Main RolePlay

"Gypsy. Some call me Gyp. I still havent figured out why. Maybe just because its shorter. you can choose which......Sprat" I nod to Sprat-Tripod-whatever and start back towards my den, glancing back to see if He'll follow.

"Alright, Gypsy. Thank you again." He smiled and as she turned to walk he leaned forward, starting follow her. He easily kept up with her and simply smiled when she looked back."

I speed up slightly, my long legs eating up the ground. Then I pause, ears perking. sheep. i hear sheep. and i love sheep! they're so fun to herd. this way, that way. I push the silly instinctual thoughts away. But we have to walk past this no claw field with sheep in it. There's never been sheep here before. I creep closer to the fiel- what am I doing? We're not here for sheep! But I can hear the baaing just outside. I may have never been trained to herd sheep, but instinct is strong.

Sprat seemed to have noticed the presence of the ungulates just when Gypsy did. He could see the tell-tale signs of wanting to follow one's instinct. He smiled inwardly. He knew the feel of the chase. Different 'sport' yes, but all in all it was the same. He quickly turned his head in the same direction of where the sound was coming from, then looked out of the corners of his eyes at the distracted canine before him.

"i like sheep." I say quietly, watching the fluffy white creatures through the hedge. My muscles shift and tense under my pelt as they slowly come closer.

"Well... do you think it would be already if we round them up? No one would mind.... would they?" He'd seen his share of herding and didn't think it was too hard of a task. Beside, it seemed fun. He temporarily forgot about his long journey here.

I barely hear sprats words. I latch onto the word herding. "I like herding more than sheep." I muse aloud. "how good are you at herding?". I ask.

"It's not something I've really done before, but I've watched a few times" He eyed her.

'oh boy. A newbie.' I think, but say aloud. "I'll just tell you what to do, will that help?" I wince inwardly on how arrogant that sounds. "just ecause I have practice. And herding is what we border collies were bred to do."

Sprat simply nodded with a determined look on his face. If he was ever gonna prove himself, it was now. He hated the feeling of holding others back, so he was gonna try his damndest to prove that he could help. He already felt the adrenaline making its was to his veins.

I nod and jump through the hedge with happy bark. Sheep Baa in terror and run away. I peel to the right, running and keeping the sheep going in a straight line. A few split from the bunch. "get those!" I bark at sprat, nodding toward the few running away on the opposite side even as I dash after a few escaping from mine. I hit the dirt, creeping along with my stomach inches from the ground. I finally work my way around the escapees and bark loudly, jumping up and startling the sheep back into the herd.

Sprat springs in to action, making a hard left. He veers carefully around the herd, trying not to upset the ones that stayed together. Running was always easier than walking, he always thought.. Once a save difference, he headed in, around the far end of the escaped group Gypsy ordered him to get back. Glancing over at Gyp, he did likewise, crawling on his belly as much as he could without putting to much strain on his single fore. Once around the back end, he regained his original position, letting out a considerable snarl. He barked quickly as they scattered for just a moment, then started heading back towards the main herd. Only once did he have to nip the heel of a hard headed ungulate.

I kept the sheep moving, 'sweeping' the back. Driving them forward and keeing any strays in with the rest of the herd. I spotted a few no claws staring in shock and I smirked. "drive 'em in!" I called to Sprat as we approached the barn corrall. I stayed along the back, moving the terrified sheep forward. Sprat was good at this...... For a nonherding breed. I dropped back a bit farther to let him do most of the finishing bit, getting the sheep in the corrall. But o kept moving, driving a couple of strays back into the herd here and there.

Sprat was enjoying himself now. The sheep were almost where he needed to be, so he assumed they were doign a pretty good job. He grinned as he went to go get one last straggler and brought them back to the main herd. He kept them in the group as they filed into gates. Once inside, with his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth, he yipped once, twice, and hobbled over to where Gypsy was standing. He had a huge smile on his face. "I never would've imagined how fun that could be."

"isn't it though?" I bark, grinning as we walk off. I laugh at the no claw's surprised faces and slide back under the hedge and stand just on the other side, waiting for Sprat to follow. I'd forgotten just how fun it could truly be. I shake a couple of leaves from my fur. "not bad...... For a newbie." I tease.

Sprat made his way, ungracefully, through the hedge. Luckily, his short fur didn't pick up any hitchhikes. He chuckled and nodded his thanks, panting a bit too much to make any type of real communication. After a moment or two, he got his breathing under control. "Are there any streams near here, by any chance?"

"there's one just this way." I started toward the left, listening to the sound of gurgling water as it grew louder as we got closer. I stopped in the forest, standing in front of a burbling, sparkling stream. "here you go!" I announce cheerfully before taking a running leap into a deep spot. I land with a splash, sending water everywhere. I bark happily and swim around, snapping at waves. then I dove down underwater and clamp a fish in my jaws. I surface and toss it ashore, only to dive Unser again. "this stream leads right down to within a few feet of my den." I inform between dives and excited barks. We collies like water almost as much as sheep.

Sprat followed and soon he heard that trickling of moving water. He grinned on the inside, remembering the days of running through the wet briars and the muddy swamps. Those were the days. Once there, he ran straight in, sending water everywhere. He dove for a few seconds, his jowls filling with water. He resurfaced to see Gypsy tossing a fish ashore. He decided to do likewise. Diving yet again, he looked into the translucent liquid. He saw a quick silver flash and went after it. It went this way and that, and after a few chomps of water, he had to come up for air.

"hold still for a minute, wait until they calm down a little bit, then strike." I advise, sticking my head above the water. I suck in another breath and dive back under, holding still a second, then lash out with my sharp teeth, catching a fish by the tail. I surface with the still thrashing fish in my jaws. "help me with this!" I say, voice muffled. I yelp as the fish smacks me with it's tail and toss it onto shore. It keeps moving around, but Sprat is closer then I am and the fish is getting dangerously close to the water again.

Sprat splashed to the water's edge as quickly as he could and with his single fore, he smacked down on the fish's body mid-stride. For good measure, he sunk his ivories into the fish, making sure it wouldn't try to 'come back to life' and find it's way back to the water. He looked up at Gypsy, mentally throwing up a 'thumbs up'.

"how about I catch the fish, toss them to you, and finish them off?" I suggest, smiling kindly to show I'm not being mean.

Sprat chuckled once more. "Sounds like a good idea to me."

I nod and take a deep breath, diving under again. I snatch a large fish and surface. I toss it over to Sprat, mumbling a "here!" around the fat fish before I send it his way with a quick flip of my head.

Sprat snagged the fish from the air. By the time it reached the ground, his enamels had already crushed the life out of the small marine animal. He looked up, seeing if she was going to toss more.