Returning Shepherd

Tawny Wagner · 08-19-2011, 02:03 PM

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anyone who is familiar with animals/livestock is welcome.

Word Count → 838

Tawny was sad to be leaving Mr. Bojangles and the majority of the llamas, but she knew it was time to get back home. She had desperately wanted to stay with the man longer, feeling as if he was a grandfather figure replacing the parents who had hurt her so bad. Bojangles would forever be in her heart and memories as family, someone that she loved and would have liked to gotten to know better. Her time with him had been fun and a huge learning experience; also it was a time for her to learn how to relax around people again. The old man was such a kindred soul; he kind of helped her see the good in others once more. Not seeing him ever again was going to be very tough on her.

The fact that the old man had given her so much to take back with her…enough things to load onto the llamas he was sending as well. The five she had consisted of Rama, the pregnant alpha female of the now small herd, Rama’s big mate named Puppy, another large male named Jack, and two other smaller but very strong females named Daisy and Lala. All of them but Rama were loaded down with bags and packs, not enough to be much of a burden; they were all strong enough to carry a lot more. The only thing that the lead female was carrying was Tawny’s personal backpack, which contained her food supply and bedding things.

They’d been walking all day, having left in the morning as the sun came up. With the llamas in tow, Tawny was finding it a lot easier to travel. They not only carried her bags and such, but they knew the mountain well and could detect danger before she could. More than once, Rama had forced the girl to stop moving and watched as a predator passed in the distance. Whether it was a predator that was detrimental to their health, it never mattered. Just the fact that there was something slightly dangerous was room enough for them to protest and take a small break to take in their surroundings again. Tawny was thankful for their watchful eyes, knowing that if they hadn’t been there, she probably would have gotten hurt a few times.

The trip going back home to Ichicka no Ho-en was apparently going to be a lot shorter than her trip up the mountain side. By the time the sun was starting to set, she was able to smell the scents of her pack mates in the air. Despite her excitement to get back, she forced herself to make camp for the night. The llamas gathered all together in a semi-circle, lying down around their new shepherd. Tawny didn’t even need her warm flag out because their thick coats were so warm and fluffy. Feeling comfortable and supremely safe with the large beasts, the girl had no problems falling asleep and snoozing through the night.

Sunlight filtered through her eyelids, causing her to groan softly and roll over. Her face met a bog fluffy tummy and she opened her eyes, looking around. All of the llamas except for Lala were up and grazing around the wolf woman. The smallest female was still laying there with her, munching on some grass that was within reach of her long neck. Tawny chuckled softly to herself and ran her hands over the female’s back and stomach gently, rubbing in a way that she knew the creatures appreciated greatly.

After a while of just lounging around and snacking, Tawny tied the lead rope onto Rama’s head and began walking again. All of the other llamas fell into step behind their lead female, having no problems with walking without being attached by ropes. Keeping just outside the borders of Ichika, Tawny sniffed her way around until she began smelling hints of horses and cows, right where she wanted to be. After penetrating the border, it was only a few miles inland to get to the ranch were the livestock was kept. It was easy to lead her new herd right into the farm yard without any incident. The llamas didn’t freak out, and she couldn’t smell or hear anyone nearby, perhaps it was still too early in the morning, she wasn’t sure.

The girl led the llamas into a smaller area of the horse pasture, a part that was closed off by a make-shift fence. Her hands untied the lead rope on Rama’s head and let her go with the others, watching with a happy smile as they explored the small enclosure. Going into the barn, she grabbed a bucket and searched for water, returning and giving the llamas something to drink, figuring they could just eat the grass until she figured out what to feed them. In the meantime, she found some brushes and started combing through their thick coats, getting rid of the tangles and debris caught from sleeping on the ground the night before.

Table code by the Mentors!

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