Hot Springs Dirt!

note to self: dated late November, during the pup visit (age equals ~11 years)

She did not like the mountain! The ice and snow had been bad enough down in the Chasm, the earth too cold and hard for digging, hurting just to walk on. But up here there wasn’t even any dirt, just rock and ice, and way more snow; Too much snow! She couldn’t wait to go back home. Until then though, she refused to stay cooped up inside this dull pack – there had to be somewhere around this lake that was more interesting. She had already explored the winding forest paths, finding little of interest, so today she had circled the great lake, hoping to find something beyond the far shore. And it would seem she was in luck. As she rounded the furthest corner of the lake, the first thing the pup noticed was the smell; reminiscent of day-old meat, or more accurately the results of eating it. But as she continued forwards – eager for any type of distraction from the cold, even a smelly one – she started to feel a tingling in her paws and looked down to see the snow melting into slush around them; It’s a miracle! After what she was sure had been several months of numbness from the frost, she could actually feel her toes, and the farther she walked, the more the snow turned to water around her, until finally she saw the red-brown earth beneath it, barking out her excitement: “Dirt!” Thoughts ”Speech”

(This post was last modified: Dec 09, 2022, 02:04 AM by Apolline.)

Only Adora had decided she loved the mountain! How could she not?!

The place was so pretty and when it was not so cloudy, she felt she could see forever from the right ledges. All of this she had been very vocal about. Eager to tell everybody just how wonderful of an idea this trip was and how they should see everything before they go. So it should have been no surprise that Adora was quick to take off after the trail of Apple. She couldn't let her sister have all the fun! Especially as the air stunk up in a peculiar way.

"APPLE!" She barked out as she worked overtime to carry her stout form closer to her sister and the odd water. "Whatcha find, Appy?" With all of the grand energetic air of an eager child.

ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ || ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇ

She would have been satisfied with that, the simple sight of the bare ground. But as she continued forwards – dancing giddily as she shook out her wet paws with each step – she actually felt the earth starting to grow soft. So caught up was she, in the pure ecstasy of her feet starting to sink into the mud, that she completely missed the steaming pools of water up ahead. In fact, she might have obliviously wandered straight on into them, had she not been stopped by her sister’s call. Head whipping up from her delightfully muddy paws, Apple briefly caught a glimpse of the springs, before she spun around, barring her teeth at her sister in an ecstatic grin. “Dirt!” she repeated with clear excitement, tail whipping wildly behind her. “’t smells comme pets, but’ least its not frozen!” As if to illustrate her point, she leaned back on her hocks and slammed one fore-paw into the ground, sending mud flying in all directions – onto herself most of all. Thoughts ”Speech”

She gawked at her sister declaring it smelled comme pets! Yet she could agree that it did indeed smell like farts. Which made it all the worse when Apple splashed into it!

APPYYYYY! This squealed as she felt droplets of mud splatter onto her. Apolline may have taken the brunt of it, but she had not absorbed all of it!

You are a joueur de pet! Her features scrunched sharply, even as her tail waved behind her in sharp flicks. Overstimulated by the smells, sounds and feels. Why do you want to be so stinky, Apple? Despite this, she still bounded forward closer to her sister. Not allowing herself to be destined to be left out!

ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ || ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇ

She was all smiles as the mud splashed her chest, covering the already rather dirty, sand-colored fur to make it match the rest of her muddled brown pelt. She preferred being covered in a protective layer of dirt but with all the snow lately that had been hard to maintain. So she was overjoyed to be able to play in the mud, smell or not, only laughing at Adora’s outrage – in Apple’s opinion, her fairer sister could use a good coat of mud. The smell didn’t bother her all that much, it was a common side effect of playing in dirty puddles, although this one was definitely stronger than normal. Adora’s reaction made it worth it though, her clear disgust only increasing Apple’s enjoyment. Her tail wagged wildly, sending more flecks of mud flying as she stuck out her tongue at her sister’s quip. She’d much rather play with farts than be clean; Boring! And despite her protests, Adora too was clearly drawn by the smelly mud, coming closer against better judgement. Apolline grinned widely, proclaiming simply: “B’cause it’s fun!” And as soon as her sister was close enough, she raised a mud soaked paw to plant it firmly against her pale shoulder, before gleefully flopping down on her back to roll in the dirt: “Don’t you wanna know what makes’t smell like that?” Thoughts ”Speech”

(This post was last modified: Feb 17, 2023, 03:08 AM by Apolline.)

Apple was stinky! The mud was stinky! Now Adora had been made stinky by the both of these things!

It would take forever to wash away this scent, she felt. A lifetime of smelly! Only she figured...since she was here...well, perhaps it would not be terrible to explore with her sister. Especially if they figured out what made it smell this way. That way she could avoid it again and always in the future!

I bet you makes't stinky. She teased as she sought to stamp a muddy paw on her sister's forehead as she went down. Now both wore badges of their adventure! Mama could know... Her voice trailed off with genuine consideration now. Even if she figured that her sister would have invited their mother if she had wanted to!

Whatcha think? Asked as she watched her sister wallow gleefully.

ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ || ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇ

Apolline only giggled at her sister’s retaliation, the muddy mark a welcome addition to her coat of dirt. She happened to enjoy things that most others found icky – there was something thrilling about a strong smell or unusual texture – and she was used to them berating or even avoiding her for it. With that in mind, her sister’s gentle teasing was a welcome change, and Apple grinned up at her while wiggling on her back, tail swishing happily. Adora’s suggestion made her pause though, a small frown replacing the smile on her face. It was so very like her sister, to immediately turn to their mother for answers. In Apolline’s mind, half the fun of learning something new was the discovery itself, trial and error, simply asking an adult for the answer took all the joy out of it. Never mind that @Woya might scold them for going exploring on their own. Pursing her lips, Apple rolled over and got to her feet, giving her fur a quick shake. She put her nose to the ground, attention firmly on the scent and where it was strongest. Without even raising her head, almost musing out loud rather than truly answering her sister, she said: “I think… I’m’a go investigate!” And just like that, she was off, sniffing through the mud and slush, to find her own answers. Thoughts ”Speech”