Silver Creek i'm a good man, are you a good man, does a good man take you home?

hope a surprise thread is okay @Spring

indra was hungry -- and a hungry indra was a sullen one. she had tried to rouse milo, but as of late the pup had been sicker than ever and had been in no mood to entertain indra's neediness. sulking, she had gone to find laurel, only to see she too was out and about. with a huff she sat the entrance of the den, watching the slow progress of a black ant laden with the plump corpse of a half-severed caterpillar. she lowered herself to the ground and watched the pair wide-eyed, curious to see just where the ant was bringing his little friend. was he trying to save it? was it his brother? indra squinted, wanting to nose the ant and his shouldered burden. she kept her prodding at bay, fearful she'd quash the bug if she did... but maybe she could help him? "where going?" she queried softly, her head tilted to the side curiously.

Of course!  :)

Spring watched Indra from a distance, as the pup seemed to be starring at something on the ground, but Spring wasn't entirely sure what the thing that Indra was paying attention too happened to be.  Spring's curiousity intensified though when the red coated pup asked whoever or whatever she was talking too about where they were going.  Spring slowly began to approach the pup.

"What are you looking at Indra?"  Spring asked the pup softly and peered over Indra's shoulders to try and catch any glimpse at what the pup was looking at, although so far Spring noticed nothing that really caught her eye.  If only Saena... the orignal version of Saena could see her pup now and how curious Indra seemed to be right now.  It was so cute, but the thought of the pre-crazy Saena saddened Spring, yet she didn't block the thought out.

indra had been so absorbed in watching her newfound friends' progress that she didn't notice spring until she was right over her; with a jump the little pup startled and looked up, craning her head back in the manner that caused her to view spring upside down. her anxious expression broke into a puppyish grin as she realized who it was, and excitedly she wriggled her little body beneath spring's shadow. "ant!" indra demonstrated, slapping the ground with a comically large paw. "and ant friend." she squinted, looking at the bulbuous catepillar. "is ant too?"

Spring felt bad for startling the red pup, but Indra quickly recovered, which Spring was glad for.  The Alpha gave a little chuckle though as Indra looked at her from upside down.  Pups.  So cute.  What Indra showed her was not so cute though.  It was an ant carrying the corpse of a half-severed catterpillar.  Spring felt like gagging at the sight, but was able to refrain from doing so and kept a straight face.  Spring found herself so glad that Indra didn't know what was really happening though, instead acting pretty innocent about the whole situation.

"Yes Indra.  They are... friends."  Spring began and paused for a moment, pointing to the caterpillar.  "That's not an ant though Indra.  That is called a caterpillar."  Spring did her best to explain, regarding the pup with a small smile and enjoying her curiousity much, despite the fact that the circle of life was taking place with the ant and the caterpillar.

indra tilted her head at the two 'friends', wondering if the ant was laboring to carrying his 'friend' to the ant-doctor. spring's hesitation was heard, but not processed -- instead the little babe stared quietly on. caterpillar -- that was the name. indra mouthed the word slowly and silently, her brow furrowed as she watched the one-man parade. she looked to spring as if surprised, and then looked back to the ant and 'caterpillar'. "catapiller." she said quietly, chanting the word as if it were some sort of foreign incantation. "catapiller catapiller catapiller CATAPILLAR!"

Indra's Caterpillar chat was very cute, even though the pup wasn't saying the word the correct way, it was just as cute and sweet.  Soon though as the fifth "catapillar" was announced to the world by the pup, Spring felt like her eardrums were about to burst.  Who knew puppies could be so loud... wolves just must have better lungs at in puppyhood the Alpha supposed.

Suddenly a question popped up in Spring's mind.  Indra didn't understand that Caterpillar and Ant circle of life thing was going on so what was she thinking that they were doing besides being friends?  The thought made Spring rather curious to see into the puppy's mind. "What do you think the Caterpillar and Ant are doing Indra?"  She asked the pup, with a cock of her head.

it was a good thing spring didn't encourage indra, because if she did, her eardrums would need to see the 'ant-doctor' too. indra looked up to spring as she spoke, asking her what she thought they were doing. indra scrunched up her face and issued a delighted squeal of laughter -- what a silly question from an adult! she giggled wildly. "playing, DUH!" she proclaimed, shifting onto her chest to watch the ant and his 'catapiller'. she squinted, bringing her beady little eye almost right into the ant's face. "but catapiller is hurt." insert worried frown.

Spring was feeling really good about the caterpillar and ant situation, with how Indra seemed to have apparently no idea so far on what was going on... until she realized that the caterpillar was hurt.  Doh!  Spring thought silently to herself, cursing a few times in her head, yet all the while she just smiled down at Indra.  For two whole, long agonizing seconds Spring had no idea what to say to the pup, when suddenly something occurred to her.


"That's called a Garge Caterpillar Indra."  Spring lied to the puppy.  "It appears to be injured, but it's really not.  All Garge Caterpillars look like this.  You don't have to worry about a thing."  Spring finished about the caterpillars, hoping that Indra thought that she was speaking the truth.  Why wouldn't Indra agree with her though?  With the sudden urge to stop talking and looking at poor mauled caterpillars about to be eaten by a swarm of ants once it was taken back to the nest.  "I have something really cool to show you Indra."  Spring told the pup and then started to walk a few feet away, hoping that Indra would follow.  The thing was though was that Spring had no idea what to show Indra, yet she was sure that she could figure something out right?

indra inspected this garge caterpillar, watching as it slumped atop the spindly form of the ant. indra took spring's fib at face value -- she had never discovered a lie before, and had no reason not to implicitly trust her leader. with saena gone she was more attached to spring than she had ever been, and with a shrug of her shoulders the little cherub rose and stalked towards spring's leg. "won't worry!" she chimed cheerily, slumping at spring's paws. she looked up to the agouti and tilted her head to the side, one ear flopping.

Spring was so glad to hear that Indra would not worry about the caterpillar and began to walk over to her.  Now she just had to find something cool to show the pup, yet had no idea what to show her.  For a couple seconds Spring cast her gaze around, searching for something, anything that Indra might be interested in.  When bingo!  She found something that would probably interest Indra, because after all the puppy was interested in bugs right?

Before her lay a Stick Bug.  She was surprised that it was even still alive in the famine, but it was brown and so were many other things with the famine so that had easily had most likely helped it.  "Look at this Indra?  Isn't this bug cool?  It's called a Stick Bug."  Spring told the pup, fascinated herself with the bug, her eyes starring at it in wonder.  She and Illea had once looked for bugs when they were about Indra's age.  Spring hadn't done this in forever, but now she was amazed with the Stick Bug.  It looked so much like a stick!  She remembered her Father telling her about this bug and showing one to her.  The creature, no matter how small, was remarkable.

indra's gaze faithfully remained on spring, her expression somewhat curious as the older female started to move. quietly the child made after her, trailing close to spring's hock and tail. as spring pointed out a bug indra galloped messily over to it, placing her face directly over the poor bug in a way that caused her breath to stormily shake it. "STICK BUG!" she bellowed, repeating the word in an excited pitch. "is stick bug friends with catapillar and ant too?"

Spring was overjoyed when Indra got excited to see the Stick Bug, after bellowing it's name.  A proud smile slide across Spring face, glad to make this sweet little pup happy.  When Indra asked if the Stick Bug was friends with the "catapillar" and ant though Spring wasn't sure of the connections with the two bugs so she just shrugged.  "Maybe, I am not entirely sure though Indra."  Spring told the pup, she would have told Indra that she could go check it out herself, but Spring did not want to possibly inspire the pup to maybe see the ant, caterpillar or stick bug brutally murder eachother so she said nothing to that effect.

Spring wondered what made Indra so interested in bugs though.  Was there some kind of genetic type thing that just mad the pup interested in bugs?  Maybe so, although she wasn't entirely sure.  If so though was she carrying this trait from Saena or Reek?  She hoped it was Saena, but she could possibly never know.  Saena had dissapeared anyways.

indra looked to spring expectantly, a smile flush on her cherry-red features. stick bug! she abruptly turned back to the spindly insect, lowering her little body to the ground until her chin rested in the dirt and her stubby paws were inches from the bug's path. she peered at it quietly for a moment and then issued: "STICK BUG!" again -- the force of her voice expelling a small gale in the bug's path. the insect, visibly shaken, started to scramble away. indra eyed it suspiciously and placed her snout directly in its path. "stick bug, are you friends with ant and catapillar?"

Spring laughed fully, entertained with the sight of Indra's fascination with the stick bug, finding it adorable.  Then the Alpha falttened herself to the ground, Indra's level to examin the stick bug.  It really was quite the interesting creature and Spring found herself surprised that she had not mistaken the bug for a stick as it held an extremely close resemblance.

"That stick bug is pretty cool isn't it Indra?"  Spring asked the pup rhetorically with an innocent curious look shinning in her eyes.  She hadn't payed much attention to the world of the bugs in a long time and now she found that she could not get enough of it as her eyes flicked over the figure of the stick bug thoroughly intrigued by the creature.

since we have the other one, i'll fade indra -- feel free to PP for conclusion<3

cool was an understatement -- indra was positively rapt with fascination. the thing was so spindly, so woodlike -- every slow move of its narrow legs seemed deliberate and planned at length. and yet all the same there was a certain grace to it, a humbleness -- indra knew nothing of the words that could have been used to describe the bug, but was all too familiar with the awe it instilled in her.

she watched it intently until it stalked up to a rock -- and then in a sudden flit, skittered off. she stood for some time where she saw the bug last, but when her search yielded nothing she came back to spring. "i'm tired." the girl mumbled, clumsily knocking her droopy eyes with her wrist.

Sounds good!  Thanks for the thread!  :)

The two investigators, pup and Alpha watched the stick bug until it finally stalked up a rock and then went off, out of sight.  Spring found herself disapointed that the bug was gone, but soon found herself watching Indra as the pup just stared at where the stick bug had disapeared for a longer amount of time.  Soon enough though Indra told her that she was tired.  Spring nodded.

She led Indra back to the den and told her a bedtime story, which led Indra into the depths of sleep, it was about a lion and a mouse.  It was a story where one day a lion was sleeping and a mouse saw some delicous looking berries.  So the mouse went up to the lion and climbed up the animal, eventually standing on his head.  Right when the mouse was about to pick a berry though, the lion woke up and noticed the mouse, the mouse tried to run, narrowly escaping the lion's paws, untl they were back by the berries once more.  The mouse was tired and the lion was not as much.  The lion growled viscously, asking the mouse what it had been doing, where the mouse replied to tell the lion that it had only tried to pick berries.  Then the mouse made the lion an offer that if the lion helped her get the berries, that she would help him if he ever got in trouble.  The lion laughed at this, claiming that a mouse could never save him, but in return for making him laugh, he let the mouse go.  The mouse fleed.  A week later though the lipn got caught in a trap and the mouse heard the lion cry out for help.  At first the mouse was unsure of whether she should really help the lion, but then she decided that it was the right thing to do so she ran to go save the lion.  When she came upon the poor creature, she noticed that the lion had been caught by hunters in a tight knit net.  At first it seemed hopeless but then suddenly the little mouse had an idea and chewed through the ropes, saving the lion.  From that day on the lion and the mouse were the best of friends, they worked together.  The lion helped the mouse get berries and the mouse saved the lion whenever he got into any trouble.  As Spring finished her story she smiled, seeing Indra was sleeping.  Then queitly she disapeared back outside to go mark the borders.