Lost Creek Hollow but take your time, think a lot

puppy playdate i've been nagging you guys about for the last forever :P

"TAG!!!" roared sionnach, rearing like a proud colt as she rudely shoved a paw into @Ashlar's face and spun off into a scampering run. the rest of the puppies were scattered about, avoiding those that were "it" with high shrieks and giggles.

presently, @Aengus and ashlar were the chasers; sionnach cackled as she taunted her brother, coming tantalizingly into reach only to bolt off on clumpy legs any time he lunged for her. at one point she might have deliberately pushed @Eshe into aengus' path, or even attempted to trip @Tiarnach as he frolicked about. she extended no such courtesy to @Warlock, @Thief, or @Jet -- mostly because their mother was watching, and sionnach had come to the conclusion she was a very scary lady not to be disturbed.

coming to a stop for a second, sionnach surveyed the mass of fleeing puppies about her, kicked up her heels with another high pitched squeal, and dove for tiarnach to shove him down as she flew past.

Hwwaaaarrrr-urf! Half-whine, half-growl was the noise that escaped from little Jet as her eyes riveted themselves to first one racing pup and then another. Ah! WAI-AIT! she yipped in the direction of the brown-masked white one who seemed to have taken the lead, all too fearful of being left out of all the fun. Gladly doing her best to leave her brothers and mother all in the dust behind her she galumphed eagerly forth to join in the rough-and-tumble, only to be bowled swiftly over by one or another of the slightly-older pups (who thus had a bit of an unfair advantage over the youngest Lost Creekers here, if you asked Jet!). She didn't see who it had been as she got up and clumsily attempted to shake herself off before galloping right back toward the fray.

It was hard to focus on who or what was rushing around to where, especially with her muscles still learning to properly obey her. Her stubby legs were far too clumsy and slow for her liking, and as she reared menacingly up her first inept swipe of a paw whistled uselessly through nothing but air. Jet's desperate eyes thought they caught a flash of brown fur before her, and without thinking she lunged with a quite-unimpressive gutteral war cry for which she hadn't really the lung capacity, and snapped her teeth at the object before it could escape. Perhaps it had been Sionnach's ear, perhaps not; but she felt her teeth close on something, and with a victorious growl she clenched it between her teeth and lurched back to tug teasingly upon it before rolling her eyes exaggeratedly downward to see who—or what— it was that she had finally caught, anyway.

sionnach had baited aengus one too many times, and after a way-too-close-for-comfort encounter, had opted for easier tauntings. the three puppies not related to her were much younger, and therefore, smaller -- there's this thing about bullies, and never picking on wolves your own size..

cackling as she evaded tiarnach coming in like a bull-dozer, sionnach never saw the tiny piranha that came from below, clamping onto her ruff with puppy-determination. "aaOOW!" sionnach bellered (that's hollered and bellowed mixed into one, you're welkies), feeling unjustly attacked like any instigator would. with a growl she started to bullishly march forward, pulling a page out of aengus's trample-book; if jet was not careful she would soon be underfoot, and sionnach was not a wolf that cared to tread lightly.

As the ruckus was starting up, Treason was attempting to convince the most cowardly of her children to quit lurking about by her and go be social. All she was getting from Spook was a series of pathetic whines. He'd been more bold with just his siblings around but this other lot were strange and far larger than he. He'd rather not, but his mother would have none of it. This was a phase she was going to demand he grow out of.

She was about to make certain he knew she meant business when one of the pups shrieked and she paused and looked over. Nope, wasn't one of hers so as long as nobody was bleeding or unconscious, they could keep right at it. And if the older bunch got too badly chewed on by her little hellions, that was their fault.  Anyway, she turned her attention back to Spook, and shoved him towards the group with her muzzle. He'd best stop arguing, and it wasn't like she was just dumping him here -- maybe she'd favored him too much for his otherwise good behavior.

He was very uncertain about this whole thing, standing there frozen on the edge of the play area as he looked for his (less crazy than Jet) brother for some sort of guidance.  Where had Ash gone in the flurry of small paws?

The bellersome roar in her ears confirmed her success, causing her to backfold her tender young ears even as her blue eyes alit upon Sionnach's form. Jet promptly attempted to clumsily wrap her forepaws around her victim even as her jaws attempted to both smirk and growl around their stubbornly-clenched mouthful. Far more impressive and successful by far was the slightly-older and less-mouthily-preoccupied Sionnach's growl, which drowned out Jet's feeble fur-muffled attempts pretty easily.

Valiantly Jet attempted again to yank Sionnach over in the direction she wished the pup to go. Jet didn't have the weight or authority to carry off such a move, however. Instead the smaller girl started to be dragged along as Sionnach bulled forward. Jet's sharp-clawed hindpaws scrabbled futilely at the dirt before inexorably being drawn under Sionnach's slightly-bigger paws and callously tramped upon. Mmwwrrr-rrrr! protested Jet, her words clear as mud but her intent somewhat less murky, especially as she clung grimly to the older pup's neck and redoubled her efforts to menacingly enwrap the beastly creature's throat with her front feet. She tried too to get her hindfeet under her again, and push the obnoxious older pup over into the dust where she belonged! Not a move likely to succeed, but Jet couldn't think what else to do at the moment—besides, y'know, that impossible option of giving up. Jet rolled her eyes about inquisitively and for once was not entirely pleased to note that Mother was off at the far side of the clearing still and rather preoccupied with wussy brother Spook. For once she really could use a bigger wolf's help, after all, she had to admit to herself if nothing else! Hwwwrrrr...! Jet's roving eyes cast about for some other being or object who might helpfully intervene.

Oh, he really did not like being it.  Though, 'not liking' was a relative scale for Ashlar, and he had found few things in this world he truly disliked to any level.  He didn't like when mama or baba left, or when he was stung or fell.  Chasing was less fun than running, but it was still plenty fun.

I'M GONNA GETCHU he yelled as he galloped after all of the other puppies, but of course Sionnach was his primary target.  She was the one who had tagged him, and aside from Aengus she was his best friend here.  The other puppies were tiny, and something in Ashlar just couldn't pick an easy target.

He spotted Spook hanging off to the side and cut that direction, but he slowed down and wagged his butt playfully as he got close.  I'm gonna tag you! he exclaimed, and as his little tail beat the air he waited for the boy to run and join in the fun.

sionnach cared little that there was a furry jellybean underfoot; taking a page from aengus' book, the girl churlishly plowed forward -- seemingly uncaring of the gnat at her side.

of course, until it bit her (or really, just redoubled her efforts in attempts to subdue the unruly leviathan). sionnach roared in outrage, trying in vain to jawspar the irksome flea at her neck. unfortunately she lacked the grace (and the long, flexible neck) to counter such a move, and in the process of swinging her momentum towards jet, only managed to unbalance herself and topple into the dirt.

thus felled, sionnach did not go down lightly. she sourly glanced at her dominator, milky white teeth bared and prepped for mincing -- meanwhile ashlar sped past, intent on drawing the recalcitrant spook from play. sionnach paid them little mind (for the time being) given she was, at the moment, intent on wrestling the furball that had forced her towards the earth in the most humiliating of ways.

He still wasn't too sure what to think about any of this.  Though his sister didn't seem to give a damn attacking these bigger pups, the whole thing seemed far more concerning to him.  Spook was split.  On the one hand he should run along with them, probably, but on the other he didn't want to get trampled... Everyone seemed to be sort of having fun but for now it was more just herd mentality in that he should be running along than, 'Oh yeah, looks like fun!'

Except uh oh.  He was noticed.  Spook went wide eyed at Ashlar, yipped, and flailed awkwardly away from him.  No, that big stranger was definitely not his brother!  Though he did pick a direction that was running that way, but not necessarily paying anything else that was beyond his tunnel-visioned line to freedom.  Which might end up being a problem.. Or not.  Who knows, crazy pups everywhere!  He wasn't really running because of the game -- more because he was the most likely of his siblings to be the one getting chewed on and Ashlar looked like he might hurt a lot if he tried that too.

Cameo dealie from da family brat

After being shoved down once, Eshe decided she'd had enough. This wasn't the scene for a princess like her. The accommodations were terrible, everything was upsetting, and most importantly: no one was letting her win. The absolute nerve! Since she would not stand for such disrespect, or perhaps because she couldn't take the same punishments she often dealt, the befouled Frostfur promptly scampered off to the sidelines so that she might impressively glower at them all from a distance.

In her head she began to imagine pushing all of them -- Sionnach first -- off of a very tall boulder she'd only just noticed the other day...

just a post to keep this moving -- feel free to reply, or archive <3

the girl was not felled for long; with herculean grunts, she managed to shrug her fearsome load, which earned her a few fierce nips she had no hopes of dodging. with a dogged growl sionnach lowered her frame and lunged, pulling an aengus and bulldozing handily through the puppy patch.

she was invincible! unconquerable!! her play-style was rough and fast, filled with sloppily executed pirouettes and prances, loud glomgoms, and plenty of fly-by bites aimed inexpertly at exposed hocks and rumps.

but this kind of play was hard work: sionnach was panting by the time she had wrestled each of her siblings and friends, and was then first in line for a meal once liffey's call herded them back to the den.

Ashlar didn't realize Warlocks running wasn't quite in the spirit he hoped but he was exuberant anyway.  He followed the other pup around at a gallop and attempted to catch him, but the attempts were a bit wild.  He didn't care if he caught him since the chase was the fun part!

Eventually the game was called to a halt as the two groups of puppies peeled off to their perspective parents.  Alone, he waited for Mona or Gannet, and while they didn't take long, he did wonder in that moment what it might be like to have a brother or a sister.

there's an expression about dogs and puppies alike, that goes something like this: a good dog, is a tired dog. or vice versa. sionnach, not necessarily in the fair company of other Good People (like, say, robin hood, or captain america), was certainly mollified in light of all the energy she had extended in ferociously remaining on top.

tired and worn out, sionnach slept heavily.. and sleeping meant quiet, which for adults, usually meant Very Good.