Closed Falling for Water [Kane]

[Eilea]

12th Spring 513 It was a beautiful morning, and a day off of work. Everyone was in a frantic, excited about Thunder Bay being free of ice. So many excited faces smiled at her as Eilea made her way to the stables to get Wine, carrying a saddlebag over her shoulder filled with anything she deemed she may need. It was time to go for a ride, an all day adventure. She led her horse into the field outside and let her run free for a while. She made sure to watch her horse when she ran back to grab the saddle. One of the Dek helpers offered to help, but she kindly declined and waved a thank you to him. Once the windrunner had gotten her fill of freedom, she returned to Eilea and brushed her head against the girl’s chest. “Yes girl, everything is alive! Isn’t this amazing?!” Excitedly, Wine pushed against the Vantha, then turned. She jumped around a bit, whinnying as she did. The warm spring breeze felt wonderful against Eilea’s skin. The girl spun around on her toes, letting her body adjust to the temperature outside the city. She wore a lightweight dress she had recently bought, that flowed in the breeze. Since her gnosis mark of Morwen kept her blood warmer than the normal human, she felt more comfortable wearing less clothing, and would suffer from the heat once the temperature rose. Though she was unaccustomed to warmer weather, she loved watching seasons change. It made her feel a part of something. Smiling to herself, taking in all of the feelings of life that surrounded her, she then whistled to the mare. Wine circled her once and then moved closer, ready for the girl to ride. Eilea picked the saddle up and placed it on the horse’s back, tightened it, and then stretched, before climbing onto the horses back. “Come on, girl, let’s ride!” She said and took the reins in her hands. She rode Wine down the smaller of the slopes downhill to get to the bottom. Her goal was to get to the Katshika Falls, as this was an all day journey afterall, for she didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks for her, or for her Windrunner. This was a day for enjoyment, so there was no reason to rush. This was the first time traveling on the Sanikas Road since first arriving in Wind Reach the season earlier. Of course when she arrived it was winter, so everything looked so different. Wine was incredibly delighted to be out on the road again and that made Eilea happy as well. The day was going to be wonderful. They traveled down the road, until they found a good lookout to the falls. Wine veered off into a rocky, yet grassy area and began to eat at the grass. Deciding this would be a good place to rest, the Vantha girl side off her side, patted her shoulder and then moved to the edge. She sat soundly in the grass, letting the breeze blow her hair about. “Gosh, Wine. This is amazing.” She said and laid back into the grass, resting her head against one of the larger rocks. “I’m so happy we moved here.” She smiled widely and listened to the water splashing into the river. “It’s so much better than I imagined.” Eilea closed her eyes and became to drift off into her dreams. Wine continued eating at the grass and whipping her tail around as she did. It was such a beautiful day. Nothing could change that, not even if some known or unknown person and horse came into the picture. And even if there was a change, it could only be for the better.

Edit: Forgot to add the saddlebag, and she wouldn't have left without it. Wanted to keep consistent.

[Kane]

12th Spring 513 The first thing Kane noted upon greeting the outdoors that morning was that the faint chill from the last breaths of Winter had left the air. Finally he would be able to explore the town without his huge coat weighing him down. This had really been the only thing stopping him from reigning his full terror on the citizens of Wind Reach. The cold had always been Kane’s greatest enemy. Back in Syliras, the winters weren’t so bad and the temperatures rarely dipped below freezing. He only had to hole himself up in the house for about a week every winter season to escape from the icy claws of, well, ice. This had always been displeasing to his family, especially his father. But then again, many things he did displeased his father. Kane grumbled to himself. “Not thinking about this right now.” He shook his head to free it from any negative thoughts. Taking a moment to examine the streets, he was pleased to see that any ice that had been on the ground the day before had finally melted. Especially that one patch he kept slipping on every morning. Sometimes I wonder if I should just resign myself to a life of bad luck. Or maybe find a way to pass it to others as a form of combat. I would be the best fighter. Everyone would fear me. Fear me and my bad luck. They’d tell stories of my horrible greatness. My great horribleness. Great horrible fearsomeness... What was I doing? Kane paused a moment to think. Oh yes, I remember now. Inhaling the slightly warm air, he turned and began to trudge his way down the road toward the stables. Normally, anywhere his horse could be found would be the last place he wanted to be, but Ansel had mastered the art of guilt and he had really left the horse in the stables for far too long, having been unwilling to go for a ride because of the cold. Stupid horse and his stupid adorable sad face. Kane was slightly peeved at the fact that his horse could manipulate him like a master puppeteer. He would probably be more upset, if the horse had not somehow managed to grow on him. It didn’t take long for Kane to reach the stables, mostly because he had previously taken the time to look over a map of the city. His knowledge of the layout may not be perfect, but he would be able to recall most of the streets and their locations from memory. He eyed the doors to the stables as he quietly slid up to them. Reaching out, he grasped the handle and, with a deep breath, pulled it open. A spray of hay met his face. Forget what I said about adorable. This horse is evil. Kane glared daggers at Ansel while the horse let out a laugh filled whinny in response before poking the side of his human’s head with his snout. Kane snorts. “Well, I was going to take you out for a ride. But now I’m not so sure.” Ansel grunted noisily and stomped his hooves. “Oh no, you brought this on yourself. No outside for you.” The horse began to fuss while bumping Kane’s shoulder repeatedly with the side of his head. With a roll of his eyes, Kane relented. “Fine. I’ll take you out.” He went to gather a saddle while grumbling to himself. “I better not have any hay in my hair.” Ansel danced about happily in his stable. Turning, Kane began working on positioning the saddle correctly. I’m lucky he wants to go out so badly, otherwise he’d have pulled something by now. With some work, Ansel was ready for riding. “There.” His task complete, he reached out and grabbed the reins. “C’mon horse. Let’s go.” After leading his horse outside, Kane shifted to climb his way onto it’s back. “Alright, let’s go explore.” Ansel was eager to move, so it took little coaxing to start him off in a random direction. Trotting cheerfully, the horse wandered the roads freely with little direction from his rider. Kane relaxed and watched the scenery and people as they passed by. Mostly the people. They were always so interesting to watch as they went about their days. It wasn’t long before Ansel led them out onto more deserted roads, forcing Kane to shift the object of his interest from people to his surroundings. Mostly the huge waterfalls that loomed above him. Wow. That’s tall. He was slightly in awe. Staring up at the falls, he completely missed any other people that may be in the area. His horse, however didn’t. Ansel had spotted another horse standing closer to the water. He tutted happily and hurried over. The sudden movement of his horse caused Kane to snap out of his thoughts. Blinking quickly, he focused his attention on the newcomer. It was a grey mare with a white mane. Nothing special. He thought to himself. Ansel, however, seemed to think differently, and moved as close as he could to the new horse before trying to nip the others mane. Kane stared in bewilderment at his horse’s behavior. Ansel picking on some random mare probably wouldn’t end well for him. He attempted to pull on the reins to stop him. “Hey, what are you doing?”

[Eilea]

Eilea drifted off into a nice little daydream. There was this handsome young fellow who she had met once before. She smiled to herself as she thought of his eyes, though beautiful blue-gray eyes that gave the illusion of violet. She dreamt of his strong arms that had caught her that one fateful day. In this daydream, he was a leader, he was dressed in armor, and he was a very important person. Though the daydream became more of a real dream as she actually fell asleep, leaving all regard to the world around her. After several minutes of relaxing munching on the grass, Wine’s ears pricked up at the sound of another horse approaching. She lifted her head and turned, watching as another horse and rider approached. Wine back stepped, to stay close to her resting rider. The Windrunner nuzzled at Eilea’s face, in hopes to wake her. But then the new horse got a little too close… Eilea woke to a loud squeal. Panic! There was a thud, the sound of thunder and a near scream from an animal. With charcoal grey eyes, she turned over on her side, and out of reflex began searching around with her hands to find the saddlebags. That’s when she remembered she never removed them from the horse’s back. Her heart began to race, and she looked up, to see Wine rearing towards another horse on her hind legs. “Shyte!” She swore and rolled over again, this time onto her knees. She then stood on her feet, her eyes fixed on the mare. “Wine! Shhh…” She tried to coax the animal down, but knew there was no use. If she got any closer, the animal could turn on her. Deciding that distance would be the best option, the girl moved back, keeping enough space between herself and Wine, then directed her eyes at the other horse. It’s coloring was a beautiful Sandy tan coat with dark, ebony mane and tail. Eilea watched as Wine moved back, away from the horse, before snorting several times and then trotting over to where Eilea stood. The girl watched her Windrunner’s actions carefully, then held her hand out. Wine approached and rubbed her head against Eilea’s chest. “It’s alright girl, I don’t think he meant any harm. What’s gotten into you? You’re usually so calm…” She said softly in Vani, trying to calm the horse down. “You’re okay. Maybe we should go…” She looked back at the other horse and let out a soft gasp. The rider was none other than… “Kane?” Eilea whispered to herself, but of course Wine heard. The horse moved its head to the side, curiously, looking at the gilding and the rider. For the last several days all Eilea could talk about when around the Windrunner was this young man she had met earlier. The Vantha had told her horse multiple times about the man that saved her from falling to her death. Wine had heard everything about it. The Vantha’s eyes changed to a bright glowing yellow. She began stepping away from her horse. “Kane, is that really you?” She narrowed her eyes, made sure it wasn’t an illusion or another dream, and then began running towards him, forgetting everything that her mother had taught her about never running towards an animal you didn’t know. Though, before Eilea could get close, Wine intercepted her path by moving in front of her. “Hey!” She cried, and tried to move around the horse.

[Kane]

Of course Ansel bothering the other horse wouldn’t end well for him. The mare almost seemed to screech when Ansel pulled her hair. Kane yanked back on the reins of his horse to pull him away from the other as it reared up at them. He vaguely noticed someone trying to calm the animal, presumably it’s rider. Finally, the horse seemed to calm down and headed back towards the girl, who began to speak softly to it in some other language, from what he could hear. Kane sighed in relief before studying the girl. Oh Eyris, why this? He had finally almost forgotten about the strange girl he had met a while back. I should have just let her fall on her butt. A gasp left her lips as she looked up at him. Oh great, she remembers me. Man, what was her name again? Wasn’t it like Allie or something? If I get it wrong she won’t go psycho again, will she? Ari... Eri... Ell, whatever her name was, began to run towards him. Kane pulled on Ansel’s reins in an attempt to make him turn so they could make their escape. His horse was having none of that. “H-hey!” The possibility of escape was dwindling the longer he struggled to bring his moody horse under control. Suddenly, a new savior stepped in. What’s-her-face’s horse blocked her from approaching any further, causing her much frustration. I love that animal. I am eternally grateful to that horse... You know, for now. Kane chose to take advantage of the new time afforded to him by the mare. After a few more tugs on Ansel’s reins, he gave up and hopped off his horse. He turned towards him and grabbed the sides of the his face to address him. “Hey, what’s up with you?” The hearts in Ansel’s eyes were practically visible. “Oh Eyris no. Nononono. Don’t you dare!” Patting the sides of his horse’s face to try to snap him out of his trance, Kane demanded loudly, “You do not have a crush on that horse!” A lovestruck sigh left Ansel’s nostrils. Kane held his head in his hands. Why me? Desperately, he began to push on the horse’s chest in an attempt to make him move. Ansel refused to budge. Okay, don’t panic. Whatever you do, don’t panic. Stiffly, he turned back to watch the girl. I just need to find a way to deal with this...

[Eilea]

OOCI love Ansel. Oh my god. “Oh come on Wine!” Eilea pouted and playfully frowned at the Windrunner. “It’s Kane, see! And look, he has a boy horse!” She patted her horse’s back, and peered around her horse, at Kane’s horse. She couldn't contain her happiness when she heard what Kane was saying to his horse. With a squeel and a wide, happy smile, “Oh look, look, look!!! I think he likes you!” She exclaimed, speaking a mixture of both Vani and Common. "You would be so cute together!" Wine made a disgruntled noise and stepped out of Eilea’s way. She began chewing on some of the grass, her behind turned towards Kane and his Gildling. “Huh.” The Vantha raised her eyebrows, then looked over at Kane. She bit her lip and began to skip towards him. A couple feet away, she stopped and shifted her weight back and forth between her legs. “It’s nice to see you! I was wondering what you’ve been doing.” She smiled at him, then put her hands on her waist. “How have you been?” Tilting her head to the side, Eilea noticed something sticking out of his face. She frowned, then took a step forward. “Do you have…” She giggled, “Hay in your hair?” The Vantha’s eyes changed again, lightening to a pale blue. Her smile turned to a smirk. Standing on her tiptoes, Eilea reached towards him to pull the hay from his brown locks, while she said, "Would you like to go on a ride together? It would give our companions a chance to know each other."

[Kane]

Kane heard footsteps behind him. Well here we go. Sighing, he turned to address the girl. She began to speak, but he was so lost in his thoughts that this did not register. Okay, so how am I gonna get out of this? Think Kane, think. Why is she so animated when she speaks? Who even does that? It’s like she’s a some kind of small nut eating creature that jabbers all the time. Wait, what was I thinking? Oh yeah, plan. I need one. Eilea took a step forwards, effectively snapping Kane out of his thoughts. “Do you have hay in your hair?” He stood silently for a bit before beginning to grind out angry insults against his horse. “Why that little- Oh I’m gonna- Frickin- Fffffreak- I’m so mad at you!!” He turned to better express his anger towards his horse, only to find Ansel trying to sidle up to the side of the girl’s mare. What am I even going to do with him? Kane grumbled. The hay was plucked out of his hair, causing him to jump slightly. Spinning back, he was startled at how close the girl had gotten during his lapse in attention. “Err... Thanks?” Crazy girl. He was sure to add an insult in his head. Kane perked up at the idea of going riding with her. This is my chance to escape! Yes! I’ll go riding with her, and then when she isn’t paying attention, I’ll slip away and hopefully never see her again!! Okay, this is a plan. I can do this. Kane’s plan of action for escape, go! Coming back to reality, he realized the girl was staring at him. Kane stared back. Oh right. I still have to answer her. “Uh, sure. I guess. That sounds like an idea. I’ll just go get my horse.” He turns and hurried over to where Ansel was making the other horse uncomfortable. “Leave her alone will you!” He yanked on the reins. “She doesn’t even like you.” Ansel blinked dumbly at him. With a sigh, Kane climbed onto the gildling’s back. “I give up on you.” He made himself comfortable on Ansel’s back while waiting for the girl to get ready.

[Eilea]

Eilea was ecstatic when he agreed to go riding with her. She could barely contain herself! A first date! Spontaneous and romantic all in one shot! She skipped over to Wine. “Oh guess what?!” She exclaimed, loud enough for Kane and his horse to hear. “I asked him out! He said yes!!” She jumped up and down twice, completely ignoring the fact that her horse was in the process of trying to bite the other horse. Actually, Wine was basically trying to attack Ansel, without letting Eilea know. She had growled at him, snorted, tried to kick him. Yet the horse did not seem to take any of the warnings as actual warnings to stay away. The Vantha girl walked to the side of her windrunner, and checked to make sure the saddle and the saddlebags were secure enough. “Alright sweetie, let’s go for a ride. These two boys are being sweet enough, aren’t they?” She flashed Kane a wide smile and then climbed onto her horse’s back. Wine let out a loud snort, but followed Eilea’s directions with the reins. She led the unhappy horse over to the boys and tugged the reins back to speak with Kane before heading off. Wine stopped where she was, swished her tail and then began to eat some of the grass, ignoring any of the advances Kane’s horse would attempt. Eilea smiled at Kane widely. “Well, I must say, your horse is almost as handsome as you are, Kane! Are you ready? I’m so excit--.” She choked. There was movement. Eilea didn’t even have time to let out a yelp when Wine started running, obviously spooked about something. Eilea at least had the quick thinking to grab onto the hair on her neck, wrapping her fingers into the horse’s mane for added grip as the windrunner raced down the hill. “Wine!” What the hell!? Wine, stop!” She cried, and attempted to pull back on the mane as well as the reins, but it was no use. For whatever reason Wine continued moving forward, running at almost full speed.

[Kane]

Kane was impatiently waiting for the Vantha girl to be ready. I probably could have ran away at least five times by now. Why haven’t I run away yet? He glared at his horse. Oh yeah, the lovestruck fool. What am I going to do with this horse? He had better not fall in love with every pretty mare he sees-Wait, what did she just say?! His eyebrow twitched as he realized that the girl thought this counted as a date. He began to mutter to himself as he hunched forward. “Not a date. Not a date. Not a date. Not a date.” Ansel jerked his head, bringing his attention to the subtle attacks that were being inflicted on the horse. Kane snorted. “Well at least someone else knows how much of a dork you are.” His horse huffed, displeased with his rider. Kane smirked, before turning his focus to Eilea as she finally climbed onto her horse while shooting him a smile. As she led her horse closer she spoke to him. Just as he was about to interject with how his horse shouldn’t receive compliments, lest his head swell bigger than it already is, Ansel reached out and pulled on the other horse’s tail with his teeth. You little brat. That was all he had time to think before the mare took off running and Ansel took chase. Kane quickly grabbed onto the reins and attempted to slow his horse down. “Hey! If the girl runs away it’s cause she doesn’t like you!” Ansel ignored him and galloped faster, doing his best to catch up to the Windrunner. He was absolutely determined and almost nothing would stop him. Kane could vaguely hear the girl yelling at her horse up ahead, before he let out a yelp as he was almost knocked off his horse. I was really hoping I wouldn’t have to do this, but this situation is getting dangerous fast. Employing the only technique he knew of to stop his horse, he pulled on one rein, forcing Ansel to turn. Startled, the horse slid to a stop. Kane grinned in victory as the gildling panted from exertion. I’m probably lucky he was getting tired, or that wouldn’t have worked. This horse is way too stubborn for his, or my, good. With his part of the situation successfully neutralized, he turned to see how the Vantha was doing. While he may not have liked her much, and even thought she was a little crazy, Kane didn’t really want her hurt.

[Eilea]

The Windrunner finally slowed to a trot along the water’s edge, all while looking back at Kane’s horse. She snorted and then slowed to a simple walk, staring the other horse down in almost a challenge-stance. Once Eilea managed to catch her breath, she half collapsed on the horse, leaning her body against the windrunner. The girl patted the horse’s neck twice, before looking back towards Kane and his horse, who were a little ways away. “Wine, don’t ever do that again…” Eilea spoke in Vani, “You could have killed me. What if I fell? What if “lover-pony” over there ran over me?” She spoke harshly, yet it still sounded like a song, though, maybe a more “heavy-metal” like song. Either way, to anyone it would be obvious that the Vantha girl wasn’t very happy. Well, her eyes were a dark blue, almost black color. One could say she was passionately angry. Her eyes scanned the area. They had gone quite a ways in a short amount of time, but that’s what happens when one has a horse that can run as fast as the wind. Eilea, leaned back, and checked to make sure everything was still secure before taking the reins again. “Come on, be a good horse and let’s go back go them.” Wine snorted and stomped her feet, protesting. The Vantha girl let out a sigh and slid off the saddle. “You are NOT going to ruin my day.” She gripped the reins firmly, close to Wine’s head, and began to walk her horse towards Kane and his steed. “I don’t know what has gotten into her!” Eilea shouted to Kane. “She’s never like this. She’s usually very gentle.” Once she was closely, the horse pulled back on the reins stubbornly. Eilea looked back at her with confusion. “Damnit Wine, what is it?” She asked. The horse tugged hard against the reins, forcing the girl to let go. Wine turned around and began walking away, looking back often to make sure the other horse had no intention of following. IF he did, it was obvious she would take of running again. Eilea folded her arms across her chest, angry that her date with Kane had turned so dramatic, all because her horse was too stubborn or even shy to make friends with another horse. She looked back at Kane, apologetically. "I'm really sorry about this, boyfriend!"

[Kane]

Eilea seemed fine. Kane wasn’t sure if this was a blessing or a curse. She seemed very upset with her horse as she led it closer. Well, I would be too if it almost killed me. He glared at Ansel. Kind of like this one just tried to. Actually, considerin’ that, I’d better get off this flighty horse before he freaks again. Sighing, he climbed off his horse, happy to have his feet planted firmly on the ground. The girl began to explain how the mare’s behavior was so strange. “Yeah, well don’t worry. My brat of a horse probably caused all this.” Actually, Kane was rather sure of this fact, considering the tail tug he’d witnessed which was the catalyst to all this chaos. He just wasn’t going to admit it. Kane crossed his arms and began to rant. “He’s a giant freak of a horse. You shouldn’t trust him. He has caused me so many problems since I got him, you wouldn’t believe.” Ansel snorted in annoyance at his owner. These transgressions would not stand! “I should have named him Jerk instead of Ansel cause that’s all he is anywa-” Suddenly, his horse extended his head forward and then with a swipe to the side, knocked his rider into the river that they happened to be standing near. Kane sank down a bit, before bursting out of the crystal clear water sputtering. “You-You little freak!!” His indignant rage was heard all throughout the area. He glared at Ansel, who was stomping his feet and laughing out whinnies. “I hate that horse.” He muttered to himself before shivering and yelling, “This water is still cold you know!!” Climbing out of the river, Kane’s teeth chattered as he shook uncontrollably and he rubbed his arms in an attempt to keep warm. Ansel only seemed to laugh harder. Kane glared death at his horse. “I hate you so much.” With a huff and a shiver, he moaned, “I just want to go home now.”