The summary of the Gyetkti Floating Cattle by Professor Marlo Trotsky
#4 of The Flaming Hearth Cycle
Hello dear reader, I do hope this book finds you in good shape. I have been living on the planet of Gyetkti for several years now, in a village of about 20 citizens. The natives of the planet are a bit of an enigma themselves, being cephelopodiforms but that will be a subject for another book. Today I want to write about their Floating Cattle
Called Vrmnitayi in the Gyet tongue, these creatures float through the thick atmosphere of their homeworld using special sacs that contain an anti-gravity field, grazing on grass and vegetation on the various floating islands and have no more wild relatives left extant. Their basic body shape tends to be round and somewhat dome shaped with several grasping tentacles radiating from the mouth in the middle of the dome.
Their skin is rubbery, smooth and thick, in the wild these creatures would have been quite resistant to the teeth of any predators. It is recorded that the old extinct wild varieties had very dull skin tones, tending to have yellow pigments on top and reddish-brown undersides to help them camoflage from predators. Modern day Floating Cattle come in many different colours from brilliant hues of blue to jet blacks with gradients and stripes, these varieties have been selectively bred in order to use their skins for leather but with the advent of synthgetic dying techniques about a million years ago, farms typically only have white ones.
Talking of farms, these creatures are kept in pens and are prevented from fleeing by the use of a form of magic endemic to the planet where the air molecules are arrange into a pattern that turns them into a semi-permeable wall which whisps and flows like smoke. This is only possible due to the dense and thick atmosphere of the planet. It allows the farmers free passage but blocks the Floating Cattle and unwelcome predators.
We've touched on the leather made with the hids and skins of these massive creatures. But what of the other uses? The meat of these creatures is often eaten raw or seared. I tried some myself quite a few times. The flesh is quite tender and sweet, reminiscent of the fish and squid back on earth. The most common way of seasoning it is with salt and a tart berry called Kerkmbanli, another common preparation is as a jerky. Back in times of old when famine was still a concern for these people they would salt and dry the meat, this old tradition has created a sort of culture of snack-jerkies that come in many flavours but the most popular is an Earth-Gyet fusion of salt and vinegar. I would personally reccomend the Kulikvob flavour, the subtle heat and garlic pungency balance the more caramel notes of the jerky wonderfully.
But what of the anti-gravity sack? You will be happy to learn that these are used in space craft and transportation vehicles. Such resourceful people these squids are, is it any wonder they are the first species to have preformed space flight? The large molar-like teeth are often used in jewelry and creating ornaments. My host family had game dice they carved out themselves that they would use whilst playing Dungeons and Dragons. When exposed to hydrogen gas the teeth turn from the milky white into a deep black in an exothermic reaction.
There are many wonders on this planet that I will be doing writings and treatises on in the future for the sharing of knowledge. Sharing knowledge and wisdom is one of my passions in life