shia-san x Tamiko-chan
Jenna x Hallie
Jenna x Hallie
Hello.
Hi.
Whats your name?
I don’t have one.
Oh! But everyone has a name. Come on, what is it?
...I--
Oh... Well, I’m...
‘What?’ Awakened, startled, heated. The night air wasn’t enough to cool down this Halfling as silence regained, and established. A silvery moon flit a morphed reflection into a shallow pond, the bay a temporary bed to such a weary hound. It wasn’t pitch black, though dark and this amount of opaque shadowing began to frighten the female mix, rattling her chain and touching her weakest points. She rustled, head bobbing low to the shore line, eyes darting. Under watchful eyes was a lifted muzzle and a peeled lip, a feeble snarl only half the threat of her sharpened talons.
A moment passed, then another, and after the third she was tired of keeping her weary conscious in a threatening state, dissolving into the fatigue driven nomad she’d been for months. Jenna was a traveler, though she wasn’t accustomed to it and so direly wanted to find home. In her mind, she had no family, and to what family was exactly, wasn’t in her memory bank. A lot was missing from her thoughts, good memories, bad ones, her childhood and her friendships. Past relationships weren’t even blurs, she didn’t know how to mate, and didn’t know if she’d had kids in the past. Her age wasn’t signified, not to her at least and as to where she truly belonged would forever be lost. There could have been a tragic accident that erased all this from her thoughts, the last months were she was born, raise, lived, but she couldn’t tell, nor remember. This was how she had been living for quite some time, and would continue living from this point on--there were new scents wafted into black nostrils belonging to such female, and as her head spun, the dream just wearing off, the conscious Jenna finally clicked, and a memorable word clicked in her head; ‘others’.
At a slow, sloppy walk, she passed through the pond, a minor block in her path to seeking friendships and connections, and proceeded on into the depth of trees, entering willingly into the land of Telk.
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The heat was stifling. Why was it so hot in these lands? Back home, the temperatures were always comfortable and one could sleep soundly at night without any disturbances from the weather. But this place was a whole other story. She had gone almost three days straight without so much as a good rest, and so she was feeling rather irritated and restless.
Determined to cool herself off, Hallie figured that she would find a nice river or something to cool off in. Rivers always had cold water, so perhaps if she drenched herself in the liquid from them, she'd be able to get at least a good nap in before her fur dried and the heat got to her again.
Growling to herself, the puppy stretched and promptly trotted out of the little abandoned fox hole she had taken refuge in when she could no longer move on. She had traveled quite a ways, and her paws were aching endlessly. And without any rest, she felt like it was only getting worse, which was why she was so determined to find a river and take a cooling bath before flopping down onto the ground and taking a nice nap. Even if it was short, it'd be rest nontheless.
Padding along, she looked this way and that. This place was still relatively new to the young female, and her drowsiness only made it worse and her attitude less pleasant.
"Gotta find a stupid river," she mumbled to herself, her ears back in frustration. And as she went along, that frustration blinded her to her surroundings, so she passed right by this older female, still grumbling.
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Jenna wasn't fully off the intoxicating feeling of slumber and was partially asleep, making her equally blinded though half aware of what she was doing and where she was going--even if exactly where she wanted to go was unknown, so once the young pup passed her walk way, she was half startled, half unaware. A rush of confusing and weary thoughts bounced into her head, and automatically she flinched, yelped and snarled, a combination that mashed together all at once. 'What?' Came afterwards, her heart racing. 'Hello? Um--puppy? Hello?' It was another automatic thing, the sight of such a small creature adorable as well as exciting. This pup was the first she's seen, the first she'll remember when thinking back to this forest.
Now, she could say she was fully awake and in feeling another rush surpassed her, directions turned and she was then padding along a different route, following the young pup happily.
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The sudden noise of a yelp and a snarl combined was enough for the unaware puppy to snarl and yelp in return. And the sudden appearance of an adult wolf didn't exactly help her nerves either. Where on earth had this one come from?!
Whirling around, she stared straight at the older female. Her ears were still back and the heat didn't seem to be fading away any time soon, and so she wasn't exactly in the best of moods. But, she noticed, this wolf didn't exactly seem threatening or anything of the sort. A second later, however, she remembered what her mother had told her. There were good actors in the world, and so she instantly put up her guard.
"I have a name," she snapped, sitting down a few feet away from the other. But then she continued on, apparently having no interest in actually saying what her name was. "What do you want? Were you following me?" That last question of hers made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Had her parents sent wolves to shadow her, to keep tabs and make sure she didn't do anything stupid? The very thought infuriated her, making her mood worse.
"And I'm really not in the mood to waste any time, so you better say something before I just leave."
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The abrupt stop jerked Jenna to a stand still, and a smile crossed her ebony chapped lips. The young pup was a snappy one, but it didn't phase her much. She wasn't exactly used to unkindly nature, however wouldn't let herself slump into such a character...well she wouldn't allow herself deep into the cruel strike she held. 'Oh...Well I'm sorry but I didn't know your name. If I did, I'd call you by it...And I'm new around these parts, thought meeting someone would help me get to know the area better.' the she-wolf paused, glancing away and towards the scene, clouded by darkness and humid air, the sky scattered with misty grey clouds. This wolf was obviously not the welcome wagon she'd hope for, however she'd get to know her the best she could--and the most this pup would allow. 'Oh, well where are ya headed, hm? By the way, even if you probably don’t care much, the names Jenna.'
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Hallie wasn't an angry wolf, really. She was just tired and lack of sleep often made her snappy. So when Jenna replied calmly and almost kindly, she instantly came out of her state. Sighing, she shook her head and averted her eyes.
"I'm sorry. I'm terribly tired and I didn't mean to snap at you like that. It's nice to meet you Jenna, I'm Hallie." She stopped and considered her situation for a moment. That Ava person a few days before had got her thinking. Maybe it hadn't been so good to send a pup out all on her own to track down some lost relative through these vast lands. Maybe it'd be helpful if she had some allies or friends or whatever.
Coming out of her thoughts, she shook her head again and forced herself to pay attention. Losing herself in her thoughts wasn't the best way to go about in these lands. She never knew when some crazy wolf would come along and devour her.
"And.. I'm new here too, so I probably wouldn't be much use, sorry. But maybe we could help each other out? I'm looking for my sister, Cassidy." She dropped a name with some hopes that perhaps this wolf had met her sister along the way. If not, then that was fine, at least she had tried.
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'It's fine, no worries. Hallie, that's a very nice name, suits you well.' Jenna nodded. So Hallie wasn't the wicked witch incarnated, this was good to know, and with a gentle sway of her tail she marked both Hallie's smell and name in the record books, first memory coming here aught to be something worth remembering. Falling slightly on her haunches, Jenna perked with interest to Hallie's following words. 'oh...well, sure we can help each other out!' her nose twitched, she would love to help Hallie, but alas she'd only come to the lands and didn't know a soul besides the youngster before her. 'I'd love the help you Hallie but your the first one I've met...But Cassidy, I could help you search for her sometime, or at least keep her in mind. If I see her around I'll try and let you know as soon as I can.' There was an assertive nod, followed by a jostled bark. Cassidy. Another new soul to meet.
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Hallie wagged her tail as she felt herself growing more comfortable with this new female. Her bad mood was forgotten as she busied herself with other things like holding a conversation. She perked her ears and was a good listener, as her mother had taught her to be. Besides, if she wasn't listening all the time, she might miss something important. It might have been a bit of a stretch, being as she had only seen two wolves thus far, but she had learned to be prepared and ready.
"I like your name, too, Jenna," she said sincerely, nodding as if it needed to be confirmed. But then she realized something. This wolf's name was the same as--"My mom's name is Jenna," she said matter-of-factly, tilting her head a little to the side. This wolf definitely wasn't her mother, there was no mistake about that. Besides, her mother wouldn't have left the packlands just to follow her youngest daughter around, that was for sure.
"But you look different than her, and act a little different too." Yes, her mother was more... strict, in a way. Much more of a keep-rebels-in-line sort of wolf than this Jenna here.
Then, when Jenna mentioned about keeping an eye out for Cassidy, the pup couldn't help but smile and wag her tail. "Why thank you. It's nice to know there are still helpful wolves in the world." The last was more of a mumble to herself, and she didn't really intend for Jenna to hear, though it didn't exactly matter. It was more of a personal issue that she had that caused her to say it.
"So anyways... what brings you out here?" she asked, tilting her head with pure curiousity.
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There was a momentary lapse while Jenna thought over a few things Hallie had said. Jenna was Jenna, it was her name, but then there was Jenna, Hallies mom. Attempting to put two and two together, the hound passed over everything else Hallie had said and shouted 'Oh my stars, Hallie I'm your--mom?' Mom. Now there was a deep concept.
A slow tassel wave began at the end of her rump, Jenna's expression excited and confused, a mixture of both. Brown eyes scanned the young pup, her own form lowering to level the eye contact. 'But you look nothing like me...you must be mistaken. You must, no?' Her ears shot back quickly, a quiet yelp echoing into the still air.
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Hallie widened her eyes and couldn't say anything for a good moment as Jenna seemed to think that she was being seen as Hallie's mom Jenna. It seemed to scare the older wolf a little, and she tried quickly to make her realize that this wasn't the case.
"Oh, no! No, no, no!" she laughed nervously, shaking her head. "You aren't my mom. My mom's back home, running our pack. You don't look like her, remember? I said that earlier." Maybe this Jenna hadn't been listening. Then again, maybe she had but the shock of sharing the name with some pup's mother didn't help her to hold onto the information real easily.
"I'm sorry if I confused you. No, you aren't my mother, I'm sure of it." Hopefully, the other female would calm down. She looked a bit flusted now that she thought she had a daughter.
But what was wrong with Jenna? Did she not remember if she'd had puppies or not? She seemed to be acting strangely. And since Hallie wasn't that old, she figured that Jenna must have hit her head or something to not remember back a few months.
"Are... are you okay?"
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It was a heart wrenching moment, though the relief of not being a mother to a pup she'd just met was lifted off her shoulders. Pulling slowly back to her haunches, she smirked, chortling softly. 'Ha, oh yes, yes. I'm sorry, I guess I just spaced--missed a few things. You didn't--exactly confusing, though...I guess. Just didn't know others could have the same name. It's pretty cool.' A slow nod came, followed by a gentle wag of her tail.
It wasn't till Hallie asked it, that she began to wonder herself, though she didn't think to in depth on it before replying. 'Ah, yeah sure of course I'm alright.' Her features wrinkled for a moment, the idea still dwelling, before taking a step past Hallie and peering off towards the pups original route. 'Um--so where were you headed?'
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Hallie gave a small, nervous laugh when the other female seemed to recover from her false shock. She supposed it must have been a little strange, meeting some pup and magically you have the same name as that pup's mother. But then she considered it again. There were plenty of wolves in the world for there to be more than one with the same name. So it was either this wolf was sheltered or she seriously didn't remember anything.
"Aha, yeah. Lots of wolves have the same name. It's a big world, ya know," she mumbled, rambling on now for the sake of having something to do other than think of how strangely Jenna was acting.
Yet her thoughts were disrupted when she was asked where she was going. Following the other's gaze, the small female stood upon her paws and turned around slightly. "Well, I was going to find a river to cool off in. I can't sleep with this heat!" she groaned, falling over onto her side for a dramatic effect.
"But now I'm not so sleepy, so I might just wander around a little and get used to the surroundings. I can't go back home, not without finding Cassidy first so.... the only way I can go is forward."
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Jenna smirked passively, ears flicking back against her skull. She knew that. Yeah--of course she did. Jenna knew that she felt very embarrassed at the moment, but wasn’t sure if it was because she didn’t know these things, or because a pup had to tell her. Either way, she decided to let it pass. ‘Well then me, and you--we can go explore the wood, search for a cooling river and look for your sister!’ The female nodded, bouncing once into the air. She realized that Hallie couldn’t return home without bringing her sister back, so Jenna would in the end help Hallie out--in the best ways she could. Flicking her tail to and fro, she took one placid step forwards, then another, passing by Hallie in the process before glancing back. ‘So, what do you say?’
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Hallie didn't particularly care. She figured that maybe something had happened to Jenna to make her forget whether or not she had actually had any puppies before. So she merely shrugged it off and moved on to another topic. The other female, after all, didn't look like she wanted to talk much about her having children, so she respected that and kept her maw shut about it.
Moving on to another subject, the small pup wagged her tail back and forth excitedly. Thus far on her journey there hadn't been any others who were willing to help and had actually volunteered. So Jenna's offer was one she wouldn't pass up easily.
"I say it's a great idea!" she yipped, bounding off after her new friend. "Where do you think we should go, Jenna?" she asked in her high little voice, tilting her head slightly as she peered all around her. "I think we should go to a lake, that way we can swim! I've always wanted to swim," Hal blabbered on, flicking her ears around and catching any sound that managed to be made.
"Have you ever swam before?" she asked, stopping for a moment to glance up at the larger wolf.
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Jenna propped herself on her haunches for a moment, listening to Hallie as she spoke while scanning the terrain. It was fairly difficult to scope out such forest in the dark, however she figured she'd manage it. 'I agree Hallie, a river sounds splendid.' She nodded, turning about to peer at Hallie. 'And of course I've swam before! It's so much fun.' Her nose wrinkled, body twitching with anticipation as she began to take backwards steps, before spinning about to face the right way.
'Alright, so water. We should go--erm--' Jenna's gaze flicked wildly, left and right, behind them and in front of them, till she managed to make up her mind. 'Well--I think we should head, that way.' her gestures were motioned towards the upper left side of their position, a smile passing over her lips. ‘What do you think?’
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The little female smiled and bounced about Jenna for a moment before she settled down on her haunches straight in front of her. "Really? I've never swam before. Momma never really let me. I don't know why though. But I think I'd like to try.... will you teach me?" she asked, her small tail wagging back and forth across the ground.
She calmed down a little, however, when her friend motioned which direction they should head off in. Raising to her paws, she glanced off towards where Jenna had pointed to. "That way? Yeah, I guess that's fine. I mean, I don't know my way around here, so any way is fine with me." She smiled and bounced forward a foot or so.
"Say... Jenna?" she began, glancing at the ground for a moment. "Will you always be my friend?"
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Jenna was surprised for a brief moment. Hallie didn't know how to swim? Yet it was the greatest past time there was! Yipping lightly, the female smirked. 'Of course I'll teach you how to swim. Everyone deserves to know how.' Her head bounced in a nod, tail lashing constantly. This was even better, to know that she would teach someone else something, especially Hallie. Taking a light step forwards, she sniffed the air before responding to the pup. 'Yeah, I also don't really know if that's a good way, but I think we should head towards it just because. We can map out the woods this way.'
Jenna wasn't sure if what she was saying was accurate, however it seemed to work, and so she shrugged it off and glanced towards the skies. A flock of dismal black crows swooped by, evening brining them the pleasures of free hunting grounds, without the threat of wolves, foxes, bears...the like. Their flight sparked Jenna's attention, and she watched them fly off into the night, ears perked and body pointed forwards. 'Birds are also fun to play with; I'll teach you how to use 'em sometime.' She nodded; glad to know there was someone who would listen to her.
As Hallie asked the last question, Jenna couldn't help but smile. There was someone in this world that was willing to stay with her forever--or at least keep friendly contact with, and for some odd reason, this brought a bubbly, almost floating sensation. Just the knowledge of Hallie wanting to stay friends was enough to send her happy meter out the roof. Lowering her small, soft head, she bumped her muzzle into Hallie's and smiled. 'Always.' After that, she lifted to her full height, took a few steps forwards, before giggling and calling back to Hallie to follow.
Indeed, she would stay Hallie's friend for as long as the pup would allow it.
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Hallie wagged her tail and smiled uncontrollably. It was simply amazing, the feeling one got when one found someone who would simply be one's friend and just do anything. "Thanks!" she yipped, bouncing about again with random energy. Where had all of this come from anyways? Just twenty minutes ago she was groaning and cursing everything that came to mind. Now she was bubbly and care-free!
Figuring that it simply didn't matter anymore and the only thing that did matter was having a great time with Jenna, Hal barked and jumped forward after her friend.
"Yeah, I think that's good. Momma never really taughtme much about navigating, just how to survive. I think you are right. We should just wander around until we know where we are going," she said, nodding firmly as if to back up her statement.
Then, when the birds flew overhead, the pup blinked and glanced up as Jenna did, watching the crows retreat into the night sky. She'd seen them fly before, but never knew that anyone interacted with them. "Use them?" she repeated, tilting her head a little in confusion. Use them how?
Moving on, Hal giggled slightly and pawed at Jenna's face slightly. "I'm glad!" she yipped, rolling over then jumping up to her paws and racing after her friend.
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Jenna smirked, barking softly towards Hallie as she became one small puff of energy. 'Well now that you've managed to get here, I can try and help you the best I can.' Hallie wasn't like most pups; she had come to the conclusion. It seemed that Hal's mother also didn't tend to her pups the way she should, however Jenna wasn't in any position to bad-talk, so she kept to herself on that part.
Seeking water, Jenna began a short sniff and lift technique, lowering her muzzle to the earth, sniffing, then perking her head back up, all the while moving at a steady, comfortable pace. She watched Hallie as well, making sure that the pup was capable of keeping at her speed, and always watching her surroundings. She may be a bit new to some things, yet keeping safe was one instinct that even the dumbest of animals couldn't rid of. As Hallie spoke, she nodded and smiled, yet kept to her rhythm of scenting, watching, and lurking.
The walk wasn't long; rather Jenna felt that they'd only taken a few long strides to get to their destination, which made Jenna as proud as a new mother. She could hear the river through the silence, its gentle trickles passing over smooth rocks a thrill to her ears. Padding into the open, she sniffed the ground--fresh bear scent lingered, the strongest of the smells, but was dimming out into nothing. She took a few more steps out, looked towards her left, then her right, before settling on her rump near the water to sip. 'Hallie, look! We've found water!' Pulling her head over the edge, she was disappointed to see that this water wasn't nearly as deep as she hoped for, making the swimming lesson a bit complicated, if not canceled all together, however just the sight and touch of liquid rolling down her throat seemed soothing enough.
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Hallie simply let her tail wag back and forth delightedly as she followed her new friend. She was happy that she had found a friend so quickly. She was lucky to not have found a wolf who was ready to attack now and ask questions later. Yes, lucky, that's what she was. She was lucky to have made it this far and lucky to have such a great friend like Jenna.
Continuing along beside the older female, she merely looked around. She hadn't really thought to sniff out the water, and so all she did really was glance around and think.
Why had mother sent her to find her sister and not some bigger, more capable wolf? It had been a question that had been lurking at the back of her mind and had only surfaced at this moment. Why her of all wolves? Hal had seen some other stronger, swifter, smarter wolves than she. So why hadn't her mother sent those?
She didn't, however, get a chance to pursue this matter further in her head, for they soon reached a river.
"Wow, already?" she asked, glancing up slightly in surprise. "Wow, you're really good at this Jenna!" she yipped, bouncing up and down before darting straight into the water. Giggling, she splashed around a little before stopping, fur drenched, to look at her friend.
"It's not that deep, but we could still have fun, yeah?"
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Jenna watched Hallie as she dove into the water and began to moisten herself up. It was cute, rather humorous, and almost drove Jenna to do the same, however she was stopped with a question. 'Oh sure we can still have fun. We can even wade down the river, or up it, just to see what he can find. And look!' The femme jumped to her feet and pushed her maw into the water, nearly hitting the bottom, towards a passing trout. 'Fish!' Jenna watched as the snoozing school of salmon and trout wriggle about with the commotion, before then settling once again. Their nearly lifeless bodies clicked on shut down, while their eyes stayed wide open. Jenna froze for a moment, watching the fish drift down stream, before darting her muzzle back in and snatching one up. 'Hal--look!' she mumbled, ears drooping slightly. 'I'm fishing' Spitting out the caught trout, Jenna fumbled to place a paw on it for it flapped about in the air, not willing to give up without a fight. 'All you have to do is catch one, then wrap your jaw's around it and--' Jenna proceeded in doing so, lowering her head, clamping her canines about the head, and with one twitch of her jaw muscles, she just down on the fishes torso, the movement stopping all together. 'It's a risk we have to take, even if a bit morbid.' The female frowned, yet nosed the dead fish towards Hal in an attempt to offer her food.
'I wouldn't suppose a young pup like yourself, taking a long journey as you did, has eaten, am I right?'
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Hallie nodded quickly, still standing in the water. Being as small and young as she was, the surface of the water was at her belly, and the cold sensation made her shiver slightly. She was about to get out of the water when Jenna suddenly stuck her nose in the water then drew it back out, a fish in her jaws. She watched in amazement as the other female killed the fish and kept it from going back into the water, where it would have a better chance of surviving.
"Wow, that was amazing, Jenna!" she barked, bounding through the water and back onto the bank. Without even bothering to shake her fur dry, she sniffed at the fish and wagged her tail.
Yet when Jenna seemed to be offering her the fish, she couldn't help but shake her head. "Oh no, I can't take that. It's your fish, you caught it! I can catch one for myself," she said firmly, nodding slightly. "You go ahead and eat that one." Then, before her friend could object or say anything, she turned and crouched down near the water's edge.
"I just do this... right?" she asked, nearly throwing herself into the water as an unsuspecting fish swam by. Yet she wasn't exactly experienced, so Hal simply fell into the river, her prey swimming away easily.
Groaning, she merely lay there. "I think I need to practice."
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Jenna smiled, ears flicking back against her head as Hal leapt into the water. 'Hallie, I--' Before she could even protest to what Hallie was doing, a splash of water rose into the air and splattered outward, onto Jenna as well as Hal herself. Watching the salmon wiggle on, the female burst into laughter, rolling onto her side, then her back, limbs kicking softly. 'H-Hallie! Let me teach you how to catch!' The laughter continued, even after Jenna was on her feet and trotting towards the pup. 'Ok, ok watch. All you have to do is wait till the fish fall back asleep. They keep their eyes open, but they just stop moving their tail and drift. Then--once you spot one, you wait till it's just in your reach and you jump at it!' Jenna watched as more fish drifted down the river, occasionally tossing their tail as they bumped into one another. Glancing towards Hal, she smirked and whispered. 'Go ahead, try. But be gentle till the final blow.' Her tail swaggered in the air, hind lifting as her upper portion stayed low to the ground.
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Hallie folded her ears back in embarassment as her friend began to laugh at her. She knew that Jenna didn't mean any harm by her laughter, but it wasn't really that that had bothered her. It was the fact that, after all that training her mother had given her, she felt as if she could do anything. But now she could tell that she was far from being able to do anything. She couldn't even catch a stupid fish.
"No," she sighed, looking down at her reflection and frowning at what she saw. "I'm not that hungry anymore anyways."
Moving slowly, she lifted herself from the water and onto the bank. Once there, she shook out her fur, beginning with her nose and head then gradually working her way down to her tail. Once her fur was relatively free of water, she plopped down on her side and just lay there, her eyes staring ahead and at nothing at all.
"Thanks anyways, Jenna."
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Jenna's head tilted, eyes lowering and tail tucking. Why was Hallie getting so defensive all of a sudden? Turning her head to eye Hal, she whimpered. 'Hallie? What's wrong...?' She was confused and equally saddened by Hal's sudden change in mood. She so desperately wanted to teach Hal everything, yet now she only seemed to want to plop on her side and stare out. Jenna crept towards her pup friend and nosed one of her paws, bringing her form to her belly silently.
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Hallie merely shook her head and continued to stare ahead. She couldn't possibly tell her friend that she was ashamed of not being able to catch a fish. She thought that Jenna would only laugh at her more. Who would get so upset as she was over something so silly and small as fishing?
"Nothing," she lied, curling her touched paw up towards her belly. "I'm just suddenly tired."
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Jenna lowered her gaze and backed away from the female, eyeing the earth shyly. 'Then let's find a den, you can sleep there if you'd like...please.' Her ears sagged, and her tongue rounded her nose before she lifted and glanced around. 'Do you own a den around here?' Eyes looking to Hallie cautiously, she waited, tail slumped and nearly tucked. What had she done?
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Hallie sighed then glanced over at her friend. Her eyes widened slightly as she saw that Jenna wasn't any happier than she felt herself. It made her stomach turn and twist to look at the other like that. Folding her ears back, she lifted herself up slightly so that she was now laying on her belly.
"No, Jenna.. I'm sorry," she said softly, glancing down at her paws. Why was this so hard? She couldn't fish, so what? Darn her and her unusual ego.
"I'm not really tired," she began, glancing over towards the stream that held all of the fish she simply knew she couldn't catch. "I was just... ashamed... that I couldn't catch a fish. It's just that my mom taught me to do all these things, and now I can't even fish. I literally fell flat on my face." She whimpered to herself and placed her head on the ground next to her paws. Why was she so ashamed? It was just fishing.
"It's stupid... just forget it."
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Jenna whined. 'Oh Hallie, but it doesn't matter if you can't swim! I mean, there's a lot of things people can't do right off the bat, you just have to grow and learn. You're still so young Hal, you have time to become an expert fisherman. I mean, one day you'll be better and faster then even I am!' The femme smirked, wagging her tail and falling to her belly before Hallie. 'I'm sorry for laughing at you, I really didn't mean anything by it. You just need practice. Your mom can't teach you everything--you learn as you go!' Her eyes began to glow with excitement. 'Like, I can teach you how to swim! And fish too, maybe hunt one day. We can learn things together. When I get hurt, I'll learn not to do what I did that day, just like when you miss a fish, you'll know to try harder next time.' Jenna's tail began to lash across the earth as she rolled onto her back and attempted to look up to Hallie, though was forced to look a bit downwards. 'I'll help you with what your mother didn't? Is that ok?'
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Hallie listened to her friends words, perking her ears up a little and looking Jenna straight in the eyes so that she didn't miss a single word. Once it was all done and said, she merely lay there, blinking. Everything that Jenna had said had made perfect sense. Things had to be worked at and practiced, not merely mastered right off the bat. So why had she not realized this before?
Suddenly feeling ashamed again--though this time because she had thought she could master fishing so quickly--she rose to her paws and moved over towards Jenna.
"That's definitely okay," she replied, a small smile overcoming her features. "You know... you're the best friend I've ever had."
Still smiling, the little female moved over to her friend and nuzzled her under her chin, afterwards sinking down to her belly and wagging her tail happily. "I'm glad I met you," she said softly, resting her head on Jenna's foreleg. Then she yawned and stretched out her back legs.
"Man.. I think I really am tired."
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Just hearing Hallie say such things made her quiver with glee, and as she moved over towards the older female, Jenna couldn't help but smile. 'You're my best friend too Hallie...I'm really glad I met you.' Coiling her tail and pressing her hind limbs towards her stomach, she made an attempt to secure the pup in a half arch, lowering her head just to the side of Hallie’s.
She was tired, and it was adorable seeing the pup stretch with fatigue. Driven by an internal instinct, the female gently coaxed Hallie into slumber, licking at the pup's skull and nudging her gently. 'I'm--kind of tired myself...we can rest...here...if you want' The last part being send in a murmur, Jenna's body loosened as she gradually lost the battle against slumber.
