Solo Things That Go Wild Into The Night

[Ashka Windrunner]

Late at night, 45th of Spring

The rumble awoke her from a vivid and unpleasant dream. Wrestling with her blankets, twisting her hands within its fabric as if fighting an insubstantial enemy, the Drykas girl came back to consciousness face deep under her furs, breathing with difficulty through the warm and fuzzy wool. She shook her head out and took a deep breath of fresh air, realising it was all a dream. Nysel had been playing quite a few tricks on her those nights.
That's when she noticed the rumble, and the reality of it. Like thunder coming from under Semele's skin. But it was impossible; certainly Zulrav and Semele could not be wrestling and fighting as to make the ground tremble like it did, they had appeared side by side less than a season ago... So what could it be ?

Cries from outside caught her ear, and swiftly she was up on her feet and jumping into her trousers. Next to her, sat in her own bedding, Kelis listened carefully to the rumours the breeze carried to her.
"Everyone is awake. It's all around the city." The worry in her voice triggered the redhead into action.
"Let's see what it is, then."

The girls rushed outside of their Pavilion, hearts beating with concern. Ashka's brothers were already there, wide awake and on the lookout like guarding dogs. Their stare crossed the camp to reach into the darkness beyond it, the grasses dimly lit by Leth's rays. The redhead Drykas glanced at the men and at the blackness they watched, squinting her eyes to distinguish the source of the thundering noise.
"What is it ? Reyn, what is going on ?" Kelis' anxious voice rose suddenly."Something... strange is happening." The winds spoke to her of something odd at work through the Tent City, but the shadows prevented them from seeing clearly what it was about.

Tension grew thick in the camp for a tick, nervousness creeping through them as the sound became louder, before Reyn broke it suddenly.
"Kelis and Ashka, come with me. We need to make sure the herd is safe. Caith, you stay here and look after the Pavilion" he commanded, voice steady with authority. Not waiting a tick longer, the leader-born waved at his dog to follow him and called for his Strider in the same motion. The dun stallion appeared swiftly at his side and Reyn mounted up, not even sparing a glance to the relatives he just ordered to follow.

Ashka sighted at his hasty departure. Of course he expected them to be right behind him, like they were all Watchmembers on a mission. She and Kelis gave each other a knowing look and moved on to calling their own Striders before loosing completely sight of Reyn in the obscurity. Before they rode off behind him, Caith was in and out of the pavilion and quickly presenting her sister with a flaming torch.
"Don't get lost, little fox," he said with a grin. "Our brother seems to believe he has eyes like a nightlion, but I want to be sure you both come back home tonight" he added with a playful wink and a glance at Kelis.

The blonde had already stormed ahead on her feisty stallion, not frightened the least by the lack of light. The wind blew wild tonight, and as long as it did, so did Kelis.

With a thanks to her surprisingly cautious brother, Ashka squeezed her legs tight around her Strider's flanks and urged him onwards, a hand holding the torch above her head against the darkness, the other tightly gripping his ash-colored mane. As they rushed on, lanterns and fires came to life around them, Endrykas' inhabitants alerted by the continuous rumble that had awoken her. Shadows danced against the colourful tents' canvases, creating abstract tales that would have assembled the Drykas together for an evening of entertainment had the air not been so charged with urgent necessity.

Rider and horse soon reached the edge of the city, where the blurs of Reyn and Kelis mounted silhouettes were fluttering around other shapes, those of the family's herd's horses. Ashka's torch lit shades of chestnut, chocolate and cream againt the black curtain of the night; the Eyktolians were close together and stirring nervously, ears flickering back and forth and panicked gazes trying to discern anything from the obscurity surrounding them.

All of a sudden, clamours and cries rose from the left, and all eyes turned to where they came from. The rumble became louder; other Drykas appeared, mounted, and visibly riding away from the growing cloud of roaring sounds.
Then, piercing through the darkness, the cause of the panic made itself clear. A wild herd was trampling past Endrykas; like one single mad beast, a mix of deers and bisons emerged from the obscurity and race through the area, bringing havok and panic amongst the people and their herds. The Eyktolians, in a great confusion of manes and frightened eyes, took off instantly at the sight of the charging block, and in a tick were scattered around and running away from the city.
WCWord Count: 849

[Ashka Windrunner]

Ashka had been staring in awe and fear, mouth gaping, the torch illuminating the scene. Her stallion's instinct kicked in before hers, and he dodged the charging animals with a swift step aside. Ashka's grip on the yvas tightened suddenly, her knuckles turning white from the pressure as she barely avoided falling off her horse. She held onto his mane and squeezed her legs around him to recover her balance. Once she had managed, the redhead glanced all around her, searching for her brother in the crowd that started to assemble.

It appeared the wild herd had scared away many of the Zibri and horses which were grazing near the city, and people were organizing into groups to go and bring back the Drykas herds. Ashka finally spotted her brother, visibly anxious, and pushed her mount towards him.
"Reyn !" she called out, loud over the rising rumour. "What do we do ? Where is Kelis ?" She wanted to sign her worry, urgency, but the nervous stallion made it hard for her to stay atop, so she grabbed onto the Strider's mane instead.
"Ashka ! Are you hurt ?" Her brother's expression softened, relieved, when she shook her head. "Kelis followed the herd ! We have to bring her and the horses back. Come with me !" Beckoning her to follow, the Drykas and his Strider took off, and Ashka had little choice other than to weave her way through the crowd and follow her brother further away from the outskirts of Endrykas. He rode fast, but his sister bewared the darkness and its hidden obstacles against which Lako could trip, so she kept to a fast trot, holding her torch high up to illuminating the way as best as she could.

They were riding for only a few chimes before both heard the loud-pitched voice of their cousin rising from the obscurity ahead of them. As they approached, the firelight from the torch revealed the young blonde girl urging her Strider in a mad gallop, circling around a group of panicked Eyktolians. Her voice rose in short and loud calls, keeping the animals from running away again.

"Kelis ! Slow down !" Reyn shouted as they rode closer. "Don't make them panic again !"
The blonde brought her mount to a trot and grinned proudly at the others.
"I stopped them by myself ! They tried to race me but no one is faster than Halok !" Satisfaction and pride mixed in her voice while she patted her Strider, frantic from all the agitation. But Reyn was not impressed.
"Don't run away like that again ! What if something had happened ? You could have been hurt, trampled ! You need to follow instructions !" He signed angrily for obedience, group, but Kelis only rolled her eyes to the sky silently. They all knew it wouldn't be the last time the blonde would be told off; before the argument went on, Ashka cut it short.
"Alright, we found you, and we have one, two... seven of the horses. Now we need to find the others, the moral lessons can wait until we're back." Her tone carried an emergency and a worry for the animals still lost in the dark, so after a last annoyed glance at each other, both her brother and cousin nodded.
"I have a torch, so I should go ahead and search while you bring those ones back to the city," Ashka continued, pointing at the confused Eyktolians who had been circled up. "I will go slow so you'll find me easily when you come back. Agreed ?"

In the now calmer world, the agitation stirred by the wild herd slowly quieting, they signed their agreement. "Great. Don't forget to bring light." On these words the three Drykas split; the redhead leaned forwards onto her yvas and tightened her legs around her Strider, indicating him to move ahead. Lako reacted promptly and carried her rider away from the group, further into the night.
WCWord Count 668, Total 1517

[Ashka Windrunner]

They walked, both attentive to the sounds around them. The girl sat straight on her stallion, torch held as high as possible to enlighten the obscurity. Luckily for them, the weather had been good recently, and Leth and Zintila lit the world around with a dim silver glow. Ashka's grey eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for a familiar marker to help her figure out where they were. Soon enough, she saw in the distance the dark and snake-like figure of the Moresta river, rolling in the grasslands and glittering under Zintila's starlight. The Drykas understood she had been riding north; if the horses had ran away in this direction as well, hopefully the river would be an obstacle imposing enough so that they wouldn't have crossed it. She kept encouraging her mount with light pressure of her legs and softly spoken words, eyes still scouting the horizon.

They walked down an elevation, through a shallow valley where tall grasses waved under the breeze and tickled Lako's belly. The Drykas paid attention to light the way for her Strider to see where he treaded; a hidden hole could cause serious injury to his legs. Fortunately, Lako strode fast but carefully, and the pair made it out of the river of high stalks without any accident. After the slope, the grass stretched flat and short until it crossed the Moresta's path, and rider and mount could resume their search.

"Woh there, there." Ashka brought her mount to a halt with a vocal command and leaning back in the yvas. The Strider stopped and turned his head to his rider, ears pointing forward in a silent query. "I need to see further away," she simply explained as if they spoke the same Pavi. The girl then let go of the handle and lifted her feet up onto the horse's back. With a push on her legs and helping herself with his mane, she rose, shakily, to a stand. She kept her feet solidly settled on the flatest area, behind his withers. As Ashka stood up, slowly, she kept the arm holding the torch straight out and away from her and the other gripping firmly the horsehair. She moved at a slow pace, in order to keep her balance; she feared losing it and falling from the Strider.

The flames danced in the silvery night, projecting trembling shadows around. Once up, the Drykas could see as far as the river banks ahead of her, and on the sides the Sea of Grass stretched in the distance. She squinted her eyes, trying to distinguish darker shadows in the surrounding obscurity. Luckily for her, Lako stood still as a rock, allowing the girl to focus on her search rather than her equilibrium. She scanned the darkness, brows joined in concentration, gaze drifting from left to right, when finally she noticed an irregularity in the starlit landscape. Near the riverside, shadows moved, drawing the shapes of tall, four-legged creatures against the glimmering surface of the water.

A surge of hope filled her; she sent a silent prayer to Zulrav and Caiyha, asking the gods to let her bring the herd home. She sat back into the yvas, still moving with precaution, and compared the options available.

She could wait for the two others to come back, and with their help make sure none of the horses would run away again. It would be the safest option, in case as well predators were lurking nearby.

Or she could go ahead and try to herd the Eyktolians back to the camp, by herself, and show Reyn she didn't need supervision anymore. He'd surely be impressed if she managed, but... If the dark shapes belonged to more dangerous creatures than her beloved horses ? What would she do if she ran into a wild hunting pack ?

The Drykas weighed up the pros and cons of each manoeuvre. As she waited and pondered, Lako turned around in swift motion, ears twitching, attentive. The young woman, unprepared, almost fell off her stallion and had to grip the yvas firmly while her other hand swung the torch around dangerously. She readjusted her balance and just as she searched the night for what could have alerted Lako, the sound of hoofbeats and a lantern glaring nearby caught her eye. Soon, Reyn and Kelis emerged from the dark at a brisk canter, and stopped by her side. WCWord Count: 733, total 2250

[Ashka Windrunner]

At their arrival, the redhead girl signed her relief : she felt much more comfortable venturing near the dark silhouettes in the distance with the company of her relatives. Reyn, who was holding the lantern, spoke first.
"Anything new ? We did as fast as possible.
-Yes, look this way" she replied, indicating the area where she had spotted what could be their horses. "I think that's them. We should go and check, but be careful, there might be predators around here."

No sooner had she finished than Kelis was urging her stallion forward with a loud "yaah!", and sprung past them at a fast-paced gallop. Both Ashka and her brother barely had time for an exclamation before pushing their own mounts behind her.
"Wait !" Reyn shouted to their reckless cousin. Their stallions ran side by side now, so the man steered his Strider as to cut her way.
"I told you to wait", he repeated, furious. "We go together, and I ride first. You better not try to overtake me." His words cut the air with an anger sharp like cold steel. He gave the girl a death stare and, when she finally looked away from his angered eyes, opened the way for the trio.

They rode at a steady trot, aware of the grasses rustling around them, Ashka who had kept silent bringing up the rear. The girl kept her ears open, careful, dreading a predator to jump from behind a bush, but the night remained quiet as they approached the dark shapes. It became clear for everyone that they belonged to horses, and once the lantern and torch's lights reached them the three of them could recognise the colours of their missing Eyktolians.

They all sighed, relieved, and even Reyn allowed a hint of a smile to appear on his lips.
"Let's check that none is hurt" recommended Ashka. She stopped her mount by the herd and swung her leg over Lako's rump to dismount. The group of desert horses stirred a bit and heads and ears arose towards the Drykas, but judging by the general behaviour Ashka found them to be more curious than frightened. She walked up to the nearest one, a bay mare answering to Loska, who had foaled earlier this spring. Lowering the torch as to not scar them away, she presented an open hand to the mare's nose and once recognised and accepted, proceeded to check her for eventual injuries. The Drykas ran a friendly hand over the horse's legs, flanks and back before examining the head. Reyn and Kelis did the same on other animals, and it was soon established that they were all in good shape, apart from a slight limp on another mare's front leg. Taking a few steps back, the redhead Drykas also counted the animals to make sure no one was missing; although the horses' natural instinct dictated them to stay grouped, one could have strayed in the general panic and the Windrunners would not even consider ending their search if one had gotten lost. Fortunately they turned out to be all present, and the three Drykas gave each other a reassured glance.

Kagar, Reyn's loyal companion, had been quiet for most of the time spent out in the Sea, following his master at a distance and escorting part of the herd back to the city. Now however, the Dynakuva seemed restless and eager to bring them all home; he raced in circles a few yards away from the group, all senses alert and visibly excited to see the search coming to an end. Ashka's brother ordered him to calm, guard as he pointed to the horses, and remounted, beckoning the girls to do the same. The three riders formed a triangle over their herd and set to drive them back to the city, Reyn leading the way. Ashka and the others encouraged the Eyktolians with calls and whistles, and soon they were all moving away from the river banks and crossing the grassland separating them from Endrykas. WCWord Count = 672, total 2921

[J'Ak]

G R A D E

xp

Riding: Horse +3
Obervation +2
Leadership +1
Acrobatics +1
Animal Husbandry +1


lores

Observation: Hearing Semele rumbling
Riding: Go slow in the dark
Leadership: Pulling a group together by delegating tasks
Kelis: Brash & proud
Cyphrus location: Moresta River
Acrobatics: Standing on a horse’s back
Animal Husbandry: Checking a horse for injuries

If you feel I missed anything shoot me a PM.
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