17th May - After Review - Cleaning out

"I willna be getting ye in trouble, if that's yer worry."
He approached the nearer horse, petting it's neck, "He willna lift his legs willingly, not even with a ston in t'way, but other than that, neither are a worry, and I dinna think they'll kick at ye."
He watched with amusement as the sparrow hopped from his shoulder down his arm towards the horse, which stepped away, unimpressed.

Timothy began at one side of the horse, brushing down from it's neck and front to the back. " Don't look like the horse's any bit impressed about that thing you have on you." He smiled as he felt under the horse at his belly and front, looking for any sores that pulling a wagon could cause.

"Well I'm not forcing them on each other." and he had to agree. Though it wasn't a very preopsessing bird under any circumstances.

"Pity there's no way fo restraining it, ter stop them getting annoyed." The last thing he wanted was unhappy horses.

"Oh, best not to retrain 'least ful necessary, I guess. If the horse feels at ease, it's the best way to go." He continued slowly further to the back of the horse, brushing out some of the dirt. "Might do to have it have a proper wash at a different time. There's still some dirt accumulating right at the furr."

"Well, he ain't gone biting it, yet." He offered a hand to the bird again, stepping back to watch the work beign done for him

"When ye are free, or ye feel t'need. Ye ken where I'll be, at all times."
He thought for a moment longer, then added, slightly softer, "THankee, laddie."

He held a hand to the horse's back, while with his other he brushed at his side.

"Thank you, Sir. I will be glad." He looked surprised at the thanks he'd received and turned to the bird and the man who was its perch. "I may come even without an injury, sir?" He teased a little, though he was more than happy at what Sinclair said.

The day had been so much more pleasant since they've come to have the lengthy discussion and laughter sprinkled about. He would gladly come to clean the horses too, at any time as he did now and did not mind that he was doing it at all.

"weel..." He pretended to heave a huge sigh at that, although the truth was far different- very happy to have such polite company about. "Ye may come without ye've a scratch on ye, I suppose."

He grinned, "Ye'll have ter come ter keep an eye on this birdie here, else who's ter say she will na have me round her little...claw...in nae time?" it looked mighty like it, with such an outlook on life.

"I'll watch the sparrow while you are tending to the patients then, won't I?" He smiled, and observed the little bird for a moment and then walked around to the other side of the horse and began brushing at the horse's fur there.

"With two men, she ought not to succeed in having either twisted around her little claw." He spoke and rubbed at a spot, brushing dirt out from it. He'd checked again for any sores, but was glad to find none.

There was an indignant ruffling of feathers as he agreed with willoughby, suggesting the bird thought wrapping two men round her claw would be easier than they thought.

"Ye can have t'honour of t'post of official bird watcher. Though sadly I doubt all them important men will be thinking along with me that tis an important post." He really would have to get busy and go and talk to them, try and assure them he wasn't undermining their authority. did they have time for a game of some discription?

"I shall be most honoured to stand at such a post,.. my, you offer me a promotion sir, how may I ever thank you?" He watched the little bird and wondered if she understood anything at all that they were saying? No, of course she could not, she was a bird, he decided.

"Though.. I'm not quite sure if it were to be safe to explain it all to the important men. After all... they might disagree or believe that only they can appoint others such honour!"

"We couldna have that. Tis an honour only them which'll be dealing with t'bird may bestow." He bowed slightly at the 'newly promoted' man in front of him.
"THough I mun take care not ter promote ye too fast, or I'll have ter call ye sir, and ye shall be callin me Sinclair. Which might upset t'patients."

Good progress was being made with the horse, who was looking much more cared for than any such creature normally managed in such a job, annoying little bird nearby or no.

"Oh, that would feel rather odd, sir. Being called so, by you." Though at another time, and with another's knowledge it would've been as natural as the sun setting.

He managed to finish with the horse's other side, and moved to see to the animal's hooves. Both if all shoes were still there and to get any dirt that had been pressed into it's hoof from the long walk. Mud, stones, none of the sort would be good for the animal trying to walk on further.

"Would have the patients thinking they might have a wound greater than they've thought too. With what they'd be seeing."

"Which some would consider amusing." he pointed out drily.
Working patients up to beleive they had something worse than they did, to engender more respect than the doctor deserved was something he'd seen before, or heard of at least.
A simple broken arm- no broken skin or anything- convinced they would have been amputated at the shoulder if not for the help they'd received. THough it was possibly the only way to make any real money, in the profession.

"They'd be keener ter come be treated, with a bird, a subordinate doctor and ye ruling us both." he laughed.

"Would it be profitable enough that you should consider it then?" He chuckled and lifted the first of the horse's legs , resting it on his thigh. He scrubbed some of the dirt from the bottom of it and only had it drop, once satisfied.

"..Mind telling your horse that he truly does not need to lean all his weight on the lifted leg, when I pick it? "He asked half amused as he walked to do the same with the other.

"Profitable lying ter them, ye mean?"

He eyed the horse, who was clearly enjoying having something to lean against. A couple steps forwards, to pat him and talk to him, "But I never pretended ter be any good wi' animals."

"Oh no, not lying sir. Never lying." He said quickly, his smile lost to that thought. He dropped the leg, and adjusted his stance. Then had it lifted again to do the proper tending to. The shoe was on this one as well.

"And you do lie at that sir. Any good, how do you explain a sparrow following you about after only meeting you?" He shook his head.

"For I have known men ter be.. stretching ttruth ter their patients, and so making much more than is warrented. Normally they're found out and they make no more ever." He shrugged, "Tis a fairly good way ter put me off following them, if I were so tempted."

"aNyone can convince a sparrer ter follow them, with enough food and patience." he grunted, watching the hoof being tended to, "Same as anyone can learn their profession, or somesuch."

"True, but you have done it in such a short time, and perhaps I was not paying as much attention as I could have, but I have seen you do it with as little effort as if it came naturally." He smiled at Sinclair, was satisfied with the foot, had the other two tended in shorter a time for they looked well enough and then looked if there was anything more to the horse that needed doing.

He had thought back on the stretching the truth... and decided he did not wish for it. Not to an officer, nor against his own honour.

Sinclair smiled back automatically, blinking at the implication, "Ye havena tried ter win yerself o'er a bird, or ye will have realised how easy it really is.
Have ye?"

It was said in as little an accusatory tone as he could muster, easy as he was in fact thinking of all the bairns and how few of them did manage to keep various wild creatures for very long. He's always attributed it to the mother of the house hold, something he was loath to admit might also have to do with the patience of his erstwhile companions.

"Not birds, I haven't. Horses I have...but then.. a great effort is put into that, as a horse might quite cause an injury if not keen and calm." He shrugged his shoulders a little , picked his brush and moved to the next horse.

"There, I think one's as brushed as he can be (or she!)."

"Indeed. horses are more likely ter give ye a pain or two, if ye aren't as good ter them as they'd like." Horse- hoof marks on his own body reminded him of that, if he'd needed it.
"THough there are some birds as could give ye a scratch or two as well."
He ran his hands over his cleaned horse, patting him into the bargain
"He looks ready fer anything, now, laddie. Thankee."

"A hawk or an eagle." He nodded with a smile: "Nothing to thank for, sir. Was gladly done." He continued to brush the second one. " You have fine horses, sir."

"Although both birds can be useful as well."

"They do their job, and well, too. They don't mind an extra patient or two, or incessant twittering of pipes and such as we travel. They are well suited to their task, for certain."

"And well tended to sir." He nodded to the horses, for there were horses he had seen that were of similar use but were half as well. Though he had no doubt Sinclair, the doctor himself, would know how to, being also where he had grown up to be.

" Are they much bothered by the men's pain or so? When you have the patients in and they .. aren't as quiet?"

"I try." he scuffed his boot in the soil. In truth there had been less care going towards these creatures than they deserved.

"Och. They aren't too fond of a screaming man, or one who'll shout out. But I'm not partial to them meself, and I'll normally be keeping them pretty quiet. There's yet ter be a time when they refuse ter come near here, although they mayn't be best pleased. Skittish they were, one day, when she was full up, till they'd been walking for an hour or so, gotten used ter it."