Inktober 2025 - 24 - Rowdy

They were both sitting on the ground, their back to a large boulder. He was panting heavily, while she simply nodded in silence, clearly weighing her next words.

"You know, taming a wild beast is seen as a rite of passage in many cultures. It's nothing unusual or to be ashamed of."

"Yeah, right, really advanced cultures I'm sure."

"On Earth, the peoples of Eastern Europe and Central Asia have a reputation for being particularly gifted with horses, and so do most Native American tribes. And none of these cultures can be accused of being primitive."

"Are horses really indigenous to the Americas, though?"

"I don't think that matters in this context. Besides, in South America, they have always had llamas, which are camelids, which makes them comparable to the actual camels of Northern Africa, also famously turned into companions."

"No offense, but domesticating a llama or a dromedary does not sound as difficult as breaking in a horse. Which also sounds way easier than what I have to do, by the way."

She was about to reply, but a high-pitched shriek interrupted her. He started shaking violently, evidently terrified, whereas she simply rolled her eyes before changing tactics:

"Come on. Even dragons and Pokémons can be trained. What's a War Bird, really?"

He was so shocked by her question that at least he stopped shivering. He just stared at her in complete disbelief.

"Oh, I don't know: a giant fanged and carnivorous ostrich on steroids? A beast a few heads taller than me, with talons the size of my wrists, spikes at the end of its wings, razor sharp feathers all over its body, and a beak as strong as diamond? Yeah, really, who wouldn't want to make friends with something like that and ride it into battle? Sounds like a walk in the park."

"Need I remind you that the entire army of Australia once lost a war to their emu population?"

"How is that supposed to reassure me?! Even a juvenile War Bird would have a field day with a full grown emu!"

"You're right, that was a counter productive remark. I'm sorry."

"Why would you even come with me for this? Your final assignment was a paper! Unlike me, you don't need to be here to graduate!"

"Well, since you ask, I'm a firm believer in teamwork, and there is nothing in the rule book that says you cannot enlist help with your final task. Besides, I really want to be standing next to you when you ride back into town on one of those magnificent creatures. The crowd is going to go wild!"

"Provided I don't get maimed and killed by said creature, the only thing people are going to do if I manage to bring one home is run for cover."

"You'll have it under control by then. War Birds are notoriously intelligent. They understand human society in some ways better than we do ourselves. The trick is befriending them in the first place."