Pet Friendly: Yorkshire Fields

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 2:55 pm

"Come on, foxie: what made you so gloomy and apathic all of a sudden? Do you miss my big bro so much?" Artemis winked at Aethon

Rendak · Post by **Rendak** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 3:04 pm

Aethon looked at Artemis and then giggled, lying on the grass and sighing ''Hehehe, thanks x3 Anyways, naw, that's no reason to get gloomy''

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 3:22 pm

"Then what's the matter?! You company's getting exciting like a pet rock's!"

The Broken Fox · Post by **The Broken Fox** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 3:24 pm

Coatl_Ruu wrote:"I'll be right there." Phi turned from window, dodged a few boxes, avoided tripping over a few more, and followed Dusk out the door. "Want me to carry any of that for you?"

"Just your pole, I'm fine for the rest!" Dusk said and gave a pole to Phi. Locking up the door, he lead the cat back the way they came a few minutes ago. The elevator ride and the walk to the pond was uneventful and quiet, but Dusk's cheerful humming could be heard. The snowshoe had a spring in his step all the way, and his tail was swaying lazily.
Soon, they arrived at the park, and Dusk spotted Artemis and Aethon in the distance. He waved and picked up the pace a little. "Hey, we're here!" he called out as he and Phi approached them. "Did we miss anything?"

((mini-control of Phi for following with Coatl_Ruu's permission))

Rendak · Post by **Rendak** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 3:34 pm

''Oh just don't ask! I also need to learn how to fish''

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 3:50 pm

Artemis sighed and laid down.
Some 'eventful day' this was becoming! She hoped Apollo would choose a more lively guy!

Rendak · Post by **Rendak** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 4:03 pm

Aethon jumped up and then suddenly dashed and jump into the pond, the floated on his back ''Well that was fun!''

Coatl_Ruu · Post by **Coatl_Ruu** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 4:06 pm

On the way back, Phi's smile had only broadened. This day was turning out better than he could have hoped. But there was something nagging at the back of his mind. There were two fishing poles, both equally old and worn from what was probably at least a few years of use. But from what Dusk had said about Jane, it didn't seem like she was the kind of woman to go fishing with her cat. And then there were the two faces carved into the handle... But Aethon's statement had sent him on to a new train of thought. He looked uncomfortably at the pole in his hands. "Come to think of it... I don't think I've been fishing before either."

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 4:07 pm

Artemis *squawked* as Aethon acted like he had suddenly gone into a sugar rush.
"What got into you?!" She asked in a sharp tone.

The Broken Fox · Post by **The Broken Fox** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 4:29 pm

"Oh-kaaaay..." Dusk watched wide eyed as Aethon just up and jumped into the pond.

After a moment, he turned to Phi. "So the fishing lesson is just for you then!" He started showing him how to handle the pole, how to use the reel and how to avoid tangling the line. "Watch out for the hook, it's very painful and hard to remove if it stabs your paw!" Dusk warned.
Then he took out a piece of bread from the backpack. "Bait!" he said. "It's cheep so it's the only thing I have on hand, but if you feel like catching a worm or an insect in the grass, those work too." He tore off a little piece and whetted it in the pond, then formed it into a little ball on the hook. "And now for the last part..." he said, holding the pole with both paws, and with a practiced move he flung the hook far into the pond. "Like that, see? Easy! Your turn, Phi."

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 5:03 pm

Artemis stood where she was, just watching at the two pets fumbling with their stuff.
She decided she'd let them have their fun...before teaching 'em a thing or two about REAL fishing!

Rendak · Post by **Rendak** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 5:21 pm

Aethon kicked closer to Phi and Dusk, listening to his explanation of fishing

Coatl_Ruu · Post by **Coatl_Ruu** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 7:58 pm

Phi carefully watched Dusk's demonstration, before picking up his own pole and putting a piece of bread on the hook. "Alright. Try not skewer myself... shouldn't be too hard." He held up the pole as Dusk had and gave it an experimental swing. The hook swung back and whizzed past his head. Phi cringed, and flashed Dusk a weak, almost apologetic smile. "Ah-heh. Practice cast." But after a few more attempts, he managed to cast the line out a good distance into the pond. "Hey! I did it." A wide grin spread across his face. "How was that?"

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 4:26 am

Artemis decided she had enough of that. After all, she still was a stranger and needed to stay close to the only persons she knew better.
She took off and went to where she had left her brother. Knowing him, the lug was probably still sweet-talking that poor cat into a lifelasting friendship -yes, that was her big bro!

The Broken Fox · Post by **The Broken Fox** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 4:28 am

Coatl_Ruu wrote:Phi carefully watched Dusk's demonstration, before picking up his own pole and putting a piece of bread on the hook. "Alright. Try not skewer myself... shouldn't be too hard." He held up the pole as Dusk had and gave it an experimental swing. The hook swung back and whizzed past his head. Phi cringed, and flashed Dusk a weak, almost apologetic smile. "Ah-heh. Practice cast." But after a few more attempts, he managed to cast the line out a good distance into the pond. "Hey! I did it." A wide grin spread across his face. "How was that?"

Dusk winced as Phi almost put the hook through his own ear but then he managed to cast his line. "Well done, my young padavan!" He patted Phi's shoulder. "That wasn't half bad! I'll turn you into an expert fisher yet. There's one more thing though, reeling in your fish. We'll cover that when something bites! For now... we wait." Dusk stabbed the end of his pole into the soft ground and sat down in the grass. He grabbed a few cans form his backpack. "Sugar-free, light soda?"

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 4:43 am

This time, Artemis landed far enough, she hoped, to avoid making that cat too nervous, and close enough to make herself heard. "Hey, 'Pollo! How you doing with your new friend?"
The black canine turned and raised his arm to greet her. "Temis! Oh, no, we're just...acquaintainces, for now." he turned back to the cat and, pointing at the buzzard he said, "Change, that his my sister Artemis. Wanna know her? She's good!"

Hypergenesis · Post by **Hypergenesis** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 5:41 am

ctcmjh wrote:Yukiko kept laughing along the ride as Crayon placed his arm around her. She reacted to him holding her tight by scooting closer to him, and continuing to cling to him. Her eyes widened a bit, "The l-loops?" She asked with a slightly fearful voice as the carts rode up the loop and down again, and again.

"Just these.... places where the track goes in... full circles." said Crayon in his struggle against the forces exerted while passing through the loops. "Whew, finally done with that. Are you okay Yukiko?", he quickly asked as soon as they passed through the last loop, lifting his hand back to himself while ignoring the curve they were going up to, appearing that he was more concerned on his companion the the ride itself.

Aquablast wrote:After screaming for a while, Bullet got tired and began to pant instead. "Ha... Ha... ... Uhh..." Tired of all the gripping, he simply hanged his hands in the air and decided not to fight it anymore. His whole body loosed up like a jellyfish.

"That's better, just relax and enjoy the cool breeze.". Cesium was almost just as relaxed as Bullet, though maintaining his good sitting posture while swinging his feet like a child playing on the river banks. "It's such a pretty view up here, don't you agree?" he asked while he stared out to the park.

Coatl_Ruu · Post by **Coatl_Ruu** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 10:37 am

The Broken Fox wrote:Dusk winced as Phi almost put the hook through his own ear but then he managed to cast his line. "Well done, my young padavan!" He patted Phi's shoulder. "That wasn't half bad! I'll turn you into an expert fisher yet. There's one more thing though, reeling in your fish. We'll cover that when something bites! For now... we wait." Dusk stabbed the end of his pole into the soft ground and sat down in the grass. He grabbed a few cans form his backpack. "Sugar-free, light soda?"

"Thanks! Don't mind if I do." Phi accepted one of the cans and cracked it open. He leaned back on the grass next to the pond, laid his pole across his lap, and surveyed the area around him. After a moment of simply staring up at the sky, his eyes fell on the cat, dog, and bird trio standing not too far away. "Looks like the cat over there finally calmed down."

The Broken Fox · Post by **The Broken Fox** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 11:23 am

Dusk sipped his own soda, then turned to look at the group under the tree. "Yeah, it's a good thing they managed to talk him out of the tree." He paused for a moment. "I wonder why he was so jumpy... Scaring someone accidentally is one thing, but he seemed really freaked out for a moment. What do you think, Phi?"

Absol · Post by **Absol** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 2:45 pm

valerio wrote:Apollo felt his heart soar. Just like Dina! This little guy reminded him of her, so wary, so scared, yet so willing to try out one last more time...
The dog nodded. "Good! Acquaintance be it, then. I'll do only my best to meet your expectations, Change... Speaking of which, care to join us for dinner? We live at the end of Sycamore, right there." He pointed toward the mentioned point. "Or I will just leave you to enjoy your book, if you prefer... Anyway," He took a business card out of his collar and handed it to the cat.
The card depicted Apollo, dressed in his 'Anubis' costume, holding an ostrich feather with which he had just written his address, e-mail and telephone numbers. "My cell and my sister's are there as well. Don't hesitate to call anytime, I'll come right away. Kay?"

valerio wrote:This time, Artemis landed far enough, she hoped, to avoid making that cat too nervous, and close enough to make herself heard. "Hey, 'Pollo! How you doing with your new friend?"
The black canine turned and raised his arm to greet her. "Temis! Oh, no, we're just...acquaintainces, for now." he turned back to the cat and, pointing at the buzzard he said, "Change, that his my sister Artemis. Wanna know her? She's good!"

Change took the card without a word, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the image on the card but not saying anything. He had just made this acquaintance; saying even the slightest word wrong could, and would, end this quasi-relationship that had started to develop. He wasn't completely stupid about connections, he thought as much anyway, so staying silent was always the best thing to do when you can't say anything beyond a question.

He slid the slip of paper into his collar, like any pet would, while the black dog was inviting him over for dinner; something that was pushing things a little too fast for the mixed breed's tastes. He would have said as much, had the dog's sister not shown up then and there. Now, even though he had calmed down considerably from the panic attack he'd had before, Change was still a cat; and meeting a bird that was as big as this was a... sobering experience for one that had eaten his fair share of smaller avians in his past.

His tail was already as tight as he could get it; so there wasn't anymore comfort to be drawn from it. So now that he was in a growing group, he was starting to get scared again. He could handle it, for now anyway, but he wasn't sure for how long. "Hi." He said, quietly, to the bird.

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 3:02 pm

Apollo sighed and facepawlmed. In a way, it was better that Change had seen Artemis now, rather than thinking he had been lured into a trap... But still...
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you could react like that. Okay, I understand if you still want to keep the distances. Just promise me you'll give a thought about what I said, kay? And don't worry about Artemis. If you want, I'll ask her to--"
"Don't worry!" She interrupted him. "I got it, I'll go explore some more of this place. See ya for dinner, lug!" And then she took of in a flurry of wings.
Apollo sighed again.

Rendak · Post by **Rendak** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 3:21 pm

Aethon climbed out of the water and shook himself dry, then flattened out his fur, then he sat down and watched Dusk and Phi as they fished

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 3:33 pm

Artemis was even more convinced that this place must be a punishment for something really, really bad she had done in a previous life! She needed a place with some life, NOW, or she would explode!!
Then, as if her prayers had just found someone listening, she saw it.
Not too much far away, but even at this distance, it was a beam of hope in this sad 'city'.
A zoo.
Time to see if she could know some REALLY interesting people!

Absol · Post by **Absol** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 4:10 pm

valerio wrote:Apollo sighed and facepawlmed. In a way, it was better that Change had seen Artemis now, rather than thinking he had been lured into a trap... But still...
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you could react like that. Okay, I understand if you still want to keep the distances. Just promise me you'll give a thought about what I said, kay? And don't worry about Artemis. If you want, I'll ask her to--"
"Don't worry!" She interrupted him. "I got it, I'll go explore some more of this place. See ya for dinner, lug!" And then she took of in a flurry of wings.
Apollo sighed again.

Change just looked on; he was so confused at what was happening.

He had tried to be nice to the bird and it had backfired spectacularly; or, he thought it did at least. It was always hard to tell what someone's emotions were for him; and that was something that the numerous books he'd read just couldn't cover. He sighed, shaking his head; he just didn't understand people, or pets for that matter. Saying one thing, meaning another; implying things with the way they stood or spoke; even telling everything they had to say with a single look, it was all so confusing for him.

The cat looked back to the dog. "Don't expect me over tonight." He simply told him after his sister had left. "My dad wants me home for dinner; and it doesn't really make sense to visit someone I just met." And then he finally couldn't take it anymore; he pulled the card back out. "And what is this place anyway?"

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 4:16 pm

"Ah," Apollo scratched at the back of his head. "Well, we're new to the city, so we don't...know it? And, just to make it clear, you didn't offend her: I was about to ask her to leave because she was clearly making you really nervous again, and she got the message. That's all." He shrugged. "So, I guess you want to be left alone with your book, now, right?"

Coatl_Ruu · Post by **Coatl_Ruu** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 4:21 pm

The Broken Fox wrote:Dusk sipped his own soda, then turned to look at the group under the tree. "Yeah, it's a good thing they managed to talk him out of the tree." He paused for a moment. "I wonder why he was so jumpy... Scaring someone accidentally is one thing, but he seemed really freaked out for a moment. What do you think, Phi?"

Phi pondered that question for a moment, looking out over the pond. "I noticed the same thing. It kind of went beyond just being surprised. He looked like he expected everyone to punch him in the face or something if he made one wrong move." Phi sighed, and looked over at Dusk with a vaguely troubled frown. "No one acts like that unless they've been given a reason to. Maybe he was abused, or..." Phi shook his head and looked back out into the distance.

The Broken Fox · Post by **The Broken Fox** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 4:30 pm

"Maybe he was..." Dusk started, but his pole suddenly jerked. "Look out Phi! We have a catch! Now to reel it in..." The snowshoe grabbed the pole and started angling it as he turned the reel. The line tightened and the pole bent and creaked a little, but soon he had a fish in his paws. It wasn't too big, but Dusk held it proudly. "And that's how you do it! Look at that Artem--" He turned his head and looked around. "Where did she go?!"

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 5:08 pm

No! Bad idea!
Artemis remembered how that pretty cat had reacted to her presence. 'Feral!' he had shouted.
The zookeepers would've put her into a cage before she could even say 'panini'. No, no way to start her new life in the 'big city'. Hah!
Now, where to go to?
In her wandering, the buzzard had flown toward the forest. She hadn't noticed it until a voice came from a nearby tree.
"Hel-lo, pretty raptor lady!"

Coatl_Ruu · Post by **Coatl_Ruu** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 9:43 pm

Phi grinned when he saw the other cat finally reel the fish in out of the water. "Ah-hah! Well done, Master Dusk." He clasped his paws in front of him and did a little mock bow from his seated position. "And if by Artemis you mean featherbutt, I'm not sure where she flew off to." Phi searched the sky around him for a bit, but soon gave up on that. Besides, there was something else nagging at the back of his mind. Something he had meant to ask. But what was it? While he thought, Phi began to absently trace with one claw the grooves in the battered handle of the fishing pole. Then he blinked and looked down. Oh. Right. How did I forget about that? He held up the pole to Dusk and indicated the pair of faces carved into it. "Hey, Dusk? If you don't mind me asking, what's this?"

ctcmjh · Post by **ctcmjh** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 10:39 pm

Hypergenesis wrote:"Just these.... places where the track goes in... full circles." said Crayon in his struggle against the forces exerted while passing through the loops. "Whew, finally done with that. Are you okay Yukiko?", he quickly asked as soon as they passed through the last loop, lifting his hand back to himself while ignoring the curve they were going up to, appearing that he was more concerned on his companion than the ride itself.

Yukiko nodded, still clinging to Crayon, "Y-yes, Crayon-kun. I'm alright." She said, sounding both excited and scared. She usually reacted this way to rides like this. She smiled at him, "I am just a little shaken up because of the ride."

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 3:49 am

The voice belonged...to a raven.
A male, certainly not a striking one. Ink-black, small, black eyes... But, still, that was the closest thing to kin he could talk to. At last!
Artemis landed on the same branch the Raven was perching on. "Hello to you, Raven. Do you have a name?"
"I have one, milady," said the black bird. "Hugin is my name. Charmed."
The buzzard frowned. "Hugin...one of Odin's ravens, right?"
This seemed to fill the smaller bird with pride. "Actually, yes! It's good to see that culture has blessed such a fine lady!" He then examined her closely. "Hmm, never seen the such of you, before, herearound. You migrated?"
"You could say so." This time, she didn't give out she was a pet. She didn't want to put a wall between here and the first interesting guy of this place! Kitties were fine, but for now she really needed someone...closer to her. "Oh, and I'm alone, so..." she looked around. "Nice place to make a nest, eh?"

The Broken Fox · Post by **The Broken Fox** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 3:52 am

Coatl_Ruu wrote:Phi grinned when he saw the other cat finally reel the fish in out of the water. "Ah-hah! Well done, Master Dusk." He clasped his paws in front of him and did a little mock bow from his seated position. "And if by Artemis you mean featherbutt, I'm not sure where she flew off to." Phi searched the sky around him for a bit, but soon gave up on that. Besides, there was something else nagging at the back of his mind. Something he had meant to ask. But what was it? While he thought, Phi began to absently trace with one claw the grooves in the battered handle of the fishing pole. Then he blinked and looked down. Oh. Right. How did I forget about that? He held up the pole to Dusk and indicated the pair of faces carved into it. "Hey, Dusk? If you don't mind me asking, what's this?"

Dusk's paw tightened and the fish slipped form it as Phi asked the question. He didn't even try to catch it in the air, he just let the fish fall to the ground with a dull thud. Only his eyes moves as he looked down at the pole Phi was holding up.
After a few long seconds the snowshoe sighed. He considered trying to weasel his way out of answering, or just simply refusing, but somehow he didn't have the strength to do so. He just sat down close to Phi and help up his own pole next to maine coon's. For some inexplicable reason, he felt he could talk to this cat about him... After all, Phi answered his question earlier, now he deserved an answer from Dusk in return.
"That's me." he pointed at the cat's face on Phi's pole. "And that's... an old friend." he showed the carving of a dog on his own. "These were our poles, we spent a lot of time fishing together." Dusk's paw went to his tag on it's own again. "As I told you, all of my brothers and sisters were adopted months before me and I was left with the company of a litter of labrador puppies at the pet store. Dawn was one of them. He and I grew up together, and we became the best of friends, that's why we were named together. Dusk and Dawn." A single tear ran down Dusk's muzzle. "But he's gone now..."

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 4:22 am

Hugin just shrugged. "Oh, if you like to lose it fast as you build it, yes, I guess this is a good place then."
Artemis cocked her head. Despite having put on a random question, just to talk, the bitterness in the raven's voice puzzled her. "What do you mean?"
"Heh, you just moved, right? Here, let me show you something." And he took off. Artemis folowed him.

Aquablast · Post by **Aquablast** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 8:30 am

Hypergenesis wrote:"That's better, just relax and enjoy the cool breeze.". Cesium was almost just as relaxed as Bullet, though maintaining his good sitting posture while swinging his feet like a child playing on the river banks. "It's such a pretty view up here, don't you agree?" he asked while he stared out to the park.

"Um, I guess so..." Bullet said as he looked down, he felt weird to be so calm right after his fuss. "I still prefer a slower ride though!" He narrowed his eyes, as he was unable to see the view clearly, due to the speed of the rotation.

Soon, the rotation began to slow down. The seats were lowered and the exit gate was opened. Bullet unfastened his safety strap and hopped down. "Uhh... What a ride... Are we going back to Maple and Genesis now, Cesium?"

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 8:48 am

"There you go, see for yourself."
Artemis saw. And her first thought was so what?.
She came from Las Vegas, it was perfectly normal to see construction sites...although she had never seen a forest being destroyed. Vegas rose in a desert, here... Well, she had to agree with Hugin: this was like plundering. She tried to imagine how many ferals were being driven away by this relentless activity... Poor Apollo, who'd give out his meals to the strays, he'd cry his heart out if he saw this...this eco-meltdown. Buildings, sawmills, paved roads...
Yes, Yorkshire Fields was a young, dynamic place walking on the road of progress, but at what price?
"I see you understand, now, stranger," Hugin said, before turning away from that scenery. "The humans try to make up by adopting some of the ferals driven in the city by the disappearance of their houses."
"The rehabs," she muttered, hoping the raven hadn't heard her.
"The rehabs, they're called. But what can an animal do, when his old life is sweeped away so easily overnight? So, I hope you don't have long-term plans, milady. Already the game's scarce, everyone's living. Soon this place will become a green desert."

Coatl_Ruu · Post by **Coatl_Ruu** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 9:05 am

As Dusk finished his explanation, Phi could feel his ears begin to droop. Everything was starting to make sense now: Dusk's aversion to talking about his name, the look on his face when he said he'd had no family ("just friends"), and now the inscriptions on the poles.

Phi wanted to say something meaningful. He wanted to say something that would simultaneously comfort his friend and express his sympathy. But he couldn't think of anything that wouldn't just fall flat, or worse. So he settled with something else. Phi attempted to discreetly wipe his eyes, then rested a paw on Dusk's shoulder. "I..." He faltered. "I'm... I'm sorry."

The Broken Fox · Post by **The Broken Fox** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 9:27 am

"It's okay Phi." Dusk said as he sniffled. "I'm alright. I just miss him..." He wiped his own eyes and smiled. He has seen Phi trying to hide doing so himself. "Besides, I don't want to make you feel sad because of me. This is actually the first time I've been fishing with anyone in a long time, let's not ruin the mood with sob stories!" He placed his paw on top of Phi's on his shoulder. "But... thanks. It felt good to tell someone!"

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 9:44 am

"And why are you still here?" Artemis landed on a branch. "You don't like it, go away, right?"
Hugin landed beside her. "Maybe I'll do just that. For now, I keep plucking at the humans' rich garbage. Your can or mine?" he asked mischievously.
Artemis grimaced. "The park's pond will do. I can fish, I will serve you a good meal. Tonight..." she added in a seductive whisper.
"Hmm, birds of a feather, eh? It's a deal. Tonight, here."
Artemis nodded and took off. At last, something good was coming out of this change of life...

Coatl_Ruu · Post by **Coatl_Ruu** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 10:53 am

Phi let out a sigh of relief, and small smile spread across his face. The last couple of tears trickled down his cheek, but he didn't bother trying to wipe them away. "Glad I could help. I'm sure Dawn was a great guy. I just wish I could have met him." Phi took a deep breath. "And Dusk... the fact that you're willing to tell me all this... well, it means a lot to me." With that said, he looked down at the ground between them and bent down to pick up Dusk's still-flopping fish by the tail. "Anyway, I think you dropped this," he said with a grin.

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 11:07 am

At that moment, a fish dropped like a small bomb between the two felines!
"If your idea was to wait that they die of bore while waiting for you, I think you should rethink," said Artemis, before diving for the lake again...and coming with another fish in no time! This too, she deposited at the feet of the cats. "Anything more? I could go on like this sunset."