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Post by Silver on Sept 21, 2023 3:06:07 GMT -6
Suddenly, Silver felt something brush across their leg and they froze mid-step. They didn’t want to smash into anything and the large basket full of plant matter made it hard for them to see where they were going. “Ah, Kwist,” they said, assuming it was her. “Be careful, I don’t to step on you!”
Kwist let out a low hiss and quickly slid out from under the basket. What she was doing there, they would never know. It was dangerous for her to be in the way like that, for they very well could have dropped the basket right on her. Usually she wasn’t this clingy, they thought. Was something wrong?
Silver placed the basket carefully next to them, intently aware of how easy it would be to squish some poor creature with it. Then they plopped back down onto the ground and called Kwist over with a couple of clicks. “Are you alright?” they asked. Not that she would answer.
27 [152.15, 10.4]
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Post by Silver on Sept 21, 2023 3:06:27 GMT -6
The green serpentine creature eagerly came back over, plopping her head into their lap with a fair amount of confidence. They knew they had just spent some time playing with her, and she seemed to enjoy it, but they weren’t sure why she was so clingy all of a sudden. It was like she wanted something, but they couldn’t figure out what it was. They had given her plenty of scratches and even sat idly nearby while she napped.
“Hmm,” they said, considering what else it might be that she wanted from them. “Are you hungry?” Silver asked, as that was the next most obvious thing they could think of.
“I probably have some treats in here, somewhere,” they said, instinctively reaching for their bag. They lifted up the flap keeping it closed and started rummaging around inside. There were a ton of things in there, but they did this so often that they automatically knew what they all were by briefly touching or glancing at them.
28 [152.2, 10.6]
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Post by Silver on Sept 21, 2023 3:06:50 GMT -6
“Here we go,” they said, pulling out a little sealed container full of jerky. It wasn’t something they would ever eat, but they knew that Kwist was a carnivore. It was very strange to have a plant for a pet, and even stranger that it ate meat, but they were used to it by now. Of the list of weird things in their life, she wasn’t even close to the top.
“Alright Kwist, be patient,” they said, opening the packet and dumping some treats into their open hand. “Take it nicely. Nicely.”
They put a lot of emphasis on the ‘nice’ part as they held out the treat for her to investigate. They had been bitten countless times while offering creatures treats, so they were used to giving that cautionary warning. It didn’t always work, of course, but it was almost impossible to believe how often it did. Even creatures that didn’t know the command still heeded the warning if they phrased it just right. Except puppies, of course. Nobody could control puppies.
29 [152.25, 10.8]
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Post by Silver on Sept 21, 2023 3:09:55 GMT -6
Kwist eagerly sniffed the air, clearly excited by the smell of the treat as it filled the air around her. She correctly identified its location, but paused just before snapping it up. She heard Silver’s warning and decided that she would grab it gently. She distinctly remembered past experiences where she chomped toward them only to get her treat revoked for being too eager. She wouldn’t risk that again, no matter how badly she wanted to.
Kwist carefully took the treat from their hand and quickly chewed it up, swallowing it in a few quick gulps. Silver thought she was cute, even when she was being ravenous.
"There, do you feel better?" they asked. She pressed her head into their hand, sniffing around for any scrap of treat she might have missed. When she didn't find anything, she snorted grumpily and flicked her tails. Would they have more for her? Please?
30 [152.3, 11]
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Post by Silver on Sept 21, 2023 21:24:42 GMT -6
“I can’t just keep giving you treats, you’ll get fat!” Silver said. They giggled at their own comment, imagining the serpentine creature with a chubby belly. It would be cute, sure, but only in their imagination. They didn’t want to make her unhealthy like that, even if it would be really funny.
Kwist continued to look up at them with her own weird eyeless version of ‘puppy eyes’. Silver rolled their eyes, knowing that they were quickly losing this battle of wills. She wanted a treat more than they wanted to prevent her from having one. Well, they couldn’t give in entirely, so they came up with a plan instead.
They moved the awkwardly balanced basket over and plopped it next to an old stump then started to rummage around in their bag again. First, they grabbed a ball and gently balanced it on top of the stuff nearly spilling out of the basket.
31 [152.35, 11.2]
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Post by Silver on Sept 21, 2023 21:25:00 GMT -6
Then, they continued shuffling around in their bag until they pulled out a tube full of paste. It was a squishy type of treat that got squeezed out of the end of the tube. Most importantly, it smelled much stronger than the usual variety. They actually thought it was pretty gross, but they knew that creatures usually liked it a lot.
They squeezed some goo out of the tube onto their glove and instantly Kwist started drooling and snapping her jaws in the air. She liked the smell of that! Silver laughed again, glad that she was so excited, indicating that their little plan would probably work.
Silver swiped in and gently rubbed a small amount of the paste on Kwist’s cheek. She could still reach it with her tongue, which she immediately did. She eagerly licked off the stinky stuff and looked back up at Silver expectantly. They couldn’t just introduce something like that and only give them a tiny bit to lick off their face!
32 [152.4, 11.4]
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Post by Silver on Sept 21, 2023 21:25:23 GMT -6
Meanwhile, Silver obtained a little more paste and smeared it onto the ball. Now she could smell it very clearly, even if they threw it across the garden, which is exactly what they did. They hoped that she could smell it well enough to find it, as she couldn’t really see it.
Kwist was instantly perplexed. The good smell was gone! She had to find it again. She pressed her nose to the ground to lead her in the right direction, then she quickly started shuffling along. Silver was relieved to see she was heading in the right direction. That meant her chances of actually finding it were good.
Would she bring it back? They couldn’t be sure. She had never been taught to, but creatures often did things that surprised them. They just hoped she didn’t swallow it whole. Wait! Silver suddenly felt panicked. They forgot that she usually swallowed her food all in one big bite.
33 [152.44, 11.6]
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Post by Silver on Sept 21, 2023 21:26:00 GMT -6
She wasn’t like a Vulticus which would stop and lick something before eating it. Thinking that she would almost certainly try to eat the ball whole, Silver made it a mission to find it before she did. They had an advantage in that they watched which direction it was going, but it landed in an area full of leaves and other plants. The idea was that she might take a while to find it while nosing around in the plants, but now it was just another problem they’d have to solve.
Thankfully, they managed to find the ball in time, scooping it off the ground just as Kwist approached. “Good job,” they said with a grin. “You found it!”
They knew they had to give her something for her effort, so they poured a generous portion of the stinky goo from the treat tube onto the grass and let her have a go at it.
34 [152.5, 11.8]
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Post by Silver on Sept 21, 2023 21:27:02 GMT -6
She hastily gulped it all up, grass and all. Well at least she hadn’t eaten the ball as well. Grass, she could probably digest. That’s what they get for thinking every creature was like a Vulticus.
“Now, what to do with this…” they mused, holding the ball which was now covered in dirt, small rocks, treat paste, and bits of grass. It was utterly revolting and they had to do something about it. They couldn’t just shove it back into their bag like that.
“Come along,” Silver said to Kwist, who cheerfully licked her lips. They wandered toward the nearby small pond that occupied one corner of their garden plot. It was one of the reasons they had chosen this particular part of the gardens to call their own in the first place.
They dipped the ball into the water, forcing it under despite the fact that it naturally wanted to float, and shook it around to rid it of all the debris. Some curious fish interested in the smell instantly swam up to check it out.
35 [152.55, 12]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 25, 2023 17:54:18 GMT -6
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Post by Silver on Nov 14, 2023 5:13:00 GMT -6
The seasons changed much too quickly, they reckoned. It was as if they were always in the garden, preparing for what was to come next. A never ending cycle of sunshine and darkness, of life and death. Perhaps that is what they liked about it. When they weren’t so sure what to do, the garden always offered them an option to keep their paws busy. It was oddly comforting to always have something to work toward. Each plant grew and changed over time, allowing them to be just familiar enough while remaining novel. In addition to whatever it did for Silver, the garden was also a great place to bring a small creature for an afternoon. There was plenty of space to run around in, things to climb, bugs to catch, and it was relatively safe. Silver could hardly think of many places more perfect for a creature such as a Lerrel. Autumn: 1[154.15, 3.2]
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Post by Silver on Nov 14, 2023 5:13:21 GMT -6
Sencha was an unusual little creature. She looked a lot like Sylvie (and therefore Silver themselves), and they weren’t too sure why that was. Something to do with the labs, clearly, but they couldn’t remember the details no matter how hard they tried. Some things were just better to forget, they thought.
Like most Lerrels, Sencha was playful and curious, and the trip to the garden itself was enough to make her excited. She could hardly sit still on their shoulder with her long tail twitching every which way. Every now and then, her tail made it all the way around to their face which they brushed out of the way without much thought. They were clearly used to that sort of thing.
Quin thought it was endlessly entertaining to tease Sencha with an occasional squeak, making her swipe at him with her dexterous little paws. He was clearly pleased with himself when she passed right through him and ruffled Silver’s already disheveled hair.
2 [154.2, 3.4]
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Post by Silver on Nov 14, 2023 5:13:38 GMT -6
Just like with the tail, they were resigned to ignore it. They hardly seemed to notice such interruptions at all except when something obstructed their vision, which they gently corrected without skipping a beat.
“Well, what do you think?” Silver asked. They ducked under a low hanging tree branch and popped back up in their own garden plot. Sencha, knowing she was being spoken to but not what was being asked, turned to look in the same direction they were.
“Why don’t you get comfortable?” they said. They reached up to grab her so they could put her down, but she resisted, climbing over their head to their other shoulder. Silver rolled their eyes, knowing they would hardly get anywhere fast with her in this mood. Fine. If she wanted to stay there, she could. They weren’t about to fight with her about it. Besides, they were sure that she’d realize she had room to explore soon enough.
3 [154.25, 3.6]
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Post by Silver on Nov 14, 2023 5:16:01 GMT -6
Looking around the garden, Silver began to make a mental list of things they’d like to accomplish before they left. There was a lot of work to do as the seasons slowly shifted. It was still warm enough for now, but soon it would be fully autumn. The slow fading of the garden during autumn made them melancholic. In a way it was strangely peaceful in its stillness.
They decided to start by harvesting what was left of the summer crops. They could see some prism lavender still sticking out from among the dead and dying stalks, so that’s what they focused their attention on. It didn't matter which one they did first, really, so that seemed like a good idea. They grabbed a basket, and Sencha leaped down from their shoulder, landing in the soft sweetgrass.
“There you go,” Silver said without even looking up at her. “If you stay where I can see you, you can go play.”
4 [154.3, 3.8]
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Post by Silver on Nov 14, 2023 5:16:42 GMT -6
Sencha chittered like she understood, even though she obviously didn’t, then chased after a small beetle she found. The bug flew in a lazy, bumbling way which made it interesting as a target. She bounced along after it, fluttering her wings now and then to get a bit of extra height. Silver beamed, glad that she had found something to entertain herself with.
“Keep an eye on her, okay?” Silver said to Quin. The little dragon squeaked in confirmation and floated nonchalantly toward the ground. Sencha might not understand, but he did. Well enough, anyway. He would sound the alarm if she got into anything too dangerous. Easy enough, right? As long as he didn’t get distracted, which was a pretty big ask.
Now, what were they doing? Oh right, the lavender. They grabbed a basket from the pile and set it down next to them to collect all of the remaining prism flowers.
5 [154.35, 4]
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