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Questionable Conversationalist
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 Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 9:39 pm
The skies were dark with the rumble of distant thunder, the air gray and heavy. Hinote paused to glance upwards at the low rolling sound, her ears laid back with irritation. She did not like being rained upon. Disapproved of it. Disapproved immensely. Her kill, a decently sized water bird, was a nice addition to the fish and fruit she’d eaten before. But, with the weather turning, she’d decided to bring it back to the den she’d claimed as her own. Whatever she didn’t finish, she could always bury for later.
It was a grassy area, the slanted rocks beneath the twisted gnarled tree the only real shelter for some distance. It was beneath them that she’d dug out a den, though why she bothered the wolf wasn’t entirely sure. She’d no cubs, nor did she have imidate plans for any.
The rain, she decided. It was to have a place to slip out of the rain that she so detested. Fishing was fine, as was catching the occasional waterfowl that wandered too close. But rain was different from getting her paws wet, which was only acceptable because it was intentional. Rain…rain was a deluge from the heavens that painted everything in dismal grays and soaked her to the very bone. No. She did not like the rain.
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Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 2:21 pm
 Heavy rain poured on the snowy white lion. His piercing blue eyes searched for something, anything. There wasn't much around, just wet, piled with more wet. Some ground under his feet, some clouds above his head, but otherwise, there wasn't much around. He squinted, there WAS something in the distance. It looked like it could be a cave or something. He raced forward, soaking the rest of himself as he splashed puddles onto his coat around his upper-legs and stomach. He stopped short, almost falling into a flooding valley. It created a small river. Callick jumped back. He never learned how to swim.
... Maybe, he thought a moment. He took a few steps back, readied himself, and sprinted for the river. As he approached the river's edge, he jumped with his hind legs with as much strength he could muster. He leaped, trying to clear the thick body of water.
His jump wasn't as long as he thought it could be. He landed, belly flopping in the flowing water. He gasped for air, pulling himself to the surface. He kicked, and swatted as hard as he could, just trying to keep his head above water. "Help me!!" he yelled, with what little strength he had left. "Somebody, please!"
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Questionable Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 3:32 pm
The maned wolf skirted the odd floodwater that she hadn't recalled making her den near. If she'd known, naturally, she would have chosen a different location. Perhaps this rain was heavier than she was accustomed to. Perhaps this downpour truely was torrential. Regardless, she was nearly to her destination when she heard the voice.
Someone needing help? With what?
Her mind entertaining notions of pups being swept away by the flashflood, she turned and padded towards the valley she'd been avoiding. Who was there? Who needed help?
Hinote stopped and stared when she saw the, apparently fully grown, lion flailing at the surface of the water and crying pitifully for aid. Well. This was certainly a predicament. There was no way she was going to be strong enough to resuce him, even if she were so inclined. But, she supposed, a carcass of that size so near her den might be inconvient.
"Stop flailing!" she ordered sharply, her voice cutting across the storm like a blade. "Paddle slowly, calmly with opposite paws. Like walking in the water, but push." How else would she explain to an adult how to swim? She wasn't going to drown herself with him after all. One red paw rested on her prey, no need for that to be swept away while she watched this bumbling stranger.
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Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 7:39 pm
"Slowly?" Callick repeated, is that what she said? He obliged, kicking out, and pulling back slowly with his paws. He could feel it. Control. He continued Calmly, as she said. He swam against the light current, pushing toward the sand on the soft shore. He was doing it, and it was just as she described, walking on water ... only different. "Almost there," he whispered to himself, "very close."
He made it, his paws rested on the wet ground as water continued to drench his gray fur. He collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. After a brief moment, he pulled himself to his paws, looking up at the wild dog in front of him. "Th-thank you," he stuttered, "How did you- ... thanks." What a fool he was, thinking he could jump over the river. He lowered his head in shame. It really was pathetic, the slow moving water wasn't that deep, and if Callick had just relaxed from the start, he wouldn't have cost this nice dog her time. Callick hated himself right now.
"I-I'm Callick ..." He started again, looking up with his piercing eyes. "Sorry, I just, I never learned to swim, and well ... sorry." He hung his head once again in complete sorrow.
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Questionable Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 6:12 am
The maned wolf watched as the lion struggled, her expression perhaps more passive than it should have been. It would hardly be her fault if he drowned, her passing by on her way back to her den meant very little in the way of responcibility just because he'd decided to die right outside of it. The choice was all on him. She'd done what she could to help, now it was his own doing that would decide his fate.
Evidentally, he was willful enough to desire life. She watched as he staggered up the shore, taking half a step to the side when he collapsed, gasping for breath. He looked a bedraggled mess, but at least he was alive. When he did nothing but gasp like a beached fish, she shrugged and bent to pick up her fish. No sense in letting it get washed away after all.
"Hinote," she returned when he introduced himself. "You're a bit old to be drowning outside my den," the slender wolf added, eying the lion, Callick, once again.
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Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2010 7:25 pm
Callick's eyes shifted between his paws and the wild dog's eyes. It wasn't his fault, was it? It wasn't fair, he just wanted to find a nice, dry place and he almost dies. Callick sighed, lowing his body slightly. "I - um ... sorry."
"Hinote," Callick repeated. "I-it's a pleasure t-to meet you." His paws shifted on the ground below him. "I'm not ... sorry I bothered you," He lowered his head as well, looking up at the wild dog. "I just ... I never learned ... somethings." That was an understatement. "S-someone once told me th-that lions don't usually swim ... so I never really tried to learn." Callick thought a moment. "I can fish!" he said somewhat excited. At least there was that.
"Y-you said you had a d-den?" Callick asked, trying not to make it too obvious he needed a place to stay. He was not sure if he succeeded.
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Questionable Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 9:04 am
Hinote just looked at this lion as he stood there in the rain, appearing quite as miserable and helpless as a cub. She didn’t…hate cubs at least. But this was a grown adult. He really ought to be acting like one. Well, at least he was polite, right? Someone had bothered to teach him manners if not common sense. If one knew how to fish, it was foolish to not be able to swim. But now was neither the time nor place for it.
“Yes, I have a den,” the wolf confirmed, eying him critically for a moment. “Though you might not fit well.” It was a den for her. Not for a lion. But if he could worm his way through the entrance, she supposed the inside might be large enough to accommodate him. But only just. Well, he was here now, it wasn’t like she could just turn him away. Incompetent as he was, it would be horribly inconvenient to have a drowned corpse right on her front lawn.
“This way,” she finally sighed, turning and padding through the muddy grass with her leftover fish in her jaws. The rocks leaned over one another, forming a tight gap, but once through the leaned-over part there was a fairly roomy little hole she’d dug herself supported by both the stone and the roots of the tree they nestled against. It would be a tight fit for a lion, but that had been part of her idea. No one big would have an easy time dragging her out of her home.
Hinote is a maned wolf, not a wild dog. They're two different species.
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Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 3:16 pm
I'm pathetic, Callick thought, mentally disciplining himself. She can do all this better than me. Everyone can do anything better than me. The wild dog, Aandag, and now this maned wolf, Hinote. I can't swim, I can't fight, and I can't hunt. Really pathetic. He felt like a cub again, useless. Unwanted. Unloved.
The wolf appeared to be indifferent, or at best bittersweet regarding her new roommate. He felt bad, he really didn't want to impose, or even want the attention he received from Hinote. But she accepted, leading the lion to her den. "Thanks," he said softly, bowing his head.
The den was a tight squeeze, Callick doubted he would fit between the leaning stones the formed the entrance. He tightened, trying to keep himself compact as possible. He clenched, but it wasn't as bad as he assumed it would be. He even forgot he was smaller than most lions, though not as small as the canines he's encountered.
The interior wasn't as tight. He found a spot for himself, lying down, resting his head on his right paw. "Hey Hinote ... uh ... thanks," he said wearily. "I don't ... well, thanks."
Sorry, didn't realize there was a difference.
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Questionable Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 5:32 pm
Hinote just sat there, taking up as little room as possible so as to stay away from the dripping sopping wet lion that was occupying most of her den. She dropped her fish, eying it for a moment before eyeing the lion. He seemed rather pathetic. And miserable. If he didn't know how to swim, and didn't know how to survive a rainstorm...did he even know how to feed himself?
"Here," she grunted when he tried to stutter his thanks, shoving the small meal, for a lion anyway, across the floor of her den. She could always get herself more food later after all, it wasn't like she hadn't already enjoyed a nice meal. This was a good location she had, even if it was on her own. She preferred to be on her own, unlike her silly brother who spent all his time with that pack...
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Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 8:51 pm
Callick didn't know what to do, aside from sit there. He didn't know what to say, aside from thanking the maned wolf. He simply sat in silence, examining the rocky walls of the den around him. The bittersweet feeling was refreshing and stressful at the same time, and it seemed like awkward was the next step. The maned wolf tolerated his presence, but for how long? Was Callick capable of offending this person with nothingness. He hadn't done anything wrong, nor had he the intention of doing anything wrong, so why was he so nervous that he'd get a paw to the backside, and a fall out the den.
Callick's neurosis seemed to matter little to the canine who squeezed in as tight as she could to make room for her unwanted guest. But why would it matter to her, its not like she knows how he feels, right. The moist sound of something being placed in front of him. He looked up, seeing Hinote pushing a fish his way. A grunted offer interrupted his stupid attempts at making a friend. "I-I ... you don't ... well," He considered the offer, "Thanks." He looked at the fish, then back at the maned wolf. "If y-you do-on't mind m-me asking ..." Callick began, praying these won't be his last words, "W-why are y-you being so n-n-nice to ... me?" Most people wouldn't give Callick a passing glance, or even consider giving him a meal and a home. It was ... nice.
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Questionable Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 6:38 am
Why indeed, wouldn't she like to know the answer to that herself. Hinote eyed him coolly, then shrugged. He could eat or not, he could stay or leave, she didn't really care after all. She liked her solitude, it was safter like that, but it didn't mean she was heartless.
"Because I imagine it's rather difficult to clean up a dead lion," she muttered at him, "I'd probably have to move or something." Not that she needed a den to sleep in, she didn't have pups and didn't want them either. She wasn't ready for a family, as Kasai would have said had she discussed these feelings with him. He often said things like that, her emptyheaded brother. Maybe he was the reason she was 'being so nice'. He'd been to visit not too long ago, it was possible he was starting to rub off on her. Just possible. Maybe.
She wasn't going soft though.
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Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 7:02 am
Callick lowered his head, taking a bit of the fish, ripping the meat off the bones. It was sweet and tender. He savored the flavor. Suddenly a bitter taste entered his mouth. It wasn't the food, the bitterness came from Hinote's words. His jaw hung open, a bit of fish flesh hung from his teeth. She saved him because she thought he would die, and the only reason was to prevent her from having to move? How could she be so ... bitter, so cold?
"But I ... really?" He asked hesitantly. "How could ... I mean ... you don't care ..." his voice became quiet, "About me?" His eyes went from the fish on the ground to the eyes of the dog. His blue eyes were moistening, and his mouth trembled. "H ... how c-could you n-ot care if s-someone died?" he demanded timidly. His voice shook, being unsure how she would react to Callick's sudden outburst. He immediately regretted his words, having compassion for his bitter words.
"I- ... I'm sorry ... that wasn't my place." He spoke even more wearily than before. He gulped, hoping not to receive a paw to the head or even a mauling, He stared at ground, asking, praying for forgiveness.
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Questionable Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 7:21 am
Not care did she? No, no she did not care. She didn't. Hinote watched him, her eyes cold in spite of the name she'd been given. Fire turned to ice in her manners, and only when he'd finished trying to scold her did she speak.
"I didn't let you drown. I gave you shelter and food. If my reasons for doing so do not satisfy you, I'm hardly forcing you to stay," the maned wolf told the young lion. He was happy enough to be out of the rain a few moments ago, hungrily eating the food she'd intended for herself earlier. Why should he care why she did what she'd done? Either way, his skin had stayed in tact.
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Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2010 3:31 pm
Callick's eyes met Hinote's. He gulped as she reprimanded him. His eyes slowly ascended, as did his heart. Ungrateful. The word of his own thoughts not haunted him. He couldn't think any less of himself, as he wished he could just disappear. He closed his eyes, but her words still remained, he couldn't run from his problems, nor could he run from his incompetence. He opened his eyes, still averting Hinote's gaze. He looked at the meal she provided for him, he looked at the den she had welcomed him into, perhaps with no open arms, but welcomed him none the less.
His mind seemed to be against him, a ringing tore through his head, as guilt overwhelmed him. "I-I'm sorry," he spoke timidly once again. "I-I guess ... everyone is different ... n-no better, no worse. I-I mis-mistook your intentions and m-m-motives, and that was my fau-fault. If ... If I offended you ... I b-beg you to forgive me, and I'll le-leave without another word."
He pushed the half-eaten fish with his nose toward the black and red wolf, and bowed his head in humility, he looked out to the rain-masked sky and flooded land. He slowly walked out the den, and entered the wild storm. He closed his eyes as he took the final step into the fog-covered ground, unsure what would happen. "How could I be so stupid?" he asked himself, before exposing his eyes to the blinding rain.
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Questionable Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 7:56 am
Hinote blinked at the lion, then huffed a growling sigh as he rose to his paws to leave. She wasn't going to stop him, she simply didn't care enough. He was being confusing anyway. Let him go then. Stay or go the choice was his. All she had done was invite him and offer him food. If he didn't want it, who was she to bother caring?
"Do as you like," she muttered as he wandered back into the rain. That seemed like a foolish choice to her, but what business of hers was it what he did? He'd just better not drown right outside her den...that would be aggravating indeed.
(Finished I suppose?)
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