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Post by Alma on Jun 14, 2021 23:40:30 GMT -6
Alma had seen enough of the critter to learn a few things. The first and foremost was that it was indeed a critter, not some manner of machine or magical device that would have fetched her a pretty credit from some other collector if she did not keep it for herself. The second was that it looked like a deformed houluh pup at first glance, with floppy ears and a snowy-white hide that could have made a furrier a very happy man indeed. Had it been a deformed houluh, a result of some idiot ignoring the rules regarding inbreeding their pets in hope of getting some special hide?
On the second moment, as the critter pulled itself back into the relative safety of the sack, she thought of the two houluh waiting back in her kennel, one still a young pup, and their ears had been longer. Maybe it had its ears cropped? 29
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Post by Alma on Jun 14, 2021 23:40:45 GMT -6
But why crop the ears only partially, especially if you were going to dump the beast in the water to drown it? And the face had looked far too flat, more like a cat than a hound as it slipped away into the shadows. Alma ran the cat-like species through her mind that she owned, trying to see if any of them resembled the quick glimpse she had of the critter.
An estharne kitten would be bigger, fluffier too, with ears that stood straight up even at their young age. A balgor, even one that had starved, would be thicker as well, with smaller ears that too never flopped around as the little white beast’s had. And who would throw away a young member of the species, with customs and offspring tending to be purchased by those who had lived in the city a while and learned more about the beasts. 30
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Post by Alma on Jun 14, 2021 23:41:10 GMT -6
“Did you just have some back luck?” she asked the little shape hiding in the sack, watching it shudder. “Actual critter, not lab-built but some pet that got brought in? Some breed of dog that survived when vulticus took over? A floppy-eared cat that outlasted enileafs and puffs?” It shook like a young tree in a storm, and Alma sighed. If it was a cat, it would be a pain to keep it alive and safe from those seeking natural pets, plus she was not sure she could train one of them to do anything at all. “Maybe could teach you to wear a harness, show off at a few contests maybe. Rarity can make up a lot.”
The only thing she was mostly sure of was that the beast likely needed food and water after its ordeal, its frame looking painfully thin even from the small glimpse she had gotten. 31
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Post by Alma on Jun 14, 2021 23:41:30 GMT -6
Alma stepped back into the tank, speaking in low tones the whole time as the cat ran to the back of the sack. “Not gonna hurt you, ya lil’ dimwit, gonna just,” Alma bent down, reaching for the two cups, “scoot these two a bit closer, let you know you got some food ‘n water waiting for yah.” Most of the other species that it resembled had no problems eating meat, so she hoped the tin of jerky would help entice it. There was no way to know how long it had been trapped in that bag, first in the hands of the ungulate, then on her little cart ride around the river. But it had looked painfully thin, like the white of its fur was nothing more than the bones pressing through, and she was sure something like that would eat anything.
She pushed both to the slit, then stood up. 32
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Post by Alma on Jun 14, 2021 23:41:41 GMT -6
When the little pup or kitten did not immediately burst through the hole to eat the food and drink the water, Alma sighed. “Aight, I see how it is, she told the critter with another sigh, “I’ll go out, but you better come out too at some point. Gunna go fish.” With that, she hopped out of the tank, finally turning to her fishing supplies. She pulled out the fishing rod first, tying on one of the cheaper hooks that had come with the rod. She held the rod carefully, doing a few fake casts towards the direction of the stony beach before looking down at her selection of bait.
Some of it was official stuff, straight from the shop that sold such things with the promise that it would help catch more fish than doing it without. The rest were bits she had bought from random kids with pails of worms, the less appetizing spaghetti still squirming as she reached inside to grab one. 33
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Post by Alma on Jun 14, 2021 23:42:06 GMT -6
The worm slowly curled itself around her gloved finger as she pulled it free of the box, unaware of the fate that waited for it. It did not remain ignorant for long, Alma carefully holding it between two gloved fingers as she impaled it on the hook. It squirmed more, wrapping its body around the metal hook as though it could crush it like a salaves could crush its prey, its head wiggling around to try to find some patch of dirt. “Er, real sorry. Rest in peace,” she told it before flicking the tip of the rod towards the water, sending the worm to the depths below. It always felt weird to use live bait, but at least the worms lacked faces. She was not sure she would be willing to send a houluh to the depths, even in exchange for some rare beast.
The creature in the sack shook silently. 34
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Post by Alma on Jun 14, 2021 23:42:21 GMT -6
The trembling had not stopped when Alma had left it, the tank dipping and flexing when she hopped out of it for the final time. A few droplets of water had splashed on the mouth of the sack when she had left, and the sack critter had stared at them as though they were eyes staring back at it. Eyes of its brothers and sisters perhaps, those it had played with for the brief time after it had broken free of the suffocating closeness of its egg. Games of chase, batting at one another weakly but never daring to do more than swat at another’s face should they come too close.
Then the shrill giants came, squealing and throwing out blessed strips of meat. It had purred like the others, each trying to outdo the rest as they sought to be the one given the most food. It had purred just as hard as its brightly colored siblings, but the shrill ones had shied away from it, crying out even louder and throwing the treats towards the others. 35
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Post by Alma on Jun 14, 2021 23:42:31 GMT -6
What little it had gotten had come from their poor throws, the critter stealing what food it could when a piece landed too far from a chewing sibling, purring as loudly as it could in hopes of getting more.
But then a giant among giants had come, voice booming and as deep as the others had been shrill, and it had reached for him. He had run, knowing that he could not let the giant touch him, not seeing the giant's face as a look of confusion crossed it and it pulled its hand back. He purred louder, until his chest practically hurt with the vibration, opening his eyes as wide as he could to beg the shrill food-givers to toss more his way.
Alma, unaware of any such issues, happily hummed to herself as she sat upon one of the larger rocks. It was a good day to fish, with a strong breeze keeping away the biting insects. 36
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Post by Alma on Jun 14, 2021 23:42:42 GMT -6
The shrill ones fled at his approach, his siblings running after them with the intent of getting more food, more treats to fill their still-empty bellies. He tried to follow them, cringing back as the booming giant reached for him a few more times, the confusion crossing its face quickly replaced with rage whenever it pulled back its hand. It had thundered and roared at him and he, knowing only what instinct told him to do, purred at the giant. He was cute enough for treats too, wasn’t he? And he was so hungry, the few scraps he had taken were as substantial as smoke to him now.
It did not get much better than a nice, quiet fishing day, Alma decided, but she had an idea in mind to improve it further. She slowly reeled in the worm and hook, just in case a single fish had been interested, but the worm made it back to her uneaten. 37
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Post by Alma on Jun 14, 2021 23:42:52 GMT -6
He had gone to follow the shrill food-givers and his siblings when the world had gone dark, something falling from the sky to muffle and strangle him. He opened his mouth as he locked himself into position, letting loose a mighty squeak to send the giant away.
But the booming giant had only shaken the bag as it boomed again, and he had watched as the tiny circle of light that hung above him shrunk, something thin and glinting in the light as it passed through its walls. He tried squeaking a second time as the light vanished entirely, but the booming one had ignored him.
And so it had ignored him as he was constantly shaken and jolted, his squeaks gradually fading away into silence. But the giant had kept booming, and soon a second voice had joined the first.
Laying the rod on the rock, Alma quickly picked her way across the stones to reach the supplies by the cart. 38
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Post by Alma on Jun 14, 2021 23:43:18 GMT -6
There had been a brief moment of fun in the entire encounter, one instant that felt as though he and his prison were somehow soaring through the air. For that one moment, his hunger was less of a gnawing pain that tore at his insides than a bearable burn. Then he and his prison had collided with something, and from that point on it had been a constant fading in and out, where the rest of his senses faded away to match the darkness that filled his sight.
There had been a voice sometimes, not as shrill as the food-carrying giants, nor as booming as the mad giant. It was soft, but he could barely stand to listen to it as his stomach burned and his body started to feel almost floaty. It was not as pleasant as his earlier flight, and had he any food left in his gut, he would have lost it during the shaking trip. 39
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Post by Alma on Jun 14, 2021 23:43:28 GMT -6
And now everything had stopped moving, but his head felt as though it was trying to float free of the rest of him, and every step through the fog and burning in his belly had left him feeling weaker than before. As he shivered and shook uncontrollably in the back of the sack, he knew he had to come out and try to get food, even if another massive giant that might seek to hurt and starve him was out there. It was his only chance.
He forced his way through a fog as thick as syrup, trying to ignore the sounds of what he could only assume was the new giant. It was not difficult to do as his stomach cramped and the world lurched threateningly beneath him, providing a perfect distraction from any fear the booming giant had instilled in him. He needed food, and there was none to be found in the sack. 40
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Post by Alma on Jun 14, 2021 23:43:47 GMT -6
Alma happily pulled a book out of one of the sacks, tying the bag back up with a large grin. A book, silence, and a river full of mostly clear water and plenty of fish. She was so pleased with herself that she had made it almost all the way back to the rod before she remembered the critter in the sack.
He emerged into bright sunlight like a snail from its shell, his pale fur sparkling in the same light that burned his eyes and made him squint. It was hard to see anything at first beyond the searing brightness, the rim of green above the light the only thing he could make out. He took a step forward, hoping the green was some manner of food as his gut twisted at the thought, only for his paw to collide with something hard.
Had he been better fed, or not trapped in a sack for most of the day, it would have only been a quick bump. 41
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Post by Alma on Jun 14, 2021 23:44:00 GMT -6
The world lurched as he hit it though, and he fell silently into a pile of something tough, the edge of one of the things poking into his nose. He sneezed, his whole body convulsing with the force of it, mouth landing on one of the reddish things that had slowed his fall.
He froze. The flavor of the reddish thing broke through his haze, eyes opening wide despite his earlier squint. In the time it took him to realize what the reddish thing was, his mouth was ripping at the meat, all traces of his early lethargy gone. Food, finally some wonderful food! He held them between his paws, barely tasting the meat as he tried to eat faster, opening his mouth wider when a larger piece was proving too stubborn to be ripped apart in the instant he tried.
He cared little for the world outside of the shiny surface surrounding him, little for anything at all that was not the reddish-brown color of the food he had found. 42
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Post by Alma on Jun 14, 2021 23:44:13 GMT -6
Alma had planned to leave the possible kitten or deformed houluh pup alone as she fished. The tins had been filled to the brim, with enough water and food to serve a beast twice its size, and the little critter had clearly been terrified of her. Which was, she decided, just a little rude if it was a lab-made thing. But it was easy to forgive it when she remembered the way the hoofed loon had shaken and thrown the bag. How long had he left the kitten in the bag, ranting and raving about it as though it were some dream of Chaos?
The shaking was what ultimately decided her next course of action, and she sighed loudly as she placed the book down by the rod. She walked back to the cart, rehearsing in her head what she might say to the little kitten, wondering if the dirt on her gloves would convince it that biting her was not the answer as she checked it over for injuries. 43
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