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 Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 10:15 am
Thistledown couldn't stop fidgeting. She'd tried resting in her burrow, but it was no good. She'd entered and left the scrapes half a dozen times, unable to make up her mind on whether or not to silflay. Now she sat in the open, straining her eyes and ears for any sign of the would-be runners returning from the race. Who had won? Were there any more promotions? She had won her place as a runner after the third race so there had been no reason to join the others, but she still wished she could watch. Was Falcon a runner yet? She was impatient for him to join her. He won half the time when they raced, surely it was only a matter of time before he was promoted.
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 12:09 pm
 Rags had not been in the top three, or even the top five, but he had participated. Had he known about the hawk-thing beforehand he might not have bothered at all, because that bird was freaking scary. Two rabbits had been attacked, and he did not intend to try another race. No way... One race was enough, and it was time to reap the benefits. A few does were out silflaying when he came strutting back with the other aspiring runners. Perfect!
He fluffed his chest out and broke off from the main group. Prepare to be amazed, ladies! He knew he was a fine looking buck, and participating in a dangerous race wouldn't hurt his chances, right? His slightly larger than average size had made life easy for him so far, and he was used to be able to live comfortable without too much trouble.
The one thing he was willing to work a bit harder for was does, and he gave the grey and white one closest to him a big grin and a wink.
"I was in the races today," he said in a way he imagined was very smooth indeed.
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 1:16 pm
There they were! Thistledown started to hop towards the group, but stopped when she saw a buck break off from the rest and head her way. Uh-oh. She stopped, trying to decide whether to turn around or push past him, but it was already too late. She groaned mentally when he winked at her, well able to guess where the conversation was headed.
"Were you?" she said, her voice flat. She hadn't seen the buck in the first three races and while it was possible he was a late joiner, she had her doubts about his interest in running. "Did you place in the top three?"
Betony's ear twitched as she overheard the buck's statement and Thistledown's reply. No no no! That wasn't the proper way to talk to bucks at all. She ran her eyes over the buck and liked what she saw. Big, but not too big. A nice dark gray color. If Thistledown wasn't interested, then that was just too bad. "I bet you were fast!" she called as she hopped over.
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 1:43 pm
So that one was a number cruncher, huh? Too bad... He hadn't kept up with the results of the first three races, but if he had he might have tried to impress another target. Rags wasn't one to get discouraged that easily, however, and he kept smiling. Another doe approached so clearly this runner thing was working in his favour. He almost considered really going for the task, but no... More work meant less time with the ladies.
"The hawk couldn't catch me," he said, without really answering the grey doe's question. "Oh, yeah. There was a hawk."
((I think he's more of a dark grey... But never mind smile ))
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 2:22 pm
Thistledown nearly went tharn at the mention of a hawk. She'd known this race was further from the warren than the first three, but it had never occurred to her that the would-be runners would be exposed to any danger. What good would it do the warren to feed good rabbits to elil? Hraka, Falcon was in that race.
"Was anyone hurt?" she asked, trying to sound calmer than she felt.
Betony frowned, also wondering if any rabbits were injured. The male didn't seem that concerned though, mostly proud. Had there even been a hawk? No matter; the buck was handsome and Thistledown didn't like him. If it annoyed Thistledown, then she'd flirt with him. "You're so brave," she cooed.
((Whoops. Fixed!))
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 4:16 am
Both does seemed shocked about the hawk. Perfect! He had been pretty shocked too, but he wasn't about to admit THAT.
"Welll," he drawled, "One of the white spotty bucks were nearly picked off. I thought he'd stop running for sure! But Althea tackled the bird so it changed its mind."
That doe was seriously scary... The spotty buck was lucky to be alive. He knew he'd heard the white buck's name at some point, but he didn't seem to remember it. And it might be best not to go into too much detail since the does might decide that the younger buck would be a more interesting partner.
"That doe Fewerfew had a close call too," he said. It was easier to remember doe names than buck names, "But the hawk never spotted me. I think I moved too stealthily."
Or... You know... Too slowly. But never mind.
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 9:23 am
"Oxlip," she said, remembering the buck. He had been a fair runner. She relaxed, glad to know that Falcon hadn't been attacked and no one had died. "Even the elil fear Althea," she said with admiration. "We are lucky to have her among our owsla."
She didn't like the buck, but felt a grudging respect for him. While she doubted he had much skill as a runner, sometimes survival was more important than speed. "Avoiding elil is a useful skill. You have a good pelt for it."
Betony took a few hops closer to Ragswort, keeping her distance from Thistledown. A good pelt? Ugh, the other doe really had no idea how to talk to bucks. She ostentatiously ran her eyes over him. "You are awfully handsome," she said. "How fortunate for us that the hawk didn't get you!"
Oh barf. Thistledown tried not to roll her eyes.
Betony ignored her. "I'm Betony. That's Thistledown."
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 12:34 pm
"Yeah," Oxlip agreed, "I wouldn't want to be her enemy."
Ragwort was very pleased about the way things were going. Both does seemed to warm up to him, and he was sure he could win the grey one over with a bit of wooing. Well, at least the buck did not lack self-confidence. It wasn't every day he had the pleasure of entertaining two does at once. Hopefully they wouldn't start fighting over him, that would be awkward... If he played his cards right he might score with both eventually.
"It's a pleasure," he said and bowed his head, "Pretty names for pretty ladies. My name is Ragwort, but my friends call me Rags."
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 1:07 pm
Maybe Thistledown had misjudged the buck. When he had first hopped over, she had assumed it was to try and woo her (ugh), but maybe he was just friendly. And liked talking about himself. And referring to them as "pretty ladies."
Or maybe she should trust her instincts. The casual way he had talked about both Oxlip and Feverfew getting attacked by a hawk revealed a deep selfishness that she didn't care for. Falcon would never talk that way.
"Nice to meet you Ragwort," she said evenly. Her mother had taught her to be polite, but surely there was some way to divert the buck's attention? She looked at Betony, an idea forming in her mind.
Frith, why was that creep Thistledown staring at her like that? She ignored her. "Rags is such a pretty name," she purred.
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 1:33 pm
"The pleasure is all mine," he said, nearly going cross eyed from trying to woo both does at once, "Oh, you ladies have much prettier names..."
Oh, yeah. They were pretty much eating from his paws now! Ragwort was reasonably sure he wouldn't have to sleep alone tonight. And his den was just the right size for two. Perhaps he should start expanding it to be able to invite more than one doe over. If he kept this going he might need it! Hmmm... What if he managed to invite one doe over, and perhaps go visit the other in her den? They seemed a bit jealous so even if he had room for both it might be better to keep them separated, so to speak.
"We should silflay together some day," he said, trying to divide his attention and flirty smiles between both does, "It's always better with good company."
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 1:54 pm
Oh. Oh Frith. Why wasn't there a polite way to say she wasn't interested? Thistledown knew her disinterest in bucks was unusual, but it didn't change the way she felt. She liked Falcon just fine, but the thought of getting intimate with any other buck made her skin crawl. Especially one that couldn't even give her strong, healthy runner babies.
"I prefer to silflay alone," she said, taking a step back. She turned her ears sideways and slightly back, showing her unease.
That Thistledown was just as weird and antisocial as she'd thought. While it meant Betony faced less competition for Ragwort's affection, it also meant they were running the risk of scaring him off. Which would be a damn shame because he was oh so charming. "Good company is so hard to find. I get lonely sometimes, it would be a pleasure to silflay with a handsome buck."
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 2:12 pm
Oh-ho-ho... So Thistledown was going to play hard to get? She couldn't seriously like to silflay alone. Most rabbits he knew preferred to at least be near other rabbits, for the added feeling of safety. Had she been put off by the thought of sharing him with Betony? They didn't seem to be friends with each other at the moment, and he was positive it was his fault.
"Well," he said to Thistledown, not quite ready to let fo yet, "If you change your mind and need a bodyguard while getting some delicious and hard to find flay I can keep a lookout."
He winked to Betony when he thought the grey doe wasn't looking. He couldn't ignore the lovely brown doe when she was being so charming. The grey buck felt torn between the challenge of wooing Thistledown, and the alluring brown doe that seemed ready for some fun. He finally settled on fun. Thistledown would still be there later... He should let her soften a bit and put his moves on later. It would be a nice challenge.
"Are you hungry now," he asked, raising an eyebrow in a way he thought was irresistable to any doe, "I'm starving after that run..."
He was sure Thistledown would come around once she saw him being snatched away by Betony...
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 2:43 pm
Was Ragwort stupid or just stubborn? Maybe saying she preferred to silflay alone was a stupid lie, but surely it had been a good hint. She bristled at the implication that she needed a bodyguard. Maybe she wasn't big and strong like Althea, but she was plenty fast! Nor was she so stupid that she'd stray from the Down without a good reason. "Falcon is the only lookout I need," she said. Where had that come from? Well she might as well run with it. "If you ran today, you must have seen him. He's fast and he'll be promoted to runner soon."
Shut up shut up shut up. "Maybe you should go find Falcon," Betony snapped at the other doe.
She turned back to Rags and lowered her eyes demurely. "I am a little hungry," she admitted, "and I would feel safer with you nearby while I silflayed."
Thistledown stared a moment at the other doe, taken aback by her hostility. She'd been looking for an excuse to leave, but no way was she going to let Betony push her around like that!
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Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2012 4:30 am
Falcon? Falcon... Nope... Didn't ring a bell. And what kind of marli named their little one after elil? Ah, it wasn't the strangest name he'd heard. He had no idea who the buck was, but obviously he was competition!
"I didn't see him I'm afraid," he said, "He might have finished after me."
It wasn't really a lie... As far as he knew Falcon might have been one of the bucks that finished after him. Or one of the ones before him... Whatever. He worked hard to keep a neutral face as the does were fighting over him. Got to love that feeling! They were crazy about him! Well, maybe not the prickly Thistle, but she was here and not with Falcon. That had to mean something after all. Few rabbits were truly monogamous, so just because she had the hots for that almost-a-runner, didn't mean he couldn't score too.
"I would love to join you for silflay," he said to Betony. Perhaps Thistle would come around if she thought she might miss out.
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Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 2:05 pm
No way was this mangy buck faster than Falcon! Thistledown paused a moment, struggling to control her emotions. She reminded herself that just because she didn't like Ragwort, that didn't mean he was slow. She'd never seen him race so she had no way to tell - she'd have to ask Althea or Falcon what the finishing order was. Then she'd know. In the mean time she stayed silent, not trusting her tongue.
Why wouldn't Thistledown just leave? While she hadn't scared Ragwort away, he was paying too much attention to Thistledown for Betony's liking. "I know a secluded place with good flay," she said. "Perhaps we could go there - just you and me?"
Thistledown didn't get angry easily. It was a foreign emotion; she preferred to keep her head down and avoid conflict whenever possible. If something bothered her, her default response was to leave. From the very first sight of Ragwort and the first hint that he wanted to flirt, that was what she wanted to do. So why did Betony's persistent efforts to push her away make her feel this way? Why did she feel trapped between her urge to leave and an urge to stay, to spite Betony?
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