Post by abyss on Jan 21, 2009 22:07:40 GMT -5
Characters involved:
Takata, female red fox
Nova, female red fox
Inali, female red fox
Bubbling Spring
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To the north lies the pasture; here, in the midst of waving grasses, is a wilder place, where the spring which feeds the stream flowing to the south comes up. Water burbles from amongst rocks-- clothed in moist moss-- that rise out of the ground, trickling along them down a little slope, droplets splashing in the air. The upwelling itself is partially hidden from passers-by by the bushes that surround it, and the rocks.
================================================================================
It was early morning and Inali and Takata were about to head off to go search for Nova infact they were a little ways away from there new den When Inali had said she swore she smelled some prey and ran off. Well, she sat by the spring quietly awaiting the return of Inali. She was her normal self except she was now equiped with a blue flower in her hair as she gazes about.
Since the flood receded, things have gone more or less back to normal for Nova. She returned to her old den and found it less damaged than she had expected it would be, though it seems she will have to wait a while longer to restore it to its former state--the ground is still too wet to dig around in, and she is a bit too old to tire herself out needlessly. Hopefully, after the next warm spell, she will be able to make the den habitable again. In the mean time she has taken to wandering, hoping to come across any of her kits, as she has not seen any of them since they grew old enough to strike out on their own. Not far from where Takata sits, Nova's head pokes out from a clump of grass. She pauses a moment, then offers a slight smile and a nod of her head. "Hello, Takata."
Takata jumps as she hears her name then looks over "Ah! you!" she whimpers as she slowly calms herself down. "Nova was jsut about to go out and look for you! " She says cheerfully. "How have you been? " she asks happily.
Apparently, though their last meeting was not entirely pleasant, Nova is not going to hold Inali's behavior against Takata. She does, however, cast a quick glance around, making sure the black-furred vixen is not present--or at least, not within sight--before the rest of her body slinks out of the long grass. She stretches her aging joints before sitting down at the edge of the water, just a few feet away from Takata. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." The vixen arches a brow when she hears that Inali was, supposedly, going to look for her. She finds that a bit strange, but she does not question it. Honestly, after what happened last time, she had not really expected to see either of them again... unless by chance, the way she has just run into Takata. "I've been doing well, thank you. And yourself?" The fact that she asks about Takata's well-being, and not Inali's, may or may not be significant.
Takata smiles gently as she shakes her head. "Er.. yeah about last time.. um Inali was a bit.. er moody due to physical things.. she honestly wasn't he...." She pause sin mud explanation. "Actully i will let her tell you " She says shaking her head. "Me? I am alright we found a new den since our last one got compeltly flooded out" She says then looking over her. "How does your search for a home go?"
Inali trots through the bushes to the bubbling spring with a really big rat in her mouth. She seems quite happy with her catch. Two squirrels and a big rat in a few hours! Not bad, not bad. Whose is this gonna be? Her's or Takata's? She stops. And lowers herself. She just heard her name! Spoken by Takata? Whose she talking to? She pops through the bushes and looks at Nova. She drops her rat and freezes up. Eep!
Nova only nods at Takata's explanation, her expression remaining neutral. Would she forgive Inali for acting so moody? Quite possibly. If she knew the younger vixen was actually sincere. For now, she says nothing on that subject, more than willing to let the conversation shift elsewhere. "That's good," she says. "My den was not damaged as badly as I thought. I think I'll be able to fix it, once the earth has dried out..." Nova trails off when she hears the bushes rustling, turning her head to look at Inali. She should have expected that the black vixen would not be gone for long. Her eyes narrow a fraction, but she nods stiffly, at least willing to acknowledge Inali and offer her a greeting. Even if it isn't a very warm one.
Takata turns he head at the noise she spys Inali and gives a soft smile. "Come on over" She says invitingly as she looks over. "Alirhgt, that is good, our den was compeltly trashed.. will you need help with your den?" she asks couriously her tail gently swaying about murring. She hopes that Inali will feel comofrtable enough to join them.
"H..hi.." she says with a weak smile. Okay. Well, Inali is bad at apologizing -- to those she doesn't know anyway. And it has to be rehearsed. They can't just.. drop in! She sighs. She needs to do this for Takata! She picks the rat back up and slowly walks toward Nova. She stops midway. Then starts again, and sets the rat down at Nova's feet. "I.. I got this for you," she says, not looking directly in Nova's eyes. She sighs, and looks down. "Sorry." Ow! Painful!
"I'm sure I can manage." Nova's amber eyes remain on Inali as she answers Takata's question. It may be that she expects some sort of outburst from the younger vixen--but after all, Nova would not have survived this long, or been able to raise her last litter of kits single-pawed, without learning to be cautious. Her nose twitches a bit at the scent of the rat, but her expression stays the same until Inali drops it at her feet. Then, she looks very surprised. An offer of food is an apology, unmistakably... and what's more, it's a more concrete apology. Words can be faked, but dinner cannot. "Ah... thank you, Inali. I appreciate it." The older vixen finally smiles.
Takata nods slowly as she smiles and murrs. The smile makes her relived... okay better. She murrs gently as she wags her tail. "well if you need help I will be sure to come if you ask. " She says with a nod and a soft smile. She wasn't going to drag Inali into this offer she slowly sits down and gives inali a gentle happy little nuzzle.
Inali smiles softly at the nuzzle. She nuzzles back. She seems to honestly feel better after getting the words out. Well, there you go. She said it! She backs away. "Hehehe," she lets out a nervous titter toward Nova. "Yeah..." She looks down. She whispers to Takata, "maybe you should tell her, um.. why.. you know.."
Yes, words can indeed be faked--but the loud rumble of Nova's stomach cannot, no more than the rat lying before her paws. She must have been hungry. The older vixen sinks down onto her belly and quickly makes the rat disappear, tail, claws and all. When she's done, Nova licks her muzzle and looks back to Inali again, now regarding the black vixen in a different light. Her ears perk up and swivel toward Takata, who she looks at curiously.
Takata sighs and shakes her head. "okay the reason she was so snippy and bitchy was because little Inali here went through her first heat.. shes over it now though." she says with a grin and a gentle licks over Inali's cheek.
Inali winces and blushes. She lowers her head. This was... embarrassing. She thought she was all grown up, and now, she feels like such a little kid again. Like the first time her mother scolded her. It was right at the beginning, before many of the signs were apparent, but she was still so moody. She feels a special little sting of guilt when Takata describes her as "snippy and bitchy". Did she really have to describe it /that/ way?
The younger vixen may find the subject embarrassing, but Nova smiles. Of course, she should have guessed. It makes perfect sense. "I understand." She looks back to Inali again. "There's no need for you to apologize for something like that." Her smile widens until it is nearly a grin. "Maybe you should have told me that before you gave me the rat. I should not have accepted it."
Takata laughs as she sees Inali shrink and shakes her head. "Don't be embaresed dear.. it is natural.. I was jsut teasing with ya dear I don't mean anything by it." She says lapping her cheek. "Well all is settled everyone is happy." she says cheerfully.
Inali guesses she feels a little bit better now. She smiles lightly back toward Takata and kisses her back, licking against her lips. She sighs. She still feels foolish, which makes her kind of irritable even still. But she doesn't really have a good target to direct that to so she just lets it vanish in the air. "I think.. then.. I'm going to head back to the den." She nuzzles into Takata's cheek once more. "I'll see you again, Nova," she offers a weak, but friendly smile, and starts walking away, shaking her head lightly.
Nova was trying to make a light joke, but it did not seem to go over as well as she'd hoped. Still, she takes Inali's smile as a good sign, returning it warmly. When the younger vixen heads off, she returns her gaze to Takata. "I believe I misjudged your friend. I should not have spoken so harshly to her, that night." Perhaps Inali is the one she should be apologizing to, but she wants to reassure Takata that she's not holding any grudges.
Takata grins and shakes her head. "Oh no.. she still would have been groggy and snippy, it was just that night she was particularly bad... " She chuckles. "I almst think its better how it went... I mean were all friends now." She says with a murr. Inali was mainly ill tempered to strangers. "betweeen you and me.. i think your black fur reminded her of her family.. i dont think shes ever spied a black fured foxx besides her family.."
Nova chuckles. "More grey than black, these days," she says lightly. Despite her tone, she understands what Takata is saying. She knows first-hand what it is like to be reminded of past figures... one of her own kits, Bracken, was a perfect image of her former mate. When he was very young, this led her to show favoritism towards him, but as he grew into an adult, she felt the pain of her mate's loss every time she looked at him. If she saw him now, she would feel that pain just as strongly. "That's all right. All is forgiven."
Takata smiles gently as she nods a little. "alright then.. if all is forgiven I gusse I should let you head back home... which by the way where is your home incase i want to visit?' she asks couriously as she then motions twords the pond in the distnce. "were over there if you ever need anything dont be afraid to ask.."
Nova gets back to her feet, slowly. Since it is still morning, her stiff old joints have not had a chance to finish warming and loosening up, which is why she had not been able to catch breakfast yet. "Oh, it's very simple," she says. With a nod of her head, she indicates the spring. "You just follow the water south a bit, until the stream begins to curve and quicken. My den is on the east bank, close to the water, beneath a large oak tree." She smiles to Takata. "It was good to see you again--and Inali, too. Please tell her I said so." With that, the vixen turns around and heads off, disappearing into the grass.
Takata, female red fox
Nova, female red fox
Inali, female red fox
Bubbling Spring
================================================================================
To the north lies the pasture; here, in the midst of waving grasses, is a wilder place, where the spring which feeds the stream flowing to the south comes up. Water burbles from amongst rocks-- clothed in moist moss-- that rise out of the ground, trickling along them down a little slope, droplets splashing in the air. The upwelling itself is partially hidden from passers-by by the bushes that surround it, and the rocks.
================================================================================
It was early morning and Inali and Takata were about to head off to go search for Nova infact they were a little ways away from there new den When Inali had said she swore she smelled some prey and ran off. Well, she sat by the spring quietly awaiting the return of Inali. She was her normal self except she was now equiped with a blue flower in her hair as she gazes about.
Since the flood receded, things have gone more or less back to normal for Nova. She returned to her old den and found it less damaged than she had expected it would be, though it seems she will have to wait a while longer to restore it to its former state--the ground is still too wet to dig around in, and she is a bit too old to tire herself out needlessly. Hopefully, after the next warm spell, she will be able to make the den habitable again. In the mean time she has taken to wandering, hoping to come across any of her kits, as she has not seen any of them since they grew old enough to strike out on their own. Not far from where Takata sits, Nova's head pokes out from a clump of grass. She pauses a moment, then offers a slight smile and a nod of her head. "Hello, Takata."
Takata jumps as she hears her name then looks over "Ah! you!" she whimpers as she slowly calms herself down. "Nova was jsut about to go out and look for you! " She says cheerfully. "How have you been? " she asks happily.
Apparently, though their last meeting was not entirely pleasant, Nova is not going to hold Inali's behavior against Takata. She does, however, cast a quick glance around, making sure the black-furred vixen is not present--or at least, not within sight--before the rest of her body slinks out of the long grass. She stretches her aging joints before sitting down at the edge of the water, just a few feet away from Takata. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." The vixen arches a brow when she hears that Inali was, supposedly, going to look for her. She finds that a bit strange, but she does not question it. Honestly, after what happened last time, she had not really expected to see either of them again... unless by chance, the way she has just run into Takata. "I've been doing well, thank you. And yourself?" The fact that she asks about Takata's well-being, and not Inali's, may or may not be significant.
Takata smiles gently as she shakes her head. "Er.. yeah about last time.. um Inali was a bit.. er moody due to physical things.. she honestly wasn't he...." She pause sin mud explanation. "Actully i will let her tell you " She says shaking her head. "Me? I am alright we found a new den since our last one got compeltly flooded out" She says then looking over her. "How does your search for a home go?"
Inali trots through the bushes to the bubbling spring with a really big rat in her mouth. She seems quite happy with her catch. Two squirrels and a big rat in a few hours! Not bad, not bad. Whose is this gonna be? Her's or Takata's? She stops. And lowers herself. She just heard her name! Spoken by Takata? Whose she talking to? She pops through the bushes and looks at Nova. She drops her rat and freezes up. Eep!
Nova only nods at Takata's explanation, her expression remaining neutral. Would she forgive Inali for acting so moody? Quite possibly. If she knew the younger vixen was actually sincere. For now, she says nothing on that subject, more than willing to let the conversation shift elsewhere. "That's good," she says. "My den was not damaged as badly as I thought. I think I'll be able to fix it, once the earth has dried out..." Nova trails off when she hears the bushes rustling, turning her head to look at Inali. She should have expected that the black vixen would not be gone for long. Her eyes narrow a fraction, but she nods stiffly, at least willing to acknowledge Inali and offer her a greeting. Even if it isn't a very warm one.
Takata turns he head at the noise she spys Inali and gives a soft smile. "Come on over" She says invitingly as she looks over. "Alirhgt, that is good, our den was compeltly trashed.. will you need help with your den?" she asks couriously her tail gently swaying about murring. She hopes that Inali will feel comofrtable enough to join them.
"H..hi.." she says with a weak smile. Okay. Well, Inali is bad at apologizing -- to those she doesn't know anyway. And it has to be rehearsed. They can't just.. drop in! She sighs. She needs to do this for Takata! She picks the rat back up and slowly walks toward Nova. She stops midway. Then starts again, and sets the rat down at Nova's feet. "I.. I got this for you," she says, not looking directly in Nova's eyes. She sighs, and looks down. "Sorry." Ow! Painful!
"I'm sure I can manage." Nova's amber eyes remain on Inali as she answers Takata's question. It may be that she expects some sort of outburst from the younger vixen--but after all, Nova would not have survived this long, or been able to raise her last litter of kits single-pawed, without learning to be cautious. Her nose twitches a bit at the scent of the rat, but her expression stays the same until Inali drops it at her feet. Then, she looks very surprised. An offer of food is an apology, unmistakably... and what's more, it's a more concrete apology. Words can be faked, but dinner cannot. "Ah... thank you, Inali. I appreciate it." The older vixen finally smiles.
Takata nods slowly as she smiles and murrs. The smile makes her relived... okay better. She murrs gently as she wags her tail. "well if you need help I will be sure to come if you ask. " She says with a nod and a soft smile. She wasn't going to drag Inali into this offer she slowly sits down and gives inali a gentle happy little nuzzle.
Inali smiles softly at the nuzzle. She nuzzles back. She seems to honestly feel better after getting the words out. Well, there you go. She said it! She backs away. "Hehehe," she lets out a nervous titter toward Nova. "Yeah..." She looks down. She whispers to Takata, "maybe you should tell her, um.. why.. you know.."
Yes, words can indeed be faked--but the loud rumble of Nova's stomach cannot, no more than the rat lying before her paws. She must have been hungry. The older vixen sinks down onto her belly and quickly makes the rat disappear, tail, claws and all. When she's done, Nova licks her muzzle and looks back to Inali again, now regarding the black vixen in a different light. Her ears perk up and swivel toward Takata, who she looks at curiously.
Takata sighs and shakes her head. "okay the reason she was so snippy and bitchy was because little Inali here went through her first heat.. shes over it now though." she says with a grin and a gentle licks over Inali's cheek.
Inali winces and blushes. She lowers her head. This was... embarrassing. She thought she was all grown up, and now, she feels like such a little kid again. Like the first time her mother scolded her. It was right at the beginning, before many of the signs were apparent, but she was still so moody. She feels a special little sting of guilt when Takata describes her as "snippy and bitchy". Did she really have to describe it /that/ way?
The younger vixen may find the subject embarrassing, but Nova smiles. Of course, she should have guessed. It makes perfect sense. "I understand." She looks back to Inali again. "There's no need for you to apologize for something like that." Her smile widens until it is nearly a grin. "Maybe you should have told me that before you gave me the rat. I should not have accepted it."
Takata laughs as she sees Inali shrink and shakes her head. "Don't be embaresed dear.. it is natural.. I was jsut teasing with ya dear I don't mean anything by it." She says lapping her cheek. "Well all is settled everyone is happy." she says cheerfully.
Inali guesses she feels a little bit better now. She smiles lightly back toward Takata and kisses her back, licking against her lips. She sighs. She still feels foolish, which makes her kind of irritable even still. But she doesn't really have a good target to direct that to so she just lets it vanish in the air. "I think.. then.. I'm going to head back to the den." She nuzzles into Takata's cheek once more. "I'll see you again, Nova," she offers a weak, but friendly smile, and starts walking away, shaking her head lightly.
Nova was trying to make a light joke, but it did not seem to go over as well as she'd hoped. Still, she takes Inali's smile as a good sign, returning it warmly. When the younger vixen heads off, she returns her gaze to Takata. "I believe I misjudged your friend. I should not have spoken so harshly to her, that night." Perhaps Inali is the one she should be apologizing to, but she wants to reassure Takata that she's not holding any grudges.
Takata grins and shakes her head. "Oh no.. she still would have been groggy and snippy, it was just that night she was particularly bad... " She chuckles. "I almst think its better how it went... I mean were all friends now." She says with a murr. Inali was mainly ill tempered to strangers. "betweeen you and me.. i think your black fur reminded her of her family.. i dont think shes ever spied a black fured foxx besides her family.."
Nova chuckles. "More grey than black, these days," she says lightly. Despite her tone, she understands what Takata is saying. She knows first-hand what it is like to be reminded of past figures... one of her own kits, Bracken, was a perfect image of her former mate. When he was very young, this led her to show favoritism towards him, but as he grew into an adult, she felt the pain of her mate's loss every time she looked at him. If she saw him now, she would feel that pain just as strongly. "That's all right. All is forgiven."
Takata smiles gently as she nods a little. "alright then.. if all is forgiven I gusse I should let you head back home... which by the way where is your home incase i want to visit?' she asks couriously as she then motions twords the pond in the distnce. "were over there if you ever need anything dont be afraid to ask.."
Nova gets back to her feet, slowly. Since it is still morning, her stiff old joints have not had a chance to finish warming and loosening up, which is why she had not been able to catch breakfast yet. "Oh, it's very simple," she says. With a nod of her head, she indicates the spring. "You just follow the water south a bit, until the stream begins to curve and quicken. My den is on the east bank, close to the water, beneath a large oak tree." She smiles to Takata. "It was good to see you again--and Inali, too. Please tell her I said so." With that, the vixen turns around and heads off, disappearing into the grass.