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Post by Ragtatter on Jun 14, 2011 14:47:36 GMT -5
Sunset.
A small vixen watched the farm carefully from the treeline, whiskers bristling forward in interest. The glowing orange light from the sky threw the world around her into sharp relief, causing the jet-black female to vanish almost entirely in the shadow of the old oak beside her.
She tested the wind again and again, but gained no new information. Was there a dog down there? A gun? A fat hen? The lateral wind brought news from the wrong direction, so she couldn't tell. Of course, it wasn't betraying her to those on the farm, either, so Widdershins supposed she shouldn't complain.
The sound of a rustle behind her caused the vixen to peer over her shoulder into the forest behind her, head tilted to catch the sound should it occur again, but after another moment she lost interest, gazing back at the small homestead.
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Post by leogrim on Jun 14, 2011 15:44:26 GMT -5
It turned out to be quite a beautiful day for him. Nimbus's black marked red form moved stealthily among the tree line, his nose sniffing the air for scents of food. His stomach let out a plaintive rumble, and he opened his mouth as if in apology to his organ.
He hadn't eaten a proper meal in days, and hunger had drove him towards the farm. There was plenty of food there, in the form of hens and chickens, but there was danger, too. Many times, he had heard tales of foxes going in there, and never coming out.
A rustle alerted him, and Nimbus' head shot upward, ears pricked. What was that?
>Hmmm. Rags, just a quick question. Is a Silver Cross fox like Gizmo?
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Post by peofun1 on Jun 14, 2011 15:46:34 GMT -5
In the daylight, Corsica's dark coat hardly helped her to blend into her surroundings. In the open farmland, she stood out like the crow circling in the orange sky overhead. She didn't have much need to stay hidden, though. This was her place, as far as she was concerned. Corsica's humans lived here on one of the farms, and they gave her quite a bit of freedom when it came to how far she could roam.
The setting sun gave her a bit more cover, casting dark shadows over the fields. It was harder to see, but Corsica was confident that she knew her way around these parts. There was nothing to fear, but she tested the air anyway just to be sure. Nope, nothing interesting here.
Just as she was about to turn around and head home, something caught her eye. Ears perked, the dog squinted into the nearby forest. "Who's there?" she barked, feeling her fur begin to spike. "Stop sneaking around in the shadows, whoever you are!"
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Post by Ragtatter on Jun 14, 2011 16:29:39 GMT -5
OOC: Gizmo is a "Gold Cross". Silver Crosses are a bit darker than Gizmo is, with less orange.
The barking shot through Widdershins like a bolt of lightning, and it took every ounce of self-control she had to hold still. Bolting now would be a mistake; her jet-black form would be hard to miss if she ran. Right now the wind wasn't with her, but it wasn't against her either.
So long as it held, the best thing she could do was stay put. Dogs might have better noses than foxes, but their vision and hearing left a lot to be desired. Just hold still and quiet. Still and quiet. Still and quiet.
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Post by leogrim on Jun 14, 2011 17:36:03 GMT -5
>Thanks!
Dog! Although he was scared, his insatiable curiosity kicked in. Hearing that the bark was quite some distance off, Nimbus felt it was safe to look up. His ears were barely above the line of grass as he peered over the golden blades.
He spotted a large dog, and his ears flattened with horror. It was a dog, and a fox! The fox did look like it was in quite a pickle. Nimbus' mind raced with options...should he assist or get the h*** away?
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Post by peofun1 on Jun 14, 2011 18:16:18 GMT -5
It was too dark for Corsica to make out anything in the shadowy forest, no matter how much she squinted or tilted her head. The slowly dimming orange light overhead gave her little assistance. But she new there was something there. She had seen something, and she was never wrong.
Growling, the Beauceron took a long sniff, sorting through the different scents in her head. The smell of fox reached her, though it was very faint and she couldn't be sure if it was fresh or not. It was hard to even make out where it was coming from. Maybe some stupid fox had passed through here earlier.
Still, Corsica wasn't about to give up the hunt. "Come out where I can see you, right now!" she yelped, baring her teeth as she scanned the dark treeline for another sign of movement. "I promise I'll go easy on you!"
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Post by Ragtatter on Jun 14, 2011 18:32:52 GMT -5
Yeah, go easy on me, sure, Widdershins thought, the hair along her spine bristling, Promises from a dog. I'm not moving from this spot.
Just then, though, the wind shifted, carrying her scent directly to the mutt. The vixen's reaction was instantanious; a heartbeat later, she was dashing across the forest floor, eyes fixed on the brambles ahead. The humans had cleared the undergrowth out at the forest's edge, but further in were thickets and tangles of briar.
Ten fox lengths. She just had to go ten fox lengths, and she'd be sheltered.
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Post by leogrim on Jun 14, 2011 20:21:16 GMT -5
"Over here!" Nimbus hissed at Widdershins, jumping up once to alert her to his presence. He, of course, didn't want to see a fellow fox get torn to strips in front of him. That could be the worst thing that happened.
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Post by peofun1 on Jun 14, 2011 20:59:16 GMT -5
She smelled it before she saw it vanishing into the forest. "Fox!" The word was ripped out of her like a curse as Corsica surged forward. She thundered after the dark vixen, her paws kicking up dust as she ran. Branches whipped her face and she was running blind, relying only on the fox's scent trail to lead her. Vaguely she registered the scent of a second fox, but she was too focused on Widdershins to take notice.
The fox was more agile and had the advantage of knowing the forest better than the dog. Her longer legs helped her close the gap though, and soon enough she could hear the fox's pawsteps in front of her, the hushed breathing as she ran.
"You're not... Getting away!" Corsica snarled breathlessly, lunging forward to snap at the fox's heels. She had no idea that they were headed straight for a bramble thicket.
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Post by Ragtatter on Jun 14, 2011 21:31:14 GMT -5
Widdershins glanced over in the direction the tod's voice had come from, and debated for a moment, but the dog's hot breath on her heels silenced all doubts. She just didn't have enough time or space for error to try and change direction.
The blood roaring in her ears, Widdershins sped into the thicket's sheltering thorns.
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Post by Dances.with.Wolves on Jun 15, 2011 23:00:59 GMT -5
Sun shrank back into her little niche of thorns and thicket. If there was a dog, she was staying well out of range.
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Post by leogrim on Jun 16, 2011 10:35:39 GMT -5
"Hey, you dumb dog! Why don't you try and get me?" Nimbus challenged, his voice betraying the slightest quaver. He couldn't believe he was doing this...it wasn't everyday when Nimbus the coward managed to squeeze some braveness out of him.
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Post by peofun1 on Jun 16, 2011 17:04:41 GMT -5
Thundering blindly after the fox, Corsica unknowingly plowed right into the wall of thorns and brambles. Being much larger than Widdershins -- over twice her size -- and effectively blind in the dimming light, she was unable to go further in her chase.
"You're not getting away that easy!" she barked, flailing blindly at the brambles, ignoring the thorns poking into her nose. There was no way she could let a fox hide out so close to her home. She could smell more than one now... Two... Maybe three?
Nimbus's shout distracted her and she whipped around in the direction of his voice. There was more than one! Howling with fury, the dog shot out towards him, her nose guiding her.
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Post by Dances.with.Wolves on Jun 17, 2011 21:58:04 GMT -5
Sun shrank back further as she watched the dog chase after those foxes. She wanted to help, but she was barely half the size of this dog, she thought there was nothing she could do. Then she had an idea. She darted out of her sheltered niche and tore past the dog's tail, yowling to distract it.
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Post by Ragtatter on Jun 21, 2011 13:40:23 GMT -5
Widdershins darted out of her hiding place as the dog tore off after Nimbus, letting out a loud, taunting gekker. Her fear had rapidly turned to amusement. If they were smart and worked together, they could keep this dumb mutt running in circles and looking the fool.
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