Her body wriggled in excitement as he agreed to play the game with her, a wide smile still tugging at her mouth. The little Stark was elated at the thought of having a new playmate, for she had exhausted the other options in Hearthwood. Her sister was always ready for a bout of fun, but Lavender didn’t want to pester Lilliana all the time. Or her parents. They had enough on their plates—they did not need Lavender pulling at their tails whenever she was bored. But Reid, he seemed eager to engage in play. Perhaps he was not as dull as she had originally believed… A hint? Her chin tipped to the side as a thoughtful frown tugged at her lips. Okay! While she was confident that she could find her way back she was interested in the hint he offered… or was it a trick?
At his mention of a hint she seemed to think about it. No tricks promise. He told her wondering if she had thought he would pull a prank on her. He had just found a new friend why would he want to go a do a thing like tricking her? Then she agreed and Reid nodded before leaning close to whisper in her ear. Use your nose. Then he drew back so that he could watch her expressive face to see what she thought of his 'hint' and see if she understood what he meant or if she would have to play first before she understood.
The scarlet man claimed he wasn’t trying to trick her but the pale Stark was still a little wary. Just because he appeared nice didn’t mean he actually was. It was possible that as soon as she closed her eyes that he would extend a leg in front of her, cause her to trip, and sprint off through the trees. A cheater. Her ears cupped toward him as he leaned toward her, dropping three words from his tongue into her sonar: Use your nose. At his suggestion her nose wrinkled and twitched, her chartreuse gaze focusing on the forest before them. Should be easy enough—she spent most of her time in the forest, surely it wouldn’t be too difficult to find her way back to the clearing. Everything had a different scent, even if they often muddled together. The trees, the ground, the bushes… even the trail they had followed away from the star-lit meadow. She just had to make sure she was paying attention and didn’t get distracted.
M’kay, she hummed with a sharp nod as she sidled up next to him, to make sure they were square at the shoulder. Had to be a fair contest! Y’ready? She asked, shooting him a cheeky glance out of the corner of her eye. She was ready when he was.
She scrunched her nose up at his words and he snorted in amusement. Had she figured it out? Only one way to see and that was to play. She moved next to him until they were even and procedeed to ask him if he was ready. A rather cheeky grin on her face. Oh this was going ot be interesting. Always He told her with a wink. On the count of three. One. Two. Three. He closed his eyes as he counted and then on then the game was on.
One ear pointed towards Lavender so that he could hear how close she was while his other sense focused on what was in front of him. He hadn't played this game in a long time so he figured he was going to get a sore nose while doing this. He focused on following her trail back to the clearing. He could find her scent easier than he could his and they had literally just walked through here so her scent was fresh. However the fact that she was right next to him through him off and he ran his nose into not one but two obstacles. What they were he had no idea because he kept his eyes glued shut.
When the two of them reached the clearing he opened his eyes to see if she had reached it first or if he had. How well had she done with this game?
Her rump wiggled behind her as she readied herself, her elbows bent and ready to spring into action as the scarlet male began to count down… One… She shot him a final glance out of the corner of her eye, a lop-sided grin collapsing onto her pale features. Two… Her chartreuse pools blinked shut; pale sonars cupped forward, listening… Three… She inhaled slowly through her nose, her forepaws shuffling forward as she listened to the sounds unfolding around her. It was a little unnerving, relying on her nose and her ears to help her move around. But, she knew, in the long run that it would benefit her. She could hear the scarlet male moving a few steps ahead of her, but she didn’t mind. For now, she’d let him take the lead—she wanted to get a feel for the game before she tried winning.
Her nose connected with the rugged bark of a cedar tree, resulting in a soft oof! from the girl as she stumbled backward. She kept her eyes glued shut as she gave her head a sharp shake, her tail flicking in frustration behind her. Pay attention! She was too focused on him and not the trail. She couldn’t beat him if she couldn’t follow the right path…
Lavender shuffled to the side as she rerouted her path, her nose kept low to the ground as her pace quickened. It was getting easier. She could smell the bushes and the trees in advance before connecting with them, which made it easy for the girl to shuffle around them. He was still a couple steps ahead of her… just within reach…
Her eyes blinked open as they reached the clearing, a wide smile stretched across her pale features. She had lost but that was okay. She had barely lost—only a few pawsteps behind the older male! But it had been an excellent learning experience. Good job! She chirped as she bumped his shoulder with her nose, her tail wagging excitedly behind her. Can we play again another time? Please? She’d have to keep practicing if she wanted to beat him.
Upon reaching the clearing the red man opened his gaze and found his new friend was behind him. Which meant that he had won. A large smile was on his face as she moved to bump into him with a good job. Thanks. You did pretty well for your first time as well. He told her tail swaying behind him. Then she was asking him if they could play again and Reid laughed in amusement. Sure we can. I got make sure that I stay in shape and that you have a hard time earning a win. If she did beat him next time then maybe he would give her a prize or something. That would make him that much more inclined to win.
-Fade-