[Kallile]

Ever since last night (midnight, according to the radio stations) the snow had been falling steadily in an eerie welcome to a brand new year. Upon awakening the world seemed like a whole new place--coated in about two feet of pure white, untouched snow.

Well...perhaps it was a little late to call it 'untouched'.

Mocha, Nara

Cacophony (Coco)

"Come on, let's go!" Yapped the creamy mocha-colored Lucain as she plunged her nose into the snow and began plowing her way through it; feet kicking up in exaggerated motions behind her. Her tails were notably less fluffy than most, her entire body, in fact, seemed to be covered with a shorter, more course fur. That didn't bode well for a winter outing, but the Pit-Bull Lucain could have cared less.

The little Candy Fenling yapped after her, trying to jump from footstep to footstep to keep up with her much larger companion. While not a youngling, she didn't quite seem to be adult yet either and the ability of human speech had eluded her to the current point in time. The snow was nearly as tall as she was--at points when she stopped to take a break from hopping only her large ears and multiple tails could be seen. She gave another excited bark and set to chase after Mocha again.

"Ladies, stay close!" Came an aged voice from behind them. A Sky Slynx appeared in the midst of the snow, walking easily through it with thanks to her lifetime spent mostly in the Basantha mountain range. Her coat rippled in the light breeze, almost blending in with the snow with it's white and ice blue coloring.

She was, reluctantly, the "nanny" on this outing. Much, of course, to the great amusement of her human trainer. But Mocha was a pup at heart and Coco was a literal pup...she had little choice but to keep an eye on them. If only for their own good.

[7, 12, 47]

[Jaykobell]

[[ .... Because it says Open. D8;; And I thought. IT'S MY CHANCE. Keep in mind Cleveland and Tempest are babies by this time and it's completely non-canon. 83 Also, Crimson isn't the mom here. xD]]

The last month had been both wonderful and troubling. With the new year, there was the hope that it would go for the best, and not for the worst. With the Holidays hanging in there and the boxes still waiting for their chance to open (to many kids' dismay!), it felt like the world was still deeply overwhelmed with cheers and happiness. Snow was still falling and shining brightly.

Within this huge amount of snow was a small lump that seemed to be going around. A small trail seemed to be making itself as something wiggled under the snow. Whatever it was had to be rather small, being hidden under those inches of snow. But eventually a small head popped up, snow covering it at every possible spot.



The Lucain pup was excited and overjoyed to be outside, playing through this deep snow. He seemed to be almost grown, markings faintly showing on his fur. His creamy fur made him hard to see in the white background, but thanks to his black Jacket Fox, you could still spot him. His wingblades were still small, but they would probably grow more in the following months. The puppy's tails wiggled happily as he turned around, his tongue lolling down. "Daddy! Daddy, look! It's all over! It's all over!" the puppy squealed before dashing off again through the snow, making yet another path.



A little further back was another Lucain, a fully-growned Akita male. His coat was a darker shade of brown, but his white Jacket Fox was enough to confuse your eyes. The other thing that stood out was the male's bandana around his neck. Brown and cream checkers, blending with his fur.

Unlike the puppy, he didn't seem to enthusiastic about the snow. He moved at a slower pace and sometimes shook his paws to get the snow off them. Being more of an indoor Lucain, the male hadn't grown a winter coat; or not a very thick one. The temperature was stinging his paws and face. "Cleveland!" he called to the puppy as he tried, as fast as he could, to catch up to him. "Don't go too far away. I have to be able to see you at all—" But his sentence was cut short when he put a paw through the hollowed snow. The Lucain found himself toppling over, his face falling right into the snow. Only his wingblades could be seen now, with his hind paws slightly sticking out of the snow. Ah...! But he had to catch up to the puppy! Thankfully, he could see the little thing wiggling his way ahead through the snow.



Behind the male came yet another puppy, this time a female. She was slightly bigger than the male puppy, her markings also faintly tattooed on her fur. She skipped along to the male, grabbing onto his scruff and trying to pull him out. She didn't do much by herself, but eventually her father's popped out from the snow, getting the same treatment as his son; snow everywhere on his head and face. "Daddy, you're covered in snow," the female pup remarked, sitting down and tilting her head. She pawed at her father's face, trying to push the snow away; but her smaller size prevented her from even reaching him.

The father shook his head, sending snow flying at every angle. "Tempest, if you would catch up to your brother," he asked, flicking his ears in the other pup's general direction. "Make sure you don't lose him until I catch up to you." He gave the female pup a little push, which was enough to get her running towards her brother.

Meanwhile, Cleveland, the male puppy, was busy shuffling through the snow, sending it flying everywhere and digging holes in it. It was while doing that that he noticed figures moving along the snow a little further ahead. His ears pricked, and, being faithful to the nature of a puppy, he rushed towards the small group, almost bumping into one of the two playing pets. He addressed the female Lucain, considering he was used to the breed, being a Lucain himself. "Hi! My name is Cleveland," he introduced himself, his tails wiggling and his tongue lolling. "There's snow all over! Can I play with you?"

Babies, always so daring.

[Kallile]

(( It is indeed open. I saw you had posted here and thought "Oh, wonder what story Shrewd is starting?~" Low and behold, here you are. XD ))

Mocha was all but lost to the fact that there might be other creatures around. Nose and in effect most of her muzzle plunged into the snow, she seemed content to run for hours just shoving the snow up over the bridge of her nose and onto her head and neck. The thick collar around her neck jingled merrily as the tags clinked together, the tattoos on her arm rippled with every playful stride.

She could hear Coco close behind her and let out a barking-laugh, thin tails waving madly in the air she finally flipped her nose upwards to fling snow into the air. Coco watched as the snow came showering down on them. The appearance of the pup at her side (not that the little Fenling would have ever had a hope of seeing him anyway) made her jump and give a small yelp before racing in a near-circle around Mocha.

Turning and tilting her head in rather exaggerated sweeps, Mocha lolled her own tongue out to the side as she regarded the puppy--tails sending snow misting into the air behind her. "I know, isn't it great? Of course you can play!"

With Mocha's easy acceptance, Coco pranced slowly forward, craning her neck out to sniff curiously at the pup while trying to maintain a reasonable distance. Mocha whined playfully, throwing her torso down on the ground in a play bow. "So what should we play? I know this neat trick for catching snowballs in the air."

Nara flicked one of her ears back curiously as she watched Mocha's rampage through the snow come to a halt. She could just barely make out the small wingblades about the snow, her wizened eyes catching sight of and following his tunnel back the way he had come. In the distance she could see another Lucain, and another little "burrowing mole" effect in the snow as something else started moving in Mocha and Coco's direction.

With a sigh, she shifted her direction slightly to go and meet the stranger. While she didn't know details of Mocha's past, she knew enough to think it best to go and intercept the newcomer herself. She knew the Lucain and Fenling she left behind posed no threat at all to the pup (or, if her guess at what else was tunneling towards her wards were true--pups). Carefully she took a higher step and placed her paw carefully on top of the snow. With practiced ease she began walking delicately over the top, her wide paws not allowing her to sink through. Inwardly she was grinning. Well, it never hurt to at least look a little bigger than you really are when meeting a stranger...

[8, 13. 48]

[Jaykobell]

Cleveland blinked and tilted his head curiously when the other pet, the species unknown to him, yelped and jumped and ran around when it spotted him. Innocent as he was (and looked), the actions had confused him, but they hadn't left a huge impact on him. Maybe they wanted to play tag? Or a game like that? That was what was going on his in head. When Mocha spoke to him, he blinked again and looked up at her. When she agreed to him playing with them, he bounced onto his paws and pressed his chest against the snow. "I'd never seen snow before!" He then bounced ahead and sank into the snow when he landed; only his head and his small wingblades were high enough to be seen. "And it's everywhere! You can do tons of things with it!"

When the Fenling craned her neck forward, Cleveland's attention span quickly turned around to focus on Coco. Being a baby, his curiosity tried to take in as many things as possible, which caused him to have a rather short attention span. He craned his own neck forward when Coco took a sniff at him, and he tilted his head curiously. "Hi! You're weird," he yelped in a puppy-like way as he put his fore paws out of the snow hole. "You don't look like me at all. Are you a different kind of Lucain?" They still had four paws, tails, and ears. They were missing the wingblades, though.

And again, his attention span switched around when Mocha spoke shortly afterwards. Cleveland spun around in the hole and tilted his head again. "What's a snowball?" All he knew was that the cold white thing was snow. Anything made out of it was unknown to him.

Back a little further back, Tempest was still trying to make her way through the snow to catch up to Cleveland. She was having problems walking through it, however, and it didn't take long for her father to catch up. By the time he reached her, she had sat down with her tails curled over her paws. When she heard her father so close, she looked up at him with her ears flattened. "M-my paws are c-cold, Daddy," she whined to him, not daring to move another step.

The male looked down and sighed quietly. "I told you it would be cold. Neither of you have a winter coat, either... and neither do I, for that matter." But he figured it was inevitable. Neither of them were used to the snow. Cleveland seemed to be just fine, enjoying it even, but Tempest wasn't enjoying it as much. He lowered his head and closed his jaws on her small scruff, pulling her up. Keeping her from walking for a while might warm her paws a bit.

As he started to head back in Cleveland's direction, he spotted a pet walking towards the two of them. He blinked and gave a look when he noticed the Slynx wasn't sinking in the snow as it walked. Well, wasn't that a trick he wanted to know. Was this Slynx coming for them? He could spot Cleveland, slightly, playing with two other pets — which he couldn't quite figure out from so far away. He stopped a few steps ahead of the Sky Slynx, but he didn't say anything. His mouth was busy, you see, and there was no telling if the Slynx was coming for them. If they had anything to say him, they would speak first, he figured.

[Kallile]

The scene of the two young creatures didn't seem to phase Mocha any--it was good for Coco to get out and meet other creatures around her own age. When, however, the little Lucain pup started talked to the brightly colored Fenling Mocha was quick (and more than happy) to jump in and speak for her.

"Oh, she can't talk yet. Oh! Oh! And her name is Coco. I'm Mocha!" Mocha interrupted, pawing playfully at Coco. The Fenling growled playfully and flopped onto her back, rolling slightly as she "battled" Mocha's hovering paw. "Coco hasn't learned how to talk though...or doesn't want to learn. No one knows! My Human calls her a Fenling--I don't think she's a Lucain at all. "

Mocha's enthusiastic nature about the subject would have put most any mind at ease on the subject. So what if the little Fenling pup didn't want to learn how to speak the human's language? Mocha certainly didn't care.She did, however, strongly care about the matter of the snowball question. Hazel eyes widening with both surprise and glee, she gave a small hop. Coco, luckily, knew the look well and had already rolled out of her larger companions way. "They're so much fun! They're like tennis balls that melt in your mouth!"

She looked around before knocking some of the snow to the walls of clearing she'd been unknowingly patting down on the ground before her. She knocked down a good amount before she began pouncing on it and packing it together. Once it looked like something similar to a swollen pancake, she dug her nose under it and flipped it into the air. It flipped a few times before making it's quick descent back to the ground. mocha jumped up onto her hind legs and caught it, chomping at it and shivering as the cold sensation rippled through her teeth. "You try it!"

As Nara neared she could clearly see the figures she was approaching. A fully grown male Lucain and a little female pup. As she had figured. She kept her steady, gentle pace as she drew close keeping her icy eyes trained on them. The fact it was a male Lucain had her a little on edge, but at the same time he already seemed to have his paws (and mouth) full with the pups. She relaxed her features,closing her toes back together to let herself sink into the snow as if she had just walked down a set of stairs.

She stopped a fair distance away; unsure of how a lone parent would take to having his space invaded. He certainly wasn't in a hurry to reach the second pup who was now with two strangers, so Nara had to assume he was being harmless. For the moment.

"Isn't it a little cold for a family walk?" She called, sitting in the snow as dignified as possible. She waited patiently, well aware he would be unable to speak to her immediately. She cast a sympathetic eye to the pup in his grasp--poor dear had so little fur between her toes to protect her pads from the cold ground. no wonder their pace was slowed considerably.

[9, 14, 49]

[Jaykobell]

Cleveland blinked when Mocha spoke for Coco, wondering why Mocha spoke for her. But as she explained, it all made sense. "Ooooh," Cleveland squealed, tilting his head as he thought about that. Speech had come naturally to him after a certain time. How come Coco couldn't talk? It intrigued the Lucain pup, but when Mocha introduced the two of them, Cleveland returned the greeting. "Mocha, Coco!" he repeated, his tails wiggling happily from meeting two new people. "I'm Cleveland!" He had already told them his name, but it didn't matter.

At the mention of Coco's species, Cleveland blinked and craned his neck to take a closer look at Coco. He took a sniff and put his chin on the snow between his paws, observing the Fenling. "I've never seen any other pet before." Are there other species out there? He only knew about Lucain because... well, he was one, for starter. His whole family consisted of Lucain, so obviously that was the only species he knew about.

When the two started explaining about snowballs, Cleveland raised his head again and scrambled his way out of the hole. He looked from Mocha to Coco to Mocha again before tilting his head again. "What's a tennis ball?" So many words this big Lucain female knew! He was having fun and learning new things, too. Despite not knowing what a tennis ball is, Cleveland watched attentively when Mocha demonstrated how to make a snowball. He watched in awe as Mocha made a round thing from the snow and threw it up in the air. His eyes widened even more when Mocha jumped and caught the ball in the air. "You're so good!" And then it was his turn to try it out. He had no idea if he would be able to do it as well as Mocha had, but he gave it a try anyway.

He got a good bunch of snow together, and then started to pack it together like Mocha had done, only not so nicely. The ball looked a bit more oval than round. He gave a look at the weird thing, and then tried to flip it up with his nose. He was unable to do that, however, the oval ball just made a tiny jump up and rolled on the ground. Cleveland frowned at it. "I can't get it to go up." He looked up at Mocha with confused eyes. "How did you do it?"

The stare from that Slynx slightly unnerved him. He felt invaded even from such a distance, only for the fact that this Slynx randomly intercepted him. He returned the stare to the Slynx, which eventually sank in the snow as well. So apparently it had nothing to do with weight; it was a trick that she'd used to stay up the ground. And as he had expected, she spoke first. His ears flicked after she spoke, and he turned his head over his shoulder. The female pup seemed to understand, for she hanged onto her father's back right away, scrambling her way between his wingblades and his head. She was about a fourth of her father's size, so she could barely fit on his neck anymore.

With his mouth now free, the father stared back at the Slynx, flicking his eyes to the side for a second to make sure Cleveland was okay, far into the distance. "Winter has no weather other than cold."

[Kallile]

Mocha was content to watch the little pup attempt his own snowball, chattering away idly as he tried to mimic her actions. She missed there being pups at the Estate, but Kal told her rooms had to be shared with everyone. Well, mocha had no argument for that--babies made everyone happy! Well, except some of the dads, she supposed. But for the most part--everyone. "Oh yes! Lots and lots of other kinds of pets! My Human keeps lots at her house and we play and run and...well, some of them aren't real friendly, but most of them are."

She blinked at him as he tried to flip the snowball into the air and failed. Grinning happily in her puppyish manner, she wriggled over to him--belly pressed flush with the ground. "It's all in the nose!"

Moving at a slower pace so he could watch, she wiggled her nose into the ground, slowly breaking the bond between snowball and ground. Parts of the loosely packed edges began to fall away but she only grinned. "Don't mind that--we only need the middle." There was a minute of pause, then the other side separated from the ground as well. "All right! Are you ready for the toss?"

Coco watched over Mocha's shoulder, slowly scooting sideways to inch her way closer to Cleveland. He was such a strange little guy--did all Lucain puppies look and act like this? Well, she really wanted to find out. So, in the best sneaking abilities she possessed, Coco continued to inch over, still watching Mocha.

Nara observed the pair in silence, waiting patiently for the father to find a more suitable speaking arrangement. The little female pup did not seem at all enthused, nor did the father. The elder Slynx wondered just what would have brought these obvious house-dwellers out into the snow so far away from any real town.

"Touché." She replied simply, a smile gracing her muzzle easily at the quip. So, he wasn't one for conversation. At least, not with her. She didn't exactly blame him--though she had tried to remain harmless looking she was sure that to a father guarding pups a winter hunter like herself looked anything but harmless in snow so deep.

"If you will, I'm like to rephrase that. Rather, what brings you and the children out on such a bad day as this one? Forgive my observation, but you don't seem quite prepared for it..."

She couldn't help it--she'd spent most of her life living wild in Basantha. She couldn't help but notice coat thickness, general muscle build, all the things that might tell her the difference between and easy meal and a fight for her life in the old days. Now, it simply told her this family was not often outside.

She followed his momentary gaze, her smile unwavering. "The other youngster is quite safe--the female Lucain he is with has had many litters of her own. She's an excellent mother and pup-sitter., despite how she may act."

[10, 15, 50}

[Jaykobell]

So there were even more pets in the world? Pets all different from him? He hadn't left the little room where he lived with his father and sister very often. While he could hear different noises through the walls and the door, he'd never seen other species. Coco had intrigued him for that very reason. "My Daddy won't let me go out of the room we live in," Cleveland squealed, flopping onto his belly and sending a thin layer of snow flying about. "He says some of them might hurt us or kidnap us. He says we're too little to go out on our own yet." Which he thought was unfair. He had grown a lot recently, but he still couldn't go out.

He didn't have enough time to continue before Mocha showed him how to throw the ball in the air a second time. He got back onto his paws, his tails wiggling excitedly as he watched with big round eyes. At first he thought Mocha would have to do another ball now that the edges had fallen loose. But apparently it didn't matter; so long as they had the middle, the important part, it would work. Cleveland also took notice that Coco was observing him. The same thing Coco thought went on his Cleveland's head; what a strange little creature Coco was. And were all Fenlings like that? He blinked and tilted his head at Coco, but then he turned back to Mocha when she asked him if he was ready for the second snowball lift off. "I am!" he squealed excitedly, staring like his life depended on it.

The reason why the father didn't like this conversation was that this specific question pried into his personal matters. Matters that had nothing to do with strangers. He felt Tempest shuffling on his neck and curling her paws between her belly and his neck, sticking her small nose through his neck fur. To think he could hold her like this just a month or so ago; now she had gotten much heavier, and bigger. But going back to the Slynx, he wasn't very motivated to answer her question. "It's... nobody's business." His ears flicked, his orange eyes staring at the Sky Slynx with a slight inch of irritation. She wasn't hostile, that wasn't why he didn't want to answer. She just... happened to be in his way. Watching over the two babies on his own, the two having no mother, had been very exhausting. He wasn't in the mood to have a conversation with some stranger while one of his puppies was out being watched by somebody else.

With a flick of his tails, he changed paths slightly so he would walk right beside the Sky Slynx. He heard her comment about the other Lucain that was watching over Cleveland all the way over there. Still, he didn't want to just stay there and talk. "It has nothing to do with that. He is my puppy, and the responsibility to watch over him is mine, and nobody else's." There was also no need for Cleveland to bother strangers. But he figured he was lucky Cleveland had stumbled upon someone who was used to puppies. He could've met up with a psychopath, or a kidnapper, or somebody like that.

[Kallile]

Mocha held the snowball steady on her nose, a little sad that she couldn't answer or ask the pup more questions just yet. Granted--she had never had her mom to look up to for long or known her dad, so at least this pup had a family. She grinned, wiggling her tails wildly in the air as she gave her chin a quick pop and sent the snowball flipping into the air. " Now try and catch it!" She'd try and remember to ask him about his house and dad later.

She bounced on her front paws a little, looking eager to try and catch it herself. It took a great deal of willpower to keep from playing her wn game and letting the pup play it too. Coco, meanwhile, had no problems letting the puppy play Mocha's game. As the snowball flipped into the air she gave an excited yelp and sped a few steps away to watch it warily as it started to fall back. She always missed--thus snowball tossing was not her favorite game.

Nara didn't seem as put off by the defensive tone as one might have wanted her to be. Instead she nodded sagely, indifferent to his discomfort with her presence and questions. She was well aware that he wasn't all that pleased with her being there, however. "Fair enough an answer."

She watched him change course and start moving again and allowed him to gain a slight lead before following him. He couldn't exactly get too upset for her tailing him--currently they had the same goal: he to reach his pup and she to reach her two younger companions who happened to be watching said pup. Her keen eyes slid over to him as she walked easily through the snow, a feline smile crossing her muzzle.

"I was not questioning your role to him, nor the responsibilities that come with that role." She said simply. "I am but simply providing you with information that he, currently, is in no danger until you reunite with him." Her gaze rose to the female pup trying to balance on her fathers neck and her smile remained.

"Should your neck grown tired--I'm not adverse to allowing this one to ride with me. She may benefit from being able to sink he toes in more plush fur for a while, if the journey ahead is a long one."

[11, 16, 51]

[Jaykobell]

Cleveland was staring intensively at Mocha, just waiting for her to throw the ball up in the air. So exciting! Having never seen the outside world, anything out there was enough to deeply amuse and intrigue Cleveland; from snow to common things like trees. The world was like a big toy box for him at the moment, a big box waiting to be explored. He was so excited the cold made no difference to him, despite having his summer fur.

When the ball finally jumped into the air, Cleveland sat up and followed it with his head. Afterwards he heard Mocha quickly tell him to try and catch it before it reached the ground. He hadn't looked back at her, but his ears twitched to motion that he had indeed heard her loud and clear. He quickly got onto his paws, not letting go of the ball for even one fraction of a second. How to go about this? Jump, snap? Wait for it to be almost down to the ground, snap? Jump, snap snap snap, one of them will eventually catch it? But the ball was falling quickly! Settling for something simple, Cleveland crouched, his chest flattened against the snow, and his hackles raised. He then sprang, bouncing towards the ball, with his jaws opened to catch it. Unfortunately, his timing had probably been off, for the ball landed on his nose as he jumped. The puppy flopped down after getting hit by the ball, sending snow flying. "It landed on my nose!" he complained, puffing his cheeks angrily. He hadn't hurt himself, but he was clearly upset that he'd missed the ball.

To the father's unhappiness, the Slynx followed him along. He figured she was with those other two pets in the distance. There really wasn't any other way she could go, he supposed. At least she wasn't aggressive, from the looks of it, so the two babies were safe. Still, the idea that something, anything, could come out of nowhere was still going in circles in his head. Becoming a father made you paranoid, yes it did. He huffed when Nara assured him Cleveland would be fine until he got to the puppy. "You are not the problem," he answered, figuring he'd just have to clarify his reasoning. "Prey is scarce in winter. Strays might find their way here and hunt pets like us." This place being a park, he really doubted something like that would happen. But you never know; and so many pets were mean-spirited nowadays, you could never be sure of anything. "While the probabilities are low, they're still there. It remains a fact that he is my responsibility." He just... preferred to be close to the pup. Then again, he figured that if there were anything strange around, Cleveland would've heard it before any of them. Still, if the display could be avoided.

He glanced at the Slynx when she proposed to let Tempest ride on her back if he grew tired. His orange eyes flickered with insecurity and narrowed, but aside from that, nothing betrayed his unhappiness. "She is my responsibility. Even if I were dying, I would still carry her." He was either extremely devoted, or extremely stubborn. Or perhaps both.

[Kallile]

Mocha and Coc both watched the snowball fly into the air; Mocha with eager eyes and Coco with slightly nervous ones. Despite her nerves, Coco managed to carefully wag the plethora of tails that occupied her rump, glad her new friend was having fun at least. Both sets of eyes watched it begin falling back through the air; down, down, down...plop.

Coco blinked, looking where the snowball had landed. She...she wasn't the only one who missed them! With a few excited, higher pitched barks she took a few hopping bounds towards him, her tails waving around like a giant fan behind her. Call it a simple common bond, but Coco's apprehensions about the Lucain pup seemed to have melted away at the missing of the snowball.

Mocha laughed, her tail wagging furiously. "You did!" She yapped, not seeming at all upset that he'd missed it. Instead she leaned down and buried her own nose in the snow before pulling back, her fur coated and her eyebrows looking very bushy and white. "But that's alright! It's just as fun to have snow on your face!"

Nara kept pace with the male easily, though stayed a pace or two ahead when possible. She wasn't exactly forging ahead; merely giving the father the impression that she would willingly allow herself to be in a position prone for attack. He was on edge--the fact almost oozed from every pore on his body. When he voiced what was concerning him most, Nara smiled kindly.

"Possible, yes. But not likely. We come here often, and while I may have seen my better years, I'm well attuned to what happens around us. Only the most desperate of strays would hunt in the open where they have no cover." She slowed, walking side by side with him once more. "I doubt even a desperate stray would wish to attempt an attack with Mocha around."

The Slynx motioned her head to the largest shape in the distance. "If your pup could be anywhere but by your side, he certainly found a good haven." She looked over to him when he became defensive about the female pup, but Nara made no more comment on the matter. He'd made his wishes perfectly clear; there was nothing left to say.

[12, 17, 52]

[Jaykobell]

When Coco suddenly bounced forward, Cleveland blinked and raised his head to look at the Fenling. He'd thought that she didn't like him much, but now she seemed completely willing to become friends with him. Was it because he'd missed the snowball? Maybe she'd missed them too? She didn't seem to be laughing at him, so Cleveland assumed it could only be about her wanting to become friends. His own tails wagged happily behind him now, and his mind had apparently forgotten the missed snowball.

He turned to Mocha when she spoke, and then the next thing he knew, the older Lucain had her face covered in snow. Cleveland blinked at the sight, and suddenly it reminded him of something. "My Daddy looks like this all the time!" he squealed, getting up onto his paws. "I think he doesn't like snow. He always falls into it. He didn't want to take us outside, either. He said we didn't have a fur for winter." At that the puppy tilted his head. He still didn't quite understand what a winter coat was. Sure, it was cold outside, but it was fun, too, so the cold didn't matter. In fact, it didn't matter so much that it didn't bother Cleveland to do exactly as Mocha had done. He suddenly stuffed his face into the snow, and his whole face was covered in snow once he looked back up. "He came with me and my sister," he continued, shaking his head to send the snow flying. "He's so slow!" Whoever the poor father was, he obviously couldn't keep up with the excited little pup.

Said father was still trailing a little further away, with the Sky Slynx still keeping close to him. He didn't like how she kept moving ahead of him. Then again, he didn't quite like the Slynx to begin with. It was just insecurity; he really had nothing against Nara. But Cleveland was out there, and he didn't like being separated from the puppies. If something unexpected happened to them... He couldn't even think about it. His fur bristled slightly at the thought, and the spiky fur made Tempest sneeze. He looked over his shoulder a bit to take a look at her, but she only shuffled a bit to get another position. Apparently she'd fallen asleep.

He paid attention to Nara again when she spoke. Admittedly, her words were reassuring. Obviously she wasn't a young Slynx. Older pets had more knowledge, and less recklessness. If she said strays rarely hunted here, then she was probably right. He sighed quietly as he kept moving ahead. Already the shapes ahead were becoming clearer. They were getting there... slowly, but surely.

Her comment about Cleveland being safe with that Lucain — whom was named Mocha, from the looks of things — unsettled him. He'd already mentioned the pup was his responsibility. It was fine if he was safe, but the fact still remained that watching over the pup was the father's responsibility. "It is good that he's safe. But I have already told you: he is my responsibility."

[[ You can do the post when the two groups get to each other. xD I think it'd be clearer/easier if Nara was the one to introduce them. "Look, I found this dude all the way other there." XD; But yeah. ]]

[Kallile]

Wriggling around in the snow, Coco yapped happily at the two Lucain, content to bury her entire, smaller body beneath the thick blanket of snow. She really didn't want the cold stuff on her face where her fur was thinner and not suited for such cold temperatures...but all over the rest of her was certainly fun enough. Besides...everyone else was doing it!

Mocha wagged her tails as she listened to the puppy, bouncing excitedly at his own exaggerated movements. Which, in and of itself was extremely odd--watching a full grown female Lucain bouncing about like a pup no older than the one right in front of her. "Aw, but he should like it! Snow is great to play in, and it's only here for such a short time..." She took a closer look at his coat, still grinning goofily. "You have as much fur as I do--you'll be alright!" She chimed in, not seeming to be concerned that others may not like the snow as much as she did.

Nara's ear flipped back as the pup sneezed on her father's back, but she kept her eyes focused ahead. Ah yes, just what she figured: Mocha was down in the snow, tails waving excitedly in the air as she no doubt was playing with this male's son. She held her annoyance at having the issue of 'responsibility' pushed yet again and instead let the comment slip by without a word in exchange. Obviously nothing she could say would quell his nerves, so it was best to say no more.

She they approached the group her tail curled up behind her, as if to protect it from attack. "Here we are then." She mused softly as they neared the other group. Close enough, at least, to make out that there strange black markings on Mocha's leg. The Slynx grinned in the usual feline way, spreading her toes again so that in the next few steps she "stepped up" onto the slightly ice-coated snow. As it had been with Amber, she did this again to let herself be seen more readily.

"Mocha," she called, and two tan ears perked up just above the snowline. "I believe yours playmate left a few members behind." She cast a glance over her shoulder, offering the father a smile. "Mocha and Coco are with your son. The latter is a young Fenling, in case you cannot see her. And...Mocha can be rather enthusiastic with greetings. I suggest you brace yourself accordingly."

[13, 18, 53]

[Jaykobell]

Even the small Fenling was joining the two Lucain in the game. Cleveland bounced a bit forward towards Coco, socializing with the Fenling now that she was a bit more interested in playing with him. He didn't do much save for running around Coco, much like as if he were trying to catch his tails. Sometimes he would stop abruptly and lay his chest on the snow, raising his haunches up into the air, tails waving excitedly. And then he would dash off again, circling Coco for the sake of running around her.

Cleveland stopped running around Coco and focused on Mocha again when he saw her responding to his movements. To him, Mocha's actions weren't strange or out of place. He thought it was normal; his father's behavior, a quiet Lucain who rarely played and bounced around, was a style of gameplay that Cleveland found strange. Being serious all the time was so boring! Playing the way Mocha did it was much more entertaining. "I know! My Daddy doesn't like many things," Cleveland squealed, not really realizing how mean such a thing could sound to an adult. "It's only here for a short time?" His eyes grew wide at that statement. So it wouldn't stay here forever? The snow would eventually go away? It was a strange concept to Cleveland. Seasons wasn't a concept he understood too much, so the idea of the snow disappearing didn't make a lot of sense to him.

Cleveland twisted around a bit when Mocha took a closer look at his coat, twisting about so he could see both Mocha and whatever spot of fur she was looking at. He stood still like a statue as she looked at him, much like how a playing puppy would freeze before suddenly bouncing at you. "I do?" he squeaked with surprise. "So I'm okay to play in the snow!" If Mocha could do it, why couldn't he? Maybe the whole 'winter fur' thing had just been an excuse for his dad not to take him outside.

The father was glad when Nara didn't continue to argue. What could he say? It was paranoia; Cleveland wasn't close to him, so if something were to happen, despite the odds, he wouldn't be fast enough to save the puppy. And if that were to happen... well, he truly didn't want to think about it. But thankfully, they were getting closer to the group now, and thus closer to Cleveland. As soon as he would get to him, he could just swipe Cleveland up by the scruff and go back home. Being out there without a winter coat... what a bad idea. He was surprised Cleveland wasn't freezing to death as he walked.

From where they were, he could now spot the female Lucain well enough. She looked like any other Lucain, save for the collar and the strange black markings on her leg. She also didn't seem to have a winter fur, just like him and the two pups. And... she was another one that was having fun in the snow. He could spot Cleveland over there, having fun like there was no tomorrow. But he couldn't see the Fenling, beyond Cleveland and Mocha. Admittedly, he didn't care about those three pets; he only wanted to snatch Cleveland and go back home.

But greetings seemed to be necessary, from what the Slynx had said. "... Accordingly?" he echoed, blinking and giving Nara a stare. Brace himself accordingly? Which he wasn't doing at the moment.

[Kallile]

Coco watched the pup, turning in a sharp circle to try and keep up with him as she barked at him excitedly. With the play bow issued from him, Coco returned it with one of her own--bouncing like a little jumping bean on her toes in excitement before spinning on a dime again to yap at him. What fun! Home needed to have more Lucain this size--he was certainly less scary looking than the full-grown ones.

"Yup--only for a little while when it's winter!" Mocha said happily, flopping over to roll in the snow. Her wingblades creaked under her weight in protest and dug out gashes in the soil, but Mocha didn't seem to mind as she looked up at Cleveland from on her back...more or less. "That's why it doesn't matter what coat you have! You need to come out and enjoy it while it's here!"

Her ears flickered at Nara's voice and Mocha flopped back onto her stomach, craning her neck to see over the snow wall their play had created. Nara was easy enough to see...then she saw wingblades. "Hey Cleveland, I think your dad's here!" She yapped, seeming to have already forgotten that it was his father who didn't want him out in the snow in the first place. Springing to her feet she took wide, lopping strides towards the incoming group. Coco looked on, whimpering slightly.

Nara could easily see the now unstoppable force powering her way through the snow and softly smiled to the pup's father at his question. "On good days she stops...mostly in time. However in ice and snow, I might prepare for the worst."

The SLynx eyed the incoming Pit-bull Lucain and watched as she took the last few strides towards them--looking ready to all but tackle the newcomers in greeting. "For your sake, I suggest you brace quickly." Nara said in a quick whisper, moving a few steps away. There was, after all, little the aged creature could do but add legs to what might become a tangled mess in the snow.

[14, 19. 54]