With the most of her usual prep work done and the slow Paek business dying down for the day, Sarking then turned to dressing of the Lopers she had hanging in the back. The carcasses of the large hares were still undrawn and hung upside down waiting for her to clean them.

Normally they would need to be hung for another week at best, but the skilled Butcher used a mixture of herbs and incense that sped up the process to but a fraction of the require time. She grabbed both braces before leaving the cooler back room and going back to the store front.

Laying them on the cool marble counter, she then selects a small bone knife with its lodestone handle before pulling it off the handy lodestone strip on the wall that held all of her other knives. Obviously this nifty use of lodestone was a gift from her husband that the Orchish woman absolutely adored.

The butcher couldn’t help herself as she gave the knife a quick twirl before flipping into the air and catching it. It had been quite the boring day. Then with her little bit of fun over, she then quickly slits all of the Lopers by the base of the ankles of their front feet and back legs.

Putting the knife down, she then lifts the first Loper up by the back legs before slowly peeling the fur by the hem of the incisions she had previously made. Then with practiced ease, she rips off the fur like a sleeve in one smooth motion along with the assistance of her high levelled Butchery skill. The first Loper with it’s muscles and skin laid out to bare in macabre nakedness is then gently laid onto the counter before she quickly proceeds to finish off the rest.

As the Orchish woman laid down the last of her Lopers, the door to the store slowly opens with a slight creak as it announces the entry of the Capyban rancher.

“Gooday Sarking,” greets Lem in a low rumble before giving off a slight nod as he walks into the store.

“Lem,” replied Sarking-Tars without much fanfare to her husband’s drinking buddy before turning back to her work.

The Capyban then proceeds to idly pretend to peruse the selection of sausages, meats and a few hams in the display counter as he waited for the butcher to finish her work. The fine selection was locally sourced from the nearby Whisperwoods by Sarking’s own apprentices and herself and kept artificially cool in its chilling artifact tray that was custom-made by Gilbert and her husband.

The butcher then flips the first carcass over to expose the boney lever that sat right in the middle of the ribcage and consisted mainly of tendons. With one hand bracing the carcass by the neck and upper ribcage she then proceeds to twist the lever with the other hand before breaking it off at the joint with a loud crack. The inedible part is then thrown into a refuse bin nearby before she continues to carry out the same procedure for the rest of the Lopers.

The butcher then wipes her small bone knife clean before placing it back on the lodestone rack and selecting a markedly more wicked looking cleaver. Her sharp Huntress senses all the while told her that Lem was just standing about and doing nothing even with her back turned.

“They’re not flowersh Lem, you don’t have to look at them all day. So are you here to buy something or just to annoy me like my hushband does most days?” asked the annoyed butcher as she made a small slit on the engorged torso of the Lopers that held their guts.

“Hah… I’ve got a few wee words to ask yeh Sarking, but it can wait until you’re done with yer work,” grumbled the Capyban as he shifted on his feet.

Noting the smell of his perspiration and his racing pulse through her sharpened senses, the butcher smiled as she knew that the Capyban’s calm composure was just a front. But Orchish woman played along for it had been a boring day, and she was still feeling slightly rough from her evening last night.

So with an dramatic flourish, she disembowelled the first Loper before lifting the offal up in a cocked arm as she held an exaggerated pose. She then held the gruesome innards for a split second before flicking her wrist as she threw the gruesome projectile into the waste bucket. Normally she would’ve dropped them in gently to avoid unnesesaruly splashing blood about the place or breaking the stomach pouch getting the smell of bile in her shop. But by the sound of Capyban wrinkling his nose and swallowing down his saliva in disgust, it was worth it for the little show.

She then quickly proceeds to clean the rest of the Lopers before disposing the offal normally. This was to be picked up by any of her student hunters that were in the village in the evening to feed their Beakhounds. Her small prank was done and the butcher did not wish to push it further and have to scrub blood off the walls.

With practiced ease the butcher then separated the each of the four carcasses into two portions with quick chops of her cleaver to the spine. The lower saddles were all good meaty portions whilst the top torso were more sinewy and provided less meat and better off in soups. The butcher then wraps two of the carcasses into large brown leaves she used as packaging before tying them up in twine and placing them on display.

The final two carcasses were already earmarked for the Healer so she just wrapped the whole thing up in one brown leaf before tying it up.

“So what do you want Lem?” she asks as she began to scrub her marble counter that was stained by a few splotches of blood. She was planning to close up the shop soon after the Capyban said his share. With the Orchish woman eager to head home and get to bed early before her husband who would keep her up with his ungodly snoring.

“Nothing much Sarking, just wanted to see if Shivalteek has placed my order with you already or no,” answers Lem before fishing out his coin purse from the front of his suspenders. Lem then begins to count out a few silvers even as the butcher lady turned round to face him.

“No he hasn’t, what order you wanting to place?” she asks whilst running a tongue over on of her sharpened tusks.

Like husband like wife, notes Lem at the gesture with a musk of joy for he now knew he had her attention.

“I’d like some many-legged pork hocks with some spicy seasonings, it doesn’t have to be cooked or cured but it needs the seasoning,” the Capyban states his order before placing a few small silvers on the counter beside the cooling display.

The coins disappeared in a blur before reappearing in the grasp of the butcher and quickly into her trouser pocket below her leather apron.

“That’s not a problem at all Lem, shouldn’t take too long to get the order over to the Denorin’s pig over by Whisperwalk,” replied Sarking-Tars sweetly with a smile as her business side automatically took over. But the smile quickly faded for she was dealing with her silly husband’s equally silly drinking buddy. “Is that all? I’ve got to close up the shop soon and I don’t want all of your fur messing up my products.”

“Well you see, I’ve also got a wee favour to ask of yeh,” mumbled Lem who was normally so sure of himself. He always found it slightly difficult to deal with his friend’s wife. “Kano’s got a job doing some Pest-Taming for Joantack so I’s thought it woulda been a good idea to have Nosal come along with one of the hunter’s Beakhounds to help out… and seeing as we’re friends, and how you’re a master to many of the hunters, I thought-”

“Alright,” answered Sarking-Tars with a dismissive wave before turning back to finish her cleaning of the marble-top counter.

“I, I havn’t finished-“ protested Lem weakly and pointlessly before getting cut off again.

“Just get the boys to come pick up the hound her tomorrow in the morning,” replied the butcher as she grabbed a cleaning towel that hung by the door leading to the back of her store. “But I’ve already told you to be careful about Nosal’s class, so make sure he’s not going about doing anything stupid in front of Joantack… I know he’s a fine Mino and a good person, but a secret is best kept when there’s only one person knowing it Lem.”

Seeing no reply to the wise words, Lem nodded to the woman’s back before leaving her shop.

…..

Now I guess I’l just drop by the healer’s house and see how long before the boy finishes his first day I guess, Lem thought to himself as he exited the cool butcher’s shop and into the warm afternoon air.

The Capyban slowly walked along the dirt road that headed up the side of the bakery before re-joining the main path through the village and turning right towards the village’s main exit where the healer’s villa was located. He waved and greeted a few of his neighbours as they went about their business whilst as he walked. The Capyban noted upon the missing menfolk and summed it up them being still hungover before softly chuckling to himself.

As he opened his eyes from his little schadenfreude laughter, the Capyban was able to spy the small figure of his son leaving the villa of the Healer. His son was walking about with his snout inside a large book as he dondered about in short uneasy steps and his bag swinging as it hung by his side.

Well that’s awful handy that he’s finished just as I was heading to fetch him, Lem thought before releasing a amused musk of joy. For a small proud feeling welled up inside the Capyban at the sight of his son so studious even after his first day as an apprentice.

“WHAT YOU READING THERE PUP!” he shouted down the dirt street and startling the boy and a few people. But seeing it was just the Rancher interacting with his son, the villagers quickly resumed in their business with a few amused smiles.

Nosal on the other hand looked up with a startled yet tired face, before an excited look quickly came over his face.

“DAD!” the little Capyban boy shouted before he held the book to his chest as he sprinted down the street with his little legs pumping, his knees wobbling about all over the place and with his bag fluttering about everywhere like some crazed Chitpulka comb. The boy then crashed into the waiting embrace of his father who was crouching down to receive him in a hug before whirling him up in the air.

“Hey, Hey there pup! How was your first day?” Lem asked his son who was laughing happily in his arms with both father and son happily squirted their musks of joy in their little greeting.

“Oh my Realms dad, it was… intense,” replied Nosal with a complicated expression as his father lowered him back to the ground.

“Well why don’t you tell me all about it when we’re heading home together?” Lem asks as he let go of his son before holding out a hand. Nosal then held onto his father’s enormous and hairy hands in his own before the two swirled around and started their walk home together.

“What’s that book you’ve got there boy?” Lem asks as the pair walked through the village with a few of their neighbours greeting and waving at his son with faces full of smiles.

“It’s um… a story about this really evil polymancer I have to read up for homework along with some handwriting stuff master Xerneg set for me father. It’s called the, the das, das..” replied Nosal as he held up the book in one hand before trying to read the big swirly handwriting of the title.

“Ha! The dastardly tales of the wicked Porkmancer Mork-Xenix?! Isn’t it quite a heavy read for a pup? Wait which one is it… volume three!?” Lem exclaimed as he grabbed the book from his son to inspect for himself.

“I don’t know father I’ve never heard of him before… have you?” asked Nosal with a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

“Oh I have boy, same’as most of the folks in all the Realms, he’s the one that created many of the fancy species of Pigs we know and love eat,” replied his father solemnly.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Nosal asked in confusion once it was clear that his father wasn’t going to elaborate whilst the pair walked past the last houses.

“Depends for who boy.. but that for you to read and find out for yourself. And there’sa good news that you’re brothers got some work waiting for you when we get home,” answered Lem with a knowing smile whilst his son frowned at his cryptic declaration.