You Only Get One First Impression
Briar (Puppy Playdate)
12-21-2020, 06:49 PM
Briar had been quick on her reflexes, and as soon as Artorias finished his countdown, the little girl was already taking off down the beach in the opposite direction of the chittering primate. Artorias kicked off as well, having a little difficulty finding purchase for his paws in the soft sand, but steadily getting the hang of running on the beach. He kicked up a few bursts of sand as he went, disappearing after Briar in a miniature sandstorm while he listened to Blue screeching after them. He shot a wicked grin back at the monkey and stuck his tongue out at him as he became smaller and smaller, taking a little bit of delight in being able to outsmart his mother's pet. While Blue struggled to get down to catch up with them, Artorias and Briar were already long gone down the strip of coast together. Artorias reveled in the cool, salty sea air rippling through his fur and past his face, the cries of gull birds overhead and the sunlight warming his coat. His amber eyes stayed locked on Briar while he followed her, the two leaving twin trails of paw print tracks in the sand where they ran. Just as Artorias realized that Blue would probably use their tracks to follow them, Briar swerved back towards the mainland. Apparently she had caught on to that fact too.
Artorias veered off of the beach and back into the grassy lands of Armada territory, weaving past groups of trees and rocks. His heart was racing and his breathing had turned to panting while he chased after the girl. She was fast, he had to give her that, but he was able to keep up regardless of the chaotic path she was taking him on. Their sprint didn't last too much longer, as when they came to another clearing with a structure off to one side, Briar dove into it without a moment's hesitation. Artorias guessed she knew where she was going and followed her lead, rushing into the structure as well and pausing in the doorway just long enough to spot Briar's rear end scuttling beneath a dummy to hide. With no better idea, Artorias ran over and jumped over the dummy, worming his way underneath it next to the Fatalis girl and peering out at the entryway. His heart was hammering in his chest, mostly from the run but also from the anxiousness to see if they'd be caught. He tried to slow his breathing, taking long, heavy gasps of air to try and force his heart rate to slow. Wary eyes never left the door, blinking only sporadically so he didn't miss a thing. The tension built in the silent room, and other than the chirping of songbirds somewhere outside, everything was still.
One minute passed. Then two. Then five. The monkey never showed himself and couldn't be heard screeching nearby. Artorias slowly wiggled his way out from the dummy until his head was poking comedically out from the straw body. "I think the coast it clear," he whispered to Briar, shimmying and wiggling until he had popped himself out from underneath the dummy. The blue-furred boy padded with caution over to the doorway and peered outside, looking left, then right, then returning to Briar with a triumphant grin. "He's not out there. We lost him!"
"Speech" | Thoughts