Week 8-
Litter one of Alphastock is now three months old and entering adolescence. Vet visit went well, with a pocket full of fluffy jerky as treats. All four are maturing reasonably, despite the disparity in sizes. Can’t really say on schedule when there have been this many genetic changes, this four pretty much are the beginning of the ‘schedule’ That said, given that our ‘vet’ is involved in Dave’s side of this experiment/ venture and cognizant of the genetic mix involved, her opinions seem valid. They should hit reproductive maturity and full height in a month, finish filling out over the month or so after that. Much slower than normal fluffies, but these are both a little bigger (except for Foxfire) and significantly sturdier in bone and muscle. They are about the same size/ density as small Shetland sheepdogs, but fluffier. Cognitive tests suggest their intelligence is in line with most alicorns, possibly a little more so, slanted to a predator’s instincts. They are far less fearful of night/ dark, possibly because they see in the dark far better than their counterparts. They do, when asked about the others, tend to use the term pack instead of “hewd”, but far more often just use “bwuddas an’ sissies” or refer to the others by name. This could very well be colored by the fact George and I have used that term in discussions and they overheard, but is countered by the fact the term herd seems instinctive to the herbivorous fluffies. Something to ponder in future generations.
Exam notes.
1A- Rook- is now up to 12 lbs, measuring just over 13 inches at the shoulders and a wingspan of nearly 3 feet. Which sounds big, but is smaller than a raven a quarter of the weight. (Per Fluffvet Katy “They still can’t fly, Dave. They will never be able to fly. Wingloading is 20k/m at heaviest. Fluffies would need wingspans well over 10 ft. Please stop asking every other email.”) They remain more than large enough to use in playfighting and theoretically taking down prey. In cognitive tests, his scores, the best of his litter, approximated to that of an average 4 year old or an exceptional three year old.There were areas the others outscored him, but he had the highest average.
1B-Glory- weighed in at 11 lbs, 13 inches at the shoulder, and 3 feet wingspan. More ‘social’ intelligence and less logic capability than his brother, still that of a moderately bright three year old.
1C- Aurora. Continues to remain far larger than the rest, at 15 lbs, 16 inches at the shoulder, 4 foot wingspan. Most aggressive in using wings. Mixed results on cognitive tests, but same approx mental age as the others.
1D- Foxfire- Now up to six lbs, 10 inches at the shoulder, and a 2.5 foot wingspan. Wings more fragile than the others. Most creative problem solving skills, lowest attention span and logic. Smart 3 year old level, still.
Katy also glanced over the first delivery of feeder fluffies, since they showed up while she was here. Certified free of disease, parasites, and anything hazardous to the digestive health of the Alphastock, per both her and the supplier’s fluffvet. I agree with the idea of keeping the best colored/ biggest to build a name as ‘quality’ fluffy breeders locally while defraying upkeep costs and ensuring a continued supply of meat for the primary stock.
Initial delivery was a baker’s dozen of ferals and strays, held by the supplier long enough to ensure reasonable health. Eight of them have been moved to the outdoor kennel. Three pregnant mares, 2 of good color, and two stallions of good color moved to crates in the feeder rooms.
The eight in the outdoor run are going to be given a day or so to acclimate to the new environment. Initial upset at the loss of the five removed fluffies lasted only as long as it took the rest to discover the kibble bowls and small shelters on their side of the fence. The moment humans were out of sight and food was available, they acted to restore herd hierarchy. Fortunately, there was little opposition and a pre-existing order, so the next steps can proceed without having to hose ‘sorry poopies’ off them to make them more appetizing to the pack.
Blue unicorn stallion with a purple and turquoise mane took immediate leadership of the group, with the blue/ yellow maned mare who bit me as his special friend. (edit) He just referred to himself as a smarty. Uncertain status has been shifted to immediate feeding, and any question of whether his mate’s possible pregnancy will postpone her death has ended. (An adult feral deliberately biting a human is not the same as a barely weaned foal catching skin with teeth when playing, even if the demonfluff’s baby fangs were capable of breaking skin. One can be fixed by establishing boundaries. The other is something I won’t tolerate in this stock, and bitey plus smarty is not genetics I feel like dealing with. This side of the business is under my discretion and authority, per the last few emails you sent.)
The orange earthie with the clashing green mane fell straight into place as his toughie, with the lavender and purple pegasi hesitantly doing the same after a bit of scuffle, suggesting to me that the second toughie position was taken by the magenta and periwinkle stallion pulled for potential breeding stock. With this social nonsense out of the way, the small amount of kibble provided vanished swiftly, and the other side of the fence came to their notice. All eight of them have been staring enviously and making feeble attempts to get to the bright colored toys and lush grass on the other side.
(Edit, Wednesday night, 7pm) Everything is set for the introduction between the feeder herd and the Alpha stock we planned, but George just dropped off a few more fluffies. His mom’s neighbor let hers have a litter that went horribly smarty on her, so we have a set of perfect first subjects. Last night’s email suggested you had an investor who wanted to see individual footage of the stock, and I do like the idea of the more controlled setting for the first moment the pack learns other fluffies exist.
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