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Another day, another hunt. Nuri found himself finally settled in a routine, answering any call for him to go out and tame the beasts of the lands. It wasn't glory, it wasn't war, but it was something to do and he was learning quite a bit in the process.

He now knew the best way to lure a zore was with the soft flesh of preserved wards. He now knew that Quahar were more likely to startle if he approached from the side, and their blind spot was a great way to get a chord around their neck. He now knew that Xaraan were possibly more dangerous than Janarim thanks to their speed, height, and willingness to peck at the face.

So at least, at the end of a long day of wrangling, he was learning something new and valuable. Yet, it was beginning to get old, and he was feeling the urge to do something more.

That thought filled his head as he made way to a report of three territorial Impa threatening a new settlement. In his mind, it would make more sense to move the settlement and not the heard, but he wasn't one to vocalize his questions. Instead, he approached the settlement where the larger heard once lived, and now only three stubborn ones remained to retake claim on their territory.

Nuri was used to ignoring the settlers in these locations, after all they were quite apt at making things more difficult than they needed to be. He moved around the tents, ignored the grumbling, and approached the low level Impa that were clearly displeased.

There was no need for words, he was simply running them off. Signalling to Naraka to circle around to the side, they would corral them away from the settlers and toward the rest of the displaced herd. What a shame that the Obans felt the need to displace such glorious creatures, instead focusing on the ones of value to tame.

Shaking his head, he moved forward and Naraka did the same. Their partnership was effortless at this point, thanks mostly to him raising the beast since he was a little whelp. In fact, as he snapped his whip, Naraka moved and scared two of the three back, their tails fleeting in the sand.

The third, however, made to dart for the smaller threat.

Nuri moved to dart to the side, but his ankle was hit by the flat head of the Impa slammed to his side. It felt like a burning slice, but glancing down he didn't see any sort of major damage. A scratch really, filled with sand and grime and bound to bother him until he could clean it out properly. Grunting, Nuri moved to stand and glanced at Naraka. The beast was smart enough to stay still, but the low growl coming from his companion was a major sign of his anger at what had just occurred.

Darting to the side, Nuri made sure that the beast would focus on him and him alone. They were still close to the settlement, and he didn't miss the curious eyes of the Obans who were not smart enough to stay away. One wrong move, and the impa would rush them instead, resulting in potential injury and reprimands.

So, Nuri made the decision to rush the beast in turn, using his whip to intimidate and force the impa back. Maybe it would work, maybe it wouldn't, but Naraka near his side did help add to the intimidation factor. The impa recoiled and backed off, but its tail snapped and its jaw opened to show off some dangerous teeth. It waved its head back and forth in a slashing motion, another attempt to intimidate right back. It seemed this one was keen to not back down.

Nuri made to rush the creature once more, his whip cracking loudly in the silence. Naraka growled at the same time, and the impa startled. For a long moment, it seemed to back up, before it rushed back at Nuri one last time. The flat head slammed into Nuri's other leg as he dodged to the side, and this time Naraka rushed fully to run the impa off.

Nuri was down, and both of his ankles were starting to swell. Cursing under his breath, he pushed himself to his feet and pushed away the pain from his mind. The settlement was right there, and the Obans were watching. He accomplished his goal, but he was not pleased. It would be a long walk home and it would be spent mentally licking his wounds.

He loved his job, but sometimes he hated it as well.

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