A Stride in the Right Direction (Lariat)

[Laria]

52nd Day of Summer, 511 AV. The morning had not gone as planned. She had gotten up early as usual and had headed out to begin the enormous task of feeding her fathers horses. Her arms ached after hauling the twelfth bucket of feed along, and the Summer sun was already hot. The horses were impatient, and there were a lot of them. After just over a Bell of struggles, she had done almost two-thirds of the feeding. Her tunic was dirty and the horses were still nickering impatiently. With a sigh she resumed her work, dragging the enormous, full bucket over to the next section of horses. Her father was a breeder of the Amethyst clan, and he took pride in knowing his horses were healthy and strong. Of course, Laria didn’t have to do all the feeding. But it helped her take her mind off other things. On this particular day it was the little ride that some of her… friends were going on. Each had their own beautiful strider, and they frequently adventured out of the Pavilions a little way together. She had finished up the task in almost 2 Bells total, and trudged back into the Pavilion to change her tunic. It had feed, dirt and horse drool all down it, and she was not happy. People were up now, starting to mill around and contemplate their work for the day. Laria now sat in a corner of the Pavilion, a clean tunic on and a piece of fabric in her hands. She was trying to finish the embroidery her mother had helped her start, but her attempt was poor. The thread kept knotting underneath, and she had pricked her finger at least 3 times in just 5 chimes. With a frown, she tossed the fabric aside and stalked out of the Pavilion. No sooner had she taken 2 steps, a horse barrelled right into her. She turned, wincing in pain, to look at the offending animal. It had stopped a little way off, and she glared at it. It danced on the spot and whinnied. She was about to yell at it, when one of the people from the Pavilion caught her eye, raised his brow and lead the horse away. It left the very irritable young woman alone, and she turned on her heel, stalking off through the tents, toward the edge of the Amethyst Clans Pavilions.

[Lariat]

In the early morning, Endykas rumbled with man of its residents rising to greet the day and get to their chores, wanting to get the hardest, most strenuous work done before the heat of the day rose to its most extreme. A group of women, chattering about their plans, and other mundane stuff passed in front of the young drykas woman, leading a fine set of striders, before disappearing behind a large pavilion. The city was waking up, and slowly, traffic around the Amethyst tent beginning to thicken, as travelers, and native drykas alike came to do business. One such stranger, wearing a dusty black cotton coat, and breeches, with greasy long black hair, hurried past her, his shoulder bumping roughly into hers as he pushed his way past, but before she could scold him or anything else he was lost in the crowd, disappearing almost as fast as he came.

He left a scent of lingering pipe smoke, a sweet concoction, embittered by the smoke so to sting her nose. It was as much prone to disappearing as its owner, and soon it was gone without traces in the wind, leaving the woman once more alone, save for a metallic odor that had suffused the air around her. The shoulder of her tunic clung to her skin, and felt warm to the touch, and with a look the woman could see that it was blood that wetted her shoulder, and covered it. Bright red in coloration, it expressed that it was fresh but not her own for she would feel no pain, and only could mean the stranger had left it when he bumped into her. But the question was, how did it come to be on the stranger?

[Laria]

Laria paused as a fine group of Striders passed her, being led by some Drykas women. They were stunning creatures, and a pang of wanting tugged at her. She had yet to find one that would be hers, and she was about to follow after the group when she was shoved roughly. A man had slammed his shoulder into hers, apparently by accident, and she took a step back to steady herself. She caught a quick glimpse of the man, longish hair and dirty clothes, before he had hurried past her. An odd scent hung in the air for a brief moment, and she wrinkled her nose trying to discern it. It was both sweet and metallic, and she wondered what he would have had in his pipe to create such a smell. She absently rubbed her shoulder, and it felt oddly warm. Surely he hadn't hit her that hard. Her hand came away wet. Blood. There was blood on her hand. Her mouth formed a silent 'o', and she looked at her shoulder. The white cotton was stained a rich crimson, and it was definitely not from her. It's the man's... he must have been hurt! Not even a chime had passed since he had knocked into her, and she spun round trying to spot him. He had managed to melt successfully into the bustling people of the tent city, she couldn't pick him out. Laria hurried forwards, pressing past people when they didn't move for her. The ones who spotted her bloodied hand and shoulder were quick to let her pass, and she managed to move swiftly. She spotted a figure who she though could be him. The dark jacket and hair looked similar. She called out, her voice carrying through the mill of people. "Hey! Hey you!"

[Lariat]

A man turned around, but it was not the man she glimpsed, this one bearing vestments of the Diamond Clan, and likely on his way to the war pavilion. He shrugged when he realized it was no one he knew, and continued on his way melting into the crowd like other faces tended to do, leaving the girl alone to her thoughts. A trail of blood speckled the ground behind her, but even if she followed it to try and find the man, she would fine it abruptly ended by the trampling of footsteps, but if she tried to trace it back to from where it came, she would find herself a bit more in look, the dried blood having stayed a bit safer from footsteps, and passing winds than the fresher trail had, and wound its way into quieter sections of the city, where the Amethyst Clan tended to their horses, and allowed them to roam under supervision.

The trail of blood lead to a simply four person tent, perhaps where the stranger had chosen to stay in the morning, but the shredded sides of it, and the red streaks outside of this told a story of a more horrific claim. Upon investigation of the tent though, it would be found empty, devoid of a body that surely couldn't have survived such a loss of blood, and a second opening in the back of the tent, more covered with blood than the entrance, and looking as if it was made by frantic hands, the cut leaving jagged edges on the fabric. Not too far from the spot, a strider neighed, it sounded pitiful, or more like a call for help, if horses where known for such things. Another nicker from the horse echoed out, more frantic than the last.

[Laria]

She paused in place as the man turned. No... It was the wrong person. How could have have gotten away so quickly? Surely an injury that produced that much blood would have to be something of a hindrance? She could feel a thin line of it trickle down her arm underneath her sleeve. There had been so much of it that her tunic had just soaked it up at the moment of impact. Wait... She looked down, back the way she had come. Just as she thought. There was a light trail of red drops leading back. She looked forward, but the crowds were too thick to see through and she couldn't tell if the trail continued on. On a moment of impulse, she turned and quickly walked back in the direction of the blood. She must have been a curious sight, walking slightly stooped so she could see where it was heading. Though as she moved further along the trail, it became clearer, the drops bigger, and the need to bend vanished. She ended up outside a small 4-person tent, and froze instantly at the sight of it. It was ruined, slashes in the sides, blood streaking the canvas. Dread settling in the pit of her stomach, she crept toward the entrance. The tangy, metallic smell of blood was overpowering, almost making her stomach churn. There must be a body somewhere... there's too much blood for the source to still be alive... She was quite frankly, terrified. A neigh nearby almost made her leap out of her skin, barely holding back a shriek. Another sound from the creature. The horse sounded distressed. Perhaps the scent of blood was having a similar effect on it? Laria crept nearer to the sound, her eyes eventually falling on a Strider. Her eyes widened and she hurried over to the poor creature, hands outstretched so it would she was no threat. One palm cupped it's nose, the other smoothed down it's neck, in an attempt to calm the horse.

[Lariat]

The golden brown strider seemed to calm somewhat at the arrival of the woman, and trotted towards her, nudging her backwards with its head. There was a slickness to the grass, still freshly wet with blood, and she bucked her head up and down, gesturing to the grass below her feet. Below the horse lay the body of a young woman, scarcely breathing, and numerous cuts on her arms, and legs. The strider stepped back for a few paces, and tossed her head to the side anxiously, fearing for the drykas woman's life. It knew the wounds where mortal, and it knew of the man who had committed the crime, the recent bloodshed still fresh on its mind, and though it couldn't speak to the woman, maybe it could lead her in the right direction by first taking care of this woman and then dealing with the man who had committed this wicked act.

She rose up again in the air kicking into the air, before kneeling where she stood, calling to the woman to let her carry the body to a healer. The long equine face looked longingly at the woman, snorting every once and a while as if pressing the urgency of time at the moment. If the woman put the injured girl on the steeds back, she would slowly stand up, and trot along to make sure the woman could keep pace with her easily enough. It would take a bell to get to the opal clan tents, where then it speeded up its walk, eager to get the gravely wounded woman at least some comfort, if not recovery from her wounds. A healer rushed up quickly to the pair, a young man still yet in his twenties and dressed in plain robes, and quickly walked around to the side of the horse with the woman, helping her off while looking at Laria. " What happened to the girl? "

[Laria]

She stepped back at the press of the Strider's nose, being careful not to slip of the grass. She was relieved to find that none of the blood belonged to the beautiful horse, but at the same time, she worried at whose it really was. The movement of the mare's head was curious, and Laria looked down. She exhaled loudly, gasping as she saw the body near the Strider's feet. At first glance she thought the woman was dead. The amount of blood would surely lead one to believe so, but Laria knelt to check closer, ignoring the blood that seeped through her leggings. The woman was definitely breathing, though Laria suspected she might not be for much longer. She quickly stood as the horse rose, and then knelt, confused for a brief moment. This horse is protecting her... She wants to carry the woman? She looked at the Strider's position and things clicked into place. Carefully, and as quickly as she could manage, she knelt near the woman again and picked her up. She then placed her gently on the Strider's back. When the horse stood again, she knew that she had been right. Her tunic and leggings were now soaked with bright crimson blood, but given the urgency of the situation, she paid no thought to it. The journey was painstakingly slow, and Laria feared the woman would be dead before they reached to Opal clan. People who saw the trio gawked as they passed. A young woman covered in blood, and an almost dead woman being carried by a horse was not an everyday sight in the city. News must have carried, since the healer that approached seemed to have been waiting for them. She helped him retrieve the woman from the Strider's back before answering. "I have no idea. When I found her she was like this. The horse was with her." She frowned. "I just followed a trail to the tent..." Another, this time inaudible gasp left her throat. The trail... that man left it. Gods, did he do this?! "I... I think I know who did this to her..."

[Lariat]

His brow furrowed in concentration, a frown quickly coming over his face. " Go to the watch with what you just told me, we will look after the girl and horse for you " he said briskly, his focus solely on the girl in the arms of him, and his aid now as they carefully carried her into the tent. Another man came out from the tent and put his hands on either side of the horses face, soothing its jittering and anxiety before leading it away.

About twenty yards away, a man wearing a mixture of white hues patrolled amongst the tents, his armor revealing him to be a diamond clan warrior and likely a member of the watch. Before she was even halfway to reaching him though, a loud whiney sounded from far behind her, the strider breaking free of the handler and galloping after her, halting to a trot before it bowled her over. It nudged her repeatedly with its nose, urging her to get on, with every sense of urgency as if it was a life or death situation, and perhaps it was.

As soon as she had got on, it began to break into a slow run, wary that its rider might have trouble riding a strider bareback, and having to keep a eye out for the people who walked amongst the tents. It feet hit the ground surely and they made progress even despite having to swerve away from the occasional person, and soon they were in a empty path between tents with only a few people wandering ahead. The horse neighed angrily, and stopped in its tracks, seeming to be staring at something or someone. Following the horse's gaze she would see a man with long, greased black hair, speaking to two women beside a pavilion, seeming not to notice the horse’s loud noise even though the women surely did.

It was the man, the man who had bumped into her earlier, but now he had washed all the blood off of him or changed clothes. Either way it did not matter, the man in both of their sights was guilty of much, and needed to be brought to justice, it was only up to Laria to decide what to do next. The strider underneath her remained still, frozen stiff as if waiting for a order from her, but tension building within the powerful horse, and soon it wouldn't be able to hold itself back any longer.

[Laria]

Laria nodded immediately. The watch would of course needed to be alerted right away, lest the man escape. She prayed that he was still within the confines of the tent city; if he had crossed into the Sea of Grass, it was unlikely anyone would go after him. She watched for just a moment as the healer ducked into the tent with his assistant and the woman, and as another man tended to the Strider. She quickly turned away, scanning the immediate area for watchmen. A little way off she spotted a Diamond Clan member, and she suspected he would be a good place to start. She started to walk in his direction, but she had barely left the immediate area of the healers tent when a whinny sounded behind her. She spun to see the horse she had led here practically fling the handler to the side before charging right at her. Her eyes widened with shock, but the horse stopped before it ploughed into her, and then proceeded to shove it's nose repeatedly into her shoulder. She paused for a mere second before climbing onto the Striders back. It turned out it was the right thing to have done, as the horse immediately continued on in the direction she had been heading. Laria was more than comfortable with riding bareback, having grown up in the Amethyst Clan, but she could also feel how different this Strider was to normal horses. She jerked forward though, as the horse abruptly stopped in it's tracks. "No, c'mon we need to find the watch." It didn't seem to have heard her, as it was staring straight ahead, letting out a neigh as if to signal something to her. She followed it's gaze, and instantly tensed up, the muscles in her arms and legs tightening where she sat atop the horse. It was him. The man that had bumped her shoulder. He was clean now, not a speck of blood on him unlike Laria, who was still covered in the crimson stuff. She recognised him all the same, the greased hair was obvious if not the Strider's reaction. She could feel the tension in the horse beneath her, the power coiled within it's muscles. Somehow she knew that the horse wanted to spring forward, she could feel it. Laria herself was useless in any form of fight, be it confrontation or physical. She had a feeling that if she approached this man with the intention of hauling him to the watch, she would end up much worse than the woman now in the healers tent. Instead, she relaxed her muscles; her legs had been clamped tightly round the horse from the shock of seeing him, and she had a feeling that it would be all the signal the horse needed. She would cling to the Srider's mane if it charged, and simply try to stay put on it's back. Of course, if she could she would try and haul the man in herself, but she had a sneaking suspicion that the horse would take care of him.

[Lariat]

Underneath her the striders muscles rolled, the powerful flick of its muscles easily apparent through even the leather yvas that held her astride it. There was a rush of air, a click of the horse’s hooves springing off the ground, and then the strider was in motion, barreling for the murderer standing just yards away. It wouldn't be able to build enough speed to kill the man as desired, but perhaps it could maim him nicely before handing him over to the watch. Two women who had been previously conversation with the man noticed the approaching horse and with only a slight widening of their eyes alerting the man to the danger, they quickly moved to the side to give the strider some room, hoping it would miss the man since they did not know of his deeds. The strider made no move to slow, in fact it even increased its pace crossing the distance in leaps and bounds, slamming full force into the man's back and trampling over him in a shower of hooves. He had no clue of what was coming, the slam of the broad, strong chest of the strider knocked the breath out of him, the hooves taking most of the work in battering his body afterwards, cracking a few ribs, and breaking an ankle in the process.

His form crumpled up on the ground, not even daring to move so much pain he was in, not even caring that his knife lie on the ground not two yards from him, a little blood still showing on it from his deed because of his failed attempt at washing it. Lifting up his greasy head, he looked up at Laria with a look of pure malice mixed in with incredulously at being struck by the horse that looked oddly familiar. Then his face paled with realizations of why Laria might be there and fell backwards half dragging, half scrambling among the dirt to get as far away from her and that evil horse that had followed him all the way here. To the left of her, between the short space between her and the man, three large men, two wearing white vestments of the diamond clan, and the third wearing the colors belonging to the topaz clan. Their stern looks marked them as members of the watch more than their regalia did. " What happened here? " The man wearing symbols of the topaz asked to the general crowd, but his eyes were locked on Laria, and they were as cold as they where uninviting. To them, it looked like she was the guilty one, her actions neither explained nor justified, and the now pale broken man began to beg and plead before the officers, weaving wide tales of deception. If she didn't act fast this could quickly escalate out of her control.