Practically a Centaur [Serpente]

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

85th Summer, 511 A.V. It had been weeks since he fell ill upon returning to Endrykas, but he was still relatively weak as far as things went; easily tired, occasionally lethargic. All the same, he felt the drive to rebuild his strength, the sooner to get back out onto the Sea of Grass riding circuit, mending the Web, protecting his brethren, and all the other heroic and mundane tasks that came with being part of the Watch. But today he was just riding Horse, his Windrunner stallion. Ever since a Strider had come to him, he had made an effort not to neglect his old friend despite the obvious disadvantages of every horse that wasn't a Strider upon the plains of Cyphrus. But Horse had been his sole companion for years, the one he trusted and who trusted him, so he made an effort. His body remembered the stallion's gaits, so different from those of his golden mare. He gave the proud Windrunner a pat to the neck as they maneuvered around the tents and open spaces of the horseclans, nothing in particular to do, but glad to get away from his tents for a while. It was rare that he spent a day out of the saddle or yvas, so he was making sure his body didn't lose its intuitive understanding of horses, because that was his greatest talent to share with his people. Even recovering from illness, he was one of the best riders they had.

[Serpente Morsus]

It had been awhile since he had entered into Endrykas. His stay that was supposed to be for a couple of days had turned into a much longer stay then he had expected. He wasn't sure why, but he had meet new people and had wanted to learn new things, and he actually sort of liked the weird kind of city. As he walked and zigzaged through the city of tents, he felt more comftorable with the layout of the city. He now knew where to find most shops that one might need, but the city was huge and every day he found something he hadn't seen before. He was in a very good mood, his training that morning had gone very well and his body felt very refreshed. As he walked he saw a man riding on a very beautiful horse. He handled it very well, and although he couldn't see his mark, Serpente assumed he was a Drykas, since they where in their city anyway. As the man came closer to him, Serpente noticed his hand moving against the horse trying to pat it. He wuickly retracted it, realising it might be rude to do such a thing to a strangers horse. He hoped the man hadn't seen the gesture.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Endrykas was mostly a homogeneous population of Drykas, so the cyan-skinned giant stood out. Even off duty, Sam was a Watchman, and so he stopped to take in the man. Of course if he was here, he had proven himself trustworthy enough. Horse stopped at his command, the silver Windrunner snorting and whuffling at the Akalak's shoulder to scent him. If Sam was all right with him, Horse was all right with him. Most of the time. "Ho, stranger," he said with a bit less than his usual vigor. "It's all right. You can pet him. Horse is a bit of a man-whore. Well, stallion-whore. I'm beginning to put him out to stud, anyway. But he likes the attention. "What brings you here to Endrykas?" It was, perhaps, a forward question, but Drykas etiquette was not the same as that of Riverfall or Avanthal. The Akalak was a stranger in Sama'el's home. Of course he could ask what brought him. Politely, at that.

[Serpente Morsus]

"Ho, stranger, It's all right. You can pet him. Horse is a bit of a man-whore. Well, stallion-whore. I'm beginning to put him out to stud, anyway. But he likes the attention." Serpente smiled and lightly patted the horse with his huge hand. He wondered what one of these would go for since he was planing on getting one himself some day. He let his hand trace along it's neck muscles. A really beautiful beast. He was just thinking he should ask the man when he spoke. "What brings you here to Endrykas?" Serpente couldn't say he was suprised anymore over the question. When he had first entered the city not only had people looked at him a lot, he had even been refused to shop at one time beacuse they didn't know what he was. It had upset the Akalak, he had tried to explain what he was but they would not listen, he had not gone back to that shop since. People had gotten used to him by now though and he usually had no trouble. "Well at first I was simply here to restock my supplies and sell some pelts, and, I don't know, I kind of like this place and my stay ended up being longer then i expected", Serpente answered the man, still having most of his conecentration on the horse that he was still patting. "Tell me, what does a good horse go for here in Endrykas?"

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"It is a good place," he agreed with all due pride for his home, the wandering city of tents. He too often hunted in his spare time, bringing back zibri and other kills to fill the cooking pots at the bachelor camp where he and his friend and an indentured servant and his daughter all pitched their tents and cohabitated. He wondered how the big Akalak hunted without a horse, though; perhaps he had traps like Sama'el himself had used in the forests of Sylira. "Well, you're welcome here as long as you wish to stay, I'm sure. And horses...? Hm, well, that all depends on what you need. Big man like you might crush one of the smaller, swifter ones. I could introduce you to some breeders if you want to shop around."

[Serpente Morsus]

"Well, you're welcome here as long as you wish to stay, I'm sure. And horses...? Hm, well, that all depends on what you need. Big man like you might crush one of the smaller, swifter ones. I could introduce you to some breeders if you want to shop around." Serpente laughed a little at the comment. But the man was right, horses big enough for a Human or a Dryka might not be big enough for him. If they could caryy him at all, they would barely move faster then he ran and their stamina would run out quickly. "I would very much appreciate it if you could", he said and smiled. He realised it might be to early to actually buy a horse since he couldn't ride on one but, it would be easier to practice if he already had one. "Just so you know, I have not yet learned to ride a horse, but I would like to learn, it would probably improve my hunting", he said, he then realised he was being a little bit rude not introducing himself. "Oh, my name is Serpente, and you are?", he asked and smiled, reaching out his hand to the man sitting on the horse.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sama'el slipped out of the yvas to land lightly on his feet before clasping wrists with Serpente in the Drykas fashion. It didn't seem polite to do so from horseback, but now he was the one who had to look up to meet his gaze. They did clasp wrists, and he smiled up. Sama'el was tall, but Serpente had a good foot of height or more on him. "Sama'el of the Sapphire Clan, and of the Watch. Well met and welcome to Endrykas." He started to walk and Dohaina moved with him, well trained and keenly attuned to her rider. Not sure if Hek Fleetrunner and his pavilion were still camped nearby, he simply started them toward the Amethyst Clan's pavilions, knowing that Steeds and Yves had a wide selection of bloodlines and was fair to outsiders.

[Serpente Morsus]

"Sama'el of the Sapphire Clan, and of the Watch. Well met and welcome to Endrykas" Serpente smiled and grasped his wrist. He was by now used to this way of greeting Drykas and he cursed his stupidity for not remembering. As the man turned and started to walk Serpentes excitement rose. They where going to get him a horse! He felt happy and at the same time sort of nervous. He had barely sat on a horse before and now they where going to get him his own. He hoped they had a real big one, he wanted a horse that could carry his massive body for long periods of time, and it had to be able to run fast if it were to help him in his hunting. "So, where are we going exactly?", Serpente asked as he started following the man, taking huge steps to catch up to him since Serpente was a bit behind by now.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sama'el thought he caught a hint of excitement in the big mountain of a blue man and smiled, liking him despite himself. Anyone who loved horses couldn't be all bad. He walked with his hand on Dohaina's golden shoulder, not wanting to use her strength when he was trying to build his own back, but not wanting to fall over in one of his unexpected bouts of exhaustion. "The Amethyst Clan's pavilions have the best horse breeders," he explained, "and a savvy buyer might know which pavilions to go to, which Ankals to speak to, but the easiest thing to do is go to Steeds and Yves. They'll treat you fairly and they have the most horses to choose from. You're Akalak... I assume you want a big horse that can carry you into battle?"

[Serpente Morsus]

"Well yes, at least one who can carry me far, and hunt with me", He said and smiled. In his head he could already see the huge stable filled with different horses. He started to wish he had been born a Drykas instead, but he couldn't exactly complain about him being bigger, stronger and faster then most of the other beings. Hunting was never a problem when it came to killing the prey, and he never had any problems with robbers or such. As they walked he started to think about what horse he wanted. What breed, what color would it have. His smile grew even bigger as he thought about it. He hoped they would reach the pavilion soon.