[The Sanctuary] A Traveler From Home (Sama'el)

[Riki Stormheart]

Timstamp: 32nd of Spring, 511 AV Riki sat out in the gardens in front of the Sanctuary. Beside him his loyal companion Sadie laid in the grass, her tail gently wagging as her blue eyes were fixed on a fat bug in the dirt. The dog was still somewhat a child in her mannerisims. She never seemed to be able to keep her focus for too long yet around other people she was shy, much like Riki. Riki sat motionless, his mind off in the plains of Cyphrus. He was not too good a mediation but he tried. He mostly used it mostly to try and dwell on the memories of home. These self-mediation sessions mostly proved one thing though. He had not lived a very interesting life. Yes, there had been a massive healing here and there and of course his meeting with Rak'keli but other than that his life was painfully very un-Drykas in the ways of excitment. Riki could not spend too much time in the garden though. There was work to be done. With a quick pat to his side Sadie bounced to her feet. "Come Sadie, time to go see the horses. You remember what I told you last time right?" He looked down at the little speckled dog but she only returned his glance with a little cock of her head. "Don't scare the horses Sadie! You can make them go into early labor and then I'll get in trouble." Sadie simply cocked her head again only to begin to scratch behind her ear with her back leg. With a sigh Riki walked forward, motioning for the dog to follow. With a quick shake of her fur she scampered forward, eager to see the what Riki was talking about even if she had no clue what it was. Once in the stables Riki walked toward Glow and smiled at her like he would a friend. "Hello beautiful girl. How are you feeling today? I am just going to give you a look over to make sure you are doing okay. Nothing to major and nothing to worry about." He patted the mare's mane as he walked to the side of her body. He ran his hands over her sides to make sure there were not any irregualar bumps or sore spots. Luckily, she seemed to be pain free since she did not call out in pain as his fingers pushed lightly into her sides. "Good girl, you are doing a great job. So far, so good." Next his hands moved to her legs and then her neck, feeling for abnormalties or areas of pain. "Well, it looks like you are all clean Glow. Lucky lady!" Next he smiled down at the little dog beside him. "Thank you for being a good girl Sadie. You are a good assistant." Sadie simply wagged her tail and panted. Riki looked at her quizically. If only he knew what was going on in that little head of hers.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

The dog was like to smell Sama'el and Dohaina coming. Of course, Sam had groomed the mare within an inch of her life after the week of hard travel, and bathed himself, but now their scents were just that much clearer to the senses of a dog and the other horses. This was their second trip to the Sanctuary, but so far it was the most homelike part of Riverfall he had encountered. Probably because it was outside Riverfall and mostly run by Drykas. "Ho, Kavala!" he called ahead, not wanting to disturb or startle her. It was nice, too, to speak Pavi while in the city of the blue men. Once close, he vaulted out of Dohaina's yvas like some street thief acrobat, landing on bent knees to absorb the shock of his landing. Dohaina whickered, as if encouraging him in his efforts, even if he no longer had a red-haired lady to impress with the hopes of marrying her and making babies. Perhaps the Akalaks had it right. He could always buy a few -- not here -- and start his pavilion that way. But having been a slave himself, he wasn't keen on being the slave owner. "Kavala?"

[Riki Stormheart]

Sadie's head perked up as she laid on the ground waiting for Riki to finish his rounds. Someone was coming, she would smell it. Her tail wagged aimlessly as she looked over to Riki as if she expected him to smell the new scent as soon as she did. Riki was oblivious to the person approaching though. Even if he had a sense of smell like Sadie's he was lost in his work. He was standing next to a stallion who seemed to have an pain in his back leg. When Riki felt his hip he had noticed the large horse begin to stir and stomp his hooves in discontent. "Don't worry. You'll be okay. It is probably just a pulled a muscle. I'll help you though." He smiled at the horse who seemed completely uninterested in him or his offers to help. Placing a hand on the horse's leg Riki muttered softly to Rak'keli, his loving Goddess asking her for help. He felt the warmth running through his palm and into the horse's leg, giving it some relief from the pain and loosening the muscles. This would not be enough though. He would have to massage the muscle as well to make sure it was loose. "Okay, just one more step and you should be nearly perfect. We all need to heal a little bit naturally right?" He rubbed his thumbs against the horse's leg, first up and down, and then in small circles. The stallion began to stir. Not many creatures liked the pain of getting their tightened muscles loosened. Next he worked on rolling his knuckles down the thigh of the horse to help unbunch the muscle. After the series of massages there was nothing left to do but let the leg rest. Sadie was now getting restless. She could tell the sent was from Endrykas. The smell of the grasses and the horses was still strong in her memory. Riki could tell something was bothering her. She did not get restless too often unless she was getting scared or excited. "What's wrong Sade? Are you not feeling well?" She meerly kept up her restless trot through the stables wanting nothing more than to know why the air smelled like home. A voice broke through the air. Not just any voice either, a voice speaking Pavi. It caught Riki's attention right away. He had not heard anyone speak Pavi since he was home. They were calling for Kavala. Riki looked around, trying to see if she was somewhere in the stables but he did not see the pale woman anywhere. Nervously, Riki stepped forward to see a man not much shorter than him standing in the stables. It was not every day Riki got the chance to be around someone around his height who was not blue, although the Akalak did not travel out to the Sanctuary as much as one would like. "Kavala is not here right now. Do you need help?" Riki's green eyes looked over the man and then to his horse. "I have not gotten the chance to speak Pavi with someone in a while. I take it you are Drykas?" From his side Sadie stopped her nervous march and cockd her head as she looked at the new man. She had found the origin of the scent.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"Oh, hello." Sama'el smiled. His smiles were almost too big and too bright to be believed upon first meeting him. The young Watchman exuded good cheer and high spirits. Even tragedy couldn't keep him down for long. And there had been a few. "You must be Riki Stormheart. I'm Sama'el of the Sapphire Clan, here in Riverfall on Watch business, but since I'm awaiting a return message before I leave for Endrykas, I have started coming down here to feel... more at home. I don't really speak blue man. Kavala said you were the best horse healer hereabouts, so I thought I'd introduce you to Dohaina to make sure she's ready for the gallop home. I mean, I can take care of her, but if you're an expert..." He grinned again. "Maybe I can learn a thing or two from you."

[Riki Stormheart]

It was a relief to see the Drykas. Riki had started to feel a bit despondent since leaving Endrykas and his people. He knew Kavala was born among the Drykas and was raised much like one but she was not Drykas. She was not his sister or his cousins. "Hello Sama'el. Yes, I am Riki of Opal clan." He smiled kindly at Sama'el. He was happy to be with someone from home and Sadie seemed to feel the same. She padded over to his side sniffing gingerly at his leg as if to check he was truely Drykas like his scent seemed to tell. Her blue eyes looked up at him excitedly. He was Drykas! She panted in excitement and nuzzled into his leg. Riki looked at her nervously. "Sadie! Get over here!" He never knew if people liked Sadie's affection. "Sorry Sama'el. She is really friendly. Feel free to push her away if you want. She'll take the hint. Sadie looked up at Sama'el expectantly with a dog-like smile. She was silently begging to be pet. "I don't know if I would call myself an expert. I do know a bit about caring for horses though. I have to say, I'm quite touched she said I was an expert." He knew that there more talented healers in the Sanctuary but he was one of the few that had spent extensive time in Endrykas. Twenty-four years to be exact. "I would be happy to take a look at her though. It is always nice to see a Strider. I don't get to see to many here. Or better yet, as many as I am used to." There were a few striders at the Sanctuary. Kavala's was kept in the stables as well as Riki's Strider, Spring. "I can teach you a few things while I look her over though. "

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

His smile faltered for a moment at the mention of the Opal Clan, whose members had shaken up his world so much that he felt the need to gallop away to Riverfall for a while, only to have another one waiting for him. The gods had a strange sense of humor! But he had long ago learned to smile though his heart was breaking, smile until it was no longer a mask, but an invitation for his natural good cheer to return. "Hullo, Riki." He smiled down at the dog. "Hullo, Sadie." Rather than be put off by the canine affection, he pulled his leg up quick and twisted in the yvas, then flexed his body like a whip to hop over Sadie rather than on top of her. It was a simple, but effective bit of acrobatics. He really need to practice that some more if he was going to be as impressive as he wanted to be. Sama'el crouched down to make friendly with the dog. He wasn't as good with them as he was with horses, but he felt that in order to make friends with an animal, one had to get on a level with them -- until and unless one needed them to obey, at which point dominance had to be established. "She's all right. Just being friendly. I might have to get myself a dog... They love you no matter what, eh?" He nodded at the offer. "I would appreciate it. She's generally healthy. I'm just paranoid about her health, especially since mine depends on hers." He grinned and stood up, ruffling Sadie's ears and ruff so she wouldn't feel abandoned as he talked to Riki.

[Riki Stormheart]

It was a relief for Riki to see that Sama'el was okay with his canine companion and her very upfront greeting. Sadie was even happier than Riki though. She loved a new person to play with. She bounced playfully on her paws when she saw the man was coming down to her level. He liked her! He wanted to be friends! The dog could not be more excited. She quickly nuzzled up against Sama'el, planting wet kisses on his face. She found him very interesting but of course to a dog most things were. "Sadie, come!" He spoke sharply knowing if he didn't the little dog wouldn't listen. He smiled at Sama'el as the dog scampered to his side. "They really do. Sadie is actually a second generation dog for me. I met her mother, Flower, the day I got this." He held his hand up to show the opal marking that graced it. It was his connection to Rak'keli and enabled him to heal as well as he did. He walked over to Dohaina's side and began to look her over. First step was to look for cuts and scrapes. "I was chasing a rabbit through the Sea of Grass, I know, bad idea but I was." He chuckled a bit as he placed his hand against the mare's shoulder. The small cut that reached across it slowly faded at his touch. To be safe he pulled a salve off a near by shelf and rubbed it over her pelt. Infections were the last thing one wanted for an animal that held their life in the balance. "I found her laying in the grass bloodied beyond belief and her leg was broken really bad. I couldn't have saved her without help. Thats for sure." He stopped for a moment and looked at Sama'el. "Let me know if talk like that bothers you. When one is always surrounded by healers there really is no reason to leave out the gore. I forget sometimes not everyone talks like that." Next Riki turned his attention solely to the horse. He liked to talk to those he was healing even if they were animals. "Hello Dohaina. I promise I will be very gentle. I'm just going to look you over and make sure you are okay. Sama'el says you are healthy so I don't think there is much to worry about." He smiled at the horse as he looked into her eyes. He needed to check to make sure her eyes were not cloudy. That would be a sign of infection. "Her eyes seem clear so it seems this checkup if off to a good start. How is it back in Endrykas?" For the love of the Gods he missed it. Most of all he missed his sister. Sweet little Anila. She meant the world to him and leaving her to join the workers of the sanctuary was one of the hardest things he ever had to do.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sama'el rough-housed a bit with Sadie, smiling and watching as Riki gave Dohaina a once over. That little cut had bothered him, as he could not recall her getting it, but he had found it and treated it with a quick bit of nothing that he could prepare on his own. He was glad that Riki could fix it much more quickly and without any fuss. "You're blessed," he said simply, not overawed, but certainly reverent. He made a sign of devotion and murmured a prayer of thanks to Rak'keli for what Riki did in her name and with her power for his equine companion. "Thankfully you found Flower and the goddess' favor rather than a velispar, though..." He smiled. "I don't mind the talk so long as you tell me what it is you used to make that salve. I'd like to start purchasing and breeding within the year, and I'm good with horses, of course, but I have to learn more if I'm going to manage that many and remain in the Watch..." Dohaina had glanced dubiously at Riki at first, but her skin seemed to shiver at his healing touch, and then she was all right with him. She was always well-behaved, of course, but for Riki she would be a particularly fine lady with perfect manners. There was nothing obviously wrong with her, of course, or Sama'el would have found it. If there were hidden dangers, however, it would take a healer to find them. "Endrykas is Endrykas," he said. "It's smaller than I remember, but I was small before I went away for many years. I've grown." Indeed, he was rather tall, but it was hard to tell with his corbie crouch, ruffling Sadie's ears. "But there are good people and bad. I'm glad to do my part with the Watch, but I spend a good deal of time riding circuit, so I don't know what the news is from the elders. I'm too young to have a say anyway."

[Riki Stormheart]

Sadie's tail whiped playfully as Sama'el roughed her up a bit. She loved the chance to play. Lately Riki had not had a lot of time for playing. His new job took up a lot of time. With a little woof she bore her teeth at Sama'el in an attempt to play fight. She liked this game! "Yes, I think Rak'keli everytime I heal for her gift. My father was quite proud when I came home after meeting Flower. He was not too excited to welcome a dog into the family but I guess we just got lucky." It was more so that Riki's father had been so overjoyed that his younger son, the only boy in the family to follow in his medicinical footsteps had been so overjoyed that Riki had been marked that Flower sort of just snuck into the family. "I'll have to ask Kavala about the herbs that are used here. I'm still getting used to the ingredients that are available in Riverfall. This mixture is a combination of Propolis, Myrrh, Goldenseal, and Hazel. That is for a simple antiseptic tincture." Riki russled through the herbs once again to find another salve, this one was for pain relief. He spoke to Sama'el of the medicine as he rubbed it into the cut. It was not completely nessisary but at least he would be sure she was not in pain. "This is a pain relief tincture. It contains Passionflower, Meadowsweet, Valerian, Motherwort, and Johnswort." Riki liked to be able to talk about what he was doing and using as he worked. It made him feel more organized. "Tinctures work best when they contain a bit of medicinical alcohol but of course with animals you are best sticking with only the herbs. There are a lot of different remedies that can be used even for things as simple as headaches and toothaches." Riki tried to think of less work related things to talk about but nothing came to mind. He truely had a one track mind. It was just work and medicine, although the two were pretty much the same thing. "I have done a bit of breeding myself. I actually prefer it over giving check ups. I guess you could call it my first love. I tend to work with healing more than breeding now. I have also assisted in foaling." He sounded more like a proud child than a full grown adult. It was not that me was immature. The soft tone of his voice simply made him sound a bit like a child from time to time. After checking Dohaina's eyes, the next step was to check her mouth. Riki continued to speak of his practice as he worked. That way Sama'el would know what he was doing and he could repeat it. Of course, if the Drykas already had his normal ritual with his horse he might not take to a few pointers. "Now I am going to smell her breath. A horse's breath should not ever smell bad. She is eating alright, correct? Her stool is consistant and firm?" Such talk was normal in the Sanctuary. As strange as the question was, Riki really did not give a lot of thought to it. One day he was going to have to see that even though he was a healer it did not stop the questions that he asked from sounding a bit strange. "I hope I can visit someday. I was supposed to earlier this season but the plans never really lined up. Next time Endrykas is close I suppose." Riki did not like to think that blandly about his home but it was something he was getting used to. He could not keep mouring over it. Endrykas was moving farther away as the season moved on but it was still there. The fact that it moved proved as much. He would return home someday and he would see his sisters Athe and Anila. He also longed for his cousins and his parents. "All things come in time I suppose. You seem to be dedicated and your horse is beautifully taken care of. People will take notice eventually."

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"I'll have to stock up on some of those," he mused as Riki rattled off herbs and essences. "I don't think anyone in Endrykas tends bees to get the propolis, and... hm. Well, at least we get traders now and then with herbs from elsewhere." He watched and he listened, because although he knew well how to care for a horse, this one was a healer of the Opal Clan and an obvious devotee of Rak'keli. "You can show me the stable after if you have time," he said. "If I know what all you keep here, I might be able to trade with you and Kavala later. Endrykas will be very close come Fall, and trade will be easier. I might even be able to bring my Windrunner stallion to stud for whatever Kavala's breeding into her bloodlines." His dark eyes were alight with excitement. For the past year or so, life had been bolts of excitement between long stretches that just seemed like he had to hurry up and wait. Nothing came quickly enough for his eagerness, except when things came too soon, which still sometimes happened. He could be as clinical talking about equine sexuality as he was nodding along with the healthy texture of Dohaina's feces. "You'll have to visit in the Fall. It will be such a short trip for a Drykas on a Strider." He grinned. "You can introduce me to your sisters," he added, a common joke among Drykas males.