prompt for December 2 - 23 obstinate oliphaunts

~~~

Equally Obstinate

One oliphaunt was daunting. Aragorn rapidly counted the animals milling in the valley below him. A herd of twenty-three... he swallowed hard.

To get the job, he had to find the lead oliphaunt, take hold of the red ring on her head and lead her out. The rest would follow. Red? It had sounded like red.

Shouldering past a curious youngster not much larger than a horse, he grabbed a red ring and tugged. She rolled her eyes. Planting his feet, he tugged harder, and found himself on his back with the herd leisurely heading away. He stood and followed.