Teaching an Old Horse New Tricks (Sama'el)

[Athe Stormheart]

Introduce him to his sisters? Athe smiled at the thought. Oh Riki, you cad. Speak for everyone in the Pavilion do you? She turned to meet eyes with Sama’el after that comment, but he’d already looked down, obvious color flushing his cheeks. The look of it made the woman laugh softly, and she quickly shifted tracks, refocusing her attention on his hands. Following his instruction, she placed her right foot in his improvised “step,” her soft, leather boots conforming to the shapes of his fingers. To avoid losing balance, she put a hand on his shoulder as she eyed the stirrup, very briefly surprised by the warmth of his sun-warmed skin. It wasn’t long before she realized that the saddle made the most sense to hold onto as she pulled herself up, and she gripped at its edges as she used Sama’el’s boost to get her other foot into the stirrup, then carefully swung her right leg over the horse’s body. Horse remained dutifully rigid as she settled onto the back of the animal, even when she leaned over to search for the other stirrup. “Oh Gods, how do…” Athe wiggled in the saddle a little. It was a very snug seat. “How do… men even sit in this?” She looked over at Sama’el, a bit of sympathy painted in her features. When he complimented her, she brightened, perhaps a little too much. She lightly adjusted her improvised hairstyle as she tried to hide her grin. “Oh! Well… I feel a little silly on this thing.”

[Denen Sunsinger]

"Oh, g-gods! No! S-S-Stop it! Shoo, you b-b-b-bad horse! You're eat-eating my herbs!" Denen waved his hands frantically after the mare, his features marked with dismay. He slapped the horse on the rump, forcing her away from the vernal grass he had left out to dry. Dohaina knew better, and she generally kept Horse away from his herbs, but apparently someone had forgotten to teach this particular mare manners. "You p-petching...idiotic..." He grit his teeth and balled his thin fingers into tight fists, beating them against his thighs. "G-Get out of my herbs!" The mare turned around, munching lazily on a mouthful of herbs and chamomile. Denen fisted his hands in his hair and gave an agitated shout.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Her hand upon his shoulder felt good, but it was gone too soon, used to balance her way into Horse's saddle. But at least she was there, and she seemed pleased by his honest compliment. "You just develop balls of iron," he promised her, patches of color upon his cheeks at his cheek. He felt comfortable in the saddle, and was used to the yvas again too, but he knew that learning one after being used to the other was quite difficult. His head swung around at the sound of Denen's distress, and he muttered a curse as soon as saw the mare chewing Denen's hard won herbs into useless cud. A series of whistles as he ran in that direction called Dohaina and Horse in his wake, well-trained as any animals. They shouldered into the mare, not to hurt her, but to move her away from the greenery that was off limits. It was a herding technique, and Dohaina was obviously an alpha female sort of mare, or else she was just the smartest one there. "Is this your Perianth?"

[Athe Stormheart]

As Sama’el joked, Athe covered her mouth to laugh again, this time at his blunt sense of humor. He was cute, this Drykas man, and for a moment she even forgot to worry about Perianth. It almost seemed a good thing now that she’d followed her mare off in this direction, leading her within range to annoy this handsome stranger with her calls for the straying horse. No matter where she’d run off to, Athe was positive the mare would be safe. A horse from Endrykas wandering into the Sea of Grass alone would still be under the vigilant eye of the Watch through the Web. The longer she was lost, however, the more difficult she would become to track down, and before long, the girl’s interests were back in the whereabouts of her horse. Realizing she’d been staring just a little, Athe shook the distractions from her head. “So, whe—” Before she could even get out half a sentence, she was cut off by unfamiliar cries back toward Sama’el’s camp. Her new acquaintance rushed off immediately. Athe quickly adjusted her balance as Horse brought her with. He obediently followed alongside his lovely Strider mare, and Athe shifted with the motions of the animal’s trot. Riding was not foreign to her, but keeping in the saddle was a new experience. One hand clutched at the saddle, the other Horse’s reins, as she quickly saw the source of the stranger’s dilemma. There she was, not a hundred feet away, Perianth the stupidest mare. “Oh goodness,” Athe sighed, her cheeks suddenly bright red. She was too embarrassed to even answer Sama’el directly. As the horses shouldered her on either side, the mare was forced to take a few steps back, stumbling briefly. She lifted her head, still chewing on a mouthful of stolen herbs. Glancing down at the carnage Perianth had created, then at the other man nearby throwing a fit, she easily put together what had happened. Perianth dumbly missed the point of all of it. She seemed oblivious to what was going on – or perhaps she simply chose not to care, still unaccustomed to being so closely connected to humans. Regardless, the mare seemed happy to see Athe, and she stepped up and pressed her velvety nose into her midsection. Irritated, the girl wrapped her arms around the horse’s neck and head, as if trying to hide her from view. “You ass! You complete ass! That’s what you are, you know? Your mother was a donkey. Just look at you!” She sighed, exasperated, and rubbed at her temples briefly with one hand. “I am… ugh.” She looked up at Denen. She was a little too humiliated to see Sama’el’s reaction to her bad horsemanship. “I can’t believe she did this. Well, I can. But… Look, I’m so sorry. She is the biggest idiot. Like a giant toddler. Is there anything I can do to make this up to you? I’ll buy all of the herbs she just destroyed."

[Denen Sunsinger]

The boy was grateful beyond reason at the arrival of Dohaina and horse. He went to pluck back together the spoils of Perianth's feast, shaking his head in dismay. His lips were drawn into a tight line and he cast a frown at the rather clueless mare. After all, to the Drykas boys, horses (even those that weren't Striders) were on an equal level with people. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, teeth grit tightly, and exhaled sharply through quivering nostrils. When he at last opened his eyes, the woman was speaking to him, and he shook his head, lips drawn into a tight line so that he'd keep his temper. His herbs were important, and he didn't make enough to buy new ones. What he had, he found while out riding or wandering near camp. He'd only just begun planting a few of his own in pots that he could carry with him. "Please, don't apologize," he signed. "My brother's horse was an absolute moron. My father's first wife used to say the horse held the spirit of a handicapped ancestor." He rubbed a hand down his face and shook his head, exhaling slowly. Keep calm. Don't freak out. "She doesn't know the rules. I should have been keeping a better eye on them."

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"Handicapable," he corrected, hands on his hips, shaking his head. He clicked his tongue twice and Dohaina came over to nudge his shoulder. Horse, not quite so well-trained, at least followed Dohaina's example. He was smart enough to realize that when he followed her lead, Sama'el was pleased and he got more treats. Of course, he also knew that by loving on Denen, he could get treats. Lucky for him, he liked to run, and so he was kept in good health. "Sorry, Denen," he signed. "I should have been paying closer attention, too. I'll be sure to bring you plenty the next time I go outriding." There was little else he could do to help, though Denen knew he had but to ask if there was something else he might do. "Why don't you stay and cook Denen dinner to make it up to him?" he asked out loud, hoping for a reprieve from having to cook himself, or eat Denen's cooking. It was just nice to have a bit of variety sometimes. Also, Athe cooking for them would possibly make her think about him as a possible suitor. He should have asked Riki what Athe liked back when he had the chance. He wasn't sure he would have time to visit Riverfall again before Fall to get the inside scoop.

[Lariat]

Athe Stormheart

Experience:

Horsemanship: 1 xp

Lores:

Losing your horse
How to climb into a saddle
Sama'el (Basic)

Sama'el

Experience:

Leather working: 1 xp
Teaching: 1 xp
Horsemanship: 1 xp

Lores:

Do this, and avoid my face
Protecting Denen's Herbs
Athe Stormheart (basic)

Denen

Experience:

Observation: 1 xp

Lores:

Petch, get away from those!
The nuisance of a lost horse

Great thread guys, really good writing, and was fun to read. If you think I missed anything just send me a pm.