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 Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 4:11 pm
 Tick, tock, tick, tick, tock...
Sure, there wasn't really a clock to be ticking or tocking beneath the rocky overhang, but the flighty, nervous thump of Jasu's heart was just as effective in calling attention to the silence which was only growing more apparent with each passing second. Athanos obviously wasn't going to be making conversation any time soon... and was he actually sleeping with his eyes open? Talking about unnerving!
The little kit was torn with indecision, sitting there stiff and rigid and pondering her next action. Still cold, still drenched, still thoroughly too pannicked for any rational thought, there was little chance that she could get any sleep... but was it right to wake up the nightmare for a 'conversation'?
And if she did, more importantly, would he be grumpy enough to eat her?
"A...Atha--"
BOOM!
"EEK!" Well, so much for that thought! The lightning had struck close this time, and a sound like a massive gunshot exploded in all directions... followed by a certain kitsusagi's scream of fright. Instinct took over and she bolted for the nearest shelter to hide in... which just so happened to be a massive ball of some cream colored fluff. No matter that it was a giant, sleeping monster's tail!
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 10:17 am
Athanos hadn't really been asleep. Yes, he had been trying, even with his eyes open, unmoving except for breathing, and completely ignoring the presence of the other creature in the immediate vacinity. But, as much as he hated the rain, he couldn't sleep while listening to it, especially not with thunder and lightning.
Still, even if he was awake still, having something cold and wet wiggle itself in between his tails after issuing a very unpleasant shriek. Jerking his head up with a low snarl of surprise - and a touch of anger - the nightmare lifted two of said cream-colored fluffs, and 'stared' irritatingly down at where he felt a wet, shivering ball was sitting.
This was turning out to be more trouble than it was worth.
But, if he said anything, Jasu would start stuttering apologies and be even more irritating; ignoring the kit would be the best thing for now.
Hissing out a small sigh, Athanos let his head fall back to its former resting position. At the same time, his tails settled down around Jasu like a thick blanket and pillow. Almost protective-like...and might have been, had the guardian not been so utterly vexed with the presence of the protected.
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 11:01 am
Faced ONCE AGAIN with the nitemare's grumpy glare, Jasu half expected that he'd crane his head down and swallow her right there. Naturally, she braced for the inevitable by screwing her eyes shut and praying it be quick, counting the seconds until she was gobbled up like a tasty furry crouton... and yet, nearly a half minute later, she was still breathing. How could this be?
Even stranger, Athanos had settled back down... and ignored the fact that she was still bunched up in his tails! Well, no need to look a gift horse in the mouth! If he wasn't going to boot her the boot, then maybe it would be acceptable to stay there... for just a few minutes... to warm up a little...
And, less than a minute later, the little Kitsu was dead to all, lost in sleepyland with her face buried in his tail fluff. Even the thunder couldn't bother her, with such a fuzzy warm place to hide in... assuming he wasn't ever hungry enough to chomp her in two, that was!
Maybe waiting out the storm wouldn't be so terrible after all.
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 11:19 am
It took Athanos a while to get used to the cold dampness curled up in his tails, but once his - apparently very comfortable - fur had stopped occasionally spasming at the wet, he as able to drift off to sleep himself. But, ever-alert, the nightmare's keen hearing was able to tell when the storm began to blow over. After a few hours, the lightning and thunder calmed, though the rain took a short time longer to recede to a tolerable drizzle.
His blank eyes closed once, then twice, in a few blinks as the kitsu became fully awake. A few seconds was all it took to recall what the weight on his tails was...hmph. Lifting his horned head slowly, he opened his jaws to yawn, then let his tongue taste the air. It smelled fresh and wet...but wet on the ground he could handle. Time to get moving, then.
...And yet he paused at the knowledge that Jasu was probably still asleep. Bah.
Athanos could have just stood and left, letting the kit fall out of his fur with a thump and continuing on his way. But instead, with no understanding as to why he was being so careful, he took the time to carefully roll his cream-colored fluff from beneath and around the blue ball nested up in said fluff. She'd probably notice the change from warm fur to cool, hard rock, but he could be far enough away by then.
Ears flicking as he finally managed to stand, the nightmare turned and stepped out into the rain-soaked forest.
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 11:40 am
All things considered, Jasu was actually pretty lucky to have gotten stuck with a nightmare like Athanos. Sure, he was giant, scary and capable of gobbling her down in one bite... but he was also exceptionally fluffy, soft, and radiated heat like a furnace. There was really no better sleeping-buddy for a drenched and shivvering little kitsu on a cold day!
She dreamed for what seemed like a long time, more than happy to sleep the day away... when suddenly, something strange roused her. The soft furnace-heat was gone!
"...H-huh?..." Cracking her eyes open, Jasu blinked... and then the panic all hit at once, jumping to her feet and frantically searching for the giant orange sillouette. Where had he gone? Did a bigger nitemare come along and deovur him?! Oh, no!!! HOW COULD SHE POSSIBLY LET SUCH A TERRIBLE THING HAPPEN?! Granted, Jas was a very smart little female... but she was also very young, and her mind was already frantic with a thousand terrible (and mostly impossible) worst case scenarios of his fate.
And so she toddled out from the little awning, gave one last look around, and flopped back on her sore tails to do the only thing she could think of.
Bawl uncontrollably.
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 12:18 pm
The nightmare had rounded the corner about the tree leaning against the rock outcrop, and paused, listening to sounds of the kit waking up and trying to follow. Had that been the case, he would have started running...and fast. A longer for his entire life, he wasn't about to let an irritating little creature follow him now.
Satisfied after a few moments of silence, Athanos began padding away, keeping along the rock face of the mountain. It was better to go that way in case the trees were still dripping water-
He was then abruptly halted by the sounds of utterly depressed crying. Wailing was more like it.
....It wasn't worth the trouble of turning around and seeing what Jasu was blubbering about. But the big kitsu found himself doing so anyway. Bah.
Rounding the corner again, his ears tilted slightly back in irritation - and in the want to keep the bawling out of his head as much as possible - the nightmare stalked right back up to Jasu, sitting pitifully at the entrance of the makeshift shelter. Lowering his head to her level, he gave a rough nudge, and growled out, "Why are you crying?"
Perhaps her tail still hurt from hours before when he had trod on her..."Are you hurt?"
He could think of no other explanation to her wails.
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 12:35 pm
Sure, it probably wasn't very smart of such a tiny kit to be wailing out on the open and advertising her panic to every nitemare-devouring monster in the area... but logical thought didn't always apply for the young. Or the hysteric.
It was only a rough nudge that finally snapped her out of the wailing, nearly spilled right over by some incredibly strong... beak? Muzzle? Wait a minute-- she knew what that was!!!
"A-ATHANOS!" Her broken squeak was nothing short of pitiful, so watery that it sounded as if she might burst out into tears again at a moment's notice. (Obviously) not thinking her actions through, Jasu lurched forward and wrapped her paws around... well, at much of his face as her little forepaws could reach. "I w-w-w-was a-a-afraid t-t-that a g-g-giant m-monster came a-and a-a-ate you!"
Well, this certainly was... interesting. It wasn't often that one saw such a strange 'reunion' of... not quite friends, was it?
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Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 1:00 am
The large kitsu twitched very slightly when Jasu wrapped her little paws about his face. Had he been able to, he probably would have blinked a few times in surprise. Humph...odd things always happened when he put his head near this kit. First he'd been sneezed on, then shocked, and finally hugged?
...The odd day would never end.
But she thought something had come along and eaten him? A silly thought, and it brought just enough amusement for him to excuse the small kitsu clinging to him. The nightmare had to wonder if Jasu's greatest phobia was being eaten - she apparently applied it to the gruesome fate of not only herself, but others as well.
Snorting slightly, his growling voice held a touch of humor as he said, "You would have heard if something had tried to eat me."
Passive as he seemingly was to these small, harmless ones - like Jasu - Athanos likely wasn't one to go down without a fight.
And now, if the kit would just let go of him....
Or, perhaps traveling would be easier in the way he had just thought up. Seeing as the little creature's paws were still wrapped firmly around his muzzle, the orange kitsu merely lifted his head, affecting a scooping motion as he did so, leveling his jaw horizontal to the ground. So, for the second time that day, Jasu would find herself dangling up off the ground, though this time, sitting atop those jaws of death instead of hanging in them.
It was a good thing that he didn't need to see to walk. Turning around, he stepped away from the little cave once more, hoping Jasu knew how to cling to his face. It did feel rather awkward, though; perhaps he could encourage her to move up atop his head. So he did so by tilting his face skyward, and muttering, "Get off of my face. I can carry you more easily that way."
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Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 5:45 pm
Oh, suffering and agony-- the time of her demise was finally nigh! Jasu's foolish hugging had finally severed the nitemare's final raw nerve and sealed her fate to a grisly, violent, agonizing--
... No, wait a minute; that just wouldn't do! She wasn't in his jaws, and Athanos was far too... uh. What was that word? Kind? Yes! That was it-- he was far too kind (though she'd never dare mention it to his face) to devour her like an awful heartless monster!
Sobered at last, the little kitsu seemed to understand, cautiously shifting her little paws on his face. Carefully, lightly, she trecked up above his brows and found, to her surprise, that the large tuft of cream white fur on his scal made for a strangely comfortable perch... In fact, it was just the perfect little niche for a little thing like herself! What funny luck! Even his horns made for wonderful guard to keep her from toppling off!
"I-I-I'm... u-uh... r-ready t-t-to go now," she muttered, for lack of knowing something better to say. This was... strange, awkward, utterly ridiculous and yet...
"U-um... Athanos... I... I... uh..." A pause now, looking down at him with a shy, frail smile. "I... I mean... f-for this... I... I want t-to say... well... t-t-thank you."
Maybe it wasn't so bad after all.
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