"Oh, you mean Aulits," Kyri said. "I don't like those either. We call the stingers because they hurt quite a lot and they make your skin itch."
Kyri shuddered, remembering when she had been stung by a few as a child. It had been right after her parents had been presumed dead, and she had been so upset, she had run off into the forest and ended up down by the lake, where she had been attacked by a few she had disturbed. Her uncle had found her and carried her home, where he had taken care of her, but her skin had itched for days. Latro, though, had taken care of her, and Kyri - even though she missed her parents fiercely - had come to realize that he always would as she grew up.
Standing up when Michaela agreed that it would be a good idea to get the blood samples, she pulled her hair back from her face and looked at the equitos, hoping that she performed Barien's method correctly. She walked over to the white one and circled around, pressing firmly on its hindquarters until it moved to sit on the ground. Once it had, she moved up to its head and began stroking its back at the juncture with its neck, watching until its head dipped down toward the ground.
"Take your sample from here," she said, pointing to a spot above the equito's front leg.