A Spiritual Ride

[TrueSpirit]

Mato smiled at Mason as he leaned down to pick up one of the bridles that he made in the past two months. He liked working with his hands, making crafts and other items just as he did at home in his village. He know had his own full set of bow and arrows, often thinking of American Dream and what all that meant from their meeting. Mato did the crafts and practices to not forget his home or his life back at the Cheyenne village. He left that life behind for more reasons other than his training as a Shaman being complete. With the ongoing war between the tribes and the effects of that war, Mato knew that he could no longer be there. Even today when he received letters from home, his heart felt heavy at the ongoing war that was known to little outside of that region. He hoped that if he trained hard enough here to understand his path the the Wise One in the Sky had showed him, he might go back home to right the wrongs. For now though his place was here, with these people.

He walked to a path right by the tennis courts and took a deep breath, calling the steady and spirited Buckskin horse. He glowed gold for a moment and smiled slightly at the sound of a whinny. Mato held his hand out to the proud light brown Buckskin colt. "Ah my friend, you look bright as ever," he said softly and stroked the horse's coat as it came forward to nudge his palm.

Mato stroked the horse's glossy coat, feeling a twinge inside of him at the memories that came whenever he brought forth the proud Buckskin. "Ready for a ride my friend," he said with a quiet smile and slipped the soft leather bridle over the horse's large head, putting it in place.

[Ember]

Grabbing the bridle that Mato had made for her about a month or so again, Aideen walked up behind him quietly, a soft smile coming on her face. "May I join you? It's been awhile since we last went on a ride together," she asked in her soft quiet voice, moving her long her to one side. Aideen liked Mato, even as far to call him a friend. She was could never repay him for bringing Haven back from her demon self. When Niki first told her what happened, she was in shock that she had come so close to losing her best friend. The very next day without a word, she went up to Mato and hugged him gratefully. He seemed to know what it was about, and no words were needed to get her message across.

From then on, Aideen found a friend in the quiet Shaman. She loved listening to his stories and explanations of the world and people. They could go for long moments not speaking and then a simple inquiry from her would get him talking, giving her a new insight on the strong silent Native American who seemed to know the Earth in a more intimate way then anyone she knew.

Aideen brought her hand up and stroked the large Buckskin gently. She loved horses, before she had her motorcycle, she looked forward to all the training she had in riding horses and riding them in battle. It was the adrenaline of going so fast, but at the same time to be at peace while trusting her movement to the great beast. Horses were fascinating creatures in general, and thanks to Mato, Aideen got a chance to be reacquainted with the sensation. A small smile came on her face as the colt nudged her shoulder and snorted, blowing in her face. Her smile widened a bit as she tickled it's nose.

[TrueSpirit]

A smile came on Mato's face when Aideen joined him. The Fire Beauty was pleasant company and an extraordinary woman, though it was so hard for him to be around her sometimes. He never let that get in the way of their friendship though, and looked forward to the time they did spend together. "I'd be honored," he said and took a step back from the Buckskin and looked down at her, placing a hand lightly on the side of her head.

The one other ability he seemed to get a grasp on was bringing out the animal within someone else. He first tried it with Mason, calling forth his Cheetah. It left him out of breath and a little dizzy the first time he did it successfully. Mato realized that he could only bring out a single of his own spirit animals when he brought out one of someone else's, but he was working on that.

"Brace yourself Aideen, I trust you know what to expect," he said softly and placed his other hand on her shoulder to steady her. Mato took a deep breath and closed his eyes, finding the connection to her spirit. The Cougar in her relaxed and made the task much easier for him as he saw through the eyes of his Grizzly all the animals that the had a connection with the Cougar. Because the Cougar was such a rare spirit, it was connected to few. The one that Mato sought came to him and he smiled. For a moment, both Aideen and him glowed gold, his grip on her shoulder tightened. The glow left them and a high pitched spirited whinny was heard. Mato smiled when he saw a spirited Arabian stallion prancing in the sun back and forth, demanding attention. He was a great horse, with a shining brown coat and ebony black mane and tail gleaming in the sun.

Mato smiled at Aideen, not letting go of her until she had her breath and was steady on her feet. "It seems your stallion requires your attention," he said with a smile as the beast came over, nudging Aideen's head with his nose and lipping a strand of her hair. It was amazing to him how real spirits in a physical form looked. They were even better in some senses since they didn't come with the smell and other traits that real animals had. The one thing that they did have where the heart and behavior as real as any animal.

[Ember]

Whenever Mato brought forth a spirit from her, it was like all the breath was knocked of her. Aideen gasped for breath for a moment, glad that he was holding her steady. She blinked her eyes a couple of times, trying to get used to the strange sensation that came whenever he took a part of her out for her to see. She smiled softly at the Arabian stallion, brining her hand up and stroking its large head and neck. She sighed and leaned her cheek against the stallion's cheek, her fingers weaving through his mane. Amazing how my spirit is linked to this creature...

"I do not think I will ever get used to that," Aideen said with a soft laugh as the horse bumped his nose into her chin. The soft smile stayed on her face and she reached up to play with his forelock. "Ready to go yes?" she said softly as the horse butted her with his head right in her chest. "Yeah you're ready." Aideen took the red bridle and placed it over the horse's head. Mato had some real talent when it came to making some of the crafts that she'd seen. The bridle looked more like a halter, but it did the trick.

Aideen fastened the bridle on his and then brought the soft leather rein over the Arabian Stallion's head. The stallion was prancing back and forth in high spirits, making Aideen work to keep him still. She placed her hands on his back and jumped up, putting pressure on the stallion's back as she lifted herself up and onto his bare back with little difficulty. Aideen smiled slightly as she adjusted her seat on his bare back while he pranced from side to side. She reined him in, taking control of his head and making him prance back. Bring his head in and forcing him to move in a small circle to settle himself. "We should get riding. He doesn't have much patience," Aideen said as she finally got him semi-still and gave him his head back. She leaned down and draped her upper body across his neck, reaching out and stroking his cheek. The proud Arabian stallion calmed, snorting and stamping his foot impatiently.

[TrueSpirit]

Mato stroked his Buckskin's coat and watched Aideen with the horse. She was a natural with horses, handling them in a manner as if she rode every day of her life. It amazed him often how much she looked like his Kachina that it made his heart heavy and soar all at the same time. It was a sadness that Mato always carried with him day after day. In his culture most marriages happened at an early age, sometimes as young as fourteen years old. His tribe looked at many things differently, from sexuality to gender roles. Kachina was from the neighboring tribe that was at war with his own, and at the tender age of him at sixteen and her at fourteen, they fell in love, even had plans to marry to unite the tribes. As life goes, Kachina was caught in the bitter and ruthless crossfire of the war that effected his homeland. His heart was heavy and cold, feeling empty in many ways. Mato knew though that she would always be with him, but it didn't make the pain of missing her lessen.

Times like now when he would look at Aideen, he would need to do a double take sometimes, thinking it was Kachina. They both had the lovely sun-kissed brown skin, long hair and both possess similar liquid dark eyes. His Kachina though, always smiled and had long raven hair. Her dark eyes were dappled with droplets of gold, and her laugh was infectious and melodious. Up close, there was a significant difference between the two women that he had come to know in his life, but from the distance that he was now they could have been sisters. Oh but it will never be how it once was, and I dare not hope for it. I must learn to live in peace with a heavy burden life gave me, Mato thought and gave Aideen a small smile, shaking himself out of the memories of riding horses in the woods in his own home.

He mounted his Buckskin, who wasn't nearly as rambunctious as the Arabian stallion. He tapped the colt with his heals and began trotting down the path. "Shall we then? Start off slow?" Mato asked with an almost teasing grin. He knew that they would go fast, and got ready to urge his colt to move.

[Ember]

The stallion surged forward when he saw the Buckskin go forward and ahead of him without any urging from Aideen. She just kept her seat tight and a small smile came on her face at the horse's high spirits and energy. "Maybe not slow..." she said as she gave the stallion his head and kept a light rein. He immediately broke into a canter and passed the Buckskin. She gripped her seat on his back with her thighs, squeezing them tight and lining her legs the proper way, heels up. The stallion had a smooth and fast gait, one that allowed Aideen to move with easily with her insanely flexible hips from all those years of yoga.

The wind blew through her hair, making it whip around her. Normally, she would have been chilled, but her elated mood from the morning and the fact that she was riding again kept the warmth inside her. Aideen waited for Mato to catch up with her as they took the path that circled the perimeter of the lake. Normally they'd disappear in the woods when they were outside of class, but for class time they stuck to the path around the lake that kept them visible at all times.

Aideen leaned down, still keeping with the smooth canter. "Faster yes?" she whispered with a small cute grin that she got whenever she went fast. When it comes down to it, Aideen was a major adrenaline junkie. That was the reason she got into motorcycles to begin with. She glanced over at Mato and smirked at him before she gave the stallion another tap with her heels and in only one stride, the Arabian stallion broke into a gallop. Aideen gripped her seat with her thighs moving in time with the gallop as the wind whipped at her face, the sound of the horse's shrill whinny in the air. She threw her head back as the raced around the large lake, her hair flying around her. The day was looking very good for her.

[TrueSpirit]

Mato grinned as his horse broke into a gallop after the stallion. It took him a moment to get into it, simply for the reason that today in particular watching his friend and teammate practically took his breath away. Many girls in the school were beautiful, especially those on his own team. They all are beautiful indeed, but something about Aideen from the moment he met her just stunned him at the different level of beauty. She was simply stunning in such a classical way. The beauty of a warrior and the classic beauty that looked like she traveled from the days of old into today is the casing that encompassed her and everyone saw it. He felt honored to be in her presence and even more so to call her a friend. Whenever they went riding or he saw her on her motorcycle, he watched a new side to the female warrior, the side that had as much spirit as the stallion she rode. If Wolverine were a wise man, he should cherish her rare affection and her rare and beautiful spirit. It is not one often seen. I can only wish the two of them the same happiness I had with my Kachina, Mato thought as he held on to his seat with the Buckskin.

They ran around the lake, both in light spirits as for moments they felt lighter than air, the horses running so fast their feet barely touched the ground. Mato's own long hair that he kept in a ponytail whipped back while he leaned down close to his colt's neck to ease the wind resistance so he could pass the stallion, or at least try his best to accomplish that feat.

Mato heard the whispers of the Wind's spirit as they ran, the wind joining them in their run. His Buckskin let out a loud whinny and shook his head in the air as he rode next to the proud stallion. Mato enjoyed riding with a skilled rider such as Aideen, though they were both very different people, they found a sort of kinship when it came to letting go and finding the comfort in riding the wind, so to speak on horses.

[Ember]

As expected of a high spirited Arabian stallion, he surged to stay ahead of the young Buckskin. Aideen held her seat with little difficulty. It was much easier to ride a horse with a saddle, but she got used to it again after riding with Mato a couple of times. The first time she had to ride with him on the horse, him keeping her in position as she relearned how to grip her seat. Aideen was a quick learner so after the first time she pretty much got it.

When they neared the other end of the lake, Aideen slowed the horse to a canter and eventually to a walk. The last time she was at this area, the stallion had run into the shores of the lake. When Mato slowed down with her, the two walked their horses on the back shores of the lake. She patted her heavily breathing stallion, who still pranced back and forth, ready for more. Aideen kept his head tight, not letting him closer to the water like he wanted. She let out a breath and stroked the stallion's neck.

She sighed at the peacefulness of the scene looking around and quietly taking everything in. "Do you miss your home Mato?" Aideen asked him softly, having caught the wistful look that flashed through his eyes. There conversations often worked like that: she asked a small questions and he provided her a long answer. It was a peaceful conversation that left them both in a good mood, never forced but honest talk and only saying enough that they were comfortable with.

[TrueSpirit]

Patting his Buckskin's neck, Mato glanced over at Aideen. She asked him a simple question, but he knew there was more behind it than that. This was one of the few times on one of their rides that he didn't see her looking troubled to a high degree, in fact she looked relaxed enough for the two of them to enjoy a ride with a bit of conversation rather than the pleasant calming silent ones with which he was accustomed. The new state of mind suits her. Even in the sunlight of the afternoon, her eyes shine with a new lightness, Mato thought before he thought of how to answer her question.

"I cannot tell you one way or another really. My family is still there, their paths lie in my village. Though I miss them greatly, I am forever grateful that the path I chose brought me here," he answered quietly, looking over at the basketball courts where all the screaming came from. He shook his head with a small smile playing on his face before. "My home is much different than this place. Seas of grass and forest extending for miles, untouched by time. I know those woods so well, it is quite possible I can walk them blindfolded. My village is a simple place. We live in houses and have a community center of a sort in the center of the village. We didn't have as many modern conveniences as you have here, but we has TVs and computers that we used once in awhile. Many of our days were spent outside, doing chores, hunting, just enjoying the bounties of Mother Earth," he recollected with a small smile coming on his face.

"The problems with my people and those in other tribes have brewed to a rather nasty temperature, as I told you in the past. As cowardly as it may sound, I simply could not be there any longer. The pain of walking day to day in the same setting where one has so many cherished memories with the ones they lost was too great for me to bear. In short then, yes I do miss my home, but I cannot go back yet," Mato finished quietly, lapsing into silence himself. Kachina's shadow was at every corner in his village, there being nights where he could have sworn he heard her laugh or her tapping on his window to wake and go on their midnight trysts. The pain of never being able to experience that was too great, and Mato was eternally grateful to Forge for giving him the opportunity to come to this Institute.

[Ember]

Aideen listened quietly as she got control of the stallion's head, giving Mato the respect he deserved by giving him her full attention. She gave the stallion back his head once he had calmed down, processing the depth and meaning of his words. "It was not cowardly Mato. You lost people that you cared about, and you are only human. It's hard to be in a place that holds memories when you know there will never be a chance to make new ones," Aideen said quietly, not looking at him but concentrating on her stallion's ebony tail.

She didn't have many people in her life that she held dear to her heart until she came to the school. There was the Sergent, he was the only one who made the efforts to care for her and watch over her. He left though, her Uncle telling her that he was disposed of and wouldn't be interfering in her training again. As a nine year old girl, Aideen knew exactly what that meant and was devastated.
Then later on when she was allowed to attend high school, she met James. He was quiet and dangerous, much like her. He was a Southie to the core, belonging to an the infamous gang in South Boston. He brought her into that world, of street violence, drugs, sex, and racing. After they messed with the mob, well... that was what messed them up. James lost his life in the fire and Aideen walked off without a scratch. She had no one but her Uncle left, not even counting Stones, the leader of the Southies. When James introduced her into that world, Stones took a liking to her, and Aideen was good with that. The guy was attractive; tall and built from hours in the gym since he was into Cage fighting. Blond hair, cold and hard blue eyes, complete with the tattooed teardrops under his eyes from his time spent in prison. They both got what they needed from each other, an agreement based on sexual gratification for both of them. In turn, Aideen got first pick on bikes and races, getting special treatment from the whole town that feared him, and Stones got to have her on his arm. After James died, Aideen cut it off, leaving that life behind. She just couldn't deal with it anymore.

Then when she came here, she let herself find a friend in Haven, then the girl left leaving her alone for awhile, thinking she'd never see the girl that she had some level ground with. Then Aideen was alone and then game the gruff gym teacher that never once looked at her as if he had any expectations of her and made her feel simply content and enjoyed his company. Then she thought she lost him too, because she did a stupid, stupid thing of going out when both Beast and Nightcrawler told her to take it easy. God that was horrible, I was a wreck. All I kept thinking is that eventually anyone I cared about left, and I just shut down. I'm no different from Mato. He left his home to escape the memories, and I severed the line between my heart and mind to get away from the pain and the ability to get close to others. I didn't think I could ever find that connection again, but I did. I was the coward, not him.

Aideen shook her thoughts out, not wanting to go back to that memory. It's over now, Haven's back and she's not leaving. Logan's back, and I have a feeling he won't leave either. A slight smile came on her face remembering waking up nestled into his side with his arm around her and his hand on her back. "You need to give it time Mato. One of the few things that I learned here is that time is the only cure. It will get better, I promise. I would not have said that to you several months ago, therefore I do mean it," Aideen said looking at him and offering him a slight smile.

"Want to try for another run again? I don't think I can keep this guy settled," she offered in a change of subject for now as her stallion started getting impatient again. Aideen brought his head back up as he started prancing from side to side, trotting forward a little bit before she pulled him backc

[TrueSpirit]

A small smile came on Mato's face at the older girl's words, feeling the truth of experience behind them and the wisdom that came with such an observation. "Thank you Aideen. I do believe you, it's just a bit difficult to believe it will get easier at the moment," he said truthfully, letting out a breath. She speaks words of wisdom with a reverence that can only come from experience, Mato thought as he looked at Aideen carefully, watching the light spirit that shone within her. If she can be that content with time, I suppose there is hope for myself as well.

"Another run would be fine, let us hold off till we pass the shores completely. If not I dare say you may end up wet again," Mato said with a teasing smile remembering the other times that her stallion would run right into the water at the shore. He looked at her for a moment before he nudged his Buckskin colt into a smooth canter, feeling comforted that she had a certain glow about her. He thought from the moment he saw her up close in the med lab that she was a young woman who experienced more in life than she probably should have. He was glad that there was a positive change in her.

The Buckskin cantered next to the rambunctious Stallion, while Mato kept his head steady so the young horse would not irritate the stallion. "It is nice to see you happy Aideen," he said without looking at her so she wouldn't feel like he was trying to get a read on her or get something out of her. Mato was simply stating an observation on her that struck him.

Once they passed the shore, Mato nudged the Buckskin into a full on gallop, taking the head start before the Stallion caught up. "We run the rest of the way!" Mato yelled and held his seat as the young Buckskin surged forward, his hooves pounding the dirt path, going faster and faster.

[Ember]

The Arabian Stallion just wouldn't have it when the colt went ahead of him. He fought against the hold Aideen had on his head viciously, only able to illicit a small smile from the firebender before she gave him control of his head and could only hold on and keep control as the stallion broke into a gallop. Aideen was a natural when it came to riding, her Uncle used to say it was the only good thing that she got from her mother. He often spoke of Aideen's mother with disdain and disgust, telling Aideen that the Whelan Family had no room for a low class Gypsy peasant. Her mother was a dancer who's clan resided in South France. Aideen's father met her while he was on a mission in that area. She knew little about her parents from her Uncle, finding out most things about them through her parents old belongings that she snatched from the basement before her Uncle cleaned it out several years ago.

Aideen gave the stallion his head and leaned all the way forward on his neck, her face resting on his mane while her hands moved down on the reins to tighten her hold so she wouldn't end up with a broken jaw in case he decided to toss his head. It was a technique she learned on her own, a way for the rider and horse feel like one, moving with each other and in tune with each other. For a moment it was like Aideen was looking at the path through the stallion's eyes as they raced through the trees. She sat back up carefully while the stallion galloped almost side by side next to the colt, though obviously leading the way.

The stallion raced to a large fallen tree and Aideen readied herself for a jump. She crouched low and grabbed the horse's main tightly. The stallion soared over the tree, making her crouch low on his back and tighten her thighs so she could rise from her seat in tune with him. The stallion didn't slow when he hit the ground, going so fast that his feet barely touched the ground. Aideen smirked and glanced back at Mato. "Gonna catch up anytime soon?" she called in a teasing voice as her stallion took her a bit further than before from the cold. They were now back where they started and Aideen wasn't going to slow the rambunctious stallion down.

[TrueSpirit]

The Buckskin colt shot off after the stallion in the spirit of competition. He had just landed on the ground after jumping the falling log when the ground started shaking. "Whoa, steady my friend," Mato said in a soothing voice trying to calm the horse. At the movement of the ground the Colt let out a shrill whinny of fear and reared a little in fright, trying to get control away from Mato. With a slight struggle, Mato tried to keep control of the horse and whispered soothing words to him. He only hoped the Aideen was alright since her stallion was nowhere near as docile as his Buckskin.

"It's alright," he soothed his frightened and edgy Colt, patting his neck. Mato knew who caused it right away, pulling his horse to a stop and looked over at the game of football. He patted his agitated and scared Colt as his hand covered his eyes to shield him from the sun and look out at the scene. "Rumble's is on the ground, and it appears to be a situation," Mato said in a stoic voice, keeping his eyes on the scene as Mason barked orders and Kelly and Stoney were digging from a large pit of pebbles.

He reined in the colt and turned him to face Aideen. "On your word Aideen, are we to go over there?" Mato asked looking at her carefully. I will not force her to go into the presence of him, but if our team needs us we must go, he thought studying her carefully.