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 Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 2:21 pm
S A N E L E 'S . R A C E
Solo : The First Steps
Words: 1012  Sanele Kuba was just a child when she first when to a Xaraan race. She remembers being sat on her father’s shoulder looking over the crowds, hearing the excited buzz of anticipation, feeling the pulse of the mobs that screamed and cheered when the Xaraan stalked out, ridden by proud figures that waved and grinned at the crowd or silently, elegantly moved to their places. The hum was a roar, eagerness that suddenly became deathly silent when a man walked out to a stand in the middle of the large circular track and climbed up to the podium. Baited breaths held as all eyes turned to him; The Xaraan tensed and their riders crouched low over their necks as the official raised his hand. “Race with honor and pride and may On’os favor you all.” His bright red eyes looked out over the eager crowd and readied racers. He gave a sudden grin, transforming his stern face; “Ready… set…. Gooooo!” A flame shot up from his hand and the Xaraan were off! The crowd went wild, voices crying out the names of jockeys, Xaraan; encouraging, cheering on their favorites. She saw the focused eyes of the riders, the long legs of the Xaraan stretching to their max as they strained, even their necks outstretched, each trying to be just that much farther. That memory stayed with her forever. The initial excitement never really left. Every time she went, even as she got older, she was always that excited; always loved the fervor of the crowd, the sight of the racing Xaraan. She idolized the jockeys; wanting to join their ranks but knowing they’d never have the money to buy a real racing Xaraan. But today… she smiled: today she was one step closer to her dream of racing! Sanele, a small lean child with quick sharp eyes, looked out over the Xaraan breeding farm. Houses and barns dotted the large farm, huge pens where Xaraan ran free, pens where Xaraan were trained. And, she smiled., it belonged to her sister’s father in law! Never knew Ayanda would be the first married, she thought to herself. Big girl like Aya always seemed more interested in fighting! Nobuntu is the one I thought would marry first… But no, Ayanda had come home from the last war with a husband. The eldest son of one of the foremost Xaraan breeders no less! Not that her family was going to mooch off of Aya’s new family! Oh no! That would be .. pitiful. They were poor, but that didn’t mean they’d beg or do something so pathetic! No, instead they’d sent her off with the meager dowry (mostly the blankets that they’d woven and made just for her, nothing too shabby and something from home!) and promises that she’d visit. It’d made a good impression on the in laws, that Sanele could tell. Especially when the father, Nhlanhla, had dropped by to pay his respects. He’d been shocked (she smirked at she recalled his expression quickly hidden) at the poverty of where they lived and had asked if they wanted to move in. Nice guy, Sanele thought, but no way would we move here! Home was... home. It was small true, but sturdy. Always clean and the entire building had been painted or carved over the years. The garden outside the small hut was well tended and perfect, Thandie made sure of that. The small coop attached to the house was good, Sanele herself tended to the small birds inside that gave them eggs, feathers, and meat occasionally. The street was filled with people they knew; people they shared their food with, neighbors they could rely upon. There was no safer place to live than a street where everyone looked out after each other. They even all supported the same Xaraan racers! Going each week to support their favored one. Maybe moving in with the Mandla’s would get them a better house… but it would not be home. Not when they were the poor intruders to be pitied. No… they’d turned down his offer. Sanele though, had asked if she could work on his farm. He’d agreed; which meant she was going to be working with the very Xaraan that would one day be out there in that arena racing! Mind you, they farm produced working Xaraan, couriers, and fancy mounts for the rich as well. But it was stil closer to being a jockey! I will learn what I can; I will learn how to raise these Xaraan, care for them. And once I have learned, I shall see about racing! She thought to herself. I’ve always had a way with animals… On’os grant me good fortune and Hatald watch over me; she prayed as she started down the path to the main house to meet Nhlanhla and start her very first job. Please let me succeed in my work and learn what I need. I won’t race any time soon… but I will towards it! I will be as determined and loyal a worked as Mister Mandla could ever wish! And maybe.. one day in the future when I am older, he shall grant my request to ride his Xaraan in a race! Even if it is only once… I’d like to ride in that big arena! If not, she hated to think about it but was practical to know it might not happen, if not than at least I will have a job, knowledge of Xaraan I can take with me. Or maybe even be a courier on a Xaraan! They didn’t do sprints… but they rode all over the land with important messages! That would be a good job to do. I’d get to see all sorts of people and places! Maybe I’d get to see outside of Oba! She smiled; as a poor working class member, she and her family didn’t have the time or money to go traveling. It was all they could do to make it bi weekly to the races! But one day… one day I will fix that!
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Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 4:03 pm
S A N E L E 'S . R A C E
Solo : This will be fun...
Words: 1082 Sanele waited outside of the large home of her sister’s In Law’s, looking out over the sprawling farms and wondering just what her work would be. She was no stranger to hard work; but she hoped to be dealing with the Xaraan and not doing menial tasks… though she figured being as young and poor as she was she’d end up doing the menial anyways. Behind her the door opened and a girl a year younger than her stepped out. It was Njabulu, the youngest daughter of the Mandla family. “Smells like filth out here.” She said with a sneer at Sanele. Sanele was a bit shocked at the super rude comment and turned to look up at the fancily dressed and coiffed younger girl with a sneer of her own. She was not one to quietly let others try to insult her! “Probably your attitude you’re smelling.” “What an ill bred brute.” Came a sniffed response as the girl twirled to leave. “I do not approve of your family leeching off of ours! You should take your dirty self and sister and leave!” Sanele made a rude gesture; “Leeching? If we was leaching we would have accepted your Da’s offer to move in! Instead all we asked for was a chance at a job… something he can take back iffn I mess up.”“Which you will of course.” Njabulu looked down her nose at Sanele; “Disgusting street rats will always be dirty beasts who shouldn’t be allowed to approach their betters! You’re no better than those Matori beasts!” Sanele rolled her eyes; “Oh puh –lease! Street rat just means I got street smarts… And the ability to do hard work! Which is more’n you got in that ugly mug of yours! No makeup in all the world’s gonna make you pretty.”“How dare you! I will tell my father—“ “You wanna insult me? Than you better be able to take an insult.” Sanele suddenly was in the other girls face. “Lil brat like you is only good for looking pretty… which you fail at doing! You never had to work, don’t know nothing about the world. Without your daddy you’re a worthless piece of trash. Go ahead and cry to your daddy you puling weak coward!”Sanele was bluffing, though it didn’t show on her face. She really wanted this job; but that didn’t mean she’d let some hoity toity rich brat tell her off! Twerp just wanted to feel superior by putting down the working class; Sanele hated her. Njabulu glared at here and fled into the house. Sanele smirked and went back to lounging on the porch. I showed her! And I’ll just have to work extra hard and show her Da I’m a keeper! That way I don’t get fired by her telling nasty lies…. Ayanda was the next to come out; she wore an amused smile when she saw Sanele. “I wondered what put that Njabulu’s tail in a knot.” She said mildly. Aya was a tall girl, broad in the shoulders and every inch was muscled. She was also a sweet person with a heart big enough to fit a whole world in if you asked Sanele! Sanele had barely met Aya’s husband but liked him sheerly for the fact that he’d fallen for her oldest sister. Aya was the least feminine of all the sisters but had landed a man; who porbalby got the best deal, Sanele thought privately. “Brat came out here and insulted me right off the bat! She giving you trouble too?” Sanele asked as she hopped up and gave her sister a hug. Aya laughed; “Not too much actually! Side remarks about my size, petty insults and all that…. Really I doubt she’ll ever get a husband with a tongue and attitude like she has!” Sanele grinned; “Beauty fades but skills and heart only get stronger!” She quoted her mother’s favorite saying. “That is a lovely saying... and very true.” A deep sonorous voice said from the doorway. Sanele peeked around Aya to see a short broad man. He had bronzed skin and short cropped salt and pepper hair and a completely white well-trimmed beard. This was Nhlanhla, Ayas father in law who Sanele had met only once before when the man had come to meet his new daughter’s family. “… Does me getting into insulting competitions with your daughter mean I can’t work here?” She asked plaintively. Since he was there he’d probably seen or heard about it…she thought with a sigh. He laughed. “No it doesn’t! Not when my daughter started it…” He sighed; “I don’t know why she has that attitude.. .but it is one of the reasons I did agree to have you work here. I want her to see that money doesn’t make one superior. Talent and hard work does.” He’d seen the argument from the start? Good! Then I don’t have to explain myself or worry about that brat! She thought happily as Aya smiled and reached out to fix Sanele’s hair and retie the kerchief that held it back. “Nhlanhla here started out poor and built this whole thing up.” She said softly. “It’s one reason he did not object to mine and Thabo’s marriage.” Sanele’s opinion of the man shot up, she’d already liked him somewhat but this made him respectable! “Call me Lan please. Or master Lan if you must. You are both now family and family means we don’t need to be formal!” “Is Pops fine then?” She asked cheekily with a grin. He chuckled and shook his head. “Pops? Snarky lil thing aren’t you?” He mused with an entertained smile. “Come along then Sanny. Lets get your lessons underway!” “Sanny?” She asked in a horrified tone. “Eww! No!”He laughed again as he put a hand on her shoulder to direct her towards a large barn. “Turnabout’s fair play!” This will be fun, she realized. I wasn’t expecting it to be fun! Hard work, maybe miserable, maybe decent. But never fun! If the boss was fun, her father had told her, than the work went by faster and you wanted to do your best. If the boss was cruel or uncaring, than the work was often long, hard, and you found ways to put it off or skate by. Glad I got one that would encourage me to work! I feel like he will be much easier to ask to support me in racing that I would have thought.
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Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 4:59 pm
S A N E L E 'S . R A C E
Solo : Learning the Ropes
Words: 1273 Sanele was loving working on the Xaraan farm. Yes there was menial labor to be done like cleaning out the stables and pens but that wasn’t all she had to do. And she wasn’t the only one! In fact she was with about five other apprentices about her age who were all starting off. There were two who were 2 years older and younger than here respectively. Sanele was surprised at the range of apprentices; two from poverty, one of whom came from the gang ridden section and was an orphan, while there were two nobles, one of whom was practically royalty! The one lone middle class guy had all the arrogance and looks of a noble though… more so than Kartini, Sanele thought to herself as she watched them get the same spiel Master Lan (as she called him while at work; no reason to act like a favorite!) had given her and Kartini a week ago. Finally he waved her and Kartini over. “Alright, introductions! First off; there will be no special treatment for nobles and if I catch any bullying going on that person will be fired and I will make sure to tell the other Breeders about your bad behavior to insure you don’t get a good job.” He said seriously before smiling. “This thin frail boy may be younger than the rest of you but he knows more than all of your knowledge combined about Xaraan already so if you need information and cannot find me or an older worker, ask him. He’s called Kartini. The girl is Sanele and a scamp.” “What? He gets praise and I get mocked?” Sanele asked with a grin. “Oh the cruelties~” “Hush Sanny.” He said with a grin, knowing she disliked that nickname. “The curvy lass here is Sabiyya, the tall one is Naseema, the cocky boy there is Jaya, and your elder in years here is Chahaya. Sanele and Kartini here will give you three a tour and tell you about the basics of your jobs while I run off and deal with the mess Thabo made of the breeding pens. If it were calmer I’d do the tour myself but since these two are here I know you’ll be in good hands.” With that he trotted off in a hurry. “Thabo, his son and heir, left the pens not quite locked securely and some males got into the female pens. Quite the party they had last night…” Sanele explained with a grin and shrug. Sabiyya smiled in amusement. “Well at least there will be new blood he can sell cheap if they don’t turn out good. There’s always farmers who want a Xaraan as a pet for their children or the like.” She said lazily. This one must be a noble, Sanele thought, her hands were smooth and had no calusus plus her clothing simply stank of wealth. “Or we might ask for them” Kartini said softly before looking at the ground. “If they turn out to be poor racers or unfit for other duties a farm master will often give them to workers…” Jaya and Naseema’s eyes lit up. Sanele would have wanted one... but she wanted one to race with! “Where do’ya think we should start the tour Kartini? Barns?” He nodded and she trotted off. “Alrighty! The barns, place of fun and really gross work! In here we shall clean!” She said grandly as she opened the door. Jaya and Sabiyya’s noses crinkled. “Don’t worry, soon your nose shall shut down and you’ll cease to think of it as anything other than smelly dirt.” Sanele said with a grin. The barn had been cleaned already today; but the smell lingered. “This barn is where the young females are kept.” Kartini practically whispered, looking at the others through his bangs. “They don’t need stalls unless one is abnormally aggressive.” “The next two barns all have stalls for each Xaraan and are harder to clean out,” Sanele said as she walked towards the next. “This one is for older males and females who are past breeding and can be allowed to mingle. This one is for young males. This one for the aggressive males, and this one,” she said as she came into a smaller barn, “Is sectioned off so we can put in breeding pairs.” “Where are all the Xaraan?” Jaya asked. They’d walked through the barns and not a single one had been spotted. “Most are out in the fields or over there;” Sanele pointed to a huge building in the middle of the fenced in pens. “They’re doing health checks one herd at a time for the next week to see who’s now pregnant, which males got hurt as they fought over females last night and just to do a general checkup.” “Ar’n we helpin’ with that?” Naseema asked abruptly; her voice thick with an accent. Kartini shook his head but let Sanele do the talking. “Nah, we’re too new to help. At most we’ll cause issues and startle the Xaraan since they don’t know us yet. What we are doing this week is mending locks, buildings, gear and cleaning.”“Nothing to do with Xaraan?” Jaya asked in disappointment. “All this will help the trainers and affect the Xaraan.” Kartini said. “Our scent will be all over the place and they will come to associate us with the rest of the workers and trust us. This way less accidents will occur when we are assigned to a section.” Sanele nodded in agreement; “There’s several sections. You can ask to be put in one but I doubt Master Lan will agree. I wanted to be with the Racing section but he’s put me in the breeders section.” She shrugged. She actually didn’t mind being there. With the breeders she was learning a lot more than she thought possible… and it was stuff she was enjoying! In fact half the time she forgot about her dream to race! At least until she went to go watch one! Naseema shrugged; “Ah will do what task is set tah me.” Chahaya smiled and spoke for the first time; “I was told I would be in the courier training section… can we look at that one?” Sabiyya nodded. “I was told I would be placed with the breeders first off as well…” Jaya looked uncomfortable; “I was told he’d see.” “You were looking at the racers weren’t you?” Sanele said with a grin. Jaya smirked back. “Master Nhlanhla must have seen you at work already.” Kartini said with a shy smile to the older females. “He placed Sanele here with the breeders since he said she was best with young animals and he wanted to teach her how to raise a Xaraan before he moved her to training.” “He did?” Sanele said in surprise. “He will move us around through each section until he finds one where we work best. For now some have been assigned to sections that need the extra hands or he knows that we can already do the basic work.” “So I’ll have a chance at the Racers?” Jaya asked impatiently. “That’s for Master Lan to decide.” Sabiyya said with a eye roll. “Can we get on with the tour? I want to see more than empty barns!” Sanele shrugged and moved on, showing them the layout of the place, telling them (with comments injected from Kartini to correct her or add to the information) what happened in each building. She also made sure to show them the spots that runaway Xaraan liked to hide in. Since there was always a Xaraan trying to escape .
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Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 5:37 pm
S A N E L E 'S . R A C E
Solo : Planning a Dream
Words: 1019 Sanele was loving the section she’d been assigned to one the farm; breeding! At first she though it would be boring or weird; trying to get Xaraan to mate. Which, yes, there was a bit of that, but there was a lot more too! She was learning to tell if the animal was healthy, if they had potential to be a racer, courier, heavy labor, or the like. To know which Xaraan you were to breed together, you had to know their pedigree (that was fun!) and what sort of traits were in their past. Her master, Insaaf, was an old wizened guy who was teaching her the ropes while his older apprentices did all the work. Insaaf was whip cord lean and strong, with a ready smile and keen eye he enjoyed teaching her and Sabiyya about Xaraan. Sabiyya was better than Sanele had thought she’d be. With the only ‘noble’ girl she’d ever met (even though the Mandla family was merely wealthy and not nobles) being Njabulu she hadn’t been looing forward to working with a true noble. But Sabiyya wasn’t arrogant… most of the time. There were snobby flashes but nothing too bad. In fact, Sanele was finding a fairly kindred spirit in the girl! She and Sabiyya were double teaming the arrogant brat Njabulu and bonding over the fun. Today found them sitting on the fence during break time watching the Xaraan trotting about. “So why did you want to join Master Lan’s enterprise?” Sabiyya asked languidly. “ Mmm… well after my sis married in it was a chance at a decent job soing something I liked.. also it improved my chances of ever racing!” She said with a smile. “Your sis married in?” “ Yup! Aya’s the big girl who’s husband you keep flirting with.” Sanele said in amusement. “You know, the big warrior you think is his body guard?”Sabiyya sat straight up and looked at her in shock. “She’s what? You mean… I’ve been--?” She put a hand to her cheek. “Blessed Hatald! How have I not been killed by here yet?” Sanele laughed; “ Cause Aya’s the sweetest person around! Plus she knows Thabo won’t ever cheat on her.”“.. Tell her sorry will you? I don’t think I can stand the embarrassment of looking her in the eye right now!” “Do it yourself!” Sanele pushed her friend off the fence with a laugh. “What about you? Why’re you here?”“Cause I could not stand to stay in that silly petty noble’s school a moment longer! All the snide remarks! All the Njabulu type girls! The constant jockeying for position!” Sabiyya rolled her eyes. “I much preffered getting into trouble and having to help out in the stables. And by help out I mean I petting and cleaned the Xaraan. Never their stalls.” She wrinkled her nose at that. She really did hate having to scrape off the side of the walls and wash the stalls and barns out. “But you mentioned racing? Like Jaya?” “Yeah.” She laughed, “like Jaya! Though lately….” She looked out over the fields. “I dunno… I still wanna race em! Still want to be the one the crowd cheers for! You ever been to a race?”“Who hasn’t? I love the jockey’s! Have you seen some of them? Mmm~” She chuckled at Sabiyya’s response. “Well, I love the whole feeling of that place. The sight, the sounds, the sheer excitement of the crowds! But… I love just raising Xaraan too! Caring for them, learning about them, and beginning to teach and train them… I’m thinking I may just you know… try to race a few times just to fulfill that dream before starting up a place like this or working for Master Lan….” “That’s a good dream! Racers live fast and bright! But they tend to fade… My sister married one and he basically only did a few races after marriage before retiring. I think he used his looks and popularity to nab himself a rich noble wife.” She sighed. “But he’s better to my sister than my brother is to his wife… so is it really that bad?” “ Kinda odd to see men doing that!” Sanele laughed; “I’ve only ever heard about women seducing rich men to marry into wealth!” Sabiyya laughed. “It’s actually both that happen! But the men who end up marrying into wealth have excuses like ‘I’m a good warrior and a hero’ or ‘I can bring my skills to the table and enrich your family’ while women are often accused of just being beautiful trophies and using their looks for money…” This last bit was in a mocking yet angry tone. “What’s worse is the female nobles… they’re more gossipy and back biting than any male!” Sanele nodded. “I don’t wanna marry into nobility! That’s my other sis… I just wanna to race on the big stage! A few times at least… And then spend the rest of my days happily on a breeding farm like this!”“You know….” Sabiyya sounded thoughtful. “You could always become a breeder of the animals in the new lands…” “ You mean the ones we failed to conquer?” Sanele asked curiously. “Is that even safe? I heard they’re really nasty barbarians!”Sabiyya shrugged. “Well... Maybe they are! But I think that’s just the sore losers trying to save face for losing! And anyway… It’s a new market! You could make it rich by being one of the first to successfully tame and train these new animals!” Sanele’s eyes lit up; Xaraan were lovely... but the new lands and new beasts? Beasts no Oban had ever seen? Oh! That was an exciting thought! “ You want to help me with it? It’s gonna take money… we could start one up together! After you know.. we grow up a bit… Probably dangerous out there too…” She mused. Sabiyya grinned; “We can hire guards to help us go out! Once of course we learn how to capture and tame!” They shook hands on it. They would, once grown, set out to make their own breeding farm; one with new and exotic animals!
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 8:55 am
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 8:56 am
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Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 4:41 pm
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Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 4:42 pm
S A N E L E 'S . R A C E PRP : Soaring High with Kiyelt ongoing
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Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 4:52 pm
S A N E L E 'S . R A C E
Solo : Simba
Words: 1523  Sanele walked home dejectedly. She’d been saving up all her life and yet she still didn’t have enough to buy a racing Xaraan! She knew getting a sponsor was the faster way to go… but she really wanted to own her own Xaraan. Working at Nhlanhla’s Xaraan farm had changed her like of the beast into a feeling very much like love. They were such enjoyable beasts to be around; large quick eyes that seemed so innocent, playful attitudes, strong fast strides that made riding them a joy…. She wanted one of her own. But she’d just overheard Lan, as she called her boss and uncle-in-law, and a customer. Top of the line racers, which Lan did indeed breed, cost a small fortune. Nowhere near the price of the best Janarim…. But still only a price a noble could afford. Lan bred some racers, but he specialized in courier Xaraan mostly; ones that could run fast and long rather than the fastest sprinters. But from his courier bloods he’d found that he could breed for sprinters as well… and had only recently set aside a special program just for racers. They ones he had sold had performed well enough; only a few winners, but the majority were in the top 5... Which meant he could demand higher prices and was making a name for himself among the racers! Sanele had considered actually buying one of the couriers or the mounts bred for the wealthy nobles… but even those prices were too high! Back to square one and saving, she thought dejectedly as she came home to a quiet house. She sighed; the family was at a race right now... and as much as Sanele wished she could go; work came first! Especially when she was working overtime to make more money and covering for her friend Sabiyya who was at home taking care of her wounded father! Sanele had overheard Sabiyya asking for time off (lounging around on the roof of a stable during her break) and had swung down when Lan had mentioned that it was a busy time… plus several of the main ranch hands had gotten better jobs leaving them a little short. It meant more money! And helped out both her friend and boss… but it was also tiring and meant Sanele didn’t have time to go to the big racers with her family. She took a quick bath and walked into the kitchen to see what food she could scrounge up. There would be a huge party later that evening when everyone got back and the whole neighborhood celebrated a win or lamented a loss. But she needed something now! Yawning she entered to see Lan sitting at the table. Startled she stopped and looked around…. Why was he here? He looked up and put aside the book he was reading. “It’s very quiet here… No lights anywhere on the street! Did the whole neighborhood up and leave?” He asked in an amused tone. Sanele gave a grin. “They’re all at the race right now.” Sanele said as she continued on to the ice box to see what snacks were there. “The entire street?” Lan asked, quite startled. “Mmmhmm. We all go and support our favorite.” She said as she pulled out a loaf. “You want some?” She offered. It was no where near the tasty stuff he was used to eating and had to be kept cold to make it last longer.. but it would be impolite to not offer! He shook his head with a smile. “I’m good thank you. You seemed…down as you left… Is the work too much? I know you said you’d cover for Sabiyya…” “Oh! No!” Sanele shook her head. “I’m fine with long hours! Works fun and I enjoy it.” Had her uncle in law just come for that? Guess he doesn’t want to overwork me, she thought with appreciation. He really was one of the better bosses out there! “No? Then what? I know you and Njabulu had another … run in….” Run in puts it mildly, she thought with amusement. They’d gotten into another insulting match and had almost come to fists… “Pssh! Nah~ All that does it let off steam or peeve me.” She smirked as she cut a slice and put it over the fire to toast. “Guess…” She sighed. “It’s the cost of a Xaraan. A good one. I’ve been saving but…” She shook her head. So much money! More than she and her family had ever seen! “Oh?” Lan asked, so far Sanele had not asked to claim one of the failures that he gave at reduced price to his workers. A Xaraan that had good blood but just didn’t have the stamina needed for couriers, bad coloring so it couldn’t sell for a fancy mount, or was no good at sprints for racing. The other apprentices had all claimed at least one. He’d sold them at half price simply because he was not the type to just give things away... but he had wanted to allow his apprentices a chance at them. “You could always buy the defective ones really cheap like the other apprentices you know that right?” Sanele sighed and slouched down on the cushion opposite the low table from him . “I know! But What I want is a racer or courier who works! You know.. one I can use… and eventually use as a seed for my own farm int he future.” Lan laughed out loud when he heard her reason; it would be something like that! “I wondered! Those are the uhh.. more expensive… So you heard me and the customer talking about it today?” “Mmm…” She sagged a bit. Normally upbeat and confident, she was feeling a bit depressed after counting her savings. “Hmmm…” He looked at her for a bit then about the old house. The walls all had sun bleached hand woven tapestries. Simple wool hand spun and dyed then woven into simple designs. Hand carved furniture that was a bit rough but smoothed by years of heavy use, simple and battered cushions sitting on all the furniture. It was clean as can be… mostly because they were poor but proud. They may not have had a lot to eat, but you could eat off the ground in their house! It spoke of pride and hard work…. And poverty. Of course she’d never be able to afford one of the high end racers or couriers he sold! Those were really on within the reach of the fabulously wealthy or government. But who was he to judge? She had been working hard, never shirking and always willing to help. And she was his favorite niece (in law)... And had a better head for business than his sons and he certainly got along better with he than his own daughter who was turning out to be someone h was almost ashamed of. "I know you hate to accept charity...." He started out saying, holding up a hand before Sanele could interrupt him. "But how about I cut you a deal for one of my older potential racers? Simba.. the stud that's currently breeding right now. In return, you ride him in races." Her eyes widened. What??? " Wait.. you're going to try entering into races now?"Lan nodded with a grin. "I keep finding Simba's offspring being bought and then showing up in the professional races... Perhaps Simba can be used as a racer. I'm thinking it may be a good idea to try and enter and sponsor our own racers instead of others sponsoring them in. That way if we get good results the farm will prosper." So Lan was finally going to set up a racing section and start deliberately breeding racers? That means he's going to need more bloodlines.. and a place to rain them.... She thought for a moment before looking at Lan with a wry grin.
"You know I'm not going to be able to say no! Have you thought about how to train them? How many lines're you going to get?" Lan laughed and held his hands up. "Slow down! it's still in the makings... which is why I'm also here. Tell me about what you've seen in other ranches.. I've got some things already planned out but I'd like to know what you've seen on your search for a Xaraan." Sanele and him sat down and talked till the neighbors came back and the after party started. They plotted all through the party and Lan staid the night over rather than risk the dangers of late night muggings. That morning Sanele handed over the money she'd saved till them (barely a fourth of what was Simba's actual price....) and collected Simba' papers. Then she headed out to meet her Xaraan and start her new duties. From today on she'd be working in the racing section, getting it set up and ready. Of course, now that Simba was hers she had permanent cleaning duty in the barn he was in so that was not fun.. but it was totally worth it! Her xaraan! hers!
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Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 5:05 pm
S A N E L E 'S . R A C E VP: Spring Rains counts as a VP (I am counting it as PRP)
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 12:03 pm
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2015 3:34 pm
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2015 9:35 am
S A N E L E 'S . R A C E
Solo : A Cat Showed Me How Far I've Come
Words: 1229  Sanele sighed as she put away Simba. She took her time cleaning him; whispering words of encouragement and praise, letting him know he’d run beautifully. And he had! Just… She buried a sigh. Her first race! A real race.. not the opening show races anymore oh no! Nera and Lan had pulled through. She was officially sponsored by the two of them (Lan had been quite happy to learn a noble would be paying most of the fees.. and supplying a Xaraan! Who she and Lan were definitely going to breed on his farm!) and today had been her first race! Thrilling! And of course she’d been on the largest Xaraa of the bunch. She’d smirked when some of the racers (one of whom her street booed every time they saw him simply because he was the rival of their champion) had made snide comments about it.. never knowing that his mount was one of Simba’s off springs! There were, she’d been very amused to see, three of his children racing. And none had beat their sire! Simba had charged forward perfectly; his much longer legs letting him get near the front of the pack. His weight and tail had kept the others at bay, and none had tried to bully him out. It was hard for smaller Xaraan to bully a larger and older Xaraan who had Simba’s mentality. But as fast as Simba was, there’d been one faster than him. Another short female. What was it with Simba and not outpacing small females? And then there’d been that burst of speed from behind from her street’s champion.. that she hadn’t minded.. much. She’d followed him and cheered him on for years after all! Though it would have been better if she’d won. Next time. She thought, next time. I’m always saying next time.. when will it be now? She couldn’t help but gripe as she finished putting away Simba’s gear. Third was good! In fact it was very impressive for a first racer! But Sanele did not settle for third! She wanted first. She saw a flash from the corner of her eye and looked up. Above, in the rafters of the stable, perched a perzi. They were everywhere in Sulburi; stray alley perzi that raided the trash, stole from the market stalls and were considered nuisances. This one had black skin with an odd off white patch about one eye. The crystals along its spine were a deep blue. It looked hungry, hungry and aggressive. Sanele had a flash of insight then; she’d once been like that. One of the many poor who crowded Sulburi’s slums… She still lived there but now she had income. Food was always on the table and she’d been able to purchase new clothes and medicine! But once she’d had to make do with cast offs, if you got sick you huddled in your bed and prayed for it to go away and that whatever medicine your mother made from scratch or got from the medicine peddlers worked for you couldn’t afford a real healer. She smiled as she reached into her pouch and offered up the meat snack she’d been saving for herself. I’m living my dream right now.. I’m racing on the big stage! I heard my family and friends cheer for me today. And I got third on my first official competitive race! I should be grateful for what I’ve gotten so far. Happy to have gotten this far when all I used to do is stare at the track and dream. The perzi stared at her before jumping down to land gracefully on the stall wall. Simba examined it before returning to his dinner. “You’re a cute one… wonder if you have a home.” She spoke softly to the perzi as it regarded her for a moment before daintily accepting the food. “I should take you home.” She smiled; a perzi had shown her how far she’d come… had made her realize that today was a victory… not a loss. “Not sure about the Perzi,” She heard a drawl come from behind. “But I don’t mind going home with you!” She looked up to see a large oban man leaning against the stall wall with a grin. “Jarl, I train Inishta’s xaraan. Good race out there. Nice to see older larger Xaraan on the field! You trained him well.” She grinned; “Not sure my parent’s like me showing up with you to the party! And thanks… Simba here is actually the father of three of today’s current racers.” She gave a throaty chuckle. “He kept breeding racers so my boss decided to try him racing!” “Really?” Jarl laughed, a deep booming laugh that echoed in the stables, making the perzi growl. “That’s awesome! I noticed your sponsor’s names were not the usual sponsors…” he raised an eyebrow at her. Sanele chuckled and reached out to tentatively pet the perzi. “Lan’s my boss and uncle in law. I work on his Xaraan farm… he decided to start a racer section instead of just doing courier, work, or fancy mounts. Nera is a noble daughter who I met while on an errand for Lan. She wants to get her name out so she’ll find investors for some project she has… She wants to be the main sponsor which Lan’s fine with!” She laughed. “Less for him to pay…” She offered him a hand. “Name’s Sanele.” He shook it causally. “Lan’s getting into the racing business? That’s nice… I do know that some racers were mentioning he had good stock and was buying some of the better stocks lately. Guess I can go buy from him now!” He chuckled. “You mentioned a party… guess you’re not coming to the racers one?” She made a face. “Urg! No! I’d feel so out of place! That ones full of nobles and merchants! Better to stick to the family one. Sides; Ma’s making my favorite meal tonight.” He laughed. “Just wondering.. you should at least show your face… that way you don’t get the snide comments about being ‘too good for us’ that always happen when a new racer’s too shy.” She laughed; “It’ll be worse since I took third isn’t it?” He nodded with a wry smile. “Ah well… I’ll go and tell that jerk Peqri that his mounts my Simba’s offspring. Since he was soooo disparaging of my boy.” He laughed. “Mind if I escort you? And pick your brains about Lan’s business!” his dark red eyes gleamed. “Since Inishta took first I can afford to buy a new Xaraan to play with.” She laughed. “I see how it is… your racers just feeding your Xaraa addiction! Sure… Lan may want to talk to you too;” she said as she spotted her uncle approaching. “he’s hear actually.. so you can get a head start on the new blood that we’ve got training right now! Some aren’t even at the training yet…” Jarls eyes lit up as he straighten and looked at Lan with a grin. “Ohhh.. that sounds perfect!” Sanele smiled ans she went back to petting the Perzzi.. and feeding it… no him some more. I’ll keep you she thought as she pulled off her kerchief to wrap it about the perzi’s neck. “That makes you mine.. I’ll call you Czar!” She said as she picked up the surprised Perzi.
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Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2015 1:46 pm
S A N E L E 'S . R A C E
VP: Beliefs and Values
words: 890 Prompt Beliefs and Values
Prompt 3
Solo or RP Format
Can be used toward Solo or RP req
Summer was drawing closer and closer and the different villages around Tendaji were beginning to plan their summer festivals. It was a tradition in Tendaji - to celebrate the Gods every year in the summer when spirits were high and food was at its most abundant.
All the races had their own gods to celebrate, whatever those might have been, and every person had their own feelings one way or the other.
What did they mean to you? With the summer fast approaching, it must be somewhere (no matter how small) on everyone’s thoughts. And what are your thoughts on the other culture’s gods?
Tendaji Gods
Fire: The people of Oba believe in a whole pantheon of Gods and Goddesses, partitioning all parts of life to a god such as birth, death, fishing, ocean, a king and queen of the gods, etc. There is always a different name to pray to depending on the situation at hand. The major players in their pantheon include:
Nerad - King of Gods, god of judgement
Essd - Queen of Gods, goddess of life and death
Drach - God of storms and rain
On’os - God of time and fortune
Lenoxe - Goddess of fishing and feasts
Kiyom - God of wood and lumber
Hatald - Goddess of fertility, marriage, and women
Jonal - God of men and war
Ubeli - Godess of the moon and ocean
Atun - God of the sun, forging fires, and desert
The Festivals were fast approaching; you could feel the thrum of excitement in the lower quarters of Sulburi. Festivals meant a city wide party after a day of prayer and parades! Of course it was also a time for all Obans too offer prayers and thanks to the gods… often involving a lot of tribute beign given to the temples. But displays of wealth were not for Sanele’s family, nor for anyone on her street. They had nothing extra to give normally, only their prayers and something small to offer the gods. The temples they visited were not the grand and glorious buildings standing proudly upon their raised terraces with their elaborate columns, statues, and gold gilded decorations. No, down here in the slums their temples were built like the rest of the buildings; small and squished, showing lots of wear and age in their old well-loved buildings. The only thing that was different was the small courtyard outside each temple, and that the temple was a single two story building, short compared to the rest of the many layered buildings on either side that loomed over it. Sanele for once did have an offering to give other than something hand crafted. Because she was working now and bringing income into her family, she had real coins to give her temple this year! While she was proud of that, at the same time she felt like her offering was… less this year. Simple coins rather than the hand carved items she normally brought; coins that bore no thought of a god in them… She rolled the small coppery coin in between her fingers as she strolled towards the temple in the dimming setting sunlight. Its blazing red color stained the streets; bright red and coppery bands of light streaming between buildings, surrounded on all sides by darkening shadows. She loved this time of day; still hot but cooling down, the way the light beamed through the cracks and alleyways, strange shapes painted upon the walls by their light. Her thoughts wandered as she strolled the street lost in thought. Before she had always carved a statue of a beast; last year it had been a Xaraan and her pup. As she carved, she thought of her wishes and prayers, carving into the wood her very thoughts and hopes. To offer a simple coin instead of something she had made specifically for that god felt like she was… cheating somehow. Like she was not actually thinking of her gods and goddesses and simply bribing them. That did not sit well with her at all! I will carve one tonight, she thought. Today I will donate something to the temple, but tomorrow I will come again! I will offer something appropriate then, something carved just for them. A smile pulled at her full lips; that felt better. She could do both, so why not? She did have time this evening and carving was very relaxing… She stopped and looked up at the temple she always visited; it looked more battered than usual to her, but from it she felt an aura of welcome, like the light from home when you were coming home late. It felt peaceful here; here on this street alone it was safe to walk at night, no cut purse or thief would steal when upon the god’s doorstep, however tattered it was! She heard the sounds of children playing in the small courtyard, chattering of couples and adults as they sat on carved benches and rocks in the courtyard. Catching up and gossiping after a long day before they went in to offer their prayers. The temple here was more than a place of prayer, it was used as a gathering place, a play area, and even a a school. The priests and priestesses inside held classes, teaching anyone who came how to read and write and do sums for free. It was the heart of the slums; elsewhere there was fear, anger, poverty, hunger.. here there was peace, acceptance, hope, and safety. So Sanele, this was the place the god’s lived… not the grand palaces in the better streets of Sulburi, but here, where anyone could enter, where anyone could pray. Where you felt welcomed and not subdued or cowed by grandeur. She entered through the front door, walking beneath the symbol of Atun; a blazing sun symbol made of copper set above the archway. On one side of the door was a small stone statue of Nera, the King of Gods, and on the other was another stone statue of Essad, his Queen. The small hallway beyond bore the same small statues of the rest of their Parthenon. She smiled as she smelled the incense burning at the foot of each statue, it was her favorite scent! She did not stop to pray here though, for this was merely where one could leave offerings... to pray you entered further, deeper into the small temple where an alter lay to all the gods. Tomorrow she would come again and leave an offering for On’os, the god of time and fortune as well as Nerad, Kid and god of judgement. To them she offered the majority of her prayers; to judge her kindly, to favor her in the coming year and thanks for their kindness this past year. ((completed 6/20/15))
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 1:48 pm
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