Blackfeather Woods periodic

she finds that after pressing the limits of where her self-imposed world lies, she longs to do the same at home. the visit up the stream and to the mountains has emboldened her, and though not as thrilling as the places she'd been a couple days previously, she's set her site on the mire. it is unfamiliar, uncharted, and not off-limits in the way that that the ravine and the great tree are. 

it's really just wet, and smelly. but she's already hock-deep in the mud, roving on and off solid ground, and quite pleased with the number of frogs she's spotted.

Venamis was not one to sneak around after Blackfeather's other cubs, but this one intrigued him. He padded along quietly with some distance between them, sure to keep her in his sight as she trailed through the dense foliage of their woodland home.

She led him to an area unfamiliar to him, a muddied place that smelled awful - enough to make his nose wrinkle in distaste. The boy stepped carefully through the bog, not at all appreciating that the smaller youngster had obviously tricked him into coming to this horrible place, and shot her backside a venomous stare as she trudged on up ahead.

Ven moved quicker, aiming to catch up, and as he drew close enough he released a sharp bark intended to spook her.

spook her it does, and badly - she jolts forward, panic taking hold of her lungs and heart and body for a brief moment. and then it lets go and her heart is drumming against her ribs and she's whirling around, which is easier typed than done in the bog. her forelimbs falter and her chest meets the mud, but she's already taken stock of the boy and begins to backpedal. ultimately, she presents as a haphazardous jumble of limbs and wide eyes, coming to a stop only when she's facing him clearly, her underside now covered in mud. 

"hi," she offered weakly.

Did he feel bad for frightening her? No. And that was obvious in the backward toss of his alabaster-tipped crown, eyes squeezed shut and jaws parted as he howled in laughter. 

When his belly laugh begun to ache, Venamis returned his stare to the girl whose reaction amused him so much, pale irises glimmering with amusement as he shot her his most triumphant smile.

Instead of baring her fangs at him or appearing at all pissed off that he'd so easily freaked her out, the kid spoke up in a soft greeting. He blinked and his amused expression faded, a little confused and disappointed that she didn't wish to fight him like the other pups so boldly attempted, and his response came bluntly: "what's wrong with you?"

he doesn't answer immediately. instead, he tips his head back and howls with laughter, and moonshine's stomach plummets with a thump to the ground. that's what it feels like, anyways, and with ears slicked back to the crown she takes a wary step back. she doesn't have enough time to make a run for it (she doubts she could run here, anyways) and so faces him.

"nothing," she answers, gaze flicking over his shoulder as if some adult might magically appear to save her. "you scared me." she berates herself internally for sounding so stupid, but she's really not sure what to do, facing the wolf she's avoided since she knew he existed.

Venamis watched her quietly, comparing her wide eyes and fearful stare to that of a baby deer. She seemed almost frozen to the spot, intimidated by him, which made him feel important. Powerful.

He took a bold step forward through the mud, but paused again when he saw the girl make a panicked stride backward. A satisfied sound rumbled in his chest and his tail gave a content sweep at his rear when she admitted that he'd frightened her, and he grinned wickedly.

"Real wolves don't get scared," Venamis informed her cruelly. So what did that make her?

oh, gods. she was almost tempted to pray to the ones maegi had mentioned, save for the fact they scared her more than the boy right now. abruptly, she sat, planting herself, while her tongue curled over her lips. instinctively, she lowered her muzzle slightly, not quite meeting him in the eye when he spoke again. he was right, of course; there was something wrong with her. that became especially obvious when the resident crows took joy in leaving rotten spoils in her favorite spots. she wasn't completely meek, though. "yeah, well—" she paused, wilting somewhat again. she hadn't really thought about where her brief defiance would lead. "I am. was." and she was real, so she supposed the made him wrong. it was, however, a very small victory.

Instead of turning away, offended as he expected, the other cub lowered her haunches to sit. Venamis twitched his nose and emitted a huff of amusement at this, wondering if she even remembered the bog they'd found themselves in.

Maybe she'd come here to this disgusting place in an effort to be brave, but all Ven saw was a coward. A pup like this would never survive in a place like Blackfeather, not with so many aggressive children to compete against.

"You're weird," the young Melonii concluded, sweeping through thick mud in a bold stride closer to see how she'd react.

the muds seeping through her fur, strangely cold, but she doesn't care about the stink anymore. her attention is solely on Venamis trying not to betray her growing unease. he takes a stride nearer, and she swallows, throat feeling a little tight. she really wants to bolt in the other direction, but that option has already been discarded. 

instead, she shuffles backward, mud squelching against her hindquarters and a brief tug of disgust warring against the fear. she's silent, wondering if he can hear the drumming of her heart. perhaps the mire will open up beneath her and she'll sink below. that would be nice. she half rises, wondering if she'll have to make a run for it after all.

He continued to eye her, a mischievous glimmer to his eerily pale irises as he pressed on through the mud. Venamis attempted to move in close but the girl continued to shimmy, fearfully, always placing further distance between him. He traced his tongue along an upper lip, as though eager to taste her fear.

When at last he tired of her pitiful position, the dark Melonii slunk away with a sly grin and a low rumble. Honestly, he felt pretty content with himself: he'd asserted himself and made it clear to this kid that he wasn't going to be messed with. With one last stinging glance over a dark shoulder, Ven left her to the dirt.