August 23, 2020, 07:25 PM
(This post was last modified: August 23, 2020, 10:05 PM by Ibis (Ghost).)
The rain hadn't stopped in a while and no amount of digging, positioning, or tilling of the dirt could stop the trickle of water that pooled at the bottom of the family den. Adding to that the growth of the girls - making it unsuitably cramped for both the children - meant Ibis had to finally bite the bullet. It was time to move them to a different den. Ibis spent the afternoon slogging through the territory on the hunt for the perfect replacement.
Not too far from her little glen, tucked in among the various dens of the adults, Ibis thought she found something that would suffice. It wasn't quite large enough for Akavir and herself plus the two girls, however with a little work they could probably fix it up. Ibis tucked in to the den mouth and began to excavate bits of the floor; her shoulders soon began to ache.
It did not take long before she withdrew, having done very little in the grand scheme of things. The rain pooled just shy of the den mouth outside and as Ibis stepped out to take a breath of fresh air, she inhaled a steely scent; the entire territory was thick with it, a side effect of the soil becoming so saturated with rain.
She stood there while the rain pelted down at her. Felt the drops scatter across the crown of her head, down her cheeks, along her neck - it was nice to her shoulders at first, and soon got very cold. Best to get back to work, she thought — and turned around to face the den again. At that moment she noticed that the den's underlying ridge had a pleasant view - it would have been nicer if the sun was bright and the clouds would go away, but it afforded a nice angle of the lower dens.
Something pale moved among the grey sheets of rain. Ibis blinked, sniffled some drops from her nose. She glanced towards the den mouth and then back to where she'd seen the tiny ghost-thing, but it was gone. Curious, she decided to go investigate. It did not take long to reach the neighboring dens, and after looking around, ducked her head inside.
It smelled like @Reiko. It was cold, though. The ground smelled almost like afterbirth and it was sharp — like it was fresh — but the den itself was empty. Ibis withdrew after that and her face was laced with a little frown. A few meters away from that den mouth was another, and this one had some noises coming from inside. Concern grew within her as she perused the soil further, noticing a drop-off of that metallic scent and the increase of something warm, alive.
Something moved, again. She moved her head to look, ducking, tense; and then recognized the huddled bodies of Reiko's eldest child, curled up and napping where it was dry and warm. Any concern Ibis held faltered at that moment. She'd only seen the little prince finding shelter in the storm.
As she takes a deep breath, planting herself at the mouth of the den as any mother would to keep watch (mostly out of habit from her own litter), a tiny nagging feeling started in the back of her mind. @Haruki was here, @Hotaru and @Sumi probably not far. Any child caught in this terrible rain would prefer the warmth and familiarity of a den.
But the real question hit her hard: where was Reiko?
Not too far from her little glen, tucked in among the various dens of the adults, Ibis thought she found something that would suffice. It wasn't quite large enough for Akavir and herself plus the two girls, however with a little work they could probably fix it up. Ibis tucked in to the den mouth and began to excavate bits of the floor; her shoulders soon began to ache.
It did not take long before she withdrew, having done very little in the grand scheme of things. The rain pooled just shy of the den mouth outside and as Ibis stepped out to take a breath of fresh air, she inhaled a steely scent; the entire territory was thick with it, a side effect of the soil becoming so saturated with rain.
She stood there while the rain pelted down at her. Felt the drops scatter across the crown of her head, down her cheeks, along her neck - it was nice to her shoulders at first, and soon got very cold. Best to get back to work, she thought — and turned around to face the den again. At that moment she noticed that the den's underlying ridge had a pleasant view - it would have been nicer if the sun was bright and the clouds would go away, but it afforded a nice angle of the lower dens.
Something pale moved among the grey sheets of rain. Ibis blinked, sniffled some drops from her nose. She glanced towards the den mouth and then back to where she'd seen the tiny ghost-thing, but it was gone. Curious, she decided to go investigate. It did not take long to reach the neighboring dens, and after looking around, ducked her head inside.
It smelled like @Reiko. It was cold, though. The ground smelled almost like afterbirth and it was sharp — like it was fresh — but the den itself was empty. Ibis withdrew after that and her face was laced with a little frown. A few meters away from that den mouth was another, and this one had some noises coming from inside. Concern grew within her as she perused the soil further, noticing a drop-off of that metallic scent and the increase of something warm, alive.
Something moved, again. She moved her head to look, ducking, tense; and then recognized the huddled bodies of Reiko's eldest child, curled up and napping where it was dry and warm. Any concern Ibis held faltered at that moment. She'd only seen the little prince finding shelter in the storm.
As she takes a deep breath, planting herself at the mouth of the den as any mother would to keep watch (mostly out of habit from her own litter), a tiny nagging feeling started in the back of her mind. @Haruki was here, @Hotaru and @Sumi probably not far. Any child caught in this terrible rain would prefer the warmth and familiarity of a den.
But the real question hit her hard: where was Reiko?
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