[RP Between Masha and Arron] Dice are used for fighting, but done in-game on Furcadia to keep the roleplay's pace.
[Setting: Rosewood Forest, in the Land of Rayneth]
The air was warm and humid as ever, typical to Rayneth. In the upper nineties, the sky not quite cloudless, but the threat of rain wasn't immediate. The sun itself was reaching toward its zenith, giving perhaps an hour until noon. Bird chatter filled the air, along with the clack of horse hooves, chatter of passing merchants, clinking armour of guards on patrol, and the creak of wagons. A busy day along the road in the Rosewood Forest, indeed!
One of the apparent commuters was none other than Masha. Masha was a hamster woman of dwarf proportions, perhaps standing near the mid-four-foot height (if one could tell where head ended and wild, vertical, curly red hair started), and a decently heavy weight of a touch over one hundred pounds of muscle and fat. This day, she was to be found in high black, leather boots, loose black trousers, long red tunic, and black leather gloves, and astride her equally dwarf-ish horse, Dagget. Dagget, standing 13hh (4'3) at the shoulder, still boasted a hefty one thousand pounds on his bones, the stallion being almost of a draft build, covered in shaggy strawberry fur and equally shaggy, dark chestnut mane and feathering.
This was a common sight, actually: Every few days, the hamster could be found taking her horse for fairly long rides along the forest road, starting fairly early in the morning, and not coming back until near dark. Being how late in the morning it was, this pair had already traveled quite far into the forest, with little intention to turn anytime incredibly soon, though the travel was fairly slow (for these two) due to the heat.
It was due to this heat that, come noon, Masha - finding herself coming up on an even slower caravan full of quite the noisy bunch - would simply remove herself from the road. She knew this particular area by now - at least, that there was water nearby. Dagget knew this, too, for it was he who had found it initially. It took little prompting to get the horse to pick through some shrub at the treeline, weave through the closely packed foliage and trees near the edge, and, after a minute, onto the now-familiar deer path. The shade of the trees brought little relief, the humidity of the forest making even this respite unenjoyable.
Lucky hamster, the small glen was not too far in. A lovely spot, it was. Tall, lush grass, wild flowers still found in patches this late in the summer, all leading to a spring-fed pool of water, tested and true to be quite cool, even boasting its own fish population. This pool led off into a small crick which, despite the occasional re-entry under the earth, eventually contributed to the river flowing near the city itself. Breaking the treeline, Dagget and Masha found relief in the spot - a blessing.
The hamster was quick to slip from four-horned saddle, giving her horse free-reign and a pat on the bum as feet hit the ground. Dagget, to his credit, did not immediately bolt for the water; a playful nuzzle and headbutt was given to the rodent, sidestepping quickly and back a step, shaking head with a small rumble, before dashing off the short distance to the water. Masha watched for a moment, a buck-toothed grin on her face as her steed disturbed the previously quiet water, stallion splashing up to his chest.
Perhaps it was when she herself moved toward the water that Masha would notice the two small brown forms running through the tall grass, away from the small stream the pool dumped into. Maybe, as she watched these small forms run, their high, panicked calls finally registering in her ears, she'd notice the much larger brown form rising in alarm from its resting place in the grass. If she were just so lucky, she'd have time to let out a panicked scream for her horse, the small brown forms bolting up a tree, the larger one solidifying, in poor rodent vision, into the rather massive form of an angry mother brown bear. Yes, surely she could decipher that roar.
Register and decipher all she wanted, that hamster brain locked up. Scream for Dagget was cut off in pure terror as she, in her heat-stricken lax watch, had managed to entice such a creature into attack. Both the horse and the bear sprung into action a second and a half after the scream was let out. No, that luck earlier mentioned was a lie - poor fortune blessed her with the bear barreling toward her. Dagget sloshed through the water as the bear charged, hooves scrabbling on the shallow, muddy bank, soon beating the earth - but the bear was already on top of the woman.
Tough luck broke temporarily, frozen terror letting up for the fraction of a second to barely roll out of the way (though it could be described as gracefully toppling to the side), Masha narrowly missing a trampling hoof as she scrambled away, horse overtaking her and the bear. A loud crack was heard, fear-stricken hamster catching a glimpse of her horse slamming a front hoof into the rounding bear's snout. It wasn't pretty by any means, the attack dazing the beast temporarily.
Stunned bear let out a terrible, although nasal (Can bears be nasally?) roar as her paw swiped out toward the rearing horse - but it was a poor strike, falling short. The enraged horse touched hooves only temporarily to the ground before another blow pounded into bear snout, another loud crunch heard. The she-bear would find herself missing a front canine, her already damaged snout flinging blood as she herself reared, massive paw swiping down and across, this time catching the horse.
"DAGGET! Пожалуйста, нет!" Masha's scream, the trembling, cowering woman now found near the pool, was barely heard over roar and whinny. Dagget took a brutal smack to his sturdy shoulder, saddle tether being slashed right along with densely furred, thick skin, down (shallowly) into the muscle, sending him stumbling to the side, dipping treacherously but managing to keep footing.
Surely the sound coming from this clash in the glen was quite loud - sadly not enough to carry to the main road, over the usual noise of travel.
[Setting: Rosewood Forest, in the Land of Rayneth]
The air was warm and humid as ever, typical to Rayneth. In the upper nineties, the sky not quite cloudless, but the threat of rain wasn't immediate. The sun itself was reaching toward its zenith, giving perhaps an hour until noon. Bird chatter filled the air, along with the clack of horse hooves, chatter of passing merchants, clinking armour of guards on patrol, and the creak of wagons. A busy day along the road in the Rosewood Forest, indeed!
One of the apparent commuters was none other than Masha. Masha was a hamster woman of dwarf proportions, perhaps standing near the mid-four-foot height (if one could tell where head ended and wild, vertical, curly red hair started), and a decently heavy weight of a touch over one hundred pounds of muscle and fat. This day, she was to be found in high black, leather boots, loose black trousers, long red tunic, and black leather gloves, and astride her equally dwarf-ish horse, Dagget. Dagget, standing 13hh (4'3) at the shoulder, still boasted a hefty one thousand pounds on his bones, the stallion being almost of a draft build, covered in shaggy strawberry fur and equally shaggy, dark chestnut mane and feathering.
This was a common sight, actually: Every few days, the hamster could be found taking her horse for fairly long rides along the forest road, starting fairly early in the morning, and not coming back until near dark. Being how late in the morning it was, this pair had already traveled quite far into the forest, with little intention to turn anytime incredibly soon, though the travel was fairly slow (for these two) due to the heat.
It was due to this heat that, come noon, Masha - finding herself coming up on an even slower caravan full of quite the noisy bunch - would simply remove herself from the road. She knew this particular area by now - at least, that there was water nearby. Dagget knew this, too, for it was he who had found it initially. It took little prompting to get the horse to pick through some shrub at the treeline, weave through the closely packed foliage and trees near the edge, and, after a minute, onto the now-familiar deer path. The shade of the trees brought little relief, the humidity of the forest making even this respite unenjoyable.
Lucky hamster, the small glen was not too far in. A lovely spot, it was. Tall, lush grass, wild flowers still found in patches this late in the summer, all leading to a spring-fed pool of water, tested and true to be quite cool, even boasting its own fish population. This pool led off into a small crick which, despite the occasional re-entry under the earth, eventually contributed to the river flowing near the city itself. Breaking the treeline, Dagget and Masha found relief in the spot - a blessing.
The hamster was quick to slip from four-horned saddle, giving her horse free-reign and a pat on the bum as feet hit the ground. Dagget, to his credit, did not immediately bolt for the water; a playful nuzzle and headbutt was given to the rodent, sidestepping quickly and back a step, shaking head with a small rumble, before dashing off the short distance to the water. Masha watched for a moment, a buck-toothed grin on her face as her steed disturbed the previously quiet water, stallion splashing up to his chest.
Perhaps it was when she herself moved toward the water that Masha would notice the two small brown forms running through the tall grass, away from the small stream the pool dumped into. Maybe, as she watched these small forms run, their high, panicked calls finally registering in her ears, she'd notice the much larger brown form rising in alarm from its resting place in the grass. If she were just so lucky, she'd have time to let out a panicked scream for her horse, the small brown forms bolting up a tree, the larger one solidifying, in poor rodent vision, into the rather massive form of an angry mother brown bear. Yes, surely she could decipher that roar.
Register and decipher all she wanted, that hamster brain locked up. Scream for Dagget was cut off in pure terror as she, in her heat-stricken lax watch, had managed to entice such a creature into attack. Both the horse and the bear sprung into action a second and a half after the scream was let out. No, that luck earlier mentioned was a lie - poor fortune blessed her with the bear barreling toward her. Dagget sloshed through the water as the bear charged, hooves scrabbling on the shallow, muddy bank, soon beating the earth - but the bear was already on top of the woman.
Tough luck broke temporarily, frozen terror letting up for the fraction of a second to barely roll out of the way (though it could be described as gracefully toppling to the side), Masha narrowly missing a trampling hoof as she scrambled away, horse overtaking her and the bear. A loud crack was heard, fear-stricken hamster catching a glimpse of her horse slamming a front hoof into the rounding bear's snout. It wasn't pretty by any means, the attack dazing the beast temporarily.
Stunned bear let out a terrible, although nasal (Can bears be nasally?) roar as her paw swiped out toward the rearing horse - but it was a poor strike, falling short. The enraged horse touched hooves only temporarily to the ground before another blow pounded into bear snout, another loud crunch heard. The she-bear would find herself missing a front canine, her already damaged snout flinging blood as she herself reared, massive paw swiping down and across, this time catching the horse.
"DAGGET! Пожалуйста, нет!" Masha's scream, the trembling, cowering woman now found near the pool, was barely heard over roar and whinny. Dagget took a brutal smack to his sturdy shoulder, saddle tether being slashed right along with densely furred, thick skin, down (shallowly) into the muscle, sending him stumbling to the side, dipping treacherously but managing to keep footing.
Surely the sound coming from this clash in the glen was quite loud - sadly not enough to carry to the main road, over the usual noise of travel.
Perhaps fortunately for her, she hadn't been the only one to stray from the main road that morning.
“DOV! OI! BEAR!” A man’s voice, barely heard shouting over the din - and then the bear’s roar took on a higher, stranger, more desperate pitch. She recoiled, pawing at her already damaged face. A frantic, puzzled, enraged thrash of her head would reveal that her left eye was gone, burst and bleeding.
But the distraction didn't last long; redoubling her efforts, she began to rear once more, but was deterred by a large glob of mud hurled with surprising force at her face. The voice screamed again.
“Nimm deine pferd und geh! GO! MOVE, WOMAN.”
From farther along the creek, trailing a collection of partially-washed entrails, a lean giant of a man stood, shouting unintelligibly, a large knife in one tightly-bandaged hand. A crumpled piece of paper was in his other; charcoal and blood streaked his arms. At his feet, in the ground, were written partially obscured letters. He was staring strangely, blankly.
And as luck would have it, the bear only hesitated a moment, then turned, huffing and glaring, to face this new and noisy interruption.
“Oh…verdammt nochmal ...”
He wasn't having a good week at all.
He threw the torn piece of paper behind him, planted both feet firmly in the mud, braced, wide-eyed, wielding his knife, continuing to shout, praying to whoever would listen that the noise, coupled with him being evidently human, would dissuade the bear.
No such luck.
The bear charged, eyes locked on his. Grabbed one arm; rammed into his stomach. As the two went down, something audibly cracked, but with his good arm and a wild swing, he managed to plunge the knife to the hilt, into the massive neck – and managed to keep his grip on it and tear even as Dagget’s powerful hooves connected with the bear’s side. He was only vaguely aware of being covered with warmth as he took the newly-presented opportunity to rise and quickly stumble towards the woman.
“DOV! OI! BEAR!” A man’s voice, barely heard shouting over the din - and then the bear’s roar took on a higher, stranger, more desperate pitch. She recoiled, pawing at her already damaged face. A frantic, puzzled, enraged thrash of her head would reveal that her left eye was gone, burst and bleeding.
But the distraction didn't last long; redoubling her efforts, she began to rear once more, but was deterred by a large glob of mud hurled with surprising force at her face. The voice screamed again.
“Nimm deine pferd und geh! GO! MOVE, WOMAN.”
From farther along the creek, trailing a collection of partially-washed entrails, a lean giant of a man stood, shouting unintelligibly, a large knife in one tightly-bandaged hand. A crumpled piece of paper was in his other; charcoal and blood streaked his arms. At his feet, in the ground, were written partially obscured letters. He was staring strangely, blankly.
And as luck would have it, the bear only hesitated a moment, then turned, huffing and glaring, to face this new and noisy interruption.
“Oh…verdammt nochmal ...”
He wasn't having a good week at all.
He threw the torn piece of paper behind him, planted both feet firmly in the mud, braced, wide-eyed, wielding his knife, continuing to shout, praying to whoever would listen that the noise, coupled with him being evidently human, would dissuade the bear.
No such luck.
The bear charged, eyes locked on his. Grabbed one arm; rammed into his stomach. As the two went down, something audibly cracked, but with his good arm and a wild swing, he managed to plunge the knife to the hilt, into the massive neck – and managed to keep his grip on it and tear even as Dagget’s powerful hooves connected with the bear’s side. He was only vaguely aware of being covered with warmth as he took the newly-presented opportunity to rise and quickly stumble towards the woman.
[Warning: Injuries are described in some detail.]
Arron would not immediately be heard - the frantic woman would be screaming from the pool side, eyes bulging in terror as her horse stumbled to the side, trying to recover from the power of the blow from the she-bear. She also couldn't see far or clearly enough to realize the bear's eye had burst - possibly a welcome thing, considering how it had happened. She really didn't need anything more to piss her pants about.
It was the shared tongue that caught her ear, along with possibly wondering where the mud had come from, the mud that saved her horse. Where on earth had he come from? Possibly from further down stream. The panic took her a moment to realize what he'd said, and by this time the bear was upon the man, horse not too far behind in pursuit.
This all happened too fast. The dumbfounded woman, planted in her spot, could possibly be fighting her eyes popping from her head, as the man, perhaps miraculously, had found his feet and made his way toward her. A few ragged jerks, and finally the plump hamster lurched forward, up on trembling legs, meeting the man. He'd feel arms wrap around him, hefting him from his stumbling feet, the sight at any other time being quite the amusing spectacle.
"Dumme! Du dummer Mensch. Warum würden Sie das tun?"
Her voice was strained from the situation and the effort to move him, especially with the speed this action was done at. The hamster just about dropped Arron, stumbling over his body, the fleeting courage long gone as she placed herself behind him, using him as a shield as trembling legs dropped her into the deep grass at the treeline. Her hands found him again, a tense grip on his good arm as she looked over his busted one - but her attention on him couldn't last for long. The worry for her companion overtook any feelings toward the strange man, eyes darting back up across the meadow.
The fight had moved into the pool, a swath of blood marking the path it took, the water dyed a bright red that only grew deeper as time passed. Though still fierce, the battle was becoming one sided - the beasts did not go blow-for-blow, instead the bear finding herself unable to throw power into her swats, or even find the energy to aim properly. Her breath was wet, any true sounds cut off at a gurgle due to the damage taken to neck and mouth.
It was that the horse played at overkill, dodging a pathetic swipe to land multiple blows with his hooves, the lack of strength in one side of the blows hardly making a difference at this point. Teeth ripped at ears, snout, ineffectively at the neck, teeth finding only fur and the wound already inflicted by Arron.
Around the point that the bear simply fell to suffocate in the water mixing with the blood filling its lungs was when Masha called raggedly for the horse, her fingers having a stranglehold on the strange man's arm. At first the horse refused to budge, stamping down and kicking a few more times - but the woman's plea was persistent.
"Dagget. ... Dagget. Приходите! Здесь, скотина! Пожалуйста ... Пожалуйста, тебе больно. Пожалуйста, мой дорогой, приходи ко мне..." Where at first her call was loud, it slowly trailed to a hushed softness. Finally Dagget would obey, backing away from the corpse, slipping briefly on the muddy bank with the limb of his hurt shoulder. Turning finally, limping back to his master, ears pinned back to listen for any further trouble from the bear.
Poor Arron would find himself once more the stumbling ground for her feet, tripping over him as she lurched upward and forward, catching herself and scrambling back up - at least her fingers no longer dug into his arm. Masha met the horse a few steps away, grabbing onto shredded bridle - he'd earned a swipe across the muzzle while her back had been turned - tears that'd been held back now flowing openly as she repeatedly kissed his muzzle despite the blood smeared across it. She insistently pulled the sweaty, wet, bloodied beast back.
"Вы всегда будет здесь. Преданный, прекрасная, моя дорогая. Мой глупый дорогой." Whispered, kissing him again.
Dagget's tail lashed as he butted his nose into her, insistently pushing at her shoulder, turning her around. The woman looked to where she'd left Arron, finding him still lying there. Another shove from the horse had her on her knees before him, leaning over him to softly touch the shoulder of his busted arm, looking from it to his eyes.
"Sie sind noch dumm. Aber wir sind am Leben." Her tears hadn't stopped, nor had the shake of her voice. Her words were thickly accented, but the language was spoken as if she were born to it. Swallowing, staring back at his arm. "Ich kann mir nicht helfen, dieses. Ich weiß nicht, ob Dagget Sie tragen können." Glove was removed from a hand, fingers brushing hair from his forehead to press against his skin.
"Kannst du dich bewegen?" Perhaps the hamster might remember it was she who tossed him there - he'd been on his feet previously. He wasn't crippled, after all.
Arron would not immediately be heard - the frantic woman would be screaming from the pool side, eyes bulging in terror as her horse stumbled to the side, trying to recover from the power of the blow from the she-bear. She also couldn't see far or clearly enough to realize the bear's eye had burst - possibly a welcome thing, considering how it had happened. She really didn't need anything more to piss her pants about.
It was the shared tongue that caught her ear, along with possibly wondering where the mud had come from, the mud that saved her horse. Where on earth had he come from? Possibly from further down stream. The panic took her a moment to realize what he'd said, and by this time the bear was upon the man, horse not too far behind in pursuit.
This all happened too fast. The dumbfounded woman, planted in her spot, could possibly be fighting her eyes popping from her head, as the man, perhaps miraculously, had found his feet and made his way toward her. A few ragged jerks, and finally the plump hamster lurched forward, up on trembling legs, meeting the man. He'd feel arms wrap around him, hefting him from his stumbling feet, the sight at any other time being quite the amusing spectacle.
"Dumme! Du dummer Mensch. Warum würden Sie das tun?"
Her voice was strained from the situation and the effort to move him, especially with the speed this action was done at. The hamster just about dropped Arron, stumbling over his body, the fleeting courage long gone as she placed herself behind him, using him as a shield as trembling legs dropped her into the deep grass at the treeline. Her hands found him again, a tense grip on his good arm as she looked over his busted one - but her attention on him couldn't last for long. The worry for her companion overtook any feelings toward the strange man, eyes darting back up across the meadow.
The fight had moved into the pool, a swath of blood marking the path it took, the water dyed a bright red that only grew deeper as time passed. Though still fierce, the battle was becoming one sided - the beasts did not go blow-for-blow, instead the bear finding herself unable to throw power into her swats, or even find the energy to aim properly. Her breath was wet, any true sounds cut off at a gurgle due to the damage taken to neck and mouth.
It was that the horse played at overkill, dodging a pathetic swipe to land multiple blows with his hooves, the lack of strength in one side of the blows hardly making a difference at this point. Teeth ripped at ears, snout, ineffectively at the neck, teeth finding only fur and the wound already inflicted by Arron.
Around the point that the bear simply fell to suffocate in the water mixing with the blood filling its lungs was when Masha called raggedly for the horse, her fingers having a stranglehold on the strange man's arm. At first the horse refused to budge, stamping down and kicking a few more times - but the woman's plea was persistent.
"Dagget. ... Dagget. Приходите! Здесь, скотина! Пожалуйста ... Пожалуйста, тебе больно. Пожалуйста, мой дорогой, приходи ко мне..." Where at first her call was loud, it slowly trailed to a hushed softness. Finally Dagget would obey, backing away from the corpse, slipping briefly on the muddy bank with the limb of his hurt shoulder. Turning finally, limping back to his master, ears pinned back to listen for any further trouble from the bear.
Poor Arron would find himself once more the stumbling ground for her feet, tripping over him as she lurched upward and forward, catching herself and scrambling back up - at least her fingers no longer dug into his arm. Masha met the horse a few steps away, grabbing onto shredded bridle - he'd earned a swipe across the muzzle while her back had been turned - tears that'd been held back now flowing openly as she repeatedly kissed his muzzle despite the blood smeared across it. She insistently pulled the sweaty, wet, bloodied beast back.
"Вы всегда будет здесь. Преданный, прекрасная, моя дорогая. Мой глупый дорогой." Whispered, kissing him again.
Dagget's tail lashed as he butted his nose into her, insistently pushing at her shoulder, turning her around. The woman looked to where she'd left Arron, finding him still lying there. Another shove from the horse had her on her knees before him, leaning over him to softly touch the shoulder of his busted arm, looking from it to his eyes.
"Sie sind noch dumm. Aber wir sind am Leben." Her tears hadn't stopped, nor had the shake of her voice. Her words were thickly accented, but the language was spoken as if she were born to it. Swallowing, staring back at his arm. "Ich kann mir nicht helfen, dieses. Ich weiß nicht, ob Dagget Sie tragen können." Glove was removed from a hand, fingers brushing hair from his forehead to press against his skin.
"Kannst du dich bewegen?" Perhaps the hamster might remember it was she who tossed him there - he'd been on his feet previously. He wasn't crippled, after all.
He didn’t move while she carried him - but for a moment, incredulity won out over pain, and he could only weakly answer in the same language. “…you do understand, yes? You would be the first one…And I’m not an idiot!” More to himself, sounding almost like an afterthought.
While she’d ran off to tend to her horse, Arron had remained where he was, clutching at and examining his arm and side, letting fly a flurry of low curses at the visible extent of the damage done - nothing had broken the skin, but the bruising had begun around his shoulder. Bleeding was superficial - caused by loose teeth wounds rather than splintered bone, and slightly further down the arm, in the humerus, it felt strangely, implacably cold. He cradled it across his torso; attempting to it from the shoulder sent stabs of pain shooting through his body.
Upon her return, he gave her the incredulous look he usually reserved for small women capable of carrying a mess of limbs such as himself, and continued to address her in his own language; it came far easier than the Rayneth common. The language she had used with her horse, however, had been completely lost on him.
“How did...no, I'm fine. I’m not stupid-!” Indignant, now, but it softened as he continued. “I did not expect anyone to be out here! What should I have done, let the bear attack you? Stand there, cleaning the entrails, shake my head? ….but yes. We’re alive. Perhaps someone in town can help this.”
He shakily forced himself to his feet; nearly reconsidered as he towered over her, nearly stumbled into her before clumsily catching himself, sucking breath through clenched teeth.
“I can walk. It’s…irritating.” Understatement. “I can do it... He is a good horse, though. Haven’t seen a horse like that in years… I was lucky. Wasn’t aiming for an artery. You are not hurt, are you?”
And, abruptly, he trailed off, staring slightly behind her and far over her head into a nearby tree. He nodded toward it, voice lower.
"...there, look up there..."
While she’d ran off to tend to her horse, Arron had remained where he was, clutching at and examining his arm and side, letting fly a flurry of low curses at the visible extent of the damage done - nothing had broken the skin, but the bruising had begun around his shoulder. Bleeding was superficial - caused by loose teeth wounds rather than splintered bone, and slightly further down the arm, in the humerus, it felt strangely, implacably cold. He cradled it across his torso; attempting to it from the shoulder sent stabs of pain shooting through his body.
Upon her return, he gave her the incredulous look he usually reserved for small women capable of carrying a mess of limbs such as himself, and continued to address her in his own language; it came far easier than the Rayneth common. The language she had used with her horse, however, had been completely lost on him.
“How did...no, I'm fine. I’m not stupid-!” Indignant, now, but it softened as he continued. “I did not expect anyone to be out here! What should I have done, let the bear attack you? Stand there, cleaning the entrails, shake my head? ….but yes. We’re alive. Perhaps someone in town can help this.”
He shakily forced himself to his feet; nearly reconsidered as he towered over her, nearly stumbled into her before clumsily catching himself, sucking breath through clenched teeth.
“I can walk. It’s…irritating.” Understatement. “I can do it... He is a good horse, though. Haven’t seen a horse like that in years… I was lucky. Wasn’t aiming for an artery. You are not hurt, are you?”
And, abruptly, he trailed off, staring slightly behind her and far over her head into a nearby tree. He nodded toward it, voice lower.
"...there, look up there..."
The woman obviously hadn't answered him when he initially replied to her, too great was her worry for her horse. However, her attention finally back on him, he'd see confusion at the odd look he gave her - was that an oft used look? Perhaps it was especially for her - because exactly how many tiny women carried him in his lifetime as a gangly-limb man? He further received a raised eyebrow as he tried to pick words.
Brief anger crossed her face at his indigence - perhaps due to the adrenaline still coursing through her veins, causing her limbs to shake (read also: fear) - but her own expression softened as did his tone. She felt the horse's head pressed against her back, resting there; no effort was made to push it away and avoid the blood most certainly staining her clothes from the action. Was it just a trick of his imagination, or did a strange fascination cross her face for only a moment at the mention of what he'd been doing out here? It was gone, though.
The words out of her mouth, not skipping a beat from his last syllable, continued in his own language, the player dropping actual foreign words due to an established shared language. "Oh, if you had just stood there, you'd be next, anyway. You really must have been pretty far down stream for her to have not attacked, though." A brief pause, "Good thing, though," glancing back at her injured horse, "because he's getting up there in age. Bear's a bit out of his league at this point." Though she spoke evenly, the tremble could still be heard in his voice, the occasional choke on tears that were finally drying.
At first she stood back and watched as he got to his feet, perhaps still too numb to really do much for him. But the moment he stumbled, he'd find strong, if tiny, hands on him, stabilizing him as he straightened. Those hands stayed on him, the woman very much so invading his space and not being shy about it. He'd feel her guide him a few steps forward, and then find his good side - at least, the one with the unbroken arm - leaning against the sweat covered horse, who leaned back to some degree.
Masha nodded her head as he spoke. "His name is Dagget." Horse head swung around at the mention of his name, ears swiveling toward them, but still occasionally flicking back toward the deceased she-bear. "I trained him myself." There was a smile on her face despite all that had happened. "Unlike you two, yes. Perhaps a miracle, if there is any such thing." She had continued to speak as he stared over her, not quite catching it yet, being that she was quite happy to be out of the red. However, his words caught her.
Slowly, she turned, a new fear creeping up her spine. But - well - she was a hamster. And hamsters couldn't see very far. Seeing no new danger, her head would snap back to him, tilting slightly in her confusion. When the strange man went on to clarify, pointing and specifying where, the woman would squint: There, in the tree, two dark, blotchy forms. It took a moment, but it clicked: She-bear. Running off, screaming forms. Cubs. ... CUBS!
Masha looked back to the man in surprise, a strange eagerness flooding her face - her mind was racing, and visibly so. "Stay." she said to him, repeating the command in her mother tongue to the horse. She dashed off a few steps, but then came back, clapping her hands together. "AH!" Fingers snapped. Looking around wildly, her eyes turned back to the man and horse, the equine part of that equation tossing his head and watching her curiously.
Abruptly, the woman walked back to the two, fingers flinging open the saddlebag that hung slightly askew from the previous attack, fingers rummaging through it. Out came a blanket decorated in very noticeably tartan design, and next rope. Any questioning would be ignored, from both horse and man. "Stay!" Commanded once more, and she was off again, items in hand.
The tree they'd chosen truly couldn't have been easier, and the cubs had camped themselves surprisingly accessibly for the hamster. Height and chub were no hamster for the woman, and Arron would once more be witness to the strangeness of this woman - hefting her body up with very little effort, also highly obvious she'd climbed quite a few trees in her life. All that was left was to climb the diagonal limb the cubs had parked themselves up, such a task being quickly completed.
The fearful calling of the bears could be heard, as woman set hands on them, sitting easily on the almost horizontal end of the massive limb. One of them, a much lighter brown, almost a silvery tinge - this one was wrapped in the blanket. It fought her, but it was clear the woman handled animals quite often. The cubs weren't incredibly small - they also weren't incredibly big yet - but the silver one took up the whole blanket. The darker, reddish brown cub would soon find itself wrapped in a rope harness, which the woman used - after assuring it was tight enough to prevent escape - to lower it to the ground, keeping a hold of the end of the rope as she climbed partway down, before dropping the last short distance down, blanketed cub in her arms.
It was at this point that she'd walk back to the pair, the horse of which at least had not yet moved except to watch her, arm full of cub and hand on the rope of a second cub who followed only because of its sibling. Looking at the sky - still quite early in the day - she came to a stop before them. Dagget was sniffing curiously in the air, but wouldn't turn all the way and risk knocking over Arron - but it was clear he wasn't happy, tail lashing and a hoof stomping, teeth grinding.
"Я не хочу это слышать!" Snapped out at the horse, then regarding Arron. "We leave. There are many traders along the road, I'm sure at least one of them will allow us a ride in their caravan."
A brief pause. "By the way, my name is Masha."
Brief anger crossed her face at his indigence - perhaps due to the adrenaline still coursing through her veins, causing her limbs to shake (read also: fear) - but her own expression softened as did his tone. She felt the horse's head pressed against her back, resting there; no effort was made to push it away and avoid the blood most certainly staining her clothes from the action. Was it just a trick of his imagination, or did a strange fascination cross her face for only a moment at the mention of what he'd been doing out here? It was gone, though.
The words out of her mouth, not skipping a beat from his last syllable, continued in his own language, the player dropping actual foreign words due to an established shared language. "Oh, if you had just stood there, you'd be next, anyway. You really must have been pretty far down stream for her to have not attacked, though." A brief pause, "Good thing, though," glancing back at her injured horse, "because he's getting up there in age. Bear's a bit out of his league at this point." Though she spoke evenly, the tremble could still be heard in his voice, the occasional choke on tears that were finally drying.
At first she stood back and watched as he got to his feet, perhaps still too numb to really do much for him. But the moment he stumbled, he'd find strong, if tiny, hands on him, stabilizing him as he straightened. Those hands stayed on him, the woman very much so invading his space and not being shy about it. He'd feel her guide him a few steps forward, and then find his good side - at least, the one with the unbroken arm - leaning against the sweat covered horse, who leaned back to some degree.
Masha nodded her head as he spoke. "His name is Dagget." Horse head swung around at the mention of his name, ears swiveling toward them, but still occasionally flicking back toward the deceased she-bear. "I trained him myself." There was a smile on her face despite all that had happened. "Unlike you two, yes. Perhaps a miracle, if there is any such thing." She had continued to speak as he stared over her, not quite catching it yet, being that she was quite happy to be out of the red. However, his words caught her.
Slowly, she turned, a new fear creeping up her spine. But - well - she was a hamster. And hamsters couldn't see very far. Seeing no new danger, her head would snap back to him, tilting slightly in her confusion. When the strange man went on to clarify, pointing and specifying where, the woman would squint: There, in the tree, two dark, blotchy forms. It took a moment, but it clicked: She-bear. Running off, screaming forms. Cubs. ... CUBS!
Masha looked back to the man in surprise, a strange eagerness flooding her face - her mind was racing, and visibly so. "Stay." she said to him, repeating the command in her mother tongue to the horse. She dashed off a few steps, but then came back, clapping her hands together. "AH!" Fingers snapped. Looking around wildly, her eyes turned back to the man and horse, the equine part of that equation tossing his head and watching her curiously.
Abruptly, the woman walked back to the two, fingers flinging open the saddlebag that hung slightly askew from the previous attack, fingers rummaging through it. Out came a blanket decorated in very noticeably tartan design, and next rope. Any questioning would be ignored, from both horse and man. "Stay!" Commanded once more, and she was off again, items in hand.
The tree they'd chosen truly couldn't have been easier, and the cubs had camped themselves surprisingly accessibly for the hamster. Height and chub were no hamster for the woman, and Arron would once more be witness to the strangeness of this woman - hefting her body up with very little effort, also highly obvious she'd climbed quite a few trees in her life. All that was left was to climb the diagonal limb the cubs had parked themselves up, such a task being quickly completed.
The fearful calling of the bears could be heard, as woman set hands on them, sitting easily on the almost horizontal end of the massive limb. One of them, a much lighter brown, almost a silvery tinge - this one was wrapped in the blanket. It fought her, but it was clear the woman handled animals quite often. The cubs weren't incredibly small - they also weren't incredibly big yet - but the silver one took up the whole blanket. The darker, reddish brown cub would soon find itself wrapped in a rope harness, which the woman used - after assuring it was tight enough to prevent escape - to lower it to the ground, keeping a hold of the end of the rope as she climbed partway down, before dropping the last short distance down, blanketed cub in her arms.
It was at this point that she'd walk back to the pair, the horse of which at least had not yet moved except to watch her, arm full of cub and hand on the rope of a second cub who followed only because of its sibling. Looking at the sky - still quite early in the day - she came to a stop before them. Dagget was sniffing curiously in the air, but wouldn't turn all the way and risk knocking over Arron - but it was clear he wasn't happy, tail lashing and a hoof stomping, teeth grinding.
"Я не хочу это слышать!" Snapped out at the horse, then regarding Arron. "We leave. There are many traders along the road, I'm sure at least one of them will allow us a ride in their caravan."
A brief pause. "By the way, my name is Masha."
"Stay."
He resisted the temptation to shrug at her command – and he wasn’t sure he could without sending the white-hot pain through his arm and shoulder, again, anyway. Where would he go, alone?
“Hello, Dagget…thank you. It is not so serious,” he said, still cradling his arm across his torso, fighting a wave of nausea. And in a way, he had a point: large white pinches and patches of old burn scars had already discolored the same bare arm. “Just needs to be set, need to draw the bad humors away. Bloodletting…always hated bloodletting. Heh. I do not know if you understand me, I cannot speak her language, but I’ve been surprised once today. Do not mind my talking. You are a good horse. And she’s trained you…”
He chanced leaning on the horse, and watched the woman scurry up the tree with open, evident curiosity and fascination.
“I’ve not seen a horse behave like you have in years. You two must have seen many things…”
It was when the woman came bounding back, two small cubs in tow, that he was suddenly, completely wrong footed.
“I’m Arron. “ He stared incredulously from the woman to the bundled bear to the one at the end of the leash. Briefly imagined both bears fighting as ferociously as the horse had.
“One moment, they are coming with us? Where are we putting them, who would take them? …I hope the traders do not mind bears…”
He resisted the temptation to shrug at her command – and he wasn’t sure he could without sending the white-hot pain through his arm and shoulder, again, anyway. Where would he go, alone?
“Hello, Dagget…thank you. It is not so serious,” he said, still cradling his arm across his torso, fighting a wave of nausea. And in a way, he had a point: large white pinches and patches of old burn scars had already discolored the same bare arm. “Just needs to be set, need to draw the bad humors away. Bloodletting…always hated bloodletting. Heh. I do not know if you understand me, I cannot speak her language, but I’ve been surprised once today. Do not mind my talking. You are a good horse. And she’s trained you…”
He chanced leaning on the horse, and watched the woman scurry up the tree with open, evident curiosity and fascination.
“I’ve not seen a horse behave like you have in years. You two must have seen many things…”
It was when the woman came bounding back, two small cubs in tow, that he was suddenly, completely wrong footed.
“I’m Arron. “ He stared incredulously from the woman to the bundled bear to the one at the end of the leash. Briefly imagined both bears fighting as ferociously as the horse had.
“One moment, they are coming with us? Where are we putting them, who would take them? …I hope the traders do not mind bears…”
The entire time that Arron talked to the horse... Well, he'd not get much of a response other than a head tilt. It clearly didn't understand him. Leaning against the horse would cause it to lean back, returning the exact amount of leaning as the man - this was a common behaviour for horses.
--
The hamster seemed oblivious to the man's apparent dumbfounded-ness, instead seeming very intent with plans running through her head at this point. She only caught on to any misgiving when he finally spoke, head tilting up to take him in, eyes traveling up and down his form, stopping on the arm briefly, but right back up to his face. She simply smiled to him, at this point.
"Yes, Arron, they are coming with us. As awful as this morning has been, this would be a true waste of opportunity if I left them to die." Clicking her tongue, she re-adjusted the bear in her arms, giving it a good, snug squeeze when it began to squirm - the animal settled down after a few protesting squawks. "These beasts learn fast." Remarked as her snout pushed a tiny nuzzle between the ears of the quiet, silver cub who watched the lot of them curiously. The one on the ground seemed only to have eyes for its sibling, plopped on the ground and staring up.
"I'm taking them, they will come home with me. Any trader worth his salt won't pass up some nice pocket change to give some injured idiots a ride into town. They're already on their way there, anyway." As she said this, the woman was already moving around to the side of the horse opposite Arron, digging in the pack again with one hand, bundle held tight with the other.
Another blanket, this time thinner and ratty, was removed. Laid on the horse's back, the woman took a moment to set the cub in her arm down, unwrapped it, and - hand holding tight to its scruff - harnessed it with the other side of the rope tied to its sibling. Stomping boot down on the length of rope between the two, holding them from running off, she stood up and removed the reigns from Dagget's shredded bridle, kneeling again to tie it between the cubs. Snatching the good blanket from the ground and with new leash in hand, the woman moved to shove the nice blanket back in the bag.
It was now that she moved back around the horse, cubs in tow (Not so willingly, yet), she cornered the overly tall man between her and the horse (Who still showed his displeasure, but dared not kick at or attack the cubs), grabbing the cruddy blanket behind him. "I'll help you at least tie that up, but you're going to have to kneel down. You're a bit too leggy."
--
The hamster seemed oblivious to the man's apparent dumbfounded-ness, instead seeming very intent with plans running through her head at this point. She only caught on to any misgiving when he finally spoke, head tilting up to take him in, eyes traveling up and down his form, stopping on the arm briefly, but right back up to his face. She simply smiled to him, at this point.
"Yes, Arron, they are coming with us. As awful as this morning has been, this would be a true waste of opportunity if I left them to die." Clicking her tongue, she re-adjusted the bear in her arms, giving it a good, snug squeeze when it began to squirm - the animal settled down after a few protesting squawks. "These beasts learn fast." Remarked as her snout pushed a tiny nuzzle between the ears of the quiet, silver cub who watched the lot of them curiously. The one on the ground seemed only to have eyes for its sibling, plopped on the ground and staring up.
"I'm taking them, they will come home with me. Any trader worth his salt won't pass up some nice pocket change to give some injured idiots a ride into town. They're already on their way there, anyway." As she said this, the woman was already moving around to the side of the horse opposite Arron, digging in the pack again with one hand, bundle held tight with the other.
Another blanket, this time thinner and ratty, was removed. Laid on the horse's back, the woman took a moment to set the cub in her arm down, unwrapped it, and - hand holding tight to its scruff - harnessed it with the other side of the rope tied to its sibling. Stomping boot down on the length of rope between the two, holding them from running off, she stood up and removed the reigns from Dagget's shredded bridle, kneeling again to tie it between the cubs. Snatching the good blanket from the ground and with new leash in hand, the woman moved to shove the nice blanket back in the bag.
It was now that she moved back around the horse, cubs in tow (Not so willingly, yet), she cornered the overly tall man between her and the horse (Who still showed his displeasure, but dared not kick at or attack the cubs), grabbing the cruddy blanket behind him. "I'll help you at least tie that up, but you're going to have to kneel down. You're a bit too leggy."
A sigh. “…and I have pocket change. Don’t worry about it. I’ve made enough, this morning.”
He watched Masha work with intense interest; he couldn’t help but laugh at the cub on the ground.
“You certainly have a way with them. And Dagget, too. I’m afraid to even do anything, for fear of getting in the way…and I would appreciate that very much, Masha. Thank you.”
With a heavy sigh and a low groan, he carefully lowered himself to his knees. Though he only paused for a moment, while catching and steadying himself with his other hand, to fight off a sudden, somewhat unexpected wave of nausea.
A few moments and mumbled, hissed curses later, he straightened back up and grabbed at his shoulder.
“I think the shoulder is out, too. Careful, careful-! Please…the trick is to put it back without moving the fracture too badly. ..”
He braced. Clenched his jaw; spoke through his teeth, more for his own benefit and distraction.
“Should we leave the bear? Nobles pay good prices for that meat, after all. We could find a lord, give him a paw. But I don’t want to stay here longer than I have to. Leave her for the wolves?”
He watched Masha work with intense interest; he couldn’t help but laugh at the cub on the ground.
“You certainly have a way with them. And Dagget, too. I’m afraid to even do anything, for fear of getting in the way…and I would appreciate that very much, Masha. Thank you.”
With a heavy sigh and a low groan, he carefully lowered himself to his knees. Though he only paused for a moment, while catching and steadying himself with his other hand, to fight off a sudden, somewhat unexpected wave of nausea.
A few moments and mumbled, hissed curses later, he straightened back up and grabbed at his shoulder.
“I think the shoulder is out, too. Careful, careful-! Please…the trick is to put it back without moving the fracture too badly. ..”
He braced. Clenched his jaw; spoke through his teeth, more for his own benefit and distraction.
“Should we leave the bear? Nobles pay good prices for that meat, after all. We could find a lord, give him a paw. But I don’t want to stay here longer than I have to. Leave her for the wolves?”
Her large, flat-blue eyes stared up at Arron as he spoke, following him to the ground as he lowered himself to the ground. Her hand was on his uninjured shoulder as soon as he seemed in trouble of the nausea, steadying him until he was safely on his knees. Finally at a height the hamster could work with, wrapping the leash tight around her wrist, the hamster went to work: First, the tatty blanket was folded to a proper angle to work with.
"Dagget's been with me since he was a weanling. We've spent the last twenty or so years together. Given to me as a child, he was. As for them, this is just fear." The last bit had a dip to her voice, the growl of her R's more pronounced.
At this point, she was incredibly close to Arron, very much so in his space - the scent, so close, was of various floral types, perhaps the faintest whiff of char - and of course, horse. Her grip, as previously witnessed, was firm and strong, though she lacked much gentleness - the whole deal was done with the grace of an amateur. The bear cubs occasionally tugging at her grip on the leash didn't much help things.
It was a lucky thing that the man guided Masha - otherwise, this likely would have turned out much worse. That strength served well, his shoulder soon shoved back into place. But when he was 'fixed', as well as fixed could be for now, Arron would find a tiny hand ruffling his hair, and then suddenly feel her lips on his, and then she was leaning around him to dig in the saddlebag behind him. Any knowledge he had of her country of origin, so close to his, would hopefully tell him the normalcy of this - if not, it'd always be great fun.
When she got what she wanted, she patted Arron's shoulder, holding up a flask - which was quickly opened and a heavy pull taken from. "Noon!" A finger to the sky. "After a morning like this... this is needed." Passing the flask to him - it smelled of something incredibly strong - like what one might clean things with.
The horse shifted weight behind Arron as he continued to speak, hamster looking between the four of them and the water across the meadow. Recalling something the man had said earlier, connecting the dots at least slightly: "Can you manage cutting into it like this? I'm... no good with a knife." Looking between the horse and the man - the sound of her teeth grinding, such a true rodent sound, being heard with her so close. "I could help with the weight of it..." The flask was snatched back, regardless if he drank from it or not, hamster applying the contents liberally to her the cavity beyond her lips once more.
Currently the bear cubs were curled up with each other under a very annoyed horse, and the woman didn't seem concerned at all.
"Dagget's been with me since he was a weanling. We've spent the last twenty or so years together. Given to me as a child, he was. As for them, this is just fear." The last bit had a dip to her voice, the growl of her R's more pronounced.
At this point, she was incredibly close to Arron, very much so in his space - the scent, so close, was of various floral types, perhaps the faintest whiff of char - and of course, horse. Her grip, as previously witnessed, was firm and strong, though she lacked much gentleness - the whole deal was done with the grace of an amateur. The bear cubs occasionally tugging at her grip on the leash didn't much help things.
It was a lucky thing that the man guided Masha - otherwise, this likely would have turned out much worse. That strength served well, his shoulder soon shoved back into place. But when he was 'fixed', as well as fixed could be for now, Arron would find a tiny hand ruffling his hair, and then suddenly feel her lips on his, and then she was leaning around him to dig in the saddlebag behind him. Any knowledge he had of her country of origin, so close to his, would hopefully tell him the normalcy of this - if not, it'd always be great fun.
When she got what she wanted, she patted Arron's shoulder, holding up a flask - which was quickly opened and a heavy pull taken from. "Noon!" A finger to the sky. "After a morning like this... this is needed." Passing the flask to him - it smelled of something incredibly strong - like what one might clean things with.
The horse shifted weight behind Arron as he continued to speak, hamster looking between the four of them and the water across the meadow. Recalling something the man had said earlier, connecting the dots at least slightly: "Can you manage cutting into it like this? I'm... no good with a knife." Looking between the horse and the man - the sound of her teeth grinding, such a true rodent sound, being heard with her so close. "I could help with the weight of it..." The flask was snatched back, regardless if he drank from it or not, hamster applying the contents liberally to her the cavity beyond her lips once more.
Currently the bear cubs were curled up with each other under a very annoyed horse, and the woman didn't seem concerned at all.
Despite his best efforts, he swore explosively as Masha wrenched the dislocation back into place.
And then she'd moved in for the kiss.
Accustomed to the traditions of the neighboring country or not, he had definitely been taken by surprise, and he’d stopped himself from reciprocating out of sheer bewilderment.
And while the kiss gave him the distinct feeling of being steered by her…he decided that remembering that scent wouldn’t be the worst thing to do in that situation. Not at all.
She spoke again; it took him a moment. “Noon, wha?...NOON-! YES.” He graciously took the flask, idly sniffed it. Coughed.
“…what is this, is this even safe for drinking?” As he ventured a swig, anyway. He paused, looked at it for a moment, and then offered it to her with some evident reluctance. “Not sure I should be indulging, with my arm the way it is. We wouldn’t, back…well, years ago, we would be refused alcohol, but that was when we had far more severe and open wounds…” Another quick swig before he relinquished the flask, then he began to examine the bear.
“Masha, if you hold it, and be there if I need to lean, or support, I can manage a paw right now. I’m good with any sort of blade.” And, almost for emphasis, he produced one from his belt– a different one from the knife he’d used on the bear - with a slight and careful flourish. “I didn’t lose my good arm today, after all.”
He looked it over, felt over the injuries, then cursed – “I already botched it by stabbing her, and so much more has been damaged…preparing some acceptable cuts take some time…I could tell my assistant to come back for anything that can be salvaged once we get back into town.”
Before long, though, using Masha as support, and battling the occasional waves of nausea, he had one paw ready, slick with blood. He offered it to her with a small shrug. "If there are any nobles you would like to impress? Cleaned, of course. So...to town?"
And then she'd moved in for the kiss.
Accustomed to the traditions of the neighboring country or not, he had definitely been taken by surprise, and he’d stopped himself from reciprocating out of sheer bewilderment.
And while the kiss gave him the distinct feeling of being steered by her…he decided that remembering that scent wouldn’t be the worst thing to do in that situation. Not at all.
She spoke again; it took him a moment. “Noon, wha?...NOON-! YES.” He graciously took the flask, idly sniffed it. Coughed.
“…what is this, is this even safe for drinking?” As he ventured a swig, anyway. He paused, looked at it for a moment, and then offered it to her with some evident reluctance. “Not sure I should be indulging, with my arm the way it is. We wouldn’t, back…well, years ago, we would be refused alcohol, but that was when we had far more severe and open wounds…” Another quick swig before he relinquished the flask, then he began to examine the bear.
“Masha, if you hold it, and be there if I need to lean, or support, I can manage a paw right now. I’m good with any sort of blade.” And, almost for emphasis, he produced one from his belt– a different one from the knife he’d used on the bear - with a slight and careful flourish. “I didn’t lose my good arm today, after all.”
He looked it over, felt over the injuries, then cursed – “I already botched it by stabbing her, and so much more has been damaged…preparing some acceptable cuts take some time…I could tell my assistant to come back for anything that can be salvaged once we get back into town.”
Before long, though, using Masha as support, and battling the occasional waves of nausea, he had one paw ready, slick with blood. He offered it to her with a small shrug. "If there are any nobles you would like to impress? Cleaned, of course. So...to town?"
Masha, after much reassuring that the drink was safe and an extra swig for herself, the flask was shut and shoved down her shirt. The hamster readily agreed to help him - preparation for such was mainly shoving the bears' leash into Dagget's mouth and ordering him to hold on to it, which the horse did grudgingly - following the man to the deceased mother.
"I feel bad for whoever your assistant is.." A small giggle. The effort of supporting him and such was hardly a test on her strength. The main test for her was withstanding the heat and humidity of the area while doing so, and it didn't help that they slipped about on the muddy, hoof gouged bank while attempting this task. Her strong arms pulled him back some when the task was done, placing him into the grass to assure he didn't slip.
The hamster took the bloody paw from him and - still down on the bank - leaned down into the water, washing off the majority of the blood. Clearly it wasn't really clean yet, but at least it wasn't truly disgusting. Washing her hands off in the water after stripping off her now soaked gloves, the hamster scrambled back up the bank.
An arm was offered as she walked back to the awaiting horse and cubs, greeted by the scene of horse holding tight to leash while cubs tried to crawl away, Dagget having quite the miserable look about him.
He nodded, at the cleaned paw. "Presentable!"
"Dagget must think us insane right now," he laughed. "Dagget, you are a fine nurse. You could step on one and you will be fine - please do not step on one, Masha would be very upset."
He took her arm, the height difference ensuring that he leaned only slightly.
Masha laughed at the comments. "Do not tempt him. He has quite the temper and attitude, at times." The horse did not seem amused by their words, no; he shook his head heavily, yanking one of the cubs tumbling to the side with the sudden force.
Upon crossing the field, the woman relieved the horse of leash, released Arron, and went to shoving damp gloves and bear paw into a saddlebag - this was one bag Arron had yet to see her use, and should he watch, he'd see the bag seemed to be lined in some kind of waxy substance. He'd not get a long view of it, though, as it was quickly closed.
Hamster offering her arm again to him. "To town now, yes."
And - fortunately or not, for her - he did happen to notice. And while it wasn't an option for him to completely avoid staring, he did so as discreetly as he could manage, now insatiably curious, mentally taking note - Watch Masha. Masha could be interesting. But to her, he only grinned and took her arm once again with his good one.
"To town!"
--
The pair moved off through the deer trail, Arron likely trying his best not to lean too heavily on the small woman. The bear cubs were lead by leash, at first fighting it, but eventually following due to the fact there was little they could do about it. Dagget brought up the rear without lead, moving slowly due to his injury, but thankfully still able to keep going without too much trouble.
They'd break the treeline to the road shortly, and it wouldn't take long to flag down a passing caravan. It did take a good bit of negotiating to get a ride into town - the merchants didn't seem to keen on them - but the jingle of join always spoke leagues among their lot.
A few hours later and the hamster was leading this man to the infirmary - where she left him, due to a need to get the animals off the street, as they were getting quite the stare (Guards included. A few whispers of, 'She's crazy!'). Arron would be left with knowledge of exactly where she stayed - and the bear paw.
Not too long after, Masha would likely be found in the stables of the Château d'Asyle, seeing to her horse with the cubs shoved in the hay of the next stall over, fast asleep.
"I feel bad for whoever your assistant is.." A small giggle. The effort of supporting him and such was hardly a test on her strength. The main test for her was withstanding the heat and humidity of the area while doing so, and it didn't help that they slipped about on the muddy, hoof gouged bank while attempting this task. Her strong arms pulled him back some when the task was done, placing him into the grass to assure he didn't slip.
The hamster took the bloody paw from him and - still down on the bank - leaned down into the water, washing off the majority of the blood. Clearly it wasn't really clean yet, but at least it wasn't truly disgusting. Washing her hands off in the water after stripping off her now soaked gloves, the hamster scrambled back up the bank.
An arm was offered as she walked back to the awaiting horse and cubs, greeted by the scene of horse holding tight to leash while cubs tried to crawl away, Dagget having quite the miserable look about him.
He nodded, at the cleaned paw. "Presentable!"
"Dagget must think us insane right now," he laughed. "Dagget, you are a fine nurse. You could step on one and you will be fine - please do not step on one, Masha would be very upset."
He took her arm, the height difference ensuring that he leaned only slightly.
Masha laughed at the comments. "Do not tempt him. He has quite the temper and attitude, at times." The horse did not seem amused by their words, no; he shook his head heavily, yanking one of the cubs tumbling to the side with the sudden force.
Upon crossing the field, the woman relieved the horse of leash, released Arron, and went to shoving damp gloves and bear paw into a saddlebag - this was one bag Arron had yet to see her use, and should he watch, he'd see the bag seemed to be lined in some kind of waxy substance. He'd not get a long view of it, though, as it was quickly closed.
Hamster offering her arm again to him. "To town now, yes."
And - fortunately or not, for her - he did happen to notice. And while it wasn't an option for him to completely avoid staring, he did so as discreetly as he could manage, now insatiably curious, mentally taking note - Watch Masha. Masha could be interesting. But to her, he only grinned and took her arm once again with his good one.
"To town!"
--
The pair moved off through the deer trail, Arron likely trying his best not to lean too heavily on the small woman. The bear cubs were lead by leash, at first fighting it, but eventually following due to the fact there was little they could do about it. Dagget brought up the rear without lead, moving slowly due to his injury, but thankfully still able to keep going without too much trouble.
They'd break the treeline to the road shortly, and it wouldn't take long to flag down a passing caravan. It did take a good bit of negotiating to get a ride into town - the merchants didn't seem to keen on them - but the jingle of join always spoke leagues among their lot.
A few hours later and the hamster was leading this man to the infirmary - where she left him, due to a need to get the animals off the street, as they were getting quite the stare (Guards included. A few whispers of, 'She's crazy!'). Arron would be left with knowledge of exactly where she stayed - and the bear paw.
Not too long after, Masha would likely be found in the stables of the Château d'Asyle, seeing to her horse with the cubs shoved in the hay of the next stall over, fast asleep.
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