i sold your rope for a bucket of lemon peel, now suck it

all welcome!!

oddleif spent his night cloistered in the treeline, stowed away amongst bushes in a remissisve attempt to withdraw from prying eyes. he found his feet at the threshold of another morning come. from the croon of birds, from the mincing steps of deer, from the sunbeams shackled by the coulee grass rising from their sepulchers in the sleet, he took his cue.

well, more or less.

the bedtime-committed wolf sat erect in position, head slumped between his shoulderblades and his ears airplaned as he fought drowsiness. his eyes, crusted over with sleepy dust, protested the sunlight that tapped on his lids and he swayed back and forth, head jerking upwards every now and then when the crisp snap of twigbreak plucked him back from the soupiness of unconsciousness.

but leif became inevitably distraction-deaf. within moments, the beanie baby flopped over like an old, unsupported stuffed animal to the earth, rusty snout smushed up against the soil and his forelegs lolled to each side – his keister, ever the trooper, managing to remain parked upright despite gravity having collected the top-end of him.

Rhythm padded through the trees it was early morning but lucky for her. She woke up early everyday most days. Sometimes earlier than most wolves. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of a wolf sitting up. Mustve been sleeping in the bushes. She tilted her head slightly and watched cautiously making sure this wolf was no threat. She didnt think so.

This wolf still looked ridiculously tired. Just as that thought ended in her head. The wolf flopped over. Yep definitly still tired. She smiled and padded over semi-quietly. She chuffed so as not to startle the wolf. "Morning sleepyhead," she said with a little humour in her voice "Not a morning person are you."

She sat down at a reasonable distance. One that allowed her enough time to get away from this wolf if her prediction proved to be wrong and this wolf was in fact vicious.

leif was deposited upon the ground for no more than five minutes before rhythm's companionable chuff traveled to the set trap of his ears and, integrating into the gauzy landscape of semi-consciousness, invited him to the inevitability of socialization.

jimmying an eye open and using all of his intestinal fortitude to conquer the fatigue by which he was relentlessly plagued, leif tracked the smoke's sinuous movements as she made her approach on him – all while he was arranged in such a vulnerable (and embarrassing) position.

successfully yanked from the cusp of dreaminess, the stray began scuttling for both perpendicularity and his dignity. he extricated his legs from underneath him and put all extremities in the correct order, a stiffness smiting his muscles causing all manner of things to tweak and pop as he scooped himself up with the urgency of an incontinent pregnant woman touring niagra falls.

shrinking from the burglar of his drowse – and nearly hoping she hadn't caught sight of him – he left his seat and rounded the corner of a tree, hiding himself in the diffuse shadowing. still – the silver-phase female came up on him, but offered the cushion of distance, making him more comfortable with the situation and giving him less inclination to slip away.

the bright, playful message she issued made him slouch against the tree and stare icily ahead. he didn't answer her for several moments, in his head various scenarios in which the ground opened up beneath him and swallowed him entire. unfortunately... "no." he grouched, canting his ears unsurely. it was still too early for him to fully grasp the concept of humor.

cheek-ruffs turned to her and his lip jutted, he glanced at the pale she-wolf sidelong and guardedly muttered, "worms don't satisfy any of my nutritional requirements." with a self-defensive pout coloring his timbre, leif rolled his shoulders and cast his lantern gaze away from her once more.

Rhythm tilted her head slightly confused about this wolf's comment about worms not being satisfying she didn't understand how that correlated to his waking up. She watched as he sat up hidden slightly behind a tree as if i couldn't see him. His eyes trying so hard to stay open although he seemed to like his own space so Rhythm stayed where she was. "Why hide behind a tree, i'm not going to hurt you..." she paused watching him. "If you would prefer to be alone. Do let me know and ill let you be to your sleep." she said standing and stretching. Not every wolf liked to be woken up by strange wolves early in the morning.

to say others like him storming his personal space was his bugaboo would be a harrowing understatement – there was scarcely a thing he disliked more. rhythm seemed keen on honoring her consideration for his comfort and kept an agreeable line of demarcation between them.

he flexed his ears outwardly as the yogini rose to her feet and arched her back, stretched herself – with him spying uncertainly from the corner of his eyes. she seemed relaxed, which put him at ease somewhat, but he was still loath to vacate his shadowlot. "why do you rise this early," he ventured after a beat, awkward and hesitant in the manner which he spoke.

She looked over towards the young male who had spoken while she was stretching. "Me. Oh I'm always up this early. I like it to be honest. I can hunt without having to worry about other wolves stealing my catch. Also without being disturbed. Although i sometimes enjoy having company. Its nice to be awake when there aren't a bunch of wolves about." No offense to any wolves but as much as she loved company. She also liked her solitude however rare it was. "Also I like to watch the sunrise its quite magnificent" Rhythm said looking through the trees off in the distance. "Do you live in that bush?" she said with a semi laugh. "Like sleep there and stuff"

it went without saying this female had been blessed with the gift of gab. oddleif nearly lost the plot halfway through her explanation but he caught the tail-end of her commentary and exhaled quietly. they did have some common ground to be remarked upon – solitude was capital, though he somehow got the impression that she only wanted it in moderated doses.

"do you like it?" he asked her with a faint simper, emerging part-way from his shadow allowance. "those rocks over there," he swept his muzzle to a stack of completely uninspiring rocks, as if to pitch her his merchandise. "it's like sleeping on a cloud." he leaned his shoulder against the tree by which he sat and arced his eyebrows with a smooth addendum to complement it – "obviously i don't have to convince you."

Rhythm tilted her head as he motioned towards a mound of rocks. She could see how they could be comfortable if the sun shone on them. Shed love to sunbathe in the warmth. She smiled slightly. "Seems comfortable," she paused. It appeared she maybe talking to much. She could think of things to be doing right now. Go scout out her soon to be pack territory. See what resources were down there. As far as food. Or other residents. Like the couple foxes and a bear. That was all she knew of though. "Well,I'll let you be to your solitude I'm off on an adventure." she smiled glancing back at the brown wolf then she turned and began to pad away. Perhaps now that she was leaving he would finish his rest. He still looked tired. Not all that pleased for the company either.

thanks threading with me!! however short and sweet their encounter was :)

after shuffling about and being hauled into what he likened to communion, oddleif was, to some extent, feeling brisk and functional enough to stomach daybreak.

rhythm must have understood his asocial bent to some degree, and made graciously to depart. the sunhued wolf would not plead for the reconsideration of her decision, and he let her walk quietly away, hearkening to with a tilted ear her revelation of the plans scheduled for herself –– adventure.

oddleif was not so inclined to indulge in the spontaneity of such enterprises, but he gave her a plain smile and turned away from her retreating form, setting off himself for whatever circumstances befell him that day.