Timestamp: Vhalar 1, 720 following Part 1
Hankley turned to step out of the house when she heard light, scampering footsteps across her roof. She scowled. Monkeys from the mangroves. They had been a constant thorn in her side since she came out here. They seemed willing to eat anything and everything and so far, she'd not found an answer for dealing with them.
She stepped out the house, whistling shrilly, and waited. It didn't take long for the ground to start thundering as Brach came running toward her. She was his mother, in his eyes at least. But, the Nashaki Ox was still a juvenile and as he came busting out of the grove of date trees, he trampled a path through her melons, squashing a bunch of them in the process. Hankley's hand came to her forehead and she groaned in annoyance.
She loved him, but boy was he a handful sometimes. She stepped out to greet him, and he came to a stop before her, but his lurching weight caused him to topple into her, knocking her into the wall of her house behind her, an oof escaping her chest. She glared at her oxen, but didn't raise a hand toward him. She would never strike him, never make him fear for his safety from her. But he did need discipline, and so, he got the glare from her.
"Too rough!"
Then she looked pointedly in the direction of the destroyed melons and waited for him to follow her gaze. When he didn't, she sighed, and eased her hands up his neck toward his head and gently turned him to look.
"Bad!"
Then she turned him back toward her, letting him see her glare once more. Then she let go of his head, and took a deep breath, and returned back to a calmer state, though still a bit annoyed. Then she smiled at him, "How about we try and solve our monkey problem, hun?"
He seemed to perk up at her happier tone, and he brayed giddily. She turned and started walking around the side of the house, "Come on, hun." He followed after her, and Hankley led him around to the back of the house, where the roof was lowest. She looked up, trying to pick the best spot. Once she found one she was happy with, which was arbitrary, though mostly in the center, away from the corners, she turned to face Brach.
"Stay."
She reached up, caressing his face and neck, kissing him on the beak, before moving around to his side. She reached up, grabbing one of his spikes.
WC: 430/430