Stonewatch Timbers the nose knows

RE: Marianna, you get your head stuck in something.
Light rain shower, mid-afternoon, 71F

As long as it seemed to take Ari to grasp her first few words (names of her family members, the most beloved members of her pack), her vocabulary was expanding now at an exponential rate. Her littermates were subject to her almost constant babbling as she tried out new words or happily made new ones to describe things she otherwise could not label. Often she sought out Minka or Gent to try and strike up a conversation, and if not them, any other member of her pack would be fair game. It was with that in mind that she set out from her family den, not at all put out by the light rain draping across the packlands. With it being so warm lately, it almost seemed like a bit of a relief! But it seemed the other wolves didn't agree with her fierce adventurousness and ability to shrug off the damp weather. There was no one in sight, and her developing nose couldn't pick up any immediately familiar scents. Instead, she picked up the cold trail of a squirrel passing through some time ago – deciding this to be mighty interesting, the pup followed it eagerly, zigzagging across the territory until the trace zipped through a hollow log. Curious to see if the animal was still inside, Marianna promptly stuck her fuzzy head inside the rotted out knot in the top. Ears perked as she glanced around the dark, moist area, but, alas. The rodent was long gone. With a sigh, the child pulled her head back-- Pulled her head back-- Pulled her head back, and could not get free! With a loud yelp, she began to thrash wildly, terrified by the notion that she might be stuck for the rest of forever. "Help!" she whined, continuing to wiggle unhappily, "help!"

Ever since he and his siblings had been given more ‘leash’ per say, Kino had taken it and run with it. He explored everything he could, learned everything he could, and saw everything he could. Sometimes he even went somewhere where he really wasn’t supposed to, but what was really the harm in that? His mother, siblings, and other pack mates went to these other places so why couldn’t he? The way he saw it, he was really doing them all a favor. When they couldn’t be somewhere to watch over stuff, he was there! At least, that’s what he told himself. Truthfully he was just a curious pup who loved to go out on adventures. Only time would tell if that got him into more trouble than he was worth, but until that time he was happy to go about his merry way.

He and his siblings had been weaned off their mother’s milk and the absence of being able to curl up with his siblings against Minka’s warm belly had been a loss, but not a horribly large one. What he gained from that was even greater, for sometimes he even got to follow Raela or Kova when they went out to go catch their food! Of course, they didn’t always know that he was following them. He had started tagging along with them some time before, trailing along behind them and watching them carefully as they perhaps stalked a hard or other small animal. He’d learned plenty from watching them, and had even tried on his own to mimic them sometimes. He hadn’t been successful in his attempts yet, but he knew he would succeed at some point in time.

This day he was just out from a stroll, peering up at the tree canopy above him and looking at the world around him. Things he’d found to be called ‘birds’ flew from branch to branch, and he briefly wondered what it would be like to be able to fly. However, that was something even he considered a strange thought for he was a wolf and wolves could never fly. No, even with his wonder he was happy to have his paws firmly planted on the ground. In his curiosity he nearly missed his sibling’s cries, but not quite. Silver tipped auds rotated toward the sound, pulling his attention to it and causing him to tilt his head curiously. Turning to follow the cries, he came upon a most amusing sight. The rear end of his sister wriggling in the air with her head quite obviously stuck in a hole in the tree. He couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his maw, “Ari, what’d you do?” he asked with a grin.

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If there were sounds outside, she couldn't hear them, not outside her rough breathing. Claws scratched at the bark, ringing around her sensitive ears. Even her heart thudded in her skull. Over and over it rang, and she writhed, and fought, and even a thunderstorm could have snuck up on her. The sound of a voice made the puppy jump, the top of her head bashing against the damp wood. She yelped loudly, eyes wide as her head rang like a bell, but for a moment her struggles stopped. While she couldn't see him, she knew in an instant it was her bold brother, Kino. Outside of the family den, she did not see much of the youngest, but it did not bother the child much. After all, she had everything she wished for – a beautiful, kind, loving mother, a protective, strong father, and a pack of friends and family that she had no doubt would look out for her. All of this, but she knew the sound of his voice, the distinct tone and pitch, and she squalled once when she turned to glance at her sibling and realized her vision was very much blocked. Fussing harder, the puppy gave the fallen log another scratch before giving up for a moment, rump slowly sliding onto the ground below her. "Looking at the log," she explained unhappily, ears flat out to the side. "Stuck, Kino! Help me," she whined unhappily, wishing she could cast her grey-blue eyes over her brother. How could he say no to his only sister?

 

A wild dissertation appears!

His grin could only grow ever more amused as she jumped, an audible thump echoing from the log to reveal that she had harshly bumped her head. His grin faltered for a moment, concern for his sibling showing in his expression before he shook his head. Obviously she was fine, it wouldn’t be the first time she had bumped her head on something. She seemed to scramble to try and get herself out, likely only succeeding in getting herself even more stuck than before. Frantic scratching was heard and he tilted his head in curiosity before she seemed to give up. Her butt plopped down to the ground, defeated. He couldn’t help but wonder if he would be in the same situation as her if he had tried the same thing. The answer was likely a no, as the middle Lagina youth was smaller than either of his siblings. His sister, however, was obviously the largest and it was likely her size that was keeping her trapped. "Looking at the log. Stuck, Kino! Help me," she said, the displeasure in her voice evident. He knew it had to hurt her pride to have to request suck a thing, or to be in this position at all. She didn’t need to tell him that she was stuck, that much was plainly obvious. The next question would be, how were they to get her out?

”Okay, Ari. Lemme try somethin’” he laughed. His light blue gaze trailed over the area around them before the swish of his sibling’s tail caught his eyes. Perhaps if he pulled hard enough she would pop out? Moving forward he grabbed the thing with his teeth, “Weady?” he mumbled over the appendage before pulling hard.

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(This post was last modified: Jul 18, 2015, 06:06 PM by Kino.)

Her brother knew her well – Ari couldn't decide which displeased her more: the fact that she'd actually gotten her head stuck in a log, or the fact that she'd had to ask her brother to assist her in escaping. It'd be different, she knew, if it was her mother or her shadow – that was what they were there for, to help her when things were too difficult to do on her own. Her silvery brother was meant to be a partner in crime, a soul to share a story with, a wolf to wander the world beside – he was not meant to see her in such a predicament. But what choice did she have? The log held her fast, even as she twisted in every way she could imagine. Ears flickered at the sound of her sibling's muffled voice – she wished she could turn her head to look at Kino, but she'd simply have to trust him. No prior experience had taught her she shouldn't trust her littermate, so she pulled her hind legs underneath her again and stood. "'kay," she approved, waiting in silence for something to happen. When that something finally did happen, the puppy bit down a muffled yelp, the mouth on her tail startling her. It certainly wasn't the first time her brother had put his teeth to her – they wrestled as much as any siblings might – but it was an entirely different experience when she wasn't expecting it. The tugging on her tail hurt, but it seemed to do something, for her head wedged a little further. Encouraged, the puppy placed her fat feet back against the log and pushed, helping Kino (and hopefully helping herself). "It's working!" she crowed, halfway free as she continued to scramble.

 

A wild dissertation appears!

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

I'm sorry!

Kino could almost feel the shame that washed off his sibling’s body. Truthfully, they were both beings of the same spirit. They both wanted adventure, to see the world farther than their own little lands. He had been all over the timbers already, going as far as his little legs were willing to carry him. He loved to wander, to see what there was to see. He could only imagine what was past their borders, past where the scents of Round Stone Crest ended and the real world began. She gave one last attempt at pulling herself out, but he was pretty sure she only edged herself further. She stopped her struggles, and after a moment he heard a muffled kay. That was his signal. Pulling back he tried to be as gentle as possible, but there was only so much gentle he could do. She was really stuck in there! He briefly wondered how she had managed to get herself so stuck simply by pushing her head in, but it was likely that it was easier for a head to go in than for it to come back, especially for someone with as much baby fat as Ari still possessed. She shifted to place her feet against the log, pushing with all her might and he could have sworn he’d seen her move an inch. ”It’s working!” she cried, and with renewed vigor he pulled a little harder. Hopefully with a little more elbow grease from each of them they would be able to get her out in a jiff and none of the stinky adults would know.

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Close! She was so close! Ari's encouragement seemed to egg her brother on, his efforts renewed as he sought to free her from her haphazard prison. After this, the female decided she might look upon the argonaut more kindly. Two halves of the same soul, sometimes they came into conflict with one another. After all, they both yearned for nothing more than independence and exploration, both driven by a keen sense of adventure. Why should she compete with him, when they could work together and achieve double what she might alone? The epiphany struck the child and she momentarily forgot Kino. It was this relaxation that finally allowed her brother to tug her free, the puppy tumbling backwards from the log with a startled yelp. The force of it had knocked her right off her fat feet, and after a moment, the Lagina princess stood. Fresh air! Sighing happily, the largest of her litter shook out her auburn coat, using her paw to brush some of the damp wood away from her face and ears. Only then did she turn about, seeking out the silver ghost as she pressed her muzzle to his. "Thanks," she hummed, small tongue lapping beneath his jaw twice. "Didn't like that." In fact, Marianna had been quite frightened, once she'd realized she was well and truly stuck – but there was no need to tell her brother that! "Nobody gots to know, yeah?" she probed after a moment, her slate blue eyes searching her brother's face. If he did, well – that truce she just thought up, that would be completely off!

 

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He pulled and tugged then rugged some more on the appendage the stuck out from his sibling’s behind. He could tell they were making progress, but it was so agonizingly slow! Both their struggles were in an attempt to free her, but he couldn’t help but wondering if all this was making it take twice as long. He had been about to stop and tell her to hold still for a moment when she did just that. With her stilled movements he gave another tug, and suddenly she was free! She popped from the log like a jack rabbit from a hole, and he tumbled backwards with a surprised yelp. He rolled a few inches before coming to a stop, turning over onto his stomach then up to his paws. He gave his silver pelt a shake to free it of debris, a laugh escaping his jaws. Ari came over, pressing her muzzle to his and allowing his a few licks to his chin in thanks. He stared at her, brows raising in surprise. His sibling never thanked anyone. ” Who’re you and what’d you do with my sister?” he said with a grin, bumping his shoulder to hers.

"Nobody gots to know, yeah?" she said, and he laughed again. There she was. Of course she would be too prideful to let anyone know about it. He doubted any of the adults would think it as amusing as he did, though, and it would likely only become a hassle in the end. A nod bobbed the boy’s head to this, ”No one knows, gotcha,”

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Marianna tipped her head to one side, momentarily perplexed by her brother's statement. The question was clear in her eyes as she whined, ears flipping backwards as she reached forward to nose him. "What?" she mumbled, confused, and without the words to express exactly what she wanted to know. "I'm right here, Kino," the princess insisted, a short huff escaping her muzzle. But before she ever got her solution, the silver shadow was laughing again, momentarily inciting even more confusion before he spoke. Only when he promised that he would not tell any of the other wolves did she sigh in relief, tail swinging to and fro as she gave a firm nod. "Good." It would be so embarrassing if her mother or Gent found out! Really, it wouldn't feel any better if it was Raela, or their older brother, Kova. Even if Draven knew – and their youngest brother wasn't given much thought, for he rarely adventured with her as Kino did – the child knew she wouldn't like any of it. This would be their little secret for them to share. Perhaps, one day, they could share another chuckle over it. For now, it only tied the knot between them more tightly, and she bumped into her brother again. "Let's go back," she suggested, raising her had to glance over her shoulder in the direction of their den. "I'm tired now." All that struggling, all that fear, that was hard work! Ari felt like she could sleep for a week. It would only be an hour or so, but all the same, she turned and picked up her feet with a nap in mind. "C'mon."

One more post from Kino and we can archive?

 

A wild dissertation appears!