24 Winter, 509 AVOdd, that Elias had not heard them before, but as he and his steed began to exit the ruins and enter sunlight head on, causing Sunsight’s mane to glimmer and shine in the same way it had that had granted him his name, the sound of others approaching became increasingly clear. The
thu-dump, thu-dump, thu-dump of an indistinguishable number of horses rang in young Aldrich’s ears as the group caught up to the lone rider. As they came into view from behind, Elias counted five – a number that seemed slightly odd to the new traveler, but that gave him no cause for questioning, though their hollering and constant whipping did. They were human it seemed, unless their layered winter clothing hid the elaborate tattoos that would otherwise identify them as Drykas, but from the brutish way they dealt with their horses, Elias highly doubted it. Himself half-Drykas but not recognized by one as a society that labeled any human-“sub”human mixed child fully human, he still felt the adoration all Drykas do for their four-legged companions and knew that one could never treat their steed so inhumanely. Ignoring the anger that began to build inside him at their manner, Elias simply waited for the group to pass him... and waited... and waited.
After what seemed like an hour but in reality was probably only five or ten minutes, the rider began to notice the pace that the newcomers held matched his own, in contrast to the impressive speed they had accumulated before when they had seemingly come out of the air before to catch up to him in a matter of moments from the gods only knew where. He had never had reason to question the motives of people before. Raised by a quiet Fletcher father and a kind-hearted yet adventurous Drykas mother, and surrounded by two rough yet kind older brothers, Elias had known only a family-focused, quiet existence in the city Syliras for all of his life up until two weeks prior, when he set out on his journey. In that existence, people were generally honest and fair, considerate even. Now, however, as the young man spotted the ropes that the strangers had been holding in their hands opposite him so that he would not see, he was taken aback to the night his mother had told him the story of how she had come to own Brighteye, the beautiful Fireman that had given birth to Sunsight. For their elegance and beauty, Firemanes were traditionally used by nobles, or royals for their chariots, beaten into subjection by people who so desperately wanted to make a few gold that they would take these magnificent creatures from their natural habitat, train them to be subservient, and then sell them into that type of life to make a profit. Brighteye had been one of them, and Faye could not stand it, and bought her out of her slavery. Now, it seemed, the salesmen had turned their eye on her son.
What happened next seemed to go by in slow motion. No sooner had the realization of what was happening hit Elias than three of the men began to crowd him, blocking him on both sides in front. Two hands began to reach out to grab hold of Sunsight, and in his peripheral vision Elias could see a rope being raised by each of the two men left on the outside of the huddle. Before they could gain control of the rider and their sought prize, Elias pulled the dagger he had bought from a friend just before leaving from his boot. In doing this, the saddle sagged to the right side because of how he had loosened it, making riding in the midst of the chaos an entirely new challenge. Gripping Sunsight's neck, Elias tried to make the best of the new momentum and bashed the pommel of his dagger into the outstretched elbow of the man that had come up on his right side, not willing to stick him with it and leave himself with only a bow when the rustlers had made close-quarter-combat the only option. His action took the vagabond by surprise and his arm recoiled, writhing in pain as obscenities flew from his mouth. Elias took advantage of this momentary distraction to pull hard on Sunsight's reigns to the right to spook the horse whose master was now discomposed to the point of allowing the animal to veer off on it's own direction. Elias wasn't sure how hard he had hit him, or if he had broken his elbow, but whatever he had done he was glad he had.
What he wasn't as happy with, however, was the decision he made to veer so suddenly and sharply when he was already having difficulty keeping balance now that the saddle had begun to slide. Bouncing near uncontrollably as Sunsight sprinted, following the opening that his rider had seen, Elias was unable to identify the positions of the other thieves, sending his mind racing. First thing was first: get back upright. Tempted to simply cut the saddle free with the dagger he still had in hand, he knew that that would be more hassle than it was worth at such speed. Grabbing the side of the animal's neck, some pieces of mane intertwined with his fingers as he did, he hauled himself and in effect the saddle beneath him to a semi-correct position. Relieved to have sight once more, a quick scan of his surroundings showed one rider only a few feet away on his left side, with the rest trailing not far behind, save one who followed even farther, presumably the one lacking use of his left arm. Eyes darting and thoughts flying through his mind, Elias urged Sunsight on faster, pushing the stallion farther than he had been pushed in his single year of training. It didn't show, as adrenaline pumped through both the rider and steed as their energy became one. Elias pulled his body in tighter, his chest grazing the horse's flying mane, eyes flickering between the brute beside him and the open expanse before him. But where were they going? Cyphrus was still a good day's ride away, and the unforgiving winter season had assured few traveler's would be coming to his rescue. He was on his own.
As the nearest rider began to close the distance between them, Elias switched the blade to his left hand and the reigns to his right. Hand trembling, unfamiliar with the feel of needing so much control with his non-dominant hand, the young rider clenched his teeth and focused a concise swing at the nearing enemy. It was a poor attempt, though it did give the other man reason to pull back some. If nothing else, it was enough time to twirl the blade from a normal upright position so that it was now tip-down, uncaring anymore if he lost the blade in his leg. Should he be able to shake this guy, then perhaps he would be able to leave the others behind. These hopes were dashed in a matter of a few moments. As the brutish rider regained a close proximity, Elias took the swing that should have left him wide open. Unfortunately, unforeseen by the younger man, the other's hand was prepared. Before he knew what had happened, Elias was fighting to keep control of his horse as the other man clasped his own hand around Elias' left wrist, cutting off blood circulation and trying to shake the blade free, at which he was eventually successful as Aldrich's untrained left hand could not match the strength of his other, nor that of the offender. As he looked back on his lost weapon as it was trampled under the hooves of the approaching rustlers, who had come upon him much quicker than he had calculated, Elias allowed this distraction to become his downfall. The hand that had gained control over him suddenly twisted, pulling it behind him in such a way that the rider was now facing the left side and being pulled off that way. Still, unrelenting, Elias grabbed hold of Sunsight's neck with a grip so strong that while the horse was trying to pull away from the thief, he had no option but to come in closer to assure his master's safety.
When it became clear that he could not be rocked from his mount, anger flashed in the criminal's eyes. This was the first time Elias had taken notice of any aspect of his pursuers appearance; dark eyes set close together beneath dark and dirty brows that burrowed in frustration. It was this irritation that compelled him to leave his own mount to take Elias off of his. He saw it happen: his foot come up, body turn, hands stretch out - and while he saw it all take place, it happened so quickly that he could do nothing but throw his arms up in a futile attempt to repel the body that slammed into his own, sending them both tumbling to the frozen, dead ground below.
The men lay on the ground, mouths open but not breathing as the impact on the hard ground knocked the wind out of them; it was all Elias could do to roll off his back and prop himself on his elbows in an attempt to lessen the pressure on his ribs. Finally able to gain a few quick breaths, he still could not turn around to face the man or his coming companions. As the sound of hooves pounding on the earth grew louder, Elias was sure that he would be trampled and the life would be stolen from his limbs in only moments. Bracing himself for impact, clenching and grinding his teeth in apprehension, the clatter grew ever louder in his ears and the commotion of large bodies passing surrounded him... and then faded. Slowly letting his eyes open, Elias watched as three of the riders flew off in pursuit of the Firemane that now ran wildly and in a panic in any direction that seemed open, and a chagrin came over his face as one horse stopped just in front of him, and a rider clutching his armed dropped down with a coarse chuckle.
by Elias Aldrich on April 6th, 2012, 6:01 am 