Unfinished Business Part 16
Civil Defense
The task of teaching a herd of mostly incompetent genetic mistakes to fight was not going to be easy, but you knew that with Cyrus and Hamurabi helping you it wouldn’t be a nightmare. The two stallions seemed to be well aware of how important the task ahead was.
“Okay, all of the mares and stallions move over here away from the deck. Foals of all kinds stay on the deck and watch.”
The foals clambered up the steps to the deck as the adults shuffled around, ending up in a disorganized blob in roughly the place you told them to come to. Cyrus and Hamurabi were flanking the group almost instinctively. This was a good thing, the stronger fluffies on the flank should help hold the unit together.
“Okay, everyone except Hamurabi and Cyrus look at me”
Their heads and then bodies turned to face you, making it easier to sort out the formation.
“Alright because you all are big fluffies you have the responsibility of protecting the herd. If anything smaller than a “metal munsta” comes into the yard and threatens you, all of you must come together just like this. Cyrus and Hamurabi and going to be on the sides to safeguard you all in the middle. Those in the middle, your job is to yell, bite, and stomp whatever is the problem.”
The fluffs seemed to understand it and at least Hamurabi and Cyrus knew the gist of the plan.
“Great so lets go ahead and try moving as one big fluffy around the yard.”, making sure they were on the same page as you and were gathering the rest of the herd before you. You planned to teach them a simple tactic, the old, reliable testudo formation. Named after the turtle the idea is simple, strong units (shielded) on the outside, vulnerable units on the inside. Fluffies can’t use shields but the same concepts apply, the stronger ones will form a circle and the unit as a whole will move together. This was going to be a monumental task for sure. Fluffies trip over themselves without any help and when they’re all alone. Putting them together in a tight group and asking them not to step on each other required some more conditioning.
“Okay everyone, who knows the mummah song?!”
The mass assembled before you waved their hands around vigorously. Of course all of them knew the stupid tune.
“Can you sing it for me?”
This was true torture and you willingly were subjecting yourself to it.
“Mummahs wub babbehs! Babbehs wub mummah!”
They went on through the very sparse verses and adjusted each other to the general tempo until they were all more or less in sync.
“Okay stop!”
The crowd died down slowly and watched you, curious as to why you would ask them to sing only to demand them to stop so soon.
“Do you all remember the beat of that song?”
You started clapping to the rhythm the fluffies sang their song to. It was lively but not too quick.
“Remember the song and this beat. This is the best beat for the mummah song”
Now they had an incentive to pay attention to the tempo. The inclusion of the word “best” was key to this. All fluffies desired to be the “best”, or “bestest”.
“Now everybody get close to each other in a circle, stallions and mares on the outside”
As requested, they grouped themselves up and the stallions, Cyrus, Hamurabi, and Pasion, flanked the group more or less equally apart. The mares got on the outside and filled in the spots between the stallions. They left about a foot gap between the outer circle and the inside where the more vulnerable elements of the herd like the younger members, dams, and otherwise disabled fluffies. Anser took up the middle to help both his mate and the other dams weren’t lagging behind.
“When I say so, everyone move this way, make sure your legs follow the same beat as the mummah song.”
The herd gave you a hesitant look, obviously not excited to engage in such a potentially dangerous maneuver. If the outside didn’t move as one, the space between would not be consistent, and if the inside doesn’t move with the outside a similar situation will occur, resulting in stepped-on babbehs.
“Alright, come over to the deck.”
They slowly began moving, not quite at the tempo we had practiced but as the mass waddled over they became more comfortable with moving as a group. Once they got over to the deck, that’s where Phase II would take place.
“So if one bigger monster attacks you this is what you all should do. Make sure no fluffy is struggling, and keep together. If you get attacked by a lot of smaller monsters or another herd, then come here under the deck.”
You tapped the top of the deck with your fist to drive the point home. The herd moved into the space under the deck, most being frightened of how dark it was.
“Cyrus, Hammurabi, Pasion, you guys block the entrance, that way if any monster tries to get the others they have to get through the three of you.”
The three of them took their positions at the small hole that led to the underside of the deck. Between these two strategies the herd would easily buy enough time to have either one of your housemates or you check on the situation.
“Good job guys! That’s all I need from you today, I just wanted to make sure all of you were safe when I have to go out and run errands.”
The babbling commenced as the herd flowed out from their bunker. Innana and Titi made a beeline for the forest and were closely followed by Doppler, keeping an eye on the two fillies to keep predators at bay. The other fillies and colts stayed within the yard playing huggie tag, hide-an-seekies, and talking to each other.
“Hey Hamurabi, can I talk to you for a minute?”
The stoic blue stallion trotted up to you slowly, not out of fear or apprehension, but just because he’s like that. The question of what made his temperament so subdued would probably never get a real answer but that didn’t stop you from wondering. The conversation you wanted was actually about something else entirely.
“Do you have a special friend?”
“Yuss, Guy-yuh is speciaw fwiend. Hab babbehs wunce, smawty gib them wowestest stompies…”
“Are her foals going to be yours?”
“Yuss, tummeh-babbehs am Hamuwabi an Guy-yuh’s babbehs.”
So at least he had children on the way, you were excited about figuring out if anything about his temperament was genetic. That being said, he had mentioned “wump huwties” earlier and so you had to figure that he was willing to have more kids, or maybe he was just horny.
“If you want you can have babies with other mares. As long as they’re okay with it.”
“Nu suwe if wan tu, wub Guy-yuh”
“Well we only have 3 stallions who can have babbehs and many more mares. Anser and Cyrus are going to be busy with their brood so that means that you’re the only one who can. Think it over, and talk to Gaea about it.”
“Otay daddeh, wiww tink abou’ it”
“That’s a good fluffy.”
Hammurabi made his way to where the dams were and began striking up a conversation with his mate. Near them were Helen and Tomyris who were arguing about something. You decided to get a little closer and check it out.
“Bestest babbeh ob bestest mummah am DA bestest babbeh!”, Helen insisted to Tomyris.
“Dat nu how it wowk! DA bestest babbeh am twuwy bestest of hewd! Gud mummah cud waise bad babbeh, bad mummah cud waise gud babbeh!”
“Ou am cawwing Hewen bad mummah!?”
“Nu! Am jus-”
“OU AM CALLING BABBEH BAD BABBEH!?”
“HEY! Calm down the both of you, Helen, she was not calling you or your baby bad. That’s not what she meant.”
“DUMMEH CAWWED HEWEN BAD MUMMAH! CAWWED BESTEST BAD BABBEH!”, Helen was full on screeching at the top of her lungs and the rest of the herd was starting to coalesce around the two Dams.
“You will stop yelling now or I will make you stop.”, you said in an even yet stern tone. You were sure that she heard you and understood based on the movements of her ears, but some fluffies take commands better than others.
“NU WIKE DUMMEH DADDEH, DUMMEH HEWD, DUMMEH MAWES, MISS SMAWTY AN BESTEST-ESTEST BABBEH!
She had spent all of her adult life being pampered by the old smarty and had grown accustomed to a life of feral fluffy royalty. Sharing room, food, and a poopie pile with the rest of the herd was already an insult to her status, but now one of the lowly serfs had besmirched the honor of her prodigy. An insult of this caliber was beyond the pale but then big daddeh sided with her?! She was enraged by the loss of privilege that came with greater equity.
This mentality and the expressed behaviors needed to be adjusted.
Hiatus over btw