Post by yewberry on May 22, 2006 2:03:03 GMT -5
It's getting on to twilight, the last calls of a song-thrush ringing brightly over the meadow as the dimming red rays of the sun cast long shadows over the swaying grass. Quite a few rabbits have already gone underground for the evening, but a fair few remain above, feeding quietly, with the occasional ruckus of playing kittens. Somewhat removed from the main congregation, Yewberry sits upon a small hillock near the eastern side of the meadow, her ears perked alertly as she keeps watch for elil. She's not owsla, but since there are none above ground that seem to be on duty, she figured she might as well take up the job.
Well one does eventually come above ground to do just that. The large and muscular form of one of the Owsla, makes his appearance. Blackthorn quietly hopping onto the meadow before sitting up on his hindlegs, looking like a solid black pillar among the grasses. Long ears stand on alert, turning, while deep brown gaze looks over the still grazing rabbits. The slightly gruff buck sighs as his sights pass over each one, but not saying a word as of yet.
The noticeable sound and movement of the buck's arrival draws the self-appointed sentry's attention, a black tipped ear swiveling, bright reddish-brown eyes following a moment later. Oh... there's an owsla member! But whether he's on duty... well, that's not altogether clear. For now, Yewberry stays put, her ears twitching this way and that, listening for danger, though her curious gaze remains on the male for a moment.
The black buck grunts and lowers himself back onto all fours. One hindleg lifting to scratch behind his ear and followed by a nose twitch and a shake of the head. Ears flopping noisily as he does so. Hm. Taking a brief nibble at some clover, he too remains alert.. eventually catching the gaze of the doe. "Can I help you?" he asks in a deep voice.
One of the doe's slender ears flicker towards the buck as he speaks, and her whiskers give a slight twitch. For a moment, her eyes glint mischievously, and she sits back on her hind legs to run her paws over her nose casually. "Oh, no... please, enjoy your meal. Sir." A tiny note of playful derisiveness laced into the words.
One ear tilts to the side as he tries to interpret the doe's tone, a brow lifting curiously. Sitting up once more, he considers the doe for several silent moments... before looking to the others here and then back to her. He's never been all that great with the girls, thus Blackthorn was somewhat at a loss of what to say. Perhaps that's why he doesn't have a doe yet. XD
For a moment, it seems as if Yewberry is ignoring the male and has gone back to gazing off eastwards, towards the distant farm. An ear remains tilted steadily towards him, though, and eventually she offers another glance in his direction, lifting a brow of her own. "Something the matter, sir?" She asks, her gaze shifting down briefly to the clover that the male had been nibbling, as if there might be something wrong with it.
Blackthorn blinks once and shakes his head. "No.. nothing at all." Clearing his throat, the buck goes back to nibbling at his little patch of clover. Bah... does are always so... hard to figure out. The buck now trying to act like nothing had happened to save face.
A barely audible snort is the doe's response, as she shoots the male another curious look. Her attention then turns back to the east and the fields beyond the meadow, and she shifts somewhat restlessly as the thrush ceases it's song and flutters off to roost for the night. Now both ears tilt towards the distant farm, and from all appearances, she seems to be considering a foray to the garden.
With the ceasing of the bird song... Blackthorn decides its quite late enough. The buck lifting his head and tilting his ears forwards while looking to the darkened sky. His gaze then goes back to the curious doe. "Alright now... back to the burrows. Wants to get in before the owls come around." Blackthorn's voice lifted high enough for all those still around to hear. The owsla member starting to herd the silflaying stragglers back towards the safety of the burrows.
Yewberry's ears flatten as the buck raises his voice, her whole form sinking a little lower. For a moment, she hesitates, then moves down from the hillock at an easy hop. She makes her way casually towards an entrance run, keeping Blackthorn in her peripheral vision... and as soon as she thinks he's looking the other way, she makes a smooth shift in direction, hoping to slip off into the tall grass without being noticed.
Blackthorn isn't a member of the Owsla for nothing, though... the buck having kept a count of those around. Its when the next to last rabbit slips inside that Yew seems to make a dash for it.. the whisper of moving leaves clueing him in. "Frith on a hill..." he mutters, "Hey!" he then shouts before leaping off in pursuit of Yew. He should have figured as much... stupid, strong-headed does.
Yewberry wasn't running in the first place.... just hopping casually away.
As Blackthorn comes after her, though, she freezes immediately, tensing a little before relaxing again. Her ears swivel smoothly towards the male, and she regards him nonchalantly as he approaches, turning to face him. "Sir?" She responds simply, giving him another curious look, as if she'd done nothing wrong.
A younger buck is huddled in the safety of the tallgrass, casually munching away on a bit of clover. Whether he didn't hear Blackthorn's call, or he was just -pretending- not to hear it, is unknown and for the most part irrelevant. The point is, he's not moving. Larkspur does, however, perk as a doe dashes past. "Oh - oh! Miss Yewb'ry!" Calls the youth, words muffled through a mouthful of greenery. He hushes himself, also ducking down as Blackthorn follows in pursuit of Yew.
Oy.. well.. whatever. XD She moved away when she was supposed to go into the burrow, that's all that matters. Coming up behind her, the buck is soon looming infront of Yew. "Did you not hear me?" although he's pretty certain that she did. The buck looking a bit displeased. He was not about to lose a doe on -his- watch. The chief would have his head for it. "I don't know where you think you're going, but its back to the burrow with you" he demands in his gruff tone. Hmph. However, the young buck doesn't go unnoticed by Blackthorn for long. A stern look passes his way as he sits on his hindlegs and folds his forepaws across his chest. A clear sign that Lark would do best to return to the burrows.
A brief glance is given to Larkspur, and she's unable to hide another mischievous gleam as their gazes meet. Yewberry is quick to put on a more serious face as she turns back to Blackthorn, however, and she straightens her posture, her whiskers bristling ever-so-slightly. "Yes sir, I did... but you see, I promised I would meet Meadowsweet on the north side of the field, there, at sunset." She gestures with a tilt of her delicate head. "She'll be waiting for me, I wouldn't want to keep her waiting..." She takes a slight, shuffling-sideways hop in the indicated direction.
An ebon-tipped ear flicks back inquisitively, a few calculating munches given in response to Yew's little grin. "Oy! 'At's roi', jes' came from theh m'self, Miss Yewb'ry." He finally swallows his mouthful of food, braving a glance to the older buck..though, scooting away a few inches. "Sawr Meadow, must've been wai'in' for ya."
Looking less than pleased at the continued defiance of his orders, Blackthorn's brows furrow and crease increasingly so. Glaring brown eyes following Yewberry's movements. "I don't want to have to force you back to the burrow... Yewberry, isn't it? That's an order, to the both of you." His nose wrinkles slightly, suggesting there will be trouble if they don't do as their told. He doesn't care who they're waiting for.. and its probably a bunch of hogwash anyway.
Yewberry stops her retreat, her ears flicking back again, expression drooping a little. Bah... well, so much for that. Disappointment is quick to turn to impertinence, and a slightly defiant look is given to the owsla officer, along with a quiet huff, before she moves to boldly shoulder past him and towards the nearest run, gesturing with another tilt of her head for Larkspur to follow her.
Larkspur casts a final, fleeting glance to Blackthorn before turning to follow Yewberry, ears drooping indignantly. The youth says nothing more for the moment; he knows when he's beat. Throwing a final, longing glance at the lush clover patch, he makes for the burrow.
Blackthorn rolls his eyes at the looks he gets from the two. Honestly... don't these two know anything? Its his job to look out for their safety and the like... and he didn't want to get in trouble himself. However, satisfied that they're both heading back tot he burrows, Blackthorn quietly follows after them.
~~~
Making sure Larkspur is in tow, Yewberry weaves her way around rabbits and roots, making her way to a somewhat quieter corner of the honeycomb. Here she pauses, looking around at the others gathered, and once again sits up to run her paws over her face, seeming a bit restless.
Being the last to come down the run, Blackthorn pauses to speak to another Owsla member before continuing on. A glance is spared towards Yewberry and Larkspur before he moves towards the officer's run.
Larkspur indeed remains in toe behind Yew, pausing every now and then to see if Blackthorn is still breathing down the back of their necks. He is, naturally. Plopping onto his side somewhere beside the older doe, he seems to mirror Yew's restless expression, though with a bit more poutiness. Glancing back to watch his toes wiggle, Lark allows a single ear to follow Blackthorn's movements, the other scanning for gossip.
Yewberry is likewise monitoring Blackthorn's movements, though by all appearances she's ignoring him completely, her back turned to him as her ears swivel casually about the honeycomb. It's her turn to roll her eyes as she catches the sound of the officer's voice, and finally, she too flops to her side, looking annoyed. "Telling his henchmen to keep an eye on us." She mumbles to Larkspur with a dramatic sigh. She lowers her voice even further, to whisper to her younger companion, meanwhile giving a taunting sidelong glance towards the departing captain.
Yewberry whispers, "They can't watch us forever.." to Larkspur.
Blackthorn has disconnected.
The unruly youth rolls his own amber-brown eyes, heaving a similar sigh after his mentor. Yes, how degrading. He flicks an ear to Yew as she whispers, a hint of a smirk creeping across his features. "You'd think he'd something better t'do wiv 'is time.." He murmurs, in so low a tone that only Yew and perhaps a few others in the general vicinity may be able to hear it. "...Oi know Oi do.."
A bobbing nod of approval is given to the young buck, Yew's ears wagging slightly as she does so. "You'd think." She replies, not attempting to keep her volume down as she sends a final, annoyed glance towards the officer run, her comment getting a few perked ears and curious looks by the nearest surrounding rabbits. Her tone then sinks again, more cautiously, and she shoots a furtive glance around to make sure that no owsla members or well-known gossipers are close enough to hear. "I tell you, Lark.. if the owsla keeps up being so pushy, I might just clear out of this warren completely.." It's a bit of a bold statement, for a rabbit, but Yew's not well known for being overly timid.
Larkspur casts a wary glance about at Yewberry's words, double-checking to make sure no nosey eavesdroppers may be listening in. Bold indeed, but not without reason. He nods slowly, considering Yew's words for a moment before looking back at her. "Coun' me in, then," Well, of /course/. If Yew left, he'd really have no choice but to do the same as far as he's concerned. He raises his voice a bit, from a hushed whisper to a slightly louder whisper. "I mean, being safe is one thing, bu' wha' good is being safe iv you're -miserable- all the time."
Yewberry's expression softens a little, and she nods again, seeming sincerely grateful to have her friend's support. He may be a bit naive and inexperienced, but she trusts him, and that's more than she can say for most of the rabbits in the warren. "True enough." She replies quietly, seeming less restless and more relaxed, having gotten that brash suggestion off of her chest. There's a pause, as she listens quietly to some of the other conversation around her, before she speaks again, her voice hushed once more. "Think we might be able to sneak out of here before morning silflay? I'm itching to go and see how this year's carrot crop is coming along..."
Naive, yes, but such things are expected with youth, and Larkspur is barely into adolescence himself. Experience and defiance are two attributes most any youngster would admire in a role model. His ears perk at Yew's mentioning of carrots, then droop as he comes to the realization that he never did get a chance to finish his supper. "Yes, tha'd be splendid, Yewb'ry!" He ducks his head down with the realization that his response was a bit /too/ loud and enthusiastic. Another sweeping glance is directed across the honeycomb.
The doe can't help but smile at the youngster's enthusiasm. It'll definitely be an adventure taking him to the farm, that's for sure. "Good." She replies cheerfully, stretching a bit before pushing herself back onto her hind legs. She lowers her head a bit and whispers again. "Before dawn... meet me at the edge of the field, by the old hawthorn tree.. and stay well out of sight! If an officer spots you, our trip will be over before it's started." She dips her head to nose at the buck's ear briefly, then turns and makes her way up the west run and her burrow.
Larkspur puffs out his chest a bit, feeling rather /important/ as Yewberry plots the morning's adventure. "I'll be there." He whispers, but she has already made her way to her burrow. Yawning, he huddles in a furry lump, aiming to get a wink of sleep before their little raid.
Well one does eventually come above ground to do just that. The large and muscular form of one of the Owsla, makes his appearance. Blackthorn quietly hopping onto the meadow before sitting up on his hindlegs, looking like a solid black pillar among the grasses. Long ears stand on alert, turning, while deep brown gaze looks over the still grazing rabbits. The slightly gruff buck sighs as his sights pass over each one, but not saying a word as of yet.
The noticeable sound and movement of the buck's arrival draws the self-appointed sentry's attention, a black tipped ear swiveling, bright reddish-brown eyes following a moment later. Oh... there's an owsla member! But whether he's on duty... well, that's not altogether clear. For now, Yewberry stays put, her ears twitching this way and that, listening for danger, though her curious gaze remains on the male for a moment.
The black buck grunts and lowers himself back onto all fours. One hindleg lifting to scratch behind his ear and followed by a nose twitch and a shake of the head. Ears flopping noisily as he does so. Hm. Taking a brief nibble at some clover, he too remains alert.. eventually catching the gaze of the doe. "Can I help you?" he asks in a deep voice.
One of the doe's slender ears flicker towards the buck as he speaks, and her whiskers give a slight twitch. For a moment, her eyes glint mischievously, and she sits back on her hind legs to run her paws over her nose casually. "Oh, no... please, enjoy your meal. Sir." A tiny note of playful derisiveness laced into the words.
One ear tilts to the side as he tries to interpret the doe's tone, a brow lifting curiously. Sitting up once more, he considers the doe for several silent moments... before looking to the others here and then back to her. He's never been all that great with the girls, thus Blackthorn was somewhat at a loss of what to say. Perhaps that's why he doesn't have a doe yet. XD
For a moment, it seems as if Yewberry is ignoring the male and has gone back to gazing off eastwards, towards the distant farm. An ear remains tilted steadily towards him, though, and eventually she offers another glance in his direction, lifting a brow of her own. "Something the matter, sir?" She asks, her gaze shifting down briefly to the clover that the male had been nibbling, as if there might be something wrong with it.
Blackthorn blinks once and shakes his head. "No.. nothing at all." Clearing his throat, the buck goes back to nibbling at his little patch of clover. Bah... does are always so... hard to figure out. The buck now trying to act like nothing had happened to save face.
A barely audible snort is the doe's response, as she shoots the male another curious look. Her attention then turns back to the east and the fields beyond the meadow, and she shifts somewhat restlessly as the thrush ceases it's song and flutters off to roost for the night. Now both ears tilt towards the distant farm, and from all appearances, she seems to be considering a foray to the garden.
With the ceasing of the bird song... Blackthorn decides its quite late enough. The buck lifting his head and tilting his ears forwards while looking to the darkened sky. His gaze then goes back to the curious doe. "Alright now... back to the burrows. Wants to get in before the owls come around." Blackthorn's voice lifted high enough for all those still around to hear. The owsla member starting to herd the silflaying stragglers back towards the safety of the burrows.
Yewberry's ears flatten as the buck raises his voice, her whole form sinking a little lower. For a moment, she hesitates, then moves down from the hillock at an easy hop. She makes her way casually towards an entrance run, keeping Blackthorn in her peripheral vision... and as soon as she thinks he's looking the other way, she makes a smooth shift in direction, hoping to slip off into the tall grass without being noticed.
Blackthorn isn't a member of the Owsla for nothing, though... the buck having kept a count of those around. Its when the next to last rabbit slips inside that Yew seems to make a dash for it.. the whisper of moving leaves clueing him in. "Frith on a hill..." he mutters, "Hey!" he then shouts before leaping off in pursuit of Yew. He should have figured as much... stupid, strong-headed does.
Yewberry wasn't running in the first place.... just hopping casually away.
As Blackthorn comes after her, though, she freezes immediately, tensing a little before relaxing again. Her ears swivel smoothly towards the male, and she regards him nonchalantly as he approaches, turning to face him. "Sir?" She responds simply, giving him another curious look, as if she'd done nothing wrong. A younger buck is huddled in the safety of the tallgrass, casually munching away on a bit of clover. Whether he didn't hear Blackthorn's call, or he was just -pretending- not to hear it, is unknown and for the most part irrelevant. The point is, he's not moving. Larkspur does, however, perk as a doe dashes past. "Oh - oh! Miss Yewb'ry!" Calls the youth, words muffled through a mouthful of greenery. He hushes himself, also ducking down as Blackthorn follows in pursuit of Yew.
Oy.. well.. whatever. XD She moved away when she was supposed to go into the burrow, that's all that matters. Coming up behind her, the buck is soon looming infront of Yew. "Did you not hear me?" although he's pretty certain that she did. The buck looking a bit displeased. He was not about to lose a doe on -his- watch. The chief would have his head for it. "I don't know where you think you're going, but its back to the burrow with you" he demands in his gruff tone. Hmph. However, the young buck doesn't go unnoticed by Blackthorn for long. A stern look passes his way as he sits on his hindlegs and folds his forepaws across his chest. A clear sign that Lark would do best to return to the burrows.
A brief glance is given to Larkspur, and she's unable to hide another mischievous gleam as their gazes meet. Yewberry is quick to put on a more serious face as she turns back to Blackthorn, however, and she straightens her posture, her whiskers bristling ever-so-slightly. "Yes sir, I did... but you see, I promised I would meet Meadowsweet on the north side of the field, there, at sunset." She gestures with a tilt of her delicate head. "She'll be waiting for me, I wouldn't want to keep her waiting..." She takes a slight, shuffling-sideways hop in the indicated direction.
An ebon-tipped ear flicks back inquisitively, a few calculating munches given in response to Yew's little grin. "Oy! 'At's roi', jes' came from theh m'self, Miss Yewb'ry." He finally swallows his mouthful of food, braving a glance to the older buck..though, scooting away a few inches. "Sawr Meadow, must've been wai'in' for ya."
Looking less than pleased at the continued defiance of his orders, Blackthorn's brows furrow and crease increasingly so. Glaring brown eyes following Yewberry's movements. "I don't want to have to force you back to the burrow... Yewberry, isn't it? That's an order, to the both of you." His nose wrinkles slightly, suggesting there will be trouble if they don't do as their told. He doesn't care who they're waiting for.. and its probably a bunch of hogwash anyway.
Yewberry stops her retreat, her ears flicking back again, expression drooping a little. Bah... well, so much for that. Disappointment is quick to turn to impertinence, and a slightly defiant look is given to the owsla officer, along with a quiet huff, before she moves to boldly shoulder past him and towards the nearest run, gesturing with another tilt of her head for Larkspur to follow her.
Larkspur casts a final, fleeting glance to Blackthorn before turning to follow Yewberry, ears drooping indignantly. The youth says nothing more for the moment; he knows when he's beat. Throwing a final, longing glance at the lush clover patch, he makes for the burrow.
Blackthorn rolls his eyes at the looks he gets from the two. Honestly... don't these two know anything? Its his job to look out for their safety and the like... and he didn't want to get in trouble himself. However, satisfied that they're both heading back tot he burrows, Blackthorn quietly follows after them.
~~~
Making sure Larkspur is in tow, Yewberry weaves her way around rabbits and roots, making her way to a somewhat quieter corner of the honeycomb. Here she pauses, looking around at the others gathered, and once again sits up to run her paws over her face, seeming a bit restless.
Being the last to come down the run, Blackthorn pauses to speak to another Owsla member before continuing on. A glance is spared towards Yewberry and Larkspur before he moves towards the officer's run.
Larkspur indeed remains in toe behind Yew, pausing every now and then to see if Blackthorn is still breathing down the back of their necks. He is, naturally. Plopping onto his side somewhere beside the older doe, he seems to mirror Yew's restless expression, though with a bit more poutiness. Glancing back to watch his toes wiggle, Lark allows a single ear to follow Blackthorn's movements, the other scanning for gossip.
Yewberry is likewise monitoring Blackthorn's movements, though by all appearances she's ignoring him completely, her back turned to him as her ears swivel casually about the honeycomb. It's her turn to roll her eyes as she catches the sound of the officer's voice, and finally, she too flops to her side, looking annoyed. "Telling his henchmen to keep an eye on us." She mumbles to Larkspur with a dramatic sigh. She lowers her voice even further, to whisper to her younger companion, meanwhile giving a taunting sidelong glance towards the departing captain.
Yewberry whispers, "They can't watch us forever.." to Larkspur.
Blackthorn has disconnected.
The unruly youth rolls his own amber-brown eyes, heaving a similar sigh after his mentor. Yes, how degrading. He flicks an ear to Yew as she whispers, a hint of a smirk creeping across his features. "You'd think he'd something better t'do wiv 'is time.." He murmurs, in so low a tone that only Yew and perhaps a few others in the general vicinity may be able to hear it. "...Oi know Oi do.."
A bobbing nod of approval is given to the young buck, Yew's ears wagging slightly as she does so. "You'd think." She replies, not attempting to keep her volume down as she sends a final, annoyed glance towards the officer run, her comment getting a few perked ears and curious looks by the nearest surrounding rabbits. Her tone then sinks again, more cautiously, and she shoots a furtive glance around to make sure that no owsla members or well-known gossipers are close enough to hear. "I tell you, Lark.. if the owsla keeps up being so pushy, I might just clear out of this warren completely.." It's a bit of a bold statement, for a rabbit, but Yew's not well known for being overly timid.
Larkspur casts a wary glance about at Yewberry's words, double-checking to make sure no nosey eavesdroppers may be listening in. Bold indeed, but not without reason. He nods slowly, considering Yew's words for a moment before looking back at her. "Coun' me in, then," Well, of /course/. If Yew left, he'd really have no choice but to do the same as far as he's concerned. He raises his voice a bit, from a hushed whisper to a slightly louder whisper. "I mean, being safe is one thing, bu' wha' good is being safe iv you're -miserable- all the time."
Yewberry's expression softens a little, and she nods again, seeming sincerely grateful to have her friend's support. He may be a bit naive and inexperienced, but she trusts him, and that's more than she can say for most of the rabbits in the warren. "True enough." She replies quietly, seeming less restless and more relaxed, having gotten that brash suggestion off of her chest. There's a pause, as she listens quietly to some of the other conversation around her, before she speaks again, her voice hushed once more. "Think we might be able to sneak out of here before morning silflay? I'm itching to go and see how this year's carrot crop is coming along..."
Naive, yes, but such things are expected with youth, and Larkspur is barely into adolescence himself. Experience and defiance are two attributes most any youngster would admire in a role model. His ears perk at Yew's mentioning of carrots, then droop as he comes to the realization that he never did get a chance to finish his supper. "Yes, tha'd be splendid, Yewb'ry!" He ducks his head down with the realization that his response was a bit /too/ loud and enthusiastic. Another sweeping glance is directed across the honeycomb.
The doe can't help but smile at the youngster's enthusiasm. It'll definitely be an adventure taking him to the farm, that's for sure. "Good." She replies cheerfully, stretching a bit before pushing herself back onto her hind legs. She lowers her head a bit and whispers again. "Before dawn... meet me at the edge of the field, by the old hawthorn tree.. and stay well out of sight! If an officer spots you, our trip will be over before it's started." She dips her head to nose at the buck's ear briefly, then turns and makes her way up the west run and her burrow.
Larkspur puffs out his chest a bit, feeling rather /important/ as Yewberry plots the morning's adventure. "I'll be there." He whispers, but she has already made her way to her burrow. Yawning, he huddles in a furry lump, aiming to get a wink of sleep before their little raid.