WF39 Taming Attempt 4

   Balan and Stinky trotted along the bank of Qammatiq lake, the red male’s belly swaying with each stride as he happily let the water lap at his paws.  Balan for his part was mildly disinterested, but hadn’t wanted to just lay around all day, which explained why he had tagged along with Stinky.

   Ahead of the two males the long-maned tokota Skunk was weaving among the trees that lined the edge of the shore.  Her dark coat waved with her movements, and her brown eyes were filled with curiosity as she followed a rider-tokota pair as they slogged through the water of the lake.  Dag, the blonde haired teen who had been following Skunk and trying to convince her to follow him home had decided to just spend time with her for the time being, and since the shining sun was too hot to chase her anyways he had stipped off his shirt, rolled up his pants, and removed his socks and boots to enjoy the cool water.

   Empetrum, a shy tawny female daintily held his clothing in her jaws as she kept them free of the reach of the water.  For the moment she was tackless, Dag having stashed the rest of their gear earlier in the day and leaving it under the guard of one of his pack’s older tokotas.  Aralakk, or Arc for short, was the eldest female resident of The Den and had wanted to escape the recent influx of pups that came with the spring season, but instead of moving about in the heat the irritable female had decided to stay put for the day.

   As Dag happily jogged through the water his green eyes would swivel to watch Skunk as she roamed the woods.  Every time she moved free of the woods he would grin and wave at her before glancing back to see if Balan and Stinky were still following them.  Empetrum, or Rum as she was affectionately called, glanced back whenever Dag did, her green eyes filled with a shy kindness.  Stinky, enjoying the attention let out a short, happy bark and picked up his pace so he could gently nudge Rum with his head.  Balan, however, merely let out a snort and continued at his relaxed pace, silently relieved to be free of Stinky’s name-sake scent.

   Dag chuckled to himself and looked up just in time to see Skunk pause a few strides down the shore to look back at him and the others.  Feeling relaxed, she had moved a few paces free of the trees, and when Dag locked gazes with her he completely missed the shadow of a submerged branch laying across his path.  With a gasp the teen felt his foot snag and quickly tripped face-first into the water.  Empetrum, shocked at her rider’s sudden immersion turned after a few paces to carefully pick her way back.  Slipping her head beneath his torso to help the sputtering Dag clear of the water she was oblivious to the fact that she was soaking the items still in her jaws.

   Sitting up, Dag coughed for a few moments before slicking his hair back from his face.  Dag opened his eyes and smiled up at the circle of tokotas now standing around him.  Stinky and Rum he had expected, but a lackadaisical Balan was watching from the corner of one eye while Skunk had waded forward to see what had happened.  The black female’s head was tilted in confusion, as if asking why he had decided to suddenly take a bath.  Skunk’s expression made the teen impulsively scoop the water around him and fling it at the tokotas.  Stinky flicked his ears before running back to shore while Empetrum flipped her ears back in concern.  Balan merely ignored the teen’s antics and leisurely walked out of the water.  As Dag stood, water streaming down his body, the teen took stock of his soaked gear hanging from Empetrum’s mouth and held back a sigh, instead scratching behind the female tokota’s ears affectionately.  Slogging to shore he stood on the smooth gravel while wringing out his pants as best he could before taking the rest of his gear from Rum.

   The tawny female gave Dag an apologetic lick on the shoulder before moving away to shake her coat and free of any clinging water.  When Dag finished drying everything as best he could he offered the items back to Rum, but as she moved to take it Stinky snatched away one of Dag’s black boots first.  Skunk, catching on quickly dashed by and tugged the blonde’s shirt free of his grip before taking off down the beach.  Rum stared after them in confusion before gingerly nudging the last boot with Dag’s socks inside as if telling him to hold onto it before dutifully trotting after the others.

   Somewhat shocked Dag looked over at Balan, who gave the impression of a shrug before walking after the rest of the group.  Laughing out loud Dag broke into a jog again, his one boot tucked under his left arm as he kept up with the sphinx’s pace.  The two watched in mild amusement as the shy Empetrum tried to convince Stinky and Skunk to return their stolen items.  Skunk wove skillfully through the trees, often disappearing from sight with Empetrum in pursuit and then reappearing without her.  A few moments later the tawny female would emerge into sight again, her ears flicking in confusion.

   Stinky for his part would dash into the water, spraying it everywhere as Empetrum chased him.  Although she would catch the chubby male he would refuse to let go, and Rum, unwilling to damage Dag’s boot, would release her hold and watch as the red male trotted off with his prize still in his possession.  Both wild tokotas kept up their game until the sun had started its downward descent in the sky, and the group returned to the camp they had left that morning.

   Arc sat up with an irritated growl when Skunk and Stinky dashed into the camp and deposited their prizes atop of her flank.  One side of her face pulled back in a snarl as she rose and stalked into the trees, having been unwilling to abandon her post she needed a break to stretch her own legs.  Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to try and do something useful such as tracking down dinner.

   Dag gave the dark tawny female a pat on the shoulder when she paced by him before finally retrieving his pilfered gear.  Although his shirt had a few holes torn in it, the blonde teen was glad to see that his boot, despite being a bit slobber and water-logged, was in-tact let out a content sigh before hanging everything upside down on a few branches in the fading sunlight to try and let them dry.

   Empetrum ,her head drooping with exhaustion lay down with her head dropping onto her paws.  The young female was asleep in minutes, and she didn’t budge at all when a panting Stinky let out a yawn of his own and lay with his back curled against her side, although the red male didn’t fall asleep immediately, his eyes keenly watching Dag for any sign of a snack or tasty morsel.

   Balan quietly slipped away into the trees on the opposite side of the camp, most likely in pursuit of dinner for himself, preferring to hunt for himself than beg for treats from a human.  Skunk watched the sphinx leave, her long mane full of twigs and dirt as she carefuly sat next to Dag.  Her brown eyes were filled with curiosity as she watched him search through his packs for food and small knife he could use to cut up both food for himself and some dried meat for the tokotas.  As he worked, he set a small morsel on the ground for Skunk, who cautiously sniffed at the offering for a moment before snapping it down in a single bite.  Stinky, from his position a few meters away watched eagerly while waiting for Dag to toss him a piece as well.  Smiling Dag complied with the red male’s wishes before looking up in time to see Arc reappear, a rabbit hanging from her jaws.  Shaking out her coat Arc dropped her prize in Dag’s lap, waiting patiently for him to skin it and cut off a hindquarter before tossing the rest back to the tawny female.  Letting out a content grunt Arc carried her meal to a large tree where Dag had set up a tarp for himself before laying down and eating.  Arc let out a short growl when Stinky looked at her expectantly, but made no other move when the male didn’t try to steal from her.

   Skunk, sniffing at the rabbit leg let out a short, happy rumble when he let out a sigh and offered it to her.  Quickly demolishing the mouthful she let out a yawn and curled up in a ball with her shoulder pressed against Dag’s thigh.  Eyes wide with shock Dag froze and stayed in that spot until Balan returned.  A feather sticking out of his maw showed that the sphinx male had caught a grouse for his dinner, and with a deep breath the sphinx lay down next to Skunk.  Dag stretched his own arms above his head before gently shifting away from the wild tokota and quietly walking over to his sleeping pack and tarp.  Arc, orange eyes calm watched with perked ears as the teen sprawled out on the ground and soon fell into slumber himself, a grin on his face after a day well spent.