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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on Apr 26, 2019 18:53:07 GMT -5
David's brow creased and he tilted his head. He wasn't sure what those words meant. "Aunt and uncle? What's that?" He asked curiously. He started walking down one of the deer trails in the forest. It shouldn't be too hard for Sam to follow and the deer tended to push the foliage out of the way so there were less briars and twigs hanging loose to pull his fur. It also could be fun to see an animal or two out in the woods while he at Sam out here, though he doubted anything would show up given how the boy could be heard easily through most of the forest.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Apr 26, 2019 19:11:24 GMT -5
Sam, in his defense, wasn't trying to be stealthy. He was was more focused on not tripping and remembering the way back so he wouldn't get lost were he to lose his guide. "Oh, well, it's family. My aunt is my mother's sister, and her husband, by marriage, is my uncle. If you mother had any siblings, they would be considered either an aunt or uncle," he explained. Then paused. "Does your mother have siblings?" And if so, were they in the woods as well? Would they be as lenient as David's mother? Or would they be far less welcoming?
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on Apr 26, 2019 19:27:50 GMT -5
David shook his head. "No, the more of us in an area, the harder it is to stay hidden. That's what Mom says. If she does have any siblings, I've never met them. Sometimes another creature will come up to our border, but she never lets them stay. I don't think there's anything else in the woods outside our borders, but who knows." Too late he realized that might not be the most comforting thing to say to a human, and he quickly added, "I'm sure it's safe enough if you haven't met anything else."
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on Apr 26, 2019 20:43:16 GMT -5
"You can say we're strange, it's true." David trilled in amusement. "There aren't a lot of things out there that are like us. And the same can be said for the things that come to our border too. They're not much like us and they're not much like people." David took a longer-than-usual stride over a small dip in the ground to avoid stumbling, though he only remembered to warn Sam about it at the last second. "Watch your feet."
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on Apr 26, 2019 21:17:35 GMT -5
"Yeah, there are some things that come by. I'm not certain what they call themselves, Mom never lets me get near them when she does her threat displays." He thought for a moment before he continued speaking. "I really don't know if they're dangerous or not. Maybe to us because they want to come through our border? I'm not sure how much they'd care about humans. But you shouldn't run into anything as long as you're in Mom's territory."
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on Apr 26, 2019 22:48:10 GMT -5
"If she doesn't like it you might sway her by telling her you just want to be sure you're safe out here." David suggested, somewhat pleased with himself for thinking of it. Again, the ground before them dipped downward into a small valley where the deer trail vanished, though David continued, walking across the gap on a fair-sized fallen tree. "I don't think she's unreasonable. Just defensive."
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on May 4, 2019 0:25:00 GMT -5
David had to think Sam’s question over. How would someone make themself seem agreeable to his mother? He rarely saw her interact with anyone other than himself in a friendly way. “I guess just listen if she tells you something important? It might take some time for her to warm up to you. She is used to the mountain just being the both of us.” He wasn’t sure what else he could say to that. “I’d say just keep trying but that could be dangerous...”
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on May 4, 2019 21:48:24 GMT -5
“Just around.” David replied with another wide smile. “I didn’t want to take you too far up the mountain if you’re not for rock climbing today. But the rocks at the edge of the trees are good for basking. They soak up all the sun heat.” As he spoke, they came to a small gap in the trees where the hill and mountain merged. As promised, there was a large rockpile near the center of the clearing where David beelined to.
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on May 5, 2019 22:26:38 GMT -5
“It’s nice.” David smiled. “We didn’t set this up either, I think the rocks fell off the side of mountain a long time ago. But I’m happy you like it.” He stretched his front pair of paws out ahead of himself before rolling on his side, completely draped over one of the larger rocks. He wasn’t a tall monster, but from nose to tailtip he was still nearly eight feet in length. “You can come sit, the rocks are heated from the sun and they’re very nice to lay on.”
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on May 6, 2019 13:59:52 GMT -5
“We can spend the rest of the day here if you want to.” David replied simply. He watched Sam get himself set up on the rocks for a second and he lied quiet for a few minutes before he twitched his tail in front of David. He intentionally placed it over Sam’s head in a playful attempt to tease him. There was another smile on his muzzle, one wide enough to show his teeth this time.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on May 6, 2019 20:11:01 GMT -5
Sam, grateful for a chance to warm up after taking a tumble in the cold stream. During the walk, the water in his clothes had warmed, but it was uncomfortable. His eyes closed for a moment, letting the sun's rays soak into his skin. A second later, he felt something soft and fuzzy land on his face. The boy opened his eyes to find David's tail blocking his vision. He felt amusement rise as he turned his head to look at the creature, spotting the canine grin on his face. Was this what it was like to have an animal companion? He hadn't been allowed to have pets because his aunt didn't want to have to take care of them. Of course, that's also not to say that David was anything like a normal dog. But it still felt nice having a companion to sit in silence with, to make him feel like he wasn't... well, lonely. He wasn't sure what do in playful retaliation, though, but really, did he need to do anything?
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on May 7, 2019 0:35:45 GMT -5
David caught Sam’s expression but when he didn’t play back he just dropped his tail next to him within reach. He liked how today had come. He wa glad Sam was allowed in the woods and he had the chance to learn what he could about humans. Now that the boy would be coming back to the woods, he could think up questions to ask about the world beyond the woods. For now, though, he closed his eyes and rested his head on his paws with one of his ears angled toward Sam to listen for any movement from him.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on May 7, 2019 10:14:54 GMT -5
For the next twenty minutes or so, Sam basked in the comfortable silence. Eyes closed once more, he was almost lured into sleep as he listened to the calming sounds of the forest around them. It would have been easy to take a nap right then if he wasn't on a time limit. He was still expected to be home by a certain time, and if he wasn't careful, he would forget what time it was. So, after twenty minutes, he flipped from his back to his stomach to let the other side of his clothes dry. "David?" he asked, breaking the silence as he crossed his arms and laid his head on them sideways. From this angle, he could look at the creature while he spoke.
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on May 7, 2019 15:56:56 GMT -5
The silence had been nice. Though to David, there were still little things in the first for him to listen to. The birds in the branches as they pulled together little nests, some small ground mammal skirting the bushes in attempt to avoid his attention, and the relaxed rhythmic breathing from the boy on the rocks. It was still quiet, in a soft soothing way. This was what their forest should sound like, he decided. Gentle and restful. These were his favorite times, when it was him and his mother napping in a similar way, or him and the human boy.
David’s ear flicked before he lifted his head and looked at Sam. “Yes?” He asked, starting on another lazy stretch.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on May 7, 2019 19:01:14 GMT -5
Even though he had been the one to speak up, Sam hesitated with the rest of his question. Today had been a great day, falling into the stream not included, and he didn't want to risk it. Still, he had to know. "Will you keep doing this?" he slowly asked. "Meeting me whenever I come to the forest, I mean." He hoped so, but he wouldn't get his hopes up. There had been several people who had told him they would like to hang out with him, only to find someone or something better to spend their time with. If the creature was going to loose interest with him after a few days, he would understand that. Still, he asked anyway, as if hearing the answer would make things so, that maybe he would have someone to spend his days with who didn't tease or mock him.
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on May 7, 2019 19:44:14 GMT -5
David’s muzzle wrinkled at the tone of Sam’s voice. He wasnt sure how to read the emotion there, and he sat himself up as he finished his stretching motion. “If you want me to.” He answered in a softer tone. “I’d like it. There might be some days where Mom wants me up the mountain, but I’ll come down to the woods otherwise.”
He climbed down from the rock he’d been perched on and took the few steps over next to Sam’s perch. He looked him over a second with a tilt of his head. “You sound like you didn’t think I’d want to?”
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on May 7, 2019 20:18:29 GMT -5
David’s head tildted again the opposite direction alarmingly similar to a puzzled pup. He was having trouble trying to understand the reasoning behind Sam’s statement. It had been nice to be out with him today. Maybe other humans didn’t really like quiet? But Sam seemed so disheartened by saying it, David shifted uncomfortably. What could he say to that? Sam just sounded hurt.
“I liked today.” He said. “And having you here was what made today nice.” In an attempt to offer Sam some physical comfort, he placed a large paw on his knee. “When Mom gets to know you, the woods will feel more welcoming. Just keep coming back and trying.”
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on May 7, 2019 22:31:46 GMT -5
Sam stared at David as he placed a paw on his knee and gave him the advice. He had liked the day, even if he hadn't been the most interesting of companions. David still wanted him to come back and try to win his mother's trust, or at least her tolerance. His eyes burned with the threat of tears, and, knowing if he started he wouldn't stop, the boy fought them back down. Blinking a couple of times, he nodded. "I'll try," he said. "I want to be... I would like to spend as much time here as I can, and it was nice to get to explore more."
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on May 7, 2019 23:01:20 GMT -5
David’s ears went back when he saw Sam’s eyes redden and turn damp. He was definitely upset by something, but David didn’t understand what had caused it. He hadn’t misspoken, had he? He wasn’t confident what to do, he’d never been faced with someone upset like this. He made a short sound through his nose and gave Sam a nudge to encourage him to stand. “Let’s walk around if you’re warm enough. We can find the main trail of you want.” Hopefully some more movement would distract him from whatever was on his mind.
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Post by ValkoinenLeuka on May 8, 2019 12:20:23 GMT -5
David was admittedly disappointed to hear that Sam would be leaving soon, but he’d at least enjoyed having him in the woods today. The prospect of him continuing to return was what let him hide hisndisappoint that the day was over. “I can show you to the tree line.” He offered, standing and shaking himself out before he stepped away from Sam toward the woods again. He moved slowly enough that he was still within reach in case Sam needed a hand getting down from the rocks.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on May 8, 2019 18:32:23 GMT -5
Sam stood from his perch. In the short time they were here, his clothes had dried a good amount. They were still damp, but it was bearable and less noticeable. By the time he reached home, he was hoping they would look normal enough as to not catch his aunt's attention if she was around. Carefully, he hopped down from the pile, retrieved his backpack, and waited for David. "That'd be great," he said. "Maybe we can come back here tomorrow?" While he had intended it to be just a simple stated possibility, it came out as more of a questioning tone. He was so used to asking what could be done that it felt weird giving suggestions himself.
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