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 Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 8:38 pm
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It had been quieter as of late around the small cottage. Fitting for the Quiet Woods, but perhaps a bit melancholy for this particular home, given the circumstances. With both parents gone and one of the children spending more time away than here, the numbers of Pae'il in and out of the cottage had dwindled to half.
For the moment, the cottage seemed quiet. The boys must be either inside or perhaps out for a bit. As it were, the area surrounding the home was quiet...but not entirely still. A tiny creature peered out of the undergrowth, bright violet eyes scanning the scene. Clear!
A dark charcoal and silver dappled furball darted from the foliage into the clearing, bounding up onto the stump of a fallen tree. The little fox's nose sniffed at the air, then at the stump at its feet, then it bounded away again. Once in a while, it would stop to sniff the ground, then look towards the cottage, then the forest, then be off chasing a butterfly again.
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Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2015 1:57 pm
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Alone, again.
It was a never ending feeling for Cocoa Eclair. Whether it be surrounded by family or perfect strangers in the Tree, it never seemed to leave her. She had initially started to leave home in an attempt to leave behind all of the emotions and hardship, but she found the Tree had its own. They were a close knit community, one that made Cocoa feel even more estranged from it. She saw not only families, but those of different blood lines acting like a close, loving family. It hurt and made her blood boil.
She'd disappeared into the Tree for awhile, but had started to come around again. It hurt worse to stay away, and as soon as she saw her brothers the feelings seemed to melt away. They had been the ones that she clung to, they were the ones who had gone through the pain with her. Each one had come out different because of it, and Cocoa wasn't completely sure why she was the way she was. Foxglove seemed to be able to still smile and be strong, and her other brothers were still baking and acting like goof balls. Perhaps there was something under the surface she wasn't seeing.
It was always so sweet to come back to them, till she saw her mother. Memories of their reunion were bittersweet in her mind and in her dreams. It had been the only moment she had seen the Briosca she remembered as a child. As soon as her Father had brought her Mother home it had felt so right. Those sweet, loving eyes had been on her once again. Then, she was gone again. Not physically, but you could see it in her eyes. There was a vacancy there like she'd lost a piece of who she use to be. Cocoa couldn't explain it, but it spoke loudly in her Mother's actions. Some days she'd sit around and not lift a finger, others she'd disappear and her Father would have to go looking for her in a panic, and worst of all he'd never tell them what she was doing. They'd both come home soaking wet or covered in dirt and scratches, and have nothing to tell the kids.
So Cocoa had left, but it hadn't fixed a thing.
Now she found she needed to come home or else she'd drive herself insane. Foxglove was the older child in every regard and doted on their Mother like none of it even touched him. How could he be so strong? It made Cocoa jealous and mad all in the same turn. When she saw them together she'd promptly leave for the forest that surrounded their quite home. She couldn't handle the sight.
This time she was the one left at home. Feral had taken their Mother out to gather some herbs in hope to spur on her passion for life again, while the boys were out doing who knows what. She knew they all had chores, but coming home to just her parents who immediately left her wasn't what she had intended. She needed some relief, not a reminder of how she was drowning.
She dumped out the last wash bucket and watched the water absorb into the ground. She sighed wishing emotions could get buried so easily. With that little chore done she picked up her basket full of berries and headed back around the home their father had built. It hadn't always been this size, additions had been made as the family grew. Now it was comfortable for all of them, even as grown as they were.
As she came up the side of the house she stopped suddenly. A small fuzzball was playing in the front of their home, carefree and sweet. The sight made Cocoa's heart clench and slowly she set her bucket and basket down so she wouldn't disturb the moment. She then just as slowly lowered herself to the ground just to the side of the house and drew her knees up under her chin so she could rest her head as she watched.
She felt something in her heart she hadn't in awhile. There was a bit of warmth there as she watched the fox chasing a butterfly. She recalled doing the exact same thing when she was younger, before everything had fallen apart for her. A soft smile turned up her lips as she let the memories and emotions roll over her. The amount of sweet emotions that came with it surprised her. Was this making her happy? The only other thing that made her feel this good was the chance to use her skills with wood. Anything that was needed that could be fashioned from it she would attempt. It was her purpose and she clung to it for dear life.
She blinked suddenly, tears were pricking at her eyes. She growled and cursed lightly to herself so as to not alarm the fox. She'd let her thoughts get away from herself again. She took a deep breath trying to clear her mind and let the fox's play distract her again. This wasn't the time to deal with it. Slowly, with the toe of her hoof, she pushed the berry basket out a ways in front of her towards the fox. She wasn't sure how wary it was of others, but a peace offering couldn't hurt.
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Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2015 5:12 pm
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The adventurous little fox seemed intent on fully exploring the yard in its attempts to catch the butterfly. At one point, it crouched, wiggling its haunches before pouncing...then blinked in confusion at its empty paws. Where'd it go?
There it was!
The furball bounded after it again, this time taking a diving leap into a patch of flowering clover..and coming up with a sneeze and a shake of its head. Rubbing at its face to clear the pollen away, it sneezed a couple more times before it seemed to be free of the dust.
It paused here, sniffing at the air before it seemed to hone in on the basket of berries. Food! Back to its paws it leapt, ready to bound forward...when it's cool violet eyes locked onto the golden pair staring back from behind the basket. The vulpine creature froze mid-stride, eyes widening in fear. Instantly, it turned and bolted back to the underbrush. Clearly, it would have fled such a large 'predator' and left the scene completely, right?
Yep, ignore the rustling brush and the glimmer of eyes from within the foliage. Nothing there waiting for the big thing to get bored and go away, leaving the food behind. Nope.
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Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2015 8:33 pm
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Shrewd little eyes followed the flutter-fauny's every move. Only after she was safely far away and seated again was there any sign of movement from the bush. A dark pointed nose emerged from the foliage, sniffing the air carefully. Soon, it was followed by a paw, then the rest of the fox cautiously appeared. Circling wide around the delicious offering before closing in, the fox seemed to keep its eyes on Cocoa, even as it leaned in to sniff the berries.
One berry swiftly disappeared, then another. The offering was apparently accepted and someone was looking for more. Sneaking up on the berries like prey, the fox continued feeding until it had closed perhaps half the distance between Cocoa and its original position. It paused, staring at her curiously before cocking its head to the side. Sniff sniff. Head tilt the other way. Its bushy tail swished back and forth, the creature lowering itself to the ground, hindquarters wiggling in the air. It tensed, seeming about to--
The fox blinked, suddenly rising and cocking one ear towards the forest as if hearing something far away. It turned a look towards the forest, then back to Cocoa. It seemed unwilling for a moment to move closer or further away, glancing back and forth between the flutter and the trees. It sniffed the air again, glancing at Cocoa, then barked at her in a short, sharp tone. It's tail swished again and the fox bounced on its' paws, two bounces towards her, one back, then one to the side, tilting its head at her again.
Ear cocked towards the forest again, it lifted its front paw to turn to go. Looking back at Cocoa, it barked sharply, then bounded towards the forest. It seemed about to retreat, but stopped just short of the foliage to look back again. Bark! Its jaws relaxed, opening into a sort of grin. Then, it bounded into the bushes.
((Looks like someone wants to play! The question is, does Cocoa? If so, better hurry before it gets away! Course, could just let it go...))
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Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2015 6:47 am
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Cocoa felt glad when the little face came peering out of the bush. She had thought she had seen it still there, but she had had a nagging worry that it had eventually left while she was preparing it a treat. She wouldn't have been concerned about the berries, they could easily be cleaned up, she was more not wanting to be alone again just yet. The little fuzzball was really doing some good for her day.
Cocoa tried not to move, but the smile tugged at her face as she watched it. It seemed so suspicious of the berries, and all for good reason. It hadn't made it this far in life by being trusting. So it was very rewarding to Cocoa when it did finally start gobbling down her gift. It did it in such a way that even Cocoa had to pop one in her mouth- man they were good! No wonder it was gobbling them down!
As she was chewing she stopped. It was staring at her! Her eyes grew wide and she held very still. Was it going to run off scared now? It started to wiggle its little behind, making Cocoa choke a second on the berry still in her mouth from its pure adorableness. Was it about to--?
No, something stopped it! Cocoa perked an ear wondering if her sensitive senses could pick it up also, but before she could really focus the critter's bark made her jump. What was it doing? She tilted her head at it as it danced around in front of her. It didn't seem scared of her or whatever else it was hearing so what was that that it was doing?
Her heart sunk as she watched it start to walk off. She leaned forward in a gesture of wanting to stop it somehow, but was surprised to see it stopping to look back at her. Wait, it wasn't leaving it was... it was wanting her to go with? Curious she pushed herself up onto her hooves and slowly crossed the area it had just been playing and paused halfway. She didn't want to be wrong and scare it off into the forest- oh man there it went!
She took a slow pace as she pushed into the forest, not trying to scare it off with its game. Was this really happening to her right now? She never thought of her herself as the animal charmer sort. Still, she couldn't deny the smile that was on her face.
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Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2015 5:04 pm
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Frequently darting forward out of sight, the fox kit kept up the game. Sometimes it would disappear for some time, then reappear behind Cocoa, having circled around her unnoticed. It would then dart by, 'tagging' her with a sharp bark, then dash ahead again, bouncing gleefully through the forest. It never allowed Cocoa to get quite close enough to make contact, dancing just out of reach tauntingly. The pair took a wandering path, but were heading steadily south and west from the family home.
The fox began to disappear for longer periods of time, running ahead, but always coming back to check that Cocoa was still there, and barking if it thought she was lagging behind. Once it paused, ears cocked as if listening again to something far away, then bounded excitedly forwards. They had covered some distance, surely they'd reach their destination soon. They had to be reaching the edge of the forest any time now, if they hadn't been wandering in circles.
They hadn't, had they? Perhaps that was the fox's game.
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Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2015 5:31 pm
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Yep, this was certainly happening. What Cocoa Eclair thought she has misread in the fox kit was actually very true, it was leading her on a grand game. She'd do her best to keep up with it, but when she'd lose sight she'd attempt to listen for it. It was a lot more clever and would even managed to get in behind her, making her jump at its announcement. It never did let her near, though she didn't dare try to push it. If she ended the game prematurely perhaps it would never consider coming around again. Frankly, she could get use to the company.
Cocoa stopped her movement forward. Where was it? It had been awhile now since she had last seen it. Her heart thudded quickly in her chest when she realized she hadn't been paying attention to where she was. Her head snapped this way and that trying to latch on to anything that was familiar, she spread her wings about to take to the sky when a recognizable sound hit her ears. She turned to her side and shook her head at the fox, “You're incredibly sneaky.” She kept her tone soft and level despite the moment of emotion. She'd have to watch for any markers that her father had left out during his hunting or gathering travels. Those would certainly point her home.
The next time it took just as long she managed to keep her heart rate down, finding that this was now the norm for them. Would it get longer and longer till it finally bored of her? This time it didn't run off as soon as it usually did- it took a moment to listen. Was it not just playing but leading her somewhere? It had done the same action when this all first started, but it didn't have to mean anything right? It did need to keep a watch for things lurking in the forest. Speaking of which... Cocoa realized she'd kinda let herself go. She'd have to be better about that now that her new fox friend was leaving her for longer moments. She'd been kinda relying on it if it seemed to freak out she'd know.
Ah! There it went again. This time she followed, not only keeping her ears tuned to its sound but any others that might attempt to surprise her.
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Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 7:54 pm
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Cocoa wasn't feeling comfortable with this game any longer. The fox was starting to leave her alone for much longer periods of time. She was beginning to dislike the way the forest was crowding in around her, darkening and almost making it hard for her to think and breath. Was it just the trees or was night falling? She didn't want to be out here during the night.
"Hello?" she called softly into the practically empty forest around her, her voice trembling. It had grown eerily quiet and it was setting her on edge. Her forward motion slowed to a stop as she tried to strain her tired senses. Had it completely abandoned her here? Had it led her into something sinister? She chided herself for such horrible thoughts. It was hard not to when you are alone in a dark forest.
Her eyes snapped open wide, a chill running down her spine, "NO!" she screamed her body bursting into action. She ran ahead, pushing through the brush and anything else that hindered her, slapping and shoving it away. She could feel her heart pounding, her breath coming out in pants. "No, no no, hello!" she screamed into the forest. Where had she heard it? Was she even going in the right direction? It sounded like something was wrong! Where was it!?
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Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 11:01 pm
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Cocoa soon came upon the source of the noise, but it was not the dear little fox she had been chasing...
It was a great, hulking beast, covered in coarse, thick fur draped over bulky muscle. It moved on all fours, seeming to have a hunched body shape like a bear. The beast's head was longer, more narrow...canine perhaps, given the long muzzle. The creature snarled, whirling towards Cocoa with the narrowed eyes of a predator, suspicious some scavenger has come to steal its meal. Its teeth were bared, a thick, black shadowy substance dripped from its clenched jaw and pooled on the ground. The living shadow gathered itself and oozed into the growing shadows of the surrounding trees to the west, disappearing altogether.
Irritation and hunger seemed somehow obvious in this creature's stance and stare. It was focused solely on Cocoa now, sizing her up, gauging its chances against the frail flutter-fauny, preparing to charge...
Could she have strayed so far as Dragnid Forest? Or could it be that without its protector, the safefy of the Quiet Wood was being compromised by the creatures of the dark forest beyond? Either way, it seems Cocoa had only a short time to react before the beast charges her.
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Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2015 8:38 am
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As Cocoa pushed her way through the forest, she didn't expect to find what she had. She screamed in surprise and fear, instantly stumbling back. She could feel her power surge through her, something she'd practice countless of times to get this exact kind of response- immediate without thinking. A gift from her father, she supposed, as claws and fangs instantly appeared. She knew they were no match for this creature, but there was no reason to not be prepared.
Her eyes were dilated helping her better see the monster before her, not that it was a sight you'd want to see. She could feel hot tears pouring down her face and for a moment she cursed herself for being so afraid and so weak, but on the other hand seeing this creature who could blame her. It wasn't normal. It hit her, was she... had she... Her breaths started to come out sharp and ragged. She had been walking a ways, she had to be near that one place her father had always warned her about. Stupid stupid stupid! She'd let herself get caught up in a stupid game and now...
She shook the thoughts from her head. Now wasn't the time! Instead of dooming herself when she wasn't dead yet, she should be thinking of a way to get herself out of this situation! There was no way she could fight it, not something like this. Even its nasty drool wasn't normal, there was no way she'd even be able to nick it. She squeaked when she saw the look. It was done sizing her up, it was ready to attack! She couldn't fight, couldn't out run it-
It hit her. Could it fly? It didn't look like it had anything on it that was wing like so it was her only option. Without thinking too deeply on it she flared her wings and with a great heave of her legs she shot upwards. Immediately she came crashing into branches, cursing herself as she began climbing them. This hadn't been the plan, but with her claws she was steadily making progress up the tree. If she could just break through them then she could make it into the air and back home. Oh, home, your problems seemed so trivial now...
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Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2015 9:30 pm
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The creature had ignored Cocoa for only a moment, head whipping back and forth as if looking for something. The last of the liquid shadow was flung away from its jaws and everywhere it hit the ground, it pooled and quickly darted away into the darkness as if alive, heading further into the dark forest.
Cocoa's scream tore the creature's attention away from its quarry, however, and forced it to focus directly on her. It took in the sight of the bared teeth and claws, registered that as a threat, and responded with a mighty roar. Broad shoulders set, the beast charged, sailing harmlessly by as the flutter fauny leapt into the lower branches, but quickly digging into the soft soil to arrest its momentum and turn around. With a guttural snarl, the beast reared back and slammed its massive front paws on the tree trunk below. It was bulky and not built to fly, or even climb exceptionally quickly, but it was determined and not to be stopped by its prey hiding in a tree. It'd claw its way up there, bit by splintered, bark-ripping bit...
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Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2015 10:07 pm
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Cocoa hadn't foreseen this. No way in heck had she thought this could be happening to her right now! She wasn't second guessing herself, she'd been right that the thing wasn't the best of climbers. Still, it was managing to make its way up even if it was slow. She was still alive, something that wouldn't have been guaranteed had she gone any other way with this, but what now? Why was she even asking herself that she only had one option- up.
She climbed as hard as she could, pushing off with her back legs to leap up the tree in a mad dash. She could feel the tree tremble and creek under her. How much of this monster's weight could it handle? Would she make it up the tree and into the air before it caught her or brought her and the tree down with it? She felt the tears running down her cheeks and did everything she could to blink them back in order to clear her sight. For a second her heart stung with the realization that if this ended her- she'd never see her family again.
As messed up as they were she still loved them, she never could deny that, but for the first time she longed to be with them. She wasn't ready to die, she wasn't ready to add more pain. With that thought she grit her teeth and with a massive push with her legs, hot breath from the nasty beast tickling them, she shot up into the air. She folded her arms over her face to protect her as she broke through some of the higher branches. She spread her wings and with a light heart she found that no branch tore at them, but instead they caught wind and she flapped up into the sky.
She didn't give off a victory cry or anything of the such, she didn't understand these beasts and their strengths. When she caught the air with her wings she just kept flying, kept pushing forward. No way would she take a moment to look back and have the possibility of that thing leaping into the air after her. She wouldn't be safe till she was home...
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Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2015 10:44 pm
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Growling and snarling, jaws snapping at the flutter fauny's ankles, the beast struggled to climb the tree. Even if it was having trouble, it was gaining ground. Just a bit further...
With a leap, the prey reached freedom and the beast let out a roar of frustration. The poor tree seemed about to take the brunt of the abuse when a sharp whistle split the air, causing the beast to freeze. Pausing only to watch its former prey float away over the trees, the great creature lumbered back to the ground with a huff.
"Down, boy."
Though the great beast huffed again unhappily, he planted his haunches in the dirt and set about gnawing on one of his front claws. His eyes remained on the other that had joined him in the clearing, only mildly curious of his purpose. Just as long as he got to eat later, he'd be happy.
Nearby, another moved with silent steps towards something in the overgrown brush. "Hmmph...took care of that little spy anyway. Now, what was he leading her to...?" The growing darkness in addition to the natural shadows made it hard to see at first, as whatever it was, it appeared to be all dark fur curled up in a ball. But as he neared, it moved, uncurling and bright markings picking up the low light as it turned to blink at him owlishly.
He paused, considering this sight for a moment, as well as the furry little pest he and his pet had trailed here. It gave him a very interesting idea. Grinning at the tot, he reached down to pick her up with a smirk. "Oh, do I have plans for you..."
((Congratulations(?), Irish, and happy birthday, sweetheart! We really appreciate all that you've done for us already around the shop, both in organization and in the way you brighten up everyone's day; so Dia and I (Tei) wanted to give you a little something to show how much your support means to us. Thank you, dear, so much and we hope you enjoy your new little demon spawn.
By the way, it's a girl. Congrats. XD))
*****
[FIN]
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