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 Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 4:02 pm
The day was new and the grasslands were quiet. The rising sun painted golden rays across the breezy, dry-grassed earth. Families of felines and canines alike would be waking soon to get about with their daily lives. Cubs would play and learn the ways of the creatures before them, and the creatures before them, and so on. Mothers would hunt for their young and fathers would guard their territories. It was the way of the land.
Wading into the water, white fur stuck to the in-shape form of Talbot. He shivered slightly as temperature of the water temporarily shocked him; he'd been far too hot for far too long. It was nice to get away and go for a swim after being stuck in his den for such a long hot rain. Made him feel fresh a new.
It had been several days since he'd last seen someone other than his mate. In some ways he longed for more company, but he wouldn't complain, for his mate was the best company he could ask for. Still, a new face would be nice.
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 4:31 pm
 Gaidi loved the sun light. Bright days under a clear, endlessly blue sky were invigorating, and she seemed to draw even more energy from the very earth into her already youthful legs whenever the sun shone unobstructed and high.
Of course, Gaidi was a fan of all weather. Just as she adored the way sun light gave her energy, she thrived in the melancholy of rainy day, or the thrills of a night so dark from clouds, it seemed every star in the sky had died. She loved the diamond studded canopy of a clear night, and the challenge of a strong wind. The earth provided so much fun, she hardly felt she needed her gigantic family to keep her busy.
Of course, she had them, and she would never tire of them. It was simply an overload of occupations.
Needing a break, time to be on her own, she moved toward one of her favorite spots in the area. The water. She was convinced she owned the water, and it would one day bend to her power over it. She was even building a little raft, having seen the way wood floated, so she could stand atop it and own even the very center of the water hole, where she could not yet swim with such short legs.
"Hey!" she barked, drawing near the water an spotting a white from sending ripples through her peaceful spot, "what are you doing in there?!"
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 4:58 pm
Talbot dipped his muzzle into the water and then lifted his head, shaking it free of the droplets of water. His ears flopped side to side and then stuck straight up in their usual position. Such a nice day...
Or at least he'd thought it was until the shrill voice of a pup assulted his ears. He turned in the water, tilted his head at the little green form he saw. It'd been a while since he'd last seen a pup. How long had it been, exactly? Probably not since his pack years. Cute little buggers.
"Uh.." He blinked. "I'm just cooling off in the water," he called calmly too the pup. "Water's beautiful today. You should try it out."
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 5:07 pm
"I know it's beautiful," she yipped, splashing into the water but staying where her paws could still touch the ground. She was simply claiming the water by being in it. Growling, she didn't seem to notice that this adult wild dog was over twice her size, "it's always beautiful. I know that, because it's mine."
This, of course, was an unproven fact. Lots of animals used the watering hole, though most of the time she caught it when she was alone, and thus she was given the impression that she was the only one who really cared about the water. She didn't treat it like a nice spot for a drink, or a good place for a bath: to her it was a treasure. Her treasure.
And she was not much for sharing.
"I've never seen you around here before! You're not in my family, so you're not allowed in my water. I'll fight you for it!"
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 5:21 pm
As she stepped into the water he waded back towards the shore, nearer to her. Her growl concerned him. Could she be the next generation of abusers? Who would they victimize next? And claiming the water? Could it really be possible that corruption started at such an innocent stage.
"I don't really think the water belongs to anyone but the earth and gods. I don't think you're either of those." He blinked, stopping before he was too close to her. "I'm not your family, I'm no ones family. And I don't want to fight you." The corners of his mouth curled down in a slight frown as he watched her. What a shame.
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 5:32 pm
the confrontational puppy watched him as he moved from the water, tilting her head at him. She was bristled, ready for a fight. She didn't blink at his words, though she did chew on her lower lip thoughtfully for a moment before shaking her head.
"No, I'm not a God or the earth. Don't be silly!" She almost grinned at the implication, but kept her attitude up by force of will, "what are ya? Chicken? Can't fight a girl? Or maybe you think you're being nice by not fighting a puppy? Whatever, mate, I could have taken you. I think. I'm small, but I'm tough."
She sighed, sitting down. The water felt nice around her legs, and she relaxed a little. He didn't seem interested in stealing her treasure, or driving her off. though she would not admit it as backing down, she did shrug her small green shoulders indifferently, "I guess you can stay if you want. Just don't go wasting it with splashes, and don't think it's not mine, because it is."
She wagged her tail, her eyes light and playful.
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 5:42 pm
His shoulders relaxed slightly as she seemed to settle down. Perhaps he'd been wrong, but he still felt there were some things the young female could be taught to prevent abusers. In any case, it wasn't his place and he was fine to remain perfect quiet on the subject, just incase the pup should have an abuser of a mother.
"Oh I'm sure you're tough." He grinned, bending his head down to look at her. "You look like you could take a whole herd of elephant single handed. Am I wrong?" His deep chuckle rumbled through his chest as he lift his back left leg to scratch behind his ear. Ticks had been bothering him a bit lately.
Water dripped from most of his body now that he was in the shallow water. It came to about halfway up his haunches when he sat, which really wasn't too bad. "Well thank you for your permission, Miss. M'name is Talbot. May I ask yours?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 9:32 am
"You're not wrong!" Gaidi said with aggressive pride. She puffed out her little chest, tail wagging furiously behind her. She liked when people too the time to notice how amazing she was. None of her siblings, after all, found her to be particularly intimidating.
"You can ask, but I might not give it!" She said, splashing playfully in the water. Now that she was growing to like this wild dog, she was offering him a look at her silly side. Sure, she liked to brawl and find treasure, but she was still young, and playing was in her nature, "I'm Gaidi!"
She flopped down sideways, rolling and creating a nice sized splash before righting herself, laughing wildly, and running away as if to avoid a counter splash.
"I've never seen you around here before, Mister Talbot. Are you new?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 10:56 am
Talbot chuckled and ducked away from the splashing. This pup sure did have a lot of spunk. It made his heart feel lighter to see. She'd grow up to be a good companion to someone one day, if she could get over how aggressive and violent she seemed to get.
"Pleasure to meet you, Gaidi," He laughed, chasing her a few strides before making a small splash in the water towards her. Birds chirped and cawed in the frustration of their peace and quiet being interrupted, but he ignored them. He was having to much fun to worry about some bunch of birds.
"Ah, I'm new to these parts, yes. I seem to wander farther and farther every day. Just checking out the lands. My adventures brought me to these parts today." He grinned at her, tail swaying and creating ripples from side to side. "Do you live around here?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 11:24 am
"Yeah, I live here with my family!" Gaidi said, between biting at the water and creating her own splashes. She leaped back and laughed, bouncing and having fun. Ears perked forward, tail high and wagging, water and sending water flying every where. She tilted her head at one word, however, looking up suddenly.
"Adventures?! Do you go on adventures? I dream about adventures! I want to go on one, but I don't know what! What kind of adventures have you had? Do you battle? Are you a good guy or a bad guy? Do you have treasure?"
The young wild dog stopped abruptly, looking stunned and excited. Her eyes were bright as she stared at him, mouth hanging open, "I've never left this area, but I don't know if they'd miss me. My family has 14 of us in it! The den is so small now!"
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 11:37 am
He laughed again. She sure had a lot of questions. Sitting down in the water he tilted his head, thinking. "Well.. Yeah. I kinda go on adventures. I go exploring every day, and sometimes I get chased by packs of hyenas..." looking around, he added in a whisper, "I make fun of them a lot. I can outrun almost any of those hunchback hounds." He grinned for a moment before continuing.
"You can make anything into an adventure, and anything can be your treasure. I don't battle, no. I like to defeat others with wit. It's just as important to have a strong mind as it is a strong body." He shrugged. "I would say I'm a good guy, though it depends on which side you look at it from."
He blinked at the number she spoke. That was a lot. Was it really possible that they could have that big of a family? That was a lot of mouths to feed. "Wow, that's a huge family. I don't think I could fit fourteen dogs in my den." He chuckled before splashing at her again.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 12:19 pm
Gaidi moved her head closer to his when he leaned down, her nose close to his, her ears back. She was amazed by the idea of teasing and running from Hyena. She had only seen them from a distance, and had never imagined poking fun at them. She doubted she would be able to out run them.
But she certainly wanted to give it a try.
"I try to be smart," Gaidi nodded, "but I like to be strong, too. I'm good at it. I haven't decided if I'm a good guy or a bad guy yet. I haven't met enough bad guys to really know what they are. You know? But if you're a good guy, I can't really ask you about it."
She barked excitedly when he splashed her again, forgetting all about the conversation they had been having. She bounded at him, water churning in front of her as she plowed her way through despite the resistance. She pawed at his legs and fell over into the water, still kicking at him as she rolled to get her head back up.
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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 1:36 pm
Talbot laughed and pawed at her in the water, his own paws making small splashed as he batted at her paws and stomach playfully. He nipped at her ears, paws, tail; anywhere he could reach as she wiggled in the water. His laugh rang clear through the air, only muffled when he head went under water for brief seconds. It'd been a long time since he'd felt so carefree.
He did his best to pin her when he could so he could get at her, but was always careful not to hold her underwater or hurt her. He was having too good of a time to ruin it with injury.
Grinning he paused for a moment, "You've got a lot of energy. You could put it to use for a pack one day." He wasn't sure why he mentioned it. He didn't particularly like packs, but perhaps somewhere in his head he knew they weren't all bad. Not that he would ever consider joining one.
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Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 10:38 am
"A pack? I'm not sure I'm cut out for that kind of living," the young wild dog admitted, still playfully resisting and countering his play tactics against her, "I'd like to have a crew around me, if I were the boss, but I don't know if I could deal with having someone else giving the orders."
She barked and splashed a terrific amount of water at Talbot with all four of her paws, letting herself float on her side for a moment before righting herself and splashing defensively away. She grinned from ear to ear, wagging her tail high and never showing a moment of pause before moving on to her next move. Laughing all the way, she pounced at him again, trying to tackle him into the water.
"You can be the first and only member of my crew! But you have to work your way up in rank! I'm the boss, so you have to do what I say!"
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Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 7:42 am
Talbot grinned, his tongue lolling out to the side slightly. He watched her pounce around and his tail wagged quickly. He splashed at her and barked once or twice, but when she tackled him he let himself fall to his side, wiggling as if trying not to get pinned.
"Alright, Boss." He laughed. "What would you like me to do first?"
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