nowhere to go

[Tayui Aston]

I hope I got all the details right!

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Tayui heard the call, jerking her head up in reply. She remained still as she flicked her ears forward, straining to hear the sound of her daughter's call through the trees. Ocèane was calling for her. Tayui did not know why, but she could hear the distress in her daughter's voice. Tayui fumbled as she tried to put her book down, hands shaking slightly as her heart thumped in her chest. It was a book on stuffed animals. She had hoped to find some way to make Ocèane her own stuffed animal of sorts, or perhaps find something her daughter would appreciate. She'd spent much of the day flipping through her books looking for ideas. But her search was promptly forgotten as she dropped everything -- literally -- and sprinted from the clearing in hopes of finding her daughter. She paused, resting her hand on a tree, to respond with a howl of her own and let Ocèane know she was on her way. She was not too far. The wind carried Noir and Ocèane's scents to her, offering her some semblance of warning. Tayui arrived to find Noir just barely clinging onto... onto something. Tayui could not make out what it was, but it looked like Noir was just barely keeping herself from being torn away and tossed into the current. Tayui rushed past Ocèane, stopping abruptly by the water's edge. It looked as though Noir had crossed a beaver's dam -- hadn't Tayui warned them not to do that? -- and was not faring too well. Tayui tested the water with one foot. It was freezing. She frowned. But she would be fine. Her birthpack was in a land much, much colder than this. She could handle it. She would be able to get Noir. Save her. Tayui lowered herself into the water, moving quickly. She paused only long enough to grab a branch half-submerged in the mud before continuing on. The water in front of the beaver dam was peaceful enough, but on the other side, it was choppy. Dangerous. Tayui moved quicker. She reached the middle of the river, swimming awkwardly. She had little practice swimming in her Optime form, but it was the only way. "Noir," she shouted at last, only then realizing she hadn't said anything to her daughter yet. "Grab the branch between your teeth. I've got you. I'll help you over to this side, here, come on sweetie," she said, doing her best to lean over the beaver dam with the stick. She did not want to test the strength of the beaver dam, so she instead leaned over it awkwardly, extending the branch as she would another arm.

Table by Sace![/html]