A New Friend

[Azmere]

44th of Summer, 494 AV

Azmere was running around the grass within earshot of his father’s pavilion. The sun was passing back and forth between the clouds which were moving especially fast for summer. The boy was carefree. He had finished his chores early and was given leave to chase the bugs, birds, shadows and breezes. Abednego was leaping happily alongside his playmate and nipping at the tops of the grass as it swatted against his muzzle. There was a great ease over the two. It was almost as if Zulrav was blessing the young duo because he knew, in his infinite wisdom, one day the fun would end.

The dog stopped and the boy tackled him. They rolled around but the dog was much stronger than the eight year old. He popped to his feet and shoved the boy down and stood over him. After a second, Abednego leaned down and licked the face of the child. This caused the Sea of Grass to erupt in bright laughter. Azmere reached up and grasped the loose skin that created a mane around the dog’s neck. The purpose of the extra fur and skin was a defense mechanism. If a predator tried to claw or bite Abednego’s neck, they would get meaningless matter and not the vital blood vessels that the attacks had been meant to strike. Azmere loved to ruffle and grab at this part of his dog. It was just plain fun.

Azmere sat up and crawled to his knees. He laughed so hard it gave him the hiccups while Abednego bombarded his small face with kisses. The boy’s black hair was becoming wet from the doggy slobber and his blue eyes twinkled reflecting the sun’s rays. Abednego seemed as joyful as the child for a long time but that suddenly changed. Azmere didn’t notice anything but Abednego went stiff. His ears got pinned back and a low rumble began to well deep in the animal’s chest. Azmere heard and felt the growl as it began to make its way into an audible warning. He dipped down below the grassline and scanned the area for what was setting the dog into mode de la protector. It didn’t take long to see the cause. Two striders walked up towards the knoll where the boy and his dog had been playing and they were accompanied by their colt.

Azmere, seeing the horses, rose and stood still for several moments just watching the family. The stallion was well aware of the human and the canine. He was also aware that there was no present danger to his mate or offspring. The mare nuzzled her young and then went about grazing. The colt also moved about eating at the tender grass close to the ground. Animals were not foolish. The tall grass took more energy to digest and contained less nourishment. The colt moved away from its parents a few yards and continued to eat.

The boy patted Abednego on his head and scratched behind the dog’s ears. He whispered some calming words and ended it with a line command his father used on all his dogs. Abednego sat down and let out a gruff or two but made no move towards the horses. Azmere took very slow and careful steps. He held his hands out to his sides as he made an arch that slowly drew him closer to the horse. He used the technique because he had seen his father and other men employ it to approach wild animals. The colt didn’t seem to mind so one step at a time, he drew inches closer. The stallion stomped once in the direction of Azmere to which Abednego stood up at attention and gave a deep bark of protest. Azmere looked to the animal and gave him a whispered command to be silent emphasized by a snap of his index finger and thumb. The dog gruffed again then sat back down.

Azmere relaxed and began to move towards the colt again who was continuing to graze and move about as if nothing was wrong. The two drew closer and closer together until a sharp breeze blew the clouds in front of the sun. Every creature in this little round froze and looked up. When the temperature dropped, the colt took a step back from Azmere. The boy reached his hand out right towards the young horse’s nose. At the very last instance, a warm breeze blew through the plain and broke up the clouds obscuring the sun. The warmth of its rays touched Azmere’s hand just as he made contact with the bridge of the colt’s nose.

A bolt of lightning ran through his body and Azmere felt himself smiling as the warm breeze wrapped around his face and neck. The colt hesitated as did the stallion but neither moved. Azmere allowed his hand to trace up towards the horse’s ears and his palm sat down behind his jaw. His coat was soft and warm. Azmere stared into the deep eyes of the animal. It was as if the pools went on into eternity and back. The colt was mostly white with several splashes of brown. Its tail was white but most of the brown was around its head and neck and its mane was a deep chocolate. There was a second splash of brown along the colt’s left inner back leg. Azmere stepped a bit closer and was now able to caress the beautiful creature with both hands. The colt lifted its face to the boy and bonked him in the chin. Azmere smiled and moved to stand next to the colt.

The animal tensed a bit. Azmere paused. He continued to pet and caress the horse while he carefully laced his fingers into the mane of the colt. The breeze stopped for a moment. Azmere took a deep breath and used his grip in the horse hair to hoist himself up on the colt’s body. He was astride the animal and using a mix of tight and loose grips he urged the horse forward. The colt was unsure about everything. It stepped side to side and trounced about some but soon began to give way to the guidance of the human. Abednego was on his feet again with his head cocked to the side. Azmere gave the dog a grin and used his knees to hold himself steady. He then nudged the horse with his heels and the pair took off across the grass. Azmere laughed and squealed with joy and the horse neighed in response. Zulrav blessed them with a cool breeze. They rode and rode and rode. The dog went home and the horses moved on. Azmere and his horse rode until both were out of breath. Atop a small hill, Azmere leaned down and hugged the animal. Panting, he whispered into his ear. “It’s you and me against the world, Hephiestian. ” Azmere sat up and looked at the sun as it flitted in and out of the clouds. “It’s you and me.”

[Azmere]

Azmere enjoyed the refreshing air and the young animal seemed eager to continue. The boy clutched at the silky hair that comprised the mane of this strider. In between his fingers, Azmere could almost feel the life of the horse. He gently pulled his hands to the left trying to communicate to the beast to turn left. The horse was stubborn and yanked his head back almost bashing Azmere in the face. The boy harrumphed and pulled to the left again only this time he used more force. The horse twisted his neck and stomped at the ground with his front hooves but did not turn. Azmere was feeling frustrated and nearly kicked at the horse’s sides but another gust of wind caught him. He sat still for a moment and allowed Zulrav’s breath to calm him. Azmere lifted his hands out and stretched them into the breeze. He smiled and whispered a prayer to Zulrav. It was the lullaby his mother used to sing to him when he was small.

Remind me of how
The stars all fell down
Remind me of when
The grass sea was found, mm-mm-mm

Zulrav, mighty father who gave us the Strider
Semele, bless’d mother that held us inside her

Our lives, your honor
We walk with head high
Our lives, your treasure
Our foes, we defy, mm-mm-mm

Zulrav, mighty father who created The Run
Semele, bless’d mother provides til life’s won

I’ll walk in the light
With joy and with praise
I’ll fight off the dark
Til I see your face one more time

Now at peace, the young lad leaned down close to the horse’s ear and whispered to him. “Let’s do this together; go home… together.” Sitting upright on the creature's back, Azmere once more took hold of the mane and pulled gently to the left. He used his thin legs to squeeze the strider’s midsection to help urge Hephiestian to cooperate. As if by some divine presence, the animal adhered itself to the will of his rider and took several steps which lead them to face the direction from which they had come. Azmere was elated and rubbed Hephiestian’s neck with long smooth strokes that went with the coat. Once the duo was pointed towards home, Azmere squeezed his knees against Hephiestian. The strider started off in a light cantor and through the coaxing of Azmere’s grip reached an even gallop. They covered ground quickly and with the wind blowing against his face, the boy couldn’t help but let out a joyous laugh that echoed across the grasslands.

Scars are just stories that we wear. - Asmodeus

Textbox by Firenze

[Azmere]

The boy and his horse rode for a ways and found themselves riding through a strange piece of landscape. There were deep grooves in the earth as if the surface of Semele’s skin had split from the inside. The steam waving up and twisting into the wind was indication of the boiling water deep beneath the grass. Azmere had been here before but never on a horse. He tried to slow Hephiestian with minute tugs at the creature’s mane but this didn’t seem to work. Azmere sat up and pulled back harder which was returned by a decrease in pace until the horse was just trotting. Azmere’s eyes scanned the area in front and around their immediate position for dangers. He remembered being told by Asmodeus that animals rarely hung out around geysers. They might walk by on the way to a destination or in pursuit of food but they weren’t likely to make their homes close to the steaming rifts.

This was good because Azmere was not equipped to deal with any threats other than riding away. He was only a novice with his bow and had never fired from the back of a horse (not that he had his bow or arrows with him today). The boy simply clutched the silky strands of hair and steered his new friend gently along the path that his eyes had formed. Traversing back and forth and occasionally going a bit backwards, the horse took the boy’s lead and followed the slow path but at least it was safe. Azmere’s eyes twinkled as they watched the steam catch the sun’s rays and cast tiny flickering rainbows about the area. It was almost distracting.

A sudden rumble caused Azmere and Hephiestian to turn their heads to the south. A low whistle seemed to be coming from a gash in the earth where the steam was starting to billow. Azmere pulled back on the mane and squeezed his legs for several seconds. Hephiestian stopped and they stood for a moment to watch what was happening in nature. The whistle and rumble grew in unison until the steam was replaced by an explosion of water shooting way up into the sky. It was a blast of hundreds of gallons of scolding water that lasted for almost an entire chime. Azmere’s mouth dropped into a smile of awe. He lifted his arms out to his sides as the mist fell down from the heavens. It was cool and refreshing on his skin. The light of the sun spun wondrous colors from the outburst making a display so lovely that Azmere wished he had a way to capture the sight. Certainly he would have to tell his grandfather about this.

Scars are just stories that we wear. - Asmodeus

Textbox by Firenze

[Azmere]

Once the geyser had eliminated all of the pressure, the scene went back to ordinary. Azmere sat atop Hephiestian for a moment longer and the two simply allowed the sun wot warm them. A stern breeze rose up, fueled by the summer drafts, and blew against Azmere’s back. He grinned and grabbed a firm hold of the strider’s mane. He turned then back towards home and dropped his heels against the young stallion’s flanks. Hephiestian responded by rotating in the direction he was directed and then took off at a fast trot.

It was a bit sudden and jarred Azmere nearly taking him off the animal’s back. His reflexes kicked in and he squeezed his legs against the creature with his feet falling in the point of hip which prevented him from sliding off of Hephiestian’s back. Azmere regained himself and scooted forward a bit. The grin was replaced by a stern look of concentration as the new rider found ways to balance and position himself. The best was to hold his legs in a consistent squeeze that allowed his rump to have some space. This not only made his ride feel more secure but it also kept his butt from hurting every time the horse hurdled an obstacle. It was an amazing feeling of freedom and joy mixed with a resolve to learn and an instant connection of gratitude and affection for the beast.

Azmere directed them safely through the sketchy area and out onto the open fields of tall grass. They rode hard as Azmere pushed Hephiestian to ride faster and there were some times when the boy and the horse both needed to catch their breath. Azmere would pull back and slow his new friend into a light trot or even a brisk walk. This went back and forth several times and when they finally reached the pavilion, Azmere was exhausted. Hephiestian seemed like he could do with a long rest himself. After the commotion and excitement, Azmere was shown where to keep his strider and how to care for him in a condensed version. Azmere’s mother teased him about how much getting your first windmark hurts while she made him dinner. Azmere ended up sleeping outside next to his companion that night and he talked about all of the things they wanted to accomplish and see in their lives.

Scars are just stories that we wear. - Asmodeus

Textbox by Firenze

[Tribal]

G R A D I N G

Azmere

Experience

• Running: 1
• Observation: 3
• Animal Husbandry: 1
• Horse, Riding: 4
• Singing: 1
• Horsemanship: 1

Lore

• Logic: It won't always be fun and games
• Animal Husbandry: How to approach wild horses
• A young Hephiestian
• Singing: A song for the gods
• Location: Cyphrus geysers
• Riding: Squeeze with your legs
• Riding: Finding the right balance
• Azmere: A new friend

Notes

Enjoy the rewards. I liked the detail here.