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Lark song filled the early morning air. With a resigned sigh Greyson exited his tent. On slightly chilled mornings such as this he longed to stay in his sleeping bag longer and ignore his responsibilities. Today, however, Nym had stuck her head into the tent at the crack of dawn and chuffed softly into his hair until he woke up. The darn Tokota was insatiable when it came to hunting, and she was even worse when they were tracking something. So far the small group of cattle that had wandered off their owner’s land had eluded them in the dense forest of Vermont. The head start the cattle had made it difficult for the adept canid hunters to track the cows. Even Greyson found himself struggling, losing tracks faster than he would typically especially with the constantly looming rain clouds. Greyson was just happy it hadn't actually decided to rain as of yet.

Pulling himself out of the tent Greyson looked at the still dark sky and judged it was still rather early in the morning. Deciding he could afford to wait he pulled his sweatshirt over the top of his polo and settled down to enjoy another small bit of rest in the clearing before starting out again.

Nearby Clogs nickered softly which produced an irritated snort from Rig. Internally the man rolled his eyes at Rig's verbal antics.
Part of the problem with not being as immersed in modern society as much, was the fact that when he and his “crew” performed a service, he couldn’t always expect straight cash. That’s how he ended up with Rig, Rod Kriger officially but that was a mouthful. The grouchy stubborn horse had been given to him in trade when he’d helped some rangers locate an injured bear a few months back. Payment hadn’t exactly been agreed upon beforehand, and the rangers explained they had no use for the Nordanner stallion. As the horse in question sent out a sharp kick at Shrike causing her to yelp, utterly destroying the quiet reverie of the morning, Greyson let out a second exhale. Greyson could understand a horse's initial reluctance towards dealing with the tokotas. They were large predators, and though horses could be very smart they were, after all, prey animals. Rod, however, seemed to have a dislike of any non equine creature, Greyson included. Just thinking of the first "nip" the horse gave him made him rub his shoulder. He'd had a bruise for weeks. Next time, he promised himself, he would get a written statement about what he was owed. The horse in question yanked against his lead rope when Greyson turned towards him, eyes rolling back to eye the Tokota warily.

Nym seemed to share his feelings on the situation as she let out a huff and lay down. She would have nothing to do with the white Tokotas activities. It always amazed Greyson how wise the Tokota was for her years and how no nonsense she was, especially compared to her pack mate. Fondly the man remembered how Nym had approached him while he was camping on a cold night in Colorado some years past. She had wandered into the camp long after the sun set and had simply sat down across the fire from him. Greyson had frozen mid bite of some stew as he watched the massive creature gaze back at him. Prior to that he had volunteered a bit at a Tokota rescue and rehabilitation facility. They weren't foreign to him by any means, but he also had immense respect for the canids. Their intelligence and hunting prowess would make anyone with a brain between their ears show them respect. After almost 30 minutes of a tense, at least on Greyson's part, staring contest the Tokota had stood and disappeared back into the woods. Greyson had promptly grabbed his things and shut himself into the tent for the night, as well as put in a call to the local ranger's station who promised to sweep the area. They had arrived a few hours later and there were no further signs of the animal making Greyson feel rather foolish. He was assured though that contacting them was the smart thing to do. The next morning no one was more surprised than Greyson to find the Tokota and a second one asleep against the side of his tent. While things had been rocky at first (again mostly due to Greyson's shock) it became apparent that these two had chosen him as theirs.

Nym let out a low chuff in his direction signaling her version of impatience. Greyson supposed he had lounged too long for her liking. With a huff in reply he stood and finished packing the saddle bags.

Moving to where the horses were tethered he gave Clogs a quick pat before putting her saddle and belongings into place. The mare had been with him for three years now and was used to long treks through the woods such as this. Naturally this didn’t automatically translate to her enjoying such adventures but she at least tolerated the pace Greyson set forth without much fuss. It was a pity he couldn’t yet say the same about the older Nordanner that had recently joined their group.

“Cash. Only.” The tracker muttered, placing the saddlebags onto Clogs.

_____

Four hours of tracking later found the man and his troupe under yet another tree, eating and cooling off. Though the clouds had yet to lift the overall temperature had warmed considerably, leaving them all needing a break. If he were being honest with himself, they needed a change from this lifestyle as a whole. Frequently they had to combat the difficulty of finding a safe place to rest. With only the horses Greyson might have found this to be easier. The Tokotas, however, added a level of headache to everything.

The work he did was decently recognized in this small section of the U.S., but he recalled the struggles they faced during their first year. Some of the local farmers had been loathe to accept that his canine companions were impeccably trained. More than one call had been placed to the local police stations. Calls, which resulted in Greyson having to provide credentials and references each time. Eventually they gained a positive image in the area, and were able to move more freely. Truly a more temporary place was becoming increasingly tempting.

Before he acquired Clogs he had been part of the staff at a cattle ranch. The job had paid decently, and the Tokotas had more than earned their keep protecting the stock from coyotes and rustlers. Greyson had been given the task of assisting their horse trainers and had thoroughly enjoyed each minute of it. After a year or so though, he’d felt the call of the road, and had departed on pleasant terms. Connections he’d made at that job had actually been part of the reason he ended up with Clogs a little further on in his travels. The aforementioned horse looked up from grazing and eyed Nym who was, apparently a little too close. Yes, Greyson affirmed, maybe it was again time to settle for a bit.

Resolving to make some calls the next time they had cell service, Greyson chucked the last bit of his apple core to Shrike who crunched it happily. Later that night they heard the soft lowing of the cows and began to herd them home.

Greyson was in luck! The vet at the old cattle ranch had remembered him fondly and was more than happy to refer him to a stable in Nova Scotia. It would take a bit to get passports sorted and make accommodations for the animals, but even that couldn’t dampen his excitement. The person, a nice sounding gentleman by the name of Garrett, had been happy to speak with him. A surprisingly short call later and Greyson found himself with a job offer. There was plenty of room at the stable for the horses, and Garrett had needed almost no persuasion regarding the Tokotas. Apparently the man was thrilled at the opportunity to more closely examine the large predators. They must not have a lot of them there, Greyson mused.

All traveling hoops aside, the man couldn’t wait to see what this new opportunity would bring.

Well... /throws up hands/ I've been working on this since before the designs for my tokotas were even approved >.>
Introducing Greyson, Nym, and Shree (Shrike). They are all going to be part of the things I do at Tyto Manor as well as have AU things happening as part of the Sosin tribe.

I'll be honest, I wanted to put more detail in here but my brain started glazing over any time I opened the document. At this point I want to be able to sketch other things *cough*.

References: Moonlight Dan Reclines | Male Stock 227 | Lima6 | Starlight135 | Mexican Wolf Stock 13: Jumping | Arctic Wolf 20

Characters/Art © ShadowRaven1

Description

Lark song filled the early morning air. With a resigned sigh Greyson exited his tent. On slightly chilled mornings such as this he longed to stay in his sleeping bag longer and ignore his responsibilities. Today, however, Nym had stuck her head into the tent at the crack of dawn and chuffed softly into his hair until he woke up. The darn Tokota was insatiable when it came to hunting, and she was even worse when they were tracking something. So far the small group of cattle that had wandered off their owner’s land had eluded them in the dense forest of Vermont. The head start the cattle had made it difficult for the adept canid hunters to track the cows. Even Greyson found himself struggling, losing tracks faster than he would typically especially with the constantly looming rain clouds. Greyson was just happy it hadn't actually decided to rain as of yet.

Pulling himself out of the tent Greyson looked at the still dark sky and judged it was still rather early in the morning. Deciding he could afford to wait he pulled his sweatshirt over the top of his polo and settled down to enjoy another small bit of rest in the clearing before starting out again.

Nearby Clogs nickered softly which produced an irritated snort from Rig. Internally the man rolled his eyes at Rig's verbal antics.
Part of the problem with not being as immersed in modern society as much, was the fact that when he and his “crew” performed a service, he couldn’t always expect straight cash. That’s how he ended up with Rig, Rod Kriger officially but that was a mouthful. The grouchy stubborn horse had been given to him in trade when he’d helped some rangers locate an injured bear a few months back. Payment hadn’t exactly been agreed upon beforehand, and the rangers explained they had no use for the Nordanner stallion. As the horse in question sent out a sharp kick at Shrike causing her to yelp, utterly destroying the quiet reverie of the morning, Greyson let out a second exhale. Greyson could understand a horse's initial reluctance towards dealing with the tokotas. They were large predators, and though horses could be very smart they were, after all, prey animals. Rod, however, seemed to have a dislike of any non equine creature, Greyson included. Just thinking of the first "nip" the horse gave him made him rub his shoulder. He'd had a bruise for weeks. Next time, he promised himself, he would get a written statement about what he was owed. The horse in question yanked against his lead rope when Greyson turned towards him, eyes rolling back to eye the Tokota warily.

Nym seemed to share his feelings on the situation as she let out a huff and lay down. She would have nothing to do with the white Tokotas activities. It always amazed Greyson how wise the Tokota was for her years and how no nonsense she was, especially compared to her pack mate. Fondly the man remembered how Nym had approached him while he was camping on a cold night in Colorado some years past. She had wandered into the camp long after the sun set and had simply sat down across the fire from him. Greyson had frozen mid bite of some stew as he watched the massive creature gaze back at him. Prior to that he had volunteered a bit at a Tokota rescue and rehabilitation facility. They weren't foreign to him by any means, but he also had immense respect for the canids. Their intelligence and hunting prowess would make anyone with a brain between their ears show them respect. After almost 30 minutes of a tense, at least on Greyson's part, staring contest the Tokota had stood and disappeared back into the woods. Greyson had promptly grabbed his things and shut himself into the tent for the night, as well as put in a call to the local ranger's station who promised to sweep the area. They had arrived a few hours later and there were no further signs of the animal making Greyson feel rather foolish. He was assured though that contacting them was the smart thing to do. The next morning no one was more surprised than Greyson to find the Tokota and a second one asleep against the side of his tent. While things had been rocky at first (again mostly due to Greyson's shock) it became apparent that these two had chosen him as theirs.

Nym let out a low chuff in his direction signaling her version of impatience. Greyson supposed he had lounged too long for her liking. With a huff in reply he stood and finished packing the saddle bags.

Moving to where the horses were tethered he gave Clogs a quick pat before putting her saddle and belongings into place. The mare had been with him for three years now and was used to long treks through the woods such as this. Naturally this didn’t automatically translate to her enjoying such adventures but she at least tolerated the pace Greyson set forth without much fuss. It was a pity he couldn’t yet say the same about the older Nordanner that had recently joined their group.

“Cash. Only.” The tracker muttered, placing the saddlebags onto Clogs.

_____

Four hours of tracking later found the man and his troupe under yet another tree, eating and cooling off. Though the clouds had yet to lift the overall temperature had warmed considerably, leaving them all needing a break. If he were being honest with himself, they needed a change from this lifestyle as a whole. Frequently they had to combat the difficulty of finding a safe place to rest. With only the horses Greyson might have found this to be easier. The Tokotas, however, added a level of headache to everything.

The work he did was decently recognized in this small section of the U.S., but he recalled the struggles they faced during their first year. Some of the local farmers had been loathe to accept that his canine companions were impeccably trained. More than one call had been placed to the local police stations. Calls, which resulted in Greyson having to provide credentials and references each time. Eventually they gained a positive image in the area, and were able to move more freely. Truly a more temporary place was becoming increasingly tempting.

Before he acquired Clogs he had been part of the staff at a cattle ranch. The job had paid decently, and the Tokotas had more than earned their keep protecting the stock from coyotes and rustlers. Greyson had been given the task of assisting their horse trainers and had thoroughly enjoyed each minute of it. After a year or so though, he’d felt the call of the road, and had departed on pleasant terms. Connections he’d made at that job had actually been part of the reason he ended up with Clogs a little further on in his travels. The aforementioned horse looked up from grazing and eyed Nym who was, apparently a little too close. Yes, Greyson affirmed, maybe it was again time to settle for a bit.

Resolving to make some calls the next time they had cell service, Greyson chucked the last bit of his apple core to Shrike who crunched it happily. Later that night they heard the soft lowing of the cows and began to herd them home.

Greyson was in luck! The vet at the old cattle ranch had remembered him fondly and was more than happy to refer him to a stable in Nova Scotia. It would take a bit to get passports sorted and make accommodations for the animals, but even that couldn’t dampen his excitement. The person, a nice sounding gentleman by the name of Garrett, had been happy to speak with him. A surprisingly short call later and Greyson found himself with a job offer. There was plenty of room at the stable for the horses, and Garrett had needed almost no persuasion regarding the Tokotas. Apparently the man was thrilled at the opportunity to more closely examine the large predators. They must not have a lot of them there, Greyson mused.

All traveling hoops aside, the man couldn’t wait to see what this new opportunity would bring.

Well... /throws up hands/ I've been working on this since before the designs for my tokotas were even approved >.>
Introducing Greyson, Nym, and Shree (Shrike). They are all going to be part of the things I do at Tyto Manor as well as have AU things happening as part of the Sosin tribe.

I'll be honest, I wanted to put more detail in here but my brain started glazing over any time I opened the document. At this point I want to be able to sketch other things *cough*.

References: Moonlight Dan Reclines | Male Stock 227 | Lima6 | Starlight135 | Mexican Wolf Stock 13: Jumping | Arctic Wolf 20

Characters/Art © ShadowRaven1