Chap. 263 A Much Better Name

Chap. 263 A Much Better Name

Ayden perused his slate. Most of the group had been assigned tasks. K’ndar began to get nervous. Had he not been selected because he would be doing something that even resembled haying?

Aydan slapped his head. “Numbskull!”

He scanned the diminished group.

“I’m such a dunce! I’m team leader now and so I’m needing a driver. Who here can drive a team?”

K’ndar raised his hand. He was surprised to be the only one.

“I can ride,” several said.

“Most of us can, yes, but I need someone who can drive. I see only K’ndar, so, K’ndar, if you would, please, drive today?”

“Of course! Anything has to be better than haying,” K’ndar said.

Secretly, he was delighted-and felt a twinge of guilt. Doing anything with horses...even mucking stalls...was much better than wrestling hay bales. The others might not be doing something so easy.

“Thank you. If you’ll stand fast, I’ll finish up doling out assignments, then I’ll take you to the barns.”

As the last of the group left on their assignments, Ayden beckoned to K’ndar.
“Ready? By the way, please don’t take offense, dragonrider, but...I’ve had people claim they can drive only to discover that they think it involves merely sitting on the bench with the reins. I had one person, a long time ago, who tried to put the horse into the traces backwards.”

“How in the world did he do that?”

“I don’t know, and scary to say, he almost succeeded! So...please, I’ll be watching how you harness the team.”

“I don’t mind. I’ve harnessed a horse or two in my life. Where will I be going?”

“Your task for the day is going from one station to the next, picking up cargo, like fruit bins, crates, barrels, and transporting them to various storage areas of the Hold.”

“Um...how will I know where to go and where to take it?”

Ayden smiled. “Worry not, dragonrider. Hazel will be your guide and navigator. What she doesn’t know about the Hold wouldn’t fill a nutshell.”

____________________________________________________________

The barn-half cavern and half wooden construction-was dim and cool after the bright heat outside.

The smell of hay and horses! I truly love it, he thought. Siskin, who’d spent the prior haying day on Raventh’s back, launched to hunt for crawlers.

“Don’t let ‘im hurt the cats,” Ayden warned.

“Yes, sir. He won’t, he ignores cats, dogs, and usually, birds. He mostly hunts tunnel snakes and crawlers.”

Ayden nodded. “We’ve not seen tunnel snakes here in a long while. We’ve got a resident night raptor who pretty much keeps the tunnel snakes under control. Crawlers, yes, they’re fairly harmless, although at times they’ll spook a horse by dropping onto his back.”

A horse whinnied. No matter how many times I’ve heard that, it still thrills me, he thought.

A woman of an incredibly advanced age came in, walking slowly, a cane in her hand. The cane, made of redtree, had at one time been ornately carved. But years and use had burnished the wood smooth. Her hair was snow white. She was, quite possibly, the oldest woman he’d ever met. Had she had come forward with the Old Timers?

Ayden bobbed his head. “Hazel, this is K’ndar, rider of brown Raventh. K’ndar is from Landing, here to help with harvest.”

Ayden’s tone was that of a subordinate to a noble. But he’d added no title indicating what that level might be. Nevertheless, instinct told K’ndar that treating Hazel as such was probably the wisest thing to do. Even if she was not nobility, just her age warranted respect.

He bobbed his head. She looked up at him and smiled. He was instantly reassured. There was a serenity, an inner peace in her rheumy eyes. Grandmothers looked at you like this. He half expected her to pat him on the cheek.

“My lady,” he said, “Pleased to meet you.”

“Thank you, laddie. It’s Hazel. Just plain old Hazel, like me, plain and old.” She tittered. “It is a pleasure, K’nmar. Are you my driver for today?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He took a risk. “And begging your pardon, ma’am, Hazel, it’s K’ndar.”

She laughed. “Thank you! So often people are afraid to correct me! I don’t know why, I’ve never bitten anyone. I’ve met so many people in my life, I begin to mix up names. I don’t want people to think I’m losing my mind, K’nmar!”

A calico cat trittrotted to her, mewing. She bent down carefully to pick it up. Cuddling it, she said, “Where have you been, Teak? Are you ready to go for a ride?”

Siskin had returned to his shoulder. The fire lizard looked at the cat and chipped, softly.

“Your little dragon, K’nmar? It won’t hurt my cat, will it? She likes to ride with me on the wagon.” Hazel said. The calico looked at the fire lizard. K’ndar felt no reaction from Siskin.

“He won’t hurt your cat, ma’am, I promise. He’s very well behaved. He might feel a bit of jealousy, though. Cats and fire lizards are alike in that they think we humans are here to serve them.”

She laughed. “Ah, K’nmar, you are correct. Teak here is convinced that my lap was created solely for her to sleep in.”

Ayden moved quickly behind her and locked his eyes on K’ndar’s. They clearly said, one correction is enough.

The cat wriggled and Hazel deposited the cat gently on the ground.

He met Ayden’s eyes and nodded. Message received.

A horse whinnied, this time with more urgency.

“Hazel, will you need a slate of the stations?” Ayden asked. He had just the slightest bit of anxiety in his tone.

Her eyes pierced his. “Ayden. No. I’ve done this a time or two.”

“Yes’m, you have. Quite possibly longer than I’ve been alive.”

He put the slate down and brushed his hands. “Right then. K’ndar, let’s get the team ready. Your wagon is that one on your right, next to the wall. That pen on the right with the bay mare? She’s your left horse, the liver chestnut gelding in the pen just beyond hers, he’s your right. If he thinks you’re a novice at harnessing, he’ll test you. But once he’s in the traces, he’s honest and solid. Do him up first, and unharness him first. He demands that.”

“Does he need tying?”

“Once he’s harnessed? Nay. He knows the harness means it’s work time. Put him in the traces and he’ll stand all day. Once you get the mare in, though, he’ll be snorting to go. That’s the hardest part of handling him, he’ll wear himself out if you don’t rate him. The mare is the steady one.”

He let himself into the gelding’s pen, a halter in his left hand. The horse raised its head high, the left eye rolling at this stranger.

“Whoa, son, there’s a good lad. My, but you’re a big ‘un.” He pressed gently on the point of the horse’s shoulder and the gelding dropped his head. K’ndar quickly haltered him.

He leaned to the left, keeping his body and head on the side of that of the gelding, and gently breathed into the left nostril. The horse responded by whuffing back. They spent several moments introducing themselves. His right hand reached for the withers and began to scratch. The gelding turned his head towards K’ndar. He instinctively put up his left elbow to keep from being bitten or shoved. But the gelding only wanted to reciprocate, as is done in all polite equine society.

“That’s okay, there’s a good boy. I don’t need grooming,” he said, pushing the horse’s head back.

Without looking back, he said, “Ayden? What’s his name?”

“Ace. He was won with a pair of aces in a dragon poker game, and the owner didn’t have the money to pay his gambling bet! Honestly, he’s worth more than any bit of money. He’s a good horse.”

“My compliments to your Herdmaster. All your horses are in beautiful condition.”

“I’ll pass that on,” Ayden said.

The bay mare whinnied and began to paw.

Ace, realizing K’ndar was a horseman, gave him no trouble being harnessed.

Once Ayden saw that K’ndar was every bit the horseman, he relaxed. He joined Hazel, who had magically produced bits of carrot. She fed a few to Ace.

“Now for the mare.”

The mare whinnied as he approached. She tossed her head and pawed.

“Don’t know what’s gotten into her,” Ayden said, troubled, “she’s usually very quiet”.

He let himself into the pen. “Oh, I do. She wants some carrot. And my undivided attention.”

“Here,” Hazel said, handing him a piece of carrot.

Oh, this was going to be good, he thought. If it works. He took the carrot with his left hand.

The mare nickered deep in her throat. He breathed into her nostrils and began to scratch her withers.

She stretched her head and curled her lip.

“Hello, Kitten, how are you? You’re looking wonderful!”

She snuffed at his pockets.

“Ah, you want carrot?” She tossed her head.

He moved in front of her, his hands behind his back.

He looked the mare in the eye.

“You want carrot, yes? Oh, I know you do. Yes. But you have to tell me which hand it’s in.”

The mare swished her tail, uncertain.

Would she remember?

Hazel and Ayden, behind him, were mystified.

“Where’s the carrot? Which hand?”

The mare was hesitant. She was thinking.

“Carrot? Where’s the carrot?”

The mare tossed her head and lifted her left foreleg. She shook it up and down.

“Well DONE, girl! What a smart horse!!” he cried, as he fed her the carrot. She munched, happily.

“How..I’ll be smoked. You know this mare?” Ayden said, astonished.

K’ndar laughed. He curled his right arm under her jaw and scratched the base of her ear on the opposite side. He used to call it an upside down hug. The mare pressed her head down onto his arm, just enough.

Oh, it was always so satisfying, to impress others with such a simple trick.

“Know her? I was in her dam’s pen the night she was foaled. I named her Kitten for the star on her forehead. She must be, oh, ten? Twelve now? We bred her. My cothold breeds draft horses for sale, and as tithes for Lord Dorn. She was tithed as a two year old. We broke and trained her to ride and drive, and I taught her some tricks. I taught ALL our horses tricks. So, yes, I’d say I know her.”

Huh huh huh, she nickered. He scrubbed the namesake star on her forehead.

“There’s a girl. I love you, too,” he said, softly. She whuffled the hair on the top of his head.

Ayden gaped. “I’ve insulted you, then, K’ndar, I apologize. You probably know more about handling horses than I do. I’ve always been just a farmer who knows how to drive.”

“And I’m just a dragonrider who, now, knows how to put up hay. No apologies needed, Ayden.”

Hazel said, “We’ve been calling her Cat Face all this time. But I like Kitten better. It suits her personality.”

“I agree. It’s decided!” Ayden said, “I’ll advise the Herdmaster that from now on, her name is Kitten.”