Okay, so this is a crappy start. And I'm so sorry for taking forever with this. 300+

There were indeed a few unpleasant things to drag Rio down into the dark of a gloomy mindset, but, strangely enough, she was able to pull herself away from this place whenever it loomed near. It used to be that there was not a day wherein the raven girl didn't fall to tears, spending hours feeling a deep sense of wrong in the world. But without ever being taught, she always found the strength to resurrect herself into happiness again.



Over the past several weeks, since just beyond the rebirth of Summer, Rio had not shed a tear. She owed this prolonged cheerfulness entirely to her small fox friend. They had been together for under a month, yet she couldn't remember the feeling of her loneliness before. It was as if Toki had always been there. Recently she was occupied with earning his trust and with his general care, leaving little time for her to feel sorry for herself.



Rio had awakened that morning to the sun streaming through the windows of the cabin. Toki expressed his hunger to her (he was always hungry!) in the form of high-pitched squeals, and therefore she was up and outside in a matter of moments. Carrying the little fox in her arms, Rio headed toward one of her favorite places, Three Moons Ranch. There were always mice and rabbits browsing in its lush, green fields. They arrived at a broken slot in the old fence surrounding the ranch, which Rio's tiny frame slipped through with ease. She set Toki on the grass and shifted into her wolf form for easier hunting, and together they set off across the sunny field, noses quivering to capture the scents around them.

300+

They were not ten strides away from the old fence when a beige figure entered their peripheral vision. Rio paused and looked to Toki to do the same, sniffing inquisitively towards the approaching canine. Immediately, she identified the canine as her sister. A smile bloomed upon her dark features, plume waving slowly at first and then more rapidly when her sibling fell into step beside her. They had not spent much time together, not since they'd played as puppies. Rio knew very little about Lucia, which seemed wrong enough. Then again, none of the Marino-D'Angelo children spent much time with one another. It was as if they'd raced through their youth and chosen their own paths very early in life — perhaps another consequence of their parents' lack of attention.

Though she wanted nothing more in that moment than to tackle her sister to the ground and shower her face with kisses, a hunt was at hand. With a beaming smile so brightly full of love that Lucia must have noticed, Rio resumed her easy, graceful lope across the swaying field. The smell of rabbit was thick in the air. Rio did not like eating rabbits (they were so intelligent and adorable), but her fox friend did not harbor such inhibitions. He trotted ahead of the sisters, then fell into a crouch. His sable companion copied him, and they strode in stalking position towards three brown rabbits that grazed several yards ahead.

In another breath, Toki took off, racing towards the rabbits with abandon. Glancing first at Lucia to ensure that she knew what their plan was, Rio followed her fox friend and they pounced in unison upon their selected quarry. The soft texture of the rabbits fur cushioned her jaws until she cracked the creature's neck with her fangs, feeling a rush of pity with the sound.

eww, sorry about the delay. ilu! and I really like Lucia too. 300+

Lucia's returned smile whisked away the needling worry that her tawny sister no longer cared for her as much as before, as if Lucia's feelings for her had changed. Perhaps all that had changed was who they each were on the inside. Still, she longed for those carefree days, wishing that she could rewind with her brother and sisters and enter the cheerful mindset that they'd shared as children. Maybe it was normal for siblings to go running in opposite directions, but that did not mean Rio liked it. She wasn't quite ready to grow up.

While she and Toki stalked after their prey, Lucia followed close behind. Rio's and her fox's hunts had been surprisingly simple, with only a moment or so of pursuit and nothing more. She only hoped that the commotion they'd caused wouldn't make Lucia's hunt especially difficult. As Rio sat back upon her haunches, one paw resting idly on the rabbit's limp form, she watched her sister with cautious periwinkle eyes. Fortunately, Lucia had the rabbit in only a few extra strides. Smile returning, Rio's ears lowered and tail thumped the grass as the emerald-eyed woman joined them. That was fun, she spoke cheerfully. Hunting was much more enjoyable when others came along; she was even able to let the rabbit's life go with silent thanks to the powers that had given it to her.

Toki had immediately begun munching away, but Rio held back. Her belly twisted on itself, nervous. She stole a few fleeting glances to her sister's pretty face, all kinds of memories continuing to invade her mind. She came to realize that she hardly knew who the other was. How have you been, Luci? she asked carefully, her tone sincere. Hopefully, it wasn't too late to get to know Lucia again, as long as she started now, at this wonderful opportunity.

Yay! 300+

Rio was disappointed when Lucia's answer came with a lack of detail. She had expected that disappointment, though. It was part of the anxiety that made her slow to dig into her meal. The simple, but upsetting reality of the absence of closeness between them created a relationship that acquaintances shared. She could not have planned to hear more about Lucia's life. As a matter of fact, the sable girl found herself unsure of where to start in her response to Lucia's heartfelt return. Truthfully, she could have answered many different ways, but she took a moment to think of which to choose. She followed her sister's pretty jade gaze to Toki, who became aware of their shared attention upon him and looked up with doleful brown eyes, glancing between them.

Whats? Just answers her, he whispered to his partner, who shifted her own gaze back her sister with a small half smile. We have been well... At this, Toki frowned. Rio understood that he wanted her to share more. The two were linked somehow, the fox harboring deep compassion for his larger canine companion. He had the ability to point her in the right direction, no matter how insigficantly she became lost. As well as we can be, Rio finished as amendment of her previous words, her voice falling in volume. Another rush of emotion overtook her, causing her to look down at the rabbit she had just killed. Toki licked his bloodstained maw and then used it to prod Rio's kill closer to her, wanting her to eat. Slowly, Rio bent and began to rip fur from the animal's soft hide, exposing the flesh. She took a dainty, but large bite, chewed and swallowed.

She sighed. Silence had ensued -- she didn't like it. Silence was all there had been between Lucia and her. Much as she wished to avoid heaviness, much as she wanted smiles and laughter instead, there were barriers she had to break first. Lucia... I've wanted to ask you... Do you miss Mama? Immediately, she looked away, pale yet bright eyes falling again to her rabbit. As Toki was glaring at her again, she obliged to eat more of her rabbit, needing something else, something normal like eating, while she caught up with her beloved, stranger of a sister.