The Preserve, late Saturday night into Sunday breakfast
Walter had a small fire going and was doing his version of whittling, which involved drawing a wire between two fingers and sharpening sticks into sharp points. He had a series of them stuck in the ground in front of him and was enjoying watching Pup scamper off into the shadows around the campfire. The hellpuppy's eyes would be visible pinpoints in the night as he returned with prize after prize to impale on the stakes - leaves, bits of moss, notably a fallen bird's nest...
Possibly he shouldn't be encouraging the hellpuppy's nature, but it fit his mood.
He'd not answered his phone again when the Caller ID showed that it was Nadia calling. She was probably calling from Florida to tell him how warm and sunny it was. He was still irritated and didn't feel like ruining her trip by being an ass to her.
He leaned back against his bedroll and looked up through the tree branches at the sky. Supposedly there was a lunar eclipse to be seen.
While his person smoked and cut up little pikes and stared at the sky, Pup snatched one out of the ground and trotted off into the darkness. Something was moving out there. Many somethings.
And something was going to get impaled!
The hellpuppy chased a mouse, but it fled into a hole too small for even Pup.
Then he hared off after a rabbit, but it ducked under a fallen log and he tried to jump over only to fall flat on his face when he didn't quite clear the obstacle.
Sometimes he forgot that he wasn't a big boy hellhound anymore. Daddy had only sent a Pup-sized piece with little stubby Pup-legs after all.
He shook the dirt and pine needles out of his fur and picked up the pike stake stick again, holding it between his teeth.
His fur bristled and he crept forward between some bushes to observe a clearing where the movement he'd stalked originated.
Six little eyes widened at the sight that was presented for him.
Six little mushrooms formed a circle in the clearing with a seventh little mushroom in the center. As he watched, the little mushrooms started to bob up and down (which to a hellpuppy didn't seem all that peculiar) and then scattered into a pair of lines, the seventh mushroom scrambling to try to find its place in the lines.
Around they danced, splitting, turning, wheeling and bowing and their silent observer watched, rapt, a tiny wag of a tiny tail the only indication that he was anything but a statue with red-lit eyes.
With a final spin and turn, the mushrooms circled again, the seventh finding its place in the center of its companions.
For a moment, the clearing was silent. The magic settled out of the air leaving the more common magic of nature observed in moonlight.
Then Pup bounded out of the brush and impaled the center mushroom.
It offended his sense of six-way symmetry.
Pleased with himself, he trotted back toward Walter's campsite to bring his person his prize.
Walter had dozed off while Pup was off on his mini-adventure. He trusted to the hellpuppy's ability to take care of himself, tiny Pup-legs or not.
Pup proudly ran back to Walter to show him his dancing mushroom prize, but Walter wasn't paying attention. Walter was sleeping.
How boring.
He dropped the skewered mushroom with other mushrooms Walter had brought for omelettes. The little black hound climbed onto his boy's chest, resting his chin on his folded paws, and closed all but two eyes to keep watch over his Walter.
In the morning, Walter stretched and yawned and moved the sleeping dog off of his chest and into a comfortable patch of shade before poking the fire and adding some wood to get it going again for some breakfast.
He chuckled at the mushroom Pup had skewered and tossed it back in with the rest that he'd be having for his breakfast.
It was about time to be getting back to the dorms and see what he'd missed in the past few days.
[ooc: Posted a bit after the fact because I'm slow on the writing, but not open for interaction and NFB due to Pup chasing the squirrels away, so it shouldn't interfere with anything.]
Possibly he shouldn't be encouraging the hellpuppy's nature, but it fit his mood.
He'd not answered his phone again when the Caller ID showed that it was Nadia calling. She was probably calling from Florida to tell him how warm and sunny it was. He was still irritated and didn't feel like ruining her trip by being an ass to her.
He leaned back against his bedroll and looked up through the tree branches at the sky. Supposedly there was a lunar eclipse to be seen.
While his person smoked and cut up little pikes and stared at the sky, Pup snatched one out of the ground and trotted off into the darkness. Something was moving out there. Many somethings.
And something was going to get impaled!
The hellpuppy chased a mouse, but it fled into a hole too small for even Pup.
Then he hared off after a rabbit, but it ducked under a fallen log and he tried to jump over only to fall flat on his face when he didn't quite clear the obstacle.
Sometimes he forgot that he wasn't a big boy hellhound anymore. Daddy had only sent a Pup-sized piece with little stubby Pup-legs after all.
He shook the dirt and pine needles out of his fur and picked up the pike stake stick again, holding it between his teeth.
His fur bristled and he crept forward between some bushes to observe a clearing where the movement he'd stalked originated.
Six little eyes widened at the sight that was presented for him.
Six little mushrooms formed a circle in the clearing with a seventh little mushroom in the center. As he watched, the little mushrooms started to bob up and down (which to a hellpuppy didn't seem all that peculiar) and then scattered into a pair of lines, the seventh mushroom scrambling to try to find its place in the lines.
Around they danced, splitting, turning, wheeling and bowing and their silent observer watched, rapt, a tiny wag of a tiny tail the only indication that he was anything but a statue with red-lit eyes.
With a final spin and turn, the mushrooms circled again, the seventh finding its place in the center of its companions.
For a moment, the clearing was silent. The magic settled out of the air leaving the more common magic of nature observed in moonlight.
Then Pup bounded out of the brush and impaled the center mushroom.
It offended his sense of six-way symmetry.
Pleased with himself, he trotted back toward Walter's campsite to bring his person his prize.
Walter had dozed off while Pup was off on his mini-adventure. He trusted to the hellpuppy's ability to take care of himself, tiny Pup-legs or not.
Pup proudly ran back to Walter to show him his dancing mushroom prize, but Walter wasn't paying attention. Walter was sleeping.
How boring.
He dropped the skewered mushroom with other mushrooms Walter had brought for omelettes. The little black hound climbed onto his boy's chest, resting his chin on his folded paws, and closed all but two eyes to keep watch over his Walter.
In the morning, Walter stretched and yawned and moved the sleeping dog off of his chest and into a comfortable patch of shade before poking the fire and adding some wood to get it going again for some breakfast.
He chuckled at the mushroom Pup had skewered and tossed it back in with the rest that he'd be having for his breakfast.
It was about time to be getting back to the dorms and see what he'd missed in the past few days.
[ooc: Posted a bit after the fact because I'm slow on the writing, but not open for interaction and NFB due to Pup chasing the squirrels away, so it shouldn't interfere with anything.]