Closed [Tskanna Training Yard] Walking With Giants

[Quzon]

4th Day of Fall, 513AV
12th Bell (Mid-day)

Quzon was forced to chuckle as the large trunk of a adolecent Tskanna began to prod his underarm. Hardly two chimes past after he entered the training facility before a second Tskanna joined the first, running it trunk along the pale-skinned half blood Myrian’s head. Oh the relentless tedium of their proding as if searhing for clues of who it was that was in their presence. It was best to start early, he knew; he'd spent time now and then , to visit the Tskanna Training Yard to socilize with the animals. Even during his during the time within the Army, when not out of the city on patrol to visit the Tskanna. His eyes widened slightly when a trunk wrapped around the calf of his left leg. He lifted a hand to lightly stroke his fingertips thoughtfully against the trunk of the Adolecent creatures trunk. After a moment he sighed softly and nodded slowly when the Tskanna let him go.

When the Tskanna both turned away from him Quzon tilted his head as he watched them join a small collective of others. Quzon adjusted his loincloth as he moved further into the training complex to seek out emploment as a Trainer and Caretaker. While not looking for a fight, he left his ax back at his hut though wore his Chakram around his neck, and had the hunting knife that came with his hunting kit in his boot to be a simple tool rather than for combat should he need it. Simply wearing only his loincloth as he walked bare chested, allowing the tattoos covering the left portion of his upper body to show freely.

The sound of heavy footfalls behind him caused Quzon to look over his shoulder to find a Tskanna cow no older than six years following him. It was something that cause him to pause his search for the head cartakers. The Taskanna lifted its trunk to run it along Quzon’s chest, managing to trace the tip of its trunk along the metal of the Chakram around his neck. He lifted his hand to stroke the creatures trunk as he began to examin its nostrils. Speaking in fluent Myrian to himself and the Tskanna though loud enough for anyone in the area to hear. “Nice bright pink colored mucous in the oral cavity.” His hand stroked softly along the animals tuck downward to its mouth where the cratures tongue licked his palm. “Likewise with your tongue and nostrils…” Smiling as he chuckled to himself. “You seem to be in perfect health young one.”

[Traverse]

"I might say I was impressed if that wasn't something every Myrian child should know from visiting the Tskanna." The voice came behind Quzon's left shoulder, and as he turned he would glimpse one of the few Myrian females he could boast being taller than. She stood a solid few inches below Quzon's height, though a steely dark gaze seemed to make up for the distance as she appraised. Unlike he, and indeed, most Myrians, the woman seemed to boast no weapons of any kind save for a polished and black twisted staff strapped to her back.

"I am Hayti of the Night River, one of the head keepers of the Tskanna here. And you, dressed as if you're about to run into the thick of a Dhani nest are...?" She offered a rough and calloused hand, the other one pulling out some sort of balled treat which the Tskanna grabbed up delicately from her hand and inserted into its mouth, ears flapping slightly. Once her hand was empty she gestured to a passing Myrian who was toting a cart of Tskanna dung. "Lilik, fetch me the basket." Letting the cart tip precariously to the side the young male ran off, returning much more slowly with a thickly woven basket filled to the brim with weapons of all kinds.

Hayti gestured to the container. "Tskanna are curious, as you know, and the first rule here is that you don't wear anything sharp. It isn't their fault if they get nicked on a blade, but it will be yours."

After Quzon was done disposing of his armaments, Hayti nodded then took a step back. "So...what are you here for, male?" Others were noticing Quzon's strange skin, the way it had a sort of sheen, the strange pale hue, but it seemed as if Hayti preferred to pay it no mind, a strange trait of a Myrian to say the least.

[Quzon]

"Quzon of the Barbed Earth," he replied easily, tilting his head and letting his gaze drift over her. His green eyes taking note of the woman's staff on her back before lifting his right hand to touch the blade of the Chakram resting around his neck. A finger tip gliding lightly along its razor sharp edge. The meaning of the rule was understandable as he lifted it off of his shoulders to place it in the basket to join the pile of other weapons. -noticeably, ignoring to remove the hunting knife tucked into his boot-. Even though he was scantly clad, wearing only a simple loincloth. He couldn't help but touch his collar bone. "Great, now I feel naked." Remarking as he contemplated learning how to fight with some type of blade-free weapon; most likely a quarterstaff in the near future. Not to mention, obtaining a tattoo of a Chakram around his neck.

Quzon could feel the eyes of the other examining him from a distance as if he were some type of diseased leper, or freak of amusement. It was that constant feeling of being watched that cause the half-Isur to want to wear his weapon proudly. However, it was Hayti's discretion on the matter that caused him to relax. The hand on his collar bone moving to massage his shoulder to remind himself that he wasn't there looking for a fight. "I am here, Hayti, to work." Letting his right hand drop from his shoulder as he spoke in fluent Myrian. "To seek a job Caretaking for the Tskanna."

[Traverse]

The woman eyed Quzon, and gave a curt nod in response to his greeting, watching him in an un-amused fashion as he lamented about his lack of weapons, arms folding across her chest. When he stated his purpose she merely snorted. It wasn't entirely a negative sound, perhaps a mixture of amusement and apathy, but she did not speak, merely gestured with her hand for Quzon to follow her and turned toward one of the large houses tall enough to fit the massive Tskanna.

As she turned Quzon could see the intricate black tattoo of a bull Tskanna upon her back, trunk raised, all three sets of tusks magnificent in scope, the ears moving with each rotation of Hayti's shoulder blades.

They entered a shadowed wooden building, part of the bottom constructed out of uniform stone blocks. The massive space was empty save a cow Tskanna lying upon the floor, chest heaving, a low moan coming out of her mouth. Her ears flapped in distress, though Hayti immediately moved to her side, wrapping the Tskanna's trunk around her arm and crooning in Myrian to the massive creature. She looked up to Quzon.

"It is a good omen when a Tskanna has two calves, but neither will come out on their own."

She gestured to to a bucket of steaming water in the corner. "Clean your hands and we will get to work. I suppose I do not have the fortune of having an assistant that has ever helped any creature give birth before?"

Hayti approached the rear of the female Tskanna, waiting for Quzon's response. One hand sliding slowly into the opening from which the calves should have already emerged. A strange induction into the profession, but one nevertheless.

[Quzon]

Quzon found a curious amount of interest in Hayti's tattoos once the woman had turned away from him. It wasn't often that he felt the need to touch another's tattoos, but that urge swelled in his mind to randomly touch the females shoulder blades. It was a thought that was quickly cast away almost as quickly as it had arisen. A series of 'what if' consequences to that scenario cause a smile to tug at the edge of his lips as he followed the woman to what appeared to be a Tskanna stall. The sudden mental image of the smaller woman hitting him with her staff as a consequence of touching her dissipated as he heard the malaised breathing of the cow.

"I have helped a fair share of Mares deliver their foals. Likewise, cared for several bitches while they delivered their litters of pups." Quzon responded while walking towards the bucket of steaming water with his head turned to the side as he had spoken over his shoulder. Slowly dipping his hands into the bucket to soak his hands,washing away the dirt and grim of the day from them. He drew his gaze off of Hayti's for a very brief moment, glancing to the bucket once he removed his hands from the water to shake the dampness from them.

Even though it didn't show on his face once he turned around to walk back over to the head caretaker. Quzon was a believer in the superstitious, happy to be apart of the good omen of a Tskanna baring two calves. "What do you need me to do?" The question was rigid. Spoken with a soldiers discipline when speaking to a Superior officer.

[Traverse]

A flicker of surprise passed between Hayti's dark eyes as she watched Quzon wash his hands. Her voice was just as uncaring when she spoke, however, a pinch of sarcasm mixed in. "Oriana blesses me, I see."

She waited patiently for the half breed to make his way over to her, and glanced at him, stock and straight as a soldier, ready o help her birth the calves. "Part of the problem, is one is turned around, come feel here."

The vulva of the Tskanna cow was more than big enough for two Myrian arms to fit in. Hayti waited for Quzon's hand to slide in before proceeding, both of them up to their elbows when Quzon could feel a foot.

"Try searching for a trunk or head." She waited for a moment, feeling his arm brush against hers in the warm wet mass of the Tskanna's birthing canal for a moment, then waited until his negative reply.
"Precisely the problem. I hope only the one is turned around or this could start getting messy, but what I need you to do is get your hand around one of the legs, I'll try for the other and we'll try to get her out of there, hopefully the second one will slip out of their own accord once their sibling stops blocking up the way." A low moan came from the cow, and Hayti's free hand patted her rump.

"Tell me when you think you've got a good firm hold of her, and we'll pull her out." Quzon could feel Hayti's arm brush near his, her body leaning forward as she grasped deeper into the Tskanna's canal, taking up one of the slimy legs.

oocThere, I think that's a bit easier to read, haha.

[Quzon]

As Quzon's right arm slowly slid into the Tskanna cow's birthing canal, his left hand lifted to rest on the the cows rear. Lightly massage the hump below the Tskanna tail, the hump of the calf pressing up from under its mothers body in its canal ready to be born. Massaging the Tskanna's rears as his hand steadily began to search for calf's trunk or head; shaking his head as he could find neither on or the other. His palm on the animals rear lightly petting the cow in an attempt to calm the creature.

The slimy texture within of the birth canal as it pulsed around his arm was a truly odd sensation. However, the surrealism of helping bring life into the world from beating darkness lessened the awkwardness of having his arm inside of the Tskanna. In turn, allowing the mixed-blood to keep his soldier-like professionalism.

"Come on young one, it is time to come out.." Speaking softly, and mainly directed at the calf as his questing hand shifted though amniotic fluid until his fingertips trace against one of the calf's hind legs. He strained for a moment finding himself unable to get a grip which forced him to shift his arm deeper into he canal, an arm grazing lightly against Hayti's as he moved forward. His fingers slowly, yet firmly, wrapping around one of the calf's leg. "I have her." Glancing over to Hayti to reaffirm his statement with a sharp nod.

[Traverse]

"Good, now pull, gently, but hard enough to help her out. Wait for the contraction, good. Now." As the Cow's sides heaved, Quzon could feel Hayti's muscles straining, and together they pulled.

"Stop a moment." She said, the Tskanna heaving, the calf closer to the entrance of the birthing canal, but not close enough. She waited until the next contraction, and then they heaved again. This time there was a more physical effect as the infant slid out. Hayti's arms moved out swiftly, and the calf landed in a pile of wetness upon both of their laps, large ears wrapped oddly about its face, legs beginning to move and a choked cry coming out of its throat like a new born babe, the sudden change of atmosphere immediate on its soft grey flesh.

A questioning trumpet came from the mother, and Hayti pressed a hand against her rear. "One more, mother, and then you can see her." She glanced at Quzon as she hefted the babe's weight onto her lap. "Grab some reeds to wipe this little one off and we'll see if mom can get the second one out on her own." She swiped the ears gently back from the calf's head, wrinkled eyelids peeling back to take in its first glances of the world.

[Quzon]

As Hayti had said, Quzon slowly started to pull in synchronicity to each of the Tskanna mother contractions. He paused as his bicep, a well defined muscle clearly flexed, started to relax. After having timed the previous pulls together, Quzon slowly counted each contraction in his head as he waited for any action the smaller woman might preform. Once he felt her begin to tug, he matched her pulls until the young Tskanna calf fell onto his lap in a wet mass of new found life. Quzon's lips cracked, braking the composure of stoicism he so vehemently tried to maintain s he listened to the young animal's cries.

The My'surian Mixed blood stood up to look around for where the reeds were, absently glancing towards a basket which was made out of reeds. It carried within it the items it was created out of. Quzon picked up the reed weaved basket to carry it over to where Hayti rested with the calf. After setting the basket down, he began to carefully wipe away the wet effluence away from the calf's head before it could drip down into the animals eyes to allow them to open uninterrupted. "Welcome to the world." He smiled down at the calf only for a moment as his attention was half diverted between the newborns cries and the mother trumpets as she still tried to birth her second calf.

[Traverse]

Hayti waited patiently patting the mother's rump reassuringly, and glancing over once to make sure Quzon was drying off the infant correctly before turning her attention back to the matter at hand. The Tskanna's sides quivered with another contraction, another pained trumpet echoing in the enclosure.

"One more, mother, one more." Hayti coaxed softly, waiting. Another cry, another push and another form emerged, trunk first this time. The woman's hands slid only a bit forward to pull the infant out of it's mother's womb, setting it upon the reeds next to it's sibling. "There, that wasn't bad at all."

Hayti rose, juices and all, and with her so too did the female Tskanna, slowly, but urgently, giant feet rumbling the ground, an event that didn't seem to bother the twin infants, whose floppy trunks were already exploring each other and Quzon. A much larger appendage reached down from up on high, scenting it's young and confirming they were her own. After this test had been conducted, Quzon found the trunk wrapping like a thankful hug around his shoulders.

"They are not as clever as our tigers, but all of Caiyha's children can see farther than most would think." Hayti smiled rubbing the spot of wrinkled grey blue flesh where the mother's trunk met her head. A short gleeful trumpet exited her throat, and Hayti gestured to Quzon.

"Up, let us go get cleaned up and let mother do the same to her infants." The care taker strode from the enclosure, leading the half breed across the yards to large water basins constructed from mud, sticks, and planks, large enough to accommodate even the biggest Tskanna bull if he fancied a drink out of the troughs. The female methodically began cupping water, washing it off of her arms and clothes, speaking thoughtfully as she did so. "Most days are not so exciting, male, some days are more exciting in much worse ways, you were quiet and thoughtful, something that goes well with our Tskanna, so what do you think?" She watched him carefully, her expression unreadable though she had given him praise.