Not your average pet

Writers: Kaysea
Date Posted: 22nd March 2007

Characters: Taia
Description: Taia discovers that Mealybones, the oxen, is not long for this world
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 6 of Turn 4

"C'mon, you great lummox. Up off your fat backside and away with the rest of them!" Taia almost bellowed at the obstinate beast as she swatted his huge rear end with her crook. The beast made no move to obey, merely laying where he was, and looking pleadingly over his shoulder at her.

It wasn't unusual for the larger beasts to become lazy in their old age, but it was for Mealybones. He had been her charge for turns now, she had virtually hand reared him after he had been found abandoned out in the fields when she was no more than six turns old. For the first few turns after he had been weaned, he had been the comic around the Weyr. Following her everywhere she went when she wasn't with the harpers.

"What's the matter old fella?" Taia walked around him, inspecting every inch of his great expanse. He was one of the best breeding oxen they had ever had, and she'd made a pretty mark from him over the turns, from his many progeny. He hadn't bred at all this last turn, and she knew it wouldn't be long before he was gone from her life, but she had to be strong about it. Everyone would think her strange having such deep feelings for him, after all he was no more than stock around the Weyr. Granted, valuable stock, but stock none-the-less.

It didn't matter that thousands of people in the Weyr had animals they were fond of. Most of the folk had had their own pets at some stage in their lives, it just so happened her 'pet' was an oxen.

She hunched down at Mealybones side, and stroked his head and neck. Just like the great beasts from the sky, this beast of the field enjoyed his scritches. His eyes closed for a few moments, and he almost seemed to go into a trance, but not for long. Taia looked quizzically at the oxen for a moment, puzzled at the low moan she heard from him; it was unlike anything she had ever heard before.

Once again, he opened his eyes and gave her his most appealing gaze, as he shifted heavily - almost rising for a moment but his legs didn't seem to be able to do anything more than twitch.

"This is it.." she knew without a second opinion, Mealy's time was up. She stood slowly, patting the great oxen's head before turning and walking back across the field toward the Weyr. She could feel a great weight settling on her chest, the heat behind her eyes wasn't from the sun's glare. She'd be bubbling like a youngling before she reached the Weyr, she knew it.

* * * * *

Corder was busy with the porcines, it was _that_ time of the turn, and he needed every hand on call for the operations he had to perform. The canine's around the Weyr must have had a sixth sense of what was happening, for those who were brave enough, were hanging around like a bad smell, just outside the beastcraft cavern. The cacophony of sound from within enough to set their ears on edge. All the almost one turn old piglets were screaming, not in terror - they could hardly _know_ what was coming - could they?

"Grab another one, Belea," he yelled across to the apprentice, "..and be quick about it! The sows are getting mighty restless, and I don't know how long the pen will hold them." His glance shifted from the small group of piglets still to be done, to the pens holding the sows, across on the other side of the cavern. Angry sows he did not want to deal with at any time, but especially when he had rounded up all of their male offspring for the annual de-sexing. Only the biggest and healthiest would remain intake, and there were precious few of them this season.

"This ones next.." Belea called across, indicating the piglet he was shepherding through the guard rails they had set up. "Talk about a shindy!"
he commented, his head nodding in the direction of the high pitched squealing coming from the sow pen. "They are bashing and gnawing at the rails we put in place, Corder. I hope they hold, 'cause we still have at least a dozen to do."

"We should be a'right." Corder replied, grabbing the piglet by one hind leg as he dragged it back towards him. "Right, this one is an ornery little beggar, Bel, I need you to hold him steady. I honestly don't know why he's screaming so much, it's not as if..." he gave two quick flicks, two small squeezes, and then quickly doused the open wounds with numbweed, "... this hurts for more than a moment or two." he shook his head, "Okay, you can let him go."

With a deft kick of his hind leg, and one last almighty squeal the piglet took off down the small ramp, and into the melee of other 'wounded'.

Standing straight again, Corder looked down the row of healers and crafters all bent in the process of de-sexing. There were four of them, including himself, not long now.

The sun that shone in through the small doorway into the cavern was blocked for a moment, the larger doors had been kept closed all day just on the off-chance any of the piglets managed to break loose. But as his eye adjusted to the glare he realised Taia had returned from her trek out to the herds. He scratched his head in bewilderment, she wasn't due back for at least another two candlemarks by his reckoning.

"Belea! Go help Sarsan.." Corder indicated another of the apprentices, the one who had the unenviable job of collecting the 'off-cuts' of todays employment; before making his own way across the cavern to the office area.

"Taia?"

"Oh... er .. hi Corder." she turned away from the doorway, and away from Corder's prying eyes. "Um, I have some bad news, I think." she had a tenuous hold on her emotions, but it was very slight.

"What's wrong?" Corder moved around his desk, and reached out one hand, laying it gently on her shoulder, "Taia?"

She took a deep, calming breath, telling herself she was being silly - more than silly, ridiculous. "Umm - it's Mealy," she turned to face Corder, her eyes staying on the ceiling of the room, not looking at him, but staying as wide as possible as though to dry any sign of tears, "I think... I don't think..." she couldn't go on, she couldn't _say_ the words that needed to be said.

"Where is he?" Corder asked, he knew better than most how she was feeling, he had started to train Taia as soon as she'd shown her interest in animals in general. It was he who had given her Mealybones to look after, her special project - a test of how true her interest in helping animals would be. "Stay here, I'll go and check on him." his command was gentle but firm.

"NO!" Taia spun around, "I'll come with you, I... I know what has to be done, but I need time with him first..."

"I can't do anything today, anyway.." Corder replied, holding out his hand for her to take. He stopped short, looking her in the eye, "Unless it's urgent?"

"N..no, I don't think so..." she hesitated for an instant, how sure was she that it wasn't urgent? "No, I think he'll be alright for the night, if that's how its to be?" She took his hand, and felt the small squeeze he gave her. Comfort? Encouragement? Probably both, she assumed.

* * * * *

"I think he'll be alright overnight, he doesn't seem to be in pain, but, I don't think I want to leave him longer than that, Taia. It wouldn't be fair to him, or to you for that matter." Corder shook his head, his arm lay comfortingly around Taia's shoulder. "He's had a good life, with many offspring, and some healthy bull-calves too. You should be proud of him, and of your own accomplishment with him, Taia. It's because of you that we have had such healthy herds around the Weyr these past turns." his arm tightened around her as he felt a shiver go through her.

"Anyone could have done what I did." Taia tried to shrug off his praise.

"Anyone could have, yes." Corder agreed, "But none had the time or patience, he was just one of too many who needed to be reared by hand. If you hadn't, I doubt anyone else would have, Mealy would just have become meat for the wherries."

"I s'pose." she shrugged.

"Anyway, would you like me to leave you here with him for now. There's not much that can be done for him, he's not in pain; if he had been, I might not have left him for any longer.." Corder didn't finish what he was saying, he didn't need to.

"I'll go and check on the rest of the herd, but I'll check on him every now and then." Taia moved forwards, her hand reaching out to stroke Mealy behind the ears again. Mealy's head immediately began to waver, as though about to fall asleep.

"I'll speak to you tonight, in the dining cavern?" Corder patted her shoulder a couple of times as though loathe to leave her alone.

"If I don't have anything else to report before the end of the day." she nodded, her gaze still not leaving Mealy.

Corder trudged off across the fields, occasionally glancing back over his shoulder. Taia stayed with Mealybones for a few moments longer, before she too walked off in the opposite direction to Corder.

Last updated on the March 22nd 2007

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Not your average pet