21/01/2006
Rainbow Lake
Circle Keeper's up rather late, or woke up rather early, compared to his normal. The wolf trods his way down the valley from the end that snakes up into the mountains, hind leg dragging a bit with each step as he returns towards the longhouse.
The sound catches the cub's attention, and she slowly blinks out of her semi-meditation. Her ears perk, and she looks around for the source of the noise. When she spies Circle Keeper, her tail begins to wave slowly, and she shoves herself to her feet. Standing unsteadily for a moment, she yips a cheerful morning greeting to him.
Circle Keeper peers over at the cub blearily, coming to a complete stop as he tries to attach a dim, fuzzy sort of recognition to the situation. Tail edging up slightly, he trudges along towards the Cub. As he starts to grow closer, his nose quivers with activity.
Fledgling takes a few steps, looking less wobbly as long as she keeps a slow pace. Her tail stays low as she hunkers down on all fours, taking a deep sniff at the approaching Uktena. Older Brother! she says, the lupus words sounding slightly less aggressive than they usually do in crinos. This one walks on two legs in warform!
Circle Keeper stops right up to the cub, sniffing at her ruff and feet without responding to the cub. He starts to walk half way around her sniffing at her hind end, once more without much thought to whether a homid would like that much at all, before trying to sniff at her jaws.
Fledgling decides that now is the time to practise this 'sniffing' thing everyone seems to be so fond of. She pokes her nose at Circle Keeper's flank and sniffs delicately. Her ears flick back, then forward as she twists her body around to sniff at his tail. When he sniffs at her jaw, her head rises a bit with surprise.
Circle Keeper's tail raises high readily, uncovering his posterior rather readily for the cub in a dominant fashion. The Uktena smells like, shockingly enough, he hasn't been around unnatural smells in forever. He's eaten something meaty recently, though it's identity is elusive. He tries to follow the other's jaws, but the strict discrepancy in heights makes it neigh impossible for the Uktena.
Fledgling sniffs at Circle Keeper for as long as is 'decent', as long as he sniffed at her, then lowers her head enough that the Uktena can sniff at her jaw. There's a few tiny spots of blood there, long since cold. Her own scent is still a little perfumey, though that's covered with the scent of the lake and the woods.
Circle Keeper's nose begins to quiver between sniffs, the Uktena taking a half step back from the Cub. His breathing picks up for a moment, the ahroun taking breath after breath like he's trying to fend off a sneeze. He shakes his head off, as if to clear his head.
Fledgling cocks her head but stays back, her ears pricking. Older Brother? she asks, going from all-fours to a crouch. Older Brother sick? she whines
Circle Keeper tosses his head again, backing away from the cubs a few steps. Licking his nose, he looks to the cub. Fledgling is Pierces-Ice-Alpha's sister? He asks, somewhat confusedly.
Fledgling is Wendigo, she replies, dropping her head. Is daughter of...qassak Wendigo kin. Her eyes narrow and her teeth show for a moment. If sister of Pierces-Ice-Elder, would be better Wendigo. She licks her lips and runs her paws over her ears, like a grooming monkey.
Circle Keeper's head tocks to one side, the Uktena looking hard pressed to parse the Crinos-doing-lupus `talk` for once. If Pierces-Ice-Alpha is not cub's sister... he asks confusedly, how is he cub's brother?
Fledgling whines. Uktena, she says. Older Brother. Her tail tucks, and she wraps her arms around her waist. Only Uktena this one knows, so called Older Brother. Her eyes drop as she says the last, then she looks away from Circle Keeper.
A sort of dim understanding slowly dawns on the Ahroun, wrinkling up his muzzle slightly. He starts to respond, but stops as the cub looks away. Ears pressing forward irate, he lumbers up over into the cub's field of view, facing her. Understands. Not real sister like Pierces-Ice-Alpha, he replies with a huff.
Fledgling cringes downwards, arms and legs going akimbo as she presses her body to the ground. Her ears press flat to her skull and her tail attempts to twist around her thigh. Only cub. Only cub. Not sister. Only cub. Circle Keeper is Circle Keeper not Older Brother.
Circle Keeper shifts his legs around underneath him, avoiding weight on the somewhat gimp one this morning. He almost seems to give a tired 'yes, yes' to the cub, ears flicking. Older Brother tribe. This one understands.
Fledgling sniffs him again, noting the limp, but doesn't comment. After a moment, she licks her nose and shakes out her headfur. Circle Keeper speak warform tongue. This one want know warform tongue. She cringes a bit as she says this, as though expecting a snap. Circle Keeper teach? Circle Keeper wise, know ancestors. Teach cub warform tongue?
Circle Keeper peers dimly at the cub, like she was using some strange new form of communication he'd yet to ever see. A few seconds later, he answers with a simple 'no.' And with that, he proceeds to rear his head back and sneeze on the cub, eyes squinting shut as his nose threatens to do it a second time.
Fledgling shuffles backwards, head cocked again. She manages to mask her disappointment with yet another question. Circle Keeper sick? she asks, whining with concern. She paws at her muzzle, starting to cautiously get to her feet. Should see healer.
Circle Keeper does sneeze on the cub a second time, beginning to back away. Not sick. Stinky cub. he answers, licking his nose repeatedly. Wears smelly ape stuff that itches his nose.
Fledgling cranes her neck around to sniff herself. Apparently she finds nothing wrong with her scent, and turns a quizzical look back on Circle Keeper. Not stinky. Cool water. She paws at her face again, trying to wipe off Circle Keeper's sneezes.
/Stinky/ like ape. he responds emphatically, licking at his nose as he finishes putting distance between the two. Another small sneeze, and he seems to have it under control for the moment. Circle Keeper not teach how to speak in warform.
If a crinos can pout, Fledgling is doing her best to do so. Because this one smells like ape? she asks, turning and stalking towards the lake. This one in water. Not stinky. With that, she sloshes into the water and flops down, thrashing around to get herself as drenched as she can.
Circle Keeper's expression turns just plain odd as he watches the crinos splash water around, slowly backing away like the cub had just lost all semblance of sanity. His head is reared high, staring at Veronica with just plain shocked disbelief.
When she finishes making a spectacle of herself, the cub pulls herself out of the lake and stands on the shore. Now smell like real water. And wolf. No more cool water. Fledgling seems to think this is a great idea, until the cold hits her and she starts to shake.
Circle Keeper's voice raises into a alarmed bark, tail shooting up. What is cub doing?! he almost demands. Not the season for swimming!
Fledgling's teeth chatter in alarm, and she tries to curl into herself to retain warmth. Not. Look. Cold. She manages to emote, before folding herself towards the ground, trying to bury her nose in her chest fur.
Take near-wolf. Circle Keeper orders Veronica, marching a metre closer. And shake good and hard. The Uktena's incredulous look hasn't lessened for even a second. Shake very, very hard.
Fledgling shivers, but obeys the elder's orders. Despite her shuddering, she makes the shift to Hispo, and then shakes as her life depends on it. From nose to tail, she shakes her fur until she loses her balance and has to sit down. Frightened whimpers escape her throat.
Circle Keeper cringes so to avoid getting wet himself, and takes a few steps back from the direwolf. Turning about, he indicates back at the longhouse like bizarre looking pointer hound, adding that there are warm skins in there for drying inside. And fat fire-thing.
Fledgling continues to shiver, soaked as she is. Two-legs? she asks, eyeing up the distance between her soaking-wet self and the entrance to the longhouse. She gives another shake, still trying to warm herself up.
Two legs only inside, he assents. The wolf starts to limp off towards the Maqii, no taking his haze away from Veronica.
Fledgling looks at herself a little dumbly, then lets herself slip into birthform. She huddles on the ground for a few seconds, then fights off her disorientation and slip-slide-sprints full out for the longhouse. Properly motivated, and with no concern for her state of dress, the cub is pretty fast.
Circle Keeper watches Veronica run inside, huffing hard as he settles to the ground by the Maqii. The ahroun curls onto his side, covers his head and is asleep rather soon afterwards.
Veronica doesn't emerge once she's in the warm, safe longhouse with her clothes and the warmth of the lamp.
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