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+--- Thread: Emberwood the art of barter (/showthread.php?tid=9635)
the art of barter - Luke - June 08, 2015
It was time for his impromptu date, or as close to said time as a wolf with a weak sense of it could tell. He could be a day early, but he hoped he was not a day late. On his way north he stopped to collect the fish he had caught and dried: two fat trout, which now that they were dried had flattened and did not look so fat at all. They did not even look that appetizing, and smelled strong, but for the blue-nosed wolf the smell and taste as he carried them by their tails was enough to make his stomach roar. It had been a while since he had dined on the treat of chewy fish.
The sun was up and the sky was clear aside from a few soft white clouds strewn about the blue. It was warm, but not unbearably hot. He selected a large tree on the northern edge of the forest, facing the rise. The tree's boughs were broad and densely leafed, providing a comfortable level of shade beneath them. Here Luke settled to his stomach, his half of the trade laid beside him.
RE: the art of barter - Smash - June 08, 2015
There was a spring in her step as Smash grabbed the soaked rabbit from the stream and began loping away from Redtail Rise (her first time leaving the territory since joining) in the direction of the distant forest. She made good time despite the cold, wet carcass swinging from her jaws and found Luke with relative ease. She braked to a stop over him, gently laying the rabbit at her feet and remaining uncharacteristically silent as she waited to catch her breath.
As soon as she could speak, Smash cried, "Howdy!" and flopped down beside him, orange eyes fixing on the pair of dried trout. "Those look... uh, I'm not going to lie to you. They look gross." She scrunched up her face, then laughed and gave Luke an apologetic grimace. "But it's good to see you, Mr. Bluenose!" Life had been too quiet for her tastes lately but she knew this guy would totally charge her batteries.
She continued panting for a few seconds, then asked brightly, "So, you ready? This is one of my specialties: icebox rabbit!" She hooked out a dark leg and dragged the soaked and slightly bloated carcass toward them. It looked just as gross as the pair of dried trout, honestly. "It tastes better than it looks," Smash promised, wrinkling her nose and laughing again.
RE: the art of barter - Luke - June 08, 2015
He must have been on time, or they were both operating by the same broken clock. Either way, his tail began to thump the ground when he spotted the chocolate girl making her way to him; she did not keep him waiting at all. He grinned up at her as she came to a stop, placing her half of their trade at feet. "Hey there!" He greeted warmly. He glanced at soggy, bloated creature, and then to his fish. What a combination. Her spoken sentiment echoed his thoughts.
"Both of it looks like something a poor starving dog dug up," he laughed. "I'm sure it's worth the wait," he replied and leaned over to nudge her shoulder playfully. Then in turn he scooped his fish with a paw and pushed them so that both the surf and the turf were between the two companions. "It's good to see you too. So how you been?" It was not idle chatter; he wanted to know, and as he waited for a response he made the first move and bent to sniff at the rabbit. He was an open minded sort, and did not scrutinize the prey too much before biting into its shoulder, and pulling off a hunk of soft meat.
RE: the art of barter - Smash - June 08, 2015
Luke rearranged the spread in front of them and Smash glanced over their meal, then up at him. "This is the best dinner date ever," she quipped with a wink. As she spoke, he went ahead and helped himself to the chilled rabbit meat. Instead of going for the fish at the same time, she watched and waited as he chewed.
"I'm splendid," she told him when it appeared he wouldn't vomit, at least right off the bat. "I feel like I'm starting to integrate into the pack, which is good. The grand poobah—or Beta male, for the uninitiated—is gonna have pups soon, so that's exciting!" Smash paused, licking her lips and glancing idly at the dried trout. "But," she added in a slightly less chipper tone, "pack life here is quieter than I'm used to. That's why I'm particularly glad to hang out with you today," Smash finished before giving Luke a playful sock to the shoulder.
She then decided it was time to bite the bullet. Using the same leg, she grabbed one of the two trout and dragged it closer. She sniffed it, then closed her orange eyes and took a bite. It was salty and chewy instead of wet and slimy, which was an improvement over the fresh variety. She wouldn't say it was one of her favorites, yet she managed to chew and swallow without blowing chunks on Luke, so that was a small victory.
RE: the art of barter - Luke - June 08, 2015
He rolled the chunk of rabbit on his tongue, getting acquainted with the taste and texture. He found he did not mind it: rather, he liked it. It did remind him of fish, cool and wet, but the taste had an earthy pungency that dwellers of the brooks and lakes did not. He could see himself preparing meat like this in the future, for a change of pace from time to time. He swallowed, and took another bite, nodding along as he listened to her reply.
"I can get that," he said, swallowing the second bite as she landed a playful blow to his shoulder. "I'm waiting for friend to form her own pack," he swiped his tongue around his lips, watching curiously as she took her turn to sample his fish. "I like to think I have a lot of patience, but this running around as a lone wolf deal, it's getting old. I'm too social for it. It's too quiet, like you say." She swallowed the bite of fish she took, and he smiled, taking that as an improvement given the story she shared about her first encounter with fish.
"Whatcha think?" he prompted. "I like this rabbit. I'll have to prepare it myself sometime." He took another bite.
RE: the art of barter - Smash - June 10, 2015
Smash did not take a second bite right away, choosing to keep her mouth free for conversation for a moment. Luke commiserated with her, mentioning that he had a friend working on founding her own pack. Her brows lifted curiously, though before she could ask a thousand questions about his plans, Luke wanted to know what she thought of the fish. He also included a gracious compliment about the rabbit, which earned a quick smile from her dark face.
"It's the bee's knees," she told him, offering a wink. "I'm glad you like the icebox rabbit, though. Would it be weird to take something like this," she continued, pointing a dark chocolate toe at the dried fish, "and stick it in the water to cool again? Would that just, like, ruin the entire point?"
She bent forward to nibble off a small strip of trout jerky, then as she chewed, Smash said, "Tell me all about this pack, Mr. Bluenose! I don't think you mentioned it last time. In fact, I don't think we talked much about that kind of thing. How crazy is it that two social butterflies like us are both feeling this way? Obviously, this is a sign that we need to combine forces and create our own pack of kindred spirits. Party pack in the house!"
RE: the art of barter - Luke - June 10, 2015
Dried fish did not spoil in the cache like a fresh fish. While it was a useful technique in that way, it had become something he did because he enjoyed the chewy texture. So, when she commented that soaking it may ruin the point, he expelled air in a pfff. "Nah, give it a go if you want," he encouraged. Heck, he was curious now too.
He took another bite of rabbit as she switched subjects to inquire about the pack-to-be, suggesting the pair of them ought to start their own pack. He finished chewing for a moment, and grinned once he had swallowed. "I was going to consider it if I did not find one to join up with," he shared. While that had been an option for him, he had never demonstrated much ambition toward leading, and indeed, had not thought too much on it. Like many things, it was something he would not busy his mind with until he was presented with it. "If we laid out a fine spread like this at the borders we'd draw a crowd for sure," he joked.
"There's not much to tell right now," he continued. "She's trying to convince her mate-to-be to lead beside her. I recruited at least one other to join us, and she intends to settle in a forest with a river feature, but that's about it so far."
RE: the art of barter - Smash - June 11, 2015
Although Smash understood he didn't actually mean founding a pack with her, specifically, she suddenly thrust a dark paw against her chest as if flattered. "Wow, I didn't know you were that taken with me. From a first date to founding a pack together... that escalated quickly!" She snickered and put her paw back on the ground, lapsing into a brief silence as Luke gave her the deets.
"Whoa, whoa, why does he need convincing?" she blurted nosily. "And why don't you lead with her instead, if her mate's not one hundred percent on-board? Can't he just be a Beta or whatever instead?" He didn't sound like a very supportive mate, though Smash didn't judge him. She didn't even know his (or his lady's) name! She was just asking the, well, obvious questions. At least, this one seemed rather obvious to her, anyway.
RE: the art of barter - Luke - June 12, 2015
Luke could not help but bust out laughing at her statement, and he grinned from ear to ear with a light shake of his head when the laughter stopped. She was a bold, confident sort, not unlike himself. It endeared her to him instantly. Many wolves were happy, friendly, but few could match his lighthearted, go with the flow attitude about life. She matched it, but had her own quirky spin on it to boot. A fine pair they were, like a vanilla sundae with chocolate sauce and blueberries on top (I don't know lol).
She blurted out some unexpected questions, and he was quiet for a few moments as he tried to put together an answer. "Er, well," he began. "When I met her, Harlyn, she was looking for him, Mordecai, because it was her dream to start a pack with him. I don't know what he's waiting on, I'd guess he is just hesitating to leave where he is now. They had been apart for sometime, I gathered." As for the second question, "she likes me an all, but not like that." He winked.
RE: the art of barter - Smash - June 12, 2015
Smash wanted to say something even before Luke finished, though she bit her tongue and let him get his words out before clarifying, "I personally don't think being mates is a requirement for leading a pack together. As long as the two of you work and play well together, the exact nature of the relationship shouldn't matter. I get it, it's ideal and traditional for a mated pair to rule but... I don't know... maybe it's just me." She shrugged her shoulders and shot him a lighthearted smile. "I'm not necessarily one for the -isms, I guess. Idealism and traditionalism, I mean."
"Anyway," she continued after taking a breath. She rose onto all fours even as she spoke, "she can't have you. I'm your date, Casanova. You've fed me, are you ready to wed me? Or at least bed me?" Smash asked baldly, giving Luke a playfully toothy leer before suddenly pouncing him. "I told you I'd bring my finest booty!" she crowed in one pale ear.
RE: the art of barter - Luke - June 12, 2015
Luke bobbed his head to her response; he agreed with her. His mind was so open that traditions and ideals, while he respected them, did not rule him in any way. If it was something that felt good and brought happiness to him or another, he was the first to say go for it. "It's not just you," he answered. "I'd be for it." He thumped his tail on the ground, and let his mind wander for a moment, pondering life at Harlyn's side as two companions, leading a pack together - at least until Mordecai came around to the idea. It was not a bad idea. Such thoughts were fleeting as Smash began to speak again. His attention returned to her.
He grinned broadly at her, but before he could open his mouth to reply, he was pounced upon and fell backwards with the chocolate devil on top, crowing in his ear about her fine booty. "You have more than one?" he teased with a playful nip to her jaw. If she was down to get down, he would not be telling her no. For the moment, he left the reins in her paws.
RE: the art of barter - Smash - June 13, 2015
Luke teased her and of course Smash had an answer at the ready. "I have a whole closet full of them! Be glad I didn't wear my saggy grandma ass today." She gave his ear a nibble even as he went for a nip at her jaw, then pushed backward off him with a grin. "Actually, I'm wearing my bubbly man butt today, since you're gay and all," she quipped a second before swinging around and twerking sashaying her hips in his face, tail swirling. "How do you like it?"
Before Luke could possibly react—she suspected a playful pinch or maybe even bite to the rear might happen—Smash whirled back around to face him. "While I did just hit that magical time known as sexual maturity, I'm not actually that easy. Besides, you're not ready to be a father, are you, Mr. Bluenose?" she inquired glibly, stretching out a dark chocolate forepaw to boop him on the nose.
RE: the art of barter - Luke - June 13, 2015
You can pp / fade in your post if you wish to move this along faster :)
She suspected correctly - as soon as she turned her rear to him he leaned forward to nip it. He scarcely had a moment to admire the view before she had spun and faced him once more, but he had enough of glimpse to comment on it. "I like it a lot," he grinned.
She booped him on the nose and his ears briefly splayed in comic fashion. He rose to his paws, wearing a devious smile as he stepped close to her. "The only thing your ready for is a bit of fun," he teased, and brushed his blue tongue against her cheek. She was not in heat. Or if she was, she had a unique ability to hide the tell tale scent. While Luke adored pups and endeavored to have his own someday, he would be hard pressed to agree to it with someone he had just met. A pleasurable fling though? He was always game.
He slowly moved down her side, his muzzle brushing along her spine with intermittent nips. She had piqued his interest - which, admittedly, was not hard to do, and he intended to act on it as soon as he had stoked both of their fires. "I'll be gentle," he promised, with a playful look back to her and a wink.
RE: the art of barter - Smash - June 13, 2015
I'll go the route of artful fade, lol. Thanks for the thread (and twist)! :)
Luke didn't seem perturbed by her words. In fact, he began to flirt with her for real. The touch of his tongue against her cheek was surprisingly electric and Smash wondered if it had something to do with the color. Before she could ask, that same tongue began whispering promises about gentleness. Despite what she had said about not being easy, Smash felt a familiar flame flickering in the pit of her stomach. Ever since hitting twenty-two months, she had actually been quite the frisky critter. Luke would soon discover that her words to the contrary were just as insincere as the rest of her.
"Huh," she drawled, her orange eyes following him as he began to circle toward her backside. "Who said I want it gentle, Mr. Bluenose?" she queried, raising a brow at him and then smiling. Once more, she swirled her hindquarters out of reach, facing him again and flicking at his nose with a claw. "For the record, I like it rough. Because I'm a canine. Get it? Ruff?" Pause. "And I'm only putting out because you brought me food. And because you're so charming. And because of this adorable blueberry." She nipped his nose this time. "For real, though..." She paused, making heated eye contact with him. "Sploosh."
After giving him a playful lick, Smash tagged him with a paw and began to trot, keeping her pace leisurely to show him this wasn't really a chase. She just led him deeper into the trees, where they could have more privacy. Once she found the perfect spot, Smash teased Luke just a little bit longer before finally offering up the goods. This was a barter, after all. And in the end, a glowing and bowlegged Smash returned home feeling like she'd gotten the better end of the deal.
RE: the art of barter - Luke - June 13, 2015
Anytime! ;)
She teased him, feeding his flame with her touches and looks, and he returned the favor. She lead him deeper into the woods, where their only audience would be the birds and the bees. When they both were hot and ready like a certain someone's pizza, he hooked his forelegs around her waist and delivered on his promise and her preference - a frisky combination of gentle and ruff fun-times. She left thinking she had gotten the better end of the deal, but the blue-nosed wolf was just as satisfied, and departed to the south with a broad grin and swaying tail.