87th of Searing, 105
It was a special day. Sure, the hottest part of his favorite season had passed, but Cojack and Liu had one of their days where neither of them worked. Such days were rare, as the overseers rarely granted a reprieve. But what was even rarer was when the two could be off work together. Arkash could count on his claws the number of times such a thing had happened.
Unfortunately, Arkash was tired. They'd ran out of firewood the day before and didn't have time to find more to keep the fire burning. So, Arkash had to bear the cold. Granted, he was allowed to sleep with Liu and Cojack for the night, but siphoning their body heat alone wasn't enough to keep him fully operational.
So, Cojack carried him. The small lizard was tucked into the horse's coat; a garment he rarely used. But, the small family was desperate; Arkash couldn't be left home alone in the cold, and his legs were too short for them to quickly make it to the woods and back with him on foot. It had been almost half a day since the fire had died, and it was obviously wearing on the young rath.
They ventured beyond the walls, and proceeded to the woods across the rolling flowery Rien fields. Arkash hadn't been outside the walls before; he hadn't seen so much green. But his joints hurt in tandem with his head. As pretty as all the greens and reds were, Arkash just wanted to sleep away from the chatter of the streets in lower Nivenhain. Amidst nature, and in the warmth of Cojack's coat, he had that opportunity. Only, a jostling hand disturbed his approaching slumber.
"No sleeping, Arkash," warned his father. The lizard loosed a hiss of distress. Why wouldn't they let him sleep? He wasn't that cold, he was just tired.
In truth, both Cojack and Liu had agreed to not allow the boy to sleep in fear of him entering hibernation. So, the mission became to not only obtain firewood but keep the boy awake in tandem.
Before long, the three arrived in the woods. Liu and Cojack began to converse, but Arkash barely listened at all. While they were distracted, he could perhaps take the opportunity to nap? No. Before the sweet release of sleep could claim him, the buttons that sealed Cojack's coat were undone, and the lizard was let free. All the warmth of the air that surrounded him was gone, and he was left in the low-temperate air. Still, to an ectothermic rath so young, even that felt too cold, and he tried to hug tighter to Cojack's chest. Even that was taken from him, however, as Cojack pried him from the comfort of his hiding place. In moments, Arkash was placed on the floor, arms wrapped around himself in an effort to preserve the warmth he retained.
Cojack knelt before the lizard and held his shoulder to steady the boy's gaze. "Alright, Ark. Mommy's gonna get some firewood real quick and get a fire going. In the meantime, we're gonna keep you warm, loose, and aware, okay?"
Arkash merely stared at his father, unsure. What did that mean? Why couldn't he return to the warmth? Despite his confusion, he gave an uncertain nod. "Alright, dad."
Another hand pat atop his head and forced a blink with each contact. "I won't be too long, okay, Ark? Just hang in there." it was Liu's voice, Arkash turned to look at her while she held their ax. Liu, the tall grey wolf, was plenty strong. Arkash didn't doubt that she'd fell some trees with ease. So, he bowed his head again; he entirely trusted in her promise.
As Liu departed, and Arkash was left to Cojack's devices, the horse spoke up. "Right, we're gonna do some stretches. These'll keep you loose and warmed up." Stretches? Arkash lifted his hands overhead and pushed toward the sky, which in turn pulled the muscles in his back in a way that Arkash found to be pleasant. "No, not like that..."
Arkash paused, dropped his arms weakly, and looked to his father. What did he mean? "Why not? Isn't it a stretch?"
"Well, yes but..." Started cojack with a scratch of his fingernails to his chin. "There's two types of stretches; static and dynamic; still and moving," he simplified. "What you just did was a static stretch, a still one."
"...What's the difference?" Quizzed the lizard.
Cojack drew a deep breath through his nostrils. Arkash was at the age where he questioned everything, had been for some time. He was a curious boy, and in a way, it made Cojack proud. At other times, it was exhausting. "Well, you do a static, still stretch after exercising; it releases the tension in your muscles and makes it easier for your body to recover. Dynamic, moving stretches, loosen up the muscle so you can avoid hurting yourself when you exercise."
Arkash stared at the horse while he explained. What Cojack was saying made sense, but... "How?"
Cojack sighed. "I don't know, Arkash, it just does."
"Does Mommy know?"
"I don't think so," spoke the horse, who stood and promptly popped the trapped air in the joints of his neck. Arkash mimicked his father and tilted his head in a similar fashion. "Alright, so first," Cojack started as he turned to the side and lifted his leg in a high kick that brought his hoof to touch his hand. Arkash stared in surprise, as he'd felt the air shift around the weight of the kick. Cojack was truly strong! "That's stretch for your legs, around your thigh area."
"Oh!" Declared Arkash, full of enthusiasm. He looked to his legs. The thigh was... The top part? He couldn't remember. "Can I try?" he asked as he lifted his gaze to the spry horse once more.
Cojack grinned, then nodded his head. "Go for it, I'll watch you."
Arkash furrowed his brow and focused, which brought his forked tongue to slide out of his mouth and rest caught between his upper and lower lips. Then, with all his focus honed, he kicked forward, but it didn't work the same. Arkash tried to catch his claws, but his leg didn't go high enough, and he promptly fell forward into a wide pace, more of a lunge. His arms shot out to his sides and wobbled as he tried to steady himself. At once, Cojack closed the gap and slipped his hands under the boy's arms, and lifted him to his feet proper. Distressed, Arkash cried "I can't kick that high, Daddy!"
"It's okay, Ark! You've just gotta practice a bit more. Uhh..." he rubbed the back of his head in thought. "Let's try something easier," spoke the horse, when then took a long step forward, and lowered his body to kneel. "This is a lunge, another leg stretch... Should feel really tight right here," the horse patted his own thigh lightly. Then, Cojack stepped forward into the lunge to stand upright, then repeated the process with his other leg. It was like walking, just a bit weird-looking.
With a resolute look on his face, Arkash too lowered into a lunge. Cojack got up to look at the boy, then crossed one arm over his chest as he examined the lizard's progress. Arkash followed through with another lunge on his other leg, the Cojack closed the gap and pressed a hand to the small lizard's chest. "Keep your back straight, center your hips too." Arkash did as he was instructed and straightened his body, then followed to the next lunge. Immediately, he felt the pull on his leg, as if it were tight and in need stretching out. Then again, wasn't that the point of the see exercises?
"I think I got it!" Declared Arkash triumphantly. Cojack grinned and watched as the boy followed into the next lunge.
"Wow, you're pretty good at this, Ark," granted, they were simple warm-up exercises, but Arkash had a knack for picking things up quickly. "If you do this every day, you'll get a lot more flexible as you go on."
Arkash grunted as he followed into the next lunge. The work was kinda tiring, strenuous, even! "Flexible?" he asked, then proceeded into the next lunge.
Cojack sighed. "It's like uhh... How bendy your body is." There were a number of other factors that bled into flexibility, but Cojack didn't feel the need to explain them all.
Arkash came to rest after maybe five lunges on each leg, straightened up, and panted to regain his breath.
"Tired?" Asked the horse with a chuckle. Arkash was young, his stamina hadn't come through yet. The boy nodded. "Feel warmer?"
Curious, Arkash paused in his panting, and actively took note of the temperature around his body. Overall, no, he wasn't warmer. But, his legs were. Just pressing the palms of his hand to them was sure to bring out a feeling of warmth against Arkash's claws. "Yeah!" Declared the young Rath. Little did he know that he didn't generate heat as his parents did.
It was a special day. Sure, the hottest part of his favorite season had passed, but Cojack and Liu had one of their days where neither of them worked. Such days were rare, as the overseers rarely granted a reprieve. But what was even rarer was when the two could be off work together. Arkash could count on his claws the number of times such a thing had happened.
Unfortunately, Arkash was tired. They'd ran out of firewood the day before and didn't have time to find more to keep the fire burning. So, Arkash had to bear the cold. Granted, he was allowed to sleep with Liu and Cojack for the night, but siphoning their body heat alone wasn't enough to keep him fully operational.
So, Cojack carried him. The small lizard was tucked into the horse's coat; a garment he rarely used. But, the small family was desperate; Arkash couldn't be left home alone in the cold, and his legs were too short for them to quickly make it to the woods and back with him on foot. It had been almost half a day since the fire had died, and it was obviously wearing on the young rath.
They ventured beyond the walls, and proceeded to the woods across the rolling flowery Rien fields. Arkash hadn't been outside the walls before; he hadn't seen so much green. But his joints hurt in tandem with his head. As pretty as all the greens and reds were, Arkash just wanted to sleep away from the chatter of the streets in lower Nivenhain. Amidst nature, and in the warmth of Cojack's coat, he had that opportunity. Only, a jostling hand disturbed his approaching slumber.
"No sleeping, Arkash," warned his father. The lizard loosed a hiss of distress. Why wouldn't they let him sleep? He wasn't that cold, he was just tired.
In truth, both Cojack and Liu had agreed to not allow the boy to sleep in fear of him entering hibernation. So, the mission became to not only obtain firewood but keep the boy awake in tandem.
Before long, the three arrived in the woods. Liu and Cojack began to converse, but Arkash barely listened at all. While they were distracted, he could perhaps take the opportunity to nap? No. Before the sweet release of sleep could claim him, the buttons that sealed Cojack's coat were undone, and the lizard was let free. All the warmth of the air that surrounded him was gone, and he was left in the low-temperate air. Still, to an ectothermic rath so young, even that felt too cold, and he tried to hug tighter to Cojack's chest. Even that was taken from him, however, as Cojack pried him from the comfort of his hiding place. In moments, Arkash was placed on the floor, arms wrapped around himself in an effort to preserve the warmth he retained.
Cojack knelt before the lizard and held his shoulder to steady the boy's gaze. "Alright, Ark. Mommy's gonna get some firewood real quick and get a fire going. In the meantime, we're gonna keep you warm, loose, and aware, okay?"
Arkash merely stared at his father, unsure. What did that mean? Why couldn't he return to the warmth? Despite his confusion, he gave an uncertain nod. "Alright, dad."
Another hand pat atop his head and forced a blink with each contact. "I won't be too long, okay, Ark? Just hang in there." it was Liu's voice, Arkash turned to look at her while she held their ax. Liu, the tall grey wolf, was plenty strong. Arkash didn't doubt that she'd fell some trees with ease. So, he bowed his head again; he entirely trusted in her promise.
As Liu departed, and Arkash was left to Cojack's devices, the horse spoke up. "Right, we're gonna do some stretches. These'll keep you loose and warmed up." Stretches? Arkash lifted his hands overhead and pushed toward the sky, which in turn pulled the muscles in his back in a way that Arkash found to be pleasant. "No, not like that..."
Arkash paused, dropped his arms weakly, and looked to his father. What did he mean? "Why not? Isn't it a stretch?"
"Well, yes but..." Started cojack with a scratch of his fingernails to his chin. "There's two types of stretches; static and dynamic; still and moving," he simplified. "What you just did was a static stretch, a still one."
"...What's the difference?" Quizzed the lizard.
Cojack drew a deep breath through his nostrils. Arkash was at the age where he questioned everything, had been for some time. He was a curious boy, and in a way, it made Cojack proud. At other times, it was exhausting. "Well, you do a static, still stretch after exercising; it releases the tension in your muscles and makes it easier for your body to recover. Dynamic, moving stretches, loosen up the muscle so you can avoid hurting yourself when you exercise."
Arkash stared at the horse while he explained. What Cojack was saying made sense, but... "How?"
Cojack sighed. "I don't know, Arkash, it just does."
"Does Mommy know?"
"I don't think so," spoke the horse, who stood and promptly popped the trapped air in the joints of his neck. Arkash mimicked his father and tilted his head in a similar fashion. "Alright, so first," Cojack started as he turned to the side and lifted his leg in a high kick that brought his hoof to touch his hand. Arkash stared in surprise, as he'd felt the air shift around the weight of the kick. Cojack was truly strong! "That's stretch for your legs, around your thigh area."
"Oh!" Declared Arkash, full of enthusiasm. He looked to his legs. The thigh was... The top part? He couldn't remember. "Can I try?" he asked as he lifted his gaze to the spry horse once more.
Cojack grinned, then nodded his head. "Go for it, I'll watch you."
Arkash furrowed his brow and focused, which brought his forked tongue to slide out of his mouth and rest caught between his upper and lower lips. Then, with all his focus honed, he kicked forward, but it didn't work the same. Arkash tried to catch his claws, but his leg didn't go high enough, and he promptly fell forward into a wide pace, more of a lunge. His arms shot out to his sides and wobbled as he tried to steady himself. At once, Cojack closed the gap and slipped his hands under the boy's arms, and lifted him to his feet proper. Distressed, Arkash cried "I can't kick that high, Daddy!"
"It's okay, Ark! You've just gotta practice a bit more. Uhh..." he rubbed the back of his head in thought. "Let's try something easier," spoke the horse, when then took a long step forward, and lowered his body to kneel. "This is a lunge, another leg stretch... Should feel really tight right here," the horse patted his own thigh lightly. Then, Cojack stepped forward into the lunge to stand upright, then repeated the process with his other leg. It was like walking, just a bit weird-looking.
With a resolute look on his face, Arkash too lowered into a lunge. Cojack got up to look at the boy, then crossed one arm over his chest as he examined the lizard's progress. Arkash followed through with another lunge on his other leg, the Cojack closed the gap and pressed a hand to the small lizard's chest. "Keep your back straight, center your hips too." Arkash did as he was instructed and straightened his body, then followed to the next lunge. Immediately, he felt the pull on his leg, as if it were tight and in need stretching out. Then again, wasn't that the point of the see exercises?
"I think I got it!" Declared Arkash triumphantly. Cojack grinned and watched as the boy followed into the next lunge.
"Wow, you're pretty good at this, Ark," granted, they were simple warm-up exercises, but Arkash had a knack for picking things up quickly. "If you do this every day, you'll get a lot more flexible as you go on."
Arkash grunted as he followed into the next lunge. The work was kinda tiring, strenuous, even! "Flexible?" he asked, then proceeded into the next lunge.
Cojack sighed. "It's like uhh... How bendy your body is." There were a number of other factors that bled into flexibility, but Cojack didn't feel the need to explain them all.
Arkash came to rest after maybe five lunges on each leg, straightened up, and panted to regain his breath.
"Tired?" Asked the horse with a chuckle. Arkash was young, his stamina hadn't come through yet. The boy nodded. "Feel warmer?"
Curious, Arkash paused in his panting, and actively took note of the temperature around his body. Overall, no, he wasn't warmer. But, his legs were. Just pressing the palms of his hand to them was sure to bring out a feeling of warmth against Arkash's claws. "Yeah!" Declared the young Rath. Little did he know that he didn't generate heat as his parents did.
