Roses and Thorns

Cultivation

"This is it!" Ace calls as he rushes into the heart of the fields, his fur rustling in the harvest winds.

I look over the crops with admiration, walking through the rows and scenting the fragrant earth. "It's beautiful."

"Isn't it?" calls the red Canis Ace was telling me about. She's further within the swath of wheat, just recognizable by the tips of her horns. "I'll be right there!" She dips around the edge and walks up the smooth dirt path to where I stand. "You must be the new assistant- I'm Anassa. Nice to meet ya. I haven't had anyone here to help me save for Ace, so this should be a good time."

She's probably about three years older than me, which I can tell despite how close we are in size. Her horns are thick and her ear fur, though trimmed, shows the distinctive patterned whorls and tips that come around adulthood. As I look her up and down, I try to straighten up and appear slightly larger, gaze trained on her. "So... what do you want me to do?"

"Nothing too hard today. Just help pick out the beans and squashes, I'll start on the wheat."

"How are you supposed to get rid of all that?" I ask. The golden fields are like the fur on the back of a massive beast. I can't imagine anyone taming it, at least not without a struggle.

"That's my job. I'll worry about it." Anassa replies, eyes glittering with amusement. "But just for the record? I'm going to pull some serious stunts with a scythe. Now, Ace, keep her on task, alright?"

"Alright." Ace nods.

"Good." She walks backwards into the fields. "Good luck."

"Bye," I say.

"So where do we start?"

Ace kicks me a bucket. "Pick that up and follow me." he says, and I do so, gripping the wooden basket carefully in my mouth. There's a nice, sizeable hole to make it a little easier on my mouth, and I find it surprisingly light. Ace finally stops in an area surrounded by wheat, deep in the center of the fields. Not only can I not see the rest of the Glade, I can't hear it either. "See the beans?" Ace says, snapping me back to reality.

I tilt my head. "What's a 'bean'?"

He snorts. "Okay. I guess I'm going to have to demonstrate." He places the bucket down and approaches one of the nearby plants, all of which are an assortment of bright shades of green. He reaches forwards and turns his head sideways, barely gripping the bean by the side of his mouth. He then places it carefully into the basket, then looks back at me. "Now you try!"

I approach the plant, take a pod in my mouth, and pull. At first, the plant stands firm, as if engaging in a game of tug and war, and then it lets go, sending me flying into the barrel. I slam against the edge and hear a crack.

When I get to my paws, Ace is staring at me. Tail tucked, I get to my paws. "Sorry," I manage to stammer.

"Okay. Don't push that hard- pull and twist. That way, they'll come off easily." Ace says, though he's staring at the basket and not at me.

"Can you get that replaced?" I ask meekly.

He nods. "No problem. Now, try again."

I do so and find it slightly easier with the twist, though it does require me to place my head at a strange angle. I proudly put the bean into Ace's basket and he nods, teeth bared in a large and excited grin. The two of us continue side by side, falling into an easy rhythm.