[PRP] Replacement Part I: Oops [Asku and Namid]

[Skyflu]

Namid jolted from a nap and immediately bolted out towards a clearing. Asku rested next to her, but she stepped on him as she rushed out. She'd have to say sorry later, but this could not wait. Things were happening too fast and there wasn't anything she could do about it. A soft whisper tried to reach her, but it wasn't reaching her. The cries died in fading wafts just measures away. They needed help.

She circled around a patch of grass, sniffing the edge of it. Namid needed to find it, but she wasn't quite sure what it was.... maybe grass would help. She lowered her head to the grass and nipped at the tips. Her tongue lapped at the greens before a vial feeling spewed through her body. Immediately she spat out the grass. Uggg~ not right. Maybe something else.
She picked up her head and padded through some bushes.  

[SilverLutz]

Finally, a rest. Asku and Namid had decided to stay in the pack. Or rather, Namid had said the stars said it was okay to stay. That was good, because Asku had really felt like he could live a good life here in this place. Everyone he had come across was very friendly and there was plenty of food and fresh water to go around. Paradise.

Of course, his dreams of chasing prey and rolling in flower fields and playing with pups were broken as a paw landed squarely on his tail and another on the side of his head. He let out a surprised yelp and jerked awake in time to see Namid's tail disappear around a tree. Oh great...where was she going now?

He gave himself a shake before getting to his feet to trot after her. It wasn't too much of a surprise by now. Namid would frequently run off to search for something or move a leaf from a stream back onto the land. "What are you looking for this time?" he asked as he caught up to the smaller wild dog. "A beetle?"  

[Skyflu]

Where was it? She stuck her head in a mole hole, hoping to find a clue. Her tail shot straight up in efforts to help get a signal. Nothing. She pulled her head out of the hole. Dirt clung to her fur and matted her whiskers. She rubbed at the earth with her paw, clearing her face from the clumps. Namid was definitely not meant for underground exploration. Not only did it keep her from the stars, but the dirt got in un-wanted places. She huffed in frustration. This was taking too much time. If only she had a clue.

Asku caught up with her, which only held her attention for a moment. "No, no. A beetle will not do. I'm thinking a stick will do better.... Yes!" She dashed off towards the nearest tree. The branches were low enough for her to reach, if she climbed. So, she began to climb. Just one paw in front of the other. The branches were big enough to hold her, though she felt awkward. Another place Namid is not meant to be, the sky. She may stare at it all she likes, but being in it is not welcomed.

She laid across three branches, just enough to have jaws in reach of a juicy limb. "Asku, stand right here." Her ears pointed down, right under the branch. "Catch it when it is free."  

[SilverLutz]

Asku sat down once he reached Namid and watched her with a tilted head. He was used to her antics by this point and even found them a bit endearing. She really didn't care what happened to her, as long as she got the message from her beloved stars. He gave a little huff of amusement as she pulled her head back from the hole in the ground covered in dirt: it wasn't a look he'd recommend for her, but the determined look on her face coupled with the messy appearance was amusing.

As Namid hopped over to a tree, Asku followed, as was required. He watched her climb the tree, his amused smile wavering a bit. Oh...okay, this was getting a bit dangerous. His tail stopped wagging quite so much as Namid moved further and further up into the tree. And what? She wanted him to catch a branch? No...that wasn't a branch. The thing that she was poking and prodding was a log.

"Ah...Namid...I don't think that I can catch tha-" But it was too late. The limb snapped off and came sailing down out of the tree straight towards him. He thought about catching it but as it grew larger and larger faster and faster...nope. No way. He leapt out at the last second and heard a massive crack.

"Get out of that tree before you kill both of us!" he barked, shaking as he turned to look at the cracked limb. There was no way he could have caught that and survived unscathed.  

[Skyflu]

Namid chewed the branch with her fangs. It took time, but she was making it through. A few quick nips had the weight of the branch on her side as it forced itself down towards the ground. Just before it fell, Namid glanced down to be sure Asku was in position. He was... and then as the branch came crashing down, he was not. Hummm... we'll see how effective that was. Maybe the branch didn't need catching.

The branch rolled to a safe distance and laid still. Now it was time to join it. She placed her paws on the branch supporting her upper body and hoisted herself down. One foot at a time, but she was uncomfortable with going backwards. Seems going up was the easy part... she struggled to position her back feet on a branch which left her...sort of dangling. Well, she could let go and fall. Though, given her distance from the ground, she could hurt herself. Asku often told her to watch herself. Maybe this time she should heed him, so just falling probably wasn't the best idea. Then the next best thing is to see how far she could reach. Namid slowly lowered her upper body from the safety of the branch, at the same time, she flailed her lower legs in hopes of finding ground. Luckily, she found purchase on a lower branch. She let herself drop and used the new branch as a temporary jumping log to the ground. All four paws landed safely on the ground. She was a lot higher than she originally thought, so her limbs took most of the impact from the fall. A few quick shakes will solve it.

She jogged to the branch and flapped her limbs every now and then to loosen the pain.  

[SilverLutz]

Asku paced back and forth under the tree as Namid made her way down. At each slip and slide he flinched and his ears were pretty much plastered to his head, whimpering quietly. This was so incredibly nerve wracking that he didn't even notice the log stop rolling and break neatly into two pieces, split right down the middle. The debris of twigs left behind crackled under his paws as he paced, stopping as Namid did.

He was about to tell her not to drop, but it was too late. She fell to the ground and he flinched as she landed, but she started walking almost instantly. He trotted after her, a worried look on his face, ears cocked forward as he watched her walk. She seemed okay, even though she was shaking her paws from time to time. Probably stingy.

"Are you all right?" he finally asked, bobbing his head up and down to see if she was bleeding anywhere. No blood...gods. Someone up there must like her if she only suffered stinging paws from that fall.  

[Skyflu]

Ah, yes. Things are turning out better than she hoped. The branch has seemed to break directly down the middle. I guess Asku didn't need to catch it. Namid was worried that branch would be useless. She'd rather not have to climb another tree again. Once was enough.

She inspected the branch by sniffing in it meticulously. Asku's body radiated worry, so she turned to comfort him, leaning back on her hind legs and sticking her two front legs, straight out. "I am perfectly fine. See?" She turned her front legs for proof. She would expose her hind legs, but that would cause her to fall over. Her front legs would just have to do. Plus, it was only polite to calm one's nerves. At least, she's beginning to learn.

"Now, help me stand them up. Makes sure that...." She paused to inspect the clouds. Even during the daylight hours, darkness wished to speak to her. She needed to be sure the logs were in the proper place. "...that one," She pointed to the one closest to Asku, "is placed right here." She patted a patch of brown grass. "And then the other one right here." She gestured to the air in front of her. If the logs where set up correctly, they'd be parallel to each other and about a foot apart.  

[SilverLutz]

Asku's tail twitched nervously as Namid continued to inspect the stupid logs. She had to be okay. She wasn't even limping now that she was by the wood again. He pulled his head back a bit as she turned around, not expecting her to actually address him while she was communicating with the stars. How she did it without them being out was beyond him.

He glanced down at her paws as she offered them to him and leaned in, squinting just a bit. No blood, no bruising, no bones poking through...how had she managed that jump without so much as a scratch? "I suppose," he murmured quietly, sitting back now that he had no reason to worry. If she were truly in pain she'd stop. Hopefully.

As Namid began to instruct, Asku got back to his feet. He was used to playing helper for her by now and, rather than question her antics, simply did as he was told. He nudged the first half of the log over to the place where she had indicated, and then the second to the other. He sat back, panting softly. Those had been heavy. "Standing up or laying down?" he asked, putting both front paws onto the second log.  

[Skyflu]

Yes, yes. Things were feeling better. Almost like the distant cries were sighing in relief. Each placement of the log hushed the cries to whimpers. "Up! Up! They need to be standing. Yes..." She dug her paws under the top of the log and leaned it up. Her paws stayed in place until she was sure it wouldn't move. Once stable, she moved to the next one and repeated the process. Oh, yesssss~ much better, but not complete. There was something missing... always missing. Something needed to connect the two. Namid flicked her ears in a radar motion in hopes of picking up a wave. She closed her eyes in concentration. The world was silent... but...wait... there. A pulse drifted through a few reeds near to a pond. Her ears honed in on the signal and she headed towards the pulse, eyes still closed. Her ears needed to guide her, not her eyes.

Namid's nose touched long grass, but still, she didn't open her eyes. Not yet. The pulse became stronger and more demanding the further she reached her head into the reeds. Then... silence. She opened her eyes to find herself face to face with a cattail. Perfect. She quickly snipped it off at the base and carefully pulled it through the other reeds to bring back with her to the logs. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Her backside skipped in pure joy, while her front carried her forward. It was an odd site, but she couldn't help it.

The logs hummed in happiness as she placed the cattail across the top of them, connecting the two. Then suddenly, a blast of particles on a micro level blasted through the bridge. "Yep, yep, yep!" She jumped around in circles in compliance with the particles.  

[SilverLutz]

Asku moved out of the way as Namid set about pushing the logs up. He didn't want to mess it up somehow and have the whole thing come crashing down on them. That would be terribly counter-productive. Sitting back on his haunches, he stared up at the sky and wondered how two vertical logs were going to do..whatever it was Namid needed them to do. Help her see the stars in the daytime? He had heard of packs keeping time by the way the shadows moved, but that was something else completely. The sun wasn't a star...right?

He was pulled from his thoughts as Namid wandered over to a small pond and remained there for a few minutes, her head in a large clump of reeds. When she returned Asku got up and moved in, sniffing the cattail curiously. "How...how is this going to do anything?" he asked as he looked up at the construction. It was so simple but Namid seemed so pleased...

"Namid, are you sure thi-" As soon as he turned to watch her hop around the construction, he bumped into one of the logs. He froze as he looked up and watched the massive thing teeter to one side and fall directly onto a stone. It split again, this time very unevenly. Oh no....

[To Be Continued...End Part 1]