Hold Your Horses! (Beodan)

by **Sayana** on July 6th, 2015, 12:46 pm

Summer 6, 515 AV – Syliran Fields near the crossroads

“There aren’t any horses for rent.” “What?” Sayana asked in a rather surprised tone. “I said, there aren’t any horses for rent today,” the stable boy replied calmly. “They are all out on the track or on patrol along the Kabrin road. It must be a good day for riding.”

The Eypharian cursed inwardly. That was precisely the reason why she wanted to go out riding. The sky was blue, there were only a couple of clouds in the sky, it was warm but not scorching, and there was even a light breeze. “Are you sure there are no horses for riding?” Sayana asked hoping that there might be one or two in the back that he wasn’t telling her about. “Unless you want to try riding a Tiadem,” the boy said with a laugh. “But I don’t think the horse nor the knight would be too happy about that.” With a wave he shooed her out of the stables.

With a sigh, Sayana left and wished she had gotten out of bed earlier that morning. Syna was already high in the sky and it was probably late morning by now. Still, she could always go out on foot. She headed for the main gate and with a nod to the knights on duty she carried on down the road.

Sayana had brought a simple backpack with some bread in case she got hungry as well as her water skin. She wore her usual red attire of a beaded top and long skirt with a slit down one side. Attached to her belt were several daggers including one with a carved cobra hilt, a lakan, and two throwing daggers. If she stuck to the roads, she was unlikely to encounter much danger but she rarely went anywhere without her daggers. On three of her hands were beautiful rings and she also wore a couple of necklaces.

She was moving so slowly… Even as the Eypharian walked at a fast pace she felt like she was only inching along. She had ridden along this path several times but that was all on the back of a horse. In attempt to speed things up, she alternated between a light jog and walking. Run for a bit, then walk, run for a bit, then walk. Yet still the countryside inched along. It also didn’t help that her stomach was slowly growing and she was feeling more tired than usual.

At last she made it to the fork in the road and took the right path to head south. Panting from the jogging, she couldn’t help but noticed all the hoof prints on the ground. There must be a lot of people out riding. As the forest thinned a little, she curiously went to investigate some beaten down grasses along the side of the road. Now that it was summer, many of the fields were growing tall with grasses or crops, and sometimes they surpassed her own height. And here there seemed to be a trail formed by something trampling down the grass. Curiously she followed it and stamped down on the vegetation as she went.

OOCIf you like, Beodan could have made that trail but it could have been something else.

by **Beodan Clathony** on July 6th, 2015, 4:42 pm

Sun splashed on Beodan’s lengthy back, the tall grass not adding much protection against it’s temperate light. It was a nice day, he thought to himself as he steadily made his way to one of his favorite spots around Syliras. He felts as if he was alone with the sun, his constant companion, offering a warm, comforting touch. Sound was muffled by screens of greenery on all sides, only adding to his sense of isolation. His path meandered slightly in a way that made it hard to see more than a little ways down the path.

His destination was a small meadow, only about 30 meters across, where the grass dipped low in favor of colorful flowers and shorter, better tasting grass. He let out a nicker in anticipation. He wished he could come here more often, but the local growth needed time to replenish if he wanted to enjoy himself on his next visit. He had waited for what, a month now? Well, maybe sooner, but it would be ready for him either way! The tall grass started to thin, giving way to shorter and shorter stocks as he neared the clearing. His ears lost their alert stillness, falling into a relaxed, forward facing position as he entered his spot for the day. None of the stocky humans ever came here, with their need to set fires in perfectly good meadows! Though, some of them knew just where to scratch on his flank, so they weren’t all grass-tramplers.

Dan bent his head down to nibble a choice bit of grass near the entrance, still the vibrant green of new growth. Yes! It was even better than he had hoped! He set about grazing, slowly combing the ground, taking the best of the best tufts that the field had to offer. Minutes trickled by in contented munching, and before long he felt the urge to take a nap in the sun. It wasn’t like he had any appointments, no where to rush to. No obligations to anyone. He felt a pang of loneliness, but dismissed it with a snort and a defiant bite out of a patch of flowers. With an adequate amount of food consumed, he stood tall and let himself ease out of consciousness.

by **Sayana** on July 6th, 2015, 6:43 pm

As Sayana began to move through the tall grasses she started to notice various forms of life. She spotted a paw print here, and a hoof print there. They were sort of isolated but she figured that it was because the ground was pretty firm. Still, she could follow the definite trail of tall grasses that had been either pushed aside or stomped down upon. There was one moment when she caught sight of moment on the ground and instinctively she backed away thinking it was a snake of sorts. And then a little toad hopped across and she smiled. Summer was certainly a time for life.

She continued along the trail and now did a lot less ‘stomping’ and simply brushed the grasses out of the way with one or more of her six arms. After several chimes, the tall grasses began to thin to give way to a beautiful green meadow. Sayana peered curiously through the vegetation wondering how she might get to it and then she suddenly held her breath. There was a beautiful sleek horse nibbling at the tender green grasses. And most surprisingly it didn’t appear to have any saddle, reins, or anything. Not even an owner nearby. As quietly as she could, Sayana pulled some of the tall grasses away so she could get a better look. Yes, definitely a riderless horse. Sort of an average size and one that reminded her of the chariot horses back home. How could someone have lost a horse? And then she acutely remember the time last spring where she had managed to both fall off her horse, and lose it.

Slowly she began moving through the grasses trying to be as quiet as possible and also out of sight. The horse seemed to be grazing on the farther side of the meadow so she inched along and placed each foot down carefully so as not to alert it. Even as she maneuvered through the grasses she wondered how on earth she was going to catch the horse if someone had indeed lost it. She didn’t have any rope and the moment it saw her coming it would likely bolt. Unless it was used to people and she approached it slowly.

By now she was as close as she could get without leaving the cover of the tall grass. However, it seemed like the horse had stopped grazing and was waiting. Waiting for what? She took a step closer and then realized its eyes were closed. Was it actually sleeping? Perhaps she’d be able to get close enough to it without it bolting.

The Eypharian crept forwards and gently pushed the tall grasses out of the way as she moved. It still hadn’t seen her even as she stepped out onto the green meadow. Now if she could somehow get on top of it… What she did next was rather reckless. The last few paces she turned into a run and she leapt onto the horse with her first leg only barely making it over. Yet the momentum from the run made it so she had to grab the horse with as many hands as she could to prevent her from falling off the other side. Her high arms reached around to grab the horse’s neck and her mid and lows grabbed any other part of the horse to keep her steady.

by **Beodan Clathony** on July 6th, 2015, 7:45 pm

Endless fields of alfalfa, clover, and sweet grass. And all for me! Dan bent down on his hands and knees and took a bite, then spat it out in disgust. His dream persona suddenly realised that he was in his human form, and could not properly enjoy this bounty of good eats. He tried to shift back, but found he was unable to. A sense of dread washed over him, he felt as if there was a gaping hole where his other half used to be. He fell to the ground in despair, hugging himself, trying to hold his sense of self together.

As fortune would have it, Dan was roused from his recurring nightmare by as sudden pressure on his back. His eyes shot open with a great snort objection and fear, his ears pricking forward. A foreign smell blasted into his now alert nose, a human-like scent saturated with adrenaline, standing out like a tree in the desert against the sweet smells of grazed grass. Then many things grasped him around his neck, and twisted into the hair on his flank. A thought of protest entered his mind in an instant. How dare this two legged thing invade his sanctuary, and his rest, no matter how restless it actually was! Before he could scold himself for letting his guard down, the thing’s momentum kicked in, now attached to his body.

Stumbling a few times, hooves scratching the grass and exposing the dirt underneath a green carpeting. The moment he regained his balance, Dan started to canter towards the opposite end of the clearing in an instinctual reaction. There was hardly enough room to travel full tilt for more than a moment, so it would have to do. But the weight on his back hand not subsided, and in fact, it seemed the thing had had time to adjust its grip. Another snort escaped him, but slightly more resigned this time, sounding much like a man that had been served the wrong meal on an already rotten day, if that man had been a horse.

There was a lack of the pain that would accompany a predator attack, so he thought a little about his situation. Maybe the thing was just in awe about his luxurious coat that none of those enslaved horses in the castle could ever hope to boast. But then why was it riding him instead of just staring. Many questions, and he would get no answers just standing there. He turned his head to the side, allowing an eye to peer at the intruder. The first think he noticed was the woman’s face, framed by long brown hair much darker than his own. Little stars were trapped in metal attached to her person, glinting in the sunlight. This human was strange, most people had only two arms. He knew he did at least. But six, now that was something. No longer in fight or flight mode, he let out a low neigh that could be easily interpreted as a ‘what are you? Who are you? What do you want?’

by **Sayana** on July 6th, 2015, 9:12 pm

As Sayana tried to regain her balance on top of the horse, it also seemed to stumble a bit underneath her to keep its own balance. She was practically flat on her stomach on top of the mount. After a moment she was just starting to feel secure and was about to sit up when the horse began to move. She took her hands quickly away from its front legs and instead tightened her hold on its neck while squeezing her knees on its body. She was careful not to choke the animal even as she brought her mid arms around the horse’s neck too, but she managed to get a faceful of ‘mane’ and she clung on for dear life.

As the horse sped up into a canter she was sure she was going to get thrown somehow. “Wo woah, easy boy,” Sayana attempted to sooth it as she patted its neck with a free low hand. “Or at least I think you’re a boy.” The canter was a jostling ride but the horse managed to slow down eventually. Though whether it was due to her calming words or just that the meadow wasn’t all that large, she couldn’t tell.

The horse gave an annoyed snort and Sayana carried on with some gentle strokes. “There we go, that’s not so bad,” she spoke soothingly. She was very glad that it had decided to slow down. Without reins or, well, anything she had no idea how to control it. At last it seemed to stop and look strangely up at her. She frowned for a moment but since it didn’t seem so skittish anymore, she straightened up in her seat. Or lack thereof. Her heels attempted to find stirrups where none existed and she found it harder to feel secure on the horse with neither a saddle horn nor reins to hold onto.

When the horse gave a loud neigh Sayana laughed. “Yes, you’re a good boy. Well trained, even without a saddle. I wonder who your master is.” She looked around the fields and certainly didn’t spot anyone attempting to retrieve the mount. “Maybe we might go for a ride, just the two of us, before I find a knight willing to take you home.” The Eypharian entwined the fingers of one of her high hands into the horse’s mane thinking that she might be able to hold on better that way. Then she gave a gentle squeeze of her knees to go forwards, hoping that it really was as well trained as she had said it was. With one of her mid hands she gave a stroke of its neck and was also ready to bend down quickly to grab its neck again if it decided to bolt.

by **Beodan Clathony** on July 6th, 2015, 11:31 pm

The woman’s voice was soft and cool, serving to further relax him to the idea that someone was riding him. Dan was not in a position to be engaging in conversation, or at least not one that could be readily understood, but he answered her words with grunts and snorts, with rare pleased grunts when she paid him a compliment, a proud creature he was. He was deeply considering shifting back into a human form so that the pair of mammals could interact more easily when the woman squeezed his torso: the command to move! He hesitated for a moment. He did not know this woman. He did not know many people at all. Flicking his tail to ward off a fly, he decided to indulge the person who had patted him with touch and pleasant words. He set off at a walk, slowly making his way to the matted grasses that were the path back to the road.

The Six-handed-one seemed to have found better places for her many appendages, not that he minded over much. Dan was tough, as most horses are in comparison to humans, and she was barely a pressure on his back, enough to register presence but not a burden. He was slightly chagrined that he would not be able to spend the rest of his day as planned in the meadow, but there was something in him that craved a rider. Someone to share experiences with, that would lead him to places unknown. He gently nodded his head to empty his thoughts. The air seemed to thrum with summer’s touch, insects sang out to each other, the low buzz becoming background to their ride. The sun was high in the sky, and he wondered if she was comfortable in the heat and riding on his bare back. The slave horses usually wore padding for the rider. He had a saddle, but he could not put it on, and, until today, had no need to restrict himself in such a way.

Swiftly the pair reached the edge of the road, and the Horse Kelvic slowed, coming to a stop with his front hooves resting on developed ground, his back still lingering among the grass. He did not know which way the lady was inclined to go. He should have asked earlier, and he had thought he was doing such a good job too. With as much thought as it takes to move one’s finger, horse became man in a cascade of light. Still standing tall, with the woman’s hand now tangled in messy brown hair, Dan said meekly, “I do not know the way, Six-armed-one,” his eyes at the ground.

by **Sayana** on July 7th, 2015, 2:58 pm

When the sleek brown horse beneath her began to move at her cue, Sayana was positively delighted. “Well look at that, you are well trained.” The horse’s pace was slow, and for that she was thankful for. Her legs dangled a little awkwardly but she was comfortable enough. The stallion seemed to go back to the trail in the high grasses she had been following and she certainly didn’t object. In fact, she attempted to more decisively steer the horse by using her mid arms to guide its neck and head to face the direction of the path. Perhaps it was sloppy riding, but it was all she could think of at the moment.

“Oh this is great fun,” Sayana said mostly to herself as they waded through the tall grass. She was feeling more comfortable and could look around and enjoy the countryside from her elevated height. However, she wasn’t entirely sure what she’d do with the horse after a bit of riding. She didn’t have rope or a harness. She didn’t know who the horse’s owner was. Her best bet was probably to ride him back to the stables in Syliras and if she was lucky she might run across a knight along the way. Still, she wasn’t ready to cut her day short.

The Eypharian smiled as they reached the road once more. “You’re awfully smart too,” Sayana added with a fond pat. She had hardly needed to guide him through the grass. Her mount then stopped with his two front legs just barely on the road. “Oh? We’re stopping?” And then she felt the strangest sensation accompanied by a brilliant sparkle of light.

The firm body of the horse beneath her seemed to give way and almost rotate out from under her. Even as she landed roughly on her feet, the horse’s main seemed to rise upwards (unless it just felt that way because she was falling) and as she blinked she saw that she now gripped the tangled brown hair of a man. “Oh!” Was all she could say for a few moments as her eyes took in the nude man before her. Fortunately she had met a couple of kelvics only a few days prior and was probably a lot less shocked than she could have been but it still took her a chime or two to respond.

“That’s why it was such an easy and delightful ride,” Sayana exclaimed as she placed a soft kiss upon his shoulder blade and loosened her grip on his hair. “I thought you were a stray, or lost somehow. I, um, didn’t mean to disturb your rest.” She felt a little guilty at her reckless approach, but it seemed like he had taken it in stride.

She released him completely so that she could move in front of the kelvic and actually look at him while she spoke. “I think we should go explore the fields, maybe even reach the Avitar River. We could also go to the woods, but sometimes the things that lurk there give me the creeps. Out here you can see for miles.” There was a sense of adventure in her smile. She loved the freedom and being able to ride as fast as she could.

“My name is Sayana. What might I call you?” She asked as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and caressed the length of his arm.

by **Beodan Clathony** on July 7th, 2015, 5:30 pm

Beodan cocked his head at the woman’s ‘Oh’ of surprise. Perhaps he had gotten the language wrong? No no, she had been talking in common earlier too. Puzzled he just waited silently for her to react further. He wiggled his toes absentmindedly in the warm grass at his feet as he felt her grip loosen from his hair. Soft lips pressed against his shoulder blade, and he shied away slightly, never really having been in a situation of even minor affection. His mild discomfort was forgotten when she apologised for interrupting his midday nap and for any flowers she may have stepped on. Well, at least that is how he interpreted it.

“It is alright, Six-armed-one. My sleep was not very restful anyway, I was glad for the awakening,” Dan said with a small smile that did not reach his dark eyes. The woman walked around him, and he was able to get his first proper look at her without craning his head. A curvaceous figure with strong legs, as he would have figured she would need to house the large number of arms. They all moved with purpose, with control he could not imagine possessing, in a two armed body as he was. He was going drive himself crazy thinking about it, best not to.

Nodding his understanding of her directions, Dan turned his head to the South as she spoke, thinking of the river a bit over the horizon. He figured the grass on the other side of the would be better to ride in, only coming up to his knees in horse form. The woman might be able to see the coast from his back as well. That was the way he would go.

“My name is Sayana. What might I call you?” the woman, now etched in his mind as Sayana, asked. She reached out and touched his shoulder, slowly and softly bringing it down his arm, which sent an involuntary shiver across his body emanating from her hand, and subsiding just as quickly. It felt nice, he liked the attention she was paying him.

Realising she had asked him a question, he found her eyes with a start and replied, “My name is Beodan, but call me Dan, if it pleases you, Say-a-na.” He rolled her name on his tongue, as if tasting a new food. “I will take you through the fields across the road. If you do not mind speed, I would like to stretch my legs,” he said, his head tilting to the left.

OOCMaybe more conversation if you want?

“Ready?” he said excitedly, eager to share a run with someone.

by **Sayana** on July 7th, 2015, 8:37 pm

She was glad that she hadn’t bothered him by disturbing his sleep. He seemed to be a nice sort of fellow. Soft spoken and willing to follow her lead. She smiled at his response to her touch and listened as he introduced himself.

“Dan, Beodan. That’s a nice name.” Sayana commented. “Well I’m up for some riding. And some fast riding too.” She added with a chuckle as she took his hand in one of her highs. “We’ll see how well I last without a saddle though. This is my first time without one.” Even with her excited tone, there was just a hint of nervousness. Still, she tried to conceal it with enthusiasm in her voice.

“Mind if I climb up onto you before you change?” Sayana asked hoping that she could avoid another reckless leap this way. Hardly waiting for an answer, she clambered onto his back. Her mid arms holding him at his shoulders, her legs wrapped around his waist, her lows about his chest and her highs resting lightly upon his head to keep herself balanced.

“Ready Dan,” she replied brightly hoping that the kelvic transformation would find herself seated upon the beautiful brown stallion. She was eager to explore the fields, feel the wind at her face and move gently with his body as he ran. She started to wonder what it might be like to own a horse, or to have a close kelvic friend who was one. At the moment she was simply enjoying the present and the fun they would get up to but it was curious to think that they might do more riding like this if they got to know each other.

OOC :

by **Beodan Clathony** on July 7th, 2015, 9:17 pm

“I am sorry, I left my saddle at my..er..home. But I am sure you will do just fine, Sayana” Dan apologised. He would take it slower, and wait for her to prompt faster movement so that she would not get overwhelmed and fall off. His horse form naturally did not have many hand holds, besides the mane, but that was not rigid and would hurt if pulled out. “Just hold on tight!”

The Horse Kelvic answered her request with a nod, slightly bending his knees so that she could better mount him. His muscles tightened as her weight became supported by his own legs, letting out a grunt as he adjusted to the exertion. Brown legs wrapped around his waist, soft against his skin. Then three sets of arms joined, circling his chest, grabbing his shoulders, and gently holding his head with slender fingers.

Once she had stopped shifting in place, Dan stood up to his full height of 6 feet, her body pressed tight against him. Effortlessly, the human man ceased to exist in a wash of bright light, a horse with a sleek brown coat taking his place. Sayana could no longer wrap her arms or legs around his body, and so now she lay along his back, as if sleeping on her stomach, her lower sets of arms dangling along his flank. Her face was pressed into his coarse, yet comfortable, hair. He no longer worked to hold her up, two additional legs and a much larger body helped to carry his load.

Waiting for Sayana to get into a more comfortable riding position, he then set off at a trot across the road. He nickered, a low, rumbling sound that told of his joy. He felt at ease with this woman, alone with her and the sun that forged a steady path through the sky.

Closed Hold Your Horses! (Beodan)