Solo Walking And Talking.

[Archailist]

24th of Summer, 514.

Continued from here.

Over 20 days seemed like a long time between training sessions, but with all the confusion of the Shield Games to go through, there had been very few moments that the squire could truly sit down and take some time to relax. Today would not be one of those days, though - because although he was indeed sitting, he wasn't going to be very comfortable at all for the duration of it. Ser Iros had demanded on the morning that they go out and begin riding again. The squirrel had always loathed riding on dog-back and his attitude had not changed during the long time spent thankfully away from it. But, he needed to do it, whether he actually liked it or not. And the thought merely annoyed him even more - the fact that he had to do it. That every knight had to learn how to ride a horse, so that they could get around quickly. What happened if they could get around on their own two feet better than sitting on the backside of a beast of burden? Even though Xarex never came close to such a thing, it always felt degrading and rather humiliating to have to ride on the back of a dog.

Not that he had to for any other reason than Ser Iros continuously commanded it. "Come on, let's get out of this place before the traffic picks up." As usual, the knight sat incredibly high on the back of the destrier - and the squirrels neck was getting sore from having to constantly look up just to talk to the patron after barely a few chimes. But, after saddling up Xarex and giving him a gentle squeeze around the midsection, they were wandering off, side-by-side, down the various different alleys of stalls in the Windmount Stables. "Today, we'll take part of the North Kabrin Road down to the Mithryn Outpost. We'll patrol briefly around there and then we'll head back again. It's the duty of a knight to patrol his city, otherwise he won't be able to protect it from the dangers that intend to harm it." Yet another lecture that the squirrel could not escape - he could only sit there and listen as the knight rambled about the same things that, time and time again, had ben drilled into the squirrels head. Soon enough he'd be able to recite it from memory - and he could only guess that this was exactly what Ser Iros had intended in the first place.

He'd not even noticed that amongst his boredom, he'd let his reins slip just a little and the dog was now moving off-course. "Arch, keep a tight grip on those reins! Keep them close to your chest while you ride, so that you can move them quickly should you need to. Now, come on. Follow me." The squirrel squeezed a little around the dogs midsection a second time, and tugged on the left side of the reigns to steer Xarex back towards Ser Iros. Directing the dog was maddeningly complicated because they had been trained to work with young children as well as Pycons. He had to constantly squeeze down with his knees if he wanted the dog to move forwards quickly, and even then, he had to also steer with the reigns. And this, he'd only learned from painstaking trial and error.

It became even worse when he had to try and go any faster. Thankfully they were moving at a pretty slow pace for now, and that meant that the squirrel could take it pretty slow. He just needed to make sure that he kept the dog moving in the right direction. Unfortunately, sometimes he spent too much time looking at where he wanted to go, rather than where he was actually going. This was one of those occasions - because rather than walking beside the knight, he was walking right underneath. It was only when he could feel the shadows descending on him that he turned back and saw those massive feet so close to crushing the pair of them that he squeezed down tight and nearly crushed Xarex beneath him - at the same time, tugging the reigns firmly to the right. Xarex literally sprung into action with a yelp and leaped right out from underneath the horse.. and nearly slammed right into the nearest stall head-first. Instead, they just hit it with the side. And unfortunately, it didn't go unnoticed by Ser Iros.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

He didn't look pleased in the slightest. "If you can't walk in a straight line then how are you going to ride into battle, should you need to?" He had a pretty good answer for that - he wouldn't ride into battle at all. If he needed to get somewhere far away, he'd ride on the back of someone else, and when the battle came, he'd run in. Even a dog wouldn't elevate the Pycon high enough to launch any attacks against someone else who rode a horse - in the end, all it really did was mean that the squirrel would have trouble avoiding those giant feet if he wasn't on the floor, using his own two paws to jump out of the way. He couldn't say any of those things to the Akalak though, because he knew the man wouldn't care - he wouldn't even listen to it. He was convinced that the squirrel would be learning how to ride for a good cause, even though he couldn't say what that cause was. It was maddening, in itself.

Soon, he had to set his thoughts aside on riding, in order to focus on.. riding. They were nearing the exit of the stables and therefore, they'd need to move quickly between the traffic if they were going to make it out and onto the road at all. Being on horseback was bad enough for pushing through crowds. In Nyka, people had the decency to move aside when a horse needed to pass because there simply weren't that many of them. But in Syliras, everyone and their squirrel had a dog to get around, and it meant that the general population wouldn't be all too swift to get a move on when they saw one coming their way. The armour occasionally helped but that was for knights who wore any armour at all. The squirrel, as usual, was naked as he needed no clothes to cover clay, and no sign to show his place. Therefore, they would have absolutely no reason to make way for him. He'd have to push through them all, on the back of a damn dog. "When we get outside, stay close to me. I'll clear a way, and you'll ride behind. Just don't get too close. You don't want to get a kick." Just another reason why he didn't like riding. The animals they rode on were too dangerous anyway.

But, one thing Iros proved himself very good at, was clearing crowds. As soon as they stepped out of the stables and pulled on their reins gently, to draw their mounts to a stop - they were confronted by a sheer mass of people and traffic moving in all directions. Arch had barely made it out of the gate before a heavy set of horses, interconnected apparently, all marched off at the hands of several stable-boys without even a glance down to where they were going. Nearby was a heavy wagon they must have all been dragging - and indeed, the thing seemed to be packed to the brim with different merchandise. Must have been closed to collapsing under its own weight too. There were more scattered around the streets but the Akalak ignored them all and begun marching his horse straight through the middle of traffic. Whether it was his sheer size or rather odd look, he couldn't tell - but people moved aside for his yelling.

"Come on, step aside now. Moving through. Hey, get that cart out of the way! Careful!" His loud voice was a beacon that drew the Pycon into close step behind. Although he was still wary of those giant legs - after all, not only could the Pycon spook them quite easily and coax a kick that could send him across the city with one good smack, but he also ran the risk of being stepped on, at any moment. The horses, amongst the carts and other dangerous things, were all so massive.. they sometimes forgot how big they were themselves. Because all-too-often, they nearly stepped on, sat on, or otherwise nearly seriously injured or killed many things under their giant bodies without intending to. At that moment, he couldn't be sure if anyone truly kept an eye on the squirrels place.. even his own patron knight. Having to keep concentration split between the roads and the various people wandering left and right, and also watching the tiny dog following at the heels of the massive destrier he was upon, would be too hard a task to commit to.

"Come on, move up faster, Arch. Move up beside me." Now that was out of the question. To either side, he could see various people moving off about their own business with very few glances to the Pycon that wandered about at a behemoth's feet. They'd end up looking at the Akalak consistently, but not the Pycon down below. But then again, he also couldn't disobey the knight...

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

Unfortunately, the squire wasn't much of a rider. He knew how to ride slowly.. and he knew, now, how to make the squirrel break out into a full burst of speed that would likely throw the squirrel straight off Xarex's back. However, finding a balance between the two was still nigh-impossible. He tried to give a gentle nudge to the dog but it just made him lurch forwards suddenly, until the squirrel could pull back in the reins and try to slow the dog down again. But, he felt like he could do it. All he needed to do was swerve out alongside the horse, give Xarex a bit of free control, and then pull him back to the steady pace afterwards. It wouldn't exactly be a smooth transition but it'd be a way to keep the knight happy and it'd most likely end up with the squirrel remaining on his dog, as long as he could keep a good, solid grip. Every time Xarex got given free control, after all, he ended up putting all of his speed first and worrying about everything else later.

Just as he did that moment. As soon as the squirrel tugged on the left side of the reins and brought the dog around to the side, Xarex broke out into a full sprint that nearly launched the squirrel off his seat. Thankfully, his legs took most of the weight and the rest was held in the reins. It wasn't a very stable position but it could work for the run. And what a run.. even though the dog was small, at full sprint it was rapidly catching up with the trotting horse and nearly passing it altogether. He could just about hear the voice of his patron over the rushing wind behind him. "Hey, slow down there, we're still in a crowded area!" He just needed to get a little further, before slowing. That was it. But then, of course, something bad had to happen. Except, it wasn't just one thing - it was two, almost simultaneously.

The first was that his patron knocked on the horses side, and brought it up into a faster trot to keep up with the dog. He couldn't believe it - they were supposed to be slowing down, and yet the patron thought it was a good idea to speed up? He could barely keep control of the dog at such a speed, and it should have been obvious at that point. His arse was nearly out of the seat entirely, and the only thing that held him on that horse was the vice-like grip that his knees had around the dogs middle. Even that was in danger of slipping away with every burst of speed that came from the dog. And the second bad thing.. was the person that stepped right out in the way of the dog, while hopping aside to make way for Ser Iros. There was no time to react - the guy, apparently a human with a sweep of dark brown hair, barely even saw what was coming his way, and neither could the squirrel wrestle enough control to pull away. The best he could do was tug on the reins in the hopes of bringing the dog to a stop.

It did. But too late. Both of them crashed into the mans legs and knocked him straight off his feet. Thankfully he didn't seem too badly injured, and the dog and squirrel both avoided a serious crushing by rolling onto the side and skidding over the place that the man had once stood. There were a few gasps in the small crowds as they struggled to get out of the way, and the patron immediately brought his horse to heel and turned on the spot to march back to the downed squirrel and dog. The speed at which he unsaddled himself and picked up both clay squirrel and dog by the scruffs of his neck was astonishing. Then again, from the sudden impact, the squirrel was still feeling a little bit dazed - a few stars were blocking his vision of the quite annoyed man that stood barely inches away from his face. "Apologize for your behavior." Fantastic - on top of the humiliation of losing control of his dog, he was also going to have to make a public apology for being forced to ride a dog, and then being forced to push himself beyond his abilities in the middle of a crowded street, and then failing to avoid people that stepped into his path.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

He tried to keep the anger out of his voice while he apologized to the man, regardless. "I'm sorry." His face softened - and he looked quite satisfied. However, that didn't stop the patron knight for hauling both Pycon and dog up onto his own horse, and setting one in either saddle-bag. He couldn't believe it. He was really being treated like some damn common pet by the patron knight - after all, the entire accident was his fault. If the squirrel had been allowed to run on his own two paws, instead of using a damn horse, he could have easily kept up wit the destrier. He could have easily skipped through the traffic of the streets and controlled his speed. And most important of all, he could have easily hopped out of the way of the uncaring civilian that thought it was a good idea to step in the way of a damn riding dog at full sprint. The man didn't even deserve an apology - he deserved a smack around the head and a stern reminder to watch where he was walking. But enough about all that nonsense. There'd be time to brood later.

The saddle-bag wasn't exactly well-ventilated, and there wasn't much light inside it either. Usually he would have no trouble escaping such a crude thing, but because the whole bag rattled and wobbled under the squirrels feet, he could barely stand up in it - let alone find a way to whichever way was up. And because there was utter darkness inside, he couldn't even see where he was pushing towards. Or any of the bits he could use for leverage - all he could do was feel around and hope. And that just didn't work anyway. So, he soon succumbed and relented; he might as well just wait until they were wherever the patron was taking them both. Hopefully nowhere too damn far. He didn't want to get stuck out in the middle of the Bronze Woods - or even worse, the Cobalt Mountains - with nobody for company but the Akalak. He could hold out his own but he still didn't want to do it.

Although he didn't have to worry about that. After just long enough that the squirrel was starting to get really uncomfortable, and just before he was going to start yelling - the horse stopped and the top of the bag was opened, so tat the squirrel could be pulled out. Of course he didn't consent to any of it, and formed a sharp point out of his paw to jab the Akalak's palm when it got too close. He got the picture eventually and the squirrel was able to reform his paw and hop out of the bag by himself - and straight down a sheer drop to the floor. A quick roll just as his feet touched the floor removed nearly all of the stress though - so he was left to turn around completely unscathed, with a deep frown cresting over his muzzle and both arms folded over his chest. The Akalak stared for a few moments, before eventually getting off his horse and reaching into the other saddlebag to remove Xarex, and set him down on the floor. "Sorry, Arch. But we needed to get there quickly ad without knocking over civilians." He was still angry, but he put it aside for now. His steaming session in the bags had given him time to cool.

"Now, on Xarex. We need to work on something that you desperately need to improve. We need to work on your control of Xarex's speed, alright?" That definitely sounded like a worthwhile subject, if there ever was one to work on. So, he nodded and begun climbing onto Xarex while the man continued to talk about things that mostly passed in one ear and out of the other. Not because he wasn't interested in learning how to control his dog's speed.. but he just wasn't that interested in learning how to ride a dog in the first place. Regardless of whether or not it was an important thing to learn - and that the knights commanded it.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

"Alright. Let's start out easily. I want you to walk forwards normally." It was only about this time that the squirrel realized that they'd stopped close to the edge of the Bronze Woods - close enough that they were brushing the fringes of the forests with every step, but still not close enough to have to worry about walking into them. The North Kabrin Road was nearby as well - filled with regular merchants and explorers looking for greater views in Riverfall and other places, as well as the occasional Akalak also moving from Riverfall down to Syliras. Some, like the squirrels own patron knight, in the hopes of joining the Syliran Knights. And others for countless strange reasons that the squirrel would not pry into. All of them would be able to watch as he mounted the dog, slowly, and adjusted the reins and stirrups to make sure that his feet were secured inside. If he ended up making a bad move, he'd end up flying straight off the dog unless he could be absolutely sure that everything was slightly tighter than it should have been.

"Now, start walking slowly." That was the easy part, he guessed. All it took was a little nudge to the sides and the dog begun to walk forwards at a steady pace. With a tight grip on the reins, he could keep the dog under control pretty easily - pulling back whenever the dog got a little too fast for his liking, and maintaining an even pace with occasional nudges of his knees and tugs on the reins. Walking slowly was easy because there was plenty of time to think and then react accordingly before shifting to the next task. However, he knew it wouldn't last forever, and he was damn right on that front. "Now, loosen your hold on the reins a little. No no, don't actually loosen your grip, I mean leave a bit more slack in them. Then nudge again, and let him build up some speed. Not too much, just take it one easy step at a time." He was definitely nervous at that point but there was nobody around for him to bump into and topple, so he tried it regardless.

He gave Xarex a second nudge around the waist but kept a good grip on the reins to try and maintain control. The dog did lurch forwards but a stern pull made sure that he kept the pace even, thankfully. He was feeling quite happy with himself until he heard the patrons voice again. "No, no. Be a bit more gentle - that's why you can't find the middle-ground. You're pulling too hard or nudging too much. You need to give subtle changes to make sure that you can fine-tune the way you want him to go and how fast. Try it again - go a little faster, but this time, make it more gentle." Well, it made sense, because he was often doing things like that on his acrobatics. But with another living being between his legs, there was always a bit of apprehension. He tried it again, though - he nudged a little more, but this time kept a gentle hold on the reins when the dog pulled ahead again a little too far. He gave a light pull, and.. the dog slowed a little again. Thank goodness. He didn't realize that he was smiling until he saw the Akalak smiling as well. Riding was the one place that the two of them didn't have to think about their.. obvious differences.

He was actually getting confident enough to nudge a few more times, and with a bit of steady control, he was able to bring the dog up to a gentle trot. "That's good. Now, tug gently on the reins and turn him around - bring him back this way." Turning was the easier part of riding - all he really needed to do was push in with one leg, tug on the reins at the same time, on the same side, and there it was. Xarex wheeled around in a slow arc and eventually returned back to the Akalak. The canine felt mightily pleased of himself by this point - there was a lovely bright smile over his face, and even Xarex looked like he was smiling with the corners of his mouth pulled up around the bit, and his tongue just hanging out underneath. "Good. Now, stop him and turn around on the spot instead of making a slow turn." That was pushing it into new territory again, but he felt like he could handle it.

He gave a tug on the reins, reeling the dog to a slow stop, and then pressed with one leg and tugged with one side of the reins only. Xarex didn't turn on the spot, though - instead he walked forwards as he turned, and spun in a slow circle. It was tighter than the last time though, and soon he faced back in the opposite direction again - out towards where he'd gone before. He could tell he'd probably be going up and down the little area in short walks, so that he could practice getting his speed about right. Or at least, that's what he would have assumed - and what anyone would have assumed, for that matter.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

"Alright. Lean forwards." The squirrel leaned forwards just a little, so that his tail had a little more mobility and so that he crouched over the reins. But apparently that wasn't enough, even though he was pretty much bent over the dog completely. "Come on, press your chest up against the neck. There you go. Make sure to angle you feet so that the stirrups are horizontal. There." The knight was even going as far as to kneel down and show the squirrel how to do it, by picking one of the feet and pulling it back so that the stirrup was held with the bar high, and his foot pointed. He didn't know what any of this was supposed to do though. "Alright. That looks good. Now, I want you to try something for me. I want you to hold on really tight, and I want you to go as fast as you possibly can."

He had to stop his jaw simply falling open. That was madness - he was trying to ride it without going at full speed because every time he went at full speed, he damn fell off. And falling off was not what you usually did when you were learning how to ride! Heck, he'd run at full force when he knew how to ride at a normal speed without having to take a whole bell or two. Not just straight away - he'd barely ridden the dog at all, in truth. But before he could even open his mouth, the patron gave him a stern look and Arch knew that this was another one of those orders he shouldn't talk back at, or disobey. He'd have to push above his comfort zone if he was ever going to learn to control the dog, he supposed. It didn't make him any more comfortable doing it though - no sir. If anything, knowing that he was most likely going to push above his own weight and end up falling off was making him even more nervous.

Well, here goes..." He gave a gentle nudge to the dog, and then a firmer one as they set off and didn't end up holding back like all the other times. Soon enough, the dog got into the spirit and really begun to sprint with all of the power in his legs. But he found that pressed so tightly - with his arms pretty much looped around the dogs neck, and the saddle with stirrups holding up most of his weight, he could actually stay on. Sure, it was bumpy as heck and he couldn't even see where he was going, let alone steer as the reins were little more than grapple slots for him to keep aboard with, but he could stay on the back of the dog while sprinting. It felt pretty good.. and he had to admit, it was pretty damn fast as well. Probably a bit faster than the dog could manage, that was for certain. Still less maneuverability to it, but he could live with that.

However, he could tell that they were running in an absolute straight line. And that they were running away from the Akalak - he could hear a voice in the wind but it was getting quieter, under the wind rushing passed. He needed to turn around in order to make it back, or find a way to stop the dog before they ended up back where there were too many people and he couldn't control the dog. He tried giving a gentle nudge to one of the reins, or a push with one knee, but it didn't work - the dog was running too fast, he could barely feel any of the movements. So, once again, he tried it a little harder, and the dog felt him.. oh, he felt it. He may not have been able to turn on the spot when they were going slow, but when the dog was going fast.. he could do it in a heartbeat. And did. Arch barely had enough time to brace before the dog beneath him bucked, and seemed to somersault with the damn speed that he turned. He was sure one of the stirrups would break.

Instead, what happened was that the squirrel was launched off the dogs back as if he'd just wound up his Py-Pole to full tension. A few rolls over the ground and his body stopped.. but his mind didn't. It went around and around, with the whole world spinning as if stuck at the bottom of a waterfall. When the waters cleared, Xarex was licking on one side of his face.. and when he pushed the dog away, the Akalak was staring down at him, smiling. "That went along better than expected. You held on. Until the turn. We'll get the hang of it soon enough. That's it for today, anyway - feel free to walk Xarex back to the stables and we'll continue where we left off on another day. Arch soon sat up and rubbed the back of his head with one paw, while rubbing the dog on the muzzle with the other.

"If it's alright with you, Ser, I think I'll ride him back."

[Nightmare]

Archailist :

Skills	Amount
Riding: Dog	+5
Tactics	+1
Land Navigation	+4
Endurance	+1
Unarmed combat	+1
Acrobatics	+1

Lore

Riding: Keep reins close to one's chest

Xarex: No happy speed medium

Riding: How to control a riding dog's speed

Riding: How to make turns, slow and stopped

Riding: How to ride at full speed

An appreciation for riding

Shield Points	Amount
Training	+4
Patron	+1

Additional Comments: As always, an excellent thread. You are a great writer so keep up the good work!

Please PM me if you have any questions or concerns.