A horse is a horse, of course, of course

Nian Redtree · 12-28-2010, 06:14 PM

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While Nian ordinarily had no reason to go to the stables, curiosity had once again gotten the better of him. He had met wolves coming from the stables, going to the stables, who smelled like the stables, and who talked about the stables.... By now he figured that he should have a clearer idea of just what went on by the horses or at least seen a horse close up for himself, but alas, things had not fallen so neatly into place. And so, like any great adventurer, Nian had decided to discover for himself just what he was missing out on, and he was now heading towards the stables to investigate.

It did not phase him that he had never been close to a horse before. He had heard many things about them, of course. For example, horses were large - much larger than any wolf - but he had been around large animals before, hadn't he? Well... Okay, so he had maybe watched some cattle grazing... from a distance... And he avoided the larger elk and deer because he knew he was more likely to get killed than bring down any prey so much larger than he was, but still, Nian had high hopes that a horse would be easier to get closer to than these other large animals. After all, the horses were tethered so that they would not run away or trample anyone... right?

In any case, he had now arrived near the stables, and he could already smell the musky scent of horses, manure, and feed coming from the building. As he drew closer he could hear the faint snorts and clip-clop-ing of hooves against the hard-packed earth as the horses shifted their weight and moved within their limited space. Taking a deep breath, Nian walked in towards the stable entrance before he could change his mind. A quick peek at the horses, that was all, and then he would leave... That way nothing bad could happen, and he would not get into any trouble.

Liliana Utina · 12-29-2010, 06:10 AM

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WC:363 OOC: yay for new threads!!

As usual Liliana could be found just in the spot where Nian was headed. Though, she was not right with the horses at the moment, she was getting the feed ready for the cows, so that she didn’t have to bother with them till she had to set them out in the pasture, which wouldn’t be for a little while in the least. Liliana was listening to the snorting and light nickering of the horses as the either spoke to each other or wanted to hear themselves. She had always wondered if it was ever possible to teach a horse high speech, and what would they say if they could? She thought, as she threw a mix of hay and oats into the cow’s feeding pen. The male had to be separated from the females as he was starting to get aggressive and she fed him separate as well. It wasn’t long before she was to her favorite task. Taking care of the horses.

But then something distracted her, a figure came in close to the stable doors, and just seemed to stand there, her ears perked up, and soon smelled the scent of a wolf come in through the smells of the horses. She smiled as she smelled this was a member of AniWaya, she waved to the newcomer.

Hello, why don’t you come in from the cold?

She asked, though it wasn’t too much warmer in the stables themselves, they were drafty and old, but it still kept most of the winter wind from blasting her in the face.

My name is Liliana!

She said, as she moved to a stall, she still had work to do and though there was company she was still going to do her work. Though the male had unwittedly misunderstood how a horse was housed, she didn’t know, but they had more room to move than being tethered up, as they had their own little rooms to lay down in, eat, and anything but run. The animals were rather use to the close confines, even if Lili let them out, even in the cold winter. She knew that the animals needed to get their exercise.

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Nian Redtree · 12-29-2010, 01:53 PM

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Nian peered into the stables, trying to catch a glimpse of the animals inside before he entered. Now he could see the stalls, and somewhere in the back of his mind the pieces fell together as to why the horses were housed that way. He had never seen a horse that liked to stand still. Somehow, he felt safer knowing that the animals were safely expending their energy in a relatively enclosed space, rather than threatening havoc by straining against ropes. The horses were still huge compared to himself, though...

He stepped forward nervously and smiled at the female who invited him in. "Hello there. I'm Nian. I thought I would come see what the stables are all about." As he entered into the drafty building, he did notice a distinguishable but slight rise in temperature, likely caused by the presence of a number of animals in the buliding. Moving over towards Liliana (he figured that since she knew what she was doing, close to her was the safest place), he gave her a nervous smile. "Do you take care of the animals here?" That was probably a stupid question, but he asked it anyway. Conversation was the best way to become more comfortable in a new environment.

Liliana Utina · 01-01-2011, 03:46 PM

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WC: 461 +2 OOC:

Liliana could tell that the wolf that was coming in was apprehensive to do so. So she suspected that he was new to the idea of horses, or that he wasn’t sure what he was getting himself into. He introduced himself well enough though and then confirmed her thoughts at once. She gave him a smile.

Well welcome to the stables then, I must say they aren’t as magnificent as the huts in any case, but they do keep the horses well enough.

She said to him happily, hoping her voice could make the place seem a more pleasing place to him. She paid attention to him, but she still had work to do so she moved to the stall where the two ponies were being held. She knew they were Theodoric’s, but he had given her permission to take care of them, she let him have the favorable jobs like brushing them, though she did do that to all the horses at the end of the day, but she still fed them, and took care of their stalls.

You are quite correct, so far I’m actually the only one that takes care of the ownerless horses, so it’s quite a busy job, so I hope you don’t mind me working while talking, if you want, you can meet some of our residents, most don’t bite much.

She said as she grabbed a bucketful of feed and opened the pony’s door. The two were there waiting for her, their ears perked forward in anticipation to eat. Pouring in the food she checked the water, and was satisfied it didn’t need filling for a while.

I assume that you are new to the pack? I haven’t seen you around before.

She asked as she patted the ponies, making sure they had no burs in their mane’s or tails, before closing the door and heading to another stall, which held one of the ownerless horses. She did the ssame to this one, this was a mare, who was pregnant, and would be ready to birth in the springtime, something Liliana was excited about. She didn’t know that this mare she’d caught was expecting or she’d have left her, but now she couldn’t. the horse had been so sweet from the beginning. She checked her water after pouring, just as she did with the ponies, but found it to be unsatisfactory. She moved to where she’d stored what water she would gather weekly, durning the summer, but now was able to toss in snow for the effect of it turning into water later on, she used a different bucket to dip into the water. She felt bad that she seemed to be ignoring the young man but the work did have to be done.

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Nian Redtree · 01-01-2011, 06:51 PM

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Nian nodded his thanks at the welcome, then moved closer to her to see what she was doing. As he watched her pour the feed, he found himself starting to ask questions about her work. "So... What do you feed them? Is it grass of some kind, or maybe a grain? Do you have to harvest it and store it for the winter?" He looked down the stalls, trying to count the amount of animals in the stables. "How many horses are there anyway?" He wondered how many were horses belonging to the tribe and how many had owners who had brought them here when they joined the tribe.

Answering her second questions, he said, "I've only been here for a little over a month. I'm still learning my way around."

Pretty table made by Gwendolyn! Edited slightly by me.

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Liliana Utina · 01-02-2011, 12:15 PM

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WC: 401 OOC: I’m just crazy

Liliana giggled under the onslaught of questions when she started working again. Feeling that it was good to be questioned.

There’s a mixture of grasses and oats, though they can find their own grass, but they do enjoy the taste of wheat. Which is what I put in their feed with some oats, and a few dried fruits have been known to be mixed in.

She said, her voice as gentle as can be, she was in no way unhappy for the questions and she was sure to show it, she in fact enjoyed the company of an inquisitive stranger.

We do harvest their food and store it, or it would be rather hard for them to find what they need.

She had to think for a second she didn’t know exactly how many off the top of her head that they had, so it took her a little bit to remember how many they actually did have.

we have about fourteen horses and four cows.

She said after a little while. Her math skills weren’t too great and she had to think about how many they had even though she took care of them every single day. She was finished getting the mare’s water in, and was looking her over as she spoke to the young man, making sure no unknown injuries had come to the horse in the night.

Ah well I do wish you a warm welcome then. I am sorry it took me this long to meet you!

She said, she had to admit though her job didn’t end like some, who’s job was mostly summer and spring tasks, hers was a year around, and she was a very busy wolf. She moved to the next stall doing the same as she had with the first two.

I really hope you like it here, it’s a very friendly place I think.

She said as she poured in the feed to the horse, it was Belle, the Chief’s horse. she knew he could take care of her, and he was particular about her, but she did what he didn’t have time for being chief as well as medicine man, who would have his hands full now that there was a possibility of sickness going around from the cold, she knew that sick wolves elevated in the winter and she wanted to make the Chief’s job as simple as possible.

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Nian Redtree · 01-02-2011, 12:46 PM

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Sorry this is so short.

"I didn't know horse at fruit," he said. "And that's a lot of animals... How do you keep up with them all if you're the only person taking care of them?"
Looking around the stables, he felt himself becoming a little more comfortable. And this woman was so normal around them that her mood started to infect his, and he felt the hair he had not realized was standing up relax again. He looked at her working for a while before asking, "Can I help? The feed bags look sort of heavy, and you could probably at least feed them more quickly if you had someone helping you. All you'd have to do is show me where to put it." Despite himself, he was beginning to become slightly intrigued by the strange beasts, and he wanted to get a better understanding of them than he already had... which was, admittedly, not a very good understanding at all.

Pretty table made by Gwendolyn! Edited slightly by me.

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Liliana Utina · 01-03-2011, 08:15 PM

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WC: 238 OOC:Lol yay finally got to this thread I didnt' forget!! <3

She smiled, it wasn’t really common knowledge that horses enjoyed fruits, though she didn’t give them a lot. She did not blame the young man for not knowing, especially if he was never near a horse before, and it seemed just that way in fact.

Well, they mostly like apples, but many have their preferences. My horse Grace, she loves dried pears. I haven’t really tried too many, fruits though, but I do put in some carrots as well, they can be pretty picky eaters though.

She looked at the young man and couldn’t help but smile, she was the only one who had the job yes but…

I always get help, many come to take care of their own. Others do just to help me out every once in a while.

She said and as if he sensed what she was going to say he also offered his own helping hand. She smiled, thankful for any help she could get.

Of course you can, I tend to keep their feed separate, near their stalls, it tends to be easier for the most part. If you could help me with the feed in the next one?

She asked, seeing that Belle’s water was satisfactory. The next stall had another mare, this one was a bay horse, and her demeanor was a calm one, most of the horses she had gotten were calm, well except one so far, he was proving to be very troublesome, and Liliana wanted to breed him with the mares so gelding him would have been out of the question, and she didn’t think doing that deed would even calm that horse’s nerves.

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Nian Redtree · 01-03-2011, 09:03 PM

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Hope you don't mind the slight PP. Go ahead and describe what they're doing in more detail in your post. I'm getting flashbacks to the first time I ever fed a horse; I feel pretty much like Nian does. XD

"Ah, I see. That makes it easier, I guess." When she asked him to help with the next stall he nodded, then went over to where the feed was and grabbed a large enough bag where he could possibly help her with a few more stalls as well. Carrying it over to Liliana, he propped it up so that she could get access to it easily. "It's a shame that you don't have anyone to help you more permanently. Aren't there any... any Elan Seqoili in the tribe?" he asked, stumbling slightly over the AniWaya title for the lowest ranked members of the Animal Care tier.

As he helped Liliana with the next stall, he kept a wary eye on the mare, afraid that she would move suddenly and knock into him or nip his fingers. However, as he found himself staring with worried attentiveness at the horse's feet, he realized just how stick-like her legs appeared. Given how fast horses were supposed to be, he thought it was odd that she looked so gangly, even though it wasn't too out of the ordinary for herd animals. "So how fast can these horses run? Are they faster than wolves?"

Liliana Utina · 01-05-2011, 05:08 AM

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WC: 407 OOC: We won’t do all of the horses, I’ll skip up in a little while feeding gets boring ^^

Liliana was ever greatful for the help. She did get plenty of it, but not on a regular basis, so Nian would make her job a bit faster if not more pleasurable. As he came back he let her get the feed out and asked another question. She smiled sadly.

Not at this current time. Those who had been, are now gone, left to their own devices. I am not feeling sorry for myself though. I do enjoy keeping with the horses.

She said, though it did take her time from Nayati, though they always found some kind of time to enjoy with each other. She smiled at the young man’s question, she looked over at the mare who stared back, one eyed at both of them, her ears forward, but she moved to eat, a slow, sluggish way, as to tell him that she wasn’t about to move very fast today.

Horses can run quite fast. Though I wouldn’t say they could run too much faster while a wolf is in lupus, how ever would we catch them while hunting?

She grinned at him and winked. She knew that horse was a delicacy to some wolves especially for the fact that they were less dangerous than a moose, or elk. Liliana, knew the advantages of a horse though.

But, they has quite a bit more endurance than we do, and, riding them means we do not tax ourselves, though still have to think about the needs of the mount too.

She said, checking this one’s water. She then checked the mare as well, just as she had with the others. She found nothing new on the horse that would be called dangerous to her health, so she left the stall. The next one was her very own, Grace. The mare was a unique one, though many of the horses in the stables had their unique qualities, but Liliana had always liked the coloration of the horse in her stall. Shaw was a bright chestnut with a flaxen mane, which was almost so white she could see right through it,

This here is my horse. she’s a nice girl herself too.

Liliana said, she did show a bit more affection with this one than the others, though many of them were owned, Liliana had a soft spot for Grace. She however did not give the mare more to eat, or anything better, just a little extra attention.

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Nian Redtree · 01-06-2011, 01:29 PM

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Sorry for the weird disjointedness. Sickness + writing = crappy writing.

"Okay. Well, I'll help if you ever need it." At that moment, one of the horses snorted particularly loudly as it ate, and the young wolf jumped back, nearly spilling the feed bag. Composing himself as quickly as possible, he cast a suspicious eye towards the offending horse and added, "... then again, maybe I'm not the best choice in a helper.""

Nian grinned at her answer to the running question. "I guess that makes sense... But when you hunt you always go after the slower ones, so I guess they could still run faster. Not that I've ever gone after a horse, though. I think I'd get trampled."

He watched her finish checking on the current horse, then followed her over to the next stall, where she introduced him to her horse. He held back a little so that he was clear of the mare's mouth, but he made sure he stayed close anyway, even though he had to approach from a bit of an angle. He could see that she was quite a pretty horse, with a lustrous coat and a light-colored mane, but this did little to diminish the voice in the back of his head that warned him about getting his fingers bitten.

"She is very pretty," he said. "What's her name?" He assumed that the mare would have a name. Most animals did.

Liliana Utina · 01-08-2011, 09:59 AM

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WC: 458 OOC: No worries it was fine

Liliana didn’t mind the help but it seemed Nian was quite afraid of the horses, which was funny, a wolf being afraid of a horse, or two, they were harmless here, well… for the most part. An unhappy horse wouldn’t be a good companion especially when he was not happy with you.

Don’t worry, they don’t bite, and if they do it’s not hard, they have flat teeth, they may leave a mark but rarely do they break the skin.

She laughed, it was a little joke, horses didn’t really bite unless they were under severe stress and were in immediate danger, then normally tended to step on toes, which hurt very much, and also buck you off, or kick you but those were not going to happen in such close quarters, and she was being careful not to bring the young man to her most temprimental, though they were closing in on him. She fed Grace and checked her as well, nearly forgetting to answer Nian’s question.

Ah her name is Grace, for the grace she shows in everything.

Liliana smiled, she was not all that good in naming things, though she tended to name a horse after a quality or a marking. They went through the rest of the horses with the same routine, but in much faster sucession, though when it came to the stallion she was having trouble with, she had him stand clear of him. He did have a problem with males and the horse’s ears were pinned back and he neighed a few times. Liliana was use to all of this. He tried his “lead stallion” bit with her, and she won. She poured the feed in his food bin, and he went to eat, though trying to butt his head against Liliana in the process, probably because Nian was there. She stood her ground though and pushed his head away before doing her check on him, he had a small cut on his leg, but nothing that would bother him to much. Moving out they finished up the rest of the horses. She hoped that as he got further along that he could see the horses were rather nice and none but the one showed hostilities.

Well that’s it for my duties, would you like to help me get a couple to pasture, or are you feeling that would be too much for you?

She asked. She knew the first that were fed were done, and she did need to clean out their stalls so they were not walking in their own filth all day. This was a task she had to do several times a day, though it was the worst of the tasks, she still had to do it.

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Nian Redtree · 01-08-2011, 05:12 PM

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Sorry for the short post.

"Grace, huh?" he said. "That's a nice name." He smiled as Liliana finished looking over the mare, then followed her down to the other stalls. As they moved pas the other stalls, he had the chance to get more accustomed to the horses, growing more familiar with their sounds, scents, and movements. As a result, he spooked far less the further they went through the stables, and by the time they came close to finishing, he was feeling much more comfortable around the animals. This feeling went away, however, when they came to the stallion, who neighed loudly when they approached and seemed particularly distressed by Nian's presence. After a while, however, he noticed an almost familiar pattern to the horse's movements. "It's sort of like he's displaying dominance, isn't it?" he said, perking up with his realization. "I guess they're not too different from wolves after all. ... With the exception of being prey and herd animals, of course."

At her question he hesitated, then nodded. Why not? "Sure, I'll help. What do I need to do?"

Liliana Utina · 01-09-2011, 09:03 AM

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WC: 348!

She was glad someone approved of Grace’s name… well no one yet has disliked it in any case. It was a simple name, for a very complex horse, which didn’t matter. Once they were near finished and she had gotten to the Stallion, she looked at the wary male, Nian was apprehensive about him. She smiled at the wolf.

Yes, he is in many ways worse than male wolves.

She she couldn’t help but laugh at this, even though they were prey animals they still had the ability to show their dominance in any way that the could. When he agreed to help her get the horses to pasture she couldn’t help but beem at him.

Oh it’s not difficult at all really, you just open the stall, most of the time the animals know where they are going and you just lead them outside, see like this?

She moved over to a horse who had finished their meal and opened the stall for them, there was a rope halter next to the stall, which belonged to that particular horse and all she had to do was just slip it on, though she was so use to it, she didn’t think it would be too hard for Nian to get one on. Then she leaded the horse out of the stall by pulling lightly on the halter and soon the horse was walking, nice and slow towards the back of the stables.

See nothing to it!

She said as she let the horse out into the light and then headed back to help Nian. Just in case he didn’t get what she did. She wasn’t going to leave the man to do it on his own, especially if he wasn’t entirely comfortable with the horses yet. This task meant you had to get close to the horse and even touch them, the task he had was contact free.

Just remember, if you feel too uncomfortable let me know, horses can smell fear just as much as we can, they can also sense unease better than we can to.

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