"My first horse nearly killed me," Lani replied bluntly, but in a tone that somehow said she didn't hold the animal any ill will. "He was properly wild—I wanted to prove I could form a partnership with him, as my mother had done with her best mare." She shrugged as she approached Faraj's stall. The horse pinned his ears and flashed his teeth, but she kept talking, keeping her tone low and even—it wasn't the words that were important, so she found herself telling the story as she slowly, slowly moved to open the stall door.
"I followed his herd for a few days, sticking close but not making myself a threat. Eventually, he approached me. It was alright at first, but then I moved too fast—I think I was reaching to fix my quiver, but he thought I was trying to touch him." She smiled fondly in remembrance as she opened the door. Faraj backed up with a low, thrumming sound of warning—but she didn't enter the stall, just took a few steps back and to the side, giving him full view of the opportunity before him. "He lashed out. Would have cracked my skull, but I rolled out of the way. Took a few more days before he was willing to get close to me again."
Faraj whickered softly and she cast her eyes down and to the side with a low sigh, keeping her body loose and relaxed. Cautiously, the horse began to edge his way out of the stall. When she still didn't move near him, he seemed to accept that she wasn't an immediate threat and started to clop off in search of good grazing.
"He was a proud thing," Lani murmured, and took a step after Faraj. His ears flicked back towards her, and she stopped. He continued his meandering search. "Didn't stay with our tribe. I would see him in the springs, though, when his herd would travel through the same part of the plains as us."
She took a sharp step forward, clicking her tongue, and Faraj trotted away a few steps. Lani's pace was even, unthreatening, but unrelenting. She kept following him, keeping a few lengths between them, but persistently behind him.
Faraj at first just seemed confused. He kept glancing back at her, but when she didn't do anything overtly predatory, he started to pin his ears at her and occasionally whip around to move in a different direction.
Lani just kept following. Every once in a while, she would coo or click softly. She seemed to have forgotten that Qismat was there.
And then Faraj bobbed his head, half twisting his neck to look back at her, and she said sharply over her shoulder, "Stay back." Just in case her new employer had thought getting closer was a good idea.
The horse whirled around and charged her, ears pinned and heels kicking. Lani held perfectly still.
Faraj snaked his neck forward—then jerked to the side at the last moment, nipping at the air just beside her left arm.
He circled to her right, watching her, then charged again. This time, Lani took a step toward him, calling a sharp, "Ha!" that sent him veering around her again.
This repeated twice more before Faraj stopped snapping at the air around her, then another time before his ears seemed to start to unpin. It was at that point that Lani seemed to start...directing him. Turning slightly in place so when he cantered toward her—cantered, now, not charged—his veering to the side became more of a gentle curve. And then he was circling her, neck curved. Now, when he started to turn like he was going to run toward her again, she would take that step and say that sharp "Ha!", and he would snort and continue in his circle.
It lasted nearly a full ten minutes before Faraj dropped his head and started chomping at the air.
Lani put her back to him.
There was a moment of stillness when the horse came to a stop. Perfect stillness. Then, cautiously, he approached her back. One step after another, even and measured.
He nosed at her shoulder, and Lani smiled for a moment before she turned her head and exhaled gently over his nose. Faraj snorted and bobbed his head—then spun away and trotted off, flicking his tail.
Lani huffed quietly before she turned and made her way back toward where she'd left Qismat. "It's a start," she said with a small shrug. "I don't know if he'll ever be rideable, but he wants to connect. He's just scared."
