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Post by Fanged on Nov 19, 2021 13:22:27 GMT -6
She wanted to find some of the feline tracks again and the first pair she came across appeared as if they could be from a cat-like creature. She beamed over at Ingrid who was still intent on observing the birds. The track appeared to be leading them off path. She tapped the Malii on the top of her head to grab her attention before veering off path to follow the tracks. Ingrid raised her head and then swished her tails in alertness as she turned to follow Fanged. Ingrid moved swiftly, moving past Fanged as she tried to follow the tracks of her own accord. She bounced across the leaves, her paws barely skimming them as she tried to keep her footsteps as light as possible. Fanged could take longer strides to keep up with minimal effort on her part. The sun continued to sink lower into the sky, disappearing behind the trees.
(Ingrid 4 4/5, 15 4/5)
(Black Bones Hunt 14)
24
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Post by Fanged on Nov 19, 2021 14:59:30 GMT -6
Fanged found herself on edge as they became shrouded in darkness. Ingrid remained completely calm, though she was curious about Fanged’s change in demeanor. The air around them chilled as the warmth of the sun disappeared into the horizon. Now was the time that they would get serious in their hunting efforts. Ingrid watched her with rapt attention when she veered of the path. Broken branches lined the way forward. Ingrid tried her best to avoid them, but her fur snagged in placed and she snarled in response. Fanged took a moment to stop. A breeze filled the air and blew a swirl of dead leaves into a thick pile at her feet. The leaves made it more difficult to track footprints so she would need to find an alternative sign. For now, the broken branches would have to suffice. Ingrid trotted forward to sniff at them. The scent appeared interesting to her.
(Ingrid 5, 17)
(Black Bones Hunt 15)
25
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Post by Fanged on Nov 19, 2021 16:27:52 GMT -6
Fanged took that to be a good sign and allowed Ingrid to take the initiative over where they would head towards next. The Malii considered for a few moments before she turned to head further to their right. She moved swiftly, not minding so much if her paws got dirty this time. She was on a mission. Nightfall was rather peaceful when they were traveling outside. There were no people to stumble across, hopefully just some interesting wild creatures. Each crackling leaf and snapping twig echoed dramatically within the area. The crisp air made breathing a bit harsher and Fanged found herself struggling as they continued trekking along. She didn’t think she would ever reclaim her prior level of fitness. Ingrid had been gradually building her fitness with each trip back to the garden. She moved faster than Fanged and only paused when she realized her companion needed a moment.
(Ingrid 5 1/5, 17 1/5)
(Black Bones Hunt 16)
26
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Post by Fanged on Nov 19, 2021 21:05:35 GMT -6
They stopped for a few moments, allowing Fanged enough time to properly catch her breath. Ingrid was more patient than Fanged expected of a Malii. She hadn’t had proper experience with them before, but she had read about them. Ingrid was not typical of a Malii and she liked discovering that uniqueness. The garden was unforgiving at nighttime. It was difficult to see which branches cross her path, which rock was going to trip her, or where a wild critter had decided to dig a hole in the ground. Ingrid was more adept than she was at traversing the difficult path. Perhaps it was because she was closer to the ground, or perhaps Fanged’s night vision was even worse than she thought.
“Now we need to be really careful. The ground is pretty muddy here,” she remarked.
Ingrid flicked her ears forward. She tilted her head back and forth as she thought.
(Ingrid 5 2/5, 17 2/5)
(Black Bones Hunt 17)
27
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Post by Fanged on Nov 20, 2021 21:22:06 GMT -6
Ingrid decided that ultimately, she would avoid the mud. Fanged followed her, not displeased with this choice. Just as they were getting settled onto their new path, a noise drew their attention. Fanged felt a chill race through her body. The sound was unearthly, a low howl in the darkness. Could wild canids be about? Fanged was only familiar with the Vulticus and while some could be vicious, their move-sets tended to be rather basic. However, Ingrid was still small and she didn’t fancy fighting of a pack of Vulticus alone. She wanted to pick up the baby Malii to protect her, but the small creature seemed unperturbed by the whole experience. She continued forward without worry and Fanged had no choice but to follow. The trees around them seemed more eerie than they had before. The branches created elongated shadows under the small sliver of moonlight that shone above.
(Ingrid 5 3/5, 17 3/5)
(Black Bones Hunt 18)
28
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Post by Fanged on Nov 20, 2021 22:39:12 GMT -6
Fanged tried to shake off her uneasiness as she followed Ingrid. The little Malii was determined as she slunk forward, keeping her head low as though trying to keep herself hidden. Her paws barely touched the leaves as she moved and Fanged did her best to match. Darkness masked their movements, but only stealth could cover up the noise of each breath taken and the rustle of fabric on Fanged’s clothes. She tried to slow her breathing, but that almost made each breath feel louder than it already was. Ingrid stopped suddenly and sniffed at the ground. Her tails flicked back and forth as alertness overtook her posture. Fanged squinted as she tried to make out what might have captured the Malii’s attention. She held her breath, waiting for something to emerge from the bushes. When nothing happened, she allowed herself to relax momentarily as the wind rustles through the trees.
(Ingrid 5 4/5, 17 4/5)
(Black Bones Hunt 19)
29
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Post by Fanged on Nov 20, 2021 23:50:18 GMT -6
Fanged caught herself before she could spiral into a full-blown panic attack. She didn’t like being out here in her garden during the night. This had been a bad idea. Sensing some of her discomfort, Ingrid approached the woman and nudged her with her muzzle. Fanged crouched down and stroke the small creature. They had been spending a ton of time together lately and a strong bond had been steadily forming between them. Fanged plopped down onto the damp ground, not caring for a moment how gross it was. Ingrid crawled up onto her lap and they stayed there for a while, cuddling without care for their surroundings. The darkness around them grew, but she felt more secure than she had before. When Fanged had completely calmed down, she gave Ingrid one last cuddle before gently placing the Malii back on the ground and pushing herself back up into a standing position.
(Ingrid 6, 19)
(Black Bones Hunt 20)
30
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Post by Fanged on Nov 21, 2021 0:11:01 GMT -6
Now that she had calmed down, the night didn’t feel quite so overwhelming. Ingrid blinked at her calmly, waiting for the woman to make her next move. When she felt ready, Fanged turned to her right and began to walk forward. She was fairly certain that she had heard something coming from this direction. The purpose of their trip was to find creatures, so she needed to head towards the strange noises, even if they did frighten her.
“Might as well show yourself if you’re out there. We don’t intend to harm you, but we will fight back if you harm us,” Fanged warned.
The woods remained silent in response. If something had been out there, it was certainly gone now. Fanged felt her relax further. Then a calm sense of determination set in. She would track down whatever mysterious creature was out there. Ingrid blinked up at her in silent agreement.
(Ingrid 6 1/5, 19 1/5)
(Black Bones Hunt 21)
31
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Post by Nadia on Nov 21, 2021 11:47:28 GMT -6
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Post by Fanged on Nov 22, 2021 21:11:03 GMT -6
Fanged’s instinctual awareness alerted her to the fact that they were being followed. Fanged felt herself freeze and Ingrid soon stopped herself from walking forward as well. Whatever being stalking them decided to reveal itself. A Koguma stepped out onto the path, its body language frightened and its eyes flashing wildly with fright. Fanged found herself relaxing. She had just run into a Koguma. They didn’t seem very threatening so it seemed worthwhile to try and make friends with this one too. Ingrid perked up. She had liked interacting with the last Koguma and this one appeared interesting to her as well. Ingrid took a step forward, her head tilted and her expression relaxed. The Koguma switched from terrified to curious about the group that it had stumbled across. Fanged decided to speak to it as well and try to soothe it further.
“Hi there, fella, you’re out here awfully late.”
(Ingrid 6 2/5, 19 2/5)
(Black Bones Hunt 22)
32
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Post by Fanged on Nov 22, 2021 21:29:29 GMT -6
The Koguma blinked in response, its gaze focusing from the blind terror it had experienced mere moments before. Ingrid called up to the creature as well, trying to soothe it in her own way. Though try as they might to keep the Koguma calm, the eerie echoing howls started up again.
“Damn it,” Fanged muttered under her breath.
The Koguma froze, it’s body posture immediately assuming a frightened pose. Ingrid pressed close to it, her ears pinned back and her maw pressed into a snarl as the howling resumed. The three of them huddled in a circle, deadly silent as they waited for the howling to stop. When it finally did, Fanged raised her head and looked around to see if anything was heading towards them. Ingrid relaxed once more and she took that the be a sign that whatever it was had disappeared into the darkness. At least for now.
(Ingrid 6 3/5, 19 3/5)
(Black Bones Hunt 23)
33
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Post by Fanged on Nov 22, 2021 22:58:54 GMT -6
Thankfully, the Koguma didn’t run off immediately when it was safe to do so. Ingrid rubbed against the Koguma’s leg, trying to keep it calm. Fanged was surprised. She didn’t think Ingrid would be the type to be affectionate with other creatures. She had pegged her to be similar to Imogen, who greatly preferred the company of herself to any other creature. Now that the danger had passed, Fanged decided to take a look around for any plants that she could collect or anything the Koguma might be interested in. To their right was a cluster of mushrooms. Perhaps the Koguma would take some interest in looking at them? Fanged picked up a mushroom and brought it over to the wild creature. The Koguma tilted its head, unsure what the woman had in her hands. When she brought it close enough the wild critter then recognized it as a mushroom!
(Ingrid 6 4/5, 19 4/5)
(Black Bones Hunt 24)
34
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Post by Fanged on Nov 23, 2021 9:22:25 GMT -6
The Koguma accepted the mushroom happily, its fear momentarily forgotten. It clung to the given mushroom with a careful grip and followed Fanged over to the patch where she had found it. Ingrid followed as well, though she was much less interested in the mushrooms. There were two more mushrooms located in the area and the Koguma was extra delighted as it quickly gathered them up. Ingrid slunk around the area, searching as well for something the Koguma might like. She pulled back with a strange, black fruit in her mouth. On further examination, Fanged saw that it was a bunana fruit. Ingrid dropped her prize at the Koguma’s feet. The wild creature was curious about it and leaned in for a closer look. When it identified it as a fruit, it exclaimed happily and gathered up the bunana into its arms alongside all of the other things that they had found.
(Ingrid 7, 21)
(Black Bones Hunt 25)
35
[DONE]
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Post by Nadia on Nov 23, 2021 16:03:43 GMT -6
Aww, you made a fast friend! The koguma is definitely going to stick with this kind person. It has something to show you, too... More bounty! [Congratulations, you have successfully tamed the creature!]
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Yang
Flea Market Artist
Posts: 1,001
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Post by Yang on Nov 23, 2021 20:54:28 GMT -6
A smallish rock rolls on by, and with swift movement, a large paw sticks out from some underbrush to bat it away! Big eyes peering with increasingly huge pupils, it stares at the small gathering for a moment... before pouncing on the rock again! A playful roll in the dirt and bapping at the object, the Estharne is knee-deep in a bouncy, joyful delight with the round stone!
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