[Aylasa Caves] Reunion (Sturlin & Sam)

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"No, he'll be fine. He's strong. It's more of a concern for long hauls and I don't think our lesson will be all that long. Tell him to walk."

He smiled reassuringly up at Sturlin, and kept his hand on Francis for one more moment before stepping back and letting the pair work together without his interference. Horse stepped up to watch the spectacle, whuffling Sam's hair until his hand came up to rub under Horse's chin.

[Sturlin]

"Walk, Francis. Walk."

Gripping the reins carefully he tried to guide the horse forward, to no avail. He was used to leading Francis by the tethers but not at convincing him to walk while atop his back. Attempting to imitate how he had seen others riding he squeezed the horse with his legs and flicked the reins. Francis walked four steps and then stopped to graze, as if there were nothing on his back which concerned him.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"Give him a tap with your heels. Not too hard, but not too soft either. You aren't wearing stirrups so it's not like you're poking him with sharp metal... Horses may like you, but you generally have to assert yourself firmly for them to respect you enough to follow your directions."

He rubbed his chin, then continued rubbing Horse's to keep him happy.

[Sturlin]

Digging in gently with his heels Sturlin guided the animal forward and spoke soothingly to him, as he often spoke when Francis was uncomfortable with walking into a particularly dark stretch of forest. With a bit of effort he managed to walk his horse around the camp slowly. Toward the end he began to slip, but his arms wrapped around his horse's neck and he held on with a wide look in his eyes. "Need to work on my balance, I suppose."

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"Hold on with your legs," Sam said, tapping Sturlin's knee to emphasize his point with muscle memory. "They're stronger than your arms. Everyone's legs are stronger than their arms, they walk on them all the time. Except maybe blacksmiths. They might have stronger arms..."

He smiled reassuringly.

"Try to stay calm and relaxed, though. If you get scared, Francis will sense it and get scared too. If you fall off, you fall off. The ground is soft here. It's not the end of the world. You just have to get back on. The saddle will help."

[Sturlin]

"I'm not scared..." he mumbled to himself under his breath as he tightened his grip with his knees and loosened the grip of his arms. It had been a few years since anyone had tried to teach him something. He would need to work on being a dignified student. At the moment it was a little too easy to take offense at the instruction.

Squeezing with his legs he continued to walk Francis slowly around the area. His hands moved to grip the reins gently and he did his best to make sure that a lazy walk was the only speed they moved at. So far he hadn't fallen, and this made him smile. Of course, they had not yet actually tried riding at anormal speed. That very well could reintroduce him with his old friend, the ground.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"Not scared," he amended without missing a beat, "but when things startle you, your instincts have to be trained to be correct. Grabbing with your arms is a last ditch sort of thing. You just have to get used to using your legs until it becomes a sort of second nature response when you feel like you're losing your balance. Also, pay attention to how Francis' body moves under you when he's walking. Feel how it affects your body. Try to see if there are things you can do to match the rhythm. Every gait is different, but her trot needn't rattle your teeth out of if you know how to compensate for it.

"You're doing well, Sturlin. Really. A lot of this is just a matter of getting comfortable with Francis and learning to accommodate what he does."

[Sturlin]

Sturlin allowed Francis to take the lead and walk a few more laps around the camp area. It did feel fluid, and the sound of Sam's voice was comforting. The boy made an excellent teacher. The rhythm of Francis' walking swayed him from side to side. He allowed himself to relax. Unfortunately his choice of timing was off. Just as he relaxed his concentration Francis dug his feet into the ground and came to an abrupt stop.

A more experienced rider would have no trouble holding his seat. Sturlin reached out to grab with his hands, but then he remembered he was supposed to grab with his legs. By the time the signal from his mind reached his thighs, they were grabbing at the air beside the horse. The big, burly, scarred hunter slipped off his horse and face down into the dirt. Francis reached down to pluck the head from a flower and munch it nonchalantly.

"Doing well indeed." he puffed, sending a cloud of dust up around his mouth.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sam's hands reached out ineffectually into the air as soon as he realized what was happening, then dropped to his side as he chuckled ruefully. While a stop like that should have just thrown Sturlin's weight forward, somehow he and Francis managed to pull off a complete throw. He went over to squat by Sturlin to help, though once he was down in his corbie crouch, he realized that he wasn't sure if Sturlin was one of those types who didn't like being touched.

"Well, with more practice, you'll be able to anticipate when he's going to stop and either compensate for it, or keep him moving. He has to get used to a rider, as well. Is that enough for today or are you going to climb back on?"

He grinned. It was meant to be encouraging, but some people might find it infuriating. Not everyone was as fond of horses as he was.

[Sturlin]

Sturlin grunted to himself, well aware of the fact that he should not have made contact with the ground. Rolling onto his back he propped himself up on his elbows and looked to Sam for a moment. After several seconds had passed he responded to the grin with a half-hearted smile. "Practice. Yes. Probably enough for today, unless we get the saddle. I'm not suited for bareback riding, I think."

Accepting the help which Sam offered, however reluctantly, Sturlin got back to his feet and put his hands on his hips to look at Francis. It was not his most impressive moment. Tossed by a horse during a lazy stroll through camp. As he looked back to Sam and pats the slimmer man on the back. "In case I forgot to say, thanks for the lesson."