Early morning training

[Séamus O'Hare]

The early morning was bitterly cold. The still air bit at Séamus' cheeks like the teeth of a water horse. Séamus had made his way down to the north beach early so that he could fit in an hour of training with his dappled grey uisce stallion, Zakhar, without the worry of being bothered by anyone else who couldn't keep their distance, besides, coming this early meant that he could both train with Zakhar and get to his job in the kitchen of the Black Eyed Girl on time.
Séamus inhaled the crisp, sea air. Zakhar was restless and excitable beneath him, he champed his deadly jaws on the metal bit that tugged in his mouth.Séamus carefully gave him more rein so that the stallion could move his head more freely, however, he kept a watchful eye on him; he knew full well that no uisce was to be given too much freedom. Zakhar was certainly no exception. Zakhar made an eager growling noise in his throat and he pranced on the spot, his long pointed ears like a devil's horns turned their attention to the ocean. He wanted to run, but Séamus' hissing in his ears and his fingertips tracing the entwining cobwebs of veins on his neck overpowered the beckoning of the ocean. "No. You listen to me. Answer to me. I am your master. Zakhar, I am your master."
Séamus looked around, the beach was clear, just as they liked it, they weren't expecting anyone for at least another hour, they could get away with one long sprint across the sand. Séamus gave the command with a gentle squeeze and beneath him his beast erupted into life.

[Anastasya Sanders]

The sounds of the waves crashing along the beach were music to Nausicaä’s ears… Although, to Anastasya, the sound was more of a warning. She could already feel the trembling within her mare’s body, and the sound only served to intensify it. Yes, as many other water horses did, Nausicaä longed for the sea. Of this fact, Ana was well aware. She had to be, as all riders did, or it could very well prove to be the death of her. Thankfully, that unnerving thought was suppressed deeply into her mind as she reined the beautiful, brindle-grullo mare onto the far side of the beach, beginning to slowly weave a pattern of figure eights while her eyes scanned the horizon for other Capall.

At about the fifth weave, Anastasya exhaled a sigh. Relaxing her grip only ever so slightly, her eyes flicked from the tide, to her mare… Who was then glancing up along the beach, ears pricked and nostrils flaring with an oncoming challenge. Immediately the tension she’d lost returned with a vengeance. Ana’s grey gaze began scanning immediately… Spying what was on-coming seconds before her own mare lurched forward with a sound that could only be described as a scream.

Another rider. On another Capall. Running straight for them. Surely the guy hadn’t seen them, in the foggy, bitter cold of the morning… It was a mistake that Ana knew could cost them both. And for that reason, the girl yanked Nausicaä’s head around, which forced the mare to rear and strike out at the air with her sharp hooves as she was suddenly forced to veer her course. The gesture didn’t stop another scream from tearing out of the water horse in protest.

[Séamus O'Hare]

Séamus only noticed the pair when it was too late. He saw the startled girl on the back of an unusually coloured Cappal uisce and Zakhar saw them too. The stallion saw the chance and seized it with his teeth, he skidded to a halt and flung his head down. Séamus flew from the saddle and over his horse's head, he landed on his back.

He was winded but still had the reins in his hands. Zakhar came at him, teeth bared and grinning. Thinking quickly, Séamus yanked the reins down and pressed an iron cross in between the stallion's eyes, his expression furious. The dappled Uisce reeled back, squirming under the touch of the iron. Séamus got to his feet and turned to the girl and her mare, the cross still pressed to Zakhar. He was about to yell at her for being in his way, not because it was her fault, but just because he had humiliated himself, or rather, Zakhar had humiliated him in front of her whilst her mare seemed so well behaved.

Deciding that blaming his Capall's bad behaviour on the girl and her mare would have been unfair, he stood awkwardly and embarrassed in front of her, cursing Zakhar under his breath. The stallion's ears pricked towards him, he made a purring, clucking, chuckle, in response to which, Séamus glared at him venomously.

"Sorry. I couldn't see you because of the fog." he said to the girl, he tried to be as polite as he could but had a feeling he still sounded slightly agitated.

[Anastasya Sanders]

The man was thrown over the water horse’s neck in a matter of seconds, and Ana was expecting much, much worse. Her own grip on her mare’s reins tightened, forcing her to crane again. This time, now back on all four legs, Nausicaä decided to attempt something new. At once, on the opposite side of Zakhar and Séamus, she pinned her ears and tried for Ana’s leg. Instantly, the girl shifted the limb away, her nails moving from the reins, to bite into the hide of the mare’s shoulder. A protesting, and rather indignant, snort came as her only response.

At this time, Ana become aware once more… And was rather glad to discover that the other capall hadn’t managed to tear into she, or her own mare. Her gaze swept from Nausicaä’s flank to the man, and his own water horse. Instantly, she keyed into that awkward stance, and a ghost of a smile appeared over her lips.

“No damage was done… So don’t worry about it. I should’ve been watching a little closer myself.” She shifted again in the saddle, while her grullo mare nibbled at the irritating bit within her mouth. "You look familiar, but I'm sorry that I can't place a name to a face." The dark-haired girl spoke again after a moment.

[Séamus O'Hare]

Séamus cautiously removed the iron crucifix from Zakhar's blind spot between his eyes and slid it down onto his neck. He was infuriated with Zakhar's actions and he dared him to take another shot at him.

"Séamus O'Hare." he spoke politely and faced the girl but kept half a glance on his troublesome stallion from the corner of his eye. "You have probably seen me in the pub down in Skarmouth, I'm the chef." He stood a little taller at stating the last fact, he was obviously quite proud of what he did for a living. "And I'm sorry about him," Séamus gestured to his stallion. "He's a bad influence on the others."

Meanwhile, Zakhar had lifted his head, drawing all of his attention to the girl's mare, she was a beautiful and unusual colour for even an island horse, let alone a Cappal Uisce. Zakhar noticed this and undoubtedly found it awfully attractive; the skinny stallion danced clumsily, trotting on the spot and swishing his tail. He wanted to get her attention, he wanted her to take notice of him so he continued showing off,he flared his nostrils and swung his head up in the air, the whites of his eyes showing.

Séamus ignored Zakhar's ridiculous behaviour and said "Excuse me if I'm wrong, but I take it that your name is..... Ana? There's a lot of talk from the mainlanders in the pub about a girl named Anastasya mounting a beautiful mare. I didn't believe that a Capall could be the cause of such conversation, until I saw her that is, she is very beautiful. I didn't know that such a pelt colour existed."

[Anastasya Sanders]

Ana watched the man slowly but surely draw his stallion back into his control, all the while mindful of her mare. When he offered his explanation of the vague familiarity, Anastasya immediately nodded, strands of hair fluttering into her face at both the gesture, and the breeze. “That certainly explains it. I’m in there often enough anyway. The food is pretty good.” Her lips quirked in a smile, which faded as she shrugged in additional response. “I think capall are solitary creatures anyway. Nausicaä has done her share to others, besides.” A vague, almost grim, sort of smile returned, as she drug her nails along the mare’s hide. Instantly, a shiver… But the gesture didn’t keep her distracted for long.

Her reaction to Zakhar’s movements was immediate. The dark of her nostrils flared, her dark brown eyes fixing on the other water horse. Almost like an island pony, she produced a sort of whinny, flicking her tail in a very Arabian way… The sound was partially cut off, though, as she found her head abruptly being checked by Ana’s hand that was gripping the rein. A loud hiss of protest sounded, and her teeth clicked together on the metal of the bit… Almost as though she were imagining it to be the puny human’s flesh.

Ana merely gripped harder with her legs, grip remaining firm while her attention remained on Séamus. Freeing a hand momentarily, she brushed the dark strands from her face before she addressed him again. “You have it right.” A smile. “And I like to think of her as beautiful too… Even if her temperament leaves some to be desired… I guess that’s the way of most of them, though, eh?” She laughed, though it was humorless. Grim. Almost like a bad joke in a way. “Thank you, though… Anyway, you were practicing on the beach, then? Anything I can help with, seeing as I’ve caused you some trouble?”

[Séamus O'Hare]

(sorry for the loooooooong wait, I have been struggling to think of a post!!)

"I think I'd have to agree with you there, they're nothing like land horses, I struggle to think of Capall living in a herd without tearing chunks out of each other." Séamus said lightheartedly -though what he was saying was true- as he re-mounted his Stallion in an attempt to keep him from trying to attract the attention of Ana's Mare.

Despite his rider's tugging on the reins and futile hisses against it, Zakhar continued to chortle deep within his throat, trying to impress Nausicaä. He swung the head that rested atop the neck that seemed too skinny to hold it upright, growing even more restless beneath the pressure his rider was applying to his shoulder with the iron crusifix.

Séamus checked Zakhar's head with a tug on the rein, which effectively stopped the stallion from tossing his head around. He then took the iron away from the horse's shoulder which also to an extent, calmed him down. Satisfied, Séamus sat more relaxed in the saddle "Zakhar is eager to meet your mare." He said "Perhaps we should familiarise then with each other, so then maybe we can both train without either of our Capall playing up." He offered politely as his stallion calmed down more or less completely.