Willow Ridge a raincoat and wellingtons

This fortnight, the rains seem to have stopped.

rain, rain, go away,

prince sköll archer

this little prince just wants to play!

June 3rd; Morning; Overcast; 54° F/12° C.

The difference between now and two weeks ago might not have had Sköll Archer amazed or surprised in the slightest, but it had occurred to the princeling that he had started to recognize the members of his family. He knew what his mother looked like and memorized how she smelled. He knew Skana and the intimidating man who dropped by every so often just to peer inside the den before walking off like he hadn't seen anything fascinating; but, best of all, he knew what his siblings looked like at last. He knew by scent, sound, and sight which one of his siblings was which. That being said, he was now intelligent enough now to discern that he was particularly uneasy by his brother @Asriel's presence alone and quite mindful of whatever @Morganna, his sprite of a sister, was up to.

Having endured quite a bit of rain showers and being confined within the den, the young Archer was perfectly happy to get away from either of his litter mates. He had had enough of the both of them yapping and huddling up close to him. Freeing himself once more from Morganna's reach (why she always had to sleep in-between him and Asriel was still beyond him aside from being uncomfortable from the body heat all three of them radiated), Sköll sidled away and into the main space of the den, peering out like he had the very first time he heard what birdsong sounded like. Without even a moment of hesitation, he placed both of his inky black paws outside then stretched his neck outward as to check if any of the adults were outside. From what he could see, it seemed like he was alone once he had stepped out into the open, but... what was this?

The boy lifted his forepaws, one after the other, before finally lifting his left paw again to take a look at the sticky brown coating that now covered what was once his slightly muddied paw pads. He squished his paw back into the cold sludge, smiling to himself in delight at his discovery. Slate blue eyes targeted the rest of his surroundings and when he thought he saw something of interest he bounded forward only to watch the weird speck of color flutter away into the tree branches above. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure his brother and sister had not seen the strange thing that had yet to be placed to memory as a "butterfly" but instead he took notice of the oddly spaced depressions in the mud behind him. Circling about to inspect to tracks, it occurred to the cub that these little indents were following him!

Round, round, round he went until everywhere in front of the den were small paw prints that went every which way until he finally came to sit down on the grass that lined the mud pit, dizzy but with a tail wag that spoke of his newfound discovery.

template base by GINNYSAURUS

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

no one cares about

the man in the box

the man who disappears

The Lyall wasn't sure why but he was certainly glad that his mud-covered feet managed to find their way back to Elettra's den. Everywhere the scent trails were washed away and it had taken a few hours for him - and the rest of the pack - to traverse the territory and renovate the borders of their home while the rain clouds had ceased their duties in drenching Relic Lore in sheets of never-ending downpour. Once deciding that he had been on-track and destined to return to the heart of his leader's doman, he was ultimately grateful that he had... There, in the empty clearing before him, one of the Archer pups was out in the open... alone and playing out in the open. His heart nearly slid into the pit of his stomach.

"'Scuse me," he barked to the youth, watching as the pup came to sit in the grass. It must have been Sköll, his mind deduced, sternly eyeing the small patch of white on the youngster's chin. No surprise there... "What're you doin', young man?" He strode forward confidently, craning his head downward just slightly when he came close enough to make sure nothing and no one had visited the area recently. "Did yer mother say you could be out 'ere?" As if to purvey that he was not about ready to dismiss the matter, Angier sat down beside his younger companion, still gazing down at him in anticipation for an answer. He wondered for a while if the little punk could even comprehend his words. "Where is Skana?" he tried again, adopting the sort of tone that amused the youngest of puppies and belittled the most understanding of juveniles. "Hmm? Where-Mama? Mama here?"

ANGIER LYALL

template made by GINNYSAURUS. of RPG-D.

Are you watching closely?
Taekwondo (M, W, F) | Rapid-Response Day (Tu) | WoW Nights (F, Sat, Sun)

rain, rain, go away,

prince sköll archer

this little prince just wants to play!

The boy was just about ready to stand up and begin circling about in the mud again when a startlingly loud "'Scuse me," came to his ears. His small head whipped about, coming to settle on a very tall man in the distance. By first impression, Sköll knew there was nothing to be afraid of - Mama and Skana and Guiness never let anyone come around when they were watching the den entrance. His whip of a tail wriggled for a moment until he realized that the man in question was not Guiness. Both of his large ears perked up as the man continued to talk and ask him all sorts of questions he didn't quite yet understand on an intermediate scale.

The names particularly stuck out in his ears and, even if Angier had somewhat scared him at first, allowed the princeling to look up at his newfound company. His face seemed to light up as he recognized Skana's name, his tail wagging again. Then, his favorite person came up in conversation. "Where-Mama?" the brute asked and Sköll let out a warbled note that was somewhere in-between a "uuuoooorrrrrrrrRRRrrr" and a "aaaAAAarrrrrrrr." Angier prompted him again, "Mama here?"

"Mmmm," the pup sounded, his attempt at echolalia anything but successful. His eyes stared eagerly into Angier's, standing just briefly to bring him into the space between the Lyall's forepaws. Sköll sat down again, carefully balancing himself long enough to bring his right paw to rest on the man's left forearm. "MMmm," he tried again, mentally willing the giant to understand his request for his mother. The next time his small jowls parted, a louder and more urgent cry emitted from his vocal chords.

"Raaaahhhhhhh," he half-growled, pressing the side of his small head into his own paw and Angier's arm and nuzzling against it. "Urrrfff." He sniffed uncertainly, picking up his caretakers' scents on the man's coat but completely at a loss with how to go about getting what he wanted from him, even if - compared to butting heads against his brother and sister - the current possibilities in which this encounter could embrace were very much open for anything.

template base by GINNYSAURUS

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

no one cares about

the man in the box

the man who disappears

His attempt to get an answer from Sköll failed terribly and it occurred to the Lyall that the commotion that usually came from the den had been @Asriel and @Morganna... and not their brother. The young prince, it seemed, actually had not yet grasped the concept of words and the more Angier tried to make sense of the babbled noises, he doubted Elettra's second son had been given the chance to develop his social skills, let alone talking, conversing, and word-association abilities. At least he had the hang of simple vocalizations and that in itself was a good start. "Where Mama?" he tried again, slower so that the youngster's ears and brain could wholly comprehend his question.

"Mah-mah," he slowly articulated, his eyes focused on the boy as he nestled his temple into his arm. "Mama." Assuming that Sköll was listening by the way he had fallen quiet, Angier made a few more attempts to see if he could capture his attention. "Az-ree-ell," he began, looking for signs that the words were significant in the boy's mind. "More-gaw-nuh? Skan-nuh. An-jeer... Mama?"

"Sköll," he slowly enunciated the prince's name also, waiting for the middle-born to look up at him. "Sköll... Angier... Me-Angier." His tawny tail wagged enough to rustle the damp grass behind him and he slowly got up to head to a willow closest to the den. With a friendly tilt of his head, he smiled, "Come on, I show you somethin'." He turned around and took three steps, looking back over at the boy to make sure the curiosity grabbed hold of him and made sure he followed, "Come 'ere, we get stuff for Mama."

ANGIER LYALL

template made by GINNYSAURUS. of RPG-D.

Are you watching closely?
Taekwondo (M, W, F) | Rapid-Response Day (Tu) | WoW Nights (F, Sat, Sun)

rain, rain, go away,

prince sköll archer

this little prince just wants to play!

The question came again and the fourth utterance of Elettra's more personal title made Sköll perk up and stand at the Lyall's side. His tail gave an uncertain wag. "Mmmm," he tried the sound again. "Mama." Sköll wasn't quite sure why but the way Angier pronounced his mother's name made him absolutely happy. Well, maybe if he said it enough, got him to repeat the word exactly as he had, maybe Mama would actually appear.

"Muh," he gave the first sound and syllable a good shot, his blue eyes immediately shoot up to Angier's face for any indication he had gotten it right. "Muh-hummmm?" The boy sat down briefly but the sound of Asriel's name had him frolicking in a circle around the subordinate. "Ah-seel!" he playfully mimicked, stopping once to completely lay down in the mud, still staring up at the tawny man as he planted his off-white chin into the mud. Morganna's name - his sissy's name - was next and Sköll cracked a smile. "Murrr."

"Skan-nuh."

"Skuhhh."

"An-jeer..."

"An-hee."

"Mama?"

"Maw-maw. Heeeeee."

The prince grinned, childishly wriggling back onto the grass. Some of the mud managed to come off of his black underside but it tinted the soft white patch on his chest a light sandy color. "Sköll," Angier then tried. The boy crawled half way around Angier then turned around and rolled over, staring up at him curiously with his head slightly angled sideways. "Sköll... Angier... Me-Angier." "Skuhll," of course he knew that word and how to properly say it (even if he sometimes only said it aloud to himself when he was alone). It was his own name and, by far, his most favorite aside from his mother's. Wanting to impress, he repeated the second name with poise, "An-jee."

The man seemed to mimic him as he, too, tilted his head. With a friendly tone, Angier brought the young prince forward. He wanted to show him something, to have him help get things for his mother. "Mama!" he parroted, readily following along and even overshooting his caretaker's path. He plunged through the veil if branches then poked his head through to see if Angier was going to follow him now, "I-I-wan-see."

template base by GINNYSAURUS

(This post was last modified: Jul 28, 2013, 04:41 AM by Skoll.)

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

no one cares about

the man in the box

the man who disappears

At least the boy showed a willingness to learn, even if it was all just words to his or any other adult's ears. Imitation was a teaching and learning tool and it even made him slightly proud that little Sköll was able to say his name at this age. It meant his ears were functioning and that he was quite sharp, perhaps even sharper than he had been when he was younger. Angier watched the prince launch himself at the willow tree, and before he could even rush through the leaves to make sure the boy was okay, Sköll's head emerged behind the curtain with a loud declaration that he really wanted to see what Angier was going to show him.

"All right, all right," he chuckled. "Take it easy." He parted the willow branches with a large paw then ducked his head through to allow his body to follow. "O'er here," he instructed, waiting until the prince honed in on what place where Angier was pointing to with his muzzle. "Okay, see this?" he lowered his head to touch his nose to where the base of the willow's trunk was starting to show its age and look as though it could be peeled away in large chunks.

"This is called bark," he slowly stated. "It is apart of a willow." Somewhat certain that whatever he was saying was subject to being repeated, he went ahead and clarified, lifting his head and a paw to draw Sköll's eyes upward to the underside of the umbrella-like canopy formed by earthen giant's branches, "Willows are trees. This is a tree. Can you say tree? You'll find out soon enough that there are lots of them here. Almost allllll willows like this one."

ANGIER LYALL

template made by GINNYSAURUS. of RPG-D.

Are you watching closely?
Taekwondo (M, W, F) | Rapid-Response Day (Tu) | WoW Nights (F, Sat, Sun)

rain, rain, go away,

prince sköll archer

this little prince just wants to play!

"All right, all right," An-jee assented. "Take it easy." Whatever that last sentence really meant Sköll could care less; what mattered right now, at this very second, was that the tawny giant was going to show him that awesome something... and show something Angier did. The simple gesture with the utterance of "O'er here," drew the swarthy Archer over. "I wan' see," he stated again, the excitement and impatience now fully surfacing in his youthful tone.

"Okay," Angier craned his head down to touch the earthen giant's "foot," "see this?" Sköll's puppy blue eyes tried to focus on the gnarly brown thing. He had to mimic the Lyall in drawing his head down and blinking a couple times. "Whassat?" he openly frowned, finally coming to look up at Angier's face. It didn't look fun, it didn't move, and it smelled funny, especially after the rains had come and gone.

The large subordinate went on to try and educate the little prince but, really, all Sköll had started to think about was going back to his mud puddle. He could care less for "berks" and "will-oh's". His short attention span changed over to the open space behind the green curtain behind him but he was still listening and upon being asked if he could say the word "tree," he obliged with the wag of his tail, "T'ee." Angier rambled on but the boy's ears were starting to go deaf to his words. He just couldn't stop thinking about how much fun the slick, brown stuff in front of the den was.

"I go," he chirped, cracking a silly smile back at the lumbering mountain of tan fur. "I go now. Buh-bye." He steadied himself on his four short limbs and toddled through the curtain, leaving his "teacher" behind. Once the digits on his fore paws dove back into the coolness of the mud, his gaze went back to the willow tree. "Anjeeeee!" he hollered at the top of his lungs. "An-jeeee come p'ay wit' meeeeeeeee!"

template base by GINNYSAURUS

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

no one cares about

the man in the box

the man who disappears

Angier wasn't sure why he had gone on and attempted such a feat as teaching Elettra's cubs at this age. Partially through his tidbit about the willow, he watched as Sköll's interest visibly waned, and eventually he saw the black-furred boy through the green veil after announcing that he was leaving. The Lyall grinned foolishly at himself. His Uncle Cutter started teaching him and his siblings when they were Sköll's age, he was sure, but maybe he wasn't approaching the prince at the right angles. That or, given Taima's own disinterest in his naturalist lessons, "Uncle Angier" wasn't interesting at all. It apparently was the former because as soon as Angier broke through the willow branches and leaves, Elettra's second-born was already wailing for him at the top of his lungs.

The tan giant snickered. "Oh, he sounded. "Okay... I'm comin'. Hang on." He absentmindedly stretched his forelimbs on the way back over to the mud depression in the ground, his pale eyes continuing to observe as the young royal stomped about, dirtying himself from the paws up. He had to take a minute to consider ways on how to get the boy clean again but decided against it by plopping down into the mud on his side then rolling over. With a tickled smile he playfully pushed his paws forward, bringing a pile of silt towards the prince for him to play with. The lessons and all the nature stuff could wait, he realized, Sköll would only be young once and he would soon enough miss the days when all that was needed to make the cub happy was a rainy day.

ANGIER LYALL

template made by GINNYSAURUS. of RPG-D.

Are you watching closely?
Taekwondo (M, W, F) | Rapid-Response Day (Tu) | WoW Nights (F, Sat, Sun)