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Ho-bag 300+
There had always been something scary about water. Rain was alright (although she preferred the sun!), but lakes, streams and other deep sources of water scared her. The girl did only have to think back at the day with Ocèane and the incident by the river to feel a goose bump embrace her. It was odd how quickly the child managed to let go of horrible things. The mean man that had hurt her was almost forgotten, but the way it had been shuffled away was not good. It was as it had not happened at all, but the girl had yet to meet any other stranger that did not belong in Aniwaya. Fear found her quicker these days when she was on her own, but that did not keep her from running about.
It was soon time for bed, but the girl had spent a lot of the day napping, so she was still full of unused energy. The darkness had made its entrance and she could see the first twinkles of barely visible stars. The girl disliked the darkness, but her fascination for the shining things up in the sky managed to somehow ruin the terror. It was so pretty. Once she had even seen a star that moved rapidly across the sky. It had been weird, because most of them just stayed at their spots and winked down at her. Preettyyyy.
The gentle melodic sound from the water not far from her was also dulled down by her fascination. Darkness and water, her two worst enemies were not so bad once the focus on them lacked. The golden eyed child killed a quick yawn, wondering when her mother would start worrying about her whereabouts. It shouldn’t be a big deal if the girl was a bit late with going to bed. Noir Aston was very close to a wonder child, and she never did anything wrong on purpose, so her mother had never had much trouble with the tan little daughter. Tayui was probably hunting down Attila anyways. Her brother was such a funny boy, and he hated going to bed, so he had hid from their mother more than once so that he would not have to go to bed.
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Honoré’s life had changed dramatically as of late, in a good way of course. A few weeks ago, he’d been without a family. And now, thanks to a mere coincidence, one of his sisters had returned to him. As if that wasn’t surprising enough, this next bit of information certainly was. He was an uncle! While he didn’t know all of his nieces and nephews, he’d at least met one of them. Noir was rather cute and charming. A little annoying at times, but all kids were so he didn’t hold it against her. He’d travelled all the way back to AniWaya just to apologize to her.
It was a little late and Tayui would more than likely make him wait until morning to see her. The Québécois was willing to wait all night if that’s what it took, because he had a gift for little Noir. It wasn’t a baby snake, of course. But it was much prettier. In his hands rested a freshly picked daisy; dirty roots still clung to the stem. It was considerate of him, even though his deed lacked elegance. He’d never given flowers to anyone before, so he didn’t know the proper procedure. Hopefully Noir would appreciate it and forgive him for taking away her magic rock.
He was planning his next move when his niece’s scent reached his nose and her pretty little face came into view. "Noir? Is me. Hi! I’m really really sorry about baby snake so I brought you flower, you like? Here, here!” he blurted out, walking up to her and literally shoving the flowers in her face. Obviously apologies weren’t his forte.
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........ The golden girl was caught by surprise when a friendly voice reached her sensitive ears. The girl turned around to settle her eyes on the light man with the funny hat. Ho-man was now officially Uncle Ho, because he was mommy’s brother. The name ‘uncle’ did matter much to or from for the little female. He was the same man that had taken her from her snake baby. She had understood that the baby reptile could have hurt her because it was just its nature, but that episode stung somewhat after all, because it had been a baby creature. Noir was amazingly fascinated by such things as baby animals and other nifty stuff, and he had taken that away from her. It was quite possible he had saved her life by doing so, but still..
He spoke first, and the girl decided to let a brilliant smile enter her delicate little face. A pretty daisy bumped into her face, and the lovely perfume hit her senses like an explosion. All was forgotten and Uncle Ho was a very nice man because he had given her a flower! It was a pretty one as well. The Aston child snorted and backed a few steps to get the flower out of her face. She shook her head a few times, nose itching slightly. "Thank you, uncle Ho,” the girl offered the ivory male. He was very nice for visiting her and apologizing and giving her a pretty flower! She took a small sidestep to avoid running into the flower before she rushed to his feet, pressing her cheek against one of his long legs. Nice Uncle, he was not bad at all!
"Uncle Ho, can you give me shiny star things too?” the girl wondered, curious if this was something that was possible.
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He hadn’t expected her to give in this easily, but she did. Her smile was brighter than the sun, and it warmed his heart to see her accept his gift. Although teasing her was quite entertaining, Honoré decided that he would refrain from doing so for a while. Just until Noir felt a little better. His ears drooped when she snorted and backed away from his gift. He hadn’t meant to shove it in her face! Nerves had gotten a hold of him and messed up his coordination. ”Sorry” he said, lightly patting the tan-colored child on her head.
An awkward smile spread on his maw when she thanked him, and he nonchalantly waved one of his hands. "Pshaw! S’cool,” he said, attempting to make it seem like it was no big deal when in reality, he’d spent a few hours looking for that particular kind of flower. The Tueris felt his face flush when his niece pressed her cheek against one of his legs. It felt nice to be appreciated, awkward and … nice. Tayui’s daughter wasn’t so bad after all. She still had a pea brain though, judging from her next question. Honoré looked up, hazel-colored orbs examining the evening sky. “Euh, no. Uncle Ho not tall enough to reach there. But I know stories.”
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........ The way he apologized and the odd pat on her head made a small giggle escape the brightly coloured child. He was certainly a weird adult, but she could not righteously call the man boring. After all, he had given her a flower and patted her on her head. She was slightly older than she had been back when the two had first met eachother, and therefore she could understand that perhaps her light pelted uncle was not too used to children. Or, maybe he was just weird all the time with every puppy he met. She hoped not, because this odd treatment did make her feel slightly special in a good way. Noir liked feeling special, she liked it when she was given attention. They had not started on good terms, but there was definitely improvement today, and the future was good for more.
........For a moment she wished she was able to shift like the other adults she had seen about in the pack. She wanted to be able to hold the flower he had brought and put it to her nose. Unfortunately, she was too young for her first shift, or at least that was what she had been told when the question first had rose in the family. Her straying thoughts were interrupted when he answered her question. She had halfway expected that. The stars seemed to be very far up in the sky. It was a shame though, because they were really pretty. Her ear perked with interest though when he mentioned that he knew stories. Noir was rather fond of stories, especially if they held elements she held dearly. Like.. stars! The child panted heavily and looked up at her odd relative.
........ “What stories?” The tan girl cocked her face slightly as she presented the question. She was unsure what she could expect from the man, but he seemed pleasant today, and so he did not have to work hard to keep her attention.
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He had lied. They weren’t really stories. What he was about to tell little Noir was the truth. At least, he believed so. Adelaide, his mother, had told her children how one could easily predict the future by looking at the stars. A myth perhaps, but Honoré chose to believe it. He was a dreamer after all, and he’d always thought there was something mystical about constellations. It was a shame that he’d never learned how to read their pattern. His eyes riveted towards the night sky, and what seemed to be a million sparkling diamonds above their heads.
The Tueris allowed a thoughtful look to settle upon his face as he examined them carefully. He could see the big dipper, although he wasn’t too sure of himself. Sparing his niece the neck pains that came with looking up at the sky for too long, he brought her to the river nearby. “Come, come. Don’t forget Uncle Ho’s gift,” he said, moving closer to the water. A finger reached out to point at the water’s reflection. Stars seemed to be inches away, within reaching limit. “Your grand mama told Uncle Ho and Mommy Tayui that some people see things in the stars. Like what is going to happen. Cool, eh?” he said, pausing a moment to ponder how he’d further explain things to her.
It was a hard thing to do because he didn’t fully understand it himself. Instead, he attempted to teach her what he already knew. “See there,” he started again, pointing at the way stars aligned. “That is big dipper. It is a cons-tel-a-shun.” Big words in English still proved to be problematic. “We can catch the stars, maybe?” His maw spread into a comical grin. Would she try to reach for them? Now that would be funny.
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........ He looked up at the shiny spots, and Noir copied his stance, although still on four legs. He seemed to change his mind and after a moment he headed towards the river. The girl picked the pretty flower up in-between her jaws, making sure her grip was not too tight to harm the pretty plant, because it was a really nice present. However, Noir had this problem. She was afraid of water. She had to follow her uncle, but her movement was slow and uncertain. She halted next to her relative, and first now could she see that the stars were reflected in the peaceful part of the river. Her jaw dropped and the flower fell down on the soft ground graced with grass. Her fear temporarily vanished as her fascination grew. The lightly coloured girl took a experimental step out in the shallow water, careful not to erupt the water’s quiet surface.
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His voice told her strange things, that they could see things in the stars. This that were going to happen? Like the future? The Aston child perked her mouth in wonder and stared at the reflections as uncle Ho started to point at the water. ”Cons-tel-a-shun..” the girl repeated, unable to actually understand what the man said. His next words flushed his previous sentence out of her mind, and she nodded crazily. How wonderful wouldn’t it be to come home with a shiny star. It was in the water, true, but it had to be worth it. The girl stood still for a moment before she jumped into the shallow water, her prey one of the many shining lights. She went through and missed it, but she hit something else that had been hidden under the surface, something slippery that instantly moved when it was hit.
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The girl screamed and fell over, and the fish’s tail whipped the surface before it disappeared, probably more upset than the child.
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Honoré flinched when the girl repeated after him. He hadn’t pronounced the word “constellation” properly, that he knew. Unfortunately, he didn’t know how to rectify it so he let it go. Tayui would eventually correct her daughter. His eyes trailed after her, examining the way she cautiously took a few steps into the water. Whatever fear had inhabited her a few moments earlier was now gone. His niece was on a very important mission, and her perseverance was admirable. The Valley wolf almost felt bad, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to catch the stars. He would have to explain what a reflection was a little later.
“I can’t read stars and see future but… some people can. Is a good thing to know. Wait. See this one?” he said, now pointing to the sky. Noir had to look up too because this wasn’t something he could explain using the water’s reflection. “That one right there. The bright one. It is called the North Star. You can use to find your way home because it always points North and-“ His explanation was interrupted by a loud splash, followed by a high-pitched scream. What had she done now? He turned around just in time to see the fish darting away from her. It was a small mouth bass, judging from its shape. Honoré knew this because he often ate cooked bass. That is, when his pack mates brought some home. He wasn’t a very good fisherman.
Maybe if he could catch one and cook it for Noir, then she would share his appreciation for roasted fish! It seemed like a good way to form a bond with the pup. The five-year-old male crouched low, keeping his eye on the fish. It was a hard thing to do, considering the fact that it was very dark outside. A few seconds passed, and Honoré jumped in also. “I got it!” Not. His initial goal had been to catch the fish with his paws but he’d failed horribly at doing so. No one had ever told him fishing required patience and discipline.
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........ A lot screamed threat in her face, both the thing that had moved under her and the fact that there was water all around. For a tiny moment her face was under water, but she was able to gain some self-control when she got back on her feet and poked her head over the surface. Her golden eyes searched after her ivory uncle, and found him quickly just as he jumped into the water and called out that he got it. Ah! It had been a fish! There were fish in water and this was a river! Noir was not very used to the taste of the water creatures, but she was very open for new tastes. ”Catch it, Uncle!” The girl yelled, forgetting that she had never waded this deep into water willingly before.
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Water splashed over her, but she stood still in anticipation, wondering if he actually got it. From the looks of it, he didn’t. The girl yelped pathetically in disappointment. She wanted fish! If they found a fish, they could eat it! Her belly grumbled warningly, agreeing with this whole idea about food. It would be cosy. She enjoyed the time with her weird uncle. He was really special and odd, but she quite liked his style. "Catch me a fish and we can eat it!"
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It hadn’t hit him until it was too late; he was still wearing his plaid accessories. His head went under for a moment, and his hat drifted away with the current. He panicked for a moment, not really liking the idea of losing his precious headgear. It made him special, and really handsome! He shot his niece an alarmed look, along with a distressed shriek. “Noir! My hat! Get the hat!” The current was leading it straight to her, which was a good thing. Honoré could only hope her niece was good at catching things because if she missed, he’d most certainly cry.
He resembled a shaggy dog, thanks to the strands of wet hair that tumbled in front of his eyes. From a distance, one might’ve thought that a mop sat on top of his head. There was a white veil clouding his vision; it was disorientating! Not only had he lost his hat, but now he also had to catch a fish for his niece. If he failed in doing so, she’d surely think he was a loser. And he didn’t want that! Two hands were brought up to wipe away the hair from his eyes, but as he did so, something brushed past his leg. He knew there was nothing to worry about, but the sliminess sent shivers up his spine.
Honoré then tumbled backwards, falling butt-first into the river. He simply sat there, feeling rather uneasy. There was something under him, and it definitely wasn’t a rock. It was soft and cushiony and… gooey. “I’m think uncle Ho caught one fish,” he stammered, absolutely mortified.
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........ His hat was surfing away on the gentle current, cheerfully rotating about away from its master. Noir’s eyes managed to let go of the hat to take in the male’s appearance without it, and a squeal of laughter escaped her at the sight of her adult uncle, splashing around with his hair sticking out in every direction. He yelled out both Noir and hat, and so the remaining pieces of his sentence were unnecessary. The girl waded slightly deeper, still oblivious of this fact that she was moving around in water that was quickly reaching her shoulders. The hat seemed to want to leap out of her reach (she could not swim at all, so she could not wade much longer out), but it changed its mind and came towards her, like a happy leaf. She grabbed the item with her jaws when it came close enough and wagged her tail clumsily. It was odd how slow she became. Water was not the same as air, and it was as if all of her movement was thick and in slow motion. She had Uncle Ho’s hat though!
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His words made her ears perk happily and she almost lost hold of his hat when she replied. ”shhishh oohr Nooeer!” Could they cook it and eat it now? How big was it? She too wanted to catch a fish! She slowly moved closer to the man, hanging on to his hat. She wanted a hat too, just like his. Where was the fish?
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There was no movement below him. Honoré simply sat there for a few moments, refusing to acknowledge what he’d just done. It was a little hard to believe; he’d just killed a fish in one swift movement. His butt had never killed anything before. There had been no farting involved, either! Noir said something then, but her words were muffled by the hat in her mouth. He remained quiet for a little while, a very serious frown creasing his forehead. How was he supposed to explain this to her? Of all methods to catch fish, she surely couldn’t use this one! Tayui would kill him.
He stood up shakily and the fish followed. Its lifeless body floated to the top, swaying back and forth with the water’s movement. “Euh,” he started, scratching the back of his head. She hadn’t asked for an explanation yet but he knew it was coming. “Bad gas.” It was the best he could come up with. Oh sure, he could’ve told her the truth but then she would’ve probably called him a fat ass for the rest of his life. Honoré took the hat from the child and repositioned it on his head, grabbing a hold of the dead bass. They had to get out of the water now, before Noir took it upon herself to test his method. His paws carried him to the shore, where he waited for his little niece.
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........ His frown was slightly unsettling, because one should be happy when one captured a fish. Or, that was what Noir had always imagined. She had never tried to fish before, but she was quickly deciding that this was to be her first encounter with the hobby. However, the way it was being introduced to her was slightly disturbing. Her uncle stood up and all of a sudden the fish floated up to the surface. Had he killed it by sitting down on it? This was her first thought, and perhaps her uncle should have told it as it was, because his comment created a first shocked, then lightly disgusted frown on her face. He had farted it to death? Noir did not want to eat fish that had been farted at! It would smell and taste foul!
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He walked up to the shore, and the girl reluctantly followed, carrying his hat with her. Once her paws touched the banks, she let go of the hat. The Aston girl then sat down on her bum and stared at the man. ”Did you fart it to death Uncle? I don’t want to eat fart-fish, catch me a new one.” Her eyes widened slightly, begging her uncle sadly without words to be so kind to find her a clean, non-smelly fish.
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Well, his niece’s reaction wasn’t exactly what he’d expected. He had avoided the truth, and his lies were backfiring in his face. Now, he was stuck between trying to redeem himself by telling the truth or catching another fish. It was no secret by now that he couldn’t do the latter because, well, he simply did not have enough brains or patience to sit there and try to catch them a meal. With a sigh, the male opened his mouth and allowed the embarrassing truth to spill out. “I lie, ok?” he said, a whine intertwined with his pitiful statement. How pathetic this was; adults normally caught kids lying, not the other way around.
“I sat on it.” The words seemed distant as they tumbled out of his maw. Honoré shook the water out of his pearly white pelt, taking the time to squeeze a few droplets out of his tail. “Is good to eat Noir, come.” he said, urging her to follow. With the fish in one hand, the Québécois moved over the child and picked her up before she had a chance to complain. He knew how much of a royal pain she could be once she got something in her head. Shudders travelled up his spine as he recalled how much she’d cried over her no-haired baby. Nope, he definitely didn’t want to go down that road again.
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........ He revealed a terrible thing. Noir’s mouth twisted into a frown of unhappiness. How could he have lied to her so easily? There was hurt in those golden eyes of hers, because grown ups did not lie, at least not about such things as these. It was a small and insignificant lie in general, but that did not soothe her hurt. Why would he do such a thing? They were about to become best friends (in Noir’s word, this was) and he was jeopardizing it all by lying at her. A whine sounded entwined in his voice, and so her facial expression quickly settled to something calmer, convinced that it was regret that sounded in his voice. Her uncle said that he sat on it, and it was still a bit weird, but much better than the fart version.
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Still, she was not truly satisfied, and her eyes sought the running water, for the first time eager to re-enter the cool water. Would one fish be enough? He picked her up quickly, and her eyes widened in light aggravation, because she believed she knew the reason why he was doing it. Noir knew that she could be rather determined once she wanted something, but just lifting her up and carrying her away would not work that well anymore, because her brain was maturing together with her body, and she was able to think clearer and better than she had a month ago when they first met. ”I want to fish fishies too, Uncle Ho!” she stated firmly.
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Honoré froze when his niece voiced her wishes. One little request was all it took for him to put her down. He knew what would happen if he didn’t oblige. The kid would grow horns and turn into a little devil. Noir had the upper hand; she was cute and adorable and she had Tayui as backup. It left him with no other choice. He took a deep breath, following her back to the water. There was a positive side to this; at least he wouldn’t have to catch one for her. She had changed her mind, it seemed. Now she wanted to catch one herself.
“Then go fish fishies,” he mumbled, letting go of the fish in his hand. At least they would have one to eat if the child failed at catching another, which was more than likely. But then again, Noir was full of surprises. He didn’t put anything past her. “Try hitting one with your paw, maybe?” he suggested pointlessly, not really in a position to give proper advice. Honoré wasn’t sure how he’d react if she actually caught one. It would mean that she was better than him at something, and that was a little hard to digest.
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........ It came as a big surprise that he put her down so willingly without starting an argument about it. She had almost expected it, and for a moment she gaped at his lack of fighting will. She started to walk back towards the dark water, but hesitated when the dull sound of the fish hitting the soft ground sounded from behind. The child turned to gaze up at her patient uncle, almost afraid she had made him sad by demanding her own fish. His advice came quickly after the fish’s body collided with the ground, and she tilted her head slowly, wondering if her little paw would be strong enough to kill a fish. Like, uncle Ho had killed the fish with his bum, and his bum was very big, very much bigger than her little paw. However, if that was how one fished properly, then she would do that. Adults were always right, and the girl did not know that the white adult in reality had no clue how to actually catch a fish the normal way.
........ ”You make fire and make fish while I fish more?”the girl softly suggested, golden orbs beaming up at him, her tiny, salmon-tongue poking out of the right corner of her mouth. The girl preferred her meat roasted, and she was eager to taste roasted fish that had been over the fire. Yes, she could not wait! The girl nodded at her own words, agreeing with herself. It was past bedtime, but this did not pass the girl’s mind anymore. Uncle Ho was here, and so all rules were temporary invalid! As she was a puppy, unable to start the fire and prepare the food, she was confident he would do it straight away. The girl turned back to the water and waded out again, trying to see if she could see any fish like meal under the dark surface.
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Her suggestion was tempting; at least he could make himself useful by preparing their meal. That’s what he’d originally planned on doing. There were a few matches in his satchel; those light-making magic sticks. Starting a fire would’ve been ridiculously easy. But, somewhere deep within the depths of his heart, Honoré felt a pinch of regret. He couldn’t leave his niece to fish on her own. "It is nice idea but no thank you,” he offered, venturing back into the river. If teaching her how to fish wasn’t possible, then he’d simply take the time to learn with her.
There was something about his sister’s child that made him feel appreciated. He genuinely cared for her, no matter how annoying she was. It puzzled him, in a way. The Québécois couldn’t associate his nurturing side to maternal instincts, of course. So what was it that drew him to the naïve little fur ball? “I watch and help,” he said, hazel-colored eyes riveted to the aquatic world below. Suddenly, the idea of Noir catching a fish didn’t seem so threatening anymore. Her happiness meant more than his ego. “One over here, Noir!” His words were paired with a brief motion of his paw, directing her towards a potential target.
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I hope you don't mind the slight powerplay at the end. Thought we could wrap this up since a new thread will be up later today! 300+
........ He refused, and she felt that sting of guilt repeatedly sting her, reminding her that she was not being at her best behaviour. The girl was a free spirit, one filled with joy and laughter and play. There seemed to be a constant collision between the adult and the child, or perhaps, they were like two poles, refusing to settle peacefully side by side, yet that was not it either. Uncle Ho was the first adult that actually had irritated the girl to that extent that she had visibly fought back when he had attempted to show his authority. Despite this, she knew that in her heart, he already had claimed a special spot where warmth pulsed gently through. Although the feeling had faded and was out of her mind at the moment, the girl was very happy that her uncle had come back, and very happy that he even had brought her a flower. Flowers were so so so pretty, the bestest gift in the whole wide world.
........ She waded out into the dark water and resumed her pitiful attempts to catch fish. She had watched an Aniwaya member fish once from distance earlier, and that wolf had made it seem easy. However, it was far from easy, especially because the puppy was stomping wildly about without even being close to realizing that she was scaring the remaining fish far away from this particular spot. Noir ignored her uncle’s words until he called out and pointed in a direction where there was a fish (or at least he said so). She splashed in the pointed out direction, but saw nothing but black water. The child changed tactic, starting to force her bum down into the cool water, determined there would be fishies there when her bum hit the sandy bottom. After a few minutes with this strange fishing method, she was still left without any aquatic prey.
........ Eventually the girl grew tired, as it was way past her bedtime. Eyes ached slightly and her body seemed heavier. Uncle Ho would never get to taste his fish, because it was given to an angry Tayui Aston in an attempt to soothe her rage when the male returned with a sleeping Noir in his arms hours after the girl should have been home.
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