oceans of tears and gales of laughter

[OOC: May and Jewel played by and © Soteria; Memo and Hollywood played by and © Blueflyer.]

The day had dawned cool and fresh as any other, but now the sun was high in the sky and the heat had been intensifying with every hour of its climb. Yeesh, the young woman thought, lifting her legs high to step through the long grass without tripping up. Behind her, the White Foam River burbled gently along its course, and beyond that was the town that she and her companions had left behind. Her thin cotton shirt was soaked with sweat, and she was wishing she hadn't chosen to wear her denim cutoffs.

I mean, I hoped it wouldn't rain today, but this might be just as awful.

Yet May had insisted they try anyway. Don't let the sun spoil their plans for a picnic. Johnny was out of town visiting his family, so it was just the pair of them. Beth pushed strands of her curly brown hair out of her eyes as she gazed ruefully ahead at her friend, a slight wry smile on her face. Hefting the picnic basket on her shoulder, she kept walking steadily. May had said she knew of a good place out here where they could sit and eat and enjoy the relatively unspoiled beauty of the countryside surrounding the town.

Oh well. It was probably good she should come back here again. Closure, perhaps, she might find here.

The last time she had been on the other side of the river, she had nearly cried herself hoarse calling for her lost dogs. She had gone as far as she dared, had enlisted the help of people to search the area. But even of the great monster dog there had been no sign. Beth sighed. It still tightened her chest, being here again. Winter had come and gone, and she was beginning to wonder if Penny and Wings were even alive. She had heard of whippets surviving as strays on instincts alone, but this was the wilderness with its maze of field and forest. So much could happen here to an animal that wasn't familiar with its surroundings. And Penny and Wings had certainly never been here before.

Beth sniffed, rubbing a sweat-grimed arm across her face somewhat crossly. It'd probably never stop hurting, but all she could do was keep going.

----------------------

That awful whining buzz, followed by the tickle of tiny legs on her ear. Irritably, the copper coloured whippet flicked the ear in question, but the fly only buzzed around some more before coming to rest again. With a half-snarl, Penny shook her entire head and snapped at the tickling thing. This was no time for her to have to deal with such pests. It was too warm this day, and despite Penny's short coat her breath was coming in heavy pants as she lay on her side, in her own whelping corner of the den.

The puppies were moaning and crying at her from the curve of her body in which they lay, and she put her ears back in consternation. She had already suckled them that day; she had no more milk to give. Why did they cry so? How could they still be hungry? Penny too whined low in her throat. The noises tore at her heart, but she too was hungry. Even with the fine feasting they had had a week ago when they were first born, feeding these six pups had proved to be hard work. It seemed they did nothing but hunt now. Penny sorely missed running and hunting with the rest, missed being part of the warm cosy pile they had all curled into every night. Together, that way, they had weathered the winter relatively unscathed. Ironically enough their hardships had seemed to come with the spring.

"Shh... shh," she whined fretfully, nuzzling and licking at them to try and still them and their hunger, their noise! One of the dog pups, the largest and firstborn, had managed to drag himself halfway up her flank, and she gently put him back in his place. Turning her face towards the entrance, she waited, longingly, for her companions to return.

( hitch a ride on the back of a butterfly, there's no better way to fly, to get to me )

[OOC: Cobra and Sweeny played by and © to MaxKhaos; Regan is played by me and is my own character. RP arrangement edited for clarity.]

From where she lay sprawled on the worn musty mattress, Regan growled, in pain and frustration, and some fear. Her hackles prickled. She didn't quite know what was up, but she didn't like this one bit.

Just recently she had started feeling strange, though she couldn't quite point to why exactly in her head. She hadn't felt like going out, or stretching her legs, bounding across the sun-warmed, rain-dampened fields. The world was well into spring now and the air was warm and full of the green smell that promised new life. By all rights she should be out there in the sun, reveling in her own strength and beauty, bewitching her prized mate all over again with the way her red-gold coat shone in the sun, and the swift graceful movement of her legs as she ran. She had been anticipating this, eagerly, sick of the cold and of the hungry time that was winter. But no, something compelled her to just lie here.

Worst of all, her belly was swelling. At first she had thought it was her own imagination, but as the days wore on it not only became apparent from the increased weight of it, but to her own consternation the results were clearly visible to boot. That silly little rat and that fat ugly terrier, no doubt they laughed at her behind her back. She could hardly repress a snarl at the thought of it.

She had designated a particular corner of the bed as her own, and she was lying there now. Nosing at her now clearly rounded belly, bulging like a paunch from her slender frame, she felt some sense of revulsion. She had deliberately avoided considering the possibility that somehow she had life growing within her, but it seemed more and more sure by the day.

Cobra. She snarled to herself, this time in pure frustration. She had wanted to possess him, and if bearing his litter was what it took to be his queen always then that was what she must do. But nobody had told her it was going to be quite so inconvenient.

( what left to do but complain? better find someone to blame )

[OOC: more whippetyplotty things going down at the old mushroom grove. :O
Hollywood (at least in this form) and Memo written by and © to BlueFlyer, Penny and Wings written by and © Shelley "Swift Whippet" L.]

The day was the warmest yet. Penny's jaws were parted, her tongue lolling, not her usual open mouthed canine grin but an uncomfortable grimace that showed only too clearly how much discomfort she felt. Over the past months she had begun to suspect what had happened to her, and now that she knew it to be so, she was terrified. Surely she was too young for this. Her body felt huge and uncomfortably bloated, and it had been swelling more and more by the day. She felt helpless, like a ripe fruit or an overfed rat.

Not that Wings hadn't helped. He had taken pains to be kind and gentle to her, and lately he had been hunting for her as well now that she wasn't as fast as she was. She had appreciated it very much, though it annoyed her a great deal that she couldn't run as fast and as far as she had before. The other dogs, too, had been sympathetic in their own ways, though Penny could have sworn she detected some degree of coldness from Hollywood. But she was too worried to care about that right now.

Now, here she was, lying in the shelter of their den, in her own corner that she had lately been preparing, scratching around in the now-soft earth to make a small hollow for herself. That alone was telling her that her time was near. The pups were moving inside her; she could feel them as they shifted, and was it just her imagination or had their movements become more and more vigorous over the past few days? Penny didn't know anymore. She curled herself around her bloated belly, feeling uncertain and rather scared.

( and i will shine on, for everyone )

Character survey I actually got tagged to do! Yay?

1. Choose a few of your own characters. Five at the most.
2. Make them answer the following questions.
3. Then tag three people. Anyone who actually reads this and would like to try it is free to!
4. Feel free to go ahead and add some questions yourself!!

Characters:
Penny
Mwaiyho
Darran
Cream
Natalie

( click )

[Memo and Hollywood played by and © Blueflyer.]

She had started acting strange about a week ago.

All that time she had been somewhat more playful with him than she had been in a long time, and he had responded in kind. But all he had to do was tread one hair wrong and she'd start growsing at him to go away, and he would promptly -- albeit bewilderedly -- obey. Sometimes she'd even chase him a few steps, her teeth flashing -- just the other day she had caught him on the neck, and it still smarted, since he could never quite get at it properly with his tongue. Honestly, he had no words to explain this new development in her behaviour.

What was even more strange was how he wanted to be around her all the time now, for all her fickleness.

He had had even less luck explaining that, beyond the idea that something in her was calling to something in him. But she would never have any of it, so really how true could that be? And yet, the compulsion remained. Not only that, but she had been demanding more and more space with each passing day. First the corner, then half the space, and today he had just been forcibly ejected from the sheltered hollow behind a rocky bluff that had been their home for some time already.

He had retired to this place where the air was sweet and it was relatively warm, and had just lain in the grass to ponder. Failing to come up with any kind of explanation for this, he let his thoughts drift as he used to do. The winter had just been one long drawn-out neither-day-nor-night of running and hunting and eating and sheltering, and he had no time at all to simply think. Having that time, now, was somewhat refreshing.

Wings? Was that his name, was that who he was? It seemed so strange and foreign to him now, in this place where nobody seemed to need names at all. He knew his companions' voices, he knew their scents, he could tell who they each were at a distance just by their silhouettes and the way that they moved, friend or stranger. He knew the way that they hunted together, knew their techniques and their strengths and their weaknesses, knew how they could all work together to get what everybody wanted in this time and place: food. He knew that they each knew him the same way. And that was enough.

Penny. Hollywood. Memo. It all seemed like part of a distant world, like something he had been once, but was no longer. That world, whatever it may have been, was gone. She, his fiery red She, was the only thread of his old life that had not frayed and disappeared behind him. Now there was only cold and hunger baying at them from all sides, and all they could do was to keep on running as fast as they could go.

The seal and white whippet raised his sleek head from his paws to gaze about him. Yes. Now, this was all there was, and moments like this were all that he had of his own.

( the most she will do is throw shadows at you but she's always a woman to me )

[OOC: Old PennyWings RP that has absolutely nothing to do with their current plotline. I believe this was Penny's first outing. :3
Matrix and Aztec played by and © Aryiah.]

The young whippet bitch, her well-brushed coat gleaming copper in the sun, galloped madly about the wide lawn. She jumped, snapping at nothing, twisting her slender frame as she landed.

"Ooh! Grass! Sun! Oh, well, this is just simply fabulous!"

Wings trotted after her. It had now been some days since Penny had arrived at the house, and she had firmly ensconced herself into their lives as if she had always been there. The bitch could be annoyingly trying at times, but Wings had to admit it was rather nice having another dog like himself about the place. Sighthounds always relished the company of other sighthounds, and Wings and Penny were no exceptions.

Today Beth had taken them to the park, Jewel was napping at home, and Cari was off on another of her explorations. It was a beautiful warm day, the park was one of the piebald whippet's favourite places and it seemed that it was not doing badly in Penny's favour. Her dark little eyes had seemed to double in size and he had thought her ears were about to come off her head, when she had first caught a glimpse of where they were headed. Then she was straining at her leash in her eagerness, and off like a rocket the minute she was loosed.

The red whippet skidded up to him, almost crashing into his shoulder, and Wings jumped away. She grinned cheekily.

"Made you flinch. Come on, come on, it's lovely!"

She snapped her jaws at his head and muzzle, singsong snarling in mock ferociousness. Wings snapped back, somewhat half-heartedly. These were puppy's games, and wasn't he a grown dog now? A minute passed before he threw his reserve to the winds and began snarling along with her, drawing his black lips back from his fangs as he returned her attacks. One or two humans close by looked oddly from Beth to what appeared to be a dogfight.

All of a sudden Penny leapt back with an excited bark, spun in a circle and dashed away, a red-brown streak of lightning. It really was too lovely a day not to run, and Wings tailed her in hot pursuit.

But Penny was a coursing dog; her every stride was a harmony of speed, grace and perhaps a hint of flight, and she outstripped him with cheerful ease. Wings had never really had a chance to race other whippets before, and Penny was proving to be very swift indeed.

Penny was having the time of her life. The Willoughby estate had been nice enough, but here was a whole new world to explore and chase and race in a new adventure. It had been brought home to the young dog that worlds existed beyond what she knew, and she was loving every minute. The Fleetheart dog isn't half bad company, either, she thought, turning her head back towards him. Though he could stand to be a bit faster perhaps. She slackened her pace to drop back beside Wings, nipped him playfully on the shoulder, and sped off again, the well-worked muscles rippling under her shiny coat.

She soon tired of simply racing Wings, however, and paused in her run, tongue lolling from her jaws in mingled exertion and laughter, to see if there was anyone about that she might race and play with too. Her keen eye fell upon two Salukis. Sighthounds! And they were simply sitting around on the grass not doing anything! Well, she'd have to do something about that.

By this time, Wings had caught up with her, and she yipped impatiently at him.

"You're too slow. Come on come on, I want to go talk to the Salukis there." She grabbed his collar in her teeth and yanked, before dancing away towards the two bigger dogs. Wings sighed, and strolled after her.

Penny approached the Salukis with tail and ears held high. One, a dog, was greyish and the other, a bitch, was yellowish, and Penny's nose told her that they were indeed littermates. A sweeping wag of her whip tail announced her presence.

"Hello!"

( don't it make you wanna get some sun? )

[OOC: RP with my Regan, Mitia's Taj and Kas's Cobra. Warning for violence and vague sexual reference.]

It wasn't normal for the red bitch to stray so far away from her own turf. Ever since she had appeared at the river and insinuated herself so very smoothly into the pack -- claiming its leader for her mate, no less! -- she had not wanted to leave. The life was good there, and it had made Regan realise that she had after all missed the comforts of a home. After all there was a roof over her head now, and a dry comfortable place to sleep. With Cobra and her working together to find food, she had filled out a fair bit, and her coat was looking thicker and more shiny.

However, Regan was Regan, and the stirring in her blood with the coming of spring was urging her to go roaming again. Here she was, having broken her scent by making her own way down the White Foam River itself, just so that Cobra would have a harder time finding her if he should try to. She sighed, softly, shaking the water out of her coat. It wasn't that Cobra was an incapable dog -- far from it, he was the most capable and desirable mate that she could ever have hoped for, really. Yet... the bitch shook herself again, decidedly. Sometimes one just needed some variety, that was all. Surely a dog like Cobra would be able to understand that.

Living in a human dwelling for so long had made her more bold about coming near their territory, and there might be dogs there, too. Her tail rising at the thought, she made straight for the first wire fence that she saw. This place didn't smell or look like any human's turf. There was no house, just a pile of random bric-a-brac that she dismissed as uninteresting. What did catch her eye, though, was a brown and white patched dog wandering around the perimeter.

Regan didn't think that he had noticed she was there, but he did seem very keen on finding something. Perhaps she should help him. Her brown eyes gleamed bright. This was the prospect of a chase, just as it had been with Solo -- and with Cobra -- what seemed like so long ago. The feeling stirred her blood.

Raising her tail as high as it would go so that it waved like a red and gold banner behind her, Regan sauntered forward, towards this new would-be conquest.

( come not between the dragon and his wrath )

[RP between Brynn's Ricochet and my Sirocco.]

Sirocco lifted his nose to drink in the warm breeze, and his eyes closed as he sighed with considerable satisfaction. It was another beautiful summer's day, and he was here in the pasture again with his flock, and Ricochet.

Normally he took this opportunity for a well-deserved nap. The big dog had become practically nocturnal, spending his nights patrolling the borders of the flock's pen, making sure that there were no intruders. There had been no hide nor hair of any for a long time now, but one could never be too careful. He was always on the watch, and even when he slept he always had one ear open. He was lying on the grass now, quite restful.

But these days he was kept on his toes by the spring lambs, growing larger and more rambunctious by the day. It took the concerted efforts of the group of farmhands and the two dogs to keep them all together. Sirocco huffed softly to himself as he surveyed the woolly throng as they milled and grazed. Belle, the lead ewe, was on guard as always, and the lambs were darting here and there, playing and pawing and bleating merrily at each other. The farmhands were sitting beneath a tree, in the shade.

And Ricochet...

Sirocco turned his head around, trying to catch sight of the collie.

( i shall not be in want )

[RP with Mitia's Peaches and Gazzi's three characters. Dusty's parts written by myself.]

"There you are, boy. How do you like it?"

Golddust stood on the grass of the park, now dry from autumn, peering curiously at his new surroundings. His ears were perked straight up, his eyes were wide and his nostrils flared as he took in the new smells, sights and sounds. Slowly, his tail began to wag, and then to pick up speed. This place was interesting -- in a good way, too. They had moved to this new place only a few days ago, and thus far he had enjoyed it. Their previous home had smelled strange and not particularly pleasant, and though he hadn't really been unhappy in their smaller rooms he had to admit that having lots more space, and plenty more rooms in which to go exploring, was rather nice. Now Johnny had taken him on a walk through the new place, and they had come here. He had never seen or smelt anywhere quite like it.

Johnny had knelt down beside his dog, and was scratching him behind the ears, noting with pleasure how interested and excited the whippet looked. He unclipped the leash from the dog's martingale collar and gave him a gentle push, encouraging him to go explore.

First taking a minute to nuzzle happily at his master's hand, Golddust began to trot about, stopping here and there to sniff at the base of a tree or a patch of grass that held some remnant of scent that could be of interest to him. He paused to cock his leg against one bush. Dogs evidently came here often, and he could hear some mirthful barking now. His tail wagged faster. He knew what could come of overexerting himself -- he had found out rather painfully the hard way -- but he did so enjoy a good run as much as any other dog of his breed, never mind that he carried twice an ordinary whippet's weight on his slim frame.

Even more excited at the prospect of making a new friend, the bully whippet made his way towards the sounds of dogs playing, his tail now waving high above his back.

( zippedy-doo-dah, zippedy-ay, my oh my, what a wonderful day )

[MG RP. Memo and Hollywood's parts written by Blueflyer.]

He had been here before; perhaps that had been the reason why his feet had led him here unerringly through the night. He had not known entirely where he was going, but he only knew that they had to leave that horrible place with its horrible beast. Anywhere would be better. They needed a sheltered place where they might rest, and curl up together for warmth, and where he might find such a place he did not know, but he had set off walking to where his legs might carry him, and he had found for them both a shallow, scooped-out hollow between the roots of a tall tree just big enough for both of them to huddle together inside. Things always seemed different in the dark, though the pale face of the moon seemed to him more sinister than it had before due to what had transpired in the night. It was almost as if the damn thing were laughing at their misfortune.

And yet, as the morning rose upon the field of tall grasses with their light dusting of frost, he felt that strange familiarity settle over him as he regarded it, and all of a sudden he realised why his own instincts had taken him here. He remembered the sighting, the spring of the soft earth beneath his paws. The chase, the bones crunching in his jaws and the taste of blood. He remembered his instructor in the hunt, the tall, wise, kind, red and white courser of the noble profile and the fine upstanding ears, swift of foot and of jaw, and more wily than any rabbit. Penny would have liked him.

The copper-coloured bitch stirred beside him, and he nosed softly at her dark-tinged ear. His companion opened her narrow jaws wide in a delicate yawn before shaking her head blearily. "Whass 'appenin'?"

"Come now. We must go and get food."

Penny's eyes were still very large and dark, and she trembled slightly for whatever reason she could not quite remember, but she stood up beside him and together they shook out their sore muscles, preparing to trot off into the grass in search of an unlucky rabbit.

( it's yet to be determined, but the air is thick and my hope is feeling worn )

[Amitola RP with Kashi's Victory. ^^ All Vicky's parts written by her. Amitolas and all related elements © Tariya Bloom.]

Sindarran opened one eye. As predicted, the first thing he saw was a small black muzzle, the soft breath from its nostrils tickling his face.

"Are you going to make the sun come?"

Darran blew out gently through his own nose as he lifted his head to regard the sky before him. It was still dark. "Nel, I don't 'make the sun come'. I've explained it to you."

"Darran, make the sun come!" The filly pranced in circles around him, her mane and tail a blur of colour. She reared, waving her forefeet in the air. "Please?"

( sunrise, sunrise, looks like morning in your eyes )

Sirocco's eyelids cracked open, and one of his ears flicked backwards. He had not been here long at all but already it was starting to feel comfortable. The sheep had warmed to him, and his new human clan had thus far treated him kindly. Truth be told they had not been able to believe their luck at having first one, and then another flock-dog appear practically on their doorstep one after the other, and both trained, to cap it all. Just that day Sirocco had proven a great help to the human shepherds - he had noticed that special care was being taken of a pair of ewes that smelled due to lamb any time now, and taken care to stick by them likewise. He could sense with the innate sensitivity of his kind that the humans had seen his actions and were pleased with him. The big dog felt more happy and at ease than he had in a long time as he dozed off - with one ear open.

Now he had heard something, and all of his senses were slowly awakening as he realised it was not just his imagination. Sniffing the two ewes over quickly to make sure that they were fine, Sirocco got to his feet and trotted to the very edge of the pen, making his mark there as a warning sign to any intruders. Growling softly, deep in his throat, he began to move quietly towards what he had heard.

As he got closer, he recognised the form of Ricochet in the darkness, speaking to a strange dog, a dog as dark as the night itself. Sirocco felt the fur along his back prickle with some apprehension, but he could tell from Ricochet's posture and carriage that this was somebody that she knew and obviously trusted. Sirocco caught a whiff of the dark stranger's scent, and recognised it. When he had first arrived on the farm, there had been lingering traces of that scent. Could this be the 'other dog' that Ricochet had mentioned earlier, the one that had been there and then left? At any rate, Sirocco didn't think he meant any harm, but he had best be on guard just in case. Casting a swift glance behind him just to double-check that his precious flock was untouched, Sirocco quickened his pace just slightly as he approached the pair, reserve and caution in every line of his body.

( while she looks so sad and lonely there i absolutely love her when she smiles )

[OOC: 'Dawg', 'Mushroom Grove' and all related elements © theWhisper.]

It began as any other night might have. It was dark outside, and the air was cold, but the leashes were out and the coats were on, and Johnny was waiting at the door with their beloved friend, Dusty, also on leash and in coat. What else could this all mean but an expedition? And who were they to pass up an expedition?

Cari wasn’t coming of course, not that she minded this time. She simply regarded them sleepily from her blanket by the radiator, purred good-naturedly at them and closed her eyes again. It was certainly odd to see the Van so relaxed about not being invited on a walk, but there it was. Beth seemed perfectly happy to leave her there; she was talking to them in that high excited voice, saying ‘walk’, ‘walk’, ‘walk’. ‘Johnny’, ‘Dusty’, ‘friend’, ‘car’, ‘walk’. That was really as much as they needed to understand, and tails wagging furiously, they charged out the door.

Dusty greeted them avidly, and together the three of them piled into the car door that was held open for them. Together they curled up on the seats, smelling of leather and Johnny and Dusty and some strange sort of flower, eager for adventure. Penny pressed her nose to the window, her ears high. Wings sat up, peering over her shoulder out into the dark, and Dusty whined eagerly. This sort of thing didn’t happen often, and they were going to milk it to the full.

As the car engine roared into life, and they swayed out of the driveway and away, the dogs braced themselves against each other into the turns, always scrambling across the seat and piling themselves atop one another to watch the world blurring past them, fast, faster, faster than any of them could run. The excitement was mounting by the minute, bubbling within them all. Travelling this way was all very well, but just wait until they got outside! The wind in their ears and faces, the crystal air in their lungs, the feel of the earth thudding satisfyingly against their paws as they launched themselves into the air with each flying stride.

“Wonder where we’re going?”

“It’s not the park, surely? We’ve been in the car too long for that.”

“Oh, oh, I bet it’s the beach. Ahah, see look, I told you, I told you I told you! Oh, smashing!”

( have you danced with the devil in the pale moonlight? )

[OOC: Second chapter in the Loosestrife/Juniper backstory. Juniper's parts played by Opalskye, and Loosestrife's by myself.
Juniper, hyksis, Ryvarda and all related elements © Opalskye.]

Loosestrife awoke as the sun rose higher, casting its golden light over all the world, and a few intrusive rays shafted into his face. He blinked, yawning, and noticed the dead fish lying beside him. His ears came forward and he nosed the cold slippery thing, knowing who had brought it for him, and a strange warmth and gratefulness suffused him at the thought of the grey dal who had become the mother he had never truly had. She didn't seem to be around at the present moment, but she had obviously thought to get him some breakfast. Pulling the fish apart with his strong foreclaws, he began to eat.

The young buck had grown and filled out since their first meeting, as Juniper had made sure he was kept well-fed. Deprived of good nutrition in his early life, he was now greedily lapping up the nourishment and attention he had been starved of. His antlers had continued to grow steadily and were now of a size comparable to most other bucks his age, and he was now much healthier and stronger. It showed in his attitude, too, and he now moved with much more grace and confidence than the stammering, stumbling awkward adolescent he had once been. Loosestrife laughed to himself, sometimes, thinking of that time. How long ago it all was and how good life seemed now! He had found both mother and father in this dal Juniper, fierceness and gentleness rolled into one.

Finishing up all of the fish except the head and tail, which he shoved under some stones to keep for later, Loosestrife got to his feet and stretched his long body out as far as it would stretch. Juniper had taught him how to fish, and although he wasn't as good at it as she was he had developed a taste for the creatures -- particularly the koit, which she knew was his favourite. The diet of fish-meat had kept his body strong and supple, and set his tan coat with its bold dark stripes to gleaming in the morning sunlight. Shaking himself, Loosestrife made his way out of the den to see if he could find Juniper.

( nothing you say today is gonna bring me down )

[OOC: Cobra's parts written by Kas, Regan's by myself. Regan's still a skank.]

It was early evening, and the air was chilly. The sky was just beginning to turn from pink to blue as the last rays of the sun disappeared over the horizon. Regan snuffed and pawed at the earth idly as she lay in the fields, her slender red and gold shape flattening out the tall grass.

She had left Solo early one morning. She held nothing against the big shaggy dog; all her memories of her time with him were pleasant ones. But her interest in him had waned as Regan's interest was wont to do, and not being one for long goodbyes she had slipped away from him quietly, and crossed the river so as to break her scent. It had now been a day or two since then, and she had made her way to this place, this fine large field that she had taken notice of earlier on her travels. There was little sign of either human or dog, and much food. She had caught and eaten a couple of rabbits earlier on that day, and now she lay on her sated belly gazing impassively out into the distance at the growing dusk, and wondering what she would do next.

Something new and interesting, she hoped.

( so precious, suspicious, and charming, and vicious )

[OOC: Sanura and Barron's parts written by Whisper, Cari's by myself.]

She had taken to staying longer and longer periods away from home - sometimes through the whole of the night - though she still hadn't learned how to properly catch wild prey for herself. She had managed to snare the odd mouse on her prowlings, but her pounces were so rushed and sloppy that it was by sheer luck that she ever managed to catch anything. She wasn't a bad fisher at all, though, having taken Orca's single lesson to heart. But it didn't matter, and she hunted more for the fun of it that anything else. Home was for her where her real food was provided, and where her real family was.

Just that afternoon Cari had made her way to the Mushroom Groves and curled up in a tree, purring gleefully as she gazed out upon the enchanted sunlit glade below her. The young queen was by now more than a year old, but she had not left her playful behaviours behind in the slightest. It was just so much fun to dance through the twilight or leap through a clump of grass or - most fun of all - splash into a pool of water. With her kittenish proportions lengthening into sleekness, Cari was thought a beautiful statuette of a cat... until she sprang into action.

Eventually, though, admiring the scenery, she had dozed off on her branch, and now she woke with a start to find that night had crept up upon her. Casting her gaze once more around the groves, she caught sight of a pair of glowing eyes below her. Another cat!

With a delighted mew of greeting, Cari sprang off her branch and landed with an exuberant rustle in the underbrush, all too eager to meet this stranger.

( and the world spins for you and your positivity )

[OOC: Regan has a fling, the skank. :P as yet unfinished. Solo's parts played by Ruuki on MG.]

The rain was beginning to pick up as Regan approached the stretch of wood that led to the sea. Normally she would not have strayed so close to human habitation, but in this weather, at night, there would be no humans about, and it would be possible that she might find and steal some tidbit that they had so carelessly dropped. They were always dropping perfectly good food and then leaving it for anyone to pick up. The bitch smiled in satisfaction at the thought. Humans. What foolish creatures they were!

There was nobody here, all right, and the setter-hound set about to sniffing here and there with her keen nose, seeking any interesting thing that she could possibly unearth, rain or no rain. Her ears rose slightly as she came upon the fresh scent of another dog - a male, too, at that. Very interesting.

As she put her head up again, she caught sight of a shaggy figure through the rain, sitting on the docks. Well, why not? There were no humans here anyway, and Regan was feeling particularly... friendly. Her fringed tail swaying alluringly, she made her way towards him.

( did you come here to dance what's in your glass do you feel better? )

[OOC: Everyone who hates Loosestrife after reading about him - or RPing with him - needs to read this one. I need to illustrate this and then make it into a new icon for him. He is the way he is for a reason.
Juniper's parts written by OpalSkye; Loosestrife's by myself. Juniper, the Hyksi and Fearaki species, Ryvarda, and all related elements are the intellectual and creative property of OpalSkye.]

The sky was growing blue with night as the young Hyksi buck stumbled blindly away from his herd, his long gangly legs carrying him quickly but awkwardly down the heathered slope.

He was fair-sized but rather scrawny from adolescence, tan and cream with a patterning of bold dark stripes down his back; the stubs of antlers upon his head were the reason why he was hurrying away. His High Buck, his sire, had seen the horns coming, and had driven him off without much ceremony. His half-brother, a full Spring older than he and with a fine head of antlers of his own, had helped with obvious relish.

Not that he was leaving very much behind. His dam was long dead and quite unremembered; he had never known her. The other dals of the herd had duly taken over the tasks of nursing him and watching him, but all were busy with their own kyfaws and had not much time for actual mothering. The other kyfaws, in their turn, had lost no time in exerting their dominance over him, kicking him, nipping at him and butting him with their hard little heads. He had spent most of his time wandering uncertainly about by himself, sometimes tailing the small cluster of kyfaws as they leapt and played and went about their games. The fact that he was the smallest, even among the baby dals, did not help matters.

The herd, apparently by common consensus, had called him Loosestrife. Like the ubiquitous plants, he was everywhere, it seemed - no matter where one happened to be standing the little striped kyfaw would wander into one's field of vision, and he was always underfoot. Nobody really wanted him around, either. The dals might allow him to nurse before gently but firmly pushing him away to make room for their own youngster, unless the kyfaw itself did the job for her. The Trium, used to inquisitive kyfaws tailing them at times, were somewhat more tolerant of his presence, and the young kyfaw's large eyes dwelt often on their magnificent branching claw-like antlers, their thick manes of fur and their sheer size. Most of all, he watched the High Buck, the eldest and largest of the three, who commandeered the herd capably but forcefully. Every time the herd was made to move, the kyfaw Loosestrife would watch transfixed as the huge buck trotted purposefully among the dals, administering nips here and antler-jabs there to a passing rump or flank to keep them moving. Come Clashtide, the bucks rose to defend their herd against marauders, and the sight of them rearing, fangs bared, to lock antlers with a passing rogue, was something that burned its way into his impressionable young memory.

What he wanted most was to be like them. Strong, and unafraid. Invincible.

( the rain'll be gone in the morning, but i'll still be here )

"Bye!" Penny called gaily to the Chihuahua pair, as Wings wagged his tail in farewell.

He turned his head to gaze briefly at Penny's sleek, fine head with its dark expressive eyes, and ears that lay flat in the showring and stood up every which way when she was anywhere else. His tail swept back and forth one more time, thoughtfully, as he considered her. It was so good that they weren't like Geraldo and Isa, fighting like tomcats and having to make up later. True, the two of them had had their moments, especially at first, but they'd never really fallen out in that manner. Why, getting to know her as he had done over the time she had lived with him, he considered her a valuable friend and packmate, his best friend in many ways. There was Beth, of course, but then Beth wasn't a dog...

Penny would make such a fantastic mother.

( something in the way she moves me )