Safe Harbor - Cattle Wrangling

Posted on Tue May 20th, 2025 @ 12:36pm by New York Survivor Amythyst

681 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Safe Harbor
Location: Safe Harbor Island
Timeline: September 16th Afternoon

By the time the boys returned with the supplies, Amythyst had managed to coax the calf a little closer using an apple she’d scavenged from the edge of the orchard. It had bruises and soft spots, but the calf didn’t seem to mind.

Austin, his arms full of rope and a dented feed tin, skidded to a halt at the edge of the clearing. “We found cracked corn in the old chicken bin,” he said, panting. “And a bucket with only a few spiders in it.”

Patrick had the pail, and Andrew dragged the rope like it was a trophy. “Also,” Andrew added proudly, “no goats attacked us. So, success.”

“Great,” Amy said, taking the rope. “Let’s hope these guys are easier than goats anyway.”

She handed out tasks. “Andrew, stay near the calf. You’re small. It seems to like you. Patrick, pour some of that water into the low spot near the stones — give them a reason to head that way. Austin, help me see if one of the older cows will let us loop a lead.”

To her surprise, it worked — sort of.

The thinner cow didn’t bolt when Austin edged closer, and after a tense minute of calm murmuring and slow motion, Amythyst got the rope loosely around its neck. The moment it tightened, though, the cow bucked.

“Whoa—HEY!” Amy grunted as the rope tugged hard and nearly yanked her into the mud. The cow gave her a look that clearly said, *try that again and I’ll end you*, then resumed munching grass.

Austin held in a laugh. “Guess she’s the boss.”

“Noted,” Amy muttered.

Eventually, through sheer willpower, patience, and the strategic use of grain trails, they managed to get the animals moving. The calf followed Andrew like a duckling, and even the bigger one seemed content to shuffle behind them as long as someone shook the grain tin rhythmically.

It was not a graceful journey.

Patrick tripped twice in the underbrush. Austin dropped the feed tin and nearly spooked the herd when it clanged. And Amythyst was fairly certain the cow she was guiding farted at her deliberately.

But when the treeline finally broke and the barn came into view — with its faded red walls and crooked weather vane — a cheer went up from all four of them.

“We did it!” Andrew crowed, arms raised.

They got the animals into one of the side pens off the main barn with more coaxing and a bit of bribery (in the form of half a withered cabbage from the garden pile). The pen was dusty but intact, with an old water trough that still held rain from a few nights ago.

Amy leaned against the doorframe, sweat trickling down her neck, and watched the animals settle in. The calf nosed around curiously while one of the cows slurped water noisily. The barn smelled like hay, earth, and something a little more hopeful.

“Okay,” she said, breathless but smiling. “We have cows.”

Patrick sat down on a hay bale. “Now we just need to figure out how to *keep* cows.”

“One step at a time,” Amythyst replied. “But yeah… we should probably learn to milk them soon.”

Austin lit up. “I’ve seen it in movies. It can’t be that hard, right?”

Amy just laughed and shook her head. “Famous last words.”

"Just wait until Dodger and George see what we did!" Patrick said with glee.

Amy nodded. "ok, lets make sure they can get into the barn and fill their water, then we can show the other children okay?"

Her two offsiders grinned and they set about making sure their new animals could access sleeping areas in the barn. Which would be good for the coming winter.

Then they showed the cows to the younger children and spent the afternoon watching, and discussing how to add the Cows to their chores as well as the Chickens.

Amy, for her part, stood watch for the other three older teens to return from their scavenging trip to a near by island.

 

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