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Post by Lethalia on Jun 9, 2022 14:30:58 GMT -6
... Lethalia had an idea. That could be a dangerous thing. Dusk was falling and the adult hens were doing their last meanderings outside of their roost. Observing their habits over the years, the satyr knew most of the girls would start heading inside when the last rays of sun died. Even the night adept hens could be peer pressured to go indoors with the rest. Esti would be the one waiting out the longest, both catching the latest rays of sun and to chase any lollygagging hens inside when she turned in herself. She had no fear about getting a 'good' spot to nest overnight because she'd make herself an opening. Upon sighting her satyr coming up, once again with pink rope in hand, Esti tucked her front paws all the more tightly beneath her chest and wrapped her tail neatly around herself. What, Leth didn't get the idea she was going to move, did she? bridle knowledge|3
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Post by Lethalia on Jun 9, 2022 14:31:24 GMT -6
"Hey, ya loaf," Lethalia greeted, slinging the reins over Esti's head without preamble. A little tug to one side, and the brown merely grunted, hind claws digging into the dirt like it would help set her in place. "Oh - thought y'migh' wanna' get inside, wit' t'other girls," she mentioned, looking to the shed where a hen decorated with freckles tucked herself inside. Following where her owner was looking, Esti shuffled in consideration. She couldn't very well leave the other hens to dealing with themselves, now, could she? Making half a move to get up, Esti plunked back down and lashed her tail stubbornly when the satyr attempted to follow her movements with the tug of the rope. "Well - erry'body be in soon," Lethalia promised, watching the hens migrate towards and past them to the shed. Naturally the dominant hen's resting spot was situated to enable her to watch everybody; she could easily see all of the others file in from here. bridle knowledge|4
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Post by Lethalia on Jun 9, 2022 14:31:45 GMT -6
Esti's anxiety palpably grew as more hens filed into their nest. She almost, almost, made to get up when the last straggler's shadow became visible. Almost, because Leth chose that moment to give the hen's side a quick rap with her knuckle, just like the indication to get going would be. Instead of keeping up her forward impulse, the hen's blocky head swung back at her owner with an open, bluffing maw. Her soft side was showing - her square nose 'bink'ed' harmlessly off the woman's arm, in spite of what her low, 'dangerous' rumbling would lead someone to believe. Lethalia sucked in a deep breath herself to try and calm her natural reaction. Her prey-brain convinced itself it'd just seen certain demise, even if the logical side knew it was merely a bluffing hen. "Don'cha be rude," she managed eventually. Esti picked herself up from the ground and looked at her owner to start trying any more funny business. Had she managed to scare this nonsense out of the woman, just like she would with an upstart hatchling? Even those little dummies got it, but this lady didn't. bridle knowledge|5
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Post by Lethalia on Jun 9, 2022 14:32:05 GMT -6
Another step was taken by the hen, and her side was gently pressed on again. Esti had to complete another few steps to center herself and threaten the satyr, but her swinging head met a cut of meat before her owner. "Yeah! Good!" The hen did take a few steps with a cue, and progress was progress. There was no teaching this one to be any more polite than she already was. Seeming bothered that she couldn't teach this one the same as the hatchlings, Esti glowered some more. Her interest in dealing with the satyr waned as the last tail dissappeared into the shed; Esti had to get in there. Those hens couldn't handle themselves! As Leth had hoped, the matter of retaining the pecking order was more pressing than her pestering owner. Sure enough Esti had to lunge to her feet and hurry to the shed, even with her satyr following behind and steering the rope in the direction they happened to be going in. Lethalia let go as soon as the hen reached her roost, leaving her to her screaming that someone was in the wrong spot. (Leth herself was less fireproof than the treated shed; she was better off out here.) bridle knowledge|6
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Post by Lethalia on Jun 9, 2022 14:32:53 GMT -6
... Esti did not know what the satyr's plans were this time. It was terribly suspect. A little earlier in the day than last, the woman retrieved Esti and led her to the nearby stand of trees, not even that far away from the hen shed. One could still even see it in the background. The evening waned on and Leth hadn't moved much, just had the rope over the hen's neck and a sack full of treats to keep the brown interested enough. Twilight fell on them eventually; Esti clearly wished to join the rest in their nesting boxes, but that meant she'd have to deal with whatever the satyr was doing in order to do so. Fixing the woman a good long look, it seemed Esti reached a conclusion and began to charge on ahead through the trees. As expected, Leth tagged along while pulling annoyingly at that rope. Esti lv|40 ly|38 bridle knowledge|7
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Post by Lethalia on Jun 9, 2022 14:33:08 GMT -6
Esti dipped around a tree trunk and the pressure on the rope changed to match her move, shifting the opposite way along with the hen snaking around another tree. Hm. Annoying still, but there was some kind of pattern to how the satyr insisted on bothering her with the rope. A pull that way when she pointed her nose over there, a pull in that direction when she turned to go around a tree the other way. Upon pausing to see who'd gone in the shed yet, a gentle pull back. Going again, resulted in a nudge to the side. Esti managed to make it back to the shed in better time tonight, before everybody had arrived at least. Still a demeaning time for the dominant hen to arrive, but with enough time to make sure these hens were kept in line. She realized something had happened when the satyr told her she'd done well and left her alone with a snack. Strange, whatever it was. bridle knowledge|8
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Post by Lethalia on Jun 9, 2022 14:33:47 GMT -6
... The following evening, Esti was more prepared to deal with her humanoid's antics. While she wasn't brilliant, even the hen could tell when it was later in the evening when they wandered past the stand of trees, giving her even less time to 'argue' than the previous. Fine then. The rope reins went on, a slight rap given to the hen's side - and Esti nearly ripped the satyr off of her feet with the force she took off with. Soon enough the staggering woman caught up enough to request the opposite of the turn Esti was already making. Again - fine, this way? With particularly malicious compliance, the hen took the corner as sharp as she could, letting the satyr careen into her side. Once Lethalia had been brought (dragged) to the entrance of the hen shed, before the other hens had turned in no less, the woman could've sworn Esti's eyes narrowed perceptively; figured out your stupid trick, are we done yet? bridle knowledge|9 end
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Post by Lethalia on Jun 9, 2022 14:34:14 GMT -6
There'd been so much fuss over getting Esti into a saddle or fine with being steered around, Lethalia assumed this would be the harder part. No, she hadn't been avoiding it for that fact! But... well. Esti was so tolerant already, it really wasn't surprising that the hen hardly stirred when Lethalia came up and draped an arm over the sunning sarane. An eye peeled open to observe her satyr, but otherwise Esti only cared her nap would be more difficult to take with company. Lethalia patting the hen's side, draping her other arm over her and leaning over the brown's spine - still nothing. That was quite a lot less than Leth had been expecting. Bemused, the satyr backed up and ensured Esti got a treat out of the bloody sack for her patience. The presence of eats was the only thing Esti seemed to deem worthy to raise her head over. carry rider|1
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Post by Lethalia on Jun 9, 2022 14:34:33 GMT -6
Her sarane hadn't ever been terribly food aggressive - likely because of the abundant murp herd kept right within their territory - so Leth felt safe enough to pat Esti's thick neck while she ate, leaning up against the big hen's side. She got little reaction enough it encouraged the satyr to lean further over Esti's back, eventually sprawling over the hen's generous bulk. "D'ya really not care?" Leth piped up, patting Esti's barrel while draped over her. Esti had merely set her head back down when it appeared treats weren't imminent. What did she care about one more pest? She dealt with the hatchlings and lesser hens all day, she had enough bullshit to worry about. Her humanoid being weird was an easy one to shrug off - she didn't posess the bothersome sharp baby teeth and clumsy claws of the broodmother's other charges. If years of raising hatchlings taught Esti anything, it was that being boring to an annoying little terror was the easiest way of making them go away. Her owner fit firmly in that category. carry rider|2
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Post by Lethalia on Jun 9, 2022 14:34:49 GMT -6
Esti's complete lack of reaction heartened the woman enough to throw a hoof over the hen's side to swing herself astride. The hen remained plastered to the ground, uninspired to un-loaf unless it was strictly required. Just to be sure, Lethalia clamored around atop the hen's back, slid off the other side, slid over the hen to land on her horns on the other side, giggling madly as she fought to right herself. There was a lot less fanfare over it than the woman had expected. When the satyr finally got her ass to land on the dirt instead of the hen, still tittering to herself, she felt eyes on her. Esti didn't look displeased, but fixed her with a look of a long-suffering mum. Back flat on the ground, Lethalia looked up at Esti and sputtered into another peal of laughter. Years of tending younglings had given the hen such grace with dealing with such things, she didn't even care about the delighted satyr climbing back on board. Esti released a long-suffering sigh, but the softness in her eyes couldn't be mistaken; she might actually be enjoying her time with her biggest bothersome 'hatchling.' Esti lv|41 ly|39 carry rider|3 end
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