Rewilding solo

[Alfred]

20 years ago...

The battle had been won, and both sides busied themselves piling up bodies like cord wood. The streams that were clogged from the use of siege engines, and changes in the landscape during the extended warfare. Trees were cut down to make ramparts, fortresses, ladders, and rams. As armies are want to do, they moved on, and fought for what ever lord, or lady who had conscripted them. It's doesn't matter who anymore.

Even a few short days after the aftermath was seen, the bodies might be gone but the war dogs had began to make loose packs, and started killing the local wild life first the weak, and sick, but they soon began to decimate the herds, and flocks, harassing travelers in the area.

The area was devastated.

[Alfred]

Present...

Feral hogs ran rampant, and the only thing even trying to keep them in check were the feral dogs, the descendants of the war dogs released during battle decades ago. When they weren't turning pigs into a gore fest harassed travelers coming and going. No birds chirped, the occasional crow would caw, there were no deer, rabbit, or squirrel either. The streams had turned into a stagnant bog that hosted mosquitos, and gnat swarms.

The denizens of the lands were sick, afraid to work the land, and the fields have went from crops, to weeds to grass which would occasionally dry, and catch on fire. In short things were looking grim for the lands.

The Baron of the lands, having heard that land management was my passion, had requested my presence.

"So, what do I call you? Ranger? Druid?" The Baron asked looking out of a portcullis at a stagnant fetid bog.

"Fieldsman will do" I told him looking out the adjacent one at the same bog.

"We have a problem, and these lands, these people are dying, and unable to produce anything. Is there anything you can do to help?"

I nodded, and sighed, it was something I had seen dozens of times where humanity had withered a place, and now they were having issues. But it was fixable. "This ship can be righted, but I can't do it alone. I'll need people to do what needs to be done, and it will take months before you see any significant change."

"What would you need?" The Baron asked.

"First off, no more wolf, fox or raptor hunts. Instead, encourage boar, and dog hunting. Teach them the reason most animals fear humans... No poisons though."

"I'll lead restoration efforts, some of them you will likely not like." I said.

"Such as?" The Baron asked looking at me.

"Once the boars, and the dogs have been thinned then I will be introducing wolves, and a probably a mountain lion to start things again."

The Baron gave me a rather sour face "you want to reintroduce those here?"

I nodded "You will have stronger herds of deer, and wild sheep from them in time."

The Baron looked resigned to that fact, and I continued "I'll need help getting the water running, and we can go from there."

The Baron nodded "I see, I will sign an allotment of guards, and serfs to assist you, and if you need any other assistance speak with my Sherriff. He'll make sure you get what you need."