Completed Who Art Thou?

[Dravite]

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She was glorious, triumphant, and strong willed; Dravite could tell Pearl was the type of girl that didn't give up easily and that suited him just fine. "Congratulations," the man smiled from on top of his horse, moving the heel of his foot back against the stallion’s soft belly in order to get him to step backwards. Dravite clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth just as he had practiced with the Strider so many times before. Cree was stubborn, as usual, but finally gave in, taking a few steps backwards until he stood in the shade of a nearby tree. When Dravite dismounted he felt stiff and stretched, curling his arms up over top of his head to touch between his shoulder blades.

The horse lord took his water skins from the saddlebags they were attached to and went over to the lake to start filling them, though not before he took the time to slip out of his riding boots and roll the ends of his pants up. The thirsty water skins bubbled at the mouth as water spilled into their necks from the lake. "We'll have to boil this," Dravite said, "the lake is getting low, it's better to be safe."

After stocking up on water and filling all of the camps skins he piled the casks of water on top of one another and looked around them for any signs of life. It was heavy work and he could feel a slight strain in his arms and back. The Watch didn't portal the west side of the lake as heavily as they did the east and south rim, so the two of them had the shoreline to themselves. Dravite found a comfortable little patch of white sand to sit down on and closed his eyes, letting his mind go blank as he slipped into a meditative trance in order to draw a connection with the web and slip away to look through the area surrounding the lake. On short missions such as these he only wanted to know that they were safe and spotting none but a small herd of wild Kenash cattle that had wandered too far from the safety of the swamp city, Dravite abandoned the glowing blue strands of the web in favour of his physical form.
"It looks like we have this spot to ourselves," the man smiled and jumped to his feet quickly, dusting the sand from his hands.

Without saying another word, the horse lord suddenly began undressing; of course this was no new sight to Pearl's eye, but maybe the first in broad daylight. He folded his pants and placed them over his Strider's back along with his tooled, leather belt. The clay he had rubbed over his shoulders in order to protect his skin from the sun had dried and turned a light grey in colour and when he faced away from his new wife, the man almost looked as if he were a stone statue; still and unmoving for a few long ticks. Of course, Dravite did not want to completely turns his wife's cheeks bright pink and kept his loincloth securely fastened just below the sculpted dip if his hips.

The long tendrils of matted, wheat coloured hair tickled his skin between his shoulder blades, tied back from his face with a single leather strap, his back baring the wind-marks fashioned in the sloping arch of a lion's mane, while the front, a lot more detailed, symbolised his old pavilion, the god and goddesses he was devoted to, and the eyes and face of his Strider; set in the black ink that silently claimed, no longer a boy, but a man. For seven years Dravite had worn his marks with pride, first for the bond drawn with his Strider, then for his first big kill, and finally, the birth of his son. When the horse lord looked over his shoulder to see if his wife would join him, he smiled invitingly and stepped into the warm, summer's water.

Dravite pushed away from the edge of the sandy lake once his shoulders were submerged and kicked out into the deeper parts, just as he had done once or twice before. Bravely he tread water for a few long ticks before swimming back, frightened that he might lose his nerve in the deep. The mud washed away from his shoulders and his hair was soaked. “Come in!” the horse lord encouraged, “It’s really warm.”

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[Pearl]

Pearl took a moment to look around the area where they were now, taking in the beauty of the place. The trees were dense enough to afford them a small amount of privacy as they sat back from the sands off the shore line. Pearl slid her arrow out of the pigeon as Dravite began to fill up the water skins with water from the lake. She felt the blush rise up to her cheeks as she watched his muscles ripple with the effort. "Belkaia and I were talking about that earlier," she responded to his comment on needing to boil the water. Turning away, she went to return her arrow to the her saddle bags and pluck out the feathers of the pigeon so she could take them back to the pavilion with her.

The feathers were placed into the saddle bags as she plucked them from the bird. Knox craning his head back every so often to take a look at what she was doing. The bond she shared with her strider kept them close and Knox didn't mind when Pearl leaned in against him, her shoulder resting against his, as she finished plucking the feathers from the bird.

It was a quiet time shared between husband and wife, each of them doing their own thing. Pearl took pride in watching her husband as he stretched out on the sands near the waters edge, presumably working on his webbing. It was an art that Pearl had yet to discover and she tried to think of a good way to ask her husband to begin teaching her. She didn't want to burden him, more than she had already with his taking her as his second wife. Sometimes she still wondered why her father was insistent upon this binding for her. Dravite was a fair man, that was of no doubt. And she wasn't unhappy in the binding. Quite the contrary. It was simply still a lot to adjust to, for all of them, and she was doing her best to create as few ripples as possible in the family.

She was still leaning against Knox when Dravite stood up and began to undress. It was truth, she had seen him undress before, but watching him do so in daylight was amazing. The hint of blush still clung to Pearl's cheeks, but she didn't mind it so much at the moment; she was more focused upon watching her husband. The mud he had rubbed over his shoulders obscured part of the windmark upon his back, but she could still see the lower portion of the lion's mane, and smiled. Many a night she had lain awake next to him, looking over his sleeping form and studying the windmarks. She knew his now as well as she knew her own.

When Dravite called out to her, she blinked several times, her blush deepening. "Yes, of course," she answered as she turned and took her dagger from her saddle bags. A few steps carried her to a nearby tree and she laid both pigeon and dagger down on the bed of grass and began to undress herself. Boots were set aside neatly. When she slid off her pants, she folded them and laid them atop her boots just as neatly. She scratched a hand over the windmark upon her left calf and foot and smiled as she recalled the day she had gotten it in honor of Garrison being born.

Pearl was a bit more slow to remove her shirt, not having done so before Dravite lest it was in the darkness of the tent they all shared. Why she seemed so shy around him she hadn't been able to sort out in her mind just yet. She turned her back to him and slid the material off her shoulders before bringing it around front so she could fold it as well. The wind marks she had received after binding with Knox now easily seen as they wrapped from her right shoulder, down her rib cage and around her side and down her left abdomen, before disappearing into the leather wrap she wore as an undergarment. The shirt too, was laid to rest neatly with her other clothing.

Slowly, Pearl turned and faced Dravite while he soaked in the warm waters of the lake. She kept her undergarments on, though they revealed her curves and left little the imagination for her husband. She took up the pigeon and her dagger and began making her way to the waters edge. "Would you mind if I gave the dogs this pigeon?" she asked of him as her feet found the water of the lake and carried her in up to her hips, the ripples of the water lapping at her bare abdomen. The small bird wasn't much more than a bite and Dravite already had the turkey for their hunting kill and family food. As such, Pearl thought the dogs might like this small morsel as a treat for their work on the hunt this day.

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[Dravite]

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Pearl offered to feed the dogs and Dravite could see no harm in it. While the woman sat carving up the small morsels of raw pigeon to offer to Kavu and Meka, he swam around at the edge of the lake, venturing out every now and then only to tread water for a time before he lost his nerve or ran out of energy and was forced to turn back, reassured only when he felt the soft sand of the lake bed underfoot.

Dravite crawled up the edge of the lake and sank down on his belly against the sand with his shoulders submerged and arms folded in front of him to sit and admire his wife, who was presently being attacked by the desert dogs and their wayward tongues that always managed to lick right where one would prefer them not to; at the edge of the mouth or over the sensitive patch of skin just below the ear. Pearl's gleeful giggles were enchanting and Dravite couldn't help but smile each time Meka managed to sneak another good lashing with her tongue.

In the short time they had already spent together as husband and wife, Dravite had never really taken the opportunity to admire Pearl's wind-marks, though now that he saw them in all their glory, he had to admit he was rather impressed by the fine detail and intricate designs. His own markings were a lot less refined and more often than not on display for the entire world to see, while Pearl kept hers hidden away, especially the one she donned across her side from the shoulder down.

When Pearl was done feeding the dogs, Dravite had experienced enough time to contemplate the fact that he didn't really know his wife and had never asked about her history out of respect, and some selfish reasons too; if he knew too much about Nexus, he might start drawing comparisons between the way Pearl had experienced married life then and now. The horse lord knew he was not as outwardly affectionate as some women liked, but hopefully, in time, the two of them would find a happy medium; something that suited them both.

Dravite lifted himself from the water like a serpent ready to crawl up on the beach and take a swipe at its next meal, but instead of reaching for Pearl he merely drew close and pressed his lips to her bare shoulder. "It's been fun this morning, I’ve really enjoyed hunting with you," the wheat haired man signed the words for thank you and lay on his side to draw Pearl close so that her back fit snugly against his wet form.

He drew his burly fingers through her hair and loosened the straps keeping her braid in. For a few long ticks Dravite said nothing, content with the comfortable silence between them. The light breeze that rustled through the tall grass caused the skin to horripilate over his arms and thighs which saw a light shiver shake his limbs. With the tip of his finger he traced the shape of the mark that bound them on the left side of Pearl's neck and finally found the courage to speak, "tell me about you," he smiled, thinking then that it might be best if he shared something about himself to break the ice.

"I didn't grow up in Endrykas; my family lived on the Sea of Grass under the Blackwater banner until my father died. After that his second, Belhaur Windborne married my mother and renamed the pavilion. He had three or four wives in his time, many daughters and a son, though my mother had no more children. Belkaia was one of his daughters, the youngest actually; I had a soft spot for her sister but she was promised to another and Belkaia never forgave me pining over her older sister, Fara."

The horse lord stopped, he didn't know what he was trying to tell the woman, that true love had been his once upon a time only to be stripped away, not through death, but politics; the Blackwater name had no standing anymore and Dravite was the son of a dead Ankal, the last of his name with no political ties or influences that made him valuable. All his life he had grown up believing that he would never be in a position to make his own choices and do what he felt was best for the group; now, within the span of a season, he had started afresh and created the beginnings of something he hoped might prove them all wrong. "Where did you grow up?"

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[Pearl]

Meka and Kavu devoured the small pigeon in short time, but Pearl continued to enjoy the playfulness of the dogs. Often times she had to lift her chin high so that she didn’t get licked right in the mouth by one of them. They seemed to have the fastest reactions of any dogs she had ever seen and knew exactly where to lick and how quickly to dart in and back out. “Meka st…” words were cut off as Pearl had to turn her head and shut her mouth while stuffing the morsel of raw pigeon up towards Meka’s face to draw her attention away from her licking and focus it back upon her eating.

She enjoyed her time, playing with and feeding the animals, getting to know them better and gaining their trust as they took the offered food from her hand. Forming that bond with them was important to Pearl; they needed to know they could trust her so they would listen to her commands if ever she had to guide them without Dravite being near.

It was far from a full belly for the dogs, but they were content with their treat and once it was gone, they went to lay in the sun on the sands; Meka with her belly up and exposed, head lolling to one side lazily, Kavu with his haunches drawn up beneath him, looking relaxed, but in posture to spring into action if the need or threat arose.

Pearl shook her head a little and went to wash her hands in the waters of the lake before finding a nice place on the sands to settle onto herself, stretching out her legs before her and leaning back on her elbows, face turned up to the sun with her eyes closed. Her hair was left mostly loose this day with only a single braid holding it which now fell back from her head and shoulders reaching down so that tips bent and curled upon the sands behind her. A small, very contented sigh escaped.

When Dravite drew near and kissed her bare shoulder, she didn’t shy away from him, but rather waited to see what he would do next. Turning her head just a touch so she could look over her shoulder to him as he spoke, she smiled when he made the sign for thank you and lay upon his side. At first, when he drew her back in against him, she was a little stiff; soon she relaxed and leaned in against him. “I’ve enjoyed our day out, as well. It’s been nice,” she admitted shyly.

As he loosened her braid and drew his fingers through her hair, she relaxed a bit more, turning slightly so that she was rolled up onto one hip, legs curled to the side, and half facing him while she let him hold her weight. It was nice, hearing him talk of his background with her, for she knew little of the man she now called husband. She found it interesting that Belkaia had never forgiven Dravite for loving her older sister. What she saw of them now, was different, so she thought; perhaps Belkaia was better at hiding her disdain now.

When it was her turn to talk, she reached a hand towards Dravite’s chest and pressed the pad of her forefinger to his chest, tracing over the lines of his windmarks. It was easier to concentrate on her words when she was looking at the lines of his windmarks, rather than into his eyes. “I grew up in Endrykas. Father has worked for The Watch for as long as I can recall. He and Bayon practically side by side the entire time. We didn’t see much of him when we were younger, my brother Rave and I. But mother was always there. We knew father worked hard, and he was home for the important events. I’m the youngest.”

Pearl paused, not knowing how much to tell, or how much he already knew from his talks with her father, as they worked together in The Watch. “Rave and my mother, we lost them several seasons ago, in an accident when they were trying to get the wagon across the river,” Pearl whispered the last part before she got her emotions back under control. “It wasn’t long after that Nexus and I were bound. He and I had grown up together, though he was older. Everyone we knew says they knew we would be bound from the first time they saw us together gathering water from the lake. He was a member of The Watch too. He was out working with Bayon that spring, and was bit by a snake. The poison was spread through by the time they got him back to me for treatment, and I was younger, still learning. He passed that same night. Garrison was born the following fall. He never got to meet his father,” she explained. “Maybe that is why he takes so easily to you now. You are the only father he knows.”

The longer she talked, the easier it became to tell Dravite about herself. She had no desire to hide anything from her husband, but she also didn't want him to feel like she was pushing her past upon him, or like he had to compete with Nexus.

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[Dravite]

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Dravite smiled at Pearl’s mention of Garrison and how taken the boy seemed with his new family and the horse lord in particular. He had accepted Garrison with an ease that surprised even him and as the bells, days, and seasons passed them by he knew that things would feel more and more comfortable until it seemed as if the boy was forged of his own blood. Of course Dravite would never deny Garrison the honour of knowing his history, but he had been accepted as ‘son’ all the same and wanted him to take the Blackwater name. “Kyanite loves his brother,” the man told as if to cement what he felt, to tell without telling, that he himself had accept Garrison too.

“I wish you could have met my mother, Lazuli,” He smiled and found the point of his forefinger tracing the length of the woman’s arm, “She would have liked you; she was a healer too and had a very close bond with the Goddess, Caiyha,” he explained, “the balance of life throughout the grasslands was very important to her and she was just as likely to treat an injured wolf as she would any man, woman, or child.”

Dravite had been an only child, though he had never felt like one; surrounded by all the Windborne children both young and old. Lazuli had always made him feel special, as any mother would, but she also made sure that he was treated no differently than her new husband’s children. When Belhaur had taken over the pavilion it put his son and Dravite’s best friend in the front running for becoming Ankal one day; something Dravite had grown up to accept until the night that Belhatir had an argument with his father that saw him run away. Since that day in late spring, he hadn’t seen either of the men and Lazuli had died only a few days later.

“You’ll always be safe with me,” he promised, “Garrison too; Belkaia loves him and I know she is very fond of having you around.” That was about as deep as conversations with Dravite got; he was a kind man, but being too much of a soft-touch clashed with his methods in leadership and so he stilled, fell quiet and mulled for a while.

For a chime he watched the dogs and listened to Pearl, his gaze then pointed down at her finger, watching it go over the black lines that seemed almost painted on in the shade of the tree. “That’s Semele,” he smiled as the point of her tapered finger found the curve of the goddesses hip, etched into the flesh, “my Strider’s nose,” Dravite explained as Pearl’s finger moved across his skin, “The eyes of Zulrav, roses for The First Witch, and a diving raven for my old pavilion; Windborne.”

The story of his own wind marks caused Dravite to ponder Pearl’s, “What is this one,” he touched her forearm where the most detailed of her markings resided, though it was the larger markings on her side that drew his eye.

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[Pearl]

When he mentioned his mother Lazuli, Pearl was touched that he thought she would have liked her. Pearl hadn’t had too many opportunities to treat the animals of the wild, but she’d some experience with treating the horses and dogs when they’d been injured and brought back home. Actually, she’d found them to be much more appreciative patients than some of the Drykas men and women she had treated. “I would have liked her too,” Pearl added quietly when Dravite finished speaking of Lazuli.

His proclamation of her and Garrison’s safety with him caused a lump of emotion to crowd in Pearl’s throat. So much she wanted to say, but the words simply were not allowed to pass and be put to voice. It wasn’t often that he afforded her a glimpse of this side of him and she was thankful for it. Leaning in and foregoing the words that evaded her, she pressed a gentle kiss to his temple before withdrawing and tucking her chin back in close to her chest; eyes focusing back upon the lines of his windmarks.

She enjoyed the story he shared, explaining his windmarks to her finger traced along. The marks were familiar to her, and it was nice to have the meanings that went along with them. “This one is in memory of those that I’ve lost,” she began to explain when he questioned her of the windmarks upon her left forearm, “the two colours representing the life and death, showing how each touches the other over and over again.” Her voice lowered as she spoke, “three parts, for the three that are now gone, Willow, Rave and Nexus.” When next she spoke, her words were scarcely more than a whisper, “I hope I don’t have to add to it any time soon.”

The rustle and chirping of the poults in the saddlebags drew her attention away from her husband for a tick. “Do you think they’re alright? Should we get them out let them get a drink?” she asked. Though she was comfortable where she was, nestled up against her husband and was enjoying their time together as they got to know one another better, she knew they had bigger concerns; family at the pavilion as well as the animals depended on them to care for them and protect them, not simply while away their time with loving caresses and tender words beneath the shade of the trees.

Meka barked, as if the chirping was annoying her; perhaps she was just imagining another morsel of food being brought her way. The dog got up from her rest on the sands and stretched, shaking out each back leg as if to wake up the muscles. Kavu looked to Dravite with his ears perked forward as if to ask if it were time to be moving or could he continue to lay and be lazy for longer. Pearl chuckled thinking that the dogs had such open expressions. She envied them, in their willingness to trust and bond to humans as she too awaited instructions from her husband.


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[Dravite]

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So it was the dead who inspired the mark on the woman's arm; Dravite smiled, perhaps he too could find a way to honour Lazuli's memory with black ink. He had clearly forgotten about the young turkeys stuffed in the yvas bags and jumped to his feet to dust off and wring the water from his hair before attending to the birds. They were too frightened to drink from the lake so Dravite thought the best line of action was to get them home, purchase a small crate or cage of some kind and pen them up with a bowl of water and some feed. He helped Pearl to her feet and made sure he had left nothing behind before getting up onto his horse.

Their hunting trip had been rather successful and the Turkey would be enough to feed everyone tonight if he stopped to buy a few vegetables from the marketplace. "I've never cooked turkey before," Dravite admitted, "I suppose it's a bit like rabbit, maybe not as tough?" As they rode he seemed to be thinking about something, "you can help me; a cooking lesson might be fun?" The horse lord offered a toothy smile before pointing his stare to the horizon. He liked to make sure they were heading in the right direction and did this by looking for the sun and putting the lake at their backs which he knew was far northwest of home.

Due to the chicks they had to go slower than usual and it seemed both horses were disappointed by this, straining under the control of their riders, begging to go faster. Cree stomped his foot and Dravite decided a light trot wouldn't kill the birds. Meka and Kavu ran alongside, stopping every now and then to sniff at something their noses found interesting. Dravite scolded the animals, summoning them to keep up; he knew how important it was to keep on top of them and how quickly their training lapsed without proper reinforcement. Ahead! He signed to the dogs in Pavi and with tails tucked, they sidled up against the horse to move in their master's shadow before racing on ahead.

Once the two of them were back in Endrykas, they made a stop at the marketplace. Dravite purchased two onions, five ounces of green beans, and a small cage before returning to camp with Pearl and their takings for the day. Belkaia looked thankful to see them, "your boys are little terrors," she smiled, "they've both been playing in the mud all morning, just look at their feet!"

Dravite got down from his horse and stomped over to the boys slowly like a big, grassland bear; arms out, fingers curled like claws, "whose been stomping in my mud?" He growled and both of the boys giggled gleefully as he threw them up on his shoulders and slipped around in the mud they had been playing in. Kyanite's laughter was a delighted scream, while Garrison squeaked like a confused little cub. He set them down and kneeled, "your mother has a surprise for you," he whispered in a tone of voice even Pearl would hear from the other side of camp before looking over his shoulder to point at the woman, "go see what she has in the yvas bags."

The horse lord readied the cage, setting a bowl of water down inside of it for the chicks once Pearl was ready to stow them away carefully. He took the dead Turkey and saw Belkaia bite her lower lip, clearly excited about what they would be eating tonight, "hungry?" He beamed as he went by her.
The woman stopped him and smudged some dirt away from his cheek under her thumb before she let him go, "famished; I'll clean the boys up when they are done playing," she smiled and went to fuss over the three little chicks Pearl was showing to the boys."

Dravite washed his hands before setting up the fire pit and piling up some wood shavings to spark to life with his flint and steel. When the chip finally caught light he slowly added bigger pieces of wood until the fire was strong enough to take a log or two. He started prepping the turkey then while the fire was left to get going and as he pulled the feathers from the cold carcass he folded them in a tanned rabbit pelt so that they wouldn't fly away with the wind. His hunting knife was used to cut into the bird and slice out its innards which were feed to the dogs as reward for their efforts. Dravite spent some time carving the meat from the delicate turkey bones and set the flesh down in his cooking pan ready to go.

He was washing the blood from his hands by the time Pearl was able to join him and finally moved the cooking pan onto the fire pit. He watched the pink flesh slowly turn white. "Care to dice one of the onions for me?" He smiled and offered Pearl the recently cleaned hunting knife while he used his fingers to snap the stalks from the ends of the green beans. "I think I did this a bit backwards," he admitted, "I should have cooked the beans first because it looks like they will take a little longer than the meat, but I can boil them in the cooking pot while you add that onion to the pan."

LedgerOnions -1 GM
Green Beans -1 GM
Cage, Small -5 GM
Total = 7 GM

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[Pearl]

As she helped her husband clean up the area they had taken their rest in, she couldn’t help but to admire him, pausing to watch as he was careful in his caring for all of those around him, animals and family alike. She liked to think of her animals as family as well, though at times, they were raised to help sustain family; their contribution no less than their lives and not to be overlooked.

She smiled at the prospect of a cooking lesson. Her attentions, even when growing up, had never been on cooking and she found now that she wished she had spent more time with her mother learning that art. Even after her passing, it was Trail that did most of the cooking, if not all of it, while Pearl focused herself upon her mother’s profession, that of medicine. “I’ve never cooked much of anything, aside from boiling some water for a tea, and even sometimes that goes terribly wrong,” she chuckled. “I think I’d rather like a cooking lesson, thank you.”

Knox was in agreement with Cree and snorted his displeasure at having to hold back his gait, though it was Cree that seemed to be more adamant about the pace. Pearl signed to Dravite, after he got the dogs back on track for the ride home, admiration, affection. A hint of blush rose to her cheeks and she turned her head to focus herself upon the ride home, as well.

Pearl smiled her greeting to Belkaia and failed at holding back a giggle as the boys were attacked by Dravite the Grassland Bear for playing in his mud. She managed to sign, adorable, at whole incident before the spotlight was turned upon her for performance of producing the poults from the yvas bag. She held them close and kneeled down so the boys could see them. Kyanite and Garrison both in awe of the small feathered creatures and were petting and cooing at them. The poor chicks looked slightly traumatized. “They’ve spent several chimes in the bags and were jostled around a bit on the ride home,” she explained to Belkaia.
“Oh the poor dears,” Belkaia cooed as she chose the smallest of the three and held it close to her breast, leaving the other two for the boys.
“You should have seen Daddy chasing these little ones around after he speared our dinner.”
Both boys looked to Dravite and grinned before turning their attentions back to the small turkeys.
“Do you think you can carry them over to the cage Daddy got for them, so they can get something to drink?” she asked the boys, a glance given up to Belkaia, who nodded.
“Hold them like this,” Belkaia showed them, “close to your chest while you walk.”
Pearl passed over the chicks one at a time to each of the boys and kissed their heads, “Go with Momma and she’ll show you how to put them into the cage,” she spoke before signing to Belkaia, gratitude, appreciation.

The horses needed tending after their long day and Pearl set out to do just that. The yvas were removed from each and stowed away in the tack tent on the hooks along with their blankets. Supplies from the yvas bags were organized and placed back into their proper places, though she wasn’t certain how to clean and tend to Dravite’s spear, other than to clean it with a cloth and stand it next to the other weapons. The small pigeon feathers were sat on the table with several other like items so they could be easily found and used by all. She took up the brush and with long strokes over the striders, she cleaned them free of the dirt and dust of their adventure as best as she could. It was easier with Knox, as he was used to her administrates, but Cree didn’t fuss at her too terribly often other than the occasional flick of his tail so as to catch her across the side of the neck and arm leaving a small sting from the coarse hairs. She let them both off to graze after carrying up some water in the bucket and ensuring they were well watered.

The remainder of the water she carried over to Meka and Kavu and put out for them. Each of them received an affectionate pet and scratch to their head and ears. “Thank you,” she spoke to the dogs, then left them to drink and enjoy the innards they were receiving from her husband while she went to gather more water to wash with, figuring Belkaia would need more for the boys as well after their busy day of mud-stomping. Pearl washed her own face and hands and smoothed back her hair as best as she could before going to join Dravite at the fire.

Taking a seat on the log, she picked up the onion he suggested she dice for him and smiled as she began to peel away the papery skin to toss it into the fire. “So long as you do not expect perfection, I’ll give it a go,” she answered as she accepted the knife from him. Pearl worked with the knife and onion, seeming a bit clumsy with them, regardless of being able to use a surgical knife quite aptly. “This is so different,” she muttered as she did her best to dice the onion and place the pieces into a bowl she held on her lap. Some pieces were quite larger than others, due to the nature of an onion and she picked these up and tried to make them smaller without adding her own fingers into the mix. Soon she was smiling, “Hey, I think I’m getting the hang of this.” She looked to Dravite while he snapped the ends of the green beans. “Mother always did that too, Father simply cooked the whole thing and you just had to chew around the stems,” she offered with a hint of a giggle as she emptied the bowl of diced onions to the sizzling pan of turkey.


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[Dravite]

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He smiled at the mention of Trail's cooking methods; trust that man to cut corners. Dravite was soon done with the beans and the water in the second pot he had added to the fire pit was starting to boil. He dropped the green beans into the water and left them to simmer away, giving them a stir once or twice just to make sure they were bubbling away nicely. The turkey in the meantime had almost been forgotten and when Dravite realised that the pieces were just about cooked on one side, he turned them all over, thankful that they hadn't burned. "Once you add the onion to the pan with the meat, they should start to soften quickly."

Pearl was left in charge of the meal under Dravite's instruction; he explained that the turkey wasn't too far from being cook, but she should try not to stir it until the onion looked soft. With nothing left to strip off the bones, Dravite offered them to the dogs, which wolfed them down hurriedly, "Husband!" Belkaia scolded, "What are you doing! You can't feed them turkey bones, they could choke!"

Dravite looked at the dogs quizzically, he hadn't even thought about the possibility of them choking on the smaller bones. He watched them both until he was sure they would be all right before shrugging his shoulders, "I don't usually hunt birds, so I guess I didn't really think," he sighed.
"You must take better care of your animals; you didn't even remove the yvas bags when you got in, poor Pearl had to do it!" Belkaia growled at the man as if he were a child; and sometimes she wondered if he would ever grow up.
"Agreed," the horse lord nodded, "I'm sorry Pearl, I shouldn't have left those jobs to you," he smiled apologetically and handed her the jar of honey he kept close by whenever he was cooking, "add some honey to the turkey if you like, I better help Belkaia get these boys cleaned up."

The boys were extra excitable this afternoon, perhaps it was the surprise of the new animals or the fact that their father was bathing them, but both kept wriggling around like little monkeys. Dravite was no help and Belkaia had already told him off twice before the soap was in his hands, "you do it then!" She grumbled and joined Pearl for a catch up while Dravite was left to wash the boys.

He smirked and soaped them both up, watching their litter teeth chatter as they sat in the water. "It's warm!" He encouraged, having had the sun on it all day.
Garrison copied his brother, biting his teeth together, "coooold," he managed.
"Out!" Kyanite splashed, getting water all over Dravite.

The horse lord heard his wives laughing from behind him and turned back to eye them both, as if tempted to throw the water that was left in the bucket over them! "Just you watch that cooking!" He warned and took the boys out of the water to dry them.
Once they were dressed he carried them over to the fire pit and sat down, setting a warm blanket around the two of them to share, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm hungry!"

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[Dove Brown]

Your Grades!
Brought to you on the wings of a Dove!

Please remember to edit your grading request. If you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding your grade, please do not hesitate to send me a PM.

Name:Pearl
XP Award:

• Observation 5
• Socialisation 5
• Animal Husbandry 3
• Cosmetology 1
• Weapon: Crossbow 3
• Hunting 3
• Prayer 1
• Butchery 1
• Flirtation 3
• Riding: Horse 2
• Horsemanship 1
• Cleaning 1
• Cooking 1
• Wilderness Survival 1

Lore:

• Dravite: grew up in the Sea of Grass
• Dravite: energy mingles when we touch
• Cosmetology: putting long hair up
• Put long hair up to keep cool
• How to brace a crossbow
• Nocking a bolt first
• The sight of Dravite chasing turkey chicks
• Boil water for safety
• Plucking a bird for the feathers
• The story of Dravite's windmarks
• Lazuli: Dravite's mother
• Lazuli: a healer devoted to Caiyha
• Cooking: chopping onions

Loot: Subtract two crossbow bolts, lost in the grass
Notes: Thanks for already having noted them on your sheet


Name:Dravite
XP Award:

• Animal Husbandry 3
• Planning 1
• Singing 1
• Composition 1
• Horsemanship 1
• Land Navigation 1
• Webbing 1
• Teaching 2
• Hunting 1
• Weapon: Spear 1
• Stealth 1
• Swimming 2
• Flirtation 1
• Cooking 2
• Butchery 1
• Child care 1
• Wilderness Survival 1

Lore:

• Pearl: beautiful even when short on sleep
• Dogs stop when they see prey
• Birds don't flee when they have chicks to protect
• Turkeys: not very fast
• Boil water for safety
• Pearl: grew up in Endrykas
• The story of Pearl's windmarks
• Snap the ends off green beans before cooking
• Animal Husbandry: dogs can choke on turkey bones

Loot -7 GM for onions, green beans and a cage; +1 wild turkey carcass; +3 live wild turkey chicks
Notes: Thanks for having updated your sheet.

Notes: Lovely thread and fun to read. Enjoy your grades.