At it like Rabbits

[Jeremy Casing]

At it like Rabbits
Mithryn fields, 36th of Spring, 515AV

"Jeremy! How about you do your petchin' job for once!"

The Kelvic groaned.

My job is to handle the animals, you utter moron. He replied silently, slowly. The Kelvic had no clue as to what the approaching farmer was going to request, but previous experience told Jeremy that the demand would have nothing to do with his actual role in the farming community. Jester bounded up and down at his side, licking Jeremy's forearm affectionately and making his own silent requests:

Let's play let's play let's play let's play let's play let's play let's play let's play let's play let's play!

Not now, Jest.

The young pup whined glumly and sat at her master's feet. Life was so unfair.

"We're over-bloody-run with rabbits! They 'ad half of my lettuce the other day, and you've done petch all about it." The farmer was an old man, with a curved back that made him walk stooped over, as if he were fascinated with his own feet. "I suggested traps, but no, Burt told me that you said that wouldn't be any good."

When Jeremy spoke, his words were extremely taut and strained. He'd expected the farmers to lighten up as Spring developed, as the good weather made ideal farming conditions. But no: the men and women of the Mithryn were even more demanding. "If you lay traps, you might kill an innocent sheep, cat or dog." He threw his own four-legged companion a glance at he spoke, wincing at the thought of Jester being caught in a trap.

"Well I'm willin' to take the risk. Some others have already laid traps." The haggard man said this with a sense of pride.

This was news to Jeremy, and it was not welcome news either. He understood that the rabbits were a pain to the farmers, especially after the harsh winter that had blasted out many crops before they could even flourish. But setting traps was never a good thing. A trapped dead rabbit could attract foxes, wolves, dogs, cats -- anything that might want to feast on the corpse. And in turn, these scavengers might get caught in a trap themselves. So much unncessary death.

"I've suggested that the farmers hunt the rabbits with weapons or dogs," he said patiently. That way only the lame or very old or young rabbits would get killed. Those in their prime would mostly be spared. "And then they'll have rabbit for stew and to sell."

"Aye, but 'ave you tried to man a field and hunt rabbits at the same time? It ain't as easy as what you do, y'know. Prancing about the field talking to a carrot." The farmer snorted grossly and then chewed on something in his mouth. Jeremy thought of a cow muching on cud. "And plus, y'know what happens when there's too many rabbits. They spread disease, and then the 'ole lot dies."

Insult aside, Jeremy couldn't help but agree with the farmer's statement. If warrens were overcrowded, diseases could spread between the rabbits much quicker, and may even extend to domestic animals. This should certainly be avoided at all costs. "Right..." He said slowly, eyeing the farmer with suspicion. The old man gave a smug smirk, knowing that he had caught the Phylonurist's attention and desire to protect the goodness of Caiyha's creatures.

[Jeremy Casing]

With a sigh, Jeremy admitted defeat. How was it possible that such a creased-up old man knew how to manipulate him? "So you want me to hunt them for you?"

The old farmer stifled a laugh. "Well, seein' as yer offerin'..." He gave a toothless grin.

It's a means to an end. Jeremy supposed miserably. He did not like how the farmers had seemed to conspire against him, but by them leaving him some of the responsibility of hunting rabbits, at least he knew they would be killed as humanely as possible. "I'll do it if you do your best to take down as many traps as possible." He said sternly, then indicated to the cloudy sky above them, "I'll be keeping an eye out, remember."

They shared a grim smile, neither Jeremy nor his haggard companion particularly liking the other. On his account, the Kelvic didn't appreciate how the farmers regarded him as some flighty young man who spoke to carrots (although this was at least partially true). In turn, he presumed that the farmers felt threatened by his presence, and his apparent secret conversations with their vegetables. Some of the more paranoid farmers had accused him of talking their crops to death, which was just ridiculous.

"C'mon, Jester." Jeremy muttered to his spritely hound, turning to leave the fields. If he was to go hunting, he needed to leave Jester at home. The young pup would only get excitable after witnessing her master turning into a bird, and would most likely try and eat Jeremy's feathers anyway.

His cottage was small, but it more than suited the lone Phylonurist. Jester seemed delighted to be returning home, and went about sniffing around the place in search of Jip. The cat, however, observed her small kingdom from her lofty position atop the kitchen table. She purred quietly as Jeremy scratched her behind the ear. "Soon you'll need to find another hiding place," he whispered to her conspiratorially, "Jester will be able to reach the table top within the season." The puppy was growing big and happy at an alarming rate. Jeremy could no longer hold her in his arms.

With both cat and dog safely in his home, Jeremy locked the door and undressed. His turning into his Falcon form removed all his clothes anyway, so there was no point starting the process dressed. Now naked, he faced his bedroom window and considered his next task. Changing into the falcon form took no real concentration, but Jeremy still had to prepare himself. The walls began to swell and grow taller, the window seemed to run away from him, higher and higher.

From Jester's point of view, white orbs that floated around him engulfed her master. They spun around, surrounding Jeremy and then moving away from him as quickly as they had appeared. Only in his place stood a bird, a cream-coloured Gyrafalcon.

The dog had learned early on in her life that this bird, like all others, was not a chew toy. Though her canine mind could not quite figure out how, this feathered-creature was still her master. It smelt like Jeremy, of course, but appeared nothing like him, and of course could not talk. The puppy salivated at the thought of munching on that feathery bird, but she managed to resist this time.

[Jeremy Casing]

Jeremy fluttered up to the window ledge and jumped down the other side. He was outside his house now, and landed in a pile of dry dirt. With a flutter of his feathers, Jeremy lifted off.

He circled around the Mithryn to start with, to check the general upkeep of the place. As usual, it was a hubbub of activity. Farmers framed the fields, shouting to each other and ploughing the fields with their horses or by hand. The crops were looking much healthier than when Jeremy had last surveyed the lands, so at least that was a good sign. A light blow of wind caught in his wings, so Jeremy wheeled east out of the centre of the Mithryn. It carried him to the outer fields, sparsely peppered with the dark shapes of farmers and guards alike.

The falcon dropped his height slightly, closing in on the fields in his immediate vicinity. No rabbits had crossed his path as of yet, but Jeremy knew it wouldn't be long. The farmers had not exaggerated the severity of the rabbit population explosion; Jeremy could sometimes see them in the fields that his house backed onto.

May as well enjoy the views... He considered idly, spiralling in a wide circle above the fields. The greenness spanned almost as far as the eye could see, but the outline rose in the distance, grey and ominous. How glad he was to have moved out of the city! Jeremy could still visit the castle when he needed to, but he could no longer handle being a resident. He had felt painfully claustrophobic, trapped within the walls of the city and drowning amongst the pollution and grime.

With a disgruntled ruffle of his feathers, Jeremy focused back on his task. His sharp golden eyes searched for a rabbit, and...

--Yes! There was one!

The animal was hunched down, no doubt eating the leaves o the cabbage it was stood beside. I am sorry, my friend, Jeremy thought as he hovered above the rabbit, go back to Caiyha.

With his final prayer, the falcon closed his wings and descended, talons extended.

For the mini-chime that his claws touched the rabbit, but before he pierced her skin and killed her, Jeremy apologised once more. The rabbit had no time to respond, but through Nura she conveyed to Jeremy her delight at finding
this particularly delicious cabbage.

He carried her body back towards the Mithryn, and dropped it at the rare of his home. When he returned and took his two-legged form once again, he would collect all the rabbit corpses and give them to the farmers to skin and gut.

[Jeremy Casing]

The falcon returned to the skies, travelling back the way he had just come. Where there was one rabbit, there were bound to be others. And though some would have been scared off by his murderous descent, Jeremy knew that others would still be in the same field.

This time, he paid close attention to the hedgerows. Rabbit warrens commonly had openings underneath bushes, where their inhabitants could come and go without being immediately spotted by predators. He hovered again, wings frantically contracting and opening to hold his position as steady and possible. There were no signs of rabbit warrens nearby, so eventually Jeremy moved on.

His next location of choice was more hopeful. There were several signs that rabbits frequented the area: a distinct patch of munched-on grass, even a narrow pathway of worn-away greenery that lead into the hedgerow from the field where they assumedly entered and exit their underground home.

Confident of his choice of hunt location, Jeremy lowered himself, keeping his position directly over the hedge itself so the sun would not throw a bird-shaped shadow on the grass. Such things understandably spooked rabbits. It did not take long before two shapes hopped out from under the hedge. These rabbits were larger the first; Jeremy guessed they were two young bucks. Getting ready for a season of mating, most likely. The thought made him feel even more guilty: One of you will not father kittens, I'd afraid.

This kill was as quick as the first. Jeremy chose the smaller of the two rabbits, figuring that he was less likely to successfully breed compared to his chunkier, fiercer looking rival. His talons pierced the rabbit's ribcage, snuffing out its frantic little life almost immediately.

Over the next bell or so, Jeremy killed six more rabbits. His progress was slow, but the Kelvic had chosen different fields for each of his kills, not wanting to wipe out all the males or female rabbits of a single warren. Nevertheless, as Jeremy dropped the seventh and final body against the outer wall of his home, he hoped the farmers would be relieved to some degree. In truth, seven rabbits was a minute percentage of the wild population that was apparently haunting the farming community. But it was seven fewer hungry mouths to feed off the Mithryn crops.

Jester welcomed her master's return enthusiastically, bounding up to the windowsill with gusto as the falcon perched atop it. When his amber hawk eyes met hers, though, Jeremy commanded that she calm herself. I am even more fragile in this form, he reminded her gently. When the pup whined and backed away, the bird plopped down into his bedroom and took his two-leged form once more.

[Jeremy Casing]

He dressed quickly, and Jeremy was out of his house and heading towards the centre of the Mithryn within ten chimes of arriving back home. He carried the rabbits by their hind legs, swinging them as he strode forwards. Jeremy had neither the stomach nor the skill to deal with the corpses himself- he had no idea how to even begin to skin a rabbit. Did you just... peel the fur off? He expected this was not the case, and Jeremy did not want to find out.

Luther and Son Butchery was not Jeremy's idea of an ideal hangout. He disliked seeing the bodies of Caiyha's creatures displayed for sale, torn apart and sliced into mouth-sized morsels. But he had to admire the skill of the butcher men, and their successful business.

"Afternoon." He said politely to the hulking great blue male. Akalaks intimidated Jeremy hugely; they were otherworldly, large, muscular and blue, for Caiyha's sake! They were the antithesis of Jeremy, who was tall, lanky and had the complexion of gone off milk.

Luther glanced up to Jeremy with a hard gaze and said nothing. That was one thing Jeremy could appreciate about the blue butcher: he disliked small talk as much as Jeremy did. "Got some rabbits for you."

He placed the furry corpses carefully onto the counter in front of Luther, not wanting to break their bones or damage the rabbits any further. "Seven in total, but I'd like to take one back if you don't mind."

The Akalak grunted his reply before beginning to inspect Jeremy's offerings. His hands were huge, yet they stroked the rabbit's fur and examined the corpses with impressive dexterity and care. The silence extended between Kelvic and man, but where Jeremy's quietness was awkward and inoffensive, Luther's was intimidating. When he opened his mouth to speak, Jeremy's winced instinctively.

"Did you kill them yourself?"

The Kelvic nodded, but offered no further explanation.

Luther shifted the rabbits onto his scales, weighing each one in turn and noting down their respective weights and the grand total.

"I'll- I'll take the smallest one." Jeremy offered with a stammer, and Luther nodded sharply, crossing out the third number down his list.

"The total weight is 28 pounds. I'll buy the remaining six for thirteen mizas. Deal?"

With another nod, Jeremy agreed to the proposition, "will you skin and prepare the one I'm taking back -- please?"

This time it was Luther that nodded. The butcher set about his task hurriedly and efficiently, whilst Jeremy tried to look anywhere else but what the Akalak's swift hands were doing. He did not want to watch his prey be skinned and chopped, but in a butcher's shop there were few other places for him to pay his attention. Momentarily he stared at a leg of lamb, but then he thought of the innocent lambs frolicking in the fields beyond, and glanced back to his feet.

[Jeremy Casing]

Jeremy returned home thirteen mizas heavier and with his skinned and prepared rabbit, which the butcher had also chopped up for him. Jester greeted her master with renewed enthusiasm. When the Kelvic scratched her behind the ear, the puppy conveyed her utmost relief that he had returned: I missed you I missed you I missed you I missed you I missed you.

His feline companion was less enthusiastic, though Jip did flick her tail towards Jeremy in an indignant greeting.

"We're cooking rabbit tonight." Jeremy informed them both, as he did everyday. The two animals were his only company, but he was more than happy to share his innermost thoughts with them. Neither pets judged him, as he would expect humans to.

Jeremy knew very little about cooking. Some of the farmers’ wives - those that pitied him instead of mistrusting him, Jeremy suspected - had bought him hot meals as a thanks for his work. "We're just concerned for you, living on your own and with no-one to look after you." Apparently among the farming community, a sole male could barely survive without having a bossy wife to knead bread and mash potatoes for him at home. But the Kelvic assumed that their concern was also due to his appearance: his milky skin, thin frame, almost complete lack of fat. He looked permanently ill. If people weren't scared about catching some disease from him, they were instantly concerned for his health. Within a few days of arriving in the Mirthryn, one particularly gregarious housewife had pinched his cheeks, stating: "Just tryin' to get some colour in 'em!" Jeremy had been terrified. He still had nightmares of those giant hands looming towards him.

The stove was still warm, and after adding some sticks and logs, Jeremy had encouraged it into a roaring fire. The hob would begin to get hot, so he had to move quickly. He mixed the chopped rabbit with some flour, and then added it to a pot. The meat sizzled aggressively, startling Jip so the feline scattered into Jeremy's bedroom with an annoyed hiss.

Jeremy roughly chopped up two carrots and an onion, then added them to the rabbit. After giving it a few chimes to brown the meat and soften the vegetables, he finally added water and placed a lid on top of the pot.

The recipe was basic, but would make a hearty stew that would last Jeremy at least two days, giving Jester and Jip the gravy and scraps to fight over. In three or so bells, the stew would be ready.

Cooking done, Jeremy sat down in his couch, opening the book that sat on the arm of the chair. Jester leapt up, seating herself beside her master and showering him with her hot, damp breath. "It's hard to concentrate with you breathing on me like that." He said calmly, throwing the canine a glance.

The puppy whined sadly. But she quickly recovered and clambered on his lap, licking the Kelvic's face. He tried to fight her off, but Jester was insistent, and eventually he gave in, accepting his fate to be covered in wet puppy kisses.

[Nivel]

Jeremy Casting : XP Award: Rhetoric 2 Observation 4 Persuasion 2 Socialization 2 Planning 1 Hunting 2 Stealth 1 Cooking 1 Lore: Hunting: Hunting Traps only lead to unnecessary death Hunting: Overpopulation leads to disease Hunting: Praying to the goddess before a kill Hunting: Rabbit’s usually make their Warrens in bushes Stealth: How to avoid casting a shadow Location: Luther and son Butchery Luther: The Silent Akalak butcher No one can resist puppy kisses Notes:Good job, very fun to read. Additional Comments: If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to message me.