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 Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 6:52 pm
Cricket nodded to her brother, a signal he had her permission to do something. In this case, approach a lioness. Said lioness observed the two of them with equal interest.
She'd never met a wild dog before either. "My name's Sen, to answer your question before. Are you slow?"
"No, we're not slow." Cricket didn't understand what 'slow' implyed, thinking it meant were they slow in the literal, speed-sense, and no they weren't. "This is my brother."
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 6:57 pm
Did she nod? SHE NODDED YAY!
He was off the ground in an instance, skittering up to bounce beside his sister. Oooh, a real lion! She was so big! Well, a lot of things were big to Pebble, so it wasn't surprising that lions were big. And what if, gasp, she was only young like him? She would grow much much bigger and then she would tower over him!
Pebble barely caught Sen's name, so caught up in his internal monologue. "Sent? Sent like... I sent you my love and you only gave me back a rock, like that kind of Sent?" He asked, before catching sight of her claws. "Cricket she has claaaws, look! Claws claws claaaaws! Are they sharp? They should be sharp, right Cricket?" Pebble giggled gleefully, thrilled by the fact that he got to meet a real lion. This was so exciting!
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 7:01 pm
Sen and Cricket didn't look alike, obviously due to being different species. If one could be a sister or brother based on the resembalance of an expression, however, they'd have been twins.
Sen shook her head. "Sen," she corrected. "You're wild dogs right?"
"Yeah," Cricket piped up. "And you're a lion right?"
"Sure am. What are you doing out here? Are you orphans?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 7:33 pm
Sen? Oh. That wasn't as awesome a name as Sent, but it would have to do. Idly, Pebble wondered what a Sen was. After all, what else would you name your children after except natural objects? Wait, maybe Sen was her second name, like Bakura was his second name. She probably had an object name but just didn't like it. Yes, that made sense.
Pebble was completely oblivious to the looks he was given by his sister and lioness, tail still wagging energetically as he listened to Cricket and Sen's conversation. It was hard to keep quiet, but the pup knew that sometimes he had to let his sister speak and ask the questions. It was often better if she spoke first, just because her questions were usually shorter and, well, more coherent.
But of course the moment the lioness mentioned "orphans", Pebble couldn't contain himself. "No no no no! Our mother, the great adventurer, has gone adventuring and..." Oh wait, was the rest of the message? He looked over to Cricket for help, having forgotten his answering machine message in light of recent events.
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 7:44 pm
"Would like you to leave a message with one of her small ones and she'll get back to you," Cricket recited. Her eyes rolled in a circle as she did. It wasn't important for Sen to know what Gzifa had said if she didn't know her. Pebble probably couldn't put two and two together to realize that.
"She's off someplace," the female of the two puppies translated. Sen looked more confused than ever.
"Off someplace? You mean she just left you?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 7:48 pm
Ooh she got it! Yay Cricket! Pebble beamed at his sister when she recited the rest of the message, pleased that his sister had remembered it. See, Cricket was always better at remembering things! Why, Gzifa had had to tell him three times this morning before he got the whole thing right. He'd only had to tell Cricket once!
He tilted his head when the lioness gave the pair a confused look – he knew that (come hither) look anywhere – wondering why she was looking at them that way. Did she not have a message for them to pass onto their mother? Oh. She had a question. "She didn't leeeeave us. She'll be back before it gets dark," Pebble responded sagely, as though it were the most natural thing in the world for mothers to let their children wander around.
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 7:53 pm
Stare.
"So," Sen began. "Let me get this straight: Your mother left you, and she'll be back before dark." It was suppose to be the other way around! No way all wild dogs were like this. Their mom was just a freak.
"Is something wrong?" Cricket pressed. Her sixth sense--also known as 'common sense'--was telling there was something going over her head. She didn't like it.
"Well, duh! Of course!" As she often failed to, Sen didn't notice how long she was talking. "Adults--parents--aren't suppose to do that. Only their kids are suppose to do that. They're suppose to watch you. What about your dad? Where is he?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 7:59 pm
Sadly, Pebble didn’t have any of this common sense thing, and so Sen's concerns went right over his head. Seeing as this happened often, it wasn't as distressing to the pup as it was to his sister. He was sort of used to it by now, however that didn't mean he wouldn't try to understand what Sen was saying. He just didn’t understand what she was getting at with this whole "parents are supposed to be here thing."
"What do you meeean, Sen?" Pebble asked, intent on helping her. She looked upset with what he'd said, which meant that he actually had to pay attention and ask the right questions. He didn't want her to be upset! "Mama does it all the time." What was this about a father? Pebble turned to look questioningly at his sister, not understanding. Dad?
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:07 pm
Dad...? For her age, Cricket was smart. But as it's been said there was much she didn't know. 'Dad' was one of those words. No one had ever said to them. Gzifa had never mentioned it. They were too young to grasp the reality they would have to have a father.
Cricket didn't even know what one was. She felt like she should. She shrugged in her brothers direction. "We don't have one of those."
Yet again, all Sen could do was stare. How could you... not have a father? Growing up in the pridelands, all the lions she'd met had had familys still in tact. She was taking Cricket's words as her saying their father had left or was gone. It hadn't occured to Sen not all families were whole. "You mean like he's dead or something?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:15 pm
If Cricket didn't know what Sen was talking about then Pebble didn't have a clue. Cricket paid much more attention to her surroundings, and if she had known what a father was, would have probably figured out where he was. Pebble, on the other hand, wouldn't have even noticed there was no father. Even when he reached the age to get the birds and the bees talk, it was doubtful it would occur to Pebble that he had to have a father. But he was just dense like that.
Pebble just blinked when Sen suggested that their father – which they didn't have – was dead. "We don't have one though," he repeated, going by what his sister said, "so I dunno how he'd be dead if he doesn't exist or..." Oh wow, that was too complicated. The pup just settled for blinking owlishly at Sen and looking back at Cricket for guidance. He reeeallly didn't know what was going on here.
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:20 pm
"He has to exsist," Sen informed them, getting annoyed. It was confusing, because the male one seemed dense, but the female one hadn't given off the 'I'm stupid' vibe. What the hell was going on with this family? "You have to have a mom and a dad. You mean you don't know yours?"
"Why do we HAVE to?" Cricket asked curiously.
"I...don't know," admitted Sen after a brief pause. "I just know that you have to."
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:25 pm
He had to exist? But, why did they not have one if he had to exist. Pebble really didn't know what to think about this. It was really quite confusing for his poor mind, and Cricket didn’t seem to be handling it either. Maybe it was just something wild dogs wouldn't understand?
"Maybe lions have to?"
Pebble piped up, trying to sound helpful. It was, after all, the best thing he could come up with in their current predicament. Sen the Lion said that they had to, but Cricket and Pebble said they didn't. It must be a species thing then.
"Maybe it's different for us 'cause we're dogs."
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:28 pm
"I don't think that's how it works." Not that Sen knew how it did work, and if it involved boys that weren't her brother she didn't want to. That gross cuddle stuff she'd seen those two pridelanders do was...well, gross.
Cricket was quiet. Which meant she was thinking. A mom and a dad...? She was staring at the ground as if there was something interesting about it. Such an intense gaze she didn't notice the Goddess easily ten times their size land--yes, land--in front of them.
Mwokoti did little but blink at the two pups. "Sen, we're moving now. We must find Yue."
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:38 pm
"I think maaaybe that's how it works," Pebble declared, deciding that maybe it was his turn to be smart. After all, it made sense didn't it? Sen knew all these weird customs, and he and Cricket knew a completely different set. This father thing was just one of them. It made sense that Sen's customs were for lions only.
He was about to argue his point further when a lion fell from the sky. Pebble's jaw dropped as he stared at the goddess. She.... she... SHE FELL FROM THE SKY OMG. He had never seen anything that large in his life, much less something that large fall from the sky! The pup instantly pressed his body against his sisters, hoping they would somehow mesh and look a little more intimidating. "Cricket, it fell from the sky," he hissed, not taking his eyes off the goddess.
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:43 pm
Cricket leered at her brother. What was he...?
...Oh, wow. Holy s**t.
Her mouth dropped open and she stared at Mwokoti, who stared back at her. It was a bit eerie how emotionless the face of something that big looked. That lioness was huge! Did they all get that big! And... she had wings?! "Do you ALL get wings?!"
Sen didn't answer. She still wasn't convinced Mwokoti couldn't give her wings. And, if the Goddess had been meaner, she'd have squashed the puppy for bringing it up again. Damn it...
"Only the Gods and Goddesses have wings. Mortals do not."
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