The Kennels
THE TURF HERD
You walk through the arched doorway and beams of sunlight burst into your veiw. You almost screech as you eyes quickely adjust to the blinding light reflecting of dewy trees and underbrush - it is warm, but not uncomfortables so. The bushes move. Out rolls a little flitter, skittering nervously across the rocky floor toward you. It veers sharply and climbs a sappling, bending the infant branches under its small weight. It is a nervous little creature that blends in perfectly with the surrounding foliage. It chitters - you step back, but it still catches you shirt and climbs nto your shoulder, still chirping a cute little song...it song like "Pop Goes The Weasel." Then the little chittery flit speaks!
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"Welcome big one," she chitters into your ears, smiling a tiny green firelizard smile. "You've come to the Turf Herd in hopes of seeing the lovely Turfs - that is only common sense - and I will be your guide. I am Amenketh. I am here because I love to watch the Turfs and I blend in well - so they do not see me. You, friend, they will not only see, but smell - so you must be very quiet and not frighten the timid creatures. They are very new here." |
First you must understand the structure of thsis place. This is a small cave with sunlight reflected from the outer rim of the mountain by a series of mirrors. It makes the Turfs believe it is light straight from the sun! These trees thrive on this reflected light - they grow right up through the floor and have for centuries! We just discovered this cavern a few monthes ago and have since added it to the main hold and now have moved the Turfs in. The Turfs are forest creatures and very timid. They live in packs of two or more family lines joined together for protection and cover, along with whatever strays are accepted into the group. A pack is always 20 Turfs or more. Right now we have a pack of 21, with 4 seperate family lines - lovely! You will see them all hopefully. They are out to play in the sun today - Good!
"Oh - how lucky! There are two of them now - and they are the leaders! The regal black one is Maverick, the head of the herd and of his family line. He is the eldest and the strongest - he has consistently one over all other challengers to his power. He's ruled this herd since the day Azrielen came across them, they only recently moved herer, but they've been together for a long time. His mate is the regal white Victoria. She is quite like a First Lady in that she keeps track of the herd domestic affairs. The raising of cubs, the hunting - they all fall under her watchful eyes!"
"Next here are another couple. The black and white Turf is Oreo. He is the firstborn son of Maverick and Victoria - heir to the herd if he is not defeated in challenge. He leads the hunts out on the feeding yards - one of his duties as "prince." His mate there is the lovely tan Taffy. She is a stray that the herd took on when it was just forming, trying to get together enough members. They want children and have tried, but still no luck. Wish them well!"
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"Wow look!" the little flit exclames, shaking her head in surprise. "They brought out the baby o see the sun! These three are a new family. Atreida, the cream and black female is the first daughter of Maverick and Victoria - the "princess" if you will! She has just recently brought in Safu there - the other, bronze adult - as her mate. In fact it's rather scandalous, their having a pup so soon after their approval...but there she is - little Lieta, cream beauty." |
"Ah...here are the heads of the second family line we have here! The steel male is Blade and his mate is white Athena. Blade has tried many times to kill regal Maverick, and he has the scars to prove his failure. But still, he superzises hunts and other activities, including the birthing of pups along with his mate - just some of his duties as a secondary line. He joined, along with Athena, very soon after Maverick anounced he wanted to start a herd of his own, and so has been here quite a while. This couple...they have a son...let us see if we can find him..."
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"Speak of the evil...there they are The steel male is Bandi, the son of Blade and Athena. He has reached adulthood long before now and has taken a mate, the cream Sadie. They are together 4 years now! Their two young pups, as you can see them guarding the young ones. The young cream pup is female, named Ambrosia for her soft smooth little voice. The second daughter is the cream and black Zaylair, who is about a year and a half younger than Ambrosia. One big happy family! Maybe one day the young girls will be taken to find mates and the herd will grow to be even stronger!" |
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"The third family line we house here is this one - just three Turfs as of now, but soon to grow we hope! The gray male on the left is Leto, the elder male of the line. His mate is the brown and yellow Patapsca. They are not the newest line to join the herd, but they have only been here about a year. They fit in nicely and Leto has not even though of challenging Maverick - or at least he has not been stupid enough to try. Their daughter is the other gray, named Xuryela, there a little below her parents. She runs with her parents for now, until the day they feel she is ready to be taken from the island in search of a mate to bring home to the herd - or to move on to her chosen's herd. She will leave soon, so wish her luck!" |
You hear a rustling in the bushes right in front of you. A young bronze pup shoots out of it, nearly running you over. Two older Turfs run after him from around the bushes. Little Amenketh chitters and screeches at the runaway pup as you turn to watchh the antics. "That," says the little firelizard, "is the last family group."
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"These three are prime level of the fourth, least powerful family group. The brown is Jariod, the male, and the larger bronze is Kynesa, his mate of several years. They just recently joined the herd, feeling that with Kynesa pregnant with the little bronze, Blitz, you see with them, they needed the extra safety only numbers can provide. Blitz is such a little rascal, and he takes after his father. As a very young couple, Jariod and Kynesa had a duaghter...you can see her and her mate in the bushes...there..." |
"Here! These two are Yalpa, the brown female, and her mate, whom she recently drew away from another herd, the tan Chano. They are a happy couple and are trying for children each season. Chano is from a herd in a completely different climate, as far north as Syberia, and so he had quite a few problems adjusting to the hold life and the sauna warmth of this little room! But he is fine now...they all are!"
The flit takes off lightly from your shoulder and sinks back into the wet, hanging trees. You lookforward and realize you've reached the entrance again - you've walked in circles the whole time! You glance back and all the Turfs are gone. For a second you wonder if they were even real, but then Blitz's bronze body shoots across the clearing again, followed by his hairied parents, and you sign with relief before stepping out into air that now seems very chilly and dry compared to the wet warmth of the lovely grove.
The Turfs Were Adopted From:
The Turf Adoption Dunes
The path leads away from the sun-dappled inner forest of the Turfs' Lands, back toward the open meadows of the Kennels....
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