Hot n Humid - Issorartuyok Endurance Trials Day 2

Tana
The mixture did smell quite a bit but Tana paid it little mind as she quite firmly massaged it onto the man's arms and chest. The little fat she had used came from cooking it together with the juice from another plant together. To this she had put in the mixture of insect repellent plants, and the oily mixture made it possible for her to smear it out on the man's skin and not have to wrap the mixture in place for it to work. Whatever flies that would have been attracted to the fatty oily scent avoided it due to the other much stronger scent of the plants. It would also help calm the rash. She had seen enough of his itching for to leave it alone. Satisfied she had rubbed it all in she more gently patted his cheeks. It didn't hurt that he got some there to. He made a face that to her made him look like a baby. It didn't smell THAT bad.

“There...” she gave him a smile. Like most men there had been a bit of huff and puff about the matter but she was sure she saw a small glimpse of relief in his eyes. “This will only last til the evening I think...then I must make more if the insects are troubling us still. It won't taste good but I think I will make a tea from some other plants as well...then our breaths will have a smell that they don't like either. My mother said it went out in the skin too if you drank it, even if it wouldn't be as strong but I don't know how it could go from your stomach to your skin, but my mother was a great medicine woman, and her mother before that. If she said it was so, it was.”

She had made a necklace of sorts that was covered with the smear and that she had tied around both Octavias and Tulrujuq’s necks. Hopefully that would help them with the insects as well. Tulrujuq hadn't looked that convinced but had at least left it alone.

Dan
The muscles around his edgy chin were visibly working because of how hard he was clenching his teeth. But he allowed himself no other statement about his feelings. Part of it was for sure Tana rubbing in a smelly paste that would work in the end, but right now burned in both the already scratched open mosquito bites as well as the sun burn he managed to acquire during his prolonged stay in the swamp. This particular stay was the major reason for his bad mood as well. Even though he felt a bit betrayed by the extended marked female, he couldn’t wholeheartedly blame Octavia. He should have known that she wasn’t ready for such tricky terrain, not on a hot day with lots of buzzing and biting insects in the air, not alone without an older Tokota - or any Tokota at all - for guidance or at least as some kind of calm anchor point.

The only one to blame was him.

Even though he knew it still the young man didn’t like the fact and therefore preferred to stay in his bad mood for a while. After all he had the right to be grumpy as well.

He made a face when Tana put some of the stinky stuff in his face, not smiling back at her. He wasn’t quite ready to move on just yet.

After they had mounted again and ridden for a while, Dan’s chest heaved with a big sigh, then he shook his head and smiled at Tana. “I’m sorry for my behaviour, sometimes I just need a bit. Thanks for respecting that. Maybe we should ride a while longer in the night, both to catch up in time and avoid the insects for a while. If we make up some time we can rest during the hottest hours tomorrow.” He patted Octavia’s neck, knowing that he had a bit of brushing to do after they set up their night camp. Good thing it was her and not the long mane that got stuck in the mud.

Tana
The woman raised a brow as the man spoke but she did return his smile. She had been lost in her own thoughts as they rode. The sun was slowly setting and the air was slowly cooling down. It was still hot but not as hot as it had been. Still the woods grew thicker, but more and more they closed in on the open lands, where she felt more at home. It wasn't quite the tundra, but the open grasslands was pretty close. It was still ways to go. Perhaps tomorrow. “That sounds good to me Dan, and don't worry... It will take more than...” she halted herself, smiled to herself as she remembered the faces he had done “...than that to make my own mood change... Bad spirits will always try and make you feel bad, make you do the wrong choice, make you sick... I try and take a look around...to see what I have that is good... No matter what there is always something, even if it's small... Things don't become better if your mood is sour like the ants bottom.”

Tulrujuq shook, possibly to spook away some insects that buzzed around her ears, it made her mane that wasn't braided to come uneven. Tana put it back in place and her thoughts drifted a little as she felt the soft mane under her fingers. Glancing to the side she noted Dan patting the tawnys mane as well. It would be easier to remove the mud when it was all dry, if it would dry in this humid air.

Dan
The young man nodded, as he felt words were not needed at this point. Of course he knew that, but sometimes one just had to be grumpy for a while. A short time to let out all the harsh feelings so he could reemerge somewhat cleansed of the previous events.

They rode in silence, both listening to the awaking sounds of dusk around them while their path turned west. Out of the swamps it winded into a dense forest, which would later open up to grassy planes. Some of the forest and most of the planes were scheduled for the second day of the race, so they had a bit of catching up to do. Luckily the moon spent enough light to ride on for a while, and only when clouds began to race in well after midnight they made their camp. Dan quickly brushed the dried mud out of the female’s fur. Some parts were still too sticky, having not dried completely in the humid air. But most of it was out and the Tokota felt better.

They got up at the beginning of dawn. Only a few hours of sleep behind them, Dan’s face looked worn and his arms still showed a mixture of insect bites and sunburn. But it had gotten a lot better with Tana’s treatment. Even though the young man was still tired, his hands worked quickly while they prepared a small cold meal, packed their camp and tacked up their mounts. Better ride now and sleep some during midday and afternoon, when the heat reached its peak.

“Thanks a lot for that tonic by the way, the bites itch a lot less than yesterday and my skin doesn’t feel as burned as before. What was in it? It kinda reminds me of the smell of modern bug sprays, but without the chemical stinking component.” He asked the timewalker while they began the second day of the race.

Tana
It many plants she knew, some had she learned the english name for, but most of the time she called them by the name her mother had taught her, but she described them as well as she could for the man. She also told him how to make the mixture - one could never know if he would need that knowledge someday. She wasn't sure however what the young man had meant with ‘chemical’ but it couldn't been something good when he talked about it like he did. More than likely it was something from the new world she still knew so little about. There would come a point where she would be forced there in some way. She felt it in every fibre of her body.

Tulrujuq panted as she laid in the darkest shadow she had been able to find. Even if it was early and it wasn't as hot as it was going to be the amount of fur the female long mane had made it troublesome. The weather was more humid than it had been the day before. It was hot but not a kind of heat that made you sweat the same way, but it still made her skin sticky. Tana did what she could for her tokota, braiding the mane here and there, being careful to do them loose so the braids wouldn't tug and cause discomfort. She smeared more of the insect repellant on both her Tulrujuq and Octavia just in case.

She gave Octavia one last pet after putting it on. The tawny female was panting too but did not seem as affected as her own tokota, at least not at the moment. They would have to find some source of water soon to refill their waterskins. Dan yawned and Tana amused herself with thinking on how many times he had done that since they got up but she was tired too. Hopefully they would find a good spot to make camp, they were almost out on the woods now. Now this camp was taken down and by the looks of it Dan was ready to put the saddle on Octavia along with the rest of his belongings. A low whistle as she called on Tulrujuq. The female obeyed the command but she didn't look so happy. Tana praised her as she put the saddle in place and bent to catch the girth. It was part of a valuable training to not be out in ‘perfect’ conditions. Not everything you learned came to you easy. She had learned the more the spirits tested you...the sweater would the reward feel.


Dan
The young man followed Tana’s explanations as concentrated as his tired mind was able to, while the soft swinging of Octavia’s gait tried to lull him even deeper into sleepiness. Some of the plants he knew, others he wasn’t sure. But the race was still another two days ongoing, he’d ask the timewalker girl again when the next portion needed to be done. Maybe he could help her make it. His hands seemed to remember things way better than his ears and mind.

The extended marked seemed not to be affected by her previous adventure in the swamp. She was trotting eagerly, not showing any obvious signs of tiredness or exhaustion. Even though he still wasn’t too happy about the accident yesterday Dan couldn’t help but being proud of Octavia. She had made so much progress in such a short time. He petted the dark mane on her neck.

The sun got higher and shortly before midday they reached the forests border. Behind the last scattered lines of trees there was only grass. The two racers had reached the plains. There were still clouds hanging in the air, making it humid and hot at the same time. They rested for a while, enjoying a nap in the shade of the last big tree around. After another quick, cold snack they mounted their beasts again, riding onto the far stretching grass plains. Half of the race was over and they hadn’t seen another participant yet - good or bad sign Dan wondered.