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 Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 9:25 pm
 To say that Novacaine was lost was to presuppose that he had any destination, and that would have been false -- he was, as always, wandering completely haphazardly, without a care in the world, and thus, by definition, he was totally not lost.
But for all intents and purposes, though, Novacaine had no idea where he was and, if that occurred to him, he might be a little bothered to realize it. Then again, considering his general disposition, maybe not.
The brightly-colored pup cut an interesting figure through the foliage, practically glowing in comparison to the muted browns and greens of the forest. He had been tracking a butterfly for the better part of the morning, and he followed it even now, oblivious to the fact that his paws were beginning to ache with walking, oblivious that he had wandered far from his home den and his family.
Although, to be fair, his mother wouldn't have noticed his absence, as she never seemed to quite realize he was there. Not that Novacaine particularly minded; he accepted his mother for who and what she was, and loved her. But he wouldn't be noticed missing anytime soon, and unless someone intervened, he would quickly find himself wandering places he shouldn't in pursuit of that lovely jewel-bright insect.
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Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 9:50 pm
Sudhir was not what one would call a ‘happy’ pup, though he was doing somewhat better. Little red toes wiggled about in river sand, just along the shore, oversized golden ears and eyes still flickered in the hopes of catching the familiar voice of his brief friend; the big blue wolf, who’s life he had inadvertently put in jeopardy. He still felt guilty, though that had been a few days prior, and would probably feel guilty moons from now… but at least he hadn’t been confined to the den, as he feared his father would demand.
Oh, his father had been angry. Completely furious, to the point where his usually very slick speech had given way to what seemed like an outright silent treatment - he would regard Sudhir with a look that was both contempt and disappointment, and combined, they pierced like thorns straight through Sudhir’s heart. He was very simply being ignored, and ordinarily that would be enough to break Sudhir down, but- but -
But not this time! The lesson had been to avoid strangers, and to refuse to give aid, but Sudhir knew what he thought was right and would always follow that code, father or no father. So when Narangi, his amiable little brother, suggested a good adventure along the river? Sudhir leapt at the opportunity. Maybe he would find Kai, maybe he wouldn’t - maybe he’d meet someone new, maybe he’d only learn the river’s source. Either way, Sudhir was glad for the break in bitter silence as he trotted along behind his romping brother - it was relaxing, and renewed his sense of hope. “Don’t leave me too far behind! he shouted, interesting himself in the sights and smells of territory that obviously was not a part of his pack’s. “Slow down a bit! We can take our time, you know.”
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Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 11:31 pm
Fish! Fish! Silvery, slippery, scaly little fish, silly little things that twisted and darted about in the river - completely, totally oblivious to the warrior paw that Narangi was ready to command down upon them! Fiiiiish!
This was Narangi's idea of a nice day out, away from the family den and the sometimes overbearing strife that seemed to hang about every single one of his family members. They were always too serious, or fighting with one another, or training, or any number of other things that he had been told countless times before were supposed to make him stronger. Stronger? Naw, catching fish was what made puppies stronger! Thinking of it logically he was busy pounding his way up and down the riverbank, wet paws slapping in the sand tirelessly (endurance!), watching his prey and figuring out where it liked to stay (stealth!!), and finally - finally! - attacking it with all he was worth! STRENGTH! It was training in disguise, though surely mom and pops would never see it that way, and pausing for a moment to take a few deep pants and glance over his shoulder at lagging-tail brother Sudhir, he saw that he was, indeed, outstriding the older pup. But then, Sudhir had been sorta mopey lately, and what good was he if he turned into one of their other siblings? "How 'bout you hurry up?" he barked back, waggling his tail and flicking his gaze between the fish and his complaining brother. "You're too slow, the fish are gonna get away!"
And oh, heaven forbid those fish get away!
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 8:10 pm
The sunlight glinted off the wings of the butterfly, and Novacaine followed after it with the sort of slack-jawed expression of pure awe that he carried often upon his maw. It was an expression that made him look a bit daft, and his complete ignorance of the world around him when he got into one of these moods didn't really help many people from thinking he was missing more than a few of his marbles.
The hyperfocused pink pup bounded along, eyes focused on the butterfly, and was merrily oblivious of even the other pups whose path he had crossed -- even when he broke through the underbrush, bounded directly between them, and came to a stop at the riverbank.
Only then, when the butterfly lifted up against the sun and became impossible to follow, disappearing into the wind, did it occur to the pink pup that there was someone else nearby.
Slowly, he looked over his shoulder, looking from one pup to the other with wide, unnervingly-searching green eyes, and said nothing, as though waiting on them to make the first move.
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 8:50 pm
“Why do you even want to catch a fish, Tangerine Toes? You don’t know whatta do with ‘em, remember?”
Sudhir wasn’t dragging along, or even very tired, but he knew that if he answered his brother’s call to run that it would only be a matter of minutes before he was too winded to move. Hyperactivity defined his bouncing brother, who sorta looked foolish foundering in the sand with overzealous eagerness - but then, Sudhir found it to be a breath of fresh air. So when he gave the quick quip, he meant no real harm… though he doubted Narangi would catch a fish for real, if he did manage to snatch one up he’d probably swallow it whole. Then he’d choke on a small bone, and Sudhir would have to pound on his chest until he spat it up. How many times now had that happened? Huhmm…
He was almost too busy pondering his self-imposed question to notice the sudden splash of bumbling colour, eyes focused on the clouds and paws moving slowly; but then, how could he not eventually see the bright, clashing pink against the greenery and sandy soil? He stopped. What was this? He knew it was a puppy, a small thing like himself that seemed more than preoccupied with a butterfly to even notice himself and his brother, and quickly taking a defensive stance Sudhir puffed up his coat and snarled. “Who’s there?” he barked, little tail flicking straight into the air. “Narangi, behind you! You there, what are you doing here? Are you dangerous?”
It hadn’t occurred to him that he might have wandered very far past the Reign of Terror’s territory, but still - he felt the urge to demand and protect. If this eye-gouging pup was an enemy, then he wouldn’t let him hurt Narangi; if not, then… well. That was different.
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 9:11 pm
Fish, he was thinking about fish, and pretty much only fish - he liked fish - until, suddenly, he heard his name. Sudhir sounded awful angry, and more than serious, so remembering how he had been taught to respond (with alertness and perked ears!), he swung himself about and widened his eyes. Alertness was wide eyes, right? Either way, he immediately saw why Sudhir was all fur-ruffled and growling; a very, very, very, very very very silly looking PINK puppy? Who had somehow gotten between them? Despite the fact that he had no easy access to his brother Narangi didn’t feel too horribly suspicious, knowing that they had this veryveryvery pink puppy surrounded, and for a moment he wondered why Sudhir had to raise such a stink.
And then he started thinking about the colors, the weird patterns, the… well, the butterfly the puppy had been chasing, of course, but then back to the wolf itself… Threat? Dangerous? … Weird? Colorful?
Narangi’s bottom hit the ground. How best to view this creature… he tilted his head to the side, jaw dropping and tongue sliding free as he did. Assessing… assessing… giggling… it started out soft, like a cough, and shaking his head he climbed to his paws. He moved to the left, craning his neck to see the other side of the pup, then he slid to the right, never taking his eyes off the bright pelt and the clueless face. Back and forth, back and then forth again… and then, satisfied, Narangi let his giggling rise by several decibels. In a matter of seconds he had inspected, started laughing, and now flopped onto his back, rolling about with his little legs kicking the sky as he gasped through a series of complete and total amusement. “And I thought - I thought I was a funny color!” he bellowed, flopping about like a fish out of water. “I was wrong! Suds! Hahaha, I was WRONG! Lookit him!”
So what if he was being rude? This was a funny situation!
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Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 11:33 am
His head tilted, looking between the pups, and his expression remained deadpan. Whether he was amused at Narangi's reaction, or frightened by Sudhir, or even totally aware that either of them were there...well, it wasn't really clear exactly what the pink pup was thinking. "I'm called Novacaine," he said, quite politely, as though someone had asked.
He didn't respond to the laughing pup's remarks as to his pelt, although he turned his bright green eyes to regard him with immense probing curiosity. An uncomfortably long pause, which he didn't seem too eager to fill. Indeed, he looked a bit like he'd quite forgotten he was supposed to say anything.
After awhile, he glanced around in an 'oh, you're still here?' way, and said, in his oddly flat voice, "I've never seen either of you before. You're not in my family, are you?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 10:07 am
Sudhir’s ears sunk. This had been a serious situation, one to be taken slowly and considerably with all eyes on the possible outcomes; this was a situation that called for preparation of offense, if need be, and how had Narangi reacted?
Like a giggling fool! Any feelings of wariness or protectiveness were all dissolved and replaced with a more accurate sense of embarassment as his younger brother rolled about the ground as though a pink-pelted wolf was the most hilarious thing he had ever encountered. Given, Sudhir was a little taken aback by … er… Novacaine? Novacaine’s colours and patterns, which all seemed to be nonsensical and utterly useless - but at least he still had it in his mind that the pup might be a lot tougher than he seemed.
Not that he really was, though, Sudhir thought, after seeing the blankest of expressions turn into sheer curiosity that nearly rivaled Narangi’s. “Er, no, we aren’t…” he began, shifting his little paws uncomfortably. “We definitely aren’t part of your family… Novacaine. I’m Sudhir, and that - well, that’s my brother Narangi. I think we’re all a little ‘far’ from our families right now.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 3:25 pm
A few more flops, another round of ultimate laughter, and then Narangi had had his fill. Sudhir was talking now, anyway, and most likely he should listen… so he climbed to his paws, shook himself off, and gave a little snirk before finally coughing himself silent. Or, at least as silent as he could make himself out to be - he still wiggled where he sat, tail whooshing in the sand and throat still tickling with after-giggles. “Yea-hah, I’m sure the rest of your family must be a hoot!” he commented brightly, almost oblivious to the odd, piercing look directed his way. “Hoo-hoo, yeah, a hoot! Aaanywaaays…”
Tilting his head to the side to see Sudhir a little better, he took a deep, preperative breath. He had a lot on his mind, and if he wanted to get it all out before he promptly forgot his excellent wording… “We’re on an adventure, that’s why we’re out here. Why are you? Not very stealthy with all that pink, so I’m gonna guess you’re adventuring, too? Adventures are AWESOME, don’t you think? Say, wanna come with us in our hunt for the ever-elusive fish that live in this very stream? Magical, mystical fish that’ll grant you one wish per fish are supposed to live here (I think) and I’m not very good at fish-snatching. And Sudhir’s a grumble Sudsface, so he’s not really all that fun to adventure with. Come on, Nova-pink! Let’s catch fiiiish!”
A little pup-howl and a quick burst of panting, and Narangi was satisfied with his overall speech. The delivery was a bit rushed, but it got everything said that needed to be said.
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Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 10:14 pm
Novacaine regarded Sudhir for a long, piercing moment. Then he dismissed him entirely, in favor of his brighter-colored brother, whom he found extremely interesting. "I was following a butterfly," he said, in response to the question -- not that he could really get a word in edgewise, in the midst of Narangi's long speech, but he didn't seem to mind talking over the other pup.
At his conclusion, he stared at him again, in one of those uncomfortably long silences which were his trademark. Then, a slow grin spread up either side of his maw. "Fish?" He tried to think if he knew how to catch a fish. Or, for that matter, if he'd ever seen one up close. "Yeah! Let's do that!"
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 8:23 pm
Oh, yeah! Narangi leapt up and declaired Novacaine his newest best friend, waggling his whole body about as he tried to speak with authoritarian dignity. “Awesome! HAH! Okay, so! There’s this thing - about the fish?” he said haltingly, bounding toward the river and settling just inches from the water. “They’re tricky little things, and can be reeeeaalllly hard to catch sometimes. But! I happen to have this strategy, if you will, that makes them almost leap into your jaws! Whatcha gotta do is… get real close, like this…”
Narangi leaned in over the waters, head darting side to side as he tried to find the fish he had so carefully stalked all the way from the pack boundaries; where had they gotten to? No, not there, not under those leafy water things, not behind those boulders… ah! When in doubt choose a different target, he thought, spying a completely different set of completely identical fish muddling about in the shallows. Those would do just fine, and quickly looking over his shoulder to make sure Novacaine was watching, he began his master scheme…
He slammed both paws down into the water, shouting random outbursts while snapping his little jaws at the quickly-fleeing tails. He had to catch one! He had to show that he knew what he was doing, even if he hadn’t caught one before, and when flailing about in the water failed to produce any rewards, he fell back on his tail. “Well, they’re being rather difficult today,” he shrugged, as though it meant very little that he had failed. “Maybe perhaps… if I do this!”
Suddenly launching forward he ducked his entire head into the freezing river, snapping and biting at whatever seemed to move.
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Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2010 2:16 pm
Sudhir didn’t particularly like to be stared at - and being pinned under Novacaine’s particular gaze was more than just a little awkward. Just what was he thinking? Not that Sudhir was an object of interest for very long, as Narangi broke into a speech that detailed out a plan that was obviously one of his brother’s making. Fish didn’t just ‘leap’ into jaws, and making his way to the riverside after being released from Novacaine’s stare he decided that intervention was not the cure; Narangi probably wouldn’t have listened, anyways, already slapping at the water with his paws as if that would somehow urge the fish to give up. The right way to hunt fish was to sit and stare, sometimes for hours, and Narangi couldn’t really do that without getting antsy. “Ah -Narangi…” he started, flipping back his ears as a sudden splash of water smacked him in the face.
So Narangi had faceplanted into the river, then… “His ‘techniques’ are a little odd,” Sudhir commented to Novacaine, shaking his head and wiping his nose with a paw. “You can come up now, Narangi. Come on, get your head out of the water before you drown… Narangi?”
He’d been under there for some time, and wondering if perhaps he was stuck Sudhir shifted anxious paws. If he was under for too long Sudhir supposed he could always reach over and grab him by the tail, pull him to safety and such, but…
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Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2010 11:45 pm
It was lucky, perhaps, that Sudhir was the level-headed one of the group.
Novacaine drank in Narangi's words, his unnervingly bright eyes gleaming as he watched him in action. Having never fished in his life -- indeed, only having a vague notion of exactly what a fish was, aside from a water-thing -- he quite believed what his new multi-colored friend was telling him.
And, despite Sudhir's somewhat embarrassed explanation, within moments Novacaine was right beside him, upper body and head plunged underwater.
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Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 3:15 pm
Just like that, Sudhir was near to panicking.
It was one thing when Narangi did slapstick, dangerous things, as that was just Narangi's nature; when a stranger decided to mimic his actions, however, Sudhir could barely figure out what to think. His brother was his responsibility, but to whom did Novacaine belong? Did Nova do this kind of thing often? Should Sudhir butt in and save both puppies, or should he trust that narangi knew what he was doing?
Sudhir didn't want to just believe that no harm would come from prolongued underwater exposure, however, and figured he should do something. While biting on both of their tails was a thought, it seemed a little too violent for what needed to be done. Both seemed more than enthused by the idea of catching a fish, and indeed it had been the only suggestion to bring some sort of excitement to Nova's strange stare. The fish were just out of reach, and perhaps if the two were to catch something...
Sudhir took a deep breath, gauged the depth of the shallows just beyong the upraised tails, and leapt, slapping his paws as forcefully as he could in an attempt to frighten the fish toward shore.
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Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 7:34 pm
Underwater, underwater, underwater… Cold! It was cold!
But Narangi would ignore the chilly water for now, his eyes just spying the flitting shapes of eager little fishies just waiting to be captured. Of course he did have to squint, and the water did feel uncomfortable as it passed over his eyes, but he wasn’t one to just give up; he needed to see his prey to catch it, and snapping at whatever shapes seemed to slide close enough to his mouth he figured he must be at least somewhat close. It felt so funny to bite the water, it was like his jaws moved so much slower than they did in the plain air! But if they moved slower, then that meant that perhaps the fish might be able to get away faster - or did that mean that fish would move faster through the air if they could, since water seemed to slow things down?
Narangi was certain he was just about to catch one when he realized a second head had plopped into the water beside him - so pink Nova thought he could catch a fish, too? Then it was a challenge! A race! Narangi doubled his efforts, wiggling and thrashing about viciously, trying to close his puppy fangs on anything, yet they were still juuuuust out of his reach… oh, if only he had a longer neck - like cranes did! Then he could have snatched one up by now.
Then, there came an ungodly burst of noise as bubbles and mud billowed out from the riverbed not far from where he hunted - it seemed his no-nonsense brother had finally pulled the thorn out of his tail and had leapt like a frog into the school of shimmery fish Narangi was trying to nab. What was he thinking? Did he want to scare off all the fish? Narangi had half a mind to do some complaining, but then -
A flash of silver! Frightened little fishies fled Sudhir’s big feet and like little arrows darted straight past Narangi’s snapping jaws. A few more thrashes, a wild jump forward, and! THERE IT WAS!!
Howling wildly as he flung back his head, Narangi tossed his first-ever catch high into the air and straight onto the sandy beach. “Suds! Nova! Look! LOOK!” he frantically cried, jumping up and over the flopping, gasping fish. “I caught one, I caught one! And who was it who said I couldn’t? Hmm?”
Prancing and holding his tail up high, Narangi continued his happy dance until a slightly sobering thought took its time to cross his mind - now what?
No, really, what did he do with this thing now?
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