That’s One Angry Horse

[Kysis]

It had been a long, trying day.  Kysis could feel it wearing upon his body, his mind, his very being.  One thing after another, the punches kept rolling and Kysis kept taking them, until now.  He could not stand it anymore.  It was not that he hated people, he just needed room to breathe.  Everyone was suffocating him, crowding him and smothering him.  If one more person tried patting him on the shoulder and telling him they were sorry for his loss—

That was a thought he decided he probably should not finish.  It was probably violent, overly so, and overkill for that matter.  Yes, Kysis cut off that chain of thoughts in his mind, nipping that frantic anger in the bud.  The day had started feeling rather hollow, but as it progressed, anger had built, and built, and built, and Kysis knew full well he was near boiling point.  There was only so much of a mask he could put on before someone finally broke it.  Kysis did not want to say something that he might regret in the future.  He could feel it, lurking there in the back of his mind, ready to pounce at any moment.

Knowing his own limits, he left the shop, steps firm and sure though he had no idea where they were taking him.  That was of no matter.  His feet knew what they were doing, where they were going, what he needed.  It was like that time Kysis had to escape the manor, went to the shrub maze in the gardens.  Just, this time, he did not go for the foliage of the maze, its concealing comfort, the solitude in which only the fountains could bother him.  No, his feet had something else in mind.

When he showed up at the stables, he was surprised, if only for a moment.  Kysis had not taken Atropos out since they returned from Greece, had completely forgotten about his proud war horse.  The horse must have felt neglected after so much free run, or maybe he was still tired.  No.  Atropos had not been showing signs of fatigue when they returned to Oberon, so Kysis would be well rested and ready to go again.

Atropos missed the open fields of tall grass, the days when he could just run to his heart’s content, galloping here and there, sprinting, dodging between rocks and trotting through sand.  Oberon was a far way from Kreos, though.  Having just come back from Greece, Kysis did not miss it yet.  However, Atropos had to.  Kysis had not gotten a chance to take Atropos out into the vast fields again, to ride around without a care in the world.  As the Lord Liari, Kysis could not do that anymore…

And that was one angry horse.

Kysis stood where he had first caught sight of Atropos, frozen in place.  The beige stallion was snorting and snapping at the poor stable-hand trying to feed him, jumping in his stall, kicking, lashing out in every way possible.  For a few moments Kysis had to stand there, and stare into those fierce eyes, so determined not to be caged up.  It was Atropos that inspired Kysis to pull through after what should have been a fatal wound, the long scar across his chest still standing testament to those trials and tribulations.  Atropos had given Kysis the will to survive, and now that feisty stallion was locked up in a little cage, not accepting food from the poor, scared boy trying to feed him.

The young lord wondered if it had been a bet that got the boy there, trying to feed Atropos.  Probably.  That brought the start of a smile, Kysis finally able to walk forward, speaking out in hopes of not scaring the boy witless. “Let me.”  The boy jumped anyway, Kysis taking the apple and a sack of grains from his hands.  The moment he did, the boy ran off in fright.  That was fine.  Kysis had wanted to be alone anyway.

He approached slowly, apple in hand, Kysis reaching into the stall with that hand stretched out.  Snorting, Atropos turned away.  Kysis rolled his eyes.  This again?  Kysis spoke to his horse in Greek, fine knowing none of the stable-hands would be able to understand him. “This again?  Well, if that’s the case, I’ll just be taking this nice, red apple all to myself.”  Atropos snorted again, but did not move.  In response, Kysis took a bite of the apple, crunching loudly on it.  Atropos finally turned around, Kysis offering the apple up again.  Giving an indignant flick of his ears, Atropos took it from his master, eating it quickly and tossing his head as soon as he was done.  Kysis then offered the bag of grains over, Atropos eating as Kysis held it up.

Kysis felt much better already.

[Existentially Odd]

Gallagher was alerted by a near-hysterical stableboy (by the name of Denny) that there was trouble with Lord Liari\'s horse and dropped what he was doing (literally, the chaff scoop harmlessly spilling its contents into the barrel) and raced out of the supply room in the south east corner of the stables.

As his long legs took him swiftly towards the stall in question, the boy dropped quickly behind, but not before the Stable Manager learned that Denny had been bribed into doing the feeding job.  The child had only been working there a week, by Adora, he wasn\'t up to handling a horse as big and feisty as Atropos - Hell, the only person in the entire place that really could make the horse do what he wanted was Gallagher and that was only if he kept up a regular exercise regimen with him.  He was the most temperamental and fussy creature Bede had ever worked with, otherwise - but he rather loved taht about him.

The fact that Denny hadn\'t recognised the man who\'d stepped up to Atropos\' stall was what had the Manager practically running to the horse\'s position, though.  The child had barely had time to describe a bloke who looked like a noble of some sort before he\'d been compelled to answer the question about why he\'d been in the stall in the first place.  It had been Jack or Alyssa\'s job (Bede couldn\'t quite be sure, but it was certainly his most senior stablehands\' job to look after such difficult animals) but one of them had obviously decided they\'d play a nasty joke on the new boy.  Very bloody funny... not.

When he rounded the corner and sighted Lord Liari leaning into Atropos\' stall with a bag of grain, Gallagher breathed a sigh of relief and slowed down from his fast-paced trot, realising he needn\'t have worried so much after all.  Considering the majesty and expense of the horses on this top level, though, he doubted he\'d ever not panic, just in case someone untoward did manage to bluff their way through the stable doors, past the guards stationed there.  The guards they did have were regulars, simply so they did recognise the horse owners when they visited their animals at odd hours, but there were always exceptions to every rule, it seemed.

"Good day, Lord Liari," Gallagher greeted as he came up on the man\'s left side, leaning his hand casually upon the corner of Atropos\' stable door as he came to a stop at last.  His golden curls framed his bright blue eyes as he grinned at the visitor, dimples flashing pleasantly.  He wore a dark brown long pants and vest set over a simple blue-grey shirt today, the garment open at the neck even though it was winter.  Those that stayed in the stables hardly ever had need of warm clothing while working, for the heat generated by the windows being closed around hundreds of warm horse bodies was plenty to sustain them, even on frozen nights.

Not finding it necessary to comment yet on Atropos\' state, Gallagher merely waited until he had the Lord\'s attention before continuing.  He\'d only had a few conversations with him, and always when seeing him in Captain Wilson\'s company, but she didn\'t appear to be with him today so the Stable Manager decided the blonde noble might not be here for a right after all.  If a visit with his horse was all that he was after, he would hardly want an interfering stable worker hanging about and interrupting.  Bede had the greatest respect for people who took the time to visit their animals, making them feel appreciated and part of their lives, even if the poor beasts could be nowhere nearby due to the city\'s arrangement.

[Kysis]

Kysis heard feet approaching and listened for a moment, not recognizing the gait.  Someone he didn\'t know too well, which was good.  Atropos snorted at Kysis when he looked to the side, spotting who it was.  Apparently the boy had gotten the stablemaster, which was good.  They had spoken just a few times, but from what Kysis heard, Master Gallagher was the only one who could handle Atropos.  That meant the man at least somewhat understood the horse.  Considering how important Atropos was to Kysis, he figured he could trust the man.

"Good evening, Master Gallagher."  He let go of the grain bag with his left hand, using it to pat and smooth Atropos\' nose.  The horse seemed to like it, so Kysis kept at it. "Hopefully Atropos hasn\'t been too much trouble?"

If Oberon did not have laws against it, Kysis would keep Atropos somewhere of his own devising, where he could take care of his own horse.  It would save a lot of trouble.  However, Kysis knew Atropos was in safe hands, so long as young, unexperienced stable hands did not end up near him again.  Atropos was known to bite at people.  Kysis would hate for a kid to get a broken hand.

"Of course he has."

Kysis answered his own question, turning his head just slightly, looking in his peripheral to the left.  All he could see was Gallagher\'s hand, arm, and shoulder from this angle, which Kysis did not mind.  He was not completely in an antisocial mood, as could be guessed by the faint chuckle tinging his last statement.  Atropos was always trouble.  Always.  That was why Kysis liked the horse so much.  That was why Marcos had bought it for his son.

"He hasn\'t damaged another stall, has he?"

[Existentially Odd]

Gallagher laughed also, when Lord Liari remarked that of course his horse was troublesome.  "No," he drawled, ending with a rueful sigh, "we learned the hard way that reinforcing this one was the way to go, though.  It\'s all pretty good now," he nodded, gesturing with his right hand to the inner workings of the stall, where, if Kysis looked through the entryway to the large square room, he\'d notice new wood lining all the visible walls up to about his waist height.

He fell quiet, watching the lord with his horse for a few moments, noting the communication between the two.  "Both he and Captain have been pretty restless since you returned from your journey; I think they miss pushing themselves.  I\'ve had to take Atropos out nearly every day just to keep him quiet," he laughed again, nodding at the horse.  "Did you want to take him out for a run?" Gallagher enquired, feeling it would be the most appropriate thing.

Most nobles didn\'t visit their horses and only used the beautiful beasts to strap to carriages, so Gallagher regularly saw to it that every horse escaped such indiginities and was exercised in the yard downstairs at the least and outside the castle\'s boundaries at least once every moon - even in the winter.  Such animals were made to run, not be holed up until they withered away in their stalls and were carted off for parts.  He had such loyalty from his workers mainly due to this policy (he felt, anyway), because they all loved the responsibility of escaping the city\'s confines on a gorgeous animal for the day.  He did the really important ones himself.

[Kysis]

They had to reinforce the stall?  Kysis looked as Gallagher gestured, noticing the new wood that had been put up, and a set of indents from hooves on the back wall.  That made Kysis cock an eyebrow, his looking at Atropos, who had his head hung lower than his left hand reached to bury his head in the grains some more.  Poor kid, getting spooked by Atropos.  Hopefully that did not scare the boy out of a future career.  That would be sad.  Kysis preferred to take care of Atropos himself, but since that wasn\'t possible, the wayward warhorse had to be kept in the stables, traumatizing children.  Great....

"Atropos, do you have to be so damn wayward?"  There was no response.  Apparently Atropos was just smitten now, seeing Kysis and getting food at the same time.  Kysis patted Atropos up between the ears before turning his attention back to Gallagher.  Take Atropos out for a ride?  Now?  It was getting late in the day, but still.... it would probably get Atropos to calm down, at least for a few days.  Kysis rather liked the idea of visiting more often to exercise Atropos himself.  The horse (and the staff too) could use it.

"That sounds perfect, actually."  Kysis had been wanting to get away from people for the most part, at least the people he knew would push his buttons.  What was a better way than taking Atropos out for a ride?  Now, Kysis was not exactly in the best attire for riding.  He was in all black, as he was earlier in the day, dressed like a nobleman.  What would that hurt?  Kysis had ridden in full armor in sweltering heat.  This would be just fine. "I\'m sure Atropos would love it, and actually calm down a bit."

Yes, that plan sounded absolutely perfect.

[Existentially Odd]

The Stable Manager stood up straighter from his relaxed position leaning against the wall, rubbing his hands together in preparation.  "Do you want some help saddling him?  I\'m happy to help, if so?" Gallagher offered, having been the only one who\'d performed such a brave task at all.

He considered offering to accompany Kysis on his ride, simply because negotiating one\'s way out of the city on horseback could be tricky unless you were familiar with the exact route, but he also didn\'t want to disturb the lord\'s private time with his horse - not when he approved of it so soundly.  Still... an offer could be refused, so there should be no harm in asking.

He waited to see what was said to his first request before pressing on, though.

[Kysis]

"I can saddle him myself, I think."  Kysis nodded at that, noticing how Atropos had finally perked up and was staring at them.  That was just creepy.  The young lord almost wished Atropos was still digging into the grain.  But since the horse was not, Kysis lifted up the bag of grain, still half full, pulling it out of the stall and holding onto it since he had no idea what to do with the thing.

"If I knew where the saddle was..."  Kysis looked around, having to turn 360 to get a full view of the place.  He was still thinking about that offer of treatment for his eye, as the apothecary suggested, even if that made everyone realize his right eye was dead.  This place was definitely not Kreos.  It would be safe enough, and if Kysis started keeping Alex around more, it would not be a problem.  Other lords had guards around, so why not?

"Is there a particular way that is best for getting out of the city gates for said ride?  I\'ve only ever gone with" Kysis had to pause, stopping himself from using Lam here, "the Captain, so I don\'t know the way on my own."  Which was true.  He always let her lead, and was usually too caught up in their conversation to remember the route she picked.  Damn.  If only he\'d split his--- no, it was probably best that he was more concentrated on her.  She had a tendency for catching him completely off guard when he wasn\'t paying full attention.

[Existentially Odd]

Bede laughed jovially, snagging the feed bag out of Kysis\' hand nonchalantly as he stepped forward, into the lord\'s personal space.  "I\'ll get the saddle," he said easily, realising the noble hadn\'t spent much time in the stables so he didn\'t know how everything worked.  His attention shifted to the horse right in front of him then.  "Back you go, Atropos, good boy," he murmured as he unlatched the gate the horse had been leaning over and began pushing it inward.

With a few more nickers and soft, horse-sounding noises, Gallagher managed to get Atropos to back up into the main room of his stall, and latched the gate to the right side of that room\'s opening so he couldn\'t exit, the gate held securely at an angle.  This revealed a narrow walkway to the right, which had a human-sized gate barring it.  Gallagher gestured for Lord Liari to follow him into the little room beside Atropos\' stall, which was where all his personal feed, tack and gear was kept.  There was a chair there, along with the barrels of grain and water used to feed the horse, and polishing items on the bench beside the chair that declared the gear was well maintained.  His bridle, saddle, blankets, combs and everything else Atropos would ever need were arranged on hooks or nails or holders all over the walls - except for the saddle, which sat, gleaming, on its own saddle horse.

"It\'s all in here," Gallagher told his companion affably, hanging the feed bag on a hook beside another, empty one and brushing his hands off (it was a habit he had, for his hands weren\'t dirty) as he turned to look at Kysis, his hands then going to his slim hips.  It was hard to see much in the little space because there were no windows (Atropos had a central stall) but enough light filtered through from the main area to show where everything was.  A lantern stood on the bench, proving that anyone who spent time in the tackroom used light to see what they were doing, but Gallagher hardly thought it was worth the effort of lighting now.

"There\'s not much room," the Stable Manager laughed, "but that\'s only because the horses get the bigger share of it all," he explained with a shrug.  It was a far different setup downstairs, where the horses were common beasts that had a shared tack room, for they were kept in single stalls only (though their care was no less dedicated, for they were still animals deserving of attention), but he was sure Kysis realised that what his horse was allowed up here was a direct result of his money.

"And yes, there is a particular route that you should be taking to get out of the city and if you\'re not familiar with it, it\'s rather tricky to explain," Gallagher mused, his lips twisting thoughtfully.  "Congratulations on your engagement, by the way!" he declared suddenly, as his thoughts led him to thinking about Lord Liari only travelling out of the city on horseback with the captain - he wasn\'t always up on the latest gossip (he didn\'t know that Alia had died, for instance), but that tidbit had got through to him.

"She\'s a great lady," the manager enthused with a broad grin, having had a lot of dealings with Wilson in the past - some of which he wouldn\'t be discussing with her fiancé.  "I\'m really pleased for the both of you.  I gather she couldn\'t be here to take a ride with you today?  If you wanted, I could saddle up Captain and take him out with you, show you the way and where we usually exercise the horses?  Atropos tends to bite or barge any horses that aren\'t Captain, so they always get exercised together now," Gallagher explained ruefully, his grin showing that he knew he shouldn\'t approve of such equine behaviours but that he understood a horse would do what it wanted - and he found it pretty funny, really, the way Atropos dominated every other horse in his vicinity.

[Kysis]

It was amazing, how much and how quickly Atropos had calmed down.  It was also a good thing.  Kysis was tired of hearing about how temperamental Atropos was being.  He was willing to pay whatever it might cost to keep Atropos well fed and in good shape, but did the horse have to make it more difficult and more expensive all the time?  Atropos was amazing, but Kysis had to draw the line.  Hopefully Atropos could at least follow some rules.

Kysis followed the stablemaster into the small area beside Atropos\' stall, taking a look around.  His gear was well taken care of, which was nice to see.  His coin was being put to good use.  That was one of the things Kysis always stressed: if money was spent, it had better be efficient and worth while.  Otherwise, what was the point?  Some things could be allowed, but most were a question of quality in ratio to cost.  Marcos had taught him that much, at least.

The way was tricky to explain?  Damn.  Kysis had really be looking forward to the ride.  The next part took a moment to sink in before Kysis realized what was being said, blinking a few times and it hit him suddenly that he had to respond!  News of their engagement had made it around fast.  Hopefully Lam got to meet with the king before rumors reached his hears? "Thank you very much."  Kysis could not help but smile thinking about it.  Not only were they engaged, to be married in the spring, but Lam was pregnant (he hoped, and was sure she hoped too).

Not wanting to crush that second of joy, Kysis failed to mention his sister\'s death.  Kysis wanted to escape death right now.  He needed to.  It looked to be the only way he could cope right now, everything else falling short or failing out of the starting block.  Blowing off some steam on horseback sounded great.  He needed to start practicing for the exhibition soon, but that could happen after he had gotten a half-decent night\'s rest.  For now, Atropos could use the exercise and Kysis could use the escape.

"Atropos and Captain have gotten used to one another.  I don\'t think Atropos can even get along with other horses."  Kysis had approached his saddle, hand gliding over it, admiring how well it was being watched after.  Better than he had cared for it before, that was for sure.  It was beautiful because of it, too.  However, Kysis did not want to elaborate on why Lam was not here with him today.  She was busy elsewhere, taking care of things.  Alia\'s funeral for one...

"It would be great to take them out together.  Atropos will love it."

[Existentially Odd]

Gallagher nodded curtly.  "Right," he grinned, his manner thoroughly business-like, "I\'ll go get Captain saddled and meet you downstairs."  That said, he spun on his heel and exited Atropos\' stable, heading next door to Captain\'s.  The two horses hadn\'t originally been stabled together, since Captain had been a gift to the captain from Lord Dagger, but once Atropos had returned from Greece with the chestnut stallion, it turned out a wiser thing for the two of them to be housed side by side, where they could communicate easily.

Once Captain was saddled - and the placid stallion was easy to control in that respect - Gallagher led him out of his stall and down the large ramp at the southern end of the stables.  He made mention of what he was doing now to anyone he passed so they would know not to look for him if they thought he was needed, advising he\'d probably be an hour or so.  He didn\'t normally run the horses for that long, but he had a feeling that Lord Liari would appreciate some extra time alone with his mount.

It turned out that Gallagher reached the ground first, but he stayed at the bottom of the ramp rubbing Captain\'s velvety nose in ways that annoyed and soothed him, laughing when the horse\'s tail lashed, and smiled when Atropos and Lord Liari joined them.  "Alright, let\'s show you the safest way out of this city on horseback!" he declared, swinging his long body lithely up into Captain\'s saddle and pausing only long enough to adjust the right stirrup.

As they walked their horses through the streets - shoulder to shoulder for the most part - Gallagher explained exactly why they were taking the route they were on.  Sometimes it was because it was a residential area but without cobblestones, so the horses\' hooves made less noise, other times it wa because it was a generally-deserted thoroughfare or simply because it was a predominantly industrial area where horses moving about where commonplace.  Whatever the case, they basically avoided all the places where pedestrians were likely to be, therefore also avoiding the gawking of interested eyes.

By the time they\'d crossed over the drawbridge, the two horses were eyeing one another off and tossing their manes.  It made Gallagher laugh as he watche dthem.  "These two are friendly but competitive too I think, yes?" he queried, looking over at lord Liari for confirmation of the horses\' behaviour.  He was riding on the noble\'s left and, as always, was surprised by the feisty way Captain - who was excellently trained - behaved whenever he got within biting distance of the beige stallion.  It was a friendly rivalry, as far as he\'d ever been able to tell, but he was interested in Atropos\' owner\'s take on things.

[Kysis]

Kysis took extreme mental notes on the path, planning on taking Atropos out more often now that he had settled in to his responsibilities for the most part.  He would be able to better manage his time, and take time for riding.  Yes, the next to weeks would be insane, but that was ok.  After that Kysis could take Atropos out on a nice, long ride, like he used to do in Kreos.  It was another way Oberon was going to replace his homeland, and he rather liked that.

He knew exactly how far away from Captain Kysis had to keep Atropos.  The two horses had gotten used to one another, but it was exactly as Gallagher thought: competition.  Atropos, whenever Kysis would try dropping him back into step with Captain, would nudge forward so was at least a nose ahead, which was troublesome through the city when Kysis was supposed to be the one following.  That was Atropos though.  He would have made a great racing horse, but the Liari family got a hold of him before anyone could subjugate Atropos into such a thing.  Racing was terrible, and Kysis was sure the warhorse was much happier here, even if he insisted upon being at least a little ahead.

"The first time we took Atropos and Captain out together, Atropos would not let Captain lead.  It was frustrating, but he has to be at least a little ahead, or he\'s not happy."  Kysis patted Atropos on the neck, the horse ignoring him completely.  Atropos was itching to run, Kysis could feel it from how tensed the horse was, just ready to go, head stretching forward to show it really wanted to go.

"Looks like he wants to run a bit, too."  Kysis let out a little laugh at that.  How typical of Atropos.  They had just gotten back from a long trip!  Wasn\'t Atropos at all happy about that?  It looked like Kysis was going to be spending quite  a lot of time riding in the near future (not that he minded in the least).

[Existentially Odd]

Gallagher laughed, finding the idea of the captain\'s horse taking second place to another; Captain was rather used to leading, himself.  He couldn\'t imagine that dynamic was easy to stay on top of, but he had faith that Captain Wilson and Lord Liari were able to do it without too many problems at all (the thought of them together simply widened Bede\'s smile, too).

"Well then, a run he shall have!" the manager declared enthusiastically.  "We usually take the horses along this road to the forested area up ahead, just for the scenery," Gallagher explained, gesturing in the direction that the stable workers usually took, "but perhaps Atropos would prefer a road run?  Do you think I should try to keep up with Captain?" the blonde laughed, not really seeking permission to run the horse he was on, but simply to remain at the lord\'s side.

If he was an unwanted nuisance, now would be the time for him to be told.  He could describe the path he would take and then promise to meet Lord Liari back at the stables when he was done, no harm done, allowing the other to have time alone and at peace with his horse.  It wasn\'t as if the two of them would be talking non stop while they rode, but Gallagher could appreciate the desire to spend time with one\'s animal without interference; he was sensitive to human needs as well as animal ones.

[Kysis]

"Letting them run together would probably work more energy out of Atropos.  He needs it, so yes, definitely."  Kysis tapped Atropos on the sides with his booted heels, the horse feeling that, bolting as soon as that brief contact was broken.  Feeling the quickening rhythm of his horses gallop, Kysis stood up just slightly on his stirrups, keeping his bum just above the hard saddle, his bent down some to allow for less resistance, and less assault on himself by the wind.

His hair finally came free of its binding, the cord that held it through the day flying off.  Kysis hardly noticed, looking back to see what Captain was doing.  Two dominant male horses, that was for sure, but Atropos was not a nice horse in the way some were.  Atropos liked being on top, and was willing to push himself to the limits to express that, and to apply dominance.  It was almost like how competitive Kysis had been with his swordsmanship in Kreos.  Even after winning a few tournaments, Kysis had still practiced just as hard, tried just as much.

Why relent, anyway?

When he got to the forested area, Atropos decided it would be a fun obstacle course to run, darting this way and that to weave through trees, still trying to keep up speed.  The horse jumped high over a downed tree, turning  quickly to dart this way and that around and about other trees.  Atropos was having a great deal of fun.  Kysis was a bit tense, legs holding tight in to keep him on the horse.  It would be terrible to get thrown off, especially since it looked like Atropos was just starting.

[Existentially Odd]

Captain wasn\'t about to let Atropos get the better of him and so he shot to a gallop very quickly behind the other stallion, Gallagher giving him very little urging.  When the road they were travelling was straight, the chestnut managed to get a little bit ahead, for he was built for speed and was far sleeker than the heavily-muscled warhorse, but when they hit more rugged terrain, Atropos had the advantage.  Captain wasn\'t ready to admit that, though, and Bede grinned wildly through the whole ride.

Not being used to letting precious horses have their head, he was spurred on by Kysis\' example and rather enjoyed the freedom of keeping his seat upon the strong stallion.  Up hill and down dale they went, dodging trees, leaping over fallen branches and logs, having to be diverted from attempting to slide across frozen streams (Gallagher was convinced Atropos would have a go at it too, if it would give him a solid lead over Captain).

Eventually, they were getting too close to the mountains and Gallagher gave a whistle to get Lord Liari\'s attention, indicating with a flick of his head that they should veer out of the forest.  The mountains were not only home to the various wolf packs in the region, but tended to offer insecure footfalls for the horses, due to rock being buried beneath snow or holes where cave-dwelling animals not hibernating had snuffled for some food.  All in all, there was more danger to be found in such areas, and Gallagher was keen to avoid spoiling the day.

It took another twenty minutes to work their way free of the trees altogether and five after that to find the road that would take them back to the castle but, by that stage, the horses seemed content enough to slow down to a walk and get their breath back.  Gallagher felt much the same, having exerted himself so much over the past almost-hour to stay in the saddle, that he was already feeling the effects of such a sudden and harsh workout.

"Well," he panted, grinning over at Kysis when the lord drew alongside him (allowing Atropos to be in the lead slightly, of course) a few moments later, "I think that should keep them happy for a while, that\'s the hardest workout they\'ll have had in a week, that\'s for sure.  I think, when you took them to Greece, you just conditioned them into loving moving constantly, it\'s been tough keeping up with their energy since your return," Gallagher chuckled, reaching forward to slap and scratch Captain\'s neck affectionately.

[Kysis]

The moment he was signaled, Kysis steered back out of the forest, knowing it was probably best.  He did not want Atropos to push himself to exhaustion.  Atropos had a tendency of overdoing things.  Well, so did Kysis, but that was entirely not the focus of his thoughts, and he quickly batted that notion away.  He was a bit sweaty, a sheen on it against his skin, and now his hair fell in its usual neat but vaguely chaotic way around his face.  Kysis finally noticed that he lost the tie.  Oh well.  He could easily find another, and it was not like he had another meeting today.

His black attire was stuffy, and he really couldn\'t wait until he returned home to at least peel it off.  That, and he wanted to know how everyone\'s days went, fruitful or otherwise.  Rico and Lam had to arrange for everything.  Yes, he needed to know if there was anything else to be done.  Kysis was fully willing to help now.  Riding had really helped to work out some of his demons.

Kysis actually gave a smile and a slight laugh, rubbing Atropos\' neck at the comment. "I hope this satiates them for a while.  As much as I want Atropos to be happy, I don\'t want his caretakers to dislike him."  At that the warhorse snorted, bouncing his head.  Kysis figured Atropos did not care what his caretakers thought, as long as he got what he wanted.  Not surprising.

"I will probably be dropping in more often, to run Atropos around myself."  Kysis left out the part that he missed doing that.  It had been a ritual back in Kreos, for Kysis to go out and ride like the winds in his free time.  Atropos had really gotten spoiled by that, and now, being barred up in a stall most of the time.  It was a terrible transition, and Kysis felt bad for it. "If that is ok with you?" Since you are in charge was implied with that sentence.  If Gallagher wasn\'t the one in charge, Kysis would not have even bothered to pose the question to him.