Post by Azoto on Jul 29, 2011 2:18:48 GMT -5
Players:
Ahiga (m. Juvenile Wolf)
Ikuna (m. Juvenile Wolf)
Wachiwa (f. Wolf)
Laying in the early morning sun just after dawn, Wachiwa has finally found a moment to rest. Not from the pups, but from a night of hunting to catch small animals, left outside the den for the pups to eat. Mostly rats, squirrels, a young hare with a badly twisted leg.. Just all manner of animals to feed the growing puppies of the pack. Five puppies. Lord help her, five, and she's starting to wonder if she's crazy for the thoughts in her head of maybe making more.
Growing puppies eat lots of food. They turn it into boundless energy and fluff! Here comes one now. Ikuna peeks his head out, and grins. Breakfast! The pup wuffs a greeting, and then pads over to sniff at the various options. Hmmm... squirrel. Today is a squirrel kind of day. He picks one and starts to chew on it, tugging off the fur in big tufts to get to the meat inside.
Ahiga is definitely NOT a puppy! Well...if anyone were to ask him, that's what he'd proclaim. And, being the oldest pup of the brood, and just slightly larger, he may have some merit to his claim! (well, to him he does) He's the big kid, and thus he should have some more privileges. And luckily, he does! He can go down the hill while the others can't....even /if/ it has to be with an adult. Right now, he rolls around in the grass, enjoying the morning and stretching out. But upon hearing someone else, he rolls onto his side and peers over at Ikuna. Grinning, he sits up. "Aroooo!" he...uh...howls in greeting.
Chewy looks up from where she's flopped over at the small greetings, and sighs, well, the kids are awake, another dqay begins. She yawns, stretches, and then rolls over to watch Ikuna and Ahiga. They can pluck and chew their own food by now, she wagers, and that's that. She mms though, noticing the energy in both. Boy, if she wants to get even an hour's nap in, she needs to do something with all that energy they're packin' away. "Okay you two," she remarks, as she stands, and plods over, "I want you to eat up and get yer travellin' muscles working c'os today we're going up the hill for a field trip to the old crab apple."
"Aroo!" calls back Ikuna to Ahiga. He's not so good at howling as his older friend is... but then, Ahiga is practically grown up, so far as he's concerned, except not so grown up as to be boring and adult like the /actual/ grownups. Still, the pup tries. He turns and tries the same to Chewy - who needs sleep? That's boring. He'd rather play! A field trip, now that sounds like a fabulous idea. "Oooooh. Okay!" he says, then returns to tearing into the squirrel with renewed enthusiasm.
Ahiga turns his ears, or rather one ear, towards Wachiwa and the magic words she's speaking. Going ... on a trip?! Hoooray! "Really? Awesome! I haven't been there before. Why's it called crabapple? Is it crabby...'n has apples?" Look at the genius boy go! Like his buddy, Ahiga quickly begins to stuff his mouth with squirrel meat, not entirely hungry, but not wanting to give her any excuse to change her mind about taking them somewhere.
A laugh at Ahiga's words, and Chewy says, amusedly, "Something like that, yes. It's a tree, and it has apples. They're called crab apples because they're so sour they make your face suck into a frown." She says, with a chuckle, before she considers and says, "But it's a nice place, and we used to play there all the time when we were pups, me, Shawnee, and Ikuna's siblings. It's close to the den, but not so close that you'll feel like you're still stuck at home." She smiles, then adds, "Plus when we're there, I can tell you a story."
Ikuna giggles. "I bet S'ahla ate alla them when he was a pup. An' that's why he's all scowly!" he says, and then takes another few bites of the meat, all the rich nutritious organ meats that will help him grow up strong!
Chomp chomp. Ahiga takes a grand total of three and a fourth's swallow before he claims he's finished, licking his muzzle in the process.
Hmmmm...these crab apples sound quite interesting! He furrows his brows a little in thought before a devious look crosses his face. "I bet I can lick a crab apple longer'n you can, Ahiga," he bets his friend, tail wagging. "And I'm ready!" Pause, and he glances to Chewy with slightly squinty eyes. "Is it a scary story? Like the ghost wolf one in the cave?"
"Hmm. Well, I always thought it was scary when I was a puppy, but I'll let you guys be the judge," she says, with a chuckle, standing up to watch them. "Ikuna, if you want, we can carry your squirrel up with us." She adds, tail giving a lazy wag, as she turns toward the hill and takes a few steps that way. "But you'll have to wait and see when we get to the top of the hill, won't you, Ahiga," she chuckles softly, slyly, giving both puppys a grin. "And you're gonna have to race me up, too, so.. c'mon when you're ready. Whoever makes it last is a rotten fish head!" She laughs, and starts trotting at a slow pace.
"Nuh-uh!" says Ikuna to Ahiga. "I can lick it better! I'm great at lickin'!" And he proves it, by darting over and slurping at his friend's face. At Chewy's suggestion, he shakes his head. "I'm done! All done." He's not going to risk further delay! And so he bounds out after Chewy as she starts out, stretching those puppy legs into an eager run.
Hmm! A /possibly/ scary story? Intriguing! Wachiwa has caught Ahiga's interest and he fixes her with a grin, tail beginning to wag a little faster. But then...sluuurp! "Ack!" He's gotten slurped in the face by his bud, causing him to snicker and squint his eyes. "Bleh!" he snorts, giving his body a rigorous shake. Grinning now, he yips before bounding forward, chasing after the two. I'm gonna beat both'a ya!" he teases, playfully trying to snap at Ikuna's tail all the way...and hence, likely not being first to arrive!
Wachiwa continues her trot, lazy and slow, letting the pups go pel-mel as they like up the hill after her, smiling warmly as she does so. Bting an adult, it'd be too easy to outrun them. So she lets them have their fun while they can in trying to outchase her. Once she reaches the top though, wether before or after, she stomps among the roots of the tree, tilts her head in thought, and then leaps up to put her forepaws on the trunk and stretch her neck out, snappinh onyo a branch which she dips low enough to shake three of the apples free, plump and green as new grass. she lets it go freely, and then sits down, back against the tree, watching her charges with a smile.
Ikuna giggles, racing toward the hill and waggling his butt - though whether it's to try to escape having his tail bitten at, or thwap it against Ahiga's muzzle, he's not quite certain. The winning is less important than the running and playing - and getting to go someplace new, instead of the too-familiar den! He's in the lead for first to the tree, until he gets a good sight of it and pauses a moment to go ooooh over it before remembering that he's supposed to be /racing/ and putting on a burst of speed!
It is now your pose.
Snap and miss. Snap and miss. Thwap in the face! Ikuna's tail is proving to be a very entertaining toy for Ahiga as he laughs and snaps and chases his friend. He's so focused on it, that he nearly runs into his rear end as the pup in front of him pauses, but he quickly sidesteps and continues ahead. And it's race! Ahiga in front! No, Ikuna! They're nose to nose! His tongue lolls out of his mouth as the tree trunk gets closer and closer rather quickly, and he squints his eyes as he reaches their destination, rearing up on his paws to tag his front paws on the rough bark. "Ha!" First or second, he doesn't konw, but he laughs anyway, happy as can be.
Chewy has no problem being last. She just chuckles, looking to the two pups, as she swts a tail at the apples on the ground. "Here you gents go, your first crabapples. I kind of like them, but only in small bites. NoW! Before we do anytyhing else! Take your feet, and wiggle them in the grass. Go on, wiggle. It's ceremonius!"
Ikuna laughs, bouncing his way all around the tree. Yep, it's a tree! A funny looking one, too. All sort of gnarly and spreading out wide. Not like the ones down in the woods! "We won!" he tells Chewy triumphantly, grinning to Ahiga and back again, and then pads over to see what these little crabapple things are. But first... he's gotta wiggle his feet? Well... okay! So he does, wiggling his paws around, and then rolling over onto his back and wiggling from side to side, just for extra good measure.
This /is/ a very interesting tree. Ahiga is figuring this out as Ikuna is, and the front paws that he has pressed against the tree begin to knead at the bark as he peers up and up and up through the branches. Only Wachiwa's comments on the apples brings his mind back, and he pushes off from the trunk and trots over to her, wide eyes going to the dropped fruit. "Ooh, they look weird." Weird as in .. not meat! Not bloody. He bends down to sniff at the surface, but pauses as he hears further instruction. All four paws are shifted against the grass, making it look like he's doing some odd sort of dance. Though apparently he think Ikuna looks much funnier, for he laughs as he spies his whole body wiggle action.
Chewy wriggles her own feet and giggles. "Now you gotta close your eyes and touch your nose with your paw." She says, grinning. Let them work their sillies out the fun way, by being silly!
Ikuna peers up at Chewy, from his position in the grass. Really? Welllll... who is he to question, even if it's a funny instruction! So he laughs, and closes his eyes, reaching up with his forepaw while still lying on his back. It's harder than it seems, and he misses once, then catches his paw with his muzzle and noms it a moment before successfully batting his own nose!
"Do what?" Ahiga squints his eyes as he thinks this over. Close eyes... Nose to paw. No, paw to nose. His eyes are drawn to Ikuna to see his progress...onyl to see him still on his back! "Haha!" he laughs and continues to do so at the paw chewing. Still giggling, he quickly craps his eyes and lowers his head down...trying ot touch his nose with his hind paw! He turns his head, trying to make it more accessible, then swats his hindfoot forward a few unsuccessful times before losing his balance and tumbling over. Oh yes, the sillies are definitely coming out.
"And noooow... I want you to say "Hibbity bibbity boogity buggle!"
Ikuna opens his own eyes juuuust in time to see Ahiga reaching his hindfoot forward and tumbling down. He laughs! "Hoobity bobblety ibblety hobble!" It's... got the right spirit. And plenty of escaping sillies! "An'... an'... you gotta spin around three times!"
"Hippity boppity boogery doodle!" laughs Ahiga who rolls from one side to the other, cackling all the while! And add a spin? Sure e can do that! Like a breakdance, he tries to spin on is back...and utterly fails, only managing a half turn. "Ohoh oh, an' then ya have to megaburp!"
"Yes, spin around three times!" Agrees the she-wolf, grinning, as she does so, mimicing the pups, grinning, and then even sets down to let out a large belch of noise to the air, before she titters amusely, and then lays down. "Alright, now that we have appropriately greeted the day, ity is time for a story! Unless you two want to do more sillies..?"
Ikuna spins from his back too, only he does it round and round and... round and round all the way down the hill, rolling down it giggling all the way and then picking himself up, shaking the dirt out of his fur, and bounding right back up it. He puts his forepaws up on a big rock, and lifts his muzzle to the sky, and *brrrrraaaaap*! Boys. He grins, and bounds over to sniff at the crabapples, now that all the proper rituals have been followed. "Okay. Stories are good!" He plops himself down, holding one of the crabapples between his forepaws.
Ahiga perhs his ears as his friend goes rolling down the hill, and he bounds forward a little and pauses at the edge to watch him go down down down. His tail wags once Ikuna comes back up. "Yeah!" he encourages as both he and Wachiwa belch. He swallows down a bit of air, makes a few faces as he tries to situate it just right in his gut, then... "Buuuuuurrrrrp!" Ah! It's great to be a boy. And now he's ready for this story. He's quick to nab an apple for himself and carries it to Ikuna, plopping down next to him. "Schtory" he says around the fruit before he drops it to the ground.
A laugh, and then Chewy nods, "Okay okay." Putting on her MOST important face, she shifts so she looks all regal and stuff, which is a hard pose anyway to keep up. "Once, a long, long time ago, the Spirits made the world. They started with the stars, for the world is one of the stars. And once he made the wind twist and blow, and the waters flow from the heavens, he created the animals. Alpha and Beta, the First Wolves, you already know. But this story is the story of another; the first of the Rabbits, who's name was El-ahrairah, Which to rabbits, means Prince with many Enemies. And here among the animals, this prince did live. And he took upon himself so many wives, and there were so many babies from those wives, that the other animals who eat grass became angry, and went to the Great Spirits, and complained. Finally, the great spirits came to the Prince and said, 'If you cannot control your people, I shall control them for you."
Ikuna thumps his tail happily as Ahiga settles next to him, and then perks his ears to Chewy's story as he sniffs and licks and then cautiously nibbles at the crabapple, then makes a face. It's way sour! Super mega sour, as much sour as El-ahrairah had wives! "Rabbits taste good..."
Oh yes, what wolf doesn't know Alpha and Beta, the First Wolves? Ahiga bats around the apple a little, sniffing it curiously. It doesn't smell bad... He licks the smooth surface like a lolipop as he listens, though doesn't get much of a taste. "El-ahoowhat?" What a straaange name! He wasn't even aware that rabbits had names... As he ponders this, he bites into the apple and immediately squints his eyes, sucking his tongue. Whew!! She wasn't exaggerating about the sourness.
"Now The Rabbit Prince was very vain, and he said to the great spirits, "My people are lovely and good, and live happy lives. Why must you say I should control them? There are many places and things for the other animals to eat, let them eat!" The Great Spirit could have struck him down there, but did not-- he had other plans for this foolish, foolish prince. And so one day, just after Alpha and Beta were cast out of the garden, he announces that he had special gifts for each and every one of his animals, Alpha and Beta included, but that to claim them, each animal must come to him personally."
Ikuna giggles at Ahiga's reaction. Yeah, that's about right. Super sour! But... he licks at the juice, then takes another little nibble. It's kind neat to chew on, softer than a bone and more interesting than a stick. Besides, he can totally be the better crabapple-licker. He keeps his ears perked to listen to the story, though, tilting his head to the side as he chews slowly on a little chunk of the sour fruit. "Alla them? That musta taken /forever/..."
"Yes, it did, indeed, forever and ever. But to the deer, he gave sharp antlers, and swift feet to run with, and to the bids, he gave song and flight. To the horses he gave them strength and patience to lasth all they must last through. And to other prey animals, their coats so white. To Skunks, their ability to stink, to the bear, he gave claws to rip open trees and a thick hide so bees would not sting them... And then, he started with the other animals. He gave the wolves sharp teeth and the ability to run, to strike fear with a howl. To the Fox and weasel, he gave sharp claws, and sharper teeth, and the ability to dif ferociously. To the owl, talons, and wings so silent that it may hunt like a ghost. And to all these, his children, he gave this also; the love for the taste of rabbits, and the knowledge and wisdom to see through their tricks."
Ahiga licks the roof of his mouth a few timesto tone down the lingering sour. It's actually..not a /bad/ sour, but it's just so extreme! But he can't not keep at it since Ikuna is nibbling away, so he lowers his head down, slightly eyes still on Wachiwa, and slowly gnaws on the skin to make a bigger patch to the sour meat beneath. "I think we got the best stuff," he confides to his friend, flashing his teeth in a grin. He quiets to listen, ears perking at a point, and eyes suinting again as he licks at the apple's juices. "Ha! That rabbit shouldnt've been so stupid an' listened to the Great Spirit."
Ikuna grins wide. "I /said/ rabbits was tasty!" he says, and laughs. Then he nods to Ahiga. "Yeah. But I bet all that other stuff is pretty useful sometimes. Like... th' owl's pretty cool. I'd rather be a wolf, though!" He grins. "Nobody ever listens to the Great Spirit... an' it always gets 'em into all /sorts/ of trouble."
"And all this time, the Prince was off dancing with his many many wives, until the great Crow came, and said, 'Lordy lordy, I would not want to be you, Bre're rabbit," and the prince of Rabbits stopped dancing and asked, "Why-ever-for?" "Well, My friend, the Spirit has given unto the wolves, and the foxes, and the cats, and the stots and the weasels and the dogs and the owls, and, aye, even your friends the rats gifts by which they will destroy you. He has told them that if you will not control your people, then they ill control them for you." The Prince of rabbits was very scared, he was very scared indeed, and looking out, across his many fields, he saw them, his thousands of people being killed off, one by one. And he ran. And he ran. And there he found a hill, and he began to dig." Chewy pauses, watching the puppies, and smirks.
Ahiga agres with Ikuna. Oh silly, silly animals! How they never listen. Not like him, who /always/ listens and does what he's told...*cough* He nibbles a little at the apple's tangy meat, using his front teeth only. After the initial shock of the first bite, the sour is not so bad! "Ooh is /that/ why rabbits live in holes?" Such an educatinoal tale! And entertaining considering the way he's hanging on to her every word.
Ikuna grins. "But the foxes and weasels can still go diggin' after him! An' the owls and eagles can swoop down... and the wolves can chase..." Man, those rabbits just can't get a break! Though even with all that, there's still plenty of them around... "If it weren't for everybody eatin' them, we'd be covered in rabbits! Up to the treetops!"
"And the Prince had dug only a little way, before the Great Spirit found him, for the great Spirit knows where all his children are, and he said, "Excuse me my friend, have you seen the Rabbit Prince, for I have come to give him a gift." "No sir," said the prince of rabbits, for he thought the Great Spirit would destroy him there for being so misbehaved and rude. "Oh, well, then, if I cannot find him, then perhaps you will let me bless you instead, if you would but come out of that hole," "I can't come out of this hole, sir, there are hungry creatures coming for to eat me. if you wish to bless me, you must bless my bottom." "Very well," said the spirit, and so he gave the Prince of rabbits the gift of long, strong legs, for which to run, and his ears became long and keen, for which to hear, and with this, he ran across the hills, faster than a star. And when he had at last outrun the hungry animals, the Great Spirit came to him and said, "I have given you both punishment and blessing, dear prince of rabbits; your people shall forever anon be food for the stronger creatures of the world, for you let them run wild in their population. You shall forever be a prince who's people are hunted and killed. To live, you must forever live within the earth, the only place you are safe. But because I do not want any of my creations to die away completely, I have given you speed, and cunning, and the intelligence to trick others, so that you and your children, and your children's children will be promised always a place on my earth. Now go... to your holes you are banished, and remember; be cunning, and full of tricks, and you may yet survive."
"Yeah...I'd be kinda cool to fly like a eagle..." murmurs Ahiga in thought. Hmm...why couldn't wolves be blessed wht wings too? They'd be unstoppable! Masters of the sky and ground. Those dumb rabbits wouldn't have a chance in the world. He shakes out of his daydream to listen to the rest of the tale, ears perking and mouth clamped on his apple treat, sucking like...well, a baby! At te end, he grins and lifts his head, giving out a woop! "I liked that story," he praises, batting his front paws on the ground to show his appreciation. "How come you know so much, Wachiwa?"
Ikuna slurps his apple, and grins. "We're gonna learn how to hunt rabbits soon, I bet! Cause wolves are supposed to and everything. The Great Spirit said so!" Okay, yeah, he's a little too young still to learn proper hunting, but he's old enough to want to. He giggles at Ahiga's comment. "Chewy's real smart," he agrees, and nods firmly.
There's a chuckle, softly, as Chewy answers, embaressed, "Well, Ahiga, I know a lot because I talk to our ancestors, and I learned the stories of them from Ikuna's mum and dad a long time ago, when I was just you guys' age." She grins, and then says, looking up to the rose-tinted clouds of morning and adds, "Sometimes, in the really quiet hours of the day, like now, or at night, just before the stars start to peek out from the darkness, the spirits appear, and walk among us; they speak to us if we are willing to listen, and they teach us if we are willing to learn." She smiles, closing her eyes, canting her head up into the wind, before she murmurs, "Now let's see.. I promised you a scary story, too, didn't I?"
Ahiga (m. Juvenile Wolf)
Ikuna (m. Juvenile Wolf)
Wachiwa (f. Wolf)
Laying in the early morning sun just after dawn, Wachiwa has finally found a moment to rest. Not from the pups, but from a night of hunting to catch small animals, left outside the den for the pups to eat. Mostly rats, squirrels, a young hare with a badly twisted leg.. Just all manner of animals to feed the growing puppies of the pack. Five puppies. Lord help her, five, and she's starting to wonder if she's crazy for the thoughts in her head of maybe making more.
Growing puppies eat lots of food. They turn it into boundless energy and fluff! Here comes one now. Ikuna peeks his head out, and grins. Breakfast! The pup wuffs a greeting, and then pads over to sniff at the various options. Hmmm... squirrel. Today is a squirrel kind of day. He picks one and starts to chew on it, tugging off the fur in big tufts to get to the meat inside.
Ahiga is definitely NOT a puppy! Well...if anyone were to ask him, that's what he'd proclaim. And, being the oldest pup of the brood, and just slightly larger, he may have some merit to his claim! (well, to him he does) He's the big kid, and thus he should have some more privileges. And luckily, he does! He can go down the hill while the others can't....even /if/ it has to be with an adult. Right now, he rolls around in the grass, enjoying the morning and stretching out. But upon hearing someone else, he rolls onto his side and peers over at Ikuna. Grinning, he sits up. "Aroooo!" he...uh...howls in greeting.
Chewy looks up from where she's flopped over at the small greetings, and sighs, well, the kids are awake, another dqay begins. She yawns, stretches, and then rolls over to watch Ikuna and Ahiga. They can pluck and chew their own food by now, she wagers, and that's that. She mms though, noticing the energy in both. Boy, if she wants to get even an hour's nap in, she needs to do something with all that energy they're packin' away. "Okay you two," she remarks, as she stands, and plods over, "I want you to eat up and get yer travellin' muscles working c'os today we're going up the hill for a field trip to the old crab apple."
"Aroo!" calls back Ikuna to Ahiga. He's not so good at howling as his older friend is... but then, Ahiga is practically grown up, so far as he's concerned, except not so grown up as to be boring and adult like the /actual/ grownups. Still, the pup tries. He turns and tries the same to Chewy - who needs sleep? That's boring. He'd rather play! A field trip, now that sounds like a fabulous idea. "Oooooh. Okay!" he says, then returns to tearing into the squirrel with renewed enthusiasm.
Ahiga turns his ears, or rather one ear, towards Wachiwa and the magic words she's speaking. Going ... on a trip?! Hoooray! "Really? Awesome! I haven't been there before. Why's it called crabapple? Is it crabby...'n has apples?" Look at the genius boy go! Like his buddy, Ahiga quickly begins to stuff his mouth with squirrel meat, not entirely hungry, but not wanting to give her any excuse to change her mind about taking them somewhere.
A laugh at Ahiga's words, and Chewy says, amusedly, "Something like that, yes. It's a tree, and it has apples. They're called crab apples because they're so sour they make your face suck into a frown." She says, with a chuckle, before she considers and says, "But it's a nice place, and we used to play there all the time when we were pups, me, Shawnee, and Ikuna's siblings. It's close to the den, but not so close that you'll feel like you're still stuck at home." She smiles, then adds, "Plus when we're there, I can tell you a story."
Ikuna giggles. "I bet S'ahla ate alla them when he was a pup. An' that's why he's all scowly!" he says, and then takes another few bites of the meat, all the rich nutritious organ meats that will help him grow up strong!
Chomp chomp. Ahiga takes a grand total of three and a fourth's swallow before he claims he's finished, licking his muzzle in the process.
Hmmmm...these crab apples sound quite interesting! He furrows his brows a little in thought before a devious look crosses his face. "I bet I can lick a crab apple longer'n you can, Ahiga," he bets his friend, tail wagging. "And I'm ready!" Pause, and he glances to Chewy with slightly squinty eyes. "Is it a scary story? Like the ghost wolf one in the cave?"
"Hmm. Well, I always thought it was scary when I was a puppy, but I'll let you guys be the judge," she says, with a chuckle, standing up to watch them. "Ikuna, if you want, we can carry your squirrel up with us." She adds, tail giving a lazy wag, as she turns toward the hill and takes a few steps that way. "But you'll have to wait and see when we get to the top of the hill, won't you, Ahiga," she chuckles softly, slyly, giving both puppys a grin. "And you're gonna have to race me up, too, so.. c'mon when you're ready. Whoever makes it last is a rotten fish head!" She laughs, and starts trotting at a slow pace.
"Nuh-uh!" says Ikuna to Ahiga. "I can lick it better! I'm great at lickin'!" And he proves it, by darting over and slurping at his friend's face. At Chewy's suggestion, he shakes his head. "I'm done! All done." He's not going to risk further delay! And so he bounds out after Chewy as she starts out, stretching those puppy legs into an eager run.
Hmm! A /possibly/ scary story? Intriguing! Wachiwa has caught Ahiga's interest and he fixes her with a grin, tail beginning to wag a little faster. But then...sluuurp! "Ack!" He's gotten slurped in the face by his bud, causing him to snicker and squint his eyes. "Bleh!" he snorts, giving his body a rigorous shake. Grinning now, he yips before bounding forward, chasing after the two. I'm gonna beat both'a ya!" he teases, playfully trying to snap at Ikuna's tail all the way...and hence, likely not being first to arrive!
Wachiwa continues her trot, lazy and slow, letting the pups go pel-mel as they like up the hill after her, smiling warmly as she does so. Bting an adult, it'd be too easy to outrun them. So she lets them have their fun while they can in trying to outchase her. Once she reaches the top though, wether before or after, she stomps among the roots of the tree, tilts her head in thought, and then leaps up to put her forepaws on the trunk and stretch her neck out, snappinh onyo a branch which she dips low enough to shake three of the apples free, plump and green as new grass. she lets it go freely, and then sits down, back against the tree, watching her charges with a smile.
Ikuna giggles, racing toward the hill and waggling his butt - though whether it's to try to escape having his tail bitten at, or thwap it against Ahiga's muzzle, he's not quite certain. The winning is less important than the running and playing - and getting to go someplace new, instead of the too-familiar den! He's in the lead for first to the tree, until he gets a good sight of it and pauses a moment to go ooooh over it before remembering that he's supposed to be /racing/ and putting on a burst of speed!
It is now your pose.
Snap and miss. Snap and miss. Thwap in the face! Ikuna's tail is proving to be a very entertaining toy for Ahiga as he laughs and snaps and chases his friend. He's so focused on it, that he nearly runs into his rear end as the pup in front of him pauses, but he quickly sidesteps and continues ahead. And it's race! Ahiga in front! No, Ikuna! They're nose to nose! His tongue lolls out of his mouth as the tree trunk gets closer and closer rather quickly, and he squints his eyes as he reaches their destination, rearing up on his paws to tag his front paws on the rough bark. "Ha!" First or second, he doesn't konw, but he laughs anyway, happy as can be.
Chewy has no problem being last. She just chuckles, looking to the two pups, as she swts a tail at the apples on the ground. "Here you gents go, your first crabapples. I kind of like them, but only in small bites. NoW! Before we do anytyhing else! Take your feet, and wiggle them in the grass. Go on, wiggle. It's ceremonius!"
Ikuna laughs, bouncing his way all around the tree. Yep, it's a tree! A funny looking one, too. All sort of gnarly and spreading out wide. Not like the ones down in the woods! "We won!" he tells Chewy triumphantly, grinning to Ahiga and back again, and then pads over to see what these little crabapple things are. But first... he's gotta wiggle his feet? Well... okay! So he does, wiggling his paws around, and then rolling over onto his back and wiggling from side to side, just for extra good measure.
This /is/ a very interesting tree. Ahiga is figuring this out as Ikuna is, and the front paws that he has pressed against the tree begin to knead at the bark as he peers up and up and up through the branches. Only Wachiwa's comments on the apples brings his mind back, and he pushes off from the trunk and trots over to her, wide eyes going to the dropped fruit. "Ooh, they look weird." Weird as in .. not meat! Not bloody. He bends down to sniff at the surface, but pauses as he hears further instruction. All four paws are shifted against the grass, making it look like he's doing some odd sort of dance. Though apparently he think Ikuna looks much funnier, for he laughs as he spies his whole body wiggle action.
Chewy wriggles her own feet and giggles. "Now you gotta close your eyes and touch your nose with your paw." She says, grinning. Let them work their sillies out the fun way, by being silly!
Ikuna peers up at Chewy, from his position in the grass. Really? Welllll... who is he to question, even if it's a funny instruction! So he laughs, and closes his eyes, reaching up with his forepaw while still lying on his back. It's harder than it seems, and he misses once, then catches his paw with his muzzle and noms it a moment before successfully batting his own nose!
"Do what?" Ahiga squints his eyes as he thinks this over. Close eyes... Nose to paw. No, paw to nose. His eyes are drawn to Ikuna to see his progress...onyl to see him still on his back! "Haha!" he laughs and continues to do so at the paw chewing. Still giggling, he quickly craps his eyes and lowers his head down...trying ot touch his nose with his hind paw! He turns his head, trying to make it more accessible, then swats his hindfoot forward a few unsuccessful times before losing his balance and tumbling over. Oh yes, the sillies are definitely coming out.
"And noooow... I want you to say "Hibbity bibbity boogity buggle!"
Ikuna opens his own eyes juuuust in time to see Ahiga reaching his hindfoot forward and tumbling down. He laughs! "Hoobity bobblety ibblety hobble!" It's... got the right spirit. And plenty of escaping sillies! "An'... an'... you gotta spin around three times!"
"Hippity boppity boogery doodle!" laughs Ahiga who rolls from one side to the other, cackling all the while! And add a spin? Sure e can do that! Like a breakdance, he tries to spin on is back...and utterly fails, only managing a half turn. "Ohoh oh, an' then ya have to megaburp!"
"Yes, spin around three times!" Agrees the she-wolf, grinning, as she does so, mimicing the pups, grinning, and then even sets down to let out a large belch of noise to the air, before she titters amusely, and then lays down. "Alright, now that we have appropriately greeted the day, ity is time for a story! Unless you two want to do more sillies..?"
Ikuna spins from his back too, only he does it round and round and... round and round all the way down the hill, rolling down it giggling all the way and then picking himself up, shaking the dirt out of his fur, and bounding right back up it. He puts his forepaws up on a big rock, and lifts his muzzle to the sky, and *brrrrraaaaap*! Boys. He grins, and bounds over to sniff at the crabapples, now that all the proper rituals have been followed. "Okay. Stories are good!" He plops himself down, holding one of the crabapples between his forepaws.
Ahiga perhs his ears as his friend goes rolling down the hill, and he bounds forward a little and pauses at the edge to watch him go down down down. His tail wags once Ikuna comes back up. "Yeah!" he encourages as both he and Wachiwa belch. He swallows down a bit of air, makes a few faces as he tries to situate it just right in his gut, then... "Buuuuuurrrrrp!" Ah! It's great to be a boy. And now he's ready for this story. He's quick to nab an apple for himself and carries it to Ikuna, plopping down next to him. "Schtory" he says around the fruit before he drops it to the ground.
A laugh, and then Chewy nods, "Okay okay." Putting on her MOST important face, she shifts so she looks all regal and stuff, which is a hard pose anyway to keep up. "Once, a long, long time ago, the Spirits made the world. They started with the stars, for the world is one of the stars. And once he made the wind twist and blow, and the waters flow from the heavens, he created the animals. Alpha and Beta, the First Wolves, you already know. But this story is the story of another; the first of the Rabbits, who's name was El-ahrairah, Which to rabbits, means Prince with many Enemies. And here among the animals, this prince did live. And he took upon himself so many wives, and there were so many babies from those wives, that the other animals who eat grass became angry, and went to the Great Spirits, and complained. Finally, the great spirits came to the Prince and said, 'If you cannot control your people, I shall control them for you."
Ikuna thumps his tail happily as Ahiga settles next to him, and then perks his ears to Chewy's story as he sniffs and licks and then cautiously nibbles at the crabapple, then makes a face. It's way sour! Super mega sour, as much sour as El-ahrairah had wives! "Rabbits taste good..."
Oh yes, what wolf doesn't know Alpha and Beta, the First Wolves? Ahiga bats around the apple a little, sniffing it curiously. It doesn't smell bad... He licks the smooth surface like a lolipop as he listens, though doesn't get much of a taste. "El-ahoowhat?" What a straaange name! He wasn't even aware that rabbits had names... As he ponders this, he bites into the apple and immediately squints his eyes, sucking his tongue. Whew!! She wasn't exaggerating about the sourness.
"Now The Rabbit Prince was very vain, and he said to the great spirits, "My people are lovely and good, and live happy lives. Why must you say I should control them? There are many places and things for the other animals to eat, let them eat!" The Great Spirit could have struck him down there, but did not-- he had other plans for this foolish, foolish prince. And so one day, just after Alpha and Beta were cast out of the garden, he announces that he had special gifts for each and every one of his animals, Alpha and Beta included, but that to claim them, each animal must come to him personally."
Ikuna giggles at Ahiga's reaction. Yeah, that's about right. Super sour! But... he licks at the juice, then takes another little nibble. It's kind neat to chew on, softer than a bone and more interesting than a stick. Besides, he can totally be the better crabapple-licker. He keeps his ears perked to listen to the story, though, tilting his head to the side as he chews slowly on a little chunk of the sour fruit. "Alla them? That musta taken /forever/..."
"Yes, it did, indeed, forever and ever. But to the deer, he gave sharp antlers, and swift feet to run with, and to the bids, he gave song and flight. To the horses he gave them strength and patience to lasth all they must last through. And to other prey animals, their coats so white. To Skunks, their ability to stink, to the bear, he gave claws to rip open trees and a thick hide so bees would not sting them... And then, he started with the other animals. He gave the wolves sharp teeth and the ability to run, to strike fear with a howl. To the Fox and weasel, he gave sharp claws, and sharper teeth, and the ability to dif ferociously. To the owl, talons, and wings so silent that it may hunt like a ghost. And to all these, his children, he gave this also; the love for the taste of rabbits, and the knowledge and wisdom to see through their tricks."
Ahiga licks the roof of his mouth a few timesto tone down the lingering sour. It's actually..not a /bad/ sour, but it's just so extreme! But he can't not keep at it since Ikuna is nibbling away, so he lowers his head down, slightly eyes still on Wachiwa, and slowly gnaws on the skin to make a bigger patch to the sour meat beneath. "I think we got the best stuff," he confides to his friend, flashing his teeth in a grin. He quiets to listen, ears perking at a point, and eyes suinting again as he licks at the apple's juices. "Ha! That rabbit shouldnt've been so stupid an' listened to the Great Spirit."
Ikuna grins wide. "I /said/ rabbits was tasty!" he says, and laughs. Then he nods to Ahiga. "Yeah. But I bet all that other stuff is pretty useful sometimes. Like... th' owl's pretty cool. I'd rather be a wolf, though!" He grins. "Nobody ever listens to the Great Spirit... an' it always gets 'em into all /sorts/ of trouble."
"And all this time, the Prince was off dancing with his many many wives, until the great Crow came, and said, 'Lordy lordy, I would not want to be you, Bre're rabbit," and the prince of Rabbits stopped dancing and asked, "Why-ever-for?" "Well, My friend, the Spirit has given unto the wolves, and the foxes, and the cats, and the stots and the weasels and the dogs and the owls, and, aye, even your friends the rats gifts by which they will destroy you. He has told them that if you will not control your people, then they ill control them for you." The Prince of rabbits was very scared, he was very scared indeed, and looking out, across his many fields, he saw them, his thousands of people being killed off, one by one. And he ran. And he ran. And there he found a hill, and he began to dig." Chewy pauses, watching the puppies, and smirks.
Ahiga agres with Ikuna. Oh silly, silly animals! How they never listen. Not like him, who /always/ listens and does what he's told...*cough* He nibbles a little at the apple's tangy meat, using his front teeth only. After the initial shock of the first bite, the sour is not so bad! "Ooh is /that/ why rabbits live in holes?" Such an educatinoal tale! And entertaining considering the way he's hanging on to her every word.
Ikuna grins. "But the foxes and weasels can still go diggin' after him! An' the owls and eagles can swoop down... and the wolves can chase..." Man, those rabbits just can't get a break! Though even with all that, there's still plenty of them around... "If it weren't for everybody eatin' them, we'd be covered in rabbits! Up to the treetops!"
"And the Prince had dug only a little way, before the Great Spirit found him, for the great Spirit knows where all his children are, and he said, "Excuse me my friend, have you seen the Rabbit Prince, for I have come to give him a gift." "No sir," said the prince of rabbits, for he thought the Great Spirit would destroy him there for being so misbehaved and rude. "Oh, well, then, if I cannot find him, then perhaps you will let me bless you instead, if you would but come out of that hole," "I can't come out of this hole, sir, there are hungry creatures coming for to eat me. if you wish to bless me, you must bless my bottom." "Very well," said the spirit, and so he gave the Prince of rabbits the gift of long, strong legs, for which to run, and his ears became long and keen, for which to hear, and with this, he ran across the hills, faster than a star. And when he had at last outrun the hungry animals, the Great Spirit came to him and said, "I have given you both punishment and blessing, dear prince of rabbits; your people shall forever anon be food for the stronger creatures of the world, for you let them run wild in their population. You shall forever be a prince who's people are hunted and killed. To live, you must forever live within the earth, the only place you are safe. But because I do not want any of my creations to die away completely, I have given you speed, and cunning, and the intelligence to trick others, so that you and your children, and your children's children will be promised always a place on my earth. Now go... to your holes you are banished, and remember; be cunning, and full of tricks, and you may yet survive."
"Yeah...I'd be kinda cool to fly like a eagle..." murmurs Ahiga in thought. Hmm...why couldn't wolves be blessed wht wings too? They'd be unstoppable! Masters of the sky and ground. Those dumb rabbits wouldn't have a chance in the world. He shakes out of his daydream to listen to the rest of the tale, ears perking and mouth clamped on his apple treat, sucking like...well, a baby! At te end, he grins and lifts his head, giving out a woop! "I liked that story," he praises, batting his front paws on the ground to show his appreciation. "How come you know so much, Wachiwa?"
Ikuna slurps his apple, and grins. "We're gonna learn how to hunt rabbits soon, I bet! Cause wolves are supposed to and everything. The Great Spirit said so!" Okay, yeah, he's a little too young still to learn proper hunting, but he's old enough to want to. He giggles at Ahiga's comment. "Chewy's real smart," he agrees, and nods firmly.
There's a chuckle, softly, as Chewy answers, embaressed, "Well, Ahiga, I know a lot because I talk to our ancestors, and I learned the stories of them from Ikuna's mum and dad a long time ago, when I was just you guys' age." She grins, and then says, looking up to the rose-tinted clouds of morning and adds, "Sometimes, in the really quiet hours of the day, like now, or at night, just before the stars start to peek out from the darkness, the spirits appear, and walk among us; they speak to us if we are willing to listen, and they teach us if we are willing to learn." She smiles, closing her eyes, canting her head up into the wind, before she murmurs, "Now let's see.. I promised you a scary story, too, didn't I?"