Author Post, Reserved
This is a long time in the making. I wrote and discarded at least three wholly different drafts before realizing the incident here is the only one I really liked.
This takes inspiration from the Youtube channel, The Hoof GP, which makes satisfying, wholesome videos out of the often disgusting business of trimming cow hoofs. The segments which make it to video often include coming upon pressurized cavities of fluid and carving them out to release the pressure. I felt there was a parallel to be drawn here with the rocky, yet biological and ornery nature of 173.
Special thanks to critters: Voct,
Kilerpoyo,
YardBirdMe,
Ethagon,
AwhRyan,
radian628, and
ubergoober.