4 hours ago
His ears gave a lazy twitch at the sound of movement behind him, though it wasn't until an unfamiliar voice reached him that his attention finally broke away from the frogs.
Ali cha-what now??
He whipped around so quickly that muddy water splashed around his legs, his wide eyes standing out starkly against the thick layer of black sludge coating his face and entire body. Between the mud plastered over him, the marsh vegetation that tangled stubbornly through his fur, and whatever awful smell had settled into his coat by now, he looked less like a wolf and more like a pathetic half-drowned looking bog critter.
He stared at the other male .There was a heavy sort of sluggishness about him, as though he'd only just dragged himself awake after sleeping for days. Yelp's attention lingered for only a moment before his mind caught back up with what had actually been said before. Maybe he misheard. Yelp had never encountered the idea that different wolves might speak different languages. As far as his understanding of the world went words were words. If one came out sounding strange, then clearly something had gone wrong somewhere. Maybe the guy was still half asleep or something. That certainly made the most sense to Yelp.
When the stranger asked if he was alright, however, Yelp suddenly became painfully aware of what the other wolf was actually looking at.
"Uhhhhh......"
His gaze drifted down over himself before sliding back toward the other male again, and the longer he looked, the harder it became to imagine any explanation that didn't make him sound ridiculous.
Well shit.
For some reason, that familiar knot twisted in his chest the moment the offer of help came. This was the third wolf he'd met since waking up in this world, and within seconds he'd managed to introduce himself as some sort of unfortunate, helpless creature. It wasn't even the offered help itself that bothered him. It was what needing it, or appearing as if he needed it, said about him. The last thing he ever wanted was for the very first impression he made out to anyone to be another reminder that he had absolutely no idea what he was doing. He feared that already happened with Gemeni and Maral, and now after seconds of meeting it might be happening with whoever this guy was right now.
His embarrassment did what it usually did in situations like this. It reached for a joke before anything honest could escape.
"What?" he replied, glancing down at himself as though only just noticing the state he was in. "you don't do mud baths where you're from?" His chest puffed out in theatrics, wearing an expression that suggested this had all been part of an incredibly sophisticated plan that the other didn't seem to understand. "It's not as bad as it looks. You should see my coat after a few-- " A thick glob of marsh sludge chose that exact moment to peel away from his chin before dropping back into the water with a heavy plop.
Yelp's eyes followed it in complete silence.
"...Well," he muttered after a beat, "it's probably not for everyone."
Ali cha-what now??
He whipped around so quickly that muddy water splashed around his legs, his wide eyes standing out starkly against the thick layer of black sludge coating his face and entire body. Between the mud plastered over him, the marsh vegetation that tangled stubbornly through his fur, and whatever awful smell had settled into his coat by now, he looked less like a wolf and more like a pathetic half-drowned looking bog critter.
He stared at the other male .There was a heavy sort of sluggishness about him, as though he'd only just dragged himself awake after sleeping for days. Yelp's attention lingered for only a moment before his mind caught back up with what had actually been said before. Maybe he misheard. Yelp had never encountered the idea that different wolves might speak different languages. As far as his understanding of the world went words were words. If one came out sounding strange, then clearly something had gone wrong somewhere. Maybe the guy was still half asleep or something. That certainly made the most sense to Yelp.
When the stranger asked if he was alright, however, Yelp suddenly became painfully aware of what the other wolf was actually looking at.
"Uhhhhh......"
His gaze drifted down over himself before sliding back toward the other male again, and the longer he looked, the harder it became to imagine any explanation that didn't make him sound ridiculous.
Well shit.
For some reason, that familiar knot twisted in his chest the moment the offer of help came. This was the third wolf he'd met since waking up in this world, and within seconds he'd managed to introduce himself as some sort of unfortunate, helpless creature. It wasn't even the offered help itself that bothered him. It was what needing it, or appearing as if he needed it, said about him. The last thing he ever wanted was for the very first impression he made out to anyone to be another reminder that he had absolutely no idea what he was doing. He feared that already happened with Gemeni and Maral, and now after seconds of meeting it might be happening with whoever this guy was right now.
His embarrassment did what it usually did in situations like this. It reached for a joke before anything honest could escape.
"What?" he replied, glancing down at himself as though only just noticing the state he was in. "you don't do mud baths where you're from?" His chest puffed out in theatrics, wearing an expression that suggested this had all been part of an incredibly sophisticated plan that the other didn't seem to understand. "It's not as bad as it looks. You should see my coat after a few-- " A thick glob of marsh sludge chose that exact moment to peel away from his chin before dropping back into the water with a heavy plop.
Yelp's eyes followed it in complete silence.
"...Well," he muttered after a beat, "it's probably not for everyone."