Sacred Grove through despair and hope

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With the thought of the pack meeting behind her, she had a new goal in mind: actually going through with what she said she would do. Which was to hopefully teach her nephews or niece something useful. The thought was actually quite exciting. The ability to take part in the process of growing up and maybe what she taught would actually be remembered and used. Worst-case-scenario, they would have fun and the kids wouldn't remember anything. But Borlla was desperate to be closer to her family, those that would want her around, at least, and perhaps the pups wouldn't see her as some kind of traitor.

Drifting away from the borders of Swift River, she wandered Sacred Grove, hoping to find something sapid to use before she went to hunt down one (or all) of the pups. Maybe one would just be better for now. Focusing on more than one thing at once tended to frustrate the girl, and she figured that a one-on-one thing would probably benefit them more. Head low, she sniffed about until she managed to hunt down a woodchuck. With the large brown mass trapped safely and limply in her jaws, she began to wander back beyond the borders, though part of her wondered if she'd even have to go back home to find the curious pups.<b style="color:#32527a">"speech."

(This post was last modified: Sep 26, 2011, 05:31 PM by Borlla.)

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<blockquote>Though Hael wasn't normally the type to go against his mother's wishes, he was out wandering today perhaps farther from his siblings than he knew he should have been. Though, what was the big deal, anyway, if he wanted to explore a little on his own? Did he always have to be by Fen and Kisla's side, lazing around with them? Being alone gave him more room to do things that he actually wanted to do, like chase whatever he wanted to, or jump into whatever puddle or small pond he came across. So today he was grinning wide as he loped along, determined to head just as far away from the others as he could before a howl echoed from nearby or someone like Marsh came looking for him.

Yet a scent hit him, and he stopped. It wasn't a foreign scent; Swift River, definitely, so Rihael wasn't completely thrown off. But it wasn't any of his siblings, either, and it sort of smelled like food. That was a scent that was definitely worth following. Soon he saw that it was someone who had been at the meeting, a face he recognized, though he didn't know the name. <b>"Hey,"</b> he called out, throwing caution to the wind as usual as he trotted right on over to her. <b>"You were at the meeting. You're Uncle Triell's sister, aren't you?"</b></blockquote>

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It was no surprise to Borlla when a pup appeared in view and called out to her before merely walking up to her. At that point, the girl paused, dropping the woodchuck at her feet. Had she looked like that once? Well, not exactly like that, but...It was just hard to imagine that she'd been a kid once, even though it had been a mere few months ago. Her ears twisted back before springing up and she sat. This was what she wanted, right? To get to know her niece and nephews.

It only made her feel worse when she realized that he didn't even know her name. Perhaps if she hadn't just run off...<b style="color:#32527a">"Yeah. I'm, um...Borlla." It did. It felt so weird to have to tell him who she was. <b style="color:#32527a">"And you're Rihael. Hungry?" Meeting his gaze for a moment, she tapped the woodchuck with the top of her paw. <b style="color:#32527a">"speech."

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<blockquote>Hael committed the name to memory easily; meeting others was one of his self-described strong points. As a younger pup, he had always been the one to sprint up to new faces and sniff them all he wanted. Now, he had become only a touch more reserved, no longer feeling the urge to rush forward. The kid had realized that he could gain all he needed from a stranger's scent from a small distance— and though this wasn't a stranger, Rihael inwardly matched Borlla's scent with her name. He didn't find it at all strange that she was a family member whom he'd never met before; after all, he had spent the majority of his young life aware that family members could enter his life at any time. That he was part of it, that he was Indru and Corinna's son, made him feel proud to be a Tainn, and proud also that he was meeting another one.

The word "hungry" made his eyes pop nearly out of his head. When <i>wasn't</i> he hungry? <b>"<i>Duh,</i>" </b>he responded, as to him that expression was just about the coolest thing you could possibly say to someone older than you, and of course wasn't rude at all. Grinning, he pounced on it in seconds, recently developed canines piercing the tough fur with some difficulty. Rihael's jaws weren't all that strong yet; after a few moments, he had torn through the hide and was tearing strips of meat from the kill. Through a stuffed mouth, he grinned a bloody grin up at Aunt Borlla. <b>"Shanksh,"</b> he said, crimson dripping down his chin while his tail wagged behind him furiously. <b>"Don'choo wan shome?"</b> He offered next, pausing to tilt his head at her inquisitively. After all, she should be able to eat her own kill if she wanted, right?</blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Oct 14, 2011, 04:10 AM by Rihael.)

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He was certainly kinder than she ever was. For that, Borlla was incredibly thankful. But that was just another irritant on her mind. She wouldn't even like herself. Borlla laughed as he said "duh", and displayed a rather toothy grin as he tucked into the woodchuck. He seemed to be having a bit of trouble, but now clearly equipped with sharp canines, it only took him a moment to break though the skin. Sitting down upon the damp earth, she watched, almost entranced, as he ate. She started slightly in surprise when he looked up at her suddenly, a literally bloody mess.

<b style="color:#32527a">"No problem," The pale girl said, tail wagging slightly. Perhaps things could be remedied after all. At the offer of eating, she shook her head, <b style="color:#32527a">"Go ahead and eat as much as you want," She started, cautiously. <b style="color:#32527a">"I thought that we could maybe hunt together, catch something for your siblings?" Though she was a bit hungry, she figured that she'd just eat whatever he didn't want. Puppies always seemed to be hungry. Or if he couldn't finish the woodchuck, they could just take it back with whatever else they caught. <b style="color:#32527a">"speech."

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Sorry! ._. I feel so bad. Here's hoping you still want to continue!
<blockquote>Savoring the taste of meat, Hael chewed pretty rudely, throwing cleanliness to the wind. Blood smeared across his muzzle, chest and paws as he snapped up what would be his last bite for the moment. Swallowing, he gazed up at Aunt Borlla in sheer amazement, a bloody grin widening across his masked face. His tail began thumping against the ground rhythmically. <b>"A— <i>hunt</i>?!"</b>

The kill forgotten, as he had rushed to eat his fill anyway, Hael sprang to all fours, forepaws tearing up the soft earth beneath him as he stretched his claws, looking around him excitedly, as though the target of their hunt would be sitting nearby. When it wasn't, he returned his attention to her, attempting momentarily to shake the excessive amount of blood from his countenance. It only made his fur stick out in funny places, but he smiled toothily at her anyway, tail still practically a blur behind him. <b>"Let's find a squirrel! Or— a <i>rabbit!</i> Rrrrrrr!"</b> The next few seconds were spent growling and pouncing on an imaginary small animal, then tearing it to shreds puppy-style, with lots of tugging and head thrashing. When this proved to be unfulfilling, Hael pounced on the kill he'd just been eating, rump wiggling in the air as he tore another chunk of meat from it. This he held in his mouth briefly, pausing to stand up and see what Aunt Borlla was doing, and whether or not she was ready to go yet. He dropped the flesh then, simply smiling at her. <b>"Ready?"</b></blockquote>

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It was almost hard to watch the child eat, each cow-like chew almost sent Borlla into a fit of laughter, but at the same times was almost kind of...Gross. Blood smeared the ground and the child, and Borlla had even managed to find a few splotches on her paws. She almost wondered if he'd be able to hunt with the way he ate, but such two things weren't necessarily connected. Or maybe they were.

The mere word 'hunt' had seemed to sent Rihael into some sort of hysterics, and Borlla took a step back as he worked himself into a frenzy. He was certainly fast, but by now he'd probably scared away all the prey in the whole forest. Borlla merely sat in silence, watching him with only a hint of amusement in her face. She found him quite endearing, but didn't want to necessarily encourage such energy. At least before they started hunting. <b style="color:#32527a">"I was just waiting for you to scare away all the prey in the forest." A stiff smirk was on her face as she stared down at her, one ear cocked.

<b style="color:#32527a">"You have to be quiet when you hunt. Perfectly quiet, otherwise everything will hear you, especially the rabbits." Lifting a pale brow, she nudged his cheek with her nose, and trotted past him, ears ahead, nose twitching. After a moment, and only a few yards she froze, eyes shifting around. <b style="color:#32527a">"Come 'ere," Borlla shot a quick glance over her shoulder before falling into a crouch, turning her head to look at the child. <b style="color:#32527a">"You wanna catch a rabbit?" She asked him, her voice a mere whisper. <b style="color:#32527a">"speech."

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<blockquote>Her words made his smile slide easily into a frown, as Rihael's emotions were often short-lived, and he didn't have the strongest of attention spans. A slight huff made his little barrel chest rise and fall, and he shot her a quick glare, muttering <b>"Sor-<i>ry</i>"</b>. Most adults treated him sincerely, and sarcasm was not something he had encountered much before; but he knew she had a point, and so, slightly defeated, he listened to what she had to say.

At the word "rabbits," Hael perked up again, his previous stubbornness forgotten. He'd eaten rabbit many times, but catching one?! That was a different story altogether! He knew they were fast, and he wondered if he was quick enough to catch one. Strong enough, now, that would be no problem— the kid could rip wings from even the biggest of grasshoppers, so how tough could a <i>rabbit</i> be, right? Fantasies of himself taking down a shifty hare clouded his mind as Aunt Borlla brushed past him. He wheeled around, watching her with a grin, watching as she stopped and got his attention.

Hael complied without so much as a whisper, silently (or as silently as he could) slinking over to her side. He mimicked her low stance, just like he'd seen others do, but was still sort of bad at it; his rump waved in the air, tail swishing like a flag to announce his presence to all nearby prey. But his orange eyes were narrowed mischievously, nodding in response to her question, hanging on her next word.</blockquote>

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Shifting her stance just slightly, she got a better glance at the prey in question. It wasn't a particularly large rabbit, but from the looks of it, it had been eating well. Hopefully that would aid them in catching it. Borlla wouldn't be doing all of the work, obviously, some she had to find something that Rihael could catch too. <b style="color:#32527a">"Rabbits have big ears, you know?" Without moving back, she angled her head slightly to speak to the boy at her side. <b style="color:#32527a">"So you have to be very quiet, otherwise they'll hear you and run away." Her voice was still a slight whisper and she was glad that he'd stuck so close to her side.

<b style="color:#32527a">"But you have to walk quietly too. Make sure you don't step on any twigs or brush a bush too hard. This one looks pretty fat, so hopefully that'll slow it down a little." Smiling, she looked at the rabbit again. <b style="color:#32527a">"You stay right here, and I'm gonna go around the rabbit and chase it right to you. Then all you have to do is kill it. That sound good to you?" She glanced sideways at Rihael and simply hoped that all would go to plan. <b style="color:#32527a">"speech."

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<blockquote>He nodded at Aunt Borlla's words, completely trusting her. It made sense: rabbits always seemed to run away from him before he could even go over and sniff them, even when they seemed to be looking away. Sneaking up on this one, he thought as he watched it, was going to be a challenge. But it was one he readily accepted, doing his best to stay quiet and keep low to the ground as she made the plan clear. <b>"Okay!"</b> He mouthed enthusiastically, just in case his voice would startle their target, nodding to make sure that he one hundred percent agreed.

He licked his chops, being reminded that they were still bloody from having eaten just before, and inwardly imagined just how amazing this fresh rabbit was going to be once they caught it! He narrowed his eyes, giving Aunt Borlla a big, cheesy wink. <b>"It's go time!"</b> he whispered, unaware that the catchphrase was in fact not very cool, but actually dorky, and waited for their hunt to begin. He attempted as best he could to conceal himself in the grass, though he wasn't quite as little as he used to be, and was clearly visible, despite trying to still his excitedly wagging tail.</blockquote>

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