"A Week with Carl"
[Post Number: ooo91]
Day 6 - Bird in the Hole
Donna the Vixen
The night had not been merciful with his rest. Carl awoke, if just a little late, the covers tangled and mussed from his tossing and turning, and his body tired. Great...had he not done enough to redeem himself from such punnishment? Was nature itself out to piss him off? The boy groaned and pushed himself up, pulling the covers from his body before he slipped off of the bed and towards his bags - hoping to find something that'd straighten him out.
He kneeled down beside it and began to rummage through the contents, tossing asside whatever was useless to him while claws reached deep to find SOMETHING besides his other clothes and a spare diary pen. The search was fruitless for the first few minutes, but at the very bottom of the bag did the tips of his fingers brush against something hard that he proceeded to pull out and investigate. A mirror! Oh sweet day, why hadn't he found this earlier? Carl used an old shirt to wipe off the glass so that he could see just how poor he must look for so little sleep, but the surface was almost promptly scratched as he took his first look and dropped the mirror.
What illusion was this?!! Was it a joke by some ghost, or was it real? carl scrambled to pick it up and have another look before the expression of disbelief was replaced by one of rapture, a grin breaking loose over him.
His feathers! They had returned! The aching sensation, the sleepless night, the sweltering heat of even cloth covering his skin...it all made sense to him now. Granted, the new coat was mussed and untidy at the moment, but with some well deserved preening, Carl couldn't help but admire the much larger, thicker, and glossier feathers that had replaced his worn and dull fledgeling attire.
Wouldn't Willow be surprised, and just a little impressed!!
But Willow....Oh he was gonna set her straight now. Carl fixed himself up to prime perfection, only to reach not for his hoodie, but the monks robe - slipping it over himself as though still without. He then headed off as he was dressed, struggling not to dash into the dining room whooping and calling out in joy. But somehow he managed. Somehow he made it quietly into the room and into his seat, waiting for Rosey and his early morning guest.
He kneeled down beside it and began to rummage through the contents, tossing asside whatever was useless to him while claws reached deep to find SOMETHING besides his other clothes and a spare diary pen. The search was fruitless for the first few minutes, but at the very bottom of the bag did the tips of his fingers brush against something hard that he proceeded to pull out and investigate. A mirror! Oh sweet day, why hadn't he found this earlier? Carl used an old shirt to wipe off the glass so that he could see just how poor he must look for so little sleep, but the surface was almost promptly scratched as he took his first look and dropped the mirror.
What illusion was this?!! Was it a joke by some ghost, or was it real? carl scrambled to pick it up and have another look before the expression of disbelief was replaced by one of rapture, a grin breaking loose over him.
His feathers! They had returned! The aching sensation, the sleepless night, the sweltering heat of even cloth covering his skin...it all made sense to him now. Granted, the new coat was mussed and untidy at the moment, but with some well deserved preening, Carl couldn't help but admire the much larger, thicker, and glossier feathers that had replaced his worn and dull fledgeling attire.
Wouldn't Willow be surprised, and just a little impressed!!
But Willow....Oh he was gonna set her straight now. Carl fixed himself up to prime perfection, only to reach not for his hoodie, but the monks robe - slipping it over himself as though still without. He then headed off as he was dressed, struggling not to dash into the dining room whooping and calling out in joy. But somehow he managed. Somehow he made it quietly into the room and into his seat, waiting for Rosey and his early morning guest.
Rosey brought in just one plate, one cup and one dessert plate. She dished out sausage some new wraps, made with two different kinds of chicken Mango and Lemon pepper, extra hot sauce, lettuace, chilli a little spicey; hot peppers, onions, and just about anything else she could find that seemed to be suited for wraps.
She also poured him a glass of milk and left him some mince meat pie. She then left a note that was folded up for after he finished his meal. She sat down with him at Willow's seat and was working on some paper work.
Willow's tail wrapped around her eyes as the sun started to bother them as it rose. Then she yawned and nuzzles up and went back to sleep.
Donna the Vixen
Mmmm? Carl looked around, more than pleased with the spread but confused. "Rosey, isn't Willow comming to join us this morning?" It'd be rude to start without her, but he knew it unusual for Willow to be late without reason. Perhaps some ghost had called her off? or maybe she'd already eaten...No explination was readily accepted, but he knew that it really wasn't his buisness where she was at all times of the day.
Still..he found it more so dissapointing that he didn't get to surprise her yet, but she would show up eventually, right? Then he would have his time - and until then he'd just have to be patient.
So rather than dwell, the boy picked up one of the wraps and began his meal, feathers fluffing slightly beneath the hood as he savoured this new sensation. The first bite was swallowed, but he paused before the second. "Rosey - this is delicious! Have you been experimenting?"
Still..he found it more so dissapointing that he didn't get to surprise her yet, but she would show up eventually, right? Then he would have his time - and until then he'd just have to be patient.
So rather than dwell, the boy picked up one of the wraps and began his meal, feathers fluffing slightly beneath the hood as he savoured this new sensation. The first bite was swallowed, but he paused before the second. "Rosey - this is delicious! Have you been experimenting?"
Rosey sighed and ripped out a page from the back of her book, 'You'll find out after you eat and read the note.' She then added 'Yes, I suppose you could call it that.' She went back to her paper work pen flowwing like a well directed orchastar.
Donna the Vixen
"Oh...Alright than. Thank you, for the info and breakfast."
Oooooh breakfast. Carl took another bite and enjoyed the mixes of flavours, allowing it to marrinade in his mouth before taking another bite. Occasionally he would take a sip of the milk to balance out the heat of the food, but for the most part he ate steadily and without disturbing his host until the last of it was gone and the liquid drained down his throat.
It was then he took up the note and unfolded it. With a quick scan he set it back down, pushing himself up from the table. "Alright than...I'm off to work, Rosey. I hope to talk to you again sometime today when the work is done, but if not than have a good one." It was there he would hug her if he could, but as he couldn't he only waved his farewell before making his departure and heading towards the stream.
The shovel was easily enough found from yesterday, as it lay where he'd last left off. He still had a it to go before it was done so there was no time to waste in preperation for the newly forged waterway. Carl bent and took up his tool, and as quietly as he could - so as not to disturb Willow -he began digging out the earth again with a will.
Oooooh breakfast. Carl took another bite and enjoyed the mixes of flavours, allowing it to marrinade in his mouth before taking another bite. Occasionally he would take a sip of the milk to balance out the heat of the food, but for the most part he ate steadily and without disturbing his host until the last of it was gone and the liquid drained down his throat.
It was then he took up the note and unfolded it. With a quick scan he set it back down, pushing himself up from the table. "Alright than...I'm off to work, Rosey. I hope to talk to you again sometime today when the work is done, but if not than have a good one." It was there he would hug her if he could, but as he couldn't he only waved his farewell before making his departure and heading towards the stream.
The shovel was easily enough found from yesterday, as it lay where he'd last left off. He still had a it to go before it was done so there was no time to waste in preperation for the newly forged waterway. Carl bent and took up his tool, and as quietly as he could - so as not to disturb Willow -he began digging out the earth again with a will.
Rosey waved as carl left.
Carl.... working without Willow..... this was going to be fun. Eyes narrowed and a grin wider than the cheshire's as she hade her move. Hop, hop, hop, dun-nah, dun-dun-nah-nah, dun-nah......
One last hope and a tail flicker as her prey was right infront of her back turned as he worked. All this before there was a yowl the most horribleist yowl ever.... "DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMED!"
Willow's eyes snapped open and she fell off the chair she was sleeping on. "WHAT THE HELL"
Donna the Vixen
HOLY SHI-!!! Carl's entire body went rigid as the sound pierced his very spine. To Thorn - he must have looked like a startled rooster, tail flaring underneath the hood, feathers pracitcally bursting from every open hole in complete ruin of all his hard work placing them. It was fortunate, for the both of them, that not one feather fell from Carl's body as he turned around slowly, beak clenched in anger.
"THORN!!! You...You BRAT! You are in SO much trouble." Ohhhhhh!!! If looks could kill. Carl pushed the head of his shovel into the earth and pulled himself out of the ditch, steadily stalking towards the bush.
"THORN!!! You...You BRAT! You are in SO much trouble." Ohhhhhh!!! If looks could kill. Carl pushed the head of his shovel into the earth and pulled himself out of the ditch, steadily stalking towards the bush.
Willow on the other hand unfluffed her fur and muttered. "I SWEAR..... I can't get a decent hours sleep for all of you -insert random four letter word +ing here- Willow moved and grabbed up the Kitten by her scruff. "If it's the last thing I'lll d....."
"Willow for God's Sake I told you never to use that language What's going on?" LP clearly distressed came out to see what was going on. Saving Thorn from both Willow and Carl...she didn't like the card cat but she wasn't about to let anyone kill it. "I'll take thorn inside, you two be have....."
Donna the Vixen
Carl pointed an accusing finger at the card cat and grinned, one of those malicious tv-villain grins. "I swear by all that is orange and fluffy that I WILL get you for this. I will hold your paper thin butt down and sing the most horrendously sweet and caring song on the face of this earth until the cavity of all of it rots that cynical little brain of yours into being a decent person!"
Ah, creative threats indeed. He didn't exactly want them thinking he planned to beat the kitten up, but rather craved revenge for the impromptu heart fibrillation.
Ah, creative threats indeed. He didn't exactly want them thinking he planned to beat the kitten up, but rather craved revenge for the impromptu heart fibrillation.
LP took Thorn off but before they were gone thorn called out. "Did I mention you're feathers were going to get eaten by a VACCUUM CLEANER!? MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" -cough, choke, hack hairball.- LP wrinkled her nose... stuipd kitten
Willow murfed and flopped down. "WHY MEEE" She cried in dispair before coiling up into a tight ball tail over her eyes again. Clearly craving sleep. But Thorn had now made her paranoid and her ear flicker serverly.
Donna the Vixen
Carl snickered as her laughter was cut short, calling out to her. "Did I tell you about that hairball?..Oops, guess not. Now go behave before I really get serious."
Yeah, serious, like a schoolgirl was serious about which boy was popular that week. Carl sighed and smoothed himself down, resetting his beautiful new feathers before moving back to the ditch and taking up the shovel, driving it into the ground and continuing to excavate the row.
Yeah, serious, like a schoolgirl was serious about which boy was popular that week. Carl sighed and smoothed himself down, resetting his beautiful new feathers before moving back to the ditch and taking up the shovel, driving it into the ground and continuing to excavate the row.
Willow murfed, "Carl shut up....." She muttered poking her head out from under her tail. Shaking her head before pulling her tail back over her face muttering something about how he thinks he's so smooth.
Donna the Vixen
The bird continued chuckling to himself as he continued to work, trying not to make too much more of a fuss so that Willow could return to her nap. At least she wasn't overly angry at him, for one really couldn't blame the poor, startled bird.
Willow finally ablet clam down slumbered quitely.
Rosey came out to watch Carl work holding a bottle of water incase he got thrusty.
Donna the Vixen
It was hard, but it got done one way or another. Half way to the lake he finally grew tired of the element of surprise and pulled off the monks robe, leaving him in simple black slacks. That was the only time he paused until the afternoon sun began to rise into the azure hued oblivion, ever constantly watching him as the shovel met earth, and then stopped.
Carl looked towards the water bottle and smiled, moving over to it and gently taking it from her. "Thanks Rosey. Think we'll get it done today?"
Carl looked towards the water bottle and smiled, moving over to it and gently taking it from her. "Thanks Rosey. Think we'll get it done today?"
Rosey shurged although he couldn't see it. She didn't have anything to write with either and wasn't about to wake Willow. After all she had heard the comotion that the cat caused. She looked around and saw LP appoarching.
LP paused the kitten having been placed in a box to sleep for the afternoon, hoping it wouldn't figure out how to get out of it. And peered at carl's work. "Interesting. Hrm. While you take a break..." She said looking down at carl, "I'll dig up that lake if you want so you odn't have to much work to do." She had a few shovels and a rake with her. That were small enough to do detail work like that but they weren't so small she coudln't use them.
Donna the Vixen
The answer was more of an assumed 'yes/no' thing, so Carl didn't further inquire anything of her and took a swig of the water. The taste was good and clean, just how he liked water on a hot day, and his luck seemed to improve on from that point as LP approached - offering to help out.
The boy grinned and beamed up at her. "Thank you, Lp, that would really help! I'll finish the stream in a moment, so that way we can surprise Willow when she wakes up."
The boy grinned and beamed up at her. "Thank you, Lp, that would really help! I'll finish the stream in a moment, so that way we can surprise Willow when she wakes up."
LP looked over to Willow not seeing how the tiger could sleep like that. "Eh She'd already asked me to do that part I just didn't know if you wanted me to wait or go ahead to be truthful." She chuckled as she sat down looking at where the lake was suppose to go. It was rather large, possibley going to be big enough to plant a nice sized tree in. "Oh this will be fun." She said eyeing the layout of it before starting to dig out the earth. "We'll have to pack and remake an island I'm afraid. It'd be easier because then I could use a normal shovel and get it does twice as fast." She said looking at carl as she went to go get a different shovel.
Donna the Vixen
Carl downed the rest of his drink and took up his shovel, slipping back into the stream bed while she went to gather the needed tool. Things would go like clockwork now that they were working together! And even as clockwork went, Carl was determined to speed up a bit and finish the job, albeit he did make sure to do it the right way so he wouldn't be forced to go back and fix any errors.
When LP came back She dunked the shovel into the dirt and started diging out the Lake. Within an hour she had it deeper tahn Willow had planned on and a little bit larger too.
"There.... I think that'll do it for that. Now when you get finished carl I'll need you're help." She said Dummping a half a shovel full of loose dirt back into the hole. She needed Carl to do this part because she couldn't work like she needed to without laying down.
Willow twitched slightly in her sleep. Possibly dreams turning slightly into nightmares. She didn't often have them but when she did they weren't the best thing in the wrold.
Donna the Vixen
"Ok....This shouldn't take much longer!" And indeed, he'd abegun digging the shovel in as far as he could to achieve the maximum amount of dirt per swipe. Within ten minutes the path from start to finish was fully connected and the loose dirt neatly in their piles to be used again for some other task while they worked on the one at hand. He moved over to LP and smiled. "What do you need me to do?"
LP pointed down into the whole. "Well I need you to get down there and while I bring something around to help dampen the ground I need you to start pasking for the island. It's suppose to be big enough as it looks for the size of hte gaziboo which fits possibley three or four velveteens larger than Willow. Plus one or two your size, I wouldn't say comforbitly but simi-close ot it.
She then picked up carl and set him down into the hole. "I'll be right back." She said as she moved to get the best thing to a watering can she had.
Donna the Vixen
Wow....He hadn't quite realized how deep the hole was until he was in it. Carl looked up, never having really felt the magnitude of just how small he was and how big everything else was - to think that the hole completely went over his head and that should fate be so cruel, be might have been abbandonned there had he not the knowledge that LP was comming back.
LP whistled as she brought back the watering pale. "You mean you haven't started packing the dirt into a pile yet? Carl you want this done don't you? We need to pack, water, add more dirt, and do it all over again."
Donna the Vixen
"Oh! Sorry - I sorta phased out..." And indeed he had, much to his embarrasment. Carl began getting whatever wasn't intergral to the outer structure of the hole and began lumping it together, gettint it situated to be compacted into a solid mass while more was continually added on to be assimilated into it.
"Like I didn't notice." LP rolled her eyes and took and dipped her finger in the water and waited till carl was at work and dropped a drop on his head and whistled.
"Let me know when you get the loose stuff packed."
Donna the Vixen
"Right, just don't drench me with the bucket!" Not that she would, right?....Right?!....Oh boy he hoped Willow had gotten her sense of humor from some one else. Carl began forcing the earth to come tight together, making it solid and sturdy while it continued to grow.
He did this until he'd run out of material and signalled up to LP. "That's the last of what's down here."
He did this until he'd run out of material and signalled up to LP. "That's the last of what's down here."
"... What bucket?" She asked having slid it back while he was working and looking all innocent.
She chuckled and then nodded. "Alright," She reached into the hole offering carl a hand up. "Heree we'll wet this down and then shove some more dirt into it for you to pack.
Donna the Vixen
He took it gladly and pulled himself out of the hole, situating himself nice and away from the edge while watching her prepare it for the next installment of earth.
After having dumped the water onto the pile Carl had just finished, so that it got damppened and would slowly harden as it dried she got ready to dump more dirt into the pile. "Hrm I think we need a hose pipe...." She said watching it dry rather quickly.
She let down the next bit of dirt into the hole. "In we go?" She asked looking at Carl.
Donna the Vixen
"In we go. And yeah, a hose might do some good if we let it add water gradually as I worked." He moved closer and waited to be lowered back into the hole, knowing it a fools errand to simply jump right in to the very large crator. "Just set me down and I'll start getting the rest of it packed tight while you get whatever you think we need for the job. Is that alright?"
LP nodded thoughtfully and helped carl back into the hole. "Okay I'll go get the hose pipe. Maybe I can find something with a valuve I can turn on and off so you don't get drowned. I think all I have on it right now is one of htose spray nozzles that make it sorta rain."
She wondered off looking for some tools to work with.
Willow twitched and finally murffed waking up. It wasn't really dark but it late enough in the eveing that she could've gotten enough sleep anyways. She walked slightly drowsey over towards the lake part and looked down to where Carl was. "Where's hte island?" She asked looking at it slighlty puzzled.
Donna the Vixen
Left alone, the sollitude wasn't a lasting thing as Willow approached to survey the work. Carl waved up at her, the othe hand holding him steady against the hardened lump. "It's getting there...we just have to build it up first. Did you sleep well?"
Willow murfed as she combed out her hair. "No, not really. That stuipd kitten gave me nightmares." She said glareing towards LP's cave.
"Anyways..... Why did you guys just dig around it??" She asked puzzled looking at the lump. "I left you pelenty of room."
LP dragged the hose pipe over. "Oh morning Willow." She said with a grin.
Donna the Vixen
"We wanted to finish it quicker, and this way we can make sure the island is just right! It won't take too long to get it up and about - and it gives you the chance to change anything before it's done." A good enough excuse in his book for the fact he really had forgotten about the island until LP had shoved the large shovel into the prelaid area. Still, Willow wouldn't be too terribly miffed, right? She still would get her island - and got to watch him work even more.
Willow shurged and murfed. "WEll I'll see you guys later." She said as she headed into the temple to grab a bite to eat and skitter off towards the shop.
LP Shurged and let the hose pipe into the hole. "It's got a valuve to turn it on and off. I didn't turn it on full blast either so you should be able to handle it." She watched Carl. "Need another shovel full of dirt?" She then looked a tthe time. "After we finish another two or three shovel fulls we need to clean you up and you need to head off to bed. I'm sure you'd appericate a bird bath right about now." She chuckled.
------
Page 22 Willow leaves at post 13.
