Satan's Little Helpers
Rain’s movements within the pack had been constant; he had no intention of being a layman member and had every intention of gussying up to Malleus in order to gain favor. At the monkey’s behest he traveled to the falls, where a sudden frost had frozen several animals to death, and where he planned on crafting a gift for his emperor as a sign of his loyalty and devotion.
The baboon had been right about the frost killing several animals but had been liberal in his description of what the deluge had captured. On the banks of the frozen pool a water buffalo stood, its legs mired in ice and its eyes a solid blue grey from death. The beast was so perfectly preserved that had it not been for the thick ice covering it Rain would have believed the creature was about to move in any second. Among the death toll was also an Okapi, laying on its side and several birds. He debated making a garland of feathers for the king but decided he would only find it gaudy and garish. No, he intended to make the emperor look powerful and would craft something that reflected the balmy southern continent that he alone commanded. He shrugged the U-shaped pack from his back and left it on the brittle frozen grass along the pool’s edge. It was time to start.
His first step would be to gather the horns from the water buffalo, which as it turned out was easier said than done. Death had not made the imposing beast ant more fragile, and the ice had only made it that much harder to pry the massive horns free. Even working in tandem with him standing on the buffalo’s thick neck and springing his forepaws onto the horn while Fauldr pulled the horn refused to budge. So instead they changed tactics. With the use of both of their sharp fangs Rain and Fauldr pulled the livid frozen meat away from the horn and then attempted once again to break it free. With a sharp and moist crack the horn separated from the buffalo’s carcass and fell onto the pool’s frozen surface. It had been a laborious endeavor just to free one horn but now they both knew the strategy needed for freeing the other. They repeated the motions, biting and worrying away at the frozen flesh then breaking the horn free, then carried their prizes back to the shoreline.
Next would be the cape itself, thankfully this required less balance as the Okapi he intended to use was on its side. For this task Rain broke away the ice covering the animal’s flank with his forepaws and then examined the rich white stripes against the deep ruddy brown that comprised of the animal’s pelt. It was truly breathtaking. Earlier that morning Rain had made a scalpel for himself from a shard of broken glass and leather, he employed it now, cutting (if not a bit jaggedly) with the small blade and working the skin of the animal’s flank free. Thankfully the stiffness of death and the cold had kept the skin preserved and made the flesh easily rendered. It wasn’t long before Rain had a complete unruined flank of skin nearly the size of his body. Rain then dug through the frozen red flesh of the okapi, parting the slurry blood and meat until he reached the animal’s ribs and with great effort pulled one of the ribs free.
He returned to his pack where his companion waited for him, yawning from the day’s labor and earning a less than favorable look from the wolf which he returned with a passive glare. Rain snuffed and the two exchanged their pieces to work on both the cape and hors separately.
The sand surrounding the pool was thankfully gritty enough for rain to polish the horns against, being careful to work with the grain of the horn rather than against it. Fauldr meanwhile set to scraping the flesh of the Okapi hide away with the rib Rain had supplied. The two worked in silence, something Rain had always found odd about the primate. When they were alone in the dungeons the monkey’s deep voice filled the air, discussing crafting methods and the various plants the young male could make poisons from. But once they left the sanctity of the dungeons the monkey refused to speak under any circumstances. It was odd, but Rain had come to accept it. Fauldr lifted the pelt, examining his work then turned the pelt over to look at the vivid and rich colors appraisingly. Rain turned the two horns over in his paws, his head cocked as he examined his work. The horns had become a dull grey but the boy knew that once he’d oiled and buffered them the horns would be a rich ebony that would beautifully contrast the russet and white pelt. The two companions exchanged smiles then headed on their way, back to the castle. The pelt would be salted, and the horns would be oiled, and in 14 days time the two would present the lavish gift to Malleus.
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