gobble, gobble

Ipos was always on alert. It was a wonder that the boy ever got any sleep with how sensitive he was to sound. From the moment that he was born and his mother's had begun telling he and his siblings stories, the boy knew that he had to protect everyone. Family first and packmates second. It didn't matter that he was still a puppy. There were other ways that he could contribute. Ipos was very young, but he had been born with a very critical mind. If he couldn't defend with force just yet, then he would defend with knowledge. The silver and smoke boy honed his powers of perception, of observation. So, the moment that Sonnet wandered away, the big pup was on his paws and moving out after her.

There was no need to be bossy and direct her back towards the den. He wasn't controlling like that, only conscious of his sister's safety. Ipos gave Sonnet her space, following along at a decent distance. That was until he heard the strange sounds coming from the old barn. Silver ears perked and the boy moved up beside his sister, letting her know that he was there. Hopefully his presence would let her know that there was nothing to fear. Sonnet turned and gave a sheepish grin before nuzzling and giving him a lick. The serious boy smiled and nodded when she asked if he wanted to come with her. Of course he was coming with her...

Every time the gobbling warble of whatever was in the barn sounded, Ipos' ears flicked forward. He had no idea what the sound was, but the barn animals weren't panicking, so it couldn't be too bad, right? The pair made their way closer to the barn, hiding when they neared the door. The garbled sound became louder and Ipos furrowed his brow, casting Sonnet a questioning glance with gold and blue eyes. They stood behind a bale of hay and Ipos had just been about to suggest a plan when Sonnet crept away and towards the door. The boy grimaced and snuck around the opposite side, squeezing between the hay and the barn.

Both pups peered inside, Ipos eyes adjusting to the change in lighting. He noted the strange bird scuffling about in the packed dirt and his head tilted quizzically. He'd never seen one of those before. Suddenly, Sonnet was pulling him out of view of the doorway and laying out a plan. She... wanted to hunt this thing? Ipos weighed the pros and cons, his brow creased and his expression serious. Really... he was born an old man in a pups body. All business, all the time. He could tell her no and force her back into the den where she would be safe. He knew his sister though and had no doubt in his mind that she would seek this creature out on her own. At least now he would be able to keep her safe if she did get into trouble. After a long moment of silence, Ipos nodded wordlessly.

Sonnet, however, spoke loud enough for both of them. A split second of silence struck and then the earthen colored bird, its tail all fanned out, came rushing out of the barn with a loud attack gobble. Sonnet yelped and ducked behind Ipos. This threw the boy into protection mode. His coat bristled, standing on end and lips peeled back from sharp puppy teeth. He snarled with all of his might, but the bird didn't care. It skittered towards them, wings flapping. Ipos began walking backwards, herding Sonnet away from the barn and using his larger body to keep her from harm. The bird continued, moving in close enough for Ipos to touch. And touch he did.

One huge paw lashed out, smacking the naked bird head as hard as he could manage. The turkey wheeled, doing a spin in the grass as it registered what had just happened. The smack had only enraged the bird further and it came at them again with a full assault, clawed feet kicking, wings flapping, endless, raucous gobbling.

Ipos smacked the bird again, waiting til it reeled before turning and bumping Sonnet with his head, telling her to run. The pair made their way back towards the den as fast as their puppy legs could take them. Ipos had to stop and distract the bird more than once on their way back. The pair of pups careened into the den, the leather flap over the doorway swinging closed behind them.

The boy breathed heavily, tongue lolled as he panted hard. There were scratches on his face, shoulders and paws where he'd been kicked or pecked. Some of them bled, but none were severe. Ears turned out to the side, Ipos looked at his sister with an expression of consternation. Well... at least he'd done his job and kept her from being hurt. The boy could deal with a few scratches as the price for her safety.

WC-835
Total- Met

"Ipos"