|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2017 8:27 am
P R P x R E F L E C T I O NSunshine Hugs TES' THOUGHTSResults: ???
PRP Posts: ???
JR Word Count: ???
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2017 8:36 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2017 8:38 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2017 8:41 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2017 9:53 am
C R A F T I N G x R E F L E C T I O NNot So Magical TES' THOUGHTSResults: ???
Word Count: 599
JR Word Count: ???
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2017 11:31 am
C R A F T I N G x R E F L E C T I O NNot So Magical 2 TES' THOUGHTSResults: ???
Word Count: ???
JR Word Count: ???
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2017 11:32 am
C R A F T I N G x R E F L E C T I O NNot So Magical 3 TES' THOUGHTSResults: ???
Word Count: ???
JR Word Count: ???
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2017 6:13 pm
G R O W T H x S O L O
Trouble on the Track Animals were not usually a point of interest for Teslaron. They were fine from a distance, some were even cute, and many were delicious once killed, but for the most part, he didn't generally want to fool with them. Except in the case of his xaraan. Xeeta behaved like an old man at this point, and in fact might have been older than Tes himself, though the Water male couldn't say for sure. He'd been a gift from Salena before Teslaron's first trip north, during the time when he'd thought to seek out a treasure for Laric.
That felt like forever ago now.
In retrospect, even the mission seemed pointless and unnecessary at best, and doomed to failure at the worst. It shouldn't have come as a surprise that it ended as poorly as it did. Tes had thought he'd be bitter about that forever too, but as he thought about it, he realized he didn't feel as contentious as he could have. All of it was just a foggy mess that had happened in the past. And it had led him to here, where it seemed like few wrongs could happen.
Although, because he wasn't traveling and because his day-to-day life was spent predominantly with his mish-mashed family, it meant Xeeta had less opportunity to run. Teslaron didn't take him out of the community stables every day, as he thought he should any time his mind happened to wander to the aged xaraan, but he really only thought the creature's existence was miserable when Xeeta greeted him with such a desperate delight that Tes couldn't help but think he must be quite bored.
"I'm sure the girls will come out every day, once they're big enough to ride," Teslaron assured the xaraan in a quiet drawl as Xeeta stuffed his beak rather roughly against Tes' chest. "And I've got a bit of time today. Let's see what we can get into together."
That was all the encouragement Xeeta needed before he was ready to head out.
Admittedly, Oba's streets were not the best place for a large, well-aged xaraan who'd spent the better part of the past several days in his stall, and after living here for most of his life, Teslaron had known this. But it must've slipped his mind. He wasn't especially interested in leaving town, as it wasn't a planned trip, and he didn't want to be out longer than anticipated. But Xeeta likely needed the exercise. Tes couldn't just deny him that now.
Rather than head back toward the stables, Teslaron led him out to the track. He'd never been before, and wasn't especially familiar with the rules that governed it, but it seemed like the right place to go for xaraan exercise. In his youth, Teslaron had fancied the idea of being a racer. He was small, lithe, had a xaraan of his own, and loved to win. But by the time he'd come of age to do anything with that dream, he'd realized that 'racing' was basically just entertainment for the rich and greedy, something for outsiders to gamble and wager on.
Not that he had anything against that, but he'd rather be on the betting side. There was just as much win to go around as a spectator, and it involved less animal training.
Today, the track wasn't as lively as it could have been, and it looked like the day's major races had already ended. What was left were just a few stragglers: rookies that weren't yet talented enough to ride in a real race, and mounts that were long past their prime. Tes and Xeeta must've looked the part, because when the Water boy rode up, he was greeting by a stable hand that did not look at all surprised to see someone not on his registrar trotting up to the track.
"You look a bit new." The young man made to reach for Xeeta's reigns, and Tes instinctively leaned back, urging his xaraan away from grabbing hands. "And likely confused," the boy said pointedly as Xeeta chirped and back stepped away from him.
"Ah, no. Not confused," Teslaron retorted. "This old boy needs a place to stretch his legs, and since no one out there seems to be racing..." He peered around Xeeta's head toward the track, where the 'stragglers" seemed to be doing more prancing than galloping. And they didn't even look high-class enough to be doing that much.
The stable hand followed Tes' gaze. "No, they aren't," he agreed. "These are all new jockeys with the less-than-perfect leftover mounts that their contractors chose to lend them until they prove to be excellent racers. They aren't going to give a good xaraan to a kid who hasn't earned it." His red eyes scraped over Tes and Xeeta. "Sorry if I mistook you for one of them. It isn't really an open track. Ever. So you-"
If this kid was talking to anyone else, he might have gotten the response he wanted, 'Oh, sorry. I didn't know. I'll leave.'. But Teslaron had already decided he wanted something. He wanted specifically for Xeeta to run here, on this track, and making that happen was basically a game in and of itself.
He put on a smile.
"Well, you could say I haven't 'proved myself' yet, couldn't you?" He offered lightly. "I've never been in a 'real' race- they've never been in a real race. My xaraan is a bit elderly- their xaraan's are a bit elderly. C'mon, we're all in the same boat here." He leaned down from Xeeta's back, closer to the stable boy's level. "Look, my buddy just needs to do a quick lap or two. He's been cooped up in a stall for too many days to count. We'd appreciate it if we could just take a quick run."
Teslaron knew literally nothing about the Oban boy in front of him, except that he looked all of completely disinterested in Tes' charms. "Then it sound slike you've been mistreating him for longer than should be allowed." He turned up his nose, and Tes was immediately seized by an unfair, irrational annoyance that the young man thought he was better than Tes. The Oban boy gestured to the riders on the track. "They want to make this a career. This is a dream for them. To let you flounce about, untrained, on a mistreated pet is disrespectful. Go home."
The Oban boy walked away. Tes did not.
He scowled and glowered out to where the other riders trotted about. No, no. He wasn't going to just leave because some kid thought it was 'disrespectful' for him to be here. He was a reasonable man. He had simple needs. And he wasn't going anywhere. Xeeta was a bit older than prime racing xaraan, and Tes was no jockey, but together they were still faster than any stable hand.
With a quick flick to his reigns, Tes guided Xeeta into a quick trot behind the Oban's back and out onto the track. Not that there was much to separate the packed dirt of the spectator's side and the looser sand of the running rink. Xeeta didn't seem to mind, either way. He cantered up toward a group of others, just barely in time for the stable boy to catch sight of them, shriek his displeasure, and storm forward.
Most of the xaraan seemed accustomed to this. In their younger years, they'd faced spectators both delighted and enraged by them. And now that they were older, they simply didn't care.
Xeeta was neither accustomed to be screamed at, nor was he used to being around other xaraan. As the stable boy darted for him, Xeeta shrieked out his own response and pelted quicker toward the other mounts. This seemed more alarming to them than a lone Oban charging toward them. A lone xaraan, headed at them rather than sticking to the customary alongside them was much more dangerous.
Everything lapsed into chaos from there.
The other xaraan started cawing out their own distraught, twisting about, slamming their tails into each other, and barking loud calls across the track. Their riders were perhaps a bit more adept at controlling their mounts, thought he tangle of tails and feathers was far from contained. And Teslaron had no such experience with a crowd. Xeeta whipped forward, catching his beak into the leather of someone else's saddle and yanking to try and put some type of block between him and everything else.
The rider currently mounted on it yelped, reached, and snagged Tes' shirt. They both went down in a tangle of taloned limbs, beaks, and shrieks. It was perhaps Teslaron's fault that he was too rigid to take no for an answer and far too stubborn to just let go and not tangle himself further. He didn't, and instead grabbed for anything he could reach on his way to the ground.
It did little good. He slapped the sand and as promptly surrounded by legs and claws that could and would step on him, and that would be that.
In the brief interim with his eyes wide, his back to the sand, and his gaze directed up at the small cluster of xaraan, he wished that dumb stable boy hadn't told him no. He wished no one had rushed at him. He wished he'd spent more time training his xaraan. He wished he'd listened and not come out here. He could die, and he doubted anyone here would ever give it a passing thought again.
"Back. Get back."
There was a swipe of blackness overhead to accompany the sound of the Oban stable hand's voice as he gestured for the riders to get control of their beasts and for Tes' own xaraan to get away from the bunch. It did, without so much as seeing to its master's safety. Then a hand was stuffed in Tes' face. "You alright? You don't look hurt, but you could have been. I told you this was no place for you. Now you've gone and riled everyone up and lost yoru beast. Are you quite happy?"
Teslaron blinked, exhaled, and became aware of what would likely be several bruises in the coming days. "I think- Yes. I think so. Thank you."
The stable hand was in no mood for pleasantries. "I told you no," he spat. "What's the matter with you? You don't listen when someone tells you not to do something? Wrangle your beast and get out of here. Consider yourself lucky worse didn't happen."
Teslaron would've liked to argue the point. He wasn't injured, but he could've been. He wasn't unintelligent, even if he didn't follow all the rules here. But, for nce, he kept his mouth shut. He should feel lucky worse hadn't happened, because he did often put himself in positions that could turn out unfavorably. Most people did, of course, but it had never much mattered to him before. He wasn't fond of pain, but he wasn't scared of death and never had been.
But just then he'd decided, or, maybe not so much 'decided' as had the very distinct notion that he didn't want to die. Not yet. Not now. Not when things were really starting to go well.x
x
Results: A lot has changed recently for Tes. He's gone from being practically homeless to enjoying a life with a girlfriend he loves and her two beautiful daughters, plus the close friendship he shares with Lila and the child they have together, even if Lori isn't living with him most times. Despite these all being very positive and beneficial things, it can be difficult for him to adapt.
Teslaron is a very selfish man and has never had much opportunity for interpersonal bonding where everyone involved is on equal footing. He never really grew to love his parents, he despised his masters, and anything he felt for his 'siblings' stemmed predominantly from a desire to 'get back' at their parents for anything that happened to him in his younger years. He has never had to care for or love anyone but himself, regardless of what he has said about 'loving' Laric in the past. Because even during those times, he just sort of heedlessly trod all over Laric's feelings by leaving without telling him, never writing him, and never explaining much of anything. He never gave thought of how his actions would make anyone else feel because he simply didn't care, and he has picked up some bad habits during the time when he only had himself to worry about.
Now that he has children, a woman, a home, and a life where people depend on and care about him, Tes is having to put more care in how he behaves. While he previously couldn't be bothered one way or the other what happened to him because of his antics, going without a father would have fairly negative consequences for his kids, and in a split second of clarity, Tes realizes he can't simply be so thoughtless with his actions anymore, as it might actually affect people he does care about.
Word Count: 1877
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
