Timestamp- Summer 10, 508
Summer was at just beginning, but boy was it hot. The not quite thirty year old was in a clearing, her falx layed in the grass behind her as she rubbed a brush across her Striders flank. The older mare flicked her head on occasion, the long face waving excitedly at the herd they were near and a hoof pawing up dirt as her rider groomed away the sweat from the ride.
Laughing, Delani paused with one hand on the stripe down the pretty mounts back and looked towards the nodding head. "Hold on, hold on, I'm nearly done, old girl. Let me finish your tail then you can go." The herd wasn't far from the city today, grazing in short plains grass with four scouts overlooking them, though this did not include the older woman. She was there to let the mare be with the herd.
The Striders sides twitched with each touch from the Drykas and her excitement and impatience were palpable as Dela hurried to finish brushing out burrs from the sleek tail. "There you go, my friend. Now go on." She gave the mares hip a gentle touch of encouragement and watched her go. The horse was only 19, a bit past her prime for breeding, but Dela could not deny seeing the mare's rampant desire this year. She could live without the horse for six or so months, make do riding one of the non-striders. It would do her horse good and give herself some knowledge about carrying for a pregnant mare.
Immediately upon completion of the brush down, the mare reared partly off the ground and whinnied happily, surging forwards afterwards to merge with the herd seamlessly, Dela watching this from the sidelines with a patient smile. She'd already spoken with one of the master horsemen in one of the other clans about what to do if and when her own foaled and was excited to learn more (even the specifics). All things great and small simply fascinated her; it was no surprise that Dela would one day take an interest in breeding and birth.
Ironically, the same did not hold true to the womans romantic life. A quite mature dame by Drykas standards, she had all but shunned most attempts at courtship, preferring her pursuit of knowledge to the pursuit of a partner, children, or love. There was one, however...
Her mind drifted to Ahanu as she sat back in the grass again and layed the brush aside, watching the undulates do their free dance. He was a handsome man, only a few years older than herself, with dark, rust-streaked hair. One side of his head had been shaved smooth while the other side had been braided into corn rows along the scalp. The rest of the shoulder-length hair was contained within five beaded braids, the patterns symbolizing his status as a lead scout for his own pavilion. His pale eyes and whimsical attitude were his most alluring features to Delani and she wondered what it might be like to be lost in them.
~If he asked, I would wed him, I think. He is intelligent and understanding and would not allow the failure of learning. His eyes are so entrancing, though...They almost remind me of fathers. Yes, I think if he asked, I would wed him.~ As she sat there, a little smile crossed her face, fingers arching in the grass and feet crossing in front of her. ~And bed him. He's far too charming for his own good~ And she respected him greatly. The other women who might have shown interest in such a man could not get around why he saw Delani as attractive. She, too, had a farsighted nature, looking beyond the here and now to what could be known and experienced. His was one more interested in adventure; hers in simply knowing.
She was so lost in her thoughts by now, eyes on the horses, that the rest of the world was tuned out, missing from the thoughts drifting through her conscious mind and leaving her face relatively absent but for that almost dreamy smile.
xSummer was at just beginning, but boy was it hot. The not quite thirty year old was in a clearing, her falx layed in the grass behind her as she rubbed a brush across her Striders flank. The older mare flicked her head on occasion, the long face waving excitedly at the herd they were near and a hoof pawing up dirt as her rider groomed away the sweat from the ride.
Laughing, Delani paused with one hand on the stripe down the pretty mounts back and looked towards the nodding head. "Hold on, hold on, I'm nearly done, old girl. Let me finish your tail then you can go." The herd wasn't far from the city today, grazing in short plains grass with four scouts overlooking them, though this did not include the older woman. She was there to let the mare be with the herd.
The Striders sides twitched with each touch from the Drykas and her excitement and impatience were palpable as Dela hurried to finish brushing out burrs from the sleek tail. "There you go, my friend. Now go on." She gave the mares hip a gentle touch of encouragement and watched her go. The horse was only 19, a bit past her prime for breeding, but Dela could not deny seeing the mare's rampant desire this year. She could live without the horse for six or so months, make do riding one of the non-striders. It would do her horse good and give herself some knowledge about carrying for a pregnant mare.
Immediately upon completion of the brush down, the mare reared partly off the ground and whinnied happily, surging forwards afterwards to merge with the herd seamlessly, Dela watching this from the sidelines with a patient smile. She'd already spoken with one of the master horsemen in one of the other clans about what to do if and when her own foaled and was excited to learn more (even the specifics). All things great and small simply fascinated her; it was no surprise that Dela would one day take an interest in breeding and birth.
Ironically, the same did not hold true to the womans romantic life. A quite mature dame by Drykas standards, she had all but shunned most attempts at courtship, preferring her pursuit of knowledge to the pursuit of a partner, children, or love. There was one, however...
Her mind drifted to Ahanu as she sat back in the grass again and layed the brush aside, watching the undulates do their free dance. He was a handsome man, only a few years older than herself, with dark, rust-streaked hair. One side of his head had been shaved smooth while the other side had been braided into corn rows along the scalp. The rest of the shoulder-length hair was contained within five beaded braids, the patterns symbolizing his status as a lead scout for his own pavilion. His pale eyes and whimsical attitude were his most alluring features to Delani and she wondered what it might be like to be lost in them.
~If he asked, I would wed him, I think. He is intelligent and understanding and would not allow the failure of learning. His eyes are so entrancing, though...They almost remind me of fathers. Yes, I think if he asked, I would wed him.~ As she sat there, a little smile crossed her face, fingers arching in the grass and feet crossing in front of her. ~And bed him. He's far too charming for his own good~ And she respected him greatly. The other women who might have shown interest in such a man could not get around why he saw Delani as attractive. She, too, had a farsighted nature, looking beyond the here and now to what could be known and experienced. His was one more interested in adventure; hers in simply knowing.
She was so lost in her thoughts by now, eyes on the horses, that the rest of the world was tuned out, missing from the thoughts drifting through her conscious mind and leaving her face relatively absent but for that almost dreamy smile.
