Open Casual Challenge

[Khida]

Spring 8, 517 AV
late morning

Clouds veiled the sky above; pale clouds, set high in the reaches of the heavens. Not the kind of clouds that presaged rain in any of its forms. They helped to temper the heat, as well, which remained nearly as unseasonable as it had been for... altogether too long now. Nonetheless, the songbirds at least seemed to recognize that spring had arrived, as even now -- well into the day -- many of them chirped and warbled in the grasses, difficult to see but impossible not to hear.

Khida welcomed that joyous racket, while also paying it no conscious attention whatsoever. Dressed simply in vest and trousers, she directed Sephra out into the expanse between Amethyst and Sapphire tents, heading for the fringe of the city where traffic was light. The Strider ambled along, unhurried, while her rider studied the landscape ahead of them, assessing ridges and hollows, the scattered herds and their minders, the trails of bent grass that spoke of riders gone out into the wider reaches of the Sea. She wanted a large stretch with few disturbances, above all else...

...something not all that easily found just near Endrykas.

Khida directed her horse out somewhat further, now turning towards the south, now pausing, now moving farther west. They rambled hither and yon, pausing every couple chimes for the Kelvic to evaluate another swathe of terrain. Eventually, she settled upon an expanse of grass that she mostly liked; grass, and brush, and rolling hills, and shallow gullies with dry creekbeds at their bottoms, parched from the lack of mild rains. Most importantly, it was a stretch the city's herds had yet to trample through, and she saw little that suggested riders might return through the area within the next few bells.

Now she just needed Naiya to catch up so they could start. For, inevitably, their wife had needed to attend just one more thing about the camp, and sent Khida on ahead to choose their practice field. Which left her waiting, now.

Khida sat in her yvas for a short time, once again surveying the landscape. Then she huffed out a breath and dismounted, taking a moment to pat the horse in silent appreciation for her tolerance of all the stop-and-go wandering. The Kelvic removed her archery gear from the yvas and set it aside, then removed the tack, releasing the Strider to shake herself off and venture a few paces away to graze. Then the yvas gear went down and the archery equipment was brought back to hand -- the bow to be strung, with all the contortion its composite structure required; the quiver on her hip, glove and armguard on the appropriate limbs.

Even thoroughly checking the straightness of her bow after its stringing only passed another chime or two.

But Khida hadn't looked at her chosen terrain from ground-level, yet. That was something else she might do.

Bow in hand, she walked out to the edge of the nearest gully, gazing down its meandering length. The earth was soft here, the stream prone to wandering in serpentine fashion. Even with the sun well-risen into the sky, shadow clung to those irregularities in a way that made gauging distance difficult. Perhaps not the best place to start... but it would pose a challenge. And challenges... well.

Some words rang long in her ears, well after the voice actually speaking them had fallen silent.

Khida turned away from the gully, stepping back; she lifted her free hand to her eyes, shading them as she peered towards Endrykas. The city proper wasn't visible from her vantage of course; neither was a familiar profile atop a horse nearly as red-tinged as said person's hair.

No matter. She still had a first target to finalize, and cast about for other options. There had been some early purple flowers with yellow centers she'd seen a few yards off...

premiseThe name of the game is 'roving marks'. Participants get together and pick a noticeable feature in the landscape (a 'mark'); this could be a conspicuous flower, a bush, a rock, a lost scarf, etc. Everybody shoots for the chosen mark, closer is better. Afterwards, everyone retrieves their arrows and then reassembles at the site of the first mark. Then a second mark is chosen from there, etc; repeat until done.

To avoid the thread getting bogged down between shoots, I will have Khida do all selection of targets. Everyone else can focus on their archery and their networking! Also, I'm not going to designate 'winners' or otherwise arbitrate outcomes either of rounds or the thread as a whole, unless something happens to require it; this is 'just for fun'.

joiningAnybody who wants to 'just happen by' IC is welcome to jump in and participate, singly or with company. It's also feasible for acquaintances of Khida or Naiya to have been invited out, just square your story away with the person who'd be inviting, please!

Khida space Common | Pavi
other space Common | Pavi

[Turrin]

oocSorry about the two paragraphs of Turrin putting on a saddle. I working on my riding skill, so I kind of need do this boring stuff.

Bending down with his knees, Turrin grabbed the horn with his left hand and grabbed the back end with his right hand. He lifted the saddle onto the back of Muncher who was occupied with eating a nice clump of greenish brown grass. When the saddle was positioned on the back of the horse, Turrin started to tightening the large strap around the underbelly of the horse. When the saddle was secure, Turrin grabbed the bit and bridle and looked at the horse who was chewing and staring at him. He pet the horses neck and said in myrian with smile, “Alright my friend. You been eating for last twenty chimes. Now I think it time to work off all the grass you have been eating.”

When the horse was finished eating, Turrin put the bit in his mouth and the bridle around his head. The horse protested slightly with shaking his head, but eventually, he calmed down when Turrin started to stroke his mane. The former eagle rider was surprised stroking the mane actually worked since the horse seemed hai-bent on ignoring him. When the bit, bridle, reigns were secure, the Inarta rechecked his strap, but he realized that he forgot to put the saddle blanket on the horse. Looking at the sky in frustration, he loosed to the underbelly strap and took off the saddle. When the saddle was off, he draped the saddle blanket over the back of the horse. Lifting the saddle and securing it the horse was much easier the second time. When the saddle was secure, he secured his large saddle bags to the back of the saddle. He placed his unstrung short bow into the bags, along with his compass, quiver full of hunting arrows, archery gloves, and a full water skin since he had a feeling it was going to be hot today. Lastly, he secured his talon sword scabbard and sword to the left side of his waist.

When he was satisfied that he and the saddle weren't going to fall off the back of Muncher. He put his left leg into the stirrup, grabbed horn with his left hand, and swung his right leg over the back of the horse. At least, he remembered getting onto a mount when Aponivi, his wind eagle, was still alive. Taking the reigns, Turrin nudged the flanks of the animal with the heel of his boot. The horse started to move slow, but not in the direction that he wanted him to move. The horse walked forward into the clearing just past the purple tent line. The former eagle rider mentally told Muncher to turn left in his head, but the horse kept walking forward. The Inarta swore under his breath when he forgot that horses aren't telepathically linked to him like wind eagles were, so he moved the reigns left instead. The horse seemed to keep moving forward and ignoring his riders command for him to move left. Turrin thought for a moment as the horse kept moving forward. He noticed that there was to much slack in the reigns. He could move the reigns all to the left all he wants, but if the horse can't feel the pull to the left. How could the knows if his rider wants him to turn left? Tightening his grip on the reigns, Turrin moved reigns left and the horse moved left. The Inarta chuckled at his personal success at riding his horse. He learned how to steer the horse and get him to move. He wanted to go faster, but walking was a comfortable speed for novice rider for now.

Turrin rode for a bell around the city. He was just working on his control with the horse. Eventually, he noticed that he started to drift farther from the city. The heat was starting to warm up as Syna got higher in the sky, so he put his katinu into his saddle bags, so all he was wearing was his burgundy bryda. The Inarta was used to going bare chested since it was a normal cultural appearance in Wind Reach. His long burgundy hair with feathers woven into it was freely flowing in the wind, Turrin would normally tie his hair back on a ride, but petch it, he didn't want today. It was unseasonably warm spring day, but since he lived in the northern parts of Kalea. Winter tended to hold on much longer in the spring than in Cyphrus, so this felt wonderful to Inarta. The Drykas can complain all they want about the heat, but in the mind of person who used to the northern climates of Mizahar, they should be grateful that they never experienced the true fury of Morwen.

Suddenly, Turrin noticed a lone figure with a horse standing off in the distance. He wanted to look for a watering hole for Muncher, so he rode his horse towards the person. As he got closer, he noticed a woman and horse standing out in the middle of nowhere. He was wondering if she was hunter or just a Drykas out for a morning ride. Regardless, she might no good place to find water. When he got to a comfortable distance from her, he pulled back the reigns gently to stop the horse. He noticed the short bow and quiver in hand, so he didn't want to get to close, so she felt threatened. However, he was close enough to noticed that she was a attractive woman a few years older than himself with piercing eyes. The woman eyes reminded him when he met Sira for the first time. Her eyes shared the same intensity as the endal from Wind Reach. For a moment, his golden eyes looked at her as he mentally kicked himself for not learning the simplest pavi word for saying, hello. He just hoped the woman knew enough common for him to communicate with her. However, he was had enough experience with diplomacy to not dumb down his common in case that would be insulting. If she knew common, it could lead to a confrontation with the archer.

Turrin gave the woman a friendly smile and said in common with a Kalean accent, “I have been riding for a hour, and I can't help, but noticed the beauty in the Sea of Grass. Where I come from, it is a lot less flat.” Turrin forgot to say his name and added, “Oh. My name is Turrin, and I was wondering if you know or found a source of water in the area?”

Turrin looked at her composite short bow in hand and wondered if she saw in game in the area since his job was a hunter. The warrior wanted to get off his horse since his butt was aching from the ride, but he didn't want her to feel frightened since he carried a weapon on his side. Deciding to stay on his horse until he was invited. if not, he would continue looking for a watering hole and explore the outskirts of the city by himself. Feeling like he was rambling. He decided that he needed to break the ice with her, so he observed her short bow in hand, and they both shared same interest in archery. Nodding to her composite short bow, Turrin asked with nod, “I have to admit you have a nice looking short bow. Mine has been through Hai and Back in the jungles of Falyndar and mountains of Kalea. Are you any good with it?”

[Naiya]

oocSorry for the delay!
Naiya strangled a curse as she pried the comb free of Khii's hair. The knot she fought was particularly tough, and every time she got to working on it, the stubborn beast moved, dragging the comb loose from her grip and getting it lost in the snare of hair that decorated his spine. His tendency to scratch himself against anything that didn't collapse under his weight was creating all kinds of mess in his hair.

She wiped sweat from her brow, even dressed for the heat in her loincloth, breasts covered with the simple trim of matching fabric, the moisture was dotting her brow already. Perhaps simply because she was sharing the heat of Shai, his cloth sling wrapped tightly acound her body and over her shoulders. Or perhaps it was her anger at the stubborn bull who would not be still that warmed her...

Bribery was her best option, she knew, and she quickly offered him another bite of the spring carrot in her hand, plucking furiously at the tangle as he chewed. It was hardly a morsel, however, the tiny carrot's real draw this early in the season being the lush greens that sprung from its head. She fought the snare until he moved again, making a fair enough progress that she gave him a tug across his fast growing horns, shaking his head before patting his broad head and gathering the rest of her grooming supplies.

Khida had gone out already, setting up their plans to practice their weapons. If Naiya hadn't been so behind in the animal care, she would have joined her wife. Instead, she was here still, only just finishing up her grooming.

In the safety of the pavilion, she had her newly filled casks, and a bucket still half full of milk. That she had dropped a clean cloth over, there for drinking or adding to tea as the desire arose through the day. A small piece of chalk from her backpack found her hands. She carefully marked the two lines connected by a near circle crossing over the two, a small symbol on the wood of two casks, a reminder to skim the cream off them before moving them. Then she could make butter later.

First, it had to separate, and it could do so as easily from here, as it could the shop. Settled she made a face at the baby strapped into the protective binding across her chest. She would have to, perhaps soon, get a carrier that was out of her way. She had seen them before but hadn't thought to purchase one.

Still, that was what family was for, and between herself and Khida minding the only slightly-mobile boy should be easy enough. Not to mention the ride there, which with Shai's growing ability to support himself would be an opportunity she hadn't yet shared with him.

They would only walk, jostling him too much was still a danger, but he was well on his way to sitting, and so he was a good bit closer to riding.

With a grin spread across her cheeks, she pulled her yvas free of the travois, her yvas pad following closely. Wildfire circled near, the sight of the riding gear seemingly summoning him, or perhaps he was simply as excited about their trip as she was. She shook dust and dirt loose from the pad before settling it over the stallions's back, and when she lifted the yvas, Wildfire lowered head from the proud arch to allow her better access for sliding it into place.

Mindful of his skin, Naiya pulled the cinches tight, tugging on the handles of the yvas to make sure it was securely in place. More gear, two wetskins, the woven, baby basket, and the soft pelt Shai slept on. Her bow and quiver, armguard and archery glove and a few bow strings, just in case.

She loaded it all into yvas bags, save the basket and the wetskins, glancing about to see if anything jogged her memory of what else she wanted to take. Perhaps just food, just in case. She added a few of the crisp flatbreads into a new bag and a small container of cheese with nuts and dried fruits into another.

Content with her packing, she made sure that Shai was comfortable, his cloth diaper clean, a replacement already stashed in her pack. He would grow warm in the sling she wore, but once she found her wife and they were settled, he would be well enough in the diaper, slathered in-

Oh! The skin balm. She had nearly forgotten. If Shai was to be out in the sun, he needed the balm that would protect his skin, at least somewhat from Syna's burning gaze.

Thus fortified, she asked Wildfire to follow her to the wagon where the wooden step let her swing a leg over his back without smashing Shai between her and Wildifre. A careful hand on the yvas grip let her swing down to lift her spear from the wagon as well. Perhaps a caution they didn't need, but one that reassured her all the same.

She set out, asking Wildifre for a slow walk with a gentle squeeze and an upright posture. This was not the big happy walk of open ground, but rather the clipped steps of a tight space. She watched how the motion moved both her body and Shai's, then asked for a bigger walk, loosening her hips and giving Wildfire more room.

To his credit, Wildfire was clearly mindful. His step widening slowly rather than all at once, and he seemed to check his riders as often as Naiya checked Shai. When Wildfire was finally settled into a comfortable mosey, his steps large and smooth, Naiya finally let her mind relax.

She scanned the horizon, using the sun to judge her direction before turning south. That was what they had decided, if only vaguely. She didn't bother to look for Khida's trail, as it would have looked much the same as all the other horse paths leaving the city, the trampled grass and horse droppings unchanging in all but the size.

Instead, her gaze turned to the horizon, seeking the pale horse and dark rider. It took only a few chimes to spot them, separated now, but clearly the right horse and woman. There was another, too, however. A man on a zavian, mounted still.

It was not... unusual, she supposed, but he was not on a strider. Perhaps he was simply an unbonded Drykas. It was hard to tell, and certainly should not have bothered her so much as it did.

It made her want to urge Wildfire into a trot, eating up the distance between them until she could better judge his intentions.

Silly, overprotective thoughts. Khida was more than capable of making herself safe, and Sephra didn't seem overly bothered as she might if the man was in any way threatening. She decided her anxiety was only because she knew she could not move quickly, like being too far out of reach when Shai was reaching to put - gods knew what - into his mouth.

She waited until she was within a reasonable distance before calling out. "Khida!" Happy greetings... slight concern, "Who's this?" She was carefully polite, in case the man was indeed drykas or even just spoke their language.

She shaped a greeting at the man, as she rode nearer, taking in his weapons and his apparently friendly demeanor. He appeared no more threatening than she, arriving mounted and armed to the teeth with weapons. Her alert posture softened slightly, although she remained mindful of the stranger.

-----------

Naiya space Pavi | Common | Tukant
other space Pavi | Common | Tukant

[Azmere]

Azmere put his feet together and bent at the waist. He leaned down with his arms hanging stiffly until his palms touched the toes of his boots. The strain that shot up along the backs of his legs and the small of his back told him that he needed to stretch more but it also served a higher purpose to wake him up. The ankal had slept hard for a change but in the midst of fleeting shut eye, a hard night’s rest could be more harmful than not. The archer straightened and already felt grumpy. He didn’t bother with his shirt or vest but grabbed his bracers and pack then chucked them through the flap of his tent. He eyed the hip quiver and almost left it but the scarred Drykas had become slightly accustomed to riding bareback recently and wished to continue the trend. He grabbed the container of arrows and took a moment to take stock in what it held; six broad heads, thirteen game arrows and one fishing arrow but they were all steel. Rather than sort through his yvas bags or riding quiver for some kind of exchange, Azmere accepted what he had and slipped outside.

It was hot already. Of course it was hot. Winter never game and it seemed like last summer never ended. The plains were dry and the grass was coarse so it was no surprise that people were cranky; Azmere among them. There were many things that had gone well but for some reason, he was in a funk. It was of no consequence, however. The gods had come and gone, Ixzo had been killed and yet the skies had not fallen nor Semele’s skin torn asunder and swallowed them all. The sound of Zora rumbling at Nyne caused the man to twist and inspect the cause for such noise. The male was trying to have his way with the feisty woman but she was not playing along. A thud resounded as the huntress laid a paw across Nyne’s face and forced the fiery glow of his orange eyes to look away. The two began to wrestle and Zora quickly lost but her point had been made. There would be no litter of kittens any time soon. Azmere snorted in amusement and went back to his preparations.

Grey was sitting under a wagon in the shade with his eye on the goats who were mugging Asher for his bucket of ground oats. The old man was singing in his whispery voice despite having his shirt tails tugged on by the ornery critters. The ankal’s mind was slapped with a thought and he was ashamed for not thinking of it sooner. “Goat father!” It was a joke that Lodai had started after a heavy storm last season revealed that Asher would take some of the animals into his tent to keep them calm. While everyone loved to tease the old man, they all dearly loved him. The wisdom and calm that he offered was valuable beyond measure and no one knew this more than Azmere. Once the pair met one another’s gaze, the archer actually smiled. The watchman signed a greeting and walked over towards his friend while actively trying to hide his limp. “Wander down into town and buy a shepherd.” Azmere gave him one of those knowing looks that silenced the old man before he could protest. “Jasmine can help you find a good one.” The ankal gave another series of signs which made Asher laugh and then the two went back to their individual tasks.

Azmere didn’t even get a chance to turn around before Skylla ran up and shoved him with her nose. The impatient mare stomped and blew into his hair while he was still trying to catch his balance. This didn’t take long since the man grabbed hold of the creature by her neck and righted himself. He kissed her cheek then gave her a firm squeeze as he wrapped his arm over her mane and pulled her face down a bit lower. He felt the strider try to resist and tightened his right arm putting a great deal of strain and effort behind the hold. He also had to drop his weight into his rump by displacing his feet forward otherwise she’d pick him up off the ground. This back and forth tussle went on for a chime or so. The weird weather had been hard on their young bond but the poor horse was simply outmatched when it came down to stubbornness. With his free hand, Azmere made several signs which he constantly repeated for his mount; calm, hold, calm, hold.

Skylla eventually relented to her partner’s will but only in so much as how things went in camp. The scarred man gathered his rucksack which had a waterskin, some rations and a few odds and ends then settled it around his waist. He attached the hip quiver on his right leg and slipped Vihar over his head and shoulder. Azmere wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted to do today but he had a few ideas. Another strange sound caused him to pause before mounting his strider. A second soft chirp from inside his tent reminded him of an errand he wanted to run. The ankal ran over and ducked through the flap. He grabbed the mews and ducked back out but stopped before running back to his steed. The scarred man simply shook his head. Not sleeping was making him scatter-brained.

Azmere set down the mews and picked up his bracers then put them on making sure to carefully knot the laces then tuck them under the leather so that a certain set of talons wouldn’t shred them. Now he felt like time was being wasted and his cantankerous attitude deepened. The contrasting gaze set itself upon the tasks at hand and the Drykas was soon mounted bareback with the mews between his legs and his weapon of choice across his chest. A certain canine had been watching everything with interest but was disinclined to leave his shaded resting place; that is, until his master clicked his tongue twice. Grey bound out and bumped his rump on the boards from standing too quickly. With a nod towards Asher, the ankal and his animals rode off to the west. The quickest way to his destination was around the Sapphire camps.

After a solid ten chime trot, Azmere had reached the end of the Amethyst spoke. Naiya’s shop was quiet as was the Dawnwhisper camp. Grey was wagging his tail- grateful for the avian parcel since it allowed him the ability to keep up. Skylla stomped the earth beneath her- frustrated that the cargo was restraining her from sprinting across the arid steppe. The ankal was indifferent. He was more concerned with achieving his goal which was to find the bird kelvic and seek her assistance in understanding how to maximize the potential of the hawk.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Azmere shut his eyes and focused upon the djed within his body. He brought it up from his core and into his head, his thoughts driving it to activate the stars in his eyes. When the watchman lifted his lids, the world was adorned with bits and pieces of color. He squeezed his legs against Skylla who sauntered forward towards the Dawnwhisper home. There were several swatches of color in and around the main pavilion that were too large for children but too small for most men. The colors were gold and a blue-green, primarily. Azmere widened his gaze and found these same colors both hop-skipping along to the west towards the Sea of Grass. The elevated patches indicated that both women had set out on horseback at some point. Taking this knowledge, Azmere coaxed his mare along the same heading and clicked his tongue again to regain Grey’s attention. The horse responded with quick but short steps that made for a relatively smooth ride while the dog jogged up on the right side.

Azmere held the mews with one hand as he continued to look about for his targets. He had passed beyond the boundaries of the city’s camps and was moving towards a large field that seemed mostly undisturbed in terms of djed trails. There, one on foot and the other on horseback, were the two beings who trail he had followed. With them was another but that color was more of a muddy red and also mounted. The novice pathfinder closed his eyes and released the djed from his vision and took several breaths before opening his gaze again. He lead his troop forward and quickly recognized the red hair of Naiya on her horse. Syna’s rays had a way of reflecting the fiery color much farther than the deep brown of Khida’s silky tresses. Azmere had to admit that he was glad she was in human form considering that it made communication so much easier.

The watchman rode up at his slower-than-normal pace holding Skylla’s mane in one hand and flanked by his furry hunter. The amber and azure gaze went to Naiya first and he signed a greeting then he looked to Khida and repeated it. Finally, the scarred Drykas rested his sights upon the outsider. It was blatantly obvious since he had some kind of monstrosity wrapped around the poor horse beneath him. This man was dark-skinned ad had dark hair with tattoos that resembled some of those like the pirates who had raided over a year ago. Heat welled up under the ankal’s skin as he felt his right hand tighten into a fist while it rested upon his thigh. The tattoos were of a similar style to those that Ixzo and the blue man shared- the marks of savagery, yet this person seemed innately less than either of those figures. Azmere almost scoffed at him save for not making a sound. He was in a mood and gave nudges with his knees that turned Skylla back towards Khida. To avoid any bumbling with the walahk, the archer used Pavi sign to communicate his intrusion.

Seek your help. Have trained hawk. Azmere put his hand on his chest, his fingertips grazing the squares where he’d been partially skinned to indicate himself. Need to train. Inside the mews sat a mostly brown hawk with brick red feathers on the shoulders and majority of the wings except for the big primary feathers. The hooded creature seemed to realize he was being discussed and swiveled his head in Khida’s direction to which he gave a chirp that sounded like the squeak of a rusty hinge.

[Merevaika]

Merevaika

More archery, with Khida, and Naiya, and whoever else decided to turn up. It wasn't a bad idea, in the slightest. So what if she hadn't been directly invited? It was the rumours that had informed her, as they always did. Word travelled quickly from horse to horse in this city, and this one didn't have a clear source to begin with. Just news that a few were meeting to practice their archery, which had caused Merevaika's attention to fly towards it, instantly interested. When the story began to unravel - it was the women from the pavilion without their ankal - her interest grew only stronger, fuelled by knowledge of who that could be. Who that had to be. Which other pavilions could manage without a man with them?

It wasn't hard for her to find them, either. Instead of riding across the whole of the Sea of Grass in search, she had a magic up her sleeve. And it was odd and crazy and incredibly useful all at the same time. So, in the shelter of her tent, she found herself sitting cross-legged with Beast resting in front of her, appearing asleep but ears up as she assumed her position of a guard dog. The woman steadied her breathing, letting it tremble through her as she attempted to find focus. With it, she searched for the web, knowing it was there, running through her. She wasn't letting go of her body - she had learned she couldn't do that. Instead, she was wrenching herself out, finding the strand of web and heaving herself out.

Her hands found it, and she felt the strands beneath her fingers, tore herself from the body and stood there gasping for a moment, although it wasn't her. Suddenly, she was free, and she could move across the plains without effort, just the simple thoughts that ran along the glowing strands in her fingers. The woman took another deep breath, trying to match the light feeling that ran through her head and the rest of her body. Then she was off, crawling across the city and trailing along the edge, galloping across the plains in search for the pulsating bodies that she was looking for.

Finally, she found Khida, on her way from the tent not far from where Merevaika was herself. Alone, but it was certain that Naiya would be joining her. Merevaika reached out towards the ghost, shifting through her quickly as she turned. Would the Kelvic be able to feel her? A question for another day: Merevaika was already bolting back, finding her body and in a desperate attempt forcing herself back into it.

It was more jarring to return to the physical world, she had decided. Each and every time, all the cuts and scratches, all the heaviness in her muscles, they all came back, a faint reminder of the freedom the web gave. She wanted to go back. But she had archery to do.

And so she was on her way, horse shifting under her comfortably with bow and quiver balancing in front of her. They would welcome her, of course. They were the type who always would, especially considering they didn't even have to give anything up here. They would welcome her, and she'd get some practice out of it; practice she definitely needed, that she hoped for every minute of the day but was too busy with some other, useless task to care and to do it.

For some reason, practising with others made things work so much better. She could learn, properly, for one thing. And she could show off her skills, even when she couldn't. That thought pulled a smile to her face as she rose up over the hills, realising she had no idea where Khida would have gone off to next. She had been here - Merevaika was certain of it, both from her memory in the web and - yes, there, in the ground. Where the grass had dried, it had been crushed, only by a horse or similar sized animal. But only one - unless the other animals had walked without damaging the surroundings, because the rest stood upright, no breaks in the stalks, no flattened sections.

And she had a magic that could take her to Khida and complete this final part of tracking.

Her eyes softened, relaxing on the surroundings as she searching for what she knew what was there. Tracks, trails, but glowing ones, magic ones. They flickered slowly in the sun, first appearing like the streaks she saw if she looked towards the sun too long, then solidifying to resemble the strands of web a little more. It was the strongest one that she chose, picking it out clearly against the weaker, patchier strands around her. Surprisingly, there were a few to choose from, but they all led in roughly the same direction. Although, maybe it wasn't surprising. There was a horse and a rider - and possibly another set or two. No wonder there were so many paths.

She followed after them with ease, knowing Beast was watching them too as the dog scampered forward, leading the way. They winded round, and she caught sight of figures in the distance, where the trails seemed to point. She blinked, taking a deep breath as she did so she could take a proper look, without the trails blocking her sight, searching for two women and two striders and a scattering of arrows,.

Instead, she was met with the sight of four horses - not all Striders, four people - not all women, a baby, a bird, and a dog she only knew as a pup. A party, a little party. Looked like she was going to crash a proper gathering, rather than two women practising with their bow. And Azmere was there; that would make things so much better. She could show him that he had no skill with the bow compared to herself.

Moving to hold her bow clearly, so they all knew why she was here, the woman clicked her teeth, descending down the hill with ease. They flickered into clearness, Merevaika smiling at the sight. "Naiya, Azmere, Khida," she nodded a greeting to each in turn, as she dismounted and grabbed her bow, ready to string it up out here. The wahlak didn't get a greeting, from her, just barely a glance as she took him in, trying to figure out his place here. He had the tattoo - a tattoo, anyway - but not the horse. And he rode a saddle. With a disgruntled noise, she turned away from him.

The string was pulled tight, and her eyes ran down the bow to check it was straight before hanging an arrow from the hand that held the wood and using the other to call Beast towards her, so she wouldn't bother Grey. "How is he?" she asked, thoughts said aloud to Azmere as only the direction of her gaze would tell him who she meant. "And when do we start with the archery?"

"Pavi"
Grassland sign
"Common"

[Prophet]

I wish we could have finished this... Let me know if you guys want anything changed or have questions. Khida & Naiya, PM me when you get back and I'll get you your grades.

 

Turrin

XP

• Horsemanship: +1
• Investigation: +1
• Logic: +1
• Observation: +1
• Organization: +1
• Riding-Horse: +1

Lores

• Horsemanship: Saddling a horse
• Investigation: Using small talk to learn useful information
• Logic: Giving an armed person distance to avoid a threatening appearance
• Organization: Preparing for a day on horseback
• Riding-Horse: Using the reins to steer
• Turrin: Normally wears his hair tied back
• Turrin: Trying hard to adjust from eagles to horses

 

Azmere

XP

• Acrobatics: +1
• Animal Husbandry: +1
• Horsemanship: +1
• Leadership: +1
• Organization: +1
• Pathfinding: +1
• Riding-Horse: +1
• Socialization: +1

Lores

• Acrobatics: Stretching after sleep can help the body wake up
• Animal Husbandry: Managing several companions at once
• Asher: Goat Father- an affectionate term
• Azmere: Grumpier than usual
• Azmere: Lack of sleep starting to take its toll
• Azmere: Still angry at the pirates from Winter 515
• Dawnwhispers: Camp at the end of the Amethyst clan spoke
• Horsemanship: Teaching Pavi to a strider
• Leadership: Recognizing and filling a nee
• Organization: Mentally tracking items and tasks to achieve a goal
• Pathfinding: Applying known facts to aid in following the right paths
• Riding-Horse: Riding bareback takes a different set of skills
• Socialization: Asking a favor

 

Merevaika

XP

• Pathfinding: +1
• Socialization: +1
• Tracking: +1
• Webbing: +1

Lores

• Endrykas: Rumors are very informative
• Merevaika: Longs to stay in the Web
• Merevaika: No respect for walahks
• Merevaika: Not into wasting time
• Pathfinding: Choosing a trail to follow takes more than magic
• Socialization: Acknowledging one’s peers
• Tracking: The closer you look, the more you’ll learn
• Webbing: Finding the web is not so easy for Merevaika