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Hemming laid on the end of a wooden dock, his long legs dangling over the edge. Contrary to what he would have expected while visiting a harbour, there was nothing below him but mud. It was mud, however, rather than dirt, so there must be water down there once in a while. Perhaps the moon had sucked it all out of this tiny place, greedily. The old town was quite interesting, not just for its waterless harbour, and the wolf was quite pleased to have stumbled upon it. As he had wandered into town, the quaint cottages caught his eye. A few little fishing smacks were pulled halfway onto shore around the harbour, and the wolf had eyed those as well. For now, though, his legs were tired and the weather was fair, so he retreated to a place where he could lie comfortably. Hands behind his head, he closed his eyes and listened to the distant cries of seabirds.
The male performed an exercise that he was quite fond of, imagining what these abandoned places had been like in their heyday. By this time, the fishermen would have all gone out for the day, loading their boats with nets and lobster traps, and their sails bobbed in the distance. The women worked in the fudge shops, smiling and handing over chunks of nice smelling sugar to little boys. This was how it must have been - Hemming had read something like it in a book, once.
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310 words.
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Technically, she wasn’t roaming too far from Dahlia de Mai, but just to the outskirts. She couldn’t help it; the old town held a great deal of interest for Princess Chance. Halifax had been interesting enough, but it had not been nearly as visually appealing as this little place was. The boats were cool, and if she had been feeling more adventurous, she would have explored one of them. However, she could see the shape of someone lying on one of the docks (she knew what all the things here were called because she was so intelligent, and she knew how to read, and did so frequently, you see), and the figure held more interest to her than the boats did. She stood straighter, fixing the way her dress sat against her legs, and walked towards the dock that the man was laid out on.
Approaching his form from behind, she stood next to him and looked down curiously. She didn’t understand why he would be lying on the ground like that, unless he lived here, and liked to sleep on the docks. He wasn’t a member of Dahlia, but he smelled of a pack, so she knew she had left Dahlia’s lands, but she also knew she hadn’t entered the lands of another pack. Therefore, it was likely that she was not stumbling upon this man’s home and trespassing all over his dock, but rather, coming upon him in lands not claimed by any pack. It was probable that he was just visiting as well, like she was. She considered the idea of leaving him where he was, as he looked very peaceful where he lay, but she decided that did not fit her nature in the least. Instead, she nudged at him with her toe gently in the side, curious to know if he was awake or asleep.
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The little town was coming alive around him, and he could hear the faded bustle of people on the main roads and of horses trotting down the main street. It was a long time ago that horses had actually been used as a main means of transportation, Hemming imagined, but the sound of their hooves was much more pleasant than the low, hot rumble of the motors that would roll in decades later.
Hemming's imagination would always get the best of him, and he sensed with utmost clarity that there was actually someone walking down the dock towards him. A fisherman, perhaps, or a woman from the shops? He couldn't imagine what for. In a state of confusion that only came with being half asleep, the male felt a strange sort of fear.
When the figure that the male had fabricated in his mind suddenly made physical contact, his eyes snapped open and he rolled over onto his stomach. He propped himself up with his elbows on the splintery wood of the dock, his eyes raised towards the phantasm that had realized itself in the flesh. A little shaken up but mostly embarrassed, he said, "Uh. Hi," and gave a soft smile.
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309 words. WotD: Ebullient
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It seemed that the strange man’s ebullient mood was chased away when his eyes snapped open in what Princess assumed was surprise. Well, evidently he had not heard the footsteps approaching him, so she didn’t quite blame him all that much for being surprised when she had nudged him with her toe. She looked down at him curiously for a moment before squatting down in front of his face and lowering hers (unfortunately, due to her small size, it was only very slightly) to be almost level with the man’s. “Hi,” she responded, her tone simple. Obviously, since she had snuck up on him, she wasn’t surprised, and she wasn’t feeling any particularly strong emotions about him. Therefore, it was just a simple greeting from a girl who liked to wake people up (if this man and Sankor were any indication).
It seemed like everyone chose strange places to sleep, however; Sankor on his log, and this man on a dock that didn’t smell like it belonged to him. “I’m Princess. How come you’re sleeping out here on this dock?” She stood, then wrinkling her nose unhappily, she looked down over the edge at the mud. That wasn’t a very pleasant sight. She had been hoping to see some pretty water, maybe different in appearance from the water near the den she shared with her mother. Well, she was going to be disappointed, it seemed, since the water was just. . . Gone. ”Why’s the water all gone down there? Do you know?” she asked distantly, still looking down where the water was supposed to be. Where the heck was the water? Turning back to the man, she knelt down again and clasped her hands in her lap. “So? Who’re you?” Princess had been speaking quickly, not giving the strange man a chance to answer any of her questions.
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Feeling a little odd the way he was sitting, the male swung his legs around so they were bent in front of him, the soles of his feet flat on the dock. The girl was bent down to his height, now, and he looked at her, still smiling. She was young, and, based on the questions she volleyed at him, quite curious. Curiosity was something the older male appreciated in someone, and he replied to all of her demands once she seemed to give him opportunity. "I'm Hemming, from AniWaya. I'm sleeping out here on this dock because... well, actually I wasn't really sleeping, but it would be a nice place to. I'm not completely sure where all the water's gone, but I think it'll be back. Where do you think it went?"
Answers to questions posed to young people, before their imaginations were made more accurate and narrow by facts they picked up, could provoke quite interesting responses. Hemming wondered what he'd get out of this one. He had a hunch that it was something to do with the tides, but he would have to stick around to get a better idea of it all. It was also possible that the mud was just due to recent rains, and had nothing to do with the ocean coming back at all. Maybe Princess would have a better idea.
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I GMed that Sankor told her he wasn't sleeping, but Sankor hasn't replied to our thread, so I figured he'd probably say something similar. ^^; 345 words. WotD: Tutelary
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She was still feeling rather jubilant, having freed herself from the tutelary powers within Dahlia de Mai that had been keeping her inside the pack’s lands. It wasn’t so much the leaders of Dahlia that kept her there, although she did not want to displease Alexey again. Princess had already done so enough by leaving to go to Halifax, and she had crossed the borders and only went a little ways away each time, multiple times. She was kept in the pack lands by her mother, although not by words. Tokyo was still healing, and it was frightening to know that her mother could possibly be attacked again, if Corvus returned. On top of that, the girl had talked to Catalyst about Buttface, and everything her mother had done to the little puppies. Though she trusted Catalyst to keep her promise, she couldn’t help but worry about her mother. Catalyst was in the care of Cercelee. What if the Rosea found out Catalyst had a secret, and forced her to say it?
Regardless, it felt incredibly good to be outside of the pack lands even just a little bit of distance. “What’s AniWaya? Is it a pack, like Dahlia de Mai? That’s where I’m from, so,” she explained, curious to know what this man’s pack was like. The explanation was not one that pleased her, as Sankor had said he wasn’t really sleeping, either. Did anyone really sleep, or did they only not-really sleep? She looked down at the waterless area once more, contemplating what it might have been that had taken the water away. She was well-read, but those did not include science books, so the idea of a tide was lost on her. “Maybe someone stole it. There’s some bad guys around here. One of ‘em attacked my mom. Can someone steal all the water, even?” After she had vocalized it, she had realized how silly it sounded. Probably nobody was capable of stealing all the water from where it was supposed to be, and probably she looked a little silly right now.
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So far, in the month or so that Hemming had been in AniWaya, he had very rarely felt anything less than safe. There had been one encounter, in which he had almost been coerced into entering a place that would've been dangerous, but nothing bad had come of it besides the nickname 'Chicken.' And, really, as far as nicknames went that wasn't so bad. Hemming tried his best to learn from his mistakes, and the event had made him realize that he should be a little more careful. He had assumed that the danger that the other might have caused him wasn't exactly intentional - to embarrass was likely the real motive - and he was thankful that this little awakening wasn't any crueler. The lands were safe enough, but of course they were not completely danger free. Hemming hadn't heard rumour of any of the killings or attacks that had occurred recently prior to this, but to hear that there were such occasions made his heart sink a little.
"Yep, AniWaya is like a pack. We call it a tribe, though. I've never been to Dahlia de Mai." He smiled softly, following her gaze to the water. "Something really big might be able to steal all the water, I would think." He was silent for a moment. The male would have let the statement pass, but his curiosity and worry got the best of him. "I haven't heard of any bad guys around here... one attacked your mum? Has anyone caught them?" Concern put wrinkles into his brow. The newcomer had been thinking of AniWaya and its surrounding territories as something like a wonderland, the greatest evil being little gremlins playing tricks. This news shocked him a little, though he knew it shouldn't have - all places had their truly baneful monsters - and also raised feelings of defensiveness. Though Hemming was aware that he wouldn't be able to restore justice himself under ordinary circumstances, he felt a strong desire to. It was a sad truth, however, that even if the beast was caught, more would surely come. The battle against wickedness was an eternal one.
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Thanks. =D 318 words.
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Princess didn’t know the difference between a pack and a tribe, and she was not even sure if there was a difference, but there were different words. Therefore, they had to be different, even just slightly. Despite how long she had been here - nearly two whole months! - Princess had not met anyone from any of the other packs. She had only been exposed to those in Dahlia de Mai, and one loner, the man with the covered eyes. There were obviously other packs in the area, although she did not know how many there actually were, and if there were anyone in those packs that she would get along with. Probably there were others out there that she would get along with, if she came across them. Hemming, for example, seemed friendly enough. Before now, it had not even occurred to her that she could meet others from different packs. Why hadn’t she thought of it before now? It was a very good idea.
“Is there a difference between a pack and a tribe? And yeah, there’s bad guys out there. Corvus Vendetta is the guy that attacked my mom. He didn’t even have a reason to. He was just a horrible, horrible man,” she announced, her tone dramatic. She, very much like Tokyo, was an actress by nature, with an affinity for the incredibly dramatic. “He’s black, with a white neck. . . Do be careful if you see him,” she warned, “because I don’t think anyone’s caught him yet. I know at least one man was looking for him, though.” She did not know if the stranger with the cloth over his eyes had found Corvus yet, but she did hope so. The puppy-eating monster was less real to her, since he had not affected her life at all, but she didn’t believe that a puppy-eating monster was a threat to a grown man.
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Truth be told, Hemming wasn't sure what the difference between a pack and a tribe was either. The word 'tribe' seemed to him to have a more structured sense to it than did the word 'pack', but the old male hadn't been sufficiently involved in a pack to compare that life to life in AniWaya. Also, 'tribe' seemed to have its roots in ancient groups of humans, and perhaps that type of social order was reflected in AniWaya today. The numerous traditions and rituals that were preformed and celebrated could also have a relationship to the definition. In all, though, the distinction between the two words was one that Hemming had yet to make. Perhaps it would come naturally as he learned more about his tribe and the packs nearby.
As the girl described her mother's attacker, the male formed a picture of him in his head. It didn't fit the description of anyone Hemming had met, and he felt vaguely thankful. For the most part, he had quite enjoyed the company of each of his acquaintances and it would be a shame if they turned out to be criminal. Hemming committed his name to memory, though he knew the chances of running into him were slim.
"I'm not sure if there's a difference," he replied, giving the concept another fleeting thought. He wasn't exactly sure why he had taken the time to make the distinction in the first place, though he did, at least subconsciously, think there was one. It was interesting how their conversation was simultaneously addressing two things that sat on two very different levels of importance. "Oh, I hope he catches him soon. Thanks for the warning, I'll be vigilant." He smiled softly, though the expression seemed a little misplaced.
"What are you doing out here, anyway?" he asked, wondering if she was a wanderer as well.
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Terribly sorry for the wait. ;-; I forgot about this thread for a bit, and only when I was updating her profile did I go "ohcrap o-o". 376 words.
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Thinking back to her conversation with Onus, Princess felt a small smile flowering across her muzzle. The tall man would surely find those that he was seeking, and the girl felt confident that he would succeed in his mission to kill Corvus Vendetta, so really, she didn’t think there was all that much danger anymore, now that she knew that the male with the white neck had his days numbered. Nodding confidently, Princess let herself sit all the way down across from him instead of staying crouched painfully. “Don’t worry, though. He’ll be found by the one looking for him, and then things will be safe again.” She shouldn’t have been so confident about it (and wouldn’t have been, if she had known what would eventually happen to Cmwfen before Corvus was killed), but it was in her nature to be so certain of things that most would consider a fleeting idea, at best. She couldn’t help it; she was just optimistic, if the word could be applied to someone so stubborn and certain to the point that it was considerably stupid to be so sure of herself.
The question stumped her, and obviously so, because she sat for a moment silently, a confused look on her face. “Honestly,” she began slowly, taking stock of what she might choose to say. “I don’t really know. I guess. . . Well, I guess I just wanted to get out of the pack’s territory, even if it’s only this far out. Alexey told me to stay in the pack lands, but I can’t help myself. It just gets boring,” she added sheepishly. Truth be told, Princess frequently tried to break that rule that had been put into place for her. She never really wandered very far, but it felt nice to know that, if she was caught again, she would get scolded again. Breaking the rules felt good, even though she knew she wasn’t supposed to, and that the rules were there “for her own good.” “What were you going to do out here all day?” She was interested to know how Hemming spent his time out here, since he was completely alone, and away from his tribe. What did he do with his time alone and away?
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No worries x)
It was unfortunate that, even in a land that had so much friendship and so many kind strangers, safety was a transient thing. Despite that little nagging uncertainty, and even if it was unwarranted, Hemming found a bit of relief in the girl's confidence on the subject. It was always nice to know that at least someone that knew about what was going on was hopeful. The male gave Princess a soft smile to acknowledge her statement, and nodded gently.
His eyes wandered across the great muddy pit below them, tracing lines across the ripples the ocean had made as it had left. Hemming didn't mind the bit of silence between his question and her answer, as such feelings were often difficult to put into words. He, too, went places simply because his feet told him to, and most of the time his mind wasn't exactly sure why he went at all. It wasn't that AniWaya territory had become boring for him, it was simply that he knew there was so much more out there. He had an itch for new adventures and exploration.
"Ah," he said softly, nodding a bit more. Hemming didn't know what to say, but hoped his understanding of the sentiment would be evident in that little syllable. "I was thinking about taking a peek inside the little houses," he replied, "And now that I've had a bit of a rest I think I might do that. Care to join me?" Surely they would hold all sorts of treasures, and Hemming would quite like to have some company.
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woptd: Vagary. 347 words.
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Eyes widening, Princess practically leapt to her feet, stumbling over herself in her haste to stand up. She had explored Halifax once or twice, and had found some clothing from the human days, but this place seemed very different from Halifax. Not only because of the location (the water made a lovely addition to the human places such as these), but the buildings were different, and the smells were different, and she wasn’t alone. “Really!? What do you think you’ll find in those buildings?” she asked, her voice eager and bouncing with excitement, although strangely quiet for someone so normally boisterous. The idea of exploring things in strange buildings was very exciting, but she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous at the idea. Humans were one of those vagaries of the world, completely and entirely unpredictable in what they have done or will do.
“You can lead,” she said, her tone very firm. It was unlikely that Hemming would be able to convince her otherwise, if he had any plans to try and do so. “Not that I couldn’t do it, though. I just think since it was your idea, you should lead,” she amended quickly, not particularly keen on the idea of him thinking she was afraid. And why should she be? It was only human stuff, wasn’t it? They did strange things, and made ridiculously confusing things, but they had also made good things, like books and pretty dresses. Probably there would be nothing dangerous in the cute little houses here, since there hadn’t been anything too frightening or alarming in the tall buildings in Halifax. Probably it would be interesting to see what the humans from this quaint little town liked to have in their old homes. And probably these houses would be something her friends might like! Maybe she could see if Coli had been out here, and maybe she could move her flower from Dahlia to here, if she decided it was safe for her little flower-present that the woman had given her. “Where should we start in our exploring, Hemming?”
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Hemming smiled widely when the girl jumped up, and did the same, though a little more slowly. He stretched his arms out to the side, and wiggled his fingers in anticipation, his eyes settling for a moment on the quaint houses in the distance. Looking back to Princess, he replied, "I'm not really sure. That's the fun in exploring, isn't it?" He winked, and twisted his torso a little to get a kink out of his back. Though the dock was nice and warm, it wasn't the most comfortable place to lie for an extended period of time. The wolf wasn't sure how much or for how long he had drifted off before the girl arrived, but based on the way his body felt it seemed he had been there for quite a while. The aches in his bones made the wolf feel old.
Hemming gave a brisk nod when she nominated him as leader, and nodded more slowly to show that her reason was perfectly fine, even if he doubted that was her only one. He had no qualms about leading, and understood that she might feel a little uncomfortable. It wasn't a frequent occurrence, but occasionally while he perused the things that were to be found in human places he felt as if he was trespassing into someone's secret life. The feeling was made worse as he imagined what the humans might of looked like and the way they met their end. Those thoughts didn't pass through his mind then, though, and he started to take some slow steps down the dock, back towards the little street.
Pointing to the little house directly in front of them, painted in a light blue color, he replied, "How about that one, since it's closest?"
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wotd: Affray. 390 words.
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Keeping close to him as he stood, on the off and unlikely chance that he might decide to run away and leave her completely alone (which certainly wouldn’t do, as she did not enjoy being alone in her own pack lands, let alone a strange little human place), Princess followed his eyes in the direction of the little blue house. It was a very pretty color, and it seemed nice enough, as far as houses went. She did wonder if anyone lived there, or what the chances of that were. Thus far, she had not seen anyone but Hemming out here, but that did not mean that no one ever came here, or that no one lived here. Probably there were the occasional ones who decided not to live in a pack, but instead wanted to live alone and away from everyone else, in old human dwellings. If someone lived in that little blue house, then an affray could possibly break out, and someone could easily get hurt. The girl did not want anything like that to happen. How would she explain it to Tokyo?
“Okay. . . That one looks good. But,” she added, deciding to voice the very little bit of apprehension she was feeling, “you don’t think anyone lives in that house, do you? I would very much hate to just walk right into someone’s home univited.” That. . . Was a big-fat, ridiculous, completely absurd lie. Normally, Princess had absolutely no regard for personal space, and frequently helped herself to anything she came across. Tokyo had never taught her the value of earning your own things, and had certainly never told her that stealing was wrong. Worry over trespassing was purely a front for Hemming, so that he would not think her too afraid to enter the strange building. Princess Chance was not going to be thought of as a scared little kid, no matter what. Without looking at Hemming again, she walked briskly to the door of the house, observing it silently for a moment before resting her hand on the awkward door knob. Turning, she cocked her head at the older male, twisting the knob back and forth in her hand loudly. “I’ll open the door, but you go in first, okay?” It was a compromise of sorts. Yes, that is what it was.
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It was certainly possible that someone was living in the quaint blue house, but the idea hadn't even passed through his mind. The little town seemed so quiet as he had traipsed in that it seemed deserted, left to be repopulated by songbirds and mice. Once the girl had mentioned the possibility, the worry seemed rather obvious to the older wolf. "I hadn't thought about that. I suppose we'll know soon enough." A small smile crossed his face. Despite having been warned about the nastiness of some of the creatures around here just moments ago, Hemming felt as if he would be able to quell all arguments with a simple apology and a quick departure, or even turn them into a pleasant and engaging conversation. Words were his sword, and other than that the scrawny wolf was pretty much defenseless.
Princess twisted the doorknob from side to side, the old metal post grinding against its edges, and Hemming nodded at her proposal. As the door slid open just a bit, he peeked his head in. The inside was coated with a fair layer of dust, and overall the house seemed as if it had been undisturbed by anything larger than a rat in the last few years. "I think we're good," he murmured as he pulled his head back out. Placing his hand gently on the door, he stepped inside, his weight making the swollen floorboards creak a little. A centipede, apparently startled by the sudden light, scuttled under a cabinet, and for a moment the male was on alert, startled by the sudden movement.
It was a little creepy inside the house, but already he could see a few things he would like to investigate. A square table sat a little off to the right, bordered by cabinets, and a little sitting room, separated from the kitchen by a banister, was beyond that. The light was dim, and the first thing that Hemming did was to pull open the curtains hanging over the large window above the sink. Turning around, he let his eyes adjust to the dim light. "Pretty nice, hm?"
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I don't mind at all. :3 534 words.
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The knob twisted with so resistance, the door creaking on its hinges as it was pushed open. His certainty that they were fine was enough for her, and she slowly entered the small building after him, watching carefully as he pushed back the pieces of cloth hung over the windows. The faint light helped a little, so she turned in a small circle slowly, taking in the sights of the small house. It was interesting, if not a bit gross, what with all of the dust and grime that had layered itself thickly on everything in sight. She walked to the cabinets curiously, bending down to wrench the doors open, unsure of how hard they would be to open. They stuck at first, but jerked back quickly, taking her by surprise despite the pressure she had been using. The contents were strange, completely foreign to her. She had never seen some of these things in any of the books she had read before!
Her small hand wrapped around one of the rusted metal things in the cabinet, a thing with a strange knob on the side and some circles on it with sharp points. Pulling it out, Princess examined the (though the name and the meaning were unknown to her) can opener slowly. When she was sure she had looked over every piece of it, she held it up in hopes that Hemming could see it. “What do you think this is? This is kind of cool. . .” She turned the strange knob on the side slowly, watching as the spiny circles rotated roughly with the motion of the knob. Princess looked around from her place crouched on the floor, hoping she could find a bag or pouch somewhere in the little house. If no one lived here, then no one would mind her taking anything home to show Tokyo, right? Now, if only she could find a bag to put her little treasures in, then everything would be marvelous.
Looking up at Hemming again, she decided to ask him whether or not he thought there might be a bag or pouch hanging around somewhere. She wasn’t sure if he would mind her taking these things, though; was it considered stealing, even though no one lived here, and the things in the cabinets were abandoned? “I was wondering. . . Would it be okay if I took some stuff home to show my mom and stuff? I mean, no one lives here, and it looks like no one even comes in here. . . If I find a bag or something, or if you do and want to give it to me, do you think that would be okay?” If Hemming thought it was not a good idea, she wouldn’t do it, purely to not let him think poorly of her. She could always come back later; maybe she could even bring Catalyst next time. Her little dual-eyed friend might like all of this strange stuff, even if it meant crossing the borders. Since Cat had said she didn’t want to go near the borders again, though, maybe she could bring Colibri here. Maybe they could find some flowers for her patch, even.
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After opening the curtains, Hemming headed into the small living room. It had a deep blue shag carpet that seemed to have turned into a wild jungle for little creatures, and a small round table against the wall upon which a wide television set was balanced precariously. Though Hemming had seen a few of these before, he had never really figured out what purpose they served. The boxes had to be for something, though, and surely their purpose was facilitated by their gray glass front and the few knobs that adorned its borders. He didn't pay the thing much attention, instead turning his eyes to a cluttered shelf that sat beside the television. Upon its dusty surface there were a few ceramic pig shaped things, a few other garish decorations, and, the most interesting to the wolf, a few piles of books and magazines. He picked up the top magazine in the pile, Modern Fly Fishing (dated July 1986), and had started to flip through its crinkly pages when Princess spoke out to him.
He looked over to her and squinted his eyes at the odd thing she was holding. Putting the magazine back on the shelf - whatever interesting qualities it had were trumped by the strange machine - he moved back into the kitchen, squatting beside the girl and starting at the little cogs as they spun. "I have absolutely no idea! How baffling," he replied, still watching the device with an intent curiosity. Perhaps somewhere in here there would be something that the machine acted upon, and from there they could piece the puzzle together and figure out what each part was.
Listening to the female's question, he nodded, and when she finished he gave a casual shrug. "I don't see what could be wrong with that... You want a bag? I'm sure there's one around here somewhere." Hemming thought for a moment before standing up and heading towards a little closet close to the front door. It was in a closet sort of like this one that he had found his own bag, now lost, and perhaps it was typical of humans to leave them in there. After opening the sliding door with a bit of difficulty, he flipped through the heavy coats in the closet, chortling a little at a few of them. There were no bags hanging up, and the wolf crouched down to inspect the bottom of the closet. There were quite a few shoes and heavy boots, and in the corner and hard to make out in the darkness, some sort of clothy thing that slightly resembled a bag. Pulling it out and holding it up, he looked to the girl with a questioning gaze.
Judging by the number of shoes, it was likely that there were a few more bags in the house. Perhaps this one was forgotten in the depths of the closet, or perhaps it was used the most and placed in the closet by the front door for convenience's sake, though Hemming didn't feel that reaching into the back of the closet was all that convenient. The motives of humans in these affairs would always be a mystery to the wolf.
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I hope it's okay that I made the bag a duffel bag thing, and that I GMed her taking it from him? 587 words.
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Her eyes lit up at his suggestion, and she was very glad to know that he was not angry with her for suggesting that they take things from this house. After all, it wasn’t really stealing, since no one had lived in this house for a very long time; maybe since humans had stopped existing, even. Probably she and Hemming were the first ones to enter this little house is many, many, many years. It was strange for the girl to think of things in a sense of years, since she was not yet a year old, even. Thinking in a sense of years for the humans, it was like thinking about a hundred of her own lifetimes. How many years would she live, and would everyone in the future think of those in Dahlia as “those crazy Dahlian wolves, with their crazy such-and-such,” just as they thought of the humans as “crazy humans?” Regardless of that and the strangeness of thinking in terms much longer than her whole life, Princess was elated to know that Hemming did not think poorly of her for wanting to take home some of these treasures.
Would Tokyo be as excited as she was about them, though? The girl wasn’t even sure if she wanted to show the things she found today to Tokyo. Probably someday she could show them to Catalyst, and tell her all about the adventures she’d had in the human towns, which would be very pleasing to her when she saw Catalyst’s look of awe. And Colibri might like some of this stuff, too. Maybe she could even find something to give to her older friend, even. Probably something for her flower patch would be good, if she could find anything. Hemming held up a cloth contraption after rummaging in the little space behind another old door. She stood up slowly, keeping her grip on the metal thing with the spiny wheels tight. This was something really cool, and she didn’t want to risk losing it among the rest of the human things in the little house. It wasn’t going to be of use to her, most likely, but she would love to keep it, just incase she ever found out what it was used for.
Taking the bag in her own hands, she smiled brightly at Hemming, more excited to be exploring now than she had been originally, because now, she could keep her treasures! “Thanks, Hemming! Did you find anything cool yet?” she asked, placing the long strap over her shoulder in what she hoped was an appropriate way to carry the bag. It hung too far past her knees, but some minor adjusting was done, and she put the strap over her head so that it sat snugly on the shoulder that was opposite the side it hung on. She twirled once, grinning as she did so, admiring the strange adornment. It would certainly do well enough! Lifting the large flap that laid over the bag itself, Princess was faced with a strange set of metal teeth, with a small object at the end that she assumed was used to open it. Tugging on it was difficult, and it snapped off once the strange teeth were opened, but she didn’t mind so much. That would just make it easier for her to put her treasures in the bag, she realized, as she spun the knob on the side of her weird thing again before slipping it into the bag, looking up at Hemming expectantly.
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[html] That's fine! I tried to make the description of the bag fairly
vague so you could make up what it was in case Princess wanted
to keep it, anyways. :]
It hadn't really been all that long since the humans disappeared, but it was time enough for nature to start moving in. A few bugs, more fond of the dark than the light, scuttled away, under piles of shoes, when Hemming pulled the bag out. Glad that Princess was pleased with it, especially so because it seemed to be the only bag in there, he responded cheerfully, "You're welcome." He hadn't spotted anything nearly as interesting as the strange device that the girl had found, but a glimmer caught his eye and he pulled out a single shoe. It was covered in sparkly gold material, and shone brilliantly even in the dim light. Hemming held it up for a moment and sighed wistfully, "If only it would fit me." He turned it in his hand a few times, watching the way the light bounced off, before placing it in back into the closet. "I've found a few cool things, but nothing that I would particularly like to take home with me, yet." The wolf knew he was the type to hoard things, and was resisting the urge to take everything home in an attempt to keep his den at least fairly neat and uncluttered.
With his lips forming a loose smile, he stood up again, amber eyes flitting around the room. The stack of books on the shelf still interested him, and he made his way back over there slowly, dragging his finger tips across the wall lightly and peering down a hallway as he walked past it. Once he had reached the shelf, he hesitated for a moment before lifting the entire stack of books off and setting them on the floor, sitting cross-legged in front of them. The magazine he had been browsing before was immediately cast aside for the books underneath, and after he had flipped through a few of them there were two he found notable and had set to the side to take home: Manual of Seamanship, which had particularly quaint pictures and a good section on knot tying, and Knitting in the Nordic Tradition, which also had some interesting diagrams and photographs. He stacked the remaining, less interesting, books back up and returned them to the shelf.
Putting his two books down on the kitchen counter, he wondered if Princess had found any more fascinating human things.
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395 words.
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Following after him as he looked at the books, Princess eyed them warily, as she had not found any new books to read that were even just a little bit interesting in a long while. A quick glance at the stack Hemming was looking at confirmed her suspicions, and she hurried back to the cabinet she had been rooting through before, excited at the prospects of the other things she might find. Now that she had something to put the items in, the girl was absurdly excited to find more things to take home with her. The items would probably be useless to her in the future, but she could keep them forever, couldn’t she? And she could show them to anyone who might listen to her, or pay her the slightest bit of attention. She did so love to be the center of attention, and she hoped that these nifty things would garner her a little bit of time with people looking at her, and hanging on her every word. Her story of her mother and Buttface had worked with Catalyst, but she couldn’t very well tell everyone she met about that. Tokyo would maul her something terrible.
A few minutes spent rummaging through the cabinet clumsily resulting in some more contraptions being slipped into her new bag, but she began to lose interest in the cabinet quickly, so she closed the door to it slowly and stood, stretching her cramped legs. She ran her hand along the small table, feeling the wood beneath her fingertips. How come she and Tokyo did not have anything like this in their den, she wondered curiously, though Princess did not know her mother’s stance on human things, except for pretty clothing. Tokyo did like clothing, assuming Princess’s knowledge was to be trusted. But why did they not have things like this? Why did they not live in a neat little house? Shrugging it off without any form of an answer - audible or in her own mind - Princess wandered over to where Hemming was, smiling at him as sweetly as she could. She liked him well enough, indeed, but there was no harm in sugaring it up just a little. “How ‘bout now? Find anything?” She was self-conscious, that was true, and did not want to be the only one to take something home with her.
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