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Once given the ok, Corvus waves at the old man and then takes off in a jog towards the fence gate. He gives it a glance over before popping it open and pushing it open so all the sheep could stroll out of. With a small clack, some of the nearby sheep lifted their heads and began trotting towards him, other remained placidly baaing at one another, probably sharing sheepy gossip. He then jogged back towards his horse. A bit dark brown one with a but white spot on its head. He reached up to pat it before moving along to hop onto him. He gave the horse another pat between the ears. “Alright Pablo. Help me get them out of here.” He asked, hoping it was polite enough before tugging carefully on the horse’s reins.

Pablo turns with ease, probably used to newbies riding on him and begins to clop towards the standing sheep. As he passed Siobhan he attempted a friendly smile at her before asking, “You want to lead the pack? Or do you want me to do it?” The first chill spot was pretty close, but he figured he’d better ask. He was kind of the baby here.

Figuring she’d probably take point if she really wanted to, he continues on, Pablo easy carrying him around the sheepy congregation. The baas get a little louder as Pablo gets closer. He snorts at a few clueless ones but setting the mass of wool into a gentle walk towards the exit is easy enough. They were sheep sure, but there wasn’t anywhere else to go but out. This was around the time they were let out anyway, they should know.

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Corvus is quick to give Siobhan a thumbs up and a nod. “Alright, I’ll pull up then.” He replied before turning Pablo towards the entrance. The sheepies parted like the sea for Moses as he clopped slowly into the mass of fluff. Corvus took a moment to reach back into the supplies he’d been given for their day trip to pull out a map and start familiarizing himself with the place. There was a huge red dot on the map marker YOU START HERE along with a route drawn in light grey for the trail they would be lapping. The next place was just a grazing area with a huge tree in the middle in case the sheepies got too hot and wanted to nap. At least, that’s what he assumed from the tiny sheep drawing on his map with the little snooze z’s above it.

He folded up the map small enough and pocketed it before patting Pablo and getting him to speed up just a smidge. He clicked his tongue encouragingly at a few of the slower sheep before taking up the front. Front there on it seemed like auto pilot. Unless Corvus tugged too roughly, Pablo already knew where to go. The quickly caught up to the first couple of sheep. He turned to his pardner and called out, “Shout if you want anything.” Before turning back and appreciating the scenery. The sheep could barely keep pace with Pablo, but it seemed it was excited to get going.

It only took a few minutes, maybe ten at most before the sheep seemed to speed up into a run. Going as fast as its little legs could take it, it sprinted into the clearing and made a beeline for the big tree in the middle. Corvus slowed Pablo and made him stop by the entrance to watch the rest of the sheep file in and wait for his cousin. Quickly glancing around, he noted there wasn’t really any fences but maybe some thorny looking bushes. This is probably what the rancher had meant when he said they ‘get stuck’. "Good job Pablo. You really know what you’re doing.” He said, praising the horse who gave no indication whether her really cared or not.

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Corvus hopped off Pablo once he spotted Siobhan. Pablo turned to him to snort at him before nipping at his hair. “Wait- hold up!” he said pulling away from the impatient horse. He reached into the horse stores. The old man had probably packed snacks, that’s why Pablo was being antsy. After a moment or two of digging he pulled out a rather large, red apple. “There’s not many in there so you gotta make them last.” He said. Though, something told him Pablo would squeeze them out of him at his own pace. Him being a newbie rider and all. He held out the fruit carefully before the horse pulled it away from him and then walking off to sit a little ways away from the sheep, cronching on his own apple.

Well. “Right, I’ve got some back ups-” he piped up as Siobhan spoke up before cutting himself off. “I-I’m not losing one too!” he protested. Could wolves even rip off limbs like that? He thought they just kind of rag dolled things until the blood loss got their victim. Then again, that didn’t sound pleasant either. Like being thrown around by a beartrap. No thanks. “If I see a wolf I’ll get behind you while you crush it or your horse does the same.” He hoped they didn’t see any wolves. Pablo would probably take off and leave him with his luck.

“Anyway, I can’t exactly do much unless you want me to start a forest fire.” Ha! As if his elemental magic was that strong. Hopefully it was enough to deter a wolf from biting his face off. In any case there were more important matters at hand. Like, how he was going to pet the sheep before Siobhan. Ha! Watch this Sio. He went over to test the bounciness of a sheep’s wool for a bit before they were ready to set off again.

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He didn’t like that his cousin was insinuating he’d be the first to get dragged off by wolves. Then again, she could probably tell how weak he was. Orwell, she already thought he was a big weakling, so it’d make sense he still was on missions. He pouted, annoyed that she was right, but it wasn’t like he could improve over night. Everyone started at this level! Whatever else weak people said when they were cornered about their weakness.

“That’s a terrible plan! Why can’t you just use your fists. Or like, a stick. Some rocks? Pretty much anything besides me??” he asked, appalled she’d even consider that. Then again, this was Siobhan. Of course, she would. He didn’t like the thought though. It felt ominous. Now that it was out there, she would try to make it happen. Damnit.

“I can punch! Not through rocks like you but I can still break someone’s nose if I hit ‘em just right.” The young man protested. She was just tramping all over his ego today. He’d thought the sheep would appease her. He was wrong. He turned back to the sheep spotting a couple of babies wandering after their mom. They were laying down pretty calmly and the mom looked like she was baaing for attention. “Hello, Mom sheep., nice to meet you.” He said carefully as he reached to pet her side. She baaed at him but it didn’t sound aggressive. Nothing felt aggressive to him, until she turned towards him and bit him on the wrist. She clamped down until he pulled away with a yelp. “Jeez, mom!” he hissed as he wiped off sheep spit from his limb. That could’ve gone better.

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He continued wiping his hand on his clothes, half because that’d felt gross and half to hide is from Siobhan. She wasn’t laughing at him. Yet. But she’d seen it right? He looked over at her as she began to, what he could only imagine, was hyperventilate. “You asthmatic now or what?” he asked, half concerned, half convinced this would lead to another dig at himself. He put some distance between himself ang the touchy mother sheep and her little baabies. “It’s a sucky plan that I think we can discard.” He returned. A sheep better be about to die before he allowed himself to be no more than a noodley club.

He moved back towards Pablo who had already gotten up and was waiting for his rider. He gave the horse a pat before hopping on once more. That was now two animals that had nipped at him in some way. Pablo his hair…and that sheep mom his wrist. Ugh. “It might be a lot less effort to just, you know, go around the rocks? You don’t need to break all of them.” At that point it as less to get rocks out of the way and more to just show off. Strong or not, he didn’t appreciate it being rubbed in his face all the time. It wasn’t like it was motivation to get better. He didn’t particularly like augmentation magic anyway.

Corvus muttered to himself as he double checked the next stop, not quite having the route memorized. “Alright a huge riverbank clearing or whatever.” Pablo began to take lead once more, moving around the mass of sheep and leading towards another exit to continue on their day time grazing trip. It was pretty wooded, but not incredibly dark yet. Sunlight filtered through with ease. The path was wide, and well worn. He could count on his horse to keep going while he surveyed the shrubs right next to the path. He wondered if a wolf really popped out of the underbrush would it be able to snatch a sheep that easily. You would think the wool would make them choke or something. Like a small bouncy shield. Oh well. “I think I saw a fox.” He called out not really catching anything out of the ordinary.

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Corvus tries not to roll his eyes at Siobhan. She was right and all, but it was annoying to have to admit it so he didn’t bother. No matter what he said she’d be right anyway. She was strong, and he liked to think he was too in his own ways. Ha! he would hear in his mind as Phillippe took a grand old laugh at him. They both knew that was a stretch. He’d never been particularly good at any strength related activity. Lifting things? No thanks. His talents had been more flexibility oriented. That was ok. “You can survive just a much on other things too.” He muttered mostly to himself, huffing at his own lack of strength and his cousin’s tiny lecture.

The walk was quiet, and he wondered if this was on purpose. Like, lure them into a false sense of security and then CUT through He wondered if Phillippe would be more harmful than helpful in this situation. After all, he was pretty big. Could he see through the trees and the underbrush? Probably not. Given his size he might just scare off all of their sheep and then what. They’d have to track all of them down before something devoured them. With this many he doubted they would last long if they wandered too far away.

The bushes rustled and a sheep baad loudly setting Corvus in high alert. The sheep seemed to be getting upset and it’s emotions were contagious to the rest of the flock. Corvus turned towards the source in the bushes and Pablo veered off as well. The sheep in the front continued, still not yet infected with the irritation of their fellow sheep. Corvus watched one of the sheep closest to the rustling yelp as it got tugged towards the bush before dragging itself back onto the path. Pablo neighed loudly stomping on the ground and sprinting slightly as if he knew what it was. As hooves smacked dirt and the sheep baad indignantly, out of the bushes scurried out a brown fox before it skittered deeper into the underbrush after what Corvus assumed was Pablo’s equivalent of a ‘Go on, git ya mangey varmit!’ from his horse.

“You ok Mr. Sheep?” he asked allowed, bending down to look at the sheep that had been almost yanked off the path and into the jaws of death. It seemed to limp forward before following the rest of the woolly mass forward, undeterred. You know, until a couple of other foxes tried to yank back another sheep on the opposite side. “Crap!” Corvus yelped as he looked around for the only thing he could come up with: a large stick.