Solo A Tough Season

[Jez Firetongue]

Jez Firetongue Winter 15th 516AV ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Jez ran his hand through his hair, letting out a sigh. It had been a long day of working under the heat, the odd winter conditions giving no reprieve from the toil. The Firetongue Pavilion earned their keep doing veterinary work for other people’s animals and, as he currently had no job, Jez had been helping out since dawn. He and Caleb, his younger brother, had spent most of the day with a pair of mares, providing care as they rehabilitated from their injuries. They were two of Caleb’s regular charges and usually calm, but the weather conditions had put all animals on edge and so the mares had been a slight challenge. One incident stuck in Jez’s mind as he walked away from his work, where he almost lost control of one of the mares. The dry winds had picked up around midday, before he had the chance to take a food break. Nervous about the odd conditions, the mares had grown even more restless. One had reared with a frightened whinny, turning Caleb’s attention to her. The second mare had reared in reaction, leaving Jez to deal with her. In rearing so suddenly she had pulled the lead rope from his hands with a sudden yank. It was a silly mistake to make, not expecting it, but being worn at physically was beginning to affect him mentally. “Woah,” he extended the word, trying to sooth the mare verbally. His hands went in front of him to accompany the word, a gesture meant to convey calm. “It’s just the wind,” he told her, slowly easing to her side where she could see him better. The wind had flared up again and her eyes rolled. Sensing she was about to bolt he grabbed at the lead rope, the sudden move not a calming one but knowing it would be harder to catch her once she took off than to calm her now. Still spooking, the mare tried to jump back, head high. He moved with her, still in her vision, and gently pulled the rope at a different angle, going with her natural movements to convince her to bring her head down. “Woah, girl,” he repeated, catching her attention for a moment. He moved, guiding her to circle, while muttering reassurances to her. As she calmed he glanced at his brother, who had already settled his mare and was patting her neck. For a while afterwards the brothers had focused on reassuring the mares, especially attentive to any sounds around them. Thankfully the mares hadn’t spooked again, and the rest of the day had gone by without notable incident. His father, the Head vet, had sent him off a short while before dinner was going to be ready, letting him have a break to spend time with his stallion. The time requirements for caring for a host of animals meant that eating as a Pavilion was rare, and as such only the final meal of the day was regularly scheduled. Even then it was unusual for more than half the Pavilion to be available. Jez was glad he was going to make it today as he hadn’t had the chance to catch up with some of his family for a few days. Jez ran his hand through his hair as he thought of the stress not only of the day but the whole season, but grinned as he reached the spot where a few of the Pavilion’s own horses were grazing freely. He called out to the dun stallion, immediately drawing his attentions from the mare he had been nickering at. Wind trotted over, bending to rest his forehead against Jez’s. He blew out through his nose, a noise which the Drykas tried to mimic in response. Wind shoved at him shoulder with his head, pushing him a step away, and Jez laughed out. “Guess I’ve got a ways to go before I can talk your language, huh?” he joked, reaching out to move some of the long black mane out of the stallion’s eyes, “How about a quick ride before dinner?” Once upon his Strider the tension Jez didn’t know he had been holding in his muscles relaxed. Here he felt most at home, at one with his stallion and, through their connection, to Drykas past and present. They moved away from the Firetongue Pavilion as one, taking it easy. His usually feisty horse was content to just enjoy the time with Jez, both subconsciously aware that the difficult conditions in Cyphrus would likely not ease up any time soon and so unwilling to expend energy needlessly. They didn’t drift far enough to lose sight of the tents, climbing a little ridge a short way away and stopping there. In tough times dangerous creatures were more likely to hang around near Endrykas, searching for scraps or stragglers, so they didn’t want the risk of being too far away. The ridge afforded them a view over the sprawling plains and Jez sat, back to Endrykas, looking out over them. He remembered travelling the wilderness with Wind a few years ago, the terrain green and full of life. Now much of it looked barren. He sat, Wind following the downward motion. The horse lay, legs sprawled to one side and weight pressed against Jez’s side, head up and alert for any dangers. The Drykas slung his right arm over Wind’s back, leaning into the steed’s side, and the two sat still for a while, calm in each other’s presence. Jez’s thoughts strayed until they finally turned again to memories of the once luscious surroundings. He had left Endrykas to become closer to Caiyha, to understand what was truly required for the balance of nature in the Sea of Grass, and where the Drykas race fit into that. He was torn now between questioning what was happening and just accepting it as the will of the Gods; surely they knew what they were doing. “Caiyha,” he whispered, “My family and my people are struggling. How can this be what balance is?” Wind stared straight ahead, letting out an occasional snort. He moved his hand up the horse’s neck, making a soothing motion that caused the stallion to look to him. “Don’t worry, Wind,” he tried to calm the horse, “We have to trust in the Gods. This trial will pass.” The Strider snorted again and stood, weight on his front legs first and pulling up his hind quarters, turning his head from his bonded. “Geht Voune,”(Zibri-head) Jez muttered fondly, shaking his head. Wind snorted a final time before trotting a little way away to graze on a dried up patch of grass. Jez leant back on his hands and looked up at the clear sky as it began to darken, lost in his thoughts. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ || Jez Firetongue || 25 years old || Drykas|| Firetongue Pavilion || Amethyst Clan || Strider-Wind ||

[Jasmine Stormblood]

Let me know if I missed anything

 

Jez Firetongue

XP

• Animal Husbandry: 1 XP
• Horsemanship: 1 XP
• Socialization: 1 XP
• Riding- Horse: 1 XP

Lores

• Strange weather upsets animals
• Caleb: Jez's little brother
• Riding helps ease the tension
• Animal Husbandry: guiding a horse using its own instincts