Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was early afternoon and the hot air was barely starting to give way. Namid would normally wait till all the light escaped the land before starting her day, but she was restless. She had a nagging feeling that wasn't connected to the dots in the sky, which confused and frankly frustrated her. She couldn't lie still anymore, so taking a trip through the forest would hopefully calm her mind. Maybe she would find an answer somewhere in the shade. Asku didn't follow her out. Since she wasn't in a mad rush to fulfill a message, Namid paid extra attention not to disturb him. Usually, she'd walk all over him if she needed to get through. The stars waited for nobody and sometimes Asku got in the way. Of course, Namid would apologize...that is, if she remembered.

Namid played with the grass in between her paws. She wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. Things were silent. Maybe a new perspective would help. Namid rolled onto her back and gazed up at the canopy. The way the cluster of leaves swayed almost made it look like shining stars by the bits of sky leaking through. It was a curious sight. She raised her paws and tried to trace constellations.

The big sun was a bit selfish during the day. It wouldn't let the other stars shine... well, it worked out since the stars had all night to glow. Laying on the ground, it was almost like Namid could touch the light a million miles away. She stuck all her legs straight up in the air. She was now an upside down dog standing on the canopy. Yes, the canopy was very airy and the sun lit her under belly. The ground pressed down on her body. Yeah, maybe turning the world upside down wasn't the best idea. Namid figured she'd be crushed by the hard earth before she got time to enjoy running through the clouds.

Her ears perked up and tilted in the direction of some noise. She kept her body completely still as her ears continued to rotate. Well, something was going on over there... she followed the noise until her ears were almost back to the center of her face. Her eyes bolted open, but it was too late. Something came barreling through the brush and entangled itself with Namid's limbs. Namid was lifted from her place and tumbled with the thing that ran into her. She wasn't quite sure what was going on, but her body flushed with adrenaline and as soon as she could, Namid jumped up and hopped around the area. If she could jump really high and keep herself from remaining still for too long, the thing couldn't get her. Namid didn't take the time to see what ran into her, she was too busy hopping around. Good news, it seemed she didn't break anything in the tumble.

Namid continued to bounce around. She didn't want to give anything the opportunity to attack her. Though, her legs were growing a bit tired, but it's better than dying, which could happen. Of course, she was moving too much to die. Well, she could die while hopping, but that'll be something she couldn't control. At least the thing on the ground couldn't get her.

Some one else joined her in the air. Namid guessed she too was trying to avoid the ground thing. Yes, the ground thing. Whatever it was. "Trying...to...stay....alive!" She couldn't split her concentration between jumping and talking. It seemed the other creature was slowing down a bit and she wasn't dead yet, so Namid will take a chance and stop bouncing. Namid shook her head to get her eyes to focus. All the up and down motion seemed to have messed up something. A few good head bobs put it back in order. Namid noticed she was a wild dog with a grey pelt and one pink leg. How fascinating! She moved in closer to have a better look. "Yes, there's a pack," She plopped her head to the ground and crawled towards the pink leg of the other wild dog. "but we don't come out till dark." Her nose was mere inches away from the other's paw. She really, really wanted to touch it. Her tail wagged in excitement. Asku told her she needed to be more polite and respect other's space, but he never explained how far was ok. "Why is your leg pink? Namid rotated her head to the left, maybe a different angle will give her answers.

Namid kept her eyes trained on the pink leg, while still analyzing with her ears. They twitched and rotated in time with the other wild dog's energy. Yes, she sure had a lot of it. Namid quickly flattened her ears to her head to keep them from vibrating. Though, by now it was too late because her back side began to bob to replace her ears. "A creature came through the bushes over there." She vaguely motioned her tail in the general direction. "But it's gone now." She crawled a bit closer. Her pack slept in a cave a bit away from where she was. Most likely she was the only one up at this hour. "They do not come out till dark because the stars shine brighter at night." Namid didn't dive into details. She wasn't much with words and didn't understand the concept of socializing. When people ask her questions, she gets straight to the point. Though, she has found that others some times do not appreciate this.

Namid held her breath as the pink leg was raised. A pink puddle? Namid has never heard of such a thing. How fascinating! Maybe the world was filled with puddles that were not made of water. They could consist of some kind of dying agent. She pondered on this. Her knowledge of dyes were very limited. A berry could change the color of pelts as she has seen some wild dogs returning from dinner will muzzles dipped in purple. The purple would remain on the muzzles for at least a week. Adults were more careful with the berries, but pups tended to be messy.

She lowered her head to the leg to sniff around the edges. It smelled like a leg. Well, that was good. If it smelled like something else, that might be worrisome. Namid straightened up. "Where is this pink puddle?" Namid wondered if there was a way to change it to something else.

Namid gave a few good sniffs of the leg before sitting up. Her analyzing work was done. Though, her ear drooped a bit in disappointment. She was hoping that there was a puddle close to her pack. Then she wouldn't have far to travel. Now a days, Namid couldn't wander too far from her pack. Plus, Asku would have a heart attack if he found out she left. Yes. Maybe another time when her skills were needed elsewhere. Then, she could search for the puddles then.

The question brought Namid's attention back to the grey dog. Why did her pack only come out at night? Namid cocked her head in confusion. The answer was obvious. Though, she lifted her own legs to be sure she wasn't made of star dust. "Because we watch the stars and the stars guide us." Why else would they come out at night? Well...they could be owls or prey animals that only hunted at night. However, last time Namid checked (which was a few seconds ago) she was still a dog. "Why do you come out during the day?" Maybe she got signals from clouds or something! Though... clouds are out during the night too. But...maybe day clouds were better than night clouds? Namid raised a paw to her head. She was beginning to get confused.

She dipped her head as she answered the question, "Yes to all, but no to some." Her tail swayed. "It depends on the dog. Some are more blessed than others and can really..." she stretched open her eyes, " see the stars." A muscle under her cheek started to twitch from the strain. After a few good seconds of staring, she unraveled to a more comfortable position, then shrugged. "For me, it's more like something is poking you or shouting really loudly. Only, you don't know what it says." She's been lead to may places thanks to the stars. Though, she can't remember specific details. Some times, it's like she's been placed under a trance. Other times it's a lot more aggressive. Namid really can't predict what will happen next. Maybe that's why she's all over the place?

Namid nodded in agreement. The sun did make it a lot easier to hunt. Then again, it was also hot. Namid did not appreciate the heat. It sapped her strength. "Small prey animals like rabbits and mice are good." Namid wasn't much of a hunter. She pretty much ate what ever she could find. Thinking about food, her stomach rumbled for attention. She jumped to her feet and announced, "Food! I am now hungry," before dashing through the clearing, not bothering to check to make sure the other dog was following.