Heartleaf Creek wishing on a star that's just a satellite

"Does it hurt to open them?" she asked before sniffing and tasting. "It's weird."

Oleander just smiled, shaking his head as Sage turned to the water. She mimicked what he had done, plunking her head beneath the surface. When she came back up for a breath, he did not expect her to have a catch. He knew beginner's luck was a thing by now, but he also knew that mussel-sifting was a skill meant to be honed.

"I don't see any," she declared.

The Valle strode back into the river, standing beside her for a moment. He turned away and walked a wolf's length from his hunting spot in the shallows. "Try here," he offered, growing still so that the water settled enough to be only disturbed by the current. His eyes narrowed, thankful for the present cloud cover. "Most shells have stripes," he lent, "and they're kinda lighter than most rocks." Well, it was a start... "Helps to learn what you're looking for. Round, but not quite round. I've found large ones attached to rocks, but the smaller ones like to cluster together. On a rock or submerged log, they'll look..." His mind played with the imagery of thistles, porcupines, and blackberry brambles, "spiky."

"Sometimes you can break them off, but they're not worth the effort. Better to find the larger ones with a bit of patience."

they say pray it away, i swear,
OLEANDER VALLE
that I'll never be a saint, no way

some fairy tales are more than true

Sage watched as he casually approached, then found a spot not too far off from her. She moved slowly to him in hopes of not kicking up more debris. Fixated on the male wolf as he taught her how to find them, concentrating hard on every detail as if his words would slip away. When he was done, she nodded her head and dived back into the water. This time she took her time to examine the crevices more thoroughly. She looked for the stripes and shape he'd described until she couldn't hold her breath any longer. Just before she came up her emerald orbs latched onto what she thought might be one. "I think I've found one," She told him before going back under to retrieve the small spikey mussel. It was harder to get off, just as he'd described, but she didn't mind. She just wanted to be able to say she'd found one. She returned to him with it and proudly dropped it off at his paws. "Not a good one, but I found it." She smiled softly as her tail swayed steadily behind her.

"She speaks" She walks She thinks

(This post was last modified: Oct 23, 2023, 11:02 PM by Sage.)

Dead Empress Backwater

Sorry for the long wait. :C Fade when you're ready?

He fought to keep his tail still as she came to join him. He could have instructed her further but opted to wait. Poise and tolerance were easily a couple of Oleander's greatest virtues. Clover had done well to instill that within him.

"I think I've found one," she declared after a little while. He steeled himself, not wanting to distract or send distracting ripples her way. His head tilted to one side, wondering and waiting until she lifted her prize from the water. "Not a good one, but I found it."

"Awesome," he grinned, able to finally give his tail a swish and a small splash. The little pointed prize in her jaws made pride swell in his chest. He had never taught anyone anything before, so this was a first for both of them. "Beats chasing rabbits and sniffing out deer trails if you ask me... I mean, if ya don't mind the getting wet part." Here, he gave his coat a shake. "I, erm... I might catch a few for a bite to eat and dry off a bit. Then maybe take you for a little stroll?" His brow quirked upward for a moment. It was all the flirtation banter he could manage, and he hoped she would say yes...

(This post was last modified: Dec 09, 2023, 10:43 PM by Oleander.)

they say pray it away, i swear,
OLEANDER VALLE
that I'll never be a saint, no way

FADE

some fairy tales are more than true

Sage gave him a toothy smile as much as what was possible around the muscle she held. It was always nice to receive praise, and she wasn’t all that used to it either. She was about to respond to his statement when he shook his pelt. She giggled, lightly lifting a paw to splash water towards him. “Not at all.” She wasn’t sure whether one or the other was better. She didn’t mind getting wet though, as long as it wasn’t terribly cold out. She nodded her head, perhaps, even though she didn’t mind being wet it was time to dry off.

His question caught her off guard, Sage bashfully looking away from him as her belly erupted in butterflies. Why’d she feel so funny? “I-I uh, I…I would like that.” She whispered with a shy glance his way. After awkwardly staring into his eyes for an embarrassingly long moment she broke the contact and made her way to the edge. “I…I’ll wait till you’re ready.” She laid down to watch him while carefully cracking open the spikey shell of the muscle and slurping up the chewy snack within.

"She speaks" She walks She thinks

(This post was last modified: Dec 14, 2023, 05:08 AM by Sage.)

Dead Empress Backwater