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Storm

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The morning brought with it the smell of petrichor. A massive storm had passed overnight, leaving behind quite a mess in its wake. Now, the bright morning sun would rise beyond the clouds, evaporating the dew and leaving a thin layer of mist hovering over the earth.

Sazora would rise with the sun, her ears pressed forward as she trotted toward the entrance of the thicket. She'd heard the thunder and seen the flickering lightning through the thin walls of their bramble den, and she was so curious to know what the world looked like now — in the calm of the apocalypse.

Blinking against the brightness of the summer morning, she would smile, casting her glittering gaze over the muddy earth. It smelled so ... wet! And as she took a few delicate steps out of the grove, she felt the way her paws sank slightly into the muddy earth. It was like walking on slime! A little laugh would escape her lips as she took a few careless bounds into the clearing.

As quick as she'd leapt, she felt her feet slide away from beneath her.

And then Sazora faceplanted into the mud. 

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Skill:

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Sazora

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The boy had been sleeping soundly next to mother, nestled against her flank with silent snores as his own flanks rose and fell with his steady breathing. He heard the rustling nearby and blinked aqua eyes wide, he rose and took himself to the mouth of the thicket hole to watch as the pale one from Ivan's litter went bounding forwards.

He tiled his head to the left as he watched her, blinking curiously as he watched her bound into the hazy morning, her feet slipped and she suddenly went falling face first into the mud below her. A whimper escaped his lips as he went scrambling over towards her, his lanky legs taking long strides as he plucked paws from the mud with squelching sounds.

His feet moved faster than his mind wanted and he too went slipping. His feet went out from under him and he landed with a splashing thud behind her. The Unnamed one growled and tried to stand, but failed and fell once more, his beautifully dappled coat covered in the brown muck. Bright eyes flashed over towards the pale girl and he growled again, lifting his head and laying on his belly, as if to ask if she was okay.

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Mud tasted weird.

She would lick her lips, just to ... make sure she was tasting it right.

And she'd squinch her face in disgust.

Uffff, she'd sputter, lifting her head and taking a paw to wipe the grime from her eyes and mouth. Bleck, she continued, releasing a constant stream of sound effects that emanated between her giggles. Every time she tried to move, she slipped further, spraying bits of mud and disrupting the effervescent mist.

From somewhere behind her, she heard the loud approach of another. Smaller paws, also sliding. Another puppy, also belly-flopping into the grime. Sazora would turn toward him, slowly sliding back onto her belly and putting herself nose height with the Nameless Boy. He would whine and growl at her, perhaps asking to see if she was hurt. Sazora would greet him with a gentle smile — she was alright, just ... really really dirty.

But so was he.

Don't eat it, she told him with a silly grin, mud gritting between her teeth. Her paws would slide as she tried to push herself upward into a sitting position, gaze looking a bit past the Unnamed boy and then back again. Did you come out here to explore after the storm, too? Her tail would wave, slapping in the mud. A yes-or-no question seemed like the best way to start talking to him.

But she would get more excited. I bet there's all sorts of cool stuff in the mud!! 

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Skill:

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Sazora

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He watched as the girl twisted up her face and make a strange sound, one he'd never heard before, and he raised an eyebrow with a tip of his muddy head. Though through her strange sounds there were light twinkles of laughter that laced the edges of her disgust. The girl kept trying to move, but she kept falling. The Unnamed one just watched, knowing if he tried he would flail around just like Sazora was.

He watched as the girl turned around and faced him, putting herself on her belly and put herself nose to nose with him. She told him not to eat it and grinned in a silly way. He blinked and watched as she pressed herself up and sat, looking past him for a moment before she asked him if he came out to explore after the storm too. Her tail slapped behind her with wet thuds and she mentioned that she bet there was all sorts of cool stuff in the mud.

Smiling at her a little the boy nodded and looked back towards the den, as if telling her he came from there, and he turned his head back towards her. Cooo-oool? He stressed, extending the word way longer than I thought possible. St---Or--Mm? The Unnamed one tried, asking questions as in his own way.

The child didn't use words, and honestly this might have been the first time he'd spoken to somebody, use syllables and sounds to form words the would cut through the air, jagged and sharp, as he tried to form questions as best as he could.

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Sazora waited with an innocent patience, something perhaps a bit beyond her age, as she smiled through muddied features at him. Sazora did not know much of the blue merle children, but she knew that her Mama cared for them. And that meant that Sazora did, too.

Plus, it was way more fun playing with kids than adults!

"Cooo-oool? St---Or--Mm?"

Hey! He did it!

Ha! Mama was gonna be so jealous!

Yeah! Storm! When the sky gets all cloudy and splotchy and dark and — she'd pause, bright gaze lingering on the boy. His coat. It looked like a stormy sky. Wow! Your coat! You look like a Storm, too! There was bright fascination in her gaze as her smile widened with the realization. He was so pretty, like a stormy sky. And she, like the sun.

Do you want a nickname? She would tilt her head, not wanting to insult him by giving him an actual name. He would have to choose that. But what if they both had fun nicknames for each other? You can be Storm! Her paws would dance, nearly sliding out from beneath her as she realized quickly that she could not tippy-tap in mud. You can pick a nickname for me, if you want!

She awaited.

Expectantly.

Whatever he chose would be good, she was sure of it.

He'd said two words so far, and they were both awesome.  

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Skill:

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Sazora

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Sazora explained what a storm was and then she stopped, he tiled his head in the other direction from where it had been tilted before and furrowed his brows at her at her suddenly stop. Though her pause didn't last long at all, for soon she was telling him he looked like a storm too. Confused the boy looked down at his chest, his paws, then turned his head to look at his flank and the he rose his tail to observe that too.

The girl tilted her head and asked if he wanted a nickname. He didn't know what a nickname was, but he knew what a name was, and he knew he didn't have one. Mama never gave him one.

Storm? He could be Storm? He turned back towards her to watch her paws dance in the mud with squelching excitement. He yipped an excited back and danced with his own paws. He'd never done that before, but it was kind of fun! And he liked Storm, something about it was mysterious and elusive, secretive and dark. He liked that.

She then gave him the Opportunity to name her with her own nickname ad he smiled wider. He squinted his eyes at the bright shining girl, his eyes narrowed and his head pressed forward as the child nibbled his lip in deep though.

As he nibbled on his onyx lower lip he breathed silently through his nose. She was like the sun, he thought, warm and inviting. Something that made him feel good inside, the way she shone and brightened the area around them, brought a light to the mud surrounding them. And he yipped again.

S-u-nn!!! He squeaked, leaping upwards on his paws before he landed. As he landed he felt the world slip out from underneath him and he went facefirst into the mud once again. He blinked and looked up at her sheepishly, as if embarrassed. Li--ke---- Su-nn! He squeaked from his belly flat position below the larger girl.

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Sazora was completely overjoyed to see the way that Storm shifted when he accepted his nickname. There was a brightness that shone beneath his curiosity, and he would mirror her excited movements. For a moment, the two of them just danced together in the mud.

And a bond would form, then and there — a bond that would meld two children together in a way that only children could. And though Sazora feared trusting outside of her family circle, perhaps Storm was close enough to her inner ring that he could exist there comfortably.

As her friend.

And then he would bestow upon her a nickname.

"S-u-nn!!!"

Sun!

Oh, she loved it. She loved the sun! And she recalled, ever so fondly, when she and her mother had sung to the sky, dispelling the darkness so that the sun could return to the land. And just like her song had brought light to the world, her voice had brought sound to Storm's voice, too.

Storm would leap upward, and so would Sun. Storm and Sun, she yipped, grinning. It's perfect. Thanks, Storm! Her tail would flick upward, and mud would spray as she slapped the sodden appendage over her muddy back. And now, Storm and Sun go on their first big adventure! It was time. Time to make history.

She'd puff her chest up, taking a few wide and careful steps as she began to make her way through the mud, sniffing about and hoping that they might find a prize worthy of their newly forged best-friend-ship.

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