[PRP] Shhh, I got you. [Laykos x Nola]

[jinxgirl5]

Word count: 147

Nola looked Laykos up and down. She couldn't help it. She giggled. It was the quietest thing, softer even than her voice, and lasted only as long as a breath. Still. The thought of a great big Daeva like him hunting for strawberries, the mental image of him with those small red berries held in his tail or wings, like giant fruit containers, was so amusing that she hadn't been able to help herself. A slight smile still hung around her lips as she looked at Laykos, shyness forgotten for just that brief moment. "I think you would squish them if you tried to pick them. The forest has lots of space, so you should be able to fit if you really want to give it a try." Still quiet, her voice had reached the volume it tended to be when she conversed with her brother, Sagan.

Yushika

 

[NymiiNym]

Ears flicking up as she giggled, the male cracked a smile, tail wagging side to side slowly. A chuckle followed as his head cocked to the side, smile widening. Ah, she was relaxing a little. Good, she was a lot cuter when she smiled. Glancing at his body, his wings expanded, twitching upwards as he considered his size. He should be able to travel fine. Wings twitching as a spasm of pain rushed through, the male lowered them against his side, wincing.

"I would offer to fly above and find some, but I've been flying for a few days straight. My wings aren't in any condition for use." Perhaps it showed that he was weak by how gentle and small his flames were. They looked barely alive, flickering in and out of existence. "So, if you are willing to have me around for help, I'd gladly try."

jinxgirl5

 

[jinxgirl5]

Word count: 244

Nola cocked her head to the side. Flying would be of little use anyway. The berries were so small that even the least of undergrowth could hide them, and even if the trees were sparse in this ancient forest she doubted they left enough room for any sort of maneuverability. He'd have to fly above the trees more than likely, and that would do no good at all in the hunt for berries. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of curiosity as she looked at the wings though. They looked far too delicate to support the weight of such a giant creature in the air. What did they feel like? She was way too shy to ask though! Even if Laykos would let her, she'd probably keel over before she got close enough, or tap at them so quick she wouldn't even register what they felt like. Maybe one day she'd have enough courage to ask a Daeva if she could touch their wings. Maybe.

"A-Are you sure," she asked, face expressing some concern. "I'll find them eventually. If you're tired, you should rest." She didn't want to impose at all if it would mean he had to risk his health for a measly pawful of berries. Most foxes tended to think of foraging as a chore rather than something enjoyable, as Nola thought of it. She could be at this all day, a task even a fully rested fox might find trying.

Yushika

 

[NymiiNym]

"Never been more sure in my life." He hummed, shifting slightly. Casting her a concerned look, the 'Daeva slowly extended a paw, about to rise.

"Just tell me if I get annoying, alright?" Moving as slowly as he could, the male rose, finally at his full height. He didn't move towards Nola yet, instead standing still and waiting to make sure she didn't either skitter off or panic because of his movement. It was like dealing with a mouse, except minus the disease, and the mouse was adorable. It reminded him of that one vixen who had befriended a mouse, though he had absolutely refused to touch it. He had heard of enough stories of mice holding nasty diseases for a lifetime.

jinxgirl5

 

[jinxgirl5]

Word count: 281

Nola couldn't help reflexively shrinking back as Laykos stood up. It only served to underscore how much bigger than her he truly was. She herself looked a bit smaller than her true size since she rarely stood up properly, always bending in on herself or crouched in some form. Even if she'd been standing at her tallest though, she doubted the tip of her ear could do more than tickle his shoulder. She hadn't felt this tiny since she was a kit.

What was she supposed to do. Was he waiting for her to make the first move. Was he going to follow her? The mental image of her leading around something so big, like a momma duck and her duckling but in reverse, threatened to release a bubble of hysterical laughter. She quickly clamped down on it before the sound left her throat, partly because of her instinct not to attract attention to herself and partly because she didn't want the Daeva to think she was laughing at him.

"O-Okay," she stuttered in response to his calm statement that she could send him off if she had to, then slowly turned and scurried into the forest. She came to a sudden halt. She'd have to watch her movements if Laykos was following her. She could vanish pretty quick and without even thinking about it, so she might lose him otherwise. She turned her head to look back. "Um...call for me if you get lost? I move a little fast." That was about all the conversation she could manage, and blushing and feeling flustered she quickly faced forward again and tried to move a little less like a scampering mouse.

Yushika

 

[NymiiNym]

Feeling momentarily bad when she shrunk back, the fact she didn't flee was enough for him to keep standing. Her stutter caused a brief wag of his tail, reminding him just how adorable she was. Come on, Laykos. He needed to stop thinking that, he may just blurt it out... and then how would he explain that? She'd probably run for good.

"Hm? I'll just yell if you get too far." Wings folding tightly against his size, he grunted as he tried to make himself smaller to avoid smacking into branches. That'd be nice. He rather not make a fool of himself in-front of her.

jinxgirl5

 

[jinxgirl5]

Word count: 257

Nola felt so self-conscious as she scampered about at first. She couldn't ignore the fact that a fully-grown male Daeva, a total stranger, was following her around to assist her with berrying! Sagan would probably die with laughter if he didn't keel over with worry first. As they progressed though she slowly began to relax bit by bit, her focus taken up on the task at hand. She was in the undergrowth a lot, wiggling around and looking for those small sun-lit pockets that might hide a patch of strawberries. She also kept an eye out for any other types of berry bushes, if only because most had thorns. She made sure to leave all the open spaces for Laykos, but that suited her quite well since she didn't like to be out in the open anyway, given the choice.

Nola made her second wild strawberry discovery of the day when she peeked her head out from the tangle of grass and vines to get her bearings and make sure Laykos hadn't lost her (she couldn't lose him, not something his size!) and discovered a little patch of them spread out in an area between her and the nearest tree. The tree in particular was the largest of the cluster, so sunlight was more easily able to reach the ground. The strawberries had taken advantage of that and were growing in a tidy patch. Even from here she could spot some bright red, signifying ripe berries. She let out a squeak and scuttled over, feeling very pleased.

Yushika

 

[NymiiNym]

Now, Laykos wasn't worrying about the fact that just a giant 'Daeva was following such a tiny normal, and the image that it gave. While it may be amusing to others, to him he was a nervous wreck, focusing on his feet to avoid tripping and his wings to avoid snagging the branches. He noticed her relaxing bit by bit, tail wagging like a doofus. A loud thump followed as his tail whapped into a tree, causing a sharp intake of air as he winced. Idiot! Flushing, the male mumbled a "sorry", ducking his head in shame.

Nola let out a squeak, catching him off-guard. Wings expanding slightly, he watched her scuttle off towards the scent of berries, chuckling quietly.

"Good job." He hummed, voice not high enough or sweet enough to sound condescending. Glancing about, the male inwardly sighed. She was far better at this.... dammit. He actually wanted to try and be useful!

jinxgirl5

 

[jinxgirl5]

Word count: 262

Nola looked up from her examination of the strawberry patch, face flushed and feeling flustered from the compliment. That wasn't new for her though. Even her own family, whom she had known her whole life, could still elicit such reactions out of her without even trying hard. They assured her it was cute, but she couldn't help feeling it was also a little pathetic.

"A-Ah, well I'm just...really good at spotting things," she stuttered, unable to make eye contact but at least looking in the direction of Laykos' feet. Okay, the general direction of his feet. She saw a paw in her peripheral, she swore! "I'm not...o-officially titled, but I make a good gatherer. Or so I've been told," she hastened to add, worried that she sounded like she might be bragging. "I just know how to tell plants apart pretty easily, that's all!"

Knowing if she got herself too flustered she'd just shut down, Nola attempted to distract herself by looking for good strawberries. She could always tell when she was reaching her limit just from the temperature of her face and the fluttering of her heart. Normally she could last much longer than this, but Laykos was a stranger. That just automatically made her more flustered, and when she thought about how silly she must look to him it only increased her rate of being flustered all the more. She was almost sure he was regretting offering to follow along such a strange vixen. Crap, she was supposed to be calming down. Berries. Think only about the berries.

Yushika

 

[NymiiNym]

Offering a warm smile, the 'Daeva shook his head, tail wagging lazily. "Well, I think it's cool." Watching her stutter and avoid eye contact, he decided to make it easier for her by glancing about once more, looking for berries. However, he did cast a glance once or twice, tail wagging each time. Kneading the ground like a restless cat, the male glanced back at the vixen, clearing his throat.

"What do foxes in tribes do, anyway?" Having never visited a tribe, the male was beyond curious. Was it exciting, being in a tribe? Did she love it? Why? What was the point of a tribe?

jinxgirl5

 

[jinxgirl5]

Word count: 231

Nola's mind blanked at the question. What did you do in a tribe? Just...everyday things, right? Her lifestyle was so commonplace to her that she'd never thought about what it might look like to an outsider or how it could differ from their own life. She could probably say with all honestly that she'd never thought about the world outside of Lunarie's forests and plains.

"W-Well, it's like having a big family. We hunt and search for plants, and make sure we don't overuse an area. We don't all live together, since some groups want a bit of privacy, but we all gather together for our holidays so we know who everyone is. If people are sick we have healers, and if someone has had trouble with hunting we share what we have so no one goes hungry. Our Elder is really old and we have lots of older people who can give advice when you need it. Some of us have jobs, the rest just do what's needed."

She wasn't sure if she'd adequately explained that at all, but she didn't know what else to add to that. Was life greatly different for those who didn't live in tribes? She imagined it had to be at least a bit different. Some people probably preferred wandering, but Nola just couldn't picture herself doing that. This was her home, after all.

Yushika

 

[NymiiNym]

Tilting his head to the side, Laykos hummed in response. Sounded... nice. He had grown up alone, and seeking a woman he wanted to give a good verbal lashing to. He hadn't really known a proper family, and the idea of having such a large one? Well, maybe it did perk his interest. And the plus side would be seeing the adorable Nola more. But then there was the legitimate fear that he'd never be able to find the 'daeva and 'phim who had offered and then snatched such a promising life from him. The reminder made his flames, which had grown as his strength had, flicker briefly.

"It sounds nice.." His voice had a soft, slightly sad hint to it, however he immediately followed it with a wag of his tail and forced laugh. "Is your family big? Not the tribe, but your personal family."

jinxgirl5

 

[jinxgirl5]

Word count: 250

Since she had her gaze firmly locked on the strawberries she hadn't noticed the flame flicker as more than a brief brightening of light, and it was so subtle a change that her brain didn't even register it, likely thinking a breeze had made the tree tops dance and caused the sunlight filtering down to shift. She faltered a little on the next question. Her first response was an automatic yes, but that didn't seem enough to encompass the reality of her family.

"W-Well I've only met some of them. Elder Ari is actually my great-great-great-grandfather. My mother, father, and siblings are all part of the tribe. My mother only has a brother and he only has two children, but I've never met any of them. My father's mother lives with us, but she's thinking of leaving. My great-great grandma is part of a different tribe, but they disbanded a long time ago, I think. I don't know where she is now. My great-grandma might have lived with Lunarie for a while, but I don't think she was ever part of a tribe. I've never even met her. Grandma has two siblings and they all have kids, but I've never met any of them either. My great-grandma and great-grandpa only have Grandma and her siblings, but I hear my great-grandpa has a whole bunch of family."

Her limbs trembled a bit at the thought of so many people. Family or not, it was just too overwhelming for the shy vixen.

Yushika

 

[NymiiNym]

Wow, she had a huge family, while he had.... well to be fair he could actually have a giant family. While he didn't know his birth parents, perhaps they came from a long line of foxes and have many kids. Hell, he didn't know, nor would he ever. He spotted her trembling limbs, inching closer and raising a wing to slightly cover her, though not touching the vixen at all.

"Hey hey, relax. I guess lots of people freak you out? Well, it's just us. A big idiot who can't stop bumping into trees, and a little flash of black and blue." He tried to soften his voice, tail wagging to show his honest intent. Stepping away, the male made a mode to continue their search, head jabbing to the side.

"Want me to carry some of the berries?"

jinxgirl5

 

[jinxgirl5]

Word count: 110

Nola appreciated the effort to calm her down. She took a few deep breaths and willed her limbs to stop trembling, focusing on the sounds and smells around her. She offered Laykos a shy smile of thanks. Sometimes she just needed someone to step in and stop her line of thought before things got out of control.

She blushed shyly as Laykos made his offer. "A-Are you sure? I don't mind holding them. Perhaps another failing of her personality, she got very shy when people offered to help. She didn't want them to think she was incapable or made other people do stuff for her. Her timidity was disadvantage enough!

Yushika