Cedarwood Forest I bet you look good on the dancefloor

RE: Jenessa, a curious otter wants to play.
Takes place around here
note to self backdated to before the trip to WR.

Water wasn't as entertaining as it used to be. She could splish and splash as much as she wanted but it didn't give her the same buzz it used to. She idly wondered if it was possible to have too much of a good thing, that she could no longer get her fix from paddling alone. Swimming was fine and all but her gaze was always directed towards the horizon, Jenny always wanted more.

From the riverbank she lazily slapped at the water with her front paw, what was even the point? She had little interest in fishing and she certainly wasn't going to catch anything but disturbing the water like this. Yet, the water on the opposite side rippled and sloshed as a brownish shape twirled and danced beneath the surface. The Selwyn squinted as she leaned forward, trying to figure out what that thing was. Then it surfaced, it's beady black eyes gleaming with delight as it wriggled closer. For a moment she thought it was a hairy snake, but it squeaked at her and with a flick of it's tail it rolled over, as though it was becoming her to come take a dip as well. What a strange little critter, Jenny couldn't help but grin so wide her lips hurt.  Maybe this jaunt had been worth her while after all.

you draw blood just to taste it

Vaken couldn’t resist himself. The splashing was alluring, a mysterious sound from deep within the forest. He was too curious just to ignore it. He couldn’t smell who it belonged to, he could only hear the thunk of paws against water. It wasn’t incredibly loud, so it couldn’t have been a larger predator, could it? Unlikely. Maybe a fox or coyote, but definitely not a bear. He approached slowly and quietly, just in case. His head peaked around from the trees. He imagine another loner was fishing. He wasn’t expecting anyone in particular- but especially not the female pup. When he caught sight of her he had to repress a snarl.




What were the chances? At first he thought a friend was with her, another small silver pup. He was wrong. The otter quickly made itself known, its head bobbing out and eyes twinkling. Rage filled him. He wanted to jump in and rip the head off her playmate, spit it at her- but knew the otter was far too quick. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get close enough. “I hope it pulls you under,” he barked, stepping around the trees.

you hold bones just to break them

currently travelling with Circe (she can jump in any of his threads)

You discover a half-eaten deer carcass. +5 Health

Jenny turned, her brow raised as the loner snarled at her, like he was some nasty beast she ought to be afraid of. For a long heavy moment she stared, then her smile returned and she even had the nerve to giggle. She had nothing to fear from the moody man, her Dad said he'd piss all over him if he tried anything. Besides, why would the otter even want to do that? Could it even do that? She was nearly fully grown, had room to fill out a bit more but in a few months time she would be as pretty and tall as she was ever going to be. Probably a lot bigger than him, oh that thought made her grin even more. It was so rich.

"It's okay, I can swim." Was all she said, her tail swishing from side to side. She was the picture of innocence, bright gleaming eyes and a cute little demeanour, like butter wouldn't melt.

Unaware of the rising tensions on land, the otter swam back and forth, kicking up water as it played. It was having the time of it's life, why not share the merriment?

you draw blood just to taste it

The anger built at her reaction, his lips drawing back to snarl. What a fool. He felt the impulse to swim in and drown her himself, but hesitated. He didn’t know her parents. The last thing he needed was a pair of thick brutes on his scent seeking revenge. They had to care about her to give her this spoiled attitude, probably ran a pack close by. Of course. “Pretty shitty swimmer,” he scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. “Who taught you?” He rolled his eyes. “A rock? Your smacking your paws all over.”




He looked away as if he couldn’t bare to look at her any longer, his snarl dropping. It didn’t matter if he challenged her- she clearly wasn’t taking the bait. She was too young to understand. She continued to patter along with the otter, oblivious. It made him uncontrollably mad, but he was cooling down. His banter was enough of a release.

you hold bones just to break them

currently travelling with Circe (she can jump in any of his threads)

Jenny tipped her head to the side, questioning his words as she rolled them around in her head. Oh he was mean and stupid, a great combination. She didn't care that much he didn't like her, even she could pick up on that. She was a little offended, sure, but his state of mind just made it even easier to pick on him. He was so easy to rile up, Jenny was barely even trying.

"Who taught you?" She fired back, shaking her head slightly. "You have to be in the water to swim, I'm paddling. Duh."

And sure enough, three of her paws were on dry land, she was using the forth to slap idly at the water. Because she could. And yeah, paddling wasn't as fun as it used to be but....she sort of liked it still. She used to paddle and swim with her Ma and that had been a whole lot of fun, one of the few time she saw her smile for real. Not a fake one that was supposed to put the pup at ease, a good smile, the sort that made Jenny want to try to be a better person. The sort who could inspire such a smile. Such a shame her Mother had wandered off home, Jenny could have turned out so differently...

The otter, having grown bored of not being the centre of attention began to drift further downstream, perhaps hoping that Jenny would try to follow.

you draw blood just to taste it

Vaken began to walk forward, yawning. He had learned to swim on his own. It had been reckless, and dangerous, and a lot of work- but he had learned to swim without any help. He was proud of that. So proud that he almost answered her question, but caught himself and huffed. “Noneya,” he muttered. She didn’t get to ask questions- especially not about his past. He didn’t like her enough to give her what she wanted. Clearly she had other people for that. He smugly lifted his muzzle into the air and shot her a snarky grin, slowly making his way towards the water. He got pretty close, within biting distance to the pup, and slowly dunked his paw in. He tested the temperature, the pads on his foot hitting the surface. It was cold, but not completely unpleasant. Once his body adjusted he pressed it in deeper, coating it. Then, pretty aggressively he pulled it out, shaking it dry. He aimed the moisture at the girl, trying to get the droplets on her and grinned.




Quickly, he darted back, attempting to avoid any counterattacks. He wasn’t sure she would, but better safe than sorry. “I bet I’m a faster swimmer than you.”

you hold bones just to break them

currently travelling with Circe (she can jump in any of his threads)

His grumbled response told Jenny everything she needed to know. If he thought that she was going to get all upset about his lackluster response then he was wrong. She wasn't the sort who liked to be left out, but did she really care who had taught him how to swim? Not at all. What could she even do with a bit of trivia like that? It was unimportant, feather light in the grand scheme of things. Instead, the Selwyn shrugged it off and continued to watch him with her clever yellow eyes.

As he waded into the water Jenny settled back on her haunches, her tail curled around her legs. She wasn't entirely she what he was up to, but she figured she'd soon found out. After all, he didn't seem to be the real sneaky sort. Not like her.

Sure enough, a moment passed and he leapt into action, shaking himself off so hard she was covered in his spray. Jenny blinked, unfazed. Was this how he wanted to play it? Did he truly think he could defeat her in splashy combat? Oh it was on.

Pushing herself up onto her paws, Jenny side eyed the stranger with disinterest.

"Do I get a prize if I win?"

you draw blood just to taste it

“Well,” Vaken muttered, kicking over a rock into the water. “You’re not gonna win, so don’t worry about it.” He wasn’t gonna go out of his way to entice her. He didn’t have the motivation to coerce her into a swimming match, the challenge should have been appealing enough. He loved competition. He couldn’t hurt the pup, challenge her in a fight- that was unfair. This though? It was something. A good way to rub it in her face. Her disinterest was apparent, her overly dramatic deadpan stare burning into him. He wasn’t going to raise the stakes just to wipe the look off her face, instead he mimicked it. He returned to the water and took a few unbothered sips. Two could play that game.




He wasn’t the type to beg, especially not to a pup. Part of him hated her still, bitter and resentful. He didn’t want to make things easy. She seemed entitled, bratty, stubborn. The memory of her peeing on his dinner replayed in his mind. She was also brave though, bold. She had holding her own against him- showed him up even. He hated it. They were in a stubborn dance, stepping over each other’s paws. What was she getting at? Her sour grapes from before were beginning to melt away, replaced with well-hidden subtle curiosity.

you hold bones just to break them

(This post was last modified: Nov 02, 2018, 12:59 AM by Vaken.)

currently travelling with Circe (she can jump in any of his threads)

"Liar." Jenny clapped back, her response immediate and fiery. "You are old, you can't win." At least in her eyes anyone who was olden than she was ancient, almost upon their deathbed.

She paused then, her head tipping to the side as she pursed her lips. If she was going to make some effort then it had to be worth her while, what was the point otherwise? Jenny wasn't all caught up like the loner was, her fur wasn't all puffed up and on end. She was as cool as a cucumber, he would have to try a lot harder to get under her skin.

"If I win, you have to be nice to me." It seemed like a simple request but there was far more to it than that, no more of this meanery. He would be malleable, one of her many pawns to do with as she pleased. "And if you win....? She trailed off, allowing the loner to fill in the space.

She moved closer to the riverside, tail swishing side to side as she waited in eager anticipation. So what would it be?