Prompt: 021 born
Character: Tym
Tym smiled as he watched the new born calf struggle to its feet. It had fallen several times already but it just kept getting back up. He watched it for a while until his brother returned, towel in hand. He handed it over to Tym.
"What are you going to do?" Mal asked, watching his brother closely. Tym had birthed a few calf's and knew enough that he was Mal's chosen source of information.
"I'm going to clean him up." Tym moved over to the calf which inched toward him, not sure if he was friend or enemy. Tym put the towel over the calf and dried off some of the birthing fluid. He nearly knocked the creature over but it remained standing, barely.
"So what are we going to call him?" Mal asked, watching the young creature with fascination. The calf called to its mother who responded and gave the baby direction to stumble. The mother was tied to a close by hitch, still resting from the exertion of giving birth.
"We aren't going to name him," Tym corrected. "We don't really raise them for slaughter, mainly milk so a male isn't very useful."
"If males aren't very useful hen why do we have Bruce and Chuck?" Mal's face was scrunched up as he tried to understand. Tym was actually surprised their father hadn't already explained it to him.
"Well Bruce and Chuck are breeding steer. See you can't make a calf without a male and female, so we keep two males on the farm for some genetic diversity. Dad says that they'll both have a few more years giving us calves before well have to sell them and replace them with new males to keep the stock healthy." Tym really didn't want to be more specific than that about it. He didn't want to push Mal to have the same birds and the bees discussion sooner than he had to. Well as Tym remembered there hadn't been a lot of talking, rather a live demonstration by Bruce and a female cow named Sally.
"So you mean that we're just going to sell that guy?" Mal pointed to the calf which had made its way almost half way to its mother.
"Yeah, when he's old enough we will. He might end up at slaughter or hell be a breeding steer like our males. It all counts on is anyone needs a new male for breeding or not." Tym had had this explained by his father to him many time but all of it seemed brand new to Mal. Maybe his father was still expecting him to take over the farm rather than his younger brother.
"So he might end up dead." Mal watched he calf as it finally reached its mother, much more sturdy on its legs. "Is that why we aren't naming him?"
"Well we aren't naming him because he isn't going to stay. There's no reason to name him and get attached when he's going to be sold." Tym watched as the mother stretched out to touch her nose to the calf. "After all if it goes to slaughter then we don't have a name to honk about having died and if he's a breed steer then the family that buys him gets to name him."
Mal frowned as he watched the calf lay down beside its mother. "Fine."
Tym felt bad for his brother. He liked the farm and sad truths like the fate of the calf always made him so sad. "Come on, we can leave them be for a bit. Mom might need some help cooking dinner." Tym moved to leave the barn hearing his brothers footsteps behind him. His brother would get over it and hopefully accept the truth or else Tym might get stuck with this damn farm after all.