Post by Therdde on Aug 16, 2008 1:46:02 GMT -5
Characters:
Adoun - Male Cat
Ossian - Male Juvenile Red Fox
- Lush Grasslands -
It's almost midday. The summer is drawing to an end, and many small, furry creatures are searching eagerly for food as they take comfort in the grass that at least hides them from air-borne predators. They are not quite so lucky with predators who use their noses to locate food, and Adoun is one such predator. Sort of. He is stalking through the grass that is tall enough to hide him from sight and following a scent trail that he first noticed when the soft breeze blew it his way. The most sound he makes is the sound of his tail hitting the grass as it swishes with no regard to his intentions to remain silent, to find food.
Guilt passes quickly for Ossian. The little fox is a stubborn learner, and though for a few days he felt even worse about leaving the den against his mother's wishes than he did the first time, he's sunk once more into an indignant state of self-pity. After all, his father was out here last time so technically he dodn't really leave the den all by himself, right? They're just being mean to him. Ossy wants to go out and explore, but he hasn't yet gotten up the courage to directly disobey his parents again just yet. So he lies at the entrance of the den, only his overlarge nose creeping out just beyond it. What a rebel.
Adoun isn't exactly a trained mouser, but all the same, it does not take the small feline long to find his prey. Although, phrasing it like that may be overly kind. His prey, an adult mouse that is still barely larger than one of the feline's paws, notices him first. It is only when the mouse starts to run away that Adoun finds her, spotting the sudden movement of the grasses. He is quick to chase after her, and just as quick to begin closing the distance between the two of them as the mouse leads him directly towards the unseen den and the fox that is lying in the den's opening.
Ossian is on the lookout (hearout, smellout, whatever he can get) for anything that could possibly provide entertainment that would not get him in more trouble. He isn't aware that such entertainment doesn't exist, and so when his big ears pick up on the sounds of things moving in the grass, Ossy perks up. Too young to be adept at telling what kind of animal may be approaching, he pulls his nose in the slightest amount but keeps a careful watch. He doesn't want to get in trouble again, but if it isn't one of his parents returning maybe whoever it is will stop and talk to him.
The little mouse is too concerned about the predator behind her to keep a close watch for predators ahead of her. She's just running as fast as her tiny feet and legs can carry her, occasionally dodging a particularly huge 'boulder' or a menacing blade of grass, but otherwise running directly for the den. She may as well be directly in Ossian's mouth before she notices him there, for as close as she gets. Once she does notice this hulking beast in front of her, she skids to a stop and lets out a startled squeak and begins silently preying, certain it's all over now. Moments later, Adoun comes crashing, at least in comparison to how much the small mouse has disturbed the grass and dirt, towards the den.
Luck is on the mouse's side, this time - because of all his bad behaviour, Ossy's first hunting lesson has been delayed time and again. Now, with a mouse right at his nose, the fox has next to no idea what he's meant to do, and he sits up as best he can in surprise with his nose drawn back. After a few shocked seconds of deliberation, he decides to yelp. After all, that's always worked before - yelp, mother comes, problem goes away. And maybe there'll be food. He can hear another creature coming, so he yelps again for good measure - that's probably Terri now.
Adoun doesn't have time to fully process the yelp before the den, and Ossian, and the mouse, are all in sight. It is what causes him to stop well before he barrels into the young fox, though. With no time to play twenty questions if he intends to eat tonight, Adoun quickly begins moving again, to pounce upon the still-motionless mouse, after which he intends to drag her a safe distance from the other predator before eating. There isn't much size different between himself and Ossian, and he saw the mouse first! So there! Of course, given the sudden movement and Ossian's point of view, it may look like Adoun is pouncing at him.
That's not his mother! That's the primary thought in Ossy's mind when he looks up to see not the familiar red fur and sharp face but something that is almost completely the opposite - a blue cat. The little fox completely forgets about the mouse with the appearance of this new and far more interesting visitor. He isn't scared as much as he is shocked - at least, not until the cat lunges at him. All pretense of bravery and indignation for his 'mistreatment' deserts Ossian, and he tries to scramble backwards back into the den. In his rush, however, he isn't going anywhere, he's just kicking up dirt. He yelps even more, every failed attempt increasing his panic, and the volume and pitch of his desperate wails.
Adoun scarcely has time to catch the mouse in his jaws when the other creature begins making horrible sounds. They're enough to hurt the feline's ears, and he jumps back, at least having the presence of mind to keep hold of the mouse by one now-useless leg. Once he's a couple feet away, so the loud yelps of the fox don't hurt quite so much, he drops the mouse to the ground and traps her with a paw so he can speak. "Cut out that racket!" Geez! You'd think the kit were dying instead of complaining because his meal just got taken by its rightful owner. Still, it's not enough to make Adoun abandon the meal he already put effort into catching.
Ossian almost misses the order over the sound of his own voice. He's given up trying to run away - now he's just flat in the entrance, with his ears pinned and his eyes shut tight, hoping that any moment now he'll be rescued. The poor thing looks terrified. He's sure now that this is the kind of creature his mother was warning about, and now look what's happened! He's in the den, and he's STILL in danger! When Adoun speaks, Ossian surprisingly does quiet down a little - not all at once, but slowly his yelps fade into keening whines. He doesn't yet dare look, hoping that when he does everything will be quiet again.
Adoun isn't truly concerned about the young fox's mother arriving, but those yelps were terribly annoying. Not that the whining is much better, but at least it's quieter. Speaking of quieter... Now that Ossian is no longer yelping, Adoun returns his attention to his prey, lowering his head and biting into the small mouse's body in order to silence her squeaking. How /anyone/ could enjoy a meal with all of this /noise/ going on is beyond the cat.
Slowly, one of Ossian's eyes begins to slide open, in that overly-acted way that kids use to show they're being covert and secretive. The lack of pouncing on his back or biting prompts him to do it, and the act alone makes him feel a little braver. The cat is all the way over there! Ossian's towering curiosity is quick to make itself known. His whines begin to become less frequent, though every now and again a little noise escapes him as he watches Adoun with the mouse in what he thinks is a subtle way. What IS that creature? It's certainly not a fox...
Thankfully, that kit quiets a little more. Just maybe Adoun will be able to eat without taking his prey too far away. He has already put in plenty of effort today. Not trusting the fox to remain silent, though, Adoun looks up at him again and asks, "Well? You done making a fuss, then?" His voice no longer sounds quite so irritated. Authoritative? Yes. Condescending? Maybe. But at least not as irritated.
Ossian is a little shocked. How did that thing know he was watching it? He was being secret, wasn't he? The little fox, still nervous, wants to go back into the den, but the lure of something new is too strong for him to resist and he stays where he is, uncertain but unwilling to pass up this opportunity. His ears aren't quite as flat as they were anymore, his eyes open properly now. Is he done making a fuss? Well...probably. For now. Maybe. Maybe the mouse was all it was after. He tries to nod, but realizes his head is still on the ground, so he lifts it and nods again.
"Good." Adoun gives a nod of his own head as he speaks. After speaking, the feline lies down by the mouse and takes a bite from the poor creature. Normally, he would not be so rude, but he is too hungry to concern himself wholly with manners and propriety. Besides, it's not like this fox has any right to complain, after all that noise he just made.
The ears go a little higher, the nose moves a little further forward. The thing doesn't seem to mean Ossian any harm, it was just the mouse he was after. With this revelation, Ossy feels a little less shaky in the legs. If it doesn't mean to eat him, then it won't hurt him! Or so his childish mind would have him believe. He watches Adoun eat from the mouse for a few moments before the question just bursts out. "What /are/ you?" he asks eagerly, with wide eyes.
Adoun looks up. It isn't that he particularly minds conversation with supper. He lived most of his life surrounded by people, and even a handful of other animals, who enjoyed conversation with their meals. The manner in which the question is asked strikes at him, or perhaps the question itself, so Adoun replies with, "What are /you/?" He isn't merely mocking. He really doesn't know what this creature is called. He just barely knows what the creature he is currently eating is called.
Ossian wouldn't know mockery if it came up and bit him, but he does look a little surprised. Everyone knows what a fox is! Right? Well...all grown-ups should, anyway. "I'm a fox," he answers, sounding quite proud of himself. "You're not a fox, right? You're not red, you're...all blue." He looks puzzled. "I never saw a colour like that before." Ossian seems to be quite happy talking this out with himself - the impatient little fox would rather listen to himself than sit in silence. "And your tail is like...a big worm." he means it in the best possible way, really he does.
Adoun appears quite proud for a moment at the comments about his fur colour. Even amongst the wealthy and influential, he often received praise on his fur colour, and this is what he takes the comments as. Praise. He is unique, special. Then the little kit continues, and all of the pride leaves. A worm?! One of those disgusting, filthy, furless, crawly creatures?! His tail looks like that?! Impossible! Indignant, and refusing to look back to assure himself that his tail is as beautiful as ever, Adoun says, "/I/, young fox, am a /cat/. You may refer to me as Sir Longacre." His tone befits his words, as though he were greeting some pet at an elegant party in an extravagant manor instead of lying in the grass eating a mouse.
"A cat?" Ossian is utterly unaware of the offense he's just caused. Besides, he likes worms. They're really tasty. Mmm...worm. Turning his short attention back to the situation at hand, Ossian listens closely to the name and then attempts to pronounce that too. He is quite taken by the impressive tone of voice Adoun is using. He sounds important somehow. "Sir...Lon-ekker? That's a funny name. Do all cats have names like that? My name is Ossian but only my parents call me that. All my brothers and sisters call me Ossy. You can call me Ossy too, if you like."
"Geh. Lon-geh-acre." Adoun stresses the pronunciation of his former owner's surname. Only after correcting the pronunciation does he go on to answer Ossian's question. "Not all cats have such distinguished names. Only those who come from distinguished families." In other words, most of the cats that Adoun has ever known, though many of them used different titles, all for show. He doesn't bother giving his first name to this wild creature, but he does address Ossian by name. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Ossian." Not really, but at least he's being polite. Right before he takes another bite out of the mouse.
"Lon-geh-acre," Ossian parrots, trying to get it right this time. That's a hard name to say. Maybe he'll just call the cat Sir. Ossian tries to remember the manners he's been taught. "It is nice to meet you to, Sir," he recites in return (ah, much easier than Longacre), before turning to more interesting things than pleasantries. "What does 'dis...tin...gished' mean?" Ossy sounds unsure, and not just about the word. It doesn't sound like a nice thing to have your family afflicted with.
Just 'Sir' is apparently acceptable to the feline. At least, it doesn't cause Adoun to take any real notice. What he does notice is the question. What does distinguished mean? Well, it means... Distinguished. It is a brief pause before he answers, "Important. Influential. Well-known." You know... Distinguished. He could expect no better from a wild animal, especially a young one, so while it gives him pause, he doesn't concern himself too much with the odd question.
Ossian thinks on the definition for a few moments. So it wasn't anything bad. He wonders if he knows anyone like that. Well, sure he does. His mother. She's important, and he knows her well enough, and...she's probably that third thing he said too. "It must just be cats," he muses out loud. "'cause my mother is important and stuff, but she only has a short easy name to say." He nods happily, completely over the shock from earlier. Sometimes having a short attention span can be an advantage.
"It most certainly is not just cats." That would make them, well, haughty, if only cats ever took their humans' names and titles, and Adoun would never admit to being haughty, even if it may be true. "Most dogs I've known have had similar names as well." Not to mention the rare oddball pet, the occasional things even more exotic than he is, but mostly he remembers dogs. "You look something like a dog. Smell something like one, too." It's not a good thing, but his tone is not too insulting. It's a wonder he has never seen a fox before. He'd think it'd be just the type of exotic dog a human might want to keep.
Now 'dog' is a word Ossian knows, and the recognition shows on his face. His parents have told him horror stories about deadly humans and the packs of dogs they command, running foxes to ground just for fun. And while he knows he should be afraid of them...something about them, perhaps their guile or their craftiness, has his admiration. "I do? This is what dogs look like?" Ossy looks down at himself, then back at Adoun. "Wait...so if you know dogs, then does that mean you know...humans?" he asks, hesitantly.
Adoun abandons his mouse. He has eaten enough that hunger doesn't gnaw at him, so continuing to eat can wait. Instead of eating, he stands and takes a step closer to the fox to get a better look at him. "Well, you're too little, but I've seen little dogs. And your fur is weird, for a dog... But you have the same build." Ugly and graceless. Yes, the fox looks /something/ like a dog. "And of course I know humans." That one is just a given.
Too little! Like Ossian hasn't heard /that/ enough. He's too little for everything. He stretches out as Adoun comes closer, sniffing at the air. Even he, at his young age, can tell that how his mother, father, siblings move is different to how Adoun moves. It's something that he pays close attention to. "You do? Are they really really dangerous? Do they hunt you too? What about dogs? What are they like?" And then, even more eagerly than the other questions, "Can you run faster than dogs?"
"Hunt /me/?!" The very idea is preposterous, and Adoun's tone suggests as much. "No human would dare hunt me." Pamper, caress, and love, but never hunt. "No dog would ever hunt me, either, but I'm quite sure I could outrun one if it did." Granted, he has never been chased by a dog simply because he had humans there to protect him, and he has been lucky on his own thus far, but he doesn't figure that matters.
Ossian seems to be paying very close attention to everything Adoun is saying. This is the first time he's met anyone quite like this, and now he's having fun. Everything about the cat is just so different to his everyday life. Not only does he know humans and dogs, and speak in that impressive way, and have blue fur, but he doesn't get hunted either! And then Ossian has to ask. "Why don't they dare?"
And well Ossian should be hanging on the feline's every word. Adoun deserves every bit of respect and admiration the fox has to muster, after all, and for as long as the fox seems impressed, Adoun is more than content to continue. "I am rare, and beautiful, and men worship rare and beautiful things." He is not a species that is native to most of the lands his owner has visited, and therein is his value. He is also not bragging, but rather stating his worth matter-of-factly. "And men command the obediance of dogs. Dogs who cannot obey are not tolerated."
So Ossy isn't alone in his admiration of this cat. "I wonder if I'm rare and beautiful," he muses innocently, looking up at the sky. He's decided that when he grows up, he wants to be a cat. "But why would the dogs just do stuff for humans? What happens if they don't? Do they get..." He looks back into the entrance of the den. "...grounded?" It's obvious how he gets punished.
Adoun doesn't respond to the fox's musings. He looks more exotic than most dogs, but he would never refer to any canid as beautiful. Still, Adoun /is/ being polite, and he has no reason to stop. The final word the fox uses is so... Juvenile. Common. Adoun isn't certain he has ever heard it before, but he can guess what it means, given the way the fox looks back into the den. "No. Dogs do not get 'grounded' if they disobey. If they are lucky, they get hit or sent away." And if they're unlucky... Well, Ossian is young, and Adoun isn't sure he should delve into that.
Being hit doesn't get too much of a reaction - Ossian's been cuffed over the head before - but sent away?! Ossy looks horrified at the prospect, so much so that he can't imagine anything being worse. He wonders for a moment, if he were naughty enough, whether he would be sent away. The idea has his bottom lip practically quivering. "That's...that's not nice! That's a mean thing to do!" All of a sudden, humans don't seem quite as cool as they did before.
Perhaps it is mean, but Adoun has not known many dogs to be disobediant, so it works. "It doesn't happen often. Most dogs are smart enough to obey." Perhaps, then, that is why no human owns foxes. They aren't smart enough to be obediant. Or they're too spoiled, having grown up with no harsher punishment than being confined to an area. It wouldn't be an issue, if canids were worshiped like felines, but... That isn't the case.
Ossian still doesn't look so sure. Do what you're told or be sent away...right now, he'd do anything not to be sent away, but Ossy is disobedient no matter how hard he tries. But at this very moment... "I'm gonna go back inside the den," he says abruptly, looking worried as he does so. What if Terri comes back right now and catches him? She might send him away! "I'm grounded...I don't want to be sent away if I don't do what my mother says!"
Hmmm? Adoun appears surprised by the abrupt statement, but... Ah, just as well. He still has half a mouse to eat, and then he should like to find some water. This thought distracts him from Ossian's explanation, and though he didn't really hear it, he nods after the fox finishes speaking. "Very well. Goodbye, young fox." Already, he has forgotten this creature's name, but not the easier name of his species.
"Bye, Sir! Come and visit me, okay? You're interesting." Ossy gives Adoun a wide and goofy grin, worried though he is that he'll be caught out. His sudden statements and attitude changes tend to confuse even his own mother, but he doesn't mind as long it makes sense to him. Popping out of the den for a moment, Ossy turns around properly and vanishes into his home. Hopefully, his parents never find out about this. Sent away! What a nightmare. For now, he vows, he won't do anything wrong ever again. He'll have forgotten this in a couple of days, of course, but his heart is in the right place.
Whether or not Adoun will return will remain to be seen. He won't /avoid/ the area, but he won't go out of his way. He doesn't bother speaking any more, though. Rather, he returns to his mouse and lies back down to finish his small meal. He's actually rather glad that the conversation ended when it did, before he forgot that he'd left half the mouse uneaten, and after noting that to himself, he puts the conversation mostly out of his head.
Adoun - Male Cat
Ossian - Male Juvenile Red Fox
- Lush Grasslands -
It's almost midday. The summer is drawing to an end, and many small, furry creatures are searching eagerly for food as they take comfort in the grass that at least hides them from air-borne predators. They are not quite so lucky with predators who use their noses to locate food, and Adoun is one such predator. Sort of. He is stalking through the grass that is tall enough to hide him from sight and following a scent trail that he first noticed when the soft breeze blew it his way. The most sound he makes is the sound of his tail hitting the grass as it swishes with no regard to his intentions to remain silent, to find food.
Guilt passes quickly for Ossian. The little fox is a stubborn learner, and though for a few days he felt even worse about leaving the den against his mother's wishes than he did the first time, he's sunk once more into an indignant state of self-pity. After all, his father was out here last time so technically he dodn't really leave the den all by himself, right? They're just being mean to him. Ossy wants to go out and explore, but he hasn't yet gotten up the courage to directly disobey his parents again just yet. So he lies at the entrance of the den, only his overlarge nose creeping out just beyond it. What a rebel.
Adoun isn't exactly a trained mouser, but all the same, it does not take the small feline long to find his prey. Although, phrasing it like that may be overly kind. His prey, an adult mouse that is still barely larger than one of the feline's paws, notices him first. It is only when the mouse starts to run away that Adoun finds her, spotting the sudden movement of the grasses. He is quick to chase after her, and just as quick to begin closing the distance between the two of them as the mouse leads him directly towards the unseen den and the fox that is lying in the den's opening.
Ossian is on the lookout (hearout, smellout, whatever he can get) for anything that could possibly provide entertainment that would not get him in more trouble. He isn't aware that such entertainment doesn't exist, and so when his big ears pick up on the sounds of things moving in the grass, Ossy perks up. Too young to be adept at telling what kind of animal may be approaching, he pulls his nose in the slightest amount but keeps a careful watch. He doesn't want to get in trouble again, but if it isn't one of his parents returning maybe whoever it is will stop and talk to him.
The little mouse is too concerned about the predator behind her to keep a close watch for predators ahead of her. She's just running as fast as her tiny feet and legs can carry her, occasionally dodging a particularly huge 'boulder' or a menacing blade of grass, but otherwise running directly for the den. She may as well be directly in Ossian's mouth before she notices him there, for as close as she gets. Once she does notice this hulking beast in front of her, she skids to a stop and lets out a startled squeak and begins silently preying, certain it's all over now. Moments later, Adoun comes crashing, at least in comparison to how much the small mouse has disturbed the grass and dirt, towards the den.
Luck is on the mouse's side, this time - because of all his bad behaviour, Ossy's first hunting lesson has been delayed time and again. Now, with a mouse right at his nose, the fox has next to no idea what he's meant to do, and he sits up as best he can in surprise with his nose drawn back. After a few shocked seconds of deliberation, he decides to yelp. After all, that's always worked before - yelp, mother comes, problem goes away. And maybe there'll be food. He can hear another creature coming, so he yelps again for good measure - that's probably Terri now.
Adoun doesn't have time to fully process the yelp before the den, and Ossian, and the mouse, are all in sight. It is what causes him to stop well before he barrels into the young fox, though. With no time to play twenty questions if he intends to eat tonight, Adoun quickly begins moving again, to pounce upon the still-motionless mouse, after which he intends to drag her a safe distance from the other predator before eating. There isn't much size different between himself and Ossian, and he saw the mouse first! So there! Of course, given the sudden movement and Ossian's point of view, it may look like Adoun is pouncing at him.
That's not his mother! That's the primary thought in Ossy's mind when he looks up to see not the familiar red fur and sharp face but something that is almost completely the opposite - a blue cat. The little fox completely forgets about the mouse with the appearance of this new and far more interesting visitor. He isn't scared as much as he is shocked - at least, not until the cat lunges at him. All pretense of bravery and indignation for his 'mistreatment' deserts Ossian, and he tries to scramble backwards back into the den. In his rush, however, he isn't going anywhere, he's just kicking up dirt. He yelps even more, every failed attempt increasing his panic, and the volume and pitch of his desperate wails.
Adoun scarcely has time to catch the mouse in his jaws when the other creature begins making horrible sounds. They're enough to hurt the feline's ears, and he jumps back, at least having the presence of mind to keep hold of the mouse by one now-useless leg. Once he's a couple feet away, so the loud yelps of the fox don't hurt quite so much, he drops the mouse to the ground and traps her with a paw so he can speak. "Cut out that racket!" Geez! You'd think the kit were dying instead of complaining because his meal just got taken by its rightful owner. Still, it's not enough to make Adoun abandon the meal he already put effort into catching.
Ossian almost misses the order over the sound of his own voice. He's given up trying to run away - now he's just flat in the entrance, with his ears pinned and his eyes shut tight, hoping that any moment now he'll be rescued. The poor thing looks terrified. He's sure now that this is the kind of creature his mother was warning about, and now look what's happened! He's in the den, and he's STILL in danger! When Adoun speaks, Ossian surprisingly does quiet down a little - not all at once, but slowly his yelps fade into keening whines. He doesn't yet dare look, hoping that when he does everything will be quiet again.
Adoun isn't truly concerned about the young fox's mother arriving, but those yelps were terribly annoying. Not that the whining is much better, but at least it's quieter. Speaking of quieter... Now that Ossian is no longer yelping, Adoun returns his attention to his prey, lowering his head and biting into the small mouse's body in order to silence her squeaking. How /anyone/ could enjoy a meal with all of this /noise/ going on is beyond the cat.
Slowly, one of Ossian's eyes begins to slide open, in that overly-acted way that kids use to show they're being covert and secretive. The lack of pouncing on his back or biting prompts him to do it, and the act alone makes him feel a little braver. The cat is all the way over there! Ossian's towering curiosity is quick to make itself known. His whines begin to become less frequent, though every now and again a little noise escapes him as he watches Adoun with the mouse in what he thinks is a subtle way. What IS that creature? It's certainly not a fox...
Thankfully, that kit quiets a little more. Just maybe Adoun will be able to eat without taking his prey too far away. He has already put in plenty of effort today. Not trusting the fox to remain silent, though, Adoun looks up at him again and asks, "Well? You done making a fuss, then?" His voice no longer sounds quite so irritated. Authoritative? Yes. Condescending? Maybe. But at least not as irritated.
Ossian is a little shocked. How did that thing know he was watching it? He was being secret, wasn't he? The little fox, still nervous, wants to go back into the den, but the lure of something new is too strong for him to resist and he stays where he is, uncertain but unwilling to pass up this opportunity. His ears aren't quite as flat as they were anymore, his eyes open properly now. Is he done making a fuss? Well...probably. For now. Maybe. Maybe the mouse was all it was after. He tries to nod, but realizes his head is still on the ground, so he lifts it and nods again.
"Good." Adoun gives a nod of his own head as he speaks. After speaking, the feline lies down by the mouse and takes a bite from the poor creature. Normally, he would not be so rude, but he is too hungry to concern himself wholly with manners and propriety. Besides, it's not like this fox has any right to complain, after all that noise he just made.
The ears go a little higher, the nose moves a little further forward. The thing doesn't seem to mean Ossian any harm, it was just the mouse he was after. With this revelation, Ossy feels a little less shaky in the legs. If it doesn't mean to eat him, then it won't hurt him! Or so his childish mind would have him believe. He watches Adoun eat from the mouse for a few moments before the question just bursts out. "What /are/ you?" he asks eagerly, with wide eyes.
Adoun looks up. It isn't that he particularly minds conversation with supper. He lived most of his life surrounded by people, and even a handful of other animals, who enjoyed conversation with their meals. The manner in which the question is asked strikes at him, or perhaps the question itself, so Adoun replies with, "What are /you/?" He isn't merely mocking. He really doesn't know what this creature is called. He just barely knows what the creature he is currently eating is called.
Ossian wouldn't know mockery if it came up and bit him, but he does look a little surprised. Everyone knows what a fox is! Right? Well...all grown-ups should, anyway. "I'm a fox," he answers, sounding quite proud of himself. "You're not a fox, right? You're not red, you're...all blue." He looks puzzled. "I never saw a colour like that before." Ossian seems to be quite happy talking this out with himself - the impatient little fox would rather listen to himself than sit in silence. "And your tail is like...a big worm." he means it in the best possible way, really he does.
Adoun appears quite proud for a moment at the comments about his fur colour. Even amongst the wealthy and influential, he often received praise on his fur colour, and this is what he takes the comments as. Praise. He is unique, special. Then the little kit continues, and all of the pride leaves. A worm?! One of those disgusting, filthy, furless, crawly creatures?! His tail looks like that?! Impossible! Indignant, and refusing to look back to assure himself that his tail is as beautiful as ever, Adoun says, "/I/, young fox, am a /cat/. You may refer to me as Sir Longacre." His tone befits his words, as though he were greeting some pet at an elegant party in an extravagant manor instead of lying in the grass eating a mouse.
"A cat?" Ossian is utterly unaware of the offense he's just caused. Besides, he likes worms. They're really tasty. Mmm...worm. Turning his short attention back to the situation at hand, Ossian listens closely to the name and then attempts to pronounce that too. He is quite taken by the impressive tone of voice Adoun is using. He sounds important somehow. "Sir...Lon-ekker? That's a funny name. Do all cats have names like that? My name is Ossian but only my parents call me that. All my brothers and sisters call me Ossy. You can call me Ossy too, if you like."
"Geh. Lon-geh-acre." Adoun stresses the pronunciation of his former owner's surname. Only after correcting the pronunciation does he go on to answer Ossian's question. "Not all cats have such distinguished names. Only those who come from distinguished families." In other words, most of the cats that Adoun has ever known, though many of them used different titles, all for show. He doesn't bother giving his first name to this wild creature, but he does address Ossian by name. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Ossian." Not really, but at least he's being polite. Right before he takes another bite out of the mouse.
"Lon-geh-acre," Ossian parrots, trying to get it right this time. That's a hard name to say. Maybe he'll just call the cat Sir. Ossian tries to remember the manners he's been taught. "It is nice to meet you to, Sir," he recites in return (ah, much easier than Longacre), before turning to more interesting things than pleasantries. "What does 'dis...tin...gished' mean?" Ossy sounds unsure, and not just about the word. It doesn't sound like a nice thing to have your family afflicted with.
Just 'Sir' is apparently acceptable to the feline. At least, it doesn't cause Adoun to take any real notice. What he does notice is the question. What does distinguished mean? Well, it means... Distinguished. It is a brief pause before he answers, "Important. Influential. Well-known." You know... Distinguished. He could expect no better from a wild animal, especially a young one, so while it gives him pause, he doesn't concern himself too much with the odd question.
Ossian thinks on the definition for a few moments. So it wasn't anything bad. He wonders if he knows anyone like that. Well, sure he does. His mother. She's important, and he knows her well enough, and...she's probably that third thing he said too. "It must just be cats," he muses out loud. "'cause my mother is important and stuff, but she only has a short easy name to say." He nods happily, completely over the shock from earlier. Sometimes having a short attention span can be an advantage.
"It most certainly is not just cats." That would make them, well, haughty, if only cats ever took their humans' names and titles, and Adoun would never admit to being haughty, even if it may be true. "Most dogs I've known have had similar names as well." Not to mention the rare oddball pet, the occasional things even more exotic than he is, but mostly he remembers dogs. "You look something like a dog. Smell something like one, too." It's not a good thing, but his tone is not too insulting. It's a wonder he has never seen a fox before. He'd think it'd be just the type of exotic dog a human might want to keep.
Now 'dog' is a word Ossian knows, and the recognition shows on his face. His parents have told him horror stories about deadly humans and the packs of dogs they command, running foxes to ground just for fun. And while he knows he should be afraid of them...something about them, perhaps their guile or their craftiness, has his admiration. "I do? This is what dogs look like?" Ossy looks down at himself, then back at Adoun. "Wait...so if you know dogs, then does that mean you know...humans?" he asks, hesitantly.
Adoun abandons his mouse. He has eaten enough that hunger doesn't gnaw at him, so continuing to eat can wait. Instead of eating, he stands and takes a step closer to the fox to get a better look at him. "Well, you're too little, but I've seen little dogs. And your fur is weird, for a dog... But you have the same build." Ugly and graceless. Yes, the fox looks /something/ like a dog. "And of course I know humans." That one is just a given.
Too little! Like Ossian hasn't heard /that/ enough. He's too little for everything. He stretches out as Adoun comes closer, sniffing at the air. Even he, at his young age, can tell that how his mother, father, siblings move is different to how Adoun moves. It's something that he pays close attention to. "You do? Are they really really dangerous? Do they hunt you too? What about dogs? What are they like?" And then, even more eagerly than the other questions, "Can you run faster than dogs?"
"Hunt /me/?!" The very idea is preposterous, and Adoun's tone suggests as much. "No human would dare hunt me." Pamper, caress, and love, but never hunt. "No dog would ever hunt me, either, but I'm quite sure I could outrun one if it did." Granted, he has never been chased by a dog simply because he had humans there to protect him, and he has been lucky on his own thus far, but he doesn't figure that matters.
Ossian seems to be paying very close attention to everything Adoun is saying. This is the first time he's met anyone quite like this, and now he's having fun. Everything about the cat is just so different to his everyday life. Not only does he know humans and dogs, and speak in that impressive way, and have blue fur, but he doesn't get hunted either! And then Ossian has to ask. "Why don't they dare?"
And well Ossian should be hanging on the feline's every word. Adoun deserves every bit of respect and admiration the fox has to muster, after all, and for as long as the fox seems impressed, Adoun is more than content to continue. "I am rare, and beautiful, and men worship rare and beautiful things." He is not a species that is native to most of the lands his owner has visited, and therein is his value. He is also not bragging, but rather stating his worth matter-of-factly. "And men command the obediance of dogs. Dogs who cannot obey are not tolerated."
So Ossy isn't alone in his admiration of this cat. "I wonder if I'm rare and beautiful," he muses innocently, looking up at the sky. He's decided that when he grows up, he wants to be a cat. "But why would the dogs just do stuff for humans? What happens if they don't? Do they get..." He looks back into the entrance of the den. "...grounded?" It's obvious how he gets punished.
Adoun doesn't respond to the fox's musings. He looks more exotic than most dogs, but he would never refer to any canid as beautiful. Still, Adoun /is/ being polite, and he has no reason to stop. The final word the fox uses is so... Juvenile. Common. Adoun isn't certain he has ever heard it before, but he can guess what it means, given the way the fox looks back into the den. "No. Dogs do not get 'grounded' if they disobey. If they are lucky, they get hit or sent away." And if they're unlucky... Well, Ossian is young, and Adoun isn't sure he should delve into that.
Being hit doesn't get too much of a reaction - Ossian's been cuffed over the head before - but sent away?! Ossy looks horrified at the prospect, so much so that he can't imagine anything being worse. He wonders for a moment, if he were naughty enough, whether he would be sent away. The idea has his bottom lip practically quivering. "That's...that's not nice! That's a mean thing to do!" All of a sudden, humans don't seem quite as cool as they did before.
Perhaps it is mean, but Adoun has not known many dogs to be disobediant, so it works. "It doesn't happen often. Most dogs are smart enough to obey." Perhaps, then, that is why no human owns foxes. They aren't smart enough to be obediant. Or they're too spoiled, having grown up with no harsher punishment than being confined to an area. It wouldn't be an issue, if canids were worshiped like felines, but... That isn't the case.
Ossian still doesn't look so sure. Do what you're told or be sent away...right now, he'd do anything not to be sent away, but Ossy is disobedient no matter how hard he tries. But at this very moment... "I'm gonna go back inside the den," he says abruptly, looking worried as he does so. What if Terri comes back right now and catches him? She might send him away! "I'm grounded...I don't want to be sent away if I don't do what my mother says!"
Hmmm? Adoun appears surprised by the abrupt statement, but... Ah, just as well. He still has half a mouse to eat, and then he should like to find some water. This thought distracts him from Ossian's explanation, and though he didn't really hear it, he nods after the fox finishes speaking. "Very well. Goodbye, young fox." Already, he has forgotten this creature's name, but not the easier name of his species.
"Bye, Sir! Come and visit me, okay? You're interesting." Ossy gives Adoun a wide and goofy grin, worried though he is that he'll be caught out. His sudden statements and attitude changes tend to confuse even his own mother, but he doesn't mind as long it makes sense to him. Popping out of the den for a moment, Ossy turns around properly and vanishes into his home. Hopefully, his parents never find out about this. Sent away! What a nightmare. For now, he vows, he won't do anything wrong ever again. He'll have forgotten this in a couple of days, of course, but his heart is in the right place.
Whether or not Adoun will return will remain to be seen. He won't /avoid/ the area, but he won't go out of his way. He doesn't bother speaking any more, though. Rather, he returns to his mouse and lies back down to finish his small meal. He's actually rather glad that the conversation ended when it did, before he forgot that he'd left half the mouse uneaten, and after noting that to himself, he puts the conversation mostly out of his head.