Post by wyanet on Jan 27, 2010 12:18:15 GMT -5
Calm River
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A small, small shift in the river brings the channel to bear in a wider, calmer body of water. This area is clear of brush and the riversides are low and show clear evidence of being traveled well and frequently, ranging from simple signs to footprints in the bank both fresh and old. A few berry bushes litter the western side closer to the fallen log, stopping just before they get there but offering a quick meal to any creature so inclined. Because of the lazily-running current, many fish seem to have made this particular spot their home.
=================================== Exits ===================================
[East] to the Marsh [North] along the Stream
[Northeast] to the Path [Southwest] to a Fork
[West] to a Fallen Log
================================================================================
Maul slept fairly well. She has never been one for sleeping so near another, but unlike usual, she did not wake up a short while after falling asleep, desperate for some space. Once she does begin waking, she purrs softly and nuzzles against the fur of the cougar who, when she fell asleep, was practically atop her. This feeling is no less pleasant now than it was when she fell asleep, perhaps because, even now, she is not fully awake.
Having slept like a rock, Thrash was the perfect blanket for a chilly night as his large frame snuggled against hers easily, with his paws wrapped about her, just beneath her chest. Now that she's starting to wake, she'll probably realize that he is a heavy snorer, and his breath comes out loud with each wheeze. Leaning his head in as she nuzzles, he starts to slowly rouse with a quick snort, followed by a headbutt.
That headbutt brings her fully from her sleep. What, while she was resting, seemed like nothing now feels as though it is crushing her, and Maul lets out a complaining mrowl as she struggles, mostly ineffectively, against his weight. It doesn't take much struggling for her to become frustrated and growl out, "Get off!"
Blinking his eyes a bit, Thrash lets out a loud yawn, followed by a lick to her ear. He rolls to the side a bit, but his paws still wrap about her. Pulling her close against his chest, he begins to groom the back of her neck, working his tongue firmly into her fur. "I was having a nice dream." He grunts out as he breathes in her scent.
Even once the big lug is off of her, Maul struggles against his hold on her. One for morning cuddling? Not so much. "Let me go, morning breath." There's no genuine anger in her tone, but no joy, restrained or otherwise, either. They are probably both lucky that she even recalls who he is, this soon after sleeping, and that she *asked* him to hold her while she slept, or else her struggling would be much more genuine.
"Why are you being a brat for?" Thrash says as he finally lets her go, then rolls to the other side with a loud huff. Curling himself up a bit, he lets out a long yawn, then drops his chin down across his large paws. Tail twitching a bit, he closes his eyes, then tries to shove himself back to sleep.
"Why do you have to be so heavy?" As a rule, Maul does not engage in banter with anyone but her family, and even then, rarely. Thrash most definitely started it, though. Once she manages to pull away, she sits up and begins grooming one of her legs for a moment, fixing the fur that was mussed up by sleep, before she says, with real appreciation in her tone, "Thank you." She really did like having him here. And as it appears he intends to go back to sleep, she watches him.
"Gotta be heavy, so that if anyone tries to eat you, I can kick their ass in sideways." Thrash mutters in a sleepy manner as he squints his eyes even tighter. "Sides', you like it." Stretching himself out even more, he lets out another loud yawn. "Thanks for what? For letting ya' go?" He says, not really comprehending all that well. He's -so- tired. That and his face is really hurting from that whack he took from Cael.
Maul lowers her leg to the ground. She has far from finished her morning grooming, but right now, her attention is largely on Thrash. "Thank you for... for being here. Last night. *And* for letting me go." He certainly didn't have to. He is much larger than she is. If he hadn't let her, she never would have been able to get away. At least, not without serious injury. How long will it be before she actually *trusts* him to not hold her against her will? She's not really sure, but he's well along that path, already.
"Well, I suppose I should thank you also, for helping me get beat up by your brother. My face hurts." Thrash says with an amused look on his face as he finally rolls over to face her. One of his eyes looks a bit swollen. "Could at least kiss it, make it feel better." He says as he gives her a wide, bolstering grin upon his muzzle. "All you have to do is ask, pretty eyes, and I'll be here for you."
Maul lets out a snerk at what he says, but it is cut short when she actually sees his face. Approaching him slowly, she says, "You asked for it. I warned you both." A small part of her hopes that Cael is just as sore, this morning. That's what they get for ignoring her. Stupid boys. Even so, once she is close enough to, she moves to groom his face gently.
"He hit me first." Thrash protests with a huff. "I wasn't even gonna do anything until he did. Why is he so protective of you, you said you had other boys before." As she leans in to groom his face, he squints a bit happily in his feline manner, tail wiggling side to side.
Maul licks gently at Thrash's face a few times, then takes a step back. Yes. She said she had been kissed before, didn't she? And she meant it. She can remember... things. Still, Maul's own purring is gone, and she just looks at Thrash for a moment, before saying, "Not while... not around Cael."
"Uh huh." Thrash says as he curls his tail around his hip, looking amused at her. Tilting his head, he leans forward, slowly. "So, who have you kissed, then?" He asks, brushing his muzzle against hers teasingly, followed by a soft peck at the corner of her mouth.
Maul is silent as Thrash gives her a little kiss. She continues to look at him, rather than through him, but when she answers, it is only with, "It doesn't matter." She doubts Thrash would appreciate being told that she has kissed her grandfather. He wouldn't understand, anyway. *She* hardly understands. She has seen Kasim only a few times, but...
"I guess it doesn't, long as you're just kissing me now, huh?" Thrash says as he continues to rub his muzzle against hers slowly, softly rumbling in his throat. Perhaps the player is really starting to find a true attraction to this young princess. If he only knew her royal ties. Reaching up with a paw, he brushes her cheek gently, then says, "I think I'm going to get us some breakfast."
Maul nuzzles against his neck lightly as he says he's going to go get them some food. She could certainly use more than just a few bites of something, but that doesn't stop her from seeing him off with a warning. "If you see my brother, don't fight with him." She knows Cael. Cael would gladly fight with anyone willing to give him even the slightest provocation.
"I promise not to fight him, but if he attacks me.. I ain't gonna run like some sissy." Thrash says as he leans in quickly, pressing a firm kiss to her before she can even protest. Unlike last night, this one is a bit more commanding. The kind that can give any girl a woozy 'whoosh!' feeling. As he leans back, he gives her a wink, then starts off with a yawn. "I'll be back in a bit, honeytree."
Maul sits and stares after the male. She remains like that for some time, even well after he has gone out of sight.
- Time Passes -
Maul has not moved very far. For several minutes after Thrash left, she remained just as she was. Then, finally, she lay down and began to groom her fur, fixing it from the night spent sleeping under Thrash. Her expression does not give much away about what she must be feeling or thinking.
It takes at least a half hour or so of rummaging around, but Thrash comes back triumphantly with breakfast in the form of a fat hare that dangles from his jaws. He caught this one napping. As he flops down next to her, he drops the bunny to the ground, then looks quite smug for a moment. "There you go, pretty tail, got you breakfast." He says as he licks the blood from his muzzle. "Look good?"
Almost as soon as Thrash is in sight, Maul smells the blood, and, immediately, it makes her hungry. Which makes it all the harder for her to take a step back. "I can't take that." Maul has never been an easy one to deal with. Many a cougar has likely wondered whether she is intentionally trying to frustrate them. Not an hour ago, Maul gladly let Thrash go off to find her food, and now she doesn't want to eat it?
"What do you mean you can't take it? I just busted my ass out there to find you food." Thrash says with a loud huff, tail rattling back and forth in an annoyed snap. "Why? You don't like rabbit or something? You want me to get you something else?" He says with a rumble in his throat, ears lifting upwards, and forward.
Maul winces as Thrash snaps at her. She is unsurprised, but that doesn't make it easier. "I'm sorry. It's not... You should eat it. I can't, because... because I told you. I'm supposed to be out here alone, Thrash." And now, she knows why. It is easy for her to be distracted by Thrash. By Cael. By everyone.
"That's ridiculous, eat the rabbit. I don't kill things for fun, I kill them for a purpose, and that purpose was to put food in your stomach. If you wanted to get your own food, then you should have said so, instead of wasting my time." Thrash says adamantly as he points to the rabbit. "So, eat it, or I'm taking off." He says as he flops back down upon his strong haunches.
Maul doesn't want Thrash to leave. But then, that's exactly the problem, isn't it? Maybe this will make it easier for him, though, in which case, she ought to do it. "Take off, then." Maul looks squarely at him as she says that, and does her best to pretend that she could care less whether Thrash leaves angry. Maybe... maybe, once she finishes finding what it is she's out here looking for, she could try to find him again. To what end, though, if he leaves, angry with her? He wouldn't want her around anymore, and that thought causes her to flatten her ears against her head.
Ears flattening back against his skull, Thrash slaps the rabbit off to the side, then lets out a loud hiss in her direction. "You know what? Piss off then. I got my ass kicked by your brother, I got you food.. and this is how you repay me? Just tell me to take off? Fine." He says, rising up to his paws. "Plenty of girls out there that want me around, thanks for wasting my time." He says, turning, and starting off through the grass at a frustrated pace, his fur bristling upwards. Stupid, stuck up... princess.
He may as well have struck Maul, herself. She flinches back, genuinely afraid of Thrash. Why wouldn't she be? Just last night, he had his claws embedded in her fur. This morning, he had her completely pinned to the ground. He is not the sort of cougar she ought to be making angry. He doesn't touch her, but her back remains arched as he begins to walk away. He is not yet out of sight before she whispers, almost to herself, "I'm sorry."
If Thrash heard her, he isn't turning back around. He is too upset, and confused to even care at the moment. As he moves through the thick bushes, he slaps, and swats at branches in his way, becoming nothing short of a hissy-fit demolition crew. The poor rabbit lays there on the ground, staring blankly up at the sky with a void expression upon his face.
Maul listens as the large male storms off. Will he be back? She'll be leaving, regardless, but... well, he had a point. She shouldn't have made him waste his time hunting. So, before she begins walking off, she lowers her head to pick up the rabbit. Then, though she would much prefer to curl up on the ground and feel sorry for herself for, oh, days, she slips off into the forest as stealthily as she can, heading back to the river. She'll have to cover her tracks as well as she can, disappear from both Thrash and Cael. Then she can feel sorry for herself, and then, finally, she can get back to her purpose here.
================================================================================
A small, small shift in the river brings the channel to bear in a wider, calmer body of water. This area is clear of brush and the riversides are low and show clear evidence of being traveled well and frequently, ranging from simple signs to footprints in the bank both fresh and old. A few berry bushes litter the western side closer to the fallen log, stopping just before they get there but offering a quick meal to any creature so inclined. Because of the lazily-running current, many fish seem to have made this particular spot their home.
=================================== Exits ===================================
[East] to the Marsh [North] along the Stream
[Northeast] to the Path [Southwest] to a Fork
[West] to a Fallen Log
================================================================================
Maul slept fairly well. She has never been one for sleeping so near another, but unlike usual, she did not wake up a short while after falling asleep, desperate for some space. Once she does begin waking, she purrs softly and nuzzles against the fur of the cougar who, when she fell asleep, was practically atop her. This feeling is no less pleasant now than it was when she fell asleep, perhaps because, even now, she is not fully awake.
Having slept like a rock, Thrash was the perfect blanket for a chilly night as his large frame snuggled against hers easily, with his paws wrapped about her, just beneath her chest. Now that she's starting to wake, she'll probably realize that he is a heavy snorer, and his breath comes out loud with each wheeze. Leaning his head in as she nuzzles, he starts to slowly rouse with a quick snort, followed by a headbutt.
That headbutt brings her fully from her sleep. What, while she was resting, seemed like nothing now feels as though it is crushing her, and Maul lets out a complaining mrowl as she struggles, mostly ineffectively, against his weight. It doesn't take much struggling for her to become frustrated and growl out, "Get off!"
Blinking his eyes a bit, Thrash lets out a loud yawn, followed by a lick to her ear. He rolls to the side a bit, but his paws still wrap about her. Pulling her close against his chest, he begins to groom the back of her neck, working his tongue firmly into her fur. "I was having a nice dream." He grunts out as he breathes in her scent.
Even once the big lug is off of her, Maul struggles against his hold on her. One for morning cuddling? Not so much. "Let me go, morning breath." There's no genuine anger in her tone, but no joy, restrained or otherwise, either. They are probably both lucky that she even recalls who he is, this soon after sleeping, and that she *asked* him to hold her while she slept, or else her struggling would be much more genuine.
"Why are you being a brat for?" Thrash says as he finally lets her go, then rolls to the other side with a loud huff. Curling himself up a bit, he lets out a long yawn, then drops his chin down across his large paws. Tail twitching a bit, he closes his eyes, then tries to shove himself back to sleep.
"Why do you have to be so heavy?" As a rule, Maul does not engage in banter with anyone but her family, and even then, rarely. Thrash most definitely started it, though. Once she manages to pull away, she sits up and begins grooming one of her legs for a moment, fixing the fur that was mussed up by sleep, before she says, with real appreciation in her tone, "Thank you." She really did like having him here. And as it appears he intends to go back to sleep, she watches him.
"Gotta be heavy, so that if anyone tries to eat you, I can kick their ass in sideways." Thrash mutters in a sleepy manner as he squints his eyes even tighter. "Sides', you like it." Stretching himself out even more, he lets out another loud yawn. "Thanks for what? For letting ya' go?" He says, not really comprehending all that well. He's -so- tired. That and his face is really hurting from that whack he took from Cael.
Maul lowers her leg to the ground. She has far from finished her morning grooming, but right now, her attention is largely on Thrash. "Thank you for... for being here. Last night. *And* for letting me go." He certainly didn't have to. He is much larger than she is. If he hadn't let her, she never would have been able to get away. At least, not without serious injury. How long will it be before she actually *trusts* him to not hold her against her will? She's not really sure, but he's well along that path, already.
"Well, I suppose I should thank you also, for helping me get beat up by your brother. My face hurts." Thrash says with an amused look on his face as he finally rolls over to face her. One of his eyes looks a bit swollen. "Could at least kiss it, make it feel better." He says as he gives her a wide, bolstering grin upon his muzzle. "All you have to do is ask, pretty eyes, and I'll be here for you."
Maul lets out a snerk at what he says, but it is cut short when she actually sees his face. Approaching him slowly, she says, "You asked for it. I warned you both." A small part of her hopes that Cael is just as sore, this morning. That's what they get for ignoring her. Stupid boys. Even so, once she is close enough to, she moves to groom his face gently.
"He hit me first." Thrash protests with a huff. "I wasn't even gonna do anything until he did. Why is he so protective of you, you said you had other boys before." As she leans in to groom his face, he squints a bit happily in his feline manner, tail wiggling side to side.
Maul licks gently at Thrash's face a few times, then takes a step back. Yes. She said she had been kissed before, didn't she? And she meant it. She can remember... things. Still, Maul's own purring is gone, and she just looks at Thrash for a moment, before saying, "Not while... not around Cael."
"Uh huh." Thrash says as he curls his tail around his hip, looking amused at her. Tilting his head, he leans forward, slowly. "So, who have you kissed, then?" He asks, brushing his muzzle against hers teasingly, followed by a soft peck at the corner of her mouth.
Maul is silent as Thrash gives her a little kiss. She continues to look at him, rather than through him, but when she answers, it is only with, "It doesn't matter." She doubts Thrash would appreciate being told that she has kissed her grandfather. He wouldn't understand, anyway. *She* hardly understands. She has seen Kasim only a few times, but...
"I guess it doesn't, long as you're just kissing me now, huh?" Thrash says as he continues to rub his muzzle against hers slowly, softly rumbling in his throat. Perhaps the player is really starting to find a true attraction to this young princess. If he only knew her royal ties. Reaching up with a paw, he brushes her cheek gently, then says, "I think I'm going to get us some breakfast."
Maul nuzzles against his neck lightly as he says he's going to go get them some food. She could certainly use more than just a few bites of something, but that doesn't stop her from seeing him off with a warning. "If you see my brother, don't fight with him." She knows Cael. Cael would gladly fight with anyone willing to give him even the slightest provocation.
"I promise not to fight him, but if he attacks me.. I ain't gonna run like some sissy." Thrash says as he leans in quickly, pressing a firm kiss to her before she can even protest. Unlike last night, this one is a bit more commanding. The kind that can give any girl a woozy 'whoosh!' feeling. As he leans back, he gives her a wink, then starts off with a yawn. "I'll be back in a bit, honeytree."
Maul sits and stares after the male. She remains like that for some time, even well after he has gone out of sight.
- Time Passes -
Maul has not moved very far. For several minutes after Thrash left, she remained just as she was. Then, finally, she lay down and began to groom her fur, fixing it from the night spent sleeping under Thrash. Her expression does not give much away about what she must be feeling or thinking.
It takes at least a half hour or so of rummaging around, but Thrash comes back triumphantly with breakfast in the form of a fat hare that dangles from his jaws. He caught this one napping. As he flops down next to her, he drops the bunny to the ground, then looks quite smug for a moment. "There you go, pretty tail, got you breakfast." He says as he licks the blood from his muzzle. "Look good?"
Almost as soon as Thrash is in sight, Maul smells the blood, and, immediately, it makes her hungry. Which makes it all the harder for her to take a step back. "I can't take that." Maul has never been an easy one to deal with. Many a cougar has likely wondered whether she is intentionally trying to frustrate them. Not an hour ago, Maul gladly let Thrash go off to find her food, and now she doesn't want to eat it?
"What do you mean you can't take it? I just busted my ass out there to find you food." Thrash says with a loud huff, tail rattling back and forth in an annoyed snap. "Why? You don't like rabbit or something? You want me to get you something else?" He says with a rumble in his throat, ears lifting upwards, and forward.
Maul winces as Thrash snaps at her. She is unsurprised, but that doesn't make it easier. "I'm sorry. It's not... You should eat it. I can't, because... because I told you. I'm supposed to be out here alone, Thrash." And now, she knows why. It is easy for her to be distracted by Thrash. By Cael. By everyone.
"That's ridiculous, eat the rabbit. I don't kill things for fun, I kill them for a purpose, and that purpose was to put food in your stomach. If you wanted to get your own food, then you should have said so, instead of wasting my time." Thrash says adamantly as he points to the rabbit. "So, eat it, or I'm taking off." He says as he flops back down upon his strong haunches.
Maul doesn't want Thrash to leave. But then, that's exactly the problem, isn't it? Maybe this will make it easier for him, though, in which case, she ought to do it. "Take off, then." Maul looks squarely at him as she says that, and does her best to pretend that she could care less whether Thrash leaves angry. Maybe... maybe, once she finishes finding what it is she's out here looking for, she could try to find him again. To what end, though, if he leaves, angry with her? He wouldn't want her around anymore, and that thought causes her to flatten her ears against her head.
Ears flattening back against his skull, Thrash slaps the rabbit off to the side, then lets out a loud hiss in her direction. "You know what? Piss off then. I got my ass kicked by your brother, I got you food.. and this is how you repay me? Just tell me to take off? Fine." He says, rising up to his paws. "Plenty of girls out there that want me around, thanks for wasting my time." He says, turning, and starting off through the grass at a frustrated pace, his fur bristling upwards. Stupid, stuck up... princess.
He may as well have struck Maul, herself. She flinches back, genuinely afraid of Thrash. Why wouldn't she be? Just last night, he had his claws embedded in her fur. This morning, he had her completely pinned to the ground. He is not the sort of cougar she ought to be making angry. He doesn't touch her, but her back remains arched as he begins to walk away. He is not yet out of sight before she whispers, almost to herself, "I'm sorry."
If Thrash heard her, he isn't turning back around. He is too upset, and confused to even care at the moment. As he moves through the thick bushes, he slaps, and swats at branches in his way, becoming nothing short of a hissy-fit demolition crew. The poor rabbit lays there on the ground, staring blankly up at the sky with a void expression upon his face.
Maul listens as the large male storms off. Will he be back? She'll be leaving, regardless, but... well, he had a point. She shouldn't have made him waste his time hunting. So, before she begins walking off, she lowers her head to pick up the rabbit. Then, though she would much prefer to curl up on the ground and feel sorry for herself for, oh, days, she slips off into the forest as stealthily as she can, heading back to the river. She'll have to cover her tracks as well as she can, disappear from both Thrash and Cael. Then she can feel sorry for herself, and then, finally, she can get back to her purpose here.