Herd You Needed a Place to Go [Job/solo]

Job Details:

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Ariella pulled her mare up to the group of traveling Beast Tamers, nodding as they gave her a short greeting between keeping the creatures they were herding in line. She had wanted to help them move the creatures so she could see, first hand, what type of effect they would have on the environment. While they were being moved close to the mountainous area in the west, she was certain it would be bound to drive some of the existing wildlife away, possibly closer to Kios. She also enjoyed seeing how the tamers worked with the wild animals and managed to move them.

There were several different variations of creatures being moved and they all shuffled and stamped nervously. They did not like the presence of humans, but were unable to escape the groups they had been placed in. One of the younger, friendlier creatures cautiously began to approach her before its mother nudged it away, not wanting its child contaminated with the smell of two-legs. They rode at an easy pace, allowing the various tamers and their dominated beasts to keep the moving groups organized. When a few of the wild creatures got brave and tried to rush at her horse in an attempt to escape, her horse took the queue from her to stand its ground. While the mare was more accustomed to moving cattle and sheep, this was the same procedure.

Seemingly disappointed in their attempt to rush, the creatures kept moving with their packs and the horse whinnied at them as though encouraging them to not make another attempt. Ari patted the mare on the neck, the easy pace and lack of conversation making her tired. Knowing she could not afford to sleep, she decided to start counting the creatures in the group she was helping with. It was harder than she originally thought, the creatures moving and ducking between each other so often that she had to restart her count several times. She found it entertaining to see how some of the adult creatures kept the infants moving, whether by ‘playing’ with them or simply picking them up and carrying them, they made sure none of their young was lost in the shuffle. She was amazed at how they could tell the difference between all of the babies, all of them looked the same to her.

They rode well into the day and came to rest that night, organizing watches to make sure predators stayed away and that the herded creatures stayed together. She enjoyed a meal and some brief conversation with the beast tamers before retiring until her watch shift. She was to take the shift right before dawn until they left. When one of the tamers woke her for her shift, she nodded groggily and took her place overlooking the creatures, watching most of the slumber peacefully. As dawn broke and camp with it, she gratefully ate the bowl of eggs handed to her while keeping an eye on the creatures until it was time to leave.

They arrived at the location around noon, a command given to the dominated beasts causing them to make a loud commotion that frightened the herded creatures into the wooded area at the base of the mountains. It took well into the evening to get all of the different groups into the woods and she watched as the creatures seemed to blend into the woods and then disappear, though she could still hear the stamping of feet and the different sounds the creatures used to communicate. Satisfied there would be minimal interference with the local wildlife, Ari offered a nod to the beast tamers before making her way to the nearest inn for some rest.

[620/500]