Setting up Shop [Billy, open]

[Beast]

Again the wagon with the traveling smithy was on the move. Still chained to the back by his neck Beast had no choice but to follow it on his hands and feet. The feral boy was used to it like he was used not to be given any warning before Billy drove forward.

As usual in such cases Billy had just taken thrown the buckets of the horses on top of the wagon and climbed up to it's coach box. It was all the warning Beast got to jump to his hands and feet before a tug on his colar forced him to follow the wagon. It was just the way it was always done and Beast thought nothing about it. He couldn't know for sure but probably Billy felt the same about it.

Beast had no way to know if they drove on now or just went to a place to set up their shop. He hoped it was the latter because it meant he would be free to roam the town after helping to unload the wagon and setting up the shop they would work in. Beast longed for a hunt and fresh meat.
The wagon moved a bit down the street until they came to a wider gap between two of the buildings. The wagon turned into the gap and rolled far enough inside to unload the forge, anvils and other things they needed.

As soon as the wagon stopped Comanche, Billy's dog, came around. He and Beast greeted each other in the usual dog fashion of sniffing each others backsides. Then they turned around and licked their snouts.

[Bill Conner]

Sighing, Billy stepped down from the wagon, wishing that he had a permanent shop so that he didn't have to do this all the time. He hated unloading and he hated loading and hated setting up and, well, just hated all of it. jumping down from the box, he walked around and dropped the gate of the wagon, then looked at the boy. "Get started, the sooner this is done the sooner we can do something else." For good measure, he gave Beast a quick swat to the rear with his boot, then went back to the front of the wagon to unhitch the team.

OFF
Sniffing backsides? Really? That's just....ewww.

[Beast]

Beast knew from experience that Billy was often in a bad mood at setting or breaking up the thing his two legged called a smithy. Actually Beast could do without it much better too but that never happened.

Billy opened the tail gate of the wagon which was unusual before unchaining Beast but not unheard off. The boot swat to his backside was nothing serious for the feral boy. That he whined as Billy went to the front of the wagon was not because of that swat but because Billy forgot to unchain the boy.

Beast was a bit irritated because there was not much he was able to do as long as the chaine stopped him from reaching most of the wagon. The open tail gate with the chain now connected to the other side shortened his reach even more. But 'get started' might not be an official command but it was something Beast knew well enough. The feral boy knew Billy considered him unable to understand much more than the commands and a few other things often told to him. Why he still spoke that way to him Beast could only guess but he spoke to Comanche that way too.

The boy knew he would be in trouble if he just sat there and did nothing. His experience told Beast he was able to get onto the back of the wagon with the chain. He was unable to use his hands to climb up there but thanks to his strength he was able to get up there with one big jump.
Testing the range his chain gave him the boy realized he couldn't reach the harness that was used on him to pull the forge, bellows and other heavy things down. The only thin he was able to reach was the two strengthened planks that could be hung ino the back of the wagon to make a ramp. The two long planks lay along both sides of the wagon.

Despite holding a hammer and hot iron in his hands and striking the iron with the hammer Beast never considered to use his hands for this work. It was something alien to his nature that Billy trained him to do but he wouldn't use his hands otherwise. Grabbing a plank with his feral teeth he pulled it a couple inches back before he had to adjust his hold and start again. That way he got the plank far enough out that the back end became heavier than the rest and dropped to the ground with the other part still on the edge of the wagon tail. After his success Beast repeated the same with the second plank on the other side.

It was all east could do now. Using just his teeth he wouldn't be able to connect the planks properly to the back of the wagon. It was now up for Billy to put the harness on him so they could pull or push the heavy things down the ramp and to the right place on the ground. Barking Beast informed Billy he was done so far.

OOC:
Sorry that's considered a friendly greeting between dogs so Beast thinks so too.

[Bill Conner]

"Here now..." Billy came around and released the chain, then cuffed the boy on the head. "Why can't you just talk like a person?" he growled, then shook his head. Turning back to the front of the wagon, he pulled a bottle from under the seat and took a swig before looking back at the Beast.

"Get things set up," he grumbled, then he went about setting out the foundations for the tent.

[Beast]

Beast whined as he got the untold for cuff to the head. How else should he answer anyway. It was the way his life with Billy was and the feral boy had learned to accept it. He could run away and probably live on his own but Billy and Comanche became his pack and as the lowest member in the pack he had to obey and take what was dealt out out to him.

The boy didn't like it if Billy drank this terrible sharp smelling stuff. It tended to make him even more mean but in rare cases it had the opposite effect. Even over the distance his keen nose caught the sharp odor of the stuff in the bottle. Still living as a feral beast the boy had not lost the heightened senses his life with the wolves gave to him. He still used them all the time and the constant training kept them at a level a normal human wouldn't think possible.

Irritated Beast looked after Billy. The two legged freed him from the chain but he had not fixed the boards to the wagon and hadn't put the harness on Beast that was needed for the boy to pull the heavy stuff from the wagon.
Even then it needed both of them to unload the heavy stuff. Billy would connect Beasts harness to the object to move. Then Beast pulled with all his strength as Billy pushed and steered it down the ramp. He would slow it down too so the stuff and Beast wouldn't be crushed if the weight became too fast down the ramp.
Beast had learned to hold a hammer and strike it at the needed place but somehow he was unable to use his hands otherwise. It might be possible for him to be taught but Billy never was willing to invest that amount of time needed to enable Beast to use the hammer.

Unsure what to do Beast sniffed around the wagon until he found the rough leather harness with the chain for pulling the heavy stuff fixed to it. Taking it with his teeth Beast pulled it from the wagon and around to Billy. In one thing the two legged had been right, the sooner he was done the sooner he was allowed to roam the area and to hunt for fresh food.

[Bill Conner]

Billy grumbled as the kid walked up, grabbing the harness from the kid's teeth and dropping it in the dirt before gripping the kid's hands and shaking him. "You're a human, for god's sake," he growled, "you have hands, use them!"

Releasing Beast he snatched up the harness and put it on him, then set everything up so he could finish unloading the wagon. "Don't break anything!" he snapped.

[Beast]

Beast hated the harness. Because he didn't wear it all the time it was a crude construction made of rough leather and iron rings. It chafed on the skin and especially Beasts scars and despite being adjustable for some growth Billy usually made it very tight.
The feral boy didn't dare to resist because he knew he would catch it in Billy's current mood. He just had to endure it and the sooner they finished the sooner he would be out of it again.

The first item at the end of the wagon was the bellows. They had been built on a wooden structure so they could be pulled over the ground and connected to the forge. Billy connected the chain of the harness to the iron ring at the base that faced the back of the wagon.
Throwing his full weight and strength into it Beast strained against the weight of the bellows. But Billy pushing against it was still needed to start it moving. Beast followed the orders the two legged shouted and together they got it onto the ramp. Now Billy was needed as a brake or the weight could move uncontrolled down and crush Beast. Usually the two made a good team but in Billy's current mood Beast was prepared to jump to safety as good as he could chained to the heavy weight.

Finally down on the ground the two moved it to the place Billy wanted it. Beast pulled with the leather of the harness rubbing over his bare dirty skin and Billy steering it left and right and shouting orders until it was in the right position.

The next item would be the forge that weight even more and needed both their strength to set it up.

[Bill Conner]

"All right, let's get this over with," Billy grumbled before taking another swig of the liquor. "Put some effort into it this time." Not like the brat understood. Sure, he could be trained like a dog or other beast, but he was worthless as far as learning to be a proper Human being. Billy didn't understand and had quit trying to...he'd tried but the brat was beyond help. He was beginning to think that the boy had never been right in the head and never really had a chance.

[Beast]

Beast understood more of Billy's words than the man thought but the feral boy rarely showed it. Even then it was like some dog owners believing their dogs understood their words and other thinking it was just coincidence. At first Beast understood not more than the commands he learned but over the years he learned more of if. It was not enough to follow a real conversation but at least the meaning of some sentences he was able to catch if the two legged didn't use too many difficult words.

The only answer to Billy was a single bark from Beast as he put his full weight and strength into the harness. But that was needed to move the heavy forge anyway so it was impossible to tell if Beast understood the words or not. Soon Beast's dust covered body became muddy as his sweat mixed with the dust from walking after the wagon. Drops of sweat running down his skin left trails where his skin color became visible again.

It needed both their strength to get the forge from the wagon and in place beside the bellows. The worst of the work was done Now it depended on Billy's plans how much needed to be unloaded. If Billy planned only a short stop they usually only unloaded what was needed and one big and small anvil but if they stayed longer it made sense to unload the chest of tool and the other two anvils too.
The charcoal and iron was safer on the wagon and only the days supply was usually unloaded.

This all was Billy's decision. Beast didn't care one way or the other. All he care for was that he was left free to roam the town on his own until Billy found enough customers that it made sense to start work. He would just whistle for Beast if it became time to work the bellows. Usually this gave Beast a couple hours up to two days of freedom.

[Bill Conner]

"All right, let's get the rest of this." Billy waved to the wagon again. While he was more than ready to head back to the saloon, he wanted this all set up. At least it was too late to worry about firing up the forge today.

Sighing, he climbed onto the wagon to get the tool chest.

[Beast]

Beast was eager for this to end too. He would be free to roam the town with or without Comanche who just lay under the wagon and looked as the two hauled the stuff around.
Seeing Billy on the wagon at the tool chest Beast used the ramp to get onto the wagon. It was easier for him while running on all fours.

Just before he reached Billy on the wagon a sudden sharp tug on the harness stopped the boy. The now loose chain that dragged behind the harness skidded from the ramp and got stuck between the wagon and ramp. Beast whined in surprise and annoyance and strained against the harness to get loose but it set the chain only harder into the gap.

[Bill Conner]

"Stop!" Billy shouted at the boy, shaking his head. "Can't you do anything?" Sighing, he grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him back so that there was some slack in the chain, then he freed it. "Pulling on it all day won't help anything, dolt! Now come on and hurry up, I don't want to be here all night!"

[Beast]

Beast stopped the moment Billy shouted the command. He whined as he heard the annoyance in his two-legged's voice. He didn't fight it as Billy shoved him a bit back.

With a happy bark Beast tried to thank Billy for his help and followed him willingly. It looked to Beast like they would stay a bit longer and he liked the idea. Laying his strength into the harness he pulled at the tool chest. It was light enough to be dragged by Beast alone. The tricky part was always down the ramp because the chest needed Billy on the other side acting as a brake or it threatened to crush Beast if it got too fast down the ramp.

[Bill Conner]

Keeping a hand on the chest, Billy guided it down the ramp, then nodded with a satisfied smile. "Good job. We're almost done for now, then you can run off to do whatever it is you do." He grunted as he pushed the chest into place. "Just don't scare anyone. I don't want to have to pack this all up again so soon." He was frankly getting tired of being kicked out of places because of the kid! Of course, it never had to do with his own drunken rampages!

[Beast]

Luckily Billy did his part with the chest. It not always worked out that way especially if the two-legged already drank too much of that nasty strong smelling stuff he preferred so much. A couple of times Beast had trouble to avoid being crushed by the chest or other stuff. Still Beast gave a happy single bark as Billy mentioned 'running off' to him.

Then the man berated Beast about scaring people. Sometimes such things happened but it was surprisingly rare if one considered that a boy was running through the town acting exactly like a dog and hunting for rats to devour them raw. Most of the time it had been a drunken Billy who caused some trouble. Beast only very roughly guessed what Billy meant and thought it was better not to answer in any way. Instead he looked up to the man with his head lightly bent towards the left and his tongue hanging out of his 'snout' on that side just ike a dog would do who was waiting on further orders or attention from his owner.

Still wearing the harness Beast guessed there was still something to do but he wasn't sure what Billy wanted.