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 Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 11:09 am
Wolfie watched Tira follow the scrambling and come to a precise stop in front of the wall. Whatever it was below was driving her nutty. The wolf tore at the floorboards, her nails scraping at the hardwood.
"Coming!" Wolfie got to her feet and gently rubbed her sore knees before jogging over to the staircase. "Tal, is that what I think it is?" Wolfie cocked her head to the side and watched the flashlight beam cross over the small room.
Inside lay and old seamans trunk, which Wolfie knew had belonged to Aunt Bea's Second husband Edmund Hill, a master sea captain. Bea had always loved the ocean. It was forwonder that she never had chosen to live there. His initials were carved into the side with the blade of his clam knife. Wolfie remembered the days when Edmund had brought them home by the bucketload, fresh with saltwater and their bellies full of cornstarch... greedy little sea things ate and ate until they became sweet and sandless... usually.
Her attention soon passed from the trunk to the gap in the floor behind it. Boards were missing and there was enough space to slide a thin body through. How odd, thought Wolfie. I wonder what might have gotten into such a space...it has been closed for ages.
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 11:24 am
Tal stooped and walked into the the room. It wasn't too bad right at the top, but the room narrowed down where the floor was open. That was, of course, where the stairs came down to meet the floor.
"I think this may be the key to discovering what or who is caught between the floors!" She tugged on the dusty chest to move it to the side so they could get to the open space to the area beneath the floor.
"But Wolfie, we should close that door. If any of our pups wander in here, they'll be in danger. This is definitely not the place for the little ones to be!"
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 11:33 am
Wolfie gulped and looked at the door. She knew Tal was right of course, but she also didnt want to be shut into the space if the door managed to wedge again. "I dont know Tal," She started. Really, was there another answer?
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 11:47 am
Tal sensed her friend's fear and thought quickly. "I have another idea, then. I'll be right back." She handed Wolfie' the flashlight and squeezed past her, out of the stair room.
Swiftly she moved into the living room and found the Moonlit she was looking for. She quietly padded to her side, attempting not to wake the others. Gently she shook Morgana's shoulder to wake her. "We need you, darling. Can you come help?"
Morgana woke up with a wide, tongue curling yawn. What was this about? She sat up and blinked up at Tal. "I'll do my best, Mother," she said, then yawned again. She called Ciara "Momma" but Talencia was considered as "Mother" to all her Moonlits. "If I can wake up fully." She stood and stretched one way, then the other, almost like a cat. Licking her muzzle she then sat and looked up at Tal more attentively. "What can I do?"
Talencia smiled fondly at her. She was the only Moonlit of Tal's who had chosen to speak, and Tal loved her for it. "Wolfie and I need to explore a space under the stairs, but there is a large hole there, and it wouldn't be safe for any of the pups to wander into." She looked back towards the hallway to indicate where it was. "We also aren't keen to close the door and end up locking ourselves in." She looked back at the she-wolf. "It would be very helpful if you could lay at the door and prevent any little ones from going in and getting hurt."
Morgana's tail had begun to wave, swishing softly on the wooden floors. This definitely was something she could do! "Certainly, Mother! And if you needed anything, I'd be there to hear and get help!" She stood up with a soft yip to show she was ready, her tail waving wildly.
Tal beamed at her. What a good pup she was! "Yes indeed. Be sure to watch that Tira doesn't follow us either. I don't think this is a safe place for her either." They were walking back down the hallway, where Tira had stopped digging and turned her blind eyes towards them. She whined and Tal gently stroked her ears. "It's okay, Tira. We'll get it. You stay here and keep listening for us, okay?"
Leaving Morgana to sprawl in front of the open doorway, Tal rentered the stair room and nodded with a smile to Wolfie. "We're all set!"
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 1:09 pm
Yuki sat next to the poor moonlit, soaking in what was happening to them. She hated to feel like this, but she was mildly relieved. All she was worried about was whether they were contagous or not. And they didn't sound too contagous at all.
She raised her head in just enough time to see Bindy tackle Tal to the ground. Chucking a little, she raised herself up from the moonlit and dusted herself off. Then, she made her way behind Tal and peered over her shoulder at the whole. "That's interesting..."
Curiously, Yuki scooted in and crouched down and examined the trunk. It was amazing! How many people can say they have actually seen an old fashoned sea man's trunk let alone actually touch it! She ran her fingers along the old wood one last time before looking back up, finding Tal returning with another Moonlit. "Good idea. She won't fall asleep will she?" She stood on her tip-toes to gaze over the two girls and get a look at the moonlit. It wasn't really any good. She couldn't see her properly concidering the darkness anyway, so she turned her attention to the hole in the floor. "You don't mind if I come along do you?" She ran her fingers through her hair.
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 3:06 pm
"Not at all!" Wolfie Beamed. "Help is always welcome around here." Wolfie noticed that Yuki was admiring the old trunk tenderly. It indeed was one of her favorite items too. Many interesting things were inside, as far as she remembered. Well, perhaps interesting...she had been extremely young the last time it had been opened.
"When we get back we can explore the trunk together. Im sure there will be some stories to tell. You look as if you remember something about the sea yourself." Wolfie commented, pushing the trunk as close to the door without blocking the entryway as possible.
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 3:26 pm
Yuki smiled. "I'm always willing to help." She finished with a short nod, then glanced back at the trunk after Wolfie commented about it. "I actually wasn't around the sea much at all in my life. My father was a pilot and travelled everywhere. He always brought back little trinkets and told me stories, but my favorite always involed his 'sea adventures'."
She giggled rather childishly at the mild flashback of a story involving her father then snapped back, blushing. "So...I guess we should be heading down now huh?" She was stalling a bit. Afterall she only had the slightest idea what was really going on. Hesitantly, she peered into the dark hole and then back at Wolfie. "What is it we're looking for?" Giant rats flashed in her mind, causing her to shake her head quickly.
Back in the common room, Hakana yawned. She had obviously worn herself out from playing with her new friend Zak. The lack of her owner didn't seem to bother her in her dreary state. Wearily, her stumpy legs lead her next to her playmate and curled up slightly. Needless to say it didn't take long for her to pass into a soundless slumber.
((I thought that would be cute ^_^ lol))
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:22 pm
"I dont want to go first!" Wolfie blurted out...it was more of a thought that was spoken out loud than something she had meant for everyone to know. "I mean, I grew up in this house and I guess I feel odd tearing it apart." She covered quickly and shuffled from foot to foot.
She knew her friend Talencia knew her better than that and wouldnt say anything too obvious. She usually rolled with things. However, this may have been something that Tal would find rather amuzing since it was her house.
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:29 pm
Talencia smiled in welcome to Yuki joining their exploration. "No, she is sure not to fall asleep, right Moragna?" Instead of a bark or a yip, a sweet voice piped up from beyond her.
"No Mother, I'll be careful to keep everyone up here safe from that hole in there."
Tal smiled at Yuki with a satisfied nod, then turned to Wolfie. She gave her friend a steady look for a few moments, then nodded at her. "I'll go first then, if you like." She paused thoughfully. "With three of us, it's too bad we don't have more than one flashlight. Ah well." She brushed aside a cobweb that hung near her face with a grimace, then squeezed past the trunk and edged near the dark hole.
It appeared to be intentional.. or perhaps there had been a covering for it at one time, but if so, it was gone. The space was an even rectangle, though. "Wolfie, could you shine it down in there, so I can see how far it goes down?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:39 pm
Wolfie passed over the flashlight, no complaints. It was much easier for Tal to aim the beam where she needed it most than for Wolfie to try to squeeze into that tight space with her.
"Here hun." Wolfie backed away a few steps and smiled sheepishly. "Thanks for going first." She wished there was more than one light.
With a slight sigh she felt around the tiny room. "Do you think there is a light switch down here somewhere? I mean, this is a room, sorta. And its out of the way, so wouldnt someone have wanted light here?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:47 pm
Tal accepted the flashlight and shone it down into the hole. She was beginning to wonder what she'd gotten herself into. There were cobwebs everywhere below, and a layer of dust obscured distances and edges. Still... it looks like it wasn't too small a space... with a held breath, she dropped in.
She landed with a small but balanced thud, sending up a puff of dust. Coughing and waving her hand around to clear the air, she shone the light around. Her head was still visible to the others, mostly. She bent to peer further under the floor. Her flashlight caught old wood studs extending around her, and solid wood underfoot. Thank goodness these old houses didn't have drywall for ceilings!
She stood back up and told the other two, "It looks safe to me... even the spiderwebs are all old and bandoned." She ducked back under and hunched her shoulders. Bent slightly over, she shuffled to the side and shone her flashlight where she'd landed. "C'mon down!"
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:54 pm
Wolfie silently wished she had just left the noise alone. Afterall, it was just a noise to begin with and it had turned into quite a chase. She slittered over to the hole and dropped in. Being much shorter than Tal, Wolfie didnt have much to hunch over. However, one of the first things she manged to do was catch her arm on a nail.
"Its got me Tal!" She yelped as she tugged at the sleeve. With a resounding 'rrrrrrrriiiiiiiipppp' Wolfie caught glance of what had indeed caught her with the first swoop of the flashlight beam. "Ooopppsss." She fingered the gap in her shirt and silently cursed herself for not being more careful. She had just lost one of her favorite sweaters to a nail sticking out. How lame. It couldnt have been one of the pups in paint or leaning against a newly oiled doorframe. It wasnt even so much as falling off of the ladder or even spilling bleach. A simple. Stupid. Nail.
Wolfie looked at the other beams. A set of initials were carved into the one overhead. 'E.H. & B.D.' "Hey Yuki," Wolfie called up to the newcomer. "Get a look at this!"
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 6:25 pm
Yuki giggled at Wolfie. She knew Wolfie was scared to go first but played along anyway and nodded. Luckily for her, Tal agreed to go first. She stepped aside and waited for Tal to plop into the hole. Her head had disappeared for a moment and then reappeared, telling the two about the space's abandonment excluding layers of dust and multiple spider webs. Gross!
Next, Yuki watched Wolfie desend into the hole. Yuki hoisted herself into the hole and jumped at Wolfie's yelps, then laughed as they were followed by a loud rip. She followed behind and looked around curiously. 'I wonder why there would be a crawl space under the floor?' She gasped as pictures of axe murders throwing their victims into holes flashed into her mind. Woflie's calls snapped her thoughts away, greatfully. "What is it?" She shuffled over as fast as her crouched position could allow and squinted at the initials. "Who do they belong to?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 7:01 pm
Wolfie grinned. "Perhaps this was their little get-a-way spot" she ran her fingers lightly over the carvings. "I think Its Edward Hill and Beatrice Duke." Wolfie concidered the trunk again for a moment. "Or just Edmunds's. We did find his trunk closeby afterall. Anything is possible?" Wolfie followed the flashlight beam as it moved away.
"Okay Tal, where are we off to? Isnt Tira going to lead?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 7:14 pm
Yukis took one last look at the carving curiously and shuffled after Wolfie. "Wait. Who is Edward Hill? That trunk belonged to him? And Beatrice Duke sounds very familiar." Her mind wandered back to the trunk excitedly. Then she tugged on Wolfie's sleeve. "You never told me what it was that we were looking for. What is it that you heard from up there?" She motioned to the floor above.
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Reply
![[[Yuki]]'s avatar](https://a1cdn.gaiaonline.com/dress-up/avatar/ava/c8/9c/3d9eed42199cc8_flip.png?t=1244570597_6.00_10)