Velo en Cascada Curiosity killed the... pumpkin?

Word count: 171

Kuru felt some relief as his friend pressed herself against him. He did his best to curl his body to shelter Ice from some of the cool air.

The gray wolf didn't speak, though he ventured a reassuring lick to the woman's ear. Why hadn't he calmed yet? Frustration welled up to battle Kuru's lingering fear. Ice is FINE! he howled in his mind. So. Calm. Down!

But she will die, his brain-wolf replied. One day nothing will be able to save her. He couldn't deny it. What would he do when Kuru found himself alone once more?

It was going to hurt so bad. This already hurt, and Ice wasn't even in danger anymore. What will it feel like if she does die? Kuru blocked the thought. He had to be strong, no matter what.

He felt his heart finally return to beating normally. The wolf pressed tighter to his friend in a comforting gesture, but he assumed the stoic nonexpression of distance.

"Speech" Thought

OOC! 

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Word Count: 107

Anaia was just starting to calm down, unaware that her friend was still getting himself worked up. The pain in her nose was fading to a throb, and she’d caught her breath.  She was okay.  It was all going to be okay.

She took a few deep breaths before sitting back and sniffily smiling at Ash. “Thank you.” She said, then stopped. His face was carefully held blank.  She’d seen that look before. It was the look of someone who was upset. She couldn’t help flinching. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t m-mean to get stuck.” She squeaked, hating that she started stuttering again. “I w-won’t do it again.”

"Speech"  Thought

Word count: 150

Kuru's friend seemed to relax a bit. But when she turned to him, she flinched and apologized. Dumb dog, the boy scolded himself. Now's not the time to get distracted.

He shook his head and let his tongue loll, a sign of welcome. "It's okay, I promise," he whined. "Who knew pumpkins could be so dangerous?"

He glanced at the plant that had nearly killed Ice. Now the pumpkin looked small and sad, almost to the point of being comical. But it was too early to make light of it. Instead, Kuru commented, "It's getting chilly. Why don't we head back to the cave and rest?"

As a final assurance, he gently touched his nose to his friend's shoulder and gave her his brightest eyes and prickiest ears. Still, under the enthusiasm, he felt a river of grief-fear threaten to cut a canyon between them.

"Speech" Thought

OOC! 

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Word Count: 174

Anaia knew she jumped to conclusions and was often times a little too quick to apologize.  She knew she should ask before feeling guilty, but she found it was better to ask forgiveness first. The wolves of the Lore were different from the family she grew up with, and she was no longer a puppy. She was an adult, though she still acted like a child.  She still felt like one, lost and wandering.

Just as suddenly as he’d become distant, Ash was friendly again grinning at her and referring to the fruit that nearly killed her as a pumpkin.  Pumpkin… She tried the word out in her mind. The sound seemed to fit the orange plant in a way.

He then suggestesd a return to the cave.  “It’s still morning,” She protested, disappointment causing her chest to sink.  Was he going to ground her for the day because of one little mistake? “Shouldn’t we at least try for some fish or look around the area? I won’t get into anymore trouble, I promise.”

"Speech"  Thought

Word count: 103

"I...guess it couldn't hurt to explore." It was a bit chilly to fully enjoy new sights and smells. She would be used to it, though, Kuru reflected. This air was probably perfect for the north-born wolf. That was one sure difference between them; he would take sweet, warm sun any day.

But there is no way under the sky I'm leaving her alone again. Besides, there wasn't much to do at the cave but sleep. He was fully awake, thanks to the day's events.

Kuru wagged his tail, playful. "Do you have anywhere in mind?" he prompted his friend.

"Speech" Thought

OOC! 

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Word Count: 100

The strange moment seemed to pass as Ash became his old self again.  She didn’t stop to think that maybe he was used to warmer weather; she’d never really heard anyone complain.  To be fair, she was born in a place where there was snow on the ground pretty much all year.

Her friend acquiesced to her request and even asked if she had any ideas.  The Snowy girl shrugged, glancing about the area.  “I was just looking around.” She told him. “I figured we weren’t going to stay long so I wanted to see if there was anything cool.”

"Speech"  Thought

Word count: 114

Ice just shrugged at Kuru's question. She explained she was just looking around, and Kuru nodded in understanding. He pointed his nose ahead, farther along the path he'd taken to find his friend. "Um, we could just keep going this way," he suggested. He picked his way through the rocks and looked for something that would take him higher.

A dark gap caught Kuru's eye. He trotted over and sniffed. Nothing smelled dangerous. But the darkness might go deeper and lead to something interesting. The hole seemed just wide enough for him to squeeze through. He glanced back at Ice and flicked up his ears in an unspoken question. Should we?

"Speech" Thought