Post by Therdde on Apr 27, 2010 14:21:51 GMT -5
Characters:
Ciqala - Juvenile Male Wolfdog
Toyo - Juvenile Male Cougar
Luna - Female Horse
Nukpana - Female Horse
- Hilltop Vista -
Ciqala has never been a very vocal presence within Ute, but the winter has not helped him at all. Sure, it's easier to find him now, if only because his dark fur does not allow him to blend in against the snow, but since his mother's notable absence from the den, Ciqala has been returning here almost only to try to see if there is any food or to sleep. Having recently woken from just a couple hours of rest, the young wolfdog leaves the den almost immediately, shaking himself as the winter wind cuts through his thick fur. The small and increasingly slim boy spends only a brief moment looking around, fully intending to follow his trend of wandering off to spend the day in solitude, doing whatever he does to occupy his days.
Ciqala isn't alone, however, as from above the ridge of the den comes a faint and quizzical pprp sound just before a round, fawn-colored head peeks down. "Hey!" Chimes the juvenile cougar perched above the opening. "You missed the rabbit they brought earlier. Even I missed it." Grumps the cat, known better for his bottomless stomach than his presence around the main bulk of the pack. "Nothing but fur left. I told 'em about the big things down south... horses, they called it. Maybe they'll be bringing one back."
Ciqala flicks his ear in Toyo's direction, but he is not quite so jumpy as he has been in months past, especially since Toyo's voice is so familiar. Before looking at Toyo, the wolfdog sniffs at the ground. Then, he turns his head to look at the other boy and says, "I think I'm hungry enough to eat the fur." After speaking, Ciqala makes a face at the idea of that, then shakes his head. Having never seen a horse, he doesn't have much else to add, and he just sits down. Despite spending his days wandering mostly on his own, recently, Ciqala is surprisingly not eager to leave the company of Toyo.
Toyo sighs as he rolls onto his back, forepaws absently making slow, bored swipes at the flakes in the air. "They're huge, I hope the grownups catch one. One day /I'll/ be big enough to chase a horse on my own!" He chimes triumphantly, though, it's unlikely he'll match his male counterparts in size and bulk. He spent too much of his youth hungry, and a good diet can only do so much once the damage is done. "Maybe we could go check them out!" He says as he rolls back onto his stomach, tail jerking with excitement. "They never noticed me when I was up in the old tree."
As Ciqala watches the seemingly playful cougar, he is taken by the desire to play, but his nervousness about playing with someone who could easily beat him, no matter how friendly he has been with Toyo, in the past, keeps him sitting long enough for the nervousness about the idea of going to stalk something that is apparently absolutely huge to take over. Ciqala glances to the south, then back to Toyo. "I don't..." The boy sighs slowly, then starts speaking again. "Um. I mean, okay." He displays a complete lack of enthusiasm, but he tries to keep his reluctance under control, at least.
Toyo blinks his wide blue-gold eyes to the wolfdog, his black ears switching forward as his whiskered muzzle crinkles in a faint grin. "Ya don't have to, if you don't want. It's not like /we/ can catch them anyway. I'm just bored. Ashen is busy, so I dunno what to do all day. You wanna do anything?" The cougar asks of Ciqala with a hopeful look that he might have a less-dangerous idea for entertainment.
"I just can't, uh... can't climb trees." Not that Ciqala would be any less nervous about the idea of getting too near what, in his head, must be some gigantic monster even if he could climb trees. Still, since they're clearly going to be doing something, even if Ciqala isn't quite sure what, yet, since he has no ideas that he thinks Toyo might find entertaining, the wolfdog stands to prevent the cold from continuing to seep into his rear. "But if we're careful, we can go look. We just gotta be... careful."
Toyo rolls his way onto his paws, giving his fur a light shake to clear off the gathered snow before he picks his way down to where Ciqala stands. "Alright. We'll sneak down there and take a peek from a distance. If they see us, we leave, alright?" Of course, Toyo is at an advantage in the situation of possible danger. Though scrawny, he's not much longer until he matches the grown wolves for height, and of course he can climb.
What keeps Ciqala going is not thoughts of entertainment, but rather thoughts of trying to make himself a productive member of this pack. There's no way he can do that if he refuses to even approach anything that might be a little bit scary. With that to drive him, the young boy turns to face the south before he begins walking. His steps are a bit timid, even as he knows they are no where near the horses, yet, much less near enough to be heard by them.
Toyo gives himself a long stretch, flexing his hooked claws before giving his back a high arch to loosen cold muscles. "They're like... big heavy deer without horns." He says as he trots along to meet up with Ciqala and then slows to a steady pace, moving just ahead to lead the way to where he'd spotted the herds near the old cottonwood trees. "You'll know 'em when you see them." How he makes things sound so simple one can only guess.
- Wildwood Acre -
Ciqala knows what deer look like, at least. That allows his mental image of horses to look a little bit less monstrous, less dripping fangs, glowing eyes, and demonic horns. Well, okay, maybe the demonic horns remain, but Ciqala still grows slightly calmer. He still doesn't speak much as he follows Toyo gradually southward, his eyes focused on the distance for any sign of movement.
On his wide furry paws, Toyo creeps southward to where he'd first spotted the strange, tall creatures that were later described to him as 'horses'. Since reporting their presence to the pack and hearing of the challenging equines, he's been dying for a second look, and he's now brought company. "...ssh... smell that?" He hisses ever so quietly to the young wolfdog beside him. "...I think it's them." His belly all but dragging on the ground, he picks his way in a steady stalk under one of the old leafless bushes to peek outward.
When the wolfdog's cougar companion speaks up, Ciqala perks his perpetually floppy ears as high as they'll go. Almost immediately, even before the unfamiliar scent that Toyo was pointing out catches his nose, the small canine's stomach does a couple flips. He drops back just a little bit further behind Toyo and mimics the cougar's movements as well as he can. The thin snow that has reached the ground, where it wasn't blocked by plants, softens the inexperienced canine's movements.
Luna certainly doesn't look like much of a challenge, or a challenger, or at least she wouldn't to a grown wolf or cougar. To inexperienced youngsters who have never seen a horse before, she just might look absolutely terrifying. Half again the size of a doe, and with an odd black and white coloration never seen on deer she's probably a strange vision to behold indeed. She lacks demonic horns and fire, though the dry twigs and grasses she's uncovering under the snow to eat just might be perceived as long fangs in the corners of her mouth, especially to adrenaline-pumped young minds.
Since coming to this patch of trees Nukpana has discovered the signs of nearby predators. But while that does worry her a bit, she's more relieved that they've ended up somewhere they can get out of the weather. Hopefully she'll either live thanks to the order of her priorities or despite them. At the moment she's standing next to Luna, also nibbling on whatever plants she can find. Of the two, the blood bay mare is definitely larger. And obviously pregnant to judge by the belly, not that the young predators know what a pregnant mare looks like.
Toyo is nearly forced to step on his tail to keep the black-tipped appendage from waggling back and forth. Terror is second only to a cat's overwhelming curiosity, and even with his fur fluffed up like a dandelion seed the young cougar remains stalwart in his insistence on getting a good, honest look at the hoofed animals. His nose takes in the familiar scent of the borderline set by the alphas, the the pungent equine scent threatens to override the odor of wolf. "... /see/... toldja they're big." Mumbles Toyo to the ear of Ciqala.
Although the young wolfdog's instinct urges him to turn around, Ciqala continues to creep forward until he is crouched side by side with Toyo. His eyes widen as he looks over the two horses that he can see, and although he has seen the size of some of the creatures the adults in his pack have taken down, he cannot imagine himself /ever/ hunting one of these. Still, the boy's stomach grumbles as he entertained the thought of a full belly that he would certainly get if one of those were brought home. "Where did they come from?" His voice is almost too quiet to be audible, and he asks what he does because, even at his tender age, he's surprised by spotting something he has never seen before.
Luna hasn't yet noticed the two cubs. The wind carries straight down between the two young ones and the horses, making it near impossible for either group to scent the other. She's busy scraping away snow to uncover edible grass, old leaves, anything that can keep her and Nukpana fed. The others of the herd are nowhere to be seen right now, off somewhere trying their own luck in finding food.
Against all odds, the youngsters seem to have passed the doubly difficult task of getting within view of both mares without either of them smelling or spotting them. However, Nukpana swears she heard something, so her head is lifted high as she double checks her surroundings just to be safe. Having oriented on the sound, her face turns squarely in the direction of the predators. But that doesn't mean that she's spotted them, even though it probably looks that way.
"Dunno. Think the grownups can catch o-- oh! Ssh!" Responds Toyo to his companion just before Nukpana's head swings to look their direction and his words are cut off in an alarmed hiss. The cat goes as stiff as a board, ears back and fur bristling along his arched spine. Even his tail goes dead, like a fawn-colored pipe stuck out behind him. His wide eyes, youth-blue rimmed in amber, are so wide the light-flooded pupils shrink to razor-thin slits.
As Ciqala's ears remains perked in Toyo's direction and his eyes on the horses, the young wolfdog freezes, nearly paralyzed with a very familiar fear. He opens his mouth, wanting to ask what they should do, but nothing other than a very quiet whine is produced. He wants, so badly, to retreat, but that desire isn't fulfilled, as some part of him trusts that Toyo's response of remaining still has to have some merit. That, and he's not entirely sure he remembers /how/ to move.
Luna raises her head as well, chewing her latest mouthful of grass and twigs slowly. She turns to look in the same direction Nukpana is, very quiet as her experienced eyes slowly move from bush to bush, trying to figure out what it is her herdmate has spotted. If she spots them or not is hard to tell; at least she lowers her head a bit to continue eating.
The larger mare takes much longer to inspect the situation before she too lowers her head to continue grazing. But Nukpana does give one hint as to whether or not she spotted something; there's a clear look of amusement on her face when she returns to her meager meal. Her tail flicks behind her as she casually starts to move, as if needing a better angle on her forage. With a slow-motion turn, her hindquarters are angled so that they just so happen to be pointed right in the direction of the young observers.
Toyo remains stock still as the horses search and seem to overlook their hiding spot under the brush and bramble. The cougar isn't so experienced as to know a bluff, but he's smart enough to even think he can approach the mares. Slowly he shifts himself uncomfortably, a glance passed towards Ciqala. "...maybe we should go back." He murmurs as his ears lay back along his skull. Suddenly, he's not feeling quite so brave, even if he feels even hungrier for seeking the massive animals.
Ciqala nods his head, perhaps far too eagerly. He has scarcely taken a breath since the large horse seemed to be looking directly at them, and as she starts to turn, Ciqala begins to back up slowly. Once he is certain he can turn around without getting his fur caught up in the bush, he does so. After turning, he refuses to look behind him, and his occasionally overactive imagination convinces him he would see an angry, huge beast practically right on top of him. It is that image that encourages him to run, with little concern about how much noise he might make.
Luna looks up again at the sound of snow being crushed under small paws, in time to see at least the wolfdog making his escape - and if Toyo's running as well, of course the both of them. "Wolves and cougars together," she muses with interest. "Not sure if that's a good or bad sign for us."
On ear flicks backwards as Nukpana hears someone making their getaway. "Pity," she comments. Had this been a better time of year and had she not had the burden of her pregnancy, she'd have tried harder to make sure that the two youngsters were more properly punished for their curiosity. But, as it is, she simply can't afford to use that kind of energy. Oh, well. "I don't know how that could be a good sign," she replies, "But I don't imagine we'll see any /adult/ wolves and cougars working together. That's unheard of, and strange friendships among youngsters of different species isn't." Still, there's definite worry in Nukpana's expression showing that she's not entirely convinced of her own words.
Toyo slowly backs out of the cover he and Ciqala had occupied, turning to begin creeping away in that classic feline slink. He does pause, though, risking a glance over his shoulder for one last look and spies Luna looking directly at them. He then decides haste more important than valor, and he turns and bounds after the already retreated wolfdog to the north with the black-tip of his tail the last to disappear among the clustered trees.
Ciqala - Juvenile Male Wolfdog
Toyo - Juvenile Male Cougar
Luna - Female Horse
Nukpana - Female Horse
- Hilltop Vista -
Ciqala has never been a very vocal presence within Ute, but the winter has not helped him at all. Sure, it's easier to find him now, if only because his dark fur does not allow him to blend in against the snow, but since his mother's notable absence from the den, Ciqala has been returning here almost only to try to see if there is any food or to sleep. Having recently woken from just a couple hours of rest, the young wolfdog leaves the den almost immediately, shaking himself as the winter wind cuts through his thick fur. The small and increasingly slim boy spends only a brief moment looking around, fully intending to follow his trend of wandering off to spend the day in solitude, doing whatever he does to occupy his days.
Ciqala isn't alone, however, as from above the ridge of the den comes a faint and quizzical pprp sound just before a round, fawn-colored head peeks down. "Hey!" Chimes the juvenile cougar perched above the opening. "You missed the rabbit they brought earlier. Even I missed it." Grumps the cat, known better for his bottomless stomach than his presence around the main bulk of the pack. "Nothing but fur left. I told 'em about the big things down south... horses, they called it. Maybe they'll be bringing one back."
Ciqala flicks his ear in Toyo's direction, but he is not quite so jumpy as he has been in months past, especially since Toyo's voice is so familiar. Before looking at Toyo, the wolfdog sniffs at the ground. Then, he turns his head to look at the other boy and says, "I think I'm hungry enough to eat the fur." After speaking, Ciqala makes a face at the idea of that, then shakes his head. Having never seen a horse, he doesn't have much else to add, and he just sits down. Despite spending his days wandering mostly on his own, recently, Ciqala is surprisingly not eager to leave the company of Toyo.
Toyo sighs as he rolls onto his back, forepaws absently making slow, bored swipes at the flakes in the air. "They're huge, I hope the grownups catch one. One day /I'll/ be big enough to chase a horse on my own!" He chimes triumphantly, though, it's unlikely he'll match his male counterparts in size and bulk. He spent too much of his youth hungry, and a good diet can only do so much once the damage is done. "Maybe we could go check them out!" He says as he rolls back onto his stomach, tail jerking with excitement. "They never noticed me when I was up in the old tree."
As Ciqala watches the seemingly playful cougar, he is taken by the desire to play, but his nervousness about playing with someone who could easily beat him, no matter how friendly he has been with Toyo, in the past, keeps him sitting long enough for the nervousness about the idea of going to stalk something that is apparently absolutely huge to take over. Ciqala glances to the south, then back to Toyo. "I don't..." The boy sighs slowly, then starts speaking again. "Um. I mean, okay." He displays a complete lack of enthusiasm, but he tries to keep his reluctance under control, at least.
Toyo blinks his wide blue-gold eyes to the wolfdog, his black ears switching forward as his whiskered muzzle crinkles in a faint grin. "Ya don't have to, if you don't want. It's not like /we/ can catch them anyway. I'm just bored. Ashen is busy, so I dunno what to do all day. You wanna do anything?" The cougar asks of Ciqala with a hopeful look that he might have a less-dangerous idea for entertainment.
"I just can't, uh... can't climb trees." Not that Ciqala would be any less nervous about the idea of getting too near what, in his head, must be some gigantic monster even if he could climb trees. Still, since they're clearly going to be doing something, even if Ciqala isn't quite sure what, yet, since he has no ideas that he thinks Toyo might find entertaining, the wolfdog stands to prevent the cold from continuing to seep into his rear. "But if we're careful, we can go look. We just gotta be... careful."
Toyo rolls his way onto his paws, giving his fur a light shake to clear off the gathered snow before he picks his way down to where Ciqala stands. "Alright. We'll sneak down there and take a peek from a distance. If they see us, we leave, alright?" Of course, Toyo is at an advantage in the situation of possible danger. Though scrawny, he's not much longer until he matches the grown wolves for height, and of course he can climb.
What keeps Ciqala going is not thoughts of entertainment, but rather thoughts of trying to make himself a productive member of this pack. There's no way he can do that if he refuses to even approach anything that might be a little bit scary. With that to drive him, the young boy turns to face the south before he begins walking. His steps are a bit timid, even as he knows they are no where near the horses, yet, much less near enough to be heard by them.
Toyo gives himself a long stretch, flexing his hooked claws before giving his back a high arch to loosen cold muscles. "They're like... big heavy deer without horns." He says as he trots along to meet up with Ciqala and then slows to a steady pace, moving just ahead to lead the way to where he'd spotted the herds near the old cottonwood trees. "You'll know 'em when you see them." How he makes things sound so simple one can only guess.
- Wildwood Acre -
Ciqala knows what deer look like, at least. That allows his mental image of horses to look a little bit less monstrous, less dripping fangs, glowing eyes, and demonic horns. Well, okay, maybe the demonic horns remain, but Ciqala still grows slightly calmer. He still doesn't speak much as he follows Toyo gradually southward, his eyes focused on the distance for any sign of movement.
On his wide furry paws, Toyo creeps southward to where he'd first spotted the strange, tall creatures that were later described to him as 'horses'. Since reporting their presence to the pack and hearing of the challenging equines, he's been dying for a second look, and he's now brought company. "...ssh... smell that?" He hisses ever so quietly to the young wolfdog beside him. "...I think it's them." His belly all but dragging on the ground, he picks his way in a steady stalk under one of the old leafless bushes to peek outward.
When the wolfdog's cougar companion speaks up, Ciqala perks his perpetually floppy ears as high as they'll go. Almost immediately, even before the unfamiliar scent that Toyo was pointing out catches his nose, the small canine's stomach does a couple flips. He drops back just a little bit further behind Toyo and mimics the cougar's movements as well as he can. The thin snow that has reached the ground, where it wasn't blocked by plants, softens the inexperienced canine's movements.
Luna certainly doesn't look like much of a challenge, or a challenger, or at least she wouldn't to a grown wolf or cougar. To inexperienced youngsters who have never seen a horse before, she just might look absolutely terrifying. Half again the size of a doe, and with an odd black and white coloration never seen on deer she's probably a strange vision to behold indeed. She lacks demonic horns and fire, though the dry twigs and grasses she's uncovering under the snow to eat just might be perceived as long fangs in the corners of her mouth, especially to adrenaline-pumped young minds.
Since coming to this patch of trees Nukpana has discovered the signs of nearby predators. But while that does worry her a bit, she's more relieved that they've ended up somewhere they can get out of the weather. Hopefully she'll either live thanks to the order of her priorities or despite them. At the moment she's standing next to Luna, also nibbling on whatever plants she can find. Of the two, the blood bay mare is definitely larger. And obviously pregnant to judge by the belly, not that the young predators know what a pregnant mare looks like.
Toyo is nearly forced to step on his tail to keep the black-tipped appendage from waggling back and forth. Terror is second only to a cat's overwhelming curiosity, and even with his fur fluffed up like a dandelion seed the young cougar remains stalwart in his insistence on getting a good, honest look at the hoofed animals. His nose takes in the familiar scent of the borderline set by the alphas, the the pungent equine scent threatens to override the odor of wolf. "... /see/... toldja they're big." Mumbles Toyo to the ear of Ciqala.
Although the young wolfdog's instinct urges him to turn around, Ciqala continues to creep forward until he is crouched side by side with Toyo. His eyes widen as he looks over the two horses that he can see, and although he has seen the size of some of the creatures the adults in his pack have taken down, he cannot imagine himself /ever/ hunting one of these. Still, the boy's stomach grumbles as he entertained the thought of a full belly that he would certainly get if one of those were brought home. "Where did they come from?" His voice is almost too quiet to be audible, and he asks what he does because, even at his tender age, he's surprised by spotting something he has never seen before.
Luna hasn't yet noticed the two cubs. The wind carries straight down between the two young ones and the horses, making it near impossible for either group to scent the other. She's busy scraping away snow to uncover edible grass, old leaves, anything that can keep her and Nukpana fed. The others of the herd are nowhere to be seen right now, off somewhere trying their own luck in finding food.
Against all odds, the youngsters seem to have passed the doubly difficult task of getting within view of both mares without either of them smelling or spotting them. However, Nukpana swears she heard something, so her head is lifted high as she double checks her surroundings just to be safe. Having oriented on the sound, her face turns squarely in the direction of the predators. But that doesn't mean that she's spotted them, even though it probably looks that way.
"Dunno. Think the grownups can catch o-- oh! Ssh!" Responds Toyo to his companion just before Nukpana's head swings to look their direction and his words are cut off in an alarmed hiss. The cat goes as stiff as a board, ears back and fur bristling along his arched spine. Even his tail goes dead, like a fawn-colored pipe stuck out behind him. His wide eyes, youth-blue rimmed in amber, are so wide the light-flooded pupils shrink to razor-thin slits.
As Ciqala's ears remains perked in Toyo's direction and his eyes on the horses, the young wolfdog freezes, nearly paralyzed with a very familiar fear. He opens his mouth, wanting to ask what they should do, but nothing other than a very quiet whine is produced. He wants, so badly, to retreat, but that desire isn't fulfilled, as some part of him trusts that Toyo's response of remaining still has to have some merit. That, and he's not entirely sure he remembers /how/ to move.
Luna raises her head as well, chewing her latest mouthful of grass and twigs slowly. She turns to look in the same direction Nukpana is, very quiet as her experienced eyes slowly move from bush to bush, trying to figure out what it is her herdmate has spotted. If she spots them or not is hard to tell; at least she lowers her head a bit to continue eating.
The larger mare takes much longer to inspect the situation before she too lowers her head to continue grazing. But Nukpana does give one hint as to whether or not she spotted something; there's a clear look of amusement on her face when she returns to her meager meal. Her tail flicks behind her as she casually starts to move, as if needing a better angle on her forage. With a slow-motion turn, her hindquarters are angled so that they just so happen to be pointed right in the direction of the young observers.
Toyo remains stock still as the horses search and seem to overlook their hiding spot under the brush and bramble. The cougar isn't so experienced as to know a bluff, but he's smart enough to even think he can approach the mares. Slowly he shifts himself uncomfortably, a glance passed towards Ciqala. "...maybe we should go back." He murmurs as his ears lay back along his skull. Suddenly, he's not feeling quite so brave, even if he feels even hungrier for seeking the massive animals.
Ciqala nods his head, perhaps far too eagerly. He has scarcely taken a breath since the large horse seemed to be looking directly at them, and as she starts to turn, Ciqala begins to back up slowly. Once he is certain he can turn around without getting his fur caught up in the bush, he does so. After turning, he refuses to look behind him, and his occasionally overactive imagination convinces him he would see an angry, huge beast practically right on top of him. It is that image that encourages him to run, with little concern about how much noise he might make.
Luna looks up again at the sound of snow being crushed under small paws, in time to see at least the wolfdog making his escape - and if Toyo's running as well, of course the both of them. "Wolves and cougars together," she muses with interest. "Not sure if that's a good or bad sign for us."
On ear flicks backwards as Nukpana hears someone making their getaway. "Pity," she comments. Had this been a better time of year and had she not had the burden of her pregnancy, she'd have tried harder to make sure that the two youngsters were more properly punished for their curiosity. But, as it is, she simply can't afford to use that kind of energy. Oh, well. "I don't know how that could be a good sign," she replies, "But I don't imagine we'll see any /adult/ wolves and cougars working together. That's unheard of, and strange friendships among youngsters of different species isn't." Still, there's definite worry in Nukpana's expression showing that she's not entirely convinced of her own words.
Toyo slowly backs out of the cover he and Ciqala had occupied, turning to begin creeping away in that classic feline slink. He does pause, though, risking a glance over his shoulder for one last look and spies Luna looking directly at them. He then decides haste more important than valor, and he turns and bounds after the already retreated wolfdog to the north with the black-tip of his tail the last to disappear among the clustered trees.