[SOLO] Life on the Ranch (Alpacanation crew)[fin]

[EvilSilverDragon]

A new season was just around the bend, close to Corazon's favorite time of year. Out side the rows for Mother's cotton plants were setting up for another season of growing. So far they have been doing fantastic. Their home as a whole was growing great. She still wasn't happy about having to share a room with Kara when there was another room unoccupied. It was Uncle Kurt's room, only Uncle Kurt never came back. She was quite convinced he never would. It was that reason alone that she didn't fuss at Akoiki and Kara for calling her own parents theirs.

She was still the one and only princess, something she wouldn't let her Daddy forget.

Even princesses had work to do, mainly her job at first was to help look after the baby and the freak toy-turned-baby. Only as they younger ones grew into teens themselves and she got older things changed. It wasn't all bad, they helped her parents out taking care of the ranch. Her own job was to help take care of the donkeys as part of a trade something or another with a village in the mountains. The babies in particular were just the cuties things ever, it was a joy to go out and play with the babies all day. Some of the adults had grown to really like her as well.

Cleaning up after them wasn't as fun. Some time she got lucky and Al or Kara would do it as part of their own chores. This day, she wasn't so lucky. Sighing at the stalls needing cleaning out, she noted that the alpaca pins hadn't been completely cleaned out either besides the ones for the several soon to be new mothers. The herd had grown like crazy. Guardians only knew where Kurt was, but he'd probably smile at this. "Al, you need to finish the pins!" Her yell went out of the barn but there was no acknowledgement back.  

[EvilSilverDragon]

Unlike some sister that shall not be named, Aloiki and Kara had been out at sunrise. He and his guardian twin from another set of parents always got up early. As soon as the animals were let out and fed, it was time to watch the sun. The two would sit on the cliff and look out over the water. At one point there was a reason though neither of the two really understood anymore. Zofie used to do it all the time, probably where they picked it up. Looking for a ship, Momma Zofie once said. There were trade ships certainly but which one were they looking for? They didn't really know.

Instead, as soon as the sun was up, it was back to work. Aloiki went to the ocean side and started collecting water into bowls to leave out. While it took a long time, collecting salt water to turn into salt was worth the time. That and it was passive just let the sun do its thing. He'd wait for Kara to get back before starting on the rest of the chores. Well, besides brushing out the alpaca. Those were his joy, something about them just made him love them. The whole herd had grown the like him over his life and the affection was fully returned. It was a moment of pride when the responsibility was fully turned over to him and Kara. It freed up Daddy Arista and Momma Zofie. Proof of that was the growth of the stead as a whole.

At the moment he had just gotten the brush into one of the alpaca's fine fibers when the most annoying voice in the world came from the barn. Fully intent on ignoring her, the sprite went right back to brushing the alpaca.

It might have worked only a few minutes later another brush was tossed right at his head. Turning on his heel he glared at his older sister and yelled, "You could have hit Morning Glory!" Fists balled up the teenager raged in a cracking voice.

As that happened the alpaca in question took off as did the rest of the herd. Seeing them run off only made him madder at the peeved Corazon, "Now look at what you did!" Stomping over to her he prepared another argument. It really was no fair that he's done her work so often yet she never went out of her way to do his. "I clean out your stall all the time, Cora!" With steam practically coming out of his ears, he waited for her response.  

[EvilSilverDragon]

Corazon was less then impressed with the tantrum. He might have had a point of the risk to the Alpaca. Only he was a boy so he didn't on principle. "I've had plenty of practice." Her smug remark only seemed it make him madder. Not that she cared much, it wasn't like he could do anything besides glare at her. "Where is your Kara?" if the great defender wasn't here to pick his battles for him, then what did he expect?

Brushing him of with a wave of her hand she called back to the angry male, "Have fun with the stalls~" Her own were cleaned he could do his and hers tomorrow. Short of her parents talking to her, there wasn't anything anyone could do about it either.  

[EvilSilverDragon]

Unaware of the fight, Kara was hard at her own work. She didn't have just one thing that she did on the ranch. Instead she assisted Aloiki most of the time. They helped with construction and resource gathering together as well as taking care of the Alpaca. This morning it was Corazon she was helping however reluctantly. Helping the ranch helped them all, a phrase she could hear in Zofie's voice ringing through her head.

Water was always important and while Aloiki took care of the salt from the ocean, she took care of the fresh water from the lake. With two of the training donkeys hitched up, the teen made the long trek to gather more water. Several large earthen jugs would hold the haul as well as any fruits and fish she managed to gather while the animals rested.

When she started the task, it took one of the adults to help her even lift a half full jar. Now after months of it she could do the job on her own. By her side was her ever faithful whack-stick. During any break she had, she was using the weapon to practice attack and defense. It was her job to protect her brother and the ranch, or help her dad if it came down to it. Between the practice and jug lugging the teen had built some muscles. It was never enough.

Before long, the peace was at an end, the jars were full and loaded ready to go. She'd found several fruits and tropical nuts, enough to offer a fun change for dinner hopefully. Not that there ever seemed to really be a shortage of food oddly enough.

Bringing the donkeys 'round, she started home.

It was close to midday by the time she managed to get back with the now very tired animals. They were getting stronger too with the training not that Corazon ever seemed to believe her. A small grin spread across her face, Corazon wouldn't dare actually make an issue of it when it was just the three of them. Just a few days ago she messed up the princess' hair really badly, poor girl was in tears. Should have known better than to be mean to Aloiki.

Once at the door, she opened it and started moving the jars into the house where Zofie waited to help put them away. Some was for food prep, some for drinking and the rest for cleaning. Half of any trip always went into the barn for the animals. Leaving her mother to the house, she went back outside and walked the animals into the pen where they were released for Corazon to brush and baby talk how mean she was. Oddly Aloiki was rather animated in the barn talking to something angierly. "Did the rake do something to you?" Her question came with a laugh but clearly didn't amuse the sprite.

He had gotten even moodier than Corazon recently, it wasn't a change Kara liked in the least. Still, there was work to be done before lunch and moody males didn't mean it could stop.

Putting the water in the trough, Kara went to work herself helping her brother finish his own mucking before the both of them got to work on brushing out as many alpaca as they could before Zofie called them in for lunch.  

[EvilSilverDragon]

Zofie sighed as she watched the children enter the house. For them, she put on a smile and fed the whole family. They never got to see her sad, it was her promise to them. They needed normal, needed happy. If the pain she felt over Kurt vanishing and the worry showed it would affect the children and that something she could never do.

Arista got to see her cry more than once after a morning vigil proved empty. No Kurt, after a while she'd even put up with him getting grouchy at her beloved just to have him here. Only, it never happened. Each knock at the door was a moment of excitement before the rude look of being let down. It was always followed by an apology and hospitality the ranch should be known for.

Eventually, about as slowly as it took for her brother and Kara to start calling her mom, she stopped looking for Kurt. Now and again when there was a project too big for Arista or the children got moody with each other, she'd wish he was back. This morning there was a fight that she stayed out of, it was best to let them work it out on their own. Admittedly when the brush was thrown it was almost time to lay down the law. As with all the fights, words were thrown and pouting was done. As the sulked off to their own corners of the yard she let it be.

This was just another morning on the ranch.