Scouting the terrain

[Keely]

Keely loped happily though the short grass veld. The sweet, cool grass tickled her belly on occasion, making her giggle with glee. Her bright yellow form moved gracefully, her bright purple eyes taking in the entire area. She paused to take a breath, her twin tails rested on the grass as she scanned the area, her ears erect and alert. Fyodor had suggested that this area may not be terribly safe, but Keely was determined to explore every inch of the newly claimed territory.

Her pale nose twitched as she inhaled the fresh scent. In the distant horizon she could see shapes of a herd of elk, happily grazing in the surprisingly warm day. She looked up into the sky, both admiring the vast blue expanse while also keeping a look out for predators. Her brown paws kneaded the ground thoughtfully. Her thoughts wandered back to Fyodor. She peered over her shoulder, wondering what he and her cousins were up to. It had been a while since she had a little time to herself. She usually enjoyed company, but she was still content when she was alone.

The bright lily mark on her chest steadily moved up and down as her breathing evened out. She looked back in front of her, then decided a break would be nice. She flopped to the ground and began rolling gaily in the veld. She growled happily as she gave her back a good scratch. With her four darker paws in the air she stared at the sky again, imagining the clouds taking on magnificent forms for her amusement. Her tails began to wag as she got caught up in her game.

[sawyer]

Sawyer had been alone for quite some time, so his angst was virtually gone. He was able to flit around happily in the openness of the Veld. The short grass tickled his paws. He didn’t have to face and hard truths out here, they got taken away by the wind, or were lost in the vastness.

Out here, he was a normal wolf running from nothing but the wind. His prancing turned into full on galloping, his retractable claws came out of there pink sheaths to grip the ground and throw him forward faster. He pushed himself faster and faster, loving the freedom. He could outrun anything, including his past. Which is why he loved running.

Sawyer could run for quite a distance when it was well paced, but when he was running flat out like he was, he could only last for a few miles. He slowed down gradually, so he wouldn’t trip. Just as he was coming to a stop, he spotted another lyxxus ahead. He forgot about not tripping, and he joints locked, sending him tumbling forward, head over paws. His anxiety crashed down upon him, stealing his breath away. He gasped for air, his mind reeling, as he jumped to his springy feet.

“Sorry! Sorry to disturb you!” He squeaked out, hurriedly. He just wanted to die of embarrassment…the lyxxus had totally just seen him fall flat on his face.

[Keely]

Her large ears twitched as she heard paw falls. She turned her head, viewing the other upside down. Though, once he began to fall, she leaped up to her feet in surprise.he regained himself quickly, but then began tripping over his words. Keely looked confused, he seemed to have come out of no where. She shook her head, and then giggled, "Oh no! You are not disturbing me."

She smiled, her tails wagged in excitement. "Are you alright? I fall sometimes too. Sometimes it hurts. I'm Keely!" Her words were quick and bubbly, so much she wanted to say and she was not giving herself the allotment of a conversation to say it. She looked at the larger male, he was colored differently then any other lyxxus she had seen. His pelt seemed to have black clouds on them, just like the white ones in the sky she was just watching.

Which reminded her, she was having fun playing her game, maybe he would too. "Do you look at the clouds? They make shapes sometimes. Like bunnies and wolves." She raised up on her hind legs and craned her head back to look up at the sky again. "See! That one looks like a flower!" She pointed a petite paw up to the sky.

[sawyer]

Sawyer was at a loss for words. He could barely keep up with the little female, her words pouring out like a rushing river. Sawyer looked around for escape helplessly, but he didn’t see any, of course. Just openness. He gulped and turned back to the little wolf, who had named herself to be Keely.

He was nervous about everything and everyone, but this someone was making him extremely nervous. Her faced paced words made him feel suffocated…and lost. “Uh, erm, eh.” He struggled out, if he could wring his paws he would of, he looked around nervously. Finally. The little wolf had stopped.

There was a moment’s pause, where Sawyer just looked everywhere but the wolf, still trying to find a way out of the situation, until he realized that she expected him to answer. “Oh, um, the clouds?” His voice cracked, and he lifted his blue eyes to the lazily drifting puff balls. “No, I do not look at the clouds.” He said, his voice strained, and his rounded ears laid back. She followed her pointed paw, to a crudely shaped cloud, that kinda resembled a flower if you turned you head just so, and squinted. “I-I guess?” Sawyer stammered, and cut his eyes to Keely. “My name is Sawyer.”

[Keely]

She gave a happy giggle, oblivious to his nervousness. She careened all the way back and landed on her back with a soft 'uff' followed by more giggling. "It's a fun game, makes you happy." It was also relaxing, though she was not quite sure she understood that term so she did not think to use it. Her purple eyes gleamed in the afternoon sun.

"You should lie down and watch to, the grass is soft." Her mind was not quite simple, but her happiness was indeed bliss. She turned her body slightly to look at him upside down again, that was a novel game too. She heard his name and repeated it a few times in her head. "So are you from here..Sawyer? WE just moved here, so we do not know many others."

Of course she assumed he was from here. Her cousins, she and Fyodor had just set up the pack territory, maybe Sawyer could join too! It would be great to have more friends.

[sawyer]

Sawyer seriously doubted that laying back and watching bulbous white forms lazily drift by would be fun, and it certainly wouldn’t make him happy. Definitely not what he wanted to do with his free time, even though all he had was free time. And the grass was not soft. It was prickly and made his paws itch. It was the last place he would have wanted to lay down in, he couldn’t imagine the itchy feeling all over his back…yuck.

He didn’t want to lay down, so his just sat down…very gently. He sighed deeply, like he had somewhere better to be, but he didn’t. Not only was the grass prickly to lay down, but he really didn’t want to be in such a vulnerable position with a stranger around. He looked away from Keely, and at the sea of green that surrounded them. He cracked his jaw, something that he did when he was nervous. “No I’m not from here. I’m as traveler of sorts, you know?” He said. She probably wanted him to ask who the ‘we’ was she referred to, but did he really want to stick around? He mentally shrugged. Why not?

“You said ‘we.’ Who is this we? Your mate? Family?”

[Keely]

"OOoo! A traveler!" The littlest things seemed to amaze and excite her. It was similar to a three-year-old being introduced to a carnival for a first time. Everything was new and bright and colorful. Her tails wavered, she wanted him to talk more about his travels.

However, he turned around and asked her a question right back. Her ears fell back and she giggled a little embarrassed, "My mate? Oh no no no no....he isn't my mate." The term made her feel warm though. She would like him to be deep in her heart, but weather or not she could translate her feelings to herself, was beyond her at the moment.

"Fyodor is my bestest friend. Chasie and Holmsie are my cousins! We all just moved in and started a pack!" She liked telling about her family, as was normal for most lyxxus, a very social species. She spun around to gesture with her light brown paws, "We play here, and there, and there and there...." She pointed down to the veld, then toward the orchard, to the switch grass, then toward a vacant place on the horizon where the caverns went underground.

She turned back around, looking pleased at her own presentation, "There is lots of room for more to come join us. It's really fun." Then a shadow crossed her pretty little face, "But Fyodor says that this place, where we are, is dangerous. Like dragons and griffens...but I haven't seen any." She looked up in the air, "Oh! But that cloud kinda looks like a dragon" She turned her head at an odd angle trying to scrutinize the inanimate puffs.