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26th of Winter, 515 AV
morning
He had a Strider now, and as he understood it, horses were meant to be ridden. He couldn't help Merevaika train Tachi-Sky if he didn't know how to do anything with her.
It was time he learned to ride a horse.
Dravite had let him choose from his herd, and had advised that the hardy-looking darkish brown one --Ashka, she was called-- was perhaps the best for the job. Kyo would have asked Kaitanu for his help, but Kaitanu was his friend, and riding him once had been odd enough, like petting his wild dogs would be. No, it would be better to use a full-blooded horse, not a shifter-man. The shifter would hold still and make it easy, and Kyo needed to learn to ride an animal that might not like him on its back.
---
He had caught Askha with minimal struggles and had led her out and away from the other Blackwater horses and into the Grass-- mostly because of the way the blood-horse, which he now knew was called Vicious, looked at him with her ears erect and stare nerve-wracking, unfathomable. The coyote-man, dressed in all his Winter garments as meek padding, had the leather-riding-thing --called the yvas, he was almost certain-- over one shoulder. The horse he had a rope around, a loose loop to hold the neck, and that he had clasped tightly in one sweaty hand. Now they faced each other, horse and shifter, and neither of them looked certain about what was happening.
He didn't know how long he stood there, too nervous to do anything and remembering the way a horse had once cracked its hoof against his head, fearing that pain and confusion and sickness. But eventually he rose from those thoughts, telling himself over and over that this horse was not that horse, this horse was not that horse. He began, slowly, cautiously, to walk forward towards the huge, powerful animal, watching its face carefully, trying to read clues to her expression there that he did not yet know.
Her ears were pointing back but not flat to the head, and her tail was swishing. In dogs that would mean she was nervous or even angry, but a dog's tail swishing meant wagging, which could be more nerves or happiness or even anger. He decided the horse was probably not happy, not with a man smelling of coyote approaching near, and hoped the animal was just as nervous as he was.
Hello, he signed to her, you friend, no fear, you help? And when she started backing away despite his signing, he said, a little more forcefully, trying to command with his shoulders set and stare unwavering, You stay. Then he added, once again soft, Please?
The horse was at least looking at him, he was holding her attention, and as he slid ever nearer on run-ready feet he signed again and again, stay, stay, stay whenever she looked like she was about to step back again. Eventually he was close enough to her that he could reach out, and remembering something Merevaika had told him he whistled softly under his breath. The horse's ears perked towards him a little, and he repeated the sound, trying to be soothing, holding out a hand to touch.
Ashka stood still and let him touch her, though she pulled her face away when he reached there so his hand ended on her strong shoulder instead. He left himself in contact with her and moved closer yet, ever slowly, til they were standing side to side. He could see the animal giving him a look, though he could not read what that look meant. Carefully, not knowing what he was supposed to do, he brought his hand from her and took the yvas from his shoulder. "Please no run, oh please help me," he muttered under his breath, lifting the saddle-thing higher and trying to settle it where he thought it was supposed to go on her back.
.
.
morning
He had a Strider now, and as he understood it, horses were meant to be ridden. He couldn't help Merevaika train Tachi-Sky if he didn't know how to do anything with her.
It was time he learned to ride a horse.
Dravite had let him choose from his herd, and had advised that the hardy-looking darkish brown one --Ashka, she was called-- was perhaps the best for the job. Kyo would have asked Kaitanu for his help, but Kaitanu was his friend, and riding him once had been odd enough, like petting his wild dogs would be. No, it would be better to use a full-blooded horse, not a shifter-man. The shifter would hold still and make it easy, and Kyo needed to learn to ride an animal that might not like him on its back.
---
He had caught Askha with minimal struggles and had led her out and away from the other Blackwater horses and into the Grass-- mostly because of the way the blood-horse, which he now knew was called Vicious, looked at him with her ears erect and stare nerve-wracking, unfathomable. The coyote-man, dressed in all his Winter garments as meek padding, had the leather-riding-thing --called the yvas, he was almost certain-- over one shoulder. The horse he had a rope around, a loose loop to hold the neck, and that he had clasped tightly in one sweaty hand. Now they faced each other, horse and shifter, and neither of them looked certain about what was happening.
He didn't know how long he stood there, too nervous to do anything and remembering the way a horse had once cracked its hoof against his head, fearing that pain and confusion and sickness. But eventually he rose from those thoughts, telling himself over and over that this horse was not that horse, this horse was not that horse. He began, slowly, cautiously, to walk forward towards the huge, powerful animal, watching its face carefully, trying to read clues to her expression there that he did not yet know.
Her ears were pointing back but not flat to the head, and her tail was swishing. In dogs that would mean she was nervous or even angry, but a dog's tail swishing meant wagging, which could be more nerves or happiness or even anger. He decided the horse was probably not happy, not with a man smelling of coyote approaching near, and hoped the animal was just as nervous as he was.
Hello, he signed to her, you friend, no fear, you help? And when she started backing away despite his signing, he said, a little more forcefully, trying to command with his shoulders set and stare unwavering, You stay. Then he added, once again soft, Please?
The horse was at least looking at him, he was holding her attention, and as he slid ever nearer on run-ready feet he signed again and again, stay, stay, stay whenever she looked like she was about to step back again. Eventually he was close enough to her that he could reach out, and remembering something Merevaika had told him he whistled softly under his breath. The horse's ears perked towards him a little, and he repeated the sound, trying to be soothing, holding out a hand to touch.
Ashka stood still and let him touch her, though she pulled her face away when he reached there so his hand ended on her strong shoulder instead. He left himself in contact with her and moved closer yet, ever slowly, til they were standing side to side. He could see the animal giving him a look, though he could not read what that look meant. Carefully, not knowing what he was supposed to do, he brought his hand from her and took the yvas from his shoulder. "Please no run, oh please help me," he muttered under his breath, lifting the saddle-thing higher and trying to settle it where he thought it was supposed to go on her back.
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"Speaking in Common"
"And in Vani{descriptors}"
"And in Tukant [implications, descriptors]"
"And in Pavi" grassland sign
