61 Fall, 515 AV
7th Bell, Early Morning
Endrykas
7th Bell, Early Morning
Endrykas
The sun had come out to remind them of warmer days. The sky was dotted with clouds and the birds seemed extra excitable this morning, singing away outside and waking the watchman far sooner than he would have chosen to get up; not that he had slept well. It wasn't like Dravite to toss and turn in the night, but ever since Fara and her children had joined them he had been restless, plagued by 'what ifs,' and 'why nots?'.
Why not invite them into the sleeping quarters where it was warmer and he could keep an eye on them? Why not just marry her if Löwe was really his son? What if the boy was not of his blood, would that change things? What if his marrying Fara caused him to lose Belkaia's love? He lay awake on his back, cursing the birds and their song; why should they be so happy when he was this torn? In the spring, Dravite thought, we would revisit these ideas in the spring.
Suddenly, a face he had not seen or thought of for some time popped up in his thoughts, the fortune teller, he smiled; maybe she could give him some insight, and perhaps since he had last seen her she had been able to refine her skills in her chosen art. Dravite got up, dressed in a pair of black leather pants, his riding boots, and a white shirt. As he pulled on his black leather belt he found that he had to do it up even tighter than usual, maybe Roan had been right; he really did seem to be wasting away.
The horse lord woke Kyanite with a wet cloth to the face and wiped the sleep from the boy's eyes. He carried his sleeping brother Garrison over to his bed to set the boy between his wives where he would be warm and turned to dress his son. Kyanite stood rubbing his face, confused as to why his father had woken him.
"Do you want to go riding?" He asked.
The boy nodded and seemed to perk up a little, "on my pony?"
No, Dravite signed, Cree.
Kyanite smiled sleepily and wandered to the entrance of the tent where he stood waiting with a piece of dried meat Dravite had offered him to chew for breakfast.
Before they left, the watchman slipped into Fara's tent and found that the woman was already awake, her children wrapped in her arms. She looked tired, as if she had seen about as much sleep in the last several days as he. Dravite moved into the tent to shut out the crisp morning air in an attempt to keep some of the heat in and crawled forwards to speak in hushed tones with the woman, "can I take Löwe riding?"
Fara looked at her son and stroked his temple, "of course, my lion; right now?"
Dravite nodded his head, "I have work, thus I must make the most if my mornings."
"Luuu-vuh," she said the boy's name slowly, rousing him from rest, "would you like to go riding with your father?"
"Yes," he smiled and got up quickly, pulling his own clothes on before searching for his boots.
Fara reached out to Dravite and the horse lord raised his hand to take hers. She gave him a gentle squeeze and smiled warmly as if to say 'take care of my boy'. The watchman left the tent with Löwe in tow and scooped up Kyanite who smiled at his father gleefully. The three of them left camp and navigated their way through the throng of tents that stood between them and the horse herds.
Cree galloped up to greet them when he heard his master whistle. He shook the grass and dust from his mane and tail before raking the earth with a mighty black hoof, ready to go. Dravite ordered the stallion to still, put Kyanite up on the animal's back and then climbed up onto the horse. He wriggled forwards and took a handful of black mane before reaching down to hoist Löwe up to sit behind him. The boy put his long, narrow arms around Dravite's middle and closed the man's shirt in his little fists, "you ready?"
"Yes," both boys replied and they were soon on their way in search of the Wildmane campsite.
Cree didn't like the slow paced trot his rider had restricted him to but seemed to understand that Dravite was not the only person sitting on his back today. The stallion bowed his head and gave a defiant shake, the horse lord quickly bringing him under control again, steering his mount around the outskirts of the city while he kept an eye out for the right district to enter through. With some distance to cover, Dravite allowed Cree to canter, the three beat movement drumming a rhythmic pattern against the earth as the Stirder's gait extended and opened up.
When they came to the Wildmane campsite, Dravite signalled for Cree to come to a complete stop before dismounting and taking a boy in each arm. Both Kyanite and Löwe felt heavier than he remembered and within a few paces into camp, he set the older boy down, allowing him to find his feet before he took his hand and greeted Raen, the Wildmane elder he had met during the summer.
"Blackwater," she greeted him in turn with a smile and he was glad to find she remembered him.
Good morning, he dropped Löwe's hand to sign before taking the outstretched limb up again, "is Rufio in?"
Raen gave the man a comical look before offering a nod, "asleep or cooking," she lifted her nose as if to smell the air then and Dravite found himself subconsciously doing the same thing, cooking, the appetising smells the air carried to his senses seemed to promise.
"Mind if I speak with her?"
The old woman waved him ahead, 'you know your way around,' her look seemed to suggest, and with that Dravite moved towards the main tent, stepped inside and called for Rufio quietly, keeping his voice low in case anyone was still sleeping further back.
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