Meditations on First Philosophy

kylar fritz

Huh? Black-tipped ears twitched, perking up as she heard a soft scuffling in the grass. Wait, no, by the raspberry plants? Or was it the thornless blackberries? Her head turned, canting from side to side and she searched wordlessly for the cause. Then, as quietly as she could muster, Kylar began to hobble over toward her grapes. The vibrant leaves had unfurled and the fruit was beginning to ripen with the onset of fall. Little pests would be gathering from all around to try and sample her wares, but Kylar was not inclined to share. Though she could be charitable, she was shrewd with whom she donated. As such, she was a strict stewardess of her garden patch.

Tip-toeing around, she peered around her flourishing grapes. They grew up high along the dilapidated wall of an old, stone cottage. And there by the hallowed doorframe (which was just about the only thing still standing), was... a man? A thief? A wayward vagabond? Well, if he was hungry enough, that also meant thief.

The fur along her spine bristled and she squared her shoulders before barking out: "Paws, ears, and eyes where I can see them!"

Kylar might have given up on her desire to join the army, but that didn't mean that she gave up her old patrol voice. It boomed quite forcefully if she was any judge.

@Arythmetik

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A R Y T H M E T I K

A glimmer raced across the scholar’s brilliant, emerald gaze as he peered into the shadowy corners of the structure. Every muscle was taught, straining from the effort of (attempted) silence. His ears, brushed with deep, russet and earthen brown hues, perked forward atop his skull as he crept nearer to the doorway. Where did it go? All focus honed on the search; every breath was baited, every fiber of his being intent on this new discovery. A flicker of movement made his whiskers twitch with anticipation. And then…


The commanding voice nearly had Arythmetik leaping from his own skin. He barked in surprise, whipping to face the woman on her own front lawn. His mouth gaped open, eyes wide and fur bristled in shock. Seeing a wolf his own size didn’t stop his heart from pounding in his chest. “Losh!” he yelped, before heaving a deep breath and shaking the startlement from his face. “Oh, stars, you gave me a fright.” Aryth glanced around, his ears slowly flattening to his skull as the other scents in the area finally dawned on him. “Is...is this your home? I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude.” Well, he had. But only because he was on the path to discovery. The consequences hadn’t really occurred to him until he was staring an angry, red-eyed she-wolf in the face.

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kylar fritz

Had she not been preparing herself for an awkward tug-of-war or skirmish with this man, she might have felt bad about spooking him so. An electric shock seemed to run from ears to tail tip as he nearly jumped out of his skin. Earthen fur stood on end as he gasped, barking a sound of utter surprise as he spun, emerald eyes like round poppy pods. He could hardly catch his breath as he stared at her, the gnomish keeper of her garden.

Ah, his maw is empty. Though Kylar was still suspicious, she had to admit that she had softened somewhat. The man had appeared so careful, so meticulous, that she had assumed he would be scurrying off with her herbs. Her rosemary had just started to come in and the lavender, which grew so well around the acidic cinder blocks of their dilapidated cottage, was tantalizing and thick.

But he had none of it... and that made her feel just the tiniest bit regretful.

And that tiny seed of regret took root as he apologized profusely.

"It is my garden, yes," she said, not willing to apologize quite yet but no longer so committed to her crusade against this "thief". He just seemed... lost, really. Or like an accidental intruder? If there was such a thing. "Did you... lose something here?" Her voice had lost the commanding timber and she glanced at the darkness in which he had been peering. "A rabbit? A bird?"

@Arythmetik

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A R Y T H M E T I K

The stern woman softened, but that alone didn’t put Arythmetik at ease. His embarrassment was written in obvious lines across his youthful, handsome face. And while he should have moved, perhaps, he remained at the doorstep, his tail hanging low and submissive without actually curling between his legs. The woman whose garden he (clearly) invaded was certainly no one to challenge, but she wasn’t being aggressive, either. Bleeding dobber. It felt like he was making many social faux-pas lately. Maybe he was too distracted by his aspirations of becoming a tenured professor, and the rest of the world seemed to fall to the wayside. Still, if he could have blushed, he would have. This tawny woman was his elder by a couple years, not to mention the fact he’d invaded her space, and she deserved to be respected.


But the woman’s question succeeded in lowering Aryth’s inhibitions once more. Brilliant, emerald eyes glimmered, and his lips parted—this time not in a gasp, but in anticipation. “Not lost, found,” he partially explained, his voice evening and growing warm with excitement. The academic in him outweighed the sheepish youth. His shoulders relaxed, and the scholar straightened ever so slightly as he glanced between the shadows and his unexpected host. “The most fascinating little creature, I’ve never seen anything like it. I found it nearby, and it scurried this way. I thought, maybe, I lost sight of it because it went into the building.” Aryth’s tail waved once behind him. “It had smooth, dark fur, and a pink star on its nose. Like...little tendrils.”


Then the male remembered himself, and he laughed softly, finally stepping back from the doorway. “But, erm...I should have been paying more attention. I hope you’ll forgive a bumbling fool.”

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@Kylar

kylar fritz

He was young and, all things considered, polite enough. Perhaps that was why she listened, black-tipped ears twitching as he mentioned a marvelous little creature. A creature that now seemed to reside within her dilapidated cottage. Something that was black with a... "-Mole!" Kylar gasped, red eyes widening as his description conjured up images of dirt hills and ruined herbs in her thick skull.

The young man had tried to wave it away but Kylar was on the scent now. Her fur ruffled and she stared at the shadows within her cottage with renewed interest (and spite). "They're the damndest things," she seethed, hobbling forward with renewed determination. Without waiting for him to skitter back, she shoved her way to his side and inspected the shadows with little success.

"You simply must catch it. Take it away, study it, eat it, whatever you like. But you must catch it."

She grimaced and shook her head slightly as the memories of more wounded herbs formed a funeral procession within her heart. "It has waged a war on this garden and it will not be pardoned." And if this man had seen it, then he would be the best bet for capturing it before it hid within its underground bunker.

@Arythmetik

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A R Y T H M E T I K

The scholar blinked, her response unanticipated. “Mole?” So she knew what it was! His luck was turning around, after all. However, his explanation did the opposite of calm the woman. This news soured her, and Aryth felt a tad foolish as she stormed toward him, grumbling and bristling. But he was an observant man, and he noticed two things: one, she must have spent a significant amount of time in the garden to be familiar with the critters, and two, she appeared to walk with a slight limp. Both details made him all the more curious about her scars. He watched with a gaping mouth as she shoved past him, into the cozy shadows of her abode. Then, with a measure of reverence, he followed.


“Oh, my, well…” She demanded that he catch the pest, and Aryth’s entire mood deflated. He was like a balloon, pricked by the needle of her lofty expectations. His eyes shifted aside momentarily, and he murmured, “I’m not the best hunter…” But he wasn’t helpless. He’d grown up feeding himself on scavenged morsels, occasionally catching a distracted squirrel or snagging a mouse by the tail. He was useless against large game, but he did have some experience with small prey. And he remembered the way she hobbled: maybe that was why she needed his help. With a deep breath, the scholar straightened. “But I’ll try,” he added smoothly. He offered the red-eyed woman a nod, then stalked further into her cottage (even if his presence here still felt a bit like an intrusion).


He still had the creature’s scent. It was hiding quite well, but the floor was lined with cobblestones. So unless it could dig through rock, it had to be here somewhere. Aryth’s brown nose twitched as he tip-toed along the wall, keen eyes flashing upward every few seconds to scan for movement. This was his penance for startling...whatever her name was, and besides, he was determined to study the thing. Suddenly, he heard a small squeak, and the tiny, dark grayish-brown shape scurried across the floor. “Aye!” Aryth leapt forward eagerly, but his paws merely slapped the stone as the mole dove for cover. It disappeared under the small crack of a loose brick, which appeared to have fallen out of one of the walls.


Aryth glanced around, his mind spiraling for solutions. He narrowed his eyes as he looked up at the wooden table near the brick, and a fraying, woven basket that sat on top. Then he looked over his shoulder at the homeowner. “I have an idea. Do you mind if I use that basket?” He moved to jump onto the table, overturning the basket with his muzzle. Then he whispered, “It can’t stay under there forever...and perhaps if it doesn’t see me, it’ll come out. Then I can trap it with this. We might just have to wait...a while.”

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@Kylar

kylar fritz

Kylar was no general and this man was no soldier, but that did not stop her from investing her heart and soul into this very campaign. Too many lives had been lost—lavender, poppy, tansy—and too many roots had been damaged—burdock, garlic, ginger—for her to stop when she had the axis powers on the run. As such, she ignored the cadet's complaints until, at last, he stalked forward.

The she-wolf watched with baited breath, ruby eyes fixated on the man's russet fur as he was swathed in shadow. There was a soft click, click, click as his nails tapped against the stone. And then a squeak! Her heart leaped to her throat as the little scoundrel skittered across the floor—and into a hole.

"Damn!" Kylar exclaimed, jerking to the left in order to pace in a circle. Her hobbling was more pronounced as her preoccupied mind scoured over her plots of revenge. She almost did not hear Aryth's question as he hopped up on the ancient table and nosed the frayed whicker basket. The wood gave a warning creak but, thankfully, did not fall.

Yet.

When she realized what he proposed, however, her eyes lit up. "Or maybe it will not take so long. One moment."

Ducking her head, Kylar hobbled out of the cottage. When she returned not ten minutes later, her paws were muddy and her chest was stained. In her mouth was a wriggling earthworm.

She hobbled up to the crack, glanced at Aryth, then set the worm down.

"A last meal, if you will," she mused before giving the hole (and the hunter) some space.

@Arythmetik

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A R Y T H M E T I K

The roughened wood of the table creaked under his weight, and Aryth froze, his tail standing straight behind him. But nothing happened. He relaxed a little, lying down as the table wobbled ever so slightly beneath his shifting frame. His eyes popped wide again, but he forged ahead with the plan nonetheless. With his muzzle, the scholar overturned the basket, then set his forepaws to rest on top of it. His confidence was growing with every passing moment, especially since the scarred woman was encouraging—even appeared to have her own idea. He blinked and grinned as she hurried outdoors. Then, remembering his task, he quickly returned his attention to the mole’s hidey-hole.


After a short time (though it felt longer as Aryth stared at the noiseless, motionless spot in the stone), the woman plopped some bait on the floor. It was Aryth’s turn to look thrilled. He smiled with genuine earnest at the she-wolf and silently mouthed “brilliant!” His tail wagged twice as he shot his gaze toward the hole again, thigh muscles coiling, his neck tensing subconsciously. And they waited. Normally, he would have filled the emptiness with polite conversation, but there was something so intense about the trap they were springing. Aryth didn’t feel the need to say anything, and he didn’t want to scare away their unsuspecting prey.


Just as they’d hoped, the mole finally emerged from the crack in the stone. Its alien tendrils were wriggling, its nose “sniff-sniffing” the air as it paws crept closer and closer to the vibrations of the worm. Aryth’s body twitched, but he didn’t jump the gun. Wait...wait for it… Every second dragged into eons and if he could have started sweating, he would have. For a split second, the mole second-guessed its decision, and it scurried backward. Aryth’s breath caught in his throat, but still he waited. And then, the mole moved forward again to nibble on its final meal.


Bingo.


Aryth pushed the basket forward and leapt down from the table, smashing the basket on top of the pest with a crinkle and a squeak! He could feel it scrambling at the edge of the basket and with panic, he threw all of his weight down to hold the trap in place. Adrenaline coursed through his veins and his heart was pounding in his ears. Moments later, he realized he’d felt its shape underneath one of his paws as he slammed the basket to the stone, and he knew the tiny creature was probably dying under there. After a few more quick breaths, Aryth looked slowly up at his counterpart. Then he broke into relieved laughter.


“I can’t believe it, it worked!” The scholar laughed again, his eyes twinkling, as he laid with his chest and forelimbs covering the basket. “We make a pretty good team, you and I! I’m Aryth, by the way. Er, Arythmetik, from the College. What’s your name?”

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@Kylar

kylar fritz

A sharp whine filled the air as the table offered one final protest, keen to have the last word on the subject. Alas, neither of the wolves were truly listening to the unruly furniture. Both of their eyes were trained on the basket as it came alive with furious squeaks and the scrabble of little, tiny nails on frayed reeds.

Kylar felt the flush of pride and victory as it warmed her heart and spread from her chest to her throat and cheeks. At first she gasped, then she couldn't help but cheer and hop to the left then to the right. "Haha!" It was glorious really. Never had she expected this to be the day that she avenged her precious plants. And yet, thanks to this stranger walking along, she had been freed from the torment of seeing her precious chamomile dug up each morning.

"You're quite the unassuming hunter, huh?" she asked after her cheering subsided. A smile spread wide over her lips and her tail wagged without shame as she hobbled up to him. "You've got a brain for tactics, the military must be sorry it doesn't have you." Ruby eyes glowed with comradery as she looked up at him.

"College?" Black-tipped ears perked. "I am an adjunct professor there, sometimes I teach herbology. And you are...?" She wanted to say student but he seemed a little too mature despite his age for such a role. Then again, some PhD students were quite on top of their studies.

@Arythmetik

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A R Y T H M E T I K

Despite the rush of adrenaline and the joy of success, the compliments made Arythmetik feel a bit flustered—even embarrassed. Having grown up in the College, raised by professors and forged into something of a loner, he wasn’t accustomed to being praised for his intellect. Plus, being told he’d be good for the military made him a mite uncomfortable. But if he could have blushed, he would have, and he shook his head modestly and smiled nonetheless. Luckily, topics changed before he needed to save face. The woman’s words made him tilt his head, emerald eyes blinking curiously.


“Oh, wow! Now there’s a subject I could use your help in. I always find my mind wandering when it comes time to study plants and herbs.” Aryth grinned sheepishly. “I’m a Junior Professor, actually. I’ve just started to stand in with one of my mentors to help conduct lessons. But I’m hoping to lead my own soon enough. What’s your name? Maybe I’ll call you for help.” The scholar laughed, but he was only...half joking.

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ooc. Short post, sorry for the wait! <3