Closed The ride home (Azmere)

[Amunet]

40th, Spring, 516 av
8th bell
A few miles east south east of Riverfall

Shetanae ran like the wind with the urging of her little red headed rider. It had been a while and the mare started slowing as her rider felt off. Amunet gave no indication that this was wrong as the mare slowed to a loping canter than a trot and then a walk. The sweat on the animal was clear to how long she had been running. The hands at her mane trembled in an unusual way and every so often the hot mare felt drops of water land on her withers. Her rider gave no other indication of direction or desire of purpose for the location of travel. There was only the shudder of her torso now and then and the occasional shaky breath in. The mare understood this sadness from her rider and it was far to frequent. The mare huffed a snort as she walked for a distance till one of the stands of trees that dotted the sea of grass here and there met with a stream of water that was fresh. The mare stood under the shade of the tree for a bit. Shetanae was a bit too hot to drink water and the mare knew it.

Amunet’s tears dried up at some point sitting under the shade. There was a tick of a thought to stop for something to eat but her stomach was in knots. She had to return to Endrykas and the fight with Skyard on that was strenuous. Rather it was the language barrier or ignorance of her culture or something else the young lady had no idea. The Healer had no idea how to contact the Drykas guides and the watch from Riverfall and felt speed and the grass to be her best defense from her unknown follower in Riverfall. She rubbed her eyes dry with the back of her faded red shirt that usually marked her as ruby clan. It was getting thread bare but it didn’t seem to bother the petite young woman. Those gold star bursts on blue eyes looked around to take in her surroundings. It was a risk, a huge one.

‘Lets see if this magic can get me home. Maybe’ Her thoughts were dubius.

The girl dismounted finally to check on her mare speaking to her softly “How are you holding up big girl?” Her hand went underneath and between the front legs checking for heat level. The horse was a little sweaty but the walk and sitting under the shade for a bit seemed to help. The mare should be cool enough to drink some water now. The red head patted the horse on the shoulder as Shetanae’s muzzle came around the lip the garment on her shoulder in affection. Amunet lifted her feet to check her hooves over for bruises, stones or other issues. Her horses hooves were as solid as ever.

The girl turned her sad eyes to the big brown orbs of the mare. “Yeah, I know you think he was wrong, but you are too picky for your own good too.” So then the ‘argument’ ensued from there. The mare had her ears moving, changed posture and leg stances as she managed to look at her two legged companion with a disparaging expression of her discontent. Rather it was of Amunet’s choice in two legged males or the mare’s own choice in four legged males was unclear.

What was clear was the duo proceeded to the stream to get a drink of water before mounting up and head towards spring grounds of endrykas. This was a tough one without a guide. As Amunet settled into her seat upon the mare’s back, she was in a better frame of mind. ‘steady, still’ The girl signed to the mare as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. She took another one that was even slower on the breath in and the slow breath out. After several of these she focused on her brother Drak. It seemed this new magic worked on locating people at least a name of a person. The girl had a personal feel for her little brother she hoped that would make some difference. The girl focused on his face, personality and the love she felt for the boy before opening her eyes as the gold star bursts shimmered and flared around the blue of her eyes. A light blue ribbon popped up in pieces going generally in the easterly, south easterly direction.. kind of?

It was something, as her brow furrowed as she tried pushing at the ribbons to form some cohesion as to a direction. In her determined and tenacious way about things sometimes, she pushed more to focus this magic to tell her something else. He ribbons moved slightly closer as the path still meandered kind of east south easterly direction. The tall tell pain that has become familiar started to stab at her head as she closed her eyes and took in a breath and rub her temples. Her heel signaled the mare were they needed to head staying out of the tall grasses. Hopefully the watch will come across her during their sweeps.

[Azmere]

A day had passed and Azmere could no longer argue his case with his fellow Watchmen. Syna came and would soon watch as the trio made for Endrykas. The man of scars was not happy with the decision but since his comrades had spent all of yesterday indulging his wants, he had little room to stand on. They were familiar with Amunet and her wandering ways. The general consensus was that she was already back in Endrykas or that she was in Riverfall; either way, she was safe. Whether or not he believed it, the archer was forced to accept it.

The man stood up from his mat and rolled his neck around in an attempt to loosen up some stiff muscles. Azmere did this stretch for almost a full chime then moved on to something else. Next, he spread his feet shoulder width apart and used his boots to dig lines in the dirt where each foot had been. Now there were two line segments in the dirt parallel to one another. The Watchman stepped to the right of the right line and put his feet together. He bent his knees and prepared for his exercise. He opened his eyes and focused on Grey who was sitting several feet away watching with a curious expression and a tilted head.

Suddenly, Azmere hopped laterally using both feet. He planted them just outside of the left line and without delay hopped back to the right. This pattern of one-touch hopping from side to side was a means of gaining agility but also it helped the Watchman get his blood moving in the morning. The archer was careful about his form making certain to keep his feet and knees together. Each landing allowed him to coil his weight down. This bent his knees more and put a good deal of pressure on the balls of his feet as well as the muscles along the tops of his legs. Azmere allowed his legs to reach a nearly perfect right angle at the knee before releasing the quickly stored energy. This resulted in another hop which was controlled by the muscles along his sides and abdomen. In the air, the Drykas used his core to twist his lower half so that the next landing was past the far line that he had marked in the dirt. Azmere counted in his head while he was jumping. The higher the numbers got, the more the man felt his legs and lungs burn. After a few chimes of the repetitive activity, Azmere landed and staggered back into a bent over position. His feet were shoulder width again and his hands rested on his knees while the big man took a few ticks to catch his breath.

The other Watchmen had been observing and one had gone off to check the web for their journey home. Azmere righted himself and gave his back a twist from side to side then walked to his fellow Ra’athi. “Garret, how long do you think it will take us to get back?” The archer had become disoriented in his awareness to their home. Between the grass monsters and his day of rest, Azmere was not sure what it was going to take to get back to Endrykas. He didn’t ask the obvious question because the ankal could see that his companion was thinking about the horrible beings as well. Just then, Markle came up on his strider.

“Stormblood, Heartwind; we need to go.” His tone was flat but both men instantly set about packing up their things. Neither one asked what was so urgent but that could be because neither wanted to hear the answer. Grey flattened his ears as Azmere moved about in rushed but efficient bursts that allowed him to gather his belongings into his pack. He hoisted everything onto the new mare he had come across two days ago. The young strider was wild and reluctant to being weighed down by a blanket but she didn’t protest as long as Azmere could maintain some kind of contact with her neck. This made getting her prepared very difficult but such was the way of animals. The archer squatted down and put the yvas on across his shoulders. He used the muscles in his legs to straighten his body to his full height. The recent aerobic exercise made this exertion burn in his thighs but he relished the workout and did nine more squats just to boost his strength. Once completed, the watchman placed his left hand on the young mare’s neck and stroked her coat gently with a few soft whispers of comfort. This stilled the nervous horse enough for the man to use his right hand and slide the yvas off of himself and onto her back. This action was quick and Azmere made a rapid step so that one arm was over her neck and the other was under but each stroked and pet her with great affection. His mouth was close to her ear and he spoke in a tiny little voice.

“We’re better together, young one. My eyes and arms will keep you safe while your legs and back will keep me strong.” He kissed her neck. “Let’s take another ride and I will prove it to you.” The horse seemed to be in agreement or at least she wasn’t going to fight her human just yet. Azmere smiled and swung himself up into the yvas without much effort. He snapped his fingers twice and Grey popped to his feet and came trotting up. The mare whipped her tail at the canine who responded with a confused expression and simply stood near to his master as he could. Azmere adjusted himself in the seat and moved his bow into his left hand. Given the temperament of the order to leave, he was not sure what was coming but he intended to be ready.

Garret Heartwind was quick to assemble his things and joined Markle Nightshield along with Azmere. The trio of Watchmen set off heading east at a solid trot that Markle slowly pushed into a gallop over the next twenty chimes. The archer used his legs to guide and coax his new mount along with the other older striders. The spirit of the horse promised the makings of a great partner but the Drykas had yet to truly test the young mare. He used a steady up and down push from his thighs to help keep her in pace with their companions. Grey ran along with his ears perked and tongue wagging. After a few days of sitting around, the dog wanted to run and play and be useful. The short-handed patrol kept this up for nearly a bell and then came to rest near a series of rocks that looked like giant blocks strewn in a line as if placed by some giant hand in a single throw. Some were leaning, others were on their side while a few seemed to be standing perfectly tall.

Azmere looked over at his comrades then down to his dog who was panting but smiling just the same. The contrasting gaze looked at their surroundings and the large area it covered. After a few ticks, he patted the horse on her neck and looked to Markle. “Why are we here, Nightshield? The shadows say you’ve taken us straight to the west. Should we not be heading east?” With a wiry look, the young man nodded to Azmere and then pointed to the far end of the rocks where a slight flicker could be seen on occasion.

“There’s a stream down there. We water up and one of us can web to see if the girl I saw earlier is still heading towards Star Lake.” He signed young, red hair and lost. Then he smiled. Azmere was a bit too happy to be angry though he made a mental note to drag Markle out for some hand to hand in the coming weeks. “She was by a stream this morning. Given the sense of most Drykas, she’ll stay near it.”

Azmere nodded and leaned forward until he was resting on the strider’s neck. The man closed his eyes and with a few practiced breaths he was only his shimmering awareness. He studied the situation around him for a moment as he slowly backed away from his physical body. He looked dead on the horse. Shaking his skull of the image, the watchman looked towards the stream and touched an old djed line that was pointed in the direction. In a half-tick, Azmere was standing on its banks. I should have asked how far off course she was. He thought. Regardless, the web mage raced up and down the stream on both sides taking whole chunks of territory at a time. Every time he stopped, he made a slow, steady turn like the head of an owl making sure to note landmarks and changes in terrain so he would know where to start looking from on the next swing. This went on for quite some time. Azmere had given himself a very detailed map of the land south east of the Akalak city.

The ankal sighed. He stood atop the water and watched it rush and bubble underneath his boots. He could hear it but he could not feel it or smell the brisk refreshment that the fresh water brought to the air. “Where did you go, trouble maker?” Azmere lifted his head and looked up to the sky. His lord demanded that he be faithful and to the Drykas that meant not giving up. He shrugged his shoulders and made a sweep a bit farther west. The man could hardly believe it. Amunet was riding her horse at an even pace and heading towards the winter grounds. The archer shook his head. Given her pace and general direction, they would have little issue finding her so long as she didn’t decide at the last minute to ghost into the Kai’Neha Valley.

In a thought, the man was back at his body and rejoined. He was excited and not going to wait to offer an explanation. Instead, he grabbed the yvas handle and turned his mount down along the rocks and spurred her with the heels of his boots into her flank. He pushed the young mare hard and used his thighs to squeeze her tight and guide her along the strange and wondrous boulders. Grey kept pace rather well considering the abrupt departure. When Azmere reached the stream, he lifted his eyes to the south and scoured the grasses for the fiery red mane. He could not see it. Judging from the small line of trees several miles away, Amunet had to be somewhere in between them. When Garret and Markle caught up with him, he gave brief signed instructions to make a line and make their presence known. This was not common but each Ra’athi knew his part.

The men put thirty yards between each of them and made a brisk walk the pace for their striders. Each man jabbered in Pavi back and forth to one another talking about anything and everything. No names were used but objects like toys or favorite weapons became topics of conversation for several chimes. Azmere pushed them south and kept his head on a swivel. Grey was walking contently beside the young mare and Azmere asked his comrades in a loud voice. “What should I name my new strider?”

[Amunet]

Amunet did not have the sense of most Drykas at times. The girl straightened in her seat to look around from a little rise of land as if the couple of feet elevation was going to give her an advantage. Those eyes sought familiar landmarks that did not appear. The girl sighed and slumped in her seat. The river was a few chimes ride to her left as she went east and south. Her hand went to her lips as she pondered the area she was in as if some clue would materialize right before her. Stranger things had happened, right?

Well that did not happen as she bit her bottom lip. Maybe she should try that strange magic again see if it gives her any more clues. The confused woman had no idea where she was at but Syna’s light told her where east was at. Wasn’t spring grounds east and across the river? Or was it west a little. No the river was right over there. The huff of a sigh that escaped her little mouth as her head swam with the infighting of her logical sense and illogical sense. Part of her wanted to just keep riding in the direction she was in, the other part of her wanted to try that strange magic and see if it picks a direction. There was nothing but the river that would indicate any sort of heading.

Shetanae snorted her impatience as she stomped her foot and flicked her tail. The little lady silently patted her neck and signed to her to hold steady a little longer. The girl knew that this strange thing with the eyes was magic. She was no stranger to djed and magic as her grandfather and father was Webbers and her father was a Glypher. What little information she had of the ribbons that she sees she reviewed in her head. This didn’t feel like what she thought it would. The way her father described webbing didn’t match what this magic would do. The ribbons and star like sprinkles were in broken pieces. If she focused they moved and snaked around like eels. It didn’t make sense. The red head tilted up for some kind of reprieve from this mystery. It did not come in the form of a reprieve but the deep breathing helped.

That was what she did. The breath came deeply in slowly, she closed her eyes and held it for a few ticks and then exhaled just as slowly. This had a nice effect she noticed as the muscles in her shoulders loosened and seemed to not be as tense. She did it again as she slowly breathed in, held it for a few ticks and exhaled slowly out. Her eyes were completely closed loosely. Her head tilted a bit down as she kept deep breathing a few more times. The next few breaths were normal, slow and calm. She let herself revel in this state. She wasn’t sure what it was called but it felt nice. The face, feel and name of her brother was brought forward. Her heart swelled as she focused on the name of Drak Shimmerstone, and opened her eyes. The world exploded with pieces of light blue ribbons floating and waving around aimlessly more or less east. Some of the pieces of ribbon went north, some south . Her eyes furrowed as she attempted to will the pieces more together. She felt a little more of something move through her eyes as she saw the edges of some of these pieces seem to flow towards each other.

She pushed at it and pushed at it till her head started hurting. Her hands started to tremble a little before she exhaled and looked down to shake the trail away and relax her focus. The ribbons seem to mostly point kind of east… ish. The girl rubbed her temple as she sighed at the failure. It seemed impossible to figure this thing out. The deep breaths this time was to ease the discomfort in her eyes and head. It was curious that after a season or so that it still hurt at times to use it for any length of time. She signaled Shetanae that it was time to move on. The mare’s posture and flick of the ears more or less said it was about time. Amunet chose to ignore that with a disparaging expression behind the mare’s ears.

It was a few bells that they stopped by a stream to get a drink of water. Shetanae sniffed the water as her head passed back and forth snorting out and then smelling the water. The mare lifted her head ever few ticks to listen and smell the area before she stepped into the cool water that felt good to her hooves. Amunet took the signal unconsciously and looked around while her horse drank the clean clear water. Once her head came up and returned to sentinel duty, the little healer dismounted to fill her two water skins of water. She then took a few moments to drink her fill of the water. The swing and pull up on the yvas had her back into her seat. The continued on as it the river turned her more south. The broken lines mostly revealed more east. Should she try to find a place to ford the river? Then came the question. How do you find a ford? Usually the Watch and other more experienced made sure when the tents moved that everyone knew were to cross. Amunet did not have that luxury.

The terrain started changing a little as more rock came part of the landscape. Some of the rocks were multicolored and pretty. Shetanae came up short and perked her ears in a certain direction. It wasn’t Amunet who heard the Watch but her Strider. Amunet went side ways to catch her eye to look at her with an expression that clearly was asking, what was going on? One ear flicked back as one ear remained trained in a certain specific and sure direction. Then the mare went erect and emitted a louder than usual neigh. Amunet was trying to shush her before she heard the noises of the men. Her heart skipped a beat. Shetanae wanted to move towards the other Striders. The frightened red head was unsure as she pressed her weight down to keep the mare in place. The mare got irritated a bit as her head tossed with her ears back in protest.

Amunet listened for a chime or two before she thought she heard? No it wasn’t, was it? Azmere’s voice? The other voices she was not too keen on and they did not seem familiar. The Healer pondered as to why she could zero in on the tone and quality of his voice so easily. Perhaps it was that she trusted him more than most any other. The girl could count on both hands who she considered herself to be comfortable to be around. She could count on one hand whom she considered fully trustworthy. There was no small bit of relief as she released Shetanae from her place she stood so she could move freely towards the other Striders.

[Azmere]

Acrobatics: +1
Animal Husbandry: +1
Bodybuilding: +1
Endurance: +1
Land Navigation: +1
Logic: +1
Observation: MAXED
Riding-Horse: +1
Tactics: +1
Webbing: +1

Acrobatics: It’s important to get the blood pumping
Animal Husbandry: Finding was to ease a new horse
Bodybuilding: Power comes from the legs
Endurance: Using multiple exercises to wear out a muscle group
Land Navigation: Using shadows to determine direction
Logic: Drawing assumptions from given knowledge
Riding: Using simple gestures to coax a wild horse to join trained ones
Tactics: Spreading resources to cover more ground
Webbing: Making use of landmarks creates a map
Amunet: A wanderer
Gerret Heartwind: Ra’athi of the Watch
Markle Nightshield: Ra’athi of the Watch

AMUNET:
Let me know if you return and I'll grade your posts.