Beautiful Horses

[Merevaika]

Merevaika

27th Fall 516

Something twitched in the brambles. The huntress narrowed her eyes, pulling the cloak tighter around her. She didn't want to concern herself with small game. This time, she was searching for something bigger. Something better. The pronghorn grazing to her south, to be precise. No other hunter could have made this hunt, not like this. After all, it was too open from any other direction to sneak up, apart from this one, with the sheltered glen, obscured from view by the bushes and small trees that called it home. The wind, with any other hunter, would have betrayed their position, strong, guiding their scent towards the pronghorn, who were nervy simply because of Zulrav's breath on them. But she wasn't any other hunter. She was scentless, and Eryunt was a horse. His smell didn't both them.

Another rustle came, distracting her from her prey. She turned her head sharply, bringing bow with it. If that thing didn't shut up... She would hate to waste an arrow, but she needed focus. One false move would startle the pronghorn, and her wait would be in vain.

It rustled again, a snake slipping out. In a blur, Merevaikak tried to shoot at the same time that Eryunt reared, the Drykas slipping and stumbling to regain hold of the yvas. While her Strider bound out of the glen, turning and snorting at where they had seen snake, Merevaika grappled with her yvas, dropping her bow and struggling to heave herself back up. When he finally calmed, calmed enough, anyway, she could return to her seat, weaponless and out of breath.

"It's okay, Eryunt," she soothed, rubbing his shoulder firmly as she gestured him closer to regain her bow, "It's okay." The snake was still there, hissing at something else, and Eryunt managed to go close enough to let her swoop down, holding onto him with her legs as she snatched up the bow. Thanking him with some scratching, she turned him away from the glen, adjusting her cloak and looking sadly towards the place where her prey had fled from. What a waste. Clicking her tongue, she brought Eryunt round the glen, deciding to turn in for the day. It was a waste anyway.

Sighing at her bad luck, she shifted the cloak off her, swinging it around her shoulders and letting it drape across Eryunt, relaxing into position. Not everyday could be a victory. Not everyday.

[Merevaika]

Merevaika

It was twilight when she saw her. They were coming up a larger hill, Eryunt content with a gentle walk, with Syna at their back staining the sky with streaks of purple and orange. The Strider was below them: alone, looking up at the sky and waiting, tail shifting in the breeze and head bobbing lightly. Standing tall, strong, nothing would move her.

Peaking with curiosity, horse and rider made their way towards the beautiful mare before them, who turned her ears towards them, but didn't move. As they closed in, little reminders of civilisation drew in - her mane was braided, plaited with a dirty white ribbon, her coat was still brushed from her last grooming sessions. Yet the wild clung to her, in the form of scratches across her back, gashes and dried blood that ran from them. She was tense, visibly, but still had an beauty about her that made her appear so peaceful.

She didn't move at their arrival, perhaps knowing that they meant her no harm, perhaps feeling that she couldn't do anything. There was no need for her to worry. This was a Drykas and a Strider, neither of which would hurt a horse like her. Tenderly, Merevaika reached out a hand towards her, while Eryunt snorted on her nose, greeting her in his own way. The mare flinched a little at her touch, but let the woman stroke her shoulders and back, carefully avoiding the injured spots. They were deep, she could tell that easily, and still fairly new. They were open, only just at the cusp of healing, and as Merevaika pressed them lightly, the Strider was almost calling out with pain. Immediately feeling sorry for the discomfort she had caused, Merevaika pulled Eryunt back, giving her some space.

A travesty had happened here and Merevaika hated the sight of it. It reminded her of too many injured horses, too many injured people. This Strider was alone, injured and from the way she stared into the distance, empty look in her eyes, she had lost someone close to her.
And for a Strider, there was only one person she could have lost to make her seem like that.

Her rider, and that was even more horrifying.

Without even noticing it, Merevaika pressed herself tight against Eryunt, draping her arm around his neck and her nose buried into his mane. Holding him close, she smelled his smell and felt his heat and wondered if they would ever be separated. Never.

The two needed each other more than they needed themselves, and if one were to leave the other too early... Merevaika couldn't bear thinking of it, glancing back up towards the Strider who had lost her other half. She couldn't leave the horse alone, not in this state. She wouldn't last very long, her injuries would get infected, her lost state would make her easy prey. Gently, she reached out again, moving her hand towards the Strider's mane. The horse barely moved with the touch, and Merevaika spoke gently, hoping to make this easy.

"Let's go, beautiful," she said softly, pressing her neck again and pulling Eryunt round to take a step, "Let's take you home, please."

With a little more pushing and words, she managed to get some sort of response from the horse, but all it was was a disgruntled stomp and snort. "Come on," Merevaika said again, a little more sharply, a little less patient. As much as she wanted to help this horse, she couldn't do it in the open. It was getting dark. Getting dangerous.

With a mare who didn't know who she was anymore, Merevaika knew that she wanted to get them all home soon.

[Merevaika]

Merevaika

Maybe it was a good idea to get Eryunt moving, towards the city, and hope the Strider had a sense of the herd, and would follow. Clicking her tongue, she pressed her leg into Eryunt's right side, getting him to turn sharply towards the outline of tents in the distance. Urging him forward with another click, the pair entered a light trot, Merevaika trying not to turn too obviously as she kept an eye on the other horse.

She wasn't following, still staring into the distance although she had watched them leave.

Then something flashed above her head, a dark bird in an eager swoop to some unsuspecting creature that lay in the grasses near by. An owl or something - Merevaika paid it a little attention, but the mare obviously thought it was something a lot worse.

Rising on her rear legs, she kicked up towards the sky, letting out a frightened squeal and pounding the ground. In a fluster, she began to dart, forward one way, then the other, calling out desperately for her rider. She began to bolt sharply in one direction, and Merevaika seized her chance, leaning forward sharply as Eryunt sprang forward. They ran, Merevaika rising and falling in her seat to match his steps as they drew closer to the startled mare, moving in to ride beside her.

"Don't be scared," she said as softly as she could over the noise of the hooves pounding against the dirt, "We're here. We're here." Reaching out, she brushed her fingers over the mane of the horse, who moved away a little startled. Bringing her arm back instantly, she pulled Eryunt around, forcing him towards the other horse which in turn forced her away from them, curving back in the direction of the city.

The mare kept running, still startled from the owl, and with a horse beside her, didn't see a reason to stop. Slowly, they began to approach the city, Merevaika shifting slightly to give the Strider space as they drew in to the tents on the outskirts. Hers was out here somewhere. She just had to figure out where exactly, and they would be on their way.

That, and figure out how to get the horse moving again, considering she had stopped and was staring into the distance like she had been before. Her yvas was missing, which was irritating. That would have been the perfect way to lead her. Simply a hand wouldn't do, she had seen that. So what? Merevaika clicked her teeth, trying to get the horse's attention. Nothing there either.

Searching Eryunt's yvas bags, she settled on a piece of rope. It wasn't the most refined way to go, but it was good enough. Dismounting from Eryunt, she approached the mare gently, speaking softly as she lifted the rope and slung it over her back. So far, so good. She pulled it forward softly, careful to not have it scrape across the cuts, before linking it in the front.

The horse stared at her impassively, knowing what she was doing, and not caring. She was anchored in one spot and her mind was too occupied to even think about this Drykas.

Moving one end over the other, she crossed them again, pulling the knot out a little so it wasn't too tight around the horse's neck. Once it was nice and secure, she gave a short tug, letting the mare feel the rope, before stepping forward. And again. Then stopping, because she couldn't drag a horse anywhere.

"Come on!" she shouted at last, realising her tugging was going nowhere, "Just come! I'll give you food, I'll heal your cuts, I'll keep you safe. Just come one!"

A nearby Drykas looked up from his work, giving a smirk at the woman who was trying to make a Strider do something she didn't want. Merevaika shot him a deathly stare back, warning him not to. She had this under control. Because while she couldn't pull a horse, another horse certainly could try.

Mounting Eryunt again, she finally got the mare to take a step forward. Then another. Then another - and then she remembered the power of treats and held out a handful of oats she always carried for her own horse.

The horse took a mouthful, then another step. Then a second. A third.

Slowly, one step at a time, they managed to get home.

[Merevaika]

Merevaika

With the mare safely behind at her tent, and fairly peaceful too (after an initial shock at Beast's presence), Merevaika herself was hurrying through the city of Endrykas, the shadow dog at her heel and Eryunt back home keeping the mare company. Reassurance, or something like that.

The woman herself had no idea where she was heading, but she had a few things in mind. Some sort of healing salve, to begin with, so she could use that on her injuries. Or a healer, but that would be expensive. Possibly an extra blanket, but that too wouldn't be cheap. And information - that was the most important part.

Reaching the busiest part of the city, for late at night, she was faced by a group of Drykas who had just returned from a hunt, horses weary from the ride. Without any greeting or congratulations for the kill they carried, she went straight to busy, sticking to words so signs wouldn't be lost in the darkness. "You know any Drykas who's gone missing? Dead? From a Zith attack?" It had to be a Zith attack - why else would an owl have startled the mare so much. "They were bonded to a beautiful mare."

The group looked at her a little confused, before one piped up, gesturing vaguely in one direction. "I know Zita lost her husband. In the attacks, yesterday. He had been out, hunting, and he still hasn't returned. His Strider was a mare, right?" A few around him nodded, although hesitantly, and the Drykas woman marched off, paying little attention to them anymore. Not even a thanks came from her, already searching for the woman named Zita.

A few more helpful points later, and she arrived at a pavilion in which a woman sat hunched over a pot of stew, not eating and generally not doing anything.

Kinda like the Strider, which made Merevaika realise she had come to the right place. "Are you Zita?" she asked, not caring about manners and disturbing someone grieving. The woman looked up sharply, tears in her eyes, and shook her head. So this wasn't the right place? There had to be two places really close with grieving wives, then.

"She's in the tent." Or maybe not. Another wife. A sister. Even a mother - it was hard to tell. But she was grieving for the same person, and that was what mattered.

"I think I found his Strider," she finally said, deciding to not bother with Zita, "Do you want to come see her?"

The woman looked up expectantly, before nodding. They moved through the city of tents quickly, pushed more by the woman's sorrow than anything else. Once they finally arrived at Merevaika's own camp, small and sporting two beautiful Striders, the woman gave a shriek of joy and bounced forward, trying to envelop the horse in a hug.

She shrunk back, not ready for the sudden movement, the noise, the closeness. With a sharp kick, she managed to strike the woman lightly, and she topped back, more hurt emotionally than physically. "She's not okay. She's not okay at all..." she trailed off, "Can you help her?"

Finally.

Helping this Strider wasn't just going to be out of the kindness of her heart.

"I'll need money. But yes, yes I can."

[Merevaika]

Merevaika

She had agreed, thankfully. She hadn't even protested too much, thinking Merevaika was just any other healer and horse trainer and would take a normal amount of money.

That had been a stupid idea.

It wasn't that Merevaika wasn't going to help the Strider - Zinnia that was her name, according to the unnamed woman - it was just that she was going to ask for a little more than necessary to help the horse.

"I'll need five gold mizas to start with. For things for her back. To get that treated up."

It hadn't taken long for her to cough up the coins, then for Merevaika to shoo her away. A bottle of vyfox water and krolar paste was the cheapest, because she wasn't going to spend a lot on that other poultice that had been offered to her from the tired workers in the River Flower.

Then her attention all returned on Zinnia, and she wondered what life was like for the horse after her riders death. Did Striders bond again? She knew the Drykas could, once they had healed from their scars. Azmere had - and quickly too, much quicker than she could ever see herself doing if for some reason Eryunt was taken from her.

No. She wasn't going to think of that. She was helping the horse.

Carefully, she approached, not sure how this went on an animal. "Hey, Zinnia," she whispered, noticing how the name gave a better response. That was good - maybe tomorrow, when she tried to work with her a little more than just healing, she'd actually get somewhere. "Zinnia, this might sting, but it's for your own good."

So she didn't run again, Merevaika placed the loop of rope over her head again, before securing the other end on the ground. It wasn't going to do much, but at least it was three.

First, she doused a piece of cloth in water, deciding to clear the blood and mud before she cleaned the cuts more thoroughly. Lightly holding her hand over her back, she started slowly, avoiding the cuts and focusing on bringing the wet cloth across the dirt on the fur instead. The movements were taken well, the horse seeming to relax a little. Her ears dropped and her tail relaxed, her whole body melting under her fingers.

Maybe helping Zinnia recover wasn't going to be too hard.

With most of the mud gone, she tried again with the vyfox water. Lightly, she began to streak a little bit across a cut....

Zinnia bounced up, kicking out just as Merevaika flung herself back, aware that she hadn't found it pleasant.

But it was for her own benefit!

"Zinnia, keep still!" she warned, before snatching another handful of oats. Reaching one hand of them out, she waited until the horse leaned forward to eat.. With her other hand, she rubbed the gashes with vyfox water, until the horse decided oats weren't worth it.

That was probably about all she could manage. Was it worth trying the paste?

Looking up at Eryunt, she called to him with her hands, asking him for help. The Strider stepped forward, speaking softly to the mare in his own talk. Her eyes flew to him, and as they did, Merevaika pounced again, managing to smear a large chunk before she had to dart back again. She wasn't going to get anywhere with this. "Zinnia, please!" she cried again, "You're not going to heal properly if you don't. You won't be able to wear a yvas, you won't be able to be ridden-"

But maybe that was what she wanted. Maybe she didn't want to be ridden, because the only person she wanted to ride her was gone.

Merevaika clutched the paste, wondering if she was doing the right thing. Was it worth the pain?

Getting another large dollop on her fingers, she decided she wasn't going to stop.
Not until she had covered all the cuts, even if it took all night with crazy tricks and distractions.
Not until she had helped this Strider however much she could.

[Shaqira]

G R A D E

xp

Hunting +1
Riding: Horse +2
Horsemanship +3
Tactics +1
Intelligence +1
Investigation +1
Intimidation +1
Herbalism +2
Acrobatics +1

lores

Horsemanship: Snakes spook horses
Riding: Regaining control of a spooked horse
Not every day can be a victory
Tactics: Using the resources you have
Intimidation: With a glare
Intelligence: Putting the pieces together to understand
Investigation: Seeking Zita who lost a husband
Merevaika: Dreads the day she may lose Eryunt
Herbalism: Vyfox is an antiseptic & coagulant
Herbalism: Treat open wounds with vyfox water
Herbalism: Apply Krolar paste to open wounds
Horsemanship: Treating a horse’s wounds
Philosophy: Medical ethics – will treatment pain be worth it
Acrobatics: Dodging a kicking horse
Zinnia: Wounded strider mare who lost her bonded Drykas rider
Merevaika: Will work through the night to heal Zinnia


notes

Such a heart-warming read! *sniffle* As this was a job thread I was unsure if you were hoping for the Strider mare to be awarded, but, if so I would apply to Meadow for it.

If you feel I missed anything shoot me a PM.
Don't forget to edit your grade request here -