Post by avalikia on Feb 15, 2010 23:18:21 GMT -5
Characters:
Mojag - Male Elk
Niabi - Female Elk
Aylen - Female Elk Calf
Catori - Female Elk
Setting:
Trickling River
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Autumn is upon the lands, and it seems every hour that passes another leaf gives up it's green, a spot of vermilion or a splash of crimson in the leafy sea. It's the sort of dynamic early autumn, where the sky is the color of wet slate yet somehow sunny, casting down warm bands through the trees and turning the river to a streak of gurgling gold. Striding alongside the banks of the water, a bull elk regards the surrounding landscape with calm, clever eyes, a lilting song being hummed in his throat. Velvet has long since shed, and twelve strong tines rise above his head, crisp and symmetrical. The autumn sun turns his sandstone coat to milky amber, and the thick mane about his neck a bright, fiery russet. "...and before the wild winter wolf turns the world to ice, the great summer elk sweeps his golden antlers across the world, setting the lands alight in all the colors of the sun." The quietly singing voice is distinct, that of Mojag.
Today is like any day for Niabi. While it's true that the summer has taken a distinct turn towards fall, and we all know how exciting that change is for elk, the season loses its urgency for a cow who already has a calf. Which she'll take as a good thing because otherwise she might be as moody as Catori has been lately. But that's not to say that she'll automatically be a spectator this year, only that she won't feel under pressure. And so as she leads Aylen back to the river so that they both can drink, the only thing on her mind is Aylen. That is, until she hears a familiar voice upon the wind that causes a smile when she nears the riverbank.
Aylen has been preoccupied of late with the slow changing of the season. This is her first autumn and she in particular is excited to be a part of it. Following her mother to the river, the young elk is oblivious to /everything/ around her except her mother's steady hoof beats. She doesn't even hear the poetics of the bull elk nearby.
Perhaps Catori was already taking the season way too seriously, but she had half a mind to just disappear for the majority of the rut, when autumn came rolling in. She is nervous, and it's very clear in how she looks ever alert with each one of her steps, trying as hard as she could to avoid either of the bulls she's met; even the other cows. Even little Aylen! However, the thought of being alone in such an odd season wasn't particularly welcoming either.. and she was.. thirsty. Yeah, that was it. Thirsty. Stepping through the forest as quietly as she could, Catori hardly makes it past the belt of trees before she sees both mother, daughter, and .. one of the bulls she was hoping to avoid. A mix between a whine and a sigh was given, her ears flit back, and she remains where she is.
Mojag is a fairly laid-back sort, at least physically, but the season seems to have inspired him with the energy of a calf as he bunches his legs and spring across the river in a few long bounds, kicking up a spray of the water before he reaches the other side. He tosses his head, restlessly swinging his antlers in a wide, sweeping arc as he snorts out wetly. "Hardly a river, but give it the spring melts and it'll run like a stampede." He says towards the water before motion and sound catches his attention. He swings up his head, ears pricking forward intently and his shoulders squaring - oh wait, not a bull, but it was far more welcome company. "Niabi! Hello hello! And little.. Aylen, yes?" He says, searching for the calf's name he'd heard. "A good day to be out and about before the snows hit." The arrival of Catori doesn't go missed either, and a warm grin is passed her way. "And Catori too! ...we all do tend to run into each other frequently."
An odd sound off to one side proves to be Catori, and Niabi quickly finds herself in worried mode. While she'd been a little too oblivious about the other cow's behavior lately, she thinks she understands now. Giving her herdmate a sympathetic smile that tries to convey both confidence and reassurance. But then her attention is all too easily stolen by Mojag. "Yes, funny how that happens," she says with a chuckle, knowing perfectly well that the bull more likely than not had intended to run into them one way or the other.
Aylen glances up at the bull, startling a little when his voice is picked up in her ears. "Hi Mojag, how are you?" The little elk says in response to the male. Smiling up at her mother, Aylen nuzzles her softly while she walks by to drink of the rivers waters.
Keeping herself at least half-hidden in the trees, Catori stiffens up at the mention of her name, eyes and ears moving in different directions, as if she were too frightened to come out. With one leg lifted, it almost seems as though she'll bound off in the opposite direction, but can't bring herself to do it. "Hi.." She says quietly, but that's the only response out of the oddly behaving cow.
Mojag places one leg in front and swings down his head, dipping into a bow for the youngest of the females. "Right as rain, Aylen, thank you for asking." Raising up his head, he regards Niabi with a smile. "Well, I don't mind. I spent enough time without company traveling here. It's nice not have to sing to yourself just to break the quiet, stories are well and good but still lonely when it's only yourself." As Catori chimes up, he turns regards the spooked Catori, head tilting faintly in a quizzical stare. She was normally so social. "Something bothering you, Catori? Is everything alright?" He asks of her, sounding genuinely concerned.
Returning Aylen's nuzzle almost automatically, Niabi's focus is now more on Catori. Lowering her voice, she murmurs, "She's feeling a little bullshy," to Mojag. However, just because she knows what's causing Catori's problem, that doesn't mean she knows what to do about it. She remembers being a little nervous her first rut, but then again she was also a foolish adolescent at the time and ended up participating in the rut despite her mother's direct orders not to. Um, yeah. So, er, she can't completely identify. And so, after cluing Mojag in Niabi stands there helplessly, hoping that her encouraging smile will do something.
Unfortunately, neither of their words do much to comfort her. The rut had sort of demonized the bulls for her, and the other cows were no better. Yes, it would've been wiser to flee the area for the length of the rut, but it wasn't as if she could just bound off before their eyes. Knowing them, she would almost expect them to come after her, or at least one of them. Her knees wind up locking, and she just stares at them for a moment, eyes wide and ears forward, before her conscious mind returns, and she speaks again. "Um.. nothing, nothing." She says quickly, and shakes her head. "I should.. probably go though.." Taking a few steps back, she doesn't dare turn around yet. Not until the cover of the forest is on her side.
Mojag looks aside to Niabi, eyes widening briefly as comprehension sets in. "...Oh." He murmurs, ears falling slightly limp as he regards Catori with a sideways glance. Well, what does a bull say to that? "...if you want to come get a drink I can... move?" Well, not move far, granted, but rut or no he's not out to scare the cows into a panic. He's still a somewhat sensitive sort, for a bull. A brief seeking look is passed to Niabi, a sort of helpless hope. Maybe she's accept the offer? He had no better ideas.
The look that Niabi returns can only be translated as 'I don't know'. And she really can't guess what kind of 'bullshy' Catori is. Will having Mojag back off help or not? No idea. It hasn't occurred to her that she might be part of the problem, as she's automatically assumed that another cow should at most be a neutral presence. At least they've always been that way for her, though she's known a few that get jealous and stuff of that nature. Not knowing what else to say, she simply nods in agreement to Mojag, eyes pleading for Catori to not wander away again.
Even though she was minorly thirsty, there was no way that she was going to that stream with Mojag around. There were plenty of other drinking spots along the way to .. the copse, perhaps. Maybe she'd even go to the glade and spend some time with the does, who weren't in the rutting mode just yet? But.. Niabi did look very convincing, and it was very sweet of Mojag to offer to move like that. Shifting her weight on differing hooves, Catori lets out a huff of breath, deciding that she could at least stay here, though she would keep far away from the bull. "I'm.. not really thirsty." Catori says, but takes a few steps toward them, walking toward Niabi, naturally.
Though regretfully, as Catori begins to move forward Mojag moves back. Not just a few steps, but he turns and heads across the river to stand patiently on the other shore to give her a (hopefully) comfortable berth, passing a reassuring grin back to the females. Besides, if he's going to be impressing one, he's the sort for polite behavior not antler-bashing, though no doubt with the beams upon his head he could throw his share of weight around. "Well, the water is nice and cold!" He chimes out, putting on a wide, if slightly goofy, grin. Okay, lame.
Niabi's smile grows as Catori approaches, glad that her herdmate has gotten over that moment of indecision at least. "Yeah, I understand," Niabi says, which really isn't much of a reply to what Catori said so much as to what she probably meant. But then her attention is drawn towards Mojag's obvious attempts to get some attention for how he's giving some space, and she can't help but laugh a little at him.
If Mojag is trying to impress her with how sweet and whatnot he was being, it was working. Catori grins a bit at him, and ducks her head shyly as she wanders over toward the river, keeping her distance but still glancing up at him from time to time. His antlers were pretty impressive, and after her drink, she pulls her head up and finds herself staring at them, then giggles a bit, looking over to Niabi, but not saying anything.
Having been watching the adults, Aylen can't help but notice that Catori seems kind of skittish around the bull. Letting out a low hum, Aylen comes back from splashing around in the waters of the river to dry off her chestnut brown fur. Standing next to Niabi, Aylen shakes the drops of refreshing coolness, twitching her tail in happiness. "Burr, the water always dives me shiverweys!" States the young elk, her blue sparkling eyes looking at Catori, she smiles at the cow elk.
Mojag remains politely across stream, shifting from hoof to hoof in a sort of uncertain dance. Well, this was somewhat an odd rut scene - all the cows on one side and the lone bull on the other. But ahwell, one can't go charging headfirst into things the first day - unless that thing is the skull of another bull. Aylen's comments about the water brings a chuckle from the male, giving his head an enthusiastic bob. "It is pretty cold today. Winter might not be too far off, judging by that. Ah... but winter is beautiful, harsh as it is... the world all white and still and quiet, like walking through a sparkling, silent dream."
See, now this is the part of the rut that's so entertaining when you're not only one of very few around that's not overwhelmed by hormones, but also old enough to know what's going on. When Catori looks her way Niabi laughs for no apparent reason and quickly uses Aylen as a way to pretend that she's not really paying any attention, helping Aylen dry herself off by grooming the calf. But in reality she's watching Catori, wondering what the other cow will do next. And it isn't as if she hasn't noticed Mojag either. Hardly.
After looking to Niabi, Catori's red eyes fall over to Mojag again, and she tilts her head. "I didn't mean to run you off, Mojag.." She says loud enough for him to hear, but there is a bit of sympathy mixed in with it. Come to think of it, it was quite rude. He was enjoying a conversation with Niabi, she figured, and here she was, ruining their talk and running him off. Tossing her head a bit, she grinned and took a step backward. "Git' back over here."
The bull had such a soothing voice, Aylen liked the way he talked about pretty things; deciding he was surly a nice elk, the tall calf bounds over across the river and does the unexpected by touching her nose to Mojag's neck fur, nuzzling him softly she then darts back across, simply enjoying running in the water.
With first Aylen's touching gesture and then Catori's summon, it's Mojag's turn to look a little shy. Grinning rather foolishly, he strides across the river, lifting each foot with a proud step to try and cover up his own twinge of nervousness. A warm, appreciative gaze is passed down to Aylen, a rather gentle look from a bull to a calf, and an even warmer and cheerier grin is offered to the grown cows. "Hm... you know what we need to make this evening even better? You know, with the nice weather and the beautiful company... something to snack on!" Males and their stomachs. "I passed by a big blueberry bush earlier and a chestnut tree that looked like a few good hits could knock down a bunch. Lemme go get us something! Excuse me!" And with this said, he gives his head a toss and sets off at a brisk trot down the stream to find those promised nibbles.
If Catori's turnaround struck Niabi as funny, Mojag's abrupt departure was even more so. Struck by another fit of giggles and laughs, Niabi gets a strange impulse she fights off at first. But after only a moment of reluctance she changes her mind. Dropping any semblance of dignified age she may have had before, Niabi suddenly bounds into the river herself, matching Aylen's playful running step for step. No doubt Catori will think she's gone crazy.
Seeing Mojag leave was actually kind of depressing. Sure, she didn't necessarily want to be in the company of the bulls for a while, but that didn't mean that she couldn't feel bad if she felt like she'd ran them off. Watching him depart, she hears a few more sudden splashes in the water.. and turning her head quickly, she sees that it's merely Aylen and Niabi splashing around together. A blink is given, as is a tilt of her head, but a grin does form. It was.. cute, the two of them playing together. Either way, she doesn't join them, and instead, just takes another drink of the slowly running water.
The young, now soaked through to her darkening fur, calf's excitement doubles as Niabi bounds into the water with her. Playing was fun, but it was even more so when another joined in. Laughing and splashing the water with her hooves, Aylen looks the picture of a perfectly joy filled youngster. Out of the river she bounds making a circle around Catori, sprinkles of water softly hitting the cow. "Catorwi, come play with us!!" Aylen squeaks excitedly, dancing around Catori in another circle before hopping back into the cool water with a slush and prancing over to Niabi again, her fur clinging to her well fed body.
Still laughing, Niabi uses Aylen's invitation to Catori as a chance to catch her breath. How do the young have the energy to do this for this for more than a few moments? Must be all those naps. Still, she'll try to keep up. When Aylen comes back, Niabi dashes away from her, trying to turn the random running into a game of tag. Still, she glances over at Catori with a question on her face. She figures a little exercise would do her herdmate good, if she can be convinced to join them.
Convincing Catori to join in wouldn't be that easy. Though she'd tempted by the sheer cuteness of the calf to hop in and join them in their game of tag, or whatever it was they were doing, she doesn't. She smiles warmly down at the youth, but keeps herself stubbornly planted at the river's edge, ignoring the bits of water that were splashed up on her by Aylen. They didn't bother her, and it was much more interesting to her, to watch Niabi run around the calf as she was, then to get her nicely groomed fur all wet and muddy. Usually, Catori would be the last cow to worry about how neat her fur looked, and even though she was nervous and quite afraid of the rut, she still wanted to look.. presentable, in case something did happen. An odd thing, Catori was.
Wondering if it is the fact that she is in the water, and not on the riverbank that is keeping their herd mate from joined in; Aylen makes another attempt to bring Catori into the game. Running up out of the water once more, the soggy calf brushes her face from muzzle to neck against the cows for leg, and then again on her belly, jumping around out of the water making a mess of her fur, with dirt now forming in small puffs of brown around her falling hoof steps. "Tag!!/Your/it!" She squeals, bounding off up stream a little ways before plunging straight back into the water.
"Aylen!" Niabi says, having meant it as a reprimand for not taking no for an answer, though in her present mood she can't help laughing too. Shaking her head, she forces her tone to be more serious as she jogs back towards the riverbank. "Sorry about that Catori," she says when she notices the state of Catori's fur, frowning as she realizes that Catori was looking a bit nicer than usual before. Aw, and now look at her! Somehow managing to pull out her mom-means-business voice, she turns to her daughter, "Aylen, stop and look at Catori, then say you're sorry."
Seeing Aylen book out of the river, she had half a mind to back up as the soggy mess of a calf came toward her, but does not, not wanting to seem rude by recoiling from the youth.. but, when Aylen rubbed her muddy muzzle over her leg and belly, Catori grimaces, and pulls away just slightly. A nervous laugh is given, and she groans a bit at the dirt on her leg and belly. Great. Now she'll have to lick all of that off, and /that/ was never fun. The urge to glare is there, but she ignores it, and nods her head apathetically. "It's alright.. she just wanted to play." She says rather shyly, and moves her dirtied leg back a step, ears lowering a bit.
Hearing the tone in her mothers voice, knows that Niabi is not playing around. Looking back to Catori, guilt bubbles through the gangly soggy calf, and she takes slow steps toward the now slightly messy cow. Stopping to wash her dirty face and muzzle, Aylen now trots up to Catori. Eyes glistening with tears, she chokes out a, "I'm Sorwy Catorwi, I just wanted to play with you." Wanting to help fix her own mess, Aylen begins to groom the mess she has made of the cows fur, tears falling over her eyelids and sliding slowly down her freshly cleaned face she also says, "Sorwy Mommy." Glancing for only a second at Niabi before continuing her grooming of the muddy fur.
Aw, it's enough to melt your heart, isn't it? But Niabi's not gonna negate the lesson that ought to be learned here by telling Aylen that it's okay - sends the wrong message. Instead, her tone softens a little and she says, "Come here, Aylen." As much as she doesn't want Aylen to think that it doesn't matter, she also doesn't want her daughter thinking she's done something terrible. "If someone doesn't want to play, then you should let them not play. And when your wet and someone else isn't, you should be careful. Okay?" she explains, her gentle tone reassuring the calf that she's not angry at all. This is just a learning moment.
Seeing the teary-eyed calf was enough to soften the usually tough Catori, and she grins a bit, nodding her head and accepting the apology. "It's okay, hun." She says, and looks and listens as Niabi comes to gather her daughter, and her attention falls elsewhere. Well, she wasn't about to wander into the river to play, she'd got her drink, and she would like to get away from the area in case the other bull decided to show up. Bullshy was a definite understatement of her nervousness, and so, she took a step back, and cleared her throat. "I should.. probably get going not, Niabi." She calls out, again, just loud enough to echo over the area.
Aylen hoofs it over to her mother quickly, not wanting to get in any more trouble. "Yes mommy, next time I will watch and make sure that Catori wants to play." Tears well up again, but Aylen pushes them back down where they came from. Ahh, what a time to choose to not hid behind her shy visage. Feeling embarrassed that she had messed up her poor herd mates fur, she glances back at the sound of Catori's voice, "I weally am sorwy Catowi, I just thought you wanted to play outside the watew, that's all." She says shyly.
After giving Aylen a comforting nuzzle to underline the message that she's not angry, Niabi turns the bulk of her attention over to Catori. "You're right, Mojag may come back or Ojalo might turn up any moment now," she says casually, once again responding more to what Catori meant than what she said. She pauses and a small smile touches her face before she continues, "If you ever want to talk about anything to me, you know you can, right? I've walked through the forest a few times, you know." And she's sure that's about all she can do to help Catori, barring anything she can't think of herself.
The calf's continuous apologies are further appreciated, and she continues to smile over to her, even as she slowly backs away from the river bank. "It's okay, Aylen, I understand." She says, and giggles a bit. "I was a calf too, once. I know how playful you guys are.. I'm sorry, I'm just not really in a playful mood." Nodding her head, her smile fades slightly, and taking a quick glance back at the surroundings at the mention of the two bulls, Catori feels a slight shiver down her spine, and just as she's about to turn around to book it, Niabi lets her know that she's able to talk. "Oh, I know. It's nothing though, really." Nodding her head a few times, she turns around, and grins further. "I'll see you both soon!" Not 'later,' not 'tomorrow,' but 'soon.' After the rut? Maybe. She didn't know if she could put up with all this anxiety. Either way, 'soon' it was, and she was off.
Aylen looks back at her mother, and begins grooming herself religiously. She hears the cows speaking to each other, and between licks she manages a, "See you soon Catowi!" Hoping she has made a better impression on her elder. Catori was right after all, she /was/ still a calf, and had to learn right from wrong. Aylen liked Catori, even though she was kind of a little bit strange when compared to her own mother. "I wuv you mommy." She says and walks closer to her mother to help groom her as well.
Sighing at the departing Catori, Niabi shakes her head. She's sure that everything will work out for Catori one way or the other, but until then things will definitely be frustrating for everyone. Smiling as Aylen comes closer, Niabi starts to groom Aylen too, pausing for just a moment to say, "I should warn you; adults act a little silly sometimes this time of year." Further explanation won't be offered, of course, but the least she can do is offer that warning.
Having not realized the extent of her filthiness, Aylen is shocked at how much mud actually is on her fur. In a frenzy of licks she cleans her chest fur, and then begins at her back. Today has proved to be an interesting one and Aylen is not willing to take any sort of nap until she is well groomed and has dried a bit.
Niabi is probably a real mess herself, but she's not too concerned. More likely than not, while Aylen's napping she'll go for a swim and that will take care of the worst of anything. She's not vain about her appearance even at this time of the year, figuring that she'll get cut a lot of slack for having a herd to help run and a daughter to raise. Having a dirty calf, on the other hoof, is obviously unacceptable, so she'll assist Aylen with her efforts to clean herself until they're both satisfied.
Becoming a bit of a neat freak about her fur, Aylen continues to lick here and there. Stopping suddenly she decides that jumping into the river would probably be a good way to get the deep fur clean so she doesn't feel all dingy after having just groomed the surface dirt from her pelt. Looking at Niabi she asks, "Mommy, should I take a bath to get all the mud out of my fur?"
Glancing at the river, Niabi shrugs, "If you'd like to. You've just got to be careful not to get dirt on you until you're dry." Which is actually pretty difficult given how dirt is definitely not in short supply around here. But while she's at it, "I'll join you, actually. I probably have mud all over me and don't even know it." And yes, she does!
Bounding back into the shallow waters, Aylen lays down and shakes will all her might. Freeing the muck from her chestnut fur, the happy elk calf swims around rolling to and fro cleaning her mud covered fur. Glad that her mother has decided to join her, Aylen lets out a reply of joy, "Yeah mommy come in the watew feels really good!"
Only half a step behind Aylen, Niabi has to go a bit further into the river to find water deep enough to do the job, even if she crouches a bit. The water does indeed feel good, though it's a touch too cold now that the seasons are starting to change, but not enough to put her put her off bathing. Once she believes she's had enough, she stands upright again and wades to where the water is shallow again, giving herself a good shake once she's in water shallow enough that it only touches her legs. "Brr, that's a little cold!" she comments as she starts to nudge a few bits of her fur back into place.
Aylen is satisfied at the moment with the lack of dirt now on her fur, and follows her mothers lead. Stopping when she is only hoof deep in water, she shakes her fur dry and begins walking slowly out of the water one hoof at a time, shaking each individual hoof in attempt to dry them before stepping out onto the river bank and into some sunlight.
Niabi lingers in the shallows, allowing as much water to drip off of her as possible before she'll step onto dry land. She's got a lot of experience with this whole not getting dirty immediately after taking a bath thing. Instead she continues to try and sort out her fur before any of it dries in a weird way. Thank goodness that her winter coat hasn't started growing or she'd be at it all day! When she finally does step out of the river, she can't help but reach over and straighten Aylen's fur for her here and there, still more concerned with her calf's appearance than her own.
All this playing and romping around has tired out the young elk, and she decides that she is dry enough to go ahead and lay down for a nap. Flicking her ears to and fro, Aylen listens for any nearby danger and scents at the air, like her mother had begun to teach her. Feeling it was save she then hoofs over to a nearby patch of sunlight and sprawls out on the ground lazily. Heavy lids struggle to stay open in the warmth of the sunbeams, and her deep blue eye's close. "I'ma take a nap mommy, you wanna join me?" Nodding of to sleep quickly the still drying elk is a precious sight, with her fur still sticking here and there in funny directions. Letting exhaustion take her, the dark brown calf falls deep asleep saying, "I wuv you mommy."
Mojag - Male Elk
Niabi - Female Elk
Aylen - Female Elk Calf
Catori - Female Elk
Setting:
Trickling River
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Autumn is upon the lands, and it seems every hour that passes another leaf gives up it's green, a spot of vermilion or a splash of crimson in the leafy sea. It's the sort of dynamic early autumn, where the sky is the color of wet slate yet somehow sunny, casting down warm bands through the trees and turning the river to a streak of gurgling gold. Striding alongside the banks of the water, a bull elk regards the surrounding landscape with calm, clever eyes, a lilting song being hummed in his throat. Velvet has long since shed, and twelve strong tines rise above his head, crisp and symmetrical. The autumn sun turns his sandstone coat to milky amber, and the thick mane about his neck a bright, fiery russet. "...and before the wild winter wolf turns the world to ice, the great summer elk sweeps his golden antlers across the world, setting the lands alight in all the colors of the sun." The quietly singing voice is distinct, that of Mojag.
Today is like any day for Niabi. While it's true that the summer has taken a distinct turn towards fall, and we all know how exciting that change is for elk, the season loses its urgency for a cow who already has a calf. Which she'll take as a good thing because otherwise she might be as moody as Catori has been lately. But that's not to say that she'll automatically be a spectator this year, only that she won't feel under pressure. And so as she leads Aylen back to the river so that they both can drink, the only thing on her mind is Aylen. That is, until she hears a familiar voice upon the wind that causes a smile when she nears the riverbank.
Aylen has been preoccupied of late with the slow changing of the season. This is her first autumn and she in particular is excited to be a part of it. Following her mother to the river, the young elk is oblivious to /everything/ around her except her mother's steady hoof beats. She doesn't even hear the poetics of the bull elk nearby.
Perhaps Catori was already taking the season way too seriously, but she had half a mind to just disappear for the majority of the rut, when autumn came rolling in. She is nervous, and it's very clear in how she looks ever alert with each one of her steps, trying as hard as she could to avoid either of the bulls she's met; even the other cows. Even little Aylen! However, the thought of being alone in such an odd season wasn't particularly welcoming either.. and she was.. thirsty. Yeah, that was it. Thirsty. Stepping through the forest as quietly as she could, Catori hardly makes it past the belt of trees before she sees both mother, daughter, and .. one of the bulls she was hoping to avoid. A mix between a whine and a sigh was given, her ears flit back, and she remains where she is.
Mojag is a fairly laid-back sort, at least physically, but the season seems to have inspired him with the energy of a calf as he bunches his legs and spring across the river in a few long bounds, kicking up a spray of the water before he reaches the other side. He tosses his head, restlessly swinging his antlers in a wide, sweeping arc as he snorts out wetly. "Hardly a river, but give it the spring melts and it'll run like a stampede." He says towards the water before motion and sound catches his attention. He swings up his head, ears pricking forward intently and his shoulders squaring - oh wait, not a bull, but it was far more welcome company. "Niabi! Hello hello! And little.. Aylen, yes?" He says, searching for the calf's name he'd heard. "A good day to be out and about before the snows hit." The arrival of Catori doesn't go missed either, and a warm grin is passed her way. "And Catori too! ...we all do tend to run into each other frequently."
An odd sound off to one side proves to be Catori, and Niabi quickly finds herself in worried mode. While she'd been a little too oblivious about the other cow's behavior lately, she thinks she understands now. Giving her herdmate a sympathetic smile that tries to convey both confidence and reassurance. But then her attention is all too easily stolen by Mojag. "Yes, funny how that happens," she says with a chuckle, knowing perfectly well that the bull more likely than not had intended to run into them one way or the other.
Aylen glances up at the bull, startling a little when his voice is picked up in her ears. "Hi Mojag, how are you?" The little elk says in response to the male. Smiling up at her mother, Aylen nuzzles her softly while she walks by to drink of the rivers waters.
Keeping herself at least half-hidden in the trees, Catori stiffens up at the mention of her name, eyes and ears moving in different directions, as if she were too frightened to come out. With one leg lifted, it almost seems as though she'll bound off in the opposite direction, but can't bring herself to do it. "Hi.." She says quietly, but that's the only response out of the oddly behaving cow.
Mojag places one leg in front and swings down his head, dipping into a bow for the youngest of the females. "Right as rain, Aylen, thank you for asking." Raising up his head, he regards Niabi with a smile. "Well, I don't mind. I spent enough time without company traveling here. It's nice not have to sing to yourself just to break the quiet, stories are well and good but still lonely when it's only yourself." As Catori chimes up, he turns regards the spooked Catori, head tilting faintly in a quizzical stare. She was normally so social. "Something bothering you, Catori? Is everything alright?" He asks of her, sounding genuinely concerned.
Returning Aylen's nuzzle almost automatically, Niabi's focus is now more on Catori. Lowering her voice, she murmurs, "She's feeling a little bullshy," to Mojag. However, just because she knows what's causing Catori's problem, that doesn't mean she knows what to do about it. She remembers being a little nervous her first rut, but then again she was also a foolish adolescent at the time and ended up participating in the rut despite her mother's direct orders not to. Um, yeah. So, er, she can't completely identify. And so, after cluing Mojag in Niabi stands there helplessly, hoping that her encouraging smile will do something.
Unfortunately, neither of their words do much to comfort her. The rut had sort of demonized the bulls for her, and the other cows were no better. Yes, it would've been wiser to flee the area for the length of the rut, but it wasn't as if she could just bound off before their eyes. Knowing them, she would almost expect them to come after her, or at least one of them. Her knees wind up locking, and she just stares at them for a moment, eyes wide and ears forward, before her conscious mind returns, and she speaks again. "Um.. nothing, nothing." She says quickly, and shakes her head. "I should.. probably go though.." Taking a few steps back, she doesn't dare turn around yet. Not until the cover of the forest is on her side.
Mojag looks aside to Niabi, eyes widening briefly as comprehension sets in. "...Oh." He murmurs, ears falling slightly limp as he regards Catori with a sideways glance. Well, what does a bull say to that? "...if you want to come get a drink I can... move?" Well, not move far, granted, but rut or no he's not out to scare the cows into a panic. He's still a somewhat sensitive sort, for a bull. A brief seeking look is passed to Niabi, a sort of helpless hope. Maybe she's accept the offer? He had no better ideas.
The look that Niabi returns can only be translated as 'I don't know'. And she really can't guess what kind of 'bullshy' Catori is. Will having Mojag back off help or not? No idea. It hasn't occurred to her that she might be part of the problem, as she's automatically assumed that another cow should at most be a neutral presence. At least they've always been that way for her, though she's known a few that get jealous and stuff of that nature. Not knowing what else to say, she simply nods in agreement to Mojag, eyes pleading for Catori to not wander away again.
Even though she was minorly thirsty, there was no way that she was going to that stream with Mojag around. There were plenty of other drinking spots along the way to .. the copse, perhaps. Maybe she'd even go to the glade and spend some time with the does, who weren't in the rutting mode just yet? But.. Niabi did look very convincing, and it was very sweet of Mojag to offer to move like that. Shifting her weight on differing hooves, Catori lets out a huff of breath, deciding that she could at least stay here, though she would keep far away from the bull. "I'm.. not really thirsty." Catori says, but takes a few steps toward them, walking toward Niabi, naturally.
Though regretfully, as Catori begins to move forward Mojag moves back. Not just a few steps, but he turns and heads across the river to stand patiently on the other shore to give her a (hopefully) comfortable berth, passing a reassuring grin back to the females. Besides, if he's going to be impressing one, he's the sort for polite behavior not antler-bashing, though no doubt with the beams upon his head he could throw his share of weight around. "Well, the water is nice and cold!" He chimes out, putting on a wide, if slightly goofy, grin. Okay, lame.
Niabi's smile grows as Catori approaches, glad that her herdmate has gotten over that moment of indecision at least. "Yeah, I understand," Niabi says, which really isn't much of a reply to what Catori said so much as to what she probably meant. But then her attention is drawn towards Mojag's obvious attempts to get some attention for how he's giving some space, and she can't help but laugh a little at him.
If Mojag is trying to impress her with how sweet and whatnot he was being, it was working. Catori grins a bit at him, and ducks her head shyly as she wanders over toward the river, keeping her distance but still glancing up at him from time to time. His antlers were pretty impressive, and after her drink, she pulls her head up and finds herself staring at them, then giggles a bit, looking over to Niabi, but not saying anything.
Having been watching the adults, Aylen can't help but notice that Catori seems kind of skittish around the bull. Letting out a low hum, Aylen comes back from splashing around in the waters of the river to dry off her chestnut brown fur. Standing next to Niabi, Aylen shakes the drops of refreshing coolness, twitching her tail in happiness. "Burr, the water always dives me shiverweys!" States the young elk, her blue sparkling eyes looking at Catori, she smiles at the cow elk.
Mojag remains politely across stream, shifting from hoof to hoof in a sort of uncertain dance. Well, this was somewhat an odd rut scene - all the cows on one side and the lone bull on the other. But ahwell, one can't go charging headfirst into things the first day - unless that thing is the skull of another bull. Aylen's comments about the water brings a chuckle from the male, giving his head an enthusiastic bob. "It is pretty cold today. Winter might not be too far off, judging by that. Ah... but winter is beautiful, harsh as it is... the world all white and still and quiet, like walking through a sparkling, silent dream."
See, now this is the part of the rut that's so entertaining when you're not only one of very few around that's not overwhelmed by hormones, but also old enough to know what's going on. When Catori looks her way Niabi laughs for no apparent reason and quickly uses Aylen as a way to pretend that she's not really paying any attention, helping Aylen dry herself off by grooming the calf. But in reality she's watching Catori, wondering what the other cow will do next. And it isn't as if she hasn't noticed Mojag either. Hardly.
After looking to Niabi, Catori's red eyes fall over to Mojag again, and she tilts her head. "I didn't mean to run you off, Mojag.." She says loud enough for him to hear, but there is a bit of sympathy mixed in with it. Come to think of it, it was quite rude. He was enjoying a conversation with Niabi, she figured, and here she was, ruining their talk and running him off. Tossing her head a bit, she grinned and took a step backward. "Git' back over here."
The bull had such a soothing voice, Aylen liked the way he talked about pretty things; deciding he was surly a nice elk, the tall calf bounds over across the river and does the unexpected by touching her nose to Mojag's neck fur, nuzzling him softly she then darts back across, simply enjoying running in the water.
With first Aylen's touching gesture and then Catori's summon, it's Mojag's turn to look a little shy. Grinning rather foolishly, he strides across the river, lifting each foot with a proud step to try and cover up his own twinge of nervousness. A warm, appreciative gaze is passed down to Aylen, a rather gentle look from a bull to a calf, and an even warmer and cheerier grin is offered to the grown cows. "Hm... you know what we need to make this evening even better? You know, with the nice weather and the beautiful company... something to snack on!" Males and their stomachs. "I passed by a big blueberry bush earlier and a chestnut tree that looked like a few good hits could knock down a bunch. Lemme go get us something! Excuse me!" And with this said, he gives his head a toss and sets off at a brisk trot down the stream to find those promised nibbles.
If Catori's turnaround struck Niabi as funny, Mojag's abrupt departure was even more so. Struck by another fit of giggles and laughs, Niabi gets a strange impulse she fights off at first. But after only a moment of reluctance she changes her mind. Dropping any semblance of dignified age she may have had before, Niabi suddenly bounds into the river herself, matching Aylen's playful running step for step. No doubt Catori will think she's gone crazy.
Seeing Mojag leave was actually kind of depressing. Sure, she didn't necessarily want to be in the company of the bulls for a while, but that didn't mean that she couldn't feel bad if she felt like she'd ran them off. Watching him depart, she hears a few more sudden splashes in the water.. and turning her head quickly, she sees that it's merely Aylen and Niabi splashing around together. A blink is given, as is a tilt of her head, but a grin does form. It was.. cute, the two of them playing together. Either way, she doesn't join them, and instead, just takes another drink of the slowly running water.
The young, now soaked through to her darkening fur, calf's excitement doubles as Niabi bounds into the water with her. Playing was fun, but it was even more so when another joined in. Laughing and splashing the water with her hooves, Aylen looks the picture of a perfectly joy filled youngster. Out of the river she bounds making a circle around Catori, sprinkles of water softly hitting the cow. "Catorwi, come play with us!!" Aylen squeaks excitedly, dancing around Catori in another circle before hopping back into the cool water with a slush and prancing over to Niabi again, her fur clinging to her well fed body.
Still laughing, Niabi uses Aylen's invitation to Catori as a chance to catch her breath. How do the young have the energy to do this for this for more than a few moments? Must be all those naps. Still, she'll try to keep up. When Aylen comes back, Niabi dashes away from her, trying to turn the random running into a game of tag. Still, she glances over at Catori with a question on her face. She figures a little exercise would do her herdmate good, if she can be convinced to join them.
Convincing Catori to join in wouldn't be that easy. Though she'd tempted by the sheer cuteness of the calf to hop in and join them in their game of tag, or whatever it was they were doing, she doesn't. She smiles warmly down at the youth, but keeps herself stubbornly planted at the river's edge, ignoring the bits of water that were splashed up on her by Aylen. They didn't bother her, and it was much more interesting to her, to watch Niabi run around the calf as she was, then to get her nicely groomed fur all wet and muddy. Usually, Catori would be the last cow to worry about how neat her fur looked, and even though she was nervous and quite afraid of the rut, she still wanted to look.. presentable, in case something did happen. An odd thing, Catori was.
Wondering if it is the fact that she is in the water, and not on the riverbank that is keeping their herd mate from joined in; Aylen makes another attempt to bring Catori into the game. Running up out of the water once more, the soggy calf brushes her face from muzzle to neck against the cows for leg, and then again on her belly, jumping around out of the water making a mess of her fur, with dirt now forming in small puffs of brown around her falling hoof steps. "Tag!!/Your/it!" She squeals, bounding off up stream a little ways before plunging straight back into the water.
"Aylen!" Niabi says, having meant it as a reprimand for not taking no for an answer, though in her present mood she can't help laughing too. Shaking her head, she forces her tone to be more serious as she jogs back towards the riverbank. "Sorry about that Catori," she says when she notices the state of Catori's fur, frowning as she realizes that Catori was looking a bit nicer than usual before. Aw, and now look at her! Somehow managing to pull out her mom-means-business voice, she turns to her daughter, "Aylen, stop and look at Catori, then say you're sorry."
Seeing Aylen book out of the river, she had half a mind to back up as the soggy mess of a calf came toward her, but does not, not wanting to seem rude by recoiling from the youth.. but, when Aylen rubbed her muddy muzzle over her leg and belly, Catori grimaces, and pulls away just slightly. A nervous laugh is given, and she groans a bit at the dirt on her leg and belly. Great. Now she'll have to lick all of that off, and /that/ was never fun. The urge to glare is there, but she ignores it, and nods her head apathetically. "It's alright.. she just wanted to play." She says rather shyly, and moves her dirtied leg back a step, ears lowering a bit.
Hearing the tone in her mothers voice, knows that Niabi is not playing around. Looking back to Catori, guilt bubbles through the gangly soggy calf, and she takes slow steps toward the now slightly messy cow. Stopping to wash her dirty face and muzzle, Aylen now trots up to Catori. Eyes glistening with tears, she chokes out a, "I'm Sorwy Catorwi, I just wanted to play with you." Wanting to help fix her own mess, Aylen begins to groom the mess she has made of the cows fur, tears falling over her eyelids and sliding slowly down her freshly cleaned face she also says, "Sorwy Mommy." Glancing for only a second at Niabi before continuing her grooming of the muddy fur.
Aw, it's enough to melt your heart, isn't it? But Niabi's not gonna negate the lesson that ought to be learned here by telling Aylen that it's okay - sends the wrong message. Instead, her tone softens a little and she says, "Come here, Aylen." As much as she doesn't want Aylen to think that it doesn't matter, she also doesn't want her daughter thinking she's done something terrible. "If someone doesn't want to play, then you should let them not play. And when your wet and someone else isn't, you should be careful. Okay?" she explains, her gentle tone reassuring the calf that she's not angry at all. This is just a learning moment.
Seeing the teary-eyed calf was enough to soften the usually tough Catori, and she grins a bit, nodding her head and accepting the apology. "It's okay, hun." She says, and looks and listens as Niabi comes to gather her daughter, and her attention falls elsewhere. Well, she wasn't about to wander into the river to play, she'd got her drink, and she would like to get away from the area in case the other bull decided to show up. Bullshy was a definite understatement of her nervousness, and so, she took a step back, and cleared her throat. "I should.. probably get going not, Niabi." She calls out, again, just loud enough to echo over the area.
Aylen hoofs it over to her mother quickly, not wanting to get in any more trouble. "Yes mommy, next time I will watch and make sure that Catori wants to play." Tears well up again, but Aylen pushes them back down where they came from. Ahh, what a time to choose to not hid behind her shy visage. Feeling embarrassed that she had messed up her poor herd mates fur, she glances back at the sound of Catori's voice, "I weally am sorwy Catowi, I just thought you wanted to play outside the watew, that's all." She says shyly.
After giving Aylen a comforting nuzzle to underline the message that she's not angry, Niabi turns the bulk of her attention over to Catori. "You're right, Mojag may come back or Ojalo might turn up any moment now," she says casually, once again responding more to what Catori meant than what she said. She pauses and a small smile touches her face before she continues, "If you ever want to talk about anything to me, you know you can, right? I've walked through the forest a few times, you know." And she's sure that's about all she can do to help Catori, barring anything she can't think of herself.
The calf's continuous apologies are further appreciated, and she continues to smile over to her, even as she slowly backs away from the river bank. "It's okay, Aylen, I understand." She says, and giggles a bit. "I was a calf too, once. I know how playful you guys are.. I'm sorry, I'm just not really in a playful mood." Nodding her head, her smile fades slightly, and taking a quick glance back at the surroundings at the mention of the two bulls, Catori feels a slight shiver down her spine, and just as she's about to turn around to book it, Niabi lets her know that she's able to talk. "Oh, I know. It's nothing though, really." Nodding her head a few times, she turns around, and grins further. "I'll see you both soon!" Not 'later,' not 'tomorrow,' but 'soon.' After the rut? Maybe. She didn't know if she could put up with all this anxiety. Either way, 'soon' it was, and she was off.
Aylen looks back at her mother, and begins grooming herself religiously. She hears the cows speaking to each other, and between licks she manages a, "See you soon Catowi!" Hoping she has made a better impression on her elder. Catori was right after all, she /was/ still a calf, and had to learn right from wrong. Aylen liked Catori, even though she was kind of a little bit strange when compared to her own mother. "I wuv you mommy." She says and walks closer to her mother to help groom her as well.
Sighing at the departing Catori, Niabi shakes her head. She's sure that everything will work out for Catori one way or the other, but until then things will definitely be frustrating for everyone. Smiling as Aylen comes closer, Niabi starts to groom Aylen too, pausing for just a moment to say, "I should warn you; adults act a little silly sometimes this time of year." Further explanation won't be offered, of course, but the least she can do is offer that warning.
Having not realized the extent of her filthiness, Aylen is shocked at how much mud actually is on her fur. In a frenzy of licks she cleans her chest fur, and then begins at her back. Today has proved to be an interesting one and Aylen is not willing to take any sort of nap until she is well groomed and has dried a bit.
Niabi is probably a real mess herself, but she's not too concerned. More likely than not, while Aylen's napping she'll go for a swim and that will take care of the worst of anything. She's not vain about her appearance even at this time of the year, figuring that she'll get cut a lot of slack for having a herd to help run and a daughter to raise. Having a dirty calf, on the other hoof, is obviously unacceptable, so she'll assist Aylen with her efforts to clean herself until they're both satisfied.
Becoming a bit of a neat freak about her fur, Aylen continues to lick here and there. Stopping suddenly she decides that jumping into the river would probably be a good way to get the deep fur clean so she doesn't feel all dingy after having just groomed the surface dirt from her pelt. Looking at Niabi she asks, "Mommy, should I take a bath to get all the mud out of my fur?"
Glancing at the river, Niabi shrugs, "If you'd like to. You've just got to be careful not to get dirt on you until you're dry." Which is actually pretty difficult given how dirt is definitely not in short supply around here. But while she's at it, "I'll join you, actually. I probably have mud all over me and don't even know it." And yes, she does!
Bounding back into the shallow waters, Aylen lays down and shakes will all her might. Freeing the muck from her chestnut fur, the happy elk calf swims around rolling to and fro cleaning her mud covered fur. Glad that her mother has decided to join her, Aylen lets out a reply of joy, "Yeah mommy come in the watew feels really good!"
Only half a step behind Aylen, Niabi has to go a bit further into the river to find water deep enough to do the job, even if she crouches a bit. The water does indeed feel good, though it's a touch too cold now that the seasons are starting to change, but not enough to put her put her off bathing. Once she believes she's had enough, she stands upright again and wades to where the water is shallow again, giving herself a good shake once she's in water shallow enough that it only touches her legs. "Brr, that's a little cold!" she comments as she starts to nudge a few bits of her fur back into place.
Aylen is satisfied at the moment with the lack of dirt now on her fur, and follows her mothers lead. Stopping when she is only hoof deep in water, she shakes her fur dry and begins walking slowly out of the water one hoof at a time, shaking each individual hoof in attempt to dry them before stepping out onto the river bank and into some sunlight.
Niabi lingers in the shallows, allowing as much water to drip off of her as possible before she'll step onto dry land. She's got a lot of experience with this whole not getting dirty immediately after taking a bath thing. Instead she continues to try and sort out her fur before any of it dries in a weird way. Thank goodness that her winter coat hasn't started growing or she'd be at it all day! When she finally does step out of the river, she can't help but reach over and straighten Aylen's fur for her here and there, still more concerned with her calf's appearance than her own.
All this playing and romping around has tired out the young elk, and she decides that she is dry enough to go ahead and lay down for a nap. Flicking her ears to and fro, Aylen listens for any nearby danger and scents at the air, like her mother had begun to teach her. Feeling it was save she then hoofs over to a nearby patch of sunlight and sprawls out on the ground lazily. Heavy lids struggle to stay open in the warmth of the sunbeams, and her deep blue eye's close. "I'ma take a nap mommy, you wanna join me?" Nodding of to sleep quickly the still drying elk is a precious sight, with her fur still sticking here and there in funny directions. Letting exhaustion take her, the dark brown calf falls deep asleep saying, "I wuv you mommy."