I'll Take the High Road

[Morgaine]

"Just tell me when I'll need to stop,"

She said, looking down once again at Tok before eyes went to the road. She leaned over so she could see the road, flattening out. She'd need to shift her weight soon, so Caspian could walk accordingly. Sit forward in the seat when going uphill, and sit back in the seat when going downhill. Sit in the middle when walking across straight terrain. Those simple rules would always echo through her mind, when she was trained to ride.

[femalefred]

He himself has stopped now, lavender eyes gazing out over the patchwork land below, the fields and clusters of tiny, earthen cottages below where the few farm laborers that lived hereabouts went about their daily business. Around three miles or so away, there is a slightly larger cluster of houses, with a dirty smuge of a market square, the sound of business and laughing reaching even up here to the brow of the Bellom Hill.

A bright smile spreads across the Anor's features as he spots this little marketplace - that's the little town with the delicious foods he was mentioning to Morgaine, and, joy above joy, he could already smell the roasted meats and tenderly cooked vegetables. That was the best thing about his shift - or so he thought - that his acute sense of smell remained with him for half an hour or so after returning to his Anorian form. That was how he'd found this place to begin with.

"See the little town with the marketplace over there? That's the one."

With that, he moves off again, his walk developing into a loping, canter-esque gait, almost running but not quite. The food might be tasty there, but this creature still isn't going to up the pace quite that much.

[Morgaine]

Caspian whinned as the changeling-type man ran a bit faster, the horse wanting to match him, or even move faster than him. But he didn't want to become unruly and up his gait without Morgaine's consent. So he stayed at a walk, until told otherwise. Ears swayed all about as he could smel lthe scents of the villiage, the market, everything. He especially could smell fresh meadow hay under the carnivorous meat and the cooked vegetable smell. His sense of smell was very keen, very very keen.

Morgaine smiled as she to ocould smell the food. she'd not eaten a proper meal in weeks, thus at the smell her stomach grumbled, growled and churned as if it was forcing Morgaine to head straight to the food, not stopping anywhere. She was fighting the crave to gallop towards the smell, though she had to keep up with Tok. So with a low cluck from her tongue and a kick to Caspian's barrel with her heels, she and the stallion upeed the gait to a canter, moving seamlessly from trot to canter. She made sure his canter was languid, slow moving so she wouldn't go ahead of Tok. After all, even with direction she didn't want to be rude to a total stranger. besides, he'd not done anything to push her buttons, so why be rude?

[femalefred]

Noticing the pair upping their pace to a canter, he smiles brightly. The smell coming up from the market stalls would attract even those on a fast for religious or mystical purposes, or so Tok believed, anyhow. He only continues down the hill at his loping jog, not wanting to up the speed for fear that the footing might become looser or, even worse, Caspian might trip and fall down the hillside.

He does have his more considerate side after all.

[Morgaine]

Morgaine pulled back at the reins to down his gait a bit, moving from canter to trot. Even with the smallest of ponies, one had to keep your horse controlled and steady when venturing downhill. One false move, and its downthe hilling rolling you go. She'd trekked the steepest of hills before with Caspian, but it didn't mean that the stallion could hold his footing in any matter. She leaned a bit back in the seat to let Caspian's front legs do the most work, so he co go down effiecently, before she set him into a canter once more once they reached the less steeper part of the hill.

Caspian whinnied again as he enjoyed going downhill, as the slightest bit of adrenaline pulsed throguh him whenever he trekked hills. he was always on fun alert if rosk were to fall from under him, and when to keep still to keep from falling. He loved mountains especially, climbing up such jagged outcroppings.

[femalefred]

Laughing as they hit the almost flattened area toward the bottom of the hill, the Anorian breaks into a full run, the few free strands of hair about his face flying backwards in the air currents created as he almost gallops along. It's not a particularly elegant gait, nor is actually that fast, but then, what can you expect of one so ultimately lazy? He may enjoy the odd run, now and then, but only as a bit of fun, and so, his gait is awkward and lolloping, rather like a large dog that gets extremely excited as it runs after a rabbit, but just doesn't have the coordination or brain power to actually follow the action through.

His main skills when it comes to movement are quick starts and short sprints, the agile movements perfected when in cat form hunting mice and the like translating back to his ordinary shape, but this sort of running just isn't his main skill. Oh well. At least he's getting towards the food faster.

[Morgaine]

Caspian could see that Tok had changed his gait as well, an uncoordinated gallop coming from the chap. Feh, like a mere mutt running towards his master's call. Horses kept a regal gait, never failing to produce a smooth gallop. Although Arabians had a much lovlier gait then Andalusians, he had more stamina and more muscle to him, making him a strong character. The white stalion tossed his head before he'd quickened his canter, not yet smoothing into a gallop until Morgaine said so.

She laughed as well, kicking Caspian again and letting the stallion move up to a gallop, standing in the seat and giving Caspian all the power he needed. She allowed him to pass by Tok, though she didn't even notice that as they passed Tok, Caspian had reached out to nip at Tok, playfully indeed.

[femalefred]

As the horse passes, playfully nipping at the elf-like creature's shoulder, he gasps, feigning some kind of indignant shock that such a thing could have happened. This expression sticks on his face for only a moment, however, morphing into a more mischievous one himself, sticking his tongue out at the equine and, with amazing speed, reaching out to give a swift tug on his tail before Caspian and Morgaine have passed him completely.

It shouldn't be long before the three of them reach the little village, though it's probably more of a ham than an actual village in size, and Caspian and Morgaine are clearly going to reach it first. No matter to Kirratok though, he's content that he knows where the best food stall is, and that his trouser pocket is jingling with copper pieces, enough to feed him for at least another week before he's forced to do some work again.

[Morgaine]

She could hear Caspian panting a little at the run, but he didn't seem like he wanted to stop. His stamina was great, but when he had little grazing and being tired from a run before, he had lost alot of his stamina and needed to recover. He snorted and huffed as he kept moving, though he was tired and hot. She sniffed a little bit and pulled back the reins, slowing him al the way down to a walking gait. Caspian soothed as the gait had helped his muscles relax, though walking was much more comfortable. Besides, it was hard for Morgaine to pinpoint where the best food was, ready to follow Tok to see what he'd get.

(ah my word, i'm dead. Maybe its my cold's fault.. or allergies.. *sniffle*)

[femalefred]

The mounted pair have already made it most of the way toward the village and have opened up a gap of several hundred yards between themselves and the Anorian, though he doesn't appear to mind, continuing running in that odd, loping gait of his, appearing so very uncoordinated even though he isn't. It isn't terribly long before he's caught up with the pair, and he himself slows to a walk, panting gently and feigning at patting Caspian's flank, when he's rather more leaning on the horse for a little support than appreciating him.

The village, though small and fairly grubby looking, does have a welcoming atmosphere. That may well be because the people there are desperate for any coin they can obtain, but there are the obvious food stalls, then fresh produce - grain, eggs, chickens, hung and smoked meats, fresh fruits and vegetables - and then there are the visiting merchants with their cloths, medicines and other various bits and pieces that the people of the little community might, at some point need. There's a small livestock market as well, with several stocky work ponies, a couple of draught horses, a whole herd of ewes and lambs, two surprisingly fine looking saddle horses and a group of scrubby looking cattle milling around in their pen.

It seems Tok knows exactly where he's going though, making a beeline for a particular stall selling freshly cooked meats and vegetables that they serve with warm bread from the baker's stall which seems combined with this one. They serve the most delicious snacks, and the bakers has a host of hot buns and sweet cakes on display. Turning around to look up at Morgaine, he grins. "It's a good thing we came on market day, eh? All of the people from the little clusters of houses come here to trade on market day. That's why there's so many people. This stall's always open though, but there's not usually so many others."

[Morgaine]

"Never seen so many stalls! Then again, I don't visit many markets like this very often,"

She said, grinning as well as she looked opon the many stalls. She also eyed the livestock pen, though she didn't have any ideas about any of the animals. She couldn't tote any of the animals along with her, and the work ponies and horses weren't of use to a wanderer. They were more suited for a farmer to be a low horse or a cart puller. Caspian was well-bred, thus he was made to be a saddle horse, a good stud if she ever had the thoughts to put him up for stud. She'd probably do so when he would grow old and unsafely slow. but this was only an option if she'd settled in a house where she would have a barn for Caspian. She knew he missed the comfort of a stall, feeling it far between during their journeys.

"Where to go first?"

[femalefred]

Tok has already whisked himself off to the food stall he's been eyeing up since he saw the little town from the top of the Hill Road, gesturing vaguely towards the stall with his free left hand, right hand rumaging in his pocket for the coin settled therein. To his complete surprise, along with the small and rather battered circles of copper, there is one larger, shinier and altogether more valuable coin - an entire gold piece, glinting at him from the mound of metal upon his palm.

Grinning quietly to himself, he grabs several copper coins and hurriedly dunks his right hand back into his pocket before any of the townspeople might notice the gold coin and start badgering him to buy things he quite clearly doesn't want. This done, he trots up to the food stall, snatches himself a slice of hot pork on a warmed piece of bread and begins to shove the simple but tasty dish down his gullet, before turning back to see if Morgaine and Caspian have managed to follow him.