Spirits of the Earth

@DragonSong


The wind had a strange scent to it. Not quite that of danger, but more of caution. From where he crouched, Aénohé'ke could see the entirety of the plains stretching out ahead of him and to all sides. The spring grasses flowed easily like river waves in the breeze, calm and serene, as if nature was attempting to preserve the peace by showing him the great beauty of the world around him. Ann respected that. And if he could, he would spend his time in peace as well, admiring the world around him. But he couldn't, and he was here for a reason, and that reason wasn't to study the waving grasses and bask in the caress of the breeze and sunlight. No, the reason he was here wandered among those waving grasses, heedless of the danger that lurked no more than sixty or so yards away.

Ann slowly drew an arrow from the quiver on his left hip, carefully fitting the stone-headed projectile to his bowstring. Setting his left index finger on the shaft just behind the arrowhead, he steadied the projectile as he rose from his crouch into a hunched position, his eyes focused on his target as he stalked closer, his bare feet making no more than a whisper of noise on the earth.

The small herd of deer suddenly came to attention and Ann dropped into a crouch again, his brown eyes glancing around for what had startled his prey so. He was downwind of them, and had done his best to put his back to the sun. His sun-warmed brown skin and long black hair did little to allow him to blend into his surroundings, and so he relied on his ability to freeze at a second's notice, hoping the waving grasses around him would shield him from sight. Aénohé'ke spotted a possible culprit to explain the deer's sudden alertness - nearby, spread out at nearly equal distances, were other hunters, members of his tribe who were crouched similar to he, having also dropped down as soon as the deer showed signs of paying attention. His eyes met several others, each hunter nodding at each other slowly, giving silent signals as to their intentions.

Almost as one, the hunters sprang up, firing their arrows at the deer. The herd startled at the first sign of unfamiliar movement, but as fast as they were, truer was the aim of the hunters.

Ann drew back on his bowstring, sighted down the shaft of his arrow, and released it. The projectile sped through the air and struck a doe in the haunch. Instead of falling, the animal only stumbled, its legs crumpling only for a single heartbeat before it regained its strength and bounded off. Cursing under his breath, Ann took off after his prey, whistling sharply in a series of stuttering sounds. Only minutes after the last note faded did he hear the thundering of hooves, a sleek painted mare quickly approaching at full gallop. Ann grabbed a fist full of Ma'akéné's mane as she passed and hauled himself onto her back, gripping tight with his knees.

Together, as if heedless of the scent in the wind, man and horse charged after the wounded deer, leaving behind the rest of the hunting party and running on alone.

She shouldn't have ridden this far. She was meant to be on patrol, keeping their current camp safe, but she'd ridden far beyond the rest of her group, out beyond the borders they'd agreed on when they set up camp several weeks before.

But still she kept riding.

Ortec huffed beneath her, feeling her tension as her hands tightened in his mane. Riala chuckled softly and relaxed her seat somewhat, urging him to slow down. "Sorry, old boy," she murmured with a soft sigh, finally lifting her eyes from the horizon to actually look around. The stallion snorted quietly; she could feel every breath echo through him into her-- one of the best advantages of riding without tack, in her opinion.

Though it did mean she was currently without saddlebags, so even if she did find some sort of foraging supply-- as she'd told the rest of her patrol she was going in search of-- she'd have a hard time carting it back.

"I really didn't think this through," she huffed with a wry shake of her head.

No sooner had the words left her mouth when the wind changed, and Ortec snapped his head up, ears perked forward to listen. Riala tensed instinctively, scanning the tall grass. Something was moving, running toward them...

A deer?

She was startled enough by the animal's appearance that it took her several moments to notice its pursuer. Once she had though, her eyes narrowed and she immediately reached for the bow slung across her back.

She gave a sharp click of her tongue for Ortec and a soft tap with her heels, and they sprang forward, racing directly into the stranger's path. She stopped the charging stallion with a shouted command, eyes narrowed as she stared down the line of a nocked arrow at the other rider. "You."

She could hear the doe stumbling behind her. She was wounded-- she'd die of blood loss or some other predator if left on her own. With a quiet tsk, Riala shifted her gaze partially away from the stranger and twisted her upper body. She barely needed to look in order to take aim and loose an arrow.

The bolt struck the already wounded creature directly at the base of the skull, killing her instantly. Painless. Good.

Riala quickly snapped back and said again. "You." She nocked another arrow. "You the hell are you?"

Ann and Ma'akéné were like a symbiotic machine, moving easily together as if they were a single entity rather than two separate beings. He had raised her from a foal into the magnificent beast she was now, and had forged a bond with her that ran deeper than just surface loyalty. She was family. She was his four-footed sister. And so, Ann trusted her to keep her eyes on their path while he focused on what was ahead and their prey. Even wounded, the deer was quite fast, and it was steadily widening the gap between them. Gripping Ma'akéné's heaving sides with his knees, Ann nocked an arrow and lifted his bow, sighting down the shaft toward the deer.

Then, suddenly, Ma'akéné was digging in her hooves, and Ann's view of the deer was lost behind the silhouette of a woman atop a large stallion, and his vision narrowed to the point of the arrowhead the woman was aiming at him. He released his bow with one hand to grip his mare's mane to keep from being flipped over her head as she came to an abrupt stop, narrowly avoiding crashing into the pair that was now in their path. So unarmed, Ann stared at the woman, as if uncertain what her goal was. He certainly understood the expression on her face, and the word that had come out of her mouth, as if she recognized him on a personal level. He doubted that, but the plains were a hostile place and numerous tribes roamed the land, often attacking other tribes as much as they attacked unsuspecting caravans. His own tribe was no exception, though in the last couple of seasons they had had more encounters of the peaceful variety than violent, even with members of tribes who were their sworn enemies.

He watched the woman's eyes narrow as she clicked her tongue in an annoyed way. Then, when she turned and shot the deer with the grace and dexterity only a plains-dweller could have, Ann found himself thoroughly impressed. Yet that feeling of impression wasn't enough to make him amenable to giving up - or sharing - what should have been his kill.

Before he could move, though, the woman was facing him again, another arrow pointed at him. Her question made him blink, but her tone was one he was familiar with. She wanted an answer, and she would get it, one way or another.

So, he made a show of slipping his arrow back into the quiver at his hip and sliding his bow over his shoulder, thus disarming himself. She might still shoot him, but at least this way, he had shown her he was amenable to attempting peaceful interactions.

His voice, when he spoke, was accented, for the tongue she spoke wasn't the one he had been raised speaking. "I am a hunter, nothing more. And that deer, she belongs to me. I will retrieve her and be gone."

Without waiting for her to answer him, he urged Ma'akéné forward. Snorting, the mare pranced around the stallion, flicking her tail in mild annoyance at him. Upon reaching the place where the doe had fallen, Ann dismounted in a single fluid motion, moving to pick the dead animal up and sling it over Ma'akéné's back before he mounted again.

Ortec snorted and pinned his ears back as the mare passed beside him. Ria let one hand rest briefly on his whithers to calm him, eyes narrowed as she stared down the stranger.

"I don't think so." Almost as though he read her thoughts, Ortec twisted and stomped at the earth with a forehoof, tossing his mane as he put himself between the other rider and his return path. "Where are the rest of your riders?" Ria demanded, glaring. Whoever this man and his people were, they were far too close to her own tribe's camp for her comfort.

Ma'akéné snorted at the stallion and pinned her ears back, her mouth opening as she prepared to bite him. Ann set a hand on her neck to calm her, subtlety telling her to wait. He didn't want to spark a fight if there wasn't a need to do so. After all, the woman was well within her rights to demand information from him. Had their roles been reversed, and had he come across her while she was hunting, he would have demanded the same. She only wanted to protect her people. He understood that all too well.

Yet, he didn't want to divulge all his secrets to her. That would be foolish and dangerous. And she was armed and he was currently was not, so pushing her into responding with violence was not the wisest thing to do.

Using his knees, Ann urged his mare to move, and she did so with a spirited step, dancing around the stallion with an air of superiority. To the woman, he said, "I am alone. I left the others behind to deal with the ones that didn't escape us. I will return to them, and we shall no longer bother you."

Ortec pinned his ears at the mare, irritated that she didn't seem to recognize his dominance. He snorted and tossed his head, but a soft touch on his shoulder from Riala seemed to calm him.

His rider's eyes narrowed and her grip on her bowstring tightened. "And I'm supposed to just believe that?" she spat. "Who are you? What is your tribe?"

Ann flicked a glance at the stallion before looking back toward the woman. He sat a little straighter on Ma'akéné's back, ready to react to anything. His mare, too, seemed ready to bolt at a moment's notice. Her tail flicked back and forth in irritation, her ears pinned back and her liquid eyes ever upon the stallion.

Should he give her his name and that of his tribe? He didn't know her, had never seen her before. What if, once he answered her, she would kill him? It was safer if he simply left and they went their separate ways. Yet, he sensed that she wouldn't allow him to do such. If she was so adamant now about getting in his way, then he was certain she would be just as tenacious even if he managed to evade her.

Sighing, Ann replied, "I don't particularly care what you believe. It's the truth. But if you insist, then I will tell you my name when you give me yours."

Riala stared at him for a long moment-- then released her bolt. The arrow skimmed just over the top of his head.

In the span of barely a breath she had another arrow nocked and ready. "You. First," she hissed, daring him to give her a reason to shoot. "Or next time, I won't miss."

In a flash, Ann grabbed a fistful of his mare's mane as she leaped forward, her hooves flashing toward the stallion with the intent to startle him. Then she was surging away, quickly picking up speed even encumbered by the deer as she was. Ann ground his teeth and leaned low, making himself a smaller target. He knew she would likely give chase, so he couldn't lead her back to the other hunters. She may want to kill him, but that didn't mean he wanted her dead. So with a subtle twitch of his knees, he directed Ma'akéné to change directions, still heading away from the woman and her stallion but also away from his tribe. He was confident he could lose her, he just had to figure out how.

Another bolt zipped by the stranger's face, Riala gritting her teeth in frustration. Ortec was not one to be startled by a sudden show of force, his neck snapping out in an attempt to bite at the mare.

Then they were running, off after the strangers like a shot. Thundering hooves, ripping wind, a horse's cry--

Oh. Oh no.

"Get down!"

With a subtle squeeze and tap, she brought Ortect leaping forward, slamming his shoulder into the smaller mare's knocking her off balance. Bending from the saddle, Ria grabbed the doe off the back of the stranger's mount and hissed, "Get her down and stay in the grass if you want to live through this!"

Just on the horizon, she could make out the dark shapes of the rest of her patrol, growing rapidly closer.

Ann felt the wind of the arrow as it screamed past his face, but he didn't stop to see if he'd been cut. He would deal with it later if he had, but right now, his concentration was on escaping.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the stallion gaining on them, then hissed as he came along side them and slammed himself into Ma'akéné. The mare stumbled enough that Ann was forced to leap clear of her, landing in the grass and rolling back to his feet. The mare righted herself, and finding herself suddenly free of the burden of the deer and of the weight of her rider, she checked her speed and came to a stop, snorting with agitation.

Ann froze at the woman's shout, hearing the warning in her voice. A quick glance around showed him what she was so afraid of, the shapes in the distance. Recognizing the expression on her face as fear, Ann was faced with a choice. Trust her and survive, or try to outrun both her and the approaching riders.

Ann clenched his teeth and pursed his lips, giving a low whistle to Ma'akéné. The mare instantly dropped down to her knees and Ann joined her, settling against her back and keeping low in the grass. He was trusting this stranger with his life, and his mare's, and if he was wrong, they both wouldn't be alive for much longer.

Riala wheeled Ortec around, adjusting the doe over her horse's back as she felt him shiver with tension beneath her.

Her patrol was fast approaching. She spared another glance for the stranger and his mare before sending Ortec trotting forward to meet the other riders. She whistled for their attention and waved a hand. They'd be suspicious if she didn't try to flag them down.

Kathar was in the lead, and he brought his red chestnut around to meet her and Ortec, one eyebrow raised when he saw "her" catch. "What were you thinking, Ree? We aren't out here to hunt, you know."

She shrugged. "I saw an opportunity and I took it. Lay off."

Kathar narrowed his eyes. He didn't like her challenging him, but there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it. Not yet, at any rate. She stared him down. "Go on back. The herd's not far, I might be able to get another doe or something. You can finish patrol without me."

Her tribesman gritted his teeth, but didn't argue. He couldn't, not with the daughter of the chief. Once upon a time that wouldn't have mattered, but now...

Her father was not a forgiving sort.

"Fine." With a quick whistle for the rest of their patrol, the riders wheeled and took off back along their assigned route. Riala waited until they were far enough away they wouldn't be paying her any attention, then swung down from Ortec's back and paced back toward where she'd left the stranger and his horse.

"Alright." Once again she stared at him down the shaft of an arrow. "Now. Who the hells are you?"

Ann held his hand steady over Ma'akéné's shoulder where it joined her neck, their oft-practiced signal for 'lay down, lay still', and kept close to her back, ready to sling a leg over her side and remove his hand and gallop for their lives once she sprang back to her feet. Through the grasses, he watched the woman ride away with his catch, but she didn't go far. No, instead of being the thief, she was being the unlooked-for heroine, confronting a man upon a chestnut horse. Ann quickly assessed him as the leader of the small band of men around him, but the dynamic between the man and the woman was startling. He was deferring to her.

Ann held his breath as he watched the two argue. It was clear who was in the superior position here. Despite seeming around his own age, the woman was clearly the authority, and she knew it. The man knew it, but Ann could see from the man's posture and the strange glint in his eyes that he wished their positions were reversed.

Ann didn't breathe again until the riders had wheeled their horses around and had galloped off. He remained where he was with Ma'akéné until the woman returned to them, and only then did he remove his hand, allowing his mare to surge to her feet. She snorted in irritation and flicked her tail back and forth, her ears pricked forward and focused on the stallion before her. Ann also didn't miss the way Ma'akéné's liquid eyes focused on the woman, and on the arrow she was aiming at him, and Ann curled his fist in his mare's mane to keep her from lunging at the stallion and his rider. She snorted again and half turned her head as if to bite him. Ann put his hand on her cheek and pushed her head away.

He turned his gaze then upon the woman, knowing there was no escape for him this time, since he was currently unarmed and on foot. There was no escaping the situation now.

"I'll tell you, on your word that you won't allow any harm to come to her," Ann tilted his head toward Ma'akéné. "She'll be free to do as she pleases, whatever happens to me."

The huntress's expression suddenly...softened. Well, not softened, exactly. But her eyes lost some of the harsh anger, and her grip on her bow relaxed just slightly.

"Of course," she murmured. "I mean no harm to your sister, stranger."

Honestly...she didn't really mean him harm either-- if she had she would have just let the patrol have him-- but he was still a stranger in her tribe's lands. A potential threat. One she couldn't risk seeing or taking advantage of any mercy she may feel.

"So. Talk."

Upon hearing her promise, Ann forced his body to relax. So long as his four-footed sister would be safe, what happened to him didn't matter. He patted Ma'akéné's neck and stroked his hand down to her shoulder, then looked at the woman.

"My name is Aénohé'ke, and my tribe is the Hôsanémé." He smiled, albeit sadly, certain that now he was going to die, since he had given her his name and his tribe. "I am also called Ann. It's easier to pronounce for most people."

He turned his attention to Ma'akéné, stroking her velvet nose as she pressed her muzzle to his shoulder. "This is my sister, Ma'akéné. Now that you know our names, we would like to know yours, before you kill me."

Riala's eyes widened. His tribe was not unknown to her-- and if her father knew they were close, it would be open war.

She glanced back over her shoulder in the direction the patrol had gone, then swore colorfully, and lowered her bow, stashing the arrow back in her quiver. Eyes snapping fire, she looked back to Ann and said sharply, "You need to leave. Now. Go back to your people and tell them to move on, unless you want a raid on your hands."

She set her jaw as Ortec came up beside her, a concerned rumble echoing through his chest. She patted his whithers automatically. "They won't hear about it from me, but we'll be at our camp for at least a month, and you won't be able to stay hidden that long. Go to your people and tell them to move, if you want to live."

Scowl still firmly in place, she turned and swung up onto her dun's back, then paused. "...My name is Riala." The huntress laid a hand against her mount's neck. "This is Ortec. Pleased to meet you. Now leave."

Ann smiled, but it was a sad one. He had her name and the name of her four-footed brother, and that seemed it would be all she would give him. But she was letting him go with his life, and there was nothing more he could ask of her. Nothing more he should ask of her. Take your good fortune and leave.

Ann moved to mount his mare, settling easily onto her back. He would be ridiculed for losing the doe, but that was a shame he could live with. There would be other hunts, other successes. But her words concerned him. Wars between tribes weren't uncommon. Lately, his tribe had sought other paths than war when they came across their enemies, but Ann knew they were the exceptions, not the rule.

"I will tell my people your words, Riala." Ann said at last, focusing on her eyes so that she would know he was speaking the truth. "But I can't guarantee that they will be heeded. I will do my best to convince my chieftain. I owe you my life, and more."

He inclined his head to her then, then gathered a handful of Ma'akéné's mane to guide her away from Riala and Ortec. After a moment, the mare transitioned from a trot to a full gallop. Only once did Ann look back over his shoulder toward Riala, as if trying to see if she were following him. Then he was gone, out of her sight, and riding back toward his tribe.

He wasn't sure how he was going to convince his chieftain to move the tribe, especially since they were reliant upon the herds to sustain them, and the herds were constantly moving, ignorant of territory boundaries between humans. He didn't know if he could convince the chieftain. All he could do was alert him to the fact there was another tribe nearby, one that would wage war against them if they were to meet. The only thing Ann was sure of was that he would do his best to protect Riala and her Ortec if the worst came to pass. She had spared his life, and so he would ensure that hers was saved as well.

Riala watched him ride away for several long minutes before she finally turned Ortec in the direction of their camp, urging him forward with a sharp squeeze and a click. The grasslands flew by as her stallion surged forward.

---

It was almost sunset when Ortec was once again racing across the plains, sides heaving and mouth foaming as he ran. Blood streaked his flank, though it was not his own, and he was riderless.

The stallion didn't pause for a moment, following the scent of the mare they'd met earlier that day, before everything went wrong. Ortect hardly cared, but his herd-sister would have been praying that Ma'akene and her human would be alone.

The scent grew stronger and Ortec suddenly skidded to a stop, eyes rolling wildly. He gave a high, piercing scream.

It had gone the way Ann had expected it would.

He had reported what had happened to him during the hunt to his chieftain and to the entire tribe, but the chieftain had decided that they would not run. They would not turn tail and flee just because a single woman from an enemy tribe had warned them. The Hôsenémé did not run. They did not flee. They stood and fought, to whatever end.

That being said, Ann knew that the tribe was now more vigilant. As the sun set and the tribe settled in for the night, more sentries were posted around the village and there were no cookfires left to glow in the dark. There were no raised voices. Even the horses were silent, their ears pricked forward for any unknown noise, and even the ones that had settled down to sleep were alert.

Ann couldn't sleep. He was restless and he was unsure why. So he wandered through the camp aimlessly, his mind locked on one thought or another. Ma'akéné trailed by his side, plodding along with heavy hooves, as if to let him know that she was there and wasn't about to go anywhere. Ann enjoyed her company, and it kept him from being too melancholy. Was he worried about Riala? Perhaps. He had no reason to be. She would be safe so long as her people stayed away from his. He wouldn't have to fight, and she wouldn't have to die. But even though he was certain of this, Ann found himself worrying anyway.

Ma'akéné stopped short suddenly, her head and tail raising high and her ears pricking forward. Ann stopped when he realized she was no longer following him and half turned to regard her. He watched her ears rotate, sometimes together, sometimes independently, as they tried to pick up sound. Then she stomped her hoof and snorted, her eyes locking on his, liquid and brown, as if filled with worry.

Ann heard it then, the high-pitched scream that couldn't come from a human throat. Even in the growing dark, he could see that others had heard the sound too, but they weren't moving. Instead, the humans gripped their weapons tighter and the horses pranced in their places, flicking their tails from side to side in agitation.

Ma'akéné stomped her hoof again and leaped forward toward her human, prancing around him insistently. Uncertain of what it was exactly she wanted - but knowing she wanted him to mount her - Ann pulled himself up onto her back and sank low over her neck as her muscles surged, sending both her and him sailing through the air. Her hooves hit soft earth and dug in deep, propelling them away from the camp and toward the sound of the cry.

And to both of their surprise, at the source of the sound, was Ortec.

The moment the dun caught sight of them, Ortect tossed his head and reared twice, making sure mare and human both had seen him, before he wheeled around and galloped off. He was obviously exhausted, tripping over his own hooves several times, but he didn't stop until he'd found that particular clump of grasses, partially trampled down and heavily stained with blood.

A barely conscious Riala forced her eyes open as she heard a horse approaching, sighing with relief when Ortec's familiar whinny floated to her over the air. She tried to sit up, but a thoroughly aching body prevented her from doing much more than lifting a hand and gasping in pain.

Ortec skidded to a halt beside his herd-sister, pacing around her in an anxious circle twice before he allowed his front legs to buckle and knelt, then laid beside her, nuzzling her shoulder and huffing anxiously. His entire body trembled with exertion, sides heaving even as he lay still.

Despite her horse's obvious distress, Riala was clearly the one worse off. Blood coated her clothes, and ever-darkening bruises dotted almost every inch of visible skin. A Long gash near her hairline seemed to be the source of most of the blood on her face, now caked and drying into her hair, and one of her shoulders seemed to be dislocated.

Ortec looked up from the huntress and gave that same, desperate call. He didn't know what else to do.

Ann and Ma'kéné focused on following Ortec as the dun raced away from camp, leading them into the darkness. That Ma'akéné wasn't stopping surprised Ann, for he knew the mare wouldn't rush into danger if she perceived it to be a trap. Still, he would be a fool not to be prepared for the worst, and so readied himself for whatever might come.

What he saw definitely wasn't what he'd been expecting.

Before Ma'akéné had even come to a complete halt, Ann was leaping off her back and landing in the grass in a crouch, from which he sprang upright and raced to Riala's side. For a long heartbeat, he just stared at her wounds, trying to figure out where to start. He had no supplies with him with which to care for her, but he couldn't leave her here. Taking her back to camp was like condemning her to die. The chieftain would never allow an enemy into their midst, even a wounded one. He would order Riala's death before he listened to Ann's plea, and he would likely order Ann to be the one to kill her, to prove to the tribe that he had the best interest of his people at the forefront of his mind.

So what could he do?

They would find them if they stayed here. But Ann was afraid of moving her, uncertain of just how wounded she was. The head wound seemed the worst, and Ann knew head wounds were quite dangerous. There was often more damage that couldn't be seen than there was that could be seen.

Ma'akéné pawed the ground and snorted. Ann looked up at her. Then he looked over at Ortec. He raised a hand and held it over the stallion's nose, leaving it up to the horse to decide whether or not he wanted the touch.

"I promise you, Ortec," Ann said, "I'm going to help her. Trust me. I will take care of her."

Leaving his hand where it was suspended in the air, Ann looked toward the mare. "You know what I need. See if you can find it. Be quick."

Ma'akéné tossed her head and spun around, racing back toward the camp. Ann, meanwhile, shifted closer to Riala, his hand moving to part her hair to inspect her wound.

The stallion snorted and jerked his head back, eyeing Ann warily. Then, slowly, he stretched his neck forward to press his nose into the man's palm, an exhausted sigh shuddering his sides.

As the other rider shifted closer to the unconscious Riala, she groaned and turned her head, stirring slightly toward wakefulness. Ortec huffed and curved his head down to nuzzle at her shoulder.

"I...I didn't..." Her lips moved, the barest whisper of sound escaping her. "I'm...sorry..."

"Shh." Ann whispered, stroking Riala's forehead. "Shh. Don't speak. Just rest."

He looked at Ortec, trying to reassure the stallion with a gentle expression and smile. He didn't know what else to do for the dun in this moment, nor could he really help Riala until Ma'akéné returned with the needed supplies.

So he sat beside her, stroking her forehead and cheeks, hoping the touch would chase away her fear and pain just for a little while, his eyes on the dark plains around them, waiting for his four-footed sister to return.

When she did so, it was with a flurry of thunderous noise. Ma'akéné slowed her pace before she could run upon them and circled around her two-legged brother and the stallion and his two-legged sister, coming to a stop beside Ann. She dropped her head then, depositing beside him his bag, along with a gourd of water, and another satchel. She whickered softly and backed away, moving around to Ortec to push her nose against his, as if to tell him everything would be okay now.

Ann opened his pack and pulled out a length of cloth, tore a piece from the main body of the cloth, then pulled the cork from the gourd to wet the cloth. Gently, he dabbed at Riala's head wound, carefully cleaning away the dried blood and dirt and debris. When he was finished with that task, he used the rest of the cloth to wrap her head to cover the wound. Then he used the damp cloth from before to run it across her visible skin, removing more dirt and debris to ensure that no more of her skin was cut or bleeding anew.

It was her shoulder that concerned him the most. He would have to manipulate it to see if it was truly dislocated or broken, which would cause her pain. Either way, he would have to set it, and only then he would be able to move her somewhere safer.

He leaned low over her then, uncertain if she was conscious or not. She had spoken before, but hadn't since he'd started caring for her, so Ann wasn't sure if she would hear him.

"Riala? Riala, you're safe... You're safe now. I need you to trust me, okay? I need to check your shoulder... It's going to hurt, but I need to make sure it isn't broken. Trust me, Riala."

Ann shifted to put both his hands on her shoulder, trying to keep his touch as gentle as possible.

Gradually, under his touch, Riala seemed to calm, just a bit. Even more gradually, she seemed to rouse slightly, her eyelids flickering, a soft groan caught in her throat.

At the mare's brief sign of affection, Ortec rose shakily to his hooves and paced around her anxious, almost unconsciously attempting to herd her together with the humans. He could not protect his sister when she needed him most, but he seemed utterly determined to protect these three creatures that were now all that was left of his herd.

Riala drew in a ragged breath when Ann spoke, and her eyes finally opened. They were fuzzy and unfocused, but a spark of recognition lit in her gaze. "You..."

Then the pain set in and she gritted her teeth, biting down on a sharp wail. "What-- how did you--?"

"Shh." Ann said. "This is going to hurt. I need to put your shoulder back into the socket."

He didn't bother to give her a warning; he simply jerked his hands to snap the joint back into place. That done, he quickly moved to stabilize her arm. He needed to get her moved, and moved quickly. If they were found, they both would be killed.

"Ortec came." he spoke quickly, signaling Ma'akéné. She moved to intercept the stallion, pressing her chest into his shoulder and hanging her head across his neck, trying to keep him still. "We came to help."

Ortec snorted and tried to dance away from the mare, though he did at least stop his constant circling.

Popping her shoulder back into place nearly drew a cry of pain from the huntress, but she managed to bite down on it just in time, panting heavily as she clenched her eyes shut.

"H-help..." Her throat was so dry. She swallowed thickly. "Why? Why are you..." She tried to sit up, but barely managed to raise her head before she collapsed back with a groan. Ortec tossed his head and hopped into a half rear, obviously frustrated by his helplessness.

"Shh." Ann said again. He wound the rest of the bandaging around her arm and neck, tying a knot on the opposite shoulder so her arm would be rendered immobile. "I'm helping you because I owe you my life. And Ma'akéné's. I owe you."

He looked over toward Ortec then, eyeing the stallion. "Listen, brother, you have to trust me. I will take care of her, and you, but you have to let me take care of your sister as only a human can."

Ma'akéné snorted, pawing the ground as if to tell the stallion the same. She shook herself, then moved over to Ann and knelt. Quietly, Ann pulled Riala up into his arms and then eased her onto the mare, careful not to jar her arm. When she was settled, he mounted behind her, and Ma'akéné slowly got to her feet. Once she was standing, Ann looked over to Ortec.

"There's a safe place I'm going to take her. It's close by, but far enough other humans won't look for us there. Can you follow us? We'll go slow."

Ortec surged forward, nuzzling Riala's good shoulder as she was lifted onto the mare's back, then finally seemed to subside. He bobbed his head to Ann, understanding in his eyes as he watched the other rider secure his sister.

"You should...just leave," Riala protested through gritted teeth. "If they find you...helping me...they'll kill you."

She wasn't even sure which "they" she meant-- his tribe or her own.

"That's not happening." Ann replied with a soft smile. "I told you; I owe you my life. That is a debt I'm going to repay, no matter who might come after us."

He urged Ma'akéné into a gentle walk, and the mare complied, careful not to make her motions too jarring, even as her two-legged brother did his best to stabilize the human female and keep her from being jarred too much as they moved.

He knew that he could very well be killed for abandoning his tribe in favor of Riala. Even if his chieftain accepted his reason why he'd left without a word to go to her aid, there would be some kind of reckoning. He was no longer a child, free to listen to the whims of his heart whenever he wished. He was an adult, and had the responsibilities of an adult. Ann knew he could have his status ripped from him and be reduced to a child again. He could be exiled. Killed. Or, worse, made to kill Riala. But he also accepted those consequences, were they to be caught. That was part of being an adult, too. Accepting the consequences of his choices.

"Just be quiet, Riala. We'll be there soon. I'll be able to take care of you properly."

"You're...an idiot," Riala whispered, but she already seemed to be drifting again, her head lulling back against Ann's shoulder as they rode. Her eyes fluttered shut.

Ortec paced along beside the mare, occasionally letting out a concerned huff or wicker, but otherwise incredibly docile, as compared to his earlier behavior. He stuck as close to Ma'akene's side as she would let him, occasionally halting and tossing his head up when he heard a noise in the grasses.

It always turned out to be nothing, no predator at least, and he would hurry to catch up with his sister and her rescuers.

"Maybe," Ann answered. "But I'm an idiot who's saving your life. Deal with it."

As she drifted off, Ann held her closer, doing his best to keep her warm while they traveled. He glanced at the stallion, making sure he was keeping up and not getting lost. He knew Ortec was spooked by the sounds issuing out of the night, but his nerves would be even more frayed if he was told it was nothing. Better to let the stallion be on high alert for every possible danger than complacent.

Ma'akéné huffed out a snort, moving quickly toward a shadow in the distance that was steadily growing larger. She and Ann had discovered this place a long time ago as youngsters, this tumble of rocks and boulders that seemed haphazard and dangerous. Ann had explored the mess, and had discovered that the rocks formed a natural cave, large enough for both of them, at the time. No one would think to look for them here, least of all Riala's tribe.

As they reached it, Ma'akéné slowed to a halt and Ann dismounted, pulling Riala down into his arms to carry her within the shelter of the rocks. He settled her on the ground, careful not to jar her, and used his bag to pillow her head.

"I'll be back." Ann whispered. "Just try and rest."

"Mmph." She winced as she was shifted onto the ground, biting back a curse. "Where-- where are you going?" she rasped, eyes flickering over Ann's face with a combination of wariness, faint hope, and even fainter fear, hidden behind gritted teeth and narrowed eyes.

Ortec snorted and shuffled his front hooves, trying to get himself as close to his rider as he could without actually stepping on her.

He touched her face, smiling gently. "Don't worry about it. I'm just going to get some supplies. I can't take care of you properly if I don't have them."

He rose and backed away from her to give Ortec more room to maneuver. "Close your eyes and rest, Riala. No one will find you here. Only we know about it. And you, now. So long as you stay quiet, no one will have reason to investigate this place."

Ann looked toward the stallion then. "We'll be back before sunrise. I promise, I will help her. I will protect you."

That said, he turned and left the tumble of rocks, joining his four-footed sister outside. He climbed onto her back, took a deep breath, and she started away at an easy trot.

Ortec stared at the young man for several long moments, then slowly let out a breath in what might have been a sort of resigned sigh before pacing another circle around his rider, dipping his head to nose at her good shoulder a few times.

Riala could do little more than as Ann ordered, her eyes already fighting to close as she watched him mount the mare and start off. Groaning quietly, she reached up to stroke her brother's cheek. "What have we got ourselves into, my lad?"

Ann let out a long sigh as he rode away from his secret place. Ma'akéné echoed his sigh, her tail flicking back and forth like a switch. He reached over to pat her neck and then leaned low over her shoulders, resting his head against her mane. He needed to get a little bit of rest, at least, especially since he wasn't sure he would be able to get any in the coming days.

He woke just before they returned to his tribe's camp, and under the cover of the darkness, Ann quickly gathered his belongings and several other items he was going to need while he was taking care of Riala. He hoped that his parents would understand his sudden disappearance, but even if they didn't, Ann knew that he was doing the right thing. He could only hope that, one day, he might be able to return. And even if he didn't... well. He'd deal with that.

As quietly as they had entered, they left.

Ann returned to the hideaway, allowing Ma'aéné to whinny softly to tell Ortec that they had returned. He entered the cave and set his things down, then moved to open a waterskin and offered it to Riala.

"Drink slowly."

Ortec came to meet the mare with flickering ears, on high alert as he glanced around warily, but he allowed horse and rider to approach his sister.

Riala was only conscious in a very technical sense of the word, but she managed to weakly take the offered waterskin and sip at it. She was still weak and sore, and about half of what she attempted to drink simply spilled down over her chin, but it was better than nothing.

Drawing in a ragged breath, she blinked at her rescuer, trying to sit herself up properly. "...What do you want?"

Ann sat cross-legged beside her, holding the waterskin and reaching to dab her chin dry with a spare cloth. He studied her face, as if trying to find the best thing to say. She was hurt and tired, and she likely wouldn't believe a single word he said. Yet he had to say them anyway.

"I want nothing," he answered quietly, honestly. "You saved my life, and the life of my sister. And for that, I owe you a debt that may never be repaid. A life for a life. That is the bond we now share."

He set the skin down and then picked up a ceramic jar and another cloth. He opened the jar, suffusing the air with a sweet smell, akin to honeysuckle. With one corner of the rag, he dipped it into the salve, then began to gently apply it to her worst cuts, scrapes, and bruises.

"I owe you." Ann repeated, taking special care of the worst of her wounds. "This is all I can do for you, for now. But I swear to you, Riala, I won't let anyone hurt you or Ortec. I promise."

Riala smirked, a little painfully, but with some odd combination of humor and respect in her eyes. "You have honor," she noted, trying to sit up-- and failing, collapsing back with a huff and a pained grunt.

Ortec snorted, dropping his head and snuffling at her shoulder, tail flicking back and forth as though swatting non-existent flies.

"Shh, shhh, brother." Despite the soreness, she raised her good arm to pat his neck. "I'm alright, really. You did good." She glanced sidelong at their rescuers. "You found help."

The stallion huffed, pleased with himself, and drew his head up again, stepping back to give them some space.

Ann watched the exchange with a small smile, then moved to help Riala sit up comfortably, leaning her against the hard wall of the cave with a rolled blanket between the cold stone and her back to provide some comfort. It wasn't much, but it would have to be enough for now.

When he drew back, he said, "Honor... I wonder. There is right and there is wrong. Is it right of me to choose you over my tribe, or is it wrong? I have no way of knowing for sure. I just know that here, in my heart," Ann lifted a hand and set it over his chest, "that this is the right thing to do. I'll accept what comes because of it."

He shifted again, moving to pull out a few things from his bag that he'd retrieved from his tribe's camp. Most of it was food, dried meat and hard bread, which he broke or cut into small chunks to make it easier for Riala to eat it. He even pulled out a few apples and cut those up too, offering Ortec a few of the slices before he offered Ma'akéné the same. Then he turned his attention to Riala.

"I've brought a few things to help speed along your recovery, medicines and such. I don't think you have a head injury, so..." Ann pulled out a small folded packet and opened a corner, revealing a soft off-white powder. "This will numb you enough that you can sleep. If you want to take it, I'll add it to your water."

"No." Despite how every movement still hurt, she shook her head, turning her head away from the offered powder. "I won't begrudge the medicines, but I won't take painkillers."

Ortec huffed at her, but she ignored him. She may not agree with her father's rulings, but she respected the laws of their tribe. Any wounds earned in an honor circle were allowed to have aide in healing, but attempting to dodge the pain was considered worse than cowardly.

Ann nodded, accepting her answer. He folded the packet and put it away, then pulled another waterskin from his pack and offered it to her. "You should eat and drink a little something, then rest. You too, Ortec. We can keep watch."

He smiled at her, hoping that he was putting her at ease. Even if she felt too uncomfortable to sleep, he would keep watch. He admired her strength, for dealing with the pain as she was. He knew few who would willingly suffer like that, even among his own tribe. He reached out and gently gripped her shoulder, then rose and moved past her to take up a position near the entrance of their hideaway. He settled with his back to her, so she would have some semblance of privacy while she tried to sleep.

It was the least he could do, after all. And she needed rest, no matter what she might think about it.

Riala looked down at his hand as he gripped her shoulder, then up into his face. She thought perhaps she should say something, but no words came. After several long moments, she settled for a sharp nod, flicking her eyes from her rescuer to Ortec and back.

"...Thank you."

Unable to think of anything else to say, and feeling exhaustion tugging at her bones, she finally curled onto her side to sleep, closing her eyes with a long sigh.

Ann looked back over his shoulder at the whispered words, watching Riala sleep. She needed the rest and she needed to heal, so it was up to him to keep her safe through the night and make sure no one bothered her. She looked like she'd been through hell, and he could only imagine what it had been she'd suffered, especially if her tribe had turned her out and left her to die.

He couldn't begin to imagine how she felt. His own tribe had their own exile practices, but they had never exiled anyone without good reason. Ann knew he was risking exile just for helping her, but his was a good reason. He might be accepted back into his tribe if he explained himself. But he couldn't right now. He couldn't risk her safety by bringing her into his tribe, nor he could he risk his tribe by bringing her to them. He didn't want to start a war.

No, he was on his own, at least until Riala was better. Then, maybe, he could figure out what would happen after that.

She didn't know how long she slept. Unconsciousness was a blessed relief from the pain, but her dreams were hardly a respite in truest form. They were dark and hot and loud, and too fast for her to fully comprehend: snatches of memory blended with fears she hardly ever voiced.

Eventually, she woke, groaning softly as she instinctively tried to sit up and her body instantly protested the motion.

Ortec's head shot up and he turned quickly toward her, ears perked forward and snorting a little nervously.

Riala forced herself to smile, turning onto her less injured side with a small wince and reaching up to him. "Shh, lad. I'm here, I'm alright."

At the sound of movement, Ann shifted his weight and twisted to look behind him at Riala and Ortec. He smiled, pleased to see that she was awake. Slowly, he rose and moved over to her, crouching beside her to help her sit up.

"How are you feeling? Would you like something to eat?"

Ann moved away from her then, reaching for his bag to begin rooting around through it. "I'll go hunting later, but for now, I have enough to tide you over until I can find something more substantial."

He pulled out a small wrapped package, offering it to her. Inside were seeds and berries and dried meat, a quick snack meant to ease hunger but not erase it completely. He had several of these packets, but they wouldn't last if he didn't supplement them through hunting and foraging.

"Food would be...good," Riala admitted after a moment of consideration, nodding gratefully.She shifted a bit, trying to sit up further, and found herself leaning against the support he offered.

She gritted her teeth. She hated feeling weak.

Ann blinked as she leaned against him, but he didn't protest. He knew how hurt she was, and that she needed the help, even if she didn't want to admit it. But he wasn't about to ridicule her for it; rather, he simply helped her into a comfortable position and put the packet in her lap, open and ready for her to pick and choose what she wanted to consume.

"Just be careful chewing. Let the harder things rest on your tongue until they soften a bit. I know it'll be difficult, but we don't want you hurting yourself any further, right?"

He smiled at her, ruffling her hair in brotherly manner.

Riala scowled at him as she scooped up a handful of food. "I don't need you to tell me how to eat. I'm not an infant," she grumbled-- perhaps a bit more sharp than she really should be, but she was sore and feeling helpless. Neither of which were her favorite states of being.

Ann only laughed at her surly tone. He sat back and watched her, his lips twisted into a tiny smirk. She sounded like his younger sibling, always complaining that they didn't need any help doing anything, that they weren't a child, and that they were ready to be considered an adult by the tribe, even though they had yet to pass the tests and perform the rituals that would prove them an adult.

He understood that she was in pain and she was lashing out because she hurt and she felt as if she could do nothing without help. She was going to snap and snarl until she felt better, and that was okay. His presence here was to keep her safe until she healed and could move on her own. How long that would be was anyone's guess.

"Do as you please, then, Riala." Ann said with a slight laugh to his tone. "Just don't cry if you break your teeth or aggravate that bruise on your jaw."

"Mmph." She narrowed her eyes at him again, but didn't snap back-- he may have had a point.

After a few more careful bites, she noted softly, "You remind me of my cousin, a little." Ortec flicked his ears toward her, shifting his weight between his back hooves. "She does that too. Just laughs when I get cross with her."

"Your cousin?" Ann asked, pausing in his task of rifling through his bag. "I remind you of her, really? I suppose as comparisons go, it isn't so bad."

He looked away from her and toward the bag he was pulling items out of. He smiled, his head tilting to one side as he considered all the times that he'd simply laughed off his siblings' anger with him, or turned their angry into a joke that had both of them doubled over in laughter.

"I never wanted my siblings angry with me. At least, not when the trespass wasn't my fault, and not when it wasn't worth being angry over. I just always... laughed. Laughter seems to be the cure for most ills."

"Hm." Riala continued to eat in silence, her eyes occasionally flicking toward the entrance of their little alcove with some of the wariness of a hunted animal.

Ortec was more restless than his rider, pacing and huffing in irritation every few moments, tail flicking at nonexistent flies.

Ann flicked a glance at Ortec, sensing the stallion's restlessness. For a moment, he thought about rising to see if he could calm the horse, but Ma'akéné took the opportunity to whicker at Ortec, her own tail swishing back and forth, not in irritation, but rather slowly in a monotonous motion. She tossed her head, then half-turned her body until she was able to motion outside their hiding place. It was as if she were trying to tell Ortec that he could leave the safety of this small cave, and that he would be perfectly fine tending to his own needs while his human tended to her own.

Ann smiled, nodding slowly at Ma'akéné as she pranced sideways a little, first to the left and then to the right, as if trying to encourage Ortec to follow her. When he didn't, she snorted and stamped her hoof as if with irritation, then performed her strange little dance again, until she finally took a few steps back and vanished out of the entrance, letting the stallion do whatever he wanted.

Ann's smile grew wider. "My sister thinks your brother is incredibly overprotective, and that you won't suddenly turn into a foal barely able to stand if he takes his eyes off you for five seconds."

Riala chuckled tiredly as Ortec huffed and flicked his tail in irritation. He was still hovering, but it was clear he wanted to follow the mare-- well, that was in his nature, and she was baiting him.

Another snort and he trotted after Ma'akéné, nickering softly and tossing his head at her, almost showing off.

His rider rolled her eyes, shifting slightly to rest more comfortably against the little outcropping's wall. "He can be a nuisance, but he means well. He saved my life once, y'know."

"He's your brother and he's worried about you." Ann watched Ortec leave the hideaway, smiling. "But worrying about you all the time isn't healthy for him. He needs some time to relax himself. As do you. Besides, Ma'akéné will take care of him. She's pretty good at herding stubborn males."

He turned his attention to Riala then, his eyes on her face, watching her make herself more comfortable. There wasn't much by way of comfort in this place. Ann had never seen the point of making it livable. It had merely been a place he could run to when he needed to be alone for a little while.

"Would you like anything else?" he asked her. He wanted to make sure she was absolutely comfortable before he started trying to figure out how Riala had ended up how she'd ended up.

The rider shook her head, eyes still watching Ortec's back carefully. He seemed to be doing fine, now that he was out in the open air, but she couldn't help worrying about him. He'd run hard the day before, and while she was grateful-- for his speed had almost certainly saved her life-- she worried he might push himself too hard.

"No," she murmured after a few moments of quiet. "No, I don't need anything."

Ann nodded, accepting her words. He sat back and smiled as he watched Ma'akéné and Ortec outside the hideaway. His four-footed sister was keeping a watchful eye on the stallion, making sure that he wasn't doing anything too strenuous. She knew her own kind better than humans did, Ann was forced to admit. She would take care of him and make sure Ortec followed her lead, whether he liked it or not.

After letting the silence stretch for a handful of heartbeats, Ann turned his attention back to Riala, his head tilting to the side. "Are you feeling better now? What... what happened to you? You were... in a bad way when we were brought to you."

His tone of voice clearly invited her to share, but only if she chose to. He wouldn't push her if she didn't wish to speak.

Riala stiffened. She eyed Ann sidelong for a few moments, then sighed quietly and forced her shoulders just relaxed, just a bit.

"I was," she murmured, a sardonic twist to her lips with her agreement. "There was...someone overheard me let you go. He told my f-- he told the chief, and he commanded an honor circle. If I could fight my way out, I would take the beating as my only punishment."

She shrugged and looked away, drawing her knees toward her chest. "I couldn't fight my way out."

There was a long, heavy silence, then she sighed and let her chin rest on her knees. "We didn't used to do this. It's archaic, a practice from generations ago. But after my uncle died... The new chief has changed things."

Ann was quiet as he listened to Riala speak. It was obvious to him that she was withholding information, but he wasn't going to argue with her about it. She would tell him if she wanted to tell him. But what she had told him already made him clench his fists in his lap. He bowed his head for a minute, slowly breathing, and when he felt calm again, he unclenched his hands and rested them on his knees.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that." he said, keeping his voice low. "You shouldn't have had to fight for your place. You could have killed me, and then you would have been safe. But... I thank you for sparing my life. I owe you a great debt for that. And for Ma'akéné."

He shifted to face her better, meeting her eyes. "What do you plan to do now? Will you move on and live on your own? Or will you try to return to your tribe?"

"Well, you don't owe me anything now. You've saved my life too-- we're square." Riala smiled a bit at him, then winced as the expression made her already aching jaw twinge in pain. Horse Lords, she was lucky that particular hit hadn't broken her jaw completely.

At his question though, her smile fell away. She hunched her shoulders forward slightly, eyes fixed on the ground. "I can't go back. Even if I had defeated the honor circle, I would've still been exiled. I'm lucky they didn't just sell me to Essyrn-- probably thought I'd die out in the plains if they just left me."

She shrugged and frowned at her feet. Papa... "I guess...that means I have to move on. Don't know where though." It was nearly impossible to survive on your own in the Serha Plains. It was why Dujhari lived in tribes in the first place. Loners simply didn't make it.

She glanced up, toward the entrance of the little cavern, where Ortec was currently prancing circles around Ann's sister, apparently trying to bait her into a playful chase.

"My debt will be paid to you when you're completely healed and can move on your own." Ann said, his gaze turning to follow Riala's. He smiled as he watched his four-footed sister pivot to constantly face the stallion, her ears twitching forward and back, and her tail raising slightly as she tried to figure out what Ortec was doing. "And for now, that doesn't seem like that's going to happen any time soon."

As if finally figuring out the stallion's game, Ma'akéné pawed the ground, then lunged at Ortec, playfully nipping at his shoulder before kicking up her feet and prancing away, turning back toward him to make sure he was following. She leaped forward and then to the side, her whinnying sounding like laughter. Ann grinned as well, chuckling softly himself.

"It looks like those two are getting along just fine." Ann said, watching as Ma'akéné playfully lunged again before darting away, daring Ortec to play his own game. His sister was no longer truly a foal, but it was good to see her acting like one again. She needed to have some fun, especially when things were now so serious. He turned his attention back to Ortec's human, his smile soft and gentle. "You can stay here for as long as you need. Like I said, no one knows about this place. You'll be safe here."

Riala smiled a bit as she watched the horses play. It was good to see Ortec relax, even just a bit.

"She'd best watch herself," she chuckled quietly. "My brother can be a heartbreaker."

As though he heard her, Ortec tossed his head showily and nipped back at Ma'akéné's withers, then pranced away from her, flicking his tail energetically.

After a few moments more of silence, Riala looked to her rescuer. "Thank you," she murmured. "You didn't have to help me. Actually, it probably would have been smarter for you if you hadn't. But you're putting yourself and your sister at risk for our sakes. So...thank you." She cleared her throat and looked away again. "I'll be out of your hair as quick as I can, I promise."

Ma'akéné squealed as Ortec nipped at her, leaping away from him. When she landed, she pivoted and pranced back over, extending her neck to nip him back. She leaped backwards, much like a foal at play, and pranced around with her head and tail held high. She whickered, stamping her hooves and shaking herself before she trotted around the stallion in a wide circle, leaping forward to jump and nip at him again. It was clear she was having fun playing with him, enjoying the carefree attitude that they both were able to share in, especially now that their humans were safe.

Ann laughed. "Ma'akéné can take care of herself. She's refused to bow since the day she was born. Sometimes I think she only listens to me because she knows there's not much I can do to stop her once she gets stubborn about something."

He turned to look at her, a gentle smile on his face. "Maybe it would've been smarter, but it wouldn't have been the right, or honorable, thing to do. My tribe places family above all else, and we also pride ourselves on paying our debts. If I'm exiled for this, then so be it. I can find ways to survive on my own. Both of us can. And if we are not, then we'll do our best to honor my tribe's kindness in allowing us to return." He shrugged. "The future isn't written in stone. It's fluid, like water. And a river is ever-changing, after all, is it not?"

Orect, evidently absolutely delighted with the play, neighed a challenge to the mare and abruptly took off, racing circles around the alcove where their human siblings rested.

Riala found her eyes drawing heavy as she listened to Ann speak, chin resting on her knees. "I suppose you're right." She sighed and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "I still feel like I owe you for this. You're risking an awful lot, honorable or no."

Ma'akéné snorted and reared, using her hind legs to push off the earth and leap after Ortec, chasing him as he wanted her to. She easily caught up to him and came abreast of him, carefully judging the distance between them and their speed before she playfully bumped her shoulder against his. She nipped at his neck, then kicked up her heels and picked up speed to pass him, making a sound akin to laughter.

Ann smiled, his head tilting slightly to the side. "You owe me nothing. I'll protect you until you're well enough to stay or go on your own. And my life is my own. I make my own choices and I am responsible for them. My tribe will understand. They may not be happy about it, but they'll understand."

He shifted to face her a little better, his own hands on his knees. "If you're feeling tired again, you should rest. I'll go out and see if I can't find us something better to eat."

The stallion snorted and staggered dramatically, pretending to lose his footing as the mare bumped into him. He tossed his head and gave a plaintive, pitiful whicker, limping slightly as though she had bruised him.

Riala rolled her eyes as she watched. "Cad," she accused the horse fondly, to which he simply flicked his tail and "miraculously" recovered, tearing off after Ma'akéné again.

After watching a moment or two longer, Riala glanced back to Ann. She hesitated, then nodded slightly. "Alright...thanks." Sighing, she leaned back against the wall of the little cavern, allowing her eyes to slide closed.

Ann smiled as he watched Ma'akéné pivot around to face Ortec as he faked his injury, certain that he was. Yet, when he came chasing after her, she squealed and took off like an arrow shot from a bow, bouncing around like she was again a foal and not a grown mare. He could laugh, but she wouldn't have appreciated that, so he just continued to smile and laugh at her antics on the inside. He returned his attention to Riala then, and waited until she was fully asleep before he rose. He made sure she was comfortable, and that she wouldn't hurt herself if she woke before he returned by trying to move around on her own. He didn't doubt that she had the strength and wherewithal to take care of herself, but he would feel better if someone was around to watch her when she started doing it. Their brother and sister were good for keeping an eye on them, but there were just things opposable thumbs could do that hooves could not.

Signaling Ma'akéné as he stepped out of the alcove, Ann picked up his bow and quiver, along with his knife and pack, which he had emptied of its contents. When she arrived at his side, he placed his hands on either side of her face and pressed his forehead to hers.

"I'm going hunting," he said softly, staring into her liquid eyes. "I want you to stay here and keep an eye on Riala. Don't let Ortec go crazy, okay? He needs to rest too."

She whickered and lifted her head away from him, pawing the ground. She shook herself, then turned to return to Ortec. Ann watched her go and smiled. She would take care of them in his absence, and she knew what to do if she sensed or saw danger. Besides, he wasn't going that far away. He knew where there were things he could dig up and gather food, and if he could, he'd get them some meat. But he didn't want to stay away for too long.

Ortec sobered slightly as he watched Ann head off, bow in hand. He snorted quietly and his tail whisked through the air a few times. He greeted Ma'akéné with a soft huff and an absent sort of bob of his head, but his attention was suddenly back on the alcove where Riala slept.

He huffed again and paced through the grasses toward the stone outcropping. A satisfied little sort left him when he saw his sister was resting, but the playfulness seemed to have dimmed.

Ma'akéné whickered softly at Ortec, recognizing that he no longer wanted to play, and recognizing that his desire to play had lessened because her brother had left. She trotted closer to the stallion, then bumped his shoulder lightly with hers. She whickered softly again, pushing her nose against his cheek as it to try and comfort him. Her brother would return, and until then, she was responsible for both him and Riala. She pawed the ground and snorted, then pulled away from him and trotted over to the alcove, taking up a guard position by the opening. There, she had a good view of the sleeping human girl inside and she could keep an eye out for her brother, leaving Ortec to stand guard with her or resume playing as he pleased.

Ann, in the meantime, had slipped into the high grasses of the plains, moving slowly and silently as he sought food for them to eat. Their supplies had to be supplemented, or they would quickly run out and be in a worse situation than they were now. He had already found several roots that were edible and could be made to taste good with an expert hand, and he had found some wild onions and several other things that could be eaten in a pinch. Now, though, he had spotted the tracks of rabbits, and while the scrawny things couldn't feed an entire tribe, one or two would be able to feed him and Riala. So he stepped lightly and carefully, looking for the creatures so he could stalk them and be successful in hunting them. He didn't want to be out too late, so he decided he would return near dusk. Ma'akéné would be looking for him by then, as well, and he didn't want to alarm her by being late.

She was trained to come after him, after all, and protect him as much as he protected her. And if there was really a dire situation, then she was trained to return to the tribe to obtain help. Which was what Ann didn't want to have happen. He didn't want anyone to know Riala was there, that she was alive. In her weakened state, she would certainly be killed. And, likely, so would they all.

At last he spotted the rabbit, a rather scrawny looking one, but there would be enough meat on it in order to feed both of them tonight. Perhaps, when Riala was feeling up to it, he would bring her hunting with them. Nocking an arrow, Ann pulled back on the string and let the arrow fly.

Utterly exhausted, Riala slept until nearly sundown. Ortec found himself pacing outside the entrance to her shelter, huffing and snorting nervously every so often.

Ma'akéné's presence was something of a comfort, and he did attempt to pass some of the time with soft touches or companionable silence, standing nose to tail and occasionally resting his head across her flank with a tired sigh.

Finally, he heard Riala stir, and he bolted for the entrance of the outcropping, snorting and pawing at the ground.

Riala chuckled, then winced as she pushed herself up. "Yeah, lad, I'm still here," she assured her horse with a wry smile, reaching up to stroke his velvety muzzle. Ortec sighed softly and leaned into her hands, closing his eyes for a moment, and she let her brow rest against his.

"How've you two been then?" she murmured, glancing past him to where Ann's horse waited. "Keeping each other busy?"

Ma'akéné whickered in answer to Riala's question, turning her head to bump her nose against Ortec's neck. She flicked her tail and turned her attention to Riala, lowering her head to snuffle the human girl's hair and hands, to make sure she was as fine as she seemed to be. She lifted her head away after a moment, letting the stallion have his human sister all to himself. Turning, the mare headed back out to wait for her own brother, her ears lifting and pricking forward as she listened to the sounds of the world around her.

She took a few steps forward as she saw someone emerging from the grasses, prepared to bolt and lead danger away from Ortec and Riala if need be, but she realized she didn't need to the moment the wind shifted and she caught a familiar scent. Even in the low light, Ma'akéné could recognize her human by sight now, and she raised her tail and high stepped toward him, whickering softly in greeting to Ann.

Ann raised a hand in a return greeting, then shifted his catch higher onto his shoulder. He'd been able to catch two more rabbits, giving him a brace of three, along with the things he had managed to forage. They would eat like royalty tonight.

Ma'akéné met him halfway and danced around him in her excitement of his return. Ann laughed and stroked her neck when she finally stopped and plodded alongside him, nuzzling his catch until she managed to pull out a piece of sweetgrass for herself. She stole another piece from him as he entered the alcove, and took it over to Ortec, trying to tempt the stallion into taking the treat.

Ann set his catch down near the bedding he'd made for Riala, smiling at her. "I'm glad to see you're awake. How are you feeling?"

Worried as he'd been throughout the day, the promise of a treat was enough to tempt Ortec back out of his sullenness, and he eagerly craned his neck forward to take the offered sweetgrasss from the mare.

Chuckling slightly as she watched, Riala turned her attention back to Ann when he spoke. "I'm...alright, I think. Sore as all hells, but that's really just to be expected." Her head still hurt too, but she decided not to mention that. She didn't want him worrying too much about what she suspected was just a minor crack on her skull. As long as she was careful for a few days, she'd been fine.

She thought.

Nodding toward the rabbits, she added, "Seems you're a pretty good hunter after all." Her lips quirked up a little sheepishly on one side. "I'm, uh, sorry about that doe, by the way. When we first met. I would have let you have it, it was your kill by rights, but I was worried about... Anyway. Sorry."

Ann shrugged. "It's fine. I'm not worried about the doe at all. And, technically, I only wounded her. You killed her. So the right thing to do would be to have split the meat between the two of us."

He shifted, moving to begin setting up a fire and getting the coals nice and hot. Once he'd started the fire and tended it for a minute, he turned his attention to gutting and skinning the rabbits. "I've hunted since the day I could ride. Until that day, I was considered too young and my task was to forage. And I wouldn't say that I'm good... I'm just patient."

Ann turned to look at Riala once more, his knife paused in its task. "And you were worried about what would happen if your tribe caught me. I understand. That is both the problem and the beauty of the plains. We all must share space, but we all want to be the ones with the most." He shrugged again and returned to preparing their dinner. "I hold no ill will toward you, Riala. None at all. I only dislike that you were hurt because of me."

Riala shrugged, then winced, her so recently dislocated shoulder aching. "Eh, it's fine. Probably would have happened sooner or later anyway."

She tried to sound careless about it, but there was the barest hint of hurt, of aching betrayal, that she couldn't keep from her voice. She cleared her throat, hoping not to dwell on it, and tried to peer over Ann's shoulder.

"So, what're you planning to do with the hares then?"

"Well," Ann said, shifting so she could watch him better without having to adjust her position or get up, "I don't have the proper tools for a stew, but I figure the next best thing is to just roast it on a spit. It won't be much, but I promise, it'll be good."

He finished skinning and cleaning the animals, and then began to split meat from bone. Then he turned his attention to the roots he had scavenged. Once he was finished that, he gathered up the scraps and non-edible pieces and went outside to bury the offal well away from their camp so that the smell wouldn't attract predators and alert anyone watching that someone was living nearby. When he returned, he had with him several thin branches that he used his knife to whittle down to the perfect size for a skewer, and began to slip the pieces of meat and roots onto the pieces of wood. Adjusting stones to act as braces so he wouldn't have to sit and hold them, Ann rested the skewers against the rocks and leaned them into the flames.

After using a bit of water to wash his hands clean of blood and debris, and drying them on his shirt, he reached for his pack and pulled out a small bundle. Opening it, it released a pungent smell of herbs and spices, and he carefully pinched a bit between his fingers before sprinkling some on each of the skewers. There would be more than enough for both of them, and he certainly hadn't forgotten about their four-footed brother and sister, for once he put away the bundle of spices, he retrieved another bundle, this one holding more sweetgrass.

"A little for each of you," Ann said, portioning out the treat for both Ma'akéné and Ortec. "Slowly, now."

Then he turned back to Riala and smiled. "It'll be ready soon. The real trick is not burning the meat so much that it becomes impossible to eat."

Ortec eagerly lipped up the treat, ignoring Ann's "slowly" as he was wont to do. Riala rolled her eyes watching him.

"Yearling," she accused, and he snorted at her. She chuckled a bit as she returned her attention to her rescuer, shifting slightly so she was leaning more comfortably against the wall.

"I'll take your word for it." She smiled wryly. "I've always been a terrible cook. I can manage field rations alright, but pretty much anything else is beyond me."

Ann laughed. "In my tribe, it's required that everyone learns how to cook. And hunt, and gather, and sew, and make weapons. There is no difference between who does what. Everyone participates. The only difference comes in as to who actually is assigned the tasks. Children are assigned certain tasks and adults are assigned certain tasks."

He reached to turn the meat, making sure it would be cooked on all sides and full through.

"We must rely on everyone to survive. Those who can't fight take care of those who can, and those who fight protect those who can't. It's a simple balance."

"Well, sure. I mean, I know how to cook," Riala said with a shrug. "I'm just not very good at it."

She smiled a bit, then settled back against the cavern wall again. Trying to stay upright for too long started to make her ache.

"It just takes practice." Ann replied. He looked toward her, looking to see if she needed any help. Since she didn't look like she did, he didn't move from his spot. He didn't think she'd appreciate him worrying over her any more than he already was. "I could teach you, if you wanted. When you're feeling better."

He turned the meat again, then inspected it to make sure it was done. Satisfied, Ann shifted to hold out one of the skewers to her, his fingers barely brushing against hers as he handed it off. Then he picked up another one and blew gently on the meat before he took a bite.

"I learned how to make this," he said between chewing, "as one of my first lessons. It's easy for a child's hand. Although I wasn't allowed to use a knife until I was a little older. Something about cutting off fingers."

She chuckled, shaking her head as she watched him. "Your own, or others?" she teased. Carefully, she shuffled a little closer, trying to feel like she was at least doing something.

She took the offered food and nibbled at it cautiously. "Oh." She blinked, looking up at him. "It's good! Ah--" Realizing how that might sound, she smiled wryly and added, "I'm not surprised or anything. I guess I just realized how hungry I was."

Ann looked at her with an appreciative smile. "My own. It wasn't until I was a little older that I was taught not to cut off the fingers of others. It doesn't do you any good if you simply cut off fingers, after all."

He took another bite and chewed slowly, allowing the juices of the meat to flow over his tongue and down his throat as he swallowed. He heard the praise in her voice at his cooking ability and felt a flare of pride. It wasn't often that he received such praise, and he enjoyed it. He couldn't help but smile as she tried to hide it, and he pretended that he hadn't noticed it.

"Well, there's plenty more. So, help yourself. Just be careful, because they're going to be hot. Don't burn your tongue." He turned then when Ma'akéné whickered, and rummaged around for something for her to eat as well, giving her more of the sweetgrass that he had harvested. "And you," Ann admonished lightly, stroking his sister's nose, "don't eat too much of that."

Ma'akéné snorted, flicked her tail, and then took her treat over to Ortec, offering the stallion some of the sweetgrass. She looked back at Ann as if to say, See? I'm not eating all of it.

Ann couldn't help but laugh, the sound clear and strong, and shifted his attention back to the fire to keep it from burning low and going out. "I swear I spoil her. Sometimes I wonder who's in charge here, me or her."

Ortec eagerly lipped up the offered treat, then nibbled at the base of Ma'akéné's mane, near her hocks, in appreciation.

Riala chuckled quietly and nodded. "Yeah, I know the feeling." She crinkled her nose at the stallion and shook her head. "Flirt," she accused, and he tossed his head at her as though offended she could even think such a thing.

Ma'akéné snorted and swung her head into Ortec's, butting him with her muzzle and giving him a playful shove. Her tail swung back and forth twice in quick succession before stilling. She shook herself, pawed the ground, and snorted for a second time.

Ann smirked. "Is that so?" He turned his attention to Riala, his smirk turning into a full-blown grin. "He can flirt all he wants, but Ma'akéné is on to him. Our mares don't allow just any stallion to mount them. And if one tries, he could very quickly find himself a gelding, and humans wouldn't have a hand in it."

He was teasing, of course, doing a poor job of hiding his mirth. Some of it was true, though. The mares were highly selective about which stallion could mate with them, which was a trait that Ann hadn't ever seen in the wild herds. Perhaps it was because their bond with humans had changed them, or perhaps they had observed for generations how the women of his tribe selected their mates. Either way, Ma'akéné was no fool, and as much as she enjoyed Ortec's flirting and solicitousness, she wasn't about to allow him to take liberties with her.

Ann looked at Riala, giving her a small smile before passing her a waterskin. "Here, have something to drink. You need to stay hydrated. In the morning, I'll check your wounds, and if they've healed some, perhaps you can try walking around. You already seem to be feeling better, if you're scooting all over the place like a prairie dog."

"Oh, he knows his place," Riala laughed easily. "He's just incorrigible about it."

She took the offered waterskin, then choked on her first gulp, glaring at him over the mouth of it. "Prairie dog?!" she demanded. She tried to sound offended, but her voice held too much mirth.

With a shrug, she handed him the skin back and drew her knees up to her chest carefully. "I'm...alright, I suppose. Mostly just sore now." It wasn't even entirely a lie. 

Ann laughed at the sound of her voice filled with incredulousness. He hadn't meant to insult her, and at first he feared he had, but then the look on her face combined with the laughter in her voice proved that he had only amused her. That was good. He didn't want to hurt her. He took the skin back and set it aside, shifting to face her a little better so he could rake his eyes over her form. It was more the gaze of a healer than anything else, of one who knew what to look for as far as healing injuries were concerned, and nothing more.

Nodding, Ann replied, "That'll go away with time. I was afraid that you might have a brain injury, but since you fall asleep and wake up without a problem, you're going to be just fine. The sun's going down now, but in the morning, we can see if you can get up without getting light headed and head outside for some real exercise."

Glancing at Ortec, he smiled a little. "Maybe see if your brother over there can contain himself long enough to let you go outside for some real exercise."

"Oh, he'd love a good run." Riala smiled a bit as she watched the horses play. She tried to settle herself back and winced again, a frown tugging at her brow as she mused aloud, "Though I'm not actually sure that's such a good idea. If someone sees us-- your tribe or mine...it won't end too well."

Ann lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug. "The plains are a big place. And I know where my tribe will frequent, just as you know where yours will. Besides, I know many places here where no one will go, whether because they believe it's too dangerous or because of the superstitions they hold about it."

He shifted to bank the fire, careful to keep the embers from jumping out and rolling toward Riala or himself. He frowned, though, as her commentary was true. If anyone saw them, then they both would find themselves on the run - as if they weren't already - and if they were caught, then they would likely be killed simply on principle. Ann didn't know if his own tribe would turn on him like that for repaying a life debt, but he'd seen what Riala's tribe had done to her, and he didn't think they would let her live.

"I could..." he paused, looking up at her, "I could try to talk to my chieftain. See if he'd be willing to adopt you into our tribe. You'd have our protection, then. If you don't want that, then... I could help you escape the plains. To get away from here."

The offer was said softly, almost uncertainly. Ann knew what it meant to leave home and leave home for good. Not many people could do that - leave everything they had known for something unknown. He believed Riala was strong enough to do that, but he wouldn't force her. She would have to make that decision on her own.

Riala snapped her head up, staring at him with wide eyes. "You..."

She blinked, then swallowed thickly. "You would...do that?" She shook her head, still looking rather stunned. "I don't-- I can't ask that of you."

Trying to regain some control of her expression, she cleared her throat and glanced away. "No, I... I'll just wait until I can ride and then-- Ortec and I, we'll figure something out. You've done enough, I can't ask anymore of you."

"You don't have to ask it of me, and yes, I would do that." Ann replied, his voice quiet. He shook his head and focused on the fire burning before him. "But in the end, it's your decision. I won't force you if you don't want to, and anyway, all I can do is ask the chieftain. Whether or not to accept you is his choice, not mine. All I can do is vouch for you."

He picked up a stick and stirred the coals of the fire, not really trying to breathe new life into it, but also preventing it from going out. He shifted to sit cross-legged, then set the stick down and braced his hands on his knees, extending his arms until his elbows locked. Ann took a deep breath, then lifted his gaze from the fire to Riala.

"I told you before, I owe you my life. And Ma'akéné's life. That's a debt not easily repaid. So, until you're well, and until you're able to make a decision, we'll defend you. And if that means riding with you until you find your way out of the plains, then that's what we'll do."

As if to accentuate her human's words, Ma'akéné snorted and stamped her hoof against the stone, making a loud noise, as if putting a stamp of finality on the statement.

Both Ortec and his heart-sister were quiet for a moment. Then Riala sighed softly and dropped her eyes, nodding slowly.

"Then...I thank you. I don't think this is something you have to do, but I can tell I'm not going to talk you out of it. So thank you, Ann."

"I'm very stubborn, you'll find." Ann replied quietly. "As is my sister here."

Ma'akéné snorted in agreement.

Ann shifted to bank the fire once more, then shifted to allow it to finally go out. "You should get some sleep, Riala. Especially if you decide that you're going to try moving outside tomorrow. You're going to need your strength."

"I'm not a child," the hunter grumbled, even as she found herself settling back into her little corner to sleep.

Realizing what she was doing, she flushed, pouted, and muttered, "Fine... But only so I can get the hells out of here in the morning."

She rolled onto her side, huffing tiredly. "Goodnight, Ann."

"Good night, Riala." Ann replied, dimming the fire so the bright light wouldn't disturb her as she slept.

He smiled at her comment, though, knowing the bite of her words for what it was. Ann wouldn't fight her if she wanted to leave, and he was sure Ortec would keep her from doing anything stupid and dangerous.

Eventually, he curled up as well, opposite Riala, and closed his eyes to sleep. He hadn't slept in a long time, having stayed up to care for her and ensure that she didn't have some kind of catastrophe in her own sleep. He was tired, and he was ready for some rest.

Her sleep was restless, haunted with shadowy nightmares that frayed at the edges of her memory and dull aches and pains throughout her battered body. She tossed and turned, at one point nearly rolling into the dying embers of the fire. Her brow was drawn into deep creases, lips slightly parted as the occasional soft gasp of moan was pulled from her throat.

A circle around her, Lani at her back. The honor circle, but she had not been part of it, not then, she was too young.

Riala's fists clenched, nails scratching against stone.

The men and women she had known all her life closed in, snarls and shouted insults blurring together before her eyes with swords and arrows. Lani pressing back against her, her voice echoing--

"Stay strong, little one."

Then she was gone, a spurt of blood and a flash of steel.

"Lani..."

The blades were turned on her now. Traitor, they called her, disloyal, unfeeling, dangerous, wrong. Traitor, traitor, traitor, TRAITOR!

Riala woke with a start, gasping and shaking as she looked around wildly.

Ann had already woken before her, and had left her alone in their cave. He stood outside, his eyes closed as he faced the rising sun. With him, his four-footed sister grazed on grasses still wet by morning's dew, and when she raised her head toward the cave and flicked her ears, Ann also opened his eyes and turned toward the mouth of the cave, peering inside as if he could see what was going on. He slowly approached then, ducking inside and moving back to the campfire to build it up when he saw that Riala was awake.

"Are you all right, Riala?" Ann asked, keeping his voice quiet.

The huntress started, already reaching for a weapon that she didn't actually have, the knife she normally slept with under her pillow. It took her a moment to remember where she was, recognize who was speaking to her. Once she had, her shoulders slumped forward a bit and she dropped her head with a sharp, weary sigh.

"I'm fine," she muttered. She moved to wrap her arms around herself, then winced as she tugged at various bruises and strains. "Just-- just a bad dream. It's nothing."

Outside, Ortec paced the front of the cave, tossing his mane and pawing at the ground in agitation. His sister was hurting, and he couldn't help her.

Ann watched her for a minute, then moved to retrieve a bowl and a waterskin. He poured the contents of the skin into the bowl, and shifted closer to her and offered her the bowl filled with a sweet-smelling hot liquid. "Marigold tea. It'll help. I made it earlier."

He leaned back then and stoked the coals into life once more, his head angled downward as he watched the flames begin to grow. Then Ann looked up toward Riala. "Dreams, my people believe, are often portents of the future and the past colliding within our minds. There is a message there, but one only the dreamer can decipher. So perhaps there is a reason for your bad dream, and perhaps you must consider why you had it, since you haven't dreamed the entire time you've been here."

Ann glanced over his shoulder at Ortec and Ma'akéné, who was moving closer to the stallion to bump her nose against his in an attempt to calm him. "Once you figure that out, perhaps we'll have some direction in which to go, then. And you'll stop worrying your brother so much."

Riala reached out for the tea automatically, wrapping her fingers around the cup and letting the warmth seep through her skin for a few moments in silence. Her lips twitched up briefly when Ann mentioned Ortec's worrying and she glanced toward the stallion almost sheepishly.

Ortec seemed to have calmed a bit now that she was awake, and he was burning off his anxious energy by stretching his neck out to nibble at Ma'akéné's poll gently, tail swishing as he absently groomed the mare.

"Have you ever seen an honor circle?" the girl asked abruptly, not quite looking at Ann but the question obviously directed to him.

"An honor circle?"

Ann had heard of the practice, but his tribe didn't participate in it. They had their own ways of proving one's strength, pride, and honor, and most often, those practices fell in line with coming of age ceremonies and milestones in a youth's life as they grew up within the tribe. But, intellectually, he knew what an honor circle was about. Two warriors met in a ring drawn out by the tribe and they fought until one party surrendered or died. Surrender was just as bad as admitting weakness, and so most often, only one warrior walked away from the honor circle. He stared at the flames for a minute before he focused on Riala, studying her for a long while. When it was clear she wasn't going to look at him, Ann returned his attention back to the flames.

"I've heard of it, yes. But I've never seen one." Ann said at last, his voice quiet. "My uncle described them once, when I was small, to me and those of my age. He made them seem... barbaric... compared to our own practices and ceremonies. But then, my tribe is far different from yours."

He didn't want to insult her. He knew that what he was saying probably sounded like an insult and would be taken as one, but he didn't know how to soften the words any more than he already had, and he didn't know what else to say. Ann was quiet for a heartbeat, before he returned his gaze to the girl and studied the lines of her body, the tenseness of her form, the sorrow in her eyes. The honor circle meant something to her, that was clear. He recognized both a subdued joy and a tempered sadness in the way she held herself, and gleaned that, perhaps to Riala, the honor circle was something more than what his uncle had described to the youngsters. To Riala, it was important.

"Is that why you're here? Because of that?" Ann asked gently, though not demanding an answer all the same, giving Riala an option of not answering by his question. Otherwise, Ann was settled in to hear her story, determined to give her all of his attention. "What happened?"

Her hands tightened on the cup. "...Yes," she answered after a long moment. "I'm here because of that." Twice over.

She took a sip of the tea, considering her words. "It-- it wasn't as bad for me. They gave me seven opponents. They still beat me down, but I-- I survived it." Another shaky breath, eyes fixed on the liquid in her cup. "I don't remember much after-- after my brother." Half brother, really, but her brother all the same. He'd taught her to use a bow... "He was the fifth person I fought. They way my fa-- my chief makes the circles, you don't have to be defeated by the dishonored, you can simply...step out, let a fresh warrior take your place."

She drew in another breath and closed her eyes. "Ortec fought his way in. They thought they'd bound him tight enough but they hadn't. I-I think they were going to finish me, but Ortec dove in." Like Nemeira. She shuddered at the memory. "I really don't remember much after that..."

Silence reigned for a moment. Then Riala lifted her eyes to meet Ann's gaze, her mouth drawn into a tight, hard line. "They did it to my cousin Lani, almost three years ago. She should have been our chief, but Ashtari wanted the power. He made her fight the honor circle, and she fought twenty warriors. Twenty. I couldn't even manage seven."

She dropped her head again, clenching her eyes shut and struggling to force back tears.

Ann was silent as she spoke. He listened without interrupting, watching her face. He listened to the way her voice hitched as she recounted the story, as she closed her eyes and fought for the strength to describe what had happened to her. He heard in her tone the anger, the self-depreciation, the sadness, and a few other emotions. He wanted to reach out and wrap his arms around her, to pull her close and give her shelter to cry, but she wouldn't appreciate that. Riala had struck him as a powerful, independent person, and that she would fight any attempt at consolation. She didn't want to be consoled. She didn't want to be pitied.

He could identify with that, at the very least.

What she described, though, Ann couldn't even begin to imagine. Standing in a ring, faced with an opponent one after the other, until she either defeated them all or fell in defeat? He could comprehend such a practice but he couldn't understand why it would be a practice. A tribe needed all its members to survive, because there were so many other dangers to face on the plains than themselves - a hunt could go wrong, the tribe could be attacked by outsiders or its enemies, wild animals could attack, to name a few - so he couldn't begin to fathom why a tribe would put itself at risk by putting a member through a trial such as this.

He understood that it was her tribe's custom. As much as he thought it was needless and ridiculous, it meant something to her tribe, and it meant something to Riala. She wouldn't be filled with so much pain and shame if it didn't mean something to her. But he didn't know what to say to her. He didn't know how to comfort her.

Finally, Ann reached out and gripped her shoulder, his fingers tightening until he was certain there might be bruises in her flesh in the shape of his fingertips. "What they did to you, Riala, that wasn't fair. It was needless. And I sense that these honor circles were something far different before. Different than what your chieftain makes them now. A warrior doesn't have to be defeated by the dishonored in order to withdraw, but can simply exchange places when they feel as though they're too tired or too incapable of defeating someone who outmatches them... there's no honor in that. I'm sure you fought bravely. I'm sure you fought as hard as you could. There is no shame in that. And there is no shame in receiving help, and using that help, whether you asked for it or not."

He looked at Ortec as he spoke, knowing how much the stallion loved his human sister, and how much he would sacrifice in order to protect her. He would have done the same if Ma'akéné had been in danger, and she would have rushed to rescue him if he needed it.

Ann returned his gaze to Riala. "If your cousin should have been chief, why hasn't she returned to claim her birthright? Surely she should have proven herself if she was able to fight twenty warriors. Surely she should have proven herself this Ashtari's better."

Riala drew in another ragged breath, her shoulders tensing up toward her ears, hands clenched into shaking fists in her lap. "She was...sold," she ground out. "After the circle, Ashtari declared-- she should have died, she wasn't supposed to survive that, but when Nemeira...her lover got in the way. Took the final blow. And Lani lived."

She stared at the cave wall, eyes almost glassy. "But she wasn't supposed to. Living, she was a threat to him. So Ashtari declared her dishonored, and she was sold to the first caravan heading south to Essyrn."

Ann scowled at the fire glowing and dancing before him. He disliked the idea of such an important ritual being abused for the gain of another. Surely the tribe had seen the proof that Riala's cousin, Lani, was a strong warrior and an honorable leader! Why, then, hadn't they argued with Ashtari against what he'd done? It didn't take him long to figure out why no one had spoken out against the atrocity - they hadn't wanted to end up in the same situation as Lani. They didn't want to be forced out of their tribe. For survival, they had sacrificed one of their own and had kept silent, even though they knew that evil was being done. The only one who had tried, if he could read between Riala's words correctly, had died in the process.

And because of that sacrifice, Lani had been declared dishonored - a concept Ann couldn't wrap his mind around because it meant that he would have to accept the fact that Lani's dishonor had come at the sacrifice of her lover, which was something that couldn't be dishonorable - and then sold. Sacrificed, sold, removed from the equation for another man's ambition and lust for power.

Ann was no innocent. He'd seen what men - and women - would do for ambition and lust for power, riches, property. He'd also seen what had happened to those people when their paranoia that they would soon find themselves at the wrong end of a sword or arrow or flashing hooves got the better of them. They ruled with fear and hate, and soon that fear and hate was turned back against them, whether through their own foolish and misguided actions or because someone finally became brave enough to take a stand and convince others that enough was enough.

"And," Ann said at last, "I assume the same fate was meant for you. Because you let me live."

He fell quiet for a moment, not really expecting an answer to his statement. She'd said as much before, or had inferred it, and so he knew the answer she would give. Ann looked over his shoulder then at his four-footed sister and frowned. Then he returned his attention to Riala.

"This... is going to sound crazy... but..." Ann looked at Riala, his eyes serious, "how would you feel about... finding Lani? Bringing her back? It... if we did this... perhaps we could, somehow, return her to her rightful position as chief?"

"Yes," Riala answered on yet another sigh. She rubbed at her forehead, then let her head simply drop forward into her hands. "Yes, that was supposed to happen to me."

At his proposition though, her head snapped up and she twisted around to stare at him, eyes wide and mouth open. "You-- what?"

Ortec snorted, catching the sudden shift in her tone, and glanced toward the cavern. Waving him off with an open hand, Riala turned herself to face Ann properly. "You're not serious," she muttered. "She-- she's in Essyrn! And that was years ago, she could be dead now for all I know!"

Ann remained unfazed at the outburst Riala gave to his suggestion, simply watching her and studying her face. He inclined his head slightly and shifted his shoulders, as if he were shrugging.

"It's up to you, in the end," he said at last, his voice even. "But I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't know for sure the fate of someone I loved. If she's dead, then there should be a record of it, unless the Essyrni don't keep track of their slaves. If she's alive, then she can be found."

Ann turned his attention to the fire, watching the flames dance above their coals. "You can either sit here and bemoan your lot in life, Riala, or you can change it. You tried to change it before, in your honor circle. And you changed it again by surviving. What's holding you back from knowing? We could go, find out, and if we find no answers, then we can return. If we want to return. We aren't limited to the plains, you know. We could go anywhere." Ann paused as if he finally realized what it was he was saying. "You could go anywhere."

The rider stared at him for a few moments, mute.

Finally, she muttered, "But what about you?"

He'd said we. If we did this. Go to Essyrn, find her cousin, attempt to restore her to her rightful place in the tribe...

We.

"Why would you even want to?" she whispered, sounding almost dumbfounded.

"First, I owe you, for saving my life, and for saving Ma'akéné's." Ann replied, sounding just a little testy that she would question him in such a way. Almost like it was an affront to his honor. "Second, it's the right thing to do. As for whether I want to..."

Did he want to? He'd suggested it because his honor wouldn't dictate any less. He owed her a blood debt, and he felt as though he hadn't yet repaid her. He'd dressed her wounds and hidden her from the world, but that meant little if she left this hideout and was captured by her own tribe on the plains. Or worse, killed. Besides that, his own tribe likely had discovered his disappearance, and while they would look for him while they foraged or hunted, he was an adult, and he could make his own decisions. If he returned now, though, and hadn't fulfilled his debt, then his chieftain would reduce his status back down to a child, and he would have to earn his adulthood all over again.

Would his chief really know if he had fulfilled his oath or not? No, but Ann would. And it would eat at him like a festering wound. Not knowing what had become of Riala and Ortec. Not knowing if they were alive. If they were surviving. At least if he were with them, then he could keep an eye on them, protect them, repay them.

If he explained all this to her, would she understand?

Ann looked away from the fire and toward the girl, his expression serious. "Because you can't do this on your own. If I went with you, you'd at least have someone you know and can trust watching your back. Essyrn would be a new place for the both of us, and each of us could easily be taken advantage of. At the very least, you would know that I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

"I--"

Riala let out a sharp breath and looked away, her eyes roaming the plains aimlessly for a few moments before settling on their horses.

As if sensing her gaze, Ortec lifted his head from where he had been grazing and turned to meet her eyes. He whuffed out a small breath and shook his head, ears perked forward curiously.

Almost despite herself, Riala smiled faintly. she nodded to her brother, and Ortec gave another toss of his head, prancing away in a sudden attempt to goad Ma'akéné into a chase.

"Alright." Riala lowered her eyes to her feet and let out a long, slow breath. "Alright. If you want to...I can't very well stop you. And--" She huffed again and reached up to rub at her temples. "And I'll admit that I could use the help."

Ann heard Ma'akéné whinny and then the thunder of hooves as she chased after Ortec, and he smiled as he realized that the stallion must have irritated his sister enough to make her retaliate against him. When Riala spoke, he focused on her face, his head slightly tilting to one side.

He smirked when she said she couldn't stop him. That was true. Very few could stop him from doing what he wanted to do. Even less could stop Ma'akéné from doing what she wanted to do. And it was very clear to him that she was going to aid Ortec in keeping his human sister safe while they traveled. By default, then, Ann would be going too. Two sets of eyes, after all, were better than one.

"Then it's settled," Ann said with a little smile. "We'll begin with gathering the supplies we'll need for the journey. Most of it we can hunt and gather. And I have supplies here we can repurpose for our needs."

He shifted to reach out to her, gripping her shoulder. "Everything will be fine, Riala. We'll find our answers, one way or another."

Almost carefully, Riala raised her hand and closed it over Ann's on her shoulder. "Okay then." She let out a sharp huff. "I guess...we'd better get started."

Carefully, she climbed to her feet, pressing her good hand against the cave hall to help support herself. She winced as she did, muttering a soft curse under her breath. "I think you might be doing most of the heavy lifting for a couple days," she admitted sourly, glowering down at her feet.

She hated feeling so useless.

But still, beneath the frustration...there was a glint of something else. Something bright and burning and-- and wonderful. Something like hope.

Ann turned his attention back to the fire, shifting it down to coals so that it wouldn't burn out of control without anyone there to watch it. When he was sure that the embers were cool enough not to start a fire without help, he pushed himself to his feet and turned toward Riala. He knew better than to offer her his support, especially since he'd just seemingly galvanized her into moving.

Ann smiled at her comment, lifting his shoulders as if he didn't much care. "I can do that. You need to focus on getting well more so than lifting heavy things. But you know what you can do better than I."

He grabbed his satchel, bow, and quiver, then walked after her out of the cave. He held his hand out toward Ma'akéné, and she nosed his palm before she slid her neck along his hand and presented him her side. Gripping a handful of her mane, Ann hoisted himself onto her back and settled into position. Then he looked toward the sun, lifting his hand to measure the distance between the fiery orb and the horizon, gauging the time.

"We have half the day left," he said, "maybe a little more. We can start with the easy stuff first - gathering whatever we can find. If we don't range too far, we can use this shelter for another few days or so. After that, we can move on. See if we can hunt while we make our way toward Essyrn. Is that okay with you?"

She nodded, giving a soft, low whistle that called Ortec to her as she made her way painstakingly out of the little cavern. The stallion nickered softly as he reached her and folded his front legs in so he almost bowed before her, allowing her to climb more easily onto his back.

Making a face at her own weakness, Riala huffed as she swung up onto his back and he stood beneath her. "Thanks," she murmured to the horse, stroking his neck gently, and he gave a quick toss of his head.

Settled in place, she turned to look at Ann and his own mount and nodded again. "Alright. I guess we'd better get moving while we've still got daylight."

Ann only shook his head, smiling slightly. He could only imagine how embarrassed Riala felt at not being able to do anything herself right now, but he also understood that, because she couldn't do anything herself, she needed to feel as though she could. So he urged Ma'akéné into a gentle trot, a pace that wouldn't cause Riala too much discomfort, and left their hideout behind as he began looking for roots and wild berries that they could gather, as well as the herds that often grazed upon the grasslands, hoping that they could take down a deer or gazelle and have some meat for the long journey.

Together, they gathered enough supplies from the wild for a few days, at least enough to begin their journey if they rationed it properly. Ann also collected long grass for the horses, ensuring that they would have something to eat if they ended up in an area that didn't have anything growing that the horses could crop. They could gather more as they traveled, for now Riala knew what else to look for while they traveled, and together they could carry more than they could if they were alone.

As the sun fell and darkness began to blanket the land, Ann led Riala back to their hideout. He set all their supplies inside and helped Riala to the fire, which he stoked to life again, so he could make some kind of evening meal for them. As that worked, he set out the supplies they'd gathered that day, separating them into two different piles.

"We can start traveling tomorrow, if you want." Ann said, looking toward Riala. "We'll gather and hunt along the way, if you don't mind the slow pace. We can go a few days with what we have, but we'll definitely need more if we plan to travel at a speed that won't allow us to stop."

Despite the obvious discomfort she was in, Riala hardly spoke throughout the day, much less opened her mouth to complain. It was a fairly easy-going excursion after all, and if she couldn't even do this then she had no business being on her feet at all, and that wasn't an option anymore as far as she was concerned.

Still, she was more than a little relieved when they returned tot he little hideout and Ann started a fire going. She managed to dismount Ortec without groaning like an old woman and tried not to just collapse into a heap, bitter about the young man's help but not stupid or quite stubborn enough to refuse it.

"Tomorrow is fine," she huffed as she leaned back against the stone wall. "Better to leave now and move slow than wait here and risk being discovered."

Ann nodded, aware that she felt as if she were useless and that she hated feeling weak and helpless. That would pass in time as she healed, but for now, she would just have to accept her lot right now, and accept the help he and Ortec offered.

He made them a small meal and allowed the fire to burn down so they had the warmth but not all of the light, and then he turned to eat his meal as Riala ate hers. He kept quiet, allowing her to get comfortable and rest. There would be time enough for talk later. For now, they needed to get their rest so they could begin traveling in the morning.

----

Morning came early for Ann. He woke with a sense of anticipation and apprehension. He lay quietly in his spot for a while, his eyes open and staring at stone. He was about to embark on a journey that he might not come back from. He was about to travel to an unknown place with a girl he barely knew but owed his life to, to find her cousin, to bring her cousin back and make Lani the rightful chief of Riala's tribe. It was insane. He would be better off staying here, where it was safe.

But he'd made Riala a promise, and if not to her, then to himself. He was going to see this through, and he was going to keep his word. Besides, this was his idea in the first place, and if he changed his mind now, he would forever know himself as a coward and he hated that idea. He hated the idea of being a coward. So, he would see this through, for better or worse, and he would protect Riala as she had protected him.

He pushed himself upright and began pulling his things together, preparing to leave everything he'd ever known for a place he didn't know at all. He looked over at Riala then, smiling gently.

"Good morning," he said, "are you ready to get started?"

Riala hadn't been able to sleep much; when Ann called to her she was really only dozing, and her eyes opened quickly, jerking her back into full consciousness.

"Mm." She sat up slowly, stretching her injured arm cautiously and twisting her upper body back and forth. Damn, she was sore. But at least everything seemed functional. Glancing back toward Ann, she nodded once, firmly. "Yes, I'm ready."

She got to her feet and shuffled toward him. There didn't seemed to be anything else she could do as far as preparation, but she asked anyway, "Need any help?"

Ann shook his head. "No, I'm fine. Just start packing up your stuff, and see if you can't erase any signs of you being here. I don't think anyone who discovers this place will bother to look too closely, but one can't be too careful."

He moved to follow his own advice, ensuring that he wasn't leaving anything behind that could be used to identify him or his tribe in the event someone did discover this secret place and decided to investigate. He doused the fire and gathered the ashes once they were cool, moving to bury the debris outside. Ann took his things outside to Ma'akéné then and settled his bags over her back, where it would be comfortable for her to carry them and him. Anything he could carry, he did so upon his own back.

When Ma'akéné nibbled at his sleeve to tell him she was ready to travel, he patted her nose, and rested his forehead against her warm cheek. He closed his eyes and said a soft prayer under his breath, then returned to the cave to see if Riala needed any help.

"We'll take it slow today," Ann said, watching her, "and travel as far as we can. There's no need to push until you're ready for it."

"I'm ready enough," Riala grumbled, almost petulantly. Ortec gave a disbelieving snort and shot her a droll look-- or as droll as a horse could get.

"You hush," his sister snipped at him, and the stallion tossed his head with a little huff. Rolling her eyes, Riala finally managed to stand on her own and shuffled her way toward her horse, taking a moment to just lean against his side and build up a bit of strength before she swung up onto his back.

"Alright then." She let out a long, slow breath, her eyes moving across the sea of grass spread out before them. "Let's move."

Ann hid a smile and urged Ma'akéné into a gentle walk, allowing her and Ortec to set the pace for their first day journeying. He wasn't going to push Riala beyond what she could currently handle, and he knew the two horses knew the limits of their humans better than their humans knew themselves.

Ann rode using just his knees, leaving his hands free for whatever it was he needed to do. He held his bow in his hands, an arrow knocked and held loosely, just in case they came across danger or came across a prey animal that they could kill and prepare for later. His eyes were constantly on the move, scanning the horizon for anything out of the ordinary. When he spoke, his voice was low, so it wouldn't carry on the wind, but he didn't say much as they were traveling. Any conversation, it seemed, would be on Riala, at least while they were traveling.

Riala was quiet as they rode as well, contemplative. She seemed to be turning thoughts over in her head, the pensive frown drawn between her brows only broken by the occasional wince as a particular stretch or twist of her body sent a pang of soreness through her.

There was a wary set to her shoulders and a certain flickering of her eyes that showed she was still on alert, despite her apparent absorption in her own thoughts. The last thing they needed was to be caught off guard by other riders, or while animals-- or, gods forbid, her uncle.

Ann glanced toward Riala out of the corner of his eye, studying her as carefully as he was studying their surroundings, watching for anything out of the ordinary. With the girl beside him, though, it was more looking for signs of fatigue or intense pain. He didn't see it in her face, but her eyes would give away whatever she was feeling. She might be able to hide the emotions her thoughts might bring to her eyes, but never what her body was feeling. Still, he didn't spend too much time staring at her, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. He didn't really know what she thought about him, or what she felt about him. They were strangers still even after spending all this time together. Yet Ann wasn't sure if he ought to get to know her better than he already did, for she didn't seem like she wanted to get closer to him.

He closed his eyes for the briefest moment and sighed. What was he thinking? Why was he trying to make friends with Riala? As soon as their mission was over, they would go their separate ways and they would never see each other again. Their lives would take separate paths, like two strains of music traveling differently on the breeze, living in harmony but never meeting, never connecting.

Ann sighed and shifted his seat on Ma'akéné's back, causing her to toss her head and turn her head back to nibble at his knee. He leaned forward and gently pushed her nose away from his knee, then ran his hands over her neck, silently telling her he was just fine and not to worry about him. He got a snort, and Ann's lips twitched into a smile.

Finally, he looked toward Riala. "Does your tribe hunt all the way out here?"

For her part, Riala had not truly been paying much attention to her traveling companions, focused instead almost entirely on their surroundings. Ann's question jolted her slightly and she glanced toward him, the sudden movement on his back making Ortec huff and toss his head irritably.

"They-- yes, sometimes. It's about the time of year we'll start moving to our spring camp, it wouldn't be entirely improbable..."

She glanced around again, her hands tightening on the reins for a moment before Ortec snorted at her and jerked his head. She relaxed her grip quickly and gave his neck a pat in apology.

"And your people? Do you think we'll run into any of them?"

Ann lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "Maybe, it's possible. My tribe follows the herds, so if the herds come this way, then my tribe will follow. But you'll know if they're in the area. You'll hear them, if you're quiet. The horses know to be silent when hunting, but you can hear them softly talking to one another."

As if to explain further, Ma'akéné expanded her sides with a deep breath and snorted in a series of evenly measured, but soft, breaths. Then she stamped her hooves in time with her walking steps, a well-practiced code. She looked toward Ortec then and flicked her tail in a whiplike motion, her ears folding back before pricking forward. Then she snorted again, an almost disappointed sound.

Ann chuckled and reached forward to pat her neck. "I guess you'll have to teach him."

Ma'akéné sighed again.

Ann smiled and settled into a more comfortable position on her back. He closed his eyes and breathed deep of the air around them, then opened his eyes and focused his attention on Riala. "But if we do run across my people, we shouldn't have anything to fear. They may watch, but we're a cautious sort. Unless there's dire danger to us, we don't take on a fight if there's another way."

A sharp pang of guilt shot through her chest and Riala glanced down, distracting herself by tying loose braids in Ortec's mane and then unweaving them again. "They won't...want you back?"

She couldn't help feeling as though she was doing something very wrong; she was the one who had been cast out from her tribe, not Ann. But here he was, about to embark on a journey that would take weeks, months, neither of them with any real idea of if their goal was even possible.

For all she knew, Lani might be long dead.

She glanced up at him again, frowning as she stared for a moment. She just didn't understand it-- honor was one thing, but this? Why put himself at such risk? Why did he care?

Ann looked at Riala with a measure of surprise in his eyes. "Will my tribe take me back? It's a possibility. The decision, in any case, doesn't lie with me. It's the chieftain's decision. And I must accept it."

Truthfully, Ann wasn't sure if he'd be accepted back, considering he left without telling anyone why and had Ma'akéné steal from the tribe all so he could save Riala's life. That wasn't the harshest crime he could have committed. No, what might make his chieftain refuse to accept him back into the tribe would be if Ann were to fail in his task. If he failed in returning Riala's cousin to her rightful place, or if he failed in finding a sufficient answer that would please his chieftain as to why Riala's cousin couldn't return, then he would be exiled, if not executed outright. His chieftain was a righteous and honorable man, but his first duty was to the tribe, not his own personal feelings.

It would be up to Ann to plead his case, one way or another.

He shrugged and Ma'kéné huffed. "We're adults in the eyes of our tribe. We can make our own decisions. I choose to do this. You saved my life, and Ma'akéné's, and so we owe you a debt that cannot be repaid by forgetting the sacrifice you made for us. Besides, once Ma'akéné makes up her mind, there's no changing it."

Ma'akéné snorted again and pranced forward, her tail held high. She side-stepped in a circle around Ortec, then returned to her original place, shaking herself.

Ann laughed. "See? Where she goes, I go. And she wants to go with you."

Ortec huffed a breath and swished his tail, somewhere between irritated and intrigued by the mare's play. Riala simply shook her head. It seemed abundantly clear by now that not matter what she said or did, Ann and his sister were determined to see this through.

A part of her still rebelled at the idea, feeling as though she was leading them into something dangerous and unnecessary.

Another part, if she was being honest, was just so incredibly grateful.

"Well, you're both mad then," she grumbled, but there was the barest hint of a smile curving at the corners of her mouth. She gave Ortec's side a gentle tap to move him into an easy trot, wincing a bit as her sore body protested the movement, but still thrilled to be one step closer to actually riding.

Ann chuckled and Ma'akéné snorted, her step becoming almost prance-like as she mimicked Riala's words. He leaned over her neck and patted her soft fur, feeling the muscles in her neck move under his hand. He knew she wasn't upset at Riala's commentary about their mental status, but more acting as if Riala's words were true. And perhaps they were, in a way. Perhaps they were mad. After all, who willingly abandoned all they had ever known, all they ever were, and all they ever could be for a fool's errand such as the one they were on? Certainly no one in their tribe had ever done this before. At least, not for an enemy.

And perhaps it was because this mission was a fool's errand that Ann didn't feel the need to move quickly at all. Most of his reasoning came from the fact that Riala still wasn't fit to ride at speeds that would shorten their time on the road, but it also came from the fact that their destination would still be there no matter when they arrived, and that their quarry may or may not be there when they did. They were going on a hope and a prayer to any god that would listen, and more luck than was likely their fair share.

Ann kept silent for the most part as they rode now, making soft commentary when he thought that Riala needed to be apprised of what he was doing when he stopped to collect some plant or hunt down some animal. He wasn't long, and he didn't spend much time taking them off course, either. His attention was split between his traveling companions and the land around them, watching the subtle changes in the grassland as they rode. Even as the sun began to sink toward the horizon, Ann was alert, watching behind them for a moment before turning his gaze ahead. They would need to find somewhere to camp for the night, somewhere safe and sheltered. The only problem was that there were too few locations like that on the open plain, and if they couldn't find somewhere they could defend easily, then they would have to take their chances by making camp in the open.

Having lapsed into silence for much of the rest day's trek, Riala's voice was a little rough when she suddenly pulled Ortec into a turned halt and raised a hand to point at a ridge in the grassland before them.

"There." Ortec tossed his head and she gave his neck a quick pat. "We camped on the other side of that ridge a few weeks ago, it should be safe-- none of my tribe should be heading back this way; they wouldn't think I'd head south again, if any of them even think I'm still alive."

Ann shifted, rising a little on Ma'akéné's back using only his thighs to lift himself up and give him a better look at what Riala was pointing at. He used his hand to shield his eyes from the sun's dying light and studied the ridge that Riala had indicated. It looked decent enough, from the distance they were at. A good place to rest for the night. Their backs would be well-protected, and if they chose a good spot, they could shield the light of their campfire from unfriendly eyes. That would be good, to have a fire. That would mean a warm meal before they slept for the night.

He nodded rather than say anything. To him, it didn't matter where they rested for the evening, so long as it was safe. And since the reason she gave for the site was sound in its logic, Ann saw no sense in arguing with her. He relaxed his position back onto his four-footed sister's back, then urged her into a light canter.

"If we do run into anyone unfriendly," Ann said as he rode past Riala to take the lead, "then we either fight or we flee. If we run into no one, then I guess we'll have a few hours of light left to hunt something good for dinner; otherwise, we'll make do with what we already have."

Riala nodded brusquely and gave Ortec a gentle tap to urge him forward, setting them into an easy lope to cut around the lower side of the ridge and emerge downwind. She glanced around, watching the gentle sway of the tall grasses for any sign of suspicious movement.

Finding none, she nodded once more to herself and moved into her well-practiced, smooth dismount-- or at least she tried to. Her body remembered the movements and tried to follow through automatically, without taking account of her still-healing injuries.

She managed to touch down onto the ground without too much embarrassment, but the motion sent zings of pain through almost every muscle in her body. She barely held it together long enough to take a step back from her brother before her knees buckled.

"Fuck--!"

Before she could collapse completely, she suddenly found herself supported by Ortec's head, the stallion having dipped his neck toward her and pressed his cheek against her side to keep her upright. The huntress smiled a little shakily and let her arm drape over his neck just behind his poll, breathing a soft, "Thanks, little brother."

At the sound of her curse, Ann was off Ma'akéné's back and hurrying to Riala's side. He slowed, though, as he saw Ortec catch her, and then checked his pace entirely and slowed to a sauntering walk as he approached the pair. He knew that Riala wouldn't appreciate his help now that she'd already been helped. She didn't like being treated as an invalid, and she didn't like being treated as though she was weak and helpless. But the fact was that she was still injured, and the long ride they had endured today had tested her strength far beyond its current endurance. Her injuries needed time to recover, and Ann thought of how he could suggest she rest without insulting her.

"Why don't you rest a minute?" he suggested at last, moving to stand beside her. "I can get the fire started, and then work on making our evening meal. When you're feeling better, you can help."

She could see him slow his approach out of the corner of her eye and knew he was doing so to save her pride-- but even despite knowing it, it still made her feel just a little bit better that he didn't try to help her stand.

"I don't need a minute," she replied briskly, taking a breath to steady herself before pushing away from Ortec and taking a few steps into the shadow of the small bluff, her eyes scanning the horizon. With a little nod to herself, she pointed just southeast of where they rested.

"Should be a small herd that way; their typical migration pattern keeps them near here this time of the season."

Ann looked toward the direction she had pointed. He raised his hand and shielded his eyes from the dying light of the sun, gauging distance. He could easily cover that with Ma'akéné's help and return before full dark. And if Riala got the fire going, then he would be able to see the light and ensure their safe return. Of course, his four-footed sister would be able to get them back safely, too, but in the dark, her footing would be unsure since she wasn't familiar with this land and he didn't want her to strain herself.

"We'll go." Ann gestured to himself and the mare. "You can stay here and start the fire. It'll be easier to eat if there's already a fire going. We won't have to wait for the coals to heat."

He waited for her answer. He didn't want to insult her, and so had chosen his words with care so that he wouldn't sting her pride. He had a feeling she would still think that he thought she was incapable of helping, but the truth of the matter was that she was tired, she still hurt, and she needed to rest. The problem was Ann couldn't think of a way to tell her to do that without hurting her sense of pride, though he tried, as evidenced by what he'd said. He didn't want to come right out and tell her to sit and wait, because then she'd probably be more upset and do something she'd end up regretting.
Though, he doubted she'd regret it as much as he would, considering he was the one who'd have to say the words and endure what they caused.

Eventually, Ann moved to mount Ma'akéné, readying his bow. He looked at Riala, awaiting her answer.

Riala felt her hackles rising on instinct, the barest hint of an irritated snarl curving at her lips. But then she closed her eyes and forced herself to take a breath, her shoulder still set and her back still turned toward Ann as she did.

"Fine." The answer was curt, but not hostile. Still not looking at him, she set off into the tall grasses that surrounded the small bluff, clicking softly for Ortec to follow her as she set about searching for suitably dry wood for a fire.

Ann shifted his weight on Ma'akéné's back as he heard her answer, and felt uncomfortable for a moment. She was upset by his words, as he'd expected her to be. But he wasn't about to argue with her, nor was he about to explain himself. There was no need to, and Riala wouldn't have appreciated his reasoning anyway. Better for her to think what she wanted; she wasn't that far off the mark anyway.

Twitching his knees, Ann urged his four-footed sister to turn and trot away from their camp. Ma'akéné snorted and lifted her tail as she practically flounced away from the camp, and Ann only made a clucking noise in his mouth to chide her. She shook her head, snorted again, and picked up her pace so that they could make use of as much of the dying light as they could. When they were a good enough decent away from the camp, Ann turned his head to look toward Riala, watching her form in the growing dark. Then he turned his attention back to the task at hand.

It didn't take him long to find the herd Riala had described. Between him and Ma'akéné, he was able to kill one young doe before the herd escaped them. He dismounted to toss the carcass onto Ma'akéné's shoulders, then mounted again, and she began to head back to the camp. By the time they reached it, it was almost full dark, and he was glad to see a fire going. He slid from the mare's back and pulled the doe off, setting the carcass gently on the ground.

"I was thinking we could cook all that we can. What we don't eat tonight we can see if we can smoke or dry as much as we can," Ann said, his tone careful, "so that we'll have extra supply when we are unable to find food on our journey."

He watched her for a minute, then pulled his hunting knife from its sheath and began to clean the doe, skinning it and removing the animal's innards. It was difficult by the light of the fire, but somehow he managed to do it. Then he gave the cleaned carcass to Riala to begin to carve while he took the offal and scraps away from their camp, burying them so that their smell wouldn't attract predators during the night.

Finding wood and starting the fire was a simple enough task, even as sore and slow-moving as she was. Which meant she had some time to simply...sit there, waiting for Ann to return from hunting.

Gods, she felt so useless, and she hated it! She knew she was being surly, which really wasn't fair to Ann-- he was only trying to help, and no matter what he said about honor and debts she knew he didn't have to be there with her. Still, she couldn't seem to help being curt with him, anger at her own helplessness and shame for how she'd reached this state overflowing and tainting every word, every look.

Riala sighed and lay back in the grass, closing her eyes. She felt Ortec settle beside her with a low, fluttering sigh, and reached back absently to pat his flank.

"...Do you think we'll even be able to find her?" She wasn't quite sure who she was asking: the horse, the wind, the rising stars-- maybe all of them. Or none.

Luckily, Ann returned with the doe, which effectively snapped her from her reverie. Riala managed to give him a nod when he passed the meat along to her and she set into it with her hunting knife, carving out strips to impale on thinner, sharpened sticks that she then stuck into the earth at an angle so the meat hung into the fire.

Ann returned quickly after burying the offal, and settled beside the fire, watching the crackling flames as they licked the undersides of the meat on the sticks Riala had prepared. He glanced toward her, watching her face in the flickering light. She still looked like she had eaten something rotten or sour, her eyes reflecting her mood in a way her face never could. He knew better than to press, than to ask questions that ought not be asked, and he knew that anything he said to try to make her feel better might backfire and only make her feel worse. Or, perhaps even more disconcerting, the questions might cause an argument between them and cause things to be said that couldn't be taken back or forgiven.

Sighing quietly, Ann shifted so he could lean back on his hands and raise his gaze to the sky, where he could see the beginnings of thousands of stars shimmering in the increasingly dark backdrop. As the night grew longer, more stars would appear, he knew, each shining with its own individual brilliance that neither outshined nor overrode another star's luminescence.

"Do you have legends about the stars?" Ann asked abruptly, but softly, not wanting to disturb the quiet peace that had enveloped them but also wanting to fill the silence. "We do. The elders tell stories about how we first became brothers and sisters of our horses. A wild star fell from the sky and crashed into the earth, startling our ancestors that had set up camp nearby. When they went to investigate, they found in that crater the remains of the star, shattered into strangely shaped pieces. And the pieces moved. One stood up on four legs, and approached the chieftain, a powerful stallion made of stardust. With him came many mares, and from there, my people were born. We've been born alongside our horses for generations."

Ann craned his head to look toward Ma'akéné, who grazed nearby. The mare lifted her head from the grass, met her human brother's eyes, and whickered softly before resuming her evening meal. He looked toward Riala then, offering her a small smile. "It's just a story, but it reminds us of just how small we are, and that we wouldn't be who we are without where we came from."

The rather sudden influx of conversation--after a fashion--from her travelling companion jerked her attention away from the flickering, dancing flames. Riala lifted her eyes from the fire to study Ann's face, just listening as he spoke.

When he'd finished, she was quiet for several long moments.

Then, abruptly: "We have stories." Her eyes flickered back toward the campfire, watching the meat cook slowly. "None quite like that, not about the stars. Well. None that I've heard." She grabbed a stick and leaned in to prod at the embers, making the fire flare up for a moment before burning a little more brightly. "...My tribe calls them the Horse Lords. Our ancestors. Sometimes the Four Winds. They were brothers, born to the plains, but each one was called by a different wind: north, south, east, and west."

The young huntress settled back and carefully drew her knees up to her chest. "They wanted to run with the wind, but they weren't fast enough. Until the eldest, the one called by the West Wind, stumbled upon a wandering herd on his journey. The horses fled from him, and he envied their speed. But one was injured, and she couldn't run. She he nursed her back to health, and in return she allowed him to ride on her back. And with her, he could chase the wind."

She glanced to the side and shrugged. "Supposedly he returned to his brothers and taught the three of them how to befriend the horses of the plains. Like you said, a story-- but I suppose it's a nice one."

Ann smiled, nodding as she spoke. "Many of our beliefs are built upon stories, whatever they might be. Sometimes the trick is finding what's story and what's the truth."

He leaned forward, reaching for the sticks to turn them, ensuring the meat was cooked evenly on all sides. He stared into the flames then, watching the colors flicker and change as the embers shifted and broke apart, revealing molten insides. Then he sat back and rested his weight on his hands behind him, looking back up to the stars.

"It's strange how similar we are, and yet we're so different that we're almost alien to one another. If we hadn't made the choices we did, if we hadn't listened to our hearts and started walking the paths we did, we never would be where we are now. Our lives would have taken completely different turns." The one thing he didn't mention was that he wouldn't be alive if Riala had chosen differently. And if Ann had been the one to choose differently, Riala might not be alive, either.

He turned his head to look toward her, watching her in the flickering firelight. He wasn't sure about her, really. He wasn't sure what she was feeling, or what she was thinking. Sometimes he could tell that something was wrong, in the way her eyes shifted and the way the corners of her mouth twitched. He didn't know how to approach the hard subjects. His tribe didn't have the rituals that Riala's did, and his tribe didn't approach tragedy and loss in the same way. Things like death were just a way of life. Everything died, everything returned to the earth to be born again, and the living kept moving forward. That was how it was. But Ann had made the choice to defy tradition and now was living with that choice.

It was about honor. Ann could understand that.

He shifted to sit up properly and reached for a skewer, pulling it away from the fire. He studied it for a moment, then blew on a section to cool it before biting into it. He still had to breath out to cool the bite in his mouth because it was still hot, but it was definitely done.

Riala watched him as he watched her, though she managed to keep her eyes seemingly focused on the fire as she did. When he reached for a skewer she plucked one up as well, picking at the meat carefully and wincing with a soft hiss when it burned her anyway.

"...We should rest," she murmured eventually, once her food had cooled enough for her to wolf it down without searing her throat. "We've got a lot of ground to cover if we want to make it to the desert before the windy season sets in."

While on the plains the storms were welcome, bringing rain and life as much as they brought the massive gales and occasional lightning strike, in the desert she had been warned that the storms brought no rain: only winds strong enough to whip the sands into massive clouds that blotted out the sun.

Ann agreed with her. They would need all the rest they could get from here on out. There was no telling what they would encounter between here and their destination, no telling what they might face, whether they would need to fight against man or nature. Rest would be fleeting at best, he was sure, at least during certain parts of their journey. It would be good to get as much as they could now, when they still knew the land surrounding them. And if the windy season set in while they were still here, then there was no telling what it would be like in the deserts. Ann had never been there, never seen it for himself, but the travelers his tribe dealt with often told tales of its dangers as much as its beauty.

He finished eating and banked the fire, moving to set rocks over the heated embers so that the meat that they hadn't cooked for their meal would cook overnight and they would have the beginnings of jerky when they woke in the morning. He ensured that nothing would burn to ash while they slept, though he was certain that if something did go wrong, Ma'akéné and Ortec would wake them.

Then, that taken care of, Ann settled to sleep for the night, his back to Riala to give her a semblance of privacy. "We ought to try and get an early start tomorrow," Ann said quietly. "We can cover more ground in the cooler hours, and take our time during the warmer ones."

"Alright." Riala nodded in agreement and laid down to curl onto her side, then quickly sat up again to damp the fire down to embers. No need to be broadcasting their location--and they'd do fine without the extra warmth, as long as they had the horses near.

As if sensing her thoughts, Ortec picked his way carefully toward her before lowering himself down with the broad side of his back pressed against hers.

Sighing softly, the huntress once more allowed herself to curl up on the ground, curved just slightly toward the faintly glowing embers of the fire.

Ann slept lightly, more out of habit than because of a real desire to. He was in an unfamiliar area, wide open and vulnerable to a surprise attack. He didn't know the territory as well as he would have liked, and as much as he trusted Riala, he couldn't keep his instincts from going into overdrive. He knew Ma'akéné, who slept against his back much like Ortec was sleeping against Riala's, would wake him at the slightest unfamiliar sound. If someone approached them during the night, she would know.

But thankfully, their sleep went undisturbed, and Ann woke early in the predawn light. For a moment, he remained where he was, lying down, until he familiarized himself with the world again. Then he pushed himself up and stretched, patting his mare's side. Ma'akéné snorted and lurched to her feet, shaking herself. Ann smiled and turned to the coals to coax the fire back to life. A hot breakfast would to them good this morning, and he checked the meat he'd had cooking overnight to make sure it was done and ready to be stored away.

They would start traveling soon, he decided. But as he looked toward Riala, he decided he'd let her sleep a little longer. She needed it to heal, after all.

The shifting and stirrings across the fire roused Ortec first, then Riala; the huntress had slept deeper than she had intended to--it seemed her body was determined to find a proper rest to help heal itself, even if she would have preferred to sleep lightly in such an unfamiliar place.

The stallion snorted and flicked his ears back as he came awake, already listening intently. Then he huffed out a breath, seeming to relax, and got slowly to his hooves. Riala groaned and rolled away from the movement, gradually blinking herself back to consciousness.

She squinted at the fire as she sat up and stretched--carefully, still mindful of where she hurt--then looked around.

"...How long did we sleep?"

They should probably be moving soon, regardless of how many hours they'd slept... Ortec nuzzled her shoulder, whuffling air passed her cheek. She smiled softly and reached up to pat his cheek, leaning into him gently as she did.

"Long enough," Ann answered her. He shifted to scoop her some breakfast into a small bowl, handing it to her. "Eat while it's hot. This may be our only time to enjoy our food while not on the go, at least until we stop for camp tonight."

Taking his own advice, Ann wolfed his breakfast down, and then began to clean up their campsite and prepare to leave. He moved far more slowly than he would have had he been alone or with his tribe, mostly to give Riala time to eat and prepare for the day's long ride. But soon he was packed up, with signs of their presence all but erased, and he was moving to mount Ma'akéné.

Riala ate her own breakfast quickly, trying to help tidy up their little camp as she did. She had to lean awkwardly against Ortec and catch her breath a few times, but ultimately she was ready to leave by the time he'd mounted Ma'akéné.

"We should be wary moving forward," she grunted as she swung herself onto Ortec's back. Her movements were still awkward and stilted, but there were less pained winces by now. "Sometimes there are prides from the Moraki that wander north into these grasses."

That was how she and Ortec had gotten their matching scars, after all.

Ann nodded. He'd heard the stories about wanderers from the desert, but he'd never seen them himself. His tribe rarely came this far out of their territory, preferring to stay where the herds were plentiful and there were travelers that could easily be extorted for safe passage through the plains. He checked his bow and arrows, made sure that his hunting knife was in easy reach, and then shifted his seat on Ma'akéné's back. She tossed her head and pranced around in a circle before she trotted away from the camp into the plains.

He looked back toward Riala and Ortec to make sure they were following, then returned his attention to the horizon before them. The sun was rising, bathing the world in its light. Ann took a deep breath and reached forward to stroke the mare's neck, earning a snort and a headshake. She high-stepped for a couple of moments, her tail raised, as if to tell him everything was going to be just fine. Ann laughed and leaned back, looking toward the cloudless morning sky.

"I think," he said, knowing Riala would be able to hear him, "so long as we stay together, there isn't anything we can't do."

Ortec was eager to move; she could feel the energy in his body, taunt and ready to snap at a moment's notice. Riala lat her hand rest against his withers for a moment, murmuring a soft, "Shh, shh. Not just yet, brother."

Much as the idea of a good run might appeal to her, she knew both that she was not quite healed enough to manage it, and that they needed to be cautious as they moved forward. Once they were at the border of the desert, they may have a chance to open out a bit, but not yet.

Then Ann spoke and her head snapped up, eyes training on the back of his head as he leaned back in the saddle. She blinked at him, at a loss for words for a few moments.

"Really?" she managed to ask once she'd recovered her voice. "I--I wish I had your confidence."

Her tone was wry, but she laughed as she said it. Actually laughed. It hurt her ribs a bit, but still...it felt good.

"Confidence?" Ann chuckled. "More like endless optimism. If you're constantly thinking about what you can't do, and what's never going to happen, then why try?" His shoulders lifted and fell. "So long as you're alive you can keep moving forward, and you can always find ways to succeed, even in the bleakest of moments."

After that, Ann was silent as they rode on through the morning, his eyes moving in every direction as they plodded along at a steady pace. He kept their movements to little more than a trot, the horses' hooves steadily eating up the miles. Even though he knew his four-footed sister wanted to run, he didn't allow her to, mostly for Riala's sake. He knew the day would come where they could all gallop like the wind together, but today wasn't it.

Once again, getting on the move only highlighted how much she still couldn't do, and Riala quickly spiraled back down into quiet irritation. She was at least self-aware enough of it to keep herself from snapping in annoyance when Ortec suddenly stopped and shook his head, refusing to take a step further.

"What? What's wrong?" she asked, leaning slightly to the side. Ortec arched his neck and curved his head around slightly to eye her, then gave a full body twitch that shudder up from his sides and through his rider. "What?" Riala repeated, frowning at him.

This wasn't a warning, or an indication that something was wrong with the stallion himself. This was almost...scolding.

"Oh--you hush." Riala glared at him and Ortec tossed his head with a snort. "I am not being melodramatic," she hissed at him. Alright, so she couldn't understand exactly what her horse was saying, she'd never had a true beastspeaking gift; but she knew him well enough to get the gist from his behavior.

Ann glanced at Ma'akéné as her ears swiveled backwards and she suddenly dug in her heels and stopped. Since he was expecting it, Ann leaned backwards a little to avoid being tossed over her head and studied his four-footed sister curiously. Then he twisted round to look toward Riala and Ortec, realizing that the pair was no longer following them. Rather, they'd stopped some distance back and seemed to be having an argument. Ann's lips twitched, but he knew better than to smile, especially because he knew what the two were likely arguing about. Riala wanted to run, and Ortec wanted to spare her from pain. It was an argument that he'd had often with Ma'akéné when they'd both been younger.

So he settled on his four-footed sister's back and waited for Riala and Ortec to finish their conversation and come to a mutual agreement, if not understanding. For him, the journey wasn't about when they got to their destination, only that they did. If it took some time, then Ann was fine with that. They had all the time in the world, after all.

Ortec quickly set off again once he seemed to realize that Ma'akéné and Ann had paused, waiting for them.

"You're an ass," Riala muttered as her mount brought them up alongside the other hunter and his horse. Ortec flicked his tail around so the ends of the coarse hairs snapped sharply against her leg and she glowered down at the back of his neck.

In an effort to distract herself from her horse's moodiness--well, her own, but she didn't want to admit that even to herself--she cleared her throat and asked abruptly, "Have you ever made the desert crossing before?"

Ann shook his head in answer to her question. "If I ever did, I don't remember it. My tribe never comes this way. We try not to invade others' territory, and there's not much out here that we can't find elsewhere. My uncles tell of a great hunt that took them this far, and they described the fires in the sky that led them to the great bull elk that they took down. They said that they saw the sands, but they never crossed them." He shrugged. "But if the stars are the same, we can easily find our way through."

He looked toward her with an easy smile. "What, don't trust me to get us there? And back? If that's the case, you don't have to come. We can turn around right now and head back the way we've come, and deal with whatever's behind us."

Ann honestly didn't know why she was so moody, or why Riala was suddenly feeling like this was the worst day in her life. He didn't know how to cheer her up either. The best he could do was simply engage her in conversation and see if she would respond, and if she responded, perhaps through talking, he could see if she would smile again.

"...I never said I doubted your capabilities," Riala responded quietly after a few moments filled only with the sound of their horses' hooves against the earth. "I just...wanted to know if you had any experience with the terrain, that's all."

She was quiet for several moments longer, lips slightly pursed. A little abruptly, she added, "I haven't been into the desert either. I mean, no closer than the edge, and that was a long time ago. I was barely more than a child, really."

Ortec tossed his head, remembering the occasion. His skin twitched slightly, almost as though he was attempting to rid himself of a fly, and the scar along his flank rippled. Riala reached down to stroke his withers lightly, a soft shudder running down her own spine as she remembered the tear of a lioness's claws.

Ann shook his head. "Experience? No. But I'm going to find out, aren't I? The people of my tribe are quick to adapt. We read the wind and listen to its song, and from those words we can figure out the correct path. Our leaders have never taken our tribe astray because of that knowledge, and our elders know even more."

He looked down at Ma'akéné's mane, a small smile appearing on his face. He wondered what his tribe was doing now, what they were thinking now that they had certainly discovered him missing. He had said a lot to Riala in supposition, and he believed his own words, but he actually wasn't sure. He didn't know if what he said was actually the truth as it was, or the truth as he believed it to be. Shaking himself, he looked toward the sky and his smile grew a little brighter. It really didn't matter - he was following his heart, and he was repaying his debt, and that was all that mattered.

"The one thing the young of my tribe are taught to do is to listen to the world around us," Ann said after a moment, his eyes dropping from the sky to the horizon. "While we're little, we're expected to observe the world and learn from our mothers and fathers what to do to survive, but we don't understand what the world is trying to tell us. We only do as we're told by the adults. As we get older, we're given more responsibility, so that our eyes see what is there to be seen, and see what exists beyond our vision." He laughed, and Ma'akéné snorted as she tossed her head, as if sharing a private joke. Ann reached to pat her neck and said, "It's only once we've become adults that we learn what the world actually has to teach us."

He looked at Riala and shrugged. "So, I'm going to listen to the desert when we arrive and see what it has to tell me. Hopefully, I'll learn from it, and we'll be stronger for the lessons it teaches us."

Riala gave him a rather dry look. "Or we'll be dead." She shook her head, lips quirked sardonically to one side. "You have...an interesting view of the world. It's rather beautiful, actually--I envy it."

Ortec snorted, raising his hooves a little higher off the ground as he trotted passed Ma'akéné a few paces. Riala shook her head again, her expression falling a bit as she let her eyes flick down to settle on the flex of her horse's muscles. "What if all the world tells you is that it's a cruel place? What if there is no higher meaning, no great message to be learned and to grow from? What if...what if it's just cold and dark and cruel?"

Her voice lowered until she was nearly whispering; she wasn't even sure if she was talking to him or herself anymore. Her fingers wrapped tight in Ortec's mane and the stallion whickered softly, concerned.

Riala sighed and allowed herself to lean forward and press her face into his mane. "If the Horse Lords ever existed, they've left us," she whispered. "Nothing happens for a reason anymore. No one is listening..."

"Or we'll be dead," Ann agreed.

He smiled as he listened to her talk, though his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. The way she spoke, it was clear that her upbringing had been severely different than his own. Her tribe had prided itself on strength and strength alone, while his embraced all the differences in strength, nurturing the abilities that might not be valued by others. His tribe thought all life was valuable, and so respected every member of the tribe - once they had proven themselves in the trials to move from childhood to adulthood. Perhaps, in that way, his tribe did value strength. For only those who survived the trials were considered adults and given the full rights and privileges enjoyed by the senior members of the tribe.

Either way, that way of life wasn't here. Wasn't now. This was the present, and he needed to look forward. That was the only way now.

Ann looked down past Ma'akéné's shoulder and studied the passing ground below. Was his outlook on life interesting? Beautiful? He didn't know. It was the way he'd always looked at the world, always seeing the positive, even when things were bleak.

"I..." he started, then paused, gathering his thoughts. "I look at the world with a sense of wonder, with a sense of grandeur, because if I don't, I think I'll go mad. I see enough of the worst side of people and the world in my daily life, when my tribe raids the traveling merchants or others. I know it's for survival, but sometimes, I wonder if it's necessary."

His gaze went to the sky then, and he smiled again, easily, as the sun shone down on his face, warming his skin. "As far as the gods... who knows? Perhaps they are listening, but their silence is a message to us. "Rise up by your own two hands. Only then can we help you." I don't know."

Ann looked toward Riala then, reaching to squeeze her shoulder in a comforting manner. He said nothing more, only returned his gaze to the road before them and urged Ma'akéné into a faster walk.

Riala stiffened briefly when he touched her shoulder, but then relaxed as she raised her head to look up at him. She watched his back as the mare picked up her pace slightly and pulled ahead of Ortec, then gave herself a brisk mental shake and tapped her heels against the stallion's sides so he took wider strides and once more fell into pace beside Ma'akéné.

"Hey." She hesitated, then reached out to touch his arm gently, cautiously. "...Thanks."

Drawing her hand back, she glanced down at Ortec's neck, then suddenly smiled. She probably shouldn't, but...

Clicking her tongue, she sank back in her seat and squeezed her legs against her horse's sides, urging him into a slow, smooth canter. It was probably faster than she really should be riding in her current state, but she knew a trot would have been far too jarring.

Ortec tossed his head, seeming to consider protesting the sudden increase in pace for a moment--then he gave a slight kick with his back heels and let his neck bob forward, ears perked happily as he moved swiftly through the tall grasses.

Ann just smiled as he watched Riala move, knowing that there was no more need for words. He looked at Ma'akéné when she turned her head to focus on him, and he nodded. The mare flicked her tail and high stepped for a moment before she picked up her pace, turning her fast walk into a smooth canter, quickly catching up to Ortec.

The day passed in silence for both of them, for Ann didn't have much more to say or to add to what had already been said. Instead, he scanned the horizon for a good place to stop for a few hours so the horses could rest, and they could stretch their legs. When he found a suitable place, he pointed it out to Ma'akéné first, allowing her to make the decision. He wouldn't push her to rest if she didn't want to, but offering the option was always the kindest way of suggesting that she should. And she, like others, listened to suggestions more than orders. Besides which, as Ma'akéné well knew, if Ann got hungry, he could eat in the saddle. She would stop when she was good and ready. And she knew Ortec would do the same.

Ann raised his gaze from the horizon to look at the sky, measuring the time they had left before night truly fell. They had plenty of time to cover as much distance as possible, even at the pace they were keeping. And he didn't mind the pace. He wasn't actually all that eager to cross the desert, and he wanted as much time as possible to prepare himself for that feat. It would be an undertaking like no other he had ever done. He looked at Riala, and smiled again. She seemed so happy, so free, riding as she was. He knew then that he would do his best to keep that smile on her face, even when they faced situations that would erase it.

On some unspoken cue that Riala was a bit too distracted--and sore, if she was being honest--to notice, Ortec slowed his canter as they came up on the potential campsite, then dropped back down to a long-striding walk.

"Whoa, whoa." Riala pitched forward slightly, but she righted her seat easily enough with only a brief wince as her cracked ribs protested. Ortec whuffed a small apology and she shook her head, patting his neck. She glanced around and nodded slowly.

"Need a rest, boy?" Ortec snorted again and bobbed his head. Choosing to pretend that she didn't know that the stallion was really only stopping because she needed the rest, she brought him down to a slower walk, then a complete halt. "What do you say to a few minutes' break?" she asked, turning her upper body to look at Ann.

Something in the way he was looking at her snapped her mouth shut the moment the question was out of her mouth. She blinked, a little startled; his expression was soft and open in a way she'd never seen it before. Her stomach gave a funny little lurch and she glanced away again, clearing her throat.

As quickly as she could without hurting herself, she dismounted and gave Ortec a pat on the shoulder. "Go on, graze for a bit," she urged softly.

Ann blinked as she looked at him and suddenly tensed, as if something had startled her. What he didn't know, and he had enough sense not to ask, especially after she looked away. He knew better than to ask what a woman was thinking. He'd seen it often enough back home when his father and mother had one of their rare arguments because one felt that the other should simply know what the other was thinking.

Rather, when she dismounted, so did he, and he took the time to run his hand over Ma'akéné's back to smooth out her fur and give her as best a brushing as he could without the proper tools. He knew she appreciated the gesture, especially since this was the first time in a while they had ridden together for any distance without a significant break. She shook her mane and pawed the ground, then turned her head and lightly nibbled at his elbow. Ann smiled and bopped Ma'akéné on the nose with a loving finger, then pushed her head away from him.

"Go on," Ann said softly. "You deserve a break too."

The mare snorted and shook herself, flicking her tail back and forth before she gave a small spirited jump away from Ann and trotted out a short distance from the two humans. She dipped her head and began to nibble at the grass, her tail lazily swinging back and forth even as her ears remained pricked and turned toward her two-footed brother and his companion.

Ann watched for a minute, then moved toward Riala and sat on the ground cross-legged, pulling his back into his lap and rummaging around in it for some of the food they had managed to scavenge as they traveled. He pulled an edible root from his pack, peeled the dark outer layer of skin, and then offered it to Riala. "Here, have a little. I can't vouch for the taste, but it's definitely filling, and will give you some energy."

Ortec's ears and tail perked up suddenly and he trotted cheerily over to Ma'akéné, swishing his tail and taking high, mincing steps that showed off the smoothness of his gait. He bobbed his head twice and pranced a tight circle around her.

Riala rolled her eyes and scoffed. "So much for a break," she huffed, though her lips quirked up on one side just a bit.

When Ann offered her food she eyed the root warily, but took it easily enough. She brought it up to her nose to sniff cautiously, then nibbled at it.

"Eaugh." Yeah, not great in the taste department. But he was right, it was at least something, and it would help to fill their bellies before they started moving again. With a soft sigh she leaned back on one hand, favoring her injured side, and took another bite. "Thanks, Ann." She fell quiet for a few moments, just nibbling at the root and watching their horses graze. The sun was creeping toward the horizon, but they could probably get another two or three hours of travel in before they should really stop for the night.

"So." She glanced sidelong at her companion. "...Tell me something. About you, your family. If we're really doing this, crossing the desert together, I may as well try to get to know the person I'm dying with better," she tried to joke.

Ann chuckled. "Getting to know the person you're dying with, huh?" He shook his head and looked toward Ma'akéné, where she lifted her head to study Ortec, her ears flicking forward and back. She snorted and dropped her head again to nibble on the grass, her tail flicking back and forth with quick snaps. Ann laughed and shook his head at the obvious display of disinterest his four-footed sister was giving to the stallion. "How are you so confident that we're going to end up dying? We could live and come back richer than the Adelan king. Or we could find a new, better life than what we had here."

Still, his smile faded somewhat as his memories turned backward, to the family and tribe he'd left behind to fulfill his debt to this girl. Ann sighed softly and tilted his head back to look at the sky.

"Well... I only just obtained adulthood a few months ago," he began, his tone quiet. "Before then, I was still considered a child in the eyes of my tribe. My father was extremely proud I passed the trials on the first try. It's difficult to do that, but not impossible. Passing on the first try is a testament to the skills taught to the child from its parents. So, basically, an honor on the parents." His gaze dropped to Ma'akéné, and he was quiet for a minute before continuing. "It was then I was recognized as a full member of the tribe. And the moment I did, I gained far more responsibilities than I had when I was a child. Sometimes I wonder if it was worth it."

Ann wasn't sure how much he should reveal to her. After all, she wasn't part of his tribe, and wouldn't understand all the nuances and rituals that his tribe followed to ensure only the strongest joined the ranks of the adults and became responsible for the prosperity and survival of the tribe. But it was nice to talk, especially since they had been riding in silence for some time and would ride in silence again.

Riala winced slightly as he lapsed into silence, worried that she may have crossed a line, that he may regret sharing anything so personal. Most plains tribes were secretive of their individual practices both by nature and from hard-learned experience: of course he wouldn't want to talk about his family so easily.

"I'm, ah...sorry," she offered after a moment. "You don't have to--we don't have to keep talking about this if you don't want to."

Ortec, evidently distracted with trying to win at least Ma'akéné's attention if not her interest, gave a sharp toss of his head and hopped into two quick half rears. Riala glanced over tot he horses, distracted for a moment, then snorted and shook her head.

"Give it up, brother," she advised wryly. "You're starting to look desperate."

Ann shook his head, looking down at his half-nibbled root. "Don't be sorry. It's... I've never had to explain my tribe's beliefs with an outsider before. It's... they're hard to explain. I don't even understand them all myself. I only just became a man, after passing all the trials set before me by the chief. And that makes me an adult in the eyes of my tribe. So all my responsibilities are different now. It isn't... that I can't talk about them. It's that I don't know how to talk about them. It... they're hard to explain if you haven't lived your life around them."

He raised his eyes then to Ma'akéné and Ortec, a smile spread across his lips. His four-footed sister was pointedly ignoring the stallion in favor of the lush shoots of grass, her tail flicking back and forth with whiplike sharpness, betraying her slight annoyance at his antics. She wouldn't exactly nip him if he got too close, but she certainly would let him feel it if he tried to cajole her into doing something she didn't want. Ann leaned back on one hand and pointed at Ortec with his root.

"You'd best take care, Ortec! The females of my tribe are very picky about who gets to be close to them. If you're too annoying, she'll take a bite out of you." Ann called.

As if to accentuate his point, Ma'akéné lifted her head and snapped her teeth, stomping her hooves in a half-beat rhythm before she returned to eating. Her tail swished left and right, and her ears rotated toward Ortec, showing that she was simply playing with him. Maybe.

Ann burst out laughing, curling over on himself until he could regain his breath. "See?! I told you." He looked at Riala and grinned. "Picky."

"I don't blame her," Riala chuckled. "He's making a right ass of himself."

Ortec jerked his head around toward her, looking about as indignant as a horse could possibly look. She laughed again, a little harder, and winced as her still-healing ribs protested, but found that she didn't quite care. It was worth it. It felt good to laugh.

Sobering a bit, she glanced back at Ann again, then let her eyes drop to the ground, tracing absent patterns in the dry earth near where she sat.

"I can...understand that. Trying to explain is...difficult." What had happened to her wasn't exactly common practice among most tribes, at least as far as she understood.

What made it worse was knowing it was archaic, knowing it was--it was wrong. She was positive she wasn't the only one who felt that way, but no one had spoken up in an attempt to stop it, not after Lani...

"The chief," she said abruptly, still looking at the ground. "The one who ordered Lani's honor circle, I told you, remember?" And hers, though she didn't say that. He could easily put that together. "...He's my father."

"That's... awful."

Those words weren't exactly the best Ann could've used, but there were too many emotions and thoughts roiling around in his body and mind that he couldn't think of anything else to say. He couldn't even begin to imagine a parent turning against their child and doing things to that child that would decide the child's future. Or lack thereof. He couldn't even begin to imagine that Lani had had to face her own uncle in that circle. That the men she'd faced had done so at the behest of her own uncle. That she had been forced out, wounded, nearly killed, by someone who was supposed to be family.

"I'm..." Ann stopped, then started again, his voice lower, "I'm sorry for that, Riala. I really am."

He stretched out his legs before him and looked up toward the sky, the root forgotten in his lap. "You were forced to endure the same thing... weren't you? That's why you're here. Why we're here." Ann shook his head and looked toward her, offering her a smile. "Well... there's no need to worry about that anymore. We're going to get Lani, bring her back, and install her as your new chief. Then she can get rid of that practice for good. Right?"

"Right..."

Horse Lords, but she wished she could believe it would be that simple.

Riala exhaled sharply, then gave her head a brisk shake. "Well, it's not important now. We just have to focus on finding Lani. In Essyrn. With no idea where she might be." Or if she's even alive.

But, rather than sink back into her sulking, Riala gave herself another shake and tried for a smile. "No problem!"

Ortec snorted, giving her an incredulous look, evidently so exasperated by her forced attempt at levity that it had turned his attention from pestering the mare. "Oh... You hush," the huntress snipped at him, glowering--well, more like pouting, but she told herself it was glowering.

Ann gave Riala a small sardonic smile. "Acting defeated already? That's not like you, is it? What happened to the fierce girl that almost took my life back in the plains? Don't tell me that this false honor circle succeeded in killing her and all I have left as company for this journey is her shadow." He reached to poke her in the shoulder, prodding her as he'd do his younger siblings when he was teasing them. "You never know until you try. Can you really live with yourself never knowing Lani's fate?"

Ann shifted, rising to a crouch as he put his half-chewed root back into his pack and rose, stretching. He lifted his arms above his head, spread all his fingers, and arched backwards as if he were a bird spreading his wings, his eyes closing halfway as he did. There were a few pops in his lower spine, and then he rightened himself, shaking out his body before he brushed the grass and dirt off his rear. He turned his gaze to the sky, watching as the sinking sun began to throw the evening colors into sharp relief.

"And so maybe we don't find her. Maybe she's beyond our reach. But in that journey, we might discover that the plains are no longer for us. Maybe we'll discover that our place is in the world out there beyond tribes and duty and the tenets of our people." Ann held out his hand as Ma'akéné approached, and ran his palm over her velvet nose. "But say we do. Say we find Lani. What if she doesn't want to come back with us? What if she doesn't want to leave whatever life she's found in Essyrn? Maybe she's no longer a slave. Maybe she's a queen. Maybe she's the leader of her own band of raiders. Maybe she's turned her back on the land and has gone to sea."

He lowered his voice then as he pressed his forehead against his four-footed sister's, looking into her dark eyes. "But... unless we try, we won't know. Unless we discover the answer for ourselves, we won't be satisfied."

Ann turned his head then, looking at Riala, a smile on his face and his eyes bright. "You said the Horse Lords may not exist anymore, but what if you're wrong? What if they've been guiding you this entire time, and now have decided you're ready to take this journey? What if they've been talking to you this entire time, and you've just decided not to listen?"

He moved then to swing up onto Ma'akéné's back without waiting for Riala to answer and the mare tossed her head, snorting at Ortec as she passed, keeping to a slow walk so the stallion and his sister could easily catch up to them.

"No one said anything about defeated," Riala snipped back quickly. "I never said I'm going to give up. I'm well prepared to die trying to do this."

She paused, looking up at him when he stood while she remained seated in the grass.

She hadn't been lying. Going home was a death sentence. Staying out here was a death sentence. Finding Lani was likely a death sentence too, but she just didn't care anymore. There was no hope for her, as far as she was concerned.

But Ann...no matter what he said, she could see that it was almost all he was. Hope.

It was...blinding.

The huntress quickly snapped her eyes away before he could realize she'd been staring, giving her head a brisk shake as she got slowly to her feet as well, wincing. "If the Horse Lords wanna talk to be, they'd better fucking shout," she muttered in response to him, moving toward Ortec even as the stallion twisted his body around to twine around her like an affectionate cat. "I'd say it's gotten harder to hear them each time they let someone I love suffer and die."

She swung up onto her horse's back with another brief wince, but otherwise hid her pain fairly well. Honestly she was almost getting used to the general feeling of jagged soreness. "Let's move."

Ann only smiled as he heard Riala's snipe at his back, but he didn't bother to turn around and engage her. She was fiery enough without his goading, and she probably would hit him or stick him with an arrow if he needled her too much. She seemed to understand his point, so he didn't see the need to explain it to her. Whatever her reasons were for continuing to stay with him and refuse to lie down and never get up again, Ann wasn't going to push her down any path but forward. One always needed to move forward, his chieftain had said, because the past was the past. It couldn't be changed. It couldn't be altered. It couldn't be remade. But the future, that was a fluid, ever-changing thing, and it was what they made it to be. One decision could change the lives and fortunes of many. Tribes weren't built upon the ashes of the past but the flames of the future.

The lessons Ann had been taught as a small child resonated even now, driving him forward one step at a time. Whether this decision he'd made to accompany Riala, to save her life in the first place, made him a pariah among his own clan, then he would at least know that there were other options for him to pursue than what he'd once thought his future would be. All he would have to do was take the step toward that new life, and he wouldn't be alone. He would always have Ma'akéné, no matter what he decided or where he went. Whether there was anyone else to accompany him on the rest of his life journey, that remained to be seen.

He looked toward Riala as Ortec caught up to them, doing his best not to react to the scowl upon her face. She looked cute when she was angry, when her eyes shone with a fierce light that betrayed the warrior who lived in that frame of bruised flesh. Ann shook himself, then urged his four-footed sister into a slightly faster walk, looking to cover as much ground as possible before true night fell and they needed to make camp.

Riala was content to ride in silence for what light they had left until they needed to be making camp. It wasn't the same, sort of sulking silence she'd allowed herself to drift into before though, this was...something calmer, perhaps, warmer almost.

She still ached, though the physical pain was slowly becoming less than the mental and emotional scarring. That was an improvement of sorts, she supposed.

Feeling eyes on her, she glanced sidelong at her companion as Ortec fell into step beside Ma'akéné with a brief toss of his head, but by the time she'd turned her head Ann was looking forward once again--assuming he'd been looking at her at all, which she supposed was a rather self-centered suspicion, the realization of which made her flush and fix her own eyes on the horizon.