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After setting down the books, Hemming could not help but pull open a nearby drawer. It was filled with little metal cups, all labeled on their handle, and a few odd tools. For a moment he puzzled over a long piece of plastic that had a head of flexible rubber, tapered at the sides, but something else quickly caught his eye. It was similar to the spatula he had just picked up in that it had a long plastic handle, but something rather spectacular was stuck on the end. It had a narrow rectangular base that gave rise to numerous little wiggling rubber cylinders. The wolf chuckled to himself as he waved it around, watching the little ends sway in unison.
Hemming knew that he really shouldn't take it home, but he left the strange rubber brush out on the counter, beside his books, because he felt the need to get a second opinion on it. His eyes moved to the open drawer for a moment as he wondered what other ridiculous implements might be in there, and was just about to move stuff around to find the things buried under the measuring cups when Princess appeared again. Smiling widely, he replied, "Oh, yes! I've found these books, which I think are quite interesting. And I'm really curious about this thing..." He held up the wiggly thing by the handle, an eyebrow raised, and waved it around a bit so the girl could see how it moved.
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319 words.
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Princess did not think those books looked very interesting, but hey, whatever suited him. Maybe she could even find some from the shelves that she found interesting, although if the books were along the same lines, topic-wise, she did not think it would be all that likely. The wiggly thing, though, now that was interesting. It was almost more interesting than her spinney doohickey! Please, do not the use of the word “almost,” as Princess was not ever going to admit to something belonging to another being more interesting than something that she had. What would the humans have done with something like that, she wondered, looking at it in interested bewilderment. “What do you think that thing is for? It’s really neat.” Pausing, she ran her fingertips over her arm, considering the possibility that it may have been used for something cosmetic, or maybe for fun.
“Do you think it was used for their. . . Hair and stuff, or skin? Does it tickle if you touch it to you and wiggle it around like you are?” She hadn’t the faintest idea why she thought of it, but the little wiggly cylinders on the end seemed like they would feel terribly weird against skin, if moved around enough. Despite being in the kitchen of the little house, Princess did not equate all the things in the room as being related to kitchen activities. She was not well-versed on human things, although she was absolutely loathe to admit such a thing, so for all intensive purposes, things were completely up to interpretation, no matter what room they were in. Her eyes looked over the wiggly thing sternly, as if willing it to tell her exactly what it was used for, demanding to know its secrets. Of course, that was a silly thing to hope for, since inanimate objects did not speak, and she was very well aware of that.
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The humans, for all their ingenuity, often baffled Hemming. Perhaps he ascribed too high a practicality and intelligence to the things that filled their homes. There were certainly many things that seemed to have a good use, and many other things that added much beauty to the room, but then there were things that seemed to possess neither characteristic. When confronted by these objects, Hemming always wondered if he was too uninformed to actually know what its purpose was, or if it didn't have one at all. The wiggly thing seemed to have a very particular and calculated shape, though, and looked as if it must do something important. In his experience, most of the things found in a room together were somehow related. He knew that this was the kitchen, but how the tool he held now could perform any function food-wise was beyond him. It was possible that it was simply misplaced, dropped into this drawer from some other room.
Hemming furrowed his brow as Princess offered a few suggestions. With his fingertip he tapped the ends of the little wiggling cylinders, which held together loosely in the shape of their base. The wolf didn't know enough about the hygienic or cosmetic practices of humans to give her a solid response, but the tickling idea made his eyebrows raise. "Hmm," he murmured, lifting the thing to his cheek so the end was barely touching, and moved it around. The rubber surface stuck to his fur and pulled it around a little, but the feeling was faint. The humans didn't have fur, though, and perhaps their skin was much more sensitive to the jiggly ends. "I think you might be on to something," he stated, before offering the handle to her to try.
This was one of the situations where he felt that he would never totally understand the way the mind of a human worked. Something like this seemed completely pointless to him, but it was at least valuable enough for these humans to have in their home. Then again, how valuable did something really have to be for at least one human to have one?
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Back from vacation, sorry for the crap reply. ;-; 328 words.
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Taking the wiggly thing from Hemming as it was offered to her, Princess held it against her own cheek, moving it in little circles as he had done moments before. It did not feel particularly nice, but maybe her fur was too long. She moved it to the palm of her empty hand, where the fur was thinner, and it did tickle a little bit more than it had on her face. “If you have any puppies in your tribe, maybe you could use it on them? Maybe it was used for human children,” she offered, holding it back out for him to take. Being flustered by its use, she was no longer very interested in the wiggly thing, because she did not enjoy being baffled by something’s use. Obviously, if she did not understand its purpose, it was not at all important enough for her to pay attention to, but maybe Hemming could make use of it, in his tribe (even though the different name did confuse her still).
Looking around the small house again slowly, Princess took another moment to survey the little house and its contents. She didn’t know how long they had spent in the little house, her rummaging through the cabinets and Hemming looking through the closet and at the books, but she had collected a small amount of treasures in her new bag. It was exciting to think that she would have all these little things that would be hers, and hers alone. She wouldn’t have to share them with anyone, and she could even show them off to anyone who would listen to her for three minutes. Although, anyone she showed her treasures to might ask what they were for, so she figured she should make up a reason for them, at the very least. Even if it was incorrect, it would be something to tell them, and it would even make her sound even more intelligent than she already was.
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There were puppies in AniWaya, but they were growing up quickly. The only one that Hemming had met was Attila, and he'd probably respond to the use of this tool with a punch in the gut. Nonetheless, the gray wolf would be pleased to hang on to the strange device in the case that any more puppies appeared and he felt bold enough to try it out, or to let someone else play with it. Even without puppies to tickle, this was a very strange and interesting thing, something that Hemming thought would give insight into the human condition once its purpose was discovered. He smiled at Princess as she handed it back, nodding at her idea.
Hemming was satisfied with what he had found. It was only two books and the strange wiggly thing, but at the moment he didn't feel like he needed anything more. He couldn't resist taking a look at the other rooms before they left, though. Placing the wiggly thing on the top of his stack, he said, "I'm just going to take a peek at the other rooms. Anything particularly interesting in any of them?" The wolf grinned some more as he started around the corner, leaning into a room before passing it on to peer into another one.
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324 words.
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Princess was content to know that Hemming would find use out of the wiggly thing, even if she still couldn’t figure out what the darned thing could possibly be used for. He did not seem to have much more to say on the matter, so she didn’t have anything to say about it, either. As far as she was concerned, the wiggly thing was a useless piece of human trash, since it evidently wasn’t used for what she had initially thought it was for. Hemming seemed to be about finished with gathering things, and though the girl marveled at the small pile of a whole three things (how could he only take three things, and two of them being boring books?), she was also content with the small compilation of human things she had shoved into the duffel bag that Hemming had found for her. She was just about done here, too.
“I didn’t really look much in the other rooms, just this one with all the cabinets. But, I think I’m all done for now, for whenever you’re done,” she added. Now that she was no longer looking for things to take home with her, Princess was growing very quickly impatient and bored. Unfortunately, she had inherited that trait from her mother, and when things were not going her way, or she was no longer having fun, she grew irritated quickly. The girl hoped he wouldn’t take too long to look in the other rooms, otherwise, she would have to tell him just how boring he had become in such a short period of time. It was practically a record for her, to become this bored this fast. Glancing at the ceiling, Princess sighed quietly, and then a second time, a little bit louder, although still relatively soft to her own ears. If he took too long to look around, she would have to get forceful with these sighs of boredom, wouldn’t she.
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The remaining rooms looked fairly typical. It seemed as if the bookshelf in the living room was the only one in the house, which Hemming found astounding. If he had a house such as this, it would be filled to the brim with books. They would be falling out windows and blocking doors, and he would have to make his way through hallways like catacombs, careful not to knock them over. When he had lived in his tree-house in the forest he had had many, but he had not yet accumulated any at all in his cave in AniWaya. That was about to be rectified, starting with the two odd books he had just found. Some day, hopefully soon, he would take a trip to the library, where he would be surrounded by books that were more interesting. It was a pity, really, that all these folks had did not delve beyond the everyday life.
He stared for a few seconds into each room, scanning for anything that might be of interest. The wolf might have spent more time digging through the rooms in search of little things, but he was starting to feel tired of the dim light and the dusty air. Princess was done, and Hemming didn't want to keep her waiting. Having given a sufficient glance to each room, he returned to the kitchen. A satisfied smile lingered on his face, and he uttered a conclusive "Okay," as he picked up his books.
After pulling the slightly open door towards him with his foot, he stepped forward into the outdoors. The sun was making its way down to the horizon, the sky fading but still bright. Squinting, Hemming walked to the little road before turning back around. It seemed like it was forever ago that he had been lying on the splintered dock.
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I so thought I'd replied to this ages ago! D: I'm sorry! 362 words.
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It was a relief to be able to follow the man out into the fading sunshine, leaving the quaint little house behind her. It had been fun, but it had slowly lost its appeal, once she was satisfied with her treasures. Squinting up at the sky, the girl noted how late it had gotten; when had that happened? Briefly, Princess wondered what time it had been when she had left her home, and if Tokyo had even noticed yet that she was gone. It was very likely that she could waltz into their den in the morning, and her mother wouldn't have even been the least bit worried about her. A pity, that was, since so much could happen in one day that could lead to something bad, and Tokyo wouldn't even think of it. Princess could end up dead in a ditch, and Tokyo wouldn't worry about her any more than a fleeting thought of, "Well, at least she's not telling anyone about our past." That was how Princess felt sometimes in regards to her mother: A little pain in her side.
That sentiment could go for either Princess or Tokyo, a thorn sticking into one another's sides. It was an equal issue. Her thoughts bothering her, Princess turned back to Hemming with her hand over her forhead, shading her eyes. When had she put it up there? She did not remember the action, but it was not unwelcome, since it lessened her need to squint due to the sun's overly intense rays. "What should we be doing not?" she questioned, once again a follower, now that she was not bored and waiting for him. "Do you want to explore any of the other houses? It's kind of getting late, though, so we shouldn't take too long in any of the other ones we go in." The caution was purely for her own benefit and convenience, so that she could easily get back to her den before complete darkness descended on them. She did not want to be out too late, lest anyone find her and scold her for being out late. They scolded her for everything else she ever did.
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It was surprising that time seemed to slip away so quickly, the sun making its escape to the dark horizon while the two wolves were inside and almost oblivious to the dusty light fading. Hemming was a little startled to learn that they must have been in there for a few hours; within that little house time seemed static, as if it was frozen in the exact moment that its owners ceased to live. But time did not stop for those that had gone away, instead leaving space for the little critters to move in, the centipedes and the worms that were always the first to find their place in a world that was forgotten.
The gray wolf was content with his lot, his pile of books and the wiggly thing, but if Princess wanted to pop into another house or two before the sun fell away completely he would be happy to. He turned to her as she spoke, lowering his hand as he turned his back on the sun's sharp glare. "If you want to, we could take a peek," he said, smiling softly. These houses looked fairly different from each other on the outside, and perhaps they looked different on the inside, too. A glimpse into some of them as the light was fading would be interesting, but there was little time for an inspection as full as the last.
Altering his path a little, Hemming moved towards the house beside the one that they had been in and stared through a front window. In the fading light, it was hard to make out the forms of the furniture. Thinking about how, once upon a time, one might have gazed through these windows and seen a bustle of human activity inside gave Hemming the strangest feeling. Now, everything was darkness and dust.
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315 words.
The fading sunlight was an indicator that it was almost time to get going home, but she was still interested in the little houses in the area, and did not want to leave all that much. "I should probably go home soon, or my mom might worry about me," - that was a lie, actually, since Princess did not expect that Tokyo would be worried about her unless she was gone for days at a time - "But I guess it wouldn't do that much harm to look into another one." Since she had already found a bunch of cool things in the blue house, she did not know if she would look too much for fear of finding even more things to take home with her. While new things were cool and all, she did not want to be weighed down with so much junk that her bag couldn't fit it all.
Coming to stand beside her new friend, Princess squinted in through the aged glass. The furniture she could see looked so much more comfortable than the cave she slept in, and for a moment, she wished she could just pick up the furniture and take ti home with her. She entertained the idea of asking Hemming to bring her stuff to Dahlia if he could carry the furniture, but she decided that would be an absurd request, and even if he could carry the things and she found something liked, what would they do when they got to Dahlia? It was a crazy idea, she decided, and shook the thoughts from her mind. Instead, she settled for the idea that she would be sleeping on a hard cave floor for however long she shared a den with her mother, but eventually, she could find somewhere else to live and sleep on her own. She wouldn't live with Tokyo forever, thank freaking goodness.
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Hemming imagined that he could understand the girl's concern about the worrying her mother might do if she came home too late. The male's family had never really cared when he left and when he came home, but sometimes, after all these years, he wondered if they might think about him once and a while. They had likely largely forgotten about him, jotted them down in their memories as the boy that was never really around, the boy with the itchy feet. In all honesty, Hemming didn't really care. He had never been tight with his family and for the most part their opinions and feelings had held little sway with him. The wolf nodded at Princess' words, anyway, wondering what it was like to have someone care about the time one arrived back home.
The two wolves peered through the window for a moment more before Hemming made his way to the door. He turned the knob and pushed it open with a little difficulty, the books being a little awkward in his hands, before stepping in. As far as contents went, it was quite similar to the last one, and likely most human houses. Chairs, counters, tables. There was a rather lovely painting on the wall, and Hemming stared at it for a moment. If only something like that would fit in his den, or would not be damaged by waiting outside for him!
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427 words.
Despite mentioning that she should leave, Princess made no move to do so, instead choosing to remain next to Hemming. She hoped her prolonged absence did worry her mother, but it was not exactly something she could really count on. The older Chance woman did not really care about anyone but herself, and Princess when she wanted to love her. Unfortunately for the younger of the two, Princess thrived on her mother's love and attention, choosing to ignore the fact that she was usually not the center of her mother's attention. Staying out in the strange human town and away from Dahlia might, just might, make her mother come looking for her. Wouldn't that be pretty cool, if her mother cared enough to come find her? Doubtful. That was too far-fetched to really happen.
Trailing him into the second house, Princess was hoping she could find something hear to hold her interest. While the things from the last house had been pretty interesting and all that, nothing had really stood out to her as a "Wow!" sort of thing. Even the painting that Hemming was looking at was not particularly interesting to her, although it was kind of pretty, in a strange way. She didn't understand why someone would hang something on their wall, rather than go out and look at it for themselves. Like, for example, pictures of the ocean she had seen hanging on some walls. Princess saw the ocean every day, and it was much better to see it in person, rather than to look at a silly picture of it.
She quickly lost interest in the room she was standing in, since her vision was limited to purely what was in the small living room and kitchen area. Since she had already explored the kitchen of the blue house, Princess decided that it was not necessary to look around in this kitchen, as she would probably find the same sorts of things. Venturing further into the little house, Princess sat down with a loud bounce onto a bed, flopping backwards. This was nice, and so very different from the cave she usually slept in. Briefly, she wondered if she could find something like this in Dahlia, and if she could convince her mother to move out of the den, or to let her move out and live on her own so that she could have a nice bed like this one. Even after spending only a few minutes on it, Princess was far more comfortable than she was on most nights at home.
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Truly, the outdoor world was much more beautiful than anything that could be captured within a painting. There were a few interesting things trapped within those brush strokes, though, and such human creations could illustrate how they saw the world. A few paintings seemed to be merely reproductions of the what lay outside their doors, but they also betrayed an awe and wonderment of nature in the mind of the human. This, though often not making the painting all that interesting as it stood on its own, certainly added some value. More interesting, though, were the paintings that were not simple reflections of beautiful things. Strange ways of yielding the brush led to an interpretation that was different than any way that a working eye could see the world, and the usage of different colors could render an ordinary thing enchanting. And then there was the completely strange, the absolutely abstract, which seemed to represent a foray into the human mind so obscure and perhaps even dangerous. Human beings were odd things, in almost every aspect of their life, and such odd art revealed this more clearly than almost anything else the hairless creatures had left behind.
Hemming followed his scavenging companion out of the kitchen, but did not join her in the bedroom. Instead, he moved into a small room that housed a desk and a chair. He sat down on it tentatively, and it gave way a little beneath his weight but did not seem to want to drop him. The male found that it would turn as he did, and spun around a couple times before putting his feet back on the ground to stop. Though thrilling, it was not the most pleasant feeling. Taking a moment to look around the room, he saw another barren bookshelf, and a myriad of papers strewn about haphazardly. Picking one up, the wolf almost immediately found it disappointingly uninteresting (so many undecipherable numbers!) and put it back down where he had found it. It certainly didn't matter at all if everything stayed in the same place, but he could not overcome the urge.
With a sigh, the wolf thought about how boring a human house could really be once the allure had worn off. That held, of course, only if its inhabitants were not remarkably interesting - meaning they did not enjoy the same things that Hemming did.
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Gonna pull her out here. ^^ I'll leave it up to you whether you post again or if it's archived now, though, so, yeah. Maybe they' can have another thread sometime? =D 315 words.
Though the bed was very comfortable, Princess was bored again, trying to figure out what to do with herself in the little human house while she studied the ceiling curiously. What did the humans do with their time? She was thoroughly bored and though she normally would have found something interesting, she was not really interested in poking through all the nooks and crannies of another human house. It got too boring after a while, and it lost its appeal quickly after the first house. Pushing herself up off the mattress, the girl took a moment to steady herself, a little dizzy from the fast, sudden movement. Just a little vertigo, of course, and nothing major at that. Leaving the bedroom, she walked to another open door, peeking in to find Hemming sitting in a human's chair.
"Thanks for letting me explore with you," she said, entering the room slowly to survey the mess that surrounded them. Goodness. You'd think that they would have learned to clean up after themselves a little! This room was just a mess of papers mixed with the dust of age. "But I'm going to head home now, just so my mom doesn't get mad at me. I'm still not used to having her around," she admitted. For a moment, she wasn't sure how to go about saying good bye to Hemming, but she decided on leaving it as she had already spoken. With a small smile and wave, Princess turned to the door, flouncing out in a flurry of her poofy polka-dotted dress and leaving Hemming to do whatever it was he planned to do now that she was gone. Going straight home to Dahlia was not really something she wanted to do, but more than her mother, she was worried that Alexey would find her outside of the pack lands again, so she didn't see any other options.
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[html] Yes, they should! x) Thanks for the thread, I enjoyed it <3
Hemming had started to ponder the purpose of these papers. They certainly didn't contain any good reading material, instead consisting of rather cryptic sets of numbers and symbols. They surely weren't all that important, or they would have been better taken care of. Rather than actually doing any research into their use, the man simply pondered. His eyes traced constellations on the stucco ceiling as he thought, and perhaps it was a great relief when Princess' voice broke through his rather frustrating contemplation. Swivelling in his chair (he found this rather fun) to face her with a grin, he nodded at her explanation. It was probably time for him to get back to AniWaya, too. A cozy den was waiting for him.
"Thanks for accompanying me," he replied jovially, and lifted a hand in a wave as she disappeared into the corridor and out of the house. Hemming spun in the chair twice, putting a foot down on the ground to stop himself after each rotation so that he didn't get too dizzy. As he stretched his hands out in front of him and sighed his eyes flickered across the paper and furniture in front of him. The way that humans worked seemed to be almost impenetrable in its absurdness, and for the night Hemming resigned himself to the confusion and utter lack of understanding that, at this point, seemed rather inevitable.
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