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Samuel Carlin rolled 2 20-sided dice:
5, 3
Total: 8 (2-40)
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 Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 9:26 pm
 (8. You stumble on a hitherto-undisturbed patch of sticky red clay. Success!) There was no question in More Love's mind that she would help Never-Idle. None at all! She'd simply been walking, enjoying the weather and the breezes and the patterns the little bugs were making as they flew through the shafts of sunlight that broke through the cover overhead. She'd simply been out walking, but with something this ...impressive, something important enough to have the elder working so hard today, what kin with a decent heart wouldn't stop to offer help? And listen carefully to what the buck asked for, and do her best to bring it back to him? She wasn't entirely certain where to go to find just the right patch of clay, but she knew enough to head for the cool, dark places, out of the sun which would dry it out, and shelted by tree trunks broad enough to do the same. Just when she was about to head for another place she suspected might have some of the stucky stuff, her hoof sunk deep in something that had been hidden by long grass. Twisting back to see what it was, she found her hoof coated in--was that red clay? A little investigation and a few more wandering steps led her to a clear patch of red stuff the grasses hadn't yet been able to push through. She let out a quiet squeal of joy, then scooped up a shell-ful to carry back to Never-Idle, a spring in her step as she trotted along. 248
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Samuel Carlin rolled 2 20-sided dice:
9, 7
Total: 16 (2-40)
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 9:41 pm
(16. A smooth, sunbleached lynx skull lies in a clearing. )
She'd been meant to find a leaf. A leaf as big as a lynx skin, and more importantly, unbroken or torn or nibbled or ...whatever might happen to a leaf. The odds didn't seem particularly in her favor, but if Never-Idle believed such a thing existed, well then. It had to, somewhere in the swamp. After all, the elders knew a lot of things the younger kin hadn't yet learned. She'd take his word and keep looking.
And look she did as she wandered through the clearing. "Leaf...leaf...no, you're too small... you're the wrong col...you're the wrong color," she repeated, though she stepped closer to big ivory stone. No, not a stone, she decided, once she'd seen the empty eyesockets. Once she'd spotted, and startled at, the sharp fangs still attached to the skull.
"...it was a leaf like a lynx skin, wasn't it? And not a lynx skull? I...oh, feathers!" She puffed out her cheeks and turned back the way she'd come. She'd have to go back and ask to be certain. She'd have to keep her eyes open just in case there were any other lynxes, or pieces of them, on the way.
195
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Samuel Carlin rolled 2 20-sided dice:
9, 20
Total: 29 (2-40)
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 11:26 pm
(29. A four-leafed clover probably isn't any use to Never Idle, but hey, maybe finding it will bring you good luck! )
She may have been idly hunting snacks for Never Idle, but she had a stomach too, and so she paused, very briefly, to tear up a mouthful of sweet clover. She'd found it while wandering, and as she wasn't in a particular hurry, she'd stopped to graze--
And been surprised by the sprig of four-leaf. Well, then. That was a sign. Snipping it's stem carefully and spending a few moments to get it good and tangled in a length of her fetlock, she went on with a spark of happy brightness in her heart. Surely this meant she'd have better luck now.
102
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Samuel Carlin rolled 2 20-sided dice:
12, 6
Total: 18 (2-40)
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Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 9:58 am
(18. You find a plant of absolutely intoxicating scent, surrounded by hummingbirds. It proves impossible to transport their nectar, but nothing's stopping you from sampling some while you're here.)
And indeed she had stumbled into better luck. She'd found something that would surely have satisfied Never Idle's sweet tooth, if nothing else. If she'd been able to cup her hooves together and hold it the way a mouse or a squirrel might, she could have taken it back to him. If she'd trusted her balance enough to cradle the sweet liquid in a little pool and walked on her hind legs, or even hopped...but the image was so ridiculous that even if she could have found a way, she would have spilled every drop because she was giggling at herself so hard.
So instead she lingered a while and stole a taste or three between hummingbird flights.
118
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Samuel Carlin rolled 2 20-sided dice:
17, 8
Total: 25 (2-40)
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Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 3:47 pm
(25. You had every intention of bringing this perfect fallen fruit back to Never Idle, but temptation won out, and you ate it yourself. Way to go.)
The sips of nectar she'd stolen made her happy and kept her light on her hooves. It also sparked her hunger, and now that she'd sampled that little bit of sweetness, she wanted more.
And so did Never Idle. She'd agreed to help the elder collect his list of supplies. She also worried that he seemed so focused that he hadn't eaten, so when she spotted the purple fruit that had simply gotten too ripe and heavy to cling to it's twig on the tree, she knew it would be just the thing to keep him going. It would fill his stomach while he fulfilled whatever it was that drove him on.
But it smelled so good. The skin had split when it hit the ground and the air was full of the sticky sweet scent. More Love's mouth was already watering as she nuzzled at the fruit, trying to find the best way to carry it back to Never Idle. A bit of juice had leaked from the tear in the skin and when she pushed at it, it got on her muzzle. Before she knew it, she'd licked her fur clean and licked the fruit as well.
And now? Well. She couldn't take a fruit she'd licked back to the buck, could she? It just wouldn't be right, but to let it go to waste would be even worse. She glanced around guiltily, just in case someone might have seen, then gave herself a little shake, exhaled a little breath, and began eating. She could find another fruit.
260
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Samuel Carlin rolled 2 20-sided dice:
9, 10
Total: 19 (2-40)
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Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 10:51 pm
(19. You hear Never Idle chiding you in a strangely metallic voice: "Work faster! Work faster!" But then you realize it's only a mocking-raven, who must have grown up near the stag's place of business. )
The guilt was talking to her. It had to be the guilt. What else would explain the voice that sounded so much like the stag's? Never Idle hadn't followed her, obviously. He had more important things to do than chase a solitary doe around the swamp, and yet...
She was on her way back to him, stopping to lean against a tree for a moment so her stomach would settle. The nectar and the fruit were not mixing well in there and she felt a little queasy. Maybe she'd eaten too much, or maybe the fruit had been too ripe. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment...
And heard the voice again, making her jerk upright. Her eyes snapped open. "Yes, yes, work faster," she echoed, half a second before she saw motion at the corner of her eye.
Wait. What was that? A bird? A bird that cocked its head, fixed her with a beetle-black eye and croaked out, "Work faster!", just like Never Idle might. Rolling her eyes, she nevertheless headed back toward the stag's construction pile.
183
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Samuel Carlin rolled 2 20-sided dice:
17, 6
Total: 23 (2-40)
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Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 10:24 pm
(23. Long, winding ribbons of paper birch bark litter the ground, carefully peeled down by some unknown kin or animal. They weren't anything he asked for, but they sure are pretty...)
"Oh, wouldn't those look pretty in my den," More Love explained when she happened across a few spirals of bark that had been peeled from a tree. She hadn't been much of a collector before now, but Never Idle's missions had her thinking in a whole new way. She still wasn't certain what he was building, but she'd added some dried seed pods that smelled rich and earthy and a very smooth stone to her budding collection. These bark strips would make a nice addition.
If, of course, Never Idle didn't claim them first. Picking a pair up in her teeth, she traipsed back toward where he was working to ask.
109
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Samuel Carlin rolled 2 20-sided dice:
10, 11
Total: 21 (2-40)
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Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 2:02 pm
(21. You locate a perfectly round, enormous boulder. It is exactly what Never Idle needs--but you're going to need help to uproot and move it. Help required. Success! )
She was optimistic about finding something this time, but she hadn't expected to find the perfect boulder after having made so many trips already. To tell the truth, even if she'd found this monstrous stone on her first attempt, she probably wouldn't have been able to move it alone.
Now, somewhat tired and rubbery-legged from bounding about on this errand or that, she was even less likely to manage it on her own. So, she called out a hopeful, "Hello? Can anyone hear?" And waited for someone, anyone strong enough to lend a shoulder, to respond.
When they did, she brightened as though the sun had broken through the canopy. "Oh thank goodness! Hello! I was wondering, do you have a moment? I need to move this boulder, but it's awfully heavy and I could use another shoulder to help me push. If you don't mind, that is." Ears tipped eagerly forward, she remembered herself, and said, "Oh! I'm More Love. Thank you for coming when you heard me."
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Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 3:03 pm
 The Kimeti buck who'd answered the call of duty (mainly because "duty" had involved a cute doe) smiled at her. "I'm Dogfight," he said, working himself into the optimal position to show off his muscles, and giving the boulder a good shove. In entirely the wrong direction. "Say, after I get this boulder moved, are you doing anything?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 3:29 pm
She couldn't help but notice him. And not just because he'd shoved the boulder the wrong way, though certainly that had something -- well, a lot really -- to do with it. But my he was strong. And handsome. And strong. And she... No. No. She had tasks to finish. First. And then... She trotted after the boulder as it slowed and stopped, flashing appreciative glances at the buck over her shoulder as she went and managing, just barely, not to collide with it. "I, well. I have a few errands to finish for a lovely stag's project, but then? Who knows? I mean, I hadn't made plans for after. But if you could..." She put her shoulder against the boulder to try to get it moving in the right direction again. At least maybe he'd catch on this time. "If you could just help me get it going this way, I'd be one more errand closer to being done."
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Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 3:48 pm
"Ah...of course!" Dogfight at least had enough self-awareness to be embarrassed. He moved himself around to the right side of the boulder this time, and followed her directions back to Never Idle's clearing. "So, I think I'll stick around here and see what I can see," he said when they got there, managing to make it sound like he wasn't just going to spend a lot of time loitering around. "Come find me when you're done, eh?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 4:00 pm
Even with two pushing, moving something that heavy was one heck of a chore. More Love was a little out of breath by the time they made it back to Never Idle, but she was still in good spirits. Better spirits. How could she not be with company like Dogfight. Who earned a delighted nod and a tail swish. "Oh, I will. I'll do that. Don't let him work you too hard," she warned, assuming he would simply leap to the task at hand since he'd helped her so willingly. And then she was off again, on to the next mission. Tiarana It's a date! Er, she means, thank you. XD <3
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Samuel Carlin rolled 2 20-sided dice:
1, 6
Total: 7 (2-40)
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Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 4:26 pm
(7. A pile of iridescent beetleshells, collected by some bowerbird, glistens in the underbrush.)
"Oh!" she exclaimed, slipping to a halt on a few of the shells that had rolled away from the pile already. She danced to keep her balance, trying hard not to crush more of them than strictly necessary. For starters, someone, or something, had obviously spent some time collecting them so neatly.
And for another, if she didn't crush them, perhaps she could come back later and collect them for herself if the owner had simply forgotten where they were.
If. Later. For now, she had things to do.
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Samuel Carlin rolled 2 20-sided dice:
16, 18
Total: 34 (2-40)
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Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 7:32 pm
(34. Never Idle didn't ask you to bring back spider silk, but this perfectly-preserved web from a giant spider is too valuable to be left unattended. )
She hadn't meant to run through it, but she was hurrying now, and she turned her head just for a second. Just long enough to blunder into in fading light. She realized what she'd done a second later and stopped. Now what? It would be a shame to ruin such a beautiful thing, but difficult to keep it intact.
Still, she turned in careful circles until she'd all but cocooned herself in the stuff before moving on her way, much more carefully now, lest it all simply stick together and her care mean nothing at all.
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Samuel Carlin rolled 2 20-sided dice:
10, 11
Total: 21 (2-40)
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Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 7:42 pm
(21. You locate a perfectly round, enormous boulder. It is exactly what Never Idle needs--but you're going to need help to uproot and move it. Help required. Success!)
Someone must have been having one heck of a time pushing all these rocks around. Or else she'd missed the ground quake that shook them loose.
Still, she needed this one, and she was trying, valiantly, to push it on her own, but with her hooves slipping that way, it seemed unlikely she'd get it to budge.
She heaved a sigh and forgot what little dignity she had, bleating, "If you can hear me, pleeeease come help me?"
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