The Sport of Kings

[Hemming]

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Hemming had never seen a gathering such as this in his life. It seemed like the atmosphere had changed, like even the air that hung above their heads was excited and bustling around. There were murmurs all around him, and if he wasn't having so much fun the wolf might have felt overwhelmed. Instead, he basked in it, in the calls that escaped from excited riders and the encouragement of the spectators. He was quite pleased to see Dawali there, as he was always pleased to see his Kalona, and if it was possible his grin widened even more. At Attila's call, Hemming turned to face him and raised an arm, waving it a little. He was starting to quite like the young man, after a very rocky start with him, and though he doubted his own ability to place well he could certainly finish the race for him. Attila couldn't expect everything all at once!       Giving Bayard a little scratch between the ears, Hemming steadied himself in the saddle. Many of the other riders seemed quite experienced, and he suspected that both Dawali and Catherine would be strong riders. He grinned at them both, then at Hanna, and finally briefly at the competitors he did not know, his anticipation and nervousness making him seem, perhaps, just a little bit twitchy. Hopefully Bayard would know what to do. He was a good horse, after all, and though he didn't know Hemming all that well he seemed comfortable enough with the man on his back.       As the King started to speak again, Hemming listened carefully, leaning forward in the saddle, his head close to the horse's mane. As Jac's single arm dropped, the wolf flicked the reins as Ember had shown him and whispered, "Go, go, go!" The grin remained on his face as the horse started forward, his powerful legs pushing the ground beneath them with ease. What a magnificent creature! Hemming concentrated deeply with each stride, readjusting his grasp on the horse's reins to steady himself. His light and long body was thrown about rather easily, but beside a few little slips he felt rather secure on the beast's back.

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