As the Raccoon cut the tree, Felix watched from a safe spot where he wouldn't get cut. All the way up until the bark was stuck. "I'll get it," he said, grabbing the bark and pretty easily tugging it off the tree. "You'll get stronger after you've been in the forest a while. Pets don't tend to do much heavy lifting, but, out here you'll start and get more used to it."
Pavelle smiled as Felix handed her the bark back, watching carefully as he cut his and punctured holes and folded and used the bark strips to tie it all tightly together.
"If you think pets are weak, you should see my brother," she said fondly, fumbling to copy his directions, trying to successfully use the unfamiliar knife without accidentally chopping off a finger or wrecking her own bark T.
"Well, my adopted brother. Magnus. Not my brother Felix. Mag, though. He's a Great Dane. He's the strongest pet I ever met. Probably the strongest I'll ever meet." And that's why it was okay to leave him behind. She bit her lip and looked down, hurrying to make her bucket, taking a deep breath.
Don't look weak. Don't look like you're completely helpless, like you can't handle yourself. You're here to learn, Felix offered to teach you, so don't sit and mope. Moping won't get you anything.
She was just about finishing her own bucket when Felix said,
"Now, these won't hold water in them, for that, we need a different shape. I have some back at my den to show you, we'll have to go there to get some food for our wolf friend. Anyway, go ahead and finish your bucket."
Pavelle painstakingly tied the last couple of strips into place, threading them through the holes she'd jabbed into the bark and pulling everything tight. Trying to remember the knot Felix had used. After a moment, she thought she'd gotten it right. Pavelle wasn't one much for the physical side of things. But give her a puzzle or problem, or something she needed to figure out and she was game. That was the way she'd always been, as long as she could remember.
"Okay. I think I've got this tied right," she said, offering it to Felix to inspect, in case she had happened to skip a step, or had screwed something up without knowing.
"Let's try to get to your den and back out really quick. That wolf probably still needs our help. And... and after that, I should probably get back to that dirt circle. My brother..." She hesitated, then finally said, somewhat wryly,
"Well, he won't be happy with me for wandering off."
Meanwhile...
The shepherd nodded, keeping his eyes level with the other dog's.
"If you can fix me up, we can talk. I don't like debts hovering over my head anyways..."
He twitched his ears and shifted his gaze for a second.
Grif returned the eye contact, patiently keeping his own gaze level (though not hostile) until the GSD shifted his eyes. He smiled, and said, clapping his paws together as emphasis,
"Well! Glad to hear it. One of our healers will have you patched up in no time."
As a steady escalation was occurring. { One bumps the other with the handle of his shovel. the other responds by tossing a shovel of dirt on the first. Who in turn, tosses a shovel of dirt into the face of the second. they throw down there shovels. starting a pushing and shoving match. }
Please forgive the intrusion, but ..
{ before Swiftpaw can finish, it escalates into an all out dog fight, that can now be heard all across the camp!}
Swiftpaw just points now. That. That is NOT going to end well for them. not at all. she knows.
Grif glanced over at the tussling pair, eyes going cold and hard. Other members of the camp noticed the fight, and some were standing nervously nearby, halted completely by the distraction, their work interrupted. Grif lifted his upper lip to show rather uncommonly large canines, barking an order out, his voice distinct and ringing through the still, waiting camp.
"Rachav, Gordon, Kelley." Three animals --a tall, willowy female Doberman; a smaller, long-haired male tabby cat missing one ear; and a HUGE male mutt just rippling with muscle-- stepped forward. Grif jerked his head towards the squabblers, saying in a low voice,
"Detain them. And don't let yourselves get drawn into it. I don't want any unnecessary injuries." The three nodded, and with cool eyes began loping out towards the fight, carefully drawing nearer to the two dogs, watchful of their claws, teeth, and the shovels that could easily become weapons.
Grif watched for a moment, his gaze intense and icy with rage that these two idiot dogs would jeopardize the entire camp with their petty scrap, then turned and focused on the female coyote beside him.
"Swiftpaw, take our guest to one of the healing tents. Perhaps Isma's? She aught to be able to treat him quickly enough." There was some colorful snarling in the background as the fighting dogs were wrestled and forced apart and pushed away from each other, further into the trees. Grif's ears were pointed in that direction, twitching with attention. Even so, he turned towards GSD North and said, gruff voice lowered back to polite conversation tones,
"You'll have to excuse me. I've got a couple of... delinquents to deal with." Since it was obvious that the two fighting dogs were younger in age, probably hot-headed teenagers who haven't yet learned to control themselves.
"If you'd go with Swiftpaw, I can meet back with you two in a couple minutes to discuss your return favor." And without a moment of hesitation, Grif turned on his heel and strode purposefully after the group of five into the woods.
The snarling abruptly cut off. There was the sound of low voices, and Grif's voice, louder and sharper than the others, saying,
"Alright. Both of you know the rules. If you want to settle something with someone, you wait until after you've finished your work for the day, and you do it outside of camp, where you won't disturb anyone else. If you wish to continue your physical altercation right now, do so out here. Rachav will stay with you to observe, and she will relay me the results." There was a quiet answer, and then Grif's voice once again.
"Once you've worked out your differences, report back to me directly. I'll have your new assignments and additional work prepared, and you'll need to finish digging the latrines. If you wish to have any injuries healed, you'll have to exchange favors with one of the healers; I won't be any part of that. If you can't settle this, Rachav will escort you from camp. If you choose to leave, don't come back. As a word of warning, I'd stay far away. We will not treat you like our own if we come across you in the future. Now, if we are finished here..." A moment of silence.
"Then I'll have another discussion with you later. Meet me at dusk in the usual place, I'll be waiting to detail your punishment." His voice, directed at someone else,
"Release them, and take their shovels back to camp. They won't be allowed to use them in the fight."
As Grif's voice died out, most of the rest of the camp members returned back to their activities, almost as if nothing had happened. A few spared a worried glance towards the treeline, perhaps thinking of one of the two quarreling dogs whom they have formed associations with, but eventually they all went back to work.
((Huge posts every time, jeez.))