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Sheep and Flower Crowns

Kila Offline

Sphinx Queen

Posts: 575
Threads: 83
Joined: Jul 2017
Reputation: 1
#1
Website Find
Thread Status: Open!
Players involved: Cassiopeia, Psychoticmist, Sparx
Characters involved: Anippe (Jojo), Jenna (Sparx), Scylla (Cass)
Setting: Some peaceful little backwater mountain village and the surrounding area
Time: Noon-ish
Weather: Partly sunny with a chance of rain in the evening, a cool breeze blows down from the north


Scylla

It was a good day for cloud watching.

The sky was the bluest baby-blue Scylla had ever seen, and the clouds above were massive puffy white cotton balls being blown into all sorts of shapes by the north wind. The grass rustled in the breeze, and all of the sheep were happily munching away at all the fresh grass, flowers, and clovers their little sheep hearts could ever hope for. It had been such a peaceful day, in fact, that Scylla had let his mind wander. First he'd made himself a crown of wildflowers in all colors, and wore it on his head proudly. Then he'd made one for Max, who was nowhere to be found. Then again, the beast did look kinda like a sheep, and he'd turn up eventually, so Scylla made two more flower crowns for his mothers. A pink and purple one for Mama Mae and a yellow and white one for Mother Mary. And now that the sun was high in the sky, his stomach was beginning to rumble.

It was time to eat!

Seated on a tall rock with a great vantage of the mountain meadow, and the massive flock of sheep, Scylla opened his pack and grabbed his lunch. "I wonder what Mama packed me today?" He exclaimed, his small hands making short work of the cloth wrapping that housed his lunch. A chunk of hard sheep's cheese, an apple, a fresh roll with herb butter, and some of the leftover leek and potato stew from the night before had been tenderly packed for him, with a small piece of parchment that read, "Have a good day, sweetie! Love Mama and Mom".

He dug into the cheese with gusto, holding it in both hands and tearing off pieces with his sharp teeth. It was hard, but immensely flavorful, and his favorite cheese in the whole world! Not that he was biased because he helped make it or anything, not at all, but he'd been raised on sheep's milk cheese, and to him nothing was better. "Max c'mon! Lunchtime!" Scylla shouted, his voice carrying through the mountains. A bark echoed back, and it wasn't long before the furry head of Max came bounding through the sheep. Tearing off a chunk of cheese, Scylla threw the rest into the air, where Max caught it with a deft leap. He settled down next to his master, and Scylla ruffled his plush white fur while smiling from ear to ear.

With roll in hand, he took an enormous bite out of it and gazed down at the flock below. It was such a peaceful day, and he could take all the time in the world to enjoy himself.

After all, what could possibly go wrong?


Psychoticmist

Guest

 
#2
It had been about three days of continuous walking before Anippe had seen anything resembling society. Despite the cool breeze hitting her face, every step was agonizing and exhausting. The only thing keeping her going was a small blotch in the distance beyond the wildflowers, moving almost in unison. Her weary body hoped that it was a group of travellers who would offer her help. The thought that they might not help her had crossed her mind, but... Oh, that's too depressing to think about now! Perhaps stopping to smell the flowers would lift her spirits. For a moment, the broad lynx flopped into a small patch of yellow flowers, then inhaled deeply. 

The wind wafted the delicate scent of yellow violets toward Anippe, the smell of sheep's wool, and...

Sheep? 

...Sheep.

Of course! Sheep are meat! Sheep are food! Anippe gave a big stretch, a heave, and off she went toward the source of her next meal. The burning sensation of tired muscles was nothing compared to the burning desire to bite into some fresh meat! Her massive paws carried her swiftly over the planes before her, dislodging dirt and clumps of earth with every step. Before she had even realized, her hunger had carried her across the grassy knolls until she was practically close enough to see every individual curl in each sheep's coat. 

"Okay, Ani," she whispered to herself, "Make this one count."

Anippe huddled behind a large stone. It wasn't quite large enough to hide herself, but sheep were stupid, stupid creatures. It would suffice. Her clear turquoise eyes scanned the flock for what felt like an eternity before her before settling on a straggler. There he was, just outside the edge of the herd. This sheep was old, weary, he clearly would like to retire from his grueling hard work of eating grass. That's it. That one's dinner. Anippe took a deep breath and readied herself, arching her back, stretching her claws. The thrill of the hunt was already getting to her, the sound of her heart pounding in her ears, breathing unsteady... With a wiggle of her behind, Anippe finally let loose and dove toward her meal.

THWAP!

Anippe had underestimated just how powerful her leap was, and found herself tumbling along the plane, sheep in tow. Not only did other sheep notice, they were screaming, bleating in fear of the huge predator suddenly toppling over half the herd. In the scramble, a few sheep kicked and thrashed on top of her, loosening her grip on the ancient ram between her jaws. Panicked, Anippe realized there was only one thing she could do to save this attempt. Scrambling to keep the sheep down, Anippe swiftly kicked her hind legs up at its neck, hoping to snap it and stop the struggling. Nothing else could go wrong, she finally had the upper hand!

... Until her eyes met with a pair of icy blue eyes above her. 

Shit. 

Sparx Offline

Member

Posts: 58
Threads: 17
Joined: Jul 2017
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#3
Website Find
This was like, the prettiest place ever.

Well, one of the prettiest places, anyway.

Jenna had been wandering for some time, though she had lost track of the days, as she often did. There was little rhyme or reason to her travels but to leisurely enjoy the various places she came across, such as this peaceful little mountain meadow, warmed by the sun with the faintest foreshadowing of rain in the air. Could a day be nicer than this? The green grass and wildflowers seemed to be calling her name, begging her to lie down among the weeds and nap in the hot rays of the sun. Napping sounded so nice, but then again, napping always sounded nice.

The kelahati had almost given in to the temptation when the sound of distressed bleating reached her fluffy ears. Sheep? Jenna perked up a bit. Sheep! Sheep are cute, and soft, and tasty, but mostly cute, and also a sign of a village nearby. Her tail began to wag as she imagined what the village could be like, and what kind of people could be there, and the food they would have, and if they'd let her pet the sheep.

Taking on her feral form, the young dog romped in the direction of the noise. She soon found herself pushing through an upset crowd of cloud-like animals who seemed to be gathering around some sort of scene. They were too low to the ground to crawl under, and too stubborn to push through, so Jenna found herself hopping over the sheep to try and get to whatever was going on.

Midair, she was able to catch sight of a young boy and some kind of cat girl, the latter of which looked to be giving one of the sheep a bear hug...that the sheep wasn't too thrilled about.

"Hey!" Jenna barked, still bouncing. "Is something wrong?? Do you need any help?"

Kila Offline

Sphinx Queen

Posts: 575
Threads: 83
Joined: Jul 2017
Reputation: 1
#4
Website Find
Scylla

There was a flash of white against the creamy wool of the sheep, and before Scylla could fully process what happened the entire flock was in a tizzy. Bleating cries filled the air, some of the ewes were scattering everywhere, fleeing from the scene that was unfolding. Quickly swallowing the chunk of bread in his mouth, Scylla brought a hand to his lips and gave a shrill whistle.

"Max! Round 'em up!"

The beast gave a bark in return, tearing off at a quick pace to herd any sheep who tried to flee to safety of the flock. There was a second bark, unfamiliar to him, and Scylla's gaze locked on to a...dog? A talking dog?? Oh! OH! She must have been like him! A smile lit up his face as he called back to the dog--something that would have made him feel crazy if he couldn't talk to animals. "Please help Max keep the sheep from running off!"

Knowing that the rest of his sheep were in good hands--or paws in Max's case--the boy turned his attention back to the large cat who was violently trying to disembowel one of the older rams. In an instant Scylla had his axe in hand, and pointed the blade at the feline with a steely look in his eyes.

"You can't eat the Old Man!" he shouted, making eye contact with the lynx. There was something about her bright turquoise eyes that reminded the boy of himself, and it was then that he noticed the bright yellow scarf around his neck. How he hadn't noticed that before, he didn't know, but Scylla suddenly felt like he could reason with the hungry lynx.

Keeping one hand on his axe, he reached behind him and found the roll he'd taken a few bites out of. Offering it out to the lynx, Scylla said, "If you let the Old Man go, I'll share my lunch with you. You can have the rest of my roll and my soup. It's leek and potato. My mama made it, and it's really yummy." In spite of the stern look in his eyes, the boy gave a warm smile.


Psychoticmist

Guest

 
#5
If cats could sweat bullets, Anippe probably would be drenched. 
Too many things were going on for her to properly think it through. Food in mouth, but, food in boy's hand, but, dogs nearby, but--
But, but, but! Too many ifs, ands, or buts!
Her eyes darted between the many different things happening before finally pausing to compose herself. Anippe didn't know which dog made her more uneasy, the one bouncing sporadically, or the one that, well... Was it a dog at all? The axe at her throat was also a nice adrenaline rush. Oh, Jiasna, had she done it now. Slowly, she pulled her jaws off the old-timer in her grasp. Claws retracted, but grip still firm, the lynx slowly began to mouth a few words.

"Pardon me, I... I didn't realize that these sheep were, uh, spoken for."

Carefully, Anippe began to bring herself back onto all fours, eyes still darting back and forth between the sources of her anxiety and--wait a moment. Did that boy say... Lunch? Her gaze immediately zoomed to the stale half-eaten bread roll in the boy's hand once more, and all else in the world ceased to exist. This was one of the most delightful man-beast delicacies she had ever tried in her life. The scent of the lukewarm soup gently wafted toward her, wrapping her in the divine scent. Inside her, a fuzzy, warm feeling began to brew, but... Why would this man-beast offer her food? She had nearly gutted half of his flock moments prior, there was nothing to be gained by keeping her alive. Of course! Clearly this boy is a squeamish assassin, and the food he was eating is actually poisoned for this very moment! It was the only answer! That sweet, sheepish grin wasn't childish glee, but murderous intent!

Her eyes glided over to the rust brown dog, bouncing to-and-fro betwixt each lamb, cosset, and ewe. The pooch, unfortunately, would have to be the one screwed. 

"I... Hope you don't mind me rejecting your offer. I mean no disrespect by it but... I cannot eat your food. It would be better suited for the child that way." 

Sparx Offline

Member

Posts: 58
Threads: 17
Joined: Jul 2017
Reputation: 0
#6
Website Find
Jenna ceased her hopping upon being asked to help tend to the sheep. Her partner for the task was another...dog? Thing? Well, it was acting like a dog and looked mostly like a dog, so it was probably another dog. And Max was totally a dog name, so. Jenna bounded over to the edge of the herd of sheep opposite of Max. She had no idea how to herd sheep, but she figured it wouldn't be that hard, especially if she just copied what Max was doing. With a confident huff, the kelahati nudged and nipped at the sheep to guide them into a tight, calm mass of wool.

When she was sure that there weren't any stragglers, Jenna trotted back over to Scylla and Anippe to see what was going on with their end of the problem. It seemed as though the cat lady had mistaken the delicious looking sheep for wild and free for the taking, but Scylla (the cat boy) was, in fact, their shepherd and did not appreciate some random person attacking his animals. It did seem, however, that Scylla was willing to part with some of his lunch instead. When it was declined, Jenna was ready to step in.

"If she doesn't want it, I'll take it!" she piped up, approaching the two while morphing back into her humanoid form. Her tail continued to wag. "Did you say potato? I love potatoes! And it smells really good!"

Practically drooling, it took Jenna a minute to realize that this was a very awkward meeting. Only Max had even been sort of introduced.

"Um, I'm Jenna, by the way. I was just kind of exploring in the area, not trying to eat your sheep or anything." She paused, then added sincerely, "I like your dog."

Kila Offline

Sphinx Queen

Posts: 575
Threads: 83
Joined: Jul 2017
Reputation: 1
#7
Website Find
Scylla

With his sheep back in a happy little herd, Scylla could finally relax. Maybe by doing so the cat-girl would also calm down? She seemed hungry, but for whatever reason she denied his offer of lunch. "Well, alright," he said to Anippe with a one shouldered shrug. "But you still can't eat the sheep."

Whatever, it was her loss!

"Max! Come!" He shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify the sound. The beast came bounding through the mass of sheep, long feline tail held high as an indicator to his position. With a flying leap after vaulting off one of the sheep, Max landed on the rock next to Scylla, and spun around before curling into a tight little ball, panting happily.

The dog-girl, who'd introduced herself as Jenna, was cute, peppy, and friendly. And she liked Max, which was a bonus. Scylla's face lit up in a smile, his icy eyes twinkling. "I'm Scylla! And I guess you've already met Max," he said warmly, ruffling Max's head between the ears. "If you're hungry, you're more than welcome to come have some of my lunch." The boy reached down to grasp Jenna's hand, and with surprising ease pulled her up next to him on the rock.

Max gave her a wiggle, and lapped at her hand with his tongue before shoving his head under it, begging for pets.

"Max likes you too, I think," Scylla said, giggling. He tore off half of the roll and handed the half he hadn't bitten to Jen. "Dip it in the soup! It's really good. My Mama makes the best soup in the whole village. Probably the whole world!" Taking his own advice, Scylla dipped the bread into the soup and took a large chomp out of it. With another glance to Anippe, he gestured to the food. "You sure you don't want some? It's not much, but it'll hold you over until dinner. I'm sure my Mamas would like the company!"


Psychoticmist

Guest

 
#8
Mamas... Hm... Anippe began to wonder to herself, why plural? Perhaps this child's kind were raised communally, instead of one mother per litter. Maybe if she proved her worth, she would be integrated into this society of moms.  It would prove a difficult challenge to assert herself to top matriarch, but perhaps it was possible... The Kelahati caught herself in the middle of her daydream and realized she had likely been stuck in her own mind for too long.
She focused her eyes on the boy in front of her, looking into his chilly gaze. Something about those ice-cold eyes warmed her heart, as a sneaky little smile crept along her lips, her whole face turning six shades rosier.

She leaned down to grab a nibble of bread, breaking off a nicely sized chunk. 
"Alright, I suppose I could try it," she began, voice sweeter than honey. 

She swiftly popped the still-warm piece into her mouth and chewed.
This isn't good, she thought.

This is wonderful. 
 Sticking around for dinner sounds really nice...

She swallowed forcefully, frantic about the implications of her thoughts.

"B-but aren't you afraid of inviting someone violent like me to your, er, mamas? I'd much rather you invite this one. She tried to help, and-- .... Er, did I get your name? Dog child?" She motions her colossal paw toward Jenna. 
"Oh, right, it's rude to ask someone's name before giving your own... I'm Anippe Anmuth. I'm a traveler."

Sparx Offline

Member

Posts: 58
Threads: 17
Joined: Jul 2017
Reputation: 0
#9
Website Find
Jenna was excited to have met such a friendly young shepherd, even if the circumstances were very out of the ordinary. Before she knew it, she was sitting next to Scylla and sharing his soup and bread, both of which were very delicious, and his dog, Max, was butting her hand for pets. Had she died and gone to heaven? Because it sure felt like it. Surrounded by cute animals, a dog at her feet, on a nice day with good food... She was afraid that she would wake up in a moment to find she had been dreaming it all up.

"This is so good!" the kelahati exclaimed, referring to the lunch Scylla had so generously offered. "Your moms must be the best cooks ever. You're so lucky!"

Grinning, Jenna stuffed the rest of the bread into her mouth and leaned down to give Max some scratches behind the ears. "I'd love to join you for dinner, if that's really okay! I can help, probably. I don't really know too much about cooking, but for free food I can help with chores and stuff!"

The other girl, whom had finally introduced herself as Anippe, seemed to finally be warming up to the idea of hanging out with Scylla and his moms too.

"Jenna," Jenna repeated to her when asked for her name. "And I totally think you should come too! I'm sure they'd understand that you were just looking for lunch. And you did stop when you realized that the sheep were spoken for."

Kila Offline

Sphinx Queen

Posts: 575
Threads: 83
Joined: Jul 2017
Reputation: 1
#10
Website Find
"Yeah, I don't think you're violent," Scylla began, his ears giving a forward twitch. "You were just hungry. Everyone gets cranky when they're hungry, and we don't have the luxury of grazing on grass like the sheep." As hungry as he was, Scylla made sure to leave his guests plenty of food. And he could always bring the sheep back in early. His mamas would understand, surely.

Max was content to settle between him and Jenna, his long tail swishing back and forth happily as he repeatedly nosed the girl for pets.

"I'm sure Mama Mary will put both of you to work," he said with a chuckle. "We have cows to milk, cheese to make, chickens to feed, uuuuum." A pause. "And Mama Mae will appreciate some help in the kitchen. And if working with animals isn't your thing, there's always repairs to be made around the barn before winter." Scylla took a large bite of his apple, nearly choking it down. "We don't have a lot, but everyone in the village is nice folk."


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