[ action ] Training Day

[wishmadeinfire]

[ A warmer day in Paradisa is never wasted, at least not by Ashura. He, personally, cannot wait for the spring and the summer to arrive to bring with them the heat and possible mugginess. He thrived in that sort of weather, where it might melt others. But oh well.

For today, least, he was out and about, giving his dragon-horse much needed exercise. The poor thing had been cooped up in the warm barn for months, lethargic and sluggish as any lizard in the cold weather. Time to shake him out of that, and no doubt he could do with some proper training again. He probably remembered, but Ashura liked to be sure, and you never knew what the Castle would throw at them next...

He first too the 18 plus hand reptilian out to the open fields, putting him through his paces - walk, trot, canter, gallop. He had him side-step and back-step with leg yields, dancing across the field. No one ever said that riding could not be beautiful, even if it was battle training an animal. 

Of course, passerby might not find it so pretty if they come across when Ashura is on the ground, facing the dragon-horse as it reared up, talons flashing and jaws snapping, ready to attack.

He's sweet, really.]

Comments

[pint_sized_carnivore]

[Chie decided to go out of the castle to check out the grounds. She's been cooped up inside a weird castle for two days now, so she's been dying to get some fresh air while she checks out the grounds, and maybe do some running.

Walking and looking around, she saw a man with a weird creature. She could not help but gasp upon seeing it, the dragon-horse was a scary looking creature]

Whoa!

[wishmadeinfire]

<sub>[ Ashura turned his elf-eared head at the sound, sitting easily astride the animal despite not having any sort of saddle or blanket beneath him, just the reigns that seemed to hook behind the beasts crest.

He smiled at her, using his legs to urge Svitana into a ground consuming trot, drawing up closer.]</sub>

Good morning.

[pint_sized_carnivore]

Oh- uh. Good morning! Pretty scary pet you have there.

[wishmadeinfire]

_{[ He laughed at that, stroking the smooth scales of the beasts' neck. ]}

Haha, well, I am sure he appreciates the compliment. I am Ashura, and my 'scary pet' is Svitana.

[pint_sized_carnivore]

[Now that she got a closer look at the beast and hearing it's name, Chie's fear suddenly vanished]

Oh cool! [She gasps with awe]

Is it okay if I touch 'im?

[wishmadeinfire]

_{[Ashura considers a moment and then nods.]}

On his neck though, not near his face. He is war trained, and though I ride, there are some reactions I cannot control.

[pint_sized_carnivore]

[Chie walked cautiously towards the beast and slowly reached out her hand to pet the beast.]

Svitana. That's a nice name. [She paused to smile while she continued petting Svitana's neck]

I'm Chie Satonaka, by the way. I just got here, but my friends from back home said this place is safe. So I'm not worried anymore.

[wishmadeinfire]

_{[ The scales would feel smooth and warm beneath her fingers, like you might think something with red scales like it has would. Svitana snorted softly, accepting the touch since Ashura gave no signals the girl was a threat.]}

Thank you, I picked it out for him when he was a hatchling.

And nice to meet you, Chie. It is comforting to know you already have friends from your world here. So few come without.

[pint_sized_carnivore]

Nice to meet you, Mister. Not all of my friends are here. But I'm happy that my best friend is here with me.

[She looked back to Svitana]

I have a dog back home. He's gotten so fat and lazy, all he does is eat. It's hard to get him to walk.

[wishmadeinfire]

_{[He laughed. ]}

Sometimes I think I might spoil Svitana so, but he has a purpose to serve with me, so he must stay fit as I do. Though he has gotten a bit lazy during the cold months, slothful thing.

[pint_sized_carnivore]

I can understand that. It's hard to go out in the snow. My mom warned me about jogging during the winter, and I tripped a couple of times! I should have listened. [She chuckled, embarrassed]

[wishmadeinfire]

For me and Svitana the concern is a bit different. I am a Fire Talent, and our home world has never seen snow before. The first time it happened here, I was somewhere between fascinated and horrified anyone might live with the stuff.

[pint_sized_carnivore]

Fire talent? Does that mean you can shoot fireballs?

[wishmadeinfire]

Haha, in a sense, yes.

_{[ And because it is usually easier to show, he holds out his hand, fire blooming with it. He turned his palm, making the fire dance across his knuckles then snake up his arm, around his throat and back down into his palm before it went out. ]}

[pint_sized_carnivore]

That's amazing. I could control ice a little bit with my Persona.

[wishmadeinfire]

Ice? Interesting. Some people in my world could do the same, what little of it there was, but most of their skill lay with Water. I am sure the winter sat well with you then - all the snow.

[pint_sized_carnivore]

Oh that. [an embarrased chuckle] I actually just got here, so I didn't get to experience the winter in this world. I lived in a pretty rural place, so the snow could get high up during the winter.

[wishmadeinfire]

Oh, well, welcome to Paradisa then, since you are new. I can't say you missed much from the winter. In fact, you might be the luckier for it.

[pint_sized_carnivore]

Thanks! But I'm curious what winter in here is like. If I have my friends here with me, we could have gone skiing.

Oh, I never caught your name.

[wishmadeinfire]

Ah, if the Castle had changed the worlds, perhaps. I know some of the children from the town go sledding when there is enough snow.

And my name is Ashura.

[pint_sized_carnivore]

Ooh that sounds like fun! Nice to meet you Ashura-san!

[wishmadeinfire]

Haha, Ashura will do just fine. No need for such formalities.

Where you heading into town?

[pint_sized_carnivore]

Ashura... That's a cool name. Like it's from a kung-fu movie set in Ancient China! [she grinned]

And, I actually was just walking around and explore a bit. I don't know where the town is yet.

[wishmadeinfire]

Ah, I suppose so? It was just a family name in my world - given the first born in my line for every generation.

Oh, well, the town is just further along down the path. You must be very new then. I could show you, if you like.

_{[ He reached down a hand to her, fingers long and elegant, palms only slightly calloused. ]}

[pint_sized_carnivore]

Okay! [Chie reached for Ashura's hand]

[wishmadeinfire]

_{[ With little effort he tugged her up and behind him on Svitana, the dragon-horse shifted a bit at the slight extra weight, but otherwise seeming unbothered. ]}

Hold on, Chie.

_{[ Ashura squeezed with his thighs and Svitana snorted, starting out at a walk towards the path that led into town. ]}

[pint_sized_carnivore]

[Chie wrapped her arms around Ashura's body and tried not to freak out. She never got on a horse before, let along a dragon-horse. But it only took a few seconds for her to get used to it]

[wishmadeinfire]

_{[ Ashura looked back at the smaller girl and he grinned. ]}

Think you can hold on tight enough for me to go faster?

[pint_sized_carnivore]

Yeah, I can. [Chie holds on tighter, almost like a bear hug. She's pretty strong for someone her size]

[wishmadeinfire]

_{[ He grinned wider and squeezed once more with his thighs, shifting his weight. With a snort, Svitana lurched forward and began a ground eating canter, tossing up snow and dirt as his claws sank into the earth to grip. The motion was somewhere between rocking and bumpy, not quiet either, the stride similar to a horse's but altered by the need to grip with his claws.]}

[pint_sized_carnivore]

[Chie tried not to panic at the sudden change of speed. She cringed and closed her eyes tightly for a few seconds. She opened on of her eyes to see how fast they're going, and suddenly, it didn't seem all that bad]

O-Okay. This is not bad. I'm not freaking out.

[wishmadeinfire]

Once you get the rhythm down, it's not bad at all.

_{[ He was keeping the beast in a slow canter, making it easier for Chie to hold onto him and to the animal with her thighs. Otherwise, she could be falling off either side, and a six foot fall was not fun.]}

He can actually go faster.

[pint_sized_carnivore]

Yep. I think I'm getting in the hang of it. Let's go faster!

[wishmadeinfire]

<sub>[ Ashura laughed and squeezed with his thighs again. Svitana snorted and made a deep, gutural sound, a carnivorous sound, and surged again. The rocking motion was a bit jerkier now as Svitana sped across the landscape, eating distance like a kid ate candy.

His voice flowing back with the wind, Ashura laughed in delight.]</sub>