Dragoncrest Cliffs fumble through the fog for a season or two
i'm still here, but all is lost
718 Posts
Ooc — remus
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#1
All Welcome 
mayb brother @Artaax? otherwise all welcome, staying uhh vague re: bear thread for now

her plan to search for furi is thwarted at the moment by the presence of the god damn bear. a bear! of all things! the horrible thought occurs to her that if it'd been in the sound long enough, maybe it got to furi -- and she's not natrona but dead somewhere, her bloated body hidden in the surf.

she hates that, so she decides that can't be true. at least until she can make a proper search of it.

but deciding things does not settle her restless bones, so she ignores the insistent presence of rainfall and makes her way through drageda, looking for something, anything to keep her occupied.
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
587 Posts
Ooc — Kat
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#2
The other three pups were always eager to accompany their mothers on short forays away from the den. Although the idea enthused Bat inwardly, she often dragged a bit. Today was no different in that regard. As Wildfire led her away into the territory, she trotted along at a very leisurely pace, simply too lazy to make haste. She did enjoy the scenery, not to mention all the strange smells, but there was part of her that would rather be back home, napping.

Although Wildfire shot her a look of consternation a time or two—why did Bat tend toward lethargy? Was there something wrong with her?—the mother eventually decided to just let it go and be grateful that she had at least one easy sloth of a child. She had to double back to nudge the slow-going Goufa but they were on the move again, stretching their legs in the early June sunshine.

Bat didn't even notice Blixen until Wildfire shouted, "Hei!" The pup—who'd been bent over, sniffing at a pine cone—slowly raised her head. A smile blossomed on her youthful face as she stepped forward to join her mother and older sister. As she walked toward him, however, her nose suddenly began to itch something fierce. She stopped in her tracks, scrunched up her face, sipped in a few shallow breaths, then let out an explosive sneeze.
i'm still here, but all is lost
718 Posts
Ooc — remus
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#3

her path is intercepted by a call -- blix looks up and sees mother and bat, and tenses guiltily. she's been putting off apologising. or rather, she's been distracted by the bear and furi's departure, and the more time passes, the weirder it feels. still, she smiles at them, making her way closer with a "hei" of her own.

bat's sneeze catches her by surprise, making her bark and jump a little. she snorts at herself and crouches to greet her younger sister. "bless you," blix says, then looks up at mother, her guilt plain on her face. "mother, i've been meaning to -- i'm sorry i snapped," she says in a rush, her ears laying flat against her head. there. bandaid ripped off.
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
587 Posts
Ooc — Kat
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#4
Her nose still itched a bit after the sneeze, no matter how satisfying, and Bat wiggled her nose around to get rid of it. As she worked on that, Blixen bent down to her level, causing the Goufa to go slightly cross-eyed. It must have looked comical. Just as the yearling withdrew, Bat sneezed again, twice in a row, and flopped heavily to her bottom, feeling strangely defeated.

Wildfire was shooting her concerned glances again, though Blixen's words captured her attention momentarily. Bat watched dully as the two spoke, the Feisripa shaking her head and telling the Shilkru that she understood, that an apology wasn't necessary. This was followed by a bump of Wildfire's smudged snout to her lookalike's cheek before the Feisripa acknowledged her younger babe once more.

"I think she was sniffing at a pine cone just now... I'm allergic and I'm wondering if she might be too," Wildfire said. Bat blinked up at her dam, eyes a little watery. "Are you feeling okay, Bat?"

The Goufa didn't answer right away, instead cocking her head and pondering. "Ya," she decided after a beat. Indeed, the urge to sneeze had passed and a few blinks took care of the moisture gathered in her silvering eyes. "Wha's 'blesshu'?" Bat wondered, a delayed reaction to her elder sister's words a moment ago.
i'm still here, but all is lost
718 Posts
Ooc — remus
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#5

relieved, she presses close to mother for a moment before bat's sneezing takes her attention back. that is a lot of sneezing. blix blinks between her sister and her mom, feeling an amused smile form her mouth at the relevation. she hadn't known mother was allergic to pine cones, either -- but it's kind of funny, she can't help it. besides, the little squirt seems just fine.

she taps bat with her nose. "something you say when someone sneezes," blix says, then adds mischeviously, "otherwise they'll explode." hey, what's the point of being an older sibling if you can't gleefully spread misinformation?
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
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Ooc — Kat
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#6
She blinked at the tap, then squinted when Blixen informed her that she would've otherwise exploded. Bat looked to their mother questioningly. Although Wildfire surely found the joke harmlessly silly, she was quick to say, "Blix is just kidding, Ror." It wasn't often that she used the child's true moniker these days; usually it was reserved for the rare instance when the Goufa caused trouble (usually with the help of one or more siblings).

"Bap!" she declared. Wait, that didn't sound quite right. She tried again. "Bat! I'sa Bat!"

Wildfire clicked her tongue. "Ah, moba, Bat," she emphasized. "Would you like to spend some time with your sister?" Turning toward Blixen, she asked, "Maybe you could watch her for a few minutes?"
i'm still here, but all is lost
718 Posts
Ooc — remus
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#7

heh, yeah, she's a little more invested in the kids now that they can sorta speak. plus it's super cute to watch bat insist on her nickname, she has to admit. mother asks her to babysit for a little bit and she looks up and nods. "sure," she says, and grins down at bat. "whatcha wanna do, bat?"
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
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Ooc — Kat
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#8
When Blixen agreed and Wildfire summarily dismissed herself to enjoy a few moments alone, Bat peered after her mother for a few beats. She was a little tempted to follow after her, yet she'd issued a firm, "Stick closer to your sister, Bat, and I'll be back soon," before striding away into the redwoods. Besides, Bat didn't really feel like busting out a run right now.

The yearling drew the Goufa's attention with a question. "Nuffin," Bat replied honestly, plopping onto her haunches.
i'm still here, but all is lost
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Ooc — remus
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#9

she doesn't know her younger siblings particularly well yet (is there even anything to know? when do kids develop personalities?), so she doesn't know if bat's being shy or genuine. "nothing?" blix repeats, crouching down playfully with her rear in the air, poking at bat's tiny chest with her nose. "there's gotta be something, yeah? whatcha like to do?"
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
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Ooc — Kat
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#10
"Nuffin," she confirmed with a nod. She stilled when Blixen crouched and playfully batted at her. "Nuffin," the Goufa said a third time. It really was her favorite thing to do.

But then a thought abruptly crossed her mind and she said, "Eat?"
i'm still here, but all is lost
718 Posts
Ooc — remus
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#11

jeez, she really means it. blix squints at her, trying to read her tiny baby mind. aren't they supposed to be like, playful? she'd been imagining a little group of to-be warriors, lead by her (amazing) guidance. but bat is kinda like... bobby.

she's still young. there's hope for her yet.

"we can eat," she agrees, pulling up, "but we gotta catch it ourselves first. deal?" really she means more 'i'll catch it and you watch', obviously the baby can't hunt, and also, is she old enough for solid meat? blixen has no idea. whatever it doesn't matter it's a great plan and bat has no choice because ha! sister's perogative!!
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
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Ooc — Kat
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#12
Bat just stared at Blixen's suggestion. She was so young that the concept of hunting was beyond her. She only knew the adults provided food, not that it required catching of some sort. The Goufa's head tilted, as if this information made her curious, though ultimately she wasn't really interested in that part. She just wanted to do the eating.

Also, the Goufa didn't know the meaning of the word "deal," though she did what many youngsters do upon learning a new word: she repeated it. "Dill," she said, which sounded slightly off (not unlike "Bap" vs. "Bat"), unwittingly agreeing to her elder sister's plan.
i'm still here, but all is lost
718 Posts
Ooc — remus
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#13

heck yes!!! her plan to prevent bat from turning into another bobby (or worse) is a go. pleased with herself she goes to scoop the girl up by her scruff, talking (muffledly). "we'll stay close to mother," blix muses, glancing in the direction her mother went, "there's probably a rat or something nearby, yeah?". around her baby sister it sounds more like thr's p'bly uh rat o'smth... but you get the gist.

trying to find something small and easy to catch around a mouthful of baby is harder than she thought it'd be, and it takes approximately fifty seconds before blix gives up and gently deposits back onto the ground. freed from that obstacle, she nudges bat in the direction she wants to go, nose peeled for something suitable.
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
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Ooc — Kat
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#14
Bat didn't catch much of what Blixen said, though it didn't matter. She implicitly trusted her older sister, who so resembled their mother, and she swung happily in her jaws. Being carried was so much better than walking.

But then Blixen set her down and gave her a nudge to move under her own power. The pup didn't budge, instead looking at her sister dumbly.

And then something hit her in the nose, causing the Goufa to jump slightly and go cross-eyed. "Wha—?" she began to ask when several more raindrops pattered not only her muzzle but the top of her head and the slope of her spine as well.
i'm still here, but all is lost
718 Posts
Ooc — remus
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#15
sorreee i am so slooow

bat does not move when she is nudged. blix gives her a few more firm ones, just short of straight up shoving her sister, before giving up. maybe she's just too little to be reasoned with? there's still time to set her straight. sighing she's about to come up with some alternate plan to trick bat into helping her hunt when she, like the big-eared girl, is caught by the sudden arrival of raindrops. 

"oh!" she says, moving automatically to scoop up bat again, "okay, rain check." she's probably not supposed to leave her baby sister in the rain. plus she's not exactly a big fan of it (unaware of bat's personal enjoyment of water).
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
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Ooc — Kat
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#16
No worries! I'ma wrap, since we've got the new one. :)

Bat had scarcely begun to smile at this welcome new development when Wildfire reappeared, nudging Blixen's cheek in thanks and saying, "We're gonna take shelter," just before latching onto the pup's scruff. Bat made a peeping sound as she was hoisted into the air. As she swung from her mother's jaws, she batted at the raindrops and stuck her tongue out too.

When she was unceremoniously stuffed back into the log a few moments later, Bat squalled a single note of protest. She wanted to be outside in the rain! "Settle down, Ror," Wildfire admonished, a note of amusement in her voice that she should have to use those words with this particular child. "You can sit by the entrance and watch but don't go outside." Thus the Goufa plopped at the edge of their cylindrical wooden home and gazed happily at the late spring shower.