Solo Stir Crazy

[Colt]

6th of winter, 515 a.v
morning

Rain. It poured and poured, unceasing and relentless, drenching the plains, the tents, and anyone unwise enough to be out and about at this hour.

It wouldn't be the first time Shahar had been called unwise.

In the grand scheme of rain and how sever it could be, it wasn't the worst he had ever experienced. It was heavy, yes, but it wasn't driving rain, and it didn't physically pain him to be out and about. It did knock at him or bruise him, and that was enough for him to brave the weather in favor of activity.

Ever since his hunt at the Stardown, Shahar had found himself with the need to be productive. It wasn't as if he had been lazy beforehand, but it was still different. Before Caiyha had marked him, daily work, when ended, was the end. Once his tasks were complete, he would have been completely content to sit around and do nothing for the rest of the night. Now, that was no longer so. Now, there was always work to be done. Chores might be completed, but now the All-Mother had given him a new task, one that was huge and encompassing and far-reaching. Heal, she had bade him, heal the land. A task that would not be finished in a day, nor a season, nor a hundred years. He always had things to do.

Which was quite frustrating right now, because he couldn't do any of them.

His throat hadn't improved since yesterday, although the addition of slippery elm tea had prevented it from getting worse. According to the healer, tea and would see the smoke in his throat go away, as would the injuries on his legs and shoulder, so long as he remained restful and didn't do anything to aggravate them.

He managed to remain restful for nearly two hours before he couldn't bear it any longer.

With the rain and the pain restricting him from the grasslands, he needed something to do. He needed to be productive, or else he would go mad, and so he quietly evaded Naiya and Seirei, pulled on his linen clothes––easier to dry than wool––and slipped out into the rain.

Snow followed him, equally eager to do more than simply sit around and heal; it took mere moments to sink back into alertness, the same sort that had seen them survive the Stardown encounter. They made their way to the Dawnwhisper herd without detection, where Shahar greeted Akaidras, checking the stallion's legs for problems, said hello to Lightning and then tracked down Vanya.

The mixed-blood mare was easy enough to convince to return to the camp proper, especially when he led her under the shelter of the awning next to the pavilion. He retrieved her yvas quietly, then set about to the task of grooming her: hard brush first, over the neck and back and sides, then the soft brush, then the hoof pick, and only then did he settle the riding pad over her withers. Onto the riding pad went the yvas.

Don't bloat, Shahar said as he adjusted the girth. She didn't.

When she was yvased, Drelah was next. He was simpler; the travois was unloaded, and fitting it around the Seme's shoulders was a familiar and quick affair. Shahar brought along the wax-canvas tarp; buying things would hardly be worth the effort if he came back and they were all soaked.

Snow kept watch around the corner, and they remained unnoticed by the time Shahar was finished. Tuka had come to investigate, sensing the movement of her partner and as eager as ever to accompany him on the day's adventure. He knew that Naiya would likely be annoyed with him for going off when he should be resting, but he couldn't help it. And with the rain keeping him in Endrykas, it was as good a time as any to play the homemaker; the pavilion was empty of furnishings, and since he had to be in the pavilion, it made sense to go find things to fill it with. A day in the markets wasn't going to kill him.

Probably.

[Colt]

The rain wasn't particularly pleasant, but at least it had gotten Shahar and Snow out of the tent. The thick of Endrykas was a simple affair to reach, and Vanya cooperated at a brisk walk that didn't quite reach a trot, something that Drelah had an easy enough time keeping up with.

The city itself did, predictably, lack the crowds that were typical for this time of day. What few were about hurried to complete their business as hastily as possible, and that left Shahar breathing easy as the five of them. Tuka kept closer than usual, perhaps due to the weather or perhaps due to her partner's recent absence; either way, she did not wander off curiously to investigate anything that struck her fancy.

The markets saw a bit more activity than the rest of the city, but they were still pleasantly clear as Shahar led his group towards the textile tents. Rugs were his primary desire, to soften the floor of the pavilion, followed by seating pillows and bedding pillows. They were well off in regards to blankets and coverings, with enough furs to make additional warmth if they needed, so those were not as important. Naiya preferred to make their blankets by hand, when possible.

The tent he was looking for was closer to the center of the market strip, marked by the bright red of the Ruby. The first thing Shahar glimpsed was the black dog just inside, sprawled on the ground and sheltered from the rain. It was no hunting dog, neither Luvanor or Dynakuva; this dog was broad of head and thick of shoulder, barrel-chested and angular at the hips. It was also utterly massive. It was nearly equal in size to Snow, but despite its large size, it seemed relatively docile; the dog looked up as Shahar and his company approached, locking eyes and recognizing the presence of the Witch, and the group the Witch led.

The inside of the tent was lain with rugs and carpets of all sorts. The simpler, rougher ones were folded and stacked neatly at the front, with single rugs spread out to demonstrate size and texture. The more expensive and luxurious ones were further back, hung from the ceiling and carefully kept off of the floor.

The two keepers of the tent noticed him immediately. The youngest, an adolescent boy with black hair and a pockmarked face, leaped up to greet their customer.

Welcome, inviting, "Hello, friend." Fellow, seek to help, what do you need?

The hunter dismounted and bid Vanya and Drelah to stay. Snow and Tuka followed him in; Tuka kept close to his side, carefully opposite the Ruby's dog, while Snow instead sidled right up to the creature and sniffed at his tail to say hello.

Floor, was Shahar's reply. Big area, directly on ground, sturdy, walk on.

The boy nodded. Knowing, having, "We have what you need." He made his way to the front of the tent. Come see.

Shahar followed. The boy began going into detail about canvas and burlap and quality, and Shahar did his best to pick out what he needed to know. Canvas was best for the bottom layer. It could go right over the ground, was cheap and easily replaceable, and it protected other rugs from dirt and rocks that might damage them. That was exactly what he needed. Shahar demonstrated the size of the pavilion floor in paces, and the boy scratched figures onto a piece of parchment with charcoal.
"Three gold mizas?" Agreeable.

Shahar agreed.

The second keeper, a middle-agred woman with graying brown hair, set her mouth into a thin line and disappeared into the back of the tent.

Two more, Shahar said, catching the first keeper's attention once more.

"Yes?" Listening.

Sleeping, under, over canvas, under bed. Person-size area.

The boy nodded. "Yes, a sleeping area rug. Two rugs? For how many?" One person, two person, big person, small person?

Three person, and two person. He had Naiya and Khida, and Seirei had her children.

"I'd suggest wool, if it's going under a bedroll and over canvas. We have some thicker pieces. They're mostly brown, since you don't see much under the bedding, but we might have a gray one. Does the color matter?"

No.

The boy grinned. "You're making this too easy," he joked. "Ten mizas for the both of them," reasonable?

Agreement.

noteThere aren't any guidelines for individual rugs on the price list, so I tried to overestimate the price.

-13gm for 1 canvas rug and 2 coarse woolen rugs.

[Colt]

One more thing.

Listening?

Shahar pointed at a pillow. That, but bigger.

"How big?"

Big. Shahar frowned. Person size. Like... barrier. He didn't know how best to explain it. Like the rugs, he wanted large enough pillows to serve as markers, forming frames around the individual sleeping areas and also serving as bedding in their own right.

Luckily, the boy knew exactly what he meant. They were easier to select than the rugs; Shahar ended up with four of them, two for each area, simple pale cotton and unadorned. The boy asked for seven silver mizas for each of them, and Shahar handed over the money without debate. Money was not an issue, and so he saw no need to haggle.

The boy invited him to wait as he scurried about the tent, gathering up the pillows and folding up the rugs. The woman was still in the back, measuring out the canvas, and so Shahar settled near the mouth of the tent, where Snow had set herself down comfortable next to the black dog.

"That's quite an animal you have there," the boy commented, materializing at the shoulder to deposit a stack of rugs and pillows.

Pride. Shahar gestured at their own dog, who had not moved during the entire encounter. That, inquiry, impressed, what, where, acquire?

"Him? Yes, he's quite a fine one, isn't he?" The boy was as proud as Shahar had been. "Imperials. That's what they're called. The Pride stocks them."

Now?

"There might be. They usually have a litter going on there. I don't expect there'll be a lot of business today. Might be a good time to stop by, since you don't mind the rain." Cheeky.

Might be, absentminded.

"Yours." Hesitance. "Is it a wolf?"

Yes.

The woman returned, burdened by a large bundle of canvas. She seemed to be the sort of woman who scowled so often that her face had been frozen into a mask of permanent displeasure; she was silent as she handed off the canvas and returned to the back, and Shahar couldn't tell if she was offended or not.

"Don't mind Mada," the boy assured. "She looks at everyone like that."

The boy was helpful, and went out of his way to assist Shahar in dragging the travois backwards into the shelter of the tent, where they could wrap up the goods in the waterproof wax-canvas before the rain got at it. A gestured farewell and a summoning of his companions, and then the Witch took a breath and stepped back into the rain, pulling the hood of his cloak back up.

He had what he wanted.

full receipt4 cotton body pillows, 7sm each = 2.8gm
canvas rug = 3gm?
course woolen rugs, 5gm each = 10gm?

total = 15.8gm

[Colt]

It was curiosity more than anything that drew him to the Pride. Like the rest of Endrykas, it was slow, soggy and mostly devoid of activity. The only people there were the handlers themselves, and the animals were relatively lethargic under the rain. And as with the markets, Shahar's presence was therefore noticed quite quickly; a groom made a line towards him, flashing greetings and inquiries.

Shahar dismounted and took a moment to inform the groom of his bad throat, pain speak, before taking a deep breath and rasping out "Imperials." Looking for, learning, desire for.

The groom nodded and gestured for him to follow. They were led to an awning that provided the animals shelter from the rain, and the tent it was attached to was filled with the sighs and lowing of beasts. Snow sniffed at the air curiously, not that it did much good; in this weather, scents were washed away as quickly as they were left behind. Shahar was asked to wait and the groom disappeared inside, no doubt looking for a superior more suited to Shahar's inquiry. Snow sighed in boredom and laid herself down on the Witch's feet, drawing warmth as much as she provided it.

In due time the groom returned, an austere, eagle-faced woman in tow.

Greeting, she said, shooing the groom away. "I hear you seek Imperial Watchers?" She raked her eyes over the entire scene, over Shahar, over Snow, over Tuka, over the two horses at their back. "Do you seek to buy?"

Maybe. "Guard dog?" Home, close-knit, not hunter, stay at home.

She nodded, hearing the pained rasp in his voice and not pressing it. "Yes, that is what they are bred for." Her eyes landed on Snow. "That one. You trained her, or was she trained for you?"

Shahar frowned, somewhat offended. Myself, of course, she's mine.

"And the cat?"

The same.

"What else is in your home?"

Shahar leveled a somewhat annoyed look at her and gestured to his throat.

"Ah, yes." Apologies. She managed to look contrite. "As best you're able. Rain makes all ailments worse, I know."

"Goats, horses, cats, children, falcon, zibri," he rattled off, nearly ripping apart his throat to do so.

"Thank you. I'll do my best to stay away from making you speak. Yes, Imperials are good guard dogs. They do well with close groups. They are gentle around children, but they should bond young. Adult Imperials take a while to accept newcomers, although it's not impossible. It just takes time. And they will be suspicious of strangers."

Yes, exactly, that's what I need.

"You've raised animals before, I see. From infancy?"

Yes.

"We've two litters deeper in the tent, some left of each. Most of our bitches are going to whelp in the spring, so there will be more to choose from then, if you want to wait.The ones we have now are weaning; if we don't sell them soon they go to the Hunter's Allegiance."

I want to see, now, polite request.

She nodded, having expected such an answer. "Leave your others here. It's bad form to have strange animals in the nursery."

Shahar nodded in acquiescence. Snow, he said, stay. To Tuka, he signed the same. Tuka was the most dismayed, and Snow moved to physically put herself between the cat and Witch to prevent her from following. The woman observed, on the verge of being impressed.

"That is a well-trained dog," she remarked as Shahar followed her into the tent.

Yes.

[Colt]

The inside of the tent was warm. In the absence of sun, a number of lanterns had been lit and secured safely to posts, providing both light and heat that added to that generated by the residents themselves.

The majority of the animals in the tent appeared to be predatory in nature. Dogs were the most common, with the occasional hunting cat thrown in; sheets and curtains separated one area from another, and workers moved about with purpose and certainty. There was an air of quiet to the place; this was a nursery, and there was a need to be soft. Not that noise was exactly a problem for Shahar.

It was somewhat odd, moving through the closed space of animals. They sensed his power as he passed, and each in their turn swiveled their heads to peer at him. There was recognition in their eyes, and also some degree of curiosity towards his purpose and why he was in their home. At least, those were the emotions of the younger animals; those that were nursing didn't much care, occupied as they were with their young.

Their handlers didn't notice anything different.

Midway through, the woman stopped at a deeply partitioned area and gestured for him to enter.

"The bitch won't bite," she said. "She's a softie. The pups might be a bit excitable, though. No sudden movements. I'd say no loud voices, but I suppose that's a moot point in your case."

Cynicism, yes it is. There was a degree of amusement behind it, though.

Behind the partition, there was a huge dog. A huge dog. She was patched with black and white, stomach in the process of deflating as her pups were weaned. She raised her head as he entered, tilting her head with a surprised hello.

Hello, amusement, Shahar replied.

There were four pups in total, tucked against their mother's legs until he entered their little slice of the world. At the sight of the Witch, the lot of them perked up immediately, eyes brimming with curiosity; they could feel the mark on his arm, even as it his under his sleeve and cloak, but they were young and had never come across it before. Shahar knelt, and they came towards him in a wave of color and clumsy paws; one black, one fawn and two harlequin. They came to his knees, sniffed, moved to his hips, sniffed, looked at his outstretched hands, sniffed, but eventually all four came to his right arm, sniffing at the cloth and at the Phylonura they could feel lingering there.

The bitch whuffed, a low, deep sound that was just shy of a bark. She stood and ambled over, dipping down to her pups with chastisement in her posture; they were being rude, tumbling all over him, and she aimed to fix that.

Apology, she said through a look.

Shahar laughed. Alright, amusement, no problem.

The woman watched from over his shoulder, head tilted in muted wonder. "I've never seen them move as one before," she said. "They usually move away from strangers."

He turned to flash her a mischievous smile. Knowledge, experience. Secret.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, are you looking to buy one or not?"

He scratched the head of one of the harlequins, then the fawn, then their mother. One? he replied. I want two!

[Colt]

While most of the pups remained solely interested in his right arm, the fawn puppy was much more interested in Shahar himself. She clambered into his lap without an ounce of grace, tripping over her own oversized paws until he picked her up and set her right.

Friend, she said through his skin. New, curiosity, I like you.

I like you too, Shahar replied with a grin. This one.

"Don't take two from the same litter," the overseer warned. "If you want another one, we have two left from another litter. Siblings will get too attached to each other, and will be anxious if they're separated as adults."

Shahar gathered the fawn pup into his arms. Acknowledgement. And to the bitch, he said, daughter, request, with me.

The bitch sighed, but it was not the first pup to leave the litter. Agreement.

Shahar stood, leaving behind the other three. The pup yipped and stretched up to his chin, licking energetically at the scruff of his beard. Where, going, together, friend?

Calm down, friend, protective, adventure. Other, where is?

He was led to another partition, where another bitch cared for two more puppies––a black and a silver. It played as a near identical repeat of the first litter, with the addition of the fawn pup; the two little ones, suddenly seeing a Witch for the first time, bounded forward to investigate while their exasperated mother tried to quell them. The silver pup went straight to his right arm, while the black was quickly distracted by the fawn; the two puppies sniffed one another, making curious sounds and quickly trying to reach each other. The black made it into Shahar's lap before the fawn made it out, and they made their own decision as to which one would be his second.

This one, Shahar said of the male black.

The woman nodded, but her gaze did not move to the pups. She could tell that his interactions with the animals was something out of the ordinary, but was not suspicious enough to put voice to it.

"They are fifty mizas each, traditionally. One hundred for the both of them."

Yes, yes, dismissive, able. He stood with both pups in hand. Outside, I have.

"Outside? Do you not worry for thieves?"

He laughed. My dog, good, protect.

"Well. It seems those two will be in good hands, then."

They walked to the front of the nursery tent in silence. She seemed not to want to speak, and Shahar was quite alright with that, occupied enough with the antics of the two excited puppies.

Outside, Snow was the first to sense him and rise from the ground. There was a brief flicker of greeting, and then she caught sight of the two pups. They caught sight of her, too, and wagged at her––not just their tails, but their entire bodies, twisting back and forth in their desire to meet her.

Shahar took a sharp breath as he felt Snow very abruptly fall in love with them. It was enough for him to trust in setting them down. The two puppies ran directly to the she-wolf, uncaring of the chill, and she dropped down to greet them. Ours? she practically begged.

Yes. It was the best news she had had all day.

The money was exchanged, and the pups gathered back up. They weren't quite aware yet of what was happening, and didn't fully comprehend the fact that they weren't going to go back to their mother. That was a fact that would sink in tonight, and then they would be scared, and then they would be sad, and so long as the Dawnwhispers were there for them, they would eventually accept and move past it. It was a routine Shahar was beginning to know well. For now, though, the puppies were as happy as could be, ready to face the beginning of their new lives.

- End -

[Tribal]

G R A D E S

Shahar Dawnwhisper

Experience

• Grooming: 1
• Logic: 2
• Planning: 1
• Socialisation: 4
• Rhetoric: 1
• Storytelling: 1
• Negotiation: 1

Lore

• Shahar: A mission to heal the land
• Elm tea for a sore throat
• Imperial Watcher: Now stocked by The Pride
• Location: Endrykas Marketplace
• Location: The Pride
• Snow: Dislikes shopping trips
• Never take two dogs from the same litter
• Snow: Love's Shahar's Imperial Watchers

Notes

Was no OOC note for purchase of pups, and I don’t see any of these purchases added to your ledger, please make sure this gets done before accepting the grade rewards. Couldn't offer much in the way of skills for this shopping trip, but it was a good read all the same! Enjoy the rewards.