HPU - Richardson Valley

[Buckdida]

O'Connor looked up to see the large group of pets that had come to the river, including Rav and Venison. Then he noticed Venison's collar, and snorted, trying to keep from laughing. Tory, on the other hand, flew over, and cried, "Nice collar, Beefcake! You gotta knife we could use???"

Venison started growling, and looking up at his passenger. "Get off of my head, you inverse-legged spiceball! I'm really not in the mood...and no, I don't have a knife. Why would you need a knife for building a raft, anyway? All you need are some good lashings, and that should hold it together fine."

[caelei]

Huh what? a piano? what are you talking about? A piano would just sink the raft..
No no not musical drums, oil drums. you know like Barrels! Like what they use for trash cans in the park, only with lids..

Magnus smacked one hand against his forehead in a sort of 'duh' action. He smiled goofily, then said, "Ohhhhh. Trash cans. Barrels. Not drums, for music." He didn't understand how they would help the raft float, but ah, well. Was it important as long as they were building a raft? He wagged his tail, then said, "I don't know where you could get some of those."

[Teh Brawler]

"Get off of my head, you inverse-legged spiceball! I'm really not in the mood...and no, I don't have a knife. Why would you need a knife for building a raft, anyway? All you need are some good lashings, and that should hold it together fine."

"Err, lashings? What's that?" He looked up at O'Connor and called, "Hey, O'Connor, what're lashings?" O'Connor shrugged, and glanced at Pavelle, wondering if she knew.

[Buckdida]

Talking about knowledge was where Venison was comfortable. It was somewhat difficult to explain what lashings were, though.

"Let's see. Lashings...are...a rope tying tactic. Complex wrappings with rope designed to hold two entities tightly together. Ever seen buildings made entirely of sticks? Those are creating using lashings. Unlike knots, who's strength depends on the initial force the person puts into tying said knot, lashings use the force and friction of the entities they are holding together to hold themselves together. They're quite easy to do and undo, but rarely come apart on their own. The best part is that the only thing you need...is the rope itself. As for flotation, a well made raft of buoyant wood should hold three fully grown human males, I believe, but if we want to put more than that on the raft, it will need to be bigger and have flotation assistance of some kind like Rav had mentioned..."

Wrapped up in his explanation, Venison didn't notice that Pavelle was nearby...

[Keeshah]

Talking about knowledge was where Venison was comfortable. It was somewhat difficult to explain what lashings were, though.

"Let's see. Lashings...are...a rope tying tactic. Complex wrappings with rope designed to hold two entities tightly together. Ever seen buildings made entirely of sticks? Those are creating using lashings. Unlike knots, who's strength depends on the initial force the person puts into tying said knot, lashings use the force and friction of the entities they are holding together to hold themselves together.

Rav looks confused as usual when Venison starts talking in knowledge..

Is'n lashings what you get when you get whipped with a leather whip? or a cat-with-9-tails thingy.
Rav scratches his muzzle.
An i have never known anyone to let a pet have a weapon of anykind. So i don't think anoyone is going to have a knife.. your just have to chew it in half with your teeths.

[caelei]

Wrapped up in his explanation, Venison didn't notice that Pavelle was nearby...

Pavelle came within conversation range of the group, and stopped next to Magnus and the log. She put the finishing touches on her carefully composed expression; she'd let too much emotion overtake her earlier, and wouldn't stand to have the other pets, namely Rav and Venison, watching her have an internal meltdown. As embarrassing as it had been in front of O'Connor, who was nearly a stranger, she had the suspicion that it would be nearly twice as awful while being watching by people she actually knew. She stared at the log on the ground for a minute before looking up, making sure her expression conveyed a mildly pleasant attitude, if not somewhat of a bland one. And then her eyes zeroed in on the pink residue of blush on Venison's features, before snapping down to the collar that was hanging loosely around his neck. He hadn't seemed to notice that she had come up; he was busy talking about lashings. She felt a quiver crawl up her sides, a wide grin spreading across her face. For some reason, the giggle that threatened to escape was harder to keep inside; the feeling of pure overwhelming hilarity pushing at her insides, making her smile twitch and tears leap to her eyes in pure joy. She didn't know why it was so funny; maybe the fact that it really wasn't funny, Venison obviously having been embarrassed by his new accessory, made her want to laugh more. And then she saw the deer-themed dog-tag, and the pressure doubled. She started to shake with barely controlled laughter, the merry feeling bubbling in her stomach and spreading through the rest of her abdomen like a disease. She could barely hold onto her control; the crazy laughter felt more intense than its normal equivalent, concentrated. She let out a short wheezing sound, which neatly stifled a run-away chuckle, and then hurriedly bit her lip, forcing a frown onto her face while she did so, wiping a couple tears from the corners of her eyes with the back of one hand. Her reaction must have looked odd to anyone watching, because Magnus was staring at her with something close to astonishment. Felix also looked interested, though he was more casual about it, watching from the corner of his eye. Pavelle ignored them and cleared her throat, ramming the rest of the giggles deep down inside herself, hoping they wouldn't decide to spring up at any time. "So, uh..." she said, so that anybody who hadn't noticed would know that the rest of the group had arrived, "what did I miss?" She couldn't help but let a pointed look focus on Venison's collar, before drawing her eyes squarely to stare at the pile of logs her brothers had collected.

[Buckdida]

"So, uh..." she said, so that anybody who hadn't noticed would know that the rest of the group had arrived, "what did I miss?" She couldn't help but let a pointed look focus on Venison's collar, before drawing her eyes squarely to stare at the pile of logs her brothers had collected.

Venison looked to his right. Pavelle was staring straight at his collar.

"eye...ingggg...guuhhh..." Venison's face burned red instantly. "eeeeeeehhhh"

[Keeshah]

She started to shake with barely controlled laughter, the merry feeling bubbling in her stomach and spreading through the rest of her abdomen like a disease. She could barely hold onto her control; the crazy laughter felt more intense than its normal equivalent, concentrated. She let out a short wheezing sound, which neatly stifled a run-away chuckle, and then hurriedly bit her lip, forcing a frown onto her face while she did so, wiping a couple tears from the corners of her eyes with the back of one hand. Her reaction must have looked odd to anyone watching, because Magnus was staring at her with something close to astonishment.

Rav comes up to to Pavelle's side, looking worried about her..
Hay! are you Ok??Asked Rav worriedly, patting Pavelle on her back, an watching Magnus staring at her as well...
Are you chocking or having a reaction, like Magnus did when he had the coffee?
Who knows, perhaps allergies ran in this family even if they were different species.
So concerned is he over the coon, that he turns to ask Venison if he knows whats wrong with her, when he notices Venison's nuclear facial meltdown..
Accck!
Ah is there something going around?? your facial fur is taking on a reddish tone. venison! have you suddenly come down with a fever sickness??
Looking around to see if anyone else is coming down with this sudden sickness..
Agghh it's a plague!!

[Teh Brawler]

Hay! are you Ok??Are you chocking or having a reaction, like Magnus did when he had the coffee?Ah is there something going around?? your facial fur is taking on a reddish tone. venison! have you suddenly come down with a fever sickness?? Agghh it's a plague!!

"A plague????? Oh no! Someone call the vet! He should know what to do, he fixes wings real well! Quick, get some water! Someone do the hime-lick! Stop drop and roll!" Tory flew around, panicking at the thought of pets dying left and right. O'Connor facepalmed, rubbing his temples at the chaos. "Oi, Beefcake. Whuy don' ye teach Magnus ahnd Ah haow teh tuy lahshings so tha' we know," he called to Venison. "ahnd so tha' this doesn't ge' aneh moor aoutta 'and."

[Dylan]

Pyxis quickly hitched a ride behind the van before it could pick up speed, grabbing on to the handle on the back. Don't worry Djinn, I'll get you out of there! He looked behind him to see Amelia fading in the distance yelling profanity at him. he slowly turned his head back to the window. Looks like I'm going to be in trouble when I get home, ah well....

Amelia quickly rattled a bunch of swears at the top of her lungs, but Pyxis already was out of sight. F#@*! She reached inside her bag and pulled out a phone, she gritted her teeth thinking out loud. This is just fantastic...Just what i need when I wake up. "hello?" Her dads voice picked up on phone. Dad! Pyxis' friend just got picked up by animal control! And Pyxis is with him! "Oh...OH! I'll be right home." Amelia facepawed. Not here, they already left! You should hurry up and pick up Djinn before they do anything to him. "Okay, I'll hurry...Wait, you're not outside are you?" Amelia looked nervously around her, Oh, no I'm not...Okay I am...but that is when I noticed Djinn being abducted. "Okay, I want you to be inside for today, I don't want you to spread your cold." Amelia gave a big sigh, Alright, bye. before hanging up.

[caelei]

"eye...ingggg...guuhhh..." Venison's face burned red instantly. "eeeeeeehhhh"

Pavelle savagely fought back another psychotic giggle as Venison wigged-out. His crazy seemed to be catching. No, that wasn't right. It was even kinda mean of her to think it. She was just acting foolishly because of her currently emotionally unbalanced state. Taking a deep breath, she focused her attention on remaining in control, until she could hardly feel the laughter within her anymore. Now, to business. How to spare Venison from any more embarrassment? And why was he embarrassed in the first place? Was being a pet so bad? Or maybe it was just his reluctance to conform to human laws and rules, like Felix? Possibly a little of that mixed with not wanting to be anchored in an area for too long; probably something many strays felt. After all, staying in one place meant risking running out of supplies to live on and possibly even being caught by local animal control. So how should she answer without damaging him? If she said she liked his collar, would he react negatively? Or positively? It was hard to tell. She discreetly eyed the collar again, and, without her perception being screwed up by inappropriate silliness, she realized that Venison really didn't look bad with it on. Sure it was a little loose, but it seemed to go good with him as a whole. She tried to catch his eye and gave a reassuring smile. She hoped that was enough to keep him from freaking out, because, from past experience, obviously pushing him to talk or directly confronting him could cause further problems. Maybe she should hold her tongue and not comment. Hopefully silence on the issue would help him figure it out for himself, instead of her imposing a view on him that he may not want/need.

Hay! are you Ok?? Are you chocking or having a reaction, like Magnus did when he had the coffee?
Ah is there something going around?? your facial fur is taking on a reddish tone. venison! have you suddenly come down with a fever sickness??
Agghh it's a plague!!

Pavelle had nearly gotten herself completely stable again when this happened, and it sent her spiraling backwards. The corners of her mouth twitched upwards, eyes tearing up again as she fought the wave of giddiness. Ugh! What was wrong with her! All this because of the stupid episode with her father this morning? She swallowed hard and turned to Rav, saying, "I'm fine, I'm fine. Really. Just, uh... well. I guess I've had a stressful day. Nothing to worry about. No plague." She steadied herself with a deep breath.

"Oi, Beefcake. Whuy don' ye teach Magnus ahnd Ah haow teh tuy lahshings so tha' we know," he called to Venison. "ahnd so tha' this doesn't ge' aneh moor aoutta 'and."

Magnus' ears perked up at this, as he had been unsuccessfully trying to look away from Venison's glowing face, and he turned to O'Connor. "Lashings," he said promptly, nudging the nearby log with one foot.

Felix, during this time, had stared pointedly at Venison and his collar, actually hoping to provoke him. Maybe he could get Venison to get angry and try to fight. He was confident that he would win against the Coydog in an acutal physical fight, mostly because he figured that he, himself, had more experience and was more willing to fight dirty. Of course, he didn't know much about Venison, so maybe he'd be less advantaged in an altercation between them than he thought. Only one way to tell. Though, he couldn't just start a fight. Edie would get mad at him. The Coydog would have to be the one to start it. And he had a feeling that wouldn't happen. He cast a glare at Venison, and then at Edie, for good measure, though she wasn't paying any attention to him, like usual. He sighed and glowered, content to do so until they actually started working on the raft.

[Buckdida]

She discreetly eyed the collar again, and, without her perception being screwed up by inappropriate silliness, she realized that Venison really didn't look bad with it on. Sure it was a little loose, but it seemed to go good with him as a whole. She tried to catch his eye and gave a reassuring smile.

Venison's blush burned more red, if that was even possible. But at least it snapped him out of his daze. 'What was that...?' Luckily, Venison was far too distracted to notice the antics going on around him, even Felix's glare.

"Oi, Beefcake. Whuy don' ye teach Magnus ahnd Ah haow teh tuy lahshings so tha' we know," he called to Venison. "ahnd so tha' this doesn't ge' aneh moor aoutta 'and."

At this point, Venison would have dug a hole to find a good distraction. "OKAY, SO! LASHINGS! Okay, so, for a raft...we'll probably need a floor lashing as the main lashing, because, well, that allows you to make a surface out of a lot of sticks. First, we have to pile the wood on top of each other like a raft. Then, we'll start off with a clove hitch to secure the rope in place so we don't have it sliding around while we wrap the rope like so..." Venison took a small part of the rope and demonstrated the wrapping for the floor lashing. "...and then you tie it off with another clove hitch. For a raft, it's best that the lashing be done in the opposite direction on the same side for extra durability." Venison began untying the small demonstration, so the rope could be used for the actual raft. "For a raft, it's best if both sides are lashed up at the same time, so that we have an even surface. We don't need any tools, but we'll need more rope...and if we want the raft bigger, more wood. I think that we can fit...oh, say...9 average," Venison looked at Magnus, "sized pets with what we have now."

[Keeshah]

Pavelle had nearly gotten herself completely stable again when this happened, and it sent her spiraling backwards. The corners of her mouth twitched upwards, eyes tearing up again as she fought the wave of giddiness. Ugh! What was wrong with her! All this because of the stupid episode with her father this morning? She swallowed hard and turned to Rav, saying, "I'm fine, I'm fine. Really. Just, uh... well. I guess I've had a stressful day. Nothing to worry about. No plague." She steadied herself with a deep breath.

Rav hugs Pavelle in close to the big shepherd.
What is it that is causing you so much stress?? How can we pets help you relieve this stress??
Snuggling the coonette..
An you sure there is no plague? an we don't need to have magnus toss you an venison both into the river again to cure it?He giggles, while trying to tickle her sides..

[caelei]

Magnus nodded as Venison spoke, as though he actually understood a word the Coydog was saying. He did remember one part, though. The whole "pile the wood" part he was pretty sure he could help with. He reached down and grabbed the log off the ground, hoisting it into the air, and then brought it back over to the rest of the wood. "Pile it," he said, setting the wood carefully down. "What kind of pile?" He had no idea what a raft was supposed to look like. Felix just stepped back and watched Magnus in his ever-present confusion, having noticed that Venison was too busy being annoying helpful and embarrassed to start anything close to a fight right now.

What is it that is causing you so much stress?? How can we pets help you relieve this stress?? An you sure there is no plague? an we don't need to have magnus toss you an venison both into the river again to cure it?

Pavelle smiled a little as Rav hugged her, then started to squirm and twist in his grip as he tickled and snuggled her. She laughed from the tickles and at his giggles, trying to wiggle away before she went into hysterics again.

Her face grew a little more solemn as she answered his questions. She was feeling a little uncomfortable answering the first, especially. "What's causing it? Erm... well, I'll just call it 'family issues'," she said, trying her best to dodge the truth and still not lie. She had never liked giving away much about her family, especially her parents. "And there's hardly anything you guys can do to help, really. In a nutshell, it was just my father and I butting heads," she said lightly, giving a smaller, nervous laugh. "And I do not want to go in the water again," she finished, making herself sound mock-stern, though she continued to smile. The expression was a little strained, though, and she looked over at Magnus cautiously, to see if he had heard her mention Dad. He hadn't seemed too, carefully surverying the stock of wood as if he were scoping out the best way to arrange the logs.

Pavelle turned her head towards Venison, who looked as if he had calmed down a little. Good. "We need more rope?" she asked, wondering where they could get some. She had no money to spare to purchase some, and they had all of O'Connor's here. She was also hoping, by asking the question, to get the others to forget that she had said anything about her father. She hadn't ever mentioned her dad before, and she didn't want to start talking about him now.

[Keeshah]

Her face grew a little more solemn as she answered his questions. She was feeling a little uncomfortable answering the first, especially. "What's causing it? Erm... well, I'll just call it 'family issues'," she said, trying her best to dodge the truth and still not lie. She had never liked giving away much about her family, especially her parents. "And there's hardly anything you guys can do to help, really. In a nutshell, it was just my father and I butting heads," she said lightly, giving a smaller, nervous laugh. "And I do not want to go in the water again," she finished, making herself sound mock-stern, though she continued to smile.

Oh really now?teases Rav, as he picks her up an starts caring her towards the water, than sets her back down..
Just kidding.. but don't butt heads with your father, you'll only hurt your head. An you really don't ever want to be sent to the pet retraining center.
Rav trembles, an goes silent for a few awkward seconds.. a flash of a memory ( strapped in a chair, an IV in his arm, having the helmet put on him. ) then shakes the visions that come to mind out..
Ummm yea make friends with the humans, Obey your parents, we can't beat them.he stutters almost mechanically.
Rav shakes his head an then his body fur out..
So building a raft? where are we going on it?

[Teh Brawler]

"OKAY, SO! LASHINGS! Okay, so, for a raft...we'll probably need a floor lashing as the main lashing, because, well, that allows you to make a surface out of a lot of sticks. First, we have to pile the wood on top of each other like a raft. Then, we'll start off with a clove hitch to secure the rope in place so we don't have it sliding around while we wrap the rope like so......and then you tie it off with another clove hitch. For a raft, it's best that the lashing be done in the opposite direction on the same side for extra durability. For a raft, it's best if both sides are lashed up at the same time, so that we have an even surface. We don't need any tools, but we'll need more rope...and if we want the raft bigger, more wood. I think that we can fit...oh, say...9 average sized pets with what we have now."

O'Connor blanched inwardly at Venison's instructions. The Coydog was moving really fast, and wasn't explaining any of the jargon he used. However, rather than interrupt him for the sake of clarity, he decided to let Venison be the one to put the raft together, since he seemed to know what he was doing. "Ahruight, ye direct us, ahnd wei'll du the werk. Oi, Fehlix!" he called, "mack truck heilp an old mahn carreh sum sticks!"

[Djinn]

Djinn sat boredly in the back of the van, twiddling his thumbs and sighing heavily. "Hey, fat whatever driver man, is this gonna be long?" Gritting his teeth at the insults the officer answers sounding a little angry. "No, it's just about a 20 minute drive." Djinn nods and shrugs. "Oh, I see." After sitting back again he raises an eyebrow. "So what's a minute?" The drive continues on, the officer first trying to explain it as a length of time, but after being question of what the point is ends up turning into a philosophical and rather abstract discussion about the relation of time.

[caelei]

Oh really now?Just kidding.. but don't butt heads with your father, you'll only hurt your head. An you really don't ever want to be sent to the pet retraining center. Ummm yea make friends with the humans, Obey your parents, we can't beat them. So building a raft? where are we going on it?

Pavelle, having found herself so full of humor just a moment ago, suddenly looked at Rav with something close to worry as he released her. "You okay, Rav?" she asked, having heard that voice he had used. He had sounded like a robot, or like someone had given him lines to say. Like he was brain-washed. But of course that wasn't a real thing. At least, she had always believed it to be fictional. She considered for a second, then slowly answered his last question, wondering if he wanted the subject changed... "Uh. Actually, we haven't really planned anything. I've got reservations about using it, to be truthful. I don't want it sinking out from under us. Especially if we did take it further down the river, where the water gets a little deeper and wider." She paused, thinking. "Of course, if we build it well, we shouldn't have a problem, right?"

"Ahruight, ye direct us, ahnd wei'll du the werk. Oi, Fehlix!" he called, "mack truck heilp an old mahn carreh sum sticks!"

Felix looked up at his name being called, and didn't bother to stifle the frown he felt on his face. "Dragging me into this again, are you?" he asked, as if he were joking. In reality, he wasn't, but to practically anyone listening, he sounded like he was being false-grumpy. He stood, hunching his shoulders forward like he was dreading doing something, and then stalked over towards the group. "Okay, okay. What am I doing with these?" he asked O'Connor, then looked towards Venison. He didn't bother to keep some of the distaste he felt off his face, letting it flavor his expression as he bent down and grabbed one end of one log, lifting it up until the rough edge of it rested against his stomach. He waited for O'Connor to lift the other side.

Magnus just remianed where he was standing, waiting for orders. He didn't know how he was supposed to be arranging the logs; all in a row or what? Criss-crossed on top of each other? Or maybe into a big square?

[Dylan]

Pyxis held on the back of the van, thinking to himself, ...What now? He didn't really think past the jumping on the van part, but maybe after the van stops he might be able to do something. He nearly losing his balance once or twice with the van hit a bump, he thought about the possibly of using his collar so he would have a better grip than the small handle on the back of the trunk. With one paw he unfastened his collar and wrapped it around a windshield wiper. Heheh, much better.

[Buckdida]

"Okay, right. So lay one log flat, then lay another log parallel...right about here. Then we just lay all the others on top, parallel..." Venison looked at Magnus, "I mean you lay two of them apart from each other, then all the rest over the two on the ground all in a row. Then we tie them together like I showed."

[Djinn]

Finally the van pulls to a stop in front of the animal shelter and the officer gets up out of the van and throws his cigarette on the pavement stomping it out. Djinn sighs having finally seen Pyxis but not knowing how it will help at this point. He gives a confused look and waves before the driver starts to walk around to the back.

[Anthroguy101]

Henry finished setting everything up in the house. His Tesla Model S arrived in the driveway.

"What took you so long?" Henry asked, worried that his car might have been stolen.

"Filing error," she said. "This vehicle just wouldn't show up on our computers. It's still a rare car, but they managed to fix it."
"I see," said Henry.

Henry's vehicle is modified so that he can drive in it. The seat height has been raised and the control panel interface is different. However, he will have to apply for a license in the Richardson Valley Metro Area. Even though Henry still lives in the North, he will have a harder time getting a driver's license here. This is not Minnesota. Though Henry v. Georgia allowed him to drive with his Minnesota license in other states without a fine, there were no clarifications on whether other states could let him get a license.

"Well, thank you," said Henry, "but I've been trying to call and get answers for days. They should have notified me before, and I was starting to panic."

"Sorry," said the woman.

"Well, thanks anyways."

Henry went back in the house and picked up the phone. His girlfriend Ginger had been patiently waiting in her home back in Minnesota. Henry & Ginger knew each other for months now, and her owners had been trying to find a way so they could live together. At first they were against it, due to contrasting political views, but after some persuasion the Bachmann family decided to let her go because they cared more about her happiness.

[Teh Brawler]

"Okay, right. So lay one log flat, then lay another log parallel...right about here. Then we just lay all the others on top, parallel..." Venison looked at Magnus, "I mean you lay two of them apart from each other, then all the rest over the two on the ground all in a row. Then we tie them together like I showed."

O'Connor picked up the other side of the log Felix had grabbed, and the two carried it to where Venison had pointed. After that, O'Connor kicked the other one, rolling it into place so that the others could be placed on top. "Ruight there?" he asked Venison, making sure he had put them in the right place.

[Dylan]

Pyxis waves at Djinn, oblivious to the animal control officer, Don't Worry Djinn, I'll get you out of there in no time! He tried to open the back door, but again it was till locked. He shrugged, I'll find another way in then.

[Djinn]

Djinn shrugs and points to his ear at Pyxis shaking his head in the universal can't hear you symbol as the animal control officer starts fiddling with his keys nervously moving around to the back and seeing Pyxis. "Uh... what are you doing?"

~~~~~

Glory was being walked for the morning, leash being held by her mother who was walking at a casual leisurely pace. They were walking along the sidewalk when Glory spotted something, looks like a pitch white dog in that driveway. (BlueArmy, I'm referring to your character.) She henhouse her head a little curious before he goes back inside.

[Keeshah]

"Okay, right. So lay one log flat, then lay another log parallel...right about here. Then we just lay all the others on top, parallel..." Venison looked at Magnus, "I mean you lay two of them apart from each other, then all the rest over the two on the ground all in a row. Then we tie them together like I showed."

Rav looks around, at the supplies the pets have gathered.
Don't you think we are going to need a lot more logs an rope to do this?
were going to need an axe or saw to get more wood no?

[Dylan]

Pyxis goes wide eyed for a second, Oh I uh... He looked back at Djinn, which looked really similar to himself, and then back at the man. Suddenly a plan started to grow in his head. Don't I look familiar to you? saying with a grin.

[ArgentFlame]

'I'd better check the house first, in case he went back for that mouse.' Cier made his way back home and saw that Sean was indeed there, he was facing away from the door, it didn't look like he'd been there long. He walked up to his brother, "Sean, What are you doing here? You better not have done anything to that mouse." Sean held up his paws "Relax, I didn't even go in." Cier walked to the door. "I'm going to go in and check on them, stay here." He went inside. Cier listened down the hall to Del's room but didn't hear her sonic device. He goes down the hall, opens the door, and goes inside. The two mice seemed to be fine. Del looked up at him. "Hello Cier, back so soon?" "Just checking up on you two, everything OK?" "We're fine, my leg doesn't even hurt that badly anymore." Cier thought for a second. "Some of the pets are building a raft in the park, how about I take you guys to watch?" Del smiled "That would be great, sitting in the house with nothing to do is boring. how about you Dylan?"

[Dylan]

Dylan smiled, A raft? That sounds like fun, It's been a while since if done anything like that! Dylan slowly stood up, he stretched his arms and walked to the tables edge.Oh, before we go...I have to tell you I can't swim.

[ArgentFlame]

Cier reached down and gently picked up the two rodents. "I have to warn you, Sean is going to be with us. I won't let him near you though."

[Missingo]

Would you guys like me to get the Nintendo Wii downstairs, so you can play? It's a 5 minutes job. Or the guitar? Or I can get the other instruments from the basement, if you want. Or I can turn the TV on.

Rachel shook her head. "No, it's fine... you should probably sit back down." Then Matthew spoke up. "Actually, if you don't mind, I'll go grab some of the instruments and bring them up. You should just wait in here. And they're in the... basement, you said?" he asked, looking over his shoulder as he walked out of the room.

((Sorry it's been so long, I've been having some issues with my comp :< ))

[Djinn]

The animal control officer removed his hat and scratched his head. "Can't say you do, then again all cats look alike to me. If you'll excuse me I have to get in the back of the van. Could you please move?" He seems rather respectful and kind.

[Athlon2736]

{MOVED AREAS}

[caelei]

"Okay, right. So lay one log flat, then lay another log parallel...right about here. Then we just lay all the others on top, parallel..." Venison looked at Magnus, "I mean you lay two of them apart from each other, then all the rest over the two on the ground all in a row. Then we tie them together like I showed."

Magnus nodded his head, then set his face in concention. O'Connor had already set up the two base logs, so Magnus carried his over, setting it carefully on top. Then he grabbed another, and placed it snug next to the first, making sure the two were straight. Felix picked up the other side of another log, and waited for O'Connor to get the other, like last time.

Rav looks around, at the supplies the pets have gathered.
Don't you think we are going to need a lot more logs an rope to do this?
were going to need an axe or saw to get more wood no?

Magnus paused with his next log, looking back at Venison. He looked utterly confused. "Am I doing it wrong?" he asked, thinking that Rav was somehow objecting to the way he was laying out the logs, not about the quantity of the logs themselves. Felix, meanwhile, rolled his eyes.

"If we need more logs, there was a big dead tree in the forest. These," he said, gesturing to the wood he and Magnus had brought back, "are some of its branches. We didn't need a saw last time to get them, they're dry enough that when Magnus hit them with a big rock, it splintered the wood and made them easier to break off. There's still a bunch of that tree left, so we have no need to be cutting down any trees to get at wood." He said this last line forcefully, as if he actually cared about the fate of the trees. And, in this case, he really did care about them. He hated it when humans and their animals thought it was okay to just take whatever they wanted from the forest, just so that they could waste what they had taken and come back for more. He scowled.

Pavelle, meanwhile, just stood by. For one of the first times in her life, she was feeling a little useless. This raft-building business was kinda for the guys; she wasn't directing anything, like Venison, and she was far to weak to even think about helping with the logs. She supposed when they started tying them together, she would be able to do the knots, but until then, she had to wait and just watch the others work. And she didn't like just being a bystander. She looked on uncomfortably, fidgeting with her fingers, wishing she had something useful to do. Maybe if they did need more supplies, she could find more rope or possibly a saw or something similar. She sighed silently, trying not to look put-out. The others were helping; she should try to be less selfish, a little more courteous. Let them do what they wanted.

[Dylan]

Pyxis crossed his arms. I'm not going to let you get a way with this! after a short pause he pounced on the Animal control officer's chest with all his might! (str 7) sending him spiraling backwards to the floor. Pyxis then rushed for his keys, grabbing them, he moved quickly to unlock the back door to the van. He inserted the key and gave a quick twist and pull to open the van door. Hey Djinn! Smiling as he climbed in the van.

(remember he is collarless)

[Djinn]

Djinn looked up from the cage confused. "Hey Pyxis, what's going on?" He doesn't seem to understand fully what's going on, not that he did in the first place, but now he's especially confused,

[Dylan]

Pyxis put his hands on his hips proudly. I'm here to save you silly! He sort of stuck his tongue out at him. I couldn't leave my new friend at the mercy of Animal control... Again he twirled the keys in his hand, sort of showing off. Its like I'm a super hero! At the moment he heard the van door slam right behind him. "Got you!"

[Djinn]

Djinn looked behind Pyxis and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I'm new to this whole being saved thing but I'm pretty sure you're doing it wrong. Not to be unappreciative. I'm glad you're here, makes things easier." He sits up and stretches as much as he can. "Not sure what he's going to do next, his equipment is in here and you're not in a cage." The animal control officer then opened the back door (which was still unlocked) with a loop on a stcik he got from inside and got it around Pyxis. "That was one step too far cat!"

[Dylan]

Pyxis grabbed his neck, trying to keep himself from choking. Ah! not again! Pyxis twisted and turned trying to get loose, like a fish out of water. But this only started to make a worse as the rope tightened around his neck. Pyxis slowly stopped resisting after putting up with a good fight with the animal control officer, which seemed to have an easy time with it. Finally, he gave up and stood still.

[Buckdida]

"Hmm..." Venison looked at the supplies and shrugged. "Well, we really couldn't increase the size of the raft unless the base logs were longer. I might be able to make the base cover a larger area with a round lashing, but those don't turn out very even, and thus aren't suitable for a raft. They're more for towerlike structures...As for the rope...we don't have enough. We'll probably have to pick up the project tomorrow, when we get some more rope."

"Am I doing it wrong?"

"No, you're doing fine, big guy. Keep doing what you're doing...besides," he said, looking over his shoulder, "I'll need some time to teach Pavelle about the knots we need so she can help me out." He turned around so he could face her. "We have to do both sides at the same time so that the raft is level, and I work quickly, so you'll need to really know 'em... maybe I could teach them to you at your house sometime later? In the meantime..." Venison began talking to himself. "I'm honestly getting bored...Let's see...I think I was going to go to a library? Or a gym? Hmm...or I wonder if anyone's getting hurt or captured. That would make for something interesting." Venison laughed manically at his bad joke, getting stares from the others. "What? From my experience, that seems to happen a lot around here..." He shrugged, then scratched at his neck, not yet used to having a collar. "Oh well, moving on."