Chapter 10 Part 1
At about ten in the morning, Lady Wyndermere took the family to the sheep parlors. "So most of my citizens are of the sheep clans. The wool is useful in making clothing and other textiles and they need to be sheered every so often. So the sheep come here." She smiled at one sheep who sat, freshly sheared with her hair under a dryer as she read a magazine with one hand and her other hand being painted by a middle-aged horse. "Good Mrs. Rosenberg. How are you today?"
The ewe smiled back. "Doing very well. I love the new shampoo they just added to the lineup. The rest of my wool feels so nice and soft."
The old mare offered Lady Wyndermere a bottle. "I made it myself. And I scented it with roses. Such a simple, classic scent and the rose water I use is so vital for the wool."
The canine woman read the label. "Very nice. I like it. Very good work." She led the teens into the storage closet. "And here is where the sheared wool is stored until a truck comes to take it to the processing house. There it will be cleaned and made into whatever is needed." She looked over the raw, untouched material.
"What are you looking for?" Manic asked curiously as he mimicked her.
"It's easier to spot a problem when looking at the sheared wool. You'll notice labels on each container. Each container is one sheep." She pulled out the wool labeled Rosenberg. "Hmmm, yes, very good quality." She took a whiff. "Smells very clean, good." She wrote a figure on the container and closed it back up to protect it.
"What's that for?" Sonic asked curiously.
She moved to the next box. "That is how much I'll pay her for the wool. She pays the salon for their services throughout the year and at shearing time, I buy the sheared wool. It wouldn't be right for me not to compensate them. Hmmm…" She looked at the next batch. "Hmmm…" She made another mark and a figure. She went through each batch with Sonia and Bartleby pitching in.
"Ma'am, what is this?" Manic asked as he looked at a container. He picked off a small bug. "Should this be there?"
She looked at the bug. "I saw that too. On another bundle, the Yarnev's merino wool. That's very odd. I'll still pay for it of course but… I hope it's not the sign of an epidemic."
Sonia nodded. "The bugs can carry disease and foul up the wool. More importantly, they could make the people themselves very sick. Mom, I found some over here too." She said, holding up the wool. "The processors will have to run these containers through a special wash and rinse and manually remove every bug and egg." She explained to Manic as she marked the offending wool and closed it up
He nodded. "Interesting…" He followed them back out where Lady Wyndermere stopped at Mrs. Rosenberg.
"Since you're already here, do you mind if I go ahead and give you the payment for your wool, Mrs. Rosenberg?" She asked the other woman. "I think yours was one of the best I've seen so far." She smiled.
The ewe shook her head. "I don't mind at all, Your Ladyship. Your praise means a great deal." She said as she accepted the payment. "You're too kind."
Lady Wyndermere nodded and looked at the salon's proprietor. "Keep an eye on others who come in. We found several that had insects in them. Please let me know if you see anymore. I marked them for extra processing."
The mare acknowledged her concerns. "Yes, I saw as well. I will keep an eye on it and I will see what I can come up with to tackle the issue from here." The two ladies regarded each other. They both knew if they didn't nip it in the bud, it could spell great trouble for the barony's wool production.
Robotnik returned to the capital to speak with Sir Charles in the mansion. Dingo and Sleet both stood watch over the hedgehog. "How are you feeling? Is your shoulder causing you any pain?" He asked as he assessed the wound and changed the bandage.
The elderly erinaceus shook his head. "Not at all. Your pain killer works wonders. How is my nephew? I haven't seen him today."
"Yes, because he's still in Wyndenburgh. They probably won't return for a few days," Robotnik explained. "I wanted to ask you… where is Aleena? I'm surprised she didn't stay close to at least watch over them from afar."
Charles nodded. "The last I saw her was after she left her children behind. I was so angry with her and I abandoned her to herself. She should have given them to me. I would have raised them for her if she was so insistent on her seer's plan."
"The Oracle of Delphius, I met him once. He told me. I have to find her for your nephew's sake. Do you remember where she last was?" Even if it was so long ago, he might find a clue. He had to find her.
Charles thought about it. "I know how to reach her. Let me send her a message. I'll contact you when I've heard back."
When they returned from the wool salons, finding more bugs on some batches of wool, the hedgehogs and Bartleby decided to go horseback riding. Bartleby and Sonia each helped them select a small domestic horse that fit their respective heights and weights.
On the trail, they all talked about the day's excursion. "Wow, I didn't know how much went into running a district. Our mother sure is busy." Sonic said, slowly revealing that he had accepted Wyndermere's offer.
Sonia and Manic both smiled at him. "She is very busy. She'll be worrying about the bug problem for a long time. But Uncle will probably have some ideas on what to do. He's always helping Mom when problems pop up."
Sonic nodded. "They're really good friends." He summarized. "Sonia, Bartleby, can I apologize for my behavior the first day or so. Manic, you too. I'm afraid I listened to the wrong voices growing up and I misjudged everyone in the aristocracy."
The mink nodded. "All is forgiven. I don't hold any of that against you." Bartleby reached up and grabbed an apple from one of the trees along the path. They copied him, the apples looked red and shiny. "Wyndenburgh has the best apples."
AN: It's short but I'm exhausted. I'm lucky I got this much in this chapter. Consider this a two-parter.