13th Summer 501AV
Waisana was very unsure about this horse thing. Looking up at the beast that towered over her, she wasn't sure that she wanted to be like her brothers and sisters. It was a nice horse, she thought,a mottled sort of grey but it looked like a grown up's animal. It seemed like a wonderful and grown up thing to be on a horse but they were still very big. It wasn't something that had ever crossed her mind before. Horses had always been there but hadn't been so huge before, had they? This horse was a little horse though beside Mama and Papa's ones but it was still taller than the little girl. She didn't even know how she was supposed to get onto it. There was a bright white cloth with gold knot work embroidered around its edge tat served as a more comfortable seat than the horse's bare back had the yvas had been put on the creature already. The grip was just visible from her perspective but there was nothing to help her up at all.
She turned to her father, little face puckered up on the verge of tears. "How do I get up, Papa?" she asked, her hands signing confusion and frustration. Her lip trembled as she looked up at the figure of her father with his bright moustache and elaborate hair. Warm, rough hands grabbed her at the waist propelling her upwards and plonked her onto the beast's back. The landing sent air gusting out of her lungs but she was no worse off than she'd been before. One of father's hands supported her on the horse's back so that she wouldn't fall off while the other guided her small hands to the grip. She held it tightly as the supporting hand gradually moved away, allowing her to sit on the horse herself. The girl readjusted herself on the seat, bouncing a bit and began to feel herself sliding off.
The youngster almost threw herself off on her panic to stay on but her father's hands were back, straightening her again. "Straight, Waisana. Sit straight," he told her, indicating the vertical position with his hand. The girl tried to fix her slumped posture but she wasn't sure that she knew how to do it right. Fingers positioned her the right way and a hand signal showed that she should remain that way. Being on a horse herself was much harder than sitting on one in front of her mother. There was no one to lean back against, no support behind her.
Her arms stuck straight out in front of her, hands clenched around the grip that was becoming sweaty under her little fingers. Her shoulders were held back and her head was tossed proudly in the air. She knew that she must look just like her older sister, Poria, now but yet her parents seemed to find the sight very funny. Her mother looked pleased though and the girl flashed her a toothy smile. Now that she was up here, she'd changed her mind about riding and she wanted to show off. Her feet slapped enthusiastically against the beast's flanks, the flesh she hit hard and unyielding. Yet it made the horse stir, taking a step or two forward before her Papa's hand stilled it.
"Don't go running off yet. I'll lead you around," her father explained, laughing at her eagerness. Her hands released the grip as she signed her impatience and her frustration at this news. The girl started to slip again but this time when her father re-positioned her, he gave her instructions. "Hold onto the horse with your legs as well so that you don't all off even if you let go of the grip. Try to squeeze the tops of your legs together. They won't come together but you grip the horse." Waisana did as he said, pressing her legs tightly around the horse's body. The first thing she realised was that it hurt a little. It'd probably leave her very sore if she did it for awhile but if it meant that she wouldn't fall off and look silly then she'd do it.
Little face screwed up in concentration, she tried to do everything that she'd learned at once. Her legs held on tightly, her back was forced to be straighter, her shoulders pushed back. When she was ready, she let go of the grip, closing her eyes so that she wouldn't see everything blur past when she fell off. But she didn't move. She grinned at discovering that she could stay on the horse all by herself. Her mother smiled back at her. Her father's hand was at the horse's neck and he did something that Waisana didn't see properly and the horse started to move. Its movement was slow, only a walk but her hands scrabbled for the grip, her new found confidence gone up in smoke. It wasn't as easy to stay on a moving horse without the use of her hands.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the back of the horse's neck as she was led around, body trembling slightly at the effort of keeping this new posture up. She knew that she had to get better at it and that if she did then she would get her own beast like her siblings. When the season changed, she might even be able to ride to the new location of the tent city but she'd have to get very good and convince her Mama and Papa that she could do it. That meant that she'd have to learn to move the horse around all by herself. Right after she got used to her father doing it first.
Waisana was very unsure about this horse thing. Looking up at the beast that towered over her, she wasn't sure that she wanted to be like her brothers and sisters. It was a nice horse, she thought,a mottled sort of grey but it looked like a grown up's animal. It seemed like a wonderful and grown up thing to be on a horse but they were still very big. It wasn't something that had ever crossed her mind before. Horses had always been there but hadn't been so huge before, had they? This horse was a little horse though beside Mama and Papa's ones but it was still taller than the little girl. She didn't even know how she was supposed to get onto it. There was a bright white cloth with gold knot work embroidered around its edge tat served as a more comfortable seat than the horse's bare back had the yvas had been put on the creature already. The grip was just visible from her perspective but there was nothing to help her up at all.
She turned to her father, little face puckered up on the verge of tears. "How do I get up, Papa?" she asked, her hands signing confusion and frustration. Her lip trembled as she looked up at the figure of her father with his bright moustache and elaborate hair. Warm, rough hands grabbed her at the waist propelling her upwards and plonked her onto the beast's back. The landing sent air gusting out of her lungs but she was no worse off than she'd been before. One of father's hands supported her on the horse's back so that she wouldn't fall off while the other guided her small hands to the grip. She held it tightly as the supporting hand gradually moved away, allowing her to sit on the horse herself. The girl readjusted herself on the seat, bouncing a bit and began to feel herself sliding off.
The youngster almost threw herself off on her panic to stay on but her father's hands were back, straightening her again. "Straight, Waisana. Sit straight," he told her, indicating the vertical position with his hand. The girl tried to fix her slumped posture but she wasn't sure that she knew how to do it right. Fingers positioned her the right way and a hand signal showed that she should remain that way. Being on a horse herself was much harder than sitting on one in front of her mother. There was no one to lean back against, no support behind her.
Her arms stuck straight out in front of her, hands clenched around the grip that was becoming sweaty under her little fingers. Her shoulders were held back and her head was tossed proudly in the air. She knew that she must look just like her older sister, Poria, now but yet her parents seemed to find the sight very funny. Her mother looked pleased though and the girl flashed her a toothy smile. Now that she was up here, she'd changed her mind about riding and she wanted to show off. Her feet slapped enthusiastically against the beast's flanks, the flesh she hit hard and unyielding. Yet it made the horse stir, taking a step or two forward before her Papa's hand stilled it.
"Don't go running off yet. I'll lead you around," her father explained, laughing at her eagerness. Her hands released the grip as she signed her impatience and her frustration at this news. The girl started to slip again but this time when her father re-positioned her, he gave her instructions. "Hold onto the horse with your legs as well so that you don't all off even if you let go of the grip. Try to squeeze the tops of your legs together. They won't come together but you grip the horse." Waisana did as he said, pressing her legs tightly around the horse's body. The first thing she realised was that it hurt a little. It'd probably leave her very sore if she did it for awhile but if it meant that she wouldn't fall off and look silly then she'd do it.
Little face screwed up in concentration, she tried to do everything that she'd learned at once. Her legs held on tightly, her back was forced to be straighter, her shoulders pushed back. When she was ready, she let go of the grip, closing her eyes so that she wouldn't see everything blur past when she fell off. But she didn't move. She grinned at discovering that she could stay on the horse all by herself. Her mother smiled back at her. Her father's hand was at the horse's neck and he did something that Waisana didn't see properly and the horse started to move. Its movement was slow, only a walk but her hands scrabbled for the grip, her new found confidence gone up in smoke. It wasn't as easy to stay on a moving horse without the use of her hands.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the back of the horse's neck as she was led around, body trembling slightly at the effort of keeping this new posture up. She knew that she had to get better at it and that if she did then she would get her own beast like her siblings. When the season changed, she might even be able to ride to the new location of the tent city but she'd have to get very good and convince her Mama and Papa that she could do it. That meant that she'd have to learn to move the horse around all by herself. Right after she got used to her father doing it first.
