Kettle Pot Pond the hearse ran out of gas

She didn't know how her mother would react to find out she had gone past the borders. She imagined Inna would be furious but with the way she'd been acting Oksana couldn't be sure her mother would even care. Lorc in the other hand would be furious with her. She was surprised she hadn't been punished the time she had told him about her and Risa’s adventure. This time though she was sure to be punished if not by her mother then by Lorc. She wanted to make that punishment worth it and exploring the place beyond the trees as much as she could was the best way. Talking to the boy was good too, she didn't know if that would go over well either since he was a stranger even if she did know his name. A frown crossed her dark face when he proclaimed the place boring. “Still wanna splore,” she told him and she did, “Need see.” If not to find new and interesting things than to know what it looked like.

He emphasized the fact more by telling her she was looking at it and telling her it was all the same. She looked at him with some annoyance, “Then we not have to splore we can just walk. Sana not want to go by herself.” Since he was there he might as well come along. She was practically demanding that he go with her. “It will be fun.” Somehow it would be fun, they didn't know what they would find on their walk.

She was ready to chase the hoppers, Oksana watched as he ran full tilt toward the water before ending up in the water. Oksana didn't hesitate to follow after him though it did occur to her that she didn't know what a hopper looked like. Coming up next to him she copied his position in the water before moving her muzzle close to his ear, “What hopper look like?” She whispered the question to him.

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She was determined, which was commendable. And not an annoying determined, like the silver-eyed bug had been. Maybe a little persistent, but so was Cyril when it came to adventures. He was not interested in having an adventure buddy, for the smudge had one back on the monadnock, but he doubted that the girl would leave him alone if he tried abandoning her. A small frown tugged at his lips at the thought but he remained composed, his brows narrowing as the girl spoke.

As he continued to explain that the lowlands was nothing spectacular the girl appeared annoyed, which caused his eyes to crinkle in amusement. It will be fun. What was with the forest pups and their fun?! What if he didn’t want to have fun?! Refraining from rolling his eyes the boy shrugged in response, a bored look tugging at his dark features. “I guesso,” he mumbled in response.

His tail wagged slowly beneath the water’s surface as he watched the ebony girl follow him into the water, mirroring his position almost perfectly. Ah, yes! He had forgotten that she had not seen a hopper before. How silly of him! Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye the boy whispered a hurried response, his ears pinned forward as he listened for movement before them. “They’re smol ’n got long back legs. An’ they can jump reeeal far. They make a weird riiiiibbbit soun’, too!” He turned his attention back to the muddle shore, his eyes narrowing: “Some of 'em are green, ’n some are brown. They got lon’, icky tongues too. You’ll know wha’ a hopper is when y’see one.” He gave a short, quick nod as he resumed his position, his paws nearly vibrating with excitement as he waited for one to jump out in front of them…

The smudge didn't want to give up on exploring this new land she had found even if he thought it was boring. Maybe you him it was but to her it was so different from what she knew. She loved the forest, the protection the trees provided, she felt safe there and it was home. To her it didn't matter how boring the tundra was because it was more about learning. What did this strange place hold that was so different from her home.

It was clear the boy wasn't impressed nor did he seem to think that it would be fun. Perhaps he didn't want to make new friends and perhaps he wasn’t completely wrong in that either. She felt deserted by Risa especially after finding out about her grandmother and now Inna wasn't herself. It left Oksana feeling a little lost so if Cyril could at least take her mind of it all for a little while then she could be thankful for that.

It seemed he also had a good idea on just how to do that, chasing hoppers. Of course Oksana had no idea what that was so when she came up beside him copying his posture in preparation she asked and he described. “I will keep a look out,” she whispered back into his ear. Then she turned her head slowly scanning the water for them. Her eyes settling in something she thought might be one sitting on the edge of the bank. “There,” she tapped his cheek with her muzzle before indicating where, “Is that one?”

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He was trying to ignore the feeling of mud squishing between his toes as he waited (impatiently) for one of the hoppers to appear. The boy had seen them here before, when he had been alone, and hoped that they would return so he didn’t sound like an idiot to the girl. She seemed eager to see the lowlands and make the most of her experience outside the forest. Whether he liked her or not, he at least wanted to make her first trip outside the forest a good one. The tundra was barren and boring, but it was certainly different than the forest she was used to. Brighter. More air—fresh air. How could she live in such a dark, gloomy environment?!

Tossing his thoughts aside Cyril’s ears twitched as the girl spoke, her voice low as she kept her golden gaze trained on the shore. There, is that one? He gave a quick nod, confirming her suspicions, before elaborating further: “Now y’gotta watch ‘em. See where they goin’. An’ then ya jump an’ try to catch 'em between y’paws,” he whispered back at her, his voice barely audile as he tried not to alert the hopper of their presence. “Y’can do it,” he offered as encouragement as he gave a small flick of his nose toward the shore, indicating that the girl should be the first to try and catch the slimy amphibian.

The smudge was sure that her mother would not be pleased with the fact she was in a pond looking for hoppers with a boy if she knew. Maybe she wouldn't care so much, Inna hadn't seemed to care about much lately. Boy or girl it didn't matter. It was just nice to get out and meet some new wolves. Even more so to have her kind taken off the fact that her mother was not herself and everyone in Hearthwood still seemed so upset. She missed her grandmum more than she often showed but she didn't want to think about it. It hurt too much to do that so it was just better to keep busy and hunting hoppers with Cyril seemed a good way to do that.

Her gaze had scanned the shore and landed on what she thought to he a hopper, as it moved just enough she could see it fit the description. She didn't move to go after it though, instead she waited for confirmation from the boy that it was one. She had been right and he explained what she needed to do next. Her gaze had not left the hopper as he explained she had to watch it and as she did it seemed to be moving a little closer to the water. The last thing she wanted was to lose it under the water where she couldn't go. At his encouraging words she glanced back at him noticing the flick of his nose. She then turned toward the shore and began to creep quietly through the water. The lessons her mother had given her before being a great help now.

When she thought she was close enough and the hopper still had not seemed to notice her Oksana went for it. Springing out of the water and onto the shore trying to get the hopper between her paws. Then the sound of splashing water caused her ears to flick backwards.

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The girl had exceptional patience, so he already liked her more than the silver-eyed girl who shared the same scent. She also did not talk as much as Bug, which was another plus in his books. Sana 1, Bug -12. While her persistence was a little off-putting, it was warmly received by the monadnock prince. He would not refuse an opportunity to saunter around the lowlands, even if it was barren and boooooring. She wanted to see it, he would be her guide. Just as long as she didn’t chat his ear off or demand friendship. Cyril didn’t like her that much. Maybe enough to see her a second time, but becoming her friend was a step he was not ready to make. Not yet, anyway.

His yellow gaze was fixated on the shore, his brows pinched together in a tight line as he continued his search for a hopper. There better be one, he thought glumly to himself, a small frown cutting into his lips, don’t wanna look like a liar… And just as the thought left his mind a creature appeared, long back legs clearly visible from their position in the water. Score! He did not move, his legs tense as he shot the girl a look out of the corner of his eyes in hopes that she would make the first move.

Without him having to tell her the smudge moved slowly toward the creature, barely making a ripple through the water as she decreased the distance between them. Don’t move!!!!!! He silently screamed at the hopper, his scowl not slipping away from his features.

She launched herself forward, paws outstretched toward the green critter. With an excited squeal the boy followed suit, splashing through the water behind her with his tail wagging frantically behind him. “Did ya get it?! That was so cool! Y’had t’catch it! Y’jump was perfect!” He crept up behind her, a single brow arched as he looked down at her paws.

With her mother they had done a lot of tracking and observing prey and even talking about how to approach it. She'd been little and some of it she hadn't understood but she had also seen her mother hunt and how to do it. That of course was all before her mum had sequestered herself to the den and had stopped teaching her. In the time that followed that Oksana had tried to catch things like mice and moles just to keep herself busy. She hadn't ever caught anything so she wanted to catch the hopper more than anything to prove to herself that all that practice had paid off.

She'd scanned the shore and found her target. The smudge had watched it to see where it was heading just like she'd been told and before it could escape she took her chance. It was a long shot she felt and she worried she may have acted too soon. Leaping out if the water with her paws outstretched she was afraid to move her paws for fear she would find nothing there.

The sound of Cyril splashing through the water and then his voice praising her did bring a smile to her face. “Thank you Cyril,” she said the heat rising in her cheeks a little as she looked back at him. She'd never been praised as such and she found she rather liked it. Oksana had yet to reveal whether or not she had caught the hopper but she could feel it squirming under her paws.

She looked back to them before she turned back to Cyril, “I got him,” she announce happily, “What do we do with him now?” She asked. Where they gonna let him go or were they going to have an afternoon snack before heading out into the Lowlands.

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A squeal of excitement escaped him once the smudge had announced that she had caught the hopper. He bounced on the soles of his feet, sending water splashing up around him, his tail waving high like a flag dancing in the wind. She had done an exceptional job—almost as good as him! He glanced around quickly, seeing if there were anymore hoppers lurking around, before he refocused his attention on the girl as she spoke once more. This time it was in the form of a question. A very good question.

What do we do with him now? Truthfully he didn’t know. Usually the boy would release them and try to recapture them, for he had never attempted eating one before. They didn’t look very tasty, for they were scrawny and all legs. Some of them were slimier than others, which he didn’t imagine tasted very good. His nose wrinkled as he stared at the girl’s paws, his head tipped to the side. “I dono,” he answered with a soft laugh, his jaws parted to show a wide, goofy grin. “I never ate one b’fore,” he admitted with a shrug, his brows pinched together. “Dono if they taste any good.” He didn’t really want to try either.

“Whad’ya wanna do wit’ it?” He asked as he lowered himself into a playful bow, his nose hesitantly prodding at her paws.

The smudge was a little surprised by the fact she had caught the hopper. Do many times back in Hearthwood she had tried to catch something and had usually failed pretty badly. She wanted so badly to tell her mum about it but she couldn't even if she thought it might make Inna smile. Her mother would be upset with her for venturing so far from Hearthwood. As Cyril squealed her tail waved over her back triumphantly. She hadn't let go of the hopper when she asked her question.

She wondered if they had hoppers back home and if any of her packmates had ever eaten one. The smudge was curious about what advice her mother would give in this situation. She looked back to Cyril to see what he thought they should do, he didn't know. She sniffed at the little animal she help in her paws, “They don't smell like they would taste very good,” she commented as she tried to peer at the hopper through her paws. His question brought her attention back to him, what did she want to do with it. “Could see what tastes like...or let go to catch later?” She suggested. Personally she liked the second option as she wasn't particularly sure she wanted to eat a hopper. “I think let him go,” she finally decided.

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At the girl’s statement Cyril leaned forward, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled the peculiar scent that wafted off the slimy creature. Instantly his face wrinkled, his brows pinched together and his tail lashing out behind him. “No, def’ does not smell any good,” he retorted quickly with a frantic shake of his head as he leaned back, a single brow arched. Okay, so the little bugger wasn’t any good to eat, but that didn’t mean it was completely useless… right? His head fell to the side, his lips dipping into a small frown as she spoke once more, weighing out their options verbally. “I think lettin’ him go is good,” he responded with another nod, this time sharper; more precise. Hoppers couldn’t be any fun if they were all gobbled up. There wouldn’t be any more left to chase!

“He ain’t any fun if he gone,” he added with a small laugh, his hindquarters falling to the ground as he observed the girl, his yellow gaze fixated on her paws as he waited for her to release the creature. Sure, the pond was filled with the long-legged creatures, but if one of their friends was eaten they might vacate the pool of water for a different one. Then what else was he supposed to do?!