Hodges Field: Chapter 1
It was the first day of spring. The clouds had parted and the sun was shining through them down onto Hodges Field. The field was enclosed by natural barriers. There were large hills and a mountain range that closed the field off, except for four gaps between the hills. In the field, there were wildflowers beginning to bloom, and green grass up until it reached the forest covered hills or the rocky snow capped mountains. It appeared as a paradise, beautiful, plenty to eat, and nothing to really worry about.
A figure could be seen coming over a small hill, headed towards one of the gaps in between the large hills that closed off Hodges Field. The figure was lean, and wearing brown clothing that fit close to his form. Not a single patch of him was uncovered, he wore a cloth mask that jutted out from his muzzle, and even his eyes were hiding behind dark goggles. He carried a large cane with a crook in the top of it as he walked. Not long after, a group of sheep made their way over the hill. They were following him.
He held up his cane, and the sheep all stood still and hushed their pointless talking. They stared at the gap that entered into the field. It was still about another day's travel away, but the ground was flat and clear, traveling would be much easier now.
One of the sheep approached the figure with the cane. He was muscular and larger than the figure. It looked as if he could beat the figure with the cane in a fight any day, yet he gave the other great regard as he approached. The figure holding the cane motioned for the sheep to step closer. The sheep obliged, and the one with the cane pulled him down and whispered into his ear.
His voice was gruff and somewhat raspy as he spoke, "Balso, have them set up the tents. We will be camping here tonight. Then later, we will have a feast to honor the two guardians that will be meeting us tonight." Balso nodded in understanding, and stood up straight. He turned around and shouted in a strong and clear voice, "Cane says we will set up our camp here for the night. Two Guardians will be meeting us tonight, and a feast will be held in their honor. Set up the tents!" The sheep quickly began to get to work unpacking the bags on their backs and the large wagons they had pulled with them. The sound of hammering and chatter filled the air as the sheep constructed their tents.
A day's worth of traveling back from where the sheep had come, on a forested hill, there stood a black wolf with dark brown eyes. The wolf sniffed at the air, it reeked of sheep. Even without the scent filling the space, he could tell that the sheep had been there.
The sheep made no effort of hiding their tracks, if he wasn't an expert tracker, he could still tell that they had been there. There were broken branches and twigs all over the ground, holes where stakes had been hammered in for tents, the dirt was swept everywhere and littered with hoof prints, and there were rocks that had been placed in circles for campfires.
He kneeled down and sniffed at the campfires, then placed his paw gently in. It was still a little warm, and smelled strongly of fire. He stood up and smiled, they were no more than a day's travel away. He turned around and ran at a steady pace back to his pack to report to the Alpha wolf. The sheep were nearby.
The sun was setting, and the sheep had gathered in the middle of their camp. All of the tents had been pitched, leaving a large empty spot in the center of the camp. A large rug made from the very wool of the sheep was placed in the center of the camp. The sheep were all sitting on the rug; each one had several wooden bowls next to them. Each sheep had one bowl filled with water, and the other bowls had miscellaneous plants, mostly grasses and clovers.
There were two extra members at the camp. Both were dressed the same way as Cane, only they carried a large sword on their backs instead of a cane in their hands. They were the guardians that Cane had mentioned earlier. They both sat on the left side of Cane near the edge of the blanket. On Cane's right side was Balso. Cane stood up, and held his cane up in the air. The sheep instantly stopped talking and gave Cane their full attention.
As soon as the sheep stopped talking, the two Guardians and Balso stood up next to Cane. Cane turned to Balso and bowed to him. Balso bowed back in return, and then turned towards the gathered sheep, "Let us pray!" he commanded. The sheep all closed their eyes, and bowed their heads with Balso. Cane and the two Guardians remained looking at the gathered sheep, their heads were not bowed, and their eyes were not closed as Balso spoke. "This feast is to honor the Guardians who have come to protect us and guide us into Hodges Field while our shepherd, Cane, travels alone. May Cane be protected, and weary, for even a shepherd needs it and without him, we would have been lost a long time ago. May our Guardians be protected as well, for it is they who will be protecting us, and if any ill fate were to fall upon them, we would be lost. Let no sheep stray from the herd, for a stray sheep, is a dead sheep. Thanks be towards the Shepherds, and the Guardians." The sheep all repeated the last words Balso spoke, "Thanks be towards the Shepherds, and the Guardians."
Not long after the prayer, the sheep began talking and bustling about as they ate. Balso sat down and began to eat as well. Cane and the two Guardians turned and left the rug. It was custom that neither Shepherds, nor Guardians, ate with the herd. They headed inside of Canes tent to eat by themselves. It was also customary that no sheep were ever able to enter the residence of a Shepherd or Guardian without permission, and if they did, it was punishable by death.
Balso watched as Cane and the two Guardians walked into the tent. He stared a while longer at the tent, wondering what they could be talking about. Balso was suddenly nudged by one of the sheep next to him. He blinked and looked over at the sheep. The sheep was named Juron, Balso did not know him personally, but he had made it a point to learn the names of everybody in the herd. Juron was chewing on some grass as he spoke to Balso, "Hey, Balso. You are Cane's right hand man, he tells you everything. I am sure if anybody knows what he looks like under all of those clothes, you do."
Balso shook his head. Even he had never seen what Cane really looked like, not even a patch of fur, and Balso was the most trusted out of anybody in the herd. "I'm sorry Juron, but I haven't even seen a patch of Cane's fur." Juron looked a little shocked, "It's strange isn't it? That the Shepherds and Guardians would go to such great lengths to hide themselves like that. I wonder why." Balso shook his head, "It is best not to question why they do it, Juron. They have always protected us, and kept us on the right path." Juron thought for a little while, and then nodded his head, "Yeah, you are probably right, Balso." Balso went back to eating every once in a while and chatting with some of the other sheep, looking over at Cane's tent every once in a while.
The feast had gone on for hours and was starting to die down. Balso remained on the rug, slowly eating his food and watching Cane's tent. The flap to the tent was pushed slightly open, and the two Guardians came out of the tent. They glanced over at what was left of the feast, and then walked off towards their tents.
Not long after the Guardians had left, Cane emerged from his tent. He spotted Balso and walked over to him. Cane brought Balso away from the feast so nobody else could hear him speak, "Balso, you should get some rest soon. The Guardians are going to want to leave early. The herd should be in Hodges Field by nightfall, tomorrow. I will be leaving even earlier, you will do what the Guardians tell you." Balso nodded and Cane bowed to him. Balso bowed back to Cane, and Cane stood up straight and headed back to his tent. Balso walked over to the rug where he had been sitting before.
Juron nudged Balso again and pointed towards Cane's tent. Balso looked over and saw Cane motioning towards a ewe with large breasts. The ewe walked over to Cane, and he led her into his tent. "Cane is lucky, because he is the shepherd, he can have any ewe he wants." Juron said. Balso nodded at Juron and smiled. Then Juron spoke again, "I asked one who had just spent the night with him what he looks like, and you know what she said?" Balso looked at Juron curiously, "What did she say?"
Juron stared straight into Balso's eyes, "She said he was completely clothed the whole time, and all he did was cuddle her and milk her. That's right, milk her! Why would he do that? He is not a lamb!" Balso looked a little shocked and confused at what Juron said, "I didn't know that is what he did. It is strange... but we shouldn't question our Shepherd. He has some odd fetishes, but he still protects us and leads us." Juron nodded, "Yes, you are right." Balso looked around and then said, "It is getting late, and we will be leaving early. I am going to bed, and you should too, Juron." Juron nodded in agreement and got up, "Goodnight, Balso." Juron said, and then walked to his tent. Balso got up and went to his own tent as well.
Cane awoke early in the morning. He was fully clothed and in bed, snuggled up close to a naked ewe with his arms wrapped around her. He murred at the warmth she gave off and nuzzled her for a while as she slept. He unwrapped his arms from around her, and got up. The blanket that had been draped over them slipped off, exposing her naked body completely to the cold air. She woke up immediately with a gasp, and looked up at Cane as he towered over her. She quickly pulled the blanket over her again. Cane grabbed his cane and tapped her with it. She looked up at him again, and he pointed the Cane towards the tent flap, telling her to get out. She gave him a frustrated look, but quickly put her clothes back on and left when he re-emphasized his signal for her to leave.
His smile was hidden under his mask as he watched the angry ewe dress and leave. He had only been interested in one thing from her, and it was not sex. He walked over to the two large jugs that were filled with sheep's milk and picked them up. He checked the lids to make sure that they were tight on the jugs, and picked them up. He brought them outside of his tent, and ran a rope in through their handles. He slung the two jugs over his shoulder, holding them with one hand, and his cane with his other.
The two Guardians were already awake as he approached their tents. They were sitting outside of the tents, waiting for him to come. He set down the milk and bowed to the Guardians. They bowed back to him and one spoke, "The best of luck, Shepherd." Cane nodded to the Guardian who had spoken, and slung the jugs back over his shoulder. He walked out of the camp, and into the early morning fog, the two jugs clinking together as he walked.