Cooling Off [Open]

[.swift]

BAYLIN
Wanna be the one you run to when you need a shoulder
I ain't a soldier but I'm here to take a stand

The crunch of leaves already sounded from under his paws. The land was drying up, and even in midsummer the leaves were drying and falling from their trees. Baylin sighed, even here the drought was present. Not to the extremes as some places, but it was here. The sky was cloudless, and the land hot. Even here.

Sweat clung to the large's male thick double-coat. While it was certainly useful in the winter, the earthen wolf often cursed it in the warmer seasons. It never shed out enough to make him comfortably cool, and with a drought, he was panting. Baylin flopped down in a small patch of shade to rest for a moment. Golden eyes gazed about him, noting the lack of prey. This place was normally crawling with deer. With five different deer herds inhabiting this place, one never had to look very hard to find one or two, or four or five. But today the male saw nothing and sensed nothing. Have the herds moved onto different lands? Surely not, the drought is even worse elsewhere. Perhaps they are only moving about when the sun is low and the land is cooler? He pondered as he stood back up. Resting was certainly nice, but he needed a drink.

It was a short walk to the river. At the bank, the large male paused, lowered his head, and lapped up the cool water. One thing that one could always rely on about this place was that the water was always crisp, cold and soothing. For Baylin, that was the best part about this place. Not the abundance of deer, but the water. It was always just the thing to sooth a dry throat and help cool down a hot wolf. All just from from just a few laps. What would it be like if he, say, decided to take a little swim?

The idea came to mind, and Baylin grinned. Yes, a swim. A swim sounded nice. A hot day like this, that might just be the thing. The more he thought about it, the better he liked it.

This area of the river was a little deeper too, deep enough for even a large wolf like him to take a dip. Putting one paw forward, he placed it into the water. Just the bit of water running over his paw was nice. Growing excited, the male yipped and didn't bother to ease in. He charged. White toes sent up a spray of water with each step, until he could not touch the bottom anymore. To any passers by, he would appear to be acting childish, but he didn't care. What's life if you can't have a little fun every now and again?

Powerful legs kicked at the water as he swam in circles in the water. The crisp liquid flowed through his thick fur and down to his skin. It was great! Just the thing he needed to cool himself off. If his stamina would allow, he could swim for hours. But alas, he was built for power, not endurance, and after a few minutes he ran out of steam. Crawling onto the bank, Baylin gave his dripping fur a good shake before he flopped down at the water's edge.

WORDS! 543
TAGS! --
NOTES! --
Because We Can lyrics © Bon Jovi

[slimestone]

Doherty strolled along the banks of the river, looking for a place shallow enough to cross. The forest floor was dappled with sunlight, and thick and soft under his paws. It was a relief to walk below the shadows of the trees after being out in the open of the plains, but the Five-Deer Forest had not escaped the searing heat reaching over the land. Even here, the trees were starting to whither and the leaves cracked under his weight. The river was shallower and slower. The deer were few in number, even though evidence of deer trails decades old were to be found. The grip of the drought was immense, suffocating. The land was beginning to crumble.
````But not Doherty. Although he, too, felt the effects of the heat, his short fur, a problem in winter, was an asset in the summer, especially when it was hot like this. It was easier for him to cool down than other wolves, and this gave him more energy and more comfort to get through each day. A smaller wolf than most, he also needed less food to sustain his energy needs. Too bad it would not be like this all year.
````A group of flat stones showed their faces above the water, and Doherty stopped to inspect them. This part of the river was not very wide, and the stones were fairly close together. He peered closer at the first one to check if it was dry, and reached out a paw to touch it. It felt slimy, but only just - it was already starting to crust up in the heat. Doherty clambered his way up onto the first stepping stone, then readied himself for the small jump to the next one. Cautiously, he crouched down, eyes fixed on the next stone. He jumped, landing unsteadily on the next stone. That wasn't so bad, he thought. Two more to go. Readying himself for the next jump, he leaped forward, but he slipped as he landed and almost fell in. Pulling himself up onto the rock, he shook out his tail and hind end, before quickly making his way over the last rock and onto land.
````Back on familiar ground, Doherty's heart raced and breath came out short, adrenaline rushing through his body from his small slip-up. Taking a moment to compose himself, Doherty calmed down enough to remember what he was hear to Doherty. Giving a small bark, he rejoiced at his victory and accomplishment. He continued on his way down the river, pausing every now and then due to his twitch, and to inspect any interesting smells and sounds.
````He was not, however, immune to the heat, and soon Doherty felt tired. He found a small tree (or was it a large bush?) and found a spot underneath it to sleep. It smelled heavily of the rotting undergrowth, but it didn't bother Doherty too much and soon he was sound asleep. However, his sleep did not last too long before he was woken up by a loud sound. Doherty's head shot up and his ears swivelled towards the river. He saw a large wolf wading through the water, or was he - swimming? Doherty blinked twice, before standing up to get a closer look. Although he was nervous, he walked out from under the tree-bush to satiate his new-found curiousity. As the wolf climbed out of the water, Doherty saw he was big, larger than he was. Doherty's ears shot back for a second in fear before his curiousity got the better of him and he walked out into the open, to the edge of the riverbank.
````"H-Hello there. Wh-wh-what...what are you d-doing?" he asked, with a twitch.

[.swift]

BAYLIN
Wanna be the one you run to when you need a shoulder
I ain't a soldier but I'm here to take a stand

His thick coat was held more water than he had expected, and was still soaked and heavy, even after his first good shake. But the large male didn't bother to cast off any more off himself though, if he shook away too much then he would just get hot again. Instead, Baylin just flopped down on the riverbank and let the water wash over his white-tinted paws as he relaxed.

His moment to relax in peace only lasted so long. Just a few seconds after he hauled himself out of the river and settled down at it's bank, a voice sounded behind him, it's owner left unnoticed until now. "H-Hello there. Wh-wh-what...what are you d-doing?" Baylin heard as his ears twisted back, followed shortly by his entire cranium. "Hello yourself," the large male responded pleasantly, pushing himself onto his paws and shifting around to face the stranger. A younger and smaller male.

"What am I doing?" He echoed, glancing at the river. "Just taking a little swim. Hot day like today, my coat doesn't do me much justice in keeping cool. I've gotta find some way to avoid overheating." He answered heartily, a friendly smile curling his muzzle. Poor kid seemed nervous, skittish. Baylin didn't want him to get it into his head that just because he was large and likely quite intimidating he was a bad guy.

Deciding that he probably should take a bit more water out of his coat, the earthen-hued wolf squared his stance and submitted himself to another good shake. Water sprayed in every which direction. "Sorry." Baylin chuckled, straightening up. "Some of that probably landed on you, didn't it? Didn't really think that through. Anyway," he continued, sitting on his hunches. "The name's Baylin."

WORDS! 291
TAGS! Doherty/Open
NOTES! Sucky post is sucky. -_-
Because We Can lyrics © Bon Jovi

[slimestone]

Doherty could not find anything to say to his answer, finding that it was fair enough a wolf should go swimming on a hot summer's day, so he said nothing. Instead he looked about himself, avoiding making eye contact with the new wolf. He was big, and obviously much stronger than Doherty was, but he seemed oddly...amiable. Doherty was not used to coming off large wolves with a sense of compassion. The last time he had encountered a big wolf, he was in a rush with very few manners. He had even knocked him over and not bothered to apologise.
````Doherty flinched as the other wolf shook himself out, spraying water into his face. He growled lightly, annoyed. He was tired, hot and grumpy, and this wolf was not making his mood any better. Why he had even bothered to start up a conversation (or, rather, ask a question) he had no clue. "Yes, well, m-maybe you should think s-sometimes, Baylin," he said, with venom. At least he tried to apologise. Not that it meant much, though, it is better to just not do something in the first place. He glared at Baylin, giving his head a small shake. "I suppose I sh-should introduce myself-myself, now that we're h-here. My n-name is Doherty," he said with a huff, sitting down on the ground to help hide his shakes. No use coming off as weak, even if Bayling seemed nice enough - he did not want to be taken advantage of.

[.swift]

BAYLIN
Wanna be the one you run to when you need a shoulder
I ain't a soldier but I'm here to take a stand

The small male initially came off as being a bit mousy. Now, strangely, he seemed rather miffed. This greatly confused Baylin. Was he trying to hide his apparent anxiety behind a sullen mask? Or had it been something he had done to tick off the little guy? His tongue rolled around in his muzzle as the earthen-hued wolf pondered about it. By the looks of it, what set him off was when he shook out his coat. He had meant no harm, truely. Ridding himself of water after his swim seemed to do it. He just had to wonder.

"Yes, well, m-maybe you should think s-sometimes, Baylin," He countered after his apology. That stung, perhaps a bit too brazen given the circumstances. "Hey now." Baylin retaliated, his ears twisting back in a look of insult. "I don't see any reason for that. I didn't mean for any ill will, and I said I was sorry." Really, it was a harmless, thoughtless action. Done more out of instinct than anything.

Huffing off the comment, the umber wolf flicked his ears forward and shuffled a bit where he sat, getting more comfortable. Perhaps Baylin was just being a little too judgemental about all of this. Maybe the interloper was just in a foul mood, he did appear to be a bit worn. Keeping attentive, Baylin stayed quiet and let him go on. He went on to introduce himself, though still a bit gruff about it. "Doherty, hmm? Well, it's nice to meet you Doherty." Although, as things were nice may not be the right word for it. Baylin was trying to be open and friendly to the other wolf, but he wasn't really taking to his attitude.

The little guy was a strange one, he had to admit that, even if only to himself. Yellow-amber eyes watched him for a few moments in a good example of his queer behavior. The tawny wolf sat there shivering like a leaf, but was trying to hide it. He just couldn't figure it out. With a sigh, the larger male cracked. "Look, I don't want to pry, but is something troubling you? If it's me, or something I did just tell me. I'll leave ya be. We can go back to being strangers."

This was probably an open invitation for more insults, but Baylin wasn't worried about that. Doherty's strange behavior bothered him, and he just wondered what was going on. If it was something the Eurasian wolf could help with, he would happily do so. That was just his nature.

WORDS! 426
TAGS! Doherty/Open
NOTES! --
Because We Can lyrics © Bon Jovi

[slimestone]

Doherty let out a long sigh at Baylin, already tired of interacting with another wolf. He dropped his head and looked sideways at the other wolf. "Yes, b-but saying s-s-sorry is too late," he shot back, but checked himself quickly. It was unwise for him to make an enemy of this wolf who was much larger and stronger, and he felt like his tongue had run away from him. Still, the wolf seemed to stay in pretty good spirits, whether out of politeness or good nature, Doherty was not sure, or how long it would last for, either. He said that it was a pleasure for them to have met, which Doherty found strange (and decidedly fake) as he was definitely not acting pleasant, and definitely not a pleasure to meet.
````Inevitably, Baylin became fed up with Doherty's antisocial behaviour, and it surprised the little wolf. His ears shot forward, rapt with attention; however it was more out of curiousity than fear. Although he did not want to cross Baylin, he had not expected him to break. At least not this quickly. He had seemed so peaceful and calm a moment ago (though unsurprisingly a little perplexed at Doherty's nature). Doherty smiled for a second, finding the change he saw entertaining, but quickly wiped it off before he realised that maybe he was taking it a little too far. The wolf, after all, had not done anything particularly bad to set Doherty off. It was just the way he was.
````Doherty looked away quickly and dropped his head, showing that he meant no threat. He had no problem submitting, and found it only too easy to do so. He was in no position of power. Usually never was. "S-sorry," he grumbled, almost inaudibly. He was not used to apologising, but then again, was not used to being around larger wolves. His old pack were fairly small for their kind. "You a-are right," he said, louder this time. "I...I shouldn't h-have snapped like that." He looked up at the wolf again. He did not want to let Bayling know that yes, he did want them to be strangers, because he was not sure whether or not that would be acceptable given the situation. He felt it better to leave the decision up to the other wolf. He hoped silently, however, that they would part ways. He liked being alone.

(Augh sorry it was so bad Dx)

[.swift]

BAYLIN
Wanna be the one you run to when you need a shoulder
I ain't a soldier but I'm here to take a stand

Ears swiveled back in the beginnings of frustration. Perhaps he had been kidding himself if he thought humoring himself with a bit of conversation with this guy was a good idea. The poor sap obviously wasn't in the mood to talk and would probably prefer it if he just left. Heaving a sigh, the large male shook his head and heaved himself onto all four paws. Even without waiting for the answer to his question, Baylin could tell when he was not wanted. He'd be a bigger man and respect that.

"You know what, just forget it. I can see you want to be left alone." He said in a clear, respectful tone. Tipping his head in a gesture of good day, the earthen male swung around and walked off. He could find a nice swimming area elsewhere. Of course, if Doherty wanted to stop him, he surely could. Baylin was going nowhere fast.

WORDS! 154
TAGS! Doherty/Open
NOTES! It's short, it sucks, but at least it's something.
Because We Can lyrics © Bon Jovi

[slimestone]

Doherty's whole body slumped into a hunched posture, ears back and tail between his legs as Baylin stood up. He braced for the worst, but quickly realised that he was not threatening to attack. He relaxed when the big wolf turned around and walked off, but, oddly, he felt a little bad. The wolf seemed almost hurt that Doherty was acting the way he was; however, Doherty's feeling of relief and happiness at finally being left alone was stronger than his feeling of pity and sorry.
      Doherty wasted no time in slipping away through the undergrowth, making as little noise as possible.