In the Way of the Drykas (Waisana)

by **Kaie** on January 13th, 2014, 2:37 am

85th of Spring, 511 AV

These people across the Suvan Sea were strange indeed to the young Myrian woman. First came the Svefra, the notorious seafarers whose vessel brought them to Riverfall. Then came the all male race of the colorful Akalaks, whose battle prowess earned respect in the eyes of the savages. Yet now they were in the company of the proud Drykas, and they certainly had captured their own share of Kaie's interest. It seemed that very much like her own people, the Drykas had risen to become the chosen people of the wilderness they occupied.

The grasslands, as she was told, were dangerous to horseman and outsider alike. From the vicious little birds they called glassbeaks, to the brutal predator referred to as the Night Lion, the beautiful plains harbored more than its fair share of perils. And like Falyndar, something was always watching between the foliage. But Kaie had no plans on challenging the wilds this day. This time, she had found her thoughts wandering in the direction of the beasts whose role was so pivotal within Drykas culture.

Her bronzed hand reached out toward the animal, palm extending toward its nose harmlessly. The horse stirred for a moment and snuffled at her hand before it yielded, seeing her as no threat for the moment. Kaie brushed her fingers tentatively down the length of its nose. And as she eyed the creature, she couldn't help but wonder what it was about it that captivated the people here so much. Sure, they had horses in Falyndar, but they were nothing to fawn over. Perhaps that was largely in part to the mere fact horses were essentially useless in the thick jungle.

"What a life...To be ridden by men and obey their wills," She murmured absently to the steed in her native tongue, second hand coming up to brush along the flat plane of its cheek. "But I guess you are a valuable asset in this land, aren't you. My father has ventured out here far more than I have. He's a fair rider, or so his Drykas friend says. I guess that's why you're his new horse and not mine. What do you think?"

Kaie was well aware she must've looked absolutely ridiculous to anyone watching. After all, she was standing there conversing with an animal for Goddess sake. Then again she was just about useless at Pavi. Her social interactions were limited at best, and Keritan had decided to try his hand at the local arena. How else was she to occupy her time?

by **Waisana** on January 14th, 2014, 4:19 pm

They were all that the younger Drykas could talk about. The savages, the Myrians. It wasn't anywhere near as interesting to the older Drykas, who'd come across the foreigners before but to Waisana it was a change from the norm. Yet, she was nowhere near where the savages were. They worried her a little bit. She hadn't talked to them or even been particularly near to them yet but just the idea of them made her feel uneasy.

So the healer-in-training was avoiding them, just to be on the safe side and the best way to avoid them was to go places where they definitely wouldn't be. They didn't have anything to do with horses and so it was to the horses that Waisana decided to go. It would also be a good opportunity to get in some riding practice. If she was lucky, she might even find a Strider to call her own but it didn't seem likely.

Making her way to the place where many of the horse were kept, Waisana set about identifying the horses that belonged to her family. They kept a horse or two along with their Striders, horses that might be useful for carrying light things or carrying a Striderless member. It was one of these horses that Waisana needed and so she walked around the mounts searching for markings she recognised.

That's when she saw her.

Well she didn't see the bronze girl until she'd almost walked into her. Her eyes had been on the horses and so she hadn't been glancing ahead of her or else she could had turned back in time. When she looked around it was too late to do anything especially as a quiet exclamation of surprise came from her lips, guaranteeing that her presence was notice.

"Hello... uh sorry for sneaking up on you like..." The teen trailed off, her hands stilling as she realised that the other girl probably knew little to no Pavi. Would she know Common? If she'd been travelling then she probably would have picked up the more universal tongue. The horse maiden didn't often get a chance to use the language but surely it would come back to her when she started speaking it.

Twining her hands together so that she wouldn't be tempted to move them and distract herself in the process, the teen managed a nervous smile. She hoped that the young woman wouldn't decide to rip her head off or something for simply being friendly now that they'd been thrown together. "Sorry... Pavi... you don't know it?" Waisana ventured, the sentence coming out slowly. "Sorry. For sneaking up on you. Didn't mean to startle. You like horses?" The girl gestured to the beast, grateful to have some use for her hands at last.

by **Kaie** on January 21st, 2014, 1:16 am

The sharp, short sound beside her caused the young Myrian to turn quickly. Her right hand flickered down to the knife handle handle attached to her hip, but no offensive action was taken. Instead she took that split second to assess her situation before jumping into violence. What she found was that the one who had appeared at her side was not projecting any gestures to inflict harm. Just a young blonde Drykas girl who looked just about her age. Still, out of her newly taken up habit of distrust for non-Myrians, her hand did not leave her weapon. Not until she was sure what it was exactly the girl was doing.

Pavi lurched out at her from the girl's lips, leaving the bronzed savage utterly lost as all had fallen upon deaf ears and ignorant eyes. The Drykas girl probably noticed her pupils dilate for a moment as if assaulted by the strange tongue. Standing there as lost as she was, Kaie could do nothing but arch an eyebrow curiously. The horse she had been petting snuffled and shook its head beside her, breaking the silence between the two. That is until a more familiar language was finally spoken.

"Ah, no. Just Myrian and Common. Know...Little in Pavi. Very little. Is all," She answered in relief, glad someone had finally broken the language barrier. The few men Kaie and her father had ventured to Endrykas with almost exclusively spoke Pavi. Naturally her father's good friend knew Common well, but since Keritan knew their native tongue, there was little reason to revert to something else. Kaie, however, was very much left in the dust.[color][color=Green] "It is okay. I not pay...uh...Attention!"

The Myrian woman's brow had crinkled with focus and a bit of frustration, trying to find the correct words when she replied. The blonde girl's hand gesture certainly helped. It was easy for her to lose track of the conversation, especially when she would hang back fixating on a word she couldn't properly translate.

"Falyndar not like Cyphrus. Here, land is wide with grass. Flat. Jungle is thick. Many hills and mountains. Horses not good for travel there so I not ride. I like them though. Good for place Drykas live in. You call, plains?" She replied, giving the mount a gentle pat on the side of its thick neck before she continued. "They tell me Drykas had special horses of their own. Horses different from this one. Called something else. You have one?"

OOC:Sorry for the wait! Exam prep.

by **Waisana** on January 22nd, 2014, 9:36 pm

For one anxious moment, she'd thought she was going to be butchered. Her brain hadn't immediately registered where the girl's hand had gone and by the time that she did, the tense moment had passed. Her smile became more false, a nervous giggle escaping her. The girl's reaction was an obvious indicator to Waisana that the Myrian truly was a savage. It was a good thing that there had been a moment's pause or the Drykas girl's blood would have been soaking into the earth. Taking a slow step back so as not to draw attention to herself but also to put more distance between them, Waisana watched the Myrian warily as she talked. Her hand was still on the hilt of the knife.

"My fault. I did not pay attention. Didn't mean to frighten you. I know good Common but no... practice," she explained, talking more than usual to compensate for her nervousness, the girl began to spew out sentences. The ill-used tongue became more familiar as she used it. "Yes, plains. Good for horses but dangerous. Wild animals. Same in jungle? But yes, Drykas horse, Strider, is very fast in Sea of Grass. Better chance to get away. I don't have one though. Not yet but I hope so soon."

The teen came to a halt in her speech, wracking her brain for something else to say but all she could truly focus on was the knife at the girl's hip so she spouted something stupid in relation to that. "Do you kill with that? People. With the knife. Looks like you would have killed me. Just now. Still might," she babbled, pointing at the weapon in question. It was very stupid to draw attention to it she knew but the young healer also knew that the Myrian had been very willing to use it. The idea frightened her.

The horse didn't seem to understand the gravity of the situation because it merely butted against the Myrian for more attention before turning to Waisana. She reached out her hand slowly to the beast, stroking along its mane and patting its neck until it nuzzled against her. Horses seemed to be a neutral subject and although the Myrian couldn't ride seemingly, Waisana had seen a man, who she assumed was her father, on horseback. Perhaps if she questioned her, she might find out if she had some riding experience and maybe the topic would make her seem trustworthy enough that the knife wouldn't be needed.

"Your father rides. You don't at all? Have you tried here?"

by **Kaie** on January 29th, 2014, 4:57 am

Yes! Strider, that was the name.

Kaie nodded understandingly with a grin, relieved to have someone shed some light on the subject. To her, horses were horses. Whether it was black, white, short, or tall mattered not to the ignorant Myrian. They were all the same in her eyes. Just a bunch of hooved animals to throw a saddle over. Naturally since they were Caiyha's creations she respected them like any other domesticated animal, but she was lost in the perplexities that surrounded Drykas culture. Fast as they might be, no Strider had menacing fangs or a snarl intimidating enough to send even a large leopard back into the trees. No claws to swipe at a foe or hustle into the canopy. Just awkward sticky legs without toes. The horse was a laughable companion when placed beside the Myrian Tiger. And still former was the chosen of these people.

The girl's sudden question tore the Myrian back from her wandering thoughts to the present. Her brow arched curiously at first, but after a moment she realized her hand was still at her hip. Fingertips still teasing dangerously at her weapon's hilt. Strange how her discomfort outside her jungle home had led her to become so absently cautious. Kaie glanced down at her knife and then back to the Drykas with a flash of her teeth.

"Kill you? Nah. Not here and now. Your people? Would kill me in a heartbeat for spilling blood of their own in their own city. Besides I have not yet taken a person's life. Not yet but soon," She answered honestly and perhaps even a bit cynically, swiping her knife from her hip and balancing it on her palm for viewing. It was a pretty basic weapon. Nothing flashy about it at all. Just another typical bone knife crafted in Taloba. Thankfully her father promised to grant her some real metal weapons soon. The next best she had was her spear but that was stowed back in their tent.

The horse knocked its head at her shoulder and effectively caused the knife to tremble in her hands. Kaie rolled her eyes before giving the unruly animal a generous pat. Apparently it wasn't satisfactory because it moved right along to the other girl, who clearly knew exactly what it wanted. The Myrian brushed off the animal's indirect rejection to slowly spin the knife in her palm. The rotations were slow and shaky, but there was something comforting about the familiar texture in her hand. And in that moment it seemed the contrast between the two and their heritage was more obvious than ever.

"Yes, father rides. I...Sit, really," She admitted sheepishly, looking down at her pointless task. Sadly, she hadn't exaggerated the truth. More often than not she was sitting on the back of Keritan's horse. There was never really the time to sit down and really learn. "Have not tried. Don't want to...Shame myself," She added and gestured to the grant Tent City and all its wandering horsemen. Embarrassing herself in front of an entire race known for their riding prowess was not something the Myrian was keen on.

OOC:Sorry this took me so long! Exam week killed me but I'm back!

by **Waisana** on February 11th, 2014, 10:27 am

Her stupid, blurted question had brought the Myrian's attention to where her hand rested on her knife hilt. She only allowed it a cursory glance, hand staying just where it was before smiling at her. Well, it was more of a flash of teeth, a show of them and it made her feel extremely uneasy. It seemed so predatory, so animalistic that the Drykas almost took a step back. Except that she couldn't. She was frozen in place, unable to work up the courage to move an inch in case the movement towards escape was what the Myrian was waiting for.

Her words did little to set her mind at ease. She wasn't going to kill Waisana because of where they now stood, on Drykas territory. That didn't comfort her at all. It seemed to suggest that if they weren't on her home ground then the youth would have been in danger. The talk of not having killed a person yet made her shudder. They were supposed to be barbarians after all and this... girl (she didn't know her name) was certainly proving the point. The teen hoped that she was doing it on purpose to live up to the stereotype but didn't really put much faith in it be true. Especially when the knife came out of its holder then it was very hard to believe it possible.

The weapon was not metallic, something that registered in Waisana's mind because it was a good thing. The substance it was made of (bone?) didn't look all that sharp so she was probably fairly safe. It didn't stop her twitching and wincing as the older girl began to spin it in her hands. The healer tried to busy herself with the horse but her eyes kept switching back to the knife, somewhat fascinated by its spinning movements. They weren't particularly fast, or even very steady but that didn't mean that the girl couldn't use it.

She isn't that dangerous. She won't kill you, she can't. She probably can't hurt you at all, she tried to reassure herself as the blade continued in its slow, shaky rotations.

A change came in the girl's demeanour then when riding was brought into it. Her sheepishness made her slightly less intimidating but that just allowed the teen to think a little straighter as she mulled over the Myrian's words. "Did your father not have to learn? Was he born to a horse or did he learn when he came here?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in question. "I should think he had to learn. If Drykas couldn't ride then it would be shameful but you are not Drykas. You were not placed on a horse before you could walk. You did not grow up with them. No shame in not being able to ride, no shame in learning."

The horse maiden shrugged to show that it really wasn't that big a deal for a foreigner not to be able to ride. True, most foreigners who came to them could. Some came from time to time to join the Drykas but they were used to a horse by then, usually having traveled the Sea of Grass that way in order to reach the tent city. Perhaps the fact that her father could ride made the Myrian feel inferior but she didn't know. She felt somewhat sorry for her and that was probably why her next words came out without giving her a chance to think about the consequences of them.

"I could teach you."

OOCSorry for taking absolutely ages. Stuff got busy in terms of mod stuff and RL

by **Kaie** on February 17th, 2014, 6:52 pm

The watching game behave during the hunt, Kaie was already beginning to internally note things about the Drykas girl. Yet it was not her clothes or her voice that caught her attention. It was her eyes. At first the glances were casual, harmless studying of the new object brought forth in the Myrian's hand. It wasn't until the third slow and shaky rotation of the crude weapon in her hand, that Kaie realized just how of the girl's attention it commanded. Even when she seemed to move onto something else, the eyes always came back to that primitive little blade.

Nervous, Kaie noted within the confines of her thoughts, her head somewhat tilting at the revelation. More questions arose and each went mostly unanswered. None were voiced, though. Just useless strings of words to never leave her brain. The Myrian simply resolved to watch the blonde girl curiously. It was if her amber hues had decided if they studied her long enough, an answer would come. A reason for her poorly disguised fear. Was it merely the knowledge of her heritage, or something else?

"Ah, no. Father come to horse lands before. Learn to ride in Riverfall and Endrykas maybe. Was in, what you say, military in Taloba. Ride horse few times there, but not often," She explained, trying to convey knowledge even she hardly knew. Keritan had left once in a while for the land across the Suvan, and he would return with small trinkets and fearsome stories of strange people and beasts alike. Yet details such as the ones the Drykas wished to know were never truly often told. The young Myrian woman was merely making educated guesses. After all, what other explanation could there be?

"Ha, no. Myrian take sword when can hold one, not reigns." The Myrian shrugged her narrow shoulders at the mere fact, trying not to expose the tiny bit of irritation she felt for not being any good with horses. If the Drykas could do it, so should she. Never should a Child of Myri feel shamed by the cultures of barbarians, no matter how proud or noble. There was at least some unspoken appreciation she felt in the idea the blonde Drykas hadn't ridiculed her right then and there for her confession. What came next actually brought the bronzed jungle dweller to unconsciously decide to lower her blade again.

"You teach Kaie to ride?" She asked incredulously, arching a brow in disbelief. Amber orbs flashed across the Drykas' face searching for deception, but she found none. It appeared to be a genuine offer. "Alright. You teach me to ride, but...not here," Kaie resolved hesitantly, eyes finding the various horseclansmen that heavily occupied the city. Plenty of bodies to voice their laughter and point amused fingers at the sight of a girl hailing from Tiger Riders, struggling with the simple reigns of a horse at a younger Drykas' instructions.

by **Waisana** on April 10th, 2014, 8:29 pm

OOCI'm so sorry. I wasn't abducted by aliens or anything I've just been really really busy and then I hit some major writing block but I'm properly back now

The blade still drew her eyes but the horse maiden pretended otherwise, trying to take in everything that the Myrian girl said instead. Apparently her father was a former visitor to Endrykas, perhaps had come to the tent city a few times before yet Waisana couldn't remember him. She would have thought that a savage in the city would have excited interest but perhaps she had missed it or maybe it was because he wasn't considered that strange anymore. If he'd been a few times before then he wouldn't be that much of a novelty but his children would be. That made sense to Waisana so she assumed that was the case.

Watching the blade spin in the girl's hand, the teen could understand that the Myrians were given blades early, probably at the same stage when Drykas began with horses. The girl's movements were a little shaky but she still had a familiarity with the blade that Waisana, who was close to her in age, lacked. If she tried to do the same thing, she'd probably cut her hands to bits and drop the knife but this girl didn't have that problem. It made her uneasy again until she remembered that the Myrian had said she wouldn't kill her.

And you're trusting the word of a savage?

She quelled her doubts and watched the surprise develop on the other's face at the Drykas girl's offer. The blade was lowered which made Waisana feel more at ease. She'd been right to trust her then. The girl was surprised by her offer and said something that caught Waisana's attention. Kaie. Was that the girl's name? It seemed likely. Well, this Kaie was willing to accept the horse maiden's offer, she was willing to learn to ride. Waisana didn't know if it was an offer she'd end up regretting or not but it was too late now; it was already out.

"Kaie? Is that your name? Mine is Waisana," the young healer offered before continuing. "If you had a horse then I can bring you to the edge of city, go out into the sea before starting to ride. If you don't have a horse, I could try to get one or we could both go on the same horse." It was a suggestion that was put forward timidly for fear that the Myrian wouldn't like it. It was all she had to offer and if she didn't want to learn here (she assumed that meant in the city) then there was nothing else she could do for her.

"So what do you think?"

by **Kaie** on May 1st, 2014, 11:31 pm

The sunkissed girl looked over her shoulder as casually as she could, trying to keep the anxiety out of her eyes for the Drykas girl to see. In truth, Kaie wasn't one quick to arrogance within her own society. It was their ideas of cultural superiority over the rest of the world that made her look down upon the barbarians the way she did. Still, humility was all but comfortable for the savage in any environment. It didn't help that she was surrounded by strangers of another race.

"Yes. Kaie is name. Waisana," She confirmed with a stiff nod. Her brow knit together tightly as she did her best to follow the young Drykas girl's words. Every so often her lips would murmur silently in her own tongue as if translating, though not quite aloud. "Ah, no no. Not same horse. No." She shook her head firmly, a hand waving the idea off fervidly. "Have idea. Father does not need his horse. Not right now. I'll go get. Be back. Stay." And without another word she turned upon her heel and disappeared into the traveling city. Several chimes later she returned with a chestnut colored stallion, its hindquarters thick and muscled visibly beneath the flesh. Its back was bare as the Myrian led it through the crowd, visibly awkward in her method of leading the beast. Nonetheless she presented it before Waisana and for her, it was enough.

"This one? It do?" The horse's ears flickered when a fly dared approach, and it gave a bored snuffle. All the while its big eyes settled on the only true horse rider between them with a placid expression.

OOC:Don't worry about it! As you can see I've been struggling to keep up as well.

by **Waisana** on May 29th, 2014, 6:48 pm

The Myrian girl was far more relaxed than Waisana would have expected. The offer had surprised her, shaken her for a moment but now she was completely calm about it. It was like she was used to getting offers of the nature that the healer had offered. Apparently the savages could bounce back very quickly from surprise, or maybe it was just this one who seemed to exude confidence despite what would be a failure in this culture. She couldn't believe that the other still seemed to be the stronger one in this situation. Surely, she should have had that one small advantage at least. She was able to ride but Kaie couldn't and yet the savage was still confident.

The girl seemed to know exactly what way she wanted to go about learning the skill that would make her accepted in Drykas society. She was proud though, that was clear. She would ride on her own horse despite the fact that she couldn't even ride yet. Hopefully she wouldn't fall off it or else her confident image would go up in smoke. Waisana would never wish hurt upon anyone but she secretly hoped that the Myrian would fall off so that she'd learn a lesson about cockiness. The girl had to cover her mouth to hide the secret smile that curved her lips at the thought. Best not to offend the girl, she still had a knife after all and she probably had a fair idea how to use it.

The Myrian strode away from her, intent on getting her hands on a horse of her own, or rather her father's horse. It was likely to be a large beast, assuming that her father was a large and heavy man, if it was to bear his weight. She wondered if it might not be a little too large for Kaie if that was the case. She'd have to wait and see though. The teen was sure that she'd be able to help the other girl with any horse she might get. A horse was a horse after all, no matter the size and the same rules applied so the lesson would be the same. The only difficulty with a large horse would be mounting it but that was a minor problem and one that could be easily overcome.

When she spotted the other girl leading the animal, Waisana had to cover hide a smile again. Kaie clearly had no idea how to make the horse follow her lead without resistance. The horse seemed reluctant to follow the young woman who just seemed to be trying to yank it towards a place that it didn't want to go. The horse maiden watched patiently as Kaie approached her with the unwilling animal that the Myrian was going to learn to ride on.

"It's a fine animal. It will do," Waisana replied pleasantly, approaching the beast to stroke it. Patting the horse, the teen explained to Kaie what she was going to do. "I'll get a horse. You follow me with your horse." Giving the beast a final pat, she turned on her heel and led the way through the pavilions, hoping that Kaie would follow. She made her way to the place where her family kept a few horses to graze. She chose one, a brown and white mare and greeted it enthusiastically before leading it to where the gear for riding was kept. The healer set some of the gear aside for Kaie and took some for herself. She passed the gear to the Myrian and tried to work out how to explain what each part was to the girl. The language barrier was somewhat of a problem so she stood there dumbfounded and turned over explanations in her mind.

Flashback In the Way of the Drykas (Waisana)