the company we keep

Jimson Morris · 09-15-2012, 06:01 PM

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Word count: 425

Jimson had done a good bit of wandering around since his first night in Cour des Miracles, but he had yet to really investigate the coastline. He had decided to begin in Lunenburg today; he wanted to see the boats that he had heard still dotted the harbor. He left his bag and bow in his room, carrying with him only his staff, which he took pretty much everywhere -- you never knew when you'd need to defend yourself, and plus it doubled as a great walking stick.

He breathed deeply of the crisp morning air as he exited the hotel. As always was the scent of the sea, as well as the dry, cool scent of autumn slowly extending its tendrils into the atmosphere. Back home, they would be giving the sheep one last good shear before allowing their woolen coats to grow back in for the winter. Those who farmed would be starting their harvests, and the farmer's market would be alive with fresh vegetables. But there were no sheep to shear now, Jimson reminded himself, sighing. And he had a new home, now, he had decided -- when he'd first encountered Skoll and Vigilante, he hadn't been sure that he would stay more than a night or two in their territory, but they had made it clear that he would be welcome to stay longer as long as he made himself useful. And he had done so, or tried, anyway, in the short time he'd been here: he'd added a bit to the food store in the hotel, and every day he tried to patrol a little bit of the border, keeping in mind the attacks which Skoll had mentioned.

Not far from the hotel he spied a large, Victorian-style house, fairly well kept, at least compared to a lot of the old human houses he'd seen in his travels. There seemed to be some damage to the upper story, but other than that it looked to be in good condition. And there were strong scents surrounding it -- it was obvious a good number of the pack lived here. In particular, he picked out Skoll's and Vigilante's scents. The giant white dog approached the house, climbing the steps up onto the porch -- perhaps Skoll was home and would accompany him to the harbor. He wouldn't mind the company, anyway. The door was ajar, so he placed a foot on the threshold, and called, "Hello?" as he peeked in and rapped on the wood of the door frame a few times.

Table credit Raze.

Terra · 09-16-2012, 01:01 AM

The coyote curled around her pups, quietly telling them of the time Coyote tricked Bear, claiming that she could see his future at the bottom of a deep pond. Loki and Ananse sat still, listening awestruck as the words wove through the air. Her voice rose and fell with the pattern of the tale, letting it truly come to life in what was around them. They weren't nearly settled enough when a sound came from below. Finishing the story Terra slipped out, peering to see what was there. Her pups came after her, tripping around her legs. Nuzzling them Terra sent them back inside the room before heading down.

The voice wasn't that of anyone she knew. It did sound friendly, so probably not someone who had plans against the pack or those inside this house. She still kept fairly close to the shadows when she stood surveying the rather large dog standing just inside the house. His features were firm, with obvious determination in them. Also a touch of uncertainty, which was always useful. She could keep him off balance that way. Shifting into optime form Terra let long hair cascade down, doing her best to keep on all fours as her limbs stretched, spine adapting to two legs. Feeling satisfied she stood, smiling down at the stranger. Hello. What brings you here?

Jimson Morris · 09-16-2012, 05:56 PM

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Word count: 300

The old house was a bit gloomy, but there was just enough thin sunlight filtering in that Jimson was able to get a decent idea of the space -- high ceilings and large rooms, it seemed, filled with old furniture and a wide staircase that dominated the immediate area. Within the house the myriad of canine scents was even more apparent; it was obvious that a few canines made their home here, or at the very least spent a fair amount of their time in the old house. One such denizen soon made herself apparent, stepping quietly out of the shadows of the stair.

She was fairly petite, of coyote lineage with a thick, auburn mane cascading down her back and muted earth tones coloring her form, limbs and ears ending in a dark charcoal black. She remained on the stairs above him, just out of the shadows, which was just a little disconcerting, considering he was used to staring down at people. "Hello. What brings you here?" "Hey, sorry," he replied, thumping his fluffy tail against the wooden door frame a couple of times in a friendly manner. "Hope I ain't disturbin' ya, ma'am. I was jus' lookin' fer young Mister Haskell, is he around, mebbe? Was gonna see if mebbe he wanted t' take a walk down t' the harber wi' me." He smiled genially. "If he ain't busy, anyways. M' name's Jimson, by th' way."

The dog suddenly felt a little sheepish -- it was almost like he was a pup, asking if his friend could come out and play. And he had doubts now, too; he'd only met Skoll the one time, and maybe the younger male would think it weird that Jimson was now asking him to accompany him places. He shifted his weight uncertainly.

Table credit Raze.

Terra · 09-16-2012, 06:09 PM

He seemed a touch startled by her appearance, which was the whole point of what she'd done. Terra practiced staying well hidden, even when it wasn't really needed. If she relaxed her skills would get rusty, and then where would she be? He was still quite friendly, thick fluffy tail knocking against the doorway. The dog was a cheerful enough bloke, apologizing for the intrusion. Terra was getting used to the territorial behavior of the various canines, a strange instinct that she herself hadn't fallen prey to until her pups were born. Once that happened it seemed that all bets were off, even acting aggressive towards the leaders of the pack when she felt it would protect them.

His voice was different, gruff and running together, blurring the words. Terra could still make out what he said, but it certainly wasn't the smooth speech she was used to. I'm Terra. Glancing back at the room Terra was assured that Ananse and Loki were being obedient as she slipped down the stairs. They were staring at her, but still obeying. That was good. Smiling she let her breen eyes flick up to his soft brown ones. I haven't seen Skoll. It's a shame, since I'm sure that he would have enjoyed the trip. A thump from upstairs alerted her to the escape attempt. Features as calm as she could keep them she turned, wondering what they were up to now.

Ananse and Loki were both perched at the top of the stairs, Loki looking like he was about to step off and take a tumble. For a moment Terra considered letting it happen, having him learn by experience. Luckily common sense kicked in before that happened, and she quickly raced up, catching him. Loki! Ananse! I told you, stay in the room! The pups whimpered softly, trying to make her give in and let them explore. They weren't very good at behaving.

Jimson Morris · 09-21-2012, 05:49 PM

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Word count: 321 // Sorry for the wait! Sad

"'S a pleasure t'meetcha, Miz Terra," Jimson stated. He noticed that the small female seemed to be distracted by something at the top of the stairs, though he couldn't see what from where he was standing. He nodded as she explained that she had not seen Skoll, but before he could thank her, she raced back up the stairs, scolding someone. Ah, Jimson knew that tone of voice; it was pups upstairs, no doubt, that the coyote had been charged with keeping. He padded in gingerly to the foot of the stair, allowing the door to swing closed behind him. "D'ya need some help, ma'am? I'm pretty good wi' young'ns. An' wi' two people watchin' 'em, 's a bit easier t'keep 'em safe while they explore, 'cause it sure looks like they wanna," he said, with a smile and a chuckle.

Jimson really was good with puppies, and he loved them -- it was hard to exist in his family without doing so, as there were always five or ten pups running around underfoot and the family definitely functioned on the "it takes a village" mentality. One was never explicitly asked to pupsit; is was just assumed that you would watch them if you were in the vicinity, keep them safe and from getting into anything. It was a disappointment to him that he had never fathered young ones of his own -- although he'd cavorted with females, and even been friends with some of them, he had never met one he liked well enough to become tied to in such a manner. Besides, his family had been picky about mates. It was fine to go out and have fun, no one cared about that, but if one decided he wanted to settle down and bring a mate home to join the family, he had to go to one of the neighboring townships and find another Pyr. Bloodlines and all that.

Table credit Raze.

Terra · 09-21-2012, 09:43 PM

She was rather amused by this new dog standing at the threshold of the house. He seemed genuinely friendly and easy going, something she rather liked as Terra was always ready to launch off into something new. Being around someone grounded usually was pretty good for her. Sometimes her mischief still got the best of things, but talking someone into going on an adventure was much more difficult when the other actually used logic and thought through what she was planning on doing.

His invitation to help was met by a suspicious look, Terra studying him closely. She might like him, but that didn't mean she trusted him. Help would be good to have though, especially with how quickly Loki and Ananse were learning to get into things. I suppose. Pushing the pups back she settled in at the top of the stairs, allowing him a clear view of the mixed pups. Their relation was obvious, all of them with the coyote appearance, Loki bearing the deep red that marked her body while Ananse bore her brown fur.

Jimson Morris · 10-06-2012, 03:05 AM

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Word count: 306

Jimson gave his best sincere smile as Terra eyed him suspiciously. He could not blame her -- after all, she did not know him, and even the most friendly stranger could turn out a be a threat when one had pups. He knew that a parent could never be too careful. The white dog hoped that soon he would be friendly enough with the pack that he no longer elicited strange or distrusting glances. The Pyrenees missed the feeling of community he had held with his own extensive family back home, and secretly feared it might be something which he had lost for good. Whom could you ever really trust as much as you did your own family?

His smile undoubtedly worked, or the coy female had decided to take a chance, because she relented and moved to the side in order to let him see her offspring. His grin grew even wider as he spied the two young ones, who were ever curious about the world around them. Jimson himself remembered that wide eyed wonder through which he had viewed the world when he was very young, and mourned for the day when Terra's little boys lost that, for they inevitably would. There was just no way to age without experiencing some sort of disillusionment, though Jimson greatly wished that there were. He leaned his staff against the door frame and made his way slowly up the stairs -- more to put Terra's mind at ease than to avoid scaring the pups, although that was part of it, too. He knelt a few steps down from the top so that he was at eye level with the coyote mother. "Them's beautiful young'ns, Miz Terra," he said, and then addressed the puppies. "Loki 'n Ananse, huh? I bet in no time y'all'll be big, strong boys."

Table credit Raze.

Terra · 10-06-2012, 08:36 PM

Ananse and Loki did their best to stare at the stranger, trying to push past her hands to where he was. They slipped all over the place, trying to duck under her arms and nosing at her continually. It was a good thing they were still young. Well, when they were older Terra wouldn't need to do this. They wouldn't break so easily, and would listen to her when she spoke. They already listened to her sharp commands. It was just their determination to get into trouble that kept her hopping. They weren't allowed to do so until they were old enough to get back out of it.

The sharp eyed coyote watched as the large dog made his way slowly up the stairs. It was a good thing he had, as any sudden movements would have sent her springing at him to knock him right back down. He seemed like a good guy, Terra just didn't trust him yet. She straightened as he stopped at her eye level, tail swaying with pride as he looked at the pups. Both puppies broke into yaps at the sound of their names, Ananse pushing forwards. Play! Terra smiled, letting him go this time as he stood on the edge.

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