[PQ] Ridin' my pony on a cattle drive

COLT

Of course she'd be short some ranch hands right when it's time to move the cattle into the closer pastures for the season. They'd gone out with a shipment of some head for trade, but hadn't returned. Void remnants, they wrote, and while they're all okay, they won't be back in time and she can't spare the days to wait for whenever their return might be. So she'd put the word out and about, asking for anyone who thought they'd be handy enough to step in. She'd make it worth their while, some pay and loads of steaks to take home.

It's early still, giving them as much daylight to accomplish the task, though with the cattle in the far field they'll have to camp at least once, depending on the pace everyone can keep. She's wearing her usual boots and spurs, working jeans and worn chaps, a maroon button up shirt, and a hat pressed down on hair she's braided over one shoulder. 

She's tacked up the team for everyone, not wanting to deal with that lesson when she's already going to be spending all her breath and eye rolls on making sure they all make it back with the cattle. There's Beans, the black gelding, reliable as they come. Chip, the bay gelding that's lazily drifting into a nap as he waits. Biscuit, the buckskin mare that keeps throwing an ugly face at Chip whenever he leans too close to her space, but well practiced at the work. Then, Cheese, the palomino youngster that Colt is finishing loading supplies onto, her first time doing this.

"Take your pick," she calls over the saddle as she hears help start to arrive, still focused on packing in water and bedrolls, same as the other steeds have loaded on them too. "They're all capable, just get on and stay on." Not so hard, right?

---

This is a cattle drive PQ! Please arrive and pick your horse and mount up.

1. Jack
2. Alys
3. Zavien

Soul as empty as a whiskey glass, Bed as cold as it can be
I've been waking up alone too long, lonely ain't got nothin' on me

Alys

Alys arrived without Sascha in tow, having argued with the little ursur until the companion had accepted that she wouldn't be able to accompany her bonded on this particular trip. It wasn't that Alys didn't want Sascha along, but they had a long way to travel - on horseback, no less - and the seer didn't want her companion to be the reason that the group fell behind schedule.

So with Sascha at home, Alys arrived in a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved shirt that she often used during her fall gardening, and a pair of boots that weren't quite broken in. She'd tied her dark curls back from her face, and was otherwise unadorned by her usual bits and bobs. For anyone who knew her well - which, of the group assembled, would really only be Zavien - she would look a little plain. But at least she'd tried to prepare herself for the task ahead.

She waved a hello to the dragoon before looking over the mounts that Colt had provided. Alys wasn't particularly familiar with horses, though she had ridden a bit and could get through the basics. This would be her first cattle drive, though, and her first time riding in quite some time, so she hoped that whichever steed she chose would be kind to her. In the end, she decided that the bay looked a little lazy and the mare looked a little mean, and selected the black gelding as her mount.

Taking the gelding's reins, she mounted up, settling into the saddle as well as she could and waiting for further instructions.

---

Alys arrives and selects Beans!

I once believed love would be burning red
But it’s golden

Live a good, honorable life.
Then when you get older and think back,
you’ll enjoy it a second time.

After his less than stellar performance on the back of a dragon, Zavien has hopes that a horse might not be as bad. He hadn't been eager to find out so soon, but when the call for help went out, he answered, especially for a region that had done so much for him and the other Breakers. 

Zavien arrives just as the sky was starting to lighten, finishing a cup of coffee as Sol trots along beside him. He certainly looks the part with his cowboy hat, thick flannel, and boots, but when he stands beside the horses, it's obvious he has no idea what he's doing. His body language is stiff and uncertain as he passes them to join Colt and Alys. Once he's greeted them with a nod of his head, Zavien finally lets his eyes rove the horses, doing his best to figure out which one is least likely to buck him off or panic at something. 

The tan one catches his eye, so relaxed that he's nearly falling asleep, which means he probably won't startle easily - although what does Zavien know about horses? Still, he makes his choice and moves forward, greeting Chip with a nervous hand on his snout and a muttered, "Please be patient with me. I've never done this before." Then he awkwardly makes his way into the saddle after watching Alys, doing his best to settle and prepare for whatever tasks Colt may have for them.

---

Zavien arrives to help and picks Chip!

Zavien

JACK

Jack would like it to be known that he did not volunteer for this. (Why the fuck would he ever volunteer for this?) But one of his crew did, and Bassian - big, stupid, helpful Bassian - would have been thrilled to partake in cow and horms for a day or two whilst they were docked at King's End.

Alas, the large man had decided to trip and fall over a heavy coil of rope the evening before, badly spraining his ankle. Normally that wouldn't have been enough to have Jack going in his stead, but by gods, the whining. Both in his thoughts and without, paired with hearing Colt mentioned, and the captain is now present in body if not in spirit.

With an expression like thunder, he grunts a greeting to those gathered and tips his hat - the same one he wore at the rodeo, yes - towards Colt, before approaching the remaining steed. Mean he can do, because the feeling is fucking mutual, and it's with a steady, quiet glance over the horse (wherein he's absolutely skimming as much information about getting on and staying on as he can from the surrounding minds) that he eventually hauls himself up into Biscuit's saddle.

---

Jack arrives, hating every second of it, and mounts Biscuit!

no more than I was or than I want to be
when you fall on me like night, I wanna kill the lights

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

COLT

Finishing off the pack tying, Colt glances up as Alys grabs for the black gelding, his coat a bit sun bleached from the summer season. "Hey Alys," Colt greets with a smile, recognizing the woman from around town even if they've never spoken much. "Thanks for coming! You've got Beans, the best boy." For Zavien, Colt grants him a wider smile, a knowing one full of playful humor as he finds the courage to step back into the saddle. "Zavien," she nods, because she can appreciate someone trying hard to better themselves, even if it doesn't make it any less funny to watch a strong soldier fumble with an easy going steed. "Appreciate your assistance, you got Chip, he'll take care of you." Then her attention finds Jack, rolling in just like all the storms have habit of doing this time of year. "Well shit, look what the cat dragged in," she drawls with no hidden surprise or amusement, given how uncertain he'd been around her horse the last time. "Biscuit's all yours. She might be a bitch, but as long as you stay out of her way she won't let you down. She's a horse, by the way." A pause, then, "Grateful to have you."

What a fucking ragtag crew. They all made it on though, so that's a start. As long as they can listen and keep their seat, they don't need to be blue ribbon winners. "Alright, keep your heels down so your foot doesn't pop through the stirrup and you wind up getting drug behind your horse. Keep your hands light, you yank on their face, I yank you off. Push on the horn, don't pull it, if you feel like you're in trouble. Sit on your back pockets and don't wrap your legs around their sides unless you wanna go faster. They'll do all the rest, you just sit there and look pretty." Colt gives them all the crash course of riding as she steps into her own saddle on Cheese.

"Let's go!" she calls out, setting her heels into Cheese's side and turning him around. The rest of the horses should follow suit easy enough, they prefer to stay together generally, although Biscuit will be pissed she's not in front and might try to bully Cheese for the lead. Chip will have to trot every so often to catch back up with his lazy stroll of a pace, but Beans will linger steady and solid in the middle. Around them a slew of cattle dogs see them off, but most don't follow once they make it through the first gate, and most of the rest drop off by the second gate an hour later. Only about 3 remain with them, younger and hungrier for the work.

They'll ride for a while, earning each of the new cowpokes a chance to break into the roll and get a feel for the 'controls'. They eat on the saddle, as Colt points to all their packed supplies, not wanting to stop with so much daylight available. They cross one stream and Alys has to fight to keep Beans from dropping into the water to roll. Eventually as the day breaks into late afternoon, they find the cattle. They're black specks all around the open meadows, clustering together under trees and sleeping in lazy groups that chew their cud and toss the riders a wary eye. "Follow down the fence lines and push in from the back. The cows will always go towards whatever space you leave open, so always be between them and the place you don't want 'em. All about pressure and release," she instructs as she breaks out from the group and trots ahead towards the back fence line.

---

Round 1/4

Everyone rides most of the day to the cattle pasture. Along the way, Alys has to stop Beans from dropping into a stream and rolling in the water with the both of them. Zavien has to encourage Chip to go faster every so often since he's so lazy and falls behind, this often means Chip breaks out into sudden, brief runs. Jack has to keep Biscuit from trying to eat Cheese.

Now that we've arrived with the cattle, work on pushing along the edges of the herd and gathering the cows into one group to send them back the way we all just came.

Soul as empty as a whiskey glass, Bed as cold as it can be
I've been waking up alone too long, lonely ain't got nothin' on me

Live a good, honorable life.
Then when you get older and think back,
you’ll enjoy it a second time.

Accepting the teasing look with a good-natured smile, Zavien does his best to hide the slight flush of his cheeks when he finally mounts the horse. He nods in acceptance of the name, patting nervously on the side of the horse's neck. "Hi Chip. I'm Zavien and this is Sol." The little dragon gives a small chirp of greeting that doesn't seem to bother Chip too much. 

Regardless, as they begin their long trek, Sol sticks mostly to the skies, giving input on obstacles or directions like the diligent little soldier he is. He occasionally flies down to snag at the pieces of jerky Zavien offers - between the terrifying moments he has to push the horse into a trot. The first time he has to catch up, he barely taps at the bay's flanks with his boots, earning him a flick of ears and the tiniest increase in speed. Holding his breath, the Dragoon tries again with more force, and Chip takes off. He's not fast enough to do much damage, but it startles Zavien enough to have him instinctually pulling at the reins and bringing them to a sudden stop, his heart racing against his ribs. It takes a few more tries before he's able to get the horse to a moderate pace, bringing him close enough to catch conversation again. 

With multiple rounds of practice, by the time they reach the cattle, Zavien has gotten the hang of the basics, only having nearly fallen out of his saddle about four times. It's with undisguised relief that Zavien sees the grazers, certain he was about to lose his mind with so little to do. Even though his butt aches after hours without rest, he's perking at Colt's instructions, a light entering his eyes. "Understood." Then he directs Chip gently towards the edge of the fence-line, doing his best to direct the cattle away from the sides. Sol drifts down to join in, offering small chirps of direction to the creatures.

---

Zavien almost falls off a few times but manages to position him and Chip between the cattle and the fence. 

Sol does his best to help with small chirps.

Zavien

Alys

"Hey," Alys replied with an easy smile from atop the horse that was apparently named Beans. "It's my pleasure. I'm happy to help however I can." Then, reaching to rub a hand along her mount's neck, she added, "Nice to meet you, Beans." As she waited for the others to arrive and get mounted up, the seer sat quietly, stroking the horse's neck every once in a while. She listened eagerly to Colt's instructions before they departed and was pleased to find that she remembered most of it from her limited time on horseback previously.

Off they went, and Alys managed to keep her seat with relative ease, though she did start shifting in the saddle after the first hour as parts of her body that weren't often used began to stiffen and hurt. The sole hiccup in her journey was when Beans attempted to take a roll in a stream, but with a few good kicks (holding onto the saddle horn to ensure she didn't yank on his mouth), the gelding plodded forward without dumping them both into the water.

When they arrived at the field with the cattle, Alys looked out over the peaceful scene and thought that it was a bit of a shame that they had to round up the cows when they seemed so serene. Still, that was the job, and she steered her gelding in the opposite direction of Zavien, trying to loop around behind them and cut off any escape.

---

Alys steers Beans away from Zavien, trying to loop around behind the cattle and push them forward.

I once believed love would be burning red
But it’s golden

JACK

"You don't say," Jack drawls about Biscuit the horse. "Don't bother me, I can be a bit of a bitch myself," he adds, and as far as he's concerned, the prickly nature is mutual. Tipping his hat towards her and settling as comfortably as he's ever going to get in the saddle, it's with a slow, defeated sigh that he straps himself in (metaphorically) for the ride.

With the instructions sinking deep into his mind like tidewater into smooth sand, Jack is unsurprisingly not much for conversation as they set off, and although he and Biscuit are never going to get along in the traditional sense, the captain can give some grudging respect for the mare as she tries to consistently take the lead.

Unfortunately, Jack has no idea where they're going and has no intention of playing that role, so it's with an unsurprisingly stern demeanour that he keeps himself just behind Cheese, where his chances of being eaten are markedly reduced, but never zero.

After eating and riding and sitting for hours, to say that he's sore is an understatement, but such is life for a man used to climbing rigging and navigating a moving vessel. The sight of the cattle is a relief, despite those also being low on his list of favourite things. "You got it," he mutters to Colt, waiting for Zavien and Alys to finish their pincer manouevre before he takes Biscuit around Chip to drive the cattle forward from the middle.

---

Jack waits for Zavien and Alys to push the cattle away from the fenceline before positioning himself between them to stop any cows from slipping back through. He doesn't encourage any of them with magic (yet).

no more than I was or than I want to be
when you fall on me like night, I wanna kill the lights

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

COLT

The group listens better than some of her hands, admittedly. Complain a lot less too, although she's certain their assess will be hurt and their legs bowlegged when they dismount tonight, part of the whole experience. They all at least seem to find modicum of comfort with their new steeds, although a grin breaks out a few times as each of them has their own troublesome behavior to deal with. Cheese meanwhile is mostly well behaved, just requires a lot of direction and some encouragement when the terrain gets a little more difficult to traverse, the youngster not quite as confident as the older horses. Biscuit's threat of teeth certainly help keep the motion forward at least.

Zavien and Alys manage a great net of pressure along the sides and back of the herd, rousing some of the sleepy ones from the shade as they press in. Beans does trip dramatically at one point, and if Alys isn't careful she could fall off with the sudden pitch of motion. Sol is an excellent motivator, although a bit unfamiliar to the cattle it does make a few run quickly, which causes one mother and calf to veer close to Jack and Biscuit. Biscuit responds by biting at the cow and moving sudden and low to block the cow's path, which could unseat Jack if he's not paying attention.

Colt whistles and shouts out a litany of "heyheyhey", along with thumps to her leg and shakes with her rope to discourage any particularly bold cows from thinking the space between her and the rest is the wisest needle to thread versus following the herd down and away. The dogs work around everyone, leaping out with a flash of teeth or barks whenever they feel the cattle aren't properly respecting the riders.

"ZAVIEN!" Colt calls out from the back while they work up the sides. "Drop back, they got too much pressure up that side!" She smacks her rope towards a bellowing calf, shushing at it loudly until it turns around and runs back the proper way to the herd. "ALYS! Fall back with me, stay on my left." She's getting too many stragglers back here to work alone. "JACK, run up the other side and collect the ones by the pond." Those ones were distant enough they just stared and watched all the oncoming chaos like it might just sweep past them and they could remain wallowing.

---

2/4

Zavien has done a good job, but Sol frightened some of the cattle a bit and Colt asked him to fall back more.
Alys' horse Beans trips and might unseat her. Colt calls her back in line with her, on her left.
Jack's horse Biscuit lunges for one of the cows startled by Sol and might unseat him. Colt asks him to head out to the pond and move that set.

Overall the herd is moving where we want towards the gate, just closing in on it to make it a more solid group and less spread out.

Soul as empty as a whiskey glass, Bed as cold as it can be
I've been waking up alone too long, lonely ain't got nothin' on me

Live a good, honorable life.
Then when you get older and think back,
you’ll enjoy it a second time.

The Dragoon is starting to notice that herding is very similar to battle maneuvers. He can see the flanking and the bottlenecking as they guide the cattle towards the gate like a general might force their enemy into a trap. It's how he starts to notice the unequal pressure before Colt says anything, wondering if he should do something right as she's calling out. 

Nodding his head, he calls out as he pulls slightly back on the reins. "Heard! Falling back!" He adjusts and redirects Chip so that the herd doesn't feel as much pressure, but Zavien doesn't have to be an Attuned to see the fear in the cattle's eyes, wincing as he thinks of what Lena would say at the form of torture. The source becomes apparent when one of Sol's tiny chirps sends a cow running in the wrong direction. 

Along with a slight discouragement down the bond, Zavien says, "Sol, ease up. You're scaring them." Although reluctant to lose out on the fun, the dragon gives the cattle more space, quieting his chirps and banking some of his overwhelming enthusiasm. 

---

Zavien falls back and instructs Sol to be nicer.

Zavien

Alys

Beans was truly the best boy, putting up with Alys as she began to shift in the saddle in an attempt to relieve her aching backside. She made a quick habit of reaching down to stroke his neck, even going so far on a particularly boring stretch of the ride to braid a piece of his mane. But when they made it to the cows, she was focused and ready - which was a blessing, because poor Beans tripped and nearly unseated her. Thankfully, she was able to stay in the saddle (if only just), glancing towards Colt with a beet-red face, hoping that the rancher hadn't seen her.

Shouted instructions came next, and Alys did as she was told, gently steering Beans to Colt's left and falling back to aid in gathering up the stragglers. Calling upon her magic, she sent an illusion of another horse and rider off towards the left, hoping that the sight of another pair coming at the cows would send them on their way and prevent any stray cows from slipping through the cracks.

---

Alys falls back and stays to Colt's left, summoning an illusion horse and rider to her left to hopefully keep any cows from slipping off to the side.

Illusion (Abandoned/Hybrid): Can create 100% compelling and complex illusions within a 30ft radius.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered

I once believed love would be burning red
But it’s golden

JACK

Oh, there's no part of Jack that isn't paying attention in this unfamiliar environment, don't you worry, and as Biscuit lunges for one of the more insolent cattle, he's already gripping on for dear life. It's as though he's been expecting such shenanigans for this entire trip, and now that they are here, he can at least relax in the knowledge that he was right; that there would be fuckery.

As for Sol, it's with a hissed curse and a glare towards the fiery little dragon that he follows the reptile's movements, and if he hadn't already been retreating under Zavien's orders, he might have found his scaly ass blasted by ice. Adjusting his sore backside in the saddle in time for Colt's next order to ring out, the captain grunts an affirmative and leads Biscuit on to deal with the stragglers.

And if the threat of the mare and her grumpy rider isn't enough, the pond the cattle are lingering next to will start to freeze over at their approach, ice spidering out towards pesky hooves and water splashing towards the cows to get them moving.

---

Jack takes Biscuit to get the cows near the pond! He uses Water Manipulation to freeze the pond and hassle the cattle with ice and splashing.

Water manipulation (Abandoned/Hybrid): Can create and control water. Must be within a 30ft radius.
Type: Light | Rank: Mastered

no more than I was or than I want to be
when you fall on me like night, I wanna kill the lights

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

COLT

Bit by bit they each draw in from the outer edges of the pasture inwards with a net of pressure, drawn together on hooves and paws that keep the cattle from finding gaps to leave through. Zavien's new position opens up an edge for the herd to start to pool towards in a calm flow of motion. Alys' magic does the trick and some of the more stubborn steers give up on their stand against her and lope back into the midst of the group, suddenly anxious not to be left behind. Jack's chilly approach puts some get up into the lazing heifers that might otherwise have required him and Biscuit to wade in to deliver the proper encouragement, so away they run to join the rest, dust gathering on their wet hide in a thin layer of mud.

Once the mass is moving, they just have to keep a fanned out posture behind them, run up every so often to ensure the front of the group doesn't start to drift too wide. Behind them Colt closes the gate, sealing off that back pasture, but they have a few more gates to make it through to get all the head back towards the front pasture where they'll keep for the season. So they spend their remaining daylight plodding along after cattle, reminding them that their only good choice is to keep moving ahead.

When twilight starts to settle, it's right when they've hugged through another gate, about half the way back to where they began. As good a stopping time as any, especially since the dark makes it a lot more treacherous for sprained legs and falls, for both cow and rider. The cattle should be too wary and leery to roam far, but they will have to spend some time in the morning regathering them into a solid herd. "Hold up! We're camping here for the night," she calls out to all of them, motioning towards a relatively flat section of meadow near the fence line. She directs Cheese towards it, then slips out of the saddle.

"I got the horses," she says through the motion of unsaddling Cheese and slipping a rope halter back over his face from the packed supplies, his bit and bridle joining the rest of the tack that she leans against the rails. "Someone start a controlled fire," she glances towards Zavien and his little dragon, reaching up to untack whoever's ready next. She'll take the group to get some water from a nearby pond and loosely pen them in with some stakes and rope so they can graze and sleep. "We got bedrolls behind each saddle, someone can lay 'em out. There's tents too, if you feel so inclined, but the weather looks like it'll hold." Half her rush to do this now before Leafchange got in deeper and stormier. "Cans of food in the packs too, if someone wants to start cookin' em all up for dinner."

She stretches with a tall groan, and shakes some life back into her legs. She might be more used to it than them, but all day in the saddle will wreck you no matter who you are. They should all sleep soundly tonight at least. "Nice riding today everyone. We'll be done by midday tomorrow. Now think up your best campfire stories, we're sharing 'em while we eat, it's tradition."

---

3/4

Help set up camp (start a fire, assemble the bedrolls, heat up the canned food) and then tell a campfire story when everyone has gathered back to eat!

Wild horse out the gate
Yeah your heart about to break
She the type of woman that gon' make you lose control
She something wild, you might need a lasso

Alys

Alys's magic seemed to do the trick, and she moved Beans along behind the herd as they drove them in the right direction. Perhaps it would have been more accurate to say that Beans moved her along - after all, she did very little of the actual work, with her gelding taking care of her more than once as they went on their way.

By the time dusk started to fall, Alys was tired and hungry and perhaps a little grumpy due to her aching backside, but nevertheless she was ready to help her fellow wranglers. Since she didn't have fire magic or a companion who could breath fire, the seer opted to gather the bedrolls, laying them out neatly before joining the rest of the group around what would hopefully be a crackling campfire.

Now it was time for campfire stories, of which Alys knew exactly zero. She did, however, know a fair bit of folklore and a few fables, so she opted for one of those instead. "One day, a lion was sound asleep, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little mouse came upon him, and in her fright and haste to get away, accidentally roused the lion from his nap. Angry at being woken, the lion laid his great paw on the little mouse to kill her.

'Spare me!' begged the mouse. 'Please let me go, and someday I will repay you!'

The lion was amused to think that a tiny mouse could ever help him, but he was feeling generous and finally let the mouse go.

Some days later, while stalking prey, the lion was caught in a hunter's net. Unable to free himself, he roared furiously, struggling against his binds. Recognizing the voice of the lion, the mouse quickly came to help. Running to one of the ropes that bound him, she gnawed it until it frayed, and soon the lion was free.

'You laughed when I said I would repay you,' said the mouse. 'Now you see that even a mouse can help a Lion.'"

---

Alys lays out the bedrolls, then tells the Lion and the Mouse fable.

I once believed love would be burning red
But it’s golden