Hooves and bandages

[Stigandr]

Time stamp: 12th of Summer, 512 Stigandr was awake as dawn broke faintly through the trees and fog, the light illuminating the sleeping form of his wife and bondmate. She was curled up under his horse blanket, only her face visible with her hair scattered out wildly about her head. She was beauty in the purest form of nature to him. She was who she was, and he accepted all of it, glad to be a part of it and her. It was just four nights ago they were bonded and shared their bodies, ending the night as husband and wife, but it seemed as if it should be last night or years ago with how happy it made him feel. As she started to stir, his mind went to her life and what she did, as a healer and protector of friends. He wanted to help her with this former thing, to be able to be useful to her in a situation where it was merited. In silence he greeted her with a warm nuzzle to her neck, sitting closer to her. The others in the camp were stirring already as well, leaving her as the last one to wake up this day. After she had woken fully and eaten some food, Stigandr spoke his desires to her, with no build up or frills on the wording, "Sahashkalila, I want to learn healing. I want to help you in any way you want me to when you have to heal someone. Will you teach me?" He touched her hand as he said this, squeezing it gently. His next words came more slowly, knowing she did not always sit well with this topic, "And I wish you to learn to ride me as a horse. Should we ever need to flee or run, you need to be able to hold on and command me if needed. Will you let me teach you, and others as well?" He was more anxious of her reply to the second request than the first, knowing she would teach him, but might not be willing to learn horse-riding to the degree he wanted. Afterall, he was trained to be a war-horse and she needed to be able to control that aspect of him in an emergency. It would be the difference between life and death for one or both of them.

[Sahashkalila]

Kalila woke slowly that morning, stirring quietly underneath the thick blanket. She had had another night of dreamless rest, something that she had come to treasure since the night her and Stigandr bonded. She opened her eyes and squinted in the morning light, rolling over and looking up at Stigandr, smiling as he nuzzled her neck in greeting. It seemed like it had happened only the night before, their night of intimacy, when it was four nights ago. It did not matter to her though, she felt happier than she had in a long time and sat up, placing a gentle kiss on his lips in her own greeting. "Good morning love,"she said softly before looking around, pulling her pack towards her to pull out an apple and some dried meat for her morning meal.

After satisfying her own hunger, she grabbed another apple and placed it in her bondmate's hand, knowing he loved the treat. She listened to what he had to say though as she ate her own apple, thinking that he had a point about her teaching him. She was the only one in the group that was skilled enough to take care of most injuries that may occur, and if something should happen to her....well they would need someone who had at least some sort of knowledge of the art. "I do not sssee the harm in learning, sshould ssomething happen to me,"she said thoughtfully, munching on her apple as she thought it over. "There iss no one elsse here that really knowss the craft ssso it iss good that you wissh to know. I can teach you when we ssstop for lunchess and at night."

His next request caused her to look sharply at him, pausing in her bite into the apple. "You wissh for me too....learn to ride?"she asked, not returning the squeeze that his hand gave hers. She did not like that idea at all. She already hated riding when they traveled to The Spires, and well....the truth was riding made her nervous. Horses were just so much bigger than her and...well animals didn't like her much. He made a valid point to her...she just wasn't crazy about the idea, even though she knew it was him. "Animalsss do not like me and...well horssess are much bigger than me. I might not be able to control it and...." She trailed off and bit into the apple, trying to hide her nerves while she ate.

[Stigandr]

Stigandr's eyes lit up at the apple, such a simple thing but something that he loved so much. Taking the treat in his hand, he tore off the stem and bit into it, feeling the skin snap and break, the sweet juice and flesh inside filling is mouth with one of life's most delicious flavors that could be enjoyed. He ate in silence as she pondered his words about him learning to bandage, should something happen to anyone but specifically her. He was pleased she was willing to teach him, to let him learn her trade and serve her. It was going well until he had broached the topic of her learning to ride a horse and even control one in the event of an emergency. He finished his apple, the wonderful treat never have stood a chance of lasting more than a couple of minutes, then moved closer to his bondmate. "You will do fine, Sahashkalila. And I do not want you riding other horses right now. I want you to learn with me, so that we can work together and I will never be from your side." He reached out, in a hesitant and awkward fashion, to rub her back gently. "I wont step on you either. I will help you learn to control me as best as I can, and maybe Xalet or someone else can help you learn." Stigandr looked around, seeing the group was getting ready to head out in half a bell. Standing to his feet smoothly, he helped Sahashkalila up. "We should get ready to leave. Are you okay to try riding now?" If she was okay with it, he would shift into his natural horse-form, waiting for her to climb up on him without a saddle, as there was not was one present in the group. She could use his mane to hold onto as he walked along. Should she not be okay with it, he would stay in his human-form and walk with her.

[Sahashkalila]

Kalila thought about it nervously as he rubbed her back, the gesture meant to be soothing even though her nerves were on edge. It would be a good idea right? To learn how to ride? She couldn't deny that she had always wanted to learn, but that was for pleasure, not maneuvering in battle. She wasn't a fighter, not matter how hard she tried, and when she did fight she was more than capable of holding her own......but she would do it. Just for him though, not because she wanted to learn.

"I ssupposse it would be good to know,"she said hesitantly, tossing aside her finished apple, not exactly pleased but she tried to cover her nerves. Xalet would probably help her if she asked him to help teach her, in fact he would probably be an excellent teacher since she wouldn't be able to communicate to her bondmate while he was in his horse form. That was what made her the most nervous, not being able to ask him what she should do when riding him, because she didn't have any idea how to control him. But she supposed they would cross that bridge when then got to it. "Alright....I will do it, becausse you want me to. Becausse honesstly....I'm pretty nervousss,"she said with a slight blush, looking around as everyone began to wake up and pack up their things.

She let him pull her to her geeky and she began to gather her things, stowing them away in her pack as the group got ready to head out. She ran her fingers through her hair to get rid of some of the tangles and looked at him slightly startled as he asked if she wanted to ride now. Well....no, she didn't really want to. But it wasn't as if it was any different when she rode in the saddlebags to The Spires or the very few times she rode him in her human form....right? "I...I think I could ride for a few bells,"she said, putting her pack on her shoulders and listening as he explained how to mount and dismount, growing increasingly nervous at the prospect. There was no going back though when he shifted, and he nuzzled her gently before kneeling, and she came forward and grasped his mane, swinging her leg over his back as she pulled herself up. She felt awkward and uncomfortable, grasping hold of his neck as he stood up quickly and she squeaked, feeling unstable. This was not going to be enjoyable at all.

The group traveled for several hours, and Kalila tried to relax during the ride, but couldn't seem to do so while they traveled. The motion of her bouncing on his back made her feel unstable and her hands remain firmly entangled into his mane, it was a wonder that she didn't pull out any of the hair. After the first few hours though her legs and back grew cramped from the position. She couldn't have been more grateful when they halted for lunch and he finally stopped to let her down, where she promptly fell on her butt as soon as she slid off. Her legs felt like jello and she took off her pack, groaning as she sprawled out on the ground. "Remind me why I am doing thiss again,"she asked him as she laid there when he shifted back.

[Stigandr]

Stigandr was pleased that she would try. He knelt for her to climb on, feeling her hand in his mane and the tug of her climbing up. It did not hurt, it was just an awareness at the edge of his mind. She was small and light, proving an easy carry on his bare back. That only helped to ease some discomfort though as she bounced along, not used to riding, especially in her current form, her body not flowing with his movements as an experienced ride would, every step jolting her slightly. The Kelvic did his best to ride slow and steady for her, but it was difficult. He knew she could learn on her own, but it would be faster to ask for help of someone else who could talk to her when he could not. Eventually the mid-day halt came and Stigandr stopped, letting his bondmate dismount before he shifted. She was in obvious discomfort, and part of Stigandr felt bad, but the animal part of him knew she must learn to ride just as foal must learn to walk. His back hurt mildly from the ride but he ignored it, following Sahashkalila to their seat on the ground, her body seeming to melt onto the ground in exhaustion, inquiring as to why he wanted her to do this. "Because should you ever need to ride me or another horse, you need to know how to ride so you do not fall off. And now," he said reaching into their pack and pulled out another apple, tossing one to her and some bread, "We eat and you show me how to do what you do." There was an unmistakeable eagerness in his voice as he spoke, his eyes lighting up in a way they had not done often, his rectangular pupils looking between her and the pack eagerly, as if she had some treat for him besides the apple he now held.

[Sahashkalila]

Kalila huffed and sat up as he gave her some lunch, eating as much as she could and tossing the apple core away. She still didn't see any reason she really needed to learn how to direct a horse, especially in battle when she could take care of herself, but she was doing this to keep him happy and that was something that she valued more than anything else. She was sure she was going to be cursing him later though when they stopped for the night if the trembling in her legs was any indication of how much discomfort she was in for. "If you insssissst,"she grumbled, but she could not hide her smile at his eagerness to learn her craft.

Scooting closer to him, she placed a kiss on his forehead before pulling her pack closer and taking out her notebook and her healing kit, debating on what she should show him first. She didn't have enough time to teach him the more complicated aspects of her craft, and so she settled for showing him how to bandage a simple wound, deciding to show him more when they stopped for the night. "Ssince we are sshort on time, I'm jusst going to sshow you how to bandage a ssimple wound, ssomething that sshould be usseful sshould you ever need it,"she began, opening the kit and pulling out a few materials. She picked up a small jar and shook the contents, breaking up the white granules inside and then opening the jar. "Thisss iss ssugar, a ssimple ssweet to mosst people, but actually hass many healing propertiess that mosst do not know about. Ssugar helpss sslow blood flow and ssoakss up any extra fluid that a wound may exude, it alsso helpss easse the pain the patient may be in. Sso once you clean the area, you ssprinkle the wound with a bit of ssugar, which will dissolve on itss own." She then closed the jar and set it on the ground in front of them, feeling slightly odd trying to teach him about medicine. She had never taught anyone before, and hoped that she was explaining things properly.

Clearing her throat and picking up another jar, she opened that one as well and showed him the sticky golden contents, the sweet scent readily telling both of them what it is. "Another treat that hass ssome fairly usseful propertiess. Honey."she said, closing the jar so none would spill out. "Honey helps seal the wound and keepss anything from infecting it. It alsso dissinfectss asss well, sso you would sspread a little of it on the wound after ssome ssugar has been ssprinkled asss well." She then placed that jar in front of them as well and turned to pick up a roll of bandages that were made from a soft cloth, placing the rolled cloth in his hand. "Ssimple bandagess, which can be made from any cloth. You only usse asss much asss you need in the field, ssince bandagess are preciouss. Sso you would wrap the wound at leasst twice before tying it up. Now,"she said, turning away from him and picking up a small scalpel, and turning back to face him. "Let's see if you remember what to do."

She then held out her hand with her palm facing upwards, taking the scalpel and quickly cutting it across her palm. She inhaled sharply before setting the scalpel aside and looking at him expectantly, hoping that he remembered everything that she had told him, blood welling in the palm of her hand. "What iss the firsst thing you do?" She waited expectantly, pulling out an old rag and placing it on the ground as well so he could wipe the blood away.

[Xalet]

OOCLate entrance ok'd by Cinna Xalet found himself to be an oddity given the company he had within the Spires. Though he dared not take his horse with him into the Fog, it had always been there, just in case. A member of the Order without a horse was unheard of. In fact, if a young Squire wanted any hope at all at being chosen to follow the path of Knighthood and be selected by the Windoak to gain their Knightly quest, a competent knowledge of horse riding was necessary. It was a knowledge Sahashkalila...didn't seem to have. The large armored man watched quietly in the distance. A person with a horse Kelvic at their service. It wasn't just familiar, it was the exact same circumstance Xalet had found himself in. Squire Septimus was indeed a horse Kelvic, though her superiors felt her lacking enough experience to go on a task as dangerous as what was occurring in the Spires. Teaching a rider and horse Kelvic to work together was one thing...but the horse Kelvic trying to teach it's rider? It brought a slight smirk to Xalet's face. The Dhani would need to learn the basics of horsemanship if she hoped to gain anything from casual riding. Waiting until after the two bondmates had their discussion of healing poultices, Xalet walked up to engage them in short conversation. "You wish to learn horse riding? This is admirable. A person on horse is said to be worth ten men on the battlefield. Also, this knowledge is valuable for travel and maneuverability. If you wish to learn a few positions and maneuvers to aid in your training, I will show you. I have been under the tutelage of Syliras for many years." and Syliras took their riding lessons extremely seriously. When the very creatures that 'appeared' from nowhere at the call of the Windoak were in fact horses, it meant the creatures themselves had a certain holiness to them. "I would start with the proper seated position, as well as understanding how to loosen the hips and roll them during a canter. If you have the time and interest, do you wish to know of these things?"

[Stigandr]

Stigandr felt the excitement within him as she agreed to start teaching him her trade and art, of how to save people and heal them. He was overflowing with anticipation to learn. As she retrieved her items and starting pulling things out, his eyes scanned over them, an overwhelming feeling covering him. Could he do this? Would he fail? What if he was unable to learn? What if she died when he had to tend to her? NO! He shook his head and tried to fight the thoughts away, forcing himself back to the present. He could not let her down. She was his bondmate and wife and he would not see her dead and he would not let her see him fail. Still... That quiet voice in the back of his head nagged at him... What if... Stigandr watched as she brought the first ingredient up. Sugar. A sweet delicacy he had only taste a few times when it was given to him sprinkled on fruit as a special treat. He longed for a taste, to lean forward and let his tongue. He refrained though as her voice called back to him, "...once you clean the area, you sprinkle the wound with a bit of sugar..." He could remember that. Next she pulled out a jar of beautiful golden liquid and he knew what it was, another sweet treat produced by bees, and a rare food to eat. It was even better than sugar, but he knew he could have none. Not now anyway. His mind was amazed by how many sweet things were already in use for healing. It was astounding and mind-boggling to him how food could do so many things including...dis...disinfet. Disinfect! That was it! That was a new word...what did it mean? He saved his question though as she kept talking, her next command to spread honey over the cleaned and sugared wound to help seal it. It seemed simple enough... The last thing she pulled out was the bandages, expressing strongly the absolute need to conserve these as much as possible. Wrap it twice, tie it off. But how did he tie a knot? He had never had a need to tie a knot. The voice came roaring back to life at this thought, challenging his resolve. Before he could push it away, she took the scalpel in her hand and drew it over the palm, the flesh splitting open and her blood flowing up into her palm. He did not hear her words, but he knew it was a test, but the shock had him sitting there a moment as the voice tore him down. It was a calm voice, but vicious in it's berating. Telling him how he could not succeed, how he would never please her, please anyone. He could not live on his own, he could not fight, he could not be better. It was the voice of his master from years ago, ripping him apart mentally and emotionally. The man had destroyed his flesh and life, ruined his younger years and told him he would never amount to anything. But here the Kelvic was, with a bondmate and learning a new trade. His mind shut the voice out and channeled the anger into an outlet of physical motion, his hands going to the old rag she had placed down. His eyes came back into focus with a new determination in them. The blood was pooled in her hand and starting to drip off the side when he finally reached up wipe clean, the metallic scent of her blood assaulting his nostrils as it soaked into the rag and fell to the ground. He fought the animal urge to lick the wound and nurse it how he knew. This was her trade and he needed to listen to her, and as such he reached for the sugar and grabbed a pinch, rubbing his fingers together in an nonrhythmic fashion, watching it falling unevenly over the wound and dissolve into the new blood. It was fascinating to him, how the sugar soaked the color of the blood up then melted away. He could not watch long though. Grabbing the honey, he opened the jar, looking for something to spread it over the wound with, but she had not mentioned anything to use. Using what he had best, he dipped a finger into it and pulled out what would be too much for the simple wound and dripped it onto the wound and spread it in a wide area around it, not sure how much he had to cover it. His hand was shaking by now with nervousness if he was doing this right or using too much. He kept going though, knowing his mistakes would be made known after it was all done. Grabbing the bandage, he pulled some out and felt his finger sticking to it, pulling the bandage with his finger. Pulling it free with his other hand, he placed his finger in his mouth and sucked the honey off, enjoying it for a moment before he grabbed the bandage and placed it on the wound, seeing it stick to the honey. Pulling it down, he passed it around her hand twice before he stopped and grabbed the scalpel to make a very poor, jagged cut in the cloth as he tried to hold it up to cut and hold it on her hand at the same time in one hand. Satisfied with what he had left over, he realized he had not left any extra on the other end of the bandage to tie a knot with. A moment of panic rose up before he moved to tuck the end of the bandage on the wrappings, hoping it would stay. Looking at her, hoping he had done well, he asked, "Sahashkalila...what is...dis-inf-ect?" He struggled to say the word, the unfamiliar sound tumbling off his tongue. After she had gone over his errors with him, another member of the party walked over to them. It was the over-sized man named Xalet. Stigandr was not sure how he felt about him still, but he had done nothing to cause the Kelvic to distrust him...or for him to trust him for that matter. The man spoke to them, or rather her mostly, offering to help her learn how to ride. Something bristled inside Stig at this, though he could not place it to anything specific. Something just set him off, some animal feeling that caused Stigandr to sit slowly, as non-threatening as possible. He waited for his bondmate's words on this, trusting her to lead them right with his man. [OOC=OOC]Xalet, Stig does not have any riding gear and I assume you just are not carrying around anything either lol. If you wanted to try a makeshift rein, you could, but it would be a fight with Stig to use it. And welcome to the thread!

[Sahashkalila]

Kalila watched silently as he worked, letting him go step by step before saying anything. This was not something she was going to guide him in, knowing that if something serious happened to her then she would not be able to guide him anyway. He would have to rely on his own knowledge to get him through it, so she hoped he paid attention to everything she taught him. His motions seemed hesitant and shaky, but he was able to follow through with her instructions, her lips quirking upward slightly at the excessive use of the honey. She let him continue though, frowning slightly as he tucked in the bandage piece. He didn't know how to tie a knot she realized with a widening of her eyes, and so she put her hand in her lap once he finished, a gentle smile on her face.

"Disinfect means that it gets rid of all of the dangerous germs that could cause the patient harm. There are things that you cannot see that makes a person sick, and so it is important to disinfect the wound to stop that from happening," she explained patiently, picking up the bandage roll and cutting a proper length with practiced ease. "You have done well, but let me point out some things that you can improve on. You used a little to much honey, you only need enough to cover the area with a light film,"she said, running her finger along the cut and feeling the bandage become slightly sticky. "And I will show you how to tie a knot." She then took the bandage she had cut off and wrapped it around her palm, turning her hand over and looping the bandage once and then twice before pulling it securely. "You see how it is secure now? You can not pull it too tight, otherwise that will cut off bloodflow, just enough to make sure it does not come off. But you will know with practice." She then smiled at him and reached over to squeeze his hand before she heard another familiar voice behind her.

Turning slightly she realized it was Xalet, and to her embarrassment she blushed as she realized that he may have seen her riding attempts....but was also surprised by his offer to help her. She could feel Stigandr stiffen beside her and she squeezed his hand again in reassurance, letting him know it was okay. "I suppose you saw my clumsy attempts then,"she said with a small grin, knowing how awful it probably looked to him. "I would be grateful for the help if my bondmate is willing. I don't know what I am doing and he cannot teach me in his horse form....I am grateful for the offer."

oocI realized I didn't do her lisp in any of this after I finished typing all of this on my phone....so just pretend it's there lol

[Xalet]

"The bond between a horse and riding is the most important thing when riding. Tack was created to alleviate the lack of trust, and allow more control to the rider." Xalet began. Lila and Stigandr were in a superior position to learn the art of horseback riding, due to the bond they shared on a personal level. "But, if a horse and rider trusts one another, tack becomes a crutch. Regardless if you sit upon a saddle or not, there are theories and techniques in riding that remain the same. The difference becomes the cues for maintaining or changing a horses movement. It would behoove you to learn them, even if your plan is to always ride with only one another." After a slightly awkward pause, Xalet briefly commented, "That was humor." This was Xalet alright, still socially juvenile when attempting to understand the basics of Human communication, even though he was dealing with two individuals whom weren't even Human. "In the Knighthood, we learn that the reins are used for movement control, stopping and turning. The stirrups are used to keep the body stable, and to be enabled to focus more on battle. Even in Knighthood however, a Knight must learn to utilize a horse without tack, should an ambush during the night when the horse is left without it occur, as well as if combat should cause damage to the equipment and force a piece of it to fail. Teaching this next portion to a horse Kelvic will be a curious thing, since I'm going to make references to a horse's feelings, without ever having consulted an actual horse." Xalet attempted to describe the very tenements which were taught to him during his long period of Squirehood. As an Akalak whom grew up with an unnatural fear of horses, it took Xalet almost a decade to learn to work as a unit with one. That was to say, he had plenty of practice learning what not to do. "Without tack, you will have to communicate with your horse through your touch, the position you seat your body, and your voice. It is important not to rely completely on giving verbal orders, although you are in the unique position to do so. Feeling each other's body movements is faster, and will allow you to save your words for other purposes. If you are prepared, then take a seat upon your partner. This is our first time formally meeting as well." said Xalet, head turning toward Stig. Unsure of exactly how a horse Kelvic greeted another, Xalet utilized his learned Human tradition and simply extended a large hand for a shake, "I am Xalet, subordinate to Sergeant Irine Braklin of the Syliran Knights." Once the two of them were ready to move on, the large purple skinned Syliran moved the lesson further, "The most basic body cue a rider can give to a horse is the nature of their seated position. When your weight is centered or back, and you utilize the largest portion of your backside, it is relaxing to the horse and infers for them to move slowly, or slow down. When you raise your hip bones and place your weight forward, it encourages the horse to move forward more quickly. Without tack, it will be your responsibility to learn to balance your body, Lila. To start simply, let us begin with a start, a stop, and a turn at the pace of a walk. This will teach you how to keep your body weight centered when the motion below your hips changes. Utilize a handful of mane to keep steady. It is important to remember, if you begin to lose your balance, do not clench your legs, as I will explain this is a cue for the horse to move forward faster and with more force. When you wish to turn, remember that a horse's instinct is to move away from pressure. To turn left, you will lean and put pressure with your right leg into the side. To turn right, it is the opposite. Let us give this a try now, so that you both can learn to sense each others touch, and also so that you learn to keep balanced a top a horse."