Rihanne*Others
It had been a long night for Tahmores. Despite the fact that Timber had made him understand that Elder Brother was perfectly safe, Tahmores had slept curled into warm fur every night of his life, and found it ridiculously difficult to rest without his other half by his side. He'd spent a restless ten minutes pacing about his basement room, and another hour curled on the floor in front of the fireplace in a useless attempt to calm himself before he'd been forced out of doors by the strange discomfort. It wasn't his claustrophobia coming into play; this was something much deeper than that. He'd finally managed to settle on the grass in front of the porch, but he hadn't found sleep until the wee hours of the morning when Rihanne had pushed out the door and settled down beside him, whining to attract anyone who would listen to curl around him and try to make up for the missing sensation that made it near-impossible for him to sleep.
Needless to say, due to his light night, he didn't wake with the dawn as was his usual custom. He lay in the cool morning light, tucked into the grass and the canine bodies around him, even as the sun began to rise a little higher and warmed the earth a bit. And he didn't wake - only stirred, then shifted a bit and snuggled in again - when Rihanne shifted aside so that Brother could scoot into the pile, up next to Tahmores in his accustomed place. She could smell on him an unfamiliar scent - female, said her senses, timid and a little overwhelmed by the number of canines, humans, and other creatures she could smell... but not smelling of blood, fear, or death. Karai was crouched in the trees, a few yards in where the shadows of the morning could hide her while she observed everyone, and watch the farm wake up.
Timber & Others
The collie rarely stayed inside for very long, but he had his exceptions, and tonight was one of them. Nudging his way through the canine door, Timber was never far from Tahmores' side from that evening and on through to the early hours of the following morning. From his pacing to venturing outdoors in the grass, the young man had a black and white shadow tonight, who curled up against him when he'd finally laid down. Sage, Nak, and Sundile had ventured over around midnight to tuck in amongst the others, creating a furry bundle of bodies around Tah. And it wasn't only the canines - the resident felines also made their way over, with Nivvi curling up on top of Tah's side, Niavy nesting against the back of his neck, and Lion curling up by his feet, squeezed in next to Nak.
Timber's head shot up when Brother joined them in the early morning, nose twitching intently, shifting from the himself to the gentle breeze that was almost non-existent in the cool dawn. "How did it go, Brother?"
Tahmores*Others
The young man's face had been curled into Timber, taking the comfort from the collie in the way that ordinarily he took it from the wolf; now, he shifted automatically for the more familiar feel of Brother's fur, burying his nose into the scruffy, thick scent of the wolf that he knew so well, even in his sleep. Brother sighed a little, and his frame shook gently in a fond chuckle as he nosed Tahmores a bit and settled himself against the young man, all the while taking note of the little nest of warm, furry bodies, both canine and feline, that had gathered to protect Tah. "Boy never could sleep without fur next to him," the wolf murmured, and his voice sounded fuller, and... warmer somehow. That, as much as the words that followed, indicated that his venture had been successful in drawing the fae out of her seclusion. "Karai waits on the edge of the trees - she has never been this close to so many non-wolves before, and fears how she may be received. She thought it best to wait until more of us had awoken, and I thought it best not to press her if she was that uncomfortable."
Timber & Others
His ebony flank twitched reflexively when Tahmores' movement stirred Nivi, who woke with a giant yawn and stretching claws that extended out to snag the collie's fur. "He sleeps like a canine." The dog remarked quietly, a light smile grazing his muzzle, "Martha and John - they sleep all stretched out, hiding under the blankets. I don't know how they find that comfortable." His eyes had fallen for the woods as he spoke, his words fallen momentarily silent to listen to Brother talk. "We've all talked it over; not so much with the yearlings yet, but she will be welcomed warmly. Do you think it'd help if I met her out there and invited her in?" He may have lived here his entire life, but Timber could still understand the anxiety of a wild one trying to enter human grounds for the first time with the intent of trying to join them.
Tahmores*Others
Brother chuckled softly again - his body vibrated with the mirth. "Not that my family has had any influence on how he sleeps," he whispered, a grin on his face. "He spent many years of his life thinking of himself as a wolf - small wonder he sleeps like one, eh?" He shrugged a little, clearly saying Humans - what can you do? and then returned his attention to the more serious and pertinent end of the topic: seeing that Karai did not feel uncomfortable in this unfamiliar environment. He considered carefully Timber's offer, and then nodded his head slowly. "That may help - she's not bothered by other canines. I think it's that she doesn't want to suddenly come in as an unknown - knowing the general reputation of wild wolves around here - and draw unfavorable attention. She will know you by sight; I took the liberty of describing you and Rihanne... so she should not fear you."
Timber & Others
"Oh no, not at all." The collie's tones were lifted when he joked back with his wolf friend, yet still held his gaze for the dense foliage of the woods. After the conversation they'd all had yesterday, he was no longer worried about her being a threat, but old habit bayed him to keep his guard up anyway, "Okay, here I go." Raising himself out of the nest of warm bodies, the collie stepped gingerly away from the sleepers, placing his paws carefully over and around various furry parts so that he wouldn't wake the yearlings that were still slumbering. Trekking through the dew that had yet to be burned away by the rising sun, Timber's path was marked across the glistening yard as he approached the woods, and stopped a few cautious steps at the edge of the yard, "Karai, your welcome into our territory." He woofed out softly, forcing his body to adopt a less rigid pose, to make himself more inviting to the shy fae.
Karai*Others
There was general silence as Timber crossed the yard - Brother wasn't going to speak to influence the collie's reception of the female, mostly because he wanted Timber's honest opinion of her, unaltered by any attempts of his to either lighten or darken his perception. So he silently adjusted himself in the pile of bodies, and then watched silently as the black and white body padded quietly toward the trees. And even once he had spoken to welcome her... there was silence for a few tense moments.
Karai could see Timber well enough - his black and white coat, out in the sunshine, didn't hide him as well as did her coat of dark silver in the shadows. But even when his soft greeting came out gentle and unfrightening, she was still wary, enough to where she took her time to respond. But finally, a low alto voice spoke quietly into the silence. "You must be Timber... I only did not want to startle all of you by coming so suddenly in while all of you are sleeping." Her tones barely carried across the distance between them - in the shadows, her ears were laid back submissively, her body held low. Even though there were trees between them and he likely couldn't see her well, she was far from being a dominant sort of wolfess - and the way she kept to her shelter and made no moves toward him reflected that.
Timber & Others
Karai*Others
There was a soft sound that just barely made it through the thickness of trees around them - it sounded almost like a low laugh. "I didn't live so long as I have, a non-fighter and mother in a world of war and death, without learning some wisdom," came the more audible reply, whispering on the wind toward him and again barely reaching across the small distance. There was the soft sound of movement as she shifted her weight... and dared a couple of steps closer, so that he could see her more clearly. Light glinted off the soft blue color of her eyes, and caught here and there in the silver of her coat - several shades darker than the brighter tones of Artemis, but shimmering with too much luster to be called merely 'gray'. She had her good eye turned toward Timber so that she could see him clearly, and her nostrils flared to take in his scent - his was intermixed thoroughly with Brother's due to their close companionship, and that soothed her some, enough that she took another couple steps forward, and he could see her face clearly - including the black, hairless slash across the left eye-socket that told without words the story of how she'd lost her sight in that eye.
But if one could disregard the scar itself, her face was a pretty one to look upon - more angular than the round build of Rihanne's thick muzzle and yet more delicate than the strong wolfish lines of the collie's mate, the single functional eye soft and kind - and lit ever so slightly with uncertainty. The warmth in it was offset slightly by how her blind eye did not respond, either in expression or in reaction to the light. But the voice reflected her warm, timid personality as she asked softly, "Are you... happy here?" Not 'Are the humans kind'; Not 'How many are there of you?' Not 'Are you going to hurt me?'... no. 'Are you happy here?'
Timber & Others
To catch the soft-voiced words turned towards him, Timber had to angle his ears just right in order to catch whatever inflection went with her replies. They were almost as important, if not moreso, than the words themselves, "Then you'll do well here." Nothing had been mentioned yet as to whether Karai viewed Brother as a friend she was spending time with, or that this was something more, but apparently, Timber was all too happy to jump to the conclusion and wasn't shy about doing so. Rustling leaves and the nearly inaudible press of paws against the moist leaves and dew-beaded earth shifted the direction of Timber's ears and eyes, following the sounds of Karai's movements until her face was finally revealed. The eye certainly caught his attention, but he had enough manners not to stare at the unresponsive orb, and instead turned his head slowly in a tilt, caught by surprise with her follow up question. "...I am, yes. I have lived here all my life, and wouldn't have it any other way. Shelter, food, protection, and above it all, a family. What more could one want?" It was a soft, but firmly worded invite to the female, and a peek into the life she could have here.
Karai*Others
The silver fae dared another step closer, so that her shoulders were bare to the morning light - Timber wasn't being threatening or frightening in any way, so she was less wary now. By no means was she a fool, one to trust every kind voice that spoke to her - but Brother had spoken of Timber as one spoke of a favorite cousin or sibling; a friend to be trusted intimately, as long as one did not harm his family. She was trusting upon Elder Brother's judgment to be true. "A family is not something I have had in some time - I did once. I know what it is. But I have learned too well that it is temporary. I haven't left my homeland since two winters past because I've had no one to see too... if Brother had not come to me, I'd be there still. I have no one to venture out for, no one to look after but myself." In anyone else, that would have been a statement of independence - in Karai, it was wistful and unhappy. She needed someone to look after... she wasn't complete without it. "But I regress. I understand you have humans here. Tahmores, a boy younger than he called John, and an older woman named Martha, who belongs to Rihanne. Is that right?"
Timber & Others
As timid as the wolfess was said to be, Timber knowingly kept himself composed in a neutral manner, not overly dominant or puffed up, "Sometimes it can be a temporary thing." Speaking from the heart, Timber gave this quiet reply in short fashion, "But you always have the chance to start over. This is not a guaranteed safe-haven, but it is mostly free of the wars and disputes that have plagued the Valley in recent years." He wasn't going to mention that for Aidan, it wasn't the case - but at least none of the fighting came here. Their concerns were the wild ones that came in for the livestock, or the twisted individuals who hunted humans for sport. "Three humans, that's right. Martha is the leader, but they are all our Masters." To the ranch canines, 'master' was a genuine substitute for 'alpha' when used for the two-leggers.
Karai*Others
As the two were talking, Tahmores was just beginning to stir. Even before he was properly awake or ventured to open his eyes, the familiar smell he'd learned to associate with Brother came to him, and he was instantly happier than he had been all yesterday evening. He moved slowly to sit up, giving the various cats time to climb down off of him so they wouldn't be cast suddenly onto the ground. A soft whine left him, and he buried one hand into Brother's coat - but he paused when a new scent came to him. He didn't have the keen senses of the canines around him, but even his sorely-crippled nose detected an unfamiliar smell clinging to the wolf. He looked up, met Brother's eyes, and followed his keen gaze til his own glance landed upon Timber - and the silver face peeking out of the trees at him.
Tahmores let out a whine, one of recognition and welcoming, and for the first time, spoke in hearing range of the dogs in a word - not just a noise - they could all understand. "Karai." He could say her name, in the way of the canines - soft whine, quiet yip, short growl. It was one of the few, simple words he could say, whereas mostly he used only vague sounds to indicate his meanings. The silver fae looked up at her name, froze a little because she wasn't expecting to hear it from the young man. Two growls, a soft whimper and a brush of tail to one side - that was Tahmores' name as she spoke it in greeting. She might have moved forward to greet him, if not for all the strange canids - and felines - piled around him.
Timber & Others
The cats took their cue and drifted away from the young man at their own pace. Niavy bounced away and sat herself down against the house, turning her bristly tongue to groom her fur, while Nivi stretched again and gave a second yawn before idly slinking off the warm bed that was Tahmores' side, and making his way to leap onto the railing of the porch. Nak and the others were likewise starting to stir and go through ritual yawns and stretches to greet the morning, before each and every one of them turned their ears to the word that Tahmores produced. "I... didn't realized he talked...!" In hushed awe, Nak whispered this to Sundile and Sage, who were staring up at Tah. Moments after that, they heard Karai's voice, and were looking in surprise at the female they hadn't noticed until now.
Timber turned on his paws, sauntering back towards the porch, with a casual flick of the ear that was Karai's invitation to follow him if she wished. And when he was close enough to Rihanne, the collie's voice dropped into a light whisper, "Sounds like they know each other well enough, and that'll be good for her in acclimating to the rest of the Masters."
Karai*Others
The soft blue eyes followed each cat to their eventual resting place, wanting to have each creature accounted for. She'd never had trouble with domestic cats, but she'd encountered their large cousins before a discovered that their slinky-looking frames hid a lot of power and muscle. Of course she'd know Ghost Walker for a while - not very well, but he'd helped defend her pups, so she trusted him well enough; but like the rest of her friends and family, he'd disappeared too. So she had a guarded wariness for cats, but like her manner with all other creatures, wouldn't bother them unless they became a danger to her or those she cared about.
As she was watching the felines, and turning her eyes after Timber to decide if she was comfortable enough to follow him toward the house, Brother chuckled a little bit at Nak's softly-voiced amazement. "He can talk... in a few easy, short words, like a pup can. Human's mouths aren't really built for the sounds of our language, but he does admirably well. And he understands much better than he speaks." Tahmores, meanwhile, was tilting his head to one side in curiosity, wondering just what the silver mother was doing here - during this time, Brother spoke quietly to the youngsters, a slight snarl of authority in his voice. "Now don't any of you mob her or talk her to death - she's shy, and a bit easy to frighten. She's come to visit." Even as he said this, Karai seemed to make up her mind; slowly and cautiously, she pulled completely out of the brush, revealing that the rest of her body was the same dark silver as her face - and also highlighting a rack of four thin scars along her left side, as black and hairless as the one that slashed over her left eye. She moved slowly, keeping her eye on the strange canines all the while - but finally, she moved up next to Brother, scrubbing shoulders with him in a manner that was just a little too familiar for simple friendship, and reached her snout out to Tahmores, who extended a hand, but carefully allowed her to inspect it for as long as she liked before he took her nudge of a signal and gently ran his fingers over her soft ears. "Hello boy," she whispered, as she quietly accepted the careful touch from him. "You've grown again."
Timber & Others
Distracted by a sudden bite at his shoulder, Nak sat heavily back on his haunches to scratch away at the flea that had nipped him, "That makes sense, when you put it that way. They do have kind of funny looking faces, without muzzles and all. It's just kinda... flat. Poor humans." The annoying itch was finally abated and the flea forgotten, leaving the yearling to stand up and devote his silver-eyed gaze back to Elder Brother. His tail was just setting into an eager sway to see Karai moving forward, only to stop in mid swing when the authority-driven growl caught his attention, "You know me Brother, I won't scare her."
"How long is she staying?" Not knowing of the talk Timber had, and how the collie was hopeful that Karai's presence would be more of a permanent thing, Sage offered this innocent query to Brother, "She must have been in your pack, huh? The one up by the mountains?"
Karai*Others
Rihanne hadn't immediately answered Timber as she pulled up beside him and headed for the porch herself, figuring that the silver guest would have enough strangers close to her and questioning her without the two of them adding to the crowd. But as she settled down again, chin on her paws and apparently not having so much trouble moving this morning, she answered him, "She seems to be pretty comfortable with Tahmores at least - that is a good sign for her ability to learn to trust other humans, if she will let him touch her. And look at that - she's closer to him that he cared to admit to us... or perhaps closer than he understands, one or the other." Her words were softly referencing the very familiar way Karai had pulled up beside Brother now. "That isn't just a friend-nuzzle there. I'd write it up to anxious-touching... but not when she's sticking that close."
Elder Brother, meanwhile, was finding himself fielding questions as best he could. "Just mind yourself," he warned Nak again, knowing that the young fellow meant well but was often over-exuberant. And then, he told Sage more gently, "I'm not entirely sure - we didn't really work out definite details..." And he didn't have time to say more, because Karai was beside him and keeping her fur very closely-intermingled with his. Unlike Rihanne, he took this as a sign of nervousness in her, and shifted unconsciously a little closer to reinforce a sense of protection in her. And it was then that she finally murmured, "Brother - do your friends have names?" it was a quiet, gentle reminder that the wolf had forgotten his manners.
Timber & Others
Timber was noticing all these things that Rihanne was pointing out to him, and all of it settled well with the collie. Above all else, he had the duty to ensure that his family, both by blood and those that were not, remained safe here, and that fear had been put to rest yesterday as far as Karai was concerned. With Tahmores as a sort of buffer for the wolfess in her human-interaction, the collie was further convinced that the right thing had been done in inviting her here. Secondly, it looked as if his little talk had worked - Karai and Elder Brother were close. "From the looks of it, things are going to work out nicely. So long as things move slow enough not to overburden Karai, she and Brother both will benefit from it all."
"I'm Sundile!" The fae yipped, her front paws shifting about in a little prance, showing that she was anxious to move forward and greet Karai, but was being kept back by Brother's earlier warning against overwhelming the wolfess. "Daughter of Aidan and Tahirah."
Karai*Others
"May it be so," Rihanne whispered reverently, still unabashed watching as Brother introduced his friend to the younger members of their family. Perhaps it is good that she is meeting the younger ones of us first. Your children and Aidan's are the most spontaneous, silly group of ones I've ever known - and it's those sort of things that endear pups to a female, and makes her comfortable with them." She smiled, and her ear perked to catch snippets of the conversation they were having. "Besides - I'd hate to see your first attempt at matchmaking fall apart." She grinned there, and wiggled her stub of tail - that was a tease.
Fortunately for everyone, Brother's fears that the presence of so many pestering, questioning youngsters would bother Karai was completely unfounded - Nak, Sundile, and Sage were young enough still that she wasn't nearly so cautious of them as she was of the other adults. Indeed, Sundile's eagerness and the quick shuffle of her feet got a smile out of Karai, and an unexpected sound; a soft laugh that sounded like liquid sunshine pouring from her. "Well met, Sundile. I am Karai, for those who don't know... though I daresay in a place like this, word travels fast."
Timber & Others
All of the commotion had Aidan and the rest of his little family congregating on the scene in short order. The blue-eyed father remained standing several feet back from the porch, with Tahirah at his side, so that they wouldn't be adding to the crowd that was pressing in on their new visitor. Spark and Stardust, though - they held no such reservations, and had only their father's earlier warnings to guide them as the bounced forward with wagging tails and pinned-back ears. "You must be Karai!" Spark was the first to yap, "Welcome to our pack!" Moving in a little closer than her brother, Stardust extended her slender white muzzle forward, trying to meet Karai's for a friendly sniff, "That's Spark, and I'm Stardust." Her voice was a little quieter than her brother's, but necessarily a shy one, but more along the lines of formal and respectful.
Sage was the next one to pip up with the introduction of her name, all under the watch of Timber, who continued to hang back with Rihanne and let the younglings be the ones that first greeted the new fae and welcome her to their home. "And I think it's working." His feathered tail beat against the ground a few times, as much an expression of contentment as a human's smile. A wry grin creased his muzzle next, and he chuckled in jest, "Watch yourself, Rih. I think you're next in line for my match-making skills."
Karai*Others
This was definitely going well - the innocence and eagerness of the yearlings, who were really just overgrown pups themselves, was really helping Karai to relax and come out of her shell a bit. So she extended her nose to lightly touch Stardust's and exchange the curious sniff, a soft, almost motherly smile growing in place on her facade. Working admirably quickly when faced with so many unfamiliar dogs, she committed 'Spark' and 'Stardust' to memory. Her tail waved cautiously, almost shyly, as she turned her gaze over to Sage. "You must belong to Timber, then - you look like him a bit, through the face."
Back on the porch, the collie's tease got a short bout of laughter and a playful cuff out of Rihanne. "If you can find anyone willing to but up with grousy, grumpy old me, you're more than a matchmaker - you're a miracle worker. Just ask Minx, next time she comes to visit - she'll tell you I'm impossible."
Timber & Others
Star's ears slowly crept up, coaxed out of their submissive position by Karai's gentle smile. The only of the newest litter to have her father's icy-blue eyes, the yearling turned them curiously over Karai's face, where they lingered a second over the dead, sightless one of the older fae's. "Did you get in a fight?" Respectful as she may be, Stardust was still a little young to watch her words closely, and talked on impulse now and then. Aidan stiffed some at hearing this, reacting too late to stop his daughter. To make up for that, his looked sternly in her direction, "Star..." Soft white ears went back down against her skull immediately following the rumbling tone of warning from her sire. "Umm, I'm sorry, Karai. That's none of my business, and I shouldn't have been prying." Mumbling this automatically, and again reflecting the manner of obedience taught to the Lurker pups, she offered this quick apology.
"Impossible?" Timber's grin expanded and he fleetingly ducked his head down when she countered his earlier words with a cuff, "Maybe extremely difficult, but..." Leaving his tease to end there, dying away in a good natured chuckle, the collie straightened up again, "Okay, okay - I'll just focus on Karai and Brother for now."
Karai*Others
If Karai was startled by Star's question, it didn't show - undoubtedly, she'd had many curious pups ask her the identical question many times. So she didn't look insulted, but nor did she try to stop Aidan from impressing upon his daughter that it was an impolite question. Instead she waited for him to finish speaking and reminding her of her manners, and then answered her quietly, "Yes - I got that in a fight many years ago, when I wasn't too much older than you are now." She answered that calmly, softly, and then told the young female, "It's alright to be curious, and even alright to ask, sometimes - but timing and wording are important." Rather than a scold of her own, Karai offered out soft advice as to a better way that Stardust could have gone about asking her question, gave a small wave of her tail to indicate she wasn't mad at the youngster - and then let the topic slide.
Timber & Others
It took a little longer for her ears to come up this time, but they did ease up after Karai's response came back as a light and unhurtful thing. Amongst the canines, Timber and Aidan were noticing the way that she had that motherly quality about her, and how the yearlings easily had her attention, and in a way that saw her more relaxed than when he had addressed her moments ago at the timberline. Brother and Rihanne couldn't have been more right about her personality, “It kinda makes you look tough." The end of her tail dared to wiggle a little in apprehensive happiness, glad that she had avoided upsetting her father or this new female. "In a good way."
Karai*Others
Star's words got another chuckle out of Karai - warm and motherly, indicating that she was relaxing still more, and coming out of her wary way of thinking. She still didn't make a move from beside Brother, but she was significantly more comfortable now than she had been. "Being tough is all well and good, but only when it's needed. I'm not much of a fighter myself - but I can go well enough to survive, anyway. Fighting is what makes the rest of life possible - it's not what life is about."
Timber & Others
Elder Brother's warning could only hold them back for so long. Inch by inch, the various yearlings had slowly moved in closer to the silvery female, delighted as always to meet a new face, and subconsciously attracted to the way her tones and body language continued to convey a sense of gentleness; aside from her understandable shyness. Nak took his turn at speaking again, "Are you going to help us with the cows and sheep, and stuff like that?" A general murmur of delight went up amongst the younglings, before Niavy brought herself into the conversation, "As long as you'll fight the coons and coyotes, you're fine by me."
Karai*Others
Brother was actually rather impressed by how well this was all going. He'd been worried that the slightly-overbearing personalities of their younger members might be a little much for Karai, but she was taking to it natively, as she did with all situation involving young creatures. He had to laugh though, at Karai's next words. "Tell you the truth, dear... I'm not altogether sure what a 'cow' is. Sheep I'm familiar with, at least... slow, dull-witted creatures with a bunch of fur and little common sense. But cows?" By now, Brother's shoulders were shaking with suppressed mirth, and she turned a completely un-serious glare at him. "What?!"
Timber & Others
The yearlings reacted collectively again as gasps of surprise went up. Most of them shared a universal thought, which Nak eagerly spat out as he stood and waved his tail so enthusiastically that his backend shook with the force of it, "Can we show you the cows? You can meet Contus! He's really super nice!" He asked this without turning a look to his father, far too caught up in the excitement to seek the collie's approval for the adventure. Timber didn't mind too much, assured that Karai wouldn't do the mooing lawn-mowers on legs any harm.
Karai*Others
Unlike the younglings, Brother was very conscious of looking around at the other adults and seeing what they thought of this idea. Rihanne didn't look worried, and Timber seemed comfortable enough with the idea, so he relaxed some, listening to Karai chuckle again. An old paw with working with pups, she was well-accustomed to being a subject of astonishment and amazement in younger canines, and didn't mind being the brunt of a joke, particularly if it was the kind of surprise that swarmed over the yearlings. "Well, I..." That was the beginning of her answer, because she didn't want to give permission for the venture against the others' wishes, but Brother quickly took up for that. "Best ask your father first, young ones. If he doesn't mind, I don't see why we shouldn't make a trip of it."
Timber & Others
Timber had tried to keep his chuckles to a minimum to avoid embarrassing Karai over this issue. If it said anything about the silver wolfess, it was that her contact with farmers was scarce if not nonexistent - another good sign for Timber. "I don't see any harm in it. The cows have their calves however, so you'll all be mindful not to harass any of them. Watch the hooves." The hybrid cattle were placid enough around those they were familiar with, but the mothers were understandably more guarded with their calves whenever the canines became too rough with them.
"Come along this way, I'll show you where they are!" Getting approval from his father, Nak didn't wait for Karai or the others to respond before he bounded off the porch and jogged towards the Cow Pasture. The other yearlings were trailing after him in a heartbeat.