Blacktail Deer Plateau bonecracker

Tagging: @Dante :)

The soft rush of rain did nothing to deter Osprey Jr. from running around in the open clearing. Galloping like a wild black filly, she tipped her head backward and opened her mouth to catch raindrops on her lolling pink tongue. She giggled madly as she ran lap after lap. Every time she passed Peregrine and the others huddled beneath the sycamore tree, she barked in an attempt to get them to join her.

But nobody would oblige her, so she circled alone, like her namesake osprey circled the skies in search of prey.

Yay!!! God Jr cracks me up!

Dante had been heading out for a walk around the territory when a blur of motion caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. At first he thought it was just the rain playing tricks, but as he turned he saw a pup sprinting in crazy circles, head thrown back like a lunatic. Breaking into a broad grin, he stopped to watch for a few moments, shaking his head at the enthusiasm of the young. Had he ever really been that age? Not really.

He was slowly beginning to know the young ones in this pack for the hellraisers that they were. He recognized this one as Osprey Jr, one of Peregrine's tiny demons. He thought so with great affection though. Their rambunctious happenings made Blacktail Deer Plateau seem bright with wonder simply by association, and this little display was no different.

She was trying to get the other adults to join her, but seemingly none were interested. Well, not like he was doing anything better with his day. Now was as good a time as any to get aquainted. Smiling, he jogged over, coming to a standstill a few feet away from her makeshift track. Tipping his head back, he caught a few drops himself, enjoying the refreshing feel of the rain on his face. Pups really did give an excuse to enjoy the simpler pleasures of life without looking like a complete idiot while doing so. Then he looked expectantly at her. Would she let him into her game? Or start a new one?

:D

A stranger suddenly materialized in her path. Osprey Jr. typically treated unfamiliar wolves with suspicion. Too caught up in her good mood to interrogate anybody, Osprey simply ran up to the male and braked to a stop in front of him. She tipped her head backward and looked up at him, all bright eyed and bushy tailed despite the gloomy weather.

"HI!" she exclaimed. "YOU LIKE DA WAIN TOOS?!"

No hesitation, not even a pause. Dante was seriously impressed by the pup's forwardness. Osprey Jr., it seemed, lived up to her reputation grandly. In answer to her question, he tipped his head back once more, then gurgled the rain that landed in the back of his throat. Swallowing, he smiled at Jr. "Who doesn't?"

Inspired, Dante bent down conspiratorially next to the pup. "You want to know a secret? The rain can be a wolf's best friend sometimes. Any idea as to why?" Dante was curious if the pup would be able to figure out the answer, at least in part. He was in no way expecting one so young to know, but it was a lesson he had learned well as a young one. The elements were some of a wolf's best weapons at times. Of course, he had learned this as it related to other wolves first and foremost. In this instance, though, the lesson applied just as well to hunting. He doubted Peregrine would approve of his daughter getting the signature Obscurum education. She was feisty enough as is.

Osprey did not yet know about rhetorical questions, so when Dante asked, she pointed a sopping paw at her family bunched together beneath the tree. "Dey don't!" she crowed, then licked her lips noisily and looked back at her new playmate.

When he bent down, she moved eagerly toward him, head nodding rapidly in response to his question. "I like secwets!" she stage-whispered to him. When prompted to guess why the rain could be a wolf's best friend, the puppy gave him a nonplussed look, then screwed up one eye and stuck her tongue between her teeth. "'Cause... puddalls?" was her eventual, drawling answer, meaning puddles.

"Well, I guess they just aren't as fun as you and I," Dante said back conspiratorially. Oh, but wasn't she adorable? He was a huge fan of pups, and while he didn't always know how to deal with them, for the most part he could have a lot of fun playing.

Her answer was so typical of a pup that he couldn't help but crack a grin. "Valid point. Yes, definitely. But also, smell. What do you scent?" He sniffed the saturated air, the charged odor of the rain overpowering. "In all of this, you wouldn't be able to smell anything that was trying to sneak up on you. Well, neither can a deer. And look." Oh, Peregrine would thank him for this one. In a single motion Dante rolled over so that his coat became spotted with mud. Then he lay down close to the ground. "When you get in the mud like this, another wolf or whatever you are chasing would have a hard time seeing you." He crept forward a few steps. "A fight isn't all about muscle. It's about paying attention to whats around you too. Understand? It's a very important secret." He wasn't sure the pup would get it, but hey, rolling in the mud could make a fun game too. It wouldn't be a complete loss.

When he told her to smell, Osprey Jr. rose to the occasion by taking a big whiff of the cool, rainy air. It burst back out of her even as the stranger explained how the rain showers dampened not just fur but scents as well. Before she could really process or remark on this, he flung himself to the ground and began to slather himself with mud.

Junior quickly followed suit, letting her legs buckle and flipping onto her back to twitch about on the mucky ground. Her cohort explained to her how the mud could act as a camouflage, even as he stood and mimicked creeping. She blinked up at him, raindrops catching in her eyelashes, and nodded.

"Iss washin' off!" she pointed out to him even as she rolled over and sat upright. She could feel the cool rain rinsing the mud out of her black coat. When she looked down, runnels of cold water cut paths through the grime on her legs, quickly making it watery. Filthy water pooled around her, only to be washed away itself as the rain continued to fall.

Licking her wet lips, Osprey looked up at the male and spontaneously announced, "I gotta poop!"

Dante chortled as she followed suit, rolling in the mud as well. Her nod spoke of understanding and he felt a glow of excitement at the prospect. He really loved to help and to share his knowledge especially when it was appreciated as much as it seemed to be now. He really hoped she was enjoying herself in this.

"It does! Which is why you must be quick and quiet when you chase your target. Though it will be a bit easier for you, your black fur stands out less than mine." He looked down at the patches of white that shone through the mud on his legs.

"Well then, I suppose you should go do that, shouldn't you! I'll wait here, we can keep playing after!" He turned his back and waited, glancing back only once before keeping his eyes focused on the side. He hoped she took advantage of his turned back to test her sneaking skills... it would be fun to see if he could hear her coming. If she passed up the opportunity it was fine, but he knew as a pup he never had. He'd have to watch himself, though... scuffling with a pup was to be done with extreme care, and he didn't have too much experience with holding back. With extreme care, though, he was confident that he wouldn't harm his exuberant temporary pupil.

If he hadn't turned his back, Dante would have had an up close and personal encounter with the toileting Junior, for the puppy squatted right then and there and defecated. After relieving herself, she kicked some grass and dirt over the mess, not that such was needed; it was raining hard enough that the water broke up the natural manure deposit and swept it away in minutes.

"I's done pooping!" she informed Dante, bounding forward to tap his shoulder. She wasn't tall enough for that, however, and ended up slapping a wet paw against his back. The resulting slap was so loud that it surprised her a giggle out of her. Osprey wondered if he would turn on her and try to get her back.

The short break didn't go quite as well as intended. Apparently the diminutive hellraiser was not quite the modest (or socially aware) creature that Dante had figured. He'd give her one thing, though... the kid had absolutely no shame. That would serve her either very well or horribly in the future depending on how she grew up. With Peregrine at the helm, he assumed the former.

He felt the paw slap his back and it took him a bit by surprise. A glint in his eye, he turned, growling theatrically. "Who dares strike the terrible Dante, conquerer of the west?" He turned, getting down in a playful pose so that he was more on her level, raising his brows as though surprised at the challenger. "Why, I bet I could eat you up in a single swallow. Do you think you have what it takes to beat me?" He laughed, lifting a paw to poke her in the side. "Come, try! Show me your moves." He waited for her to strike, wanting to see what she did first.

Have I mentioned that I love Dante? He's such a great character! :)

His bellow made her ears spring back, flinging water over her soaking shoulders. Yet she grinned, hearing the playful edge to his tone. When he mockingly threatened her, she bared her teeth at him and answered his question by declaring, "I can beat you up!" in her loudest, bravest and most confident voice. It was her war cry.

She didn't need to be told twice. When Dante invited her to show him her moves, the puppy struck like a bolt of lightning to complement the stormy sky. Reminding herself not to bite too hard, she made to grab his left foreleg with her teeth and latch onto him.

Dawww, thank you so much!!!! ^o^
I could say much the same for both Osprey and Perry, I love how defined their personalities and conversation styles are!

Her declaration almost made him break his front, but true to his character, Dante simply continued to appear as challenging and disbelieving as he could. This changed to genuine surprise when, quick as a viper, she attached herself to his forepaw. Wow was she quick.

With a playful growl he shook his paw as though attempting to get loose, firmly but not so much as to rattle her too much. Much like one would play tug of war with a dog. He huffed, then lifted the paw a bit, taking her with him if she was still attached. "Jaws like a bear you may have, little gladiator, but I bet my skills are stronger yet!" He set his paw back down and, with his other paw, attempted to simply knock the pup off her feet. He made sure that the blow would only be enough to perhaps unbalance her.

:)

She managed to close her jaws around his fetlock, careful not to press her teeth too hard against his skin. She could feel the knobs of his bones and Osprey's tongue explored these strange protuberances, causing her to drool all over his foreleg. The rain made it not so noticeable, not that Junior even cared one way or the other.

Dante shook his leg back and forth and she held on tightly until his other paw swung at her legs. She unwittingly unlatched as she stumbled sideways, then fell hard on her rump. Teeth gnashing, she jumped back to her feet nearly instantaneously and sprang at him again, leaving as little time as possible for him to react. This time, she lunged at the space between his legs, angling to bite his soft belly.

Dante noted her quick recovery with approval. She was back on her feet almost the instant she left them, not letting a small tumble stop her from attacking immediately. When she sprang for his belly he reared up out of instinct, then fell over sideways as he checked his fall. Hardly used to holding back, he laughed at his mistake. She had some moves, enough to bring back previous experience and force his mind into instinct. He hadn't wanted to bring his weight down on her.

Still laughing, he swiped a paw, flinging a spattering of damp earth and rainwater in her direction.

Dante moved swiftly to avoid her teeth sinking into his tender flesh, rearing up on his hind legs and then, to her surprise, toppling onto his hip. This would've been the perfect moment to leap at him, yet the adult's awkward lack of grace stupefied her for a few beats. Only when he flung water in her face did she catch herself standing there and she growled thickly, mostly at her own delay.

"You falled down and went boom!" she crowed at him, her voice light for a moment before she grinned a wild, toothy grin at him and pounced at his thigh.

Wasn't he the epitome of grace and skill? It was little wonder Junior seemed surprised by his fall. It was a completely un-adult like move but Dante somehow couldn't care at the moment. He was having too much fun with the pup to worry about perception.

"Boom, eh? I'd say more of a dignified thud," he said, returning her toothy grin with one of his own. As she went for his thigh he reached out with a paw and rubbed her head, nougie style. "Alright, I'll give it to you, little gladiator. You definitely have some moves. The terribly Dante is impressed."

Before she could possibly sink her teeth into the meat of his haunch, Dante slung a foreleg about her neck and quickly rubbed her head, creating friction that made her squirm and cry, "Stahhhp!" She shoved at him, pushing herself free, eyes glittering and lips curved despite her indignant shout.

He declared her a gladiator, which she took to mean the same thing as a warrior. Osprey Jr. grinned and puffed out her chest. "Das wight, da biggest and baddest and bestest!" she exclaimed.

Not three seconds later, two things happened simultaneously: Junior felt abruptly worn out and the rain suddenly picked up, pounding down on the plateau with wild abandon. Osprey made a noise somewhere between a shriek and a giggle and dove for the trees to join her family. Once safely tucked beneath the relative shelter of the waterlogged boughs, she turned and motioned for Dante to join them.

Flopping down on the damp ground, her tongue lolled from her mouth. She watched the rainfall for a minute before her chin sank to her paws. As the sky darkened more with each passing moment and the rain continued to pummel the earth, her mismatched eyes closed and the Warrior-to-be fell sound asleep.

The pup had so much confidence that Dante was surprised she wasn't expanding. He didn't argue though... she was definitely growing to be a strong, fine fighter if their mock spar had anything to do with it. She had the most important trait. When she was knocked down, she just kept coming. That tenacity was what won battles in the long run.

At Junior's abrupt departure and then motioning, Dante rose and more stoically followed to sit down under the trees. A small glow filled him at being a playmate for her and at her invitation. He hadn't had many dealings at all with pups and the pleasure of their company was pretty new. To be regarded by her with trust was a happiness he couldn't really explain.

When she fell asleep he regarded her fondly for a few moments, then turned to watch the rain as it fell, laying his own head down on his paws with a happy sigh.