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Alastar
One of the most adventurous things left us is to go to bed. For no one can lay a hand on our dreams.
OOC Text: Backdated to July 18th
Word Count: 782
The little black and white fur ball lay perched on a rock. The rock was near the bank of the creek. The creek was maybe all of four, five feet wide at that spot. It was a calm, clear day. The sun shown beautifully and the water sparkled in the light. Minnows and various other fish skittered through the water, their scales glistening as the sunlight caressed them. Alastar watched them intently. They were pretty, she thought, and she wondered if she could catch them. The luck with salmon had frustrated her, and she wasn't going to let herself fail in front of Nanuak and Athena again. But, with her new...handicap, Alastar was afraid that she'd not be able to play around like normal. It made her whimper at the thought and her head lowered again in regret. Though she had managed to escape Amy's capture, Kohaku remained prisoner to the slave owner. Alastar could not convince him to come and stay with her and Mato. Amy would find another pup to 'give' to Kohaku, and more than likely, Tharin wouldn't be there to cause a scene a second time.
The pup's eyes closed. It had only been a day. Her left hind foot still throbbed. It had scabbed over nicely, and there was fur missing, but it was the internal pain that hurt the most. Alastar knew next to nothing about injuries. The most Brogan had ever given her was a simple surface scratch. But, when Kohaku had taken hold of that foot...something in it was damaged, and Alastar didn't know how to fix it. She dipped it in the coolness of the creek and let out a sigh. It felt good, the water; but it couldn't repair her injured pride, or the aching paw. Mato had asked what had happened, the night Alastar came sprinting back on pure fright and adrenaline. The pup lied, telling the bear that she had encountered a fierce, coy raccoon, and they had a spat. Mato had grunted at the comment, and warned Alastar to stay away from coons, that they could hurt the pup because she was so little. But that was all that was said. Alastar had let out a sigh of relief so deep she was sure her lungs expanded for that very sigh. Mato had not asked anything more about it, and had taken the little one out to the creek to educate her on the foliage of the area. Of course, Alastar wasn't too interested, and the random bits of information from the bear floated into one of Alastar's ears and out the other.
Mato was down the stream a bit, butt in the water and paws up a tree. He was mumbling to himself, something about how there wasn't any good berry plants near here, just this soft plant that Alastar recognized as their bedding. 'Scalled 'dock', Mato growled in his deep, throaty voice, Dis plant, what we use fer ta' beds. Dun eat too much. Gives yer a bellyache. Most else 'a what I got fer ta' den is jus' random dead plants', but dock...mm, dock. I likes it. He took a hearty bite of the plant after dipping it in the water to moisten it. Alastar's ears twitched in the direction of his voice but she remained unmoved. The dock plant, Mato called it, was fun to play with. Alastar liked running her teeth down the stalk and making the little leaflets fly away. They made her giggle, and she'd often bark at them and sneeze when they tickled her nose.
An' dis 'called clover, Mato continued. His massive black body had rolled over a few feet away from the water, into a patch of heavy green dotted with a few white blooms. Wish I could gets more of it for ta' den, is soft an' cool when ta' weather's ta' hot. Tastes a'ight, too, but jus' ta' same, too much an' yer stomach'll be achin' ya all the evenin'. Alastar couldn't help the reflexive smile that came at the mention of clover. It tasted good all right, she had tried it already before. It was such fun to roll around in! There was patches of it just outside the den. She and Mato would chase bees and chipmunks out of it, and if the black and white wolf-dog was hot and panting, often times the clover was like a blanket of coolness that she could sink down into and take a quick nap. She loved clover. Mato told her they always had three leaves on them, and that if you found one with four, it meant you had good luck. Alastar huffed. She needed some good luck.
I wish I was strong enough to lift not one, but both of us.
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Athena
The circumstances of ones birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.
OOC Text:
Athena was in the middle of a lesson that morning. It was something that was urgent enough for Athena’s bear mother to put off the fishing lessons for. The pup was hardly able to figure out what smelling stuff had to do with fishing but she wasn’t going to question. It started jus the other day when they were going down the shoreline that they so often did and the brown pup had caught sight of the rock formation that the pair had first met the black and white wolf called Alastar. Athena had ran over to the rock formation and looked around it, hoping that the black and white wolf would somehow appear again. What caused a look of worry and concern to cross the bear’s muzzle was the fact that not once did the pup take to her nose. Athena hadn’t a clue how she could find them. She had done this the day before but had no luck then either, but still she hoped. The other night, or maybe it was last night .. Athena squinted her eyes at the memory, she wasn’t sure how long it had been, her counting was progressing slowly. A night or so ago, Athena asked Nanuak, her bear mother about how to find Alastar again. The bear simply responded,”By smell.” The pup was dumbfounded. The only scents she knew was the salt of the ocean, bear and now the smell of pine, how in the world was she going to find Alastar by smell. Athena didn’t even know if Alastar had a smell. She mentioned this to the bear and Nanuak gave her a worried look. So that was the lesson that Athena was being taught this morning; scenting.
It was a very interesting lesson, Athena thought. Earlier that morning Nanuak had caught a fish, a squirrel and a pine branch and laid them out in front of Athena. The bear had the pup get a whiff of each one before the bear went and hid the three items deep in the forest and/or along the beach while the pup stayed at the den. When Nanuak got back the simple instruction was to go find the items. Athena made a face at the bear and wondered how she was going to find the objects in the middle of the woods. She had no idea but she might as well ought to try.
Now it was nearing noontime and the wolf had found absolutely none of the items. By now the little wolf was getting frustrated and every now and then a small howl would be heard and a worried look would cross the bear’s muzzle. The little wolf was having no luck and her tacking had gotten her nowhere. She had tried everything and the bear had offered everything from taking a drink of fresh water to closing her eyes to see of she could catch the scent, but nothing worked. Finally Athena sighed and sat back on her haunches, addressing nobody in particular she whimpered, I can’t smell nuffin’. I can’t find da fishy or da shworl or tree. All I smell is da salt and da dirt. Whimpering, the pup laid her muzzle on her paws and looked up at Nanuak. The bear had her muzzle in the air and was getting a scent of something. With a soft and reassuring grin the bear nuzzled the pup, Lesson’s are over today. Let’s go see your new friend, she’s just by the creek. This news cheered up the young wolf but her mind was still on the fact that she couldn’t smell anything. It was one lesson she failed at horridly. The pair walked silently toward the creek and through the trees, Athena saw her best friend laying on a rock by the creek. Yipping happily, she bounded over to her friend with the hopes that play would help get her mind off of failing a lesson.
Time stands still, beauty and all she is.
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Alastar
One of the most adventurous things left us is to go to bed. For no one can lay a hand on our dreams.
OOC Text:
Word Count: 231
At the sight of the brown pup, Alastar's tail instinctively began to thud against the rock. A smile graced her muzzle and she stood to stretch. Her back paw still ached, but it wasn't as bad as it had been earlier in the day. Mato had rolled on down into another field of clover, and since Alastar had told Mato about the other pup and her bear mother, Mato didn't care for the two new visitors to this part of the creek. Alastar was sure the scents alerted him of their presence, but he was unconcerned. Alastar, however, waded cautiously into the creek, flexing her toes in the cool stream mud.
How's it goin', 'Thena? she said, her voice relatively unemotional as she sat her haunches in the water. Me an' Mato's out here eatin' an' he's teachin' me 'bout plants an' stuff. You wanna learn too? asked the wolf-dog, her spirits trying desperately to lift despite her aching body part. Alastar leaned down to lap at some water and she shook her head. At the mention of teaching another pup, Mato lumbered back into view, his gruff voice muttering as he lay clean across the creek, the water dampening his black fur.
Dun care fer teachin' another lil'un, he said, Jus' make sure she can keep up w'my pup. Mato let out a gruff chuckle and swatted at the water.
I wish I was strong enough to lift not one, but both of us.
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Athena
The circumstances of ones birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.
OOC Text:
Athena swished her tail a few times as she let a grin spread across her muzzle. She could sense something wasn’t quite right with the other pup though and she trotted across the water to lick the other pup’s cheek, her own troubles vanishing. Something told Athena that pouncing, bouncing and playing wasn’t going to be the plan for the day and sat down on her haunches beside her friend. Plants? Okay. Dats a whole lot better than learnin’ how to smell and stuff. Athena looked to Alastar with a serious face, ‘Ave you learned ‘ow to smell stuff yet?
That was when Athena’s ears heard the clearing of Nanuak’s throat like she does before she speaks. Watching the bear closely, the pup was curious as to what her bear mother would say. Nanuak had lumbered over to the black bear and introduced herself. Hi there, my name is Nanuak. It seems that the two wolf cubs have become rather close. Athena hadn’t really noticed how big her bear mother was but as she was standing next to this young black bear, the difference was striking. The grizzly continued speaking though. I’ll be going south soon and I have to take my wolf cub with me and I was curious if Alastar could go to? I think it would be nice if the pup could have a playmate while I traveled. We’ll only be going to the breeding ground of the salmon in Halifax and you are welcome to come along if you like. Athena hadn’t heard about an adventure but the thought of Alastar being able to go made her tail swish in the water.
Time stands still, beauty and all she is.
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Alastar
One of the most adventurous things left us is to go to bed. For no one can lay a hand on our dreams.
OOC Text:
Word Count: 231
Alastar's ears swiveled at the word 'travel'. Oh, how she loved seeing new things and going new places. But, first, she turned to Athena and smiled toothily. I can smell sum, yah, like you an' yer mom smell like fish an' teh salty ocean. You bof smell like wolf an' bear though! Alastar giggled. Maybe is 'cuz yer younger 'an me. And with that the wolf-dog nuzzled Athena. Is gonna take time, like Mato says me an' my plant teachin'll take. Then, the black and white pup turned around to face Mato. Mato! Can I go wif 'em? Peas?
Mato sat up and yawned mightily as he rolled the thoughts around in his head. Reckon so, lil'un. Ain't gotsa put up withya den. The black bear chuckled. Dun see why not, 'Star. Jus' be careful an' listen to dis bear. Dun wantchu gettin' hurt. Mah mom'll 'ave muh hide. The smaller bear made his way up the stream to nuzzle his canine companion. He looked up at Nanuak. An' yerself? his deep voice grumbled. Dis 'er pup can learn 'bout plants wit me an' my lil'un?
Alastar giggled at Mato's permission for the trip. Though her paw was hurt much more than she had told Mato, she knew she had the energy and drive to make the trip with her friend. She nosed Athena's side. You here 'Thena? I can go!
I wish I was strong enough to lift not one, but both of us.
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Athena
The circumstances of ones birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.
OOC Text:
Athena grinned and nodded at Alastar. Chur prob’ly right. I just need at grow up some and den I can smell all kinds of stuff! To emphasize the word ‘stuff’ the little brown pup pounced the water happily. Alastar’s excitement stirred up her own excitement and the pup wriggled in her spot as she awaited the answer. At the black bear’s mention of being safe the little brown pup bounced over to him and stood as proudly as she could, puffing out her chest and hold her tail high. Me ‘n momma’ll take care of ‘Star. I promise. She beamed up at the bear who might soon be teaching her about plants and berries.
Nanuak smiled and nodded in affirmation of Athena’s words before responding, Of course Athena can go along with you. Perhaps she’ll learn something more than what I can teach her about them. Nanuak laughed a little and turned to the pups. Be good and behave. With that the grizzly turned and lumbered off to do whatever she was going to do, Athena didn’t know. With a big goofy grin she looked up at the black bear and stated. My names’ ‘Thena and thank you ver’ much fer letting’ ‘Star go wif us on our ‘venture! The pup nuzzled the bear’s leg before sitting back on her haunches and looking at Alastar.
Time stands still, beauty and all she is.
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Alastar
One of the most adventurous things left us is to go to bed. For no one can lay a hand on our dreams.
OOC Text:
Word Count: 249
The white and black wolf-dog trotted over to Mato. All right Mato, if we gonna listen to you an' your teachins, you gotta make 'em not boring. Alastar giggled and swatted the bear's nose with her tail. Mato grunted in reply. Teachin' ain't 'bout fun 'er borin' 'er whatnot. You two gotta pay 'tention or I'll send ya both back to ta' cave. Mato rose slowly and stretched, letting out a mighty roar as he did so. He walked downstream a bit and, with a tilt of his head, motioned for the pups to follow.
Alastar stepped behind Athena and headbutted her firmly but gently in the rump, encouraging her onward. With pride, the wolf-dog began telling Athena about the plants Mato had already told her about. Mato's already showed me a couple plants, she started as the two pups followed behind the bear. Clover tastes good. You gotta eat the leaves. An' is soft! Fun to play in! You'll like it. An' there's dock! I like playin' with it. Alastar broke off for a moment, disappearing into the underbrush. She emerged again with a leafy stalk in her mouth, grinning. She swished it at Athena's muzzle and little pollen and plant particles buzzed around the brown wolf. Alastar giggled. See, dock! You can eat 'em both like clover, but not too much, 'cuz like Mato says, if is too much makes yer stomach hurt! The wolf-dog giggled and nodded to Mato. You ready to learn 'bout plants, Athena?
I wish I was strong enough to lift not one, but both of us.
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Athena
The circumstances of ones birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.
OOC Text:
Athena squeaked and listened carefully to what Alastar was saying. Plants were always a bit of an interest to the brown wolf pup. She was curious as to why they were there if they weren’t to be eaten. She didn’t know that bears ate the greens, her bear surely didn’t. Well not to her knowledge. She has questioned her bear mom about some things but all she really knew was not to roll in ivy or eat some types of berries. Stay away from mushrooms and if its pretty then its probably bad for you. This confused Athena and she had asked why but Nanuak couldn’t provide an answer. Her bear mom was more skilled in the way of fish and such but greens, no way.
The brown wolf looked quizzically at the thing that Alastar brought her. The stalk brushing across her nose tickled though and she laughed then sneezed violently, sending pollen and leaves everywhere. This in turn made Athena laugh even harder and she was almost rolling before she realized that Mato had moved away from them. Athena stopped mid stride and looked at Alastar with amazement, Wait! You eat da green stuffs too!?!? The brown wolf realized that she had stopped walking and bounded to keep up. So .. What green stuffs can chu eat?
Time stands still, beauty and all she is.
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Alastar
One of the most adventurous things left us is to go to bed. For no one can lay a hand on our dreams.
OOC Text:
Word Count: 437
Mato answered before the hyperactive wolf-dog could. His voice was to the pups' left, booming from behind some bushse. Can eat lots of 'em, lil'un. Ta' two Alastar told ya 'bout are commun. Will prolly be able to spot 'em easy once ya see 'em. The black bear came out holding a few plants for the pups to see. Alastar sat on her rear, grinning, tail wagging eagerly. Plants were definitely not her favorite thing to eat, but they were nice snacks when a chipmunk or rabbit couldn't be found.
The first piece of greenery that Mato held forth was stick-like with a little white bud on the end of it. He poked it into Alastar's nose. Bittacress. Got a bit'ta spice to it, one of my likens. If ya can find clover an' dock, odds are bittacress sum'er 'round too. Alastar snickered and eagerly nipped the bud of the flower while Mato handed another one to Athena. While Mato fished out another plant, Alastar whispered to Athena. 'Sactually bittercress. Dunno why he says it like dat. The pup giggled, but Mato heard her and snorted. A smile crept upon his muzzle despite himself, and he continued. A large bear paw tossed an entirely white entity at Alastar. The stem and the bloom both were white as snow. Yer so smart yerself, name 'at'un, pup, he said with a smile.
Alastar stuck her tongue out and sniffed the white flower, pondering. Is a... Her little pink tongue flicked across part of it, then she grinned. Ghost plant! Alastar exclaimed happily, tail wiggling. She eagerly devoured the plant while, again, Mato handed another one to Athena. Taste's plain to me, don't like it much, but if ya eat it with bittercress an' some meat, boy does it taste good! We can find some when we leave tamarra!
Mato nodded in agreement. Would be good for ya ta' learn 'em now an' practice 'em later. Mato stood up on his hind legs and stretched with a yawn. Ya Luperci wolfs can cook ta' plants too. Use 'em wid ta' meat. Had some 'couple times, stew er sometin'. Was good. Make some fer me one day, Star, jus' dun poison me 'cause ya half pay 'tention. The black bear took a drink from the stream and shrugged. Why doncha two go play or sometin'. Gonna find me sum berries in ta' forest. Was nice meetin' ya, Athena, said the bear. He waddled off slowly into the forest. Alastar giggled and began nibbling at the greenery he had left behind.
So! Which one ya like better!? she asked her canine friend.
I wish I was strong enough to lift not one, but both of us.
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Athena
The circumstances of ones birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.
OOC Text:
Athena listened intently at what was being said. Her little brows furrowed together as she sat on her haunches and watched. She looked at what the bear offered her and attempted to burn the images into her head. The stick with the flower that was first offered to her was interesting and she tentatively bit off the white bloom like Alastar did. She scrunched up her muzzle as pondered its taste. It tasted nothing like any fish she had ever eaten but it did cross her mind that it would probably be tasty on fish. At Alastar’s remark, the brown pup laughed out loud, unable to help herself. Bittercress, huh?
The next plant was completely white to which Alastar promptly gobbled down and exclaimed how plain it tasted. Athena wrinkled her nose. She thought grass tasted plain too. She had tried it once because she thought it smelled like it might taste good, but it didn’t. She hadn’t tried it since then, but if Alastar insisted she would probably try it again, just in case it was better than the first time.
The brown wolf listened intently to what the black bear said but her ears caught one thing that made her confused. Luperci? What was that? She almost guffawed at the odd word but leaned over to Alastar. What’sa luperci? The word play though redirected Athena’s brain and she promptly responded with, Okay Mato! Thanks fer teachin’ me bout da green stuffs .. Er dock, clover, bitter cress and the uhh, white stuffs! Nice at meetcha Mato.
Athena beamed at Alastar and without hesitation responded, Bittercress would taste yummy on fishies.
Time stands still, beauty and all she is.
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Alastar
One of the most adventurous things left us is to go to bed. For no one can lay a hand on our dreams.
OOC Text:
Word Count: 303
Alastar giggled. I like da bittercress. Sometimes when I go an' get a rabbit, Mato has some fer me, an' boy does that stuffs taste good with some rabbit meat! The black and white wolf-dog pup thought for a moment, then bounced to her paws. I know! Athena! We're gonna catchu a rabbit! An' maybe you can smell it! The hyperactive pup nipped at the brown puppy's tail and bounded off to the left of the river, opposite the direction of Mato.
Alastar had already sniffed a rabbit's scent since they'd been that far down the river. She picked the smell up among Mato and Nanuak's bear smell, the various aromas of flowers and the fishy stink of the creek. Well, Alastar thought it was stinky. C'mon, we'll go an' look, she said, her back foot limping a bit. It aggravated her. She couldn't hunt as well as she had wanted to, but she'd have to get over it. Her wet, leathery nose pressed to the ground, snuffling out the trail. She urged Athena to do the same. Even if the other pup couldn't smell it, Alastar could take her down a rough reinactment of the trail and point out other indications of a rabbit. As she trotted down the trail, Alastar muttered out random bits of information for her companion.
Rabbits, in da mornin', will nest, what Mato says. Find a place of grass, get down an'
eat fer an hour or so. Means you find a nest, the white and black pup rustled through some tall grass, then pulled back some reeds to show Athena. The grass there was bedded down. An animal had obviously been sitting there for a while. Pick up is smell here! You can even see 'is fur der! We gonna find 'em an' have some foods!
I wish I was strong enough to lift not one, but both of us.
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Athena
The circumstances of ones birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.
OOC Text:
Athena bounced on her paws and bounded after Alastar. A rabbit?! I nevah seen one .. The brown pup trotted after the black and white one at the same pace. Alastar instructed to Athena to put her nose to the ground like she was doing and she did. All she smelled was dirt though. Dirt and something else that didn’t really smell like dirt but it was too faint for her to even tell whether it was dirt or not. She had seen her bear mother do something similar and she presumed that meant there was a trail they were following. Again, Athena couldn’t tell. The brown wolf looked up, she still had her nose to the ground even though she couldn’t smell anything. What caught her eye was a wound on Alastar’s hind paw and the way that the young wolf walked on it. The way Alastar walked was like it hurt her to put it down. Athena recalled a time when she had gotten a thorn in her paw and she didn’t want to walk on it very much at that time.
The brown wolf couldn’t really smell anything and this putting her nose to the ground stuff was starting to bore her. So instead of trying to smell stuff, she took to her ears. She could hear a lot of things and she could hear them very well. Like right now she could hear a squirrel chomping on a nut, some birds as they flew through the forest, the creek as it faded behind them. The wolf stopped when Alastar started nosing around in the grass and watched her. Whatcha lookin’ for? I aint never found no fishy that way 'n I don’t really think yer gonna find a rabbit like that either. My bear momma says der fast and dats why I aint never seen one. Athena stuck her nose into the place that Alastar showed her and tried to smell something, anything, but still couldn’t. Looking to the left of the small area was what looked to be a sort of a trail. Kind of like the one that Athena and Nanuak took so often but real small. Athena was still looking at when she pointed it out to Alastar. Hey .. What do ya think went dat way?
Time stands still, beauty and all she is.
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Alastar
One of the most adventurous things left us is to go to bed. For no one can lay a hand on our dreams.
OOC Text:
Word Count: 309
The wolf-dog tilted her head and nodded an affirmation for her friend. In doing the nod, Alastar rounded behind Athena and nudged her rump. Her voice was low. Yep, is dat way. Now when a rabbit walks, is real slow. Dun walk, kinda does a hop, like dis. The wolf-dog wiggled on her hind legs, and hopped forward in the fashion of a rabbit. She giggled despite herself. But when a rabbit runs, is fast! Lots faster 'an you an' me! So we gotsa sneak up on it. Like we did to da deer, 'member? The pup's tail wiggled happily behind her, and she smiled. We can do it!
Alastar began trotting down the trail, nose pressed to the ground. She tried to keep the snuffling to a minimum, and trusted that Athena kept pace. Every so often, Alastar spotted a sign of a rabbit. The mud was soft, and there were a couple tracks. She did not speak, only twitched her tail in the direction of it, in hopes for Athena to see them. The same with a pile of rabbit droppings, and with a few broken blades of grass. No patches of fur appeared on the trail, but the scent of the forest dweller grew stronger in the black and white pup's nostrils. She wondered if Athena could smell it. As it did grow stronger, Alastar knew the rabbit was not too far off. In fact, as they trotted up a small hill, the wolf-dog was near certain the rabbit would be burrowed up somewhere on the top of the mound.
She slowed to a stop, tapping the brown pup's nose with her tail. Tilting her head in the direction of the hill, Alastar motioned for Athena to take lead. Quiet now. Rabbits shy. Sensitive. Alastar bumped the brown pup's rump again, urging her up the hill.
I wish I was strong enough to lift not one, but both of us.
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Athena
The circumstances of ones birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.
OOC Text:
Athena was hyper aware of all of the signs that Alastar showed her and made sure to remember them. She saw the tracks, the foot prints that were a half as small as her own. She got confused though at two different sized tracks. She looked back at her tracks which were notably smaller than Alastar’s larger tracks. Their tracks were a different size but they were more side by side rather than right on the other. These rabbit tracks though were unusual because there were big long prints as well as small short prints that were right in line with the other. She shook her head and decided she would understand when they caught the creature. Alastar also point out little round balls that she assumed were droppings and the tips of grasses that were chewed halfway down. Just out of curiosity, Athena dropped her nose to the trail and sniffed quietly. There was dirt and there was grass smell and there was something else. It was a sweet smell, much different than the smell of her bear momma.
She looked up just in time to stop herself from running into Alastar who had also stopped. The brown wolf wordlessly looked up at the top of the small hill and back at Alastar. The black and white wolf then proceeded to nudge her rump and Athena understood, she was to take down a rabbit. Nodding, Athena relaxed and dropped her head so that her neck was level with her back. She crept forward slowly until she heard it. She heard the sound of a tiny heart beating faster than any she had ever heard before. She moved forward much slower now, her hunters instinct kicking in and claiming her body. For a split second the heartbeat stopped and started again beating impossibly faster than before. The creature leapt from its burrow only a few feet from the pups and darted down the hill.
Chase. Athena played this game before with seabirds and squirrels, and she was good at it. Her body reacted of its own accord and she raced after the creature. Its tiny body clear in her sights and all of its erratic movements matched by the brown pups. Athena wasn’t thinking of anything other than this creature that was bounding only a few feet ahead of her. She had no idea where Alastar was but she trusted she wasn’t far. Athena wanted to catch this creature. With a certain need the pup growled a little, the sound was hardly menacing but nature was taking her over. She followed the rabbit around trees and bushes and at one even scrambled under a fallen log after it, her teeth narrowly missing it. The chase continued and with a surge of adrenaline the small brown pup darted forward and overtook the rabbit, her teeth gripping the creature’s hind leg. After all of her training catching slippery fish, the pup’s grip was enough to snap the joint of the rabbit’s leg.
Athena dropped the lupine and it scrambled pitifully and helplessly in the dirt before it slowed and soon stopped, literally afraid to its death. Athena beamed proudly and swished her tail happily. I did it, ‘Star!! I catched a rabbit! Wanna share it wif me? The brown pup’s golden eyes shown bright with the pride of her catch.
Time stands still, beauty and all she is.
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Alastar
One of the most adventurous things left us is to go to bed. For no one can lay a hand on our dreams.
OOC Text:
Word Count: 352
The entire chase, Alastar fought the urge to giggle madly at Athena's first rabbit hunt. She was, however, quite astonished that the brown puppy could keep up with the swift rabbit. Often, Alastar had to sneak, and sprint quickly; if ten seconds of chase ensued, the larger canine could no longer keep pace with the fuzzy, elusive creature. Nonetheless, the wolf-dog gave Athena a congratulatory lick. Toldja ya could do it! Now taste 'em! Is- But before she could finish, Alastar stopped herself. Wait! Ima be back!
The white and black pup darted into the underbrush for a brief moment, snorting and snuffling at the plants. The familiar spice tinged her wet nose, and she grinned as she plucked the bittercress from its roots. Trotting back to Athena, Alastar tossed the plant on the carcass. Toldja it'd be good too! Now go 'head an' take a bite! The wolf-dog grinned and lay down, absentmindedly chewing on the rabbit's front paw, seasoned with a bit of the spice. Her back paw felt sore after the run, but there was no tear in the scab or bleeding like there had been earlier in the morning. It eased Alastar. Maybe the injury would not be so bad after all.
After she gulped down a large piece of meat, Alastar spoke. Ya did good, bud! An' thanks fer sharin'!... It was then that Alastar realized, Athena had shared not one, but two meals with Alastar, and Athena had caught them both. Automatically, instinctively, and without much warning, her ears fell and her tail ceased wagging. She was disappointed in herself, but it just made her all the more deteremined. There would be a catch of a fish sometime soon in the little hybrid's future. The thought made Alastar's tail thump the ground eagerly again. Anyways. Yous a good friend. How long can we play taday? she asked, head tilted in curiosity. It was still early in the day. In fact, some blades of grass near Alastar's muzzle were still coated in a fine dew. She licked the grass and giggled at the taste of the water.
I wish I was strong enough to lift not one, but both of us.
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Athena
The circumstances of ones birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.
OOC Text:
The brown wolf was proud of her catch. She bent and pressed her nose to the creature, breathing in its warm scent. She could now tell that the smell she had scented back in the grass was this rabbit. It smelled like dirt but had the sweet smell of something kind of grass like to it. She lifted her muzzle and beamed again at the black and white wolf. Alastar was in the middle of telling her to take a bite when the black and white wolf darted off into the shrubs. Upon her return, Athena recognized the bitter cress from earlier and grinned. Taking a bite of the rabbit she scrunched up her face as she thought over the taste of it. Rabbit tastes nothing’ like fishies do .. She took another bite and the smell of its blood assaulted her nose. The mineral based smell wasn’t something she could usually smell on fish but she recognized the powerful scent from the time that they came across a dead seabird.
Athena took another bite of the rabbit and grinned at her friend as she munched. Yer welcome! An’ I can play till ‘bout the same time as last time, I think. At this statement the brown wolf pup looked up into the sky to find the sun’s position. She had to squint through the tree limbs but she found the sun’s position and determined that they had a lot of time left to play. This caused Athena to drop to her front legs and wriggle her rump in the air. We got lots a’ time still left to play a’for I has to go find my bear momma. So wahtcha wanna do? The smell of blood reached Athena’s nose again and the pup took another big bite of the rabbit and smiled wolfishly as she ate.
Time stands still, beauty and all she is.
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