Grizzly Hollow dirty paws

As his words had trailed off, some vague, worrisome notion planted itself in the back of his mind, but he wasn't aware of it enough to understand it. His grandmother was all optimism, though, which further distracted the boy from whatever it was, though he did hesitate for just a moment before trotting after her, tail bouncing high in joyful pleasure at her encouragement.

She hunkered low, and he did the same with a grin, finding himself unconcerned with whether or not the ducks actually reappeared; honestly he was having fun just hanging out with her. Together they crept towards the lake, though he had no idea if their stealthy approach made any difference since there were still no ducks in sight. Nothing at all... it was so weird.

Laid beside the pond, staring out over the empty water, his mind drifted back to whatever thought had begun to take root earlier. He fidgeted slightly at Jaysyek's side, grinding his molars together as he pondered it. "Do you th-" he started, tone hushed, when a horrible sound bounced through the air from across the pond. It was an unsettling screech that he'd never heard before - so he didn't recognise it as the shrill bark of a red fox. Staring wide-eyed across the water, Tomen saw nothing which could have made such a noise, ears pulled back in alarm and the fur on the back of his neck bristling. "What was that?!"

Her dirty paws and furry coat

Time on their hands, she was hopeful. The empty pit of her stomach reminded her still hunger, and in need. She was trying to keep her weight steady, not let her health decline.

Maybe, there would not be any ducks, but with @Tomen beside her she realized this wasn't a waste, or for nothing. Hopefully this would be a memory for the boy, and she wouldn't completely fade away in the end. Still there was no sign of their prey, and her paws itched to do something.

Crown titled to listen to his question, when the yip of a fox echoed to them. What had the cunning red found? There was a smile to her muzzle, taking note of his surprise. He was a sharp lad, at the ready. "It's a fox, who is doing a hunt of his own I think." Chin lifted, eyes searching for a fiery coat, but the small creature had less to hide. Had it found a nest? Was something after it? She really couldn't discern what it's voice meant. "Want to go see?" She didn't want to drag him over there against his will. It was no duck, but something. Like the start she left it to him.

(This post was last modified: May 02, 2016, 03:35 PM by Jaysyek.)

A fox? Was that it? He'd seen one a handful of times, lurking in the woods well clear of the pack's territory. They were much smaller and not scary at all - Tomen had had no idea that was the sound they made. Horrifying. His grandmother was entirely nonchalant about it, though, so he trusted her superior wisdom on the matter without hesitation. Her question prompted the boy to stare at her wide-eyed for a moment, his brain still not entirely able to disconnect the relatively-harmless image of a fox with the screech they had just heard, but then something occurred to him.

"D'you think that's why the ducks are gone? It scared them away?" he said, not realising that he was whispering, still coming down from being startled by the yowl. If that was the case, then the fox was to blame for the empty pond! "Maybe it caught one!" A wickedness flashed over his expression, and his ears pushed forward as he grinned with a sheepish excitement. "Maybe we should steal it."

Her dirty paws and furry coat

The look in his eye made her uncertain what choice he would make. She was anticipating following through with whatever it came down to. Though she felt the need to assure him. "I promise they only do that for each other's benefit. Kinda like a "keep away" or somethin'. Thank goodness wolves don't make that sort of noise." Her smile still hung to her lips, and seemed to reach further up her cheek at his question, and sudden realization.{i}Smart lad.[/b] A light chuckle might have sounded, but she didn't want to give Tomen the wrong idea by it.

"Well, all a possibility. But, foxes aren't dumb my boy. There's a reason they say as sly as the fox. How 'bout we figure out where it's at, if indeed it has a duck. Then we can see if we can out maneuver it?" Again, there wasn't an idea if they would succeed but they could have fun trying. She waited expectantly for him to take the lead, it had been awhile since she had trusted her nose. Why she felt she could help guide him on the right track, she didn't think she could find it by herself.