Horses and Carrots(Tebridiar)

[Jarhal Treeshadow]

He smirked a little, fairly sure he had ask her basically what it was like to be a horse not so long ago. With only the slighest warning of waving a hand for her to follow, he began to head for the large pavilion that served as the proper stable. He did not glance back to see if she actually had followed, just walked off with Topher following him as if they had shared some mental link.

Entering the stable, he picked out his own yvas saddle and began the process of strapping it on. It was not a flashy saddle, with two handles on the sides of the saddle that seemed to have once been the horns of a deer. His hands worked with a mind of their own, buckling up and tying off as they'd done many times before, but he slowed as he neared the final touches.

"I was planning on going for a ride as soon as Chural got here, if you were interested in coming along. You could even ride in the saddle for a bit, if you wanted to experience what it was like to be on the other end of the process for once. Topher would go easy on you." He said as he caught the strider's eye, perhaps sharing some mischievous joke there.

[Tebridiar]

Tebridiar was excited.

“Ride a horse?”[/b She laughed. [b]“Awesome! I haven’t actually ever ridden a horse before… this should be fun!" She was getting excited.

“I’ll either be really good… or really, really bad.” She was hoping she’d be amazing, of course. But it wasn’t quite as simple as that. Her connection to horses was making her a little more optimistic.

Tebridiar eyed the saddle going onto the horse. "However, I’d rather go bareback. I prefer not having a saddle on me.”
“She felt like she belonged with the Drykas, she was closer to horses than people in a way, and she was proud of that. She was also glad she had met that Drykas woman, Aleksi. She would know how to teach her to ride a horse, she was sure...

[Jarhal Treeshadow]

"That's interesting..." He mused as he began to undo all the straps he'd just done up, "Have you ever felt a yvas saddle like this? We strap on the saddles much differently than a normal one, to try and lessen the irritation to the horse. It would be an amazing chance to learn from a horse herself how we can improve on the design."

As he thought about the rather stunning possibilities for the Drykas people to be able to draw upon a horse Kelvic's knowledge, a scrappy brown dog with a jagged scar on his face came trotting up into the stable and sat off to the side. He gave Tebridiar a cursory looking-over, but seemed to write her off immediately as no danger to anyone. Jarhal finished the work of removing the saddle soon after the dog's entrance.

"Well now that we're all here, we can take a walk outside the tent lines." Giving Topher a good pat, he then hunched down and made a step with his hands for her. "Go ahead and climb up, we'll start off slowly and see how you do."

[Tebridiar]

Tebridiar contemplated the saddle. If it was comfortable for the horse and the rider, that would be the best thing. Jarhal was a Drykas, so he certainly wouldn’t lie to make her feel better. He would do anything not to hurt his horse.

“I may try the saddle. I’ll go bareback first, and see how I go… I guess your Topher is used to it, and I understand you wouldn’t want to hurt him. I believe you would want to do whats best for your animal, you are a Drykas after all.” Tebridiar smiled. These people really knew their stuff.

She followed Jarhal through the rows of tents, to an area where it was quite flat and disturbed only by grass. Now she had to get on the horse…

Right.

She wondered if it would come naturally, or whether it would be struggle.

She analysed it for a few moments, then she took a sort of graceful leap, and she was sitting on Tophers back. It fel wonderful… she could feel him right beneath her, obediently willing to do as she wished. It felt strange to be sort of… commanding the horse. But she tried not to make him feel submissive.

“Don’t worry boy, I won’t force you to do anything. You lead, and my mind will follow you.” She whispered to him, patting his kneck.

[Jarhal Treeshadow]

Topher was not a difficult horse to ride, for in many ways he mirrored Jarhal. No arrogance or temper, willing to go along with a rider that didn't presume to ask too much of him, and with only a bit of a scheming streak that kept you from getting too complacent. More difficult to notice, the horse had a very light step and a wary eye for just where it was stepping. Overall, it made for a truly great trail horse, born to climb it's way across shallow creeks and through dense growth.

Chural sat on the edge of the field and out of the way, while Jarhal walked closer by to at least have a small chance of catching her if she fell off. However, something told him that she'd be a natural at this sort of thing, what with being a horse and all. Many Drykas spent as much time on foot as they did on a horse over the course of their lives, and it never grew old to see how a new rider held themselves on their first ride. With the current rider, the curiosity was increased doubly.

"I'm unsure how foreigners train their horses, but most Striders respond to touch and pressure." He did not so much lecture as he did inform, with a tone as though talking about what he was going to eat later that day. "Press in with your left knee to tell him you'd like to turn left, and the same for the other side. Press in with both knees to ask to speed up. This style of directing them is very important, because I may be forced to shoot my composite bow off horseback if danger arises. My legs have to do all the work that my hands couldn't."

After a slight pause, he added begrudgingly with a shrug, "It helps that he's smart, too." And Topher seemed to snort in pleased agreement.

[Tebridiar]

Tebridiar agreed with Jarhal. He was a smart horse, she could feel it. Smart and willing, but he had personality too. Like if he wasn’t comfortable with something, he may gently steer you in the right direction in the best way he could.

She noted how to turn, speed up, move. Tried to store it in her mind.

“I understand, Jarhal. I feel it. He’s a strong, intelligent horse, with a bit of backbone in him.” She smiled, adjusting her position to a way that they were both comfortable. “I’ll try a few things out, I’m new but it feels… right. Ill probably get the hang of it.” Tebridiar gave an encouraging little pat on Tophers muscular shoulder. Her made a happy little rumbling noise, and he seemed to relax a bit more.

The Drykas horses were kind, accepting. They must know who will be good to them.

Tebridiar did as she was told, digging her knee in lightly, and softly telling him to turn left. He did as he was told, docile in his movements, doing as he was told. This gave her encouragement.

She dug her other knee in, and called a little louder “Right.” He moved, a little quicker. He was warming up to her, trusting her more. It felt nice.

“I think I know how to… to ride, Jarhal. It feels perfect!” She grinned eagerly, giving Topher a little hug around her thick neck.

[Jarhal Treeshadow]

He quit following as she went through the motions, instead just standing with his arms folded and enjoying watching both his horse and a natural rider. It would be interesting to see how she became a drykas in her own right, if she stayed here long enough. It was tempting to ask her to go hunting next, just as he asked everyone else he said more than three words to.

"I'm happy to see you enjoy it properly." He said simply and truthfully. "It is a shame it is not nighttime!"

Being the tease he was, he allowed time for her to grow curious, if she was indeed the curious type as he suspected, at just what significance nighttime was. Walking over closer at a leisurely pace, he adjusted the emerald gemstone pinning his green cloak at the neck.

"All pureblooded Striders, like Topher, can will their coats to gain luminescence. It is a little faint, but more than enough to find during the night." His smile was of great pride, like a man speaking of some good deed his son had done. "That ability is how we found each other in the wild, but that's a bit of a long story. I'll just say it's not to be taken for just a strange useless trick."

[Tebridiar]

Night? What was so special about the night?

She did enjoy walking around, her feet bare on the cool earth, grass peeking in between in toes, crunching underneath the soft pads of her feet. It was a soothing time.

But it seemed belonged in the morning. A nice, Autumn morning. She was the rising sun, bright and vibrant. Not terribly warm, cool breezes striking the air every so often. But it was nice, relaxing, and beautiful. But she never really accepted the fact she was beautiful… red hair was an oddity, her blue eyes staring too much. And her back, the deep gouge on her back that no one knew about. That was the most hideous thing of all.

“Glistening coats?” This intrigued her. She needed to know more. “Really? I wonder if I stay with the Drykas, learn to live with them… I can get a glittering coat too!” This made her wonder… if she gained shimmering fur, would her pale skin and red hair glimmer in their human form? She got a little confused.

She expected that would make people even more weirded out by her.

“So, they only do this at night, am I correct?” She said, not quite maintaining eye contact with Jarhal as she had to concentrate as she urged Topher to gain a bit of speed, made him break into the very slightest of trots. She moved her hips and lower body lightly, moving in time with him, as he moved up and down beneath her. It felt like the right thing to do, somehow.

“Am I supposed to do that?” She called to him, her voice jerking as she sped Topher up a little bit more, and she was forced to fall and rise a little quicker.

[Jarhal Treeshadow]

He scratched his fuzzy cheek, completely unsure if kelvics could learn those sorts of things or not. At a loss, he just shrugged.

"If they do it during the day, they glint like a sparkling gem..." He hesitated, "However, that's not the safest thing to show-off so it's rarer to see. Topher is a bit shy about it, himself."

Like many Drykas, he had been told the stories of just how their people had started. How they fled beneath the ground for safety from the cataclysm with their horses, and how that is where the Strider gained it's luminescent coat. However, it was a long story that he didn't quite feel like telling right now. Maybe some other time, if the woman was interested.

"Yes, that's very good Miss Terbridiar," He said as she began to post, essentially. It was strange to see someone just 'know' these things themselves, but not unpleasant. It would have been quite silly to grow jealous of a horse kelvic for knowing to ride horses. "The reason we do that is to lessen the stress on our back and butt during a chase. When we shoot from horseback, we must use the saddle to stand ourselves up and be steady, even while at a gallop. Would you like to see the difference the yvas saddle makes?"

[Tebridiar]

Tebridiar smiled. Topher was shy… it was so sweet.

It was good to hear she was doing the right thing, learning as she went along. She liked to get help then learn a little bit herself, it gave her a sense of achievement, satisfying her lust for learning.

A Yvas saddle? She paused, slowing Topher down a little bit. She usually preferred horses without a saddle… yet she knew the Drykas would do anything to keep their horse the most comfortable it could be. She trusted them, they were probably the people most devoted to her kind in the world.

“Well, Ill try it Jarhal. See what its like… If anyone knows how to get a saddle that suits horses, it’s the Drykas!” She gave a reassuring pat on the horses neck, then she hopped off of him, landing quietly on the ground.

“I’ll watch how you do it. If you show me, and I like them, I’ll be able to do it myself!” She grinned. This was going to be interesting...