Dead Empress Backwater Children are Gross, 'enough said

Backdated to the 14th

some fairy tales are more than true

Sage was curled up near the den, munching away on a fish she'd caught prior. It was large and fatty- the yearling proud of herself for such a catch. She was getting a hang of being a Backwater wolf. Maybe. The girl could never be too sure of herself. She'd found a moment of peace here, underneath the shaded canopy and hidden within a bush. She didn't want to be bothered by the gaggle of pups that seemed to follow after her. Okay, maybe not a gaggle, but one particular sneezy boy.

The thought of the children made her pull the fish closer, not wanting to share with snot-ball babies. She licked her chops, tongue flinging a small scale off her lip, and bit in for another mouthful. The fishy flavor danced on her tastebuds as she chowed down like she hadn't eaten in days."She speaks" She walks She thinks

He smelled something good. Jacy had smelled it around the territory before, and even snuffled through some tiny bones that smelled like it, but he hadn't found something he could really eat with that smell. Sometimes he thought maybe the food some of the grown ups gave him had it, but he wanted it from the source. Really fresh. And just like he'd wanted to catch Vayko's rabbit, he wanted to catch this thing.

So Jacy followed his nose until he saw the girl tucked under some leaves munching on something shiny. His eyes lit up and his ears pricked as he pranced over to her, all subtlety forgotten. "Wassat?" he asked, words blending together as they often did for him. It was no matter; everybody seemed to know what he meant regardless of how clear his vocabulary was. What was important right now was getting hold of that shiny thing.

some fairy tales are more than true

"Wassat?" Sage gave a low growl of irritation, clenching her fish within her jaws and sliding herself away a bit. She took a few more bites before sighing heavily, realizing her own harshness was uncalled for. She looked over at the child, paw firmly placed on her prize, and her heart softened. It wasn't Khalon...but the pup from the hunt. Perhaps he was kinda cute. Still, if he sneezed all over her fish! The yearling grumbled.

"It's a fish, more specifically a rainbow trout." She answered back in a sweet tone, "This one is mine, but if you'd like, we can go get your own?" She spoke the word mine firmly but kept a soft voice with the pup. She wasn't up for sharing with him, not with the possibility of snot-fish for lunch. Letting him watch her fish though? Not too big of a deal. She could make him wait at the bank, not like he'd want to follow her in...right? She looked him over, second-guessing her decision to offer up an adventure."She speaks" She walks She thinks

Dead Empress Backwater

To Jacy's great shock, his question was met with a growl and Sage sliding away, chomping hard on her prize. Jacy watched her eat with wide eyes and ears back, unsure of what he'd done wrong. He crawled forward on his belly with a low whine, licking his lips as though he might be able to taste the thing on the air.

After what seemed like forever the girl sighed and explained that it was a fish, which was such a strange word, and then firmly stated this one was hers. Jacy pouted for a moment, but brightened when she followed up with the offer to go with him to get his own. He nodded enthusiastically, already jumping to his feet. "Fish! Fish!" he cheered, dancing around her. He could catch his own fish! And maybe he could take some back to his second mum and dad and show them how cool he was!

some fairy tales are more than true

Sage mistook the pup's response for submission, and a pang of guilt stabbed at her. She watched with soft eyes as he crawled closer with his little ears back. His whining only guilt-tripped the female further into feeling bad. She frowned at him, begrudgingly considering giving him the fish's tail. She watched him pout, only worsening what she felt, then spring to life. Her ears perked as he jumped, giggling while he nodded eagerly. A large grin spread across her features and her tail thumped against the ground. She watched him circle her, amused by his reaction. "Okay, okay!" She replied with a chuckle.

The yearling rose to her paws, snatched up her fish, and began to walk away. She'd cast a glance behind herself to ensure he was following her and that she wasn't walking too fast. This just might be fun. She thought eyeing the fluff ball behind her before thinking back to her recent encounter with @Oleander further out. It seemed too far to take the child, and unwise to leave the safety of the pack, but still she wondered how he'd react to a chewy mussel. Perhaps one day she'd bring him one."She speaks" She walks She thinks

Dead Empress Backwater

It didn't take long for Sage to stand and begin leading the way, her fish in her mouth. Jacy followed closely, skipping along beside and wondering which spot in the river they were going to. He'd been to the river, but he hadn't actually gone into it yet. It seemed so big and scary and he didn't know anything yummy actually lived in there!

"How?" he asked, mind already off and running wild with dreams of how to catch this smelly snack that he wanted so badly. He was already dreaming of having it between his teeth, how it would taste when it smelled so good already. He didn't know how to catch one, but that wouldn't stop his imagination. He had full confidence that he would be the best hunter there was ever.

"Speech" Thought

some fairy tales are more than true

Sage kept an eye on him as she walked, occasionally glancing over at his bouncy form. She couldn't help but smile at him. He was cute...sorta. Still a germ ball...but cute. "How?" She thought over her answer carefully before responding, allowing a moment of silence, "Well... different fish you catch with different methods. Some you wade out into the water and wait a long time, watching, then strike. Others you catch while they zip along shallow areas. Then, there are those you go into the deep water and search for and it takes skill. I'm still learning myself, maybe you'll find a method I don't know yet!" She added the last part with an encouraging wink. Her words had been muffled by the fish.

Before long the creek started to come into view, just on the horizon. She was taking him to one of the shallow parts she knew of, still within pack territory, with a relatively safe current. In case he decided to come into the water. "Now I'd prefer if you stayed dry, and waited for me at the bank, 'em 'kay?" She asked, turning to look at him with one brow raised. Her emerald eyes held a serious glare. Though she knew it'd be relatively safe if he chose to disobey her. It wasn't terribly cold of a day either, she just didn't want to put one of the pack pups in harm's way. If something happened...her gut churned, I could never forgive myself.

When blonde paws met the edge of the water she laid her fish down, giving him a stern look that seemed to almost say NO. She waited a moment to see if she could trust the germ ball before wading into the water. It was chilly enough to send a shiver down her back, but nothing hateful. She went out halfway and watched as fish darted across the shallow beds into deeper ones. "These are rainbow trout, they're trying to get into the deeper water by crossing this shallow area I'm standing on." She explained to the pup, hoping to keep him distracted from her meal sitting freely on the bank. She watched a few more fish as they darted across, looking for one small enough that the pup might be able to handle it.

"She speaks" She walks She thinks

Dead Empress Backwater

She explained fishing as they walked and Jacy listened with rapt attention, even going so far as to stop skipping and walk normally. There was a lot more to fishing than he thought there was and he tried to imagine how that might work, just standing in the water and waiting for the little shinies to come to him. He wondered if they'd bite his toes.

And then finally they were at the water and Jacy was all set to run into the water and try out these skills, only for Sage to ask him to stay dry. He halted and turned to look at her with wide, pleading eyes and a small pout. He wanted to play in the water! And then she gave him a firm look to stay away from her fish, which reminded him why he was here. With great effort, he obediently sat, turned away from her fish. He didn't want hers anymore, she was getting him his own! He wanted to get his own, but for now he would be good.

"Speech" Thought

some fairy tales are more than true

This pup was good at pulling heartstrings, Sage nearly melted looking down at him, Stay strong. She'd thought before departing from the child. Now standing in the water she'd look over to see him sitting, turned away from her fish. It pleased her to see he cared enough to respect her order. Maybe children were more manageable than she had thought. He hadn't even tried to dip his toes in or sneak a bite! Sage pulled her attention from the pup and stood still, concentrating. As minutes stretched on, a quietness surrounded them, save for the flowing water.

Finally Sage spotted one she felt would be more acceptable for a child. She sprung into action, chasing after the darting shadow. Her paws splashed through the water while her eyes remained steady. Her heart pounded with adrenaline. She calculated the fish's next turn, and just as it started to go, she lunged forward diving her head into the water. Her teeth collided with scales. Victory. The yearling pulled it back from the water, holding lightly enough she didn't puncture the fish, but with a grip, it couldn't escape. The fish thrashed within her jaws as she returned to shore.

She stood over Jacy, looking down at him, before tossing the fish further away so it wouldn't escape back into the creek. "Get it!" She said playfully, encouraging the child to pounce. The small trout flopped wildly on the ground. "She speaks" She walks She thinks

Dead Empress Backwater

Quiet fell over them and Jacy sat there, listening to the running water and watching Sage so intently he'd excluded nearly everything else. His whole world consisted of himself, the creek, and his teacher. The longer the silence stretched the more eager he grew, body growing taut. He found himself leaning forward.

And then all at once Sage pounced and was off chasing something across the shallow water. Jacy dashed forward a few steps before remembering he was meant to stay on shore and stopped, his front feet quivering in excitement in the water. Sage dove into the water, and then came up - with a fish! Jacy's tail began wagging so hard his haunches wiggled with it and he danced in place, paws splashing. She triumphantly approached - and then instead of giving it to the pup tossed it on the ground! For a moment Jacy stared up at her in confusion, and then she encouraged him to get it himself.

Unable to contain his excitement the boy spun and bounded, pouncing the best he could and chomping down. When he hit the scaley creature, however, it slipped and flopped away from him. He stumbled, but chased after it, only for it to slip again. He growled in frustration. "Shiny!" he shouted. "Stop!" And snapped at it. Finally his teeth sank into flesh and a watery, earth taste flooded his mouth. He shook his head violently, only stopping when the fish stopped wriggling.

He looked up and back at Sage, tail wagging and ears pricked, the fish sliding from his jaws as his mouth opened in a wide grin, flush with the success of a child making their first successful kill.

"Speech" Thought