Horses and Carrots(Tebridiar)

[Jarhal Treeshadow]

91st of Fall, 510AV

It had been a surprisingly busy last few days of Autumn, perhaps the most enjoyable he could remember. However, it had left tragic little time for his good friend Topher. As he walked to the stables housing Emerald clan striders, dressed as always in his sturdy green cloth and brown leather, he hoped that the horse would not be angry with him. Topher had a bit of a temper.

There was a small bit of land cleared for pasture, somehow untouched by a tent or pavilion, directly adjacent from the stable itself. Striders were let free to roam here, no gates or fences held them in. The Drykas and the Cyphrus Strider were brothers and sisters, and treated accordingly in everything. Which is why it pained him so greatly to have been neglecting his horse-brother for the last few days.

Topher was not a large strider, only about 14 hands, and he was not imposing. His lines were good for sustained speed over long distance, but at a simple race he would be simply unremarkable. The coloring of his mane was a mutlicolored light and dark that swirled together beautifully. The two back legs were solid black to the hock, and the black reached past the elbow on his front legs. The main coloring of his body was buckskin with a black dorsal stripe.

Jarhal came to the edge of the pasture and merely stood watching for a few moments, smiling perhaps the brightest he had in weeks. His usually darting and observant hawkish eyes seemed almost warm, unconcerned with being suspiciously watchful for once. Reaching under his cloak, he withdrew a carrot and waved it to catch the horse's eye.

The strider noticed immediately, and came over at an eager trot. Coming close, Topher began happily prancing and nosing the hunter. He never took his eyes off the carrot, though. Jarhal had found few things the horse loved more than a fresh carrot.

[Tebridiar]

Tebridiar hadn’t been her before, but she had been meaning to.

Autumn was nearly dead, it was much, much colder. This didn't put her off though.

She would finally get to spend time by herself with all the beautiful horses kept so lovingly by the people of Endrykas. She could even gallop around with them for a while, she hadn’t transformed into a horse since that night with Aleksi… it seemed a bit emotional.

She looked into the horse paddock. There was a man there already, feeding a horse.

“Wait…” She said to herself, sniffing. “Carrot!” She cried, barely able to conceal her glee. She hadn’t eaten carrot in ages. Tebridiar always loved them, so crunchy and nutritious. The grass was lovely and green her, it was making her feel hungry. But that man was there, so she couldn’t transform. She admired the horse that was presumably his, as he was feeding it. It was quite small, but a beautiful little animal. She’d need to get to know it later.

Tebridiar slowly edged closer to the man. He didn’t seem threatening, he looked quite peaceful standing there.

“Hello?” Tebridiar called to him, wondering if he would respond. “That’s a nice horse you have there.”

[Jarhal Treeshadow]

His eyes cut to her, his demeanor flashing instantly cold. An observant sort might also say he looked just a touch embarrassed, too. After a good impassive study of Tebridiar, he thawed somewhat to a more relaxed posture. A lot of Drykas didn't mind showing raw emotion, but he had never been so good at it. It was an embarrassing lapse when he did.

Topher, meanwhile, had taken the moment to nearly inhale the carrot with barely a sound. The horse had always been a sneaky sort, too smart for it's own good.

"Hello, and thank you. His name is Topher," He said as he wiped his hand on his green cloak, "And mine is Jarhal."

From somewhere beneath his cloak, he produced another carrot and offered it to her. Not precisely warm and friendly, but he was certainly not rude. Anyone who appreciated horses were welcome sort to him, and to all Drykas, in his reckoning. It wouldn't be very nice to scare off the young girl, anyhow.

"Go ahead, but I warn you he's a bit of a lady's man... horse. Whatever." He joked, directing a glance over to the Strider who, meanwhile, focused intensely on the next carrot.

[Tebridiar]

Tebridiar smiled.

“Thank you for being so open, Jarhal. My name is Tebridiar…” she sighed, lost in the beauty of this horse. “Topher is very happy to see you!” She said, patting him on the neck soothingly. He was relaxed, and content to stay with people. Probably because he was being fed, but that didn’t really matter.

“I miss being close to the horses. I used to be near them every single day, years ago. But everything changed.” She frowned sadly, reminiscing. She tried not to do that often, getting lost in her thoughts often leads to sadness. “However, things are looking up recently.”

She smiled at Jarhal. He must be a little weirded out, probably.

She tried to act a little more normally, but usually those efforts tended to fail. She didn’t usually tell people outright of her species, but she thought it would benefit Jarhal tight away to tell him, so he could understand why she seemed to fascinated with the horses.

“Sorry if I’m acting a little… strangely. Or intense. I’m a…” She hesitated for a moment. Then she decided it was for his own good. “I’m a Kelvic. And I can turn into a horse.”

[Jarhal Treeshadow]

An eyebrow rose, and he studied her twice as critically as before. However, he did not shy away. It was just surprising to meet such an intriguing race so randomly as that, and he supposed he might never have been the wiser should she have kept it to herself. A girl knowing horses so well was no oddity among the Drykas, but much rather a blessing. He wondered just what had 'changed' for her so recently.

"A horse kelvic, you say?" He repeated, a bit of a smile coming to his mouth, "You certainly found your way to the perfect place, then. None appreciate the horse more than we here in Cyphrus." He stated proudly as he looked back to Topher, rubbing the top of the nose with a smile.

"Did you run free in the wild, galloping around all sorts of places? What brought you to this place?" He asked her, still turned toward his horse. It wasn't meant to be an interrogation, but he was genuinely curious. As far as humans went, he considered himself more in-tune with nature than many... but to actually change into an animal and hunt on your own instincts and kill with your own fangs? He couldn't say it didn't sound like fun.

[Tebridiar]

Jarhal sounded very… inquisitive. Probably the person who was most curious about her so far. Kayiri didn’t ask many questions, and Aleksi just seemed to understand without needing words. Mind you, she wasn’t unhappy she could talk to someone about herself. It would provide her with some much needed closure… she seemed different nowadays. Less shy, more outgoing and confident.

“Yes, the Drykas are tied to their horses.” She smiled. “I really appreciate that.” But the next question? He thought she galloped, free, wild and untamed across great unending fields, travelling all the time. If only.

“Well, Jarhal… A long time ago, I was free to do whatever I wanted. I used to live on a farm, with my mother and father, and I could really just be a horse, basically. At that time I didn’t really care how I came across to people, even now I can be a little… distant. But then… everything changed.” She laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound. It was dull and unnatural. “Our owner, a kind little farmer, he died. His son sold us onto a man who kept us as slaves. The he sold my father, he was dying. Then my mother passed away. And I was with him for two years. I learned not to speak my mind, just to be numb. It was easier. He wanted to… bond with me. I refused him.” She shuddered.

“And eventually he took my here. On my first night, he tried… and I walloped him. I ran away, and a Drykas man saved me, I’ve lived with him ever since. I’ve met some amazing people here. I’ve learned to be confident in myself again.” Tebridiar lightened up again.

[Jarhal Treeshadow]

The hunter could only frown, rather disappointed in such a turn in the story. It would have been much more lifting to hear about an idyllic life frolicking in nature, but he supposed it was a doubtful. And from what he knew of Kelvic, they were not precisely the most independent of creatures.

"Well I'm glad my people can give you some joy, after so much time spent otherwise." He said gently enough, still looking over his horse and brushing off any idle dirt with his hand. "I'm curious, just what do you feel when you... change? Pain? Pleasure? Do you feel more yourself as a horse?"

He glanced over to her as he asked, moving on to being curious about the How's and the What's of it. Jarhal had always been interested in things, always seeking to figure out what he didn't immediately comprehend. It was not his intention to become personal with the woman(It was difficult to determine just what was 'personal' with a Kelvic), but he simply couldn't help himself.

[Tebridiar]

Tebridiar thought to herself.

“When I change, the world around me changes too, Jarhal. Everything is clearer, I feel closer to nature, its just wonderful. Its like your in a new body, a better one. Only problem is you can’t talk.” She giggled to herself. Being a horse felt so natural for her, it was hard to explain what it felt like to someone that didn’t know.

“Sorry if it’s a little vague… its hard to explain. I don’t usually run out of words, but describing that… there’s too few words that can sum it up. I’m sorry…” If only she could give him an insight, but it was hard.

“So, the Drykas… why is it they love their horses so much?”

[Jarhal Treeshadow]

It was a difficult to answer her question succinctly. It was a bit like someone asking him why he loved to hunt, it was just a part of him. He silently patted Topher while he thought it over, then faced the woman.

"I do not know." He said quite simply. "We help them, they help us, and over the ages we have become family. They're important to life as it is now on the Cyphrus, but who's to say we wouldn't have turned into domesticated city-folk without them? Tried to tame the land with iron swords and fire, building stone walls and living under thatch roofs?"

He merely shook his head. He was no historian, just a simple hunter from the Emerald clan.

"Personally, that's why I thank the striders so much. Without them, we'd be..." He considered a moment, before deciding on a choice of words, "Just human; Not Drykas. Does that answer your question, Miss Tebridiar?"

[Tebridiar]

Tebridiar nodded. She understood perfectly.

"The horse, its like an extension of you, isn't it? Like an extra limb... I've seen your kind with horses, you just... feel them. Like you know them and they know you. I've never found people like that before." Tebridiar appreciated the Drykas and their lifestyle. Without the horses, Drykas would hollow. Endrykas was never without the thunder of hooves fresh from the hunt, or the slow trot of a young boy and his first colt.

"I love it here, in Endrykas. Its just the perfect place for me." She sighed. The air was thick with the earthy smell of soil and grass and fabric. It was beautiful, it was unique. No city would ever be like it, hopefully it would last forever.

"Well, sorry I asked you that. Its about as hard as someone asking me what its like to be a horse!" She laughed, high and tinkling, like a set of little bells. Some things just weren't explainable.