Open Out for a ride

[Levhanti]

16th day, Spring 513

Levhanti slid the doors of the stable open. He took a moment to look up at the sky, watching the snow fall to the ground and breathing the fresh air. Working in the stables for hours on end definitely made one appreciate being outside. He kept still a moment longer before he turned behind him to lead his horse out into the snow. He took a moment to pat her nose before turning back to the stable.

"I'm going riding!"

He didn't wait for a response as he closed the stable door and swung up onto the back of his horse. He steadied himself and gently patted the mare's neck. "All right girl, Let's go."

Levhanti squeezed his legs together gently and the horse started walking forward. Levhanti let her walk around the hold as a warm-up before clucking her forward into a trot. Aside from guiding the horse away from the city and back towards the small copses of trees near Frostfawn Hold, Levhanti let the mare go wherever she pleased. Levhanti's attention was on how his mare was running. As they rode, she kept trying to pick up the speed, and Levhanti kept having to sit down into her back to slow her down. Finally Levhanti called her to a stop and swung down. The mare snorted at him and started pawing at the ground, causing Levhanti to frown.

"You know I am not letting you go running around yet. You just barely got over your hurt shoulder."

The mare tossed her head at him and Levhanti just sighed and started scratching her back. "Fine, maybe on the way back."

Levvhanti was so intent on his horse that he was completely unaware of what was going on around him.

[Juliane Snowsong]

Juliane had finished helping her father when she decided to wander off to who knows where. She had been lost in thought and lost in humming a tune as she ventured from her own Hold to a completely different one. Though she looked around and noticed that she did in fact switch holds, it didn't absorb into her brain at the moment.

She kept walking, throwing in random twirls and dance moves as she let a soft song slip from her lips. She smiled, gracefully spinning and then stopping to steady herself. She was never too fond of the snowy ground or the random patches of ice that appeared here and there. And as she ventured onward on her 'en route to nowhere' journey, she continued to let her mind travel here and there aimlessly.

After spinning a few more times and chuckling to herself as she almost slipped on the ice once more, she looked up and gasped. It almost sounded like a scared gasp, and the look on her face might seem like she was scared as well, but that wasn't the case. Up ahead she spotted a horse with its rider on its back. She smiled and walked towards the two, her pace increasing to almost a jog (which she knew would be dangerous due to ice and snow and the mix). She stopped, letting out a "Whoa! What a pretty horse!" She had come to a halt a few meters away, admiring the horse. "Does.. she or he mind being petted? Or is that too rude?" She looked up at the rider and blinked a few times; "You speak Vani, am I correct?" "Common?"

[Levhanti]

Levhanti jumped at the sound of another voice out in the woods with him. The mare danced back a few steps, surprised more by his movement then by the sound of the newcomer. Allie glanced over at the girl who entered the clearing, and then focused back on Levhanti, snorting at him again for scaring her.

"You scared me. I wasn't expecting pretty girls to sneak up on me way out here."

Levhanti flashed a smile at Juliane before turning back to his mare. He continued scratching her back, and Allie seemed content just standing there.

"She is a very pretty horse. And she probably wouldn't mind. You already called her pretty. There is no better way to get her to like you."

Levhanti led the horse a little closer to the girl, but still a few steps away

"You don't have to be scared, but don't move very fast. If you do, you might scare her. She may be pretty, but she is still a horse, and those kicks hurt believe me. If you reach out your hand to her, she will smell you, and if she wants you to, she will let you pet her."

Allie stood with her head down between the two Vantha, not sure whether she should be focusing on Levhanti or Juliane.

[Juliane Snowsong]

Juliane's eyes widened a bit when he jumped. She forgot that he didn't see her coming; she felt a bit bad for scaring him so. "Sorry," she told him, giving an apologetic smile. She quickly turned her attention to the horse, admiring her. She hadn't seen a horse up close in a long, long time, so seeing one now just made her smile brightly, her eyes turning their common color of vibrant purple.

After a few moments, hesitating for the slightest second, Juliane slowly reached her hand out to the horse, a bit nervous. She was more so nervous now that he had brought up the fact she might kick if she got scared enough. So Juliane bit the inside of her cheek. Her eyes began changing shades, the bright purple mixing with the bright blue as she waited for the horse. The last thing she wanted was to scare the innocent creature and seem like a threat.

[Spirit Frostfawn]

Spirit wandered outside, and glanced at the sky. Seeing that there was plenty of daylight left, she came to the decision to go exploring. She had spent most of the day in one area, so decided to go in a different direction. Spirit set out, with her husky, Wind, trailing at her heels like always. During the walk she gazed at the surrounding area, looking at the snow all around, and contemplating how beautiful it was. She found a long patch of ice along the ground and slid across, barely managing to keep her balance. After a while, she came across something new. In the distance was two people and a horse having a conversation. She moved closer, to say hello, but stopped about 50m away to attempt to decide if she should actually approach them or not. While she stood there, Wind wandered a little further, then turned back and sat on her feet, waiting.

[Spirit Frostfawn]

After several minutes of mental debate, Wind wines pathetically. Looking down, Spirit saw him looking at her with sad eyes. She quickly glanced at the sky, and apoligized to the dog "I'm so sorry! It's time for dinner!" Leaving the people to their conversation, she turned around and headed home. Wind was an old dog, almost 10, so he couldn't hunt for himself, and he didn't like eating as late at the rest of the family. The journey passed slightly faster than before, since she was hurrying to get home. The last stretch she jogged lightly, her black hair streaming behind her, but she was careful to not leave Wind too far behind.

[Levhanti]

As the girl reached forward, Allie at first started to back away, but with Levhanti holding her still, she was unable to get away. Once the girl stopped moving, the mare leaned forward, sniffing at the girl's hand. After a moment's hesitation, the mare leaned forward, pushing her nose against Juliane's hand. Levhanti smiled and patted his horse on the neck.

"She likes you. Go ahead and pet her. If you want, you can scratch her shoulders. She really likes that."

As Levhanti looked up at Juliane, he noticed someone walking away in the distance. He didn't catch who it was, so he shrugged, and then returned his attention to Juliane. He watched them for a moment, and then shook his head.

"I am such a terrible person. I completely forgot my manners. My name is Levhanti, and this is Allie."

[Abyda]

Hidden behind a vast tree, Abyda waited rather impatiently for the two to stop talking and leave. I finally find a quiet training spot for myself and these two lovebirds come and ruin it, she thought. She felt her dagger poking at her side, and in trying to straighten it, Abyda stepped on a twig. A loud cracking noise was heard, and Abyda cringed. She heard movement from the other side, and gingerly stepped out from behind, her black cloak swishing and trailing behind her.

[Juliane Snowsong]

As soon as the horse nudged her hand, Juliane felt relieved. She was afraid the horse wouldn't like her and with her adoration of animals, she'd feel hurt. She started to gently pet the horse, nodding when he told her where to scratch; she stepped a bit to the side to reach her arm up and scratch the horse's shoulders. She was still a bit fearful, however. She didn't want to scare the horse under any circumstance.

"Nice to meet you," she replied; she grinned as she added on, "And nice meeting you, Allie. I'm-" Juliane was cut off by a noise and she turned her head, in search of where it came from. "Juliane." She let the word slip out a bit lower as she squinted at the figure. Who was that?

[Abyda]

Abyda glanced at the two figures before her, a girl reaching as if to pet a horse and a man, saring at her with intrigue. Slightly perturbed, she straightened her black shirt and cloak, trying to cover her old scars and burns that were visible. "Sorry to interrupt," she said, her tone implying anything but that of an apology. "I was...I was just here and unaware I had company. Since I was here first, I would kindly ask you to leave..." Abyda remembered her mother's 'polite speech' lessons. "If you would be so kind." She swiveled on her heel to walk away, heel crunching on the snow, just as a gust of wind blew her backwards and she fell with a heavy thud onto the snow smothered forest floor, directly in front of the horse, who began neighing uncontrollably and kicking Abyda.