(Untitled)

[remindmeof_me]

Adrian Shephard is a man who prides himself on being observant, particularly when it comes to animals. You don't grow up with a rifle in your hand and dinner over your shoulder unless you're good at paying attention to the world around you. You don't make it through the Marine Corps' Scout Sniper training without a keen eye for detail, either. But

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[not_his_pa]

William's in an odd mood and decided he wanted to get some target practice in so he's also heading to the back door just with a rifle in his arms.

He ends up just in front of Adrian and opens the door, "Somethin' wrong?"

[remindmeof_me]

"Yeah, I got me a wild-caught human-raised houndeye who's up'n gone into heat for the first time, and there ain't no tame males to put her to," Shephard says. "I got to figure out how I'm gon' git her dealt with without somebody gittin' hurt or her runnin' off."

[not_his_pa]

"Hell, that sounds a mess. How'd you figure out she was?"

[remindmeof_me]

"I didn't. Couple fellers who've lived in places that had 'em wild the past twenty years did," says Shephard. "Mari'n Jimbo'd both seen it happen before. Didn't never see it happening myself, so I didn't know."

[not_his_pa]

"What are you thinkin' about doin' with her? There anyplace you can pen her up?"

[remindmeof_me]

"Reckon I got to either tie her out somewheres a male c'n git to her'n shoot him if he tries to run her off," says Shephard, "or catch a wild male alive somehow, which ain't real likely considerin' that the second he wakes up'n starts barkin' he's gon' be breakin' human bones'n fuckin' up all the buildings in the area. So it's likely gon' be a tether and a sniper rifle."

There are plenty of stories about people who captured wild animals and raised them and had to return them to the wilderness when they became adults because that's just where they really belonged. Those stories, Shephard figures, were written by people who'd taken one too many live snakes out of their sons' pockets on laundry day, and he is not going to listen to them, thank you.

[not_his_pa]

"There a lot of her kind around where you are? The other fellows tell you how long she might be in heat?"

It sounds like that will make it easier though not any simpler.

[remindmeof_me]

"Mari says it'll run anywheres between nine days and three weeks," Shephard says. "Least that's how long it lasts in the ones down in Brazil."

[not_his_pa]

"So you'll be needin' to find a comfortable tree. If you need any help so you can rest, I can try. Never used a sniper rifle but I'm a decent shot."

[remindmeof_me]

"Might do at that," says Shephard. "I hunt from tree stands a lot but I got to sleep sometime. Tell you what, I find somewheres I c'n set this up, I'll come git you and we'll make an arrangement."

It has not yet occurred to Shephard that Alyx needs to know about the situation. Then again, he only just left Australia moments after being told what was going on, so he hasn't really had time.

[not_his_pa]

"Thanks, glad to help if I can,"

Its also an excuse to see another world and with Mark doing better, he feels like he can explore a little.

[remindmeof_me]

"Might be Australia, so's you know," says Shephard. "Less'n we head off to Europe or Africa before I c'n git a tether set up, anyways. Big, hot country, even this time of year."

[not_his_pa]

"I'm from Arizona, I think I can handle the hot."

[remindmeof_me]

Shephard nods. "Fair 'nough," he says. "How're you about spiders?"

He doesn't mind the snakes so much. But Jesus God fuck, the Australian spiders.

[not_his_pa]

"Don't mind them but won't go lookin' for them,"

He's used to getting out of the way quick if he spots a big spider but he doesn't know what Australia's like.

[remindmeof_me]

Shephard indicates something roughly the size of his hand. "The big'uns're yea big," he says. "And black. Motherfucker'll bite through shoe leather. Ain't a lot of those, but they got these little redback sonsabitches that'll gang up on somethin' the size of a grown pig if it walks into their webs. Nasty as hell, one of those bites you. The locals tell me the big brown bastards the size of my face ain't much harm to nothin' but bugs but they're still fuckin' big brown bastards the size of my fuckin' face."

He could go on like this for some time.