Carnival [aw]
#1
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It was not a long way to the festival, and Skye had decided to make use of some of the items laying around Cercatori d'Arte. Trading and art was her pack's forte, and so it was with that thought and with pride in it that she stood in the festival with a wagon full of merchandise from the pack, as well as a few chickens.

She was hoping to find someone from another pack, perhaps, to trade with her; the items in her wagon were common, such as wood, leather, and fur, as well as harder to come by - some items included pencils, paint brushes, paper to write on, and chicken eggs. The chickens themselves were held in their place by a rope Skye had tied around one foot of each of the chickens, making a sort of line with her holding the other end; they were free to walk, but only for a short distance, and they did not seem uncomfortable.

It was with this pride, then, that she stood next to the wagon, waiting patiently for a canine to come along and comment on her pack's trade, perhaps, or to even buy or sell something - for a price, that was. She was on the search for something that may benefit them, and she was not against advertising their name, either.

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#2
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ooc:

It was like she hadn’t left at all. The paths through the market were still bustling and patrons and vendors alike were bartering with no signs of reasons. The pack inspired events were still underway as far as she cared to notice, and though the events yet to be experienced were enticing to say the least, the Nomad was more compelled to remain on the track she travelled. Veering would have only postponed her returned to Ichika and in its present state it was better than she did not stray by the lure of these distractions.

For the return journey she travelled considerably light with only her finest furs hanging in display across her shoulders and her protective companion on her opposite side. The owl acted as a scout as they travelled giving the opportunity for his companion to search through the ground for potential wares while he scoured the many unfamiliar faces for signs of threat. But with so many contorted in frustration and anger, it was difficult to tell who was truly with mischievous intent and who felt like they were on the bad end of a deal. Suffice it to say, her large Eurasian friend was perpetually on edge.

However an odd sound swiveled his head around to a wagon hosting a line of chickens as well as a various assortment of other tradable goods. But his eyes did not linger on the unique supplies, but the clucking fodder themselves. And they certainly looked delicious. His talons released from his perch as his great wings unfurled with haste. X’yrin had just a moment to pull herself away from the crowded ‘street’ in time to his direction of flight. A well placed sense of dread befell her and with quick stride, the female followed and whined sharply for her companion to return. When she saw the chickens she then understood what had him excited and in truth couldn’t blame him. But they were not free game and most likely up for trade. Last they needed was to involve themselves in an unpleasant engagement for killing off merchandise.

Instead of returning as he was commanded, the large bird swept down from his predatory height to settle on the rim of the wagon to wait his handler’s approach. His head swayed rhythmically left then right as he surveyed the delectable morsels tethered together like easy game, and ignored the red maned female all together. His head did not such much as turn toward the panicked she-wolf and she neared with numerous apologies for his conduct. “Miss, I am sorry,” X’yrin bowed her head humbly when she neared both female and wagon. “I hope he hasn’t caused you too much trouble. He hasn’t distressed your…goods… has he?” She didn’t know how else to describe the chickens, and certainly hoped they were indeed items of trade and not some new take on a companion animal.

“Here,” she held out her free arm and gestured with a claw for the nuisance of a bird to return. He did so reluctantly, making a show of his speckled wings before he again came to rest on her shoulder.


523 words.

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#3
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She settled into a rhythm as soon as she found a place to hawk her and the pack's wares. The flow of conversations as they passed by, the steady idle chatter of merchants and traders, the rushing colors of the exotic dresses, stones, merchandise, merchants. She settled into a rhythm like the rest of them, feeling quite natural in the atmosphere; her demeanor was alert, her head held high and her tail the same. And so she continued into her rhythm, occasionally nudging the chickens so that they squawked and drew attention to her small stand.

However, she was soon shaken out of her tune as an unusual sound met her ears, defining itself as different from the talking, shuffling, and laughing of the Luperci around her. Angling her head towards the sound, she saw that it was the beating of large, powerful wings against air; and the large, predatory bird in question was heading towards her chickens. Skye's entire demeanor rippled and changed in an instant; her ears flattened, eyes narrowed, and sharp teeth were revealed as she curled back her lips in a slight snarl; the bird - owl, as Skye saw it was - was certainly predatory, but Skye did not allow that to cease her threatening stance. She was not sure if the owl was wild or if it was someone's companion; however, that inquiry of hers was soon answered as she heard a sharp voice yipping, presumably to get the owl back.

The owl perched on her wagon, its beady eyes trained on the chickens, who were quite nervous at the sight of the predator. They began to squawk and ruffle their feathers anxiously, attempting to free themselves from the rope as they did so. Skye could have quieted them with a sharp word, but she let them be; satisfied now that the owl was under control, she relaxed her stance some, returning her demeanor to a more neutral one.

It was not long before the owner of the owl appeared. Senses worked fast as Skye processed the female; scent told her that she was from Ichika no Ho-en, the new pack comprised of Phoenix Valley and Dahlia de Mai's members. She was predominantly an orange-tan color, having red hair much like Skye herself. The female then began to apologize profusely for her owl's behavior, the bird in question having come to rest on her shoulder. Skye then judged her as one of honest conduct, and her facial expressions shifted yet again into one that was friendly.

"No harm done," she chirped, looking at her now calm chickens. Looking back at the Ichikan, she smiled warmly and stuck her hand out for the other to shake. "I'm Skye Collins of Cercatori d'Arte," she said, leaving out her rank for the moment; she did not feel it was necessary for this transaction, at least at the moment; whether the female already knew who she was or not was another story, however. "You have quite the beautiful bird, and very lively, too - if he is hungry, these chickens are up for trade," she said suggestively. "They also lay a great many eggs to eat - and, if coupled with a cock, you'll find yourself building a chicken coop in no time." She knew she had.

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#4
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ooc: Poor thing has never eaten an egg in her life

The Nomad was only ever put at ease when she felt she still had some control over the bird in her possession, and his little display left her feeling anything but secure about his presence. And there was little need to hide such naked emotion, regardless of position or pack, she was sad as any other; a creature subjected to the whims of emotion though some were better concealed that others. She growled softly to her companion in the hopes to steal his attention away from the chickens before she even attempted to further a conversation with the d’Arte vender. But he was quite the stubborn one and for each humoring look he gave his handler another was cast to the chickens below. Oh, he was too hungry to play nice and wanted to keep an eye on his potential meal. The golden female rectified it was the best she would get from her companion at the moment though he made no movement to leave her shoulder. But as a precaution she brought her hand to rest just over his claws more to ease herself that this little trick was enough to keep the bird in place.

Smiling somewhat bashfully, she returned her full attention to the red-maned female with a humble dip of her muzzle once more. “It is a pleasure to meet you miss Skye Collins. I am X’yrin of Ichika no Ho-en. And my beautiful companion, as you say, does not yet have a name since he refuses to give it to me.” For a moment she had forgotten how the cultural ways of the Nomads differed from the more common ideals of names and their meanings. It seemed a topic worth explaining yet she be considered mad for waiting for a name from a creature that could hardly be said to speak coherently except to the trained ear. However she believed the encounter to be one in passing and spared the both of them a long (and possibly boring) explanation. After all, her attentions were better placed on the woman and what she had to offer.

At the mention of the chickens again her ears perked with interest as the favored the idea of indeed trading for another, not for her companion but for the pack as a whole. Additional livestock could perhaps help them… but the eggs? “Eggs to eat?” The chicken yes, but their eggs? “You can eat them? How? Why?” It seemed silly to inquire, but in truth the thought hadn’t crossed her mind at all. Even with the chickens at the Ranch she hadn’t once thought to eat anything other than their little bodies, but hearing this gave her an insight to a whole different possibility. One she was interested to explore.


461 words.

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#5
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Word Count :: 335 Smile



She saw as the woman dipped her head towards her and she smiled; it also seemed that she was right in thinking that the female hailed from Ichika no Ho-en. Not only did her scent give hint of this, but Skye could tell by the peaceful and relaxed manner with which the woman held herself, and the calming and soothing aura that pulsed off of her in waves. Yes, almost no other pack gave off a feeling like that, and Skye smiled at the woman, confident that no problems would arise any longer.

She was slightly surprised at the fact that she said that he did not have a name because he did not give it to her - but then, she supposed that the great and beautiful creature would have a reason for that, and would be able to communicate, at least on some level, with the Ichikan. Although herbivores back in Cercatori d'Arte could not communicate with the members that resided there, she had caught wind of birds, cats, even other small carnivores who could speak the tongue of the canine. She smiled at the owl and dipped her head slightly; it deserved that much respect, at least for demonstrating self control and not devouring her chickens.

Skye gave what seemed like a winning smile as X'yrin asked about eggs. "You certainly can eat them," she said happily, taking an egg from the wagon and showing it to the woman. "Of course, you don't eat them raw. They're very delicious, however, when cracked and cooked over a fire - and they lay them so often, you'll almost never have want for food!" she exclaimed. She knew that the chickens back in her pack were abundant and about half of them laid many eggs; sometimes, she would gather them, but sometimes she would miss a few and they would hatch. That cycle was what lead to the pack having so many of the chickens, and that was why she held some on a rope now.

I am with you, I will carry you through it all, I won't leave you, I will catch you. When you feel like letting go, 'Cause you're not, you're not alone

Image courtesy of harold.lloyd

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#6
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ooc: She's looking at the leather and paper.

The she-wolf couldn’t help feeling curious as she looked hard to the egg as if expecting the oval little thing to tell her its secrets of how to be eaten. Cracked open and cooked over a fire; it sounded like nothing their kind could do outside of their human-like forms. Though the thought was not initially appealing, her interest was held since this was offered as another method for eating, an act she certainly had no qualms about. Perhaps she could try this method in the pursuit of something new and exciting. “I suppose… I could try it,” she considered aloud, placing a finely sharpen claw against the end of her muzzle as an indication of thought. “And you say the chickens make the eggs? Could I trade for two of your chickens as well?” It seemed like a better idea to just wait for the chickens to lay eggs back at the Ranch, but in the good spirit of trade, she has happy to offer her wares in exchange.

As she slipped her cargo of furs off her shoulder, she couldn’t help a none-too-secret peer into the kind woman’s cart. The initial show of interest she had for the idea items was still there, but with this enlightening outlook onto something new, she was drawn in once again. “You collect animal hide as well?” She motioned with the tip of her muzzle toward the leather. Then her eye drifted to the thin sheet of ‘skin’, so thin they could hardly be called ‘skin’ at all.

“And that animal hide…” she motioned to the paper with a wide, curious gaze. “How were you able to make it so thin? What can you do with it? Is it resilient despite its look?” Curiosity got the better of her, and as it often did, it ran her mouth a mile a minute. Before a question was given a moment to breathe in the air, another quickly stole its place.



327 words.

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#7
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Word Count :: 335 Smile



She smiled as the woman said that she would try it, and even offered to trade two of the chickens for her furs. She studied the furs, dubiously at first, but then with growing confidence; they seemed sturdy and thick, from animals that thrived in the mountains where the Ichikans lived and flourished. The artisan pack had furs and leathers themselves, but more could never hurt, and they had plenty of chickens to trade - and Skye believed that the underlying meaning to trade was not the items traded, but the friendships forged, and a strengthened friendship between Cercatori d'Arte and Ichika no Ho-en was something that Skye would not mind in the least.

She then saw the woman's attention being drawn to their own leathers that were held in the wagon, and as she asked if they collected them, she nodded. "We do indeed," she said. Leather, animals, feathers, and more can be found within their borders, it was true. "And I would not say no to trading two of these chickens for the furs," she said. Then, pertaining to the woman's question about the 'skin' that was so thin and seemingly flexible, she deftly snatched a piece of the paper out of the pile of items in her wagon along with a small, black piece of chalky substance.

"This is paper," she told the woman, "And you can write or draw on it, like so -" she rested the paper against her hand and drew a circle on it with the letter 'A' in the middle, showing the woman the paper with the newly drawn symbol.

I am with you, I will carry you through it all, I won't leave you, I will catch you. When you feel like letting go, 'Cause you're not, you're not alone

Image courtesy of harold.lloyd

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#8
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ooc:

This trade was certainly becoming quite the delight for the she-wolf as she continued to inspect both the leather and paper. While leather was easier, though time consuming to come by, this paper was truly a wonder to behold. As Skye demonstrated its usefulness, a smile gradually etched across the she-wolf’s maw as her tail swept behind her excitedly. Like making designs in the dirt, only this paper could be taken with her. She even recalled how this was used as a form of communication when the young Cavalieri Wayne came to visit Ichika under Jazper’s request. Yes. This was definitely useful given the right circumstance.

“It certainly good that my companion found an interest in your chickens,” the Nomad spoke in awe as she reached out with a curious hand to touch the paper. “I might have missed something this extraordinary. I have no qualms with trading my furs, but it is a matter of which you would like for the two chickens, the leather and your paper.” Releasing the paper, she knelt down beside her wares and proceeded to spread the bundle in accordance with their types. She announced each as she divided the pile.

“I have several marten… fox both red and white… doe hide… and two badger pelts. As well as these feathers. If it is not enough, perhaps we could make an arrangement? Perhaps if you are looking for a bird or something of the like I could find one for you? Or better yet,” she thought when struck with the idea, “Is this paper readily available to your lands? If what I have does not suffice, perhaps I can find something within my own pack and bring it to yours. And not only that-“ she glanced up at the paper still in the woman’s hand. –“ I would enjoy seeing another demonstration of the paper’s use. You say it is to write and draw on?”



321 words.

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