Failing at Riding... (Garran, Spirit and Nikomas)

[Spirit Frostfawn]

-- Spring 32nd 513AV -- Spirit led a particularly frisky horse through the stables, fighting all the way. The animal kept wanting to go back outside, where it had been before, but it was time for it to get back inside. As the creature turned it’s head to the side, pulling back towards the door, it dragged Spirit, who was holding tightly to the reins along with it. She scolded it, and straightened it’s head forcefully to point back to it’s stable. The Vantha then attempted to lead it forward, but was unable to budge the animal. really?? she thought irritated. why does it have to make this so hard?! She sighed loudly, and proceeded to tug harder. Sadly, the horse was very strong, and her efforts were fruitless. great...now I have to bribe it... Spirit scrunched up her face in distaste, annoyed that she was forced to give in to an animal... wasn’t she supposed to be in charge? She fished a small treat in front of the horse, and held it several centimeters before it’s nose. “Want the treat?” She asked it, as if it could understand her. The creature darted it’s head forward, intending to snatch the food off Spirit’s hand, but the girl brought it back just in time. The horse took a step forward and repeated the action, with Spirit moving backwards and continuing the move her hand away. This small set of actions repeated over and over again, drawing a smile to the Vantha’s face. Maybe she didn’t have to admit defeat after all. Finally, they reached the horse’s stable, where Spirit quickly put the treat back into her pocket, darted out of the enclosure and locked the door. She rested on it, exhausted from dealing with that annoying horse, when she felt hot air above her head. It felt nice at first, warming her cold head, until it slowly became annoying. Go awaaay she mentally yelled at the air, and glared above her. Looking down at the girl with a similar expression was the horse, upset that it had been tricked and poking it’s head over the door. The Vantha stepped up and away from the wooden wall, and stuck her tongue out at the creature. She knew she was acting immature, but couldn’t help it. She was in a happy and joyful mood that day, and felt like nothing could stop her. The girl moved over to a much quieter, calmer horse and proceeded to groom it thoroughly. While she dragged a circular comb over the hide of this horse, Spirit brainstormed about what she should do with the rest of her day... she didn’t feel like going too far away from the hold, and sitting inside just didn’t appeal. She spent several minutes going over the options, until she suddenly found it. Archery! She would teach herself how to shoot a bow, however it may go. A dry voice in her head told her she would be miserable at it, but she pushed it aside in her delight. But... she couldn’t go alone... who to take... She looked over her shoulder and called out the first person she saw: Garran. He was in the stables at the time, and came there a lot, so she’d gotten to know him decently well. She still wasn’t sure if he actually worked there or not... but it didn’t matter! “Garraaaan!” She cried as she dashed over to the man, almost ten years her senior, and poked him repeatedly in the upper arm. The Vantha girl realized she was being even more childish than before, but again didn’t care at all. All she cared about was... archery. The word resounded around her mind and she felt like she would burst with excitement. Her face was covered with a wide grin, and her long dark hair slightly disheveled but uncared for. She poked Garran’s arm so rapidly and hard that the girl was almost certain she would bruise it, but didn’t stop. “Garran! Come to the archery range with me!” She continued, explaining the un-asked question about why she was poking the man in the first place. The dry voice mentioned again that she should be a little more caring about the man’s feelings, and about hurting him, but again it was shoved aside without much thought. Archery... it sounded so exciting!!

[Garran Frostfawn]

Garran gave a steadying sound, something akin to whoa…, a low rumble that came from his chest as much as his throat. In response, the young colt on the other end of the rope lunge line slowed its gait from trot to walk and with a gentle tug, Garran pulled the horse in to him, where he stood, the center of the working circle. Garran waited for the animal to come to him, which it did, and he rubbed under its thick forelock. The two year old was coming along well and he was pleased. Coiling the length of rope in his hand, he led the colt from the round pen into the barn, and then into a stall, turning him loose once he had switched him around, facing the front of the stall. It was a habit of many years – no sense risking getting kicked for nothing, when an extra three seconds would pretty much prevent it. Stepping out into the shedrow, Garran carefully closed and secured the door before walking down into one of the tack rooms, neatly stowing the lunge line on a hook in the wall. Coming back out into the central aisle of the barn, he was practically accosted by a young groom – Spirit – one of the innumerable Frostfawns that staffed the various enterprises run by their Hold. The excitement in her voice made him think that maybe the barn was on fire, and the way she jabbed her finger into his bicep was exceptionally irritating. But generally speaking, he was a patient guy and he waited for her to spit out whatever was on her mind. When she mentioned archery, though, he shook his head and laughed. “Oh no, I don’t do the bow and arrow thing,” he said, holding his hands out, palms outwards to show he would take a pass. “I can’t hit the side of a barn from ten paces – I realized that years ago – when I was about your age, probably. I’ll stick to horses. The world is probably a much safer place that way.”

[Spirit Frostfawn]

Spirit gave a sad little frown, and began to brainstorm up another idea. What to do.... it sucked that Garran didn't want to try archery... humph. Thinking hard, she finally camp up on a lead. Horses! Garran liked horses... this could actually work out! Grinning, she resumed her poking, completely ignoring her immaturity. She did not care in the slightest. Asking again, she stated "What about riding? Do you know how to ride? Can you teach me?" Her words came out in a flurry, her eyes lighting up again in excitement. Though she loved animals, she'd never learnt to ride before, something she found slightly annoying. This would be an excellent time to learn how, especially if she actually did what she was planning... the thought turned her slightly serious, thinking how much work it would involve, and decided to ignore that for the time being. Spirit completely ignored the strange stares of those around her, including Garran's, all in her delight. She didn't care what they thought... she just wanted to learn! It was all so exciting... she couldn't wait to actually try this... she almost jumped around with excitement.

[Garran Frostfawn]

It seemed to Garran that Spirit was entirely deserving of her name, for she was possibly the most animated young girl he had been around for quite some time. His reluctance to go practice archery with her only stemmed her exuberance for less than half a bell. Then she began to hop up and down again, this time begging him to let her do some riding. Ah, now here was something he did know about, and he was happy to share what he knew with others. He personally thought horses were the greatest and best thing on the planet, and he felt a little stir of pleasure thinking about getting someone else hooked on the equine species. So he grinned and nodded, at the same time as pushing her poky little finger away from his abused arm. “Alright, alright,” he laughed, shaking his head in amusement over her energetic effervescence. “That sounds a whole lot more doable than archery. Come on.” He began to walk down the shedrow. At the far end was where he kept his own mare. She was spirited but well trained, and he could certainly trust her even with a complete beginner. As they walked, he looked to the side, at the young girl and asked curiously, “You don’t know how to ride at all? I’m surprised – I thought all Frostfawns learned that before they could walk? How long have you been working here in the stable?”

[Spirit Frostfawn]

Spirit's grin grew wider, and her black hair flopped as she followed Garran. Her eyes were a neon blue, due to her excitement. She hoped his horse was well trained... as a beginner, she wasn't sure she could handle anything else. "Yea... I've worked with horses, but never really got around to learning to ride... I was always content with walking. But I still really want to learn…” She told him, explaining her question. Her family had never been the horse type, dealing more with the canine side of animals. Wind, who was sitting at home feeling depressed and alone was proof of this. She felt guilty having to leave him as she worked, but, Luisna said he wasn’t allowed in the stables. The sled dog was well trained, and would never purposely scare any creature, but his very presence could irritate some of the animals here. Horses didn’t generally mix well with predators. “Oh right, I’ve been working for maybe 30 days… not that long, really” She told him, finally remembering the end of his question. It didn’t seem so long ago that she’d asked Lusina for this job, but it had been a while. Working gave her something to do, and she really enjoyed this job, so time went by quickly. Thinking about it, she’d already made maybe 60 gold mizas… that was quite a bit. She had a plan of what to do with her money, but wasn’t sure she was ready to say anything about it yet… she didn’t quite know what was going to happen yet.

[Garran Frostfawn]

Garran listened, and chuckled softly. “Content with walking? I suppose that’s alright – until you’ve ridden a few times. Then you’ll never want to walk anywhere again – not if you can ride instead.” He might have been a bit presumptuous thinking that everyone would feel the way he did about horses and riding. But for himself, he never felt at home, really, unless he was messing about with horses, and riding made him feel truly…free. They were passing the tack room, and Garran gave a little jerk of his chin, indicating they should turn in there, and he did so himself, expecting Spirit to follow. “Thirty days, huh? Well, you are a real green horn then.” He was just teasing, and his grin probably clued the girl in to that. “Here,” he said, stopping before a saddle rack and hefting up the rather plain riding saddle, and pad. If she would extend her arms, he would plop those down on them and let her carry them. For himself, he reached for the bridle hung on a peg next to the saddle rack. It was plain too – a good horse didn’t really need anything fancy. Headstall, brow band, nose strap, and a snaffle bit, reins. This he slung over his shoulder, saying, “You know how to tack up a horse?”

[Spirit Frostfawn]

Spirit nodded, slightly understanding the comment about loving riding. She knew many people who adored their horses and riding, and would take the animals almost anywhere, and ride them whenever possible. Walking, truth be told, was nice, but also quite slow... The Vantha smiled at him calling her a green horn, easily noticing the jest. It was true, she hadn’t been working for long, but already felt at ease in the stables, content with the work. “I may be new, but I know most things around here” She told him with a grin, and a slight jab in response to the joke. She knew Garran was a good guy, particularly in love with horses. She completely understood this feeling, having the same thing herself with dogs, though it extended to almost all animals as well. Spirit looked at Garran with a slightly hurt expression when he asked if she could tack up a horse. She may have not known how to ride, but she certainly knew how to put on a horse’s saddle and bridle. She had mostly known before she’d started working here, but on her first day on the job, she’d learnt the more precise points. She stuck out her arms, and easily took the weight of the saddle and pad, and followed him silently. The saddle was quite simple, but she didn’t mind in the slightest, since the girl had never really understood the point of ornate things like that. Yes, she enjoyed art work and such, but found it a slight waste of money to buy more expensive items just because they had a little design. Instead, she was content to be within the beauty of the world, since that was the most elegant thing in the world to her.

[Garran Frostfawn]

The girl took the saddle willingly and without complaint, which was good. She made no direct reply to his question, and Garran wasn’t sure if that was connected somehow to that look which she had shot him – one something like a disappointed pup who is not going to get to go for that walk it so badly wanted – or if she was too bashful to admit that she didn’t know what went where when it came to saddle and bridle and the rest of it. In any case, she followed him readily enough and so he left it for the moment, leading her on to a stall at the far end of the shedrow. With a nod, he indicated the wooden bar he pulled up from the side of the stall, propping it up with the latch and saying, “Stow that here,” meaning the saddle and pad. The bridle he slung over a peg, as he slid the bolt from the keeper and pulled the door open smoothly. “Let’s get acquainted first, shall we?” He smiled encouragingly and stood aside for Spirit to enter the stall first. Falla, his mare*, had already noted their approach and was facing them, ears forward in curiosity. As soon as Garran had opened the stall door, she had stepped up in anticipation of his attention. They shared a close bond, having been together every day of the past ten years or so, since the moment she was born. She had imprinted on him, and in horsy sense, considered him to be part of her herd. He held out a hand to the grey muzzle, and she lipped at it, looking for a carrot piece, dark eyes looking out intelligently upon the newcomer. “This is Falla,” Garran said, rubbing his fingers lightly over the soft muzzle. “Sorry, my friend, no carrots for now. We have a new friend to meet here, and one who is eager to learn a few things that I think we can teach her.” * Falla is a light dapple grey and stands about 16 hands

[Spirit Frostfawn]

Spirit gazed at Garran's horse, Falla, with a wide grin on her face. She was beautiful. Truthfully, that opinion was slightly biased since she thought all horses were beautiful, but she thought the horse before her was particularly so. In her usual way of greeting new horses, the Vantha stuck her fingers under the creature's nose, and then rubbed the top of it's head. "Hello" She said to Falla with a small smile, continuing to move her hands in circles on the top of it's head. It was tempting to just hug the animal around the neck, but the Vantha wasn't quite sure how the horse would react, and if Garran would approve. Instead, she turned to the man with a question. "Do you want me to tack her up?" She wasn't sure if he wanted to do it, but guessed that the idea was for the student to prepare the horse. It made sense, though she was already quite decent at putting on a horse's tack and all. Still, it was polite to ask, and she looked over her shoulder to look at her friend expectantly.

[Garran Frostfawn]

Garran watched Spirit's approach to the mare, and approved, silently. The girl was much more sedate around the horse, which was a good thing, for horses generally didn't care for lots of noisy exuberance. There weren't like puppies, and responded much better to quiet and gentle movements and touches. He was content to let Spirit try her hand at getting the tack on, so he nodded. "Sure. Show me what you know," he said, with an encouraging smile. Stepping back out of the way, he waited to see exactly what the young Vantha did know about tacking up a horse.