[Avanthal] Over the River and Through the Woods

[Diamond Rat]

Diamond Rat was glad that she had been lost, and not Nidae, and now Nidae was in the lead. Her reasoning was that she'd do anything to have the girl in front of her, and not following.

The sparrow girl almost protested at certain points throughout the city, as she followed Nidae past people and gleaming white buildings. Rat always thought better of it just as whiny words were about to escape her mouth. Mostly, Rat was convinced that Nidae was getting her lost again, but then the carved gates with the polar bears on top popped into view. It was totally weird, because as they'd been walking through the street, before the area opened up to the sky, the gate had been completely unnoticeable. Rat's jaw dropped.

"I..."

She gulped at Nidae's smile, because there was no mistaking the fangs in her mouth the second time they'd appeared.

"Wuh...Well, thanks," said Rat, and she blushed because she'd been thinking so badly of Nidae this whole time. Her instincts should have shut up more often. She'd have offered another walnut, but Nidae didn't seem to like the first one. It also seemed weird to give her a coin. "Thank you, thank you lots."

Rat took a few hesitant steps towards the gate. It was really tempting to take off running, but Rat knew better. Running would just make a predator chase--No. That wasn't it. Rat was sort of curious about this person, kind of wanted to know more.

[Nidassasyae]

OOCSorry for the late reply, had a hectic week "No problem," smiled Nidassasyae. The feral girl matched Diamond Rat's small steps, walking alongside her. Being outside the gates was best, back in the open. She'd had to make sure the wound didn't open again, though the leopard girl thought that licking it when in animal form sounded like a better cure than these silly bandages. With a quizzical look, she gestured towards the gate. "Do you just hate cities, or are you a Kelvic too?" the leopardess blurted out, blushing when she realized that it was a stupid question. Diamond Rat would probably think her stupid now.

[Diamond Rat]

"Oh! I'm a...I'm a badger Kelvic," said Rat, crossing her arms and a tough look on her face. "Yeah. I'm totally a badger. I like digging...and beating other badgers up...and being stinky."

Rat paused while she tried to think of ways to embellish her lie. She was scared, because her real form was so small and puny. No one would respect that. Gosh, though, what else did badgers like to do?

"Cities are all right, I guess," she continued, "But like, I'm usually inside of holes, so it's weird, walking around on the surface and stuff."

She took a few steps towards the wild trees up ahead. "So uh. What are you, Nidae?" she asked, feigning badgery courage over her shoulder.

OOCNo problem <3

[Nidassasyae]

Nidassasyae grinned at the tough look on Diamond Rat's face. This was the first time in the conversation that Diamons had really acted tough, and Nidae was both amused and curious. "Really? Wow!" she said, interested. She'd never met a badger Kelvic before. "So you're underground all the time then? I've always wondered what it's like to stay underground... or fly," Nidae mused, peering up at a wedge of geese fly overhead. Intrigued, she watched the birds fly in formation swiftly towards the south. Sighing, the leopardess shrugged. "Well, we can't all be birds or badgers." Nidae matched her pace, walking with Diamond Rat towards the trees. "Me? Just a leopard," she said casually, looking at the forest before her in interest. Nehsmay would kill her if she took the bandages off. Well, maybe not kill, but definitely maim. Still, she longed to feel the thrill of the hunt running through her veins, and sink her teeth into deer again.

[Diamond Rat]

Rat did a double-take. Oh. Well. She reasoned with herself. Since Rat had lied, she figured, obviously Nidae here was lying too, to cover up for being a pigeon or something. Rat smiled sympathetically. Although...there was those fangs to keep wondering about. Maybe some pigeons had sharp teeth?

"Yeah...I bet flying's not all that great," Rat mused, completely and utterly missing the wistfulness in Nidae's tone. "Me, I just like to hibernate. In fact, I'm gonna do that! These walnuts are gonna be the last thing I eat before I sleep for the winter. I've got my den all dug in and everything. It's great."

Little did she know, but Rat was thinking of bears instead of badgers.

"So uh...D'you know where Frostfawn Hold is?" Rat asked.

[Nidassasyae]

"How do you know?" asked Nidassasyae when Diamond Rat said that flying wasn't great. "I think it looks wonderful! To have the wind beneath your wings, to soar over the land! Why, you could go anywhere!" She sighed wistfully, tearing her eyes away from the swiftly disappearing geese. "Hibernate? But don't you just sleep?" she questioned, wondering how sleeping was fun. As a energetic and curious cub, sleeping seemed like a waste of daylight. Suddenly her eyes lit up, as she thought that she had figured out why this girl loved sleeping. "Ooh, I guess it must be really comfy in your den then, to want to spend all winter down there." "Frostfawn Hold?" Nidae nodded, feeling a bit like some sort of guide. "My friend Nehsmay lives there, I can show you the way."

[Diamond Rat]

"Yep, it's comfy, but I uh, want to check in with Frostfawn before I turn in for, uh, a few months, so if you could show me the way there, that'd be uhhh..."

Rat fumbled. Why were lies always so difficult past the first few sentences? She rambled a little, overcompensating.

"...Ooh and maybe we could get something to eat," said Rat. "Uh, if you show me the way, that is! Heh."

[Nidassasyae]

Having lived all her life in the isolation of the wilderness, Nidassasyae hadn't really been lied to, and wasn't very good at telling lies from the truth. She was oblivious to Diamond Rat's fumbling. At the mention of eating, Nidae licked her lips. The idea of raw and bloody meat made her hungry, though she'd already eaten lots. But, wandering for weeks in the wilderness did make you jump at the idea of food. The leopardess was extremely thin, her clothing was too big for her, and she looked gaunt and frail. Food had been scarce, until yesterday. Though sickly skinny, the Kelvic shone with a new confidence. Her wounds were healing, she had a new friend, and she was going to see the world! Nidae couldn't wait to start traveling, and looking for her family. "Sure!" She nodded, happy to help. Beckoning, she started walking in the direction of Frostfawn Hold.

[Diamond Rat]

"G-great! Let's go," said Rat. She decided not to mention that she only got food from Frostfawn when it was in crumb form, and through begging. Well, she'd cross that bridge when she came to it. Man, being a liar was tough, sometimes.

They walked through the snow, past trees that seemed to have been iced by a chef. The redness of the bark reminded Rat of a warm room with a fireplace. The snowdunes here and there reminded Rat of warm pastries. She shivered and huddled in her coat at the thought, keeping her eyes on Nidae's shoulders to keep from getting lost...again. Man, she couldn't wait to be back at the hold.

[Nidassasyae]

Nidassasyae stepped lightly through the snow, moving with the grace of a predatory animal. To Nidae, the scenery looked commonplace, though she would have laughed if Diamond Rat had told her that it reminded her of food. However, the leopardess didn't know what pastries were, so she might have been a bit confused. The two trudged through the snow, which wasn't too thick this time of year. Winter was still a season away, and Nidae planned to thoroughly enjoy herself even in this thin snow. She had heard that there wasn't any snow farther south, and the thought frightened her more than a little. "You alright?" she asked when Diamond Rat shivered. Nidae was concerned for her new 'friend'. It simply wouldn't do to have the Badger Kelvic die of cold before they got there!