They were set at a disadvantage to Coyote’s apparent sneak attack: Kassandra was far more occupied with ignoring her Bonded companion and his fantasies of the stomach, as well as blocking out the large, hulking mass of dread which seemed to emanate from the center of the island; Oculos, despite being a canine and, supposedly, having enhanced hearing and scent, was more focused using his sharp eyesight to watch his maybe-snack bob and lull in the pushes of the waves; his ears were full of ocean sound and his nose stuffed with the reek of dead fish and other good smells trapped by the weight of the water.
And so, when he lunged from the foliage cover with an (almost comical) roar, both Kass and her canine companion startled. Kass sucked in a sharp gasp and tossed her head, turning her crown on an angle to get a go-ahead look at whoever their aggressor was, and assess the truth of the threat level. Her back legs kicked under as she half-reared, short silverite-white main flashing up with the motion. A cloud of sand billowed up underneath her and she whirled, keeping her back to the aquatic expanse surrounding them. She saw the stallion at once, his pelt a myriad of nights and emeralds, and, knowing so little of Novus and especially this new place here, thought at once he was sent from within the jungle, perhaps to punish her for her tardiness and hurry her unto her fate. There was no threat or aggression written on his features, and though his sharp grin was not altogether malicious, it was not comfortable and kind, either.
Still, he did not seem to want to attack her. She unpinned her ears and instead listed them forward, questioningly. Her nostrils flared as she gathered his scent and her hindquarters came untucked, no longer prepared to run— or, in the worst case, leap into the ocean and swim.
Oculos, on the other hand, lunged forward with a sharp bark of shock. Had he been a dog of normal proportions, perhaps his surprised jump to freedom would have placed him safely in the tidal pool; he was not, however, an average shaped dog, and instead his full extension landed him beyond the walls and valleys of the tide pools and, instead, he splashed out into the lowest point of the tide, up to his mid-leg in seawater. It was a messy, calamitous, unsightly thing, the thrashing and the splashing of silver water as he gained his bearings and struggled to calm down.
Kassandra took her attention from the stranger and called, “Oculos?” with gentle concern, taking a few precautionary steps towards him. All at once the splashing stopped, and the Borzoi stood to just above the knee in the sea, though his fur was wet all over and dripping with saltwater. His tail was tucked, his ears were pinned, and his chest was expanding and contracting with rapid motions. Oculos looked all the world like he would panic and pass out until he swallowed hard— Kassandra watched the tail of the dead fish vanish from where it peeked out of the corner of his mouth— regained his composure, and stepped onto shore.
(‘Yep, worth it,’) he said, burping slightly, (‘totally worth it.’)
Kassandra groaned in disgust and flicked her tail in a comparable version of a horse face palm. Her Bonded was usually very protective of her… but he also loved a good prank. Oculos probably had, like, a seventh or so sense for someone who was just joshing, which explained why his only response to Coyote’s ’sneak attack’ was a languid decompressing stretch and yawn. (‘He got us pretty good, huh,’) the canine asked, striding over towards his companion.
“Yes, sure,” Kassandra allowed, aware the stranger could not hear Oculos’ words and, for a moment, it would seem like she was speaking to herself, “but… why?” She perked her ears and addressed the stallion, a tilt to her head that inferred curiosity. “Is that… your way of greeting new people? It’s quite strange… oh!” She gasped, forgetting herself. “I don’t mean to be rude, of course. It’s just… I’ve never experienced a hello quite like that.”
And so, when he lunged from the foliage cover with an (almost comical) roar, both Kass and her canine companion startled. Kass sucked in a sharp gasp and tossed her head, turning her crown on an angle to get a go-ahead look at whoever their aggressor was, and assess the truth of the threat level. Her back legs kicked under as she half-reared, short silverite-white main flashing up with the motion. A cloud of sand billowed up underneath her and she whirled, keeping her back to the aquatic expanse surrounding them. She saw the stallion at once, his pelt a myriad of nights and emeralds, and, knowing so little of Novus and especially this new place here, thought at once he was sent from within the jungle, perhaps to punish her for her tardiness and hurry her unto her fate. There was no threat or aggression written on his features, and though his sharp grin was not altogether malicious, it was not comfortable and kind, either.
Still, he did not seem to want to attack her. She unpinned her ears and instead listed them forward, questioningly. Her nostrils flared as she gathered his scent and her hindquarters came untucked, no longer prepared to run— or, in the worst case, leap into the ocean and swim.
Oculos, on the other hand, lunged forward with a sharp bark of shock. Had he been a dog of normal proportions, perhaps his surprised jump to freedom would have placed him safely in the tidal pool; he was not, however, an average shaped dog, and instead his full extension landed him beyond the walls and valleys of the tide pools and, instead, he splashed out into the lowest point of the tide, up to his mid-leg in seawater. It was a messy, calamitous, unsightly thing, the thrashing and the splashing of silver water as he gained his bearings and struggled to calm down.
Kassandra took her attention from the stranger and called, “Oculos?” with gentle concern, taking a few precautionary steps towards him. All at once the splashing stopped, and the Borzoi stood to just above the knee in the sea, though his fur was wet all over and dripping with saltwater. His tail was tucked, his ears were pinned, and his chest was expanding and contracting with rapid motions. Oculos looked all the world like he would panic and pass out until he swallowed hard— Kassandra watched the tail of the dead fish vanish from where it peeked out of the corner of his mouth— regained his composure, and stepped onto shore.
(‘Yep, worth it,’) he said, burping slightly, (‘totally worth it.’)
Kassandra groaned in disgust and flicked her tail in a comparable version of a horse face palm. Her Bonded was usually very protective of her… but he also loved a good prank. Oculos probably had, like, a seventh or so sense for someone who was just joshing, which explained why his only response to Coyote’s ’sneak attack’ was a languid decompressing stretch and yawn. (‘He got us pretty good, huh,’) the canine asked, striding over towards his companion.
“Yes, sure,” Kassandra allowed, aware the stranger could not hear Oculos’ words and, for a moment, it would seem like she was speaking to herself, “but… why?” She perked her ears and addressed the stallion, a tilt to her head that inferred curiosity. “Is that… your way of greeting new people? It’s quite strange… oh!” She gasped, forgetting herself. “I don’t mean to be rude, of course. It’s just… I’ve never experienced a hello quite like that.”
kassandra oculos | 701 | @Huehuecoyotl | i really need to slow down and pay attention to my coding bc i cant do my normal coding on mybb so everything can get a bit. hinky lmao. anyhow sorry for the wait & sudden speech color change akjsdfas
