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Post by subtleAssiduities on Feb 3, 2016 22:45:33 GMT -5
"Uh, no, that would be a negative." The kid was bright. A little ditzy, but that's kids. At least she wasn't a bobble kid that trailed in her parents' shadow.
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Post by Atticus on Feb 3, 2016 22:51:13 GMT -5
The Eevee peeked up at the Pikachu and smiled, refusing to succumb to her growing tiredness. Not even a yawn could convince her.
From beyond the flowers, she could see numbers of Pokémon trailing back from whatever it was they had been doing that day. A strange little Meowth dowsed in water, like he had just emerged from the river. The Absol from earlier, Tzerua, settling at the base of the tree trunk alongside a Leafeon and a Furret., sharing berries. So many Pokémon she had yet to see...
She had to meet them all to feel satisfied, really. But she picked up her paw, and it thumped back heavily on the ground. Maybe that little shock had been an awakening of some kind... an awakening that she needed a nap. Darn.
"Dominia?" she squeaked, looking up at the Ninetales. "I'm tired."
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Feb 3, 2016 23:08:36 GMT -5
"Oh, darling," Dominia cooed. "Why don't we find some place for you to sleep?" She was, she realized, relieved. The child sleeping would give Dominia some time to clear her head, and she felt that she needed it . What a long day! What had even become of their guests? And what would come of Winter?
Well, she would be sleeping here for tonight. "Let's find a nice place to rest, shall we?" she asked. "Lemondrop, would you like to join us?"
"No thanks," the tiny mouse replied, shaking herself out and sending sparks jumping through the air. "I'll take care of myself." Without another word she ducked under the tops of the flowers and disappeared, the trembling of the plants the only indication of where she had gone.
Dominia watched her go before motioning for Winter to follower her. With how independent the child was, she wondered if she would pick her own spot to rest.
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Post by Atticus on Feb 3, 2016 23:20:06 GMT -5
Winter was both relieved and disappointed when Lemondrop scurried off. She didn't want to get shocked again; especially not while sleeping! But she hoped she had somewhere warm to sleep, or someone a little more resistant to electricity to cuddle with. The Eevee was right on Dominia's heels until she could see, what she assumed to be, their nest for the night. A tarp of large bushy bundles and wooden reinforcements, accompanied by a carpet beneath it that was littered in leaves. In a way, it reminded her of the house, or barn. Just... way smaller, and without walls.
Win leaped into one of the leafy piles, rolling onto her back. It struck her, then, that... well... this was not her mom and dad's nest. She hadn't done that before; slept in another nest. It was kind of disappointing, that after a day of such adventure, she couldn't pass out in her mother's neck fur, which she adored so much. But it was also... exhilarating. She was a grown up today, practically!
The cub curled up before she could think much more on the matter. She especially wanted to ignore how she had thought she would be home by dark...
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Feb 4, 2016 19:25:19 GMT -5
Dominia smiled faintly as she followed the little one into the nest. She was once again surprised by Winter's character; diving right in, just as always! "Are you comfortable, dear?" she asked, lying down beside her. There was not much she could do if she wasn't, but of course, she liked to think that she could.
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Post by Atticus on Feb 4, 2016 19:29:16 GMT -5
"Mhm," the Eevee assured her, though truthfully, it was nothing compared to her nest back home. One way to make it familiar, however, was to scoot a little closer to the Ninetales. Her tails sure looked fluffy...
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Feb 4, 2016 19:30:42 GMT -5
What fun children were! Dominia could read her longing expression as clearly as if she had spoken up. "Would you like to sleep closer to me?" she asked softly, wrapping her tails loosely around her hind legs.
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Post by Atticus on Feb 4, 2016 23:16:44 GMT -5
As Dominia offered, Winter crept stealthily towards her like a guilty puppy. True to her nature and her habits with her parents, the cub sprung up into Dominia's mass of tails. She let out a trill of delight-- they were so soft! And so warm! They were quick to lull the fox kit, who curled up and draped herself in the older fox's nine tails. Like flipping a switch, the Eevee snored lightly, the events of the day dragging her into a humble slumber.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Feb 4, 2016 23:38:04 GMT -5
Dominia's tails twitched as the little fox rifled through them, but as Winter settled they fell into place around her. The Ninetails could trill with happiness, but they wouldn't be alone in the hut, so she didn't. She rested her head on her paws, a sanguine smile on her angular face, and soon she was in a happy sleep, her dreams as sweet as sugar cane.
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Post by Atticus on Feb 4, 2016 23:54:15 GMT -5
"It's... it's getting kind of late."
In the barn, Angelo kept his place by the door, head poking out and surveying the ranch.
"She's usually back by now..." the Umbreon mumbled, his age-old fatherly concerns at the front of his brain. Austin could take care of himself these days... Winter? She was all but a few months old, she still needed her daddy.
"What do you think?" He looked back at his mate, his crimson eyes flickering with paternal concern.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Feb 5, 2016 18:07:47 GMT -5
Although he parental affections and concerns had always been a bit more nuanced, she was nonetheless generally pretty diligent about the whereabouts of her youngest child. And while she was more reserved about her concerns, Winter had been missed. "Where's Austin?" she asked. She may not always be able to pin down exactly where Winter was, but between the three of them- four, with Chance around -she was always being watched by someone. She wasn't worried yet. Wary, but not worried. There wasn't any reason to worry.
As if summoned by the mention of his name, Austin trotted toward the den, an energetic spring still in his step. Chance followed, looking much more sleepy. Given enough time, the two seemed to balance out their sleep schedules, and spent most of their wake time together at dawn and dusk. But with Winter to run after, their synchronization had been off. So Chance was tired, and Austin was not.
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Post by Atticus on Feb 6, 2016 21:54:32 GMT -5
Angelo's ears perked as his sons entered the den, and he padded over to greet them.
"Hey, boys. Is Win with you?" he asked, hopeful. He noted that Chance looked particularly rundown, and expected the Espeon to have been with her last.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Feb 7, 2016 15:32:11 GMT -5
Chance raised a brow, but it was Austin who spoke. "No, we haven't seen her most of the day," he replied.
"Were we supposed to be watching her?" Chance asked slowly, his gaze slipping past Austin to Vivian's dimly glowing eyes in the shadows. The mutant replied in a way that placed no specific blame. Or perhaps it placed blame on them all.
"Well, someone was supposed to be."
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Post by Atticus on Feb 7, 2016 16:05:33 GMT -5
"Most of the day?" Angelo demanded, baffled. There were only so many other cubs on the ranch... perhaps it was worth asking their parents.
Focused on retrieving his baby, the Umbreon exited the barn wordlessly in the hope of finding his daughter before it got too dark.
The shadows were no problem for him, but... a couple-month-old Eevee? Well, maybe she'd be able to spot him by the glow from his rings... if there were to be any kind of upside to this.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Feb 7, 2016 16:20:11 GMT -5
Austin frowned as he watched his father go off. "Should we look for her?" he asked, turning toward his mother.
With a sigh Vivian got to her feet and limped out of the barn. "Yes." She wasn't thrilled about the way things were playing out, if Winter was in fact lost. But she wasn't worried yet. How far could she have gotten? She was small, but she wasn't inconspicuous. Pokémon around here were always ogling the baby. She was probably spending too much time with somebody. No harm done. "Ge some rest, Chance," she added to the Espeon, fully aware that he was still unsure if he was in any kind of trouble. Perhaps he should be, but until they were sure that there was any trouble to be in, there was no reason to worry the squirrely boy.
Chance lowered his ears, uncertain. He was exhausted, but he didn't want to seem like he didn't care, if everyone was truly worried. And yet, Vivian wouldn't tell him to rest if she didn't want him to. She was a lot of things, but she wasn't nuanced. So with a nod he slunk into the barn and flopped into the straw.
Austin trailed after his mother, his tail ticking. "Where should I check?"
Vivian's eyes scanned the field, trying to pinpoint her mate. "Around the house," she replied at last, seeing that he had gone in the opposite direction. Austin was off, and she started in another.
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