|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 12:55 pm
Dusk found Brian jogging along the side of the lake, decked out in a pair of jeans and a white tanktop and lacking in footwear. At his side bound Blitzen, always a few feet away and glancing up at his master on every odd step to check for new unspoken instructions. The way he ran had become strange, but frequent running trips had given him the opportunity to grow accustomed to his shift in muscle and bone structure, and his dog needed the excersize anyways.
As he went, the man stooped over with some degree of difficulty and snatched a branch from the shore. Blitzen writhed in anticipation, watching as the new toy was held high. "Ready... and... go get it!" Brian paused to catch his breath as the Australian Shepherd raced off after the sailing branch.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:00 pm
The noise of someone...and a dog?...roused the beaver out of the half-doze she'd been in. She looked up from where she rested, half in and half out of the water, to see...a dog and a dog-man?
Well, stranger things had happened.
"Good evening," she called out, pulling herself into a sitting position.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:07 pm
Brian's big round ears perked up a bit at the sound of a foreign voice. Blitzen woofed and forgot about his stick, racing towards Chana to investigate. A sharp word from the redhead cut him short, and the dog whimpered and sulked about Brian's heels, watching this stranger curiously.
"Hi," Brian said, almost cautiously. It was difficult not to feel absurd greeting a giant talking beaver, even after all the time he'd spent of the island. He managed to keep his face clear of any betraying emotinos, but his tail waved back and forth slowly, amused in its own right.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:12 pm
The beaver levered herself up and went over to Brian (since he was clearly not coming to her). He was nice enough looking, though she didn't know about the fur. Was it natural for his animal? Didn't matter, she decided.
"I'm Chana," she said, offering a large clawed hand to shake.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:22 pm
Brian met her paw with his own furless one, smiling as he shook. "Pleasure to meet you, Chana. I'm Brian. And this is Blitzen." The dog's mouth flopped open, tongue lolling in a big doggy grin. He clearly knew his own name. "You're not afraid of dogs are you? I know some people aren't too fond of them." Blitzen didn't seem to care whether or not his newest friend liked him, and set about sniffing her feet and legs meticulously. Mmm, wet fur smell.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:26 pm
Chana raised an eyebrow at the dog's name. "Blitzen...like the reindeer?" she asked as she offered her hands to the dog for examination.
"I do like dogs. Though they're as energetic as pre-teens!" she commented, laughing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:33 pm
The dog snuffled the offered hand curiously, and then covered it with generous licks. He was about to stick his nose quite rudely into a place it didn't belong when Brian intervened with, "Alright, that's quite enough." His tone of voice must have carried well, for even without a direct command Blitzen knew to cease whatever he was doing and peer up innocently at the taller two.
"Yeah, like the reindeer. He was tied to my door on Christmas morning, so I'm guessing he was a gift? I'm just glad he's not hyperactive like some of the dogs I've met in the past."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:36 pm
"It sounds a bit strange to me, but he seems like a nice enough dog," Chana replied. She lightly scratched behind Blitzen's ears...since he was in reach.
Why would the labs give Brian a dog? Well...they could have reasons. Maybe the guy had been lonely. Maybe he wasn't taking too kindly to his serum. It could be one of hundreds of reasons, and there was no way she'd ever know which one.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:42 pm
"I didn't name him, so if it does sound weird, it's not my fault." Brian laughed, tail swaying. He thought, at that instant, that it was mildly ironic that he had a tail where his pet dog had none. Oh the strangeness of this island. "So are you just out on a walk like we are, or do you spend most of your time outdoors?" He avoided asking if she lived outdoors. It didn't sound as... casual.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:48 pm
"I usually come out here to swim. I guess it was so cozy today, I just fell asleep. But I have...um...spurts. Sometimes I spend every moment I can outside. Other times I don't want to get out of bed," Chana laughed, a bit embarrassed. "I'm as bad as I was in college!" she admitted.
Why would he want to know that? Yeah, she knew some people preferred the outdoors...but even beavers in the wild didn't sleep outside. They slept in their dams.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:57 pm
"Ah," he said, nodding as she spoke. "How warm is the water here? I know it must get warmer when it's not... well, I suppose there isn't winter around here-" it had been so depressing seeing Christmas and New Year's come and go without a single snowflake- "but, well- when it isn't January."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:00 pm
The beaver shrugged. "It's no heated pool. But I'm bad at telling those things. My fur," she gestured to her covered body, "is plenty insulated. That's why I usually leave the A/C on. It gets hot."
So it was still January? She really needed to get herself together. She was losing way too much time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:35 pm
Brian strongly suspected that it was an extra-thick layer of skin beneath the fur that kept her insulated, but he didn't dare point that out. No sense in insulting a woman's insulation. Or implying that she's fat. Never wise, that.
"The beaches must be nice when summer rolls around, although I'm not looking forward to the humidity." He made a face.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:39 pm
"It's an island beach. It's beautiful whatever the season. It gets old."
No...the beaver wasn't biased against salt water. Not at all. Salt just took more effort to get out of fur. It was just not worth the effort for a short dip. And she wasn't about to the let the beaver get started on sand.
"So, how long have you been here?" Chana asked.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:43 pm
"Since late October," he replied, unwilling to put it into an actual number of months. That made the situation much too inevitable-sounding. "Yourself?" He suspected a long time- she looked very much the beaver that had been thrust into her DNA. Blitzen explored idly while the boring people chatted, splashing about in the shallows and running around without a dsetination, although never straying too far from Brian.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
