an answer for the weeping willow [Tsuki]

[Digg Haywood]

"Digg." The voice broke through the sleepy haze that enveloped him, invading his happy little dream of a sun-baked senorita and a half-empty bottle of tequila. "I love it when you say my name like that, hunny." He mumbled still caught up in his dream. "Oh, shuddup you idiot." "Aww baby c'mon don't be like that," he said, yawning halfway through. The image of that pretty senorita on the beach was fading into the sunset. Well, more like sunrise. Digg peeked an eye open, half expecting to see Boone towering over him with that condescending eye of his. But all he saw was Clem and her condescending eye, though truth be told it was tinged with a bit more affection. Or a gussied up version of tolerance. Eh, it was too early to care. "You know you love me," he said, scratching a bit of gunk from his eye before flicking it off his thumb. Clem just snorted at him. "What time is it anyway?" "It's about a hair past a freckle," said Clem, rolling her eyes. "How the hell do I know what time it is? Haven't had a watch in years." Digg yawned and stretched out, nodding. "You know what I meant, Hot Lips. But judgin' by the sun I'd say it's about time for Boone to come over here and kick my ass into action." "Yup. Sarge sent me over first to try and save his boot the wear 'n tear," she said. "So on your feet, Hoss. It's our turn to check the traps." "Aww hell," he said with a sigh. He was about to launch into an argument when his stomach let out something of a roar. "Oh alright. Jesus. Betrayed by my own gut," he grumbled, scratching at his beard as he lumbered to his feet. He sauntered around their small campground for five minutes or so in search of a snack of some sort. They were camped out in the foothills of the Retrolands, where the dogs and birds supposedly shared borders. Boone said the animals didn't get along real well, but hell that was nature. He didn't think about them for much longer and focused on his search for snacks. After what seemed an even longer finagle, Digg finally managed to convince Winny to split his apple with him. He had a penchant for apples, and popped the small half happily into his mouth. After another ten minutes or so, Digg finished his perusal of the campgrounds. "Lessgo, Hot Lips! We're burnin' daylight!" he hollered with a grin before shifting and loping off on heavy hooves, narrowly avoiding the boot flung at his head. She caught up to him after a while and hopped easily onto his back. She was a small cat shifter, and was content to curl up on his rump and meow orders at him. "Head East," she said. "To the bog. I'm gonna cover the forest today. We'll meet up at sunset," she said, leaping easily from his back to an overhanging tree branch. "Aye aye, Commandant Kitty!" he said with the horse-version of a grin before adjusting his course and trotting steadily towards the swamp lands. He'd had to dodge a few smaller packs here and there but he made it to the swamp unscathed. He slowed to a walk when he advanced into the bog, brushing past weeping willows, nosing his way through the hanging branches. It was cool under the canopy, and the feel of the leaves brushing against his coat was calming. He wasn't fond of coming to this place alone. Too many places for a man to get his hooves stuck. He kept the the islands he knew, threading his way carefully through the marsh, trying to remember where they'd placed the traps. A few times he had to shift back and consult the crude map Clem had hung around his neck on a loose string. There were about ten or so wire snares set up throughout, set mostly in the thickets where the trees and grass were thicker. The first three he checked were empty, and as he trotted (surprisingly determined) towards the fourth when he heard a series of low snarls and what sounded to be frustrated growls. He sped up to a canter and cleared a fallen cypress log, shifting back mid-leap and hit the ground running. Digg could hear another animal, likely smaller and younger judging by its higher pitched yelps. He closed the distance in a few minutes before approaching the snare quietly, grabbing a nearby rock and more than ready to smash the lights out of whatever prey they'd trap. Maybe a coyote? But what he saw wasn't no coyote, and he dropped the rock instantly. It was some kinda dog, a pretty one. Fur all striped, like a tiger. Next to it was some short, fat little thing with a dumb look on its face as it whined pitifully at the trapped dog. "Heyyy pretty girl," he cooed, stepping forward slowly and using the voice he'd been taught to use on frightened, trapped animals back at the ranch. "Seems you got yourself all tangled up. Let ol' Digg help you out." ooc| sorry it's kinda rambly ><; I got caught up in Roguesass XD hope it's okay! <3

[Tsukiko]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: DED9D2; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] TSUKIKO and behind it all there's a price to be paid for the blood on which we dine Tsukiko was beginning to settle into the Nilda pack since she'd met Fang and decided that she did indeed wish to stick around (after all, this didn't seem like a great place to be surviving on one's own). She'd decided that since she was beginning to get her strength back, she wanted to start exploring her home, learning its ins and outs so that she could start to contribute to the pack. She owed them a great deal already; Tsukiko didn't like not being able to repay her slowly mounting debt. Things were changing though, she'd started to eat more and she was putting weight back on. Her ribs were less visible, and her gums were regaining their healthy pink color. She'd cleaned herself up and that alone had made a vast improvement in her appearance, compared to what she'd looked like after Fang had drug her from the river. Yeah, things were looking up. She'd be back in prime condition soon, and then she'd prove to that lousy mouser that she wasn't just some "dog." She was an akita inu, her ancestors had been used to hunt bear. She wasn't pathetic just because she'd lost hope for a little while. She'd been grieving, not only the loss of her only family, but the loss of her freedom. Now though, now she would bounce back. Bouncing is exactly what she was doing at the moment, sort of, as she actually gracefully hopped over a fallen branch before dropping her nose to the ground an inhaling deeply, taking in all the scents, noting what had passed by recently. Or at least, she was doing that until she heard a noisy yapping not far off. Who the heck was making all that noise, advertising their position and possibly attracting all manner of wild predators? She huffed and turned her attention from the scents in the area to the yapping. It would take a special kind of someone to not be able to find the source of the yapping, so Tsukiko had no trouble at all. She crouched behind a set of cypress stumps, peering over them at a sight that almost made her double take. It was a squat, fat dog with stubby little legs and it had the dumbest look on its face as it awkwardly bounced and pounced at a frog that was hopping along (seemingly unbothered) in front of it. She shook her head and sighed. She wasn't familiar with all of the members of the pack yet, but there was no possible way this silly pup could be a rogue, it would have been dead already if it were. "Oi, are you crazy," she snapped in the rough tongue of shifters, fully expecting a stupid answer in response. What she got instead was a blank stare, as the dog stopped in its tracks and turn to stare at her, completely confused. Tsuki sniffed the air and sighed again. "A regular dog? you've gotta be kidding me... how is this thing even out here? And how is it alive," she mused aloud to herself. Well, regardless of whether it was retromorph or normal dog, she still felt some sense of responsibility to help it, especially since it was most likely going to get itself killed if it remained on its own. It was a regular dog, so she communicated in the manner of regular dogs, attempting to get it to follow her. It was easier said than done, the animal was easily distracted by everything. A flaw that many animals had, especially in new places, and she assumed that this animal had to be newer to the Menagerie than she was, though how the Keepers had accidentally dropped a regular dog into the mix, she would never know. She finally managed to get the little dog to calm down and start to follow her, which made her happy. The happiness was short lived though, so very very short lived. She'd managed to get the dog to follow her a little ways before she stopped in her tracks. She smelled human and metal, and mostly human. The human scent was faint though, which could mean any number of things. Her biggest concern as that it meant there were traps nearby. The human shifters had a nasty habit of raiding retromorph lands for supplies. Tsukiko wasn't particularly keen on getting herself caught in a trap. She turned to check on the smaller dog, and her face, well... if she'd been human she'd have had a look of incredulity on her face. The damn mutt was bounding off in another direction (after another frog). "No," she growled at it, forgetting in her moment of annoyance that it was a regular dog and it didn't understand her shifter language. Tsukiko bounded after the dog, trying to catch up to it as she called after it, "No, stop moving, there could be tra... shit," Tsuki felt the wire tighten around her back right leg and she groaned. The squat little dog finally returned its attention to her, turning to look at her with its head cocked to the side as if questioning her. "Don't look at me like that, this is all your fault..." she muttered. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... several hours later: Well wasn't this just great. She'd gotten herself stuck in a wire snare, unable to shift without the risk she'd sever her foot, and the icing on the cake? It was the squat little yapper barking and whining her ears off. The soil and fur around her snared leg had blood drying into them, matting. The area was scuffed up, likely cause she'd tried to get herself loose before the snare pulled too tight. Closer inspection of the wire would reveal that she'd attempted to gnaw through it, much like she was attempting to gnaw through the base of the bush the wire was attached to. At least, that's what she was doing until she heard movement, which was quickly followed by the scent of a human. Or a horse? Human and horse? She turned, choking back a cry of pain as she clawed her way forward, putting herself between the smaller dog and who or whatever came out of the brush. She was already snarling and baring her teeth in that direction when the man stepped out, dropping a rock in the process. He'd been planning to brain her. She wasn't stupid. But when he saw her, he demeanor changed completely and he edged himself closer to her and the smaller dog she was protecting. His voice came out soft and soothing as he cooed at her. If she could have glared him to death, she would have. As it was, she did the only thing she could really do. She doubted he'd understand her, but... her ears pulled back and her fur bristled as she snapped at him, the shifter tongue came coarse and laced with annoyance, "Bite me." will you bite the hand that feeds, will you chew until it bleeds

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[Digg Haywood]

He'd been expecting a growl, maybe a threatening bark, perhaps even a whimper if it was a more submissive animal. But when the dog pinned her ears back and fixed him with a surprisingly cold stare and its maw parted...what came out left him with the biggest damned grin on his face he'd had in a while. "Bite me." The last thing he'd been expecting was to hear a dog talk. Sure he'd seen dog shifters talking before, but this was different. This was a real honest to god dog. It didn't smell like a Shifter. It smelled like all the other dogs he'd ever met (he'd always had a good nose, he'd been shifting since he was a boy). Though, he supposed that in the dome crazier things had happened. Hell, he'd even seen a flying pig once, just flappin' merrily along until Boone shot it down. Digg supposed getting bacon and chicken wings from the same hog was a hard opportunity to pass up but, hey. Talking dog. Right. He'd stopped in his tracks, and stood up straight. He held his hands up at either side of his head, signifying he didn't mean any harm. "Well I always try to do as a lady asks, even if she's a bitch." he said, quite pleased with his clever wit. "But I'd rather not be pickin' fur out my teeth for a week, if it's all the same to you." he said, still trying to wrap his head around the fact that he was talking to a dog. He crossed his arms over his chest and fixed her with a smile. "So. Bein' the gennlemen that I am...you want help gettin' outta that there trap, or not?" ooc; haha get it he called her a bitch 'cos she a girl dog Oh diggles you crack me up. -shot- lemme know if anything needs fixin!

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[Tsukiko]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: DED9D2; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] TSUKIKO and behind it all there's a price to be paid for the blood on which we dine This stupid, goofy grin plastered his face as she spoke and if she'd been human, her eye probably would have been twitching and the vein in her forehead probably would have been bulging as a new wave of annoyance rolled over her. The metal wire around her leg was cutting into her flesh and he was marveling over a talking dog. Then he opened his mouth again and Tsuki thought she was going to start foaming at the mouth (not really). Oh ho, wasn't he sooooooo clever. Calling her a bitch. A human female would have been insulted, Tsukiko didn't care. The term meant nothing to her. He went on to ask if she'd like help getting out of the wire and she stared at him, "What the hell do you think," she growled at him, "You're seriously asking if I want help getting out of a trap that's cutting into my leg? I bet that this probably belongs to you, doesn't it?" She wasn't entirely sure she could trust him. If it was a trap that he had set, whose to say he wouldn't kill her anyway? Tsukiko snarled loudly as she turned her head away from him, exasperated, but defeated. There was no telling when or if another of her pack would come, so she had no choice but to rely on the human shifter's assistance in getting out. It grated against her nerves, made her feel weak and dependent again when she'd felt like she was just regaining the strength to stand on her own. After a moment of contemplation, she turned back to him and tossed her head in the direction of the trap to indicate that he could remove it. "Make one wrong move, and I swear I'll take a chunk out of you before I draw my last breath," there seemed to be a rather deadly seriousness in the tone of her voice. will you bite the hand that feeds, will you chew until it bleeds

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[Digg Haywood]

Digg's focus was dragged to the small noodle of a dog, still whimpering behind the talking dog's legs. He arched his brow and craned his neck to get a better look, but the squat little thing was content to keep itself pressed against the other. When the mutt gave him more sass, he shook his head. "T' be fair, I done offered to help you out first thing," he said. "And I even called you pretty. if I remember correct. But you the one that had t' sass the friendly guy innocently lost in the marsh." He said, arms still crossed over his chest. But he did feel bad for the mutt caught in his snare. They weren't really meant to catch the smart ones--they tended to be able to avoid these type of snare. "My trap? Hey, I dropped my rock!" he cried in defense. "If I was gonna hurt you, don't you think I woulda just given you a nice little tap on the noggin and called it a day?" he said, huffing and a little offended that man's supposedly best friend was threatening to turn him into kibble instead of jumping up and licking his face, or you know humping his leg or something. This is not what he expected a talking dog to be like. He sighed and kneeled next to her, still out of her reach but close enough to let her know his intentions. "Imma help you out, so don't go rippin' out my throat or anythin' rash, now." he said, inching a bit closer to examine the wound. "Try not to move too much, sweetheart," he said in earnest and with gentle hands went about freeing her from the snare. Blood oozed from the cut and he winced, feeling a pang of guilt. It didn't take but a minute to free her, and once he had he wrapped the snare around the tree so it wouldn't catch any more animals, as a sign of good faith. "You're free, honey. But you should let me take a closer look at the wound, it looks perty deep. I got some stuff back at camp that'd do just the trick." As soon as he had offered it, he backed off a couple of feet and plopped down on his butt, leaning backwards on his palms. "I didn't know dogs had a flair for the dramatic," he said with a sudden grin. "'With my last breath'," he repeated, chuckling to himself. He fixed her with a lazy grin and scratched absently at his beard, already at ease with this loud mouthed mutt. "So. Outta curiosity. 'Zactly how long you been able to you know, talk?" ooc: Digg talks SO MUCH omg

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[Tsukiko]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: DED9D2; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] TSUKIKO and behind it all there's a price to be paid for the blood on which we dine Maybe it was because she was in pain and still not at full strength. Maybe he was just a good liar, but she sensed nothing amiss about the man. He seemed sincere about wanting to help her and in his denial of the trap being his. When he moved to help her, she remained still as he requested and allowed him to do what he was going to do. The dog remained silent as he worked, her jaw clenched against the pain that shot through her as he moved the wire in his efforts. Even after she was free, she refrained from moving much as she focused on tenderly moving her leg to determine how much pain it was going to cause her just to use it. It wasn't the same kind of pain as what she'd felt while the wire was still tightening around it or while he'd been moving the wire around, but it was an open wound and it still hurt. He offered to take a closer look at her wound as he backed off a bit, to tend to it. It brought back memories of her former master, the thought of him tending to her wound. When he'd been next to her, she'd gotten a better whim of him, a smell that also reminded her of her human. They both smelled like the earth and the wild. She looked at him and her demeanor softened, her body loosening up a bit. "My master used to read to me a lot," she explained as she commented on her choice of words. He had been the literary type and he had often read aloud to her before bed. The man settled into a sort of ease with her as she scratched at his beard and grinned at her, which was followed by what she could only assume would be the start of a long line of questions in regards to her not being a normal dog. "I dunno," she responded, "I've been talking for a couple of months, I guess... I suppose I've been capable of it for far longer." She was a retromorph, which meant, in some capacity, she'd always been capable of human speech and more so of shifter speech. She'd just never actually known that she was. It wasn't until they'd taken her that she'd become aware of her ability to communicate with humans and shifters. "If you're going to fix it, we should do it soon..." Tsukiko seemed to have calmed down a bit since the snare had been removed. Cause, ya know... a wire cutting into your leg was like to cause you to be a little cranky. will you bite the hand that feeds, will you chew until it bleeds

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