For one reason or another, the young Myrian's brash fearlessness was clearly met with poorly concealed concern. It didn't seem to trouble the young jungle-born though. She seemed merely content to sit atop the stallion with that stupid, satisfied grin on her face as she felt the rock of the moving animal beneath her. The sway of her body along with the horse's steps was oddly comforting. Still, there was that tightness in her fiery eyes that conveyed a deep concentration on her efforts. Hands gripped the handle fiercely so hard her knuckles dared to turn white. Every so often her feet would shift to stay where they belonged. Now and then she'd find herself beginning to slouch, but one glance at Waisana's proud, experienced posture and the Myrian was quick to mirror it once more. At least they hadn't needed to take many turns since they approached the edge of Endrykas.
While Waisana was busy musing over the savage's question, Kaie let one hand venture away from safety to gently pet the back of her stallion. It was soft, she discovered once more. Fuzzy was its short hair though she missed the preferred feeling of running her fingers through a tiger's fur. Nonetheless, horses had proven to be trusty animals of good nature. She couldn't help but wonder if perhaps she would've understood the barbarian people's choice in mounts had they had sharp teeth or claws in their hooves. "Home. Home is special place. Not like others. Different. A good different," the Myrian agreed and gave the horse one final pat before gripping the handle with both hands. She turned her head to lay eyes on the Drykas woman, only to find her trotting ahead. Kaie blinked twice, fiddled with instruction within her head, then gave the stallion a gentle tap to pick up the pace. The horse complied, moving quicker. Yet it took two more taps until they had reached an understanding, and the savage once more rode up beside Waisana with a nervous expression on her face.
"Make stop. Then faster. Save neck." Kaie nodded solemnly and took a deep breath. Her body adjusted skittishly atop the steed while the Drykas girl made her move. Despite the woman's smiling, the Myrian was only as confident as a girl riding for the first time could. She swallowed hard. Then came the tapping. Shyke! And the horse launched forward from a steady trot into a speedy gallop. The savage held on for dear life, body rocking with the quickness in the horse's rush. Off they went past Waisana and into the dreaded Sea of Grass, horse threading a hard beat with its hooves, and Myrian cursing violently while she tried to both hold on and recall the rules of riding. Finally she brought her legs forward and tensed her back, leaning back with the movement as if strength along could force the animal to do her bidding. What a mistake that was. With a neighing, the horses indeed stopped but rose up on its back legs, throwing its amateur riding from the saddle to tumble through the dirt.[/color]
"Goddess dammit," she spat into the tall, waving grasses just as her horse finally turned on its heels and stared dumbly at her. To add insult to her injury, it wasted no time wandering to a patch of vegetation to graze upon. Kaie shoved her way up to her feet, bronze hands coming up to brush off the dust and dirt that covered her arms and legs where she fell. She glanced back in search of the young Drykas girl, yet before she could focus on spotting her, she thought she heard the hiss of grass bending over some sort of larger weight...
While Waisana was busy musing over the savage's question, Kaie let one hand venture away from safety to gently pet the back of her stallion. It was soft, she discovered once more. Fuzzy was its short hair though she missed the preferred feeling of running her fingers through a tiger's fur. Nonetheless, horses had proven to be trusty animals of good nature. She couldn't help but wonder if perhaps she would've understood the barbarian people's choice in mounts had they had sharp teeth or claws in their hooves. "Home. Home is special place. Not like others. Different. A good different," the Myrian agreed and gave the horse one final pat before gripping the handle with both hands. She turned her head to lay eyes on the Drykas woman, only to find her trotting ahead. Kaie blinked twice, fiddled with instruction within her head, then gave the stallion a gentle tap to pick up the pace. The horse complied, moving quicker. Yet it took two more taps until they had reached an understanding, and the savage once more rode up beside Waisana with a nervous expression on her face.
"Make stop. Then faster. Save neck." Kaie nodded solemnly and took a deep breath. Her body adjusted skittishly atop the steed while the Drykas girl made her move. Despite the woman's smiling, the Myrian was only as confident as a girl riding for the first time could. She swallowed hard. Then came the tapping. Shyke! And the horse launched forward from a steady trot into a speedy gallop. The savage held on for dear life, body rocking with the quickness in the horse's rush. Off they went past Waisana and into the dreaded Sea of Grass, horse threading a hard beat with its hooves, and Myrian cursing violently while she tried to both hold on and recall the rules of riding. Finally she brought her legs forward and tensed her back, leaning back with the movement as if strength along could force the animal to do her bidding. What a mistake that was. With a neighing, the horses indeed stopped but rose up on its back legs, throwing its amateur riding from the saddle to tumble through the dirt.[/color]
"Goddess dammit," she spat into the tall, waving grasses just as her horse finally turned on its heels and stared dumbly at her. To add insult to her injury, it wasted no time wandering to a patch of vegetation to graze upon. Kaie shoved her way up to her feet, bronze hands coming up to brush off the dust and dirt that covered her arms and legs where she fell. She glanced back in search of the young Drykas girl, yet before she could focus on spotting her, she thought she heard the hiss of grass bending over some sort of larger weight...