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Post by Zadok on Jul 4, 2009 13:41:10 GMT -5
He opened his eyes. The soft chuckle of the river was the first thing that greeted Zadok as he awoke from a relatively long nap. And it was just past midday, sometime in the afternoon if the sun's location was anything to go by. For a lazy moment the gray wolf pup just lay there, looking around with dispassionate golden eyes at his surroundings. He was still where he'd passed out this morning - in a little unobtrusive thicket that lay just within a wall of trees. If you looked hard enough you could see the river merrily chugging along.
Yawning the little dragga yawned and stretched then stood. A cool summer breeze washed over Zadok, and brought with it the ever-present and refreshing smell of pine and dirt. A wonderful scent to wake up to. With one last shake he wandered out towards the river, suddenly parched. His stomach gurgled a bit too, but that couldn't be helped now. The sunlight was warm on his back as Zadok bent to lap up the cool water in one of the various little pools the river fed. As he crouched there, his thirst satiated, Zadok looked around him, spying movement from the corner of his eye. Perking his ears he froze, heart thudding.
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Post by regent on Jul 4, 2009 14:05:53 GMT -5
The air was light and smelled of dust, and weeds, and of the clear stream that babbled cheerfully over polished stones. It was warm. Bright afternoon sunshine lit the world and painted clear shadows on the ground, so that the light came in patches of vivid color. Here was a bright red flower gilded by the sun, there stood a clump of yellow-green grasses waving shyly in the slight breeze. Regent, who meandered curiously through the woods, would pounce on the things with bright colors and ignore those bits of foliage left in the shadow. Soon, however, something more intriguing caught his attention: the merry tinkling sound of a nearby river as it slowly twisted its way down the slight mountainous incline. His ears flicked up and stood rigidly forward, like two alert sentries on top of his head. His yellowish-gray eyes flashed brightly in the sun, and his lips curved upward to form a small but mischievous smile. He wore it quite well on his slender muzzle, and it made him look almost older than his measly few moons. Regent dipped his head and began to trot toward the river.
In moments, he'd broken the tree line, and the sun hit his black face with full force. Regent blinked away Fenris' harsh light, then twisted his head to one side. There was a sound - a lapping sound - and Regent wanted to see what other creature had been attracted by the water at this very moment. To his astonishment it was another Varg. A wolf cub. He looked the same age as himself, but his pelage was a blend of grays and tans and maybe a bit of red in there somewhere. Regent grinned, and he drew himself up confidently. His slender body was tall and rangy, he was not a bulky pup by any means, and yet he still had a strength in his scrawny frame. He trotted over to the gray pup, who stood as if ready to flee. Regent noticed that he was just behind the strange dragga - or maybe on the other's peripheral vision - so he probably hadn't been immediately spotted. Hoping to remedy that, Regent spoke up: "Hello there. What are you doing?" His voice was strong and confident, but also very friendly. He hoped that this other pup was likewise.
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Post by Zadok on Jul 4, 2009 15:03:13 GMT -5
Regent was correct, Zadok had no clue that he wasn't alone, and that another little man had found him. The voice, although it wasn't threatening in any measure of the word, startled him terribly. His heart's pitter-patter swiftly turned into a full fledged stampede that roared in his ears. For some unknown reason Zadok was unbelievably frightened. Reason fled and he became merely a bed of nerves, and he leaped forward - right into the bubbling river. The gray pup only went so far before he was soaked through, and then he slowed down enough to realize how absurd he must look, and felt. Turning on his heel Zadok barreled back toward shore and the black pup that waited there.
Clambering out of the water he gazed at his company. He couldn't be much older than himself, and he didn't appear at all threatening. Besides, he could easily beat up this newcomer no contest, Zadok told himself. In an effort to hide his humiliation that would've turned him cherry pink Zadok growled. "Well? What's you got to be doin' here now? You see that, you jus' scared my dinner - er, lunch... Yeah, you know, you're lucky I'm happy 'cause I'd whoop you so bad you'd be black and blue, boy..." His eyes glittered, though not with anger but amusement. But his body language told a different story than his eyes, he would've looked absolutely ferocious if not for the fact he was merely a drenched, silly little puppy.
However, Zadok had never been a very convincing actor, and although he thought he was a real intimidating figure, he couldn't keep himself together. It started as just a funny sensation in his gut, but it quickly grew and laughter bubbled out of him, although he struggled vainly to keep himself composed. But his little charade was through, and after his little fit Zadok looked back at the stranger who'd at first frightened him. "Yeah, I'm just kiddin'. That musta been pretty scary, huh? And I was drinking, but then decided to make you feel good and pretend to be scared...I wasn't really, though. Honest to Fenris an' I swear on my mama's grave, but not really." For a moment Zadok looked a little frightened that this pup wouldn't believe him, he didn't want to come across as a sikla in any way, shape or form. "So, uh, what're you doin'? An', whats your name, kid? I'm Zadok, but you can call me Danger, 'cause that's my middle name. 'I wish...'
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Post by regent on Jul 4, 2009 15:43:01 GMT -5
Regent furrowed his brow as he watched the gray cub suddenly rush out into the river. A slight worry and curiosity in the other's flight consumed him. He silently wished that the cub would stop running so far out into the water, convinced that the strong undertow of the river's center would sweep the other dragga down into its gloomy depths and send him tumbling into the afterlife. Fortunately, he noticed almost immediately that the pup had slowed in his maddening scramble out into the water - no doubt because it was becoming difficult to run against the river. Finally, the gray pup stopped and turned around, looking more angry than embarrassed, though Regent realized that there was a fair bit of embarrassment in his face too. Regent wagged his tail, as if beckoning the now bedraggled whelp to come back to shore, and a rueful smile carved itself onto his tapering muzzle. He meant to tell him that he was sorry for startling him, but as soon as the gray wolf climbed ashore, Regent was verbally assaulted with such ferocity that he decided it would be in his best interest to remain silent on the matter. Nevertheless, he was amused to hear how badly the anger was spit at him - venomous but clumsy: Regent hardly understood what he was being accused of. It didn't sound like he was in trouble for scaring the other pup at all, which interested him, but not enough for him to say so.
The slender black cub stood tall and mute as the other pup threatened him, but like the gray Varg, he too felt a laughter start to fill him. His smile was now amused and tinged with a small sense of arrogance, and it grew even larger when the other cub started to laugh. Regent still, however, stayed silent. He only watched, and when the other pup started to rectify the ordeal and try to make friends, Regent felt as though he'd won some sort of competition, although he didn't know what it was or how he'd won it. So he stood a little taller and his smile grew a little bolder, and when Zadok finally introduced himself, Regent was happy to do the same. "Well, my name's Regent," he said in a lilting voice. "And I wasn't doing anything except coming to see the river. Only you happened to be here, and now I'm talking to you, Danger. And now I don't know what to do, only maybe explore some more... Wait, didn't you say you were trying to catch lunch? What sort of lunch?"
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Post by Zadok on Jul 4, 2009 16:04:54 GMT -5
When the other pup introduced himself as Regent then went on to call Zadok by his self-proclaimed nickname any anger or irritation he'd had for the stranger was forgotten. Now, as far as this simple-minded pup was concerned, they were best friends. He listened to Regent for a moment before ever so slowly he began to fade him out. It wasn't an incredibly interesting conversation, by Zadok's standards. A faraway look swam over his features, and his eyes glazed for a moment before he snapped back to reality and glanced around, anxious for something to do.
"So, Regent, why don't you have a cool nickname like me? It'll make you better." Zadok said casually. He didn't really believe that, but it was something to say, and the pup liked the sound of his own voice. "Oh, and, um...a big fat deer, but you scared it, 'member, Regent? But that's okay, I forgive you." He attempted to look slightly annoyed, but grinned all the same. There had been no deer, but Regent didn't need to know that. In fact, lunch had hardly crossed Zadok's mind. But now that it was there it wouldn't leave. "Are you hungry? I can go days without food, but of course you can't, huh? Anyway, what would you like? We can find a big fat deer or something, or if that's too hard we can eat...whatever else. But let's do somethin', I'm getting old." He looked slyly at Regent, wondering if his fibs were being believed. But it didn't matter, and Zadok slowly forgot about them altogether. Shaking his sopping pelt he padded past his sable friend and towards the stand of trees. "C'mon, pokey puppy!" Zadok giggled.
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Post by regent on Jul 4, 2009 16:25:30 GMT -5
His question went unanswered for a moment, and Regent noticed almost as soon as he finished asking it that he was being ignored. It was probably not an intentional rebuff on Zadok's part, but Regent still felt snubbed. He frowned and looked at his paws, conscious only of the small flicker of anger in his chest. He'd first been threatened with a good beating for accidentally frightening the gray pup, and now he was being ignored. Why should he deserve either one of those actions? But Zadok spoke after a moment, and his youthful voice quelled the small flame that Regent felt. His anger was soothed, and he quietly resolved to ignore it if it should ever threaten him again; he wanted to make Zadok his friend, not an enemy. So he glanced up with a cool indifference to the other, and flicked one ear as he casually turned away to look at the murky river and the blurry, irregular shadows that shimmered on its golden-green surface. "Oh, I don't want to be better," Regent replied slowly, and he nodded slowly about the deer although he'd neither seen nor smelled it.
Then, Zadok started to pander off toward the copse of trees from which Regent had just come, and the black cub turned to watch him. He frowned again, and before Zadok disappeared into the woods, he called out to him: "No, not back there. I think I'd rather go fishing since we're already at the river... But what say you, since I was the one who scared away your lunch?" He quickly decided that if Zadok still wanted to go hunting in the woods, then he would not follow. He didn't think it was worth his time to explore the same trees and grasses and patches of shadow that he'd already explored just moments before. Besides that, he didn't think that their friendship would be worth pursuing quite yet.
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Post by Zadok on Jul 4, 2009 16:54:22 GMT -5
He paused just a few steps into the woods. So, Regent wasn't going to follow. He looked back, and his golden eyes held the black male in a disappointed gaze. Zadok sighed heavily and dramatically, making sure that his companion would hear it. He looked back towards the woodland and sun-speckled ground before turning back. He wasn't about to go looking for a deer by himself, he wasn't stupid, just arrogant. Besides, there wasn't even a sliver of a chance that if found a deer he'd be able to take it down, unless it was already dying and defenseless. "Well, be that way if you want, my friend." He made an attempt to sound disappointed, but he wasn't. However, his previous run-in with the river just a few moments previous hadn't left him with a desire to be in it again anytime soon, it was cumbersome and weighed you down.
"Uhm...fishing? Like, you wanna eat a fish, one of those squirming little squiggly things that flop around like little bugs on land? Well, you know how to catch 'em, right?" Zadok trotted to the water's edge and peered in. He had very little clue how to go about fishing, and wasn't all to eager to try it. But Regent wasn't gonna win the gold here, Zadok would at least give him a run for his money. He looked back at his friend and grinned vaguely. "'Cause I can't fish worth a darn anyway." He confided quietly. All the same he began to wade a little ways into the river, just until his paws were sufficiently covered and just stood there, looking around at the gurgling river. "Could, uh, you show me maybe?"
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Post by regent on Jul 4, 2009 17:09:38 GMT -5
Regent wasn't sure whether he was pleased to see Zadok change his mind and come tottering back, or if he was irritated that he'd given Zadok a chance to redeem himself. He still wasn't sure whether or not they were friends yet. So he stood a bit awkwardly to one side, indecisive feelings making him look almost a little cold as he watched the gray wolf pup pad quietly to the edge of the river and peer down into it. Regent neither smiled nor frowned this time when Zadok questioned him. He only nodded and curiously tilted his head to one side, wondering why the gray pup suddenly seemed a little unsure of himself. He wanted to ask if he'd ever even eaten a fish before, but assumed that he'd get another earful about how wonderful Zadok's hunting skills were, and decided that he'd rather not hear it. So he slowly slunk over to the gray pup's shoulder, and together they shared a vague smile, but Regent knew it was for very different reasons.
Then, Zadok did something which Regent did not assume he had the capacity for: he admitted that he couldn't fish very well. The black Varg was a little taken aback by the confidence that Zadok placed in him, but he quickly recovered from his surprise and gave him a friendly rub from shoulder to shoulder. Maybe Zadok had a little humility in him after all. Regent's smile became a bit warmer and he looked down into the murky waters. Zadok padded a few feet into the shallows. Regent glanced at him. "Well, I'm not a great fish hunter either, but I know that this part of the river is no good for fishing. It's too hard and dangerous, especially if you can't swim very well. What we need to do first is find a rocky, flat, shallow part of the river. Almost like rapids, but they have to be very shallow. Do you know this river very well, or know a place on the river like this?"
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Post by Zadok on Jul 4, 2009 17:31:32 GMT -5
This time when Regent spoke Zadok made it a point to pay very special attention. He'd soon get the hang of this fishing thing, and heck, maybe he'd even become the best in the land! One could dream. He huffed at the mention of it being dangerous to fish here at this particular portion of the river. "Ha, Regent, danger's my middle name, I tol' you. But if you want to, we can go somewhere...safer. But only 'cause you say so, 'cause I think we can fish here, but you're the master fisher here so...Um, well I don't really know anywhere better...You wanna go up or downstream?" Zadok babbled. He was beginning to grow a dislike for water and wondered if the fish they might catch would be worth venturing into, and swimming in. He was willing to try, but that didn't mean he'd have to like it. With one last look at the water he turned tail and scuttled out of there. One on dry land his ego returned and he pointedly shook his paws, then coat again.
"So, where we headed? I bet I'll catch a thousand to your one, as soon as you show me how to...but that's beside the point, you showing me. I'm a good hunter anyway, and this is only in the water so...how 'bout downstream?" Zadok began to walk downstream slowly, not wanting to look so eager or anything, for fear he'd be called back again and told that upstream was a better bet.
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Post by regent on Jul 4, 2009 18:14:38 GMT -5
Regent grinned. "All right. Downstream it is then, I guess." He replied, and tried not to let Zadok's bravado make him angry again. He was pleased to find, instead, that it was his sense of competition that was suddenly stroked into life. His grin quirked up to one side curiously and he quickly padded up to Zadok's side to bump him playfully with his shoulder. "Well, I'm a pretty good hunter too. And I'll bet I catch more fish than you. I bet you won't even catch one," Regent barked, though he was careful not to mention Zadok's admitted lack-of-skill. He didn't want to make the hunt seem even more one-sided, nor did he want to hold Zadok's confession over him like a cloud.
Regent jumped onto a fallen log at the edge of the bank where they were walking, and he followed its length for a ways before he lightly jumped down to the other side into a soft, springy bed of moss. A few bugs - tiny and barely seen except for the glint of sunlight on their delicate wings - flew up from their mossy homes and in every conceivable direction, even onto Regent's head and back. He shook them off without stopping, hardly concerned of their presence, and gave Zadok a sidelong glance to see how he'd handled the whole affair, or whether he'd paid any attention at all. "So," Regent said slowly as he left the bed of moss and padded onto soft muddy sands. His paws left light impressions on the ground, tracing his path from the moss to him. "How did you find the river anyway? Are your parents nearby?"
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Post by Zadok on Jul 5, 2009 9:47:47 GMT -5
For a moment after Regent spoke Zadok just stared. Was he serious? No one could beat him, of that he was sure, so where was Regent coming from? The gray Varg shrugged, and dismissed it to sit in a lonely corner of his brain. But although dismissed the little statement, even though made in good humor, bothered Zadok. His ego and over-bearing pride wouldn't let him forget the comment entirely and he was unwilling to allow himself to lose so completely to Regent, though he considered the other Varg his friend.
With a mind bubbling with plans to catch more fish Zadok allowed Regent to go ahead of him, content to follow behind effortlessly. He was wrapped in thoughts when his companion leaped onto the log, and equally so when he launched himself into the bed of moss. An insignificant and unexpected sparkle made him glance over, and he spied what seemed like hundreds of tiny, ethereal beings fly up, over, and on Regent. A grin washed his features and deftly cleaned his minds of plots to win in hunting. "Wow, Regent. That was sorta rude, but too funny! Hah, bugs, huh? I love bugs, don't you?" Zadok then coiled his legs and sprang onto the same bed of moss, only to be disappointed. It's resident's had already left. Shrugging, and telling himself it didn't matter, he turned back to the other dragga.
"Hmm, well, ya see. I was sleeping here, junior. I got tired this morning, 'cause I had done some serious hunting and tracking and fighting - ya know, the usual - earlier. So I just, I dunno, found it, then slept." Zadok neatly and pointedly avoided the question about his parents, again telling himself it wouldn't ever matter and that he didn't care - a hollow lie. "How 'bout you, how did you find the river? Do you like water or something?" Carefully he began to increase his pace, catching and just passing Regent. He would be first to find a suitable spot for fishing, although he had no clue what to look for. However, he spied a little area where the river seemed to slow, and the surface slid along unbroken by little waves. "Does that look good, Regent?"
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Post by regent on Jul 5, 2009 20:28:17 GMT -5
The black pup snorted and flicked his eyes back toward the soft moss with a questioning look in his yellowish eyes. He licked his lips, and when he looked back at Zadok, he fluidly shrugged his shoulders in an honest admission of his unknown feelings. He'd never been bothered by bugs, and yet he knew of some that would suck his blood if given the chance, or make him itch all over, or buzz around his head ceaselessly until eaten. "Well," he replied, his voice soft and light as he lifted his head and trotted onward along the bank. "I'm not sure love is the right word," and with the question answered, he dropped back to walk side-by-side his fellow wolf, and he playfully bumped his nose on Zadok's shoulder. Together, they crossed the soft sand and Regent started padding through warm, stagnant shallows. He glanced back. With a bit of pleasure, he noticed that his slight paw-prints had now disappeared once he entered the water. He wasn't concerned that they were being followed - his pleasure came from the knowledge that he was learning and practicing tricks that the adults used to hunt, to travel, and to retreat from danger.
Zadok's voice broke his small reverie, and Regent twisted his head around to happily watch the other young pup when he spoke. He noticed that his voice had changed almost imperceptibly, but Regent could neither place the change nor deduce a reason, so he quickly ignored his discovery and bobbed his head, to weigh the truth of Zadok's obvious fibs of self-greatness. He rolled his eyes over to him, and his lips curved upward to that same small, mischievous grin that he'd worn earlier that day. "Ok, well, I happened to be 'sploring the woods when I heard the river. You know how it kind of makes that trickling sound? Well, I followed that sound for a while until I popped right out on the bank and saw you there," he replied, deciding not to point out Zadok's fibs. He watched the gray pup quicken his pace, and though Zadok passed him, Regent felt no pressing need to catch up. He watched the Varg pup's bobbing gait for a moment, then glanced over at the sluggish green-gold river that wound beside them like a slow, spiritless snake.
As his attention was at the moment distracted by the river, he didn't realize that Zadok had slowed somewhat until he almost ran into him. How he managed to avoid the collision was well beyond his understanding, but he took it with a bit of pride when he glanced haughtily at the gray pup. He considered shouting a barrage of colorful words about being careful of where he was walking, but decided to grin a little smugly instead and let the matter drop. He wasn't even sure if Zadok was aware of the close call. Instead, the gray dragga's own attention seemed to be focused on a small section of the river, where the water slowly moved - if it moved at all. Its surface was as clean and unbroken as a thin mirror of ice, and it reflected the tops of trees and the brilliant blue sky in such vivid detail that it was almost like looking at the real thing. Regent frowned, and his tail bobbed slowly. "Not really," Regent said gently after a moment. "I'm sure you already know this, so let me just remind you real quick: when the water's real smooth like that it usually means that its really deep. Deep water can be good for fishing, but its tricky, and too hard for us - or me, at least. What I'm looking for is a patch of the river where there are a bunch of rocks and the water is so shallow that it barely comes up to our chest. But, the water can't really be too white. If it's too white and frothy, its also a bad place to hunt because that means that the river is far too quick to walk in. It has to be just the right speed, and just the right depth - otherwise we'll be forced over into the water, or we'll sink. But good try though," he said, and nudged his friend's flank with his shoulder in a boyish way. "C'mon. There should be a place like that not too far from here."
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