A-Stridin' (Edalene)

[Ganmedo]

Winter 77, 510 AV Dahlian Windcrasher of the Amethyst was a gentle soul who had been kicked in the head too many times. He had been tending to his herd of Striders since his father's death forty years before. He had been a strapping young man of twenty, with two young wives and a growing swarm of babies. But the Striders were his passion. It was how he had been raised. What Dahlian took pride in, however, was the diversity of his herd. Where most of the glorious Striders were buckskins or duns, Dahlian's herd specialized in pintos. It had been thus since the beginning of the Windcrasher Pavilion many years ago. His father had passed down the tale of how their ancestors blessed them with Striders that would set them apart, even amongst their own. It was on this particular day that he sat out on the back of his bonded Strider, Garte, while smoking a pipe. His fourth wife, Kela, hated the stuff, and always made a mighty fuss whenever he smoked around the children. But the horses didn't mind, so he puffed away. Garte was the third Strider to have bonded with Dahlian, and he bore each of his windmarks proudly. Well, as proudly as he could. Dahlian was a simple man, and the kicks to the head by gangly colts had left him rather slow. His best friend, of the Opal Clan, had always said it was a gift from the gods that he made it through a single day. Dahlian was slow of thought and speech, but he had a good heart, and the Striders knew it. Even when they kicked him in the head. Dahlian's pasture spread out in a wide area across the whole of his Pavilion. It was quiet at present, and cold. Cold enough that he could see the breath of the horses as they grazed. Garte snorted and tossed his head, and old Dahlian patted his neck. "Well, old friend...Guess 'sbout time ta head back in, doncha think?"

[Edalene]

The day had been a complete and utter failure. After waking up far too early, due to bad dreams - yes, at sixteen, she had bad dreams (about her mother) - she had had to go out and brush the herd. There were fourteen horses in the herd. She loved the herd to pieces, but really - brushing fourteen horses got old fast. After that, she had had lunch with her cousin Yartree and her father. Lunch for almost an hour, sitting in complete silence and watching her family have a discussion about the mature Drykas they were? It also got old pretty fast. She had thought going off to the War Pavilion would make her feel better. But in the two hours she had been there, she had dropped her sword on her toe twice, flung it out of her hands three times and sliced her hand once. The cut was fine, extremely shallow, yet it still stung. It stung just like the realisation she was really, really awful at being a Drykas. Not really wanting to go back to her father and her petching rude cousin, Eda took the long way round back to her pavilion. Home was not really an appetising place anymore, and the longer she could avoid it each day, the longer she would. It was silent there, and Eda was not really a fan of silence. As she walked, she made her way past a pavilion with a large sprawling patch behind it. In that patch were all manner of Striders. Buckskins and duns there were, but in surprisingly small numbers. The dominating factor were the pintos. Eda's jaw dropped slightly as she took in the sheer number of the beautiful rare pintos. They were beautiful. All the Striders were. All the Striders that were not hers. Eda spotted a somewhat old man sitting on top of a beautiful large strider, smoking away on a pipe. There was something about him, and something about the herd that made Eda draw nearer to the man. He patted the Strider and whispered something to him, and Eda sped up to try and catch up with him before he disappeared. "Hello?" She called, still a couple of steps away. She really hoped he didn't disappear on her. She realised that despite the pull, she didn't really have anything she wanted to say. "Uh... are all these Striders yours? They're beautiful." Standing awkwardly with nothing to say, yet wanting desperately to talk to him, she stood, fiddling. Conundrum.

[Ganmedo]

Dahlian was debating whether or not to stay out to smoke a little longer. His wife--who was also the best friend of the Opal Clan--would scold him fiercely when he got home, but he didn't mind. He liked that she fussed over him. She looked pretty when she got angry. Her hair had gone prematurely white, and when her face flushed, he thought she looked as lovely as a heavenly being. She had been his best friend when they were children, and it was only after her first husband had died that he realized he loved her. He'd won her with his tender heart and corny jokes, and she, in turn, had borne him five, proud sons. He was about to turn Garte around and ride back home for supper, when a quiet, feminine voice caught his attention. At first, he thought it might be one of his granddaughters. He had over one hundred grandchildren, and he was fairly sure he couldn't remember any of their names to save himself. He craned his neck around and spotted Edalene. She didn't look familiar, and he didn't recall having any girls that looked like her in his family...He supposed, therefore, that it was safe to assume that she belonged to someone else. Taking his pipe from between his lips, he smiled warmly to her. "Well, they are indeed. My papa raised 'em before me, an' my sons're gonna raise 'em after me." Amongst the horses, a young mare raised her head and snorted, her eyes falling on Edalene. She watched her for a long moment, and then let out a very pointed whinny. Dahlian rubbed his neck and nodded to the horse in question. "Well, why don't you go and have a look at 'em, then? They're invitin' you." He smiled a wide, gap-toothed grin.

[Edalene]

She was glad the old man smiled and seemed accomodating. She was not sure how she would react if he had told her to go away. The mysticism and sheer beauty of the pinto Striders in the field before her made her want to be closer, to see these beautiful animals and to interact with them. They were the heart of the Drykas, and rightly so. They were beautiful. It was a beautiful concept that the strider's and the herd passed down from father to son, always being looked after the same family, the same blood. The blood that had been raised to know and love these striders. It was very different to Eda's family, where they had the fourteen horses for convenience's sake, and because, simply put, it was what was done. They certainly loved them, and Eda loved old Maliki, but they weren't the main focus in their pavilion - the sword was. Though, if Eda was ever to get a Strider, she made a note to love it more than life itself. Eda's mouth opened in pure shock and delight when the old man decided to let her go near. She had not seen the way the mare at whinnied and shook her head at her. She was too busy gazing at the herd as a whole. "You mean it? I can go look at them? Thank you!" Taking a few steps forward, looking at the man for approval, she turned into the herd and walked amongst the beautiful horses, sighing. She passed a large stallion and ran a hand along his flank, enjoying the calming feel of the horse's hair. She wandered deeper and deeper into the herd, forgetting that there was a world outside, and getting completely consumed by the beautiful horses around her.

[Ganmedo]

Dahlian was a patient man. He was the father of many children, and even more grandchildren. He'd nurtured and tended to stubborn, moody Striders all of his life, and was all the more gentle for it. Whatever Edalene may have been lacking in the eyes of others, Dahlian was willing to overlook. He saw with a horse's eyes, looking deeper into the soul than most people dared to venture. He knew and firmly believed that each person bonded with their Strider only when the moment was perfect. If it took years, then there was a reason for it. He hoped that she might find hers amongst his horses. He noticed the mare, and a slow, wide grin touched his wrinkled face, creeping across it inch by inch. Oh, he'd seen that reaction before. He watched the girl as she walked through the horses, shaking his head. They'd find each other. They always did. It was just a matter of looking up. He sat back on his horse, lighting his pipe yet again. One more wouldn't kill him. Not today, anyway. "You take your time, liddle 'un," he said, waving his hand permissively. "Don't you hurry, not one little bit." He watched her move through the herd, and chuckled as the mare, smaller than many of the others, began to shoulder her way through the other horses. He puffed on his pipe and snorted in a quiet laugh, slapping his thigh. "Like I says, they always find 'em." The mare continued to bull through the others, causing quite a stir, until she stood directly before Edalene. She held her posture almost regally, quite cleary trying to make herself look bigger, and craned out her neck to whinny loudly. She stomped her front hoof and tossed her head again, as if to say, "Hey! Stupid! You know that Strider you've wanted all your life? I'm right here!"

[Edalene]

Eda looked back at the man as he called out to her, telling her to take her time and not to hurry. She almost told him indignantly that she was not a 'liddl'un' at sixteen, but the slowly developing grin confused her. Okay, so the man was a little weird. He did spend all day every day with horses, after all. It was only natural that some of his people skills disappeared in exchange with the increased horse skills. She nodded uncertainly at him, managed an awkward half smile, and turned back to the sea of horses. At this point in time, they were much more normal than he. She passed another horse, this one white all over with only a few black spots, and stroked his head gently. "Hello there. You're pretty." The horse shook its head and blew hair out of his nose, but mainly ignored Eda. Smiling wistfully at the horse, she moved on. Looked like she wasn't going to get a Strider. Not even normal horses liked her. She was, as of yet, still completely oblivious to the smaller little stubborn horse making her way towards her. Eda made her way around the back legs of a stallion, being extremely careful. She knew it was bad practice. Woops! But as she turned, she was met with a most remarkable sight. A small mare, pinto - spotted white and a chocolate brown - had made its way through the vast majority of other striders. She was beautiful, in her own little quirky way, much like Eda herself was. Eda laughed a little uncertainly as the horse craned its neck, obviously trying to make herself look more regal and important. A front hoof was shook in Eda's direction and she whinnied loudly. Eda cocked her head to the side, confused. "Hello there, girlie." Eda slowly put a hand on the beautiful mare's nose. There was something about her that Eda loved. She wished she had a strider such as she. Wait... Things began to click into place. The strider making her way towards her purposefully. The whinny. The hoof. Was she...? "Are you for me, girlie?" Eda's eyes began to fill with tears. Please, Gods. Please. This horse is beautiful. Let her be mine.

[Ganmedo]

Dahlian contented himself with smoking his pipe. He loved it, and found comfort in the scent, though his teeth had significantly darkened since he first began using it. He smiled again, waving out toward the horses, as if to tell her to stop lollygagging and get to it. He chuckled and sat back against Garte's back, patting his Strider's neck. Edalene was right about one thing. Dahlian wasn't very good with people. Horses, however, he understood as well as one might understand the need for food. The little mare tossed her head, as if agitated by the fact that the girl was paying attention to other horses. Her tail swished back and forth, and her dark eyes focused on the girl. He stretched out her neck and whinnied loudly, pointedly. She straightened out her legs and held her head high for all the world. She wanted to look pretty! Ah, at last. The mare snorted and kept her pose, as if hoping, praying that the silly girl would realize what she was trying to do here. She was small, when most wanted their Striders big. But she was fast. Very fast. The moment Edalene touched her nose, the mare nuzzled into it, snorting and looking directly into her eyes. Sealing the bond that she, like Edalene, had been waiting for. She pushed past Edalene's hand, and began rubbing her head up and down the girl's side. From his horse, Dahlian looked up with a wide grin. "Hey, lookit that! Haha!" He stuck his pipe between his teeth and clapped his hands. "You know, that liddle mare's been waitin' a long time." Many Striders bonded when they were only foals. This particular mare was about six now, and had a long life ahead of her, a happier life now. "Whatcha gonna call her?"

[Edalene]

Eda's heart thumped, when, upon Eda placing her hand onthe mare's nose, she nuzzled her nose into Eda's hand. The softness of the mare's hair was soothing to Eda. Eda's vision was blurred with tears now, utter joy flowing through her, as she knew what this meant. She sniffed, gasping slightly, tears flowing despite the smile that was permanently etched onto her face. She giggled as the mare, that beautiful mare, nuzzled her hand. Eda burst into sobs and laughter at the same time as the horse nuzzled her side. She knew what this meant. She had bonded with a Strider. She was a Drykas. Her father's disapproval, her cousin's disdain, her inability to fit in with the Sunblaze Pavilion, all would disappate when they saw the beautiful mare that was now Eda's. The horse was more than just her horse, however. Her Strider would be her best friend, the one she was always with. This horse would become Eda's world, and Eda would become the mare's world. Eda wrapped am arm around the horse's neck, nuzzling it, cuddling it, much like she did with Maliki whenever she rode him - she was hers. She had a Strider. Eda looked up, eyes red and gleaming with tear tracks down her cheeks, and laughed freely when Dahlian spoke to her. Looks like the mare had been waiting and wanting Eda just as much as Eda had waited for and wanted her."Thank you, sir, thank you so much!" If it were not for the man's herd, Eda would not have met this beautiful animal which was now to be with her for life. Eda smiled down at the mare, stroking her nose carefully. "Ayira. You're Ayira. Do you like that?" Eda laughed when the mare playfully shook her head, whinnying in pleasure. Eda and Ayira.

[Ganmedo]

Dahlian watched the moment with a fond smile touching his lips. He remembered his own bondings well. Each relationship was unique. Sacred. He could never understand those who rushed their children to try and find a bondmate. It was a relationship that had to be discovered on a perfect scale, like the one before him. He got a little misty-eyed himself. It was rather like watching one of his own children bond. Beautiful. He wished he could write down what it felt like to witness such a thing, but most of the time he couldn't even remember how to spell his name. Striders were, after all, a bit stubborn. As the girl thanked him, he simply laughed and shook his head, waving his hand dismissively. "No need to be thankin' me, liddle 'un. You get that pretty mare of yours home and show your papa, eh?" He stuck the stem of his pipe between his lips but withdrew it immediately, leaning forward a bit. "Don't be...tellin' the wives I were smokin', eh?" He winked conspiratorially, and turned Garte about to head back towards his tents.

[Ganmedo]

Blessings from the Cupbearer Edalene XP: Horsemanship + 3 Lore: The bond of a Strider and Drykas Dahlian Windcrasher's pinto Striders COMMENTS: Hooray! A Strider!