Ride with Snow.

After the exchange of coin, the dwarven man supplies the saddles and reins, and with your party's aid, the emus are suited up in record time. Each pair has their own colour. First is Eva riding with Niki's arms wrapped around from behind, on the back of a deep purple beast. Next to them sits Amara, though Xiaoqing is the one in front holding the reins, and they've found themselves a sleek silver emu to ride. They all pull up, ready on the road ahead, as you take up the rear as the final two riders.

You place your hand upon the neck of the pure white bird. This close, her feathers do almost look like long polished crystals. She looks down to you--mighty and tall--though doesn't resist your approach. She trusts you. Then with caution at first, you hoist yourself onto the saddle, though once aboard, you take a confident hold. After a pat upon the creature's head, you offer to help Snow up next. It isn't necessary at all of course, though she takes your hand regardless, and with expert agility, her legs stretch up and over onto the saddle right behind you.

Her hands lock around your midsection. "I'm ready when you are," she says. "And if you need any help with the emu, please let me know."

"Thanks, Snow. I will."

"Though it does seem to be coming pretty naturally to you. It's impressive. Though not surprising. You've picked up so much since coming to this world. You're a fast learner."

"Still can't do everything though. That's why I need you, Snow."

She lets out a nervous chuckle as pink appears across her nose. "Stop that. Compliments make me embarrassed."

As you speak, you bring the emu through the gate. "You're stealthier. Quicker on your feet. And you're probably the most flexible person around."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," she says with twitching ears and an excitedly swaying tail.

Meanwhile, Xiaoqing seems to be struggling. "Oh no. Sorry, it's not listening to me!" she shouts as her mount hurries over towards Eva. It snaps out, narrowly missing her dress, just like the others.

"Wha--Control your emu, guys!" Eva yells.

Xiaoqing gasps. "Sorry! I don't know why, but it went right for you. I thought I could handle it, but--"

Amara touches her cheek from behind. "It is fine. Calm your nerves, and the beast will listen. It is not your fault. It simply saw Eva, and wished to disrobe her."

"That's a weird thing to say!" Eva calls back.

Niki snickers. "Guess it loves you, Eva."

The western exit of Avana is your destination. It takes no time at all to circle around and depart from the city. Once they have room to move, these emus are swift! They move more quickly than any horse. Their wings may not word, but it feels as if you're flying. Before you know it, even the acres of farmland are in the distance. It all disappears behind grassy hills. With the Western Pecho Peaks being as close as they are, the terrain is still rather uneven. The road itself is fine, though there are turns above dangerous drops, and enough rocky cliffs and up and downs that neither city is in site from where you ride.

It's feels great, however, to be out in the open air on the back of such a speedy beast. You take a deep breath and let the wind flow back through your brown hair, and on top of that, Snow is a pleasant riding partner. Not do you get to share a saddle with a girl in a bodysuit so thin and tight you can see the shape of her belly button, but her touch is soft, as is her pure white hair. You also know you don't have to worry about her. She's the last one in trouble of falling off one of these.

"Ah. I just wanted to thank you," she suddenly says.

"For what?"

"Allowing me to sit with you. I enjoy your company."

"That's sweet of you to say. I feel the same way. You know, you're an irreplaceable part of this team. Don't forget who helped defeat Sa'dis with the PEG."

"Compliments again?"

"I'd scratch behind your ear if I could right now," you jest.

After a moment of quiet, you feel something odd. Snow shifts around in her seat. Then suddenly, you feel something soft beneath your arm. It's her head! She crawls around until her hands are clenching your thighs. Her eyes then look up to you--an adorable expression that's impossible to ignore. Just as you said before, she's extremely flexible. It's not even uncomfortable for her to arch herself in this way.

You smirk and release one hand from the reins. Then you place it upon her head, running your fingers back through her hair for a moment before moving to scratch behind her left ear. It twitches. Her eyes roll, and her lids flutter. She blushes as she weakens, sinking lower towards your lap, as a quiet purr emits from behind her lips.

Then suddenly, her eyes open wide, as if coming to the realization of what she's doing. Now bent strangely around you, her head is laying on your thighs as she stares up at you.

"Is that how you're gonna stay the rest of the ride?" you ask.

"Is that a problem?"

"Not at all."

"Mmm... Then I will for awhile. Actually, I was curious of something. Do you not have emus back on Earth?" she asks.

"We have them, but they're definitely not this size. Temperament is about the same though."

"They're one of the fastest ways to get around, but a lot of people still prefer other mounts, because emus not only aren't great at pulling wagons, carts, and the like, but they tend to refuse outright to try. So they're useless to merchants and other people transporting goods."

"Perfect for us though," you say. "Compared to if we went on foot then, how long of a trip do you think this will be?"

"A few days walking. But with emus? We'll likely only have to sleep on the road once before arrival. In an emergency, emus could probably run long enough between Avana and Tanver's Crossing before the next sunrise, though it would exhaust the poor creatures."

"I definitely don't think we need to rush," Eva adds. "Uh. Isn't that painful to lay like that, Snow?"

"Not at all."

"Catfolk... Your bones are made of jelly, I swear."

Amara chuckles at their antics. "I agree though, that we should not rush. This is like one big date after all."

"You know, there's something special about all this," Xiaoqing chimes in. "Whether it's near kingdoms far from here, or even the world I came from, the world feels similar when you're out in nature. There are still trees and rocks, squirrels and birds. It's wonderful."

"And you have already gotten the hang of things, Xiaoqing. Look at how confidently you hold those reins."

"S-Stop... but thank you."

Snow wraps around you like a serpent, and then perches herself up to peek over your head. "I think it won't be long before we see a bridge," she says. "It might do well as a place to rest before we push through the rest of the day."

"Good idea."

Then she looks to you expectantly from the side.

With a smile, you reach out and pat her on the head.

After riding for hours, you spy the bridge ahead. From what you can remember, that's the one which crosses the Pecho Stream. It continues down into Silverleaf. The emu's talons bang loudly against the old yet solid boards of wood, though you only continue long enough for each of the creatures to halt. Just like Snow said, it's a perfect place to stop for awhile. The emus shouldn't be made to run from dawn to dusk, and even the riders are starting to ache. Different muscles are used than if one were to walk, but it's still tiring.

You dismount first. Immediately after, Snow kicks off the beast with ease, landing directly beside you. She nods.

"I'm gonna go dip my feet in the stream!" you hear Eva call ahead.

"Shall we?" Snow asks.

"We shall. Come on then."