Between The Crystals

Ch 64 Sheep Farmer Returns

It was a very strange feeling to take a nap in the grass. Normally, it was considered far too dangerous, but with eight hunters keeping an eye on me and a certain Saursune occasionally trotting by, it seemed safe enough.

Or that's what I kept trying to tell myself, but old habits were hard to change, and every flutter of grass against my arms woke me from my fitful doze.

Eventually, I sat up with a sigh. The tiredness had abated enough that I was bored. Getting to my feet, I grabbed a carry net and began collecting plants, although there wasn't much this close to the crystal.

As I knelt down to pick the leaves off some small edible plants, a faint rustle made me look up as the pale brown Saursune returned. He lowered his head and sniffed the plants in my hand. With a glance at me, he nudged my knees with his nose.

Somewhat confused, I stood up, now able to see all eight of my hunters watching in concern, but not coming closer. The Saursune slid his neck under my hand and paused when it reached his shoulder.

I recognized the silent request, but pretended to look confused when he glanced back at me. Tilting his head, his tail pressed against the back of my legs, and I took a step forward. Since he was heading toward one of my hunters, I walked beside him. When I let my hand fall to my side, he looked back at me, but since I didn't stop, he kept going.

The hunter cautiously stepped to the side to give the Saursune plenty of room. My new "friend" kept half an eye on him but didn't seem to mind the hunter's presence. Eighty paces later, the crystal was out of sight, as were half of my hunters. My footsteps hesitated.

The Saursune paused and examined my expression. Spinning around, he loped back the way he'd come. My worry skyrocketed as he headed directly for the hunters. I took a step forward in concern, then blinked as the Saursune used his head to give them a shove toward me.

Soon, the Saursune had gathered five hunters and herded them over like a sheepdog. Once they were beside me, he continued zigzagging behind us, with occasional nudges to keep us moving. The hunters were tense, but they wisely kept their hands away from their knives and bows. The other three hunters appeared on the trail behind us just in time to watch us get herded deeper into the thickets.

"Isn't the farm this way?" I asked, suddenly uneasy despite the Saursune clearly wanting us to go in this direction.

"Yes," Cruz replied, tight-lipped as we let ourselves be herded.

What had I gotten myself into? Trading some energy for two sheep was simple enough, but what was happening now?

"Is this how the other Saursune herded you?" I quietly asked Cruz.

His eyes flickered to the Saursune as it veered to the left, urging us to pick the right side of a branching trail. "Yeah, although that one stayed farther back."

The thickets came to an abrupt end at the edge of a pasture. We all stopped, not wanting to go near the waist-high fence that had been built from branches in an intricate design.

The Saursune trotted past us and pushed against a section of the fence, opening a previously invisible gate. Circling behind us, it took him more than a few nudges and an exasperated snort to get us through the opening.

Leaving the gate open, the Saursune herded us another hundred paces into the field. The knee-high greens were thick, lush, and surprisingly hard to walk through. These plants were a far cry from what I'd been picking by the crystal.

The Saursune circled in front of us, grabbed a huge mouthful of plants, and pushed it against a carry net hanging from Cruz's hand. Gingerly, he took the offering, and I recognized many of the plants as highly desirable greens. No wonder the two sheep he had brought were so plump. With a deep hum, he trotted around us in a wider and wider circle before loping off across the pasture.