Each time the young girl wandered from the den she'd go a bit farther. She went on these trips for nothing more than interesting rocks. It's become a habit for her. Some days she'd find rocks fit for her collection, other days she wouldn't. Hopefully luck would be on her side this time around.
Marble slowly waddled along a dirt path. Every time she came across a rock she'd stop, stare, smell, and touch. None of them were good enough to bring back home.
phone post, crap post, not sure if this works or not because I'm unaware of the timeline of the puppies! If this meeting is premature, lemme know and I can delete! //edited so it isn't so trashy lmfao
New life breathed itself into Sagtannet once again, as the older woman of age, Star, had given birth to children. It was thrilling news for Gracious, she didn't think the other "granny" wolf had a lover she was seeing outside of the spire, but who was Gracious to judge? She was simply happy to know there would be more young faces around her for her to teach, shape, and mold. If she bore no children of her own, then maybe she could simply help raise a few, just to make sure something about her legacy carried on.
Her quiet travels along the spire had caused a certain scent to tickle her nose, the lingering smell of an original courtfall member. As Gracious gave chase to her nose, instead of finding the cloudy Star, she instead found one of her little creations. A wonderful little girl who searched for something Gracious didn't know. The small touches of the rocks that scattered the ground caught the older woman's interest, evenmoreso when the girl wouldn't pick any up. Perhaps, she was being picky about which ones she wanted.
Gracious was charmed to say the least. The little girl had already ensnared her heart with her level of cuteness -- Gracious just had to make friends with her, or at least, simply introduce herself. It would be quite rude to avoid her, wouldn't it? However, Gracious couldn't exactly just walk right up to the kid. She was frickin' huge afterall, what if the poor girl thought Gracious was going to snatch her up and eat her? That would go awful, Star would come running and immediately put Gracious down muzzle first in the mud (at least, in her overreactive imagination). She had to think this one through.
Determined, Gracious starts with a puff out of her nose, loud but not startling. If that didn't grasp the girl's attention, then a very warm and docile
"awoo". Her intention was for a warm greeting, and hopefully if Marble warmed up to her, an invitation to play. Gracious had done enough sitting in her life and it was time to start becoming more active. Her bones and muscles may hate her after, but her heart and mind would know she did the right thing.
Marble did not notice the woman until she made a sound akin to a howl. It snapped her out of her concentration. The baby gasped and whipped her head around to look at the source of the noise.
A giant stood behind her. Most pups would be startled by the size, but not little Marble. She was just fascinated by her.
The girl thought she was Mother for a moment. How did she grow to that size so quickly? Marble trotted closer to get a better look. That's when she realized that she was not Mother. She was another stranger, like Mahler has been. Would she be kind enough to aid her search?
When she was close enough, Marble touched her leg with a paw. Then she turned around and headed up the trail again.
Gracious felt her heart flutter as the child grew near her, not an ounce scared! To say it was a pleasant surprise was an understatement of how the older woman felt on the inside -- her size was nerve-wracking for many who came in her direction, yet this little girl have no thought to be afraid of the woman.
To her surprise, the tinest paw touched her and soon enough the young child was on her search again on this trail. Gracious, while confused by the action, simply took it as a very simple way to say "hello" in puppy-language. not wanting to leave the child to wander by herself, the giant soon follows behind the rolling stone, her large strides aiding for a quick catch up. Gracioud bent her head down towards the child, bewildered and curious -- what was she up to? what did she want? her pace slowed down, grey eyes scanning for possible objects the child was searching for in her exploration.
She was followed by the older woman, as she hoped and expected. Perhaps she had a better eye for good rocks. Ah, nonsense! Marble was the better judge of the two, but she’d appreciate a second opinion.
The woman seemed perplexed. It was written all over her face. Marble assumed she’d know what they were doing immediately, but she didn’t mind explaining.
Marble placed a paw on a pebble, then flicked it away with a grunt. Not good enough. She turned to the woman to check for understanding. Maybe it would’ve been easier if she brought one of the rocks from her collection. They were a point of reference for what she was looking for.
Marble did have a better eye considering she knew exactly what she wanted in a rock. Gracious, on the other hand, wasn't quite sure what made a rock a worthy specimen to be collected. Was it shape? Color? Texture? She paid careful attention to the girl's antics, seeing how the stone was tossed awat and seen as unfit to be gathered. Following behind Marble with her large bear paws, Gracious stumbles upon 2 rocks that may tickle the little one's fancy.
The first is a reflective piece of limestone, with softened edges that were once jagged. Flakes of glittery white flickered in the sun, providing a dazzling spectacle for those who caught it in the right light. The second rock was nothing out of the ordinary like the limestone. However, it was incredibly round, as if it was stuck rolling underneath a waterfall for decades. It was practically a marble -- the color was a dark grey with small speckles of white. Gently, the older woman takes both into her maw and places them before Marble for inspection. Would these appease her new boss?
Marble intently watched as the woman plucked two rocks from the ground. She couldn’t see their details just yet, but oh how she tried. She craned her neck from left to right, ‘oooed’ and ‘ahhed’, jumped in place a bit. And finally, they were placed at her feet.
The first rock was typically the type she’d stop and take. It hit all her requirements: small, shiny, textured. Alas, it could not compare to the second one. It wasn’t as flashy as the rocks in her collection, but it was certainly unique. She’d never seen one as smooth as this. Marble ran her paw against the surface and let out a fascinated squeal. Her decision had been made.
appeasement, gracious felt a sigh of relief escape her as the little girl happily took the softened stone underneath her paw. the woman was surprised with her choice, mainly because she had thought the shiny white stone would have been the prime contestant for the collection. however, the rounded rock created a sense of affinity in the little girl. gracious was just happy that she could be deemed a decent rock hunter.
satisfied with her activity, gracious sunk her muzzle closer to little marble and planted a tiny kiss behind her little ears. the two would go to find many more rocks to add, though one day, gracious would hope to take the little girl to the beach and show her wonderous shells and creatures. until then, their rock hunts around the peak would have to do.