It had been a glorious morning spent among the fanged beast. She and the riders had worked with the one that Jaella had ridden back on. He was magnificent, and it was easy to see that somewhere along the line, he had been given some very good training. When charged at with the blunted lance, he did not move a muscle. Well, almost didn't. He has this thing about people and animals nearing his left side. The out rider that rode down his left side, suddenly found himself dangling from the grasp of those great fangs. When she had dismounted to help untangle the rider from the beast, she glanced towards the fence, and smiled.
There was a familiar figure standing at the fence. No, make that leaning against the fence. Walking towards him, she realized that maybe it was not so much he was leaning against the fence, as it was a matter of the fence was at the moment his sole means of support. Getting closer, she could smell the paga that seemed to be leaking from his very pores, but said nothing of it. She figured he was suffering enough without her pointing out the obvious.
There was the usual exchange of greetings between friends. Perhaps hers' was a bit more tongue in cheek than his. Her first impression was that maybe he had came to see the kaiila that they had spoke of, and he did flash a reddened gaze at it, appraising him momentarily. But that was not his reason for being here.
Wincing at the brightness of the rays of the Central Fire, he questioned her about the kaiila she had traded to Karvek with, the one given to Seveya on the night of her ringing. The one that had been named Yew. He wanted to know if Yew had fathered any foals. Well, in fact he had. She had two of them, one from last seasons foals, and one that had been dropped this season. He asked to see them, and just as she went off to cut them from the herd, Mezoo joined them, with a basket of cookies over her arm. Cookies from Oren, no less.
Leaving them to talk, she had mounted Ciegue and had gone to cut the two foals from the herd. The older one was already ringed, and had been given some basic training. The younger of the two, was raw, spirited with a lot of potential. As she brought them towards the fence, she saw the first signs of light and interest in his eyes, and she pretty much knew immediately which he would choose.
Yep. He chose the younger of the two, which was not a bad choice. It was to be a gift for Seveya. Did this surprise her? Not really, she had been seeing the signs of some sort of relationship maybe growing between the two. The only thing that she asked of him, was that the foal not be bread to Yew when the time came. She did not believe in breeding blood lines that close. He assured her that it would not happen, since Seveya no longer had Yew. For a moment, she was puzzled then he said that Karvek had taken the animal back. She did not really catch on that he was being a little evasive, that would come later. He had simply said the animal was not in camp.
But what he had said, made some of the swirling rumors that she had been hearing to coalesce into something more solid. But even at that, she did not know all the details, so would say no more on the subject. At that moment in time, it simply was not her business.
It was a pleasant segment of time, spent talking with two friends. They spoke of kaiila, even the offspring of the surly, immensely ugly Holo. A part of her missed that rangy beast. But she did have a few of his foals to remind her of him. For all of his ugliness, he had been a randy stallion, and she had the proof of it. One yearling seemed to take an interest in Mezoo, which she found amusing. Evidently Mezoo has not spent the amount of time that she has among the fanged ones, and was still a bit unsure of them and their attentions. Just as she probably would be, if she were cast among the verr. Like Another One. But that was a different story.
As they talked, she had notice Ciegue and his inspection of the paga dulled warrior across the fence from him. She has seen this a time or two before. The kaiila was taking the measure of the man for some reason, known only unto him. Some would flinch away from that long study that came from the blind eye, but Fonce seemed to take it all in stride, and in fact, he seemed to understand it.
During all of this, she had looked up to see Karvek standing at the fence, one booted foot on the lower rail, his arms crossed upon the upper rail, with him watching the animals. She had approached him, with all good intentions of finding out who he had maybe traded Yew to, so that she might get him back. She had raised the animal from the first moment he had burst onto the scene, and with all of the beast she had hand raised, she had an affection for him.
Shock. That is the first emotion she felt when the man told her in that toneless, emotionless voice of his what had happened to Yew. After the shock, there was disbelief, then from some store deep inside her came anger. Something that she did not give into often, but it was there, surrounding her loosening her tongue.
What man, or woman, in their right mind would kill an innocent beast to assuage some sort of blow to their ego? He tried to liken it to a kaiila being put on the pyre of a warrior that it had served well. Oh, bosk arse! This was nothing even close to that, and she thinks that down deep inside he knows that, but will not admit it.
Him killing the kaiila, burning it, was nothing more than one more way to twist the knife in his niece. One more way for him to pile more pain on her. And for what? His injured ego? His tender psyche? If one did not know better, they would think the depths of his feeling for the young woman, went far beyond that of an uncle for a niece, into that gray area that most decent people do not wish to tread.
It was no wonder that the man had no family, no mate, nothing. For one to have a bond with a family, one must first have a heart, and as far as she could see, this one didn't. It went beyond madness. It spoke more of selfishness, lack of judgment, and sheer stupidity. She may have said as much, she really can't remember.
All she does know, is that she told him that perhaps his feeling and thoughts, were no longer in line with those of his people, if they ever have been. Maybe there is no real secret as to why he had been gone for so long.
When he had left, she felt the anger still simmering, but tried to push it down. It was not so much anger, as it was pain, and hurt for what had happened to the animal. An animal that sought nothing more than to serve its' owner. An animal that had done no wrong, but lost its' life to assuage some need in a foolish human.. Some say that she is too close to the kaiila, that there is too much of her wrapped up in them. She cannot help it, she sees more in them than most do, but that is probably because she looks for it. She recognizes it, she talks with them about it.
A part of her will mourn for Yew. Another part will mourn for the man in a way. He was a fool, that had no heart, and who would never know love, compassion or understanding. Her thought go to the story of the two larls, and it is not hard to know which one Karvek fed.
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