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 Posted: Mon May 16, 2022 12:13 am
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2022 12:39 am
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2022 1:28 am
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Kaius couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned, pawed at the ground with his hoof to try to make it more comfortable, snorted and huffed and grumbled, but he was just too full of energy for any of it to matter. His older sister, Grear, finally had enough of his restlessness and moved away to settle closer to their father, Carlisle. Without his sister, there was nothing to block the cool breeze from ruffling up his hair and fur. Even though it felt good against the contrast of the desert heat, it still made him shiver, a little chill running down his spine. He wished his other sibling was awake so they could play, but a curious glance in their direction told him she was sound asleep. Ugh! There were so many interesting sounds at night; didn't she want to explore them too? His family could be so boring sometimes. He rolled back up to his feet, looking around to see if anyone else was awake to spot him -- but none of them reacted beyond the steady rise and fall of their bodies as they slept away the night.
It wasn't like he was doing anything bad, Kaius thought to himself. He was just going to get a drink. He was allowed to get a drink! Just because it was getting darker didn't mean he couldn't. Anyway, this was their territory, right? He could go wherever he wanted as long as he stayed in the oases. Still feeling like he was getting away with something he shouldn't be doing, Kaius quietly crept away from his sleeping family to explore his home in the dark.
Of course, he didn't make a beeline for the water. He got distracted by a small lizard he hadn't seen before, and every time he tried to get close enough to examine it, it would scurry away from him. This morphed into a little chase across the grass, until eventually the lizard found refuge in a thick bush of leaves. With a small giggle, Kaius stuck his head into the bush, trying to push the leaves aside with his horns, but it was to no avail; the lizard had escaped and the game was over. He was actually thirsty now, so he finally made his way towards the water -- only to freeze when he saw a stranger already drinking from the lake. Startled, he jumped to hide behind a bush, though it wasn't quite big enough to hide his body. He stared at the stranger with wide eyes, a mixture of fear and curiosity swirling within him. He'd never seen anyone like that before. They sort of looked like an ulun'suti, but they had paws -- and, more importantly, Kaius could see through them! "Wow," he said aloud, curiosity finally winning out over all his other emotions. He shook his head to try and get his hair out of his face to see the strange stallion better. The front of his body was in sight, but he was reluctant to come out from behind the bush fully just yet. "Are you real?" |
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2022 1:49 am
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2022 2:08 am
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Kaius' ears flicked back at being caught out after his bed time, but he took a few steps out of his hiding spot regardless, too curious for his own good. "Well... I was thirsty! And I couldn't sleep, but then there was this cool lizard I saw, but it kept running away when I got too close. And then I remembered I was thirsty again, so I came here and saw you." He paused there, tilting his head and squinting at the stallion, trying to figure him out. "Kinda. I can see things through you, which is weird -- and cool!" Kaius hurried to add, realizing calling someone weird was probably a mean thing to say to someone and he didn't want something else to get in trouble for. He had so many questions, and he hoped the stallion would stick around long enough for him to ask them. He also wanted to poke him with a stick to see if it would go through him or not. If it did, would it feel weird? If it didn't, Kaius didn't think the stallion would like it very much. Maybe there was another way to find out if he was real or a mirage. Or maybe he was an imaginary friend! Excited by the prospect, Kaius couldn't help doing a little wiggle. "And anyway, I live here, so it's okay for me to explore around! You can still get a drink if you want though. My family is nice, we don't mind." While it was true, his family also probably didn't want him talking to strangers without another grown up around. He decided not to mention that part. Besides, he seemed nice! |
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2022 2:27 am
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2022 2:57 am
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Kaius' eyes widened when he saw Mojave's tongue flicker out. He'd never seen a soquili with a tongue like a snake before, either! Feeling much more at ease from the relaxed disposition of the stranger, Kaius felt himself relaxing more too, and he trotted up closer and tried not to stare too much. His mom said it wasn't nice, but sometimes he just couldn't help it... especially right now! "My name's Kaius! I like running too. Usually I sleep at night, so it's best in the morning before the sun makes everything so hot again. But it's rained some recently so it's been better during the day sometimes, too!" He had a different name before Kaius, but no one used it anymore. He liked the name Kaius much better; it felt more like who he was, and made him happy.
As close as he was now to Mojave, it was getting difficult not to reach out and poke him with his hoof; Kaius only just barely resisted. He could see that Mojave's eyes were mismatched now, though; one snake-like, and the other looked more like his own eyes. Curious, he couldn't help but ask, "was one of your parents a snake? I've seen a snake before and you kinda look like one, but way bigger, and you have legs and big ears. My mom has big ears too, but yours are a lot bigger than hers. I bet you can hear everything!" |
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2022 3:15 am
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2022 3:48 pm
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Kaius couldn't help but stand up a little taller when Mojave complimented his name, feeling a giddy sort of pride. His mom had helped him come up with some new names, but ultimately it had been his decision and he was really proud of it. He wondered if one of Mojave's grandparents was a snake. Or maybe someone in his family, like a great great great greeeeat grandmother wished on a star! That's why his brother Mateo had paws and was almost Kaius' size even though he was a grown up, and his sister Grear had flutter wings and pale hair. His brother Tiberius looked more like mom, but he had lots of pretty colors on his fur that they didn't. Yeah, that was probably it! Then they had lots and lots of kids so that's why there were so many like Majove in his homeland.
"What!?" he shouted in surprise when Majove pointed out the lizard was behind him, whirling around just in time to see the lizard as it scurried away to avoid getting crushed beneath his hooves. "Whoooooa, you really do have super hearing! I didn't hear anything!" He looked back at Mojave with pleading eyes, even though the stallion had been the one to offer to teach him. "Yeah, I wanna learn how to catch lizards! Please, please, pleeeease!" Kaius was an omnivore like his mom, but he'd never hunted anything before. His family tended to prefer mostly plants, and so did Kaius, but it would be so cool to bring a lizard home to his family that he caught all by himself. Maybe they'd let him keep it as a pet! |
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2022 3:41 pm
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2022 9:04 am
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2022 4:22 pm
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Kaius couldn't see as well in the dark as Mojave, so he had to squint a little until his eyes adjusted and he could spot the pile of lizards. He wiggled his body a little in excitement, tail swishing behind him, eager to put Mojave's advice to use. Kaius couldn't make out the details enough to identify them as a good kind to catch in the future, but that wouldn't matter -- when he caught one he'd just examine it again in the morning when it was light out! With Mojave's encouragement, Kaius crouched down and crept closer to the pile of sleepy lizards, inching towards them so as to try and not wake them up. If he got close enough, all he'd have to do is lean down and grab one. That should be super easy! It was hard to resist trying to show off for Mojave, though. Unable to help himself, he leapt towards the lizards with a shout of "GOTCHA!" as he landed right next to them. Unfortunately, his teeth snapped closed around nothing when he tried to grab one of their tails. In a panic, he forgot about trying to corner them in the rocks, and ran around for a few seconds snapping at tails as the lizards scurried off to hide. He looked back at Mojave in disappointment, ears flattened back against his head. "They were all so fast. Can we try again? Maybe they didn't run far away..." |
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2022 9:50 pm
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Mojave watched in fascination as the foal lunged with a shout and how quickly those fattened lizards scattered, with the foal hot on their heels snapping wildly. He definitely hadn't expected that to be the way it went but first timers were always ungainly. He saw teachable points and catalogued them in his mind.
When Kaius turned with his ears pinned and such a disappointed expression on his face Mojave smiled softly. "Don't be so hard on yourself Kaius. Lizards are surprisingly fast!" His grin split wide, which was quite wide on a strange soquili like Mojave, "You bet we're gonna try again. I saw which way some of them went and with their fat bellies they're gonna want to settle down again quickly. Follow me!"
Mojave led Kaius out across the sands, following the faint skittering trails in the sand. He didn't think for a minute how far they were going bent as he was on making sure Kaius caught a lizard tonight. As they walked Mojave showed Kaius some tricks using desert mice as an example. The tail was long enough to be similar, even if the mice squeaked in anger at being captured then released by a big predator like him.
Finally the duo reached where the lizards had settled down again. This time their burrows were close so they'd only have one more good attempt at it. He crouched down a bit so he was close to Kaius' ear before whispering, "Okay I see them, they're right over there..." He pointed with his paw again in a set direction. "This time what I want you to do is to creep as close as you can, taking small soft steps. Focus your attention anywhere but the lizards, but keep your eyes on them. I've found lizards can sense intent, so if your intent is elsewhere you'll be able to creep closer than usual. When you're close go straight for the tail and bite down to hold it in place!" He nodded sagely, hoping the foal understood what he meant. "You got this, I know it!"
Word Count: 348 |
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 9:03 pm
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Determined to get it right next time, Kaius paid close attention to everything Mojave taught him with the mice, even if it did make him giggle a little when they squeaked in protest. This was serious -- he didn't have time to be giggling! He was here to learn how to catch a lizard, and he wanted to prove to Mojave that he could do it! His ear twitched a little when Mojave whispered into it, but he listened closely, staring at the lizards and trying to decide which one he should go for. Mojave's encouragement filled him with confidence, and he nodded, ready to make his strike. He was a lot quieter this time as he crept up on them, trying to both keep his attention on the lizards but also pretend to be interested in something else. It wasn't an easy task for a foal to do, and while Kaius couldn't quite pull it off in his eagerness to succeed, he was lucky that a few of the lizards were asleep or otherwise too tired to sense his intentions. A few perked their heads up, but Kaius had his sights on a closer lizard that hadn't noticed his approach yet. Just a few steps closer and...
He managed not to shout when he jumped this time, closing his teeth around a tail and lifting his head up in triumph. Immediately, the rest of the lizards scattered away to hide, and when Kaius realized he was holding a wriggling lizard's tail in his mouth he whirled around to look at Mojave with wide eyes. "I did it!" he said -- or, at least, attempted to. His words weren't very clear since he had to keep his teeth closed in a firm grip, but he laughed and jumped up and down before trotting up to Mojave to show him his prize. "Look, look!" |
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