rainbow of sheep

The day dawned bright and clear, and promised to be warm for the way the season had been going. This was good, since she had plans in place waiting for such a day. It was a day that all shepherds knew would come at least once a year.

Washing day.

To insure that the wool was clean for shearing and to prevent any external parasites that might be inclined to take up residence in the wool, the whole flock of sheep needed to be washed - with an antiparasitic soap - and then left out in the spring sun to dry.

Their usual pasturage in the basin didn't have a body of running water large enough to wash the sheep in, so they'd moved the whole flock to the plains known as the dancefloor of the gods as soon as the weather had turned enough to start thinking about shearing. They could have washed them in the pond that they used to water the sheep, but running water was much better since it carried away the dirt and soap rather than leaving the water dirty and undrinkable until it cleared again.

She and Tam had already taken the opportunity to build temporary enclosures on either side of the river that flowed there. Now as the day began to warm they put the lambs in the one on the side of the river closest to them, and driven the sheep through the water to the other enclosure. This meant that the lambs wouldn't get wet from a dip in the river - they'd get washed with the antiparasitic later, when the summer heat and their more advanced age would keep them from cold shock - and the adults all got a prewash soak to seep through the lanolin while they waited.

The particular breed of sheep that she kept was a primitive breed, so they tended to be a good deal hardier than other sheep and would be less likely to have a problem with shock or sickness from the dunking even if the weather turned unexpectedly. They did, however, all have a set of horns, even the ewes, which made making them do what they didn't want a bit of a tricky proposition, particularly in the close quarters of washing them.

With the sheep baaaing in each pen, she and Tam set up the bars of soap on the shore where they were easily accessible if needed. Ayer was set on Corbie's shoulders with one bar, ready to scrub it over a sheep as soon as they pulled one in and dipped it. The water was fairly shallow on this part of the river, though it deepened before hitting the other bank where the lambs were held, so it wouldn't be difficult to stand here.

As prepared as they could be, she signaled for Tam to drive one of the sheep through the opening into the water. This was a tricky part, since Tam had to get the sheep to go into the water that it really didn't want to go into, while not allowing any of the other sheep to plunge through the gap to freedom. Luckily, a lamb baa-ed just as the ewe began to seriously balk, and her head went up and she baa-ed back, and without any more hesitation she threw herself into the water. While Tam closed the gap to prevent any escapes, she grabbed the ewe by the wool before she could escape, and dunked all but her head in the deepest water, almost dunking herself and Ayer as she did but she was able to catch her balance and haul the now-soaked ewe back into the sandy shallows.

She gripped the wool behind the ewe's ears - from the front, to avoid the nasty curve of horn that would have jabbed her otherwise - while Ayer leaped from her shoulders to the sheep's back and began frantically scrubbing. The astringent herbal scent of the antiparasitics in the soap stung at Corbie's nose and eyes and made the kinkajou sneeze, but in short order the wool was thoroughly soaped and Ayer had leaped from the sheep to her shoulders to the wall of the enclosure to wait.

Dragging the ewe back into deep water, she swished it back and forth in the running water until the water had carried away all traces of soap, vegetation, and dirt, then swam with her to the shore, where she squeezed water from the wool so it would dry faster. As soon as she let go, the ewe raced for the enclosure, calling for her lamb.

Well, one down, so many more to go. Not bothering to shake the water from her own fur, Corbie swam back across to start the process with another sheep.

By the end of the day she, Tam, and Ayer were all exhausted, sore, and waterlogged, but they all looked with quiet pride on the wet sheep grazing quietly. This would be infinitely easier with more paws to do the washing, but there was a great deal of satisfaction with being able to look at something you'd worked hard at and accomplished well. It would be probably a week in this weather before they were completely dry.

"Well," said Tam after a moment. "Now we just need to make it through shearing..."