fh_trips | Loisaba Conservancy, Kenya [Monday Daytime]

Entry tags:

spring break 2022: kenya and tanzania

Loisaba Conservancy, Kenya [Monday Daytime]

When you sleep under the stars, the day starts very early. Bonus: the Maasai Warriors taking care of everyone have arrived with coffee and tea for the suites to drink as you watch the sun rise. The second bonus: sunrise is the very best time to go on a game drive ~~where the giraffes are, and the zebra~~ and see all of the animals!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yes, of course this was the option Jules chose. Especially since she didn't even have to use her powers to make sure her mount stayed calm as Camden prowled beside them.

She did, however, use those powers to coax the wildlife they spotted along the ride close enough to touch.

... What. They didn't have these types of animals on Fennbirn, who knew when she'd get a chance to see any of them again?

[ooc: you wanna pet a lion or something? talk to this girl. she can make it happen.]

And look whose horse seemed to be mysteriously gravitating toward Juillenne's.

Sakaki gave her a tentative smile, and a nod.

"It's good that Camden was able to come along," she said. "She must really be loving this."

"The school has classified her as a 'service animal', and no one seems to question it," Jules grinned. "There are no lands like this back home," a pause, as she considered. "Well. So far as I know. I could be wrong. But for now, it's an entirely new experience for the both of us."

"Me, as well," Sakaki noted, her eyes lifting to gaze around in wonder again. If she could stay there, right now, in that moment, forever, she would be happy. How could it possibly get even better?

"I've never even ridden a horse before."

Thankfully, horses seemed to like her much better than cats!

"My grandparents made sure I could ride nearly as soon as I could walk," Jules shared. "But then, we don't have cars where I'm from. Horses are pretty much it for overland transportation."

"There are some mounted police on our city," Sakaki offered, almost chattily, which, for her, was saying a lot. "But not many. Most people walk, or take the subway and trains, actually...

"I probably wouldn't mind," she added almost hesitantly, "riding horses everywhere."

“Horseback or carriage is a fair bit slower than a vehicle, of course,” Juillenne shared. “I’m afraid I’ve become a bit spoiled since learning about them.”

It was then that she spotted a herd of zebras nearby. “Now what,” she said, “are those?” They looked like horses, and yet… she could tell they weren’t, somehow.

"Oh!" Sakaki's eyes widened as she followed Juillenne's gaze with almost an excited gasp, and, for a moment, she'd completely forgotten that she'd meant to answer the question. "Those are zebras! They're an equine, like the horse, but obviously quite a bit smaller and their striped pattern is their most unique characteristic, and it's believed that they're to help defend them against their predators and possibly for social identification and regulating body temperature."

Someone had clearly been doing a lot of reading to prepare for this trip!

“Would you like to touch one?” Jules asked, already angling her horse to go trot towards the zebra herd.

Who were, for the record, completely unconcerned about this development.

It took Sakaki a moment to realize that Juillenne's direction had slightly changed, because she was too busy blinking forward and wondering if she thought she heard her right. She couldn't have; it must have been some sort of translation error...

But in the odd chance that it wasn't, Sakaki regained her focus to goad her own horse to follow, staring a little now at Jules' back.

"T-touch?"

“Sure, why not?” Jules shrugged. “They seem docile enough.”

How much of that was due to Juillenne’s own influence over them was hard to say.

"We...we can do that?" asked Sakaki, still not able to believe it and suddenly feeling like anything this good must have some sort of dire consequences to balance things out.

“If I ask them to,” she nodded towards the zebra herd. “They’ll let us.”

Such was the benefit of hanging around the most powerful naturalist in ten generations, Sakaki. There wasn’t an animal out there that Jules couldn’t make listen to her.

This would have been very helpful information about two dozen cat attacks ago.

If Sakaki wasn't carefully, she was going to swoon right out of her saddle.

"Really?" The gawking, at least, started to take on a more eager than confused flavor to it, and then Sakaki seemed to remember that she never actually confirmed it yet, and she didn't want to take any chances if that was necessary.

"And yes!" It came out a little short and hurried. "I would like to pet them, please."

There was no way Juillenne was leaving Africa without cuddling a lion or two, Sakaki. Just saying.

For now, though, zebras would do. The herd remained completely unconcerned as the girls approached.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. A couple of the zebras actually deliberately trotted up to Juillenne and Sakaki, until they were mere inches away.

Juillenne reached out to stroke one of the zebras much like she would a horse. True to what she’d said, it didn’t shy away, and in fact leaned in to the naturalist’s touch.

“Aren’t you a beauty,” Jules murmured. “Yes, you are.”

Just like that. Just like that, apparently, you could just go up to zebras and pet them. Unbelievable. Sakaki was going to need a moment more to gawk and marvel before she could blink herself out of it.

And, cautiously, following Jules' lead, Sakaki slowly reached out her hand as well.

And then her hand was on a zebra, and her hands were running against its coat, and her eyes were closed, ans she gripped the pommel of her saddle so hard, because she really would just die from overload.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Loisaba Conservancy, Kenya [Monday Daytime]

Re: Horse Riding

Re: Horse Riding

Re: Horse Riding

Re: Horse Riding

Re: Horse Riding

Re: Horse Riding

Re: Horse Riding

Re: Horse Riding

Re: Horse Riding

Re: Horse Riding

Re: Horse Riding

Re: Horse Riding

Re: Horse Riding

Re: Horse Riding

Re: Horse Riding

Re: Horse Riding