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 Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 10:01 am
 These past few weeks had been the best of Asker's entire life. Granted, his life up to that point hadn't been very long, but even still. Ever since being let out of the den, Asker had been having a blast. There were still so many places to explore, so many things to smell and taste and chew on. The blue cub had become particularly fond of chewing on driftwood. He liked the subtle saltiness it had, the slight give under his teeth when he bit down. Eventually it all broke after a while, of course, but there was always plenty more to be found on the beach. In fact, Asker had learned that there was lots to be found on the beach. All sorts of interesting things washed up with the waves. Shells, crab skeletons, icky-smelling seaweed, the beach was ripe with all sorts of wonders to keep the young cub entertained. In fact, Asker could often be found on the beach, searching the sands for hidden treasures. He wanted to dress himself up in shiny trinkets like the older members of the pride. Just the other day, Asker had paraded around with a kelp headband. It had taken quite a few grooming sessions to get the smell out of his hair tuft.
Of course, there had been some conditions about being on the beach, rules that Asker needed to follow in order to make sure he stayed safe. Never turn your back on the waves. Don't heckle the live crabs, or your paws will get pinched. Don't go to far into the water or you'll be carried away on the currents. In fact, he wasn't supposed to go in the water at all, really. Which, of course, is exactly where he was. The water was well up to his chest, with the larger waves lapping at the bottom of his chin. The cub lifted himself up off of the sand, letting the waves carry him closer to the shore before scampering back out to his previous position. He knew mama and papa would probably through a fit if they saw what he was doing, but Asker was confident he wouldn't get caught.
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Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 9:38 pm
"Sneaker waves." A voice broke over the sound of the waves lapping at the sands.
Sitting not too far off, his form shadowed from under a lump of driftwood already half buried in the sands was Nicolae. He was getting to be quite good at that, sadly. He'd learned how to keep his head down, keep quiet, move with subtly, never demanding to be seen in any way. Most cubs bounced about, their paws far too large for their small bodies. Some bolted, their tails held high, others tried far too hard to imitate their parents' stealth. He had watched and learned, very quickly, that none of that worked. Moving casually, comfortably, and keeping his head down and eyes forward seemed to do the trick. He didn't look suspicious, he didn't throw his tail up like a banner, and he moved slowly enough so he didn't stumble over himself.
It hadn't been too hard to trace his brother down the beach, and it hadn't been too hard to guess he would defy their parents.
"They're the ones you gotta watch out for. They come out of no where, the others say. Sweep you out." He smirked. "Know what you do then?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2013 1:25 pm
Asker started a little bit at the sound of his brother's voice. When had Nicolae gotten down here? The blue cub could have sworn that he had come down here alone. He'd have to find out how Nicolae was always so sneaky, like those sneaker waves he was currently being lectured about. As if Asker needed any lecturing from his brother. The cub waited until the wave brought him in further to shore, then turned to face his brother, thinking. What had his parents said about the waves that pulled one out into the ocean? Something about the shore..."Mama says not to swim against them, cause then you'll get tired and you won't be able to come back to shore." Of course, Asker didn't quite remember what to do instead. There were just so many rules about the water! It was going to take him forever to memorize them all, considering how often he forgot them. Like one very crucial rule that had just slipped his mind.
Never turn your back on the ocean.
A wave splashed up over Asker's back, sending him tumbling under the water. The cub was pushed up farther onto the beach, leaving him washed up on the sand as the wave retreated back to the rest of ocean. He coughed and sputtered, the taste of seawater in his mouth. Asker stood up with a groan, fur dripping wet. He was completely soaked now, his fiery mane tuft plastered to his face. Asker shook off as best he could, sending a spray of water everywhere.
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Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2013 2:46 pm
The cub stood up swiftly, his ears perking as a wave swept over his brother's small form. At first, he mentally panicked, his mind instantly mulling over the wost case scenario. Should he go for help? Jump in after him? He knew what to do- clearly his brother did not. The cub steeled himself and took a step away from his bit of driftwood, then sighed as a small, now very wet form, looked up from the sands as the wave slowly hissed back into the sea.
Rolling his eyes, and swallowing his worry, the cub stepped over to his brother, leaned down, and used a claw to clear the patch of fur from Asker's eyes.
"...you swim with the shoreline. Tread water. It saves energy and the waves will push you back to shore." He said, his voice carrying a hint of anger for the cub's stupidity. "That could have been the end of you. The mummers would have sang for generations about your death just so other cubs wouldn't make the same mistake."
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Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2013 2:08 pm
Asker scowled at the paw drifting close to his face, his expression revealed as the hair was brushed out of his face. Well that had been more than embarrassing, he grumbled to himself. And not at all pleasant. Now Asker looked like some sort of idiot to his brother. "I knew that!" He fibbed, green eyes glaring holes into the sand now. "I just didn't get the chance to finish." All that stupid mummer-talk. He was here, he was fine, and nothing bad had happened. "No need to be all dramatic, either. I'm only wet." Not even a scratch to be seen, or bruising to be felt. Just very wet and very dirty.
The blue cub lifted a paw, trying to shake off the sand that was now plastered to his leg. Grooming all of this off was going to be awful. It probably wouldn't have even happened in the first place if Nicolae hadn't distracted him. Asker had been doing perfectly fine until being startled by Nico's smarty-pants knowledge. Speaking of, why had his brother been sneaking around down on the beach? "So what're you down here for, Safety Scout?" The cub asked, teasing his brother a little bit with a grin. "Following around your awesome brother?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 10:53 am
The cub snorted. "And who's fault is that? You turned your back on the sea- that's why." It wasn't going to help his brother's hot temper, but it was the truth. He'd be able to finish his answer if he'd not lost his focus on the sea behind them. Of course, he'd keep that to himself. No need to worry his mother or get a firm lecture from their father for being careless. The embarrassment in his brother's eyes showed that perhaps he'd learned his lesson. There was no reason to spit salt water into a new open wound.
He bobbed his shoulders. "I got curious. You seemed to be up to something, so I followed. You should stick to the shadows, you know. your coat's very bright against the sand. Between the stone and shadows, you'll blend in much better."
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Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 4:57 pm
Asker eyes darted from side to side, brows furrowed deeply. He'd blend in with the shadows better? Nico did have a point, Asker thought as he noticed how drastically his blue fur stood out in contrast to the golden sand. As much as didn't like being tutored by any of his siblings, Asker was starting to think he'd have to give exceptions for helpful advice. After all, he was trying to become the best fighter just like his father. The blue cub supposed that meant he'd have to start listening to other a little more. Perhaps he could ask his father if that was a good idea. Asker would do anything that Papa told him to. Asker looked just like him, after all. It was practically his job to follow in Papa's pawsteps!
Thoughts snapping back to the situation on paw, Asker scampered closer to the cliffs and squeezed himself in amongst the rocks. The edges were rough and pulled at his fur, but he didn't pay the sensation much mind. If he got cut, he got cut. It wouldn't do for a fighter to be scared of getting a little scraped up. "Like this?" He called out, flame tail tuft twitching in excitement on the sand in front of him.
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Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2013 12:49 pm
Firedog watched as his brother pressed himself up against the rocks, his posture tense. It was better, sure, but he was drawing attention to himself still. A little better, a little. He stepped forward and eased himself between the rock and the sand, giving himself just enough room from the rock to move around freely but close enough to the shadow to fall into its secretive embrace.
"More like this, see? Close to the rock, but not hugging it. If I have to move to hide, I have some wiggle room. But see the shadows? They're almost blue. Like your pelt. But they stretch away from the rocks, just enough for us to move without being pressed against a rock." He crept forward, his movements smooth and his step confident. "Move like you know what you're doing, don't tense up. If you act suspicious, you'll draw attention to yourself. Confident. Calm. You are a gypsy lord. How dare they question you?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2013 10:30 pm
Asker popped out of the rocks and dutifully trailed after his brother. Finding colours that matched his pelt to blend in with, now there was a good idea! Asker always had difficulty with hiding, what with his bright pelt. And when his sky blue matched, his bright orange tuft and tail stuck out. Hiding would probably never be something that Asker was good at, but it was always good to know the basics, right?
The blue cub crept across the sand, belly almost touching the ground as he traveled in a hunter's crouch. Confident. Calm. Asker could do that! Well, maybe the calm part not so much, but he had butt-loads of confidence. Maybe Nico could give him some calm, and Asker could give Nico a little confidence. A win-win all around! "And if they do question us, we strike!" Asker pounced at his brother's tail with a half-snarl, half-giggle, forgetting about their stealth lesson. The blue cub could do to learn a little bit more of his brother's focus as well.
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Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2013 10:14 pm
"Not exactly." The cub laughed as his brother promptly seized his tail. He didn't so much as flinch, strange as it was to defy instincts. He knew his brother wouldn't harm him, not inferentially anyway. He turned about, flicking his tail to free it from his brother's grasp, and tilted his head.
"If they question us, we demand to know why. Outside of our family, that is. If father or mother catch us, we're out of luck." He bobbed his shoulders. "Try this- 'You dare question the movements of a gypsy lord? My business is my own- I suggest you get back to yours!'" He threw out his chest and rolled his shoulders back. "I"ve heard the gypsy king say things of that nature. It ends the dialogue pretty fast."
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