plants and playdates

Skoll Haskel · 02-26-2012, 01:58 PM

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Hopefully this is okay! Wanted to go ahead and get the thread up. +3

The smell of plants had drawn Skoll away from the random paths through Cercatori d’Arte territory toward a very specific source. His tail was high behind him as he trotted through the grass, which had been dusted with frost when he first arrived but was only cool to the touch now. Spring was latent in the air, waiting for the perfect time to make a grand reappearance; already birds were heralding its coming, alighting on bare tree branches and twittering their territorial songs.

The Court puppy beamed as he pranced along, seeing the wood and stone buildings come into sight. The small town couldn’t truly be called that, as it was very overgrown with plant life—crawling vines, dead bushes, thorny brambles—but he could smell that canines lived there. He trotted on the cracked asphalt leading into Thornbury then turned immediately when he saw the wooden fence and the plants growing up on the other side.

The prince had been saddened to see all the dead wildflowers in his territory as well as the fields in d’Arte. The potential was there for everyone to see, but it was a harsh reminder of how winter made life difficult for the plants and the herbivores that relied on them. He’d yet to really know what butterflies were, or hummingbirds, or even bees and others who drank nectar and pollinated the flowers. All he knew was that the flowers wouldn’t return until spring.

Here, it was different, for the herbs were more various than the wildflowers that grew outside of the fence. His nose was bombarded with many different types of aromas, some that reminded him of medicine and poultices while others he recognized as spices on cooked meat. Still others were strange to him, and he quickly bounded up to the fence and put his paws on one of the posts, peering inside at the pots and the natural plots of land where the garden grew.

Glancing quickly over his shoulder to check for anyone approaching, Skoll decided to jump between the horizontal posts, squeezing in among the stems and disappearing into a sea of green.

Taliesin Dir Rhiannon · 02-28-2012, 11:04 PM

He was in lupus form, a rare occasion for him, but his son Myrddin was tagging along with him. Often, he had to lift the one moth old over a deeper snow drift, and then turn around for the feline, Sheba, who was also trailing behind him. Their destination was the herb garden. As they walked, Myrddin was full of questions for him, as he had been at the same age. For his age, the pup was bright, and more verbal than most his age. The pale father enjoyed answering the questions, even though most of them were either 'Why?' or 'Whats that?'

He paused just outside of the garden, drawing in deep breaths. A strange scent was on the air, and while he didn't doubt that it was a friendly visitor, there was always that off chance....

"Stay here with Myrddin," he hissed softly at the cat before jumping the fence to land softly in the garden. He drew in a deep breath as he began tracking the scent. After a moment, he spoke. "I know you're in here. Show yourself." His voice carried the authority of the prottetore, his rank within the D'Arte pack.

Skoll Haskel · 02-29-2012, 10:01 PM

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My post suuuucks. +3

Skoll was not completely unfamiliar to danger and intrusion anymore; after all, he’d been attacked by a bobcat, and he’d tried to drive a mistaken intruder out of his family’s house. However, he was still young—and though he was more cautious than before after his near-death experiences, there was still a small part of the boy that believed himself to be invincible. The borders of Cercatori d’Arte were open, and while he hoped to be on his best behavior to the pack members here, he was unaware of the real tension underneath their vigilance.

And so, when he was hopping into the fenced-in gardens, the cub believed he was doing nothing wrong. He sniffed around the stalks and pawed at the ground when an interesting scent caught his attention. He began to nibble at the exposed end of a root when a muffled thud reached his ears. Lifting his head, the puppy began to step forward to investigate—but there was no need to see if there really was another canine there, as a firm voice demanded for the child to reveal himself.

The prince was not used to that kind of authoritative voice; he was not often scolded in the Court, and he was dominant over his littermates. His curly tail began to rise in a show of defiance before he remembered where he was, and with a stab of unease, he slunk out guiltily from among the plants to see a white wolf standing there. His eyes were differently colored like his nephew Jiva’s, but instead of purple and green, they were deep blue and bright gold. It was something he only noted in passing, however, his wolf instincts instead choosing to acknowledge the other’s stance.

“I’m not causin’ trouble,” Skoll blurted, though he kept his ears and tail down. “Terra said the borders’re open, and I met Bambi and I saw the boat and I ain’t got in trouble.” He was not a bad boy, and he was anxious about being seen that way.

Taliesin Dir Rhiannon · 03-01-2012, 01:14 AM

The canine that slunk out of the herbs wasn't the threat the pale protettore scholar had expected. He relaxed as the young one spoke. The name Terra rung bells for the male, and he nodded. Terra was the wolfess who had come to the borders needing an answer for a question she didn't know she needed answered. He had been the medic to answer her unasked question about being in heat.

His posture and voice softened as he spoke again. "Terra was right, of course. I'm just not used to seeing anyone else in the garden besides the pack." An indignant yowl reminded the male that he'd left Sheba, the pampered calico, with Myrddin, the inquisitive son. The next thing he knew, the cat was sitting between his paws, the pup tumbling through the slats of the fence, his stubby tail wagging happily. "Play, kitty!" Myrddin's words were gleeful little yelps, followed by an aggravated hiss, and the feline vanishing in the snowy herbs.

The roly-poly pup stopped just behind his dad, puppy blue eyes peering at the stranger. Tal glanced at his son, then back to the Courtier. "I'm Tal, and this is my son, Myrddin. What's your name?"

Skoll Haskel · 03-04-2012, 09:17 AM

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+3

Explaining himself to an adult he didn’t know took away some of the prince’s dignity, but Skoll dreadfully hoped that he wouldn’t be kicked out of the pack territory for this. After all, dignity or not, he didn’t know the way home. He’d probably get lost if he tried to find his way, and then all of Cour des Miracles would be in a panic trying to find him, and they’d all yell at him when he got back and he would never ever be able to leave the Court again, even as an adult!

These thoughts rushed faster and faster through his head, but then the white wolf’s stance softened and the boy relaxed. It looked like he wasn’t in trouble; this was just a case of suspicion and instinct, like when he’d bitten Trent, who he’d thought was a bad guy, for coming into his house.

Skoll began to express his relief and apologize again for politeness, but the caterwaul of a cat grabbed his attention. His green eyes widened as a round puppy and a patchwork cat came into view, the former harassing the latter. The calico grew fed up enough to dart into the garden, and the boy grinned, watching its tail disappear. He couldn’t get away with chasing cats anymore, especially since Alder taught him how to be nice and gentle.

“I’m Prince Skoll Haskel, son of Vigilante!” the blonde puppy informed the adult in his loud princely voice. Then he looked at the younger cub and stepped forward with a cautious glance at Tal; he didn’t want the grownup to think he was going to roughhouse with the younger boy. He leaned forward to sniff at Myrddin curiously, his tail hanging uncertainly behind him until it went up and wagging. He grinned at the kid and the adult. “Nice to meetcha!”

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