Solo Swans are Evil

[Rhy]

34th of Fall, 512 Gianne and Rhy have a very dysfunctional sleeping arrangement. Gianne drifts off to sleep very early in the evening, while Rhy can enjoy herself well into the night. Likewise, Gianne feels the need to start the day horrifyingly early, while Rhy can sleep well into the early afternoon. Both of them try very hard not to disturb each other as they crawl into their shared bed, but it can be difficult since Rhy is a nearly two hundred pound dog (her preferred sleeping form), and Gianne is a tall woman who needs way too much leg room. Sometimes, for a better fit, Rhy will sleep as a human on the end of the bed. Only to wake and find herself in a tangle of legs and bedsheets come morning, thanks to Gianne’s constant moving. On the colder nights she will also curl up beside her bondmate to better share the warmth of her fur. But she has a habit of talking in her sleep. Not even normal talking, but with the language of Nura she has the tendency of projecting the disconnected images and feelings of her dreams through their touch. And, if she's loud enough, she can wake Gianne with the mental noise. Despite all this, she loves to sleep next to her bonded. She just has no idea why. She keeps this in mind when, on the grey early morning of a Fall day, Rhy is woken up with a solid kick to her ribs. One of the many dangers of sleeping at the foot of the bed. She groans and sits up with a bleary look. Her bondmate is already up and getting ready for the day, and she shares a friendly ‘good morning‘ with the Kelvic by way of their shared language of Nura. Rhy answers in kind and yawns widely, wondering if its too late to try and recapture a few more hours of sleep. Gianne, dressed and ready for a day of horses and riding, gives the Kelvic a scratch behind her ears in a way she knows she likes and lets her know she is off to work. And when she notices the rather grumpy look on the Kelvic she offers her another smile and one last scratch under the chin, which sets the dogs tail to wagging. As she leaves she closes the door. Which is fine, now that they have installed a rope pull on the handle so Rhy can get in and out without shifting. Having figured out early on the handicap that is the lack of opposable thumbs. So, having indulged in a heavy shake and another yawn, Rhy gets heavily off the bed and lets herself out. Now that she is awake she might as well start her day. And the day is bound to be interesting, for she plans to take another of the Sanctuary’s dogs hunting with her.

[Rhy]

Her day is started with asking (aka ‘begging’) for food from Cadra. The Kelvics get along well, especially for a dog/cat relationship, but it does miff her that the cat is in charge of the food. The girl is in the midst of making breakfast, but takes the time to dig away in the ice box for a chunk of venison liver for Rhy, knowing it is her personal favourite. And even sneaks in a thick slice of pork belly she is slicing for the human residents, which Rhy snaps up eagerly. She thanks Cadra with a nod, and makes for the Above at a fast clip. But not before dashing back at the last minute to take an empty burlap onion bag. Deciding she will be in use of a game bag today. The next stop is the Kennels. The dogs have already been fed by now and most of them will be running loose. But Rhy already knows who she is looking for: Sutai, one of the male Silkena’s. He’s a good, fast dog. Not the most skilled hunter in the group, but one of the most submissive males. Rhy has an excellent status with the pack. She’s admired for her strength, respected for her intelligence and appreciated for the very human qualities she has learned; but she is not a natural leader. Sutai will be the easiest to handle with his calm personality and (contrary to popular belief) males are always more inclined to defer to a female. She finds the Silkena chasing his tail near the open Kennel door. She barks once to get his attention, and he immediately perks up with an inquisitive look. She turns to walk back to the Sanctuary’s gate and looks behind her, inviting him to follow, and he does with an eager tilt. He understands why he’s leaving, and he’s excited, for this will be his first hunting trip. The wind is bitterly cold on the other side of the windbreaking walls, but both dogs have started sprouting their winter coats and are mostly able to ignore the cold. Fall has truly taken over the landscape. The grass has maintained its green, but has turned slightly brittle in preparedness for winter. And the treeline farther out has exploded into the striking oranges and reds. Even the sky has drawn back its clouds to herald the colder weather. Sutai takes the hint from Rhy and her rather ernest expression and makes no attempt to frolic or initiate any play. This is her job, and she's quite serious about what she does. Besides, she knows exactly where she is going to start their hunt.