He was panting now. His breath became heavier the more he practiced, the muscles in his right arm stinging from his attempts. For each time he had managed to lasso one of the bushes, there were at least a dozen other tosses that he had missed. The Associate was not yet satisfied with his progress, though he knew he had at least made some. He cursed himself for not carrying around a water skin; his tongue was wet with saliva, but his thirst was not quenched. The next few tosses mostly missed, and at last he threw the rope on the ground with a growl of fury. The mutt stood with his arms crossed, scowling down at the discarded tool. He stared angrily at it for a long moment, before his one standing ear shot forward to the small sound of... what was that?
Whirling, ice-blue eyes found the source clumsily. The familiar shape of a young woman he knew to be Eris's daughter stood on the threshold of the clearing, staring at him. Startled, Denver took a sharp breath and took a half-step back at the sight of her. How long had she been there? He swallowed hard, saliva still flowing from his panting mouth as his chest rose and fell rapidly. "How long've you been there?" he asked hurriedly, suddenly worried and embarrassed, but his face showed nothing but curiosity. She was young, he knew, but he could not escape the sense that she had all of her mother's charm. He forced a mostly pleasant smile. "Sorry; good mornin', miss... what've you got there?" Denver's head bobbed as he squinted at the thing in her arms. He moved closer carefully, eying it warily, unsure of whether it was alive or dead. With a frown, he knew what it was. A live cat. A small one, too. Ew. He turned his head away, staring at it with distaste. "Oh," he muttered, unimpressed and keeping his distance. What was she doing with that thing?
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