It's been a very solid birthday party for Norwood's unnamed brother. There were games out in the reclaimed gardens and then everyone retired indoors for a fine family style meal. There was conversation and laughter, there were even some drinks and now everyone is seated and having dessert just as the sun is setting over the horizon. Such a /nice/ evening. It's just about when the triple chocolate cake is being served that a shriek fills the halls, clearly coming from the direction of the gardens.

"THEY'RE RAVAGING THE PLANTS!"

"AH! IT BIT MY ASS!"

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

Not everyone piles outside. But those that do are greeted to the sight of twenty-six, that's TWENTY-SIX in case anyone missed it, horses destroying the Clement garden. Pulling carrots out of the ground and chomping them, mowing down the herbs, casually ingesting fruit off of the trees and pooping everywhere.

Twenty-six wild horses are menacing this birthday party. The servants are caught between trying to chase them off and moving bitten. They bite. These horses are biters.

Norwood drops just a random bone.

WHAT? Norwood is up and one of the first running from the hallway at the sound of screaming from the gardens. He comes to an abrupt stop in the doorway as he takes in the scene. "Adalyn," he's talking to himself, "I swear if you let these in to eat my garden...." that doesn't bode well for Norwood's daughter. Then he's off yelling at the servants to pull back and go find some rope to make lassos.

"Can we eat -these- ones?" Kedehern asks, raising a brow there.

Shae was playing with her new puppy, sure it was ugly, but it's a puppy and puppies are /always/ cute. So it evened out. Asses... well there was that one mule... Getting up out of her chair, wriggly puppy in her arms, she follows to the garden and just stares at the scene. "Ummm... I didn't do it..."

Amari is sitting stiffly for all the bruises from the last trampling she took in a very poor effort at helping Norwood domesticate the wild horses. She's midway through cake which is something of a consolation, when the commotion begins. Triple chocolate is pretty decadent, so she's hesitant to put her fork down. Seeing Norwood bolt for it, she lets out a vaguely pained sounding exhale and rises to join him. "What is biting asses?" That's the question she'd like to know, but she finds out soon enough: maruading naughty horses. That's unexpected.

"No, you may //not// eat them." Norwood, exasperated. "There's a dinner inside if you are still hungry Lord Kedehern."

Kedehern, apparently sensing that Norwood wasn't in the mood for dark humor gives a soft sigh, and shakes his head, moving to find some rope as well. He's certain Irlene is somehow behind this, really.

Reigna blinks at the cries coming from the gardens outside and hurries to a window to peer out. She makes a face and winces, "That might require stitches. I think half a cheek might be torn."

While everyone goes outside, the wild horses continue to absolute destroy the gardens. The horses should look familiar to some of the party goers, they're from that herd a few weeks back. What's left of it. They can even see the pesky gray mule rooting around in potato plants.

"That could be horse meat," Shae blithely says, perhaps poking a little fun at the situation. "Hmm, mother is not going to be happy about this." Moving to step outside, whistling at the horses as she tries to shoo them away from well umm... the vegetables... or the fruit... flowers. "Hey! Get out of there!" Shae yells at that pesky grey mule. See asses.

Since it is Norwood's unnamed brother's birthday, naturally Kael and Reigna make an appearance to offer their well wishes. After all, they happen to be locally located near Oakhaven taken care of some business. So they likely offered their verbal congratulations, made some donation to the local Faith in his name, and in fact thereafter were set to retire after delicious cake when the ominous news struck. Kael just looks confused, but joins the others to peer at the goings-on. He casts a glance to Norwood, brow raised. 'Whatcha wanna do?' that look says.

Kedehern checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 40, rolling 10 lower.

Shae checked command + animal ken at difficulty 40, rolling 2 higher.

Kael checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 40, rolling 6 lower.

Norwood checked dexterity + ride at difficulty 40, rolling 52 higher.

"Surround them, then catch them." Norwood replies to Kael. The servants have run and gotten ropes which they begin to distribute to all the nobles. Because they're going to all want to help catch the wild horses, right? "That mule is mine." Norwood points at the mule. He runs forward with the rope in hand towards the potato-eater intent on getting on his back again.

Reigna checked charm + animal ken at difficulty 40, rolling 10 lower.

Amari checked dexterity + ride at difficulty 40, rolling 16 lower.

Amari recognizes these miscreants, and despite not wanting to be reacquianted with their hooves, she has to do something. She runs straight at them. It's unclear what she's trying to do, scare them? Follow prison yard rules and clothesline the biggest one so the rest are intimidated? Whatever it is, it mainly involves running straight at one.

The mule was Norwood's? Kedehern is happy to leave him to it. He moves to where his own horse was saddled, first, of course, but once he's mounted, he tries to rope one of the beasts, to beging to bring them to heel... Sadly, his lasso-slinging skills seem to have not improved since their last time doing this business, really.

When Norwood is offering forth what's to be done, Kael is nodding his head to the man and moving to acquire a lasso. Because really, when is Kael ever on a faithful steed unless it is *faithful?* Spoiler: he is not. So it is that he tries with that lasso to make some reasonable strike at the horse. He misses in the most grand of fashion, the lasso going over head and snapping back in air. Kael looks at the lasso, at the mustang, and those dark brows of his furrow before he sets his jaw in determination.

Shae glares at the mul, but then turns heading to try and shoo some of the other horses away. Trying to corral them again like last time. The little puppy yapping and wriggling away in her arms as she does so. Perhaps a touch distracted due to said puppy.

Given the injured parties, Reigna slips out with the rest of the potential rescuers and attempts to coax one of the horses away from one of the bitten individuals, but it does not go well for Reigna. The horse seems to take an immediate dislike to the Marquessa signaling with a look that it may charge teh Marquessa, making Reigna turns and dart away.

The horses really aren't sure what Amari is doing either, one of them rears up and motors its hooves in the air at her before letting them drop down dramatically into the earth and snorts. Then it paws, preparing to charge like a bull. Kedehern meanwhile is at least not being pulled around the garden like he was in that meadow, so while not a successful lassoing, things are in a better state! Kael isn't doing much better and the horses become more panicked as the two men trying to snag them with ropes. Reigna is rebuffed by the horses entirely, while one of them seems at least a /little/ interested in Shae's dog.

Inexplicably Norwood seems to be mounting the mule and trying to ride it. The animal was currently tearing apart the potato patch and begins to back and heehaw wildly when the baron gets on its back.

Norwood checked dexterity + ride at difficulty 40, rolling 40 higher.

Kedehern checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 40, rolling 6 lower.

Kael checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 40, rolling 22 higher.

Shae checked command + animal ken at difficulty 40, rolling 13 higher.

Reigna checked charm + animal ken at difficulty 40, rolling 8 lower.

The mule is such a smart mule and Norwood is //inexplicably// interested in taming the smart creature. He hangs on tightly to the creature's back as he begins to heehaw wildly. "No bucko," Norwood grits out, "You're not going to be escaping again. Your Mama and papa either. AMARI WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Kedehern tries to loop his rope around of the marauding equines yet again, but well... It's not as simple as it looks, is it? The Laurent Knight was already convinced from the last encounter that these horses were evil, of course. This new outrage, and their continued evasion does nothing to convince him otherwise.

There is another twirl of the lasso and when one particularly dire looking mustang is coming close, Kael is whipping the lasso about and it seems as though he might actually have success with snaring it. There is a light in his eyes, some of that fatigue fading about him before he hoots and calls forth, "Reigna!" This might not assist her own efforts, but he has to show off.

Oh, it likes the puppy, perhaps the horse think's she is cute too. No, really it's not, but shhhh don't tell Shae or the puppy. Broken hearts and all that. But then she is noticing the current state Amari has gotten herself into and Shae is running over toward her cousin and the charging horse. Wiggling the puppy in the air as she tries to get the horses attention, maybe it will like the puppy too! "Hey! Look at the puppy!"

Amari checked charm + animal ken at difficulty 40, rolling 4 lower.

While the grown dogs actually you know do what dogs should do, and help herd and corral the horses. Barking and yipping at them as they try to get the horses grouped up. Good doggos!

Having overestimated the horse's interest, Reigna peeks back, and finding herself ignored by the animal she claps, trying to grab its attention away from the rose bush it is currently snacking on. "Hey! Horse! This way, look at me. If you behave I might find a carrot for you, eh? You like carrots more than roses, right?"

Amari rethinks her approach after the horse rears up and threatens to crunch her. "Uhm. Oh. If you could kindly vacate the premises and..." Oh gods, it's going to charge her isn't it? Realization hits her and she points desperately at the puppy too, while giving Shae a look to suggest that she knows very well that she's in over her head here. "Look a puppy!"

Norwood is pulling a Jael, riding a mule into submission into the background. There's a price to pay for this, while he's managing to tame this one mount... another three have started pulling all of the hay out of a very stately scarecrow named Kevin that wears a tophat. "NOT KEVIN!" is screamed by one of the servants. Kedehern is definitely going to loop a lasso around one of these horses, eventually. Kael loops his and the aggravated horse begins to pull him across the gardens. The first horse follows Shae to Amari who was definitely about to be TRAMPLED, again. Now there's two horses sniffing Shae's puppy. Reigna's horse like carrots. But not as much as the lovely brooch on Reigna's dress, it starts pressing in closer and closer and backing her up against one of the garden walls as it tries to steel the decorative pin.

Norwood checked dexterity + ride at difficulty 40, rolling 37 higher.

Amari checked charm + animal ken at difficulty 40, rolling 23 lower.

Reigna checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 40, rolling 30 lower.

Kael checked strength + athletics at difficulty 40, rolling 2 lower.

Kedehern checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 40, rolling 9 lower.

Kael is starting to raise his voice, to repeat that call of, 'REIGNA!' but he does not get very far at all until the horse is starting to pull him. The Keaton is trying to go one way and the horse is most definitely trying to go the other way. Poor Kael, he is actually trying to use his own power versus horsepower.

Norwood is going to tame this mule gdi. He hangs on to the mule's neck stubbornly. "Lad, this is going to end well for you." Don't worry about Norwood, he's just over here talking to a mule. No worries. It's all good. "You'll get a good feed, and a purpose in this life."

Kedehern just isn't having luck with this lasso bit... As he sees Kael getting dragged around the gardens, he winces, mightily, and the rope goes wide yet again. "That's why I mounted up," he sighs, sympathetic to the Marquis's plight. He shakes his head then, and gives a light jolt to his own steed, to move Kael's way to help. Perhaps he'll be more useful adding his own strength to Kael's, then trying unsuccessfully to lasso a second of the animals.

Shae checked command + animal ken at difficulty 40, rolling 6 lower.

Oh dear. The horse is fixated on the shiny and Reigna is distracted by Kael calling her name, "I AM FINE!" This is the first reassurance, though as the horse darts in to nip at the brooch, Reigna attempts to dodge away just as the second call of her name pulls her attention to Kael, just in time to see his lasso successfully loop his horse. Reigna tries to move towards him, hand coming up to clap her praise, and instead of dislodging the horse's grip, her dress tears away, fabric hanging from the horse's teeth. There is a startled shriek from the Marquessa, her arms immediately crossing over her chest. Her chemise underneath is intact, but... pervy horse!

"FEAR THE BRIMBAR!" Yeah, that's right free the Brimbar, cause clearly they were afraid of the puppy, not you know distracted by how adorable she is! Dear god, that underbite is horrible, and look on the lip curls back, and one of it's eyes is WAY bigger then the other. Truly it was ugly, and should be feared. Shae smiles at Amari, 'See I got it!' that was the look.

There's a good reason Amari has the most chill horse ever; she does not have Shae's gift with animals at all. Calm, assertive energy? Kinda sorta, maybe. "Good horses." She tries, tentatively, to win them over while they're distracted by the puppy. No wait, Shae was trying to scare them? She's just confused, but rolls with it, joining in the attempt since Shae is the expert, "Yes. Right! FEAR THE BRIMBAR! Begone demon horses!"

"KEVIN'S HAT!!!" the servant calls out while his BOSS is too busy taming a mule in the background. He waves his hand at the baron, gesturing between the mule and obviously mauled scarecrow. Kevin is never going to recover from this. Kael begins to get dragged away from Kedehern, despite his best efforts. He hasn't turned the horse around and now it's taking him on a little trip. The horse that tore the brooch away from Reigna's dress whickers in obvious triumph before it starts sniffing at her shoes. Such fine shoes indeed...

Meanwhile, Shae and Amari are successful. Successful in that the two previousply placid and curious horses are now in a PANIC. Because BRIMBAR. They dart forward toward the two women.

Norwood checked dexterity + ride at difficulty 40, rolling 16 higher.

Amari checked luck + dodge at difficulty 25, rolling 67 higher. Amari rolled a critical!

Kedehern checked strength + athletics at difficulty 25, rolling 9 higher.

Kael checked strength + athletics at difficulty 25, rolling 30 higher.

Shae checked luck + dodge at difficulty 25, rolling 15 higher.

Reigna checked command + animal ken at difficulty 40, rolling 2 higher. Reigna rolled a critical!

Perhaps calling over to his wife is not the best of ideas. Kael attempts to keep playing tug-of-war with his steed, not to his benefit, but here comes Kedehern to the rescue. "My lord," he greets the other man when he seeks to intervene and assist. A nod of gratitude is cast toward him.

Kedehern's hand closes around the rope just in time, and then he's hauling back on it, to wrap around his saddle horn. The horse starts to slow perhaps, and triumph! Kedehern is ecstatic! "Marquis," with a gentlemanly nod. ...For just enough time to see two horses charging Shae and Amari. "Oh shit..."

"We can make a new scarecrow, call it.... Joel or something!" Norwood calls to the servant trying to get his attention. He is getting a handle on this horse and now tries to steer it //out// of the gardens. At least so that that tiny patch of rutabagas can survive another day. Everyone loves rutabagas, right?

See! It worked! Shae seems to say though her voice is lost in the din of TWENTY-SIX hours running amok, in her mother's garden. "AMARI!" Shae yells as the horses seem to by charging them, throwing herself at her cousin. In an attempt to protect her. From what though? The horses or Shae? Maybe the puppy trying to lick her to death. She is just really hungry.

"HEY." Reigna's voice gets Keaton Loud as she roars at the fashion hungry horse. "THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH." Reigna is not the most intimidating figure, but for a moment her fury is unleashed, her hands on hips, the rent edges of her bodice hanging down, her white chemise visible under the torn garment. Reigna radiates Mad Mom energy as she stares the horse down.

Suddenly horses! Amari reacts reflexively with no sort of thought when Shae yells her name. Rather than get run down and trampled into the earth she launches herself into a dive, lands on her shoulder and rolls through the momentum to pop back up on her feet and keep going. It's amazing! It may not have been strictly on purpose, but dang. That was a stylish dive roll. She even somehow manages to step over a row of turnips and fly over the short trellis of snow peas without disturbing so much as a leaf. She has enough time to survey the chaos and look for Shae to make sure she's still in one piece too, saying, "We need a plan! Your puppy isn't sufficiently scary." There's a grin actually at the unforunate looking thing. "She's kind of cute, actually."

Kael and Kedehern are successfully able to steer that one horse to a pair of grooms that are ready to haul it off to the stables or paddock, wherever it is that Norwood is keeping wild horses. That means there's only twenty-five, no, make that twenty-/four/ wild horses. Norwood's mule is also on the way to being confined in horse jail.

The horse that's been ruining Reigna's outfit lifts its head apruptly when she pulls out her very Angry Mom voice on it. The ears prick forward and it just stands there in plain equine confusion until a stablehand can fling a lasso over its neck.

Twenty-three horses.

All of the servants begin clapping for Amari's dive roll, murmuring to themselves that the Keaton lady is very impressive and that Shae isn't too shabby herself. There is whistling and muching cheering.

Kedehern sighs in relief, seeing the two women evade the charging horses, and then he takes his own rope, tossing one end to Kael. "How about you take that end, and then we can sort of... Loop ir around one of these stallions together, from either side, Marquis?" Can't miss, that way, surely?

He might have been a little bit slow, but when Kedehern is pointing out the danger yonder, Kael is shifting his eyes toward his pair of cousins. His eyes widen and he -- well, whew. There is relief evident. The question that is posed toward him has him looking back toward Kedehern and he nods to him. "Fair enough," he answers. "Shall we?"

Kedehern checked strength + athletics at difficulty 25, rolling 4 higher.

Kael checked strength + athletics at difficulty 25, rolling 19 higher.

Norwood gets his mule off into the paddock before sliding off. The mule gets a nice pat on the shoulder, and Norwood ducks a kick, before he runs off. "Amari! Shae!" Calling out to the two women, "Can you two get on the other side of that big stallion there? He looks like he might be in charge of some of this herd."

"Oh gosh, isn't she! Her name's Brimbar. But she eats /everything/." Shae babbles away at Amari, a goofy grin at her cousin. "I got the better deal." And then she glances around... But Shae, what better deal are you talking about? Oh look rampaging horses! Not the petunias! "Welllll they seem to like the puppy, so I can distract them with her while you help Dagemund and Alix push--" And then motions toward Norwood's call to them. As she holds her puppy up like it is the King of Jungle.

Norwood checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 25, rolling 15 higher.

Shae checked charm + animal ken at difficulty 25, rolling 49 higher.

Amari checked charm + animal ken at difficulty 25, rolling 8 lower.

Once her enemy has been hauled off, Reigna looks around for someone to work with, and when she hears Norwood calling, she attempts to head in that direction to back up Shae and Amari in approaching the King Stallion.

Reigna checked charm + animal ken at difficulty 25, rolling 2 lower.

"I just want to hug her." Amari admits with a grin at Brimbar the ugliest, hungriest puppers she's ever seen. She seems like she might just stop and have a chat about the dog, but Norwood issues orders and Shae is at it. She follows, trying to just, be a presence. Maybe the stallion will respect her if she puffs herself up, straightens her shoulders, waves her arms and looks bigger that way. This is BIG AMARI, respect her! It's probably not going to work...

Kedehern and Kael are doing a fine job using the ropes to manage one of the horses and cut it away from the herd, while the rest of the group is trying separate another. The horses /do/ like the puppy. As long as no one is shouting in their faces about it. It's separated out surprisingly well and despite Reigna and Amari slipping up a bit, Shae and Norwood seem to more than make up for the situation.

Just twenty-one loose horses now. What's left of the herd seems to recognize that their peers are being TAKEN from them and start to whinny nervously and edge back, ready to bolt and flee at any moment.

Norwood checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 40, rolling 42 higher.

Shae checked command + animal ken at difficulty 40, rolling 13 higher.

Kedehern checked strength + athletics at difficulty 25, rolling 19 higher.

Kael checked strength + athletics at difficulty 25, rolling 33 higher.

A servant runs up to help get the horse wrangled by Norwood and Shae into the stall and Norwood turns back to the herd. Seeing them start to get nervous and ready to bolt he picks out one that is just at the edge, a dappled female that looks a little bit like that mule. Mama, maybe? Pulling a Brimbar-child he throws his rope around her neck to try to prevent her from running off.

Reigna checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 25, rolling 7 higher.

It worked! There is a goofy grin on Shae's face as the horse seems interested in her puppy. "Come on, horse, follow the cute puppy." She tells it, as she continues to lure he horse. Turning then to try and lure another horse as it starts to back way. But really, it is Daegmund and Alix sweeping in behind it to stop it from getting away! Smiling at Norwood, Amari, and Reigna.

Amari checked charm + animal ken at difficulty 40, rolling 31 lower.

Reigna eyes the skittish looking horses and she carefully circles, looking for a likely horse that she might actually successfully wrangle. One, distracted by pawing up a strawberry bush seems a prime target. Once in position, Reigna moves in to the horse's side, slipping a newly acquired rope around its neck and delivers a slap to the flank to get it moving. "Groom!"

Why stop something that is working so terribly well? Kael makes no intention of doing so, moving his lasso and starting to get the hang of it, managing to rope one of the mustang's with Kedehern's additional help. When he has his rope around the stallion as well, he begins to pull back toward the direction of the grooms. "Good teamwork," he offers forth to Kedehern with an appreciative nod of his head. Toward Norwood - after a glance to Reigna? - there is a call of, "Baron! How much silver for the horse that ate my wife's gown?"

Amari should be kept away from wild horses. Oil and water. She clearly doesn't understand equine psychology very well, because she's still being all BIG AMARI despite it not having a very positive effect. If not for Shae, Brimbar and Norwood she'd likely have been kicked already or stomped flat into the ground.

Breathing a bit easier, now that the others weren't in danger of being trampled, Kedehern works with Kael, the two making short work of another one-day steed. Nodding in the Marquis's direction, he returns the sentiment, while keeping his eyes peeled for any surprises.

Norwood successfully loops a lasso around another horse, that little one. Twenty left. Shae lures a second horse in, utilizing her dogs to help her this time. Not just the puppy. Nineteen out there. Reigna catches one and then slaps its side, it starts to RUN OFF but a couple of boys grab the trailing lead and hang on for dear life. That'll get it eventually. Eighteen remaining. Kedehern and Kael are good working team, making short work of their last, while Amari doesn't catch another. But she doesn't get trampled either and that should count for something. Seventeen horses sprint for the treeline, disappearing. Will the return?

Possibly. Out of the thirty original horses, there are thirteen in total now occupying Norwood's stables. Thirteen unruly equines.

Reigna hears her husband's voice and goes back to crossing her arms over her chest, spocking a brow when he asks after the price of the horse. "Are you telling me you wish to purchase the lout that bit me on the chest?" There is humor and incredulity in her voice.