|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 11:45 pm
 The quiet elder lay motionless by the river's edge, paws tucked neatly underneath his chin. At first glance, one could presume the old otter was dead by it's cold, stiff body and ghastly pale fur. Such an assumption would be true, for not the slow, rise and fall of the otter's flank. Yes, you could potentially say that the blood-stained creature wasn't dead yet... but why make false accusations?
Sightless eyes opened warily as Ketsueki tilted his ears to the soft sounds around him. The light chirps of birds, the gentle breeze singing through the canopies, and the lulling roll of the river put him at ease. His nose brushed against a stitched wrist as he slowly extended a forepaw into the steady flow of water. A small stream of red tainted the surrounding flow briefly before dissolving along the surface. He wasn't sure how long he had been lying on the river bank. The male remembered stopping there after realizing he was seperated from his companion, Domino. It was hard having the mini serve as a guide when it was so easily distracted all the time. Ketsu sighed before giving a small chuckle. Ah well, he'd find his way around. Even if he couldn't see.
Besides, he was not unfamiliar with the factor of being alone...
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 11:11 am
 The water flowed slowly in the river, but a small trail of blood could be seen rising from under the surface, moving about in a pattern that would seem odd, if you weren't an otter. Suddenly the water rippled and a dark and light colored head popped out of the water, a large clam clamped in her jaws.
It was the Elder Angelic female Morgana, going through something like a nesting phase, looking, collecting and rejecting clams for her upcoming babies. Her family was quite surprised to find out she was pregnant with pups, but she refused to say who was the father and she didn't plan to tell anyone any time soon.
She hauled herself onto the shore and looked over the clam with judging red eyes and then she shook her head and bent her head over to throw it away when she saw the blood on the grass. She found it odd because it wasn't hers and normally that meant someone was hurt. But then she saw another otter, laying not too far away and she was curious if he were dead. She picked up the clam and made her way over to him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 5:10 pm
Ketsu carefully lifted his paw from the river before gently lowering his muzzle to the water's surface. Ears flicked slightly with discomfort as he caught the coppery scent of blood mingled in the stream. 'Relax,' he thought calmly. 'Of course the river would have a hint of blood; you just put your paw in it...' The reassurance wasn't very helpful to the elder's mindset. There had been something about the smell that didn't seem like his own...
Shaking his head lightly, the loner rose into a sitting position. His tail swept softly over his paws as his empty gaze glanced distantly out into the forest. He was at a loss of what to do. Hunting seemed rather useless now, considering the fish could smell him a mile away...
The otter's ear perked sharply at the soft sound of another approaching. It felt odd being approached, considering most of the Oasis residents avoided coming into contact with him. Ketsueki's head turned, ears easily pin-pointing the distance of the other. She seemed to approach him out of curiousity rather than fear or disgust. Nonetheless, Ketsu shuffled his paws shyly as the other nearned. "Good evening," he murmured, dipping his head curteously in recognition of the femme. His head slowly lifted with concern as the foreign scent of blood reached him once again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 5:23 pm
Finally she was close enough to the otter to see he was very much alive and quite large which told her he was an Elder like herself. She stopped a short distance from him and she sat herself down, laying the clam down at her side before lifting her head up to view him.
She was quite surprised to find he was kind of like her in looks, in a different sort of way. Did others avoid him as well? She smiled gently when he greeted her, "Good evening to you as well sir. I am sorry I came over like this, but.....I have never seen another that is somewhat like myself." she said, her tail curling around her legs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 6:31 pm
"That's quite alright," he reassured with a soft smile. "It's nice to have good company once in awhile." And though Ketsu wasn't too fond of crowds, he didn't mind encountering another otter every now and then. Unfortuantely, his last meeting resulted with an acquaintance dissapearing after the pale otter had brought up a rather queasy subject... But because of Ketsueki's appearance, it was rare for anyone to confront him at all.
He tilted his head curiously as she pointed out that he seemed to look similar to herself. "Oh?" he managed to murmur. That could have explained where the new bloodied scent had come from. He wasn't sure exactly what she meant, but in fear in bringing up a sore subject, he simply nodded and let the statement hang in the air. Awkward, on his part.
Ketsu fidigeted slightly and wondered if a different topic could make him feel less embarassed. "Have you been hunting?" he inquired, recalling the other otter placing something down before speaking to him. The item carried no scent of fish or crayfish. He silently hoped his question did not lead to an extremely obvious answer. "Pardon me," he murmured apologetically with a small dip of his head. "My sight isn't... very well..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 6:47 pm
Morgana scratched an itch behind her ear, finding it a bit diffucult with her growing belly. She looked at him when he asked if she had been hunting and she looked down at the empty clam, "Oh no, I am looking for clams.....for my pups." she said a bit shyly. "Oh it's quite alright, I just hope the blood off me doesn't irritate your nose."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 7:19 pm
Ketsueki listened thoughtfully. "Pups, hmm? Well, I give you my blessing that they grow to be strong and healthy. Is there a certain day you are expecting them?" He remembered coming across a small, orphaned clam once. It had been swapped between him and a couple of younger males for sometime before one had taken it to find it a home. He eventually met up with the pup again after she emerged. The winged youngling seemed to be quite a handful for awhile, but in time, she finally leveled out. Ketsu purred softly in attempts to chuckle as he thought over the times the pup would follow him around aimlessly and ask questions at rapidfire.
"Not at all. I've grown quite used to the smell." he admitted, blinking in slight embarassment. "Ah, where are my manners...?" he murmured to himself, giving a curt bow. "My name is Ketsueki."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 7:28 pm
"I honestly don't know when I will give birth, but I am trying to find good clams to put them in when the time comes." she explained, "That is what I am doing now....so I guess I am hunting!" she said with a soft chuckle. Her tail flicked when he introduced himself and she smiled again when he bowed to her, "My name is Morgana, it is a pleasure to meet you Ketsueki."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 7:52 pm
"As it is a pleasure to meet you as well, Morgana." He smiled gently and glanced blankly up at the sky. "I can assist you in finding clams, if you'd like." He offered politely. "Though, I can't garuntee I'll find anything that looks good color-wise." he absentmidedly scratched the back of his head. "But if that's something you'd rather do by yourself, I understand." he finished. He respected the fact that others usually preferred to keep personal matters to themselves.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 7:59 pm
"Oh it's not trouble at all really, I prefer company if it is offered. I have a family, but they have matters of their own and I don't like to bother them. I guess I am just being very picky over clams right now." she confess, her tail rubbing at her belly. "I want them to be big enough to hold them and strong enough to keep any predators out, not that I will let them out of my sight." she said.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 10:45 pm
"Family..." Ketsu murmured as if in a daze. The word sounded so foreign on his tounge. He had never lived with a family before, or if he did, it was years ago before the incident. Something that would be forever beyond his memory's reach. He broke from the daze as Morgana listed off what she was looking for in a clam. "Well, you can't help but be picky." he assured gently. "Keeping your childern's saftey at the top of the list, you truly are a good mother." he praised with a small smile. "As for the clams, stronger ones may be found a ways upstream, where the current is a bit faster..." he offered, still thinking where it would be possible to find larger clams. Being blind with alot of free time on your paws, you can't help but be highly aware of what's going on in your surroundings.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 6:54 pm
"Really? I think my wings can help me handle the faster current, but if there are bigger clams, I would greatly appreciate it if you could show me the way!" she said, a small blush on her muzzle when he called her a great mother.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 7:36 pm
Ketsu nodded lightly. "It would be my pleasure to help you." he murmured politely. His head tilted curiousily as she mentioned having wings. It wasn't often he'd meet an angelic, yet he felt he may have encountered some without knowing it before. Turning back to the water, he slipped inside. When he moved against the current, his body turned completey white as the blood was breifly whisked from his fur. Soon enough, the dark red color returned to his body after getting used to the feel of the current. "The current should be a bit faster upstream if we travel east," he motioned with his muzzle. "And from there it might be easier to the clams you need." he added with a curt smile. Relying on the vibrations in the water to lead him, Ketsueki began to swim at a slow pace, only to pause so Morgana could catch up.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 7:48 pm
"Alright, lead the way." she said, knowing he couldn't see her nod. She followed after him and quietly slipped into the water, her own blood washing off as well and she followed after him. Normally, she would be swimming at a much faster pace, but she didn't want to risk losing her pups this soon.
Her wings flapped in the water, helping her move along, her tail naturally acting like a rudder, keeping her red eyes on him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 8:07 pm
Feeling the soft vibrations of when Morgana entered the river, Ketsu used his tail to help move foward through the water, trying to match her pace. After bobbing his under and over the river's surface, he finally maintained a steady speed. "Your family..." he began to ask curiously. "Have they had the experience of raising pups before?" he said, basically wondering if anyone had started a family of their own before her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
