Amid the Herd (Tamaya/Quineve)

[Tamaya]

Morning had broken, and the Nomad rose with the sun, moving outside their room and exiting the small inn softly so as to not wake her friend sleeping in the other bed. Humming, Tamaya prepared the horse and rug upon which Quineve would be traveling, and readied Shikoba for departure as well. She brushed both horses, fed them, and then sang as she hung her quiver and bow upon their places on Shikoba. Mphezi-Manja crackled once, quietly, and Tamaya smiled as she took off her skins and bathed, cleaning herself with a soft stone and then brushing her tangled hair until it fell in a semblance of order upon her shoulders. Standing in the growing sun, she let herself dry as she stretched, and then clothed herself once more in the new skins Quineve had helped her choose. They were indeed well-made, and the Nomad enjoyed the feel of their hang upon her shoulders.

Tamaya then relaxed, sitting on her haunches and fletching some arrows while she waited for Quineve to rise and prepare for the journey. She had a habit of rising early, but did not want to impose her customs upon her new friend. Once she was ready, they could depart. As she waited and worked, she sang to herself, an old song that was almost wordless, mostly sounds that emulated the noises of the grasslands and its inhabitants.

Shikoba gave a soft snort, nuzzling the other horse. The two seemed fast friends already, which was a positive sign for the journey to come. Tamaya smiled. All was well, and their travels would soon begin.

[Quineve]

Quineve woke up a bit later than Tamaya but stayed in bad for few more minutes. As she got out of the sheets naked, the woman with pink hair slowly made her way to the bath and cleaned herself while whistling a melody from her hometown. She didn't mind being naked, she felt that both women were old enough to not care. After the bath, Quineve began wandering around the room to dry a bit before using a towel. She then took time to braid her long hair and then went back to the bed to gather her new clothing.

It was a simple green tunic with a fur collar and a pair of light brown leather trouser. She still had her long gloves as well. She folded her dress to fit inside a backpack, which barely fitted and she was ready to go. Quineve then made her way to meet her new friend outside. As she came out, she saw the two horses and smiled at Tamaya.

"Good morning, Tamaya." She simply greeted her with her smile. "Oh, may I braid your hair?" She quickly asked with enthusiasm. It has been a long while since she didn't had the occasion to do so on someone other than herself. It was relaxing to her, playing with someone else hair. "Do you prefer tight of loose?" If she would agree, The lady with pink hair would go forward and slowly work her small fingers into Tamaya's hair to make a braid according to her preference.

"Have you been waiting on me for a long while?" She would then ask before going to pet both horses. "Good morning, Shikoba, and good morning to you too." And he paused for a moment turning her attention to the nomad. "Does he or she has a name as well?" She felt that just calling the horse with a name would be a good start to forma bond, if that would be as easy.

"Do you have a destination in mind?"

[Tamaya]

"Good morning, Tamaya. Oh, may I braid your hair? Do you prefer it tight or loose?"

Tamaya turned, and seeing her friend, smiled widely, her eyes lighting up and her cheeks dimpling as she walked over to her new companion and allowed her to begin working with her hair.

"Friend Quineve! Good morning to you as well. It is good to see you so happy and hale this morning. Strength is always needed for days of traveling. Certainly, you may do whatever you wish with my hair. I am not too good with it, so I often do not try to braid it, but I think I would prefer a tight braid as opposed to a loose one."

As the Cleric worked through Tamaya's hair, the Nomad responded to her other query.

"No, I have not been waiting long. In fact, I have not waited at all. I simply have been working and preparing, so do not worry. It is my habit to rise early, nothing more. I have prepared some arrows, because it is always wiser to have plenty. If the game is good I will be able to hunt while we are traveling. If not, then I simply have extra arrows."

Quineve was indeed good, and the braid was finished fast and tight. It was a good feel, too, and from what the Nomad could see of the end, well made.

"Thank you, Quineve. It feels like I have been created anew for this new journey!"

When the Cleric asked about the horses, Tamaya smiled and moved over to them as well.

"Yes. He is Azilandira, which in my tongue means 'Steady' or 'Sure-Footed'. He is sturdy and reliable, and quite accommodating. You will find riding him easy, I hope. Our destination is of course the Cathecassa eventually, but until we draw near I will not know for certain where they are. So we will simply be riding to the west, and maybe a bit south. I will follow the tracks of the herds, and once we find the herds we will find the Cathecassa. My people travel often, always following our source of nourishment."

When Quineve was ready, Tamaya stood prepared to help her friend mount her horse and then to teach her the basics of riding. She had already set out the carpets on the horses, and the bags with water and provisions were attached. Tamaya did not know how Quineve carried her staff - hopefully it would not be an issue for storage.

[Quineve]

"Azilandira, It is nice to meet you." Quineve said to the horse as she finished Tamaya's braid. She then looked at the horse and giggled a bit upon touching his head with both gloved hands. It was one of the few times that she had the chance to ride an horse alone and to be honest, she was a bit worried, maybe scared. But she had trust in her friend and the horse as well. Since she was small, the horse seemed very big compared to her. Fortunately, Tamaya helped her to mount Azilandira.

"I feel like a new person." Quienve said while laughing. New friend, new clothes, new destination. It will be very different that her previous kind of traveling. Hopefully, Tamaya was here to guide her and teach her how to properly ride a horse.

"West sounds good," she then said with a nod. "I will just follow you, friend." And then she paused before asking a question. "Do we have everything that we need?"

The destination wasn't very important, she had to admit that upon thinking some more. The journey there was more important and she was ready for that kind of journey. It was like starting anew and boy was she eager to start.

The lady with pink hair then attached her staff to one side of her backpack with a small cord and made a solid knot so that it would move too much. But with Tamaya on her side, she felt that she wouldn't need to use it very often. Which was a good thing!

"I am ready whenever you are, dear Tamaya." And she giggled again upon saying her name.

[Tamaya]

Her companion was having a lovely time, it seemed, talking to the horse and patting him on the head. Azilandira, for his part, stood quietly, breathing softly and swishing his tail, not causing any sort of commotion. It seemed that he understood the Cleric’s unspoken trepidation, and was trying as best as he could to seem unassuming and nonthreatening.

“I feel like a new person.”

Tamaya laughed as well, smiling up at her new friend before mounting Shikoba in a motion that was practiced and fluid. Seated now upon her rug, all her belongings in the bag on her horse and her bows and quivers attached firmly, she surveyed the scene, making sure neither of them had left anything behind. Satisfied, she turned once more to Quineve, nodding in answer to the Cleric’s question before giving a longer explanation.

“Indeed, my friend. I have food, provisions enough to last us if we cannot find any game to hunt, but if we do we will have fresh meat as well. The plains have roots and stalks we can use to supplement our diet as well, though the rations I have packed will more than suffice. As for any other necessities, I have with me twice the amount of all I usually travel with. I believe it should be quite sufficient.

My arrows are sharp and numerous, and my bows are oiled and strung tight. All is well.”

When Quineve gave the signal that she was prepared, Tamaya nodded once more, speaking a word in her native tongue and spurring Shikoba forward. Azilandira followed, and the two began to ride off at a gentle pace across the grass.

“Together we will travel far, friend Quineve. It will be a most marvelous of journeys!”