That wasn't the answer Tal had been hoping to hear, and he wrinkled his nose at it. It wrinkled harder at the thought of anything eating gore crows, his opinion of this goddess visibly dropping with every word Deimos spoke.
"Does the one in the desert want meat, too?" Not that Tal blamed them. Meat was delicious, and easier to come across than fresh veggies in Halo, at least until the greenhouse had gone up. He took the jerky with a nod of thanks and bit into it with gusto.
Ah, but then Deimos asked about the sled and team, and Tal lit up at being able to share his calling with the eminently capable General. "Balance, practice, and having the best damn team in the Citadel," Tal bragged proudly, a little swagger in his step as he headed over to the sled and knelt down to ruffle Bell's ears. She promptly sniffed at his gloved hand and he broke off a piece of jerky for her to wolf down as the other dogs in the line perked up and wagged tails at Deimos's approach. "Y'have to pick the right dogs for each position on the line, and make sure they work well as a team. An' train 'em for the commands, right, Bell?"
The red-furred hound barked brightly at the sound of her name and Tal grinned from her to Deimos. "The sled's simple enough. Anyone who means it makes their own, but you start out pushing behind it to help the dogs get it moving. Then once you get up to running speed you step off the snow and up onto the runners and balance it by leaning into the turns the leader makes." He ruffled Bell's ears again affectionately as Boreal ambled along the line of dogs laying or sitting on the snow, sniffing each one as if to check on them. "Gettin' the tightest turn out of the sled without tipping it, and stopping it an' the team safely are the hardest parts, really."
"Does the one in the desert want meat, too?" Not that Tal blamed them. Meat was delicious, and easier to come across than fresh veggies in Halo, at least until the greenhouse had gone up. He took the jerky with a nod of thanks and bit into it with gusto.
Ah, but then Deimos asked about the sled and team, and Tal lit up at being able to share his calling with the eminently capable General. "Balance, practice, and having the best damn team in the Citadel," Tal bragged proudly, a little swagger in his step as he headed over to the sled and knelt down to ruffle Bell's ears. She promptly sniffed at his gloved hand and he broke off a piece of jerky for her to wolf down as the other dogs in the line perked up and wagged tails at Deimos's approach. "Y'have to pick the right dogs for each position on the line, and make sure they work well as a team. An' train 'em for the commands, right, Bell?"
The red-furred hound barked brightly at the sound of her name and Tal grinned from her to Deimos. "The sled's simple enough. Anyone who means it makes their own, but you start out pushing behind it to help the dogs get it moving. Then once you get up to running speed you step off the snow and up onto the runners and balance it by leaning into the turns the leader makes." He ruffled Bell's ears again affectionately as Boreal ambled along the line of dogs laying or sitting on the snow, sniffing each one as if to check on them. "Gettin' the tightest turn out of the sled without tipping it, and stopping it an' the team safely are the hardest parts, really."
