Mint and Honey

"She's a lovely girl. A bit misguided, but aren't we all?" Kate asked with a smile towards her uncle, her hand coming to rest on her belly as she suddenly showed him just how tired she really was.

"Kell is worried about me. He says that I'm working far more than I used to. It's hard to simply put everything aside when so many people need different things from me. It's part of the reason that he wants Alex to come with us to Edinburgh after the baby is born. He's afraid that I'll work myself sick and he doesn't trust anyone else."

"Kell's right, as per usual," Boar told her with a small smile. "Yer workin' even harder. Somehow ye've managed t'speed up rather'n slowin' down. Y'keep longer hours an' y'insist on jus' as much trainin' as before no matter what. Somethin's gotta give, lass, an' it's either gonna be you when y'overdo it, 'r it's gonna be Kell when 'e finally calls in tha' power of his t'overrule you fer yer health's sake, an' ye'll hate 'im for it when it takes away all yer work."

"I know once the baby comes, no one will let me work much. I just want to get as much done as I possibly can right now. Maybe that's why he wants Alex in Edinburgh so much. He knows Alex will say no to me when I'm being too stubborn." Kate said with a small smile. "I know you all care about my well being and even more about the baby, but I need to figure things out for myself."

"As long as figurin' things out means y'don' end up collapsed on th'floor, I'm no' gonna bother ya, love. Tha's Kell's job. An' yer parents.'"

"And even if I did, I'm swearing you to secrecy." Kate said, smiling at her uncle as she finally stood from her spot and moved to his side to kiss his cheek. "I'm taking a nap. It's been a terribly long morning already."

"Sleep well, love. I migh' go 'ome an' do th'same myself." Boar kissed her cheek in return.

As training finished for the Axemen and Durban sent them off after a final reminder not to get too lazy over Christmas, and with the reduced patrol schedule, Yasmine was suddenly left with no assigned training for two days, and though she could join patrols if she wanted, she wasn't scheduled. Durban had seen fit to make sure her hand had plenty of time to recover, especially because he knew she wouldn't slack anyway.

Once she was done in the training grounds, several Axemen took off for lunch at Ria and Gerald's tavern, some stayed to continue practicing their weapon handling, some went to see if they could help out at the keep for the Christmas celebration, and those left wandered off to their own devices. She would catch sight of Alex as he appeared from the barracks to see to a young guardswoman who had a bad limp after falling from a spooked horse on patrol.

Durban came to find Yasmine and paused beside her, murmuring, "D'ya have some time, lass? There's somethin' I want t'see you try."

Yasmine was just preparing to tend to her swords when Durban appeared, asking if she had some spare time. "Always for you, captain."

She straightened her head scarf and followed after him, glancing towards the healer as he seemed to be making his rounds at the barracks. He looked just as serious as ever as he worked, not even sparing a glance towards anyone as he passed people by.

Durban brought Yasmine to the royal drake stables just outside the keep courtyard walls, pausing at the fence before the pasture. The stables were really huge, open barns, each of which housed ten drakes. As they didn't spend much time inside, they didn't need a huge amount of indoor space. The connected, massive pasture was surrounded by a fence that was really more a marker for their allowed boundaries than an actual deterrent at this point. If they really wanted to, any of them could climb or jump over, but the first thing they were taught was that this wasn't acceptable, and the older drakes would keep the more rebellious ones in check.

Durban opened up the gate to the pasture and welcomed Yasmine to follow, drakes off in the distance sprinting together in tight groups. Some of them would even jump and climb the fences just to get their energy out. When Durban and Yasmine entered, several near them paused and watched in curiosity as Durban walked over to one of the barns and rang a small bell near the door. Each bell on each barn was different, made to call specific groups at a time. It wasn't long before a handful of drakes came sprinting across the pasture, the rest of their barn-mates probably out with their riders and trainers. Raising a hand in a silent command, all five sat back on their haunches.

"Bahir," Durban called to the group, and a handsome sandy-tan drake with chestnut fur along his spine and a bearded chin, stepped forward. Durban took hold of one of his long, slightly-curved horns to bring his head down to Yasmine's level, a simple way to guide their heads similar to how one would lead a horse with a bridle. "This lad's from your neck o' the woods, I believe. After we got th'Greek drakes, some traders from th'Middle East came 'ere an' sold us a whole lot o' what they called 'sub-par' drakes fer pretty cheap, same price ye'd sell a lame horse for. Turns out, th' reason they're no' good enough fer those people is because they ain' pretty enough. They wanted t'breed drakes with glossy scales. All th'ones who were born with matte 'r rough scales got sold t'farmers 'r were abandoned til they 'eard people up 'ere like drakes too."

Bahir snorted softly as he looked at Yasmine, and he settled on his haunches once more when Durban let go. Tossing his head to get a bit of fur out of his eyes, he then tilted his head at her with a light rumble. His sharp, brown eyes told of a deep intelligence, understanding that his attention had been directed to Yasmine for a particular reason.

"I'd like ya t'try workin' with 'im," Durban told Yasmine. "Poor lad came 'ere with a broken leg. It's healed but 'e never got th' rehabilitation 'e needed so 'e's out o'shape an' it's really takin' a toll on 'im mentally, an' t'top it all off, I think 'e's blind in th'left eye. They practically gave 'im to us, sayin' all 'e was good fer was makin' glue an' pretty belts... But this lad works as 'ard as th'rest even though 'e can't jump properly 'r keep up with 'em. No one's had time t'get 'im back in shape, so I figure I can trust you. We 'ave a few other drakes tha' aren't one-'undred percent tha' I'm trustin' t'some other recruits an' young soldiers, but I definitely want t'get a few drake trainers and riders in with th'Axemen. I think yer perfect fer th'job."

"You're giving me a drake, sir?" Yasmine asked, a little stunned that he would give her something that was such a rare commodity.

She watched the drake closely as he seemed content to simply sit and listen to the both of them. "Do you understand me?" She asked the beast in her native tongue and when a bit of recognition flashed in his eyes, she grinned.

"I can certainly try my hardest, captain. He might never be a fighting beast again, but I can bring him back to some of his former glory."

"I think 'e's got th' potential t'fight if 'e can run properly, but I'm more concerned about makin' 'im happy again. If y'can train 'im t'defend 'imself an' 'is rider while yer at it, I'll consider 'im a fantastic success. We don' really know how t'properly train drakes yet, so we're lookin' t'let a lot o' responsible people try, and see who turns out well. Then we'll use th'best techniques in th'future."

Durban gave Bahir's nose a fond rub. "I'll be gettin' my own soon too. Brogan's apparently picked one out fer me an' my wife tha's used t'travelin' an' huntin' with humans. I might've picked this lad otherwise. He's got a good heart, but 'e's far too 'ard on 'imself when 'e can't keep up with th'others."

Durban pulled an envelope from his jacket and handed it to Yasmine. "Here's 'is papers. We're registerin' all the drakes so we can keep track o' the population an' know who belongs with who. I'll work out all th'official things for ya, an' y'can go talk t'David about a full set o' tack which th'treasury'll pay for as long as y'take good care o' Bahir. An' if you two make good partners, we'll make 'im solely yours. All th'unpaired drakes, on paper, belong t'the king. These documents say he's jointly yours an' Brogan's til further notice."

Durban let her take the envelope and smiled. "He has a home and food here paid for by the keep. If 'e becomes yours, he'll still 'ave a place 'ere an' we'll raise yer pay t'cover 'im, but it'd probably be a good idea if y'help 'im support 'imself by teachin' 'im how t'hunt. I'm sure 'e could do it down south jus' fine, but this is a real different environment."

"He'll be a good soldier. Don't you worry." Yasmine said with a grin like a spoiled little girl as she reached out to touch the drake's nose, rewarded with a rumble of contentment. "He'll be nice and strong by the end of his time with me."

"If 'e is, there won' have t'be an end," Durban chuckled at the smile on her face. "There's some spare tack in th'storage sheds if y'want t'take 'im out, see what 'e can do. Some of it can be a little complicated, jus' ask a stable groom t'show ya how t'put it all on." Durban left them there with a final pat to Bahir's shoulder.

The sandy drake was practically fixated on Yasmine, recognition in his eyes as he examined her. She was familiar. From her skin color to her head scarf, she was a reminder of his distant birthplace.

"Do you know of it, wasim?" Yasmine asked in a whispered voice, her fingers scratching under his chin as he rumbled and purred. "Let's get you groomed first. Then we'll ride."

She would trim up his fur to help him to see our of his good eye. Then she would give him a brush down and check his injured leg. He seemed docile enough and she was pleased that he had a good temperament.

Bahir bloomed under her attention and he was very well-mannered, polite even. While she trimmed the mane along his neck and the crest of his head, he ducked his head low for her and didn't fidget or shift, and he practically brushed himself, all she had to do was hold the thick curry brush.

He stood stock-still when she began examining his leg. The bone had been set correctly and was healed enough to take some weight, but it seemed that it'd been broken for a long time before receiving proper attention because the muscle mass was lacking compared to his other legs, and there was evidence of him having dragged the foot for a while at first, as evidenced by a patch of scales that was starting to grow back. The break had probably been caused by a substantial fall and landing on an uneven surface as was evident in a small scar near his hip.

Once she was done, Bahir scratched his bearded jaw with his agile clawed fingers, watching her for what she wanted to do next. He seemed all too glad for something new to do and someone new to work with. He had probably been lonely and even a bit outcast for being unable to keep up with the others.

"Sweet beast." Yasmine murmured as Bahir helped her with his own grooming.

He was incredibly handsome with his mane tamed, a little spark of life that hadn't been there before crept back into his eyes and she laughed, patting his strong neck gently.

"Let's go get you some tack. Maybe some salve for that raw skin on your scars." Yasmine murmured, whistling for him to follow her.

Bahir was right beside her, heeled like a proper working beast, traveling over the snow with a light step earned from having been bred to be able to walk over loose sand without making it give way too much, or sliding down steep dunes. When they reached a tack shed, an older groom came out to check Bahir's height, spine length, and how wide his chest was so that they could find something to fit him. Bahir had a barrel-chest which meant he was fit for sprinting and distance running, and he had a long body to accommodate a long saddle to allow his rider to lay across his back and reduce drag.

The groom brought out a large chest harness and a saddle that stretched from Bahir's shoulderblades to a tapered point above his hips, stationary stirrups and a saddlehorn-like bracing handle included. Two handles were built into the harness on either side of his chest so that a rider could hold on while laying flat, but there was also a sort of bridle that simply wrapped around the base of his maw with one loop behind his head and reins for precision guiding.

The groom gladly showed Yasmine how to buckle everything in place, and though it wasn't too different from a horse, there were more straps and the chest harness had to be adjusted tightly to keep the saddle completely immobile, but not so tight as to hurt Bahir. The bridle was simple and didn't need to be in any particular configuration like a horse's bit, and the saddle could carry large, long bags though Yasmine wouldn't need those just borrowing the tack for a run.

Once he'd adjusted the chest harness properly, the groom commented, "Once you get to know an individual drake well enough, you can teach them how to carry you bareback and they'll learn how to lean and catch you if you slip, though some of us like to keep at least the bridle for the sake of steering."

"We'll have to see how he moves first. I'm not so sure this beast had had a rider in a long time." Yasmine commented as she pulled herself in the saddle, buckling herself into the seat as she got settled.

It felt natural to sit there on the rumbling drake. He was ready for a run, but she would take it nice and easy with him to start with. She gave him a tap with the reigns, letting him take his own pace away from the stables.

Bahir took a moment to respond to the reins, likely more used to control by some other means, but he understood and set off at a little trot, his gaze turning toward an open area near the forest edge along the path to the Erygonian village. As he went, he picked up a bit of speed until he was trotting along at what, to a horse, would be a full-blown gallop. To such a quick creature as a drake, this was little more than a leisurely jog.

He still seemed to favor his hurt leg, but once he adjusted his stride, he went along at a fairly smooth lope. And once he got away from the road and into the snow-blanketed open field, he seemed quite comfortable.

Yasmine held on to the reigns tightly as Bahir stretched his legs, learning how to run again with his injured leg. He was doing beautifully as he turned towards the open field and plowed through the snow drifts as if they were nothing.

It wasn't much longer before Bahir suddenly began to slow down without warning, until he froze stock-still staring off toward a particular snow drift. There was a lanky hare grooming itself, half-hidden in the snow. Bahir watched it for a long moment, but he was trained well enough not to just dart off after a snack, even if he was terribly distracted.

"He's but a small snack." Yasmine murmured to the distracted drake. "You would have to go after bigger game if you wished to fill your belly. Let's keep going into the forest and see what there is there to feast upon."

Bahir finally tore his attention away and followed her lead, keeping low once they reached the trees so that she didn't have to worry too much about whipping branches. She could hear him begin to snuffle around, and occasionally he'd stop to inspect a tree that had an patch of missing bark from the previous autumn when the deer were rubbing their antlers to get the velvet off. He paid those signs little mind, but he was beginning to learn about the creatures of the region.

Yasmine let him explore his surroundings, learning things about the forest that he hadn't had the chance to experience yet. She soon unhooked herself and dropped to the ground, letting him walk a short distance away as she picked a few winter berries from a bush. Soon, she had an entire pouch filled to the brim with the berries and she turned back to Bahir who had come back to her side.

"In a pinch, these will do." She murmured, holding out a palm full of the berries to him.

Bahir's serpentine tongue flicked out to take just a couple of berries after sniffing at them and deciding they were alright. Apparently he enjoyed them, and he opened his maw and gingerly took a bunch from her hand. She could feel his sharp teeth touch her hand, but he was slow and delicate unlike a normal hungry beast. He'd either been well-trained or had received backlash for being too voracious in the past.

"I'll make sure to get you some in your meat every so often." Yasmine said with a grin towards the drake as he decided that he liked the berries. "And in the summer, I'll make sure that you have fresh blueberries. I'll spoil you, Bahir."