PM to join Dominion Over Self [Kaitanu]

[Dravite]

16 Fall, 515 AV
6th Bell, Early Morning
Endrykas

Dravite traded the warmth of two hot bodies for the crisp morning air outside of the tent. He took his leathers down from the line and worked into the weathered pair of black pants, fastening his belt around his hips to keep them up. He glanced up at the sky; the fingers of dawn stretched out in an attempt to touch the fading moon where light pricked the horizon and caused the city to stir. Water was always his first priority, filling the skins and taking a long drink for himself to fight dehydration before he set to work, feeding the animals, picking out hooves, brushing out loose fur, and letting the dogs off to stretch their legs.

He pulled Vicious aside and set a rabbit down on the grass for her that devour. She crushed the animal's skull under her hoof before tearing away bits of meat and bone, using her fangs to do most of the work. Teeth like that still looked strange on a horse, but Dravite was slowly coming to appreciate how much easier the mare was to handle in a way. When she was hungry or restless, that was easy to deal with as she made her needs known; unlike other horses which were much harder to read, Vicious was an open book.

While the mare was distracted by her meal, Dravite took the opportunity to brush her hair and burn off two ticks with the tip of his dagger, which he had heated in the suffocating embers of the open fire pit. He picked her hair out of the brush and combed her mane and tail before fetching his yvas to fasten about her middle. The mare sucked in a defiant breath, making her chest bigger than it normally way, "I have more patience than you have breath," Dravite teased and poked the mare in the ribs playfully, "come on." He fastened the yvas when she was forced to breathe out and went to collect his weapons.

His Bec de Corbin and bow were hung from special loops on the yvas and he set his spear close by to take in hand when he was ready. Though the man was not sure if the sky threatened sun or rain, he lathered his shoulders with grey clay that was softened with water before rinsing his hands to go and wake Kaitanu.

In the five or six short days Kaitanu had spent with them, Dravite had never managed to catch the boy sleeping; perhaps, he thought to himself, the young Kelvic felt too far from the comforts of home to sleep, Kenash was a very wealthy city after all and compared to Endrykas, they might as well have been a world apart. "Kai," Dravite crouched down to lift the flap of the tent, "quiet, come, Dravite hunt, Kaitanu hunt."

He backed away from the tent to give the man some room and went to his horse. Vicious was the tallest of his horses, but not by much, she only had Cree beat by an inch or two at the shoulder. With spear in hand, the man had his horse back up, guiding her with his feet as most horses were trained in Endrykas. The Watchman then ordered his mount forwards and steered her out of the entrance onto the grassy street where they would waited to see if Kaitanu would choose to follow on foot or by hoof.

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[Kaitanu]

Through the flap of the tent, Dravite would have seen Kaitanu as he had every morning when he came to get him up. The kelvic was kneeling on his bedroll, back rigid, hands on his knees and head bowed. It might indeed have seemed that Kaitanu did not sleep, but the slave had found ways to catch some rest and still seem alert when called for. His horse-sharp hearing, even in this form, made it almost impossible to sneak up on him, even when he was asleep. The slightest change in ambient noise was enough to break through whatever dreams visited him at night. For a slave this brought an invaluable edge in the game of avoiding pain.

It was not the wealth of Kenash that kept the former slave from sleeping. He did not pine for the hard wooden slave-cots, or other less comfortable beds from his past which he could scarcely remember. Kaitanu simply could not afford to relax. So far, the past six days had been surprisingly free of physical torment, but that meant nothing. Any moment now he expected to be hauled off and beaten for some unknown slight or other. Worse, he feared being called forth to ‘perform’ for one or more of the Blackwater tribe, a thought which made him tremble at every footstep near his tent. Living in perpetual fear was the only life he had ever known, and six days’-worth of a strange new lifestyle was not going to cause his brain to re-wire itself. Likely he would always be on-guard to some extent, unable to fund the true peace of one born and raised free.

Dravite would probably be led to think that kelvics never relaxed at all, much less slept. Kaitanu was not just awake but dressed and ready for whatever the day presented. How he had put his clothing on without making any noise was more or less a “trade secret”. Slaves, kelvic or not, learned to do everything quickly and in silence. Kaitanu emerged from his tent and into the stillness before dawn as noiselessly as if he was light itself, in spite of the new boots he hadn’t yet broken in.

Stopping before Dravite, Kaitanu bowed, hands clasped before himself. “I hear and obey, my master.” The title escaped his lips unbidden, in spite of the Drykas’ previous attempts to have it dropped altogether. Calling him by his given name felt like a burning of the tongue to the kelvic, but he corrected himself almost at once. “I….I mean Dravite.”

Straightening up, Kaitanu felt again the tightening of his chest that accompanied a mistake. Would Dravite strike him this time, rather than just look impatient? Why did the man hold back? Kaitanu was still at a loss to understand his benefactor, though perhaps now he knew why Dravite had bought him a dagger. The greater question was why he should need the kelvic with him if he wasn’t in horse form? Clearly Dravite had a mount, and he hadn’t given permission for Kaitanu to shift, but did he expect the pale young man to hunt as well?

That thought was troubling on may levels. Kaitanu had never hunted other animals in his life. He had never accompanied his previous masters on a hunt in any capacity, human or even horse, not being the kind of large, fast steed they tended to prefer. He had been more suited to an ornament, or a personal slave. There was no fierceness in him, no spirit that hadn’t already been beaten into the dust. What Dravite expected him to contribute was anyone’s guess.

Not that Kaitanu would speak one word of his misgivings; he knew better than that. If Dravite expected him to know what he was doing out in the field the kelvic would have to fake it. How many times had he done just that? Too many to count. Still, Kaitanu was glad of the cloak that he now had wrapped about himself in the chill air. It kept him from shivering too badly and appearing as fearful as he felt. Other than his usually impassive facial expression he had gone a shade or two closer to grey, but that could just have been the Syna’s weak Autumn rays.

[Dravite]

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Dravite was observant if nothing else, he could guess the make of a man with a single glance; for Kaitanu, his faults lay in the dips of his shoulders, a downcast gaze, knees that stood too close to one another, and hands that were always busy and if not, out of sight. Slave that common word floated around in his head, a ship longing to dock with no harbour in sight, homeless and out of place. Obey, another word he had no translation for and so he set them aside to wander aimlessness and revisit from time to time in the still of the night, or moments in which he sat uninterrupted, when he found nothing else to busy his thoughts with.

When Dravite dropped his arm to offer the young man a hand up onto the horse, he couldn't help but feel it had been expected, but perhaps not as he intended; a strike from this distance would be about as effective as a man batting a persistent fly from in front of his face. If such torture was expected of him, the horse lord could only imagine what it might be like for Kaitanu to suffer with the too-close-for-comfort seating arrangement that would be necessary for them to share the horse and so, he steered Vicious back into camp and threw a leg over to slip down from her back.

Dravite crossed camp without looking at Kaitanu, not wanting to stress the young man out any more than it seemed he already had. When he returned he stood holding a second yvas in hand, "Kai," the man summoned, holding the yvas up to show him, "Yvas," he explained the only way he knew how, using the Pavi word, one he repeated slowly so that Kaitanu might be able to wrap his head around it, "hold," he smiled and set the detailed leather fastening in the man's hands. The watchman whistled low and held his hand up as Cree trotted out from under the lean-to on the left side of the pavilion’s main tent.

"Halt," he ordered and the large, buckskin stallion came to a sudden stop, shaking his black mane back and forth as if to greet them both. "Cree," Dravite told the man, "good, listen, Kaitanu ride," he waved the Kelvic over and showed him how to put the yvas on properly before giving the man a leg-up.

The man may have been able to shift into a horse, but Dravite had no trouble in coming to the conclusion that Kaitanu had probably never ridden a horse before. Once he was seated on Cree's back, Dravite closed his hand around the ankle of Kaitanu's new boot and shifted his foot forward, "here," he directed, "comfortable," Dravite raised his free hand and clicked his fingers together, signalling for the Kelvic to watch without moving as he drew his hand back along the horse's side to the softer part of the belly that made Cree flinch, "here," he pointed, "dangerous; keep Kaitanu foot here," he reiterated, closing a hand around the man's ankle again.

Content that Kaitanu was keeping up with the impromptu lesson, he closed a hand over the top of the yvas to point out where Kaitanu would need to hold on, "grip," Dravite encouraged, "horse gallop, Kaitanu hold here."

With the basics covered, Dravite clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and had Cree follow him around camp slowly to test how Kaitanu would do on the horse, leading the two around as if Cree was carrying one of his children, who in all fairness, probably rode better than the moon bleached boy. When he was confident that Kaitanu was capable of staying on the horse, he left to fetch Cree a bucket of water to drink before their trip out into the Sea of Grass and heard a familiar stirring coming from one of the other tents in camp.

Good morning, hurry, hunt, participate, he signed after realising it was Lian who was just waking up, or perhaps had been awake for some time while he lay in his bed, contemplating on joining the two of them, "Bison," Dravite spoke up, though he kept his tone low, mindful that the rest of the pavilion members were still sleeping, "need to dry meat for fall and teach the Kelvic our ways; hurry, fetch your things," the horse lord grinned, "or more action for me."
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[Lian Windrunner]

Lian had slept poorly, and he woke far earlier than he would have liked. The slightest sound woke him, his unconscious mind thinking that the twins were stirring and needed something, until he remembered that they were gone. Uneasy dreams about Lukar and Lira had made him restless. Some had been sweet dreams, memories of the past that filled him with a desperate longing that ached intensely. Others had been horrifying; dreams of Seirei raising his children to be foreigners. Worse, foreigners that hates both him and the Drykas...all out of spite, and because she could now that she was free.

Dawn found him staring at the ceiling of his tent, thinking of his children, and wishing they were here with him to greet the day. In the hope of distracting himself, he tried to think about the session he would have with Injal Roirim in two days time. It would be the last one needed to complete his windmarks. Injal was a good man, and skilled at his craft. But Lian would be happy when it was over and done with. He didn't feel complete without his windmarks, and he would feel much better once they were finished. The new design would be a mixture of his old design, which had been lost while he had been in the caves last summer, and a few new modifications. Images of the eyes and claws of the first grass bear he and Dravite had killed would be added, as would the claws of the zith he had killed in the caves last summer. Both were important kills to him, and Lian liked the idea of having their memory included in his windmarks. Likewise, his love of Webbing would be reflected through webs interspersed throughout his windmarks. The webs would be the only splash of color in an otherwise black design.

Lian had thought long and hard on the design for his new windmarks. That was part of the reason he had waited so long to get them done. Creating the design had involved more than one meeting with Injal to plan everything out, and get it drawn on paper to make sure Lian liked how it would look. The other reason was the loss of his twins. The ever present grief, and aching loneliness in his heart clouded his thoughts. There were days when he didn't want to do anything. Just getting out of his bedroll was a challenge on those days. It was hard for him to face life without Lukar and Lira, knowing that it was unlikely he would ever get the chance to do more than see them at a distance ever again.

But he had to face life with or without his children. The world wouldn't stay still just because he wished it would. And today, he had a hunt to look forward to. Hunting was always a good distraction for him. Troubled emotions and aching hearts had no place out in the Sea of Grass where a moment's distraction could get one killed. With that thought in mind, Lian got up, gathered the things he would need, and made his way out of his tent.

Dravite was waiting for him, telling him to hurry. Lian grinned. "Ready now." he signed, gesturing at the bow and quiver slung across his back. The mention of bison stirred his interest. He had never hunted the large creatures before, and he was looking forward to hunting them now. Bringing down even one would supply them with a good amount of meat, as well as a fine hide. Lian glanced at the kelvic curiously as he gave Talise a quick grooming before putting the yvas on her. Several yvas bags were already attached to the rings in case they were needed.

"We'll see who sees the most action." Lian said with bright eyes, and a wide grin that was as much a friendly challenge as it was anticipation for the hunt..
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[Kaitanu]

What was that exact difference in Dravite’s upbringing that would not allow him to be blind to Kaitanu’s plight? Perhaps it was his inexperience with slaves that left both eyes and mind open. When he looked at the pale slave there was a person standing there, rather than an object. A person felt pain; it had emotions, desires, fears. Dravite likely knew, or realized, more about Kaitanu than the horse kelvic did about himself. He certainly had a higher opinion of Kaitanu’s worth as an individual.

There could hardly be another slave more convinced of his own emptiness, or more mistrustful of Dravite’s behavior, than Kaitanu. He followed every word of the ankal’s instruction with absolute obedience, but not out of trust. He was still trying to figure out what sick game his new master had in store. Dravite may have been disappointed had he known his kindness was not so well-received as he would have hoped. On the other hand, the intuitive Drykas might have understood, and even been forgiving. Kaitanu had been in that frame of mind for so long that there were only two states he understood- pain, and the lack thereof. Very little gave him solace, much less real pleasure, but in that sense one could say it took little to content him. Dravite wasn’t touching him too often, nor had he struck out in anger. For Kaitanu, the resulting gratitude was closer to resignation than comfort. It was the wan thankfulness of quietude after a storm. Every day that passed without violence was an accomplishment for the slave who still thought of himself as such. It would be an even greater feat when he finally came to understand that Dravite had made him a free man.

From atop Cree’s back, Kaitanu watched the ankal- and everything around him -as though he was a wounded bird in a pit of snakes. Yet his stiff posture was not merely due to that constant watchfulness. Dravite’s silent guesses, like his observations, were quite correct. The pale kelvic looked as out of place on Cree’s back as a goat walking a tightrope. He definitely felt out of place. Everything about the situation was so off it seemed like a weird dream. Kaitanu gripped the yvas hard, though Cree was only walking about a little. The motion underneath him was so familiar, yet he wasn’t moving his body at all, except to try and hold himself in place. That uncanny sensation scared him, though he kept his usual mask of calm in place. Otherwise, Dravite might be displeased. Kaitanu was still expecting any minute the blow that never came.

Cree had dealt with inexperienced riders before, but this one would be a challenge. Already, the kelvic was holding too hard with his legs and feet, even when the horse beneath him was barely moving. Kaitanu looked like a nervous cat perched on a bull-dog. At least he understood Cree when the horse huffed at him to ease up a little. Otherwise he had about the worst seat of any rider Cree had either seen or borne. The horse snorted a bit and bent his head to drink. Hopefully this newcomer wouldn’t be so high-strung the entire time. He was like a taut bowstring, ready to either twang back into place or snap.

Both horse and ankal were more observant than the average onlooker. In his own way, Kaitanu was as well. Unlike Dravite, his silent assessments were oriented to self-preservation. When Lian appeared from inside his tent Kaitanu was already gauging the threat level in his stance and questioning looks. The kelvic did not dare meet his eyes, but Lian’s self-confidence spoke volumes. Such men tended to take whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted it. Kaitanu would have to be on his guard. Even though he was on the back of a tall horse, the kelvic did his best to look as small and inconspicuous as possible.

[Dravite]

"Well, as long as you don't fall off this time," Dravite teased, wondering how his friend felt now that he had recovered from his fall on the eleventh day of the season.

As always, Lian was up for a challenge and ready to get going, but Dravite wanted to make sure they wouldn't be slowed down too much by the Kelvic joining them; there was no guarantee that they would come across any bison on the plain, but if they did, Kaitanu would need to know how to stay on the horse. "Go," he explained to Kaitanu in common, "stop," he found the second important word the young Kelvic would need to master today; they weren't so much words Cree would understand, but with each Dravite showed the man how to position his feet or use his body to shift his weight about on the horse.

"Cree," he bid for the Strider's attention and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth before making a hand gesture that coaxed the horse to make another circle around his bonded Drykas, this time at a trot. "Kaitanu hold!" He tried not to laugh at the Kelvic who seemed to be taken off guard by the sudden movement and advance in his training, "back," he waved, asking the pale man to shift his weight, the further forward he leaned, the faster Cree would believe he had to travel. "Slow!" He called to the Strider in Pavi and the large Buckskin stallion gradually let up, returning to a slow walk; this was going to be a long day.

Dravite made sure his quiver was secured to his hip, latched tightly to his belt so that it wouldn't go anywhere while they were riding. He got up onto his mare's back and steered the Bloodbane out of camp, calling for Cree to follow and keep up. He hadn't thought to arm Kaitanu and stopped all of the sudden, offering his spear to man. The watchman showed Kaitanu how to hold the yvas and keep the spear in his strong arm, whichever he might use for writing.

Before they got on the road, Dravite bowed his head and offered a sidelong glance at Lian, smiling a cheeky little grin; he wanted to check the web before they headed out but he couldn't make such a thing obvious as their magic was top secret. As such, Dravite decided to make it look as if he were bowing his head in prayer, "father Zulrav, we ask that you watch over us on our hunt today and guide out arrows to their marks," he fell quiet then and closed his eyes, slipping away into the out of body trance that would take him miles from the pair in a matter of seconds.

Dravite raced through the web in search of any game he could find, closing in on certain pools of djed and following soft vibrations that came to him through the woven threads of the web. He crossed the path of a pair of wolves and further on a lame deer that they seemed to be trailing. It wasn't until he got close to the river and the main body of water near the fall grounds that he found the herd that certain members of The Watch had been talking about for the last few days. Bison, he witnessed before racing back to his physical form to open his eyes and glance up at the sky with a hand raised as if to say thank you.

Dravite knew that they were at the north gate and from there they needed to travel east towards the sun if they wanted to get to the river and follow it up towards the Zeis Lake. "The lake," Dravite spoke in common this time, "find hunt there." With that he gave Vicious a nudge that saw the mare jump forwards and skip away from the Wind-Knotted Gates excitedly, swishing her tail when she noticed Cree following close behind. It took a lot more effort to keep the mare traveling at a steady pace than it did to let her charge on ahead; he wanted Kaitanu to be able to keep up but after a few minutes of riding even Cree was beginning to get restless. Dravite slowed his mare and took back his weapon from Kaitanu, "hold tight," he pointed to the yvas and then gave the order for the horses to gallop
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[Lian Windrunner]

Lian wasn't sure what to make of Kaitanu. He knew that something was...wrong with him. Since he had come to the Blackwater pavilion, he'd noticed how obedient the man was. Unnaturally so. It was almost as if Kaitanu had no will of his own. No opinions. Or maybe he did have them, but was afraid to express them? In many ways, the man acted like one of the captives. One that had been treated especially badly by her master. Seirei had hated and feared him, but she had also defied him nearly every time he used her before he succeeded in getting her pregnant. It had annoyed him to no end at the time. But looking back now, he had to admit that she had been staying true to herself in the only way she could. Who was Kaitanu's "true self?" Did he himself know who that was? Lian wasn't sure that he did, and it made him uneasy. But he also felt vaguely protective of the other man.

Shortly before they got started, Dravite offered a brief prayer to Zulrav. Lian knew that while the prayer was genuine, it hid a second motive. His friend wanted to search the Web to give them an idea of where they might find their prey. Or if there were even any bison close enough to hunt. That belief was confirmed when Dravite told them that they would find their prey east of the city, near Zeis Lake.

They kept a steady pace for a while, and Lian knew it was for Kaitanu's sake. Out of habit, Lian nearly slipped into the Web to look for signs of danger. But he resisted the urge, knowing there was a foreigner among them. Instead, he used more traditional means. The birds and insects sang around them. Since they were undisturbed, Lian felt confident that there was nothing dangerous around to disturb them.

After a while, he saw how restless Vicious, and even Cree were becoming. Their moods were contagious, and Talise snorted restlessly as well. Dravite gave the order to gallop, and Talise refused to be left behind. With a surge of speed, she increased her pace to keep up with the others. Lian concentrated on her movements, shifting his body as needed to make carrying him easier for her. He leaned in against her to decrease the amount of wind resistance. And he gave himself to the sheer pleasure of the ride.

They had been riding for a while before Lian noticed the first physical sign that they were going in the right direction. The clear, heavy hoofprints and thick swath of trampled grass that were left behind by the passage of a bison. Since they were still a good way away from the lake, Lian guessed that the trail had been made by a straggler. Lian pointed his discovery out to the others. Then he grinned at Dravite, feeling the growing anticipation of the hunt.

As they drew nearer to the lake, Lian saw what they were looking for. A herd of bison in the distance. Some were drinking from the lake. Others were spread out, grazing. Lian waved in an attempt to get his friend's attention. Once he had, he would sign prey found, and point in the direction he had seen the bison.

"Over there." he said in heavily accented Common for Kaitanu's sake.

Then he turned back to Dravite.

Plan? he signed, repeating himself in Common so Kaitanu would know what he was asking as well..
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[Kaitanu]

How strange to think that a man like Lian, so unabashed in his use of a slave woman against her will, should feel protective of Kaitanu. Had the kelvic known of it he would have been confused beyond measure. He did not, of course, but Lian’s curious glances in his direction did not go unnoticed. Kaitanu knew little of the other Drykas, and that was frightening to him. It meant that he didn’t know what to expect of Lian, or what was expected of him in turn, and such lack of understanding always brought pain. If Lian had been the kind to take a slave man as he did Serei, he would have found this one unnervingly skilled and utterly compliant, but also quite dead in the eyes.

At present, those eyes were furtively glancing back and forth between Dravite and Lian, as though watching for signs of trouble. Kaitanu’s rigid posture and slightly downturned head did not even begin to display how truly frightened he was to be going on this expedition. To all outward appearances he would have seemed merely out of place, but his features bore that enforced calm that almost always attended him. Lately, however, Kaitanu’s mask was slipping, bit by bit. Against expectations, it was Dravite’s kindness that broke him down, even after the horrors he’d seen in his short life. Perhaps someday his mask would break and he would blossom like a rose, or else there would be nothing behind it but a slightly more complex version of his present grotesque parody of existence.

Either way, the change was already happening, though the kelvic didn’t know it himself. Fear of the unknown and a greater watchfulness was the initial result. Kaitanu was ready to please the two men as best he could, whatever that might mean, so he might avoid punishment. It was well that he rode on Cree, who knew what to do in his absence of ability. Another horse might wander off with him astride and not knowing how to get it back in line. It was eerie to feel the familiar motions of his kind and not to be making them himself.

Focusing on the two men helped him forget that strangeness a little. Kaitanu had noted before the piety of his new master toward whatever gods he worshipped. As Dravite paused briefly in his attitude of worship, the kelvic watched and listened for any familiar word. Learning of the Blackwater pavilion’s patron gods was important to pleasing Dravite. Personally, Kaitanu believed in no gods. In his experience, the divine did not exist. Men did their deeds under their own power, and the world was run on their greed and lust for power. He had seen no evidence to the contrary. However, the kelvic would fake any amount of belief in whatever god Dravite chose to worship, so long as it kept him out of trouble. With apparent conviction, he would say that their hunt, should it be successful, was due to the blessing of the gods. In his own head, he was following two men on their horses and trusting to chance for their next meal.

Neither Lian nor Dravite had cause to worry about him picking up on their webbing. Not a hint of such abilities had ever reached his keen ears, even among the people of Kenash, who spoke of the Drykas as a strange and even mystic people. For all the kelvic knew they were simply tuning into their earthly senses for signs of their prey. Kaitanu was doing his part by using his enhanced sight, hearing and smell to gauge what was going on around them. He was also trying very hard not to fall off of Cree, which was difficult considering his loose leg grip. Afraid as he was of doing wrong, Kaitanu was holding his feet out several inches from the stallion’s sides. Naturally, this made staying upright difficult, especially when the group suddenly sped off into the wind. Kaitanu barely had time to hand over Dravite’s weapons before he was nearly jolted out of his seat. Cree paid no attention to the pale man on his back and eagerly followed Dravite and Vicious, leaving Kaitanu to curl instinctively against his strong neck. There was no pleasure for him in the ride, though not a whimper or curse escaped his tightly-closed lips. Even if he had a mind for protesting every ounce of strength was taken with holding onto the yvas for dear life. Anyone watching Kaitanu cling awkwardly to Cree would have shaken their heads and thought him a poor excuse for a horseman. Most would not have known that, in his own way, he came closer to understanding their respective mounts than they did.

It was with utmost relief that Kaitanu felt Cree’s pace slacken after what seemed like an eternity. After an uncertain moment or two, he allowed his white-knuckled grip on the yvas to loosen, and sat up slowly, hesitantly, peering around at the landscape. There were heavy scents in the air here, familiar but unnamed. An image of something large and hoofed, with dark, heavy fur came to his mind as his eyes scanned the rolling, grassy hills. Just before Lian directed his gaze he’d found the large and lowing herd a way off near the lake. Vaguely Kaitanu recalled seeing these creatures while lost in the Sea of Grass. They spoke a language almost as wild and unknowable as the Drykas’ musical tongue. The horses around and under him were easily understood, however. They snuffed and softly whinnied with excitement among themselves. Like Lian, they wanted to know the plan.

Though he had no clue what was about to happen, Kaitanu was prepared to do whatever was asked of him. Sitting upright for the moment, he checked to make sure his dagger was still strapped to his belt. Any thought of using such a weapon was as far off as clouds in the clear autumn sky. He knew what such things were for but had never had one himself, much less put it to work. Against a creature as large as those filling the plains before them the idea was laughable. Then again, Kaitanu had never hunted before, so he could not say what was expected of him. Those clouds started to gather around the edges, turning dark. A growing panic assailed his mind, one which had simmered close to the surface since Dravite mentioned “hunting” the night before. Now, faced with the size and number of their targets Kaitanu felt his throat constricting. Would he be expected to gallop in and kill one of these hulking creatures with his tiny knife? That was a scenario set up for failure if ever he saw one. Kaitanu had prepared dead animals before, but had never killed one in his life.

Before his mind could run away with him, Kaitanu pushed away these frightening thoughts. To this end, Reason put in counter-arguments, reminding him that these men were experienced hunters, unlikely to send in a rank novice on his own, who would make a mess of the entire operation. Anyway, there was no use wasting energy on fear until he knew what he was to do, in which case his body would obey while his mind reacted. That had always been the way. To hesitate or show fear always made things worse. Cree had noticed his growing unease, and if he wasn’t careful, Dravite and Lian would as well. His mostly calm demeanor was the only one not touched by the anticipation felt by everyone else, in spite of the barely contained turmoil of his thoughts. Unless the two men with him were very observant, or knew what to look for, they would see nothing but the awkwardness of a first-time rider. The kelvic waited in silence for orders from Dravite or Lian, nervous but keeping worse emotions at bay. For now.

[Dravite]

When Lian pointed out the bison gathered near the lakeside and adjoining river, the group slowed to a stop, far enough from the herd animals that they did not cause the large group to stir or panic. His friend asked what the plan was and Dravite smiled, having hunted like this before but usually with a lot more riders. He looked around the small group he had and fell silent for a time, touching the pad of his thumb to the finger closest to the smallest as he lost himself in thought.

“We need to pick out something the two of us can take down near the back; not too big,” he reminded Lian, “As we have only three, maybe four horses to help carry it back,” he glanced at Kaitanu then who would struggle to understand anything he was saying, but if the Kelvic was willing to transform for them, Dravite could use his animal strength and speed.

“Kaitanu can shift and gallop ahead of the herd, when they scarper they will be likely to follow him out into the grass, or stubborn enough to try and cross the river at its deepest point,” he raised his spear to highlight the area the bison were gathered near the mouth of the lake. “If we manage to scare one into the water, we might have the upper hand, especially with our arrows,” he smiled; knowing Lian probably liked the sound of that.

Dravite took his sketching book from one of the yvas bags and turned to a fresh page, putting ink to paper where the others could see. He put down a letter for each of their names and circled them. For Kaitanu he drew a line to the far end of the herd, “Kaitanu change, horse run,” he explained to the man in the common tongue, “Lead herd around lake.”

“Lian,” he looked at his friend and sketched a quick line, “Attack herd from middle, try and break them up and scare the smaller ones at the end. I will attack them from the other side and together, hopefully we will be able to drive them into the water. You take first shot, whatever you hit with your arrows, we will target together. If the beast manages to make it to the other side of the river, one of us will need to swim across while the other shoots from horseback.”

He rubbed his Strider’s neck and smiled, “Cree is not a bad swimmer and I know he will happily run alongside Kaitanu. I guess we will find out how well Vicious does in water,” Dravite laughed, “and as you’re the better shot with an arrow, perhaps I should be the one to go?” Of course, they might manage to take the animal down before it got across the river, but it was better to over plan so that they might achieve the best result. “If Kaitanu can’t keep them distracted, they might turn back to try and defend their own so be careful and watch your back if I’m not by your side.”

Again Dravite looked at the bleach haired Kelvic, “Kaitanu lead herd away? Speak horse, Cree follow; Cree help Kelvic.” When he was sure the man understood, Dravite and Lian gave Kaitanu time to shift and get ahead of the herd before they raced on horseback towards the tail end, ready to corner a beast.

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[Lian Windrunner]

Lian eyed the bison thoughtfully as Dravite spoke. Although in most hunts Lian had been on, bigger was definitely better, Dravite had a very good point. These bison were far bigger than anything Lian had ever hunted before. Even the grass bear they had killed last season wasn't anywhere near this big. While they could request help bringing their kill back if they managed to bring a bison down that was too big for them to bring back by themselves, that would require one of them to enter the Web to do so. And with Kaitanu present, it was best if they limited the amount of time spent in the Web as much as possible. Besides...if they did bring someone out to help them butcher the kill and bring it back home, they would have to pay them for their aid. And explain to Kaitanu how their aid knew where they were and that they needed help. So in this case, targeting one of the smaller beasts was definitely the best option.

As Lian listened to the plan intently, he grinned and nodded. It was a good plan from what Lian could see. He wasn't sure if Kaitanu understood enough of what was being said to know what his part in the hunt would be. But if he did, Lian was certain that the plan would work. Divide and conquer was a good strategy. When he hunted deer on his own, he usually did the same thing when faced with a herd of deer. Target one, and try to drive it away from the rest of the herd. Split the herd up into smaller groups if possible to make it easier to isolate the deer he had chosen as his prey. A herd of deer was smaller than a bison herd both in sheer numbers, and in the size of the individual animals. But the principle of the strategy was the same.

When his own part in the plan was outlined, Lian nodded again. If he picked a target, and landed a shot, the bison around the newly injured beast should shy away from it. That would have the effect of splitting the herd up. And if he timed it just right, the stragglers would probably head for the lake. Hopefully.

"I can do that." he said with a confident grin.

The latter part of the plan was where Lian was less confident. But Dravite had an answer for that, as well. Talise was a wonderful strider, and Lian loved her more than anything other than his twins. But he knew her limitations. Beyond basic training, such as getting Talise to accept him riding her, Talise was untrained. Lian's rather limited skills at training animals of any kind just hadn't been up to the challenge of any but the most basic of training. It was something he hoped to change in the future as he learned more about training horses and other animals. But that wouldn't help him now.

In terms of this hunt, it meant that Lian had less than complete confidence that Talise would be of much use when it came to swimming across the river. Like most horses, Talise was very nervous when it came to walking if she couldn't see where she was putting her hooves. Lian had considerable doubts that he would be able to convince her to enter the river at all. Fortunately, it didn't look as though he would need to.

"Yes. If one of us needs to swim across the river, it should be you. Talise can swim if she has to, but convincing her to do it is a problem. She's likely to balk if asked to go where she can't see where she's putting her hooves." he admitted.

Lian nodded at his friend's word of caution. Bison might not be predators, but that didn't mean that they weren't dangerous if they decided to stand their ground and fight. After Kaitanu shifted and ran off to get into position ahead of the herd of bison, Lian requested a full gallop from Talise. As they raced towards the herd, Lian leaned forward against his strider's neck to cut down on his wind resistance. His eyes narrowed with fierce intent as he eyed the herd they were approaching at speed. His attention was split between shifting his weight as Talise moved so he wouldn't be a burden to her, and choosing his target. When they got close enough to the herd of bison, Lian drew his bow, and readied an arrow. Taking careful aim was difficult when Talise was in full gallop, and part of his attention was occupied with simply staying on. But he managed to do so with some effort. When he was ready, he released his arrow.

His aim had suffered since he and Talise were moving so quickly, but it almost didn't seem to matter. Even a "small" bison was large enough to be an easy target when it was standing still. Especially from this distance. So even though his aim wasn't true, the arrow still struck home, biting deep into the bison's side. And that was what mattered.

The bison bellowed in pain and fear. The bison that were closest to their wounded herd member bolted in all directions, fleeing whatever danger had presented itself. Other bison joined their fleeing companions. And while the bulk of the herd raced out further into the Sea of Grass, several, including the one Lian had shot, entered the water in their bid to escape the hunters.


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