For Terra, middle of Ethereal Eclipse. He just passed Springfield, NS. (WC: 405).
[html] [/html]It was eerie finding a town nestled in the midst of the woods. Since the fall of humanity, the trees had grown and vegetation had taken over most of the towns in the area. Still, it was somehow different to find a town right in the middle of the forest. Claudius thought he could see signs of roads linking it to the outside, but the region he was now in, Ethereal Eclipse, was known for its dense forests and the scarcity of light. It seemed as though he'd found an area where light was permitted (or had been demanded by the humans, he thought), but it creeped him out too much to stay.
Claudius continued eastward as he thought about the humans. He didn't know much about them or why they'd done what they did. Most wolves here seemed to scorn them and their ways, but AniWaya took after them in many ways. Of course, the humans that AniWaya took after were very different from the others, he thought. Much of AniWayan folklore he suspected was the work of human reasoning, but indicated a greater familiarity with nature. The Cherokee humans had not made huge highways into forests: perhaps the way one traveled was the greatest indication of who they were. Claudius thought himself to be a wolf, so he traveled on four legs. It was the quickest method and since he was most comfortable in his lupus form on four legs, he used it -- as was natural to him.
The snow was still thick in the gaps between the trees, but he found evidence of melting. As he moved deeper into the wooded area, the snow became less frequent. In areas with many pine trees, the snow simply could not get through as well, so there were patches of greenery. Although none of the fruit-bearing bushes looked particularly esculent,* Claudius wished he could have taken a bite nonetheless. Even though he didn’t normally survive on berries and vegetation, he was growing tired of the cold winter and was excited for spring to begin so he could start collecting plants for his dyes.
After much walking, Claudius paused to consider his surroundings. He’d come this far east, but he still wasn’t sure why he was here. He supposed that he was tired of the tribe and needed to get out and go somewhere, but he still wasn’t sure as to where he was going. The scents in the wind told him that he was nearing the borders of Cour des Miracles, but he wasn’t sure if that was where he even wanted to go. Ah well; he supposed it didn’t matter anyway. He was here and that was good enough for him. He’d turn back soon enough. [html] [/html]
* Something edible, especially a vegetable.
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Mar 21
She was getting better, stronger. Her chest no longer ached and tugged as much as she breathed, and her scruff was almost entirely healed over, with only a few small cuts left to heal over from where the cougar had bit deeper than the rest. Her leg was still entirely useless, and her side still needed bandaging, but she was starting to be able to hobble around without collapsing and passing out somewhere to restore her energy. That didn't mean she was being allowed to go very far. She'd ended up with a babysitter assigned to her to make sure that she didn't hurt herself. Terra had been very upset about this, but once all the trouble she'd managed to get into while still injured had been pointed out, she'd had no choice but to put up with it. Not that she was fast enough to escape whoever was tailing her anyways.
A short distance from the borders the scent of a wolf reached her. Her tail swished lazily behind her as Terra sniffed the air. She wasn't nearly strong enough for a confrontation. Then again, she did have a warrior watching her back. Deciding that she was bored enough to risk it Terra hobbled towards the scent, making sure that it looked like she was simply wandering, not moving towards a possible threat. It took some time, but Terra eventually poked her head through some bushes to see a white wolf, standing there, looking off into space. If she'd been better Terra would have taken the opportunity to ambush him. As it was, she simply let out a soft yip, announcing her presence.
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[html] [/html] The soft yip startled Claudius enough for him to stagger a bit, but not quite enough for him to do much damage. He recovered quickly enough, but was still embarrassed to have been discovered so close to a pack just wandering. That was definitely not the right way to go about things. If Cour des Miracles still had designs against AniWaya, they would have undoubtedly done something nefarious while he was wandering. He tried not to think of this, but naturally he began to assume the worst. He turned to see a wolf, barely visible aside from her head poking out of a bush. Claudius shivered unconsciously, wondering if she intended to tie him up and stash him away. He usually tried his best not to daydream because his thoughts would inevitably wander into dangerous territory. Instead, he clenched his jaws to pull himself back to the present and the wolf who had just presented herself. He couldn't go losing himself again.
He took a few steps closer, but then paused when he realized it would probably be best to hang back. He didn't want to aggravate her, especially if she was a scout.
"H-hi," he stammered. "I-I was ju-ust..." he began, but faltered when he realized he didn't know what he had been doing. "I-I ho-ope I'm not... bothering you... I didn't... mean to... wander... so close to the pack..." he explained. He felt stupid even as he explained this because the scent of the pack was so strong, of course he'd known where he was. "I mean -- I'm not he-ere to cause any... trouble." He ended this lamely, pulling his ears back a bit to show that he was no threat to her.[html] [/html]
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His surprised reaction brought a trill of laughter from Terra, followed by coughing as her body protested against the movement. Frustrated at her own weakness Terra huffed gently. When would she be healed already? It was taking far too long in her mind. It still hurt to do something as natural as laughing. Terra wasn't about to stop enjoying herself while healing though, making herself just feel worse. The wolf turned around, shyly spotting her in the bushes. A shiver ran over his body, and Terra found herself facing a very timid, submissive creature.
That was unexpected by far. There was no reason to fear someone clearly smaller. Then again, he didn't know that, with just her head sticking out. He moved closer before stopping. His speech stuttered, slipping up. Curiously Terra cocked her head, smiling. She'd never heard anything like that before. It was very entertaining. She pulled herself out the rest of the way, revealing the bandaging on her body. You don't need to worry about a threat from me. Him on the other hand Terra jerked her head towards where her babysitter stood, you might want to worry about. She grinned widely, revealing that she was teasing. What's your name?
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(WC: 385)
[html] [/html] She laughed at him. Claudius immediately bristled: his fur stood on end and his stance became much more rigid. He hated being laughed at, mostly because it meant that someone else had noticed how silly he was. From that, he hated being weak and he hated when others noticed his weaknesses. He supposed it made sense given the number of weaknesses he had: he could not fight, he stuttered, he used to walk with a limp, and he used to twitch. Being reminded of these many incapabilities and neuroses tended to make it much worse, so Claudius would have to try his best not to let them take over. Of course, once they got a hold of his body, there was no stopping them; it was as if he was standing beside himself and letting someone else do the talking (or the stammering and twitching, in his case).
She smiled and revealed more of herself. Claudius was about to snap back with something rude, but then he noticed she was all bandaged up. He tried not to let himself feel bad for her, since he hardly knew her and she'd already laughed at him, but he was a naturally caring wolf and couldn't help but empathize with her. His wounds had taken a long time to heal and there were still marks hidden underneath his fur.
The girl explained that even though he had nothing to fear from her, the terrifying wolf standing behind her might pose a problem. Claudius glanced from one wolf to the next, trying to decide what to do next. Maybe it would just be best if he left. He couldn't tell if it was a joke or threat, since smiles could mean all sorts of things. After all, Attila would always smile and call him his brother, but he'd never been very brotherly.
Claudius took a hesitant step back, but then paused when she asked for his name. He frowned, not wanting to give her anything more to tease him about.
He was about to suggest that he should leave, but then hesitated. She didn’t seem like she was being mean and he didn’t think she wanted to hurt him. Maybe he just needed to take a leap of faith. Mustering up his courage, he replied: “C-cuh-Claudius… Aston… Fuh-rom… AniWay-a-a…” [html] [/html]
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The strange wolf stepped back. Apparently he didn't understand her. Well that was dull. There was no point joking with him if he didn't get the joke. At least he stuck around. Ears pricked forward she listened to his stuttering speech, trying to piece it together. It sounded like his name was Culauduston. The pack he came from was one Terra knew, if not the history between their packs. Or at least that's what she thought he was saying. He really needed an easier name to say though. After all, he had trouble talking, and it was a rather long one.
Nice to meet you Cu...Culauduston. Did she say that right? Terra cocked her head, listening to it in her head. No, that was a little off. Cludiaston? Giving up she faced him again. I'll just call you Cloudy. I can pronounce that at least. I'm Terra! Tail wagging she stepped closer to him, sniffing around at him. He was so nervous, fearing an attack. Well, he hadn't understood that she was joking. Don't worry about the warrior. He's just here to make sure I don't get into trouble.
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How much can you control Haven as an NPC? Haven attacked Claudius during the AniWaya raid, so he would probably recognize Claudius and have an "oh snap!" moment. In my next post, I'll probably have Claudius address Haven since I didn't want to smush too much dialogue into this post. (WC: 312)
[html] [/html] Claudius’ indignation worsened when the girl made fun of him. He knew that he struggled with his words a lot, but that was no reason to make fun of him. He also knew that, like Attila, the ones who did the bullying were often trying to fill some sort of void or make themselves feel better. He didn’t like thinking that she was making fun of him because she was injured, but right now, he couldn’t help but think it. And then, of course, instead of asking him to repeat it (and after mangling his name a few times), she decided to call him cloudy. What kind of name was that? Still bristling, Claudius took a step back when she tried to sniff him. He didn’t want her coming any closer if she was just going to be immature and insult him.
“That’s not my name,” he snapped. “A-a-and you d-on’t… have t-o-o be… rude about it…” he added, trying to keep his temper down. “May-aybe I shou-ould… just… go—” he began, but stopped abruptly. Just as she gestured to the wolf, Claudius realized how he knew him. It was the wolf that had attacked him when he had been trying to help the invaders find their way to Maska. If anything, Claudius had since realized that his plans always went awry – the first time, he’d been imprisoned and tortured in Crimson Dreams, and the second, assaulted by the warrior from whom he’d sought help. Claudius, now doing his best to ignore the annoying girl, couldn’t take his eyes off her so-called protector. If he was here to make sure she didn’t get into any trouble, what would that mean for Claudius? What would happen if he deemed Claudius some form of ‘trouble’ from whom this Terra girl needed saving? Claudius didn’t want to find out; he wanted to leave, now. [html] [/html]
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i have no idea. i'll pm one of the leaders about it. by the way, Terra has no idea that Aniwaya and CdM fought XD
The wolf's reaction to her attempt at saying his name had her ears drooping. It wasn't often she got to see someone new, and he was very intriguing. I'm sorry... Her words were quiet, wishing that she could figure out what his name was. Terra couldn't deal with long names very well, and hadn't realized it was a last name he was giving as well, hearing it as one long one. Tucking herself close to the ground she looked helplessly over to Haven, wishing that he could fix the mess she'd gotten herself into.
Turning her head back she stared as the male couldn't remove his eyes from the warrior. Glancing between them it occurred to her that they knew each other. Huffing she turned to the warrior. If you know him, why didn't you say anything? His eyes glanced to his ward for a moment before turning back. He was simply there to make sure that Terra didn't end up making her wounds worse like she almost did the last time, nothing else. Feeling very angry now Terra turned around and began working her way back through the bushes to head back to the pack and sulk about her trip being ruined.
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Writing Haven out, as per Erin's request~
[html] [/html]Claudius flicked his ears out of annoyance when the girl replied. She apologized and then crouched down low to the ground, actively showing him. But why would she apologize if she’d been so rude before? Claudius didn’t really understand why she’d been so horrible only seconds earlier, but was now desperate to repent. Was she really that bad with names that she’d done it by accident? No, that couldn’t be it. Claudius was well aware of what others thought about him and he knew that if he’d been some big, strong wolf, she wouldn’t have called him Cloudy. That was just ridiculous.
She spoke again, quickly picking up on his familiarity with the orange wolf. Claudius glanced from the warrior to Terra and back again, at a loss for words. He looked away for a moment in an attempt to gather his thoughts. How could he properly address the one who’d attacked him that night? He began to open his mouth and speak up, but when he looked back again, the orange wolf was gone.
“He left,” Claudius intoned. He wasn’t sure why, but he was a little sad knowing that the wolf had left. What if he had something to say? The orange wolf couldn’t have known. Claudius shook his head and then glanced back at Terra. He addressed her once more, but more kindly: “I huh-ha-ave a… stutt-t…t..t..er… muh-ma-ma…. Name is… Claudius… Aston,” he explained, trying to state his name as clearly as possible, stutter-free and error-free. [html] [/html]
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Feeling very sour now Terra watched the one that was supposed to make sure she didn't get eaten by anything leave. Well that sucked. That meant she'd have to rely on the grouchy white wolf to help her get back to her pack, sticking the two together. The male's words had Terra looking at him in disbelief. That's pretty obvious. Guess you'll have to help me now. She couldn't be here on her own, as annoying as that was. If Cloudy left now she'd be killed by predators.
Her head cocked as the wolf addressed her again, this time more kind. A stutter? Did that mean the thing where his words were hard to understand? Again his name was repeated, but this time it was separated. Oh! You have two names? That was a habit Terra would never pick up. She had one name, and wasn't planning on getting another. Certainly, she had plenty of aliases, but that was different. It seemed like her nickname wasn't that far off after all either. He must have assumed that she'd been mocking him for such a fierce reaction. Terra didn't see anything wrong with a name that matched him though. He was white, and seemed to be capable of reaching the sky. Claudius. Help me back to the pack?
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WC: 377
[html] [/html]Terra’s reply was quick and clearly annoyed, likely indicating her fickle personality. Claudius realized with a start that her teasing hadn’t been as cruel as he’d intentionally thought; just naive. He always suspected he would have difficulty relating to younger children since he preferred the company of well-spoken and well-thought intellectuals to those of warriors or idiots. He supposed, perhaps, that this girl was in fact quite young and likely more the reason for her ways.
She sounded confused when he explained his name and went as far as to ask why he had two. Claudius found this quite perplexing. Indeed, where he had traveled and lived, two names was the norm. Those who didn’t have two would often pick up a second to indicate an adoptive family. He remembered his mother telling him something about how names were as fluid as water and how she had once adopted her mate’s family’s name to show that she was now family. Claudius wondered if Terra’s single name indicated a lack of a family. That was quite sad.
The next time she spoke, she got his name right. She was rather casual about it all and Claudius wondered just how young she was. He shrugged the thought aside.
“I suppo-ose… I will,” he replied, exasperated. Since her warrior had left, and she was young, he figured it wouldn’t be right to let her go back alone. Hopefully, if there was any trouble, he could just explain himself to Vigilante; he trusted the doggish leader well enough to hope that if he were captured, it wouldn’t be for long. He shivered at the thought of the memory.
He quickly fell into step with Terra and began to make his way into the heart of the pack. He didn’t know the way, so he hoped Terra would be able to guide them. As he walked, he considered her earlier question. Choosing to address it, he spoke: “many wolves ha-a-ave… two-o-o… names… one is… their… per-er-erso-huh-nal… name… like… Cla-diu-u-us… o-or… Terr-a-a-a… but the-e se-e-e-cond… is you-our fa-a-a-amily… My fa-a-aamily… is… the… Aston… and Bélanger… family… so it le-e-ets… people know… a bit… about you… If you-ou… know… some… languages, you can tell… which language the na—a-ame… is… and tra-a-a-ce… their… history…”[html] [/html]
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The movement into pack territory was slow. Terra was limping along, lingering to look around before continuing into what was beginning to feel like a jail. She couldn't leave it, her loyalty to her pack was far too strong for that, but she was bored with the same thing happening every single day. Occasionally she was forced to stop and rest her leg, something Terra hoped he wouldn't get angry about. After a while Claudius spoke up, addressing her question about the names. She was slowly getting used to his stutter, able to piece his words together to understand it.
A family name? Terra thought of her family, considering. Since the coyote pack often drifted and regrouped together one was never truly sure who was family and who wasn't, mates often only taken for a season before they drifted apart again. The only consistency was the smell of the pack. Pondering this Terra shook her head. I don't have a family name. Will a pack name do? She could be Terra Court. Or Terra Miracles. Something like that. Hearing that names told history Terra's tail wagged eagerly. What history does Aston have?
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[html] [/html]Claudius felt bad letting her limp along, but he knew there was nothing he could do to ease her pain. He was neither strong nor adept enough to carry her, regardless of the form he took. At the most, he could offer her some company to help her keep her mind off the pain. Claudius didn’t think the orange wolf would have gone too far, so he hoped that if something did happen to aggravate Terra’s injury, he would be close at hand.
Claudius nodded quickly in reply, but then paused and shrugged. He didn’t think it mattered that much where she got her name, as long as it meant something. After all, since she didn’t have a second name, Claudius thought it might not have mattered that much to her. Although, she seemed to be quite unaware of most matters and Claudius wondered how much she didn’t know about the world. This was perhaps one fragment of a whole puzzle.
“Sure,” Claudius replied. “Cour… des Miracles… is French, like my name… so you cou-ou-ould be… Te-erra du Cour.” He pronounced this with a French accent in an attempt to show her how it could be done. “Aston,” he began, pronouncing this too with a French accent, “is… well… has… a long… history… my-y-y… family… is fr-o-om… AniWa-a-a-aya… but my-y… mother… and her siblings are… from… Quebec… to the north… it’s a French… area, but they came from even… farther north, once… from the arctic… The arc-c-c-ctic… wo-o-lves… ca-a—aame… to-o… Quebec… after the fa-all… of the humans… and the-e-e-y… met u-up… with some mo-o-re wolves… that escaped from a zoo… they were not from… there… and then… they found… wolves who had lived… in Quebec… and they made a… pack… Even… though… my name is… French, my family has… a mixed… background, so I guess… it’s not just… one thing. So I guess… if you wanted, you cou-ould… be Terra… du… C-c-c-ourt… or… wherever… your home… was, too…”[html] [/html]
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Their second names could have something in common? Terra wasn't too sure how du Court and Aston were connected, but if he said so then it must be true. He was the one that knew about this kind of thing after all. Terra didn't have a clue of how it worked. Claudius' stutter had almost completely vanished in Terra's mind now, able to understand what he was saying and piece it together. The actual words he was saying was fascinating enough to keep her attention off from how amusing he sounded as well.
The history behind Claudius' second name was rather tangled. A story to tell, summed up in a single word. It was incredible that the word Aston could mean all that things, all that meaning. It's very impressive. Two packs meeting and becoming one, surviving in the harsh north, escaping a zoo. You must be incredible, able to carry that name. Her tail wagged as she looked over at the hardly impressive wolf beside her. Could he really be so much more than he appeared?
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I accidentally wrote "du Court" instead of "du Cour" derp! I fixed it now. XD
[html] [/html]Claudius widened his eyes and stumbled slightly when Terra said it was impressive. He was so surprised that he went silent; wondering if she had really said that or if he had just imagined it. He had never really considered his family’s history anything special. As a puppy, it had been told to him as a matter of fact and he had always remembered it as such. There were things he wasn’t too sure about or that he had postulated on his own. For instance, his mother said that her family had some German names. That would only make sense if the wolves were from Germany, but wolves didn’t just travel around like they did not (and they didn’t do it that much anyhow). He theorized that they had been in a zoo and escaped when humans disappeared, but he’d never thought it was particularly impressive. He supposed he approached most histories like this, just taking it in stride and accepting it for what he thought it was. It was almost refreshing for someone to think of it in another way, even if she grossly overestimated him.
“I-I guess tha-a-at’s… impressive… I ne-e-ever… really thought o-of it… li-i-ike th-a-at,” he replied. His stutter worsened now that he felt self-conscious. How could he ever live up to an image that painted him as ‘impressive’? He was quite ordinary; he was sure of that.
“I-I guess… it’s… nice,” he mused, “having a na-a-ame… like that. Ma-a-aybe… you have… one… and you-ou just don’t… know it…” he added, with a shrug. He tried not to dwell on how Terra seemed so impressed by this. In all honesty, it embarrassed him. He didn't like being in the spotlight like this.[html] [/html]
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Terra giggled as Claudius stumbled with surprise. He was a very silly wolf. He had so much to support him, yet was struggling to just make it as Claudius, let alone as an Aston. Silence hung around them for a while. Terra decided to take the opportunity to rest, laying down in the snow. It felt nice and cool against her heated body. The strain was showing from the trip now, and Terra was glad they'd decided to start heading back. Her leg might be good enough for her to limp around a little, but it was still far too painful for long stretches.
Hearing that she might have a name to live up to Terra shuddered, shaking her head. Her own name carried a lot of weight that she didn't want to put on others, not to mention the responsibility of the pack. To have an entire family affected by her actions, that was even worse. Terra didn't want those chains, either for herself or those who knew her. I don't think so. None of my birth pack had more than one name. Each member stood alone to prove their own worth and place. Turning to Claudius she nuzzled him softly. Stop here for a little bit?
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I like roleplaying with you! I may have to snag your AW Hadley thread in AniWaya once this is done > 
[html] [/html]Claudius was a little surprised that Terra didn’t want to take a second name. It seemed so natural to him that he had never thought of being just Claudius. He liked his family, even if his aunt terrified him and his cousin was a little rough. But he liked knowing his mother was a part of his family and his brothers and sister, too. His expression darkened when he thought of his other family – the Soul side. He wished Haku wasn’t his father; he hated the wolf so much that sometimes, he would lie awake at night thinking about it. The rage he kept pent up inside him would eat him out some days and sometimes it was just so difficult to breathe. If Claudius were a more violent wolf, he knew he would have resorted to more violent methods to rid himself of that family.
Terra nuzzle Claudius – which, of course elicited a jump – and suggested that they rest for a bit. Claudius hadn’t realized it, but while the conversation had slowed, their pace had too, and they had stopped walking. He nodded quickly, but then found himself alarmingly close to Terra’s head. He hoped he didn’t hit her in the face with his muzzle.
“I—okay,” he replied. He didn’t know what to say. “I—uhm, are—are you… feeling—um… okay?” [html] [/html]
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thanks. this thread is kinda bouncy, eh? moves all over the place
A dark expression flitted over Claudius' face at Terra's reaction to not taking another name. The way it looked it wasn't connected to her words though. At least, not directly. It was a puzzle for her, wondering why he had such a dark look about him. There wasn't much she could really do about it but wonder, since she wasn't in any state to quickly escape if he reacted wrong. So much of her boldness had been cut away by this injury, forcing her to be submissive and quiet where she would be dominant and loud in situations.
Claudius' jump elicited one from Terra as well. Crouching down rapidly she stared wide eyed at him before it clicked that she'd simply startled him. Relaxing Terra pushed herself deeper into the snow, sighing as the strain on her body began to drain away. Terra smiled as he questioned if she was alright. Healthy as a fat rabbit. If you wait I'll even hop around like one for you. She winked at him cheerfully, slipping into her habit of disguising how bad her injury was. I wouldn't be allowed by the borders if I wasn't healthy enough.
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Hahaha, well, Claudius is very jumpy, and apparently, Terra is a rabbit! !_! (WC: 310)
[html] [/html]Terra was quick to catch on, it seemed, because after she abruptly nuzzle him, she sunk down to give Claudius his space back. Although his reactions to such canine behaviour was distinctly odd – and definitely un-wolflike – he felt as though it was so much a part of him that he couldn’t get away from it. He was trying his best not to let such ordinary actions rile him, but having lived alone in his den for the better part of the year made it difficult. His experience from the war still left him wary to most touches, but he thought he had done much better than a few months ago.
Claudius wondered what Terra was doing when she began to burrow into the snow. She looked more relaxed after she burrowed into the snow, so Claudius wondered if she had some sort of wound that felt better with the cool snow. He suspected a burn, but her fur was too thick for him to tell. Claudius chuckled quietly when she joked about being a rabbit. She probably wasn’t one for the reasons she described, but he agreed that she had a number of definitely leporine qualities.
“I-I don’t know… you do have a-a-a-a… babysitter… after all,” Claudius argued. “Bu-u-u-t… you a-a-are… definitely… burr-o-o-wing.. l-i-ike… a rabbit,” he added. He accompanied this with a small smile, since he could tell that Terra was trying to be friendly and joke with him. He hoped that maybe if the time was right, he could ask her how she had gotten her injuries. He certainly didn’t want to intrude, but he had a working theory that she’d gotten herself into a sticky situation and come out worse for wear. Of course, since she was now joking with him, he didn’t want to ruin it. He did have some sense for social timing, after all. [html] [/html]
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The laughter that came from Claudius set Terra's tail wagging happily. As much as they'd gotten off on the wrong foot it seemed they were fine now, him going along with her jokes. His reminder of the fact that she had someone watching her had Terra groaning. She flopped down into the snow the best she could, unable to roll over and complain like she wanted to. Needing a babysitter was horrible. She was full grown, and there wasn't much trouble she could get into. At least, not by herself.
His words about burrowing like a rabbit brought laughter from Terra. She lifted her head out of the snow, grinning. It had coated her muzzle, setting a fine dusting right above her nose. Don't eat me, mister wolf. Just a poor defenseless bunny. Terra licked her lips at the thought of such a rabbit, big and plump and ready for her to eat. Unfortunately that wasn't the case, just a poor excuse of a rabbit in the form of a coyote.
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