Lesson Five: Horsing Around (Alpha Winglets!)

[zeis]

I don't want any trouble today. Understand? The voice was a dire warning in the red simourv's head, more stern and forceful than usual. Admittedly, the red had not been on his best behavior recently, and K'huna had given him quite the speech not five minutes before. Don't do this, don't do that, people could get hurt. Yes. He rolled his eyes as he strutted toward the Winglet Barracks, head held high and proud. He supposed he could understand why his rider was adamant about safety. Canph didn't want to see any of the winglet's get hurt either.

The simourv ducked his head into the doorway, and peered around inside with his large brown eyes. He came face to face almost immediately with one Winglet pair, K'ii and Akaturiaph. The boy hadn't been watching where he was going, or simply wasn't expecting the red to appear in front of him, and gave a startled yelp, tripping himself to keep from running into Canph's pink and black beak. Akaturiaph's feathers puffed out with surprise, and then irritation, as she turned her golden eyes angrily upon the looming head to the adult. Apologize! Right now! Her demand, normally so authoritative and sure, wavered a bit. She'd never bossed around any of the older simourv before...

Canph gave a breathy whuff of air that might have been a laugh, and inspected the young angry green curiously before sighing. Right, good behavior, no problems. I'm sorry, little one. He left his 'apology' at that, and looked past them down the halls, calling out to all the Alpha Winglet's still here and across the Eyrie. Today is the start of a new lesson, Alphas! You're gonna learn how to ride horses. Not as grand as riding a simourv, I know. He trilled into the large open hallways of the barrack, and wiggled his rump like a cat expecting a mouse. But you'll get to that eventually. We all have to start somewhere. He sighed, keeping his greeting for today bland and dutiful as K'huna had asked. Bland and dutiful, that was actually a good description for the red-rider. My rider says that chicks can come if they want, but there won't be much for you to do for now. Also, behave around the horses, and don't do anything to scare them. Come to the stables as soon as you're ready.

He gave one last curiously look to the pair he had startled, and removed himself from the barrack entrance. The simourv didn't go far though, retreating to a spot nearby and settling down to rest. His rider didn't need him to teach humans how to ride a horse after all.

~~~~~~~~

The Winglets would find their Wingletmaster sitting leisurely on the fence of the large fenced off pasture reserved for the Eyrie's horses and livestock. For now, a number of older steady looking mares and geldings were being walked around and prepared for the upcoming lesson. Notably, all the horses had no saddles, only reins to control them. One such horse was eating oats sedately out of the red-riders hand, and he for once was smiling plainly. He waited until the mare had finished before, hopping down from the fence, and turning to regard his students. As if a cloud had blocked out the sun, his businesslike scowl returned, though he nodded a greeting amiably enough. "Afternoon, Alphas. How many of you have ridden a horse before? Let me see a show of hands."

He paused to allow his students to respond, seeing about as many hands as he expected go up. A number of the Winglets had come from farms or similar places, and from Saiyaie where horses trafficked the streets almost twenty-four hours a day. He tilted his head to the side slightly and asked with a bit of a challenge in his eyes. "And how about bare-back?" The man crossed his arms as he saw the number of hands drastically decrease, and nodded approvingly. As he'd expected again.

"Well, if you don't know, you get to learn. And if you already know..." He smiled a bit fiercely, his brow furrowing. "Then you get to show me. We aren't going to be using saddles. If this is your first time riding a horse, then listen up. Either use the fence to climb on, or get someone to give you a leg up." K'huna turned away from them, and climbed back onto the fence he had been sitting on, throwing his right leg over the side of the mare and mounting up comfortably enough near the horses withers. "Assuming you can actually get on the thing, practice walking and keeping your balance. See how I use my calves and the reins to guide her? It's gonna take time to get the hang of, so take it slow." He took comfortable hold of the reins, and guided the horse at a sedate pace away from the fence, taking time to show them how to use both the reins and occasional pressure from their legs respectively.

"All of you are probably going to fall off. Don't get scared about it." He stopped the mare, and looked at them levelly over the horses head, who was regarding them with a curious gaze. "Remember what Ts'kall taught you. If you start to lose your balance, try to grab onto the horses mane. If you're going to fall for sure, relax and let it happen. Don't squeeze on the horse with your legs, just fall. Stay loose, tuck your arms in, hit the ground, and roll away from the horses legs. You'll be fine." He swung his leg over the horse, and slid down easily off its back, before taking the reins and leading it back toward the assembled students.

"Our horses are all well trained, so don't be afraid of them, just be respectful." He smirked, and patted the mare fondly. She was a stocky draft-horse, and a palomino. She was also his favorite, but that was neither here nor there. His gaze turned back to the Winglets, and he continued. "They're all pretty used to simourv, so don't worry about spooking them. Its only when they get too close that they get nervous, so chicks, be mindful of the horses. If you're new to riding bareback or otherwise, I want to see you all practicing a walk. If you've got some experience bareback, try a trot and impress me. If you're a master riding bareback... Tough luck, ride at a trot." His snorted and added a warning, trying to make eye contact with each of them. "No running, no leaping, nothing fancy, you hear me? We start with basic bareback til I think you're ready for something harder."

K'huna led the mare back toward the fence, intending to leave her for whatever student wanted her. He favored his students with an even look. "None of you are graduating to riding your simourv til you prove to me you can handle a horse. It'll be slow going, so practice hard."

[Bre]

We've got our guns and horses . . .

Romaph was trying to be good. She didn't want to be left behind, but her rider had said it was very important that she stay still and not make any sudden movements around the horses. Because of that, she was trying to move as fluidly and slowly as possible. It was very hard for her. Thankfully, M'rion was being good herself and setting a very good example for once, walking nice and slowly to the stables so that Romaph had to keep herself in check to stay with her. They arrived in the middle of the pack. They arrived inconspicuously and quite normally in the flood of their eccentric, more interesting peers. Still, the pair of them looked quite pleased with themselves. Though she was trying to be good, Romaph still radiated energy. When she settled beside her rider in front of K'huna, her tail started twitching back and forth, trailing in the dust.

Leaning comfortably against Romaph , M'rion listened to K'huna talk, her absolute least favorite part of lessons. Now roughly sixteen feet in length and taller than any normal man at the shoulder, her lovely simourv was quite the post to use for reclining. When riding experience was brought up, she raised her hand and it did not go down when he mentioned bareback. As a messenger, she knew how to ride. She much preferred running, but riding was a skill she had been happy to learn. She liked horses too. They spoke the same sort of language. By the time they were dismissed to begin, she was grinning from ear to ear. This was going to be fun to both watch and do. Giving Romaph a quick hug and pat, she told her to mind herself as best she could. Just wait and see what I can do! The green chirruped and wiggled with excitement.

More sedately than usual, M'rion made her way over the fence, scanning the horses as she went. She picked a chubby, short bay mare with a thin tail near the end of the line. A bit of bulk meant for a comfortable ride and the possibility that someone had been beating up their fellows to steal some food. She liked to see if she could get a little spunk. Approaching the mare, she stroked down her shoulder, alerting the horse of her presence. Then she untied the bay's lead rope and dropped it on the ground, leaving the halter secured under the bridle. She then fidgeted with the tack for a moment, making sure it was adjusted right. Finally satisfied, she backed the mare up a few steps, gathered the reins in one hand, and hopped lightly onto the creature's withers. She nudged her lightly forward into a walk. So far, the mare was placid as could be.

For a few moments, M'rion just had the horse walk, getting used to the feel. She wasn't totally reckless. However, she soon kicked the obedient creature up into a trot, looking for a little more excitement from their activity. While she was a graceless, bouncy lump for the first few strides, she picked up a post after that and she became elegantly poised, moving in time with the rhythm of her horse. Her leg muscles were her greatest asset. Using gentle cues from her seat, legs, reins, and the occasional encouraging word, she kept the chubby beast beneath her in line and working. Horses and her had an understanding. They spoke the same language. She saw the same dangers they saw. Just as she could become one unit with her Rom, when she concentrated, she was one being with the horse. She may have preferred running, but she still adored riding.

"Hey, Rom, look, no hands!" M'rion had dropped her reins, leaving them settled on her mare's withers, sitting the horse's bouncy trot as best she could. She was turning her horse in a little circle with just her legs and grinning from ear to ear. She couldn't do any trick riding, but she had many a useful skill in her arsenal. Sometimes, she had just happened to need her hands for other things when she was galloping across the continent with a message for the guards. As she turned her horse back onto the rail, she raised her hands over her head in a gleeful display of her own abilities and the horse took off, quickening its trot to a racing speed. It made M'rion's butt hurt like nothing else, but she didn't mind so much. She simply picked up the reins and returned the horse to a placid walk. She knew horses could sense excitement.

Romaph was watching appreciatively from the sidelines, hunkered behind the fence except for the buds of her horns. She wanted to dance and prance like the horses did, but she wasn't suppose to do that. She was supposed to stay still and quiet. Anyway, she couldn't really move like the horses. She moved in her own special way. She moved like a simourv. Her tail continued to make patterns in the dirt, tracing intricate trails that led nowhere and were soon swept away by another stroke. I can't wait until I get to ride you. Can't be too hard. As long as we don't have to mentally connect or anything. Your eyes are weird. M'rion teased Romaph with joy in her voice. The idea of riding her lovely green was almost too much to handle. She wanted to do it then! No time to lose! However, she was getting soft and complacent. She remained on her calm horse.

. . . I know you've been burned.

[zeis]

After Canph left, K'ii picked himself up off the ground with a surprisingly helpful, if not especially gentle, yank on the back of his shirt from Akaturiaph's beak. The boy regained his feet with a faint furrow of his brow, and a slightly scandalized look around the halls. He had no doubt that the other Winglets had seen his little spill, but frustratingly there was nothing he could do about that. He dusted himself off, and blinked down at his bonded. The green had no sooner set him on his feet when she started circling him, in an almost predatory fashion.

You look alright. Are you hurt? Akaturiaph asked, and cocked her head to the side to fix him with serious golden eyes. Eyes that dared him to try and lie to her. Her feathers had smoothed out, perhaps mollified by the red's apology, but as always they had that slight telltale puff of annoyance that always seemed present whenever Aka was awake. Despite the no-nonsense tone, a partially hidden feeling of concern and relief radiated from her, unguarded for once. K'ii simply looked at her a moment, his frown transforming into a gradual smile. I'm fine. Let's go.

~~~~~~~~

I'm not fine. K'ii amended once K'huna's initial instruction had finished, looking over the tethered horses before him with apprehension. He and N'raan had come from Saiyaie, where some of the finest horses on Spiderland were born and bred. He vaguely recalled his brother even trading in them at some point, but for the life of him, K'ii had never ridden a horse. The big animals had always elicited a sense of caution from him, but after living so long with a simourv that caution seemed almost ridiculous now. Akaturiaph was bigger than a horse as it was. She was more unruly than any of these animals, and he was expected to ride her at some point.

Are you afraid? Akaturiaph asked in a tone that was half amused and half disdainful. She, unlike some of the other chicks, had followed her rider to this lesson, but sat crouched well away from the horses. Strange creatures. She was familiar with the sight and smell of them, and had always wondered why they in particular were never slaughtered for simourv consumption. She supposed they did look sort of spindly, but some like the one M'rion was riding around on did not. She was pleased by the way her rider suddenly straightened with determination, and the slightly offended sound in his voice. No.

The red haired boy looked over the horses with determination, his jaw set and fists clenched. He chose a painted mare, and scrambled up the wooden fence to get in position to mount up. He hesitated on the fence, and balanced there as he gaged just how exactly he was going to end up on the mare's back. The way the Wingletmaster had done it seemed easy enough. Just... throw your leg over. He steeled his courage, and slung a leg inexpertly over the horses back. Now he stood mostly braced on the fence with one leg awkwardly splayed. He just needed to get the rest of him over there.

He shoved off the fence with a grunt, hurling his weight up and to the side in an attempt to regain his balance on the horses back. There was an uncomfortable moment where he had to reposition the way he sat, but it worked! He was actually on the horse! It wasn't moving yet, but he was riding it! The boy flashed a grin down at the mare, who was bearing all of this with utmost patience, and leaned forward to pat her neck. That was when the sliding started. His balance, attained so easily for such a short time, began to tilt precariously to one side, and he felt himself suddenly leaning to the right. He grimaced and grabbed at the horses mane to stable himself but the slide continued slowly, to the point where the smallish boy clung awkwardly to the horses side in a steady descent downward.

I'm not impressed.

~~~~~~

K'huna observed the first few students make their attempts with a watchful eye. If it looked like there was going to be any trouble, he didn't want it getting past him. All these horses were well-tempered, and used to riders, but an accident could always happen with an experienced rider, and especially with a new one. He walked slowly along the fence, pausing now and then to give a Winglet a leg up, and follow the beasts general plodding pace. His attention was caught by M'rion's cry, and he stopped what he was doing to watch her antics with a raised eyebrow, and despite himself a slightly amused smirk. That was until the animal gave a short burst of speed that quickened his heart. "Woah, woah!" He started to make his way over there, but soon she had that too under control, returning the mare to her calm trot.

"Nice balance, M'rion. Just don't get yourself killed." He complemented her with a shake of his head, before once again turning his attention on the other students. His yellowed gaze was caught immediately by the sight of K'ii, who appeared to be sliding sideways off his horse, but my some miracle was still managing to cling to her side. The kid looked scared the death. Suppressing a smirk, he strode over to stand beside the boy and the horse, the sun casting his shadow over them. "You can't be afraid to fall." He saw the boy jump slightly, and begin losing his grip. Snorting, he caught the boy as he fell, and hoisted him with a grunt back into the proper position on the horse's back. Ignoring the kid's embarrassed look, he spoke sternly, but not unkindly. "People won't always be there to catch you."

Surprised you didn't let him fall. Canph remarked from where he lay, sprawled comfortably near the Winglet Barrack. The only response he got was an initial feeling of disapproval. His rider's sentimentalism never failed to amuse him, and his amusement was a double-standard he was dimly aware of. K'huna could be stupid and frustrating, but he legitimately cared about the Winglets under his care. Canph felt the same. They were something to be treasured, something given to him to protect. If Koxi broke through the barricade right now, he would be between them and the lizards in an instant, to hell with the consequences. Feeling social, and in a mood to be adored or loathed, he called out to the idle chicks curiously. Tell me, little ones, how are you finding life here at the Eyrie?

[Kat]

Ri’ley pressed against Dionyph’s flank as he laboriously pulled himself into a sitting position. He was not ready to get up, not yet, but he managed to curve his body upwards. He pulled himself out of his position against Dionyph, and then he raised himself to his feet. It was a difficult task, one which made him ache, if only because he had not slept in the best position. He knew that he should use his bed for sleeping, but he hated sleeping without Dionyph. The black barely stirred as his rider moved. He knew that it would take Ri’ley a few minutes to get ready, and so the black fledgling kept his eyes firmly shut. And Dionyph was right about Ri’ley. The man was awfully slow getting up, and once he did so, he was too meticulous about things. Of course, Dionyph liked Ri’ley that way. He liked that Ri’ley cared so much about what he wore and how he presented himself, because those things were important, but Dionyph did not see any point in being awake for them if he did not have to be. Ri’ley, meanwhile, spent his time trying to find appropriately battered gear, which was not difficult, as none of his clothing had survived the months after Eceph’s hatching very well. He pulled on a pair of pants, stained with what he thought was probably the blood of one of the animals Ri’ley had been feeding Dionyph. But the pants were black, so the brown stain was almost unnoticeable. A shirt was stretched over Ri’ley’s chest, a cream colored frock, and he was ready.

And it was at that moment that Ri’ley comprehended what Canph said. Ri’ley hated animals. He found them dirty and smelly, and when he was around them, he just felt unsanitary. And that was not even thinking about how many injuries he had seen from animal attacks, which Ri’ley did not want to contemplate. He nibbled on the corner of his lip, and he crossed his arms over his chest. He just could not imagine having to ride a horse, again. He had never been educated in riding, especially since he lived in the heart of Sayaie, which was the closest thing that Pohono had to a metropolitan center, and he had only ridden a horse once, when he traveled once, between Sayaie and Itnala. The horse had been mild tempered and well trained, and all that had been expected of Ri’ley was to sit in the saddle and hold on. It was an easy enough job, but he had not enjoyed it, and Ri’ley remembered being sore afterwards on many parts of his body. He had not enjoyed the horse ride, at all. Ri’ley did not want to go. He wondered what would happen to him if he missed a lesson, but the thought was quickly replaced with the reminder that he was a leader now, and that he had duties to the Eyrie which he must perform to the best of his abilities. Even though Canph stated that the chicks did not have to come, Dionyph rose when he felt that Ri’ley was dressed, and he nudged his rider out of the door. Ri’ley only needed some support and some motivation to ride the horse, and Dionyph knew that his rider would need him there.

When Ri’ley arrived at the stables, he stood in the back of the cluster of winglets. He was very tall, so he felt that he was obligated to stand in the back. He could see over everyone else, so it seemed silly for him to hog space in the front where he would be blocking other people. Besides, Ri’ley was still hesitant to engage in this lesson’s activities, so he hung back. Even though he had ridden a horse once, Ri’ley did not raise his hand, because he hardly thought that his attempt at riding counted as a real experience. That, and all the other people who raised their hands probably could have ridden in their sleep. Ri’ley knew that the other people of the Alpha class probably could ride horses incredibly well. Ri’ley did not want to claim to be able to ride, and then end up completely humiliated. Today was going to end in his utter humiliation.

When K’huna explained that they would be riding bareback, Ri’ley outwardly and openly cringed. His body tightened, his shoulders lifting and his mouth tightening. No one rode horses without saddles. Ri’ley was sure that no one preformed any sort of ludicrous action like that. Horses were so disgusting. They were so dirty. He could not imagine getting his body and his relatively clean clothing near the dirtiness of one of the horses. The horses probably had an insect infestation. Ri’ley did not want to get his body near any parasites. And what if those parasites got into Dionyph’s feathers. It was unacceptable. He must have heard K’huna incorrectly. The redrider would never expect Ri’ley ro get his clean clothes, his clean skin near a dirty animal.
”Wait, you want us to ride the horses without anything on them? Not a blanket or anything?”
Ri’ley balked, but as K’huna kept talking, Ri’ley was sure that he had heard correctly. He scrunched his face into a very displeased scowl. Dionyph, who was standing respectfully away with his siblings, turned towards Ri’ley and shook his increasingly more massive head.
Mine, the horse is not all too different than I am, and you do not think that I am dirty.
Dionyph replied, but Ri’ley shook his head. He did not even respond, but rather conveyed an intense feeling of incorrectness to his simourv. The pair was becoming better and better at communicating only through their emotions. Dionyph shrugged his head, and then he pushed his rider with his mind to act.

Ri’ley took tiny, little steps towards the largest of the horses. He knew that he could not expect one of the smaller horses to support his weight. He would much rather approach one of the smaller horses, because they looked so much less intimidating. The large horse that he approached made Ri’ley nervous, and the man could feel his anxiety increase. He really hated animals. They were so gross, and horses were so large. He had treated many a ribcage which a horses hooves had shattered. They were strong enough to easily destroy the bones of humans. And that did not even account for injuries which happened from falling. Ri’ley did not want to fall. He did not want to break any limbs. Who would fix his arm if he broke it? Dionyph projected encouraging thoughts to his rider, and they helped to quell a little bit of Ri’ley’s worry. Ri’ley finally moved towards the horse far enough to touch the creature’s neck with his arm fully extended outwards. With his palm flat against a white and brown patterned fur, Ri’ley kept his elbow locked, so that he was as far away from the horse as possible while he still touched the animal.
”Are you sure this is safe, K’huna. I would really be more comfortable with a blanket.”
Ri’ley murmured as he glaced worriedly towards the creature, his eyes large and nervous.

[Kilnarak]

N'raan awoke to Canph's booming voice and Teimoph's steady growling. The elder red didn't sound near so amused as he normally did, but the younger was certainly in one of his normal fierce moods. Teimoph reclined in their nest, one massive paw splayed across his rider's chest as if he meant to hold the dark-skinned boy down - and rather effectively doing so, whether he intended it or not. But N'raan was growing used to waking with that weight on his chest: it was how he often woke now, at least for the past few months. The young red forbade him from leaving for long, and for the most part he had been trying to comply to Teimoph's order - however the restraints were beginning to chafe. There was only so much he could do to entertain himself in his Eyling, and while he had time away for daily chores and meals, for the most part Teimoph felt that their time should be spent there.

He wants me to stay here!? The small (at least in relation to an adult simourv) red's claws flexed against His human's skin, the shallow insignificant scratches they left on the young man's skin going ignored - it stung faintly, distantly, but not enough to draw him out of his rage. Teimoph was angry. Canph was plotting something. Or perhaps, Canph's was plotting something. They wanted N'raan separated from Teimoph, and that was something the young red would not allow.

"Nn, 's jus' horses, Tei. Th' think y' wan' t' eat 'em," the pinned youth yawned and squirmed under the clawed forelimb holding him down. After a bit of work, he managed to squirm out from under the limb, wincing a bit as rough scales scraped at the scratches Teimoph's claws had inadvertently left. He didn't pause, however, despite that slight discomfort, and began going about the daily routine of getting dressed and ready to go out - it didn't take him particularly long, he pulled on the first articles of clothing he could find: soft leather breeches and a loose taupe tunic; it wasn't as though he had anyone to impress. This thought displeased him a bit, he would have liked to have had someone to impress, but the mere idea of it seemed to cause a surge of jealousy in the red - N'raan wasn't entirely sure that Teimoph would actually stop him, if he did follow his own desires, but it clearly displeased the red, and he had made a promise to the simourv to try to be good. At least, try until it grew too boring to stand.

The red still growled, despite the reassurance, but he did not stop His from readying to leave. He rose slowly to his feet and lumbered belligerently to the door, waiting. He would not keep N'raan from going to the lesson, but he would have to do something about it. That something resolved itself when the two left the Winglets' barracks, in the form of a lounging Canph. The young red growled loudly and then strode purposely toward the larger red, leaving His to continue to the lesson on his own. Canph! What is this about!? Teimoph padded straight up to his elder, stopping a spare few paces from the giant simourv's snout and affecting a broad stance. It was almost comical, weighing the small red's 'dominant' posture against the much larger simourv's relaxation. Teimoph's tail lashed behind him and his ears fell back, he clacked his beak together in annoyance.

N'raan cast a brief glance after the young red, but did not follow him. Let Teimoph distract himself, maybe he could have some fun, at least. Canph had said something about horses? He had ridden before, not often, but at the very least he was acquainted with the lean beasts. Of course, his acquaintance with them generally hadn't been in entirely legal scenarios... Still, it should prove at least a bit useful. When N'raan arrived amongst the other Winglets, he kept toward the back of the group and absently sought out his brother while K'huna babbled on about the horses - not much of what the Wingletmaster said sounded particularly important, and he was entirely too dressed for N'raan's liking; nothing interesting to pay attention to there.

When they were released to their task, N'raan merely meandered about a bit - he kept half of his attention turned toward his brother, even 'though he had moved away from K'ii to seek out a suitable horse. But K'ii seemed fine for the moment, even if did look rather awkward, climbing the fence to seat himself on his chosen mount. It was a bit longer before the red winglet found a horse for himself - a lanky blood bay gelding with a deep mahogany coat; of course, he chose the horse not for its temperament (which was unknown to him) but rather for the lovely shade of its short fur. The horse snorted as he approached, shying a few paces away; N'raan had to let it sniff at his hands a few long moments before it finally differentiated his scent from that of Teimoph which yet clung about him. Once the horse had acclimated itself to his scent, the boy swung up onto it's back with relative ease - the lack of a saddle made things slightly more difficult, and the horse nickered and tossed it's head, stamping it's foreleg skittishly as its rider scrambled for purchase.

Once he was on the creature's back, however, things became slightly easier - it was well trained, after all, and it responded readily to commands given it. He had the horse walk a bit, before kicking it into an easy canter - that proved uncomfortable, however, without a saddle for a cushion. He let the horse slow as he lead it in a circle back toward K'ii's chosen mount... only to kick it into motion again as he spied the Wingletmaster accosting his brother. Perhaps a bit too fast, as the horse skidded a bit as it came to an abrupt halt near the fence, snorting indignantly to itself. "He don' need yer help," N'raan scowled at the Wingletmaster, forcing his mount to sidle up beside K'ii's and placing himself between the man and the boy. Oh, K'huna was attractive, sure, but like hell he trusted the bastard with his brother. N'raan continued to glare at the man for a long moment, before abruptly looking away and jerking his chin toward the far side of the enclosure. "C'mon 'nii, le's see 'f y' can manage t' walk 'ver there, haa?" He frowned faintly at the boy, casting one final brief glance back at the Wingletmaster before nudging his horse into an easy walk - expecting K'ii to follow suit.

[Fox]

L’nan had never ridden a horse. In fact, she had never had anything to do with horses in her life; while other little girls dreamed of ponies and fairy castles, little Lea had played doctor with her dolls, collected every interesting looking weed she could find in the hopes of it being somewhat medicinal, and generally dogged her parents footsteps everywhere. She had been a curious child, but there had been no patience for silly games (as she had seen it) or fantasies. There had been an eminent practicality to everything she did, even though at the time Lea could hardly have been older than eight. Now, though, it was apparent that like it or not, she would be learning about horses. And learning how to ride them. The tawnyrider gulped nervously as she eyed the animals, even the shortest of which looked disproportionally large. Lea wasn’t a tall person. This was looking worse by the minute.

Think of it this way, Mine. It’s the first step to riding me.[/color] Came Eoreph’s gentle voice from where the simourv stood watching with the other chicks. She did not want to frighten the animals that Hers, or any of the other winglets for that matter, would be riding today. It was a shame, really, because the tawny did want to get a closer look. With a sigh, L’nan nodded her head in acknowledgement as she approached the horse she had chosen as her best bet. It was a slender, bay creature, small compared to some of the other horses, but still not very small at all. It eyed L’nan’s cautious approach with a mild brown gaze, standing calmly by the fence. ”Good horse… Very good horse… Stay there, now…” The winglet said slowly, soothingly, her tone verging ever so slightly on desperate. She wanted to do this, but she didn’t. The horse flicked an ear towards her and, with a non-chalant glance, started to walk away.

”Wait!” L’nan hurried after the creature, ignoring the soft chiming of laughter in her mind. The horse was in no hurry, and the diminutive girl caught up to it with little trouble, latching on to its mane before it managed to stray too far. ”That’s a good horsie, please don’t run away.” Her voice was pleading, and her face burned fiercely. Sloppily, wanting to get the ordeal over with, L’nan used the fence as a makeshift mounting block and managed, somehow, to scramble onto the horse’s back. There she clung to it’s mane, leg muscles frozen, as the horse tossed its head with a snort and set off at a fast walk, heading for that particularly deliciouis looking patch of grass, just over there. So what if there was an ineffectual creature clinging to his back? She hadn’t given him any commands, even though he was prepared to follow them. He had been trained well, after all. And she wasn’t stopping him. So the horse would do what he wanted. Absently, he flicked an ear as the human girl made a faintly frightened keening noise in the back of her throat the farther away from the fence they got. Well. She would learn. He would just have to teach her to be a good rider.

The horse looked forward to it.[/size]

[Cy]

[/i] actually the red and only his imagination, he did not have to listen, but habit dictated action and he was moving toward the pair before he could think twice. With a gentle kick of his heels accompanied with a click of his tongue, he moved his ride into a slow trot to catch up until he could bring himself to a walk beside tawnyrider.

Moving the reins from one hand to the other, using the same hand to grab on to the mane for added support, he casually leaned over to grab up the reins that the woman had left neglected, giving a sharp tug to pull the horse up short.

- - - - -

T'ia mounted with all the nimble grace of the dancer she was, even though she had to use the fence for a boost and it took several false leaps. Settled on the back of her chosen ride, a dull brown mare with what seemed to be a similarly dull attitude, her slender fingers clung to both the reins and the mane. Unfortunately, holding her hands in one place offered no direction to the horse, so the way they went after she delivered a small nudge of her heels was entirely at the discretion of the one meant to be steered. The logic was simple though; if one would not take the lead, the other must do so for them. Moving along at the slowest walk that could possibly ever exist, T'ia had to fight the urge to kick the mare up to something quicker before she'd even gained an idea of what to do. She'd never ridden a horse before. However, feeling the movement of muscle and ribs against her thighs, she found it to be an awful lot like riding – well, a creature she'd never fallen off of before, she'd say. Working up the nerve, she managed to let go of the mane with one hand long enough to tug the animal into another direction, just a slight turn to the right before she was shooting her hand back to grab onto the mane.[/ul][/size]