Broken Timber Pines Strange Birds

i meant to get this up sooner, i'm sorry! <3

With shallow, quiet breaths, he waited patiently with his ears pushed as far forward as they would go so he could listen for the little sparrow’s footsteps. Would she desert him in his snow fort and continue her adventure solo, or would her curiosity get the better of her and cause her too seek out the little smudge?

It seemed as though the latter option was winning. She was falling for it. He couldn’t believe it, but she was falling for it. The russet princess really believed that he had given up so easily and allowed her to be the victor. In your dreams, Nalda… he thought menacingly to himself, his brows narrowing mischievously as he grinned to himself. He learned forward, balancing his slender body on the balls of his feet to listen to the ‘pitter patter’ of Nalda’s steps. Her voice called out, first with his name and then — a question. Him, a chicken? Hardly. More like devious little hawk awaiting it's prey. And it looked like Nalda was next on the menu… Figuratively, of course — little R was no cannibal.

He waited a few moments after her question filled the air, his body tense as he readied himself for his next attack. Without further adieu, the little smudge flung himself through the snow, launching his little body — and a whole lotta snow — in Nalda’s direction. He aimed for a few paws lengths in front of her, although he hoped that the snow would drench his playmate. His former fortress floated through the air around him, almost concealing his dark body as he enjoyed his few moments of being airborne. Who was the chicken now?

Obviously there's no worries on my part ^^;

Now completely free of the trees, she lowered her nose to the snow, sniffing to try and decipher where the boy had gone. It was hard to smell anything but snow though and the cold seeped into her nostrils, making her sneeze loudly. Blinking the water out of her eyes, she was completely unprepared when the world suddenly exploded around her, white powder raining down over her while a veritable wave of the stuff came rushing straight at her face. The girl stumbled backwards, unsuccessfully trying to avoid the assault. Before she was hit though, she noticed the center of black in the oncoming storm. She had been fooled; BASTARD!

Snow made contact with her slate and russet body in a blast of freezing stabs, finding its way into her ears, nose and in between every hair. She just managed to close her eyes and mouth beforehand, but that was all the time she had. In a moment she was effectively turned into wolf-yeti, a monster of snow and anger. A growl rumpled through her chest, golden eyes glistening as they opened back up to glare at the smudge; Who was doubtlessly grinning from ear to ear. "You jerk!" She snapped, violently shaking her body to free the snow from her thick winter coat; Hopefully sending a good amount of the boy's attack back at his own face. "I thought you'd been 'urt!" She added once her body was still once more, eyes shooting daggers up at him, yet her mouth curled into a half smirk.

Touché, the girl thought, swinging her tail in a cat-like fashion around her hocks. Arion was tricky, she liked that, the girls where way to honest, even when it came to fights. They didn't seem to understand that all was fair in battle. Speaking of which, she owed the dark brute a return for his latest ploy, but she was getting tired of the snow fight, perhaps she would wait until an unguarded moment later on. Now instead, she sat down, lifting a creamy paw to rub at her ears and muzzle, clearing away the remaining snow. "Y' just wait an' see, ma'be I won't come back f'you nex'time." She murmured, eyes drifting away from the boy to gaze uninterestedly at the surroundings, mouth still half-smiling, and tail brushing slowly back and forth over the snow.

word count: 392

"Speech" Thoughts

Because of work, my activity will fluctuate every other week. For more information and OOC preferrences check out my profile

Short and sweet! :)

He was triumphant. Snow went everywhere, turning the agouti girl almost completely white as it showered her. Laughter escaped him, filling the air as she shouted at him, name-calling, as she shook the snow from her pelt. His laughter consumed him and he did not bother avoiding the snow that was sent flying in his direction; he deserved every ball of snow that hit him. For now, he had won — and that was enough. “Hey!” He called pack, his lips pulled into a wide smile: “I’m no jerk, I’mma saint.” With a quick wink he snorted at his words, not believing them for a second. Maybe he was a little bit of a jerk, but a nice jerk; a good jerk. At least she had worried about him — even if it was only briefly, it still showed that she cared.

When the girl had first arrived at the Pines Arion had been unsure if she would be a worthy partner for ‘playtime’; however, as she grew more comfortable in her new surroundings, she had proved herself to the little smudge. She was not as boring as he had initially thought — she was actually kind of fun when she let herself go. With the smile still firmly planted against his lips, he followed suit and folded his hindquarters against the snow, his pale gaze focused on her russet body. “Ya ya, you say that now. You’d miss me too much if I was gone,” he responded, his nose wrinkled in amusement.

@Arion <3 - abut time to start wrapping up?

She rolled her eyes at his self-proclaimed sanctity, shaking her shoulders against the cold. The last thing anyone would call the dark boy was a saint, he might be charming enough to trick the adults into ignoring his mischief, but there was not a drop of holy blood in his veins. It was the cheekiness that had attracted Nalda to him in the first place, after she'd written off both of the Reinier girls as silly children. Arion was smart, and with a knack for causing trouble, but in a sneaky manner rather than the rowdiness one might associate with Bracken. The smudge's abilities interested her, despite his wits, he seemed content playing with the other girls, capable of slipping easily in and out of the mindsets needed to interact with the diversity of wolves in Broken Timber Pines; And beyond..? To the saturnine girl, this was truly fascinating, such a chameleon quality made it much easier to get his way. She shook her head lightly, that half smile still on her dark lips. She liked to think she knew the real Arion, at least partly, but she would never fool herself into believing that he never played a part for her as he did for everyone else.

His dismissive comment came as if a response to her thoughts, and she stuck her tongue out at him, hoping that she could at least partly rival him in playing along. She did enjoy his company though, even if the reason was never fully clear to her; What made a snow fight with Arion different from one with Ember? Or the girls she had met that day in the ghost-woods? That wasn't something she would waste time contemplating now though; Later, when I'm alone, in peace… Instead she allowed her smile to come through fully, giggling lightly. "This place would be hella' boring without'ya!" She conceded, stretching her legs out lazily, rust-tipped tail wagging at the sky. A yawn parted her jowls, golden eyes blinking tiredly; "Though I'd suppose I'would b'allowed t' think in peace." She smacked her lips, pushing back up into a sit, her shoulders raised to stretch her back. The little spell of exercise had been nice though, she'd give him that, and she'd had fun; Just don't make a habit of it!

word count: 384

"Speech" Thoughts

Because of work, my activity will fluctuate every other week. For more information and OOC preferrences check out my profile

@Nalda yes! :c <3

Ember and Bracken were simple: they were rowdy and rambunctious and easily entertained. Nalda, on the other paw, was a much more difficult feat. She was stoic and withdrawn, preferring to keep to herself rather than be in the presence of the Reiner sisters. However, once her paper thin shell was broken, the russet girl was a riot — perhaps even more fun than both the sisters combined. Arion, of course, would never confess this to any of the three girls and would keep that thought with him until his deathbed.

She was different — and the good kind, not the weird ”get away from me” kind. Being around her was easy; he did not worry about having to impress her or constantly entertain her. Either she was interested or she wasn’t; there was no grey with Nalda. Arion liked that (among other things) about her.

“Well ya, duh,” he responded quickly as his head flopped to one side and he nudged her playfully with his paw. He knew that the russet girl could only handle so much of the sisters; if it wasn’t for him, they probably would have driven her insane by now. With her next comment the smudge recoiled back, his expression feigning boredom as he rolled his blue eyes. “Well I can leave you alone t’do borin’ stuff like thinking if y’want,” he retorted with an amused grin, although his words dripped with honesty. As much as he enjoyed her company, Arion was also quite fond of being on his own and seeking out the few quiet spots within their pack’s territory. “I’ve got loads to do anyway,” he added with a dismissing shrug as his tongue clucked against the roof of his mouth. Like terrorize other packmates.

@Arion <3 - We should do a new one, maybe with @Ember too so they can bitch bond about their missing dads? (If she'll ever go near Nalda again after our last thread)
Anyways, you can tag on an ending or just archive :3

She scoffed at his self-indulgent comment, returning his teasing bump with a poke of her nose against his shoulder. Arion was something special indeed and she appreciated it. But enough was also enough, and she was beginning to feel quite drowsy sitting still after all that running. The boys second comment only made her roll her own eyes back at him, lifting herself up into a stand as he moved away from her. Russet-tipped tail swayed idly behind her, a small, crooked smile on her delicate lips. "Oh I'm sure y'do." She replied, echoing his bored tone. Lazily she let her eyes drift from him, beholding the gorgeous marks of their wreckage, left in the snow. A light, almost wistful sigh fell from her lips, then she looked back at him, grinning.

Yes it had been an enjoyable game, and a nice days work. Arion had secured himself a vicious payback, but that would take planning and for now she was content, letting him think himself victor. After another yawn, she continued their repartee, eyes innocently widened, and voice to match; "And jus'because your brain's boring, doesn' mean mine's." She tugged her chin, making a small pout to complete the picture. Then smiled again, quickly reaching out a paw to tap him on top of the head. "Bu' you head'out t' your business." She purred, stepping away with idle movements; "I'll be watin' back'ere if y' decide t'play at somethin' boring." With a sway of her tail as salute, she sauntered off to find a new perch nearby, hoping to catch another ray of sun.

word count: 265

"Speech" Thoughts

Because of work, my activity will fluctuate every other week. For more information and OOC preferrences check out my profile

@Nalda quick wrap up <3 and yes another updated thread sounds wonderful!!

A lazy grin unfolded across his lips as he observed the sparrow, his blue gaze soft. His eyelids were growing heavier the longer he remained in the snowy field. As much as he would have liked to spend the rest of the day with Nalda wreaking havoc Arion had his own havoc to wreak — aka nap time.

The sparrow’s voice came a second time, causing a buckle of laughter to escape his lanky body. “Ya, ya,” he grinned, his tail swaying behind him, “I know you’re not borin’.” Truthfully, he was surprised at how well he and Nalda had gotten along and he was looking forward to more activities in the future. As much as he wanted to remain in the clearing with his golden eyed companion, it was time for him to take his (temporary) leave. If his nap didn’t go too long perhaps he would return to see if Nalda was still lounging in the sun… “Don’t get into too much trouble without me, alright?” He paired his words with an exaggerated wink before he spun on his heels, heading back toward the dens. “An’ don’t miss me too much!” He called over his shoulder with a swish of his bum hindquarters tail. There would definitely be more playdates in the future; Nalda was exceptionally tolerable.