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 Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 3:20 pm
Octavia trotted briskly across the gravel of the river bank, enjoying the crisp autumn afternoon. The sun was shining brightly, yet there was a bite to the air that signalled the end of the summer. Everything felt fresh and clean, and with her summer coat now being replaced by her heavier winter fur, she didn't feel the chill much.
Pausing, the young female approached the edge of the river to take a drink. The water was clear and almost icy cold. Lifting her head again, she gazed around herself, admiring the way the nearby trees had replaced their green leaves with ones of beautiful red and golden hues. She was on her way out to hunt for the pack, but a few moments to enjoy the scenery certainly wouldn't hurt.
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Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 3:36 pm
Gaias drifted through the forest, enjoying the autumn afternoon - the air was clear and carried scents to his nose easily - especially the last of the ripe berries which clung to their branches. He wasn't having much luck at the moment, even so, and when his sensitive nose picked up the musky warmth of another wolf - a friend - he headed towards it.
He didn't walk quietly and, even if he had tried, he'd not have managed to sneak up on her - the young male wasn't a great hunter and had been doing his best at other activities to try to help his pack - like the berry picking.
He stepped out near the water, and with a warm smile which reached into his pale blue eyes, barked happily. "Octavia! Hey!"
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Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 4:01 pm
It wasn't long before Octavia realised that she wasn't alone this afternoon. A rustling of the dead, dry leaves on the ground carried above the gentle noise of the breeze drifting through the trees and the bubbling of the water. As the steps came closer still, the young female turned to see who was with her, a curious look on her face.
Her quizzical expression quickly turned into a warm smile of her own as she recognised the approaching wolf, her tail giving a friendly wag.
"Gaias!" she greeted him happily, approaching him from the river bank. "Are you out hunting too? I wasn't expecting anyone else to be out here this afternoon."
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 9:03 am
Gaias' tail wagged in unison with Octavia's, his ears perked and eyes bright as his greeting was returned warmly. Despite having grown up together, and living close-by, Gaias enjoyed her company - perhaps more than most.
"Hunting? Ah er... of a sort" he smiled sheepishly. Despite not being a great hunter, he did sometimes offer to help on a big hunt, when they needed someone who was simply another pair of strong legs - but alone? Almost never. It wasn't just that he wasn't good at it either - he wasn't particularly fond of the killing, either. "Just my usual foraging" he said, self deprecatingly, his tail slowing, stopping.
"Not had much luck, what about you?" he asked quickly.
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:44 pm
Octavia's smile faded as she realised that she had said exactly the wrong thing to Gaias. In her elation, she had forgotten that the other wolf didn't do much in the way of hunting other animals.
"I'd say foraging was hunting too. You still need to find what you're looking for afterall!" she smiled again. "I don't know how you manage to recognise all those different plants. I'd end up with the completely wrong things."
At Gaias question about her luck, it was Octavia's turn to look sheepish. "Ah.. well.. I hadn't actually started yet. I got distracted.."
She glanced around at the river and the trees before looking back at the other wolf. "Would you like some help? My hunt can wait." The young female smiled again at Gaias. It was always more fun being with a companion afterall, and she did enjoy the young male's company a lot.
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 8:21 am
Her encouragement made him smile - some derided him for his odd habit of looking for more vegetarian fare, but not Octavia. "Telling the plants isn't hard - most of them smell good" he said, truthfully. "The berries are what you have to be careful of, and the mushrooms... some of them look like good ones but will make you sick. He'd fallen prey to that once and come close to dying - something which had made his mother even more reticent about him eating so much vegetable matter. He'd learned to be a lot more careful but there weren't many others to teach him which could be good or bad...
"Help?" he asked "well, sure, if you want to come along that'd be... really nice" he finished a little lamely. "Only if you're sure, though! I don't want to keep you away from your hunting if that's what you need to do". He shuffled his paws, looking off to one side.
Why was talking to Octavia so awkward sometimes? Why couldn't he just be like Neptune and say what he meant?
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