Where the Wranglers Came From

The Story

There was once a person who loved spending time with all the creatures of Vellikka. They would talk to birds, roam the fields with the grazers, swim with the water-breathers and let the crawlers climb all over them. This made them popular with the animals, but they were not pleasant to be around for the others in the settlement. They also didn't much like the other people and tended to keep away from them. Eventually, the Ruler for the settlement spoke to the person, explaining that if they wanted to stay as part of the community they needed to help. Everyone else did their best; the Bearers brought forth and raised the children, the Providers gathered what the settlement needed, the Grifters built things and the Storytellers helped the community remember their history and grow from it. The Ruler said, "If you cannot help the settlement, then you should leave." So the person left. They wandered through the woods and along the coast and were perfectly content. Then, one day, a child came running through the woods, shouting the person's name. Some of the grazers had got out and no one could get them back into their field. The child asked the person to help, and the person eventually agreed. They came back to the settlement and said to the Ruler, "I will help you with this one task, but I want something in return." "What is it you want?" asked the Ruler. "I want a hot meal," the person replied. The Ruler agreed to this condition, and the person easily persuaded the grazers to go back into the field. They ate their hot meal, and left the settlement, returning to the forest. Then, one day, a child came running through the woods, shouting the person's name. Small creatures had gotten into the Providers' stores and were destroying the food. The child asked the person to help, and the person eventually agreed. They came back to the settlement and said to the Ruler, "I will help you with this one task, but I want something in return." "What is it you want?" asked the Ruler. "I want to sleep in a bed for the night," the person replied. The Ruler agreed to this condition, and the person easily trapped the small creatures and moved them away from the stores, before instructing the Grifters on how to stop them from getting in again. They slept a comfortable night in a nice bed, and left the settlement, returning to the forest. Then, one day, a child came running through the woods, shouting the person's name. A flock of nranda had attacked the settlement, clawing through buildings, animals and people alike. The child asked the person to help, and the person eventually agreed. They came back to the settlement and said to the Ruler, "I will help you with this one task, but I want something in return." "What is it you want?" asked the Ruler. "I want to be part of the settlement," the person replied. "I may smell bad and have strange habits and not like most people, but you need me." The Ruler quickly agreed. The person set about scaring off the nranda and ensuring the safety of the animals that the settlement relied on. "I am sorry that we misjudged you," said the Ruler. "You have helped us with many different problems and I am sure there are more uses still for skills such as yours. We shall call you a Wrangler, for you deal with struggles daily and yet find ways to help us." And from then on, Wrangler became a pathway for any Vellich who was so inclined.

Summary

This story is one of the stories told to children by a Storyteller to teach them about the Vellich Profession Paths. This one is specifically about the Wranglers path and is designed to shed some light on the different aspects of this path. It also highlights the occasionally antisocial attitude of some (but not all) Wranglers, preferring the company of creatures to people, and is possibly a persuasive piece of writing aiming to highlight to children, "Yes, they may smell like animals a lot of the time, but they are still a valued part of our community and should be respected".

Variations & Mutation

There are several areas where the telling of this story varies. The first is in where the person goes when they are ejected from their settlement. Most say the woods, but others talk about heading out onto the planes and some even talk about swimming into the ocean (although that is by far the least plausible and the least popular of the variations). The second area is the nature of the three tasks that the person performs in order to effectively win back their position within the settlement. Some use an example like a building fire or similar for the final problem for the Wrangler to solve, as this is part of their responsibilities. Others use different animal issues for the problems. For example, in some the animals don't escape their field but are getting sick and no one knows why. In another telling, there is something akin to a flea infestation. The fundamentals, however, remain the same; there is always an escalation of issues and they always align with the job of the Wranglers within society.

Culture	Vellich Profession Paths, Vellich World View, Wranglers
Traditions	Path Choosing
Locations	Vellikka
Stories	Story of the First Ruler, Story of Storytellers, Story of the First Bearers, Story of the Grifters, Why Providers Provide