Behind The Veil

[Talisa Shaw]

”Calm down, we’re almost there. You’ll get to ride the horses soon.” She had no idea when Jeanette had gotten interested in horse riding, but apparently she scored a free riding session for her and a friend and she just had to drag the theurge along with her. She supposed it wouldn’t be too bad. Plenty of time hanging out with her girlfriend, fresh air, all that good stuff.

They strolled towards the farm, both of them with carrots in their pocket. Apparently this would make the horses warm up to them, and considering how animals usually reacted around Garou Talisa would need all the carrots she could carry. ”Don’t worry, it’s going to be great. And you can tell ghost stories and we can look at the sights. It’ll be fun.” Somehow she had the feeling that this was one of those things that she might disagree with Jeanette on.

”Alright, all we need to do is just meet up with Tamara and get our saddles ready. I already called so they know we’re coming.” ”Great. I swear the horses aren’t going to like me. They’re just going to take my carrots and bolt. Or strand me in the middle of nowhere.” ”Oh you worry too much…”

[Tamara Whitefeather]

Tamara bent over Logan's bed, checking his temperature with the back of her hand. The boy's fever had gone down considerably since the morning, when he'd woken up screaming and sick. Water and soup had been the solution, his mother watching to be certain he wasn't in too much danger. The fever had never reached the level that would require a doctor, just enough to give them a little scare before a children's Motrin and being confined to bed began to ease it. She didn't want to cancel her appointment of the day, something Andrew agreed with on seeing who she'd booked. The morning trail ride had been a short one, and now her husband was busy keeping Montana occupied while Tamara looked in on Logan.

When she was sure he was back to sleep and resting, she emerged from his room and moved straight in to the shower, cleaning herself up so she wouldn't potentially transfer his illness to her clients. Though it was a childhood flu and they were likely already immune, she didn't want to take any chances. After her shower, she tied back her hair and got dressed, choosing slightly more rugged trail clothes and a good sunblocking hat. She exited the house just as the two Furies approached up the drive, immediately calling on the ancestors' vision to get a look at both of them.

It wasn't very surprising that both immediately appeared to be among the lost ones. She'd already known that Jeanette was and that it was something between them that made her that way. She raised a hand in greeting, putting on a smile as her path curved towards the fence. Sure enough, Swallow started to meander over, eager for something to do with her day. "Hello," she called to the women, reaching across the fencing to pet Swallow's nose. "The trails look good today, I'm glad you came!"

[Talisa Shaw]

Jeanette beamed as Talisa followed, the older Fury waving back to the tour guide and possible new friend. ”It wasn’t a problem.” As she got closer she turned to introduce the red head to the guide. ”Talisa, this is Tamara. Tam, this is Talisa.” The Theurge offered a hand, looking over the guide from under her cowboy hat. She was wearing a new set of boots, black jeans and a green shirt. Her girlfriend wore a faded pair of blue jeans with a blue shirt and boots.

”It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She looked over at the horses and wondered how they would react to her. Most animals tended to shy away from the Garou; the rage inside them let them know a predator was in their mist. While her rage was less than say, Lloyd’s, she still worried that whatever horse she ended up riding would freak out. That’s why she brought plenty of carrots; maybe if she bribed them enough they would overlook her true nature.

”I brought plenty of carrots to keep Eagle happy.” The brunette smiled as she looked around for the horse she had ridden last time. Talisa took the moment to look around the area, taking note of anything out of the ordinary. She was glad to have a chance to relax and all, but apart of her felt exposed out here. Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, she waited for the older woman to give them instructions.

[Tamara Whitefeather]

"Tamara Whitefeather." She held out her hand to the redhead, still smiling welcomingly. Behind her, Sparrow stopped just short of the fence, her front hooves working the ground for a moment before she snorted and cantered away. Tamara glanced at the horse, noting the reaction, then turned back to the girls. "That's good. Get ready to be mugged, he's been fussy since I told him you were coming. Do you think you can catch him by yourself?"

The Redeemer put one boot up on the railing of the paddock, nodding to Talisa to join her. "We're going to catch your horse together. Hop the fence, we're going to catch that bay over there," she said, indicating a ruddy brown horse watching them warily a short distance away. "Her name's Seagull. She's the horse we use for most of the really green riders around here. Your girlfriend mentioned you'd never ridden before."

As Tamara explained the finer points of catching Seagull to Talisa, Eagle finally took notice of the new arrivals. His ears pricked and he raised his head, pacing quickly towards the fence. He walked up alongside Jeanette, snorting and nickering. The horse stretched his neck over the fence to sniff at her pockets, wobbling his lips in an equine attempt to 'beg'.

[Talisa Shaw]

Jean smiled when she heard that Eagle had been excited for her to arrive. ”Don’t worry, I have a feeling I can catch Eagle by myself. Although I think he’s more likely to come to me.” Sure enough as she searched the horses for her ride she spotted him heading over to her, sticking his head over to sniff her pocket. ”Awww, you poor thing.” She patted his nose with one hand as she took out the carrot and offered it to him with the other.

Talisa meanwhile payed close attention to Tamara’s instructions, keeping an eye on the horse she was going to ride today. That she was good with new riders was a relief, but she was stilled worried about the effect of her rage on the animals. ”Yeah, I’ve never really gotten around to it. The only thing I know how to ride is a bike.” And Jeanette, but she doesn’t need to hear that…

[Tamara Whitefeather]

If ever there was a horse capable of giving 'puppydog eyes' it was Eagle, who batted his eyes at Jeanette before plucking the treat out of her hand and holding it high overhead. He tossed his head for a moment, then chewed away at the carrot, flicking his tail and nickering contentedly. As the other two women moved off towards Seagull, he put himself between them and Jeanette, his ears pricked fully forward, his nostrils frequently flaring. Not until they'd gotten a good distance away did the gelding turn and start walking towards the barn, entirely of his own volition.

Tamara watched Seagull's feet in particular as they approached, noting that the horse backed away from the approaching Garou. She held out a hand to the mare, watching the old girl for bared teeth or rolling eyes, but neither seemed likely just yet. "Here, it's okay Gull. Nothing's wrong, just another rider." She didn't need the confirmation-the ancestors' vision had already told her that something actually was wrong with the redhead-but the old mare was reliable in case she'd been tricked. Seagull might allow the woman on her back, but if she needed to, she could also lay this greenhorn right out.

The guide gave no indication of her line of thought as she continued talking and murmuring to the horse, slipping the bridle on easily and stroking Seagull's neck and shoulder to calm her down. Seagull accepted the attention as Tamara handed the reins to Talisa and pointed her in the proper direction to walk the horse so they could saddle up. Just as Tamara moved to lead the way, Sparrow approached, huffing at her rider before interspersing herself between Tamara and Talisa. With a sigh, Tamara patted the horse's neck and leaned on her, scratching an itch on the loyal animal's shoulder. "I know," she spoke in Sioux. "Shhh."

[Talisa Shaw]

Jeanette giggled as Eagle gave her his best “feed me” look before letting him snatch the carrot out of her hand. Like last time he held his trophy high above the ground before he started munching on it. She noticed the change in his behaviour, but didn’t put two and two together and figure out that he was reacting to the Garou’s presence. As explicitly as he started acting up the horse started walking towards the barn by his own. Confused by this, the kinfolk walked along side him. ”Good…horse Eagle.” she said awkwardly as she reached over the fence to pet her chosen ride.

Meanwhile Talisa looked on as the horse picked for her backed away slightly from her presence. She was used to this by now; she couldn’t go into pet stores with Jeanette without freaking out everything in it. She just hoped that she could go on a horse ride without ruining the day for her kin. She watched as the guide gave some words of encouragement to the horse.

She took the reigns without comment, nodding when she was pointed in the right direction. As she started to follow the guide she noticed that the guide’s horse moved in-between her rider and the Theurge. Great, these horses think I’m going to kill their owner. Perfect.

[Tamara Whitefeather]

Tamara clicked her tongue and Sparrow immediately followed after her, the mare still careful to keep herself between Talisa and Tamara. Unlike Seagull, who walked slowly along behind the redhead, Sparrow frequently tossed her mane or flicked her tail. Tamara reached out to rest a hand on the horse's shoulder, trying to ease her mind a little. The animals' reaction to Talisa was interesting, especially since Eagle and Sparrow had seemed so relaxed around Jeanette. As they reached the barn, Tamara started to mull that over.

"Jeanette, do you remember where the tackroom is?" she called to the other woman as she entered the barn, Sparrow still following after her. Seagull stopped outside, turning to take a bite out of a fresh bale of clover. "Eagle's tack is on the same rack as last time." The native american woman ducked into the tackroom and returned with a saddle and blankets for Seagull, carrying them out and setting them down on the fence near Talisa. "Alright, drop the reins, she'll stay put, and we'll get this saddle on her."

As they reached the barn, Eagle turned away from Jeanette and plodded towards Seagull, shaking his mane and squealing at her. Seagull snorted, continuing to munch away on the clover as the gelding approached. The larger horse bent his head and took a bite, his tail flicking at some flies. Tamara sighed as Eagle took up the space between the women and Seagull, shaking her head. They definitely didn't like this new person one bit. She took Eagle's guide rope and started to drag him out of the way. It was likely that this Talisa woman was simply further from her home and that distance had twisted her more than her friend. She was the originator of the corruption, clearly, but could she be cured? Jeanette seemed like a more likely candidate.

Eagle was stubborn, though once he noticed that he was being lead back towards Jeanette, he stopped being so reluctant. Flaring his nostrils, he shook out his mane again and squealed, then advanced towards her and started inspecting her pockets again. "Don't worry about all that noise. It's friendly," Tamara called back, gesturing Talisa towards the blankets. "Here, lets get her ready."

[Jeanette Fisher]

The kinfolk nodded as she was told that Eagle’s tack was where it was last time. She led the horse to the tackleroom, repeating the same motions as last time. Her girlfriend on the other hand was struggling with frustration as her horse seemed less inclined to follow her with every passing moment. At the very least she was relieved that her chosen horse for the day had followed her thus far, and dropped her reins when and where the guide told her to.

Both Furies were dismayed at the fact that Eagle was distrustful of the Garou, going so far as to interject itself between the Theurge and her horse. Talisa sighed as she watched the older woman take Eagle by the reigns and drag her towards Jeanette. She was starting to regret coming along if all she was going to do was ruin Jean’s day, and pulled the carrot out of her pocket and offered it to the horse. Maybe if she bribed the horse it would be nicer to her.

Jeanette meanwhile shook her head and grabbed everything she needed to ride the horse, laughing as Eagle started sniffing her pockets again. ”The other carrot can wait until we put the saddle on you.” Truth be told though; with her hands full she couldn’t stop the horse from stealing the carrot if he really wanted it.

[Tamara Whitefeather]

Though he tried, Eagle's dextrous lips were no match for the depths of Jeanette's pockets. All he accomplished was wiping an awful lot of horse-snot on the front of the young woman's jeans, as well as managing to scratch his face on her shoulder for a few seconds. He stood still while she tacked him up, the picture of patience. When she was finished checking over his hooves and tying his bellyband, he meandered towards the water for a drink, idly mouthing his bit. In spite of the predator among them, Eagle seemed content for the moment.

Sparrow and Seagull, meanwhile, were proving to be a little more antsy. Tamara's horse fidgeted as she demonstrated how to tack up, and Seagull tried to kick while she was being saddled. Tamara's correction was a quick tap on the horse's backside, which seemed to distract Seagull from her protest. Though they took slightly longer to finish, eventually both horses were securely tacked up and had started to settle down again.

"Go ahead and get up there, Jean," Tamara called over her shoulder, taking Talisa's hand and setting it on the horn of the saddle, then positioning the other on the cantle. "Grab there and there, put your left foot in the stirrup, then push down with the left while swinging your right foot over her back," she explained to the Garou, getting a good, tight grip on Seagull's lead rope. "As soon as you're ready." Seagull raised her head and looked back at Talisa, blinking as she observed her potential rider's attempt to get into the saddle.

[Talisa Shaw]

Jeanette giggled as the horse tried and failed to steal the carrot hidden in her pocket. She had prepared well for this as she felt Eagle scratch his nose using his shoulder. She patted the back of his neck before looking him over. The horse decided now was as good a time as any and headed over to get a drink, leaving Jean to just smile and shake her head at the horse.

Talisa meanwhile was having a difficult time following everything. It was hard to focus on the guide when both horses were protesting being saddled in the Furies’ presence. But sure enough Tamara managed to get the saddle onto Seagull and her own horse. The theurge made a mental note not to give the horse reason to throw her off the saddle.

Jean quickly got on Eagle’s back and pulled the carrot out of her pocket, holding onto the reins in one hand while extending her other arm far enough for the horse to reach the tasty vegetable. Talisa meanwhile struggled to get up on her horse, taking a few tries before finally getting up on the saddled and balancing herself. ”Okay, that wasn’t too bad…”

[Tamara Whitefeather]

A less green rider would have noticed the signs of Seagull's mischief as the horse made Talisa's attempts to mount up more difficult. The mare shifted her weight, stepped to the side, stamped her feet, essentially doing everything she could short of biting, kicking and bucking to give Talisa a hard time. Tamara made an exasperated noise with every fidget, finally giving Seagull's lead rope a well-timed tug to distract her as Talisa saddled up. Once that was accomplished, Tamara set the reins in Talisa's hands, then swung up onto Sparrow.

She spared a look back towards the house as she nudged Sparrow forward, seeing no sign of her husband or children outside. That was good. He was doing as she'd asked. She didn't want to risk another monster threatening her children. Turning away, she guided Sparrow out in front of ther other two riders. "We're going to do a quick driving lesson," she said, gesturing with her reins. "Jeanette's been through this once already, but a refresher's always a good start."

Pressing her heels into Sparrow's sides, she clicked her tongue. Obediently, the horse moved forward, though not as easily as she usually did-the mare was still very clearly keeping an eye on Talisa. "That's what you do to tell the horse you need to move forward," Tamara instructed, twitching the reins a little to bring Sparrow's attention back to her. They were definitely not going too far into the canyon today-if the horses were reacting this way in their own home, this young woman was possibly too dangerous to risk being so far from help.

[Talisa Shaw]

To say she got the feeling these animals hated her would be an understatement, as Talisa struggled to get on the horse. At first she thought it might have been because of her inexperience, but she saw how easily Jeanette mounted her horse and concluded the horse didn’t want the Garou to ride her. But eventually she managed to get into position and hold onto the reigns, victory hers at last.

Soon enough all three women were up on there horses and waiting for the guide’s instruction. Jeanette was already comfortably on Eagle and ready to head out, while her theurge lover was still learning the basics. Thankfully Tamara was there to ease the Garou through the process, and Talisa did her best not to do anything until told to. ”I’m sure a refresher can’t hurt.”

Both girls watched as the guide explained how to move forward, Talisa nodding and getting her mouth ready to get the horse moving. Jeanette just smiled and clicked her tongue, hoping Eagle would show the Fury’s horse how it was done. Talisa for her credit waited until she was sure that if the horse ran full blast she wouldn’t hit the others and clicked her tongue, holding onto the reigns like she was afraid she was about to be sent flying.

[Tamara Whitefeather]

Eagle moved obediently forward for Jeanette, pricking his ears and swatting a horsefly away from them with his tail. The gelding was practically showing off his affinity for the kinswoman, following her every request to a T. He didn't fidget or paw, just stood casually waiting for her next command. As he proved himself the model riding horse, it seemed Seagull was intent on showing off the antithesis.

Tamara moved Sparrow in front of Seagull, cutting off the horse just as she stretched out her neck and whinnied to declare her intention to bolt. Seagull, just gearing up to charge across the field, retreated from the dominant mare with a harsh snort. Her prior plan sabotaged, she walked forward, picking her way as though she was afraid of stepping on something sharp. Tamara fixed the horse with a look, then chuckled and shook her head. "You're being a brat, Gull," she murmured to the horse, sponging her reins and backing Sparrow away.

She continued the lesson, showing them how to reverse and advance, turn, speed up and slow down. Seagull maintained her initial attitude for several minutes before finally acquiescing to Talisa's commands. By the time their lesson was over, the horse had calmed down enough to be obedient. She was still a touch skittish, but Tamara was quick to reassure the two women that this was the animal's nature.

Once Seagull was calmed and everyone knew the basics, Tamara lead the way towards the high trail, one that would take them over an open section of land. There were few obstacles along that trail, and if Seagull decided to take off, she'd be easy to follow and easy to bring back. Hopefully the precaution wouldn't be necessary, though Tamara wasn't quite that optimistic.

[Jeanette Fisher]

While the kinfolk was having little difficult with her horse, Talisa wondered if this day was going to end with her falling on her ass and her horse galloping away into the sunset. She already felt awkward on the back of this beast of burden, and was perfectly willing to call it a day and head home. It was only Jeanette’s enthusiasm that kept her on the horses back, as she tried to get Seagull to play nice.

The training session was a breeze for Jeanette and frustrating for Talisa. The horse played the stubborn card for awhile, but in the end she started acting normal, allowing Talisa the chance to ride around for awhile without suffering any major difficulties. Starting to feel a little bit relieved and enjoying the moment, she actually started to look forward to the horse ride.

Both girls followed Tamara as she led them towards the start of the fight, smiling at each other and the Garou trying her best cowgirl impersonation that sent the kinfolk into a fit of giggles. Both girls returned their attention to the guide, with Jeanette looking forward to some more story-sharing with the older woman.