25th Spring 516AV
Azira still did not like Okomo. It didn't matter that she had spent many days using them at this stage because her dislike of them had not diminished but had in fact increased. Her wariness of them had not lessened and she found herself missing the ability to go on foot to her place of hunting or by Wind Eagle. There was nothing comparable between the dire birds and these four-footed beasts. The cherished mounts of Lhavit reminded her of the mountain goats that she had so hated back home, strange-looking creatures that were unnaturally sure-footed on the rough terrain. She always felt that the animals were laughing at her and the Okomo seemed the same to her. There was no joy in riding them. They lacked the thrill of flight, the wonders of communication. These beasts were dumb but yet they had a sly intelligence that she didn't like at all.
It picked its way back up the mountainside towards the city, plodding along without any great haste. The slow mode of transport gave her plenty of opportunity to dwell on her thoughts and develop a greater hatred for the Okomo, as if it was its fault that the huntress had failed to bring anything back but a solitary rabbit. It was a sad, scrawny thing, its fur wet with rain and blood. It meant she had something to drop into the Jugged Hare but it wasn't enough for her; she could do better.
The weather had been against her, that was her excuse. The rain that had fallen for most of the day had kept the animals in shelter, albeit not in any place where the Inarta had been able to find them. It had been a stroke of luck that the rabbit she now carried had been out at all and only for that chance, she would have returned empty-handed. She reflected bitterly that her perspective prey was more likely to come out now when she was making her way back to Lhavit. The evening was becoming a pleasant one, a wet warmth in the air that seemed likely to become dry as the drifted into night. It wouldn't be long now until Syna crept below the horizon and passed domain of the sky to Leth. The twilight would bring the rabbits out again, the darkness giving them a sense of safety. The deer would move softly between the trees, squirrels would run happily along the boughs and foxes would snuffle along the ground. She could only hope that there would be something come morning in the traps she'd left out.
There was one good thing to be said for the Okomo and that was that they didn't require much direction. Riding them was a matter of sitting upright on their backs, clamping her thighs around the saddle and holding on to the reins firmly. There wasn't the sense of danger that came with riding a Wind Eagle but yet she felt more ill at ease, constantly expecting herself to fall off it. She had felt much the same way as when herself and Kovac had commandeered some ponies while in pursuit of the Blue Elk. Those creatures had been willful and nearly impossible to control, unlike the placid animal she was on right now. All the same, the desire to hold onto the reins for dear life was strong and the only reason she wasn't sitting rigidly was because it left her incredibly sore and as she'd told herself, it wasn't really necessary.
The upward journey took about a bell, the young woman digging her leg into one of the Okomo's flanks and tugging the reins so that the creature didn't turn towards the way stations that dotted the slope to provide shelter in particularly bad weather. When they reached the city gates, the guards recognised her and waved her to the little door at the side that led to the stables. Her mount moved of its own accord in the right direction, well accustomed to this route. It stopped outside the entryway, its way barred by the wood closed against it. Taking care, the huntress swung her right leg over the saddle so that she was sitting on the left side of it and then slid down. The beast shifted to the side as she slid so that she reached the ground sooner than she'd expected and without the support of the Okomo behind her. Thrown off balance, when her feet hit the ground, she was already falling backwards. Arms windmilling as she tried to regain her equilibrium, she toppled onto her backside with a heavy thud and caught herself with her hands before she ended up flat on her back. She glared at the animal as she heard the sniggering of the guards who vanished when she glanced in their direction.
"I swear that you did that on purpose," she muttered at the Okomo in Nari as she got to her feet. She walked stiffly to the door as her lower half registered various aches and she hammered on the wooden surface. Snatching at the animal's reins, she clutched them angrily as she waited for the door to open so she could rid of this thing.
Azira still did not like Okomo. It didn't matter that she had spent many days using them at this stage because her dislike of them had not diminished but had in fact increased. Her wariness of them had not lessened and she found herself missing the ability to go on foot to her place of hunting or by Wind Eagle. There was nothing comparable between the dire birds and these four-footed beasts. The cherished mounts of Lhavit reminded her of the mountain goats that she had so hated back home, strange-looking creatures that were unnaturally sure-footed on the rough terrain. She always felt that the animals were laughing at her and the Okomo seemed the same to her. There was no joy in riding them. They lacked the thrill of flight, the wonders of communication. These beasts were dumb but yet they had a sly intelligence that she didn't like at all.
It picked its way back up the mountainside towards the city, plodding along without any great haste. The slow mode of transport gave her plenty of opportunity to dwell on her thoughts and develop a greater hatred for the Okomo, as if it was its fault that the huntress had failed to bring anything back but a solitary rabbit. It was a sad, scrawny thing, its fur wet with rain and blood. It meant she had something to drop into the Jugged Hare but it wasn't enough for her; she could do better.
The weather had been against her, that was her excuse. The rain that had fallen for most of the day had kept the animals in shelter, albeit not in any place where the Inarta had been able to find them. It had been a stroke of luck that the rabbit she now carried had been out at all and only for that chance, she would have returned empty-handed. She reflected bitterly that her perspective prey was more likely to come out now when she was making her way back to Lhavit. The evening was becoming a pleasant one, a wet warmth in the air that seemed likely to become dry as the drifted into night. It wouldn't be long now until Syna crept below the horizon and passed domain of the sky to Leth. The twilight would bring the rabbits out again, the darkness giving them a sense of safety. The deer would move softly between the trees, squirrels would run happily along the boughs and foxes would snuffle along the ground. She could only hope that there would be something come morning in the traps she'd left out.
There was one good thing to be said for the Okomo and that was that they didn't require much direction. Riding them was a matter of sitting upright on their backs, clamping her thighs around the saddle and holding on to the reins firmly. There wasn't the sense of danger that came with riding a Wind Eagle but yet she felt more ill at ease, constantly expecting herself to fall off it. She had felt much the same way as when herself and Kovac had commandeered some ponies while in pursuit of the Blue Elk. Those creatures had been willful and nearly impossible to control, unlike the placid animal she was on right now. All the same, the desire to hold onto the reins for dear life was strong and the only reason she wasn't sitting rigidly was because it left her incredibly sore and as she'd told herself, it wasn't really necessary.
The upward journey took about a bell, the young woman digging her leg into one of the Okomo's flanks and tugging the reins so that the creature didn't turn towards the way stations that dotted the slope to provide shelter in particularly bad weather. When they reached the city gates, the guards recognised her and waved her to the little door at the side that led to the stables. Her mount moved of its own accord in the right direction, well accustomed to this route. It stopped outside the entryway, its way barred by the wood closed against it. Taking care, the huntress swung her right leg over the saddle so that she was sitting on the left side of it and then slid down. The beast shifted to the side as she slid so that she reached the ground sooner than she'd expected and without the support of the Okomo behind her. Thrown off balance, when her feet hit the ground, she was already falling backwards. Arms windmilling as she tried to regain her equilibrium, she toppled onto her backside with a heavy thud and caught herself with her hands before she ended up flat on her back. She glared at the animal as she heard the sniggering of the guards who vanished when she glanced in their direction.
"I swear that you did that on purpose," she muttered at the Okomo in Nari as she got to her feet. She walked stiffly to the door as her lower half registered various aches and she hammered on the wooden surface. Snatching at the animal's reins, she clutched them angrily as she waited for the door to open so she could rid of this thing.
Nari | Common
Template courtesy of Khara
