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 Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 5:42 pm
Aysu:
Aysu huddled under the very low branches of a tree, hidden mostly from view of others, shaking like a leaf in the wind. Not that it really mattered. Her soft crying noises would no doubt alert other animals of her presence. Not like it really matter to her at that moment. Right then and there, she wouldn't much care if some other predator fancied her as a meal and ended her sadness for good. She knew it would hurt, but not as much as the pain left behind when she had lost everything she had once known.
Daisuke:
Her cries were, indeed, carried on the wind and jarred the male awake. His blue eyes opened wide as he raised his nose to the air, to try and catch the scent of whoever it might be. Something made him get up out of the comfortable nest he had made and go in search of the voice's owner. His stomach clenched as clouds began to roll in. The resonating and suffocating feeling of sorrow that enveloped him was almost like nothing he had felt before. A voice in the back of his mind drove him on. Occasionally he would stop and raise his nose from the ground, to the air again. There were so many smells to filter through. He heard thunder in the distance and picked up his pace.
Aysu:
Aysu curled up a bit more, licking at her paws a bit. THey hurt so muck, but not as much as everything else. Why had she even come here? Because she always came here, she always ran to her only real friend. And yet she hadn't gone as far as his den. She'd stopped when her paws had felt like they would fall off, when she couldn't see anymore through the tears.
When thunder boomed overhead, she flinched and curled up even more, her cries tapering off into small whimpers.
Daisuke:
The closer he got, the more scent he picked up. He stopped midstep as he realised it was *very* familair. It took him a moment, and it clicked. The male broke into a run, as a flash of lightning tore through the sky. "Aysu!" He called, not caring who or what heard him so long as she did.
Aysu:
Aysu looked up as someone called her name. It was Daisuke, running towards her. She stood and left the cover to walk towards him, but after two steps she fell again, her paws killing her. She collapsed in a small heap and burst into tears again.
Daisuke:
Daisuke's eyes widened as her legs seemed to crumple beneath her. "Aysu!" He threw himself down next to her and draped his head over her neck as it began to rain. "What's wrong?" He asked, looking her over, covering her neck out of instinct.
Aysu:
Aysu gasped in surprise when he was suddenly there beside her with his head over her neck. It was... such a comforting gesture that she forgot the whole ordeal the last time she had come out here to visit him and simply curled against him, burying her face in her paws with a choked sob as the rain fell on them. She didn't want him to see her crying. Not that he hadn't already seen that.
She didn't want to be sensible right then, even if she was capable of it.
"Ku-Kumiko... She died..." she whispered softly once she had gotten a bit of control over herself. Her whole body shivered as she spoke, unable to stop her body from quaking with grief over the loss of the child she had come to treat as her own pup.
"She was so... so very sick, for so long. A couple days ago... Miss Maya got a call that made her cry. She took me back home, where Juun was putting Kumiko's toys and clothes and... and everything in a box. He was so sad, and when he saw me he got mad. He threw one of her stuffed toys at me and told Maya to take me away and not to bring me back, ever. She put me back in the car... And when I saw the bad place..." Her head rose slowly and she looked at one of her paws, turning it over a bit. The pads were scraped badly, and the bleeding had started again when she had tried to walk.
"I jumped out of the car and didn't stop running. I didn't want to go to a new home with new people, or worse..." she finally trailed off, pressing her face back into her legs.
Daisuke:
Daisuke's eyes widened, his ears pinning back as he listened. He had no idea what to say, except, "Are you able to walk?" He asked, willing to lay over her to keep her dry all night if need be.
Aysu:
"I... I can try..." Aysu whispered, slipping out from under his head and nuzzled him once before attempting to stand again. Her paws hurt from the pressure on them but the water was starting to collect on the ground helped a bit.
"I think I can, but I don't know for how long," she added, looking at him with soulful eyes.
Daisuke:
He nodded. "There aren't a lot of trees...it's not safe out here...but when you need to stop...be sure and tell me." He said, his eyes warm, as he nuzzled her. "It shouldn't be too far until we at least reach the mountains. The rocks ought to make the lightening less of an issue." He explained, as he started off very slowly.
Aysu:
Aysu whimpered slightly as Dai nuzzled her. She was so thankful for his comfort.
"I will..." she replied as she started walking slowly and carefully beside him. Thunder crashed again and she flinched, unused to being outside in horrible weather.
"I donno what to do..." Aysu whimpered, her side brushing against his as they walked.
Daisuke:
"Just walk and feel...we'll talk later." He told her, not mentioning there were bears in this area. Granted they were nothing compared to the monster bears of their parents' and grandparents' generation, but two lone dogs against an upset bear didn't bode well for them. He stayed close to her, pressing his body against hers, his head placed over her neck. The walking position was akward but it was for her comfort more than anything.
Aysu:
Aysu shook her head a bit.
"You don't have to do that, Dai," she whispered, slipping her neck out from underneath his head, though she kept her side close enough to brush against his. Being close to him was comforting. It couldn't take the hurt away, but for the moment it soothed her, even as the rain soaked her fur. It had all happened so fast... she was still wearing her collar.
Daisuke:
"Okay." He murmured, as he gave her a light nuzzle. The rain came down even harder. The lightning was very close. Daisuke tried to make himself even taller. On the grasslands he was one of the tallest things out there except for the occasional tree.
Aysu:
Aysu continued on in silence after that. Her paws hurt, but she didn't want to be out in the rain anymore. The sooner they got out of the elements, the sooner she could lie down and rest. What would she do now? She couldn't go back. Not to the bad place, not to a new house. She didn't want to live on the streets, where there were cars and the cruel humans Daisuke talked about. And she wasn't sure if she could stay with Dai or not. She'd already had trouble eating what they had hunted. She could get over it, but... She shook her head to rid it of her troubled thoughts. She just had to keep thinking of getting to shelter.
Daisuke:
Half an hour passed as the grasses gave way to soup-y mud. Even under the driving rain the earth could be heard pulling on thier feet. The male cast his blue eyes to those of his companion, knowing they needed to press on, but at the same time wishing she would ask to stop. He knew how terribly the pads of her paws had to have been shreaded, as they weren't use to the abuse of a feral or stray dog's were.
Aysu:
"How... much farther?" Aysu finally asked, her voice strained. She reminded herself that it could have been worse. She had jumped from a moving vehicle, after all. She hadn't broken anything, and she hadn't jumped into another lane of traffic. And the mud was actually helping sooth the pain, too.
She looked to Daisuke, her eyes questioning and tired.
Daisuke:
"Not much." He told her gently. "If you need to stop, we can...there's a tree nearby, if we stay away from it...we should be all right." The striped retriever explained, his eyes lighting with concern. He heard scuttling in a tree nearby and his head snapped up to listen, and try to see it's source. It was a raccoon. It seemed to be stumbling around a bit.
Aysu:
Aysu shook her head.
"I really wanna get out of this rai-" she stopped speaking when she caught the sound as well and pressed closer to Daisuke.
"What is it?" she asked, scanning around for the source of the sound, unable to find the maker.
Daisuke:
"A racoon. They don't usually sound like that...it might be sick." He told her. "If you can, we should keep moving, sometimes storms frighten sick animals and cause them to go into a frenzy." The male took a few steps before looking back to Aysu.
Aysu:
Aysu stayed next to him, frowning even more as she kept up with his pace.
"Do you think we should run?" she asked softly, immediately frightened at the possibility of getting ill. She knew that here there were no vets to help her when she got sick. That was a daunting thought, to be honest.
Daisuke:
"No...it's still in the tree. I don't think it's seen us...if it does I'll let you know." Daisuke whispered. "Step lightly, and go as quickly as you're comfortable...there's no need for exhertion yet." If they were careful, they could avoid the thread of illness entirely. It was almost always a death sentence out here.
Aysu:
Aysu nodded slowly and followed his instructions. In truth, she wanted to ask again how much farther it was, but that seemed pointless and childish. She kept her mouth tightly closed as she stepped lightly and quickly, doing her best not to make any sounds as she stayed by Daisuke's side. Her eyes were focused ahead.
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Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 9:10 am
Daisuke raised his nose toward the sky and did his best to try and pick up a scent, but it was useless in the rain. He glanced over his shoulder, back toward the tree the raccoon was in, still walking forward. 'Stupid rain. He thought, his coat feeling rather heavy as it hung in wet mats from his frame.
He glanced toward Aysu to try and gauge how much pain she was feeling from her facial expression and posture. He knew her paws had to be giving her quite a bit of pain.
The trees were starting to become less sparse as they reached the outer boundaries of the grasslands. He knew that, soon, they'd reach more sheltered terrain where it would probably be safe enough for them to den up for the night.
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 6:59 pm
Aysu tried her best to be quiet, but when she accidentally stepped on a stone she hadn't seen, she flinched and whimpered audibly.
"How... much farther?" she asked softly, glancing over at Dai, her ears down. She pressed a bit closer to him and glanced down at her paws. She wasn't sure, but she thought there might be blood there, but it was hard to distinguish from the mud at her paws. That, and her sense of smell was a little bit off because of the rain and the newness of her surroundings.
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 7:06 pm
"Not too much, Aysu." He reassured her, giving the female a light nuzzle. He cringed when she whimpered. "As soon as we find someplace that's safe we'll stop for the night. I want to get a look at your paw." He hoped it wasn't as bad as it seemed. Her cry, had sounded rather painfilled and it worried him. A bad paw was never a good thing out here with no one to tend to it.
"The trees are starting to thicken, so that means we're closer." He knew some of these trees had rather large root systems which could sometimes be used for sheltering purposes. If they found one that was occupied, hopefully the largest animal he'd have to turn out would be an opossum.
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 7:20 pm
"That's good," Aysu sighed and did her best to keep up. He seemed to be worried about her and she didn't really want him worried about her. Well, it was sweet, but she didn't want him to be distracted by her. She wasn't used to this place, would be near-useless if they were attacked, and if he was distracted by watching out for her, what could happen?
Really, she just wanted to get out of this rain into safe shelter as soon and as safely as possible.
"Please, try not to worry about me... I don't want to distract you," she added softly, still wary of the raccoon.
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 7:25 pm
"You aren't a distraction, Aysu." He told her, as the raccoon's chattering became more and more distant. "Do you need me to slow down, any?" He asked, wondering if after her long journey and injury her stamina was somewhat diminished. The tops of the trees slowly but surely began to create a umbrella of foliage, shielding them from the rain. Daisuke, stopped for a few seconds and shook out his coat, before starting again, ears perked to listen to the forest's nocturnal residents.
There were a great many things larger than a dog in the forest and he knew he needed to spot them before they found him.
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 7:38 pm
"I feel like one," she whispered, more to herself than him and shook her head slowly.
"No, I'll be fine... for a little bit. I don't know how much longer, but for now, this pace isn't too bad," Aysu added in a slightly louder voice. Contrary to her statement, right at that moment, her paws stumbled over an above-ground root, sending her to her knees with a gasp.
"Ow..." Her moan was pained, but soft, her body shaking a bit as she closed her eyes.
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:03 pm
Daisuke nodded and continued walking until pain sent her to the ground. He stopped, turned and licked her nose with the tip of his tongue to try and bring her out of herself, and thusly, out of the pain she was feeling. "Hey, hey, hey." He whispered, allowing his shoulder to touch hers. "You're going to be okay." He raised his head and looked around. About five feet a head and he saw the very sort of tree he was looking for.
"I'm just going to take a few steps ahead of you, but you need to stand up and open your eyes, so you seem bigger than if you just huddled there. Just don't put any weight on that paw. I think I see some place we can den up but I need to make sure it's vacant." He explained, staying beside her to wait for a reply.
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:30 pm
Aysu whimpered again, but rose at his instructions, holding her paw up and fluffing up her fur to make herself look bigger.
"I'll be okay," she reassured, her voice strained as she tried to forget the pain in her paws and now her knees. She looked around for the place he was referring to, seeing the tree. Was there something there? She couldn't tell, but then it seemed like he didn't either, since he was going over to find out if it was vacant. Her ears flicked back, ready to look aggressive.
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:40 pm
"I'll be right back, I promise," he whispered before starting toward the tree. Daisuke stopped a few feet away, head and shoulders low as he tried to catch the scents of any other animal. He cocked his head slightly, and continued to scent the air in front of him as if trying to figure something out. He took a few tentative steps closer and sniffed the outside of the tree's root system. He looked to Aysu and back to the tree before sticking his head inside. He sniffed around a little more and stuck his nose in the mounds of leaf litter. It smelled a little musty in there but the scent of the badger was stale. He was sure the angry little creature was long gone.
Daisuke backed out of the size able den and made his way over to Aysu. "It's kind of smelly," of course, he assumed by her standards, "but it's safe." He told her.
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:06 pm
Aysu stood still as she watched Dai explore the shelter, her breath held in wait, hoping that nothing overly dangerous popped out. When he came back all well, she let out her baited breath and relaxed, looking tired again.
"It could smell like anything for all I care, just as long as it's safe and dry," she whispered in reply and nuzzled his neck. She limped to the shelter and once inside collapsed on the floor. She sighed and tried looking at her paws, but that only reminded her they were hurt and that made them hurt more. She was ready to sleep, it felt like she hadn't slept in so long and once she did it would be forever before she would wake up again. But she needed to thank Dai first. He was being so kind to her and she hadn't done anything to deserve it.
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:21 pm
Daisuke followed her inside and laid down in front of the opening to be able to get at anything that might try to come in. He turned to Aysu, "I'm sorry for not having come sooner." He told her, even though he really couldn't have helped it. He still felt as if things might have been a little easier on her if he had arrived a lot earlier than he had.
He hadn't realised quite how tired he was, either, until he had laid down, but he would try to stay awake and alert, at least for a little while longer.
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:34 pm
Aysu smiled a bit and slowly shook her head. How could he think there was more he could have done when he had already done so much? He'd helped her forget her pain, led her to shelter, and looked like he'd be staying up to keep watch. There were few things more she could ask of him, and she didn't think she would be able to ask for more.
"You've done more than enough Dai, more than I... could think... to... repay..." She was out before she could say any more.
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:40 pm
Daisuke offered her a very soft smile and nodded. As she fell asleep he looked at her side and watched it rise and fall slowly, to make sure she had actually fallen asleep and something else hadn't happened. He sighed softly and continued to watch out the main hole that led to the forest outside. A few hours later he heard a deer somewhere in the distance as the sun started to rise. As the sky started to turn bright colours of orange and red his eyes began to get quite heavy and he eventually did, fall asleep.
Tomorrow would be a new day, and he would do his best to do better by her.
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