Hunting Grounds [Fel]

[Arcane]

Something about the herdbeast pens always reminded Sandy of home. Maybe it was the good, honest musty smell or the familiar sound of hoofbeats. Not that she spent her days naval gazing and feeling thoughtful. She was just here because Rugrunth needed to eat and was being all particular about it.

He hovered there, waiting and waiting and looking and looking. He wasn't usually a dallier either. She didn't know what had gotten into him today.

"Hurry up, Rugrunth! Herdbeasts aren't going to catch themselves!"

There's a person there, Rugrunth explained, Hey, person! You'd better move, ha! This could get messy.

[Fel]

If there was one part of working with herdbeasts that Yendall didn't particularly enjoy, it was this time of year: trying to get ornery bulls back out of the pen after they'd done their thing with the cows. She'd managed to get a rope around this one's horns, but he was still fighting her every step of the way.

The dragon above certainly wasn't helping matters any. And people wondered why she'd always been fond of tending to the most remote grazing lands. Nobody to get in her way out there!

"I ain't afeared of no mess, but if you touch the bull I got roped, I swear to Faranth I will end you!" she hollered back.

[Arcane]

"We're roping bulls now?" Sandy asked, suddenly interested. She'd never been allowed to work with the bulls back home- something about being a little slip of the girl. Which was nonsense. She hurled firestone with the best of them. This other girl didn't look so tough! If she could do it, Sandy could do it better, "Need a hand? I grew up on a farm. I know my way around a herdbeast."

Why're bulls I'm not allowed to eat in the middle of the hunting herds though, yah? Seems like someone didn't think this through, Rugrunth offered. Because he would wait but other dragons might not, Maybe I could carry him for you, yah. I won't eat him or anything. Just get him out of the way.

He was big, he was strong, it was definitely the best plan.

[Fel]

"You know how to convince the ornery ones?" Yendall asked. She rather doubted the rider could help; growing up on a farm wasn't even close to the same as dealing with a bull.

She glared up at the blue. "'Cause how else we gonna get calves that'll grow up t' be your food next Turn? Not all of these'll be eaten, and at least some of the ones that don't'll get pregnant. It's only the bulls're valuable, and I keep an eye on him while he's here. Steers grow big and fat for food, but ain't able to impregnate the cows. And no, you ain't carryin' him."

[Arcane]

Why not, yah? I promised not to hurt him, Rugrunth insisted. Because he was hungry and the sooner this bull moved, the sooner he could eat the rest of the herd. Maybe he'd go for a different set of herdbeasts though...He didn't really want to eat a pregnant one.

"Nope! But how hard can it be?" Sandy asked with a grin. This was going to be so much fun, "Toss me the end of the rope and I'll give it a good yank! I'm stronger than I look."

[Fel]

"'Cause your great big claws can hurt him even if you're not tryin' to," Yendall replied before learning that she had other things to worry about.

She stared at the rider, dumbstruck. That... was an optimistic view of things, to say the least. A good yank was just as likely to send him running in the opposite direction, dragging the rider with him if she didn't let go. Which actually might be rather entertaining to watch, come to think of it. She grinned and nodded.

"Sure, why the forsk not?" She held out the end of the rope, not willing to actually throw it just in case the rider was especially uncoordinated.

[Arcane]

Oh...I guess I do have big claws, yah, Rugrunth agreed as he looked down at them. He hadn't thought about that. He didn't usually pick up herdbeasts he wasn't intending to eat.

Sandy grinned and took the rope, yanking with a yell, "Yeehaw! Let's do this thing!"

Because that was what people who did get to work with bulls said, right?

The bull did not approve. He pulled back, just about yanking Sandy off her feet, but she rolled with and held on. She wasn't quitting now!

[Fel]

And there was the absolutely predictable outcome. Yendall grinned, then quickly turned to a frown. How exactly was she going to get him back when he was now agitated? And hopefully the bluerider would be all right.

"If he starts to pull you toward the cows, just let go. Gettin' trampled's worse'n having to figure out how to get him back later!" she shouted. But really, this was the rider's own fault.

[Arcane]

"I'm no quitter!" Sandy hollered back as she slid to the dirt. She tried to scramble back to her feet, but shard it this thing was strong! But she wasn't a yellow-bellied coward, afraid of a few bumps! She was Sandy and she had grit.

Should I go grab it now, yah? This doesn't seem to be working very well, Rugrunth offered. He wasn't really sure how he could do that without dropping Sandy but he'd figure it out!

[Fel]

Yendall liked this rider. She was a dimglow, sure, but she was at least a dimglow with the right attitude. She bet most of the riders at High Reaches would have let go the moment the rope started to tug against them in the slightest.

"No, don't grab it! How many times do I have to tell you not to? Unless you wanna be real hungry next summer!" Which sure, was an exaggeration, but he was one of the Weyr's fatter bulls, and if his offspring took after him... Well, that would be a very good thing. But he needed to be alive to have more offspring!