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OOC: ::Word Count:: 500+
The sky was an intense shade of blue, the kind you see in the morning after a cool, calm, cloudless night. A few cotton candy clouds hung from the vast canopy, sprinkling the otherwise even surface with a few uneven shapes. The grass still kept its morning dew, giving Urma's paws as she made her way through it a refreshing sensation. She quickened her pace before breaking into a run and then lapsing back into a comfortable trod, exercising her muscles after the few days she had kept to herself in her den, catching up on some sleep and recovering from her tiresome journey. Crimson Dreams seemed asleep, like a giant wolf sleeping nestled together with its cubs.
She finally stopped near Havon Manor, and lay down in the grass, rolling around a bit to cool off her pelt. When she finally settled in a comfortable position, she looked in the direction of the manor, properly feeling for the first time the fact that she was home. She had never thought she'd be able to return here, to find it more or less unchanged, to be able to sit here, in this grass again. Sure, not a minute had gone by without her reliving the disappointment of finding herself alone here, not a second had gone by without her thoughts drifting towards Pilot, but somehow being here, in the middle of where it had all started, comforted her a bit more than standing by the boundaries had done. She knew that she'd have to start pulling her weight around, after Savina had been kind enough to take her back into the pack despite her hasty and unannounced departure. Maybe she'd even be able to help with the pups she had learned by word of mouth were Savina and Kansas's first litter. Although sometimes glimpsing the two together would always make her experience a pang of envy, would always stick to her mind as a reminder of what she would maybe never have, she couldn't help but feel immense happiness for the two and for how well they matched.
Urma placed her head on her front paws thoughtfully and closed her eyes, enjoying the sounds of the insects all around her. Her mind slowly wandered to her childhood stories, the tales wolves from her pack would share with everyone. She still remembered most of them, and the impressions they had made on her. Sitting here, near the heart of Crimson Dreams, thinking about Pilot and the choices she had made, she wondered how come in stories dying for a loved one could even be romantic, but in real life all one craved for was to be loved, truthfully, meaningfully, for the rest of their lives. Back when she was small, she had thought that stories often times had sad endings because life had the happy ones. As she let herself be carried off by her memories of Pilot, she wished she'd still be able to believe that. If only because it would mean he'd be back.
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thanks so much for starting! 370 words
It truly was a beautiful day, the sky a cerulean infinitely more brilliant than the dull grays that had been hanging around recently. The world around the little black pup was glowing with color, the viridian grass springing to life after the rains had nourished them. Gotham didn't take any interest in all these lovely colors though, his sapphire eyes instead captivated by a dragonfly that floated through the air, drifting from side to side sporadically. The boy had followed it from the flower garden he had found himself in earlier (what a wonderful place to find bugs!) and had paid absolutely no attention to where he followed it to. It was completely irrelevant where he was now, as long as the shimmery yellow insect was still before him.
His gaze stayed completely fixed on it, not even straying for a split second to make sure the path in front of him was clear. It was a little surprising that he didn't notice that there was an entire wolf laying not too far in front of him, especially since even though she was laying down the top of her head was about level with his, but the dragonfly had lifted itself higher into the sky and Gotham's eyes had followed it. Despite not seeing the female that was obstructing the path below the dragonfly, Gotham stepped over her. He was fairly careful in the steps he took, even though he was almost oblivious to the fact that it was actually someone he had just traversed, not just a stump or a hill, but since he was still quite small he made almost constant contact with her body as he crossed it. So intent on the dragonfly was he that he didn't realize it wasn't even someone he knew, either. How rude!
The dragonfly turned around on itself all of a sudden, and Gotham faithfully followed it. It flitted toward the female on the lawn, and all of a sudden the pup realized that she was there. And she seemed new to Crimson Dreams! Preoccupied, he yipped, "Oh, hie! Who are youuuu? Do ya like these big dragonflies?" He didn't even recognize that she was the obstacle he had encountered earlier.
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OOC: ::Word Count: 400+
Urma had almost dozed off, trapped as she was in her dreamland, before a faint nose, like that of another creature making its way through the grass startled her. She looked around her, but it wasn't until the small pup came closer to her that she actually managed to make out what it was. She couldn't suppress a smile at the little wolf who seemed transfixed by something overhead. Urma lifted her head and stared in the same direction, but because of the sunlight it took her a bit to discern what the little spot of colour on the sky was. She followed it with her eyes, just as hypnotized by it as the tiny wolf seemed to be. But all of a sudden the pup seemed to be on top of her, diligently following the dragonfly above, and Urma tried to stay as still as possible so as to prevent the ebony wolf from falling.
It took a while for him to reach firm ground again, but Urma didn't mind. The intense colour of his fur reminded her of someone, and she tried hard to remember who it was that the pup made her think of. Once he was on the ground again, still following the dragonfly, Urma looked at him thoughtfully, before he suddenly seemed to spot her. The pups she had known in Crimson Dreams had been Naniko's, but surely this was not one of them, as those would have grown up by now, not to mention that the wolf looking at her now didn't remind her of anyone of Naniko's. Surely... Urma's face broke into a smile as it finally clicked in her head that she was now in the company of one of the pups from Kansas and Savina's litter. How could she have mistaken that familiar pelt?
As if the small wolf hadn't had her undisputed attention until then, the minute he started talking Urma was certain she could hear nothing else. She stood up on all fours and padded over to him cheerfully, closing the almost insignificant distance between them in a quick stride. She flopped down on her belly again next to where he was, before answering with a smile, "I'm Urma. You probably haven't seen me around before. I came back from a really really long journey where there were lots of dragonflies just like that one you were following. Pretty big ones, seemed as colourful as the rainbow. But maybe we can find more around here, what do you say about that?" She tried to sound as friendly and reassuring as she could, so as not to frighten the small pup away. She couldn't wait to tell Savina how adorable her little pup was. "What's you name, by the way?"
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393 words
The dragonfly seemed to hover above the wolves as if it was hanging by a string, its fragile wings catching the sunlight like a stained glass window. Gotham kept his eyes on it, his thick dark eyelashes keeping the sun out of his eyes. He didn't break the link between him and the insect even as the stranger spoke to him. She had an interesting story, though, and as soon as 'journey' and 'dragonflies' were used in the same sentence, the boy's deep cerulean eyes darted towards her. He tipped his head to the side, intrigued by the things this female was saying. The boy didn't want to go on a really really long journey, because he liked his home very much, but just a little journey would be very fun indeed! "Yeah, I wanna go journeying to find lots of rainbow dragonflies!" All the things that she had said were coming together in his mind in a flurry of excitement. "I found dis one in deh garden dat Mati wouldn' lemme eat but I say, okay!, because the bugs are hungry and they have hungry babies!" he said with a very wide grin, very pleased with the idea that Urma - he repeated the name many times in his head so that he would remember it - had suggested.
He looked back to see where his dragonfly friend had gotten to, and a feeling of panic overtook him when he saw that it was no longer in the air. The feeling dissipated when he saw it sitting daintily on a blade of grass, and he breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Maybe this dragonfly would lead to more dragonflies! After staring at the creature for a moment to ensure that it wasn't going anywhere, the pup turned back to Urma to properly introduce himself. "My name is Gawthum," he said, enunciating the words carefully, "and I'm happy ta meet you!" He grinned widely, giving the dragonfly another glance to make sure it was still there. Maybe it would lift off soon, and lead them to a little nest full of dragonflies! The pup would be so pleased. And maybe, since Urma had gone on a long journey where there were lots of dragonflies, she would know the best place to find them. This was turning out to be such an exciting day!
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OOC: ::Word Count:: 400+
She watched the pup with enthusiasm, glad he was keen to do something alongside her, instead of viewing her as a potentially threatening stranger. She had never had the occasion to spend time with any of the other litters, in any pack she had been in, and the novelty of this experience filled her with a sense of anticipation. Maybe there were things she could still do without constantly reminding herself of Pilot's absence. Of course, back in her den, curled up on her own, Pilot's absence would seem more real than ever. The least she could do though, was teach herself to push it back. If she could make this pup's time more interesting, it would be selfish not to try.
"Well then, Gotham, if you're so eager to find the other dragonflies, let's not make them wait!" She stood up on all fours, then focused on the dragonfly they had been observing and which she had only now realized still captivated Gotham. It looked very peaceful and lazy as it stood there, perched on the blade of grass as if to it, grass were as solid as concrete, offering enough stability that it wouldn't have to struggle to maintain its balance. It was wonderful to notice the way some insects had the power to make you question the way you viewed a certain thing. To Urma, grass had always been something weak, that would bend at the slightest touch, always leaning in the direction the wind would push it, never having the energy or strength to keep straight. But to the dragonfly, it seemed grass was as solid as stone, and perhaps its enhanced perceptions of the grass's movements kept it as still as it was on the blade. Of course, there was no way they were ever going to get anywhere unless the dragonfly flew with them.
"I have an idea you might like... I know where dragonflies like to stay, but our little friend here also knows that. It's where he comes from. With a bit of luck, he might show us the way." Having said that, she padded the ground with her paw close enough to startle the dragonfly, which immediately took to the air. Smiling, Urma looked at Gotham and exclaimed, "Quick! Let's not lose it, okay?" She took a few steps in its direction, trying to convince Gotham to take the lead and pursue the dragonfly.
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403 words
When the other suggested that they shouldn't make the dragonflies wait, Gotham decided that he liked this Urma wolf very much! He grined widely and nodded, turning his gaze to the insect as she did. The pup did not recognize nor appreciate the way the dragonfly managed to sit upon the grass as if it were stone, his mind racing instead as thoughts of the dragonflies they might find in pursuit of this one rushed through his head. He would be so very happy to find a giant nest of these! Dragonflies would cloud the sky and their wings would buzz and catch the light in the most enchanting way. "Oh-kay!" the pup cried out, but he was not quite sure how to go about this plan. The dragonfly was still sitting on the grass, apparently very content where it was. So really, it was the dragonfly that was keeping the other dragonflies waiting! And Gotham had no control over the dragonfly, so what was he supposed to do? Urma would know, so the boy would wait for her to tell him.
It was only a few moments before the female spoke again, but Gotham was already starting to get worried. The dragonflies were waiting! Urma told him that she knew where the dragonflies lived, but then she said that the dragonfly might go back home. The idea had been lingering in the back of the boy's head, but it would have taken a while for it to crawl out. Of course it would be more fun to chase a dragonfly down that it would be to just go straight to where they lived, even though he was very excited to see them, so he nodded at her plan. As she stepped forward the dragonfly launched itself upward, seeming to possess a strength that didn't fit inside its own body. Gotham let out a long yip of excitement as the alabaster female urged him on, and for a moment his two paws were off the ground, his mouth open. He didn't let the dragonfly escape his gaze, though, and after a moment he was trotting after it quickly, tongue lolling and bright eyes fixed to the sky. The boy didn't know for sure, but he hoped that Urma was close behind. Just in case he lost track of the dragonfly, she would know where to find the others. Oh, this was so wonderful!
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OOC: ::Word Count:: 500+
Urma let Gotham take the lead, watching him happily as he followed the dragonfly, so readily believing it might lead to others. The truth was, Urma did know where it was most likely to find them, but she doubted the dragonfly would actually fly there of its own accord, without having accomplished whatever it was it had set out to accomplish in the first place. More likely was it was just trying to get away from the attention, unaware of the fact that Gotham would not give up the chase so easily. However, Urma took pleasure in seeing the small pup so involved in their quest, and made a mental note to tell Savina how adorable he was and congratulate her on successfully carrying and delivering a healthy litter. The thought remained in her mind a while as she followed Gotham, keeping an eye on him not to stumble, as he was paying little attention to anything else but his winged friend. She thought whether she'd ever see the day she could have her own puppies. She wondered how her life would be then. It was, however, early to think of that-- there was no use in tormenting herself with thoughts of maybe, one day, being the one to raise Pilot's offsprings.
The dragonfly seemed to be keen on leading them in the right direction, its wings beating against the wind undeterred, and they had followed its course close to Rabbit Lake, where Urma had intended to arrive sooner or later anyway. The lake came into view over the tall grass, and she knew it was near impossible not to find any dragonflies around, seeing as on every occasion she had had to come anywhere near the lake, she had always spotted a few hiding between the dense vegetation and the water edge. Suddenly, the dragonfly veered off course and flew higher, in the direction the sun was coming from, making itself impossible to spot, given you would be staring directly into the sun. Urma stood on edge a few seconds, scanning the sky around them, but all to no avail. She had failed to see where the dragonfly had gone to. Decided not to let this sadden Gotham, she said, "Well, it seems it only wanted to show us where it came from, but not introduce us to its family and friends. But we've come so far, and the other ones have already seen us, so it would be just rude not to introduce ourselves personally, wouldn't it?" She raised a paw to indicate the lake's edge, where, beyond the expanse of grass, flickered a few specks of colours. "What do you say, then? First one to the dragonflies wins?" She made a few hasty steps foward, in a pretend sprint to encourage Gotham to run the small distance towards the lake. It wasn't a long way to the edge of Rabbit Lake, and she knew it wouldn't take Gotham long to get there, nor tire him out. "Just be careful not to slip in the lake, okay?"
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702 words
It was quite a jaunt for the little boy, to go all the way out to Rabbit Lake, but he didn't even notice that there was so much distance falling beneath his floppy paws. The time seemed to go by in an instant, measured only by the rapid flick of the dragonfly's wings. He followed it faithfully, his paws almost subconsciously moving around any obstacle that might be in his path. He knew that Urma was close by, and was glad because otherwise he might not be able to follow the dragonfly all the way to the lake. The boy was getting bigger, but he still wasn't quite big enough to go too far on his own. Places like the lake could be dangerous, as well, and he wouldn't want to fall in while he was alone or with his sisters because he still didn't know how to swim. And there were no bugs to watch, or so he thought, on the bottom of the lake.
When the dragonfly started its steep descent upward, Gotham followed it with his eyes the best he could. He stopped his trot, and gradually lowered himself back onto his haunches as he craned his head up to watch the little bug disappear. It swung itself in front of the sun, and Gotham, so caught up in its shimmery flight, followed it there. As the bright light became unbearable, though, he immediately drew his head back and looked at the ground. Little funny purple things were floating around in the grass. The boy closed his eyes tightly, to wash them away, but that only seemed to make them stronger. On top of that, he felt slightly dizzy and, of course, sad that he had let his little friend escape.
Urma was quick to cheer him up by presenting a very optimistic interpretation of the dragonfly's sudden departure. The translucent purple things that had been floating in Gotham's vision were starting to fade, and the boy turned his gaze up to the lake. Looking over it briefly - he had seen it from a distance, but had never been this close before - he smiled a little at the female's words, and turned back to her. It would be rude if they didn't introduce themselves! The dragonfly had shown the two wolves where they lived, but maybe it was too shy to actually bring out the family. Gotham could understand that. "Yus!" he replied excitedly, his tail thwomping back and forth in the air.
The female instigated a race, and as the boy saw her move quickly he started to bound forward, carried by the energy of his own excitement. After her first few fast steps were over, the pup pulled in front of her, galloping through the grass with his tongue lolling from his mouth. The race and his desire to win it were quickly lost from his mind, though he kept running as fast as he could. His eyes were set on the reeds that rimmed the lake, the dense areas of vegetation that would be a haven to many insects. Gotham heeded Urma's warning and slowed rapidly as he approached. The pup was aware of the marshy edge, though his eyes were more interested in looking for places that the dragonflies might be, and was subconsciously careful not to step in the muck.
His running ceased and his breath still heaving in his chest, the boy took a few slow, curious steps toward a particularly dense patch of reeds. Wagging his tail, he tentatively sniffed the outermost plants before thrusting his entire head inside and crying out, "Helwoahhh dragonflies! I'm Gawthum!" His face was immediately filled with little bugs that swarmed upwards, and he pulled his head out and shook it before plunging it back in. It was hard to see any dragonflies at all in the dense, tall grasses, but he pulled his head out again and was quite pleased to see four of them lift out into the air. With a squeal of excitement - so many dragonflies in just this little patch! - he turned back to Urma to let her see the sheer awe that was welling up inside of him.
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OOC: ::Word Count: 400+
Urma felt pleased that Gotham was having fun. It seemed the least she could do, cheering up Savina's pup. After all, his mother had a lot on her mind, and this way at least there was someone to keep an eye on him, and maybe keep him busy until he was exhausted enough to nap in the afternoon. Of course, for now he seemed very eager about their little treasure hunt, so to say, and that was just about enough for Urma. Pups had a sense of gratitude in them that made them appreciate the small things quite easily. Of course, her steps were slow as she let Gotham win with an impressive advantage, and when she was finally at his side, she made to nuzzle his neck, unsure however of how he would react. "Congratulations! I didn't even see you fly by so fast. If you'd have wings, you'd be just like them," Urma said, indicating the dragonflies with a motion of her muzzle.
She watched him stick his head in the grass, scaring the dragonflies out into the open, and she couldn't help but smile at the innocence of it, the sheer happiness it brought to his features. She watched the four insects as they circled their way around their heads, without flying very far away, however, as if they were pleased to make Gotham's acquaintance. Of course, taking into account how adorable he was, it wouldn't have surprised Urma if that were the case. She stuck her own nose in another patch of grass, managing to startle two dragonflies out of their shelter, and she turned in Gotham's direction to see if he had spotted. In the meantime, the two dragonflies she had startled were flying towards the lake, and she pointed towards them excitedly, trying to capture the small wolf's attention. The insects were keeping close to one another, almost as if trying to protect each other. "See, Gotham? They're flying together, wanting to keep an eye out so nothing happens to the other. Just like Mom and Dad, huh?" She smiled a heartfelt smile, although it pained her to think that she could have had that with Pilot as well. But this was no time to let Gotham in on her feelings. She wanted to keep him happy. "You know what that means, don't you?" She took another step towards the pup, smiling playfully. "It means they have small little dragonflies just like you! Want to find them?"
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I love Urma :3
506 words
The boy smiled at her congratulations, and leaned into the nuzzle she gave him. This wolf was so good at finding dragonflies, and so good at making Gotham happy! Those were two things that the pup liked very much, because who didn't like dragonflies and being happy? He grinned at her, liking the idea that could be one of those most wonderful insects if he only had wings. How wonderful it would be, to dart around the blue sky and find rest upon a blade of grass. Maybe, one day, if he ran fast enough, he would just lift into the air! He was small and clumsy, though, and he knew that, even though he had won the race, he probably couldn't run fast enough yet. The boy would have to wait until his legs were as long as his enormous paws suggested they should be, and then he'd try again. Oh, it was such a beautiful idea, but the boy knew it wasn't possible to fly without wings, and it wasn't possible to just grow wings. Maybe one day he would solve that problem, somehow, because flying would be such a marvellous way to spend an afternoon.
Gotham watched as the dragonflies hovered in the air, peering at him with their strange eyes. He could not explain the feeling that he felt as he watched them float in the air as if by some strange magic, but a grin was pulled so wide across his face that, he worried, it might get stuck that way! He looked away just in time to see Urma stick her face in a patch of grass, and he bounded closer to her as two of the insects floated toward the lake. Just as before, his gaze stayed locked on them as they drifted away. He found it amazing that they could fly so close together without getting their long wings tangled.
Urma's statement about his parents made the boy's tail wag. He thought that they had been maybe a little weird lately, but really they were just like the dragonflies that wanted to keep each other safe. What excited him even more than the mention of his parents was the idea that there might be little dragonflies, too. He squealed in delight and cried out, "Yeeaah!" The pup had absolutely no clue where they could be found, but his mind was already starting to work. Since the little puppy dragonflies weren't with their parents, they must be at least as old as Gotham and his sisters, old enough to wander off on their own. So where would they be? Not too far away, probably, because Gotham didn't wander too far away yet either. He always went home at night, so maybe the little ones did too, but the boy didn't even know where their home was, and even if he did, he would have to go home too! Completely befuddled, he sat down beside his guide and simply peered up at her with wide blue eyes, waiting for instruction.
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OOC: I'm sorry it took me so long to get to this :/ *fails* ::Word Count:: 500+
Urma followed Gotham with her eyes, delighted herself to see him so happy and radiant. She had to admit that his company took her mind off the stress she was going through now, trying not to chase sleep away with thoughts about whether or not Pilot was safe and if they would ever meet again. Now she finally had the chance to do something different, and trading the company of the adults for a few hours with Gotham seemed to work in uplifting her spirits. It was impossible to feel down in the dumps when this small pup ran and chased dragonflies around you, urging you to keep him in a good mood by the sheer joy he could impress upon you. She reclined to her haunches next to Gotham and quickly gathered her scattered thoughts, trying to think how best to approach the matter of finding small dragonflies. Hopefully, there would be at least some.
She decided to try a different tactic, and suddenly sprang to her feet, declaring, on a faux-military tone, "A-tten-tion! Calling all troups, please report immediately! We have just been informed that a group of small dragonflies is buzzing around nearby. All available Scouts should scatter around the area and try to locate as many of these insects as possible!" She smiled widely at Gotham, hoping this little acting game had amused him. "Well, what do you know, you're the only Scout around here... What do you say, then, are you going to rise to the challenge? I bet there could be small dragonflies anywhere around here. Small, colourful insects with lovely wings that we can watch fly by us in a second. How does that sound?" She hoped it sounded interesting. She wanted the small wolf to have fun, and these dragonflies seemed to be exactly his cup of tea. Anyway, Urma knew there had to be at least a few smaller ones around, and those would keep Gotham busy for some time, seeing as they were slow flyers in the beginning.
Again she ran and put a bit of a distance between them, and started bothering the dense vegetation around the lake, in an attempt to encourage Gotham to claim the prize of their treasure hunt, so to say, before her. It felt nice, trying to entertain the pup, and it gave Urma a sense of accomplishment that she could at least make this innocent creature happy. Moments like this one with Gotham made Crimson Dreams more of a home to her each day, convincing her that, unless there was any certain sign that Pilot was somewhere, there was nothing else she could do but wait for him and try to occupy her time as best she could. Eventually, she'd figure out a way of making the nights more approachable too. Maybe, even, one day, she’d have pups of her own, and Gotham, all grown up, would keep them company. But that would be a long time from now, and for the time being, Urma was content with enjoying the small wolf’s company.
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oh, no problem! i love your avatar.
300+
The boy stumbled backwards a little as Urma jumped up, but quickly found his feet again and stood, joining in the game, as straight and tall as he could. He was a Scout, they needed him! Gotham stifled a giggle, knowing it would betray the seriousness of the event. A grin still pulled across his maw, though, and he couldn't help but let the end of his tail twitch just a little. He would rise to the occasion, just like the dragonflies rose on their rice paper wings, and he would find the little baby dragonflies. "Yus Sergeant!" he replied with enthusiasm, giving a brisk nod.
With that, he turned and ran away from her. As he pushed his head into a tall bunch of reeds, he noticed that she was doing the same. So, apparently the Sergeants had to do these types of things, too. The boy wasn't all that competitive, but there was an intent to find some little dragonflies first, just to impress his new friend. She seemed to be some kind of expert in dragonfly hunting, and he wanted to make her proud, as well. It would probably make her feel good to see that he was learning!
He went about his search systematically, pushing his head into the plants that seemed to bunch together in spots close to the lake. He remembered the first time that he had done it, and closed his eyes and his mouth for all subsequent trials. It wasn't nice to get filled with little bugs, and after all it was kind of hard to see in there, so he didn't really need his eyes open anyway. It also seemed like the dragonflies, the creatures he was interested in, all left the grasses and flew up above. Gotham startled a few into the air, but still hadn't found any little ones. He made his way around the edge of the lake carefully, though, and continued on his hunt with the occasional squeal as dragonflies popped out of the top with just a little bit of harassment.
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OOC: Thanks lots  ::Word Count:: 300+
Urma was happy to see that Gotham had fallen into their little game without a second thought. The fact that he didn't hesitate to trust her gave her the confidence that she was a good entertainer for the young pup. She bothered the tall grass herself, matching Gotham's pace and speed, smiling at his every delighted squeal. She was honestly befuddled how dragonflies could prove to be so much fun, and she wondered whether she would have found them so entertaining as a small pup, if her climate would have allowed their existence. Maybe their colours and impressive speed, or their sometimes lazily held precarious balance on a mere blade of grass made them interesting. Whatever it was, she knew that for as long as it would prove fun for Gotham, it would be fun for her as well.
Still, their current tactic didn't seem to be working. Maybe she had been hasty in assuming there were small dragonflies at all, and her ears pressed to her head at the thought that she would have to disappoint the small pup. She didn't want him to feel let down, after all his searching and the way down to the lake. She had had to think beforehand that something like this might happen, and stop herself from promising things she couldn't know for sure. But, caught in his delight, she had lost her mind and said whatever came to mind. Suddenly, an idea occurred to her that might not upset Gotham as much, "Don't be upset if we don't find any, Gotham. If they're small, they probably don't have strong enough wings to fly. Which means that we'll have to come back a bit later. Won't that be fun then too, returning here? " She hoped it would be fun. She didn't want to see the small pup flop back on his haunches and let disappointment envelop him. She felt it was a priority that his day didn't go to waste.
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 !
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Gotham was having so much fun just looking for the baby dragonflies that it didn't really matter if they actually found any or not. The big ones were entertainment enough, anyway, and the way they shimmered as they lifted out of the tall grasses supplied enough beauty and elegance for the entire day. It was kind of strange, though, that no little ones were appearing. Perhaps the two wolves had bad timing and had come to the lake during little dragonfly nap time. Usually, the raven boy would have taken this into consideration and stopped immediately, because he would have thought that the dragonflies wouldn't have liked to be woken up by some strange creature, but there was far too much thrill involved to even allow him a moment to think such thoughts. He continued to shove his head into the grass, pausing only as Urma spoke. The boy lifted his head and looked at her, thinking about what she was saying. It all made complete sense, and she even left hope for finding the little guys on a later date! He grinned at her and nodded briskly.
If the little ones didn't have enough strength in their wings to fly, Gotham didn't want to scare them because they wouldn't be able to escape and that would make it even more frightening for the little beasts. Instead of continuing to stick his head in the bits of tall grass, he trotted happily over to Urma. As he moved, three dragonflies floating over the lake caught his attention and he didn't regain it in time to stop himself from nosing the alabaster female in the side. He pulled back suddenly, a little startled, and fell to his haunches. "Wups!" he cried, "Sarry." The boy looked up at her for a moment, sky eyes wide, before standing up again and busying himself with a tall blade of grass, pulling at it. Gotham wasn't completely sure why he had come over, but he enjoyed Urma's presence and was happy to be close to her. Perhaps it was because he wanted to see what she was doing over here, and was no longer distracted by the desire to startle baby dragonflies and make them fly into the air. Gotham would be so terrified if some big creature came and tried to get him to run away!
After a moment of being distracted by the blade of grass and pulling at it with his little front teeth, he looked back up to the female and asked earnestly, "Do yew think dat I have scurred the little ones?" His forehead was creased with a concern that, after just a few seconds of churning in his head, had come to the surface.
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Urma followed Gotham with her eyes, glad to see that that the fact that they might not find any small dragonflies hadn't dispirited the pup in the slightest. She didn't want him to think the day had gone to waste, because it had been very fun to go searching for the colourful insects and she'd definitely be up to go again at another time. Now she had to think of a different game for them to play, one that would hopefully entertain the small wolf just as much as their dragonfly hunt had done. She smiled as Gotham fell back, almost bumping into her side, and she shook her head slightly to say that she hadn't minded at all. "I doubt you have. Like I said, they're probably too small to fly at any rate. But we could play something else as well, couldn't we?" She sat up, looking around, and an idea occurred to her out of the blue. "Would you be up for a hide and seek game? I'll count."
She paced around a bit, keen to find a good place where there would be accessible hiding places for Gotham, as well as a place for her to count. They'd also have to move slightly from the edge of the water, in case the small pup slipped in, which Urma didn't want to happen. "We shouldn't be too close to the lake, otherwise we might trip and tumble in. We wouldn't want to take a swim just now, would we?" She tried to keep him focused on her as she moved away from the edge to a safer place surrounded by firm soil. Urma didn't want to take any chances with the wolf, seeing as his small frame didn't stand much chance, and even if she could fish him out, she didn't want him to have a bad experience with the water. He'd learn to enjoy it as he grew and it was premature to let it potentially frighten him now. She smiled at him warmly, hoping he'd take her offer for a new game.
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The little dragonflies would grow up as Gotham did, the shimmery cerulean scales on their long bodies reflecting that of his eyes. He would keep an eye out for them, and if he wasn't with Urma when he saw them take off for the first time he would go and find her. It was exciting to think that these tiny things were strengthening their wings to someday fly, and there was a twinge of jealousy within the boy. How wonderful it would be, to lift above the ground and drift away! Things would look so different from above. The trees would be shrunk into caricatures of themselves, the manor would be simplified into a roof and walls. Gotham could barely imagine what the manor would look like from above, but did dragonflies ever really get that high anyway? Certainly, they were a great distance off the ground for their own size, but they didn't seem to reach the height that birds did. Perhaps it would be better to be a bird. The pup thought that they ate dragonflies, too; score two for the feathered creatures.
Dragonflies did not lose their appeal even if birds had come out on top, and Gotham was a little relieved when Urma suggested a different game. This way, even if he wasn't scaring the little dragonflies before, he wouldn't have to risk scaring them at all. Maybe then they would come out earlier, because they weren't frightened that a big black wolf would get them! A grin cracked the boy's face, and he nodded. Hide and seek was a fun game, and though there seemed to be a dearth of hiding places out here, Gotham was sure he would find a good one. "Okay!" His black tail wiggled around in the air, and he followed the alabaster female a bit farther away from the lake. It was good that she had said she would count, because hiding was Gotham's favourite part.
It was maybe a tiny bit chilly to go for a swim now, and so Gotham nodded curtly at her words. He still wasn't a very strong swimmer, but he would like some practice! Perhaps the lake, at least this part of it, would not be the best place to learn. There were so many plants that probably lived in the water, too, and he wouldn't want to get his paw tangled! That would be scary.
When he felt that they were a satisfactory distance away from the marshy edge of the lake, he bounded forward and cried backwards, "Okay, I'm a-hidin' now!" His little body bounced through the grass as he ran, blue eyes swivelling to find a good place to hide. Since the little dragonflies were so good at hiding, maybe it would be good to hide where they were! Urma hadn't found the little guys, so maybe she wouldn't find Gotham if he hid in the same place. Looking backwards to make sure that the female wasn't watching, he turned behind a tall patch of cattails and grasses that strayed from the water's edge, and carefully, so as not to ruffle the grasses too obviously, crept in. Once he felt that he was deep enough to not be seen, he laid down and peered with a single eye through a tiny gap at the female, who had become just a splotch in the distance. He felt that it was a pretty good hiding spot, but unfortunately the pup had failed to account for his tail, which protruded from the patch of brush and laid limp across the grass. She would never find him!
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Urma wagged her tail in response to Gotham's readiness to jump into another activity. It was reassuring to know that she wasn't boring the little pup out of his mind with her rather unentertaining ideas. Although she loved spending time with small wolves and keeping them busy, she was never sure of the best way to do all that. She was never sure if she had the right ideas at the right time, so it always felt like a challenge to her to keep the smile on their faces. Which was exactly what she was experiencing now with Gotham-- her fear of taking a wrong step and losing the momentum they had gathered. As long as the small wolf was enjoying himself and wasn't feeling tired, she knew there was nothing else to worry about and she could continue the same way she had started. She trusted herself enough to catch on to when the delighted sparkle would fade from her mischievous companion's eyes, but so far that hadn't been the case at all.
Urma smiled and turned towards a grey rock she decided should be 'home base'. It was large enough to be easily spotted amidst the tall grass, and within Gotham's reach. She lay down on her stomach in front of the rock and buried her head between her paws before starting to count. She counted up to 20 slowly, then got up to her feet and scanned the area. Her plan was to spot Gotham or catch his scent in such a way that she could turn in a different direction completely, leaving him time to run towards 'home base'. She'd do this maybe once or twice, before finally finding him, but would then allow herself to be found very easily. All of a sudden the pup's tail caught the corner of her eye, and she smiled before trotting off in the opposite direction. She pretended to sniff the grass and turn around every so often, so as not to make the small wolf suspect anything. Once she was far enough to allow Gotham time to make it safely to the chosen spot, she began looking around trees and exclaiming surprised remarks about how she had been sure she had seen him, making sure it was loud enough for the wolf to hear.
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He had his eyes fixed on home base, and when the time was right he would make a break for it! His tongue poked between his little front teeth as he watched Urma with concentration, waiting for her to distance herself sufficiently to give the little pup time enough to get to the rock without her getting there first. He heard her words and wondered if maybe her nose was broken, because she had gone in the complete opposite direction and had no clue that she was actually getting farther and farther away from him! Gotham stifled a small giggle and continued to watch the white female. He was a little nervous to head towards the rock, just in case the female turned around and spotted him, but he had learned that he was a pretty fast runner!
When Urma reached the trees, Gotham carefully backed out of the tall grasses, trying to ruffle them as little as possible. Keeping his mind on where the seeker was, he tried to keep himself on the opposite side of some kind of obstacle so that she couldn't see him. Being black, he was fairly obvious against his surroundings, but he pushed himself close to the ground and kept his head low and crept. He fixed his eyes on the big rock, moving them occasionally to maintain a general idea of where his opponent was. Creeping slowly and carefully, he imagined himself the very image of sneakiness. Sneakiness was just not the fastest way, though, and when he was a few meters away from home base he leapt from his crouched position and sprinted towards the rock.
He reached his goal and jumped right up on top of it. Settling onto his haunches and lifting his paws into the air, he grinned widely and yipped, "Ha-haa!" Victory belonged to Gotham!
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Urma made herself busy looking around the trees, sniffing the air seriously, as if in a real predicament as to Gotham's whereabouts. She glanced in the direction of the pup out of the corner of her eye, making sure he was safe and nothing had happened while she was fooling around for his benefit. Her ears picked up a soft rustle somewhere behind her, and she chuckled to herself, imagining Gotham stealthily making his way towards home base, unaware that this was all that she really wanted. But she wanted him to be unaware of it, so that the game would be as fun as it could for the small pup. It wasn't as if she wanted him to suspect she was doing it on purpose, which was what made her decide to find him the next time around, before allowing herself to be spotted easily when it was Gotham's turn to be the seeker.
She was absorbed by these thoughts when the pup's victorious cry announced him as the winner. Urma grinned broadly to herself, but put up a shocked expression on her face as she turned to spot the little wolf on top of the rock. She trotted up to him, wearing the same incredulous look, and as she sat down next to him, she smiled widely as she said, "Congratulations! I didn't even sense you coming!" Her voice betrayed nothing of her innocent plot and instead sounded as unbelieving as if she had truly failed to find him. She tried to look disappointed at the prospect of having to be seeker again, but didn't keep it up for long, lest it would upset the pup. "It looks like it's my turn again, huh?" Urma let escape a small sigh, keeping the same act on, before lying down flat on her stomach yet again, ready to count. "You're really good at this," she added encouragingly, all the while satisfied that her plot not to find him had entertained him enough.
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Urma seemed surprised that he had won! Perhaps she was used to winning. The idea made Gotham a little excited that maybe he was actually good at this game. The boy beamed from on top of the big rock, watching as his female companion sat down beside him. To her congratulations he only offered a small smile. He had only won once, after all, so it wasn't really proven that he was good at the game. It would be a few more times before he would consider himself competent. And, of course, he had to win fairly. Urma seemed rather lost on that last round, and Gotham had seriously considered that he was playing someone that had no sense of smell. The thought hadn't really crossed his mind that she might be fooling him, but there was, as for every situation he found himself in, a little seed of doubt in the boy's head that would grow into a tree of disbelieve if given sufficient rain. Gotham had a critical mind, and he would not suspend his disbelief for too long without a seriously good reason.
He was completely pleased with winning, though, because he got to hide again! To be a good representative of the male portion of the species he had to be sneaky, and this was certainly a skill he was working on now. Of course, he had to work on hunting and finding, too, and if Urma didn't win soon enough he would just have to ask her to switch. She seemed kind of disappointed for just a minute there, and Gotham's eyebrows arched in sympathy. If she had kept it up for just a little bit longer he would have offered to be the seeker, but the expression quickly faded from her features and she encouraged him to hide again. "Guess so," he replied softly, hoping that her continuing role did not make her unhappy.
Though he knew that he couldn't accept the idea that he was good at the game without a few more trials, the little words added an extra bit of bounce to his step. He bounded away as she started to count, this time off to the side that she had been looking for him before, and moved close to the trees. For a moment he wished that he could climb them, because it would be so easy to disappear within the leafy and multitudinous branches, but that desire dissipated as he spotted a little nook inside a tree, where the large roots seemed to cross over. He was too small to climb the tree, but still a good size to wiggle into the little bit of concealed space. The boy backed in, so as not to get stuck with his face in the dirt, and pressed himself to the ground as much as possible. His head was still level with the ground, and he tried to correct for that by pressing his ears back. Now, he mustn't make a noise! Gotham even considered closing his eyes, because other than those bright blue peepers he looked quite the shadow.
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