sleeping waves [ open ]

"What the fuck?"

Head hovering above the creek's rippling surface, Cvetko squinted down at his slightly distorted reflection, mouth sour with distaste as he angled his face sideways. His pale golden cheek was marred by an angry red scratch cutting its way unattractively from the top of his muzzle all the way to the back of his jaw. Blood drooled from the wound, dripping down in thin droplets into the water below. Coffee eyes tightening slightly at the sting, the dog moved his snout back towards the creek, this time leaning forward to lap at it. 

Once satisfied, the male moved away from the water, jerking his nose in the direction of his assailant. "Cunt," he spat accusingly. The broken, jagged branch did not respond. Instead, it stood poised almost proudly at the base of the tree, practically boasting that it had, in fact, caught Cvetko by surprise while he'd been racing through the woods after a hare and nearly sawed his head in half. Sending one final, scorching glare its direction, the dog retreated back into the woods. 

Unfortunately for him, the interrupted hunt gave his stomach a free pass to complain and growl with a surprising amount of volume. It got to the point that Cvetko was sure everything in a two mile radius would be able to hear him coming. And so, cursing his crappy hunting skills, the dog gave up on finding a good spot to sleep and instead decided on another hunt. Not that he thought it'd be any more successful than the last: Cvetko had a bad track record of failing hunts. His last three meals had all been lucky accidents that had, conveniently, already been dead when he'd found them. 

Nose twitching beneath the gentle breeze, the mix-breed took in the unfamiliar scents around him, trying to pick out something fresh. With nothing standing out, he moved along the forest floor with his head down and his ears perked, listening to the faint roaring of a waterfall. Cvetko decided to aim for that: water meant prey, and prey meant getting his stomach to shut up.

It only took a few minutes of walking and listening for Cvetko to pick up on something interesting. Not too far away, he was sure that he heard something that sounded faintly like splashing. Lips twitching up in a smile, the dog picked up his pace, making a conscious effort to avoid dry twigs and leaves. His chestnut eyes affixed themselves on the path ahead of him and, as he finally pushed through the mass of trees and greenery, the figure standing within the lengthy creek.

The moment he managed to figure out that this wasn't something he could hunt, Cvetko's excitement deflated. As per usual, his smile disappeared and his eyes hardened, piercing now as they bore into the outline of the wolf knee-deep in the water. She (at least, from here it looked like a she) seemed to be trying to catch fish. Cvetko hesitated for a moment now, unsure if he wanted to reveal himself immediately, wait for her to catch something, or if he just wanted to avoid her entirely. Blowing out a small breath, the mutt decided against his better judgement that he'd try talking to her. It'd been a while since he'd had any type of interaction with another canine, okay? 

Moving out somewhat warily from the safety of the trees, Cvetko called out, "Any luck?"

mocha

As the wolf jumped at the sound of his voice, Cvetko thought that maybe interrupting without prior warning probably hadn't been his smartest idea. His muscles tightened at the sight of her surprise, anticipating some kind of negative reaction. Much to his relief, however, the multi-toned female turned towards him looking startled but otherwise unbothered. Though he still didn't relax, Cvetko eyed her with curiosity now rather than caution. 

The stranger admirably admitted that she hadn't been having much luck, and the dog, who could relate, found her that much more likeable for it. She then proceeded to look back down at the creek in which soaked her paws, apparently having decided that Cvetko wasn't much of a threat. Only mildly offended, he padded forward in what he hoped to look like friendly interest. His blank expression and reserved body language might have given off a different message, but at least he was trying a little bit. 

It took a moment for the small wolf to pick a target, but Cvetko honestly didn't mind the wait. It gave him a chance to look her over without seeming creepy, and it also gave him a chance to repress the twinge of anxiety that had sparked in his chest. This confused him a little bit, the anxiety. While it was normal given that he hadn't really spoken to anyone in quite a bit, it wasn't normal for Cvetko. Talking was what he was good at... well, maybe not, but self-assurance usually was. Chalking it up to the impulsivity of his decision to reveal himself, the dog shook it from the forefront of his mind. Instead, he watched as the female dove her head into the rippling sheet of water below, pulling up with a flailing (and very delicious-looking) prize in her jaws. 

Cvetko thought about maybe cracking a smile, but his stomach grumbled out the congratulations for him. Thanking the distance between them that the wolf probably hadn't heard, Cvetko watched her as she approached. He allowed her to come as close as she felt comfortable doing--noticing the respectful distance she left between them. So, perhaps not as trusting of him as Cvetko had first thought. He raised his eyebrows at her question, and then shot a glance at the creek at her offer. Sliding his gaze back towards the stranger, the dog shook his golden head. 

"Oh, no," he said, "but thanks. I'm sure I can manage." Not that the male had much experience with fishing... but oh well. If she'd done it so easily, surely Cvetko could do it, too? All he'd have to do is copy her. Hoping he wouldn't wind up embarrassing himself in front of the first canine he'd met here, the dog strode down to the edge of the creek, lowering his head down as he examined the water. He could see the encouraging flicker of the bodies of fish up ahead. Licking his lips with anticipation, Cvetko moved rather noisily into the creek, head snapping left and right as the fish swam past. 

Trying not to let nerves get the best of him at this sudden challenge, the mutt eyed the cleared water with a fair amount of skepticism. It had been a long, long time he'd gone fishing, and he now wasn't all that confident that he could manage. Thankfully, all the commotion he'd caused while entering the cold creek had scared off all the fish and Cvetko now had some time to build up his determination... and his game plan. 

After a fair amount of waiting, stressing and scheming, the dog realized that he'd forgotten all about the wolf lurking somewhere behind him. He shot her a furtive look from the corner of his eye, just make sure she wasn't about to jump him. He contemplated making friendly conversation, but in the end decided against it. He probably didn't need the distraction right now, and small talk wasn't exactly a talent of his. 

Soon enough, one of the trout worked up the courage to swim painfully close to his leg. It took everything he had in him to not jump at it straight away. Instead, he took in a sharp inhale through his nose, glaring at it from above, willing it to come just that much closer. Eventually, it did. Cvetko shot his head underwater at lightning speed, jaws open and vehemently biting at everything he could grasp, teeth slicing at nothing but water. He could feel the terrified fish bump against his leg as it smoothly avoided capture. 

Cvetko spat out a mouthful of water the moment he resurfaced, head dripping and the cut on his cheek stinging. He shook his wet head, sending droplets of water flinging in all directions. As if he somehow expected the fish to be there laughing at him, the dog looked around for any sign of it. Of course, it wasn't there. No fish were anywhere close by.

Huffing, the canine looked back to the younger female. "You're pretty good at this whole fishing thing, hm?" 

mocha