Playing
Breakfast with Rose
Chapter 5: Playing
Admiral Biscuit
After paying close attention during the introductions, I only half-listened to Apple Flora's explanation of the rules, instead studying the cluster of ponies around me. Shady Daze still seemed a bit wary of me; he kept an ear pointed in my direction all the time, even when he wasn't looking my way.
The rules weren't that different from playing on Earth. Nobody could leave the park—that wasn't fair—and if discovered, one could run for the safe spot, which was a bench nobody was using.
When they were done discussing the rules, they picked who would be the seeker first, quickly deciding on me. It probably wasn't an honor, but I graciously accepted my role.
“You gotta count to sixty,” Apple Flora reminded me. “And have your eyes closed.”
By way of an answer, I closed my eyes and began counting. I heard the scuffle of hooves, and then nothing but my own voice.
For being as brightly-colored as some of them were, they were pretty good hiders. If they'd gone off to their hiding spots at a full gallop, they could have gotten quite a ways away, but I didn't think that many of them would have done that. If you ran too far away, you risked being spotted before you found a hiding spot.
As I started searching, I kept my eyes open for places I might be able to hide. My size was going to put me at a major disadvantage; the question was whether I could make up for it with cunning.
I did have one thing going for me—height. I could see over the top of most of the low bushes, and it didn't take me very long before I noticed a bush with a blue tail sticking out of it. I took two steps in that direction before I remembered that the tail was probably attached to Shady Daze, and he was nervous around me. I didn't want to upset him by picking him, so I angled off in a different direction, moving towards a likely cluster of short trees which seemed to be moving more than the gentle wind should have caused.
Sure enough, I saw some yellow when I got closer. While I considered the best way in, there was a sudden flurry of movement, and then a pair of fillies shot out of the trees, one right behind the other.
For a moment, I was completely confused. I hadn't expected there to be two, and couldn't decide on which one to chase. Then I remembered that it didn't matter: as long as I could beat one of them back to the bench, I'd win.
They weren't making it easy on me. They'd both spread apart, rather than taking a direct path, so I couldn't make a quick estimate of who was the fastest. I angled to the right and had made it partway back before I realized that I should be splitting the difference and going straight for the bench. If I was quicker than them, I could block their way to safety and then run one down; if I wasn't, I wouldn't waste so much energy on a fool's errand.
I was quicker. While I might not have been able to keep up with an athletic adult pony at a gallop, their legs were too short to get up all that much speed, and once my victory was assured, I curved off and intercepted Peachy Pie.
She loudly announced that she'd been caught, and the other ponies started emerging from their hiding places, which I took careful note of. Most of them came out in pairs, suggesting that hiding in groups was their favored strategy. I wasn't sure how I could use that to my advantage just yet, but if I knew that particular ponies usually stayed together, that might give me an edge. There would have to be a loner who I could use as a temporary teammate, relying on my quick sprint to get me out of trouble if we were discovered.
Everybody clustered up, and when we were all in place, Peachy closed her eyes and started counting.
All the other ponies ran off to the east, which had been their preferred direction before. There didn't seem to be any reason for it, but if that was their instinct, I could buck the trend by going in the opposite direction. So I did, angling towards a cluster of pine trees.
From my position, I had decent visibility towards Peachy, but was sure I was completely obscured from her point of view. I knew that the eye was attracted to movement, so I concentrated on being as still as possible when she started looking.
The first thing she did was turn my way, and I saw her lift her head up slightly. It took me a second to figure out what she was doing. I was still crouching down, not moving a muscle, but it wasn't going to do me any good: I could tell by the way her ears suddenly turned forward that she'd smelled me. No wonder all the others had run off downwind.
It might not have made all that much of a difference anyway; the park was probably full of their scents, but mine was surely unique.
I could tell by the angle she took on her way over that while she'd been able to get in the ballpark with my scent, she didn't have a good enough sniffer to pinpoint me. That gave me one chance, and I took it, waiting until she was poking her muzzle into the trees trying to spot me.
I burst out of the pine trees at a dead run, and she was caught out.
I angled wide around her and beat her to the bench by a good margin. She skidded to a stop and stomped in frustration before heading off to find some other pony.
• • •
I’d made it through two more rounds before I’d been caught by Lickety Split, who was as surprised by his victory as I had been. I was still getting the hang of good hiding places, and I hadn’t moved quickly enough when he was counting down. I’d assumed that he didn’t see me when he passed me by, but he’d been clever enough to circle around and take me from behind.
When I started my next search, I’d learned enough by observation to have a pretty good idea where they’d hide. Rather than take a direct approach, I took a page out of Lickety Split’s book and went around the cluster of bushes where I’d seen a pair of them hide two times previously. It was a good bet that they still thought their hiding spot was safe.
Sure enough, First Base came galloping out of the bush, followed by Peach Fuzz. I’d been prepared for that; I’d stayed closer to the bench side of the bush and outpaced both of them easily. There was something deeply satisfying about their shrieks as I closed the distance, finally getting my hand on First Base.
In the next game, he caught Peachy Pie; in the round after that I teamed up with Apple Flora and we managed to avoid capture together. It did feel a little safer to have her by my side, although I would have betrayed her in an instant if we’d been discovered. I was sure she’d have done the same for me.
Looking back, I wasn't sure why I agreed to play with them. It was an impulsive choice, one I probably would not have made if I'd had time to think about it. There are all sorts of ways that things can go wrong when an adult gets involved in children's games, and that's assuming that the adult is familiar with the rules of the game.
In many ways, I was still a total outsider to them, and my position in town was tenuous at best. The dark side of my imagination could conjure up all sorts of ways that this could go horribly wrong, from some action on my part being totally misunderstood, to a foal somehow getting injured, and the blame falling squarely on my shoulders.
I tensed as I heard a twig snap nearby. Liza wasn't saying anything. She was playing the part of a predator, trying to psych out her prey. She probably knew roughly where I was, and was waiting for me to foolishly reveal myself. I wouldn't give her the satisfaction.
The bush totally blocked my view. I thought I saw a flash of movement between the branches, but it was most likely my imagination. Was she circling, getting my scent? Were her ears turned in, waiting for the rustle of leaves or the snap of a twig to betray me?
Off to my left, I heard her shout “Gotcha!”
The disappointed reply from the hidee sounded genuine, so I risked standing up. Hopefully, it wasn't a trap.
• • •
“That's not fair!” Apple Flora stomped to illustrate her point.
“Why not?” I called back. “You didn't limit where I could hide.”
“I found you.”
“So tag me.” I stuck my tongue out and blew a raspberry.
She swished her tail and then dropped down on her rump, her eyes never leaving mine. “You have to come down sometime.”
“I'm in no hurry,” I assured her, dangling my leg like bait. I knew she couldn't reach it.
I'd gotten the idea to hide in a tree fairly quickly, although I’d held off on doing so until Apple Flora was the seeker. I wasn't much of a tree-climber, but there were some trees in the park which had fairly low branches, and foals weren't any good at climbing trees. They also didn't tend to look up, which made sense since none of Apple Flora's friends were fliers. She probably wouldn't have found me at all if I hadn't had to sneeze at a rather inopportune time.
She was right, of course. It wasn't fair. But sometimes life was like that. “I can see Sunny Daze from where I am.”
“Really?” She turned her head, looking off in the direction I had been, hoping to spot somepony she could capture. She wasn't going to have much luck: Sunny Daze's ears had come up at the mention of her name, and I could tell by the way she was shortening up her body that she'd figured that she was discovered and was going to risk a gallop to the safe spot.
To give her a better chance at success, I shifted around on my perch, bringing Apple Flora's attention back to me. “You know,” I said conversationally, “my ancestors lived in trees.” It was technically true. “Humans are very good tree-climbers.” That wasn't as true, but in general we were better than ponies.
“Did they climb trees so that they could pounce on unsuspecting prey? Miss Cheerilee said that you sometimes eat meat.”
I nodded soberly. “That's true.”
She scrunched up her muzzle. “Ew. You—” Her head snapped around as Sunny Daze broke cover, and she launched herself off the ground, although she needn't have bothered. There was no way Apple Flora could gallop fast enough to catch her.
She realized that halfway to the safe spot and simply gave up, dropping down to a trot, before looping around and heading back my way.
I could have kept to my perch. I know I could have outlasted her, but that wasn't the way the game was played. While it had been fun tormenting her, there wasn't anything to be gained by being viewed as someone who didn't play by the rules, so I dropped out of the trees and started my own jog towards the safe spot.
She probably wouldn't figure out that I'd intended for her to catch me. From her last gallop, I'd gotten a pretty good guess of her speed, and I deliberately took an easily-intercepted path to the safe spot. Apple Flora bumped me in the back of the leg with her nose while I was only halfway there, and I slowed to a stop.
“You should have stayed in the tree,” she told me, as if I hadn't already known that. “I wouldn't have been able to get you.”
I crouched down. “I thought I could make it.”
“I got Sam,” she announced loudly, and her friends began emerging from their hiding spots. “No more hiding in trees,” she added, giving me the stink-eye. “It’s not fair.”
• • •
The game broke up not long after that. The town clock chimed and most of the ponies headed off for home, leaving only three of us in the park—Apple Flora, Liza Doolots, and Shady Daze. He appeared to have overcome his initial fear of me, which was a good sign. He wasn’t willing to sit on the bench with me like Apple Flora was, but he wasn’t hiding behind Liza anymore either.
My stomach growled at me just then. Playing had been hard work, and it hadn’t been helped by my decision to skip lunch on account of our large late breakfast. Fortunately, I had half a loaf of bread left, and a few veggies I hadn’t used for the stir-fry last night.
I rubbed my hand through Apple Flora’s mane and she pressed her head into my side, rubbing along my ribcage. “Sam says that she can be our swimming buddy,” she announced.
My eyes involuntarily went to Shady Daze. There was no way I was going to go skinny dipping with a colt. I wasn’t ready for that at all.
“Really?” Liza gave me a hopeful look. “We could go right now!”
“Yeah!”
Crap. “I . . . ah. . . .” I scrambled for an excuse. I could have just said no; that was the easy answer. “I’m a little tired from playing hide and seek.”
“Oh.” Apple Flora’s ears fell.
“If I come home with a lather on my coat, mom’s going to make me take a bath.” Shazy Daze stuck out his tongue. “I hate taking baths.”
I wasn’t sure how much different he felt it was to swim in the river versus taking a bath. “Well,” I said, “what if you swim and I just stay up on the bank and watch you? That would be okay, wouldn’t it?”
The three of them shared a look, and then Liza nodded.
“Thanks, Sam!” Apple Flora stretched up and nuzzled my cheek before hopping off the bench, while I cursed myself for being a pushover. At least I’d thought of the idea of just watching; that was safe.
As we walked towards the river, I counted my blessings that I didn’t have to face a barrage of questions this time around. The three foals were happy gossiping with each other, while I was a third wheel. I didn’t mind.
Instead of going to my personal bathing spot, Liza led them to a closer bend in the river, one without any significant slope down towards the water. The three of them jumped in without any hesitation, and while I did briefly consider the advantages of joining them, I didn’t want to walk home in wet clothes.
A large tree near the river’s edge provided a convenient backrest, from where I could watch them play. Not only was it close to the water, but its canopy shaded me from the late-afternoon sun.
There was something funny about watching ponies swim. From the movement of their backs and the way their heads bobbed, it was almost like they were trying to gallop in the river. I wished the water had been clearer; I would have liked to see how their legs moved.
I sat on the bank and rested, reflecting on my day. In one sense, it hadn’t been productive. I hadn’t earned any bits, I hadn’t spent any more time knitting, and what few minor chores I’d done around the house weren’t really that much of an accomplishment.
But the positive side, I had gained the trust of no fewer than two more ponies, and perhaps as many as seven. I’d been given the dubious honor of speaking at the school, and I’d had a pleasant, relaxing morning with Rose. And I’d played hide and seek for the first time in a decade or so, and hadn’t totally sucked at it.
All in all, I concluded the day had been a success.
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Nice to see Sam getting to know the foals of Ponyville better! I shutter at the thought of the questions that the CMC will be asking Sam when she gives her talk. If I where in Sam's position I would give a brief overview of the differences between Earth and Equestria to showcase the differences. With out the tech to show it would be difficult but it would be eye opening.
Looking forward to Sam's talk, what she decides to talk about, and how it (inevitably) goes farther than she meant.
Hopefully we'll see the story continuing in the school house.
I'm sort of surprised Sam didn't comment on first baces name, as it suggests his talent may either be sports or kissing.
Well, that was cute as usual and I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment. Just please tag a blog post announcing it with one of the other stories because I do not read any of your other stuff and do not want to be spammed with information about it so I don't follow you.
6841099 Yeah, these really do read as one singular story. Doesn't feel like a series at all.
Good! Step four of The Master Plan to Take Over Ponyville is coming along nicely!
Keep going! ;)
I'd play a game of tag here, but I don't think Knighty would appreciate it. (He'll probably feel left out.)
6842956
"What? No, Princess, there aren't any strange bipedal creatures in town."
Make the foals love you, and the parents will be forced to also love you.
Fear not, another Sam and Rose story will be along at some point.
6839655
It wouldn't just be them; every impressionable young mind would want to know all about her. Cheerilee, too.
That's actually probably the safest bet. Sam could cover some of the tech, there's just a lot of it that she can't really explain all that well (nor could I). But that would be good enough for a primary school class.
6839847
If she's very careful with the topic she picks, she can probably escape without things getting too uncomfortable.
6840014
We shall see!
Probably sports. I wonder how long you'd have to be in Equestria before their names didn't cause occasional snickers? True story, I was recently watching a documentary and one of the interviewees was named Jihad something. Probably in her culture, that didn't mean what it does to us.
6841099
I will try to remember to, but I can't promise that I will. It will be tagged as a sequel, although I don't know if the system notifies you if a story you're following has a sequel.
6842837
The reason it isn't a single story is that I just write stories in the 'verse when I'm in the right mood. It might be a month before the next, or a year.
6844928 Just hit them with scary almost-made-up-phrases like "Dimensional Analysis" (a.k.a. chaining multiple conversion rates to arrive at the unit of measurement you want from some different unit)!
Calling it right here: it's related to wind direction. Ponies have a keen sense of smell?
I knew it!
well, that works, I guess
Haha, yes! Cheating like a pro. That's our girl!
Well, the climbing trees thing was probably mostly to prevent being eaten, I think.
Boo! All them new laws, made explicitly to keep The Man down!
One remark:
> leaving only three of us in the park—Apple Flora, Liza Doolots, and Shady Daze.
Uh, if you say "of us" you should include the first person narrator in the summation. Which would also make it four, not three. I think saying "leaving only three [with me] in the park" makes more sense here.
6844699
It doesn't. This story is tagged as a sequel to a story on my favorites list and I wasn't notified. I only found it because I happened to catch an update that got it on the front page which is rather lucky given how short this story is. I could have very easily missed it entirely because it never popped up in my feed and I am worried that that might happen to the next one.
6846151
Well, that's good to know.
I hate spamming people, which is why I often don't tag blog posts unless they're directly related to the story in question (and to be completely honest, I rarely remember to tag them).
I've got a bookshelf just for them, but I don't think that you can follow libraries. You could bookmark it in your browser, I suppose.
6846174 I just poked around the page and didn't see a way to follow the bookshelf so I think that's out. As for spamming, a blog post does not pop up multiple times if someone is following you and the tagged story so that is really not a concern. Just make sure it is tagged for the appropriate story and everything will be good.
6846192
Yeah, I didn't think you could, short of bookmarking the page and checking back manually.
Incidentally, if you don't mind jumping ahead to the winter, there's a short Sam and Rose one-shot that was part of a collection:
November
a very fun read. i look forward to more of these stories.
6848679
Thank you! There will be more Sam and Rose.
6848756 Yah, more!
Oh, and good two chapters.
hmm, I though I saw this as incomplete not long ago after the last 2 chapters were put up... hmm, maybe my imagination.
Sam is in love with Rose.
I hope for another sequel
Is there going to be some Romance in the sequel?
I love these storys .
keep up the hard work
6950074
They're best friends.
One will come eventually. Romance is unlikely; Sam isn't into girls or mares.
Thank you!
Reading all of these stories have me an excuse not to leave bed. Thanks!
It was a little surreal seeing another human in Equestria named Sam after finishing Alien Suns. Yours is infinitely more happy than mine.
Really enjoyed these stories, looking forward to the next sequel.
7193382
Thanks!
NEXT STORY WHEN D:
6776257
booooooooo
6844691
Well, you english speakers actually use Dick as a name
Anyways, I really liked this set of stories. You have several fics about the interactions between humans and ponies, but I like how in this you specially focused in some of the most interesting cultural differences, particularly the cuestion of personal space, nudity and sexuality. You explored those concepts in several others of your works but here they are really expanded in a very clever way.
I only have trouble figuring two things:
One, it's seems a little odd that Sam has to struggle so much with money. She is kind like the only alien of a new discovered species. While in PonyPlanet you were for the more complex road (Dale becomming embassador of the humans and so) it's feel strange that the Princesses don't at least provide sam with some kind of small budget, or giving her a place to live, or something similar to help her adapt a new and different ambient. It's not impossible, just seems a little odd.
And the second, I don't finish to understand why it's so hard to Sam to explain why she is sometimes unconfortable to Rose. When Sam was brading her tail, Rose didn't have so much problem in explaining her that touching something close to their intimate parts was something intimate, did by very close friends or family (or profesional). It's eviden ponies has an understanding of personal space (just much more small than ours). From there, it doesn't seem so hard to explain that for whatever reasons, humans are less affectionate than ponies, have a bigger personal space, and crossing that personal space it's just common for close familiars or romantical partners.
And while obviously ponies don't have much problem on showing their genitalia, horses do use their tails to hide her parts when they don't want to express interest,; it wouldn't be so hard to explain that humans use their clothes somehow like tails, and taking off their underwear and being naked could be considered the human equivalent of a mare raising her tail.
Just some details, I found this story pretty interesting and hope to read more.
And don't matter what you say about Sam not being interested in girls or mares, you can't stop my brain to building my own fanfictions in which they end togheter
Well done, Sam.
The Australian drop-human is a fearsome creature.
7258229
When the muse grabs me and says 'do this and do it now'.
7353492
7846307
Sam's not so good at thinking like a
horsepony. She never factored in scent.It is. Dropping out of trees unto its innocent prey. . . .
7542784
That's true, although nowdays most Richards go by 'Rick.'
Starting with the second story, I wanted to make that the main topic of the series, especially since it's part of Sam fitting in. The more I think about it, the more I think that the general Ponyvillian is going to think of the human as snobbish if they wear clothes all the time, especially since they really don't understand why. I think even in cities where ponies go about wearing clothes a lot (Manehattan, Canterlot), they still don't wear them all the time. It also seems odd to them to cover her hips, since they generally don't, so that everyone can see their cutie marks.
Well, do the ponies know that? I think that they haven't explored Equestria completely, and given the number of other sapient species in Equestria, it's not impossible that there's some land of humans there, one that they haven't yet encountered. You and I both know this isn't true, but do the ponies? Does Princess Celestia?
I think if she was completely unable to live on her own, the ponies would give her charity. They're not cruel; they wouldn't want to see her starve to death or freeze to death . . . but Sam's a little too proud to openly take it, anyways. And the ones who do trust her probably go a little bit out of their way to give her more than she's really earned when she does a job, or give her a slightly better deal on food at the market, or whatever.
Some of it's embarrassment on Sam's part--that's the kind of thing that it might be hard to explain to a pony who literally has no concept whatsoever of nudity being taboo. And Sam is always a little bit worried about scaring off her new friend by saying too much, as well. She's not sure that they have a firm enough relationship for that kind of frank talk (although of course she'd just being kind of silly when she thinks about that).
Even without a tail, though, Sam's genitalia is pretty well hidden just by her body posture, so they're not really going to see anything when she's going around naked (obviously, depending on what she does). So if she brings that up, that would be Rose's counterpoint. Plus, just the whole idea of being naked = ready for sex isn't going to make sense to the ponies.
Well, you're welcome to ship them in your head.
7852016
Same thing :>
This is just a lovely little series you've got going here. Very cute. Hope it will continue one day.
Also, I feel really stupid for only realizing somewhere during this story that Sam is a woman
7995391
There is a one-shot, which is set somewhat forward in time:
November
And other than that, I do plan on continuing with more Sam and Rose stories when the muse strikes me.
Most people assumed that since Sam had giving up on shirts that she was a guy. And it wasn't really specifically brought up that she wasn't until the second or third story.
9511913
Yes, they do. But they don’t, as a matter of basic life, stalk and slaughter things as one of their primary staples.
9511949
¿What about the Mares of Diomedes?
8085336
But... but if such a thing were not to come to pass... there would be no Littlepip
9514682
derpicdn.net/img/view/2018/4/7/1701344.png
9515115
Of course they will. But it's gonna be their last resort, just like it's a mouse's last resort, or a rabbit's last resort.
For a predator, the calculus changes. "I don't like you" isn't gonna make for a murder mentality in an herbivore as easily as it does for we hairless apes. They screamed and ran from Zecora, after all. They didn't drive her away.
9515121
Actually, I’m not sure that’s entirely true, although to be fair, an IRL horse doesn’t have intent like we’d think of it. He knows that kicking things makes them go away, and he probably doesn’t know that kicking a person kills a person (it does make the person go away, so I suppose in that sense, the behavior is reinforced).
As I recall, the most dangerous animal in Africa is the hippo, and they’re herbivores.
And as I also recall, most predators are cowards, and won’t try to fight something that’s fighting them back.
Obviously, our ponies aren’t generally murderous, and there’s little evidence that that’s ever their first resort. But . . . based on what I know of IRL horse psychology, I think that if they thought it was needful, they’d do it in an instant.
9515117
i.imgur.com/zWEbdHg.png
9515147
It's not that predators are cowards (or herbivores) but they have survival instincts. In nature if you get injured/sick/whatever you are one paw/hoof in the grave. If it is something you can't recover from you are dead; maybe not that day but you're done. Survival of the fittest isn't always muscle strength despite popular belief.
And it isn't so simple as herbivore or predator when it comes to flight or fight. Some predators rely on ambush or stealth (often solo) and are more predisposed to running first for survival is all on them. While pack/herd animals will more often stand their ground.
9517327
I should have been more specific; of course you’re right. In general, predators don’t want to try and catch something that will fight back, because if they get badly injured, that’s it. Whereas herbivores are often more willing to fight to defend what they have; a horse with a limp can still catch grass.
Moreso for predators than herd animals, who might defend one of their own. And yes, you’re right, ‘fittest’ has nothing to do with strength, it has to do with how well that particular creature can flourish in the environment it finds itself in.
This is also true. Really, when it comes to animal behavior, there’s always that ‘usually, but...’ qualifier for practically anything. I think in general, social herbivores are more likely to fight in defense or in some cases in offense, whereas predators generally avoid fighting except for what they have to do to get their food, but that’s certainly not a hard and fast rule across the entirety of the animal kingdom.
I do think that a lot of people don’t give herbivores--especially big herbivores enough credit. If they want to, they’ll totally wreck your s
t.
9519184
You don't necessarily need to be more specific. Me? I'm just talking.
9519722
I always be more specific, for the benefit of readers.
One of the things that got my on the site, actually, was some of the in-depth (and often off-topic) discussions in the comments.
9520762
Well sure; in a story at least. Confused readers don't tend to upvote (it's hard to make confusion work)
I came to this site for the literature. Twilight Sparkle and changelings? No Chrysalis? (She makes cameos) SOLD!
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/133544/of-the-hive
(Got my bits worth there)
To get back on topic of herbivores (Queen Twilight is now omnivorous, as in requiring meat as opposed to just being able to safely consume it like a normal pony/horse) did you know there is a type of donkey (or was it a mule?) That is said to attack anything that is not 'part of the herd' as it were. Snakes, horses, people, wolves. You name it and it is said to pick a fight with it. Cowboys would ride herd horses at the start of the season (don't ask how they got atop them) and by the end of the season they could safely dismount as they were 'of the herd'. The cycle repeats once the off season finishes.
Its a win win for the cowboys; predators are driven off or killed and if the donkey/mule is killed they will be eaten first instead of higher monetary animals.
Kids still use that old house rule variant? Nice. Do they also have to yell "Olly olly oxen free" before they're safe? Or is that offensive to oxen?
(Wiki says that's the call that signals the game or round is over, but for me, you had to chant it upon reaching the safe zone for safety to take effect. I know other variants were yelling "Base!" or "Safe!", but single-syllable safewords are too easy to make a difference.)
Speaking of house rule variants, has anyone ever NOT played Monopoly with the Free Parking Jackpot rule? (For that matter, has anyone in their entire life played an entire game of Monopoly to completion? I know I haven't).
9521244
Somewhat related, I’ve learned recently about animals that herd together. I knew about llamas and sheep . . . I think that that the llamas think that the sheep are stupid, ugly llamas, but they’ll protect them, since llamas hate basically everything else.
More recently, I learned that horses will herd with cows--especially a lone horse--and the cows will protect it, and look to the horse for leadership.
Even more recently, I learned that donkeys will herd with goats. And donkeys will fight off predators that goats won’t . . . such as coyotes.
Also, in case you didn’t know, fainting goats were bred so that they’d be the ones eaten rather than a more valuable member of the flock.
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When I was a kid, we had a safe spot, but we didn’t have to announce anything when we got there.
I didn’t know about the free parking jackpot rule until college. Every time I played before that, it was by the book.
And yes, I’ve played games to completion.
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Southeast USA. Far away from Canada. I like all kinds of foods, even from countries I'm not a fan of, like China and Russia. Love me some blini, those savory little Russian pancakes.