Sacred Grove look alive, sunshine

<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'><i>late morning, partly cloudy, chance of rain, cool</i>
i'm gonna play this as then both being there, rather then running into each other. so, very minimal powerplaying. if that's not okay, i can definitely change it. also, i imagine if they find snakes, they'd be slow, since it's getting colder outside, so less chance of them getting bitten.</span>

http://i1042.photobucket.com/albums/b421/straightoxic/Rissa/siblingtab.png) top center no-repeat; background-color: #738432;"> Not far from the dens of Swift River were another large pile of boulders. Rissa had found them while sniffing around one day, being nosy and distracted as usual. Beyond finding them, she'd done little else but pee on them, just so she'd be able to find them again. But it had been getting dark, and she hadn't been paying much attention to where she'd been going, so she'd make it back eventually. And she did. Or was planning to. After shaking her littermate, Aiyana, awake, she explained her plans. A field trip! Not that it was very far, so it could hardly be counted as an adventure. But regardless, she was going to share her discovery with her sister, and hopefully they could scale this as easily as they had their own den. The sky was gradually filling up with clouds as Rissa led her sister through Sacred Grove, occasionally sniffing the ground to make sure she was kind of in the right place. Her old scent was faint on the air, but strong enough that she could follow it. Thankfully she knew what she smelled like. <b style="color:#8a9e3c">"It's huge, Aiyana! Not as bigs as our den, but still pretty bigs. And it had lots of little holes. I bet things live in it. Like snakes! Ice told me 'bout snakes." He'd also told her to stay away from them, but she was determined to see what one looked like. Eventually her scent got stronger, and she could see the tower of rocks in the near distance. <b style="color:#8a9e3c">"We's there, Aiyana!" Laughing, Rissa broke into a bumbling run until she reached the edge of the pile, and quietly sized it up. <b style="color:#a1b846">"aiyana speaks." <b style="color:#8a9e3c">"rissa speaks."

table by bryony

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Once Aiyana had been so terribly fascinated with daylight that she slept all night and ran around all day. After being confined to the darkness of a den it wasn't so surprising, and her murky blue little eyes had eagerly drunk in the brightness of the world. But now her eyes were golden like the Light itself, and the princess had found herself enjoying the slowly cooling nights. So many different sounds and different things, and such a sense of peace that she never felt when bustling about in the daylight - her sleep schedule had gone all awry, ending up with her being asleep when she was tired, and awake.. when she wasn't tired. It made an awful lot of sense, but it also meant that she was usually asleep in the mornings after a night's adventure. And so, it was with a yip of protest that she blinked her golden eyes open to Rissa's overly eager face. With a huge yawn and a paw to her sister's face, she got up and tagged along, sleepily wondering what she'd found now that was exciting enough to drag her sister out of bed at this ungodly hour. "It's huge!" She blinked like an owl, trying to wake up, and felt like beating her sister on the ears. What was huge? A mouse? A squirrel? A blade of grass? A stupid root? .. oh. She was talking about a pile of rocks. Fuddled with sleep as she was, it took Aiyana a while to figure out that the huge thing wasn't larger than the den - so it had to be something like the den. Well, they'd been able to climb that, hadn't they, and been queens of the riverland! And, what - snakes? Ice had told her something that he hadn't told her? Treachery! Betrayal! <b style="color:#a1b846">"Snakes?" she asked, mimicking the name Rissa had given them. Or was it just something she'd made up? Sometimes she made up stupid things, about Aiyana getting lost. Well, whenever she did, the eldest Tainn beat her up for it, so it was nothing short of a miracle that she didn't learn. Oh, well. And then, Rissa ran off, leaving the still-tired Aiyana to stare dumbly after her for a few seconds before huffing. No races in the morning. Instead, she just walked up to the rock pile. It smelled awfully much of Rissa's pee, and with a very straight, innocent face, Aiyana peed on it where Rissa had. Mine. Then, so her sister wouldn't have time to think about peeing it back into her possession, Aiyana made a graceless leap onto the lowest, flattest rock she could find. This heap seemed smaller than the den, yes, but.. more intricate, and perhaps broader. Sleepy as she was, she didn't want to make any large leaps yet, and shook her head in an effort to clear it. She didn't want to fall off and let Rissa win, after all.

table by bryony

http://i1042.photobucket.com/albums/b421/straightoxic/Rissa/siblingtab.png) top center no-repeat; background-color: #738432;"> Silly Aiyana. She spent too much time stargazing and not enough time sleeping. Rissa still hadn't learned all there was to know about the daytime yet, so she had little tolerance for the stars and the moon and all that mumbojumbo. Maybe when she'd seen a snake, and caught a squirrel and finally made friends with a stranger, she'd stay up past when she considered her bedtime and go stargazing with Aiyana. But until then, she still had three things to do, and hopefully one of them could be fixed today. Snakes. She still wasn't entirely sure what they looked like, but certainly anything with teeth and that slithered would like rocks. Everyone liked rocks. Her forepaws gripped a flat faced rock in front of her as she tried to get a view of what might be in one of the little crevices. And in the time she was poking her nose into holes, her dark-coated sister had already marked her territory and hopped onto the first rock. <b style="color:#8a9e3c">"Aiyana, no!" Rissa moaned, pulling herself up onto the rock she'd already been part-ways on. <b style="color:#8a9e3c">"I founds it first! You can't just takes it!" The paler girl had a deep scowl on her face, tempted to rush and shove Aiyana off the tower. But she resisted. She didn't want to scare the snakes away by making a ruckus. She simply made a note to pee on it again before they left. Eyes narrowed, she hopped up to the next rock, silently thanking her oversized paws, as they certainly helped her to get a better grip. <b style="color:#8a9e3c">"We gots to find the snakes, Aiyana." Rissa spoke down to her sister. <b style="color:#8a9e3c">"I bets they in here somewhere. So finds them!" Without looking back, Rissa walked along the rock, and poked her nose into holes that looked big enough to hold something, even if it wasn't a snake. That's when she heard a promising sound. It was a hiss. But very faint. Pulling her nose out of the hole, she backed up a few inches, and shifted into a crouch, hoping that she'd maybe coaxed the animal out by waking it up. She let out a small whine to alert Aiyana that she might have found something, and just as the noise tapered off, out popped a red head. Rissa squealed in excitement, and wriggled around to give the slow-moving creature some space. But then she was reminded of Ice's warning, and frowned. Defeated, Rissa made a lead to the next rock up to look at the snake where she thought it would be less likely to reach her. By then, it was almost completely out of its hidyhole. And what a pretty animal. She thought snakes would be scary or gross. But it was pretty red, with black and yellow rings around it. Rissa regarded it silently. Red, black, yellow, black, red. And it was so long and tubey! <b style="color:#a1b846">"aiyana speaks." <b style="color:#8a9e3c">"rissa speaks."

table by bryony

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What? Aiyana scowled down at her sister, disapproval written across her face. Of course she could take it! She just did, didn't she? A single pee was all it had taken! Honestly, sometimes Rissa was so silly that Aiy had no idea what to do with her! But, for all her gruffness, Aiyana dearly loved her sister. It was just the fact that they were siblings that had her snapping and biting her all the time. Though they were fairly even in size, they had different qualities. Most physical brawls ended up with Rissa on top, but Aiyana won most races. Having that disadvantage, she found other ways to show her dominance. Like, peeing on her rocks. It was a really, really good way, and she made a mental note to do it more often. It worked, so hey, why not? And then she was talking about those snakes again. What was a snake, even? Why would they live in this pile of rock? It smelled of Rissa pee! Who would want to live there? <b style="color:#a1b846">"Whassa snake?" she blurted out, before realizing she'd just given Rissa hold over herself. Snapping her jaws shut, she rubbed one large paw over her nose and promptly turned her back to her sister, staring out sullenly at the forest as if she'd not asked anything at all. She blamed her slip on the fact that she hadn't been awake all that long. Because really, under such quasi-competitive circumstances, she'd never admit to not knowing anything Rissa knew. Or, well, unless directly asked. Aiyana was annoyed at all the times Rissa had spoken untrue things to not do it herself, and she hoped her sister would grow out of it, too. For some reason, she hadn't been at all interested in finding snakes. It was probably just some stupid thing Rissa had made up, but then she whined and Aiyana was forced to take a look, just to make sure she was alright. And she was - crouched by one of the holes. Frowning, the black girl was about to turn her back in disapproval when something red and shiny slithered out of the hole. Her mouth fell open into an 'o' of surprise, and then in a flurry of movements she found herself perched next to Rissa, suddenly completely awake. With large, interested eyes she stared down at the body as it slithered out. It looked.. well, weird. And sort of cold. But was that muscles rippling under those weird scales? Overcome with curiosity and the desire to touch it, Aiyana laid flat on her chest on the rock ledge and let one large paw dangle out over the edge, reaching down to stroke the end of its body as it passed, heedless of the danger it might present...

table by bryony

http://i1042.photobucket.com/albums/b421/straightoxic/Rissa/siblingtab.png) top center no-repeat; background-color: #738432;"> Rissa started, surprised to hear Aiyana actually ask her a question. And after that little claiming fiasco, Rissa wanted desperately to rub it in her sister's face. She was quite torn between trying to make this a very pleasant expedition, and trying to win over her sister as usual. It was hard to decide, it really was. And Aiyana acting as though she'd said nothing at all was really just the icing on the cake. <b style="color:#8a9e3c">"Snakes are hissy and slithery creatures. Ice says they can bes dangerous, so wes have to be careful." She tried to be non-condescending as she answered Aiyana, but it was hard. Rissa couldn't help it. She liked to win, and she had a lot of make up for after all of her losses at birth. Rissa wiggled down onto her belly to get a better look at the snake. It seemed tired. Maybe because it was cold? It didn't have fur like they did. Instead it just looked like a big tube of muscle and shiny scales. She felt Aiyana appear beside her, but didn't want to look away from the snake. A black paw entered her vision, and she hissed at her sibling, <b style="color:#8a9e3c">"Ice say they dangerous, Aiyana. No touch!" She reached out to pat Aiyana's paw as she touched the snake, and ended up touching it, well, patting it, herself. She let out a tiny gasp. It felt neat! But the touches seemed to have gotten the snake's attention, and it twisted around, and seemed to rise off the rock, even though it didn't have any legs! it was so strong. Though the temperature must've really bothered it, as it didn't rise up very much, but just enough to try and see what had been touching it. Its forked tongue flicked out, and Rissa mimicked it. <b style="color:#8a9e3c">"Snake." She said, reaching out another paw. But the snake hissed, its head rearing back, and it bobbed for a moment. <b style="color:#a1b846">"aiyana speaks." <b style="color:#8a9e3c">"rissa speaks."

table by bryony

<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>you're welcome to play the snake, too. c:</span>

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It was hard to block your ears, though, so she had to suffer through her sister lecturing her. Still with her back to everything, she soaked up the information like a dry sponge sucking up water, glad that Rissa couldn't see the interest in her eyes. Hissy and slithery, right. That was like a hissy fish. But dangerous? She frowned. Fish weren't dangerous, and besides, they lived in the river, so it couldn't be a hissy, dangerous fish in this pile of rocks. Unless it was swimming in... no. No. She did not want to go there, not even in her head. And now Rissa was hissing at her! Was she a snake, too? But.. well, even if it was dangerous, what could that thing do? Bite? It had too small jaws to be break anything in her body! So why should she not touch it? A tan paw came swirling in to bat hers away, but in the end, they both touched the snake. It felt.. smooth. A bit cold, too, but she shivered, feeling the ripple of muscles under those strange scales. For all her mental bravado though, Aiyana quickly pulled her paw back when it rose up. How.. how could it do that? Wide-eyed, she tried to lift her own chest off the ground without the use of her legs, but it didn't work. Rissa hissed at it, flicking out her tongue, and reached out another paw. <b style="color:#a1b846">"No," she told her sister sternly. It looked.. well, angry, now. Aiyana wanted to touch it again, but not when it looked at them in that way that said I can eat you and I know it. She frowned at it and its yellow muzzle. It had a weird shape, but it was oddly beautiful too, even though its obvious strength and bravery sent shivers down her spine. She just hoped that Rissa would take her paw back, so the snake would put down its head again.. so Aiyana would dare touch it one more time.

table by bryony

http://i1042.photobucket.com/albums/b421/straightoxic/Rissa/siblingtab.png) top center no-repeat; background-color: #738432;"> Rissa shot a look at Aiyana, scowling at her "no". Rissa's paw simply floated in the air for a moment, inches away from the bobbing, irritated snake. Aiyana was just begging her to touch it now. Her eyes narrowed a bit more at her darker sister before focusing on the snake again, and she reached the rest of the way, patting its head. As expected, it struck out at her, but the reaction was quite off, and it rammed into her paw as she jerked it away. While a bit startled, she could only laugh at the aftermath. <b style="color:#8a9e3c">"Cold makes it slows." She commented, looking over at Aiyana. The snake was clearly agitated now, and edged closer to the rock they were sitting on, head still bobbing dangerously. Getting headbutted by a snake didn't hurt at all, but she still didn't know if it had teeth. Rissa was tempted to suggest that they climb higher on the pile, but didn't want to seem afraid of the snake. Pft. Afraid? Never! <b style="color:#a1b846">"aiyana speaks." <b style="color:#8a9e3c">"rissa speaks."

table by bryony

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Of course, her stupid sister just had to keep toying with the snake. She reached out to touch its head, but it seemed that she got away with only a headbutt to the underside of her paw. When Rissa looked her way, Aiyana glared at her, something menacing in her golden eyes. Now she'd ruined it all! The snake clearly wasn't going to go on its merry, slithering way, so Aiyana wouldn't get to pet it again. No, instead it was coming their way and looking absolutely pissed. At least, that's what she'd be if someone did that kind of stuff to her, and it hadn't exactly looked friendly when it'd snapped after Rissa's paw. Gingerly, Aiyana came to her feet, and stared down at the thing. <b style="color:#a1b846">"Idiot," she growled at Rissa, feeling need to voice her displeasure in such a way that there was no way her sister could mistake her meaning. And where would they go now? The snake looked like it wanted to come join them up here, and the only easy way down was blocked by it. For a moment she wondered if she should ask her sister what to do, but then she thought better of it. Aiyana was the oldest. She should know. Rissa obviously didn't know enough about snakes to not upset them, so she couldn't trust her knowledge about anything snake-related right now. Instead, she backed off slightly to the side, perching with her hind paws balancing just on the edge to a drop below. Trying to keep calm, because who knew what the snake wanted?, she tilted her head to the side. <b style="color:#a1b846">"Come up?" she asked it innocently, but it probably didn't understand her as it hissed at the nearest pup, flicking its tongue out.

table by bryony

http://i1042.photobucket.com/albums/b421/straightoxic/Rissa/siblingtab.png) top center no-repeat; background-color: #738432;"> With a snort, Rissa stayed still as Aiyana sat up beside her. Her ears simply flicked at the insult hurled at her. Admittedly, it hurt, but Rissa didn't show it. She didn't feel like an idiot. She just wanted to pat the snake again and try and see if it had teeth. It wasn't like she was trying to make the snake mad, just Aiyana. And it worked. But the word still hurt, and Rissa huffed, eyes landing on the snake again, which continued to inch closer to their resting place. Her orange eyes shifted slightly to the side, spotting Aiyana perched on the edge of the rock, and she wondered if she was going to just make a leap for it. That would be a foolish thing to do. The drop wasn't too far, but higher than Rissa had even jumped or fallen. Eventually, Rissa got up before the snake got too close, and edged to the back of the rock as well, though kept her distance from Aiyana, a scowl evident on her tawny muzzle. Wait, what was she doing? Inviting it up here? <b style="color:#8a9e3c">"It can'ts understand yous, stupid." Rissa snapped back, looking at Aiyana. <b style="color:#8a9e3c">"We's have to jump." With a final look at the snake, Rissa sidled up beside Aiyana and looked over the edge. Thankfully it wasn't as high as their den was. <b style="color:#8a9e3c">"I go first." With a nod, she crouched down, and threw herself forward, essentially flinging herself from the pile of boulders, four or five feet below to the grass. She landed ungracefully on her paws, and let out a yelp, skipping a few inches forward. <b style="color:#8a9e3c">"Ow ow ow!" She moaned, holding her left hind leg off the ground. It didn't hurt so bad that it felt broken, but she definitely had landed funny on it. <b style="color:#a1b846">"aiyana speaks." <b style="color:#8a9e3c">"rissa speaks."

table by bryony

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It seemed that the snake's approach finally got through her sister's thick skull, for she too backed off a little. But she shunned Aiy's attempt to talk to the thing, and even though she made a snap-growl in her direction, her ears had fallen back. You never knew until you tried! Besides, it wasn't she who had made the thing upset in the first place, and with a grumpy, hurt look she sat down on the rock's edge, as if heedless of the drop below. Jump? Was she crazy? Jump from here? Aiyana's scowl said everything she thought about that stupid idea, but it didn't seem to stop her sister from trying to be first at falling to her death. Stubbornly she moved a little to the side, not wanting to be torn down by her stupid, wayward sister. If she wanted to break all her legs and be snake food, so be it. Some part of her brain hadn't believed that Rissa actually would jump. When she did, a startled yip flew out of her black mouth and she skipped forward to the edge again, balancing on gangly legs as she watched her sister. She'd yipped in pain when landing, and now stood holding her leg off the ground. <b style="color:#a1b846">"Ris!" she cried out in alarm, fearing the worst - but not quite sure what she feared, just that something bad had happened. Still, there was the snake blocking their original path... But Aiyana had no desire to fall some three or so times her own height, but she had to help her sister... She glanced at the snake, who just stared back at her, flicking his tongue at her. With a deep breath, Aiyana pounced forward, landing hard on the rock beside the snake. Its head shot out even as she leaped down from it; sluggish from winter it didn't hit entirely where it had intended, but its teeth scraped her right hock as she made it down on the grass. It was a shallow red cut that stung slightly, but she didn't care - Ris was hurt! At least, she stood all funny... Floundering a bit to regain her balance without stopping, she used the momentum from her last leap down to run around to her sister. <b style="color:#a1b846">"Ris! Ris? Okay, Ris?" Her eyes and voice were full of genuine concern for her stupid, silly sister.

table by bryony