Phoenix Maplewood What kind of house doesn't have salt?

@Towhee 

Kausiut was the kind of kid that people tolerated, because they had to, but did not like very much. She had been a major pain in the ass from the very beginning of the journey, resisting everything she was told to do and it was very likely that even @Kukutux 's nearly limitless resources of patience had worn thin and her father was no longer that blindly in love with this particular example of his offspring. Eventually she was left to her own devices, corrected, when she overstepped boundaries against other puppies or adults, but no one bothered much about her in quiet hopes that just maybe fate or providence would free them of the devil. 

This had not happened yet, because, even if Kau got out of sight frequently, she had a very good inner compass and she always caught up with the group, regardless of, how far she had wandered away. But this also explained, why Kau was found quite on her own in a forest, investigating a carpet of leaves that was covered with a thin layer of snow. There were interesting smells hiding underneath and she was plowing through it all excitedly.

After her chance encounter with Pippin, Towhee altered her course slightly, heading north now. She wondered if she would eventually hit the coast. She had never spent much time there. It might be cool to see the sights. Who are you? she thought to herself even as her paws carried her across a meadow; past a partially frozen pond; between two distinctly unappealing marshes; and into a peaceful forest.

By now, her feet—entirely unused to travel beyond borders—were pretty damn sore. Towhee sought a spot that looked comfortable and flopped to the ground, letting out a huge and not unhappy sigh. She then bent to the task of soothing her aching paw pads with her tongue, deaf to the sound of small footsteps close by.

The moment she heard someone approaching, Kau instinctively pressed herself to the ground and the upturned leaves concealed her from sight, save for the pair of large cream-coloured ears that stuck out from the cover. It was an unfamiliar wolf and probably the first non-pack adult she had met. Its pelt was in an unusual colour and the orange gaze stirred a sense of familiarity inside the girl. 

She did not over-analyze the reasons, why she was drawn to this wolf or whether it was wise to approach it. She simply did, what she felt like doing - got up to her feet and crept carefully closer, stopping often to press herself to the ground and pause. A true ninja move, had she known that she was very well in sight of anyone, who would want to pounce on her. Those final feet that separated her from the stranger, she lost or cautiousness and bounded merrily towards the lady, stopping only, when she was directly in the other's face.


Without any regard for the other wolf's personal space, she examined the other's face, as if it was not a fellow wolf but a colourful bird in the zoo.

Too busy tonguing her toes, Towhee remained oblivious until a split second before the strange youngster threw herself in Towhee's face. She jerked and bared her teeth instinctively, then went absolutely rigid and stared back at the strange kid all up in her grill.

The fur reminded her of Primrose, though the resemblance stopped there. Something was the matter with one of the pup's eyes, though the other stared into the depths of her soul. Towhee's own gaze swept up and down, lingering briefly on the twisted forepaw.

And she'd thought her feet were painful. "Are you hurt?" she asked, slowly pointing to the paw gone awry.

"No," Kau replied, without looking at Towhee, but walking around and sniffing her curiously. Had she cared to notice or anyone else from their family could have been here, they would have cheered at her very first spoken word. It was also very likely that they would not find it particularly amazing, because the kid was already weird and unpleasant. With the mastery of speech she was very likely to become unbearable. 

"What?" was the second word, said less in a defensive manner, but more as a curious inquiry. A sentence lacking two more additional words "are" and "you". She returned to sitting right in front of the stranger again without any regard to the personal space.

"Oh," Towhee replied, relieved, "good."

She said nothing else as the odd-looking puppy began to investigate her. She remained where she sprawled, head rotating to follow her progress. Towhee didn't really mind. She definitely had a soft spot for kids. Meeting this one made her miss her own and she felt a strong throb of longing for them.

Drawing in a breath, Towhee met the pup's gaze when she settled in front of her. She hadn't caught the second word, so she unknowingly echoed, "What?" But she barely waited for a reply before adding, "What's your name and where did you come from?"

Kau furrowed her brow, because the tone of the reply did not indicate that it contained, what she had asked for. Usually inquiries were followed by long stretches of text. But she did not dwell on this much, because her language skills were not that great anyway. She had asked, because she had observed people usually did. This stranger was one of her kind and it was enough for now. 

Name? She pursed her lips (a metaphor for intense thinking process within the canine brain) and then replied: "Kau-STOP!" And make no mistake there - Kausiut may have been her name, but "KAUSIUT!!!!" and "STOP!!!" was something she heard more often. So, she had assumed that her name was this. Not that she cared. 

"You?" she asked.

"Cowstop?" Towhee mumbled incredulously. Who had named this child? No, really, where were her parents? Where was her pack? "What're you doing, wandering around all by yourself?" she asked as much.

"You?" Rather than answer her directly, Towhee decided to play a little game. "I forget. I think I need a new one anyway. What would you call me, if you had to pick out a name?"

Too many words at the same time! Kau felt overwhelmed and her frown deepened, expressing her discontent. She lost track of, what the lady had been saying around word three. The stranger finished rambling with the tone, which indicated a question not an answer. 

She stared at her disapprovingly and then with an air of a annoyed, but very patient person talking to someone they consider mentally challenged, she repeated her question: "You?"

"You?" "Well, that won't be confusing at all," Towhee quipped, "but I'll allow it." She could see the look of frustration on the pup's face and only smiled in return, though she decided not to tease any further.

"Well, Cowstep," she said, further bungling the name, "you're not completely young and helpless, but... before I continue on my way, I'd like to find both of us something to eat. I mean, if you're hungry?"

You-lady was not very bright, but so were most of people Kausiut had met. They talked too much and said very little useful stuff. Except for mom. She did not talk too much either and therefore was easier to understand. Why did people bothered with words at all? 

Hungry! That's something she knew and had been asked often. Her face lit up - the ever-present scowl was replaced by an inquisitive look first at You then around her. No food in sight. "Eat?" she asked, ready to follow this stranger, if the answer was affirmative. And had it not been You, but anyone else with more sinister motives, Kau's story would end right here.

I was wondering if you'd like to have another, more current thread now that Towhee's joined Moonglow? :D

There was no mistaking the way the child's face lit up, nor the single word her lips formed. "Yes, eat. Food, preferably," Towhee replied, looking away from Cowstep's face and scanning the woods for a moment before looking back to the young girl. "I'm not the best hunter around but I'll see what I can do. Just, uh, bear with me and maybe exercise some patience. Ready? C'mon."

Sure. They have that rockband to create. :D

Kausiut nodded eagerly, after hearing the two words she recognized very well. Without further ado she followed after You and lucky for her returned to her Village that evening with a belly full and adventure to think through and dream about during the night. Not with the slightest suspicion that things could have gone in a ve-e-e-ery different direction. On the other hand... who knows? The kid was not an idiot.