+663 Post-date is fine with me. Enter Sky and Casper, the fainting goat!

Life inside the packlands was insane these days. The fact that Sky was in love with Shawchert was quickly becoming public knowledge since her talk with the co-leader Skye about it. At the time, she hadn't cared about other people knowing, but now that she was getting side-glances every step of the way home, it had become unnerving. She rarely left the house anymore, and when she did, it was to walk little Casper to the forest and back, or else to take a walk on her own, to clear her head. She was doing that a lot lately, much to her own dismay.

Today she was with Casper, the little black-and-white goat she'd blackmailed from poor Bangle. She loved the little guy, and he'd become quieter since she'd obtained him, the only sound of him being the 'clap clap' of his little hooves on the occasion hard patch or rock. Her own paws made no noise, even as she broke through tiny bits of ice, the thick fur around her ankles quickly muffled it. Like a ghost shepherd, Sky meandered through the thick forest trails in the Ethereal Eclipse. She brought Casper on these trips for the sake of finding her way back; the goat left deep prints in the snow for her to follow, much more noticable than her own. And with her horrible sense of direction these days, it was easy to get lost.

All was silent for a good long while, with Sky mulling over her thoughts and memories of the days past. These last few weeks had been torture for her. The only good points had been gaining Casper, and discovering that people would gladly come to her for piercings. She'd worked hard on her singing rank, and once things died down and her punishment for fighting with Orin was up, she was bound to get that promotion soon... maybe even her co-rank.

Her thoughts were interrupted by another voice, one that startled both her and Casper, who instantly went rigid and fell over. Sky stepped out of the way of the beastie, and sighed with amusement. "Come on, Cas. Up you get." She bent down to hoist him up onto his feet again, as she was used to doing now, and then tugged on his leash, heading towards the voice. With alert eyes and ears, the girl trodded forward, coming to the small invisable border and looking up a few feet to spot the boy.

He was much younger than her, probably not even a year yet, and his fur was a rich tan in color, with intricate markings on his face and hazel-brown eyes. He looked a bit stocky, but she guessed someday he'd grow into it. Boy was wearing enough winter layers to suffocate a horse, which brought an amused smile to Sky's face. My first border meet. I wonder how Skye would react. As far as her nose could tell, he was from a pack. Which one, though, she didn't recognise off hand. Still, better to approach.

Sky herself was wearing the usual faded jeans and sweater, the poor thing that was stained and torn by now, with a nice faux fur women's winter jacket overtop. A cute blue scarf was tied around Casper's neck, kept taught and away from dangling or being chewed on. Both were matching at this point, with the blue jacket a perfect color match to the goat's scarf.

"Hey. I'm Sky Katruk of Cercatori D'Arte. This is our border here.. can I help you?" Probably not the most professional greeting, but at least it did the trick. She held firm the leash of her pet and approached, tail itching to lift a bit, taking a slightly dominant stance. She didn't try to look hostile, keeping a calm, friendly smile on her face, and her hackles flat under her coat. Still, those icey-blue eyes were suspicious. What would another pack's whelp be doing so far away from the other territories?

Aw, what a cutie! Sky felt that motherly instinct dying to kick in, but she held back. Boy was a teenager, if a young one. Acting like a pup-enthused female wouldn't do her very well. She perked said ears as he questioned why she both had a goat, and had things in her ears, and what they were. With a soft laugh, she bent down beside the little animal and held his head up to her cheek. "Casper here is my pet." Yup. Weird. "He can fatten all he wants, but he's not being eaten. He's good for eating weeds, and he has a habit of making the pack laugh."

Sky hadn't considered it before, but in times of stress, little Casper could act as a great omega figure. One faint, and the entire pack would either be baffled or in hesterics. "As for my ears..." She sat up straighter, balancing on her toes. One hand moved up to her erect ear, the left one, and she slid a finger through the open gauge, wiggling it. "These ones are gauges. They're something I had done when I was about your age." She moved back down from the gauges and showed off the studs below. "These are earrings, or rather, studs. My piercings are simply for show, really. I'm a bit addicted to them."

She smirked over at him and stood, brushing off her knees and shaking her head. "Mind you, I don't suggest ever getting your own ears gauged. It usually takes a good year or so to get them this stretched. Mine didn't," She paused and grimaced. "Actually, mine only took a minute. Cut the holes right out with a sheet of metal, like carving a pumpkin. Hurt and bled like crazy."

She smirked again though, and glanced over at the goat. "And I'll show you why he's so amusing to the pack. Check this out." She turned to face the goat, then suddenly barked loudly in his ear, effectively startling the poor thing. Instantly, little Casper's legs tensed up, locking in place, and as he moved to get away from her, he tumbled over into the snow, bleating in protest. Sky laughed a bit, bending down to pet him. "Casper's a Fainting Goat. Got something wrong with his legs, that when he's scared, they lock up and he falls over like that. Everyone gets a good laugh out of it."

The kid loosened up and stood up again, seeming to 'growl' at his owner for being so mean, though it was just a grumpy bleat. Sky reached into her pocket and pulled out a baggy of grain, pouring some onto her hand and then holding it out to the goat. Casper, forgiving her it seemed, happily muched away. "I kind of wish he were female though. I'd be able to get goat's milk, then."

Sky smirked a bit. "No, they hurt a little, the first two..." She touched the bottom-most earrings on her outer ear rims. "But that was because they weren't done right. My sister, Dusk, did them with sewing needles, as practice." They were a bit closer to the outer rim that the other three that decorated her ears, one on the inner rims, two above the first on the outer. They looked nicer, those ones, but the bottom ones looked scarred.

He was clearly impressed by Casper's faint, and she grinned, rubbing the goat's head between the ears. "Heh. My pride and joy." Always impressing those around her, Casper was a keeper for sure. He questioned the milk thing, and she shook her head, laughing softly.

"Goat's milk is good for the skin, and makes yummy types of cheese. It's great for snacking on, even for adults. Mums' milk, the stuff you drank as a babe, is different. It's got stuff in it that comes from your mum's meaty foods. Goats don't eat meat, so their milk tastes different; sweeter, for one, and creamier."

She glanced down at her pet, and frowned. "Not that he'll produce any, the darn boy. If I want goat's milk, I go to see my friend Skye and get some from Casper's mum." She shrugged, knowing Skye was nice enough to give her some freely. Bangle, on the other hand, wasn't so nice; Sky had to trade for the milk, even if she did make stuff for Skye and her mate to use out of it. Like soap. Bangle needed Soap. Yes.

Smirking with a snicker at the thought, she waved her tail and shook her head, Casper giving out a bleat as that long tail brushed his flank. "Nah, goat's are more useful as livestock than prey. As are cows, horses and even the occasional feral cat. Y'know, the domestic breeds. They hunt mice and rats for us, so we don't risk catching rat-bite fever."

+257

Sky perked her ears as he asked her to teach him, then grimaced. "Ah... I guess I could, but not using Casper." She stood straight, glancing around. "And my needles are at home. I don't carry them on me when I'm walking Casper." She nodded her head towards where she'd came. "I guess you could come back with me to my place to fetch them. It's warm there, and I'm sure no one would mind, as long as you don't cause trouble."

She gave a tug to Casper's leash, and started towards the town. "C'mon, Denali. You said you've never seen another pack before... so I guess this is as good a time as any. You said you're from Crimson Dreams, right?" She looked over at him, and smiled. "From what I hear, that's a big pack. What rank are you going for?" Girl had never considered another pack's ranking system before. Her own pack was weird enough, with co-ranks and whatnot. She knew what she wanted; she was already a Singer, but she wanted to be a Medic as well. It was perfect for her.

Now what about this curious kid? He'd do well as a scout, with how interested he was when it came to outside information. Girl would be careful not to let on to anything specific, but showing him how to use the needle wasn't a bad thing to do, right? And goats were common place among all the packs. This was simple, not-pack-related info... the ex-loner saw nothing wrong with sharing it.