Rueh sat in the branches of a tall tree, chewing idly on a bit of snow herb to help fight off the overwhelming midday heat. But he wasn't in the tree simply for fun- the high vantage point aided him greatly in keeping watch over the aptonoth herd.
Eight cows grazed the grass nearby- each of them hatched and raised by his fathers hand, to create the best source of milk and cheese for miles around. Each cow was treated with the respect deserving of a monstie- and each had their own name. Rueh could name each one, and he knew their individual personalities. Buttercup liked to be scratched behind her crest and was very sweet, while Dandelion was against scratching entirely and preferred pats.
The tree shook softly as something heavy butted against it and Rueh jolted, only to relax as he realized the cause- the ninth cow, his monstie. "Hey Daisy." Rueh smiled down at the large aptonoth, who made a mooing sound back. For his tenth birthday his father had taken him out to steal and hatch an aptanoth egg, from which Daisy was born. They both hit it off with each other right away. The next day they had started learning together how to care for the herd. As the oldest of his five siblings, the duty to take care of the herd would fall to him once his father retired.
One of Ruehs duties was taking the herd out to graze in the mornings until the evening- making sure to protect them from anything that tried to attack. Rueh and Daisy had fought off many Velocidromes and Velociprey to protect the herd. But so far, the morning had been calm. Only an hour was left before the herd had to be returned to the farmland Ruehs father owned.
Rueh didn't mind the slight boredom of his job- he found it relaxing to be alone with just him and the herd. At his age boys were considered adults- some going off on their own path, and some staying to help with the family business. Rueh had chosen the former. He had always wanted to help his father, ever since he was a little kid. And now, here he was.
Feeling the pangs of hunger, Rueh reached into his kelbi-skin bag and pulled out a roasted blue mushroom. Every day his mother made one for him to eat out in the field, and even as a grown man he didn't dare to disobey her.
Another low moo sounded and Rueh let out a sigh. "Daisy, no." The cow was obsessed with the cooked mushrooms, doing whatever she could to snag a bite from him.
Daisy didn't seem deterred by the answer at all and reared up against the tree, her head just able to nudge at Ruehs arm. "Ugh, fine." Rueh ripped off the stem and tossed it into her mouth, and the herbivore quickly backed down with her prize. Rueh quickly devoured the rest of the mushroom Daisy could come back, before sagging back into the tree. Things were peaceful. Until suddenly, they were not.
Rueh was alerted to danger by the cries of the herd. The aptanoths reared up, tossing their heads with loud cries. They had caught a scent- something dangerous was coming. Rueh hurried up, jumping down from the tree and grabbing his sword and shield- made with Yian Kut Ku parts, and his pride and joy. Rueh stood at the ready, Daisy running over to join him, huffing and puffing in anticipation.
A high-pitched cry echoed through the sky, Rueh turning his head towards the sound. A flying wyvern was getting closer- even from the distance Rueh could make out the unique scales. Seregios.
With another screech the Seregios dove, claws stretched out and aiming for one of the nervous aptanoth. With that much power, the attack could possibly take out the aptanoth in one hit.
"No!" Rueh roared, reaching into his bag and grabbing a rather new invention- a small jar containing a flashbug, throwing it on the ground in between the attacker and the herd. Rueh turned his head away just in time- a cry of pain from the Seregios, followed by a thud as the flying creature hit the ground.
Rueh turned back, getting a better view of the failing Seregios. A young adult, not quite fully grown but no less dangerous. The creature managed to pull itself up, angry eyes fixed onto Rueh as its scales started to stand on end. With an angry scream, the Seregios charged at Rueh with its mouth wide open.
Rueh managed to recover from the roar in time to dodge, rolling underneath the wyverns belly and slashing with his sword. The seregios hissed at him, smacking his tail into his ribs. Rueh let out a gasp, wind knocked out of him as he managed to land clumsily on the grass. The Seregios roared, ready to shoot its scales at him but with an angry grunt Daisy smacked into the beast's side.
The Seregios was sent flailing at the force of the attack, but managed to keep its footing. With a shriek it took into the air, wings blowing wind into Rueh's face and forcing him to turn his head away. A cry of pain and he turned to see the Seregios with its claws embedded into Daisy's back, wings flapping as it balanced with occasional bites at Daisy's head. The monstie bucked and turned, failing her head around but she just wasn't able to hit.
"Hold on girl!" Rueh ran over to Daisy, somehow managing to hop onto her back where he swung with all his might at one of the Seregios's legs. The bone of his sword became deeply embedded in the flesh, causing the Seregios to scream in pain and kick him with his other leg. The sword went flying out of his hands, landing in the grass some distance away as he laid down, dazed. Several sharp scales were stuck into his arm, sending fire through his body as he attempted to stand. Rueh crumpled with a gasp. The Seregios, scenting his blood, charged.
Suddenly, there was something over Rueh. He managed to get a flash of grey scaled and hear the familiar grunt of an angry aptanoth. Daisy? But craning his neck, he could tell she was still off to the sides a bit, pulling herself up to stand with a groan.
Rueh looked up despite the pain, recognizing the aptanoth as Dandelion. She snorted as she faced the Seregios, before raising her head and letting out a long cry. The sound of heavy footsteps shook the ground as the herd gathered- Petunia, Buttercup, Daffodil, Poppy, Yarrow, Marigold, Pansy- all of them having shaken off their fear at Dandelion's call. Daisy even managed to limp over, joining in the ranks of the herd.
Rueh managed to pull himself up, mounting himself onto Dandelions bare back as the herd began to shift forward, angrily bellowing. The Seregios seemed confused- the timid herbivores which he had probably hunted many times were rising against him. The Seregios raised his wings and roared loudly, scales bristling and shaking in its intimation display.
Rueh held on tight to Dandelions back as she shook her head at the noise- but if anything that made her even more angry. With a roar she charged forward, slamming into the flying wyverns chest. The Seregios squaked and flapped, managing to regain its balance only for Pansy to take over, slamming her horned head into its side. One by one the herd attacked, the Seregios being forced on the defensive.
The final hit came from Buttercup- as the biggest of the cows her blow had enough force to knock the Seregios down the hill that it had been pushed close to. With a scream of surprise and hurt the Seregios tumbled in a thrashing ball of wings and scales before landing at the bottom and going still. Rueh and the herd waited in anticipation.
Eventually, the Seregios stirred. One of its legs seemed to be favored and his horn actually seemed to be chipped a bit. Several scales were embedded in the ground, and dirt and grass stains covered the scales that had managed to stay on. The Seregios was in no shape to continue to fight, and it realized that.
With a soft chirp the Seregios turned, limping until it came to a spot where it could easily take off. The Seregios managed to lift its way into the air, eventually vanishing from which it came. Only then did Rueh let himself relax, and did the herd do so as well.
Rueh still wasn't able to move the leg that had the scaled embedded, and Daisy still didn't seem to be able to carry him with all the claw wounds in her back. "Dandelion...can you lead us home?" He gently rubbed the side of the aptanoth's head, who seemed to understand. Dandelion let out a low bellow before padding off towards the ranch. Rueh longed to find his scattered sword and shield but it was almost night- and he was too hurt to even attempt to search. He would have to come back tomorrow- maybe he could even have a new sword out of all the scattered scales.
The thought made him smile. A few days of rest and he would be back out here again, with a new sword. The next time something attacked, he and Daisy would fight it off with the herd providing back up. After all, they were a herd- and herds protect their loved ones.