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There was a break in the scenery, that opened up to a field. The group of travelers paused for a break, setting up camp away from the wood and high up so they could look down upon the space. While they ate their dried meats, Nuri looked out and watched, enjoying the view and the experience he got from it. Nuri was always a tracker, he loved sitting outside of the city to watch the fauna. It was a peaceful experience, and even before he began to tame them he learned what he could about their general behavior.

To understand how they moved, how they hunted, how they lived, that was the true way to becoming a beast master. He still had so much to learn as he discovered more and more areas, creatures, and lands. He would never be a true master, even if the army considered him one. That's why he always took the time to sit back and observe.

And in this case, it seemed to pay off.

At first, the herd was far off, grazing in the distance and not moving too much. However, they seemed to drift throughout the evening, moving toward grass and the cliffs. They didn't get too close, as he was sure they would most likely have enemies in the woods, so he decided to try and get closer himself when the sun began to set.

His party was curious, but quickly dismissed him once they saw him chasing after the flighty unicorns of the land.

Nuri recalled seeing a few of these creatures used by the locals, often as a means for transport. They had sturdy legs, able to move through the terrain easily. In this case, the sturdy males were wandering about, the females sticking with the pack. All had spiraling horns from their forehead, beautiful and something a few of the more unsavory mainlanders had taken note of. If he were younger, he probably would have begged to get an army out here to stop the poaching.

Now, however, he focused on walking through the rock and grasses to get closer. Every so often they would perk up and look his way, in which he would freeze. It seemed as if they understood that something was coming, but didn't quite see him if he was still. He felt like he was stalking them, but he knew his intentions were pure. He wasn't looking to capture or tame, but simply to get close enough to witness behavior a bit more. If he could just get closer.

Suddenly, the wind shifted.

Suddenly, the grasses moved.

Suddenly, they noticed him.

A few perked and ran, horns gleaming in the light. Three stayed behind, the clear alphas of the herd and appearing none too pleased of his presence. They would most likely protect their herd, and ensure that the single creature before them would not get females or foals. He really was the weaker of the two sides, considering he was alone and they had massive hooves and sharp horns.

Letting out a sigh, Nuri moved to fully stand, and unwound his leather whip. One, the smaller of the three, twitched it's ears, and Nuri identified the weakest link. As the three snorted, Nuri snapped his whip close to the smallest, and it let out a startled gasp and fled like a bat out of hell. Then there were two.

These two were a bit more frustrated, and split down the middle to take a sort of Y stance. He knew he'd have to be smart, as they were fast and had a much more dangerous weapon. So, he used his voice to begin shouting. One lowered it's head, but the other seemed a bit startled, and he quickly took a jump toward it and snapped the whip high. It reared up, letting out a cry, before landing to the sound of another whip. It also darted, rushing back to the herd.

As he turned back toward the final one, it seemed to reconsider the fight. Here he was, making a loud noise that was snapping like lightning, and the creature clearly had no idea how to deal with it. However, it was large, an alpha, and had a herd to protect. Clearly, it was a debate it still hadn't resolved, meaning it was here in front of his. Again, it lowered its head and the sharp horn gleamed in Nuri's direction.

And then, it charged.

Nuri was not prepared, and let out a gasp before jumping out of the way. He could feel the ground shake, and thanked the gods he wasn't trampled. Instead he kept down, deep in the grass, as the creature huffed and sniffed around. It seemed to think he was gone, and let out a cry before heading back to his herd.

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