{ they say i've gone mad } open

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[atrb=background,http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z431/poshiloh/Survivor%20Guilt/middle-1.png] [scrolly:h(229),w(428),sy] The pawsteps were light, nearly unable to be heard even, though solely due to her tiny size. She was headed straight towards a tree for a moment, but then her paw snapped a twig and the sound bounced back. She shifted her trajectory, continuing to push through the undergrowth for a moment. She reached out feelers, testing the wind with little gusts to oppose it, figuring out where it went and how strong it was when it went there. She picked up the pace a moment, leaping over a fallen log - barely clearing it, but she cleared it none the less. To most, that wouldn't be an accomplishment. But then again, she wasn't most foxes. She was blind. She pulled up short of a steep drop, the sound of falling water overwhelming her sensitive ears a moment as she edged forward to find the actual edge. Finally, one paw hit air and she shifted her weight back one step, ears perked up, grinning. Cedar! Cedar! Come on! It's high, I can tell, the wind's so strong! How high is it? She'd never seen before, but that didn't stop her from asking him to describe things - it was that voice, that calm, soothing voice. Whenever she'd fretted over something, particularly sight-related, that voice settled her. It had put her to sleep as a kit, and he didn't even need to speak a story. Only talk about what was there, what it looked like. And the scenery, the water... what's it like? [/scrolly]

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[atrb=background,http://i775.photobucket.com/albums/yy35/BaileeDanielle3/Survivor%20Guilt/ce2.png] [scrolly:h(431),w(237),sy] CEDAR trailed after hallie, his tail hanging low, his head almost level with his shoulders. one of those multi colored ears was swiveled to the side, listening and alert for any suspicious noises, while the other remained perched atop his head, focused ahead of him- listening to the much smaller fox. IT wasn't that he couldn't see her- he definitely could, despite his age, it was the fact he liked to keep most of his attention on the cape fox. with the poor girl being blind, he had to make sure she wouldn't accidentally take a step she thought she had planned, or trip into some dangerous lake or something like that. maybe he was being over protective, maybe he was being cautious, hell, he might be both- but he'd rather be safe than sorry. she'd just started out her life, it'd be a damn well shame to see it end so soon. BEFORE, he'd been disappointed, feeling like he had to watch her, take care of her y'know? he didn't really want the responsibility of sticking around with some blind kit. that's why he hadn't gotten a mate or had kits in the first place- and yes, there'd been a hell of a lot begging at his paws to be his mate- and no- he wasn't bragging. cause he didn't want them. ANYWAY- that feeling had changed now. he felt almost grateful for hallie's company. she was cheery for the most part- polite, she respected him, but she was confident too, and he liked that. he didn't want to be around some needy, scared kit- not that they didn't need someone around too. they could find someone else. but the little blind fox wasn't at all like how he'd been as a kit that was for sure. he was quite the hellion at her age, always getting into trouble. but that might have been a reynard thing. MAYBE it had been fate that had brought them together. after all, he hadn't mentioned her blindness- at first, and from his experiences with her, she didn't like it being mentioned. he'd actually practically ignored her and didn't try to help her at all. he definitely seemed a lot more caring than he had before, almost fatherly. it was weird- a strange feeling to say the least. but he was getting used to it. HEARING the little vixen call out, he padded up until he was right next to her, using his wind to slightly counteract the strong wind that was blowing towards them- almost like a partial shield. he was completely sure with the right gust of wind, it could send the poor girl tumbling into the depths below. and he sure as hell didn't like the sound of that. flicking his ears as he looked cautiously down- he finally spoke. something that he really hardly did, unless needed or really whenever he wanted. "I'D say about a couple tree-lengths high." briefly, that red-brown gaze landed on his excited-looking companion, reclining on his haunches to sit down, that thick tail of his furling around his paws. "it's lots and lots of water- cascading down a steep wall of rock that's covered in moss and trees growing weird ways. the water at the bottom is white, cause it's hitting the river below.. which is clear- i think i can even see a fish from here." the last statement- though not sounding amused in the least- someone who spent a lot of time with the reynard would know that he was being playful. there was no way he'd have seen a fish from this high up. ________________________ you can't lie, 635 your way out of this one, hallie put faith aside, when i'm alone by ellie goulding (klaypex remix) you have no way of knowing, kinda babbled... XD [/scrolly]

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[atrb=background,http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z431/poshiloh/Survivor%20Guilt/middle-1.png] [scrolly:h(229),w(428),sy] Of course, Hallie didn't catch the joke. How could she? She had no idea what sight was like, had no idea how good another's sight could be, or even how high a few tree-lengths was. Maybe it wasn't as high up as she thought - though, tree-lengths. Those sounded big. They probably were. But how big? And how far, exactly, could a fox see? Was it a couple tree-lengths? Or was it only one? Maybe not even that! Now that, that was a startling realization. She simply stared, tipping her head down and assuming she was looking down at what he had described. The more she thought about it, the less realistic it seemed that he could see a fish. The sound, and the way the wind bounced around on the water's surface, it told her the pond was far too small to contain a fish large enough to probably be visible given the distance between his eyes and where the fish would be. So, the little cape fox flopped down on her bum and attempted to prod his shoulder with her nose - hitting his rib cage, just behind his shoulder, instead. That wasn't a very nice joke, Cee. She mumbled, leaving her nose pressed into his fur. Typically, when someone mocked her blindness, or pitied her for it, or even made a joke - even one as vague as his - about it, she snapped. But she knew him, knew he didn't mean it. He was a big softie. If he wasn't, he wouldn't put up with her. He would have ditched her, left her for dead like everyone else had. So, although she sounded a little off-put, she didn't bite or scratch or growl or anything of a violent sort. Not with him. He was patient with her - she would be patient with him. She unburied her nose from his side, "looking" back to the scene he'd described. Her ears perked up again a moment later, catching the faintest of bird calls. She'd often heard things before he did. Someone had once told her it was the world's way of saying sorry for taking away her sight. She'd taken a chunk out of their ear before Cedar had pulled her away. That stupid vixen hadn't said anything after that. Is there a way down? It's hard to get some sort of feel for it way up here. Before the words were even all out, she was up on her feet again, poking around, careful so that she didn't fall off the edge. She doubted she'd find a way down before he did, but it wouldn't hurt to help out. It never hurt to help, as far as she was concerned. [/scrolly]

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[atrb=background,http://i775.photobucket.com/albums/yy35/BaileeDanielle3/Survivor%20Guilt/ce2.png] [scrolly:h(431),w(237),sy] TAIL moving from his paws, and swiftly waving behind him to lay straight- with a slight brush against the younger fox as it moved, those almost reddish eyes remained on hallie. he appeared curious, though the other might not know that- since she could not see him- curious to what she was thinking about while she didn't speak. maybe the joke had been mean. he didn't really consider it mean- but then again- he wasn't blind (though he had the tiniest bit of vision-loss due to his age). but he'd seen the world. he knew how tall things were. what things looked right and what looked wrong. now he felt a bit bad for the bad spirited joke- though he wouldn't admit that- that wasn't really his thing- unless she seemed truly hurt. AND from how she pressed her nose into his fur- and mumbled those words 'that wasn't a very nice joke, cee,' it surely didn't sound too hurt- maybe put-off, but nothing in need of an apology, really. because right now, the six year old fox didn't really feel like an apology. he'd rather just watch the water- no- more like listen to it. the sound of rushing water, the feel of the wind against his fur- he loved it. maybe it reminded him of better- easier days. maybe it was just relaxing- whatever the hell the reason was- he enjoyed it. he wondered if hallie did too- but he didn't ask. "WHEN did you start deciding to call me cee?" THE red fox questioned, ears flitting to focus on the other, before turning his whole head to look at her. those ears pinned against his skull as he became wary for her, standing quickly- protectively. he wouldn't have her falling- he'd gone through all this trouble so far to watch over her, and he wasn't going to let it all go to waste. not to mention he'd actually miss her if she died. WHICH there was a slim to no chance at all that he'd actually admit to that. "HEY. be careful. what if you fall and i can't catch you?" he didn't sound all too worried- but he was sure hallie would be able to pick up that slight tint of worry that laced his voice. it was barely audible- to someone who did not know him at least. ________________________ you can't lie, 413 your way out of this one, hallie put faith aside, halloweekend by omnitica you have no way of knowing, you left before i got back, ffff XD [/scrolly]

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[atrb=background,http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z431/poshiloh/Survivor%20Guilt/middle-1.png] [scrolly:h(229),w(428),sy] A while ago. Just never said it out loud. She replied simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world - which, to her, it was. She had often thought others must follow similar thinking patterns to herself, as most probably would. It came naturally to her - why would it not be natural to everyone else? Then again, she'd often wondered on that too, seeing as sight came naturally to everyone else and she was completely incapable of it. It was something to ponder - just not now. Her sensitive ears caught the rush of air as he stood, confirming his worry far before his voice even reached her with that ever so faint hint of the same emotion. One would think that, being blind, she relied more on vocal cues, but that was not always so - she could rely on the physical just as much, so long as there was enough movement for her to hear, or if she was close enough to feel it. She merely giggled softly. Then help me, silly! Then I'll stop faster! She sneezed a moment as her paw sent up some dust that got caught in her nose. She shook her head a moment, rubbing at her nose with one paw as she felt that tingle that threatened another sneeze. It faded, though, and quickly enough she was back on her mission to find a way down. A few times, she nearly stepped over, only to pull back, as if she instinctively knew without ever putting a paw out for the ground. Finally, though, she grinned, barking a moment. Found a path! Without waiting for him, she went barrelling down it, knowing it was clear already from sending down a gust of wind to test it out. What she wasn't expecting, however, was stream crossing the bottom of the path. The moment her paw touched the water, she yelped and launched, finding footing with ehr front feet on the otherside and manging her drag her hind end up after her, sopping wet. That hadn't quite gone to plan. --- Please excsue any typos... I'm at work, there's no decent spellcheck >.< the proboards one makes the computer go slightly wonky. It's old... xD --- [/scrolly]

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[atrb=background,http://i775.photobucket.com/albums/yy35/BaileeDanielle3/Survivor%20Guilt/ce2.png] [scrolly:h(431),w(237),sy] CEDAR couldn't help but make a slight face at the first few words hallie spoke, his nose carefully crinkling up as if he had scented something sour. she'd been calling him that in her head and now was choosing to call him that verbally? well he had to admit that he didn't approve in the least. he didn't need any childish nickname, his name was short enough, and in his opinion- didn't really need to to be shortened. just because she was young didn't mean he approved of the- what he believed was laziness- that came with shortening a name. "I do not approve," he stated, ears flicking carefully, his nose returning to the proper shape as the emotion dropped from it. he never really liked nicknames that shortened names. new names for nicknames didn't bother him at all though- well, depending on the nickname really. moving down the slope, he sniffed around for any scent that would show him that some other animal used a pathway down. of course that wasn't a guaranteed way, but he was sure it might be quicker than actually looking for one. BUT apparently he did not need to look for one, because the smaller, blind fox seemed to have found it before him. how that was possible- cedar wasn't entirely sure, but he knew she was a lot more intelligent than a lot of foxes gave her credit for. "DON'T--" the older red fox tried to stop hallie before she went down the path, but from the sound of her barreling down it and a splash of water, it was quite clear she hadn't even waited for him. he hadn't been too worried- knowing she could handle herself, until he heard that splash of water. black paws pummeled the ground and sent dust in all directions as he barreled down the pathway after the blind fox. an inaudible sigh of relief was released as he realized that hallie was okay, just wet. "AND that is why you should have waited for me." THERE was no smugness in his voice, the rusty fox just stating the sentence in a rather emotionless way- something he really couldn't help. but it probably was apparent by how fast he'd run down that he'd been worried. with carefully aimed paws, he sent himself over that stream, barely missing it himself, but landing on the other side, crouching a little after the leap. he slowly rose, steadying himself with ease. his gaze fell back on hallie, a slight tinge of worry in those rust-colored eyes of his. ________________________ you can't lie, 444 words your way out of this one, hallie put faith aside, flesh and bones by blackmill you have no way of knowing, nothinnn [/scrolly]

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[atrb=background,http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z431/poshiloh/Survivor%20Guilt/middle-1.png] [scrolly:h(229),w(428),sy] I don't care if you don't approve, by the way. I like it. It's easier to yell if I get in trouble. Faster too. And you can't make me change my mind. She replied, finally, after he made it across the river, far too embarrassed to comment on "scolding". Instead, she simply found him, nudging his shoulder in apology for making him worry. She'd never say it out loud. She'd let him have some pride. It couldn't be easy taking care of her, she knew that. She tried, but sometimes she got frustrated. Sometimes, she got excited. She was young, and her handicap didn't make it any easier to learn, to listen, to behave like a regular fox would. She had matured quickly to cope, but she couldn't hold it, not all the time. It was too difficult. She knew he tried to understand - he wouldn't still be here if he didn't - but she wasn't sure he ever fully could. She turned away, sniffing and listening and sending out bursts of wind, finding the edge of the pond and lowering her head to drink for a moment. As she lifted her head again, it raised up to look towards the sky - or, at least up. There might be a branch in the way, she didn't know. She settled back on her haunches, staring blindly up. Cedar, do you think mama meant to leave me? She didn't often ask about her mother - not that Cedar would know her, but he was the only one there really. For the most part, she kept her questions to herself. They were insecurities, and she had enough of those already. But still, sitting here, wet, blind and with only one other in the world who cared about her at all, she felt she had earned the right to ask, at least once. [/scrolly]