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 Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 2:56 pm
Yaaaawn.
Pebble flicked a large ear several times, and then the other one in a sad attempt to amuse himself. Mama had gone off to do her own thing, and so he and his siblings were just hanging around the Southlands. It wasn't like this was unusual -- she let them go wherever they wanted -- it was just today he had run out of ideas. He'd already chased his tail, buried a rather large stick, and now he'd flicked both of his ears multiple times. What else was there to do?
The young wild dog rolled neatly onto his back, blue eyes staring up at the equally blue sky. Where was Cricket when you needed her? She always came up with things to do. He swatted absently at a passing fly, only to find the motion extremely amusing. Wiggling and "running" on the spot, Pebble started to laugh, tipping his head back further to yell for his sister.
"Hey look Cricket I'm running on the sky!"
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 3:15 pm
They had two names. One their father had given them, and then one Gzifa had given them when their father took off. Cricket was a wild dog you could peg as 'intelligent'. If you compared her to most of her family her IQ was off the charts.
Taking that into account, she was still young. Too young to understand why their father had taken off--and asking Gzifa didn't help, she didn't know either. She just had a feeling the fact he was gone should make her angry. So it did.
She'd much rather go by her mothers name. Seems like all of them would.
There was very little in Cricket that resembled Gzifa. Her curiousity may perhaps be the only thing, but it was as strong as her mothers. The yelling drew Cricket toward her brother, but once she was there, she gave him a look of 'Are you serious?'
"So, this is what you accomplish all day. That's good to know. Real benefit to the world."
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 3:26 pm
Pebble too had a second name, but it was much too hard to remember. He could barely remember what he had for breakfast, much less the second name his siblings had been given by their father. Besides, Cricket and Mud and Puddle and Stick were so much easier to remember! The pup had, no doubt, inherited his mother's way of naming things. They were splotchy in the same kind of way, and that was enough for Pebble. He didn't dwell on similarities.
The wild dog's tail began to wag the moment his sister came into sight, grinning broadly up at her. Running on the sky was so fun, he'd felt the need to share it with her. Not that she found his games amusing, but he still shared anyways. Needless to say, Cricket's sarcasm went right over his head, and he only giggled back at her. "It's fuuuun, Cricket, you should try! And it's not that... benefitting to the world, just fun." Nice Pebble, making up your own words now. "Wanna try it?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 3:37 pm
"Absolutely not." Cricket made a face at the suggestion. As if she'd ever do something that foolish. Not to mention pointless. She was too... Well, she didn't know what the word was, but she was too much of it to agree to that question.
Not that she would know it, but Cricket wasn't as smart as she thought she was. Not yet. She was still clueless about a lot. If she had known as much as she wanted to right then, she'd have known it wasn't normal for Gzifa to let them run wherever thye wanted with no guidelines, rules or guidance.
Her harsh attitude wasn't a reflection of her feelings toward her siblings and mother, just... toward the way they acted. Which was ridiculous. She wasn't about to mimic her brothers actions. Spending time with him was still an 'okay'.
She sat beside him and stared up at the sky. "Why do you think the clouds are up there?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 4:17 pm
Aaaw, she wasn't going to join him? She was such a kill-joy. Still, Pebble wasn't the type to get angry at or dislike his sister, especially since she came and spent time with him. Joining in his games was only an added bonus. Besides, she was much smarter than he was and so probably knew of better things to do with her time. The very fact that she came when he called made everything alright, so he would never hold her game rejection against her. It just wasn’t his way.
He rolled onto his side and half-sat up, deciding it was a better position now that she was going to talk. Her question made him blink, before tilting his head upwards to stare at the clouds again. "Uh.... because sometimes the sun is really bright and shade isn't always there? Why, what do you think?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 4:24 pm
"I'm not sure the sky cares enough about the stuff below it to make clouds just for that." Cricket sat in silence for a while after that, thinking hard. "Maybe it has something to do with the rain. Remember how dark they got before it rained before? Now they're all white again."
The family hadn't been together when the passing rains had poured over them. Cricket was alone at the time. Unlike Gzifa who was terrified of the thunder, Cricket was intrigued by it. Why so loud?
"Do you know where Mom is?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 4:30 pm
...oh. Well, so much for that theory. Truth be told, Pebble had been too busy flouncing around in the mud puddles to notice the change in the clouds. He had thought the sky was just changing colour, not the clouds. "Maybe. Maybe they get dark to warn people that water is going to fall?"
At the mention of the location of their mother, the cub puffed up his chest. "The great adventurer has gone out on another great adventure," Pebble recited in a manner that was far too close to the way Gzifa spoke, "Please leave a message with one of her small ones and she'll get back to you."
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 4:44 pm
Cricket stared at him. Though, it was more Gzifa she was staring at, since he was speaking on her behalf. "...I see." Yes, that sounded like their mother. Where had she gone? She seemed to venture off each and every day.
Cricket had an independant streak going for her, so she wasn't that bothered by it. Gzifa always returned by night fall and dropped food at their feet. As long as that happened, all was well.
"I'm going to go explore, too."
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 4:52 pm
Pebble only grinned at his sister when she stared, chest still puffed out proudly. He had remembered! He'd remember every single word and recited it perfectly to Cricket! Now that Cricket knew it, he wasn't so worried about forgetting it should a stranger happen upon the pups. Cricket remembered everything.
The moment Cricket said she was going to explore Pebble deflated, suddenly interested. "Can I come too, Cricket? I promise I won't get in your way or stand on your feet or or or... " His tail thumped against the floor as he stared pleadingly up at his sister. He invited her to his games, surely she would take him with her!
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 5:01 pm
Cricket prefered to explore alone like Gzifa. She didn't know the reality was Gzifa prefered having a partner in her ventures, and would have never left home if she hadn't found one. Thus she rightly assumed Gzifa, despite her outgoing personality, liked being by herself.
Sadly, she shared the same weakness in the face of her own bloodline. She exhaled a defeated sigh. "Alright, fine, but don't get in my way, alright?" Where to go first?
"I'm going this way," she said. It might not have nesscary to say. Cricket never could tell with her family. Better safe than sorry, right? The two pups headed East, toward nothing in particular. She was sort of hoping something interesting would just...find them.
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 5:10 pm
"Okay!" Pebble sprung to his feet in glee, nearly bouncing around his sister until he remembered that he'd promised not to get in her way. He settled for bouncing on the spot instead. Yaaay! He was going adventuring! Think of all the lovely pretty creatures they would meet along the way! Maybe they would meet a real lion!
With a wagging tail and a grin on his face, the pup trotted after his sister as they set off, glad to be told of their departure. Otherwise, he might not have noticed she was leaving, having been too focused on his gleeing.
Not too long into their journey, Pebble began humming softly to himself, kicking pebbles along as he walked. One of the pebbles skipped off their path and into a clump of bushes. The bushes rustled rather violently, then stopped.
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 5:19 pm
Cricket wasn't sure what her standing on lions was yet; her determination to learn as much as possible made her curious about them, but... Were they safe to be around? Mom hadn't really said much about them.
Cricket hadn't decided yet if there was any knowledge worth risking real, honest to goodness danger to gain. She may have had a long way ahead of her before she took a standing on it. As far as the lion thing, she could form an opinion on that today.
Not far ahead of them was a juvenile, former pridelander, pacing left and right, left and right, a frown set on her face and her posture of impatience.
Cricket stopped.
What to do...?
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 5:24 pm
Pebble bumped into his sister when she stopped suddenly, now suddenly on the alert. Had she spotted something? Was there something ahead? He was nearly bouncing on the spot again, looking from side to side until his blue eyes locked on the former pridelander. Was that... it was!
"Cricket! Cricket is that a lion?" He whispered excitedly, leaping from foot to foot. "Does it talk? Can I talk to it?"
Of course, getting attacked or eaten didn't even cross Pebble's mind. He only wanted to know if the strange creature in front of them talked so he could ask it a billion questions. Obviously that was more important than what was for lunch.
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 6:18 pm
"I don't know." Why wouldn't they talk? Everything else did. Cautiously, Cricket instructed her brother to, "Stay put." If the lion was dangerous, she could get away from it. Pebble probably wouldn't. "If it comes at me, run, okay?"
The puppy slowly crept toward the juvenile. Sen stared at her like she was insane--which, to Sen, she did look like she was. Cricket straightened when she was close enough.
"Hel-lo. My name is De-su De-su Cric-ket. What is your name?" She spoke slowly, sounding out all the words, the most emphasis placed on her own name. Sen stared at her a little longer.
"Why are you TALKING like that? Are you slow?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 6:34 pm
Aww, stay put? Cricket got all the fun!
Still, Pebble did as he was told, and sat down instantly on the ground. Even so, the thought that something as awesome as a lion made him wiggle. It was only his sincere desire to please Cricket that kept him in place. Had it been any of his other siblings he would have been at their side in a flash. But Cricket was special, and if she asked him to do something she meant business. Whatever business was.
His ears perked when Cricket spoke, eyes darting between his sister and the lion. "It talks! Cricket it talks, can I come over pleeeeaaaase?" Pebble couldn't take it! He wanted to prance around the lion! Why couldn't he prance around the lion?
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