[ P ] Little Lady

You Run Through The Rain Just For A Taste

The lake was known for its mystical properties and many who visited its shores adopted an air of reverence. They would fall quiet and approach the crystalline waters with the deference of an acolyte approaching the altar. Eyelids were droop as hooded eyes searched the thin reflections that gazed back. A delicate curtain of mist would wrap the intimate moment in silk, embalming it in memories of self-reflection.

... Or that was how most should have acted.

Caspian, sweaty from his sprint through the mountain trails, saw the water and made a beeline for it. Dark paws pressed against even darker stone as he shot from betwixt the stone spires and into the lake without missing a beat. A light howl, short and sweet, sang from his lips as a smile cracked over his silvery maw.

Heathen the old gods must have muttered as he splashed into the once-still waters. It was only after he swam out halfway to the center did he realize that there was another spec on the far edge. The grin became crocodilian as he eased closer. Once he traversed the center, he sucked in a big gulp of air before diving deep enough to avoid detection -- or so he hoped, clear water made sneak attacks difficult.

If she lost track of him, or never noticed him, he would sneakily swim up to her before popping out of the water with full intentions to drag her in.

"We are all young and naive still."

code & art by claerie



@Juniper

D

elicate and whimsical, the very persona of an inquisitive pixie, her gentle regard of the natural world brought her to this mystical place. Although the water was sure to be frigid, she gamboled toward the lake, her little paws dipping into the shoreline to test the temperature. With dainty resignation to the chill nips at her toes, she shook off the ticklish sensation and lowered her head, thirst claiming her tongue.

Juniper lapped up the water with ladylike licks, bringing the cool liquid to her throat. After her playful romp here, frolicking in the snow, even the coldness of the lake was welcome. When she quenched her thirst, she blinked, noticing the perfect reflection of her verdant eyes; she never thought herself pretty, but, then again, there were rarely good pools to see an image of oneself, and she had grown so much in the last few months.

She would be a year old in a month or two. Although she barely kept track of the seasons, the stars as they wheeled over her head, she would still remember her mother and father, vague memories of them dancing in her mind, like a cinematic dream. In her brief reverie, she suddenly saw ripples in the water, and concern gripped at her heart.

@Caspian

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

You Run Through The Rain Just For A Taste

The blue-gray shark found his victim with relative ease and he hunted her with playful, predatory zeal. Paws pressed against the bottom of the lake as he neared the shore in a wide circle so that she would not see him whilst she sought her own reflection. As he skirted alongside the stone wall, anticipation melded with the exhilaration in his blood and the yearning for oxygen in his lungs. Bubbles drifted to the lake's surface as Caspian blew out to keep water from invading as, at last, he kicked off of the lake's bottom and shot to the surface.

Silver paws wrapped around the girl's shoulders, one paw in particular finding purchase on the back of her russet neck. Perhaps it was fear or shock in green eyes, but Caspian felt only a mischievous sense of satisfaction as he tugged backwards and pulled her into the water. He would immediately let go of course and doggy paddle in a wide circle, laughing as he waited for her to splutter to the surface.

If she did pop back up, he'd accept all of her anger and ire and do his best to explain away the joke (and the consequences that came with it). But if she didn't... fear would pierce his heart. Regret would soon follow and the blood would rush to his ears as he tried to find her and drag her back up.

Hopefully fate would be kind.

"We are all young and naive still."

code & art by claerie



@Juniper

L

ittle bubbles trailed across the surface of the water, floating and almost dancing in slow, mesmerizing drifts. They were playful in a way, growing and settling until they disappeared in a silent “pop!” Juniper could not help but watch them, her eyes like a fresh sage leaf drizzled in sun, the expression of pure childish bewilderment, the sophomoric ability to amuse herself with the natural world—

But, what was that? She squinted as a particularly large bubble formed, followed by several more, all in quick succession. Perhaps instinct should have begged her to leave, to turn and wander away in the same direction she came from, but curiosity was a curse. She stayed, blinking in wonderment—at least, until the bubbles began to burst, and the facade of a face blurred into view.

It was too late.

Something burst out of the water, grasping around the neck, dragging her into the lake. She had barely caught sight of the perpetrator, pure panic filling her heart as she writhed and fought—fruitlessly, of course—trying to pull herself back up to the surface so she could breathe the precious air again. Juniper, in her frenzy, could not pay attention to the culprit; she could only focus on the pleading of her lungs as she was several feet beneath the water.

She struggled, having never been fully submerged so deep before. However, the instinct that betrayed her only moments ago was not lost. It did not calm her, but it nudged her upward, whispering instructions to her feet so that she could push herself upward. It was a bit of a struggle at first, coordinating those movements, and it took, perhaps, far longer than the average wolf to breach the surface.

Juniper gasped for breath, sputtering and coughing as she paddled to the shoreline. She felt immense relief as her paws touched the muddy bottom of the lake; she managed to pull herself onto land before remembering that there was someone else in her presence, and she made herself small, facing the water, her coat still sopping wet in the cold. “S-stay a-away!” she said, her teeth chattering.

@Caspian

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

You Run Through The Rain Just For A Taste

"Ah!" Caspian chirped as a tawny head broke the surface of the water and began to make a beeline for the shore. "You can swim!" The amusement in his voice covered up the relief that he'd felt when she had resurfaced. For several precious moments, he had feared that she had gotten too disoriented to pop back up. An impromptu dunking was one activity for a winter afternoon, but an impromptu drowning was another thing. He was a bastard but not a murderer, if he could help it anyway.

One day perhaps he would have to contend with the grizzly consequences of childish actions.

When she clambered up to shore, she was rightfully afraid. Green eyes regarded him with fear as she curled up, small and soaking wet. When the wind brushed by, he feared that she'd topple over.

"Easy, easy," Caspian soothed, voice dropping low as he paddled close to shore. His paws touched the stony surface and he leaned up so that his chin rested there too. Here, the water did not meet a sloping shore but rather a ledge, and he used this barrier to give her a little extra space.

Sharks were less scary when they were in the water if you were on land, yes?

"I'm sorry for scaring you -- it was funnier in theory than in practice." Dark ears flicked back and sea-glass eyes regarded her hopefully. Canting his head cutely to the side, he offered her a sweet smile. "Forgive me, yeah?"

Looking at her now, sodden and sorry, he realized just how young she was. If Black had been here, she would have ripped off his ears.

"We are all young and naive still."

code & art by claerie



@Juniper

T

he cruel wind ripped through her coat, and her teeth chattered—she tried to stop by clamping her mouth shut, but she only shivered more with each second of cold. How pitiful she must have looked to this stranger, this man…

This man. A man. Oh, she would likely get an earful when she returned home to her sisters. Juniper had very few experiences with men in her short lifetime, and her sisters actively avoided them. She did not know why—it was never explained to her, but her lack of experience made her nervous and awkward, and now that she was drenched and scrawny, cold and anxious, she was as self-aware as ever.

Her green eyes, a vast contrast to the brilliant russets and reds in her coat, lifted to study this man further, even as she shook. His apology was not lost on her, though she was uncertain what she should say in return.

To his credit, he made himself look rather nonthreatening for her sake. Maybe he did actually feel sorry for tugging her into the water. “I-I didn’t k-know I-I could swim from that deep,” Juniper muttered to half to herself. Perhaps this man would think her fumbling of words was due to the cold, but, really, she was just shy.

Not wanting to offend him, she nodded her head as another shiver shook her body. “O-okay. Just p-please don’t p-pull me in again?”

@Caspian

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

You Run Through The Rain Just For A Taste

Her response made Caspian laugh for it was so unexpected and simultaneously adorable. Perhaps she was an adventurer at heart? Doe eyes and delicate frame aside, if her first thought was about her sudden increase in skill, then he imagined that she would grow to be quite fearless. It took a special soul to overcome such an unexpected attack and, rather than hiss and spit at him, remark on the impeccable feat she'd accomplished.

"I promise, cross my heart and hope to die," Caspian nodded his head, sincerity in sea-glass eyes. That said, the hint of mischief never quite left, for it was his nature to take that which was boring and twist it into that which was not.

Pressing his paws into the stone, he lifted his front half up just a bit to get a better view. Gosh, she looked so small. Especially now with her coat flat against her frame.

"Would you want to try swimming again? It's colder at first but you acclimate quickly, and there's no wind to freeze you to the bone."

He supposed he'd have to try and find her mother at some point, but a swim lesson seemed less criminal than him walking a drenched girl back to her family. "I'll save you if you start drowning, scout's honor". Caspian bat his eyes and his smile widened a fraction more.


"We are all young and naive still."

code & art by claerie



@Juniper

“S

wimming? Um, maybe?” Juniper was uncertain about his question. Going back into the water when she did not have to? Well, that was something certainly worth debating, even if he wouldn’t let her drown.

It was instinct that guided the lives of wolves, the animals and beasts of the world, the force that ushered them forward and brought them their sense of survival, allowing them to feed and procreate, carrying their genes to the next generation.

Even Junper had instinct, though she was often too timid to allow her body to take hold, untrusting of what she might do in moments when her mind was too petrified to dictate what should occur. And, of course, she was particularly self-conscious about her state of both wet and cold—however, she felt an itch, the skin beneath her soaked pelt pressing to be dry again, and she could not resist the urge.

She shook, even as this stranger eased up, and she saw more of him. Water flew everywhere, the drops of liquid shaken from her coat, flung away from herself as the act intended, even splashing him in the face. Immediately, after realizing what she had done, she shrunk into her small self again. “O-oops,” she said, though she couldn’t help but let out a squeak of a giggle, knowing fully well that her behavior could be construed as rude. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

It was then that she noticed just how handsome he was, a young specimen, though surely older than Juniper. If she were not covered in fur, he might even see the pink blush creeping into her cheeks. Oh, how he must think her a klutz and awkward and pathetic…

Surely, he wouldn’t to help her learn how to swim now…

@Caspian

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

You Run Through The Rain Just For A Taste

Those big green eyes reminded him of lillypads. They floated in a sea of rich brown and gold, innocent and uncertain but... not untrusting. When he met those olive pools, he had expected to see only fear and stress. He had dragged her into the water after all, not knowing her name or her age—or anything really. If she glared at him, he deserved it. But, no, if anything she seemed to steadily relax. Her response was chipper if not anxious and uncertain. "You don't have to," Caspian offered in response. "It's fun in my opinion, but it is cold." It'd be warmer being in the water now that she was wet, but she'd probably warm up quickly. Or he could help but... well... he didn't want to be skinned alive by some mama bear.

The girl gavy herself a mighty shake and the water flung left and right haphazardly. Several drops smacked him in the face and he flinched, surprised. Rather than scowl, however, he laughed. Caspian rubbed his cheek against his foreleg to spread out a particularly pesky drop that had decided to stay on his brow. "I'd chastise you about a splash warning but I didn't give one for a shark attack, now did I?"

They weren't even by any means, but he hoped she felt a little more at ease. And, if his ears hadn't betrayed him, Caspian thought he'd heard a giggle too.

"Aww, you can mean it if you want to." A dark ear flicked. "I deserved it."

Tapping his paws idly, he gave a small shrug. "The offer still stands but if you don't want to learn, I'll be getting out. Should probably help you find who you belong to." It was the least he could do after almost costing the girl her life.


"We are all young and naive still."

code & art by claerie



@Juniper

O

h, he really was quite the alluring man, accepting her rude splash with casual humility even though she felt mortified by her instinctual shake of water. Juniper looked away from him for the moment, staring at her paws, soaked raggedy, her mind dragging back the question that he presented to her earlier.

Did she want to learn how to swim?

Well, it seemed like a useful skill to have—if someone decided to come along and pull her into the water again, she would know how to reach the shore.

Then again, she did it rather naturally anyway. Did it really matter?

Juniper certainly didn’t want to go back into the water. Being cold once was more than enough. She shook against the wind, her teeth chattering, embarrassed that she had found such a handsome man and she was in such a state. Why, she thought one day she might actually be pretty enough to have a special someone in her life, but that time was certainly not now.

That very realization made her uncomfortable, and she stuttered in response: “U-um, I think I should g-go.” It was nearly impossible to distinguish whether it was the cold or her debilitating shyness. “I-I know my way h-home,” she added, knowing that her sisters would be worried if she were gone for too long, and especially so if this strapping stranger came with her—they’d be far less concerned if she returned alone!

“B-bye!” she said, scampering off, stealing one last, awkward look at him before trotting away. “S-sorry!” Juniper apologized for a number of reasons, nothing short of her clumsy and crude behavior.

[Juniper exits, unless she is stopped]

@Caspian

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck