Solo Horse Time

[Merevaika]

76th Fall 515
Today was a day for Eryunt. Yesterday, Merevaika had bought some barley, Eryunt's favourite grain, and today, she woke extra early, well before the sun rose, and filled the cooking pot with it, covering it with water. The fire from last night was gone, but there was enough tinder there to not need to fetch anymore. The day before, she had taken a piece of mushroom and set fire to it, before blowing it out so it was gently smoldering. This she had wrapped in bark and moss, letting the fire sleep as she did. Today, it would be put to use straight away.

She slowly unwrapped it, glad to see the mushroom smoldering, and placed it gently in the remains of the fire, blowing lightly to help it grow. The fire trickled out, spreading to the smallest pieces of already burnt embers to the larger wood that hadn't completely burnt. She gathered up a few stones from around, placing them at the edge of the fire to heat, before hanging up the barely to cook, and the water to boil.

The drykas stifled a yawn, crouching beside the fire and waiting patiently for the rocks to heat. Once they had, they joined the barely in the cooking pot. She wrapped her hands in moss and carefully picked them up and dropped them in, hand moving away from the splash of hot water. It was starting to boil, and the barley slowly swelled with the water.

The next thing Merevaika knew was Mika clambering over her face, licking each eyelid with a rough, slobbery tongue. She pushed him away, signing no, and he backed off. Merevaika smiled, examining the pup. He no longer had the majority of puppy features, looking just like a smaller version of Denviel, although with a little more fat and a darker coat. His blue eyes were bright, and his tongue was hanging out, panting as if somehow tired.

Merevaika realized that she had fallen asleep cooking barely, and now at least two bells must have passed. She threw some water onto the fire, the hiss satisfying, before grabbing the barely, nicely boiled. Spooning some out for herself, she left the majority for Eryunt, who was standing patiently beside the tent. She heaved the rest of the cooking pot over, draining the water, and placing it by the horse, who instantly took a large bite, swallowing quickly.

The drykas ate her own breakfast quickly, the taste bland but filling. Mika barked at her, and she scratched him behind the ears, shaking her head. "I don't know if dogs can eat barely. You'll get some meat later," she explained, and Mika tilted his head, eyes wide. She gave into the begging, finding some old rolls of meat and feeding them to him. He scoffed them up greedily, and the other dogs, spotting that he was being fed, ran over, and Merevaika had to reluctantly feed them too.

[Merevaika]

Once finally getting the pack of dogs to stop begging for more food, Merevaika quickly hurried to the market, spotting a store that sold horse goods. She pointed to the animal grooming kit, and the merchant, an old woman, nodded, handing it over. "10 gold mizas. Want to get your mare looking pretty?"

Merevaika scoffed, handing the money over, "Eryunt isn't a mare. And no, I don't want him pretty, I want him happy." The woman made a strange sound, tutting, and shaking her head.

"I bet you aren't even married," she sighed, snarling a little, the wrinkled skin twisting with the expression.

Merevaika didn't reply, turning away without an answer. No, she wasn't married, and no, she didn't want to be. Besides, who would take a girl with nothing? No valatia, no pavilion and barely no possessions. She had everything she wanted and needed, and a husband wasn't one of those things.

Eryunt had finished the meal, the cooking pot kicked over, and he was chewing on more grass. Merevaika smiled, approaching him with open arms. He seemed to always be eating, chewing on something, whatever it was. She pulled him away from the tent to stand clear from distractions. "Eryunt, please don't walk away. I'm going to groom you, okay?" The horse's ears flickered towards her, and he snorted.

Merevaika picked out the first tool, the hoof pick. She went over to Eryunt's front left leg, squeezing the tendon so Eryunt would lift his leg. She took it in her hand, examining the hoof. It was filthy, mud, poo and stones stuck in it. Those stones would make it uncomfortable, and could possibly make the horse go lame, which couldn't happen, not to Eryunt. Lame horses were put down and she couldn't loose her horse.

The tool was different to the sticks she usually used for this job, sharp and curved, so it slotted nicely at the base of her fingers. Starting from the heel, she slowly picked out the stones and dirt, sending them flying to the floor. Around the frog, she was extra careful, knowing how sensitive it was. Damage to it could seriously hurt the horse.

The other hooves were in a similar state as the first one. She worked carefully, preferring to take her time and be slow than injure Eryunt in the process. That was the whole point of picking the hooves - not to injure the horse. But scraping with a sharp implement at their hooves could injure them just as much if you weren't careful.

[Merevaika]

The next step was to brush him over using the curry comb. She held it securely, starting from the neck and moving down in small circular movements which freed the mud and pulled out loose hairs. Eryunt shook his head, constantly moving it up and down, and she scratched him gently behind the ear, relaxing him. She avoided the legs and other sensitive bony areas, not wanting to hurt him.

Then she took the dandy brush, with long soft hair, and, once again starting from the neck, began to flick off the hair and dirt that had been disturbed by the curry comb. She followed the direction of the hair, watching as the dust flew up in little clouds. This time, she did the legs, brushing lightly to removed the dirt. The stomach was another sensitive area which she paid attention to, holding on hand on his back to comfort him.

Merevaika made sure that the area where the yvas sat was exceptionally clean, as dirt there could rub against his skin and discomfort him, flicking it away with hard, strong strokes. It was weird using brand new brushes, as usually she borrowed them from others. She groomed Eryunt almost everyday, always around riding, but occasionally, she took a day off to groom him properly and thoroughly, despite not planning to ride him.

It was on these days she paid extra attention to his condition and treated him according to it. When brushing, she ran her hands over him, checking for cuts or other signs of injury. She grabbed the soft brush, the softest brush of all, and brushed carefully everywhere, first around his delicate face, cleaning the dust off, then his legs then the rest of his body. She used small flicks, similar to the ones with the dandy brush, giving his coat the natural shine it needed. She rarely used soft brushes, usually doing the job with just a curry comb and dandy brush. Today was a grooming day, so she did.

Once satisfied with both that he wasn't injured and with the condition of his coat, she took a wet rag, wiping his eyes and nose to clean them properly. He shook his head occasionally, and Merevaika had to keep moving to finish his face. Eryunt snorted, but let her, enjoying the treatment.

Once done with his face and body, she pulled out the comb, beginning to comb his hair. It was thickly knotted, and she had to tug at it carefully, trying to untangle it while not hurting the horse. Through hard work and determination, she managed to untangle the small section of the mane she was working with. Her relief changed to annoyance when she released how much more of the mane there was to comb, as well as the tail.

She continued diligently, singing an old song to Eryunt as she did. It calmed him, and he slowly bobbed his head to the beat of the song.

"I once had a horse,

He was brave and strong,

But it didn't last long

Because I found you

I once had a horse,

She was sweet and kind

It didn't last a long time

Because I found you."

The comb slipped through the mane easily, showing that she was done. The horsewoman moved to the tail, combing it in the same fashion as she did with the mane.

"Eryunt, my strider,

You are brave and strong

You are sweet and kind

You are my horse and I am yours."

She smiled with those words, moving round to his neck and hugging it tight, smiling happpily at the though that they had each other.

"You are my horse, and I am yours, forever," she whispered gently, before moving back to her combing. She would get this tail tangle free, even if it took all day!

[Merevaika]

The tail didn't take as long as Merevaika expected, and it was short time before Eryunt was ready to take a bath. She filled up a bucket with water, soaking a sponge in it, before slowly rubbing him down, wiping until his coat was glossy and wet. Eryunt shook, a little water flicking off, but he seemed to not mind it, chewing gently.

Then, she took the shampoo that had come in the grooming kit, squeezing a small amount onto the wet sponge. With small circular movements, she worked it in, working section by section. It had a light fragrance to it, a scent she couldn't name, but was pleasant, reminding her of the city and the horses.

Removing the shampoo was simple too : first, she rinsed the sponge out so it was just damp, with no soap residue, before wiping off the soap suds. Once she was fairly happy with it, she picked up the bucket, pouring it slowly over Eryunt, who shifted away from it slightly, before relaxing with the cool water.

To dry him, she used a large piece of cloth she had borrowed from a neighbour, wiping him with it thoroughly, before letting the rest dry naturally.

The tail was the last thing to be washed. Taking care not to stand directly behind the horse, Merevaika stood by his room, leaning over to the tail. She took another bucket of water, added shampoo and held it up to be level with his dock. Merevaika lifted his tail with the other hand, dipping it into the bucket and swishing it around, using her fingers to squeeze off the dirt.

Once clean, Merevaika took the bucket away and poured the dirty water onto the ground, soaking it up fairly well. She refilled it again, glad that she had moved close to the Zeis river a few days before. It meant an easy water source, perfect for this.

She dipped the tail into the clean water, squeezing excess shampoo off, before rubbing it off lightly and letting the sun do its work. Eryunt was clean and shiny, the magnificent horse he was. Merevaika smiled at her work. It was good to have a horse.

[Tribal]

G R A D E S

Merevaika

Experience

• Cooking: 1
• Animal Husbandry: 2
• Socialisation: 1
• Grooming: 3
• Endurance: 1
• Singing: 1
• Observation: 2

Lore

• Wilderness Survival: Protecting your hands from heat with moss
• Merevaika: Dogs, like humans, should not eat old meat
• Eryunt: Is not a mare
• Merevaika: Doesn't want a husband
• Grooming: Picking out a horses hoof
• Grooming: Brushing dirt from a horses coat
• Grooming: Washing a horse

Rewards

-10 GM
+ 1 Grooming Kit

Notes

Heya, Merevaika! Sweet little thread. A few tips to help you get the most points next time! For observation make sure Mere is actively observing, hearing, noticing things around her. The difference between animal husbandry and horsemanship: Horsemanship is training the horse, whereas animal husbandry is caring for the animal (raising, healing, etc). Hope this helps! Enjoy the rewards!