The sights, smells and sounds of such a lush, verdant forest were a welcome change from the familiar trappings of civilization. Sweet, subtle birdsong and the gentle trickle of running water were a world apart from the hushed whispers of the court, or the general clamour of the capital’s streets. While the castle’s tapestries and mosaics were beautiful in their own right, they could never capture the essence of life the same way that the light did as it slipped between the leaves, and filtered through the water. Efri enjoyed her work as a rider, and took great satisfaction in helping the nation’s people, but at times like this, it wasn’t difficult to appreciate the differences between her world and this one.
From the looks of things, she wasn’t the only one who was enjoying the change of scenery, either. Rider and dragon had landed by a small creek they had spotted from the air. As soon as Efri slipped from the saddle, Rioux wasted no time in dipping her claws into the cool, running water. The brook was too small for the dragon to submerge herself properly, but that didn’t seem to matter to Rioux, judging by the content sigh that slipped from her nostrils. Lady Efrite watched the entire scene from a few steps away, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. After all the effort Rioux had put into flying them here, the noblewoman could understand why she might feel the urge to relax a little.
“You could’ve waited until I got my things down first.” Spoken under different circumstances, Efri’s words might’ve seemed accusatory. Her amusement coloured her tone vibrantly, though, lending her words a playful air.
”And deny you the chance to join me? I wouldn’t dream of it.” The dragon’s response was full of mock outrage, exaggerated enough to get a soft chuckle out of Efri.
”How considerate of you.”
Efri stepped up alongside her dragon then. She briefly considered kicking off her shoes and doing as Rioux suggested, but reluctantly decided against it. The rider had come here to practice, not relax, and it made little sense to bathe just before she worked up a sweat. Maybe she’d let herself indulge a little afterwards, if she pushed herself hard enough to earn it. With that in mind, she turned her attention to the saddlebags that hung from Rioux’s flanks. It only took her a few moments of digging to find what she was looking for; a full quiver of arrows, a pouch containing her replacement bowstrings, and her longbow. Like everything the noblewoman owned, the bow was of excellent make. The piece of smooth, curved Yew was almost as tall as Efri herself, and was treated with both wax and resin. Her fingers curled around the grip instinctively, and it’s familiar weight brought unexpected comfort.
Efri spent a brief moment stringing her bow, before spending another tucking everything away where it was supposed to be. The pouch of bowstrings went into a spare pocket first, before the noblewoman set her quiver in place. Efri opted to hang it from her left hip, instead of slinging it over her back, as was traditional. She chose to carry the bow in her hands, of course. With that done, she cast one more glance at Rioux, only to find that her partner had both of her eyes closed.
”Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?”
Give up a chance to relax so I can watch you play with sticks instead? Thank you, but I’ll pass.
That was fair. Efri wasn’t planning on going far enough to strain their bond anyway, so it didn’t make too much of a difference. She just needed to find a place that suited her needs, where she could practice safely without having to worry about hitting anything important. With that matter settled, Lady Efrite set the creek at her back, and began to walk deeper into the forest.
The noblewoman set a measured pace, and it wasn’t long until she began enjoying her little stroll. The forest might not have been her home, but she was no stranger to it, either. When she wasn’t scanning her surroundings for an appropriate spot to practice, Efri focused on the placement of her feet. She’d seen experienced hunters slip through the forest without making a sound, despite the sheer amount of fallen twigs and fresh foliage that coated the ground. The rider made a game of trying to emulate them, and was met with limited success. Apparently it was more difficult than they made it look. Efri was so focused on it that she failed to notice that someone was following her silently in turn.
The noblewoman knew nothing of the other rider’s presence until Harah released her arrow. Efri practically jumped out of her skin when she felt something rush past her head, and saw an arrow strike a tree in front of her. Thinking that she was under attack, and that her assailant had just missed their first shot, the noblewoman was quick to react accordingly. She turned towards Harah, raising the bow in her right arm, while picking, nocking and drawing an arrow with the left. The move had been drilled into Efri by hours and hours of training, and she did all three in a single, smooth motion. In the space of just a few heartbeats, she was pointing her own bow back at the other rider, ready to fire. It was only then that Efri’s mind caught up with her body, and she realised who she was pointing her weapon at.
”Are you fucking serious?” In the back of her mind, Efri felt Rioux stir in response to her thoughts.
”Is everything alright, Efri? Rioux’s concern was palpable. It sounded like the dragon had been dozing, but Efri knew the dragon was rousing herself quickly.
”Our new acquaintance is here” Efri’s answer was curt, and she immediately felt the dragon relax.. Rioux chuckled softly in response to this news, but said no more. Not yet, anyway.
Lady Efrite kept her bow pointed at Harah for a moment longer, as if she were considering shooting the silly girl anyway. The muscles in her arms bulged as she held the arrow at full draw, ready to be loosed with the slightest twitch of her fingers. Thanks to the panic-borne adrenaline in Efri’s system, she could hear her heartbeat in her ears, and her breath came in short gasps. After several long seconds, the sensation began to fade, and the noblewoman forced herself to take a deep breath. As her composure slowly returned, logic prevailed over impulse, and she reluctantly lowered her longbow. The rider pointed her weapon at the ground, and eased the bowstring into a more comfortable half-draw.
“Was that absolutely necessary?” When Efri finally trusted herself to speak, she tried to project her voice across the distance between them, so that she wouldn’t need to get any closer to the other rider. The noblewoman tried to keep her voice level, but it would be several moments yet before she calmed fully, and a slight tremor crept into her tone unbidden. Efri would just have to hope that the distance between them was enough to stop Harah from noticing it.
“This is quite a big forest. I’m sure you can find a more appropriate way to entertain yourself. Somewhere far away, preferably.” Hardly her best remark, Efri knew, but perhaps she could forgive herself for that, given the circumstances.
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