|
|
Post by Fellixe on Dec 19, 2008 13:53:05 GMT -5
I'll miss the winter...
A world of fragile things.
After a long while of even strides, perhaps an hour or so, Fellixe could see the lake in the distance, a sparkling body of water, blue and silky on the surface. It would be at least another twenty minutes before they would arrive at it, although, and so she decided to spark a conversation up with him; it would make things a lot less awkward than the constant silence she had thrown herself in on this whole long walk. Her ears twitched back to listen behind her, trying to catch any gasps or uneasy breathing he might be going through because of his uncomfortable paws. She had to admit, they did look quite uncomfortable. Painful, a hindrance. And yet she was still pushing him. She felt like she was being a little harsh.
Before she started to talk, she decided not to mention his paws. It was her goal to try and keep them in the back of his mind, so that maybe he would be distracted from them. "There's the lake..." she stated, awed at it's beauty. It was a huge lake, rippling and tearing at the surface from the gentle, sloping wind. The fog was dissipating quickly, so that she could see clearly in front of them. The lake was downhill from them, cradled in an almost crater-like formation. She stopped at the lip of the edge, and peered down. On the left side of the lake, in a crescent moon shape, were swirling metallic colors, dangerously beautiful. Her gaze fell to the right side, where clear water was inevitable. It was a grey color, reflecting the sky, and it was safe. She smiled. This was the first basic thing she wanted Kenryoku to learn. "On the left of the lake, you can see the toxic poisonous colors," she stated. "I want you to follow me and take a good whiff of it. But no matter how thirsty you are, don't you dare drink it. If any of it gets swallowed, you could die. From what I hear, it's a painful way to go..." Her voice trailed off, and she started wondering how it would feel. Her stomach twisted at the thought of it, and she shook it out of her head. It's not like it would happen to me... she thought. She was smarter than that.
"After we visit the left side, we'll go to the right side. It looks a lot cleaner, but remember; the poison's always in different places, so you have to learn to recognize it."
She began to trail her way down the hill, slipping on the slick ground from the previous rainy night. The mud caked into her paws, and she grimaced. Brilliant, she thought. But there was no avoiding it. The hill was a disaster for landslides. She glanced back at Kenryoku often, making sure she was okay. He had to do this on his own. He had to learn.
wordcount: 489
Look for me in the white forest,
Hiding in a hollow tree... |
|
|
|
Post by Kenryoku on Dec 19, 2008 19:42:23 GMT -5
He found it hard to walk in stride, but he did his best. The vibrations in the ground were clear, so he pretty much knew where he was going.. for now. After an hour on walking, he was starting to get used to the stinging sensation that his paws were causing, and he found it easier to fake a content look. After all, he didn't want to be anymore of a burden than he was already was to her.
He wondered how the lake looked. He'd never seen anything larger than a bowl of water or a puddle even though his owner had lived near the ocean.. He thought that over again, finding it a little wrong. Maybe he had seen the ocean, but had forgotten it. He shook the thoughts away before he found himself having another argument in his head..
His world was as black as ever, but he knew the scents around him had changed a lot during their walk. Even the dirt in this area smelled different. The terrain even felt different: smoother, which was a good thing to him. The only thing causing the burning in his paws was the dirt, while the dirt road they had been at before had rocks to accompany that pain.
His ears launched forward when he heard Fellixe speak of the lake. He felt the scent of wet earth smack him on the nose, taunting him. He didn't like that he was smelling mud, but it was to be expected. Water and dirt always equaled mud, after all.. He knew he had to go down, and there was no way to avoid that. By the way she was talking, he could tell she was going down to the lake.
He put on a brave face, taking the first step into what he'd refer to as the "slope of terror". He felt the burning of his paws at first, then he felt himself slipping, his paw sliding forward. He caught himself quickly before she noticed and before he made himself look like even more of a klutz. He was having super trouble treading down the slippery earth. But no matter how much he wanted to give up and go to sleep, he knew he had to get down there. He'd never be a wolf if he didn't.
He suddenly figured out what he could do instead of walking down. He'd either jump or slide his way down. He loosened his grip on the ground, feeling himself slowly sliding down the hill. He knew very well that he didn't have the patience to wait until he slid down. He trudged his short way back up, and gave himself a running start. As soon as he felt the the wet texture of the mud hit his paw, he jumped, immediately regretting his decision. The hill was a lot higher than he expected, and he landed roughly on his legs. They almost gave out on him after the first three seconds of being on the ground, but he recovered quickly.
"There we go.. I've survived my first challenge.."
|
|
|
|
Post by Fellixe on Dec 21, 2008 0:04:26 GMT -5
I'll miss the winter...
A world of fragile things.
When they were halfway down, she took a quick glance back and realized the careful, yet smart method that he was using to get down the dangerous hill. She smiled. He had impressed her, that was for sure. He was by no means unintelligent, yet contrary to that. He was capable of a lot more than he gave himself credit for, and she wished that she could just grab a hold of his talent and yank it out of him. His self-confidence was lacking, in her opinion; but she believed that she could fix that.
When they finally arrived at the base of the hill, Fellixe let out a sigh of relief. She turned her head to the left to observe the beautiful swirling colors floating atop the lake's surface, bubbling and goo-like at the sight. An ice-cold shiver pierced her spine and she rapidly shook it off. The colors scared her immensely. She didn't like the fact that she was getting ready to go face-to-face with them.
She breathed heavily, concentrating on what she was trying to do. She had no idea that it would cause her this much stress and nervousness to go toward the toxins; were they putting off something in the atmosphere? "Alright, Ken." She gulped, trying her very best not to let her emotions give off an aura, but she was afraid it it might be too late... "Follow me." She pawed her way over to the lakeside, sniffing constantly and trying to notice if there might be any danger in the air. Sensing nothing but the rancid smell of foreign fluids and gases, she approached the edge. Her hackles raised and her nervousness rose. She hoped that Kenryoku would develop the same fear of the toxins that she possessed; then perhaps he would never have to worry about having a problem with them.
"I'm sorry, Ken, I just have this overwhelming fear of them. I've seen dogs die by these poisons. It looks like something so painful... so horrid. So take a big whiff. I don't want that to ever happen to you."
She inhaled the deep polluted smell of the waste products, routing it into her senses once again. They would forever send off a red alert to her. She would never drink dirty water. It was one of those things that ended up on the "Top 5 Ways I Don't Wanna Die" list. Her ears pressed tightly again her skull and the fur pricked up on her body. She quickly developed the "pins and needles" feeling in her feet. She had to walk away before she had a panic attack. She turned and slowly walked away, heading to the right side of the lake.
wordcount: 451
Look for me in the white forest,
Hiding in a hollow tree... |
|
|
|
Post by Kenryoku on Dec 22, 2008 11:09:01 GMT -5
He could sense Fellixe's fear of the polluted water, and wondered if how she had witnessed the dogs dying from this posion had truly been terrible. The water had an obvious aura of danger, so he pondered if those dogs had had a speck of common sense in their minds. To him, the scent emanating from the water smelled of the puddles of water in the cities of Shikoku. He seriously didn't know how desperate someone had to be to drink something like that.
He wasn't about to bring up that point to Fellixe, though. She was trying to help him become feral, yet here he was thinking back into his complicated past. It was his part to try and act like a wolf was, instead of living life bluntly as a dog. He just had to think of the water in a different way.. He thought of it as the humans' way to try and destroy every canine out here. Sure, they were already trying to do that with bombs in the ground and other things, but poisoning was something he did not like. It was an unfair advantage to him.
His fur rose on edge at the thought of the humans chuckling to themselves, thinking of how many "useless" dogs they'd killed in one day. In his mind, he was very much one of those "useless" dogs, being as blind and conflicted internally he was. He would be sure to avoid the polluted water completely, not wanting to be another form of entertainment for the humans to enjoy. He padded down slowly to water, bending down a bite to inhale the scent of the water slightly. It still very much smelled like the cities to him.
"Don't worry," he said to Fellixe, quickly standing up and backing away from the lake to avoid one of his "klutz moments". "I think I've got a grasp as to what the polluted part of this lake smells like. I'll be sure to avoid it when I do smell it."
|
|
|
|
Post by Fellixe on Dec 23, 2008 16:58:58 GMT -5
I'll miss the winter...
A world of fragile things.
"Good," she quickly said. She wanted it to be clear to him.
Without saying another word, she started to travel in the bent line of the water's edge. The fog was now lifted, and she could feel the ever-growing-colder intensity of the air. She knew it was winter, there was no doubt about it. She looked up at the sky to single out a couple of snowflakes as if they were backing her up in her thoughts. Chill air brushed through her fur in a shivering instant, and shook quickly shook it through. She was built for this kind of thing, but she hated it. What was wrong with her?
Before she knew it, they had arrived at the opposite end of the lake. She bent down and stuck her forepaws into the silvery lake, lapping the water up with her tongue thankfully. "Alright, Ken. We're here. This water is safe." She said that statement with satisfaction, smelling no hint of the disgusting pollution. She stretched herself and pulled her back legs in, one by one and slowly. The water was reaching her belly now. Swimming was one of her favorite things to do, so relaxing, so natural... The water rose on her and she walked deeper, until it was covering her body in its entirety, except for her head. She swam in a wide circle and then approached the shore once again, hauling herself and and shaking. Water flew everywhere from out of her dense coat, dripping continuously off of her underside. She looked over at Ken and then remembered her job. She was supposed to be teaching him how to fish!
"Oh right..." She said guiltily. "Come into the water, Ken, and once you've got yourself out to your stomach, stand very still." She did this as a demonstration after she had commanded him, as if he could see her. She was sure that he wouldn't want to be alone, in the spotlight. He didn't seem like that type that craved attention. She smiled at that visual.
wordcount: 339
Look for me in the white forest,
Hiding in a hollow tree... |
|
|
|
Post by Kenryoku on Dec 25, 2008 16:16:28 GMT -5
He could feel his eye twitching slightly at the thought of going in the water.. After all, he'd be completely blind in there. The ground was soft, and he knew it'd be next to impossible for him to know what was going on while he was in there. He'd be completely vulnerable.. He shook his thoughts away quickly. Leap before you think!
He dove down to the water quickly, feeling cold once the water reached his stomach. He was definitely not a swimmer.. at least, he didn't want to be. He could feel some rocks on the ground, but he mostly felt the soft ground. The rocks that he was standing were hurting the pads of his paws a bit, but otherwise they felt soothed. The cold water was good for something, at least.
At that moment, he was reminded that the water was cold. He shivered slightly, feeling cold everytime a slight breeze blew. Once he felt he was semi-confortable in the water, he stood still as Fellixe had told him. He was silently fighting the urge to get out of the water so he could try to dry off. Was it a dog thing? He sighed slightly at the thought of the saying that 'dogs don't like baths'. He fidgeted around, trying to find a way he would find it more comfortable in the world of complete darkness that was called the river. He didn't like to compare himself to a dog often, and he knew he'd been doing it a lot.
He remembered at that moment that he was supposed to be staying still. He stopped his senseless fidgeting. He knew he'd possibly never find a way to make himself comfortable in any body of water. He settled down, standing straight and still. He'd done all his weird fidgeting for now; he was ready to start his lessons. "Okay," he said quietly, taking a deep breath to calm himself, "what next?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Fellixe on Dec 25, 2008 22:35:21 GMT -5
I'll miss the winter...
A world of fragile things.
She ignored his sense of fear, bringing her own heightened level of enjoyment into the aura. She couldn't baby him; that was the last thing he needed. Although, she did need to be understanding with him. Sure, the world of darkness was completely black, mysterious, and unknowing, but she also knew that if he couldn't find some "color" in his greyscale life, then he would never make it. She eyed him carefully, making sure that his stance was completely motionless. Once she noticed that he had accomplished this, she smiled and replied.
"Now we wait. Wait for the feeling of a scaly fish to brush across the fur on your legs, and then strike quickly." After she had spoke, something prickly struck at her leg. She winced, but didn't make a move. "They sometimes bite..." she added, squinting at her hard effort to not strike down yet. "When you know for sure you can get it, you attack."
When the slimy creature hovered in the same spot by her leg fur for a few moments, she dove to it and pierced its body. Her head went under and she shook it back and forth, growling viciously (although it only came up to Ken as several bubbles). She lifted her head out of the lake with a proud expression on her face and a fish dangling from her mouth lop-sided. A few droplets of water rippled into the lake and she decided that the best way to let Ken get his catch would be to move out of the way.
"N-ow, y-ou tr-y," she gurgled, trying to talk with a large fish in her mouth. She moved along to the bank and lazed in the shallow part, throwing her fish down into the mud. It flopped about in the watery mixture and she laughed. She looked at the fish with thankful eyes for being her next meal, and then began to tear at the fish's side. Mud coated the inside of her mouth and she spit it out, repeating the technique for the next bite. And the next. And then, the last. Four gulps and the poor creature was gone.
She turned her attention to Ken once again and watched intently, waiting for him to make a move. She knew he could do this. He just had to wake up his inner-wolf.
wordcount: 391
Look for me in the white forest,
Hiding in a hollow tree... |
|
|
|
Post by Kenryoku on Dec 26, 2008 12:10:35 GMT -5
'When you know for sure you can get it..' The statement rung in his head a few times. How do I know that..? He pushed his insecurities away, remembering that instinct and senses were all he needed to do this.
He psyched himself up, reminding himself that he would need these skills to survive. Sure, he'd learn other ways to hunt, but this was a way to test himself; to see if he was able to use the lacking senses he had right now to catch food for himself. 'Survival of the fittest' wasn't always so fair to those who had problems.
He stood still, perking his ears to listen for the sounds of swimming. He dug his paws into the floor of the river, feeling better positioned that way. He could hear the water rippling slightly, and he stayed alert. He had to be ready for when a fish actually was there, after all.
A minute felt like an hour for him. He wasn't used to standing still for more than thirty seconds, but he had to be patient. Food wasn't so willing to become a meal, he knew. He wouldn't want to be food if he was considered 'prey'. Not too long after he finished his thought, he felt something scaly skim across his paw. He was about to flinch away, when he remembered he was supposed to stay still no matter what.
He could feel the fish hovering near him below surface, and he guessed that his chance was nearing. He'd lured the fish into a false sense of security, making it believe he was no threat. But before he could strike, he had to figure out where exactly it was. It had swum around his paws and paused somewhere close, because he could still feel the ripples of its fins moving, but he had to know the distance.
His heart was racing, and he guessed it was just the suspense. He'd felt this way the other times he had 'hunted'. He knew he couldn't wait any more, or the fish would certainly go beyond where he could feel. He launched foward blindly, dunking his head in the water. He felt the fish's scales skim his fangs, and he knew he'd at least bitten it. He wasn't going to give up when he was so close, though. It was just beginning to react; he still had a chance.
He launched forward once again, holding his breath. He was getting soaked to the bone, but at this point he just wanted that fish. He felt the fish's rough skin once again, and he put more pressure in his bite. It wasn't escaping him again.
He could feel the fish flapping about as he brought his head up from the water. He quickly walked onto the bank, throwing the fish on the ground a distance away. He was gasping for his much needed air. Once he felt his breathing begin to go back to normal, he went toward the scent of his struggling fish, beginning to eat.
He was sure Fellixe had seen that whole show, and he hoped he had done it at least close to right.
|
|
|
|
Post by Fellixe on Dec 28, 2008 22:12:57 GMT -5
I'll miss the winter...
A world of fragile things.
She grinned widely, proud and excited that he'd done it. And all she did was tell him what to do! He was doing an amazing job so far. She jumped up and ran to him, but kept her distance from him and his breakfast. She whined excitedly.
"Ken, that was amazing!" she said, hoping that he would be thrilled at her excitement. She backed up and sat down, staring off into the lake where ripples wrinkled the water every once in a while. A mosquito fell into the water close to the shore, and she watched it, waiting for what would happen. A silvery fin flipped into the air and a fish's mouth gulped the bug down, disappearing into the water as soon as it had appeared.
"So we're done for right now. I don't think either of us are hungry." At least I'm not... she thought. she suddenly felt bad, wondering if he still had the daily appetite of a dog.
After all, she was used to going for days without food. It was in her ancestry, although. But hopefully his stomach has gotten used to the shortage of food since he left his owner, she thought once again, but then shrugged.
"We should go somewhere else," she suggested. The lake was nice, but she could still smell the chemicals off in the distance. Not enough to sting her nose, but it was enough to make her stomach turn a little. She wondered if he was tired.
Suddenly, the Hana Meadow seemed like exactly the place that they should go; it was the most calming place ever, and he might possibly feel better if she lead him to it. She smiled warmly as she readied herself to suggest it.
"Ken," she said yawning just thinking about the tranquil place, "Do you want to go to a special place? It's very relaxing, and I think it would do you some good. It's a meadow."
As she waited for his reply, she began to chew on a few blades of grass. Uhh... indigestion from eating that fish too fast... she thought. She hoped he would say yes. That was a special place. Hopefully it would make him feel better.
She looked at him with that one look once again, suddenly thinking of the meadow and pups frolicking in it. She smiled at the reverie of the pups, but then she saw Kenryoku running toward her with them. Her eyes opened wide, cursing herself on the inside. Why did she keep thinking of him that way??
wordcount: 424
Look for me in the white forest,
Hiding in a hollow tree... |
|
|
|
Post by Kenryoku on Dec 30, 2008 18:21:22 GMT -5
He could feel his stomach 'protesting' against the fish, so he merely left it half-eaten. He sat back on his haunches, feeling a bit lost. It was odd for him, being praised instead of scolded for something. "T-thank you," he stuttered, not used to any kind treatment from others. He still wasn't sure how to react when praised. He couldn't deny he was happy, though. He hadn't been able to do anything correctly after he got gotten strucken down by that bear, so he felt somewhat happy knowing that he had completed something on his own.
He was listening to Fellixe as she spoke about going somewhere else. He didn't feel his paws bothering him just yet, so he guessed he'd be able to walk for a while. He knew meadows had soft soil, at least, he gathered that from what his siblings had told him when they went hunting. It was probably a good place for him to rest as well. The scents were probably a lot clearer up there, if the air was clean.
"I think a meadow would do me some good," he answered her, trying not to think of how they had to walk to get there. He started to move around, trying to settle his stomach down. He couldn't get sick now; he had to keep moving or risk getting into danger. He could feel some rocks jabbing at his paws as he stepped. He made a face at them, hating how rocks seemed to mock his lack of vision. "Anything to get away from those things..."
He had that nagging feeling he was being stared at again. He'd been getting that feeling a lot lately, but he usually shrugged it off, thinking it was his bad senses. He felt nervous at the thought of someone staring at him, knowing his behaviour wasn't exactly what anyone would expect for a 'dog'.
He felt his stomach churning, though it wasn't as bad as before. The ground was hurting his paws as always, and he was starting to try and figure out how he was going to get up the slope of terror once again. He licked his muzzle, knowing he didn't want to think it through too much. He concluded that he was going to try and run up the slope if he could. He just had to wait for them to start their way to the meadow now.
|
|
|
|
Post by Fellixe on Dec 31, 2008 2:01:36 GMT -5
I'll miss the winter...
A world of fragile things.
She giggled at his anger toward the rocks. He really did make her laugh, and quite a lot. He was funny in his own platonic way, in his uniqueness. She was probably no more than any other wolf to him. She was starting to grow attached to him, and started wondering if her friendship might be blooming into something more. She remembered last January how she saw many of the wolves running mindlessly through the fields and through the mountains together, not really aware of the world around them. Just lost in each other's eyes. She wanted love in her life. But her standards screamed at her Wolf! Pure Wolf! How would he be as a father? She wondered, although if things were to turn in favor of this crazy idea, she had a few months to teach him the way of the wolf. But hopefully by then they would all be out of Canaan. She highly doubted that; It was going to be a while. Many of the wolves still hated the dogs. How would she ever ask him if he had these feelings toward her as well? And over the one day that she had been with him, she had come to know that he would probably laugh at the idea... She decided not now. But perhaps in the meadow... where things were calm... It still seemed like an unbelievable scheme. But the mating season was going to end soon, and she was already four years old, never having an infatuation in her life. It was only by instinct that she felt something different toward him... And she couldn't deny this anymore.
Her ears went flat, as she was amazing how much she could think about in only a matter of seconds. "Do you feel okay, Ken?" she asked. "You seem a little sick..." Her left brow raised in speculation, and she let out a sigh. Her heart was pounding at her plan, and she dearly hoped that his senses weren't keen enough to pick up the sound. It was hard for her to swallow the right way, and she started to slowly walk, hoping that she wasn't going to throw up that fish that she just ate. "Follow me... we'll go to the meadow now." She walked up the hill as the snow started to sprinkle down, showering onto their coats and plastering to their fur. This reminded Fell of her long lost home in the arctic, with her parents and the other cubs. She remembered all of them, especially one vibrant memory of her white parents lying on each side of the pups in their den. She reminisced about the ice crystals that dangled over their cave's entrance, and the way the pups ran so worry-free throw the snow. They were all big poof-balls of cotton back then; she wished that life would have forever stayed that way, where they had no idea about any danger in the world.
She trailed up the hill, slipping a paw through the mud everyone in a while. Her claws were filling with mud, and she scoffed sarcastically at this. The water had just cleaned all of the dried mud off of her...Oh well. I have other things I need to think through...
wordcount; 544
ooc; you can make the new post in the meadow if you want to.
Look for me in the white forest,
Hiding in a hollow tree... |
|
