Kids and Animals a Great Combination!

Writers: Jane, Kaysea
Date Posted: 23rd March 2007

Characters: Taia, R'haran
Description: Taia and R'haran discuss children and puppies
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 14 of Turn 4

"Hey! Take it easy you little wretches; I have some for you all!" Taia snatched her hand back out of the pen she had had erected outside the beastcraft cavern, and away from the hungry and excitable little mouths contained within. Her hands were licked dry, but still had a slight meaty smell about them from the treats she had been feeding the pups.

It wasn't easy to give a thorough examination to these little wrigglers by herself, and much as she wished she could call on Corder for a helping hand, she couldn't; since he had laughed as he gave her the assignment; so she didn't want him more amused at her predicament than he already was. So she had been using bribery, not that the puppies understood, but it was worth a try.

She reached back inside the pen and brought out another of the pups, a female this time, and placed her on the table she had dragged out into the midday sun. "So young lady, let's have a good look at you."

"There isn't anything wrong with her, is there?" R'haran asked, wondering if his decision to bring the children to the beasthealer cavern had been a wise one. If they were about to see a puppy in pain or worse then the entertainment would fall more than flat.

"Oh, hello R'haran, isn't it?" she thought she recognised the green rider, but wasn't sure, she knew so many of their faces, but couldn't remember names as well. "And no, she isn't in pain. In fact..." she picked the puppy up and held her close to look into her eyes, "she is in very good health." It was only then Taia realised she had a small audience. "Oh...hello." she smiled around at the small crowd.

"My nieces and nephews," R'haran said. "Sahna, Iselen, Tellen, Arwey, and little Tibby. This is Journeywoman Taia and puppy ...?"

"Not named, I don't get that privilege." She smiled and nodded to all of the children, one by one. "Would you like to pat her?" she asked the children, and stooped down so that they could reach her, even the smallest, Tibby seemed enthralled by the pup, who eagerly licked at each proffered hand.

"Are you sure it won't bite?" Sahna asked worriedly, though she seemed to be having trouble keeping up her concern in the face of a furry, squirming puppy. But she was the oldest and she was supposed to look after them - especially Tibby.

"She won't bite, she's just a baby really, and believe it or not she's even younger than Tibby here. If you feel anything it will just be a nibble, and won't feel like more than a tickle." Taia reassured the girl. Over the girl's head, she looked up at R'haran, "You have you hands full greenrider - but I must say, family life seems to suit you."

"Really?" R'haran looked down at the children. "Well, thank you. I'm ... enjoying it. Like puppies." He'd had one back in his past and knew how much energy they had until they settled down to a more sedate adulthood.

"You'd really like one?" Taia asked. "Don't you have enough on your hands without a puppy thrown into the mix."

"No, no. No puppies," he said, shaking his head and frowning at the children's hopeful looks. "I can't ask their foster-mother to take on a _puppy_ as well."

Iselen sighed. "I suppose not. Unless we trade Tibby for a puppy.
Then there'd still only be five of us."

Taia laughed, "I don't think that that would be a fair trade. And I'm sure you'd miss Tibby very quickly." she smiled down at the little one, who seemed fascinated by the puppy she held. "But - I think I may have a solution, if you're all interested?" she looked up a R'haran for his assent.

"Perhaps," the greenrider said warily.

"How about, for the next couple of sevendays, until the puppies are ready, you bring the children down here and they can help exercise the puppies? With any luck they might tire each other out." she chuckled.
She watched the older ones as they began to understand what she had suggested.

"We could _help_," Sahna said.

"You probably could. On restdays?" he asked the journeywoman. "Or in the evenings?"

"Whatever you have time for. For the next sevenday or two, I have to take them out for the afternoon, just to give everyone a break in the cavern, there." She nodded behind them to the beastcraft cavern. "They make too much noise at times, and it also gives people a chance to see them, we're having problems trying to find homes for them. They'll be on the large side, when full grown." she explained.

"So will Tibby," Iselen said, grinning. "And if we walk with you we might find somebody -"

"Uh-uh," R'haran said, interrupting the obvious comparison. "We'll try to catch you some afternoons, then. Can we stay and play with the puppies now?"

"Certainly." she replied, placing the one she had in her hand into R'haran's arms. "She's been checked, so you can have her, and as I check them, the children can play with them in the yard over there, with you. Is that okay?"

"That's perfect. Everybody will get somebody to play with, and I should be able to just stand and watch."

One of Taia's eyebrows lifted as she looked across the table at the greenrider, "Oh sure, _stand and watch_..." she nodded sarcasm obvious in her facial expression. "You won't _play_ with the puppies?"

R'haran made a show of rubbing his back, his expression conspiratorial.
"Too old for that sort of thing."

"Too old nothing!" she laughed. "Pets keep you young," she paused, watching the children play with the first pup, "then again, so do children, so you will have a few extra turns of life after dealing with this little brood."

"I suppose I will. Have to make sure I see them all into adulthood," he said, reminded again that Evielenth's injuries made his life different from most riders' these days.

Tibby's squeal of amusement made the greenrider abandon the young journeywoman and check on what the children and pup were up to and moments later he found himself crouched down in the yard, batting the hide ball around for the puppy to chase. No matter how well he planned their activities, somehow he always ended up getting involved.

Taia followed and deposited the next pup into the yard, a smug smile traced across her lips as she watched the greenrider playing with the puppy. She returned to the pen, and collected another pup, and began all over again, aware of the ever present sound of children, and adult, laughter not far away.

Last updated on the March 25th 2007

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Kids and Animals a Great Combination!