Julooke had spent the last several days exporing Horizon Ridge. Today, however, she wanted to explore the surrounding areas. She headed west, opting to stay inside the forest. For the first part of her trip, she decided to run. She found it very invigorating and was rarely too tired to do it. Her jaw was open and her tongue lolled out of it as she darted past trees, dodging bushes and leaping over fallen trunks.
Slowly, she came to a walk and put her nose to work. There had been wolves in the area, but the scents were strong enough for them to be recent. That meant she should be safe enough wandering around. Her eyes caught sight of a huge sequoia tree that appeared to have a large hole in the base of it. Approaching, her nose did overtime, inhaling any and all information she could. She wasn't the first to find this little cave, but she didn't think anyone was inhabiting it at the moment. She stuck her head in. All clear! It was big enough for her to turn around, plus probably another wolf, though it would have been a snug fit. She sat, facing the entrance. It would have been a nice place to hide if she were playing hide and seek. She waited, foolishly hoping someone, or something, would happen by.
Julooke craned her head to get at an itch on her side. All of a sudden, a voice right in front of her had her head jerking forward. She was right! It was a fox! To be honest, Julooke's experiences with foxes as a pup were very negative (one had tried to eat her!). But these days, she knew she was bigger and they were not longer a threat. She even found out they were quite fun to play with. Julooke chuffed in response, thumping her front legs on the ground, her butt wiggling in the air behind her. It was the universal "I want to play" sign. [/size]
It seemed the fox was in the mood to play, as well, for which she was glad. He pounced into some tall grasses, and she slipped out of the cave, trotting over to where he disappeared. She could smell him, but couldn't see him. Her ears were perked, waiting for movement, her tail high and wagging, and her tongue lolling out of her mouth. All of a sudden, he popped out of the tall grasses, sending her back in surprise with a playful yelp.
He introduced himself as Pan, and she smiled. I'm Julooke! she responded. He bounded forward, and so did she, but she didn't stop. Instead, she ran past him, attempting to slightly bump his hip with her nose. She hoped he would chase her.
It had been a while since Julooke had a good wrestle. Between both Julooke and Verrine tending to pack duties, they hadn't allowed for much of any time together, let alone fun time.
Julooke giggled. In all honestly, she probably was faster, but it was no fun not getting caught! It seemed Pan had the same ideas she did as he nipped at her ears. Her head lowered, she attempted to playfully bite his forelegs.
She plopped down onto her side, then rolled onto her back with a playful growl, her legs flailing in the air.
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The playful fox pounced onto her, and Julooke let out a gush of air, acting like he had knocked it out of her. She couldn't hold the facade, though, and started laughing. Oh, no! she exclaimed. He's gonna eat me! That sentence was doubly funny since she had almost got eaten by a fox as a pup. She squirmed, turning onto her side, and raking her nails into the dirt, trying playfully to get away. She didn't care that her fur was getting covered in dirt, grass, and leaves. That just made it all the better.
All of a sudden, she felt the weight lift off of her, and Pan was excitedly chasing a butterfly. Julooke hadn't found butterflies interesting enough to chase since she was a puppy, but she really wanted to continue playing. Getting to her paws, she trotted after Pan. She tried snapping at the butterfly, but it was quicker than she anticipated, and kept changing directions too quickly. She backed off a little, letting Pan take the lead in this "hunt."
Suddenly, Pan's body seemed to catch up with him. He plopped down in the grass, and she did the same next to him. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. Yeah, you will! she exclaimed. He'll rue the day he ever teased you! She giggled at herself, her tail softly thumping the ground behind her. In effort to get to know her new friend a little better, she asked, Did you grow up here?
He opened up, saying he had grew up on the beach, a spot his mother had chosen. Have you ever tried crab? she asked. Growing up on the shore, he probably had. I just tried it for the first time the other day. It was delicious! She had plans to go back soon and gather up several for her pack mates, figuring maybe they would like to try something different, as well.
I grew up in a pack called Sterrenvuur. It's pretty far from here, though. I left after my parent passed away, she answered. She hated saying those words, but she had to get used to it. Now I'm with a pack called Horizon Ridge, just east of here, she added.
She nodded in agreement, Yeah, getting pinched sucks! Technically, she hadn't experienced getting pinched by a crab, but one day she would and she did know it would suck. We should go crab hunting one day, she said. Having a partner always helped when hunting anything.
He was empathetic about her story, and she smiled softly. Thanks, she replied. She didn't like to talk about it much, and she refused to talk about the day it happened, but she still liked talking about her parents themselves. Pack life is good, she said, her tone picking up. Easier than being a traveler, that's for sure. I like my leaders, and the pack mates that I've met so far. She hadn't met them all yet, and she knew she needed to. Glancing over at the fox, she asked, Do you have any family around here?
Edited 06/22: I'm going to go ahead and fade this here, if you don't mind, and have it archived. If you have any problems with what I wrote, let me know and I'll change it. :-)
He confided in her the reason his siblings didn't want to go back to the shore, and she found herself wholly understanding. I'm sorry for your loss... I lost both of my parents recently, she responded. It still seemed like yesterday. I left home after they passed... It was hard being where I had been able to see them everyday, but now couldn't... I go back, though, to visit my family. If Verrine hadn't suggested they go somewhere else, it was likely she would still be there. Would she be the wolf she is today, though? It had taken much time to get her bubbly personality back, and most of that was being around him. He had shown her what there was to still live for. She smiled to her new foxy friend, It's good that you remember her fondly. I know she would be proud of you, she said. What mother wouldn't?
They spent a little more time playing before Julooke felt the need to head back home. While she dearly loved to play, she knew her priorities were the pack, and she didn't want anyone to think she was skimping out on her duties. She thanked him for the play time and allowing her to relax, letting him now she hoped they would run into each other again soon. With that, she headed off towards home.