"Aaah!" screamed the living corpse.

A few arrows had managed to find his sleigh in the previous barrage, and three of them had lodged into the River King's message. It had been a corpse the last time he'd checked, so the name seemed apt for the moment.

Just another thing to be considered later, thought Calf, pushing the resurrection or reanimation aside. He continued towards the door, entering it without further harassment from the archer. He pressed down on the handle and pushed it forward, making enough space for himself and the trailing load. Though a bit worse for wear, he'd finally made it into the tower, with his entry heralded by the living corpse's pained howls.

Once inside, he pulled the door shut behind him and moved to release the former corpse. Once he was done with that, he could at least get an official name from the ram. Hopefully one that sounded less absurd than the descriptive one he’d chosen.

The ram's restraints broke before he could even get to it and the sleigh that was on its chest was launched high up into the air. It spun a few times, spilling all its contents around them before succumbing to gravity as well.

Calf dodged the projectiles and took 4 hurried steps back in an attempt to distance himself from the former corpse. He stared at the ram, noticing the menacing look in its blood shot eyes. It stared back, taking him in and twitching an eyebrow when it got to his tattooed arm. It blurred towards him, and he retreated in response, bringing the short spear up to intercept its advance with lethal force. To his surprise, instead of attacking him, it prostrated itself at his feet and shouted, "Unbound!"

There it was again, that 'unbound' word. Looking at the ram in its prostrated state, it seemed it had gained the tell-tale signs of its previous vocation as a juvenile of the Ever-smiling River upon its resurrection. Scales caked its eyelids and carpeted their way across its cheeks in a slanted pattern that ended at the jaws. Scales covered its whole neck in the front and back, but beyond that they only extended to the clavicle in the front, leaving a furry chest below. The lats and shoulders were fully covered in scales whilst most of its lower back and blades remained devoid of them, save for a thick ridge that ran down the center as if to shield its spine.

"What do you mean unbound?” Calf asked, “And what's with that gesture, get up and introduce yourself properly," he said.

"Exactly what I said. You are marked but unbound," was the response to his first question. "I am currently unnamed, but honor bound to serve you in any way you would see fit. Beyond that, I have been tasked with conveying the River King's message to the Taur council," he finished.

The unnamed part caught his attention, for as far as Calf knew, all earned names could be stripped from any being, but everyone had the basic right to retain a birth name in the least, no matter how low they were cast in future. He asked about the loss of his name and how he'd found himself in a position to serve, getting explanations he could somewhat accept.

The River King's message and the ram's circumstances were closely related so he resolved to listen well when the council put the ram to question. He anticipated them knowing more about the ram’s previous circumstances. He nodded at the ram, who refused to get up no matter how many times he asked him. Frustrated at the lack of cooperation, Calf commanded him instead and the ram obeyed.

It seemed the servitude the ram spoke of would be made manifest through intentional orders but short of this, the ram would adhere to the order to subservience. He nodded for the ram to assist him and together, they righted the sleigh and picked up its scattered load, returning all the items to the sleigh.

⯁⯁⯁

Once they were done righting Calf’s haul, they continued their conversation while waiting for the rites to officially end. Their conversation had eventually arrived at names again, with the ram asking for Calf as his benefactor to name him. Were it under any other circumstances, he wouldn't have dared to do so without counsel, but the potential benefits of this action were just too good to pass up.

He couldn’t be guaranteed on how the greater population of Taurs would respond to the ram’s existence among their number, let alone be guaranteed there wouldn’t be backlash for its previous circumstances. Though his plan incurred a certain level of risk, he thought it worthwhile and decided to tie their fates together by naming him. This would immediately make the ram his first retainer and thus afford him a level of immunity as long as he, the prince survived.

Having made up his mind, he got right to it. He circled the ram a few times, taking in all of its features before weighing every detail, minor and major; to their importance in the ram's story. After a few mental iterations, Calf made up his mind and chose ’Goto the Scaled’. The ram considered for but a second before enthusiastically nodding his acceptance of the name.

Calf then explained his thought process, as well as the intent behind his choice in the name. Though the ram’s majestic double-cuffed horns stood out the most, he chose its scales instead for what they represented to both the ram and him. They were a homage to Calf's benefactor, and even when Calf’s own scales were but only a likeness now, they were still a feature the ram and he shared.

He'd then included the ram's heritage while considering the first name, noting his origin as one of the Perfumed, as well as the musk that defied the double-cuffing his horns had received.

"In one of the older languages, goto is the masculine address for a goat," he'd explained to the ram, "mature by way of age, stubborn to all who attempt to handle it, and thick-scented to the point its musk precedes its appearance wherever it may roam."

Goto had let out a series of inscrutable grunts at that, only revealed to Calf as laughter by the way the ram's shoulders moved up and down between each grunt. Were the ram human, such a negative reference to one’s smell would garner anger or denial in the least; but thanks to the ram’s race, such a thick scent was considered a sign of virility and prowess.

The ram liked the name and the meaning behind it, and from the glint in its eyes when he’d mentioned stubbornness, it was itching to live up to the ‘stubborn’ part of its namesake. Calf could only anticipate this, having named his first retainer, and one who promised to match his defiance in future.