds up healing.. or so she says.” She turned back to the hearth, adding the tinder to get the fire growing.

A few chimes passed until the water began to boil and Serena rose, motioning Tanna over, “Bring that extra bowl over with you.”

Plucking up the bowl from the surface of the desk, she carried it with her and offered it to the brunette once she came up alongside her. She watched as Serena ladled in a few spoonfuls of water and then moved back to her desk.

Tanna followed and watched as Serena scraped the sticky glob from the mortar into the bowl and then mixted the two together, forming a nice, thick paste. “There. Come. Lets go an visit out big friend.”

Pavi • Grass-sign • Common • Tukant • Others

[Tanna]

Tanna cooed to Terior as she retrieved his halter from where it hung once again, “Hey boy, we have something for you.” Moving further into the stable with Serena, she then drifted away, opening the stall gate to slip in and to the big warhorse's left side. Giving it a good pat before stroking the horse's muscular neck, she smiled warmly up at the gelding's face, “Be good for us, hmm? We help. Get your leg better.” With that said, she reached over the horse's neck to slip the halter onto the gelding's broad head once more, tugging it up and into place before securing it.

Glancing over to where Serena had set her items down, she looked back up to the horse and smiled as it nickered, giving it's neck another loving pat and rub. “Come now, let us get medicine on you.” With that, she secured the lead rope onto a secure post.

“Not there.” Serena waved a hand, motioning to a higher position on the post, “You need to tie it even with the horses muzzle.. or else he could injure himself.”

Tanna nodded and did so, tucking this bit of information away for future use.

Stepping away, she moved over to her pack, pulling it up and out from the bench she had stashed it behind and jumped as a cat lept up and sprinted away from her, salted fish firmly gripped in its furry maw. “Oh! You thief!” She couldn't help but laugh despite losing her evening snack to the furry marauder.

Settling it on top of the bench, she rummaged around inside, taking stock of what remained within. Feeling around an apple, she paused and glanced up towards Serena, seeing the woman crouched inside Terior's stall, the bowl of knit-bone paste and bandages sitting on the straw before her.

“Serena... I have question about Breeze.” She slipped smoothly in past the gate and lowered herself next to the brunette, “Is mare usually... that way? Ah.. what is word...” Lacking the appropriate term, she tried to mimic the horses movements, looking daft in the process as she craned her neck and hefted her chin up, swaying away before turning her check to the woman and her nose abruptly into the air.

Serena chuckled and shook her head, “You are certainly something else... but, yes. She's always been a bit defiant. Pregnancy has made her worse, as it's wont to do.”

“Defiant, yes.” Tanna worked that word over in her mind, repeating it over and over before tucking it away for future use.

“Grab that water bucket, will you.” The brunette waved to Terior's bucket and Tanna rose to fetch it, bringing it over before settling down once more, waiting for instruction.

“Now... I should be able to just.. put it on.” Serena seemed skeptical as she eyed the big horse but gave it a shot anyways. Dipping her hands into the bucket of water, she then scooped up a glob of the paste and worked it between her hands. “Be good, big boy. Please don't kick me.” With that plea hanging in the air, she reached forward and began applying the paste to the gelding's front left knee. She repeated the process until the gelding's lower leg was completely coated in the poultice and washed her hands off in the bucket.

Wiping her hands against her pants, she motioned with her chin towards the bandages, “Wrap that around his leg. Start at the middle and then wrap down before wrapping back up.”

Tanna nodded and took the cotton bandage before scooting over the the place Serena vacated. Cooing softly, she leaned forward and did as Serena said, pinning the bandage down against the horse's mid leg before wrapping it around and around, making sure to keep it tight but not painfully so. It was a slow, jerky process, Tanna getting somewhat tangled up in the process – and quite a bit of poultice onto her own hands – but the job did get done.

“Now make sure to cover a bit more than of the leg than the poultice.. just a bit more above and below. Yes, like that, good,” Serena instructed and Tanna wound the bandage around the leg.

Finishing, the Drykas tied a knot in the bandage to keep it secure before leaning back onto her heels, messy hands finding her thighs as she smiled up at the gelding and then over to the other woman. No words were necessary to express her joy and satisfaction.

“Make sure to check it in the morning, we'll have to change it every afternoon. Remind me tomorrow to send you out to get more Knit-bone.” She moved, stepping out of the stall. She paused, tossing another task over her shoulder, “And clean that bowl and bucket up.”

Tanna simply nodded, having no issue with these requests. She rose and began gathering everything up, setting the bowl into the bucket before hearing Serena mention quietly, sincerely, “Good job today.”

Tanna glanced up, catching the appreciative look the woman was giving her and only nodded. It made her feel good to know that she could continue to contribute and help with this horse.

She stood as Serena exited, and left the stall only briefly to set the bucket down. Returning to it with apple in hand, she patted Terior's neck and released the knot of its halter, slipping it off. “There we are. Good boy.” Smiling as she gave the horse's broad face a rub, she then offered the apple, giggling as he munched away happily.

Everything was going to be just fine.

Pavi • Grass-sign • Common • Tukant • Others

[Katelyn Marks]

Due Rewards

“After nourishment, shelter, and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”

― Philip Pullman

 

Tanna

Skills
➢ Socialization +5
➢ Negotiation +2
➢ Rhetoric +1
➢ Body Building +1
➢ Interrogation +1
➢ Endurance +2
➢ Observation +5
➢ Animal Husbandry +2
➢ Horsemanship +2
➢ Herbalism +2
➢ Medicine +1
➢ Storytelling +1

Lores
➢ Horsemanship: Getting a Horse to Accept a Halter
➢ Horsemanship: Properly Grooming a Horse
➢ Horsemanship: Properly Tying a Horse
➢ Negotiation: Pleading and Pulling Heart Strings
➢ Serena Windmount: Kind and Generous at Heart
➢ Terior: Origin of the Name
➢ The Legend of Ser Terior Stalinsa
➢ Knit-bone: Appearance, Properties, and Application
➢ Breeze: Naturally a Defiant Mare
➢ Medicine: Bandaging a Poulticed Wound
➢ Herbalism: Creating a Poultice
➢ Herbalism: Applying a Poultice

Comments: Great thread as usual!

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