[Sanctuary] Stretching our legs

[Danica]

Timestamp: Day 31, Winter of 509 A.V.

She had been in town for only a few hours, having arrived the night before, but the gathering of supplies had taken a lot less time than she had thought. Because of that she now walked just outside of Riverfall, sharing an apple with her beloved horse. They both munched happily as Danica paved the way for them. It had simply started off as some random wandering, moving here and there to catch a glimpse of the sights. However the winter cold soon drove her to find some other activity to pursue. It was when the cold finally nipped at her fingers that she fed the rest of her half of the apple to Altari, enjoying the warmth of his breath on her skin, and went in search of an indoor activity.

She spotted The Sanctuary and steered her way towards it. Her boots crunched against the frozen earth and were echoed by Altari’s footsteps. She brushed a stray piece of hair out of her eyes and looked up at the stairway leading to the entrance. She had never been here before and so she didn’t know if there was anywhere she could possibly leave her horse. She could always go in and ask someone about it. She stood for a moment a little torn but it was either that or stay out in the cold. Altari was a good horse and wouldn’t wander very far without Danica which is what ended up making up her mind. That and a fresh breeze of cold winter air that whipped about her.

She took the steps two at a time as she moved up the stairs. After a minute or two she ran back down them and swung herself onto Altari’s back. There was a gate around back that she could get into and she decided to head over there instead. It only took a few minutes before she was standing at this entrance. An assistant opened the gate for her and Danica stepped through, Altari trailing behind her. With a cool head she took in the sights and went past the riding arena to look at one of the horses in the stable. She petted his nose and Altari stood slightly behind her looking a little curious.

If she did something wrong Danica was sure someone would come to tell her about it, and if someone wanted to speak to her she would just remain out in the open. She could still smell the sea on the cold air and she breathed it into her lungs as she went from stall to stall looking at the occupants, offering a pet or soft word.

[Sorian]

Despite the snow that had fallen and blanketed the green grass around the premises of the little haven near Riverfall, the day was rather humid due to the glare of the sun, unhindered on its sentient guard by any sort of obstruction. The Sanctuary was quietly busy with activity, as both the animals and people living within it shared none of the idleness which often drapes over other places during such placid days. The horses were all eager to get out into the open to play, but the lone visible worker in the backdrop of snow was too busy carrying supplies around from one building to another. The massive figure's arms were laden with construction materials of various kinds. A huge hammer was casually hanging from a crude belt of rope, and a box of metal equipment was nested on his right shoulder. Despite the weight which made itself known by the various clanging noises coming from it, the towering blue figure seemed relax, as if he was merely doing this for leisure. His hair was somewhat long and matted, but carried the sign of cropping and snipping around the edges, accented by some dripping beads of sweat. His muscles were incredibly well defined and toned to perfection, and his pale blue skin would give one the impression of him being some perfect ice statue. The glaze of the sun made the sweat of his body shimmer as he stopped for a moment to wipe away some of the perspiration that accumulated on his forehead and sighed a deep, throaty sigh. Looking around his surroundings, Sorian's face was laced with some great inner sense of peace and contentment. It had been some time since Kavala had brought him to Sanctuary, and since then he had learned many things from her. From horseriding to carpentry to simple knitting, he has taken on the personality of some meek helper despite his acclaim as a feral and wild Akalak vagabond in the guise of Navis the Tormentor. The latter too had taken this life with a rather begrudging sense of concession, perhaps eased by the fact that Sorian had been trying - although begrudgingly and half-heartedly as well - to come to terms with him. All thanks to Kavala, the two warring sides within this blue mass of muscle have come to an uneasy truce. Sorian's sharp eyes quickly caught sight of the figure looming near the stables, working her way to gaze at the brusque, powerful Seme stallion Kavala had named Savik. The deep chocolate skin seemed so beautifully contrasted against Danica's light tones that his eyes could not help but be curious as to what this fine woman was doing here. He walked casually towards her, the tools he was carrying still firm on his shoulders. He did not smile at her, but his look was gentle enough, despite the apparent curiosity. "Welcome... to Sanctuary, milady." he greeted her, his voice a bit monotonous due to the work he had been doing. Still it hinted at better musical qualities, with rich power injected behind it. "Is there... Anything that you require?"

[Kavala]

Kavala was straw deep in work. One of the pregnant frostmarch mares she'd brought back from Endrykas was due to foal any minute now, and the mare wouldn't simply settle down. As young as she was, Kavala assumed she was a first time mother and the birthing process was new to the mare. Still, it wasn't good for the mare to pace her stall sweating and biting at her sides if Kavala could do what she could to sooth her.

The frostmarch was on Sivak's side of the barn, basically under the Seme stallions charge rather than Wind's... the other stallion the stables housed. And so it was that Danica hadn't quite reached the stall Kavala was working in, though she was truthfully only a few steps away from it. The Konti healer was busy massaging the big mare's belly, trying to ease the labor pains that were coming more frequently now. They'd have a foal by midnight for certain, and one wickedly early in the season at that. It worried Kavala, and she decided she would keep a close eye on the mare and baby both as the evening progressed. Besides, the day was shaping out to be wickedly cold, and tonight perhaps there'd even be a blow. Riverfall was notorious for its winter storms, so she'd need to get all the horses into stalls, perhaps even doubling some up, to make sure there was adequate shelter for all as evening fell.

Kavala heard the gate open and close, and heard hoofbeats on the stone of the courtyard... but she didn't give it much thought. Awsten was often around, the groom that worked with the horses, and it could be that he took a late morning trip to town. Sorian was also working about the place, keeping himself busy. Kavala was often frustrated that he insisted working like he did, endlessly, usually until he was too exhausted to do anything but sleep. She thought of him more as one of the resident patients... like the one-eyed owl or the aging Ivaski who hadn't quite decided to leave yet (whom she suspected slept at the foot of Sorian's bed with him now). He owed her nothing and she disliked the thought of him working as if he did... but trying to argue with Sorian was about like arguing with a fence post, so she let it go.

But when she heard his voice greet someone with 'milady' her curiosity was kicked into a full gallop and she slowly stepped away from the mare to peek out of the stall and see who was visiting. Her azure gaze sized up the other woman - Drykas perhaps? - and then took note of her horse. Definitely Drykas... the blood bay was beautiful. And Sorian was handling himself very well. He didn't even growl or scowl as he spoke to the stranger. Instead, he treated her with respect and asked to help her. Kavala wasn't surprised at Sorian's respect, but his offer did cause her eyebrows to raise. This was a big step, the Konti thought, because the man was putting himself out there to speak to others and to be... helpful? A smile played across her lips. And she couldn't help but feel proud for him... for Navis too, who could have easily growled at the girl through Sorian's lips as well. But they didn't. Hadn't... and he wasn't scaring the woman either.

Danica was lovely, and carried herself with all the pride a drykas should. Kavala didn't step out of the stall right away though, instead, she would wait and see how the woman answered Sorian and what the Akalak did then. It was an interesting situation, one that had already surprised the konti. Maybe her pale blue friend was ready to head back out into the world. As much as she enjoyed his presence, she knew he wouldn't stay forever. That was one of the main reasons she'd held herself aloof since that first night that Sorian... no Navis... had stabbed himself. Like all her charges, this one was going to be particularly hard to let go of. But maybe, just maybe... the girl needed something or even an escort someplace, something that would be good for Sorian to do.

So Kavala waited, quietly, willing to step in if she needed too but wanting to see how her new friend and the visitor handled themselves. And if one of them looked around, they'd easily spot her leaning against the inside of a nearby stall watching their exchange with a pleasant look of surprise on her face.

[Danica]

((Blah not that great sorry guys))
She was enjoying the company of a beautiful chocolate when she heard someone approaching. She gave the horse an affectionate pat on the nose before she turned to face the Akalak. She always liked those people, their warrior bodies, strength, ideals and last but not least their height. This one towered above her by about a foot, maybe a little less, and he was a nice shade of blue. She gave him a small smile and flicked her blonde hair away from her face.

“Thank you for the Welcome and please call me Danica, ‘milady’ is just too formal.” She took a moment to glance around her. “I came here more out of curiosity,” She admitted, although she didn’t have a note of guilt or embarrassment in it, more stated like a fact than anything. “As long as Altari,” She gave her horse a pet on the nose, “Can come I might like a bit of a tour. And perhaps a ride? It’s been awhile since it wasn’t in deep snow,” Another brief smile flittered across her visage.

Another slight glance around the area made her eye catch on someone else standing there. She was fair skinned and light haired, the typical Konti woman, although she wasn’t quite as “willowy” appearance Danica normally associated with them, she had a toned body that spoke of hard work. Danica found herself respecting her just a bit more because of that. Danica nodded her head in greeting and focused back on the Akalak who was standing with her.

“Maybe you could introduce me to her as well?”

[Sorian]

"Danica." Sorian repeated thoughtfully, his eyes carefully studying the Drykas' features. She was very tall for a woman, much taller than Kavala at least, who seemed quite tiny when latched to his side. Her body was very fit, and her demeanor showed that she was not uneducated. He nodded in approval before he tilted his head to the right in thought about the request. "A ride?" he repeated her words again. With the mention of the word his mind trailed back to that first day when Kavala took him out to the beach. It was a pleasant experience that ended very badly for him, one that he had not yet fully recovered from. His feet began to move towards Sivak, giving him a smooth, gentle caress to the sides. The mighty stallion had not had him for a rider since the incident, for the vivid image of the Konti's rage had haunted him for nights. The keen feelers of his nose caught Kavala's scent in the other side stable, even before Danica had pointed her out to him. Her sleeves were soaked in sweat and from the blood coming from the birthing horse. It surprised him somewhat that she was there and that he had not sensed her earlier. Usually she would be out to market or buying materials for the construction works. His great height allowed him to peek at the other side easily, where her eyes were on their guest and her hands were still on the pregnant horse. It was eerily quiet for something that was giving birth. "Kavala." he greeted her in a deeper voice than earlier, making sure that Danica heard her name as well. He said nothing further, hoping that Kavala had heard Danica's inquiry, for he was quite hesitant to take it for himself.

[Kavala]

Kavala stepped forward. She shook her head slightly, and smiled. "Welcome to Sanctuary. I'm afraid we can't go riding right now. I'm about to help this mare foal and by the way the horses are acting there's going to be a good blow tonight. We'll probably get heavy snow. We actually need to bring all the horses from the fields in, probably double up stalls if necessary on a few of the mares, and we'll put your Altari in a stall himself too. It's a good thing you dropped by too. I wouldn't want any travelers out in the weather that looks to be coming in." Kavala paused, turned to glance at Sorian, and smiled at him.

"You know, he's capable of more than one or two word sentences and grunting. His name is Sorian." Kavala said, offering the Akalak an awkward smile before she exited the mares stall and stopped to wipe her hands. "She's got a few minutes, but I don't want to leave her for long. Have you ever delivered a foal?" Kavala asked, mentally counting heads - who was in the stable area, who was still out in the fields. "Let's get your horse settled in a stall for the evening, and we'll bring the rest in while the mare's calm. Then I might need some help in a few minutes. She's probably delivering a big baby. I'm hoping for a colt." Kavala said, throwing open the stall door to a clean well-bedded loose box. "Here, put Altari here?" She suggested. "You can hang is tack up just outside and loop the saddle over the stall door unless he chews on leather, then we can take it to the tack room."

"Sorian, would you help me by starting to let Sivak's mares in? I'd put the desertbreds and gildlings together in the same stall so we have enough for everyone." She said, then gestured for Danica to accompany her while they started letting in horses from the other side of the facilities pasture. Sorian knew the horses, better than he let on, Kavala suspected. For he often talked to them in his soft and gentle manner. It was almost the same tone he used on her these days. Both the Konti and Akalak had been treading carefully in each other's company since the incident on the beach.

Kavala had never again mentioned the favor she wanted Sorian to do for her, though she suspected he knew exactly what it was. She felt the awkward strain between the two of them and often regretted her hasty and unfair words, but there was not much to do about it in retrospect. She'd already apologized, but the damage had been done. In a way it was a relief. He didn't press her nor did he make any more pledges.

In a way, Kavala hoped Danica might be someone who needed some help or the type of company Sorian could offer. Sorian needed to be around other people, people who were far more stable than Kavala. She wore her rage and pain like a mantle sometimes, using it as armor to protect herself from anyone getting close.

And as they worked, Kavala introduced her to the mares and geldings that occupied the enclosure on the side of the facility they worked for, carefully saying each animals name before letting them into stalls. There were a lot of mares... and Danica could see easily enough it was a breeding facility as well as a boarding stable and animal hospital.

[Danica]

“Hi Kavala,” She gave her another nod but glanced at the Akalak, she didn’t know his name still but she gave him a smile of thanks for the woman’s name anyway. She frowned at the thought of more snow and cast a glance back out past the gate. “Hmm,” She chewed her lower lip as she gazed out. “I guess I’ll have to find a place to stay for the night then, I don’t really want to go riding across the plains if it’s going to storm.” She was more talking to herself than anyone but she focused her eyes on Kavala again. “I could help with that if you need an extra set of hands for bringing them in,”

Then the Konti woman told her the Akalak’s name: Sorian. She turned and smiled at him, her eyes shining like she had just discovered a secret. “So nice of you to introduce yourself Sorian,” She teased, but turned back when the woman spoke of the pregnant mare. “Uhh No sorry. I watched my father birth foals when I was younger but lately it’s just been me and Altari and it’d be pretty awkward if he ever got pregnant. I know most of the basics but I’ve never done the hands on parts. More so the ‘go and get this’ parts.” Danica lead Altari into the stall Kavala pointed out, quickly untacking him and placing it where she had indicated. Danica spent a moment stroking Altari along his soft nose and whispering to him softly. He shoved her with his head and she smiled before planting a little kiss on his head and moved out of the stall.

She moved to follow Kavala and help her where she needed it. Danica never shied away from a little hard work, and if that involved horses then all the better. She fell into stride beside the shorter woman. “He’s a bit of an odd one hm?” She remarked, casting a glance back towards Sorian for a moment.

She worked alongside Kavala giving each horse a little pat and introducing herself to them as well. “It really is a beautiful facility. How long have you had it? You already seem to have quite the menagerie of horses.” She continued with her work, following Kavala’s lead and lending a hand where it was needed. The hardest part would probably come with the foal, she was partial to colts as well, truth be told, and for now getting to know a couple for the horses was easy. She tried to keep up a light conversation while it went on. She was curious about Sorian, he seemed so… distant, but she didn’t want to pry either, so for now she merely waited.

[Sorian]

Sorian merely smiled gently at the comical remarks from both Kavala and Danica, but did not say anything other than a solemn, "Alright", as an answer to the Konti's request. He started the chore by putting down the tools nestled on his shoulder, then unloaded the heavy mace on his waist as well. After taking a moment to unwind the minor strain on his biceps and shoulder blades he turned away from the two women and started lumbering towards the snowy plains, where the mares played in the freezing wind. He wasn't quite bonded that well to Sivak's mares, which made gathering them peacefully a bit difficult. They wouldn't respond to any sort of whistle -not that he knew how to anyway- nor would they come along peacefully without frolicking around like children. In a way Sorian liked it that way, hard to get and fun to subdue. It was about time he had mounted a horse again, and he was going to do it in style. The powerful muscles on his legs curled together as he crouched down like some big cat, acting as if he was going to pounce on or towards the horses when the opportunity presents itself in the form of close proximity. The feisty females responded to the challenge with defiant glee, fleeing to the far sides of the fences with a tinge of underestimation evident in their casual stride. Scoffing at the gesture, the Akalak's legs exploded forth with incredible power, running full tilt towards one of the larger ones, hoping to catch it with one stroke. True enough, the mare, a plump Zavian, was caught by the speed of its pursuer and started running away with every ounce of its strength, desperate to pick up the pace to top speed. The snow made acceleration quite difficult however, and with a huge leap from the Akalak, she was suddenly turned into his forcibly submissive mount, compelled to do his bidding in helping to catch the other mare. Seeing the demonstration made the remaining free ones very wary of Sorian and his swiftness, and they fled with far more effort to the ends of the vast clearing. Sorian gently caressed the Zavian's neck, soothing the shock he had caused it. She did not try to fight off Sorian's weight on her back, having been acquainted with him due to the many times he had fetched them back from these very same fields. He had learned the art of capturing horses well, if that could be considered an art, and that merited respect. Her hooves dug into the snow with repetitive kicking, rearing for the chase, readying for the command of her rider. Understanding her willingness to pursue, Sorian kicked her sides gently and sped off towards the two other mares to their immediate center. His mount carried him valiantly, if not awkwardly, but Sorian's weight proved to be too much of a compounding factor to her own weight, and they trudged hopelessly on, the two other mares steadily gaining ground. With one last yank from Sorian, the Zavian pushed on until the Akalak leapt from her back with the lithe quickness of an animal 1/3rds his size and weight, landing in front of one of the renegade mares and effectively cornering her. Perhaps deciding that the game they were playing was a bit too docile and uninteresting for her, the cornered mare, a Bloodbane this time, reared up to defend herself from her 'attacker', the powerful and sharp hooves on her feet ready to bore holes into Sorian's body. Surprised at the aggressiveness of this one, Sorian leaped back to give her landing some space, her angry hooves coming down on nothing but air and grass. Quickly rushing forth in a sidestepping movement, he gracefully avoided the sickeningly long canines that started to snap around looking for blood, then jumped on its back in a triumphant display of superiority. Refusing to be humbled by the Akalak, the ravenous Bloodbane started kicking around wildly, trying to throw him off its back. Sorian merely closed his legs around its ribcage, his feet locking together into a powerful vice grip that struggled mightily with the vicious female's commotions. After a few minutes of dancing and heaving around, the horse began to tire down, and soon was shaking heavily from carrying so much weight during the storm of movement she had unleashed upon herself. Defeated, her head snapped back one last time as Sorian, who caught her muzzle in his hands with a gentle touch. He warmly touched its face with his own cheek, calming it down at last. Setting his eyes on the last free mare, who by then was already at the far end of the clearing, Sorian clandestinely dismounted the conquered Bloodbane, then crouched down into the ground again, revealing his grand, white teeth in a heavy grin of pleasure. This last mare, a sleek Frostmarch, seemed not to stir, knowing that she has an advantage over the Akalak in the snowy fields they traversed. Cocking its head from left to right, it charged towards Sorian instead of running away, surprising him quite a bit. He met the charge head on, sprinting with such speed that the snow tossed behind him like light straw and hay before a diligent man with a fork. As they neared collision, both Akalak and horse veered to the opposite direction, Sorian to the left and she to the right, then faced off in the center of the field like immortal rivals, circling each other with defiant eyes. Tossing its head sideways in a grunt, the fine white hair of her mane flowing like icy waterfalls in the wind, the Frostmarch began to move first, her hooves navigating the snow skillfully in its charge. The balls of Sorian's feet entrenched themselves into the snow, his toes grasping the ice between them as if wanting to hold his own against the sheer power of the creature, who came barreling down on him head first. Catching the Frostmarch's hard head with both hands, they proceeded to engage in some sort of reverse tug-of-war, with each trying to force the other to go through an imaginary invisible line behind them. The Frostmarch mare's snow-adept hooves gave her a tremendous advantage in this struggle, but the Akalak held his own through sheer determination, even though he was clearly sliding down the ice more, one millimeter per second. A push here, a push there. Back and forth the two childish competitors played on, neither wanting to lose to the other. The grin on Sorian's face did not disappear with the heavy dose of fight that the mare was putting up, instead clenching together in place like some steel trap that had caught its prey. His will and strength were still formidable despite the terrain, and the years of agony and suffering in the plains and woods of Cyphrus had hardened him sufficiently for anything, even if it was merely some sort of game. He was not built to lose in any sort of physical matchup with any creature, and this he was going to demonstrate to the defiant Frostmarch. Taking in a heavy breath, Sorian sallied forth from his mounting deficit, his now shaking feet gaining ground by taking baby steps forward at first, then longer strides the next as his opponent started to weaken. Sensing the end, Sorian's subterranean veins pushed even more blood and adrenalin into his muscles, and he let out a loud grunt as he forced the mare to turn its head away due to the fatigue building up in its neck. How this Akalak had managed to outlast a horse's immense tolerance for fatigue, nobody would be able to tell. But he was gracious in victory, patting her softly and whispering soothing words into her ear as she struggled to regain both breath and composure. He then proceeded to mount her, the hard spinal bone feeling incredibly comfortable to his hurting legs. Together they trotted towards the two other mares, with his two hands resting on one horse each. It is in this flamboyant parade that they returned to the stables. Once he had finished settling the three mares back inside the stables, Sorian cast a look at the two busy women, looking quite engrossed into the work they were doing. Looking at Kavala, Sorian could see some anxiety, some awkwardness in her actions. Much like how she suspected, he indeed knew what she would have asked of him, and it was a thought that presented itself in shades of black and white to him. He would easily balk at the idea of having a child with her, but it is something that he felt his other side would welcome gleefully, despite Kavala's profession of Navis' refusal the first time around. Two different sides, two different minds. Shallow minded as it was, it did not occur to Sorian that Navis has the capability to think the way he does too sometimes. "I think... you were just too tired then. Navis." he said quietly to his other side, smirking at the thought of Navis and his reaction. An irregular beat to his chest startled him, forcing him to contort his face into one of worry; it must be him protesting the thought. Navis had made the effort to stab him -them- just to avoid her ministrations after all, and he won't be thought of differently. He slumped down in the yard several meters away from Kavala and Danica, his thoughts somewhat burdening him now.

[Kavala]

Kavala liked Danica immediately. The way she didn't miss a beat and turned to playfully thank Sorian for introducing himself when he really hadn't reminded Kavala instantly of her sister Akela and truthfully made the konti miss her pale sister terribly in that instant. But she covered the shift of melancholy with a gentle laugh and shook her head. "Don't be silly. If we're going to have a big blow, you aren't going anywhere on foot, and there's no stabling for your lovely horse in town. There's an extra room here you can have for the night. It's for an assistant that I haven't quite got around to hiring yet. Besides, that mare is going to foal soon - within the next few bells I'd imagine - and I can use all the help I can get. If you'd like, we can take you on a tour of the area tomorrow by horseback, but tonight there's lots of work. Rak'keli has a way of steering help around when help is going to be needed, so I'm glad you're here." Kavala said, smiling.

She kept one eye on Sorian, and laughed a little as the mares gave him some trouble. For as big as he was, the Akalak was terribly gentle with them, even when it did come down to a wrestling match. She couldn't help but think the mares actually looked forward to his attentions as if they staged a large 'us verses him' game and kept score somehow. A time or two she actually reached out and touched Danica's arm to gesture across the facility and through an open stall where they could actually see Sorian either being chased or chasing a mare in the far pasture. She would smile and chuckle slightly. "I don't know who's winning, but I think both sides over there are roughly equally matched." The konti said with a smile.

As for their part, they simply had to open stall doors and gently call mares in from the pasture. Kavala set Danica to gathering bundles of hay to feed the mares and giving them buckets of mixed grains as dinner. Then, once all the mares were in (one set doubled up to give Danica's horse its own stall), they had to pass out blankets, carefully covering each animal, even both stallions. The temperature was dropping quickly as they worked and the wind was already kicking up. Kavala shut the top doors to all the external stall doors, and then started a bonfire in the main firepit in the middle of the facility where she began heating some water. Already gathered, a portable table of medical supplies stood outside the foaling mare's stall filled with iodine, a bottle with a long neck filled with warm water, scissors, and a ton of towels. Kavala checked the mare often, and when all the horses were in, blanketed, and fed with their stalls secured she paused at the stall.

"Thank you for the help getting horses in you two." She said, then looked thoughtful. "Sorian, there's some bread I brought from the city, vegetables, and some slices of flank steak. Do you think you could grill the steaks for us so there's something for us to eat I know we could grill the vegetables too. There's just potatoes and corn?" He knew Kavala couldn't cook at all, though she had repeatedly vowed to attempt to learn now that there was someone at the Sanctuary to cook for - a vow she made every time she served him something plain or brought from the city. Kavala knew he had a lot better chance of having food come out decently than Kavala did, for she was easily distracted and tended to wander off during the process. "If you don't want to try it, Sorian, Danica and I can give it a go after we get done here. I just didn't want you to go hungry." She said, smiling at the other girl. The konti lowered her voice and spoke again, this time to Danica. "I'm a good healer, and know some medicine and a bit about horses, but when it comes to cooking, I'm afraid there's a lot to be desired." The Konti grinned, picking on her own cooking skills.

The mare seemed fine still, a bit restless, but not yet having gone down in the straw, so Kavala decided it was an excellent time for a tour. "Ready to see the place? We have a few minutes..." The konti said, giving the mare a last look. This would be the first foal born at the stable since it had become a stable, and she was excited at the prospect.

[Danica]

Danica threw the last of the hay in her arms over the side of the stall before she moved back to the main pile to gather more of it. It was gentle work that made her mind wander, until the occasional hay sliver found its way up under her skin, but they were easy to remove and if one broke Danica wasn’t opposed to chasing it out with something sharp. She grabbed another armload and made her way to each stall. By the time she had made her way all around, spending a little extra time with her horse, her arms pocked with tiny bleeding points.

Grain was next and it proceeded much the same way as hay had. She picked up four buckets and gave them to the appropriate horses before retreating back to get another four. As she worked she hummed quietly to herself, it was a bit off key and didn’t seem to be any sort of song, just mindless noise. She would give each horse a little pat and, when the opportunities arose, watch the Akalak, Sorian, chasing after the mares. It brought a half smile every time. She loved watching horses play and sometimes wished Altari was a little less subdued and gentle, but she loved him anyway. She also let it be known every time she walked by the stall with him in it, normally making gentle cooing noises or scratching at his nose when he poked out to look at her.

After that it was the blankets. Danica just enjoyed the work as she pulled one blanket on after the next, doing them up so they wouldn’t fall off and then moving to the next horse. She didn’t think about where she was heading or what she was doing or the past, she didn’t think about the friends she knew, loved, lost, or the situations she had been in. Instead she breathed in the scent of the stable, listened to the soft whickering of horses, and let their warmth surround her. She had agreed to the tour of the stable right away and now that her work was almost done she let her mind wander to tomorrow for just a moment.

Finally she finished and wiped off her hands with a satisfied look on her face. She moved over to stand by Kavala when they were both finished and hadn’t even realized she was hungry until the Konti mentioned food. She could feel the saliva entering her mouth at the thought of the meal. “Oh I wouldn’t worry about those skills too much. At least if its burned you know nothings left raw enough to make you sick right,” Danica gave her a little wink, knowing that her own skills involved throwing it on the fire and waiting. A few times she just hadn’t waited long enough.

“Oh I’d love to,” Danica smiled at the early bit of tour and gave her legs a little stretch as she looked at the mare as well. She hoped she’d be enough help but then she supposed Sorian and Kavala would do most of the work so she wasn’t terribly worried about it. “Thanks for the room for the night by the way. I’m surprised you don’t have more people actually, it’s a nice place,” She gave it a look over. “But lead the way,”