Chapter Text
Cross carefully sat stiffly in her chocobo’s saddle and held the reins in both hands. The leather felt new with how reluctant it was to bend to her grip.
The red-haired miqo’te’s tail flicked and twitched as she tried not to squeeze the bird’s sides too tightly. It didn’t stop the bird’s shifting from one foot to another.
“Ever ride a chocobo before?” asked the chocobo handler politely.
They were in a corral behind the Twin Adders’ headquarters in Gridania, where they housed the chocobos when their owners were in town — soldiers and freelance adventurers alike. It was also where they brought in new chocobos from Bentbranch Meadows, when they were trained enough to be ready to be given to adventurers or new recruits.
The wide area of tamped earth, surrounded by the stables on all sides, also made for a good place to give new adventurers a chance to get used to how their new mounts moved.
“Not really.” Cross gave the chocobo-masked man a nervous look. “I’ve been around them, but my mother never let me learn how to ride.”
A faint memory came and went at the back of her mind, blotted with bright light around a figure within. Someone holding a chocobo’s reins as they led it around a well in the middle of town, with her sitting in the saddle.
“I believe my father might have given me a ride on his, once, but I can barely remember that.”
“Too young?” the handler guessed. Then he saw the look on Cross’ face and winced. “Ah…my apologies.”
Cross shook her head. “You didn’t know.” She looked down at the reins in her hands, then back at the handler. “So, how do I direct Cloudstreak to go where I need him to?”
“Kweh?” The chocobo shook his head and looked back at her. He’d picked up on his new name fast.
“Well, kicking your heels into his sides will send him running, but if you want him to stop, you need to pull on the reins and lean back a little.” The handler mimed leaning back, holding up his hands like he was pulling on invisible reins himself. “You need to lean with him and pull the reins to steer him in the direction you want him to go, as well. But don’t push him too hard — a worn-out chocobo won’t get you where you need to go.”
“Right.” Cross nodded. She adjusted again how she was sitting on the saddle, pulling her tail around her waist in a tight coil. Cloudstreak did his best to adjust as she moved, shifting his feet to keep them from falling over. “Let’s give this a try, then. Ready, Cloudstreak?”
“Kweh!” The chocobo gave a cheery chirp and looked ahead.
“All right. Let’s go!” Cross tapped Cloudstreak’s sides with her heels.
The tumble off his back as the chocobo took off running was not something she was prepared for.
“Ho!” The handler quickly got Cloudstreak’s attention as the bird tried to take off running. He moved to Cross’ side and held out a hand. “You all right?”
“Yes, that just startled me.” Cross accepted his open hand, and let the handler pull her to her feet. She used her other hand to rearrange her robes and make sure her thaumaturgy staff hadn’t been thrown off. “I didn’t think he would start quite that fast!”
“I think your tone of voice made him think you were ready to run,” the handler said. “Relaxing will likely do wonders for you, too — you weren’t able to be flexible and move with him sitting as you were.” He turned his head to look at the chocobo as Cloudstreak came to a stop next to them. “Take it slow, now. She’s not an expert like the people you’re used to working with.”
“Kweh.”
Cross couldn’t tell if Cloudstreak was taking that to heart, or if he was planning on doing that again. Either way, he was her bird now, and she needed to learn how to ride.
Cross marched up to the chocobo and pulled herself back into the saddle. That part was getting easy, at least.
Then she took up the reins in her hands again, and pulled herself forward a little more on the saddle. “Let’s try this again, shall we?”
“Kweh.” Cloudstreak shook out his feathers underneath her. He looked back at her, and Cross almost thought the bird looked…curious, perhaps?
She hoped she would be able to read him well soon.
“Slowly,” Cross said, giving him a little nod. Then she flicked the reins a little, and gently pressed in her heels.