A Rough Rider (Septimus)

[Xalet]

39th of Winter, 511 AV

Xalet had quite the contraption assembled. He had tied everything exactly as it was shown to him in the diagram provided by his Patron. The woman, while a brilliant tactician and a skilled fighter in many weapons, had absolutely no talent for artistry. The drawing itself even included Xalet in stick figure form upon it's parchment, but the only way the Akalak recognized his own presence was due to the drawn arrow pointing toward the figure with the word 'Xalet' written near by. The idea itself was simplistic. A huge sandbag tied up to a tree limb, with a secondary roping slipped through a rung on the bottom. The first rope simply held the sandbag aloft, while the second rope slung up and over another limb. Pulling the second rope would pull the sandbag rearward at an arc, and releasing the rope would allow gravity to take it's course and swing the sandbag...

...crack. Much as Xalet was finding out. The idea was to lift the sandbag, release it, perform a trio of thrusts upon a small sapling, turn, and prepare his shield to recieve the sandbag before it plowed into his unarmored body. His Patron was quite specific to request the importance of training without the armor. Xalet needed to force his body to move as quickly as possible, learn the technique, and get into the appropriate mind set to attack, adjust his stance, and defend against a fast, powerful blow. His Patron was trying to teach him how to deal with multiple attackers coming from more than one angle, but inwardly he was wondering if she was attempting to put as many bruises as possible upon his body.

The large Akalak stumbled forward, his short sword nearly falling from his grasp as he failed to turn quickly enough. Simply striking the sapling was a difficult procedure, as the stabbing thrusts were often off target from such a narrow margin or error. He had managed to stay upon his feet, but his muscled tensed from the sharp pain in his back from the most recent collision. Rolling his upper body to the left and right, he felt several fluid and potentially important things popping all across his spine. Swallowing back his previous failure he gripped the rope and began to yank the sandbag rearward again, sheathing his weapon so he could obtain a proper grip with his weapon hand. He recalled the pattern in his head. Release, draw, thrust thrice, turn, defend. All he had to do was follow that pattern...if his body found such a task within it's capability.

[Septimus]

Septimus grazed and ate til she was full. Her big belly had to have so much to fill it up. It was actually a goal well accomplished for horse. That was all she wanted was to accomplish something in her life. To be brave and noble and show her parents wrong for shoving her out the door at one year old. She never wanted to see them again, and they better be glad she figured out how to morph too, or she would've died. She always got so fired up at the mentioning of them. She didn't care for them at all anymore. She never wanted to see them again. Especially after her own father not believing she could talk to horses. He carried Kelvic blood and he knew it! He knew what Kelvics were, and the signs of a Kelvic. But apparently he didn't want to seem crazy in front of her mom. She sighed and scratched her shoulder with her hind hoof. She layed in the grass and soon began to roll all in it. It felt great and just about every horse did it. Even in the snow. She rolled and rolled, then stood back up with grass all over her back. She shook her mane and felt the wind run across her face. She held her head high so she could feel and hear everything and the wind. She closed her eyes for a moment. And that's when she heard it. Septimus opened her eyes quickly which were now wary. She couldn't pick out what it was. She climbed the hill and down below she saw an Akalak with a sandbag in a tree, a sword or what she thought was one, and a shield? So apprently his enemy was either the rope or sandbag, or it could be just a trap he was cutting loose. She took a few more steps forward and watched the Akalak train. The wind blew a leaf through the air which tickled her nostrils and she ended up snorting about for times. She shook her mane then realized. There went her cover. She took a few steps so she was fully in his sight and him fully in hers. Akalaks were supposed to be nice to horses, right? She hoped so.

[Xalet]

"C'mon...breathe. Focus. My Evantian Aura...it won't pick up the sand bag. Is it because it has no life? Or...is there something I'm not understanding..." he thought to himself, his makeshift training contraption prepared for now. As he released the rope he stabbed at the sapling, the blade of his blunt training short sword skipping off its narrow trunk again and again. As he turned to prepare to defend he saw...a horse? A Taiden Warhorse. Outside of the stables, and far outside of the walls of Syliras. He hadn't brought any horses with him. How could...

Whack! His heavy body stumbled to the side, spinning in a half circle like a dysfunctional top before he slid upon the snow and went down onto his backside. All the time he had spent considering the horse had left him wide open for the sandbag. This training wasn't going so well. Rolling onto his knees he thrust his shield against the ground and picked his heavy body upward until he stood at his full height. He was an imposing seven feet tall, even without his armor. The heavy bulk of his Akalak people was slightly modified by his own intensive weight training, done at the behest of his Patron. The thick cloth gambeson he wore was tight around his upper body, the lines of leather lacing up the front stretching slightly. Finding clothes to fit an Akalak was a difficult chore. Finding armor was even more difficult. If he hadn't joined the Knighthood at such a young age, he would probably still be without such combat basics.

As it was his duty to ensure the protection of the sacred horses of the order, he began walking over to the equine, slinging his shield over his shoulder with the guige strap. His sword he slid into its plain black brown sheath, spartan but functional. "How did you get so far from the city, hm? And no tack either? You didn't dismount a Knight then..." the Akalak mused out loud, no use in keeping his thoughts to himself, it wasn't like the horse could have any say in them, could it? "...best to go back to the city then. Come..." he gestured slightly, moving closer still, his hand reaching out to find a grip upon Septimus somehow, so that he may guide it to the city of Syliras.

[Septimus]

Septimus laughed a horsey laugh when the sandbag whacked him. It was more like a wierd chuckling whinny. She grew skiddish when the Akalak approached her. He thought she belonged in the stables? She shook her head and then watched as he approached her. Then she watched as he motioned for her to come along. Septimus stayed put. How was she going to talk to him without morphing? If she morphed she didn't have any clothes and she knew in some parts it was considered rude and just plain disturbing. How could she signal she was a kelvic? She looked around and thought for a moment. Maybe I could write in the dirt! But then again, her writing skills weren't a all readable, especially when writing with a hoof. She turned her large black head and looked around. She looked down the hill she'd just climbed to watch and saw her armor. Her eyes grew wide. 'He'll definitely think I belong with the city stables if he sees that.' Then she remembered her black cloak. She hated to be rude, but it was the only way. She jerked up and whirred around with a neigh then ran into the deeper woods behind her. She passed her shining silver armor. She went about 10 yards away from that and found her black velvet cloak. She picked it up with her mouth, then dropped it. She morphed from the large horse form back into her human form. What was revieled was a tall girl, with tan skin, long blonde hair, and gray eyes. She quickly put the cloak on and put the hood down. She ran out of the woods, stepping on leaves, twigs and other stuff with her bare feet, but she was sed to it by now and really didn't care. She stepped out and walked up the hill facing the Akalak again "I'm not a soldier's horse, nor do I belong in the city. I am a Kelvic." She sighed then looked downhill at her armor again.

[Xalet]

Oh great, another horse that clearly had no intention of listening to Xalet. Why was it that every time he attempted to interact with horses they reacted with disdain toward him? Even when he was a child horses disliked him, and then he was only a fraction of the size he was now. He, however, had grown out of his fear of horses that developed from all those negative experiences during childhood. With a long sigh he rested his left hand across his shoulder strapping and began to slowly walk toward the horse. Best not to move too quickly and end up scaring the creature. Just as he moved and reduced the distance the creature took off, "Hey...hey! Ugh...damn it all." he grunted as he ran after it, his large feet thudding through the dusting of snow that had covered the ground.

Of course his ability to catch up with an equine utilizing their advantageous four legs was almost nothing. It was just an effort in futility now, a responsibility to not let a piece of Syliras' property get away under his watch. He saw the treeline up ahead, perhaps he could catch up more easily within the heavy growth of the trees. Huffing slightly as the cold air slid in and out of his lungs he suddenly came to a stop as he saw a girl exiting the very same wood line that the horse had just entered. He slowly came to a stop, his eyes narrowing as he tried to make out her physical attributes, however his sight was hindered by her long cloth.

It would seem from his question, one way or the other, he had either completely missed what Septimus had said, or was simply to ignorant to understand what she was telling him, "You there! Madam, did you see a large horse running right through here? It came across the hill and into the tree line. I could have sworn it was a Taiden Warhorse, bred solely by the Knights." Indeed, with only a thousand Kelvic in the entire world of Mizahar, Xalet was one of the people whom had never met one. Amongst the ocean of Humans, there was often little else, with only a smattering of species even slightly represented within the walls of Syliras.

[Septimus]

Septimus laughed inside her head He didn't even hear me. I could have some fun with this one. Septimus smiled at the Akalak "A Tiaden warhorse, hmmm? A black one, with a white blaze on it's forehead? Yes, I do believe I saw it." She laughed inside her head once again. "I think it went that way." She pointed behind her back towards the woods "But on second thought, now that I think about it, it could've gone that way..." she pointed in front of herself "...that way or that way." She pointed to her right and left sides. She was laughing her head off inside, but on the outside she felt as if she was still in her main horse form and made no sign that she was about to laugh. She looked at the ground and saw one of her hoofprints leading into the forest [i]This could get funny.[/i] She gasped and acted like she was excited "Look, there's a hoofprint!" She looked at the Akalak with a surprised face. For a horse, she really could pull things off. She looked at the ground, the joke reminding her of how her father always played jokes and tricks on her and her mother. She remembered one that invoved the cattails and the creek. She was out playing in the creek with her mother, when her dad hid in the cattails. He threw a snake like rope out over the creek when they weren't looking and slowly pulled it scross slowly like a snake going into the brush. Septimus was right beside the rope when her mom turned around and saw it. She'd grabbed Septimus' shoulder and pulled he away. they both fell into the creek screaming, while her father was in the cattails laughing. He popped up with the rope and her and her mother started laughing as well. They were good times. That flashback reminded her of the things she'd buried underneath the tree at her old house.

[Xalet]

Xalet listened intently to the directions, and although the first set seemed a bit...obvious, he simply nodded in thanks and prepared to head out. Just as his body started to rock forward into a run he came to a skidding halt. The directions had changed. Then they changed again. What exactly was happening here? The Akalak's face, though typically stoic and unchanging faulted slightly. His brow came down heavily and his head slowly turned to check if there were any other people present. No, still just him and this strange girl.

He was about to make mention of the holes within her directional consistencies when she pointed out a hoof print. In the snow it looked quite clear, that was definitely the print he was looking for. His eyes shifted for a moment from his common vision to his ability to view the infra red spectrum. He didn't perceive any large heat signatures like a horse, but if the hoof prints were present, they had to lead to this wayward stallion. Of course little did he know that this horse was not wayward, and certainly not a stallion. "Yes...it...seems you are right. Well then I shall follow, mind the cold and stay careful outside the city walls. The Knights do patrol routinely or the safety of the main paths, but there are still wild creatures and the occasional rogue to be weary of. Do take care." he mentioned quickly to her as his knees bent and he ran off.

Xalet followed the hoof prints, seeing their indentations upon the snow. It was lucky that the wintery medium transmitted the prints so much easier than typical earth and dirt, otherwise Xalet would have lost the track completely. Having no true skill in finding creatures simply based upon their prints, the squire had a few circumstances working for him, mainly the snow to aid in seeing the prints, and the fact that the creature having made them had literally just passed through. The biggest problem for Xalet was, what would he do when he found them simply...ending?

[Septimus]

Septimus waited until he was behind her scanning the hoofprints when she began to quietly chuckle at the Akalak. And this ladies and gentlemen is why you always watch and listen to your surroundings. she thought to herself, acting like she was infront of a crowd like she'd seen in the city. She could barely keep quiet, but then a shiver ran up her spine. The snow on the ground was starting to get to her feet. And I left my shoes buried under the tree at my old parent's house. Home. The place she lived at when she was little with her mother and father and the two horses in the back. The place she realized her true form. The place where her and her parents would always play. Until they shoved her abruptly out the door with lots of urgency and at the time, she didn't know why. But when she returned the old little white horse had told her everything that had happened. A troop of soldiers ran through searching for her because of a promise made by generations back. But instead of finding her, they took her parents and the other little brown horse that accompanied the white one. After telling her the white horse urgently demanded to be let free before they came back for him. She followed orders and watched as the horse kicked up dust and quickly ran through the fence and galloped away. She never saw that horse again. As well as her parents and the brown horse. But she did the house again time after time. Under the tree in that pasture the horses stayed in, she buried some of her belongings there for safe keeping. Uncluding her shoes and water skin, and her toiletries. These thoughts made her heart twang with pain and a wanting for a place to call home. An actual place. And she couldn't stay in her parent's house because the soldiers burnt it whenever they raided the house. But now it's only a pile of ashy wood sitting there deformed. You can barely make it out as a house. She looked at the ground and noticed her footprints leading back through the woods and in her place. Crap. she thought.

[Xalet]

Xalet's heavy body darted through the snow as fast as it could, slowing down to a jog as it entered the more dense woodline. In front of him he noted the fresh tracks of the horse that had so previously raced past him, and despite his lack of any formal training in the subject of tracking he felt quite accomplished to have been able to come this far. Ducking and twisting, the Akalak took care not to get hung up on the many skeletal tree branches that hung down, heavy with snow and ice. Their leaves gone and lost, instead encased in a cocoon of white.

Everything seemed to be going quite well...until the trail ended. Completely. Xalet found himself coming to a skidding halt, his arms cartwheeling backwards to keep him upright. Spinning in place he tried desperately to understand where exactly he lost the track. Moving rearward he retraced his steps. Sure enough, there were the hoof prints, or at least he assumed that's what they were. There wasn't much traffic upon the snow the size of a horse recently, so the competition for like appearing prints was fairly low. The came up over a small downed log, down a decline and then ended.

It was a head-scratcher, literally. Xalet was actually scratching his head trying to determine where things had gone wrong. He looked about, kept his ears open hoping to find some sign of a galloping horse somewhere, but there was nothing. There was something else, however. A disturbance led away from the epicenter of the disappearing hoof prints, one that was different than his own leading up to them. It was smaller, at least comparatively, and didn't appear to have been from an animal. Something wasn't adding up. Annoyed with his failure to find that horse, and the snow bound equation before him that made no sense, Xalet started walking back toward where he had left his training equipment, unable to yet fully comprehend the correlation between the girl and the horse. Wait, had she done something with the horse?

[Septimus]

Septimus was sitting on the ground and by now, the joke had gotten old to even her. She used her fingernail to draw pictures in the snow. She drew one of a grassyfield which only looked like someone had taken a fork and had ran it through the snow a few times. She sighed at the failure then decided the'd ntry to draw herself. It was just somewhat of a stick figure with a lot of detail. She tried not to mess it up. But alas, she was never a good drawer. Especially when she was making inentions in the snowwith her fingernail. She shivered as a cold chill went up her spine from the snow. Right now would be a great time to morph, but I want him to figure it out for himself. And if he doesn't, I'll just morph. She chuckled once again at the prank. Even what she thought would make it backfire actually made it even funnier. He'd ran into the woods looking for the trail of hoofprints, but they ended where new began. She laughed at the thought of someone running all through the woods to find a trail had gone cold. She could make out something purpleish walking through the woods. Her horse vision didn't help at all when it came to looking at details farther than twenty feet. She assumed it was the Akalak. She chuckled again "Did ya find what you were looking for?" She laughed then stood up.