Picket Fence

A tiny, vibrantly happy chirp sounded, and out from the bushes came a bouncing baby; Kokoro! Yang nearly squealed in delight at see the small one, barely containing her excitement as she knelt down, arms wide. The baby kinoko bounded for her open arms, a bundle of happy chirps and warm purrs as Yang pet her. "Kokoro, my funky lil' baby boo!" Yang smooched the girls head with glee, hugging her to her chest while standing upright. "Are you a mighty hunter?" She cooed, almost positive the kinoko had been tracking down some bugs, or something else small and made-for-pouncing. Kokoro couldn't know what Yang was saying, but she chirrped happily anyway! A ball of affection and loving cuddles in Yangs arms, she was a melted pile of happy 'purring'. Amanita had gained some interest in Yang since Kokoro came running through the underbrush; She stood, nosing Yangs elbow in question as she held the small Kinoko. Yang turned in slight, showing off Kokoro who had taken a 'newborn baby' position, craddled in Yangs arms. "See what you're missing out on," Yang cooed at Amanita "This could've been you earlier."

15
__________
Yang: Lvl. 14
[15/20]

Amanita: Lvl. 0
[4/5]

Kokoro: Lvl. 6
[1/5]

Yang doubted at this point in time, that any pet kept within her gardens' enclosure, would be any kind of unfit or in distress. Not that the priority of her pets and their health had changed in that moment, but with the zeal of this baby kinoko running rampantly back and fourth, and the otherwise lackadaisical attitudes of two other pets she accounted for today, she was sure everything else in the garden was doing just fine. Yang watched Kokoro with Amanita for a hot minute, glee apparent on her face as she watched the little one bound around. There was another solid minute of running in a zeal of back-and-forth momentum, before Kokoro began to finally slow to a stop. She finally settled down, her butt landing snuggly atop Yangs shoe; no doubt, obviously, it was the perfect place to sit. Yang smiled warmly, reaching down to pet the bab behind her ear-shrooms, relishing in the soft, fuzzy touch and the girls tiny purring. Amanita decided not to lose out on these cuddles, butting her head into Yangs calf. "Alright alright," Yang muttered, stroking Amanitas head aswell as Kokoros'.


17
__________
Yang: Lvl. 14
[17/20]

Amanita: Lvl. 1
[1/5]

Kokoro: Lvl. 6
[3/5]

Yang paused at the top of a slight hill, looking back at the enclosed space of trees. It was surprisingly dark back there, now that she was in a patch of light. Amanita was slowly walking, stalker-in movement and otherwise silent. Kokoro bounced on her feet like a kitten, still ahead of Yang by at least 5 paces. Gazing up to the look at the sky, Yang waited on Amanitas slow journey. She was right earlier; it looked as though the sky above was clear, and what little rain there was, had long since fallen in a sprinkling that looked, in the after-math, a lot like dew. Carrying on her walk, Yang noted the gathering of trees was a little less dense; there were newer saplings in this area, and the canopy still revealed the sky in a dappled way. The breeze carried easily through here, and though it made for a beautiful walk, a little voice in the back of Yangs mind couldn't help but note the lack of protection this chunk of land would serve in a blizzard, or a rainstorm.

19
__________
Yang: Lvl. 14
[19/20]

Amanita: Lvl. 1
[3/5]

Kokoro: Lvl. 6
[5/5]

Work, work, work! Her thoughts always lead back to work, and the imminently grueling tasks that awaited. "C'mon Amanita!" Yang was starting to feel a little impatient. If she were truthful to herself, she would admit the impatience had little to do with the Kinoko than with work. A thread of stress strained taught in Yangs stomach, growing dense as she stood there, unfocusedly watching Amanita 'sniff' around a few paces away. Kokoro was un-moving from her seat, looking on to the nearby plants and tree's with mild interest.
"Amanita!" Yang called in a warbled pitch. The kinoko raised her head to look at her, but looked away again, more interested in the shrubbery than Yangs voice.
Yang felt oddly, terribly upset that the kinoko hadn't chosen to come when she called; despite not having taught her her name, or even really Knowing Yang as a master, Yang had a devout belief in her mind that Amanita would've come when called. She sniffed. Kokoro chirped, and Yang blinked, looking down. The small purring bab eased the dense bubble of anxiety in Yangs gut, and Yang bent down to pet Kokoro affectionately, sniffling as she did.


21
__________
Yang: Lvl. 15
[1/20]

Amanita: Lvl. 1
[5/5]

Kokoro: Lvl. 7
[2/5]

The light only got brighter as Yang trudged along the dirt trail. The younger trees' in the surrounding meant less growth, and far less dense vegetation than the other section of woods, with gnarled roots and wide-spread fungi. There were far more weeds over here too, springing up where bushes would grow, if given the chance. Yang thought about weeding; more work to be done. She could always one-up the place by replacing the weeds with flowers, or something equally bright and efficient to the area. Yang stumbled on a root but caught herself, still pondering and wondering while in a daze. Would it be paramount to fix up the original above-ground garden first? Or, with winter coming, would she forgo planting, and focus on the weeding? Would it be better just to hire a cheap labor-hand to do it for her? Was this something she wanted to do herself? Yang came-to at the trailing edge of the 'woods', where the last sappling sprouted and the plot gave way to a clearing. From where she stood, Yang could see the pond to her right, and ahead was the above-ground garden, the weeding virtually un-touched since spring.


23
__________
Yang: Lvl. 15
[3/20]

Yang started, catching a glimpse of something growing nearby. Reaching into a particular outcropping of plants, she plucked it. Yang looked it over with interest; she wasn't sure what it was, or if it was even edible. She pocketed it anyways; it would come with her for the day, which looked like might turn into one made for shopping. Her breathing was becoming easier than it had been earlier, though she still quietly sniffed. Shuffling her hands into her coat pockets, she tried a little harder to ignore the cold breeze that seemed to be the source for rattling her thoughts around. She stepped off the path, cutting across lush grass to head back towards the pond. From there she'd go through the same gate she entered from, and probably make her way to the shops downtown. Probably.

24
__________
Yang: Lvl. 15
[4/20]_{(blaze itt)}