DotW - Gabi and Magpies Muddy Adventure

The rain had started suddenly, the sky going from a light blue to a stony grey in a matter of moments. It was cold, and wet, and gloomy, and for some reason Gabitrix was in the best mood of her life. The pale female bounds through the Chandor forest, having been out for the day with no pups to watch, dodging tree limps and attempting to splash in every muddy puddle she could find. This was evident because her pale coat was no longer a dove white, but a dingy off-white/brown, darker streaks across her face and coating her legs where the mud was thicker. Despite this, Gabi' had a large wolfish grin on her face, her bright green eyes sparkling with joy. She didn't always like a good mud run, but today was one of those days!




Magpie was humming in her cozy den, lightly pulling off the petals from his ears that she planted there to marvel at herself in the stream. However, plans changed when the weather became grey and cold, and there was a small rain shower just an hour ago. Magpie disliked these days, it made the usual light, cheerful environment depressing and dark. Suddenly, the sound of thumping, happy paw steps paraded through the main den. Magpie froze as she saw a pair of muddy wolf legs speed past her den, then come back again.

"What on earth...?" Magpie muttered, squinting her eyes.




Unaware that she was near anyone's den, Gabi' went about her frolicking, tongue hanging slightly out of her muzzle. She lands into a rather thick puddle with an oof, and simply laughs, something she hadn't done in quite some time. The female sluggishly wiggles her paws free one at a time, scrambling to dryer ground and shaking each paw to rid it of the thicker ooze that was clinging stubbornly to them. Gabi' pauses, glancing over herself with curiosity as if she just noticed she was muddy. "Oh dear.." she laughs gently. This was going to be a pain in the butt to clean, that's for sure. Her off-white dinge was now a chocolaty layer, complete with twigs and leaves sticking out comically every which way.




Magpie curiously poked her head out from her den, staring at Gabitrix who was covered in mud. "Gabitrix!" Magpie said in a shocked voice. She was completely filthy to toe. Her poor, beautiful white fur! "What are you doing?" She exclaimed.




Gabi's head pops up, green eyes landing on Magpie's head that's sticking from her den. Oh crud. The female gives the other a sheepish grin, "I, um.. did not know anyone was around." Clearly, or she wouldn't have been running around like a fool, she who is normally always very composed. She trots over to where the other is situated and smiles brightly, green eyes sparkling from within a muddy face, "I am just in a very good mood! I found a friend.. a friend from my childhood who I thought was dead. He is very much alive though.. it is amazing!" She sounds as if she's about to start running happy little circles but she remains stationary, her tail swaying happily from side to side.




"Oh.." Magpie muttered as she carefully shrunk her head to avoid any dirt dripping on her muzzle. She didn't want to be so close to her she'll risk getting her coat dirty. "Well, I'm glad for you." She smiled calmly, trailing her eyes over the dirty coat. "Oh Gabi' your poor coat."




Gabi' idly wonders how mad Magpie would be is Gabi' simply climbed into her den with her for a quick snuggle >D Mwaha. She doesn't however, and simply stands with that sheepish childlike grin on her features. When Magpie points out her coat she eyes it curiously, gnawing on a lip. "This is going to a problem.. and also take forever to clean," she laughs lightly, "I'll probably come out in the end being beige hmm.." Green eyes flick back in Magpie's direction, Gabi' giving her a somewhat coy expression, "You do not like to  get dirty.. do you." Magpie always did look perfect.




"I'd say so! You'll have to have at least two dives in the stream to get your coat clean. You'll need to clean the dirt behind your ears, your paws just...oh." Magpie placed a paw on her head. "We need to get you clean now, I refuse to see you go back to camp looking like that!" Magpie pulled herself out of the den and placed her paws lightly on the wet ground, careful not to push to hard for mud to slip between her toes.




Gabitrix laughs lightly but nods her head, backing up to give Magpie a wide berth as not to get mud on her. "Very well," she drawls lightly, that light accent coating each word. She waits until Magpie is ready and then slowly heads towards the nearest body of water to clean herself off. "So.." she drawls in idle conversation, "You' have seemed rather cheerful lately.." she Gabi' muses, green eyes sliding to view the other curiously.




"Well, winter is coming soon, and that means a excuse to stay in my den and warm up by my fellow Chandorians." Magpie giggled, placing her paws in the cold water to wash off the mud and wet leaves on her paws. Secretly, she was more excited about meeting up with Davis, the loner outside Chandor. They promised to meet up once the frost started to form on top of the grass and leaves. She had woken up disappointed to see that the ground was not covered in frost just last night. It was really chilly, like a winter's night chill. Unfortunately, she still had to wait.




Gabi' eyes Magpie curiously, eyes squinting thoughtfully as if wondering if there was more. She brushes it off however and smiles, "Well I promise when we're huddling for warmth together that I won't be covered in mud!" She wades slightly into the cool water, its chill sending a ripple along her body. "Winter is most definitely on it's way.. this water is absolutely frigid.. are you sure I can not just stay dirty?" she questions skeptically over her shoulder.




"It will be worth it tonight. Trust me, clotted, tangled fur is the worst to try to sleep to. You'll thank me later, I'll scrub you. Forgive me if I hurt you, I haven't clipped my claws on the trees yet." Magpie said, walking over and pulling her claws through her dirty, muddy back fur.




The den mother nods her head slowly, "Yes.. yes you are right." Matted tangled fur was no fun at all. She dunks herself, getting her coat well saturated before Magpie comes and begins to scrub away her tangles and muck from her coat. Gabi' stares thoughtfully off at the horizon, a soft grunt issued in response to her hurting her. It didn't hurt, and was actually quiet relaxing. The pale female is quiet for some time before an ear twitches curiously, "Do you think this world is fit for a family.. with so much pain and sadness in it.."




Magpie looked intensely at what she was doing, trying to pick off some mud in Gabi's fur with her claws. Magpie seemed to be thinking about the question herself, but she didn't know completely what Gabi meant. "I think so. The world has good and bad days in it, depends on how the family copes with the changes. " She spoke quietly, picking off mud and flinging it to the water.




She nods her head slowly, green eyes thoughtful. She wasn't having a family anytime soon, heck she didn't even have a man yet, but it was always something the crossed her mind. She watches the clear water around her legs turn murky and brown, never too dark though, the mud wisping away with the current. She could see she was actually turning back to her original pale coloration, a small smile forming on her features. Gabi's not sure what to say next, never having been good with small talk.




"Alright." Magpie announced as she pulled away from Gabi. "Have a proper wash down, and we can head back. It's getting colder, brrrrr." Magpie shivered, her tail curling by her leg. She waited for Gabi to finish her bath before they headed back, Magpie darting her head back and forth at every sound.




The pale wolf dunks herself, standing and looking rather comical with her fur, though now dove white again, hanging stuck to her frame with water drizzling from it's ends. She goes to shake, eyes Magpie, and thinks better of it. Moving to a safe location the female shakes her pelt out, water spraying every which way and leaving her with a somewhat poofy appearance. Satisfied she trots back to catch up with the other, her teeth clenched to keep from chattering, "You are telling me.." she stammers around the chill. It was worse with a damp coat, but she was grateful of Magpie's steadfast resolve to make her take a bath.




"Finally!" Magpie breathed as she saw the camp dens in sight. Her paws were eager to rest in her warm den, they were cold and numb already! How come the frost had not shown up yet, it was ridiculous. The weather just loves to pull at her tail. She was careful not to be in range of Gabi's area where she could catch droplets of water when she shook her fur out.




Her fur was still damp, the chill settling into her bones. "Thank youyou so much for your help Magpie. And for keeping me grounded," she chuckles. She couldn't wait to be inside a warm den herself. She could feel her bones rattling with the cold. "We should do a hunt together sometime.." Gabi didnt have many friends, and while they weren't close she still considered Magpie to be one of them.




"Yes yes I know." She smiled in reply as she crawled into a warm, wide den. She curled up and shivered a bit before stretching her back paws. "I'm not much of a hunter...it can be a little messy if you ask me." She replied with a tired grin. She looked in the mood for some small talk as she made a space for Gabi to lay down.




The pale female wiggles in comfortably next to Magpie and chuckles, "I'll be honest with you, I'm an awful hunter. The few hares I do manage to catch I normally leave one at the border for a friend. A somewhat.. awkward alliance," she drawls, a mental image of Davis flipping through her mind. First he wanted to eat her, and now they're buddies! Who'da thunk it. "I suppose that's why I'm a den mother, not a hunter," she chuckles easily, the chill finally leaving her bones.




" I understand. Besides, hunting is messy business. I try not to get involved in it, but you never know when you are on your own, having to provide for yourself." Magpie replied, brushing her fur from around her cheeks.




The pale female nods her head slowly, settling it comfortably upon her paws, her eyes somewhat droopy. "It is hard.. being on your own.." she drawls softly. The den was nice and snug, especially with the two of them in it, and she could feel her fur turning from a matted wet mess back into its pale fluffy self again.




Magpie tapped her claws lightly on the floor. She didn't precisely like the 'coziness' of the den between them. At least Gabi was just wet instead of dirty. "Yes, I know." She replied nonchalantly. There was a silence, Magpie didn't know what to say. She placed her down and turned her eyes to Gabi. She placed a paw on her cheek fur and smoothed it out with her claws.




Gabi' hums softly in the silence, and after a few moments the female lifts her head and rolls her shoulder in a quick stretch, "Well, I thank you Magpie for all your help! I'll get out of your fur and leave you to your den," she chuckles softly. "See you soon." Gabi' smiles warmly, adjusting so she could slide past magpie and out of the den without disturbing the other on her way.




"See you soon Gabi." Magpie called back to her, watching her wet fir slide out of her den and back to the cold night. She should have asked her to stay, but it was already too late, besides she had her own den. Magpie heaved a sigh as she lay her head down on her paws, and listening to the outside noises of her home, lightly drifting her to sleep. "Goodnight." She said out loud.