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Description
A role play between me and warpugs with our characters Rikki and Evita for

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki's eyes opened slowly after he took a deep breath of the new, clear air. They'd finally made it. After who knew how many days of travel, they'd reached their destination. He felt his shoulders sag in relief and exhaustion. His tail gave a small half wag and he glanced over his shoulder to Evita as she made her way up the hillock behind him. He whuffed to get her attention and managed a tiny grin.
"See? I wasn't making this place up." he joked tiredly as he turned to look back over his--their--new home. It'd been years since he'd been in these woods but they still held a warm sense of familiarity for him.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita loped slowly up the hill after Rikki, studying the cloudy gray sky above before she turned her attention back to him. "You're too fast!" She complained a bit playfully, but also with a bit of a serious tone. Him and his darn long legs moved so much quicker than her in this snow!

With a final huff of breath she landed beside him at the top of the hill. "You know, I was really sure you were taking me on a neverending journey." She grinned before growing serious again. "It looks very pretty... Have you been here before?" She rose a brow as she looked out at the woods below.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki nodded absently, lost in thought. "Yeah. Lived here for a while with my mom and siblings." he mumbled. He remembered his sisters chasing him through these woods and the smell of a fresh kill when his mother called them all back to the den after a long day of play. They'd never stayed in one place for very long, but he'd been especially fond of this one. He bumped Evita's shoulder with his own before beginning to carefully pick his way down the snow slope. "Be careful or you'll slip." he tossed over his shoulder as he used his nails to gain some purchase on the icy surface of the snow.

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warpugs said the following:

An "Ah." was all Evita had managed to say to his mumbled response and she gave a small frown as she remembered their talk of their pasts nights ago in the small cave in the woods. She watched as he began to carefully make his way down the slope. She rolled her eyes with a grin at his warning to her. "Oh, I think I can handle it."

She pranced forward down the hill and it wasn't long until she felt herself losing grip on the iced surface of the snow. She promptly fell back on her rump and began sliding down in that fashion, quickly surpassing Rikki. She squealed in shock, or maybe it was delight, as she felt the cool air whipping at her face and blowing her fur back.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki could practically hear Evita rolling her eyes at him and he grinned to himself. He set his mind back to the task at hand, legs splayed awkwardly in all directions as he sought to keep his footing. As Evita went skidding past him he yelped in shock, staring after her with mouth agape. "Evita!" he yelled as he went to lunge after her and his front legs skidded out from underneath him. With an 'oof' he bellyflopped onto the ice and felt the wind ripping through his ears as he quickly gained speed.
Rikki's eyes widened as he slid uncontrollably down the down the slope on his stomach, ears pinned flat against his head as he desperately scrabbled for some purchase. He barely registered himself catching up to Evita and gave her a look of abject horror.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita faintly heard Rikki calling her name behind her as she went skidding along the ice. As he quickly caught up to her she looked over at him with sheer delight, a wild grin on her muzzle. She let out a laugh and looked forward again, bracing herself to reach the bottom of the hill and hoping that the snow at the bottom was a bit less icy for when she landed in it.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

To Rikki's horror he began to surpass Evita. He desperately tried to slow his progress with a whine but it was too late. He shut his eyes tightly and waited for the impact he knew was coming. With a deafening roar he reached the bottom and crashed right into a huge snow drift, leaving a lovely Rikki shaped hole as he went. When he tried opening his eyes all he saw was bright whiteness and assumed he was dead. But then the sneezing fit began as his body tried to get all the powdery snow out of his nose.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita watched with amusement as Rikki disappeared at the bottom into a snow drift. She slid after him, landing atop him and the snow pile with a soft thud. She laughed and sprang off of him to stand in the snow beside him, tail wagging as she nosed some snow off of him. "Oh, Rikki! Let's do that again!" She panted a bit from the excitement of the ice slide. "I think I like it here already."

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki could barely contain his shivering as he stepped stiff leggedly out of the snow drift. Luckily he could blame it on the cold snow. He fixed Evita with a dead stare at her overly enthused request to go through that experience again. His eye twitched slightly before he snapped himself out of it. "Maybe...some other time...maybe..." he gave as a weak response. With a glance up at the Death Slope they'd narrowly survived he turned and began to lead the way deeper into the woods. "There are more things to see!" he barked enthusiastically, trying to hide his unease.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita's eyes narrowed back at him as he did to her, though she kept the amused smile on her muzzle. "Oh boo." She gave up with a sigh.

She watched as he began to walk away and cocked her head to the side. More to see? She blinked and hopped through the snow after him curiously. "What could beat that hill?"

As she followed alongside him she couldn't help but wonder if now that they were in this new territory, would they part ways like they always had in the past? She wasn't sure that she wanted to. She was enjoying this newfound camaraderie they had established.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

"Literally anything could beat that hill." he deadpanned in response. He let his thoughts drift as they made their way through the woods, which were becoming denser. It was easier to remember his way around if he didn't think about it too hard. The snow was becoming less deep as they went due to the heavier cover from the surrounding trees and the air felt slightly warmer, if more stagnant. Rikki stopped suddenly and cast around for a moment, nose to the ground, before he wuffled in excitement.
"This was one of our old den sites." he explained as he pawed at a rather dilapidated burrow. It looked as if quite a few animals had called it home since Rikki and his family had left, none leaving it in too good condition. Rikki's tail wagged at his discovery.

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warpugs said the following:

"Hmm agree to disagree." Evita responded critically on the topic of the hill. She continued to follow after him, breathing a small sigh of relief when the snow grew less dense. She was busy looking at the trees when she felt herself bump into Rikki as he made an abrupt stop. Just as she was about to complain about it, he exclaimed they had reached one of his old den sites. She peered her head around his body as he pawed at the dilapidated burrow and she rose a brow. Was this where they were staying? She certainly hoped not but put on an excited face for Rikki, knowing this place held many good memories for him. "With a bit of sprucing up it would be good as new." She came up beside him with a nod.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

"Yup, welcome to our new home." he said brightly. He held the grin on his face and glanced over at Evita, waiting for her reaction. After a moment he gave a bark of laughter. "I'm joking. This place is a wreck now." He flicked her with his tail and continued his tour through the territory. Eventually they came to a babbling brook, fed by a miniature waterfall. The pond itself was frozen over but cool water still poured from the fall. Rikki lapped some of this up thankfully, happy to have clear fresh water again.

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warpugs said the following:

As Rikki declared that this would be their new home she could feel one of her eyes twitch slightly. She breathed a sigh of relief when he exclaimed that it was just a joke. "Oh thank goodness." She spoke quickly, giving the dilapidated den a last once-over before trotting quickly after Rikki.

They came upon the brook and the miniature waterfall and a small smile made its way onto her muzzle. She walked over to the waterfall, poking her nose in it and sticking her tongue out to catch some of the water. It was always nice to see some fresh running water at this point in the winter.

She pulled her muzzle away from the waterfall, letting water drip off her chin as she watched Rikki for a moment. Her mind drifted back to where it had earlier. "Rikki," She began to question slowly, uncertainly. "What do we do now?"

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki had been staring up into the canopy while Evita drank, letting himself become lost in his thoughts again. He was pulled back as Evita said his name with a note of uncertainty he wasn't used to hearing from her. Looking back at her he was careful to keep his face neutral and still as went over her question. What now? He admitted to himself he hadn't really thought that far ahead. Making it here had been as far as he considered.

"What do you want to do now?" he asked carefully, finally daring to meet her eyes.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita eyed him curiously, attempting to gauge how she should respond. "I-... I don't know." She responded after a moments silence. She quickly gave a short cough. "But, a lady shouldn't be out alone in such strange, unfamiliar woods, right?" She walked around him to stand at his other side. "We should probably stay together. At least for a few nights." She gave a quick nod. There was no way he could turn this down.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki perked up at her suggestion and silently let go of a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Yeah, that sounds like a good plan." he agreed quickly. When she came to stand by his side once more he playfully bumped shoulders with her and took off at a brisk trot. He showed her the places where deer and other prey gathered in the spring to eat fresh browse and roughage. Where smaller rodents like to make their burrows and birds their nests. As he showed her these places from his past he found himself remembering them all in more vivid detail, as if speaking them again gave them new life in his memories.

There were more hidden away, quiet places where dens and nightly beds could be made that he pointed out to her as they walked and a calm lake, really more like a pond, where animals came to drink when thawed and wolves could cool off in summer. Finally they came to a small clearing between snow laden birch trees where the snow had been swept away by the wind to pile in one corner and bare ground could just be seen between the light dusting left behind.

"So." he began with a puffed out sigh, "What do you think?"

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warpugs said the following:

Evita had to contain most of her excitement at his agreement. She grinned as he bumped shoulders with her, something he so often did, and she quickly and happily pranced after him in the snow. She listened intently as he pointed everything out to her. She found it nice and almost refreshing how this place changed his entire demeanor. He just seemed more genuinely happy than she had ever seen him.

She slowed to a halt beside him as they reached the birch trees and some ground that wasn't covered in snow. "I love it." She chirped and unlike earlier, she really meant it this time. She carefully stepped off of the snow and onto the bare ground, nose to the ground as she gave the area a brief inspection. She raised her head and smiled over at Rikki.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki felt his chest swelling at Evita's approval. As he watched her examine the clearing he felt something else stir in his chest and couldn't give it a name. He stepped closer to her with his head tilted as he watched her, wondering what life would be like now in these woods and if it could be better than he originally imagined.

Before he knew what he was doing he said, "E-Evita I, uh..."

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warpugs said the following:

Evita blinked and cocked her head to the side as she watched Rikki. "Yes?" She responded a bit uncertainly, suddenly feeling a bit anxious but not in a bad way, wondering what he was going to say. And why was he looking at her like that?

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sourlemonfox said the following:

"I...just wanted to say...that..." he paused and tried to swallow the lump in his throat. He was about to continue when a blue jay came shouting out of the brush and he nearly jumped out of his skin. He gaped for a moment, growing more flustered, before lifting a paw and pushing Evita over into the snow.

"Uhm...tag!" he blurted out, bawking awkwardly before leaping away into the snow, tripping and regaining his feet and continuing his desperate sprint.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita leaned towards him, growing more curious the more he faltered with his words. Then came the screaming blue jay, which also surprised Evita. She jumped at the sound of it but didn't seem to be as flustered as Rikki. Before she could say anything, he had shoved her over into the snow with a large paw. "Ow! Hey!" She protested from her snow pile, eyes narrowing at him. "Tag!" She gave him an incredulous look, watching as he sprinted off. "What the-" She scrambled to stand up. "Rikki! What are you doing?" She continued to watch him for a moment before sprinting after him, finally giving into his bizarre game.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki ignored Evita's shouts and continued bounding through the the snow, narrowly avoiding trees and bushes. A never ending montage of profanities ran through his head and kept him company. He lost his footing a second time and allowed his body to come to a stop before standing up stiffly, having fallen multiple times that day. He grumbled to himself as Evita caught up and he whirled on her quickly, tail sticking out rigidly behind him.

"Wow, you got me, haha, you're fast." his voice was overly loud and he snapped his jaws shut with an audible 'clack'. His eyes were wide as he glanced to the side before looking at Evita again, raising his paw, and smooshing it on her face.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita skidded to a stop beside his fallen body, watching him with a bewildered expression as he got up. She eyed him almost cautiously as he responded before shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "You're weir-" Suddenly his paw came crashing into her again, but this time it was on her face. She shied away from him as he did, partly to get away and partly because the weight of his paw forced her to. "Stop it!" She complained, crouching away from him with her ears twisted back.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

At Evita's shout he immediately dropped back to the ground and rolled over to expose his belly, twisting her head and neck around to look up at her. "I'm sorry!" be blurted, looking acceptably pathetic. "I'm just..." his ears twitched back as he thought before he finished, "happy you're here."

His tail wagged lamely in an attempt to placate her as he wriggled in the snow, whining occasionally.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita stayed crouched as he rolled over onto his belly, eyes narrowed suspiciously. When he began to apologize she slowly rose and straightened herself up. "Well. You have an awfully funny way of showing it." She spoke in an almost scolding tone but quickly sighed afterwards. "Alright, I'm satisfied with your grovelling. You may rise now." She spoke in a dramatically regal tone, with a playful glint in her eye, and motioned with her muzzle for him to get up.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki gave a lopsided grin and a wag of his tail before rolling back onto his feet unceremoniously. "Thank you, my lady." he responded with a haphazard bow that he ended with giving Evita a tiny head bump. He then grabbed one of her ears between his teeth and chewed on it, making sure to drool more than necessary.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita gave a small smile as he rose to his feet. Hopefully all this craziness would be behind them now. As he latched onto her ear and began to drool all over her she whined and started pulling away, pushing on him with her black paws. "Oh c'mon," She whined more, eyes squeezed tightly shut. "You're worse than my brothers!" Although she was upset there was a grin on her muzzle.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki released Evita's ear and, without thinking, gave her a lick across the muzzle. His ears flattened once he realized what he'd done and he barked out a small cough, desperately looking anywhere but at Evita. "Uh uhm." he stammered, mind and heart racing erratically. "I'm really glad you decided to come here with me." he finally blurted out, glancing at her shyly before losing his nerve and looking away again. "You're...a good friend." he mumbled lamely.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita's brows raised but she smiled when he had licked her across the muzzle. She cocked her head to the side before shaking it. "And you were going to leave me behind! Your good friend! I can't believe it." She took on a dramatic air once again, but it was true. Who could leave her behind?! She stretched a paw up to his shoulder and smiled once more. "Well, you're my best friend."

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki had always thought the term 'choked up' to be metaphorical. Unfortunately he was finding it to be very literal. He quickly swallowed in an attempt to break the lump in his throat and darted his head down to bury it in Evita's chest fur to avoid her gaze. He breathed in deeply and felt himself relaxing in her familiar scent he knew so well. "You're my best friend too." he mumbled into her fur, not sure if she could actually hear him or not. He lifted a leg to wrap around her neck in a hug and squeezed her tightly against him.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita was startled momentarily as he darted his head down to bury it in her fur but she quickly relaxed and chuckled softly, straining to hear what he said. "Well I'm glad to hear i- oof!" He had pulled her into a hug and she laughed again. "Not so tight, you're going to break my neck!" Although it was a tight hug, she couldn't deny the fact that she enjoyed sharing that closeness with him.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki chuckled at Evita's remark before giving her one more squeeze and letting go. He bumped his head against her chest and straightened back up, finally feeling a bit less awkward. Looking up at the trees he could see the sun beginning to set behind the mountains. "Let's go catch a bite to eat and then bed down for the night. I don't know about you, but I could sleep for a week." he huffed, yawning to further prove his point.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita smiled and looked him over as he yawned, as if to check to make sure he was telling the truth. She bounced forward in the snow. "Augh! I could eat a whole buffalo I'm so hungry." She groaned, looking around the clearing. "Sounds like a good plan to me." She suddenly grew silent and paced forward more precisely, getting into a hunting mode. She couldn't help but feel a bit of giddiness in her that Rikki considered her his best friend and she found herself excited for whatever future adventures, or misadventures, they may get themselves into.

Description
A role play between me and warpugs with our characters Rikki and Evita for

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki's eyes opened slowly after he took a deep breath of the new, clear air. They'd finally made it. After who knew how many days of travel, they'd reached their destination. He felt his shoulders sag in relief and exhaustion. His tail gave a small half wag and he glanced over his shoulder to Evita as she made her way up the hillock behind him. He whuffed to get her attention and managed a tiny grin.
"See? I wasn't making this place up." he joked tiredly as he turned to look back over his--their--new home. It'd been years since he'd been in these woods but they still held a warm sense of familiarity for him.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita loped slowly up the hill after Rikki, studying the cloudy gray sky above before she turned her attention back to him. "You're too fast!" She complained a bit playfully, but also with a bit of a serious tone. Him and his darn long legs moved so much quicker than her in this snow!

With a final huff of breath she landed beside him at the top of the hill. "You know, I was really sure you were taking me on a neverending journey." She grinned before growing serious again. "It looks very pretty... Have you been here before?" She rose a brow as she looked out at the woods below.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki nodded absently, lost in thought. "Yeah. Lived here for a while with my mom and siblings." he mumbled. He remembered his sisters chasing him through these woods and the smell of a fresh kill when his mother called them all back to the den after a long day of play. They'd never stayed in one place for very long, but he'd been especially fond of this one. He bumped Evita's shoulder with his own before beginning to carefully pick his way down the snow slope. "Be careful or you'll slip." he tossed over his shoulder as he used his nails to gain some purchase on the icy surface of the snow.

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warpugs said the following:

An "Ah." was all Evita had managed to say to his mumbled response and she gave a small frown as she remembered their talk of their pasts nights ago in the small cave in the woods. She watched as he began to carefully make his way down the slope. She rolled her eyes with a grin at his warning to her. "Oh, I think I can handle it."

She pranced forward down the hill and it wasn't long until she felt herself losing grip on the iced surface of the snow. She promptly fell back on her rump and began sliding down in that fashion, quickly surpassing Rikki. She squealed in shock, or maybe it was delight, as she felt the cool air whipping at her face and blowing her fur back.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki could practically hear Evita rolling her eyes at him and he grinned to himself. He set his mind back to the task at hand, legs splayed awkwardly in all directions as he sought to keep his footing. As Evita went skidding past him he yelped in shock, staring after her with mouth agape. "Evita!" he yelled as he went to lunge after her and his front legs skidded out from underneath him. With an 'oof' he bellyflopped onto the ice and felt the wind ripping through his ears as he quickly gained speed.
Rikki's eyes widened as he slid uncontrollably down the down the slope on his stomach, ears pinned flat against his head as he desperately scrabbled for some purchase. He barely registered himself catching up to Evita and gave her a look of abject horror.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita faintly heard Rikki calling her name behind her as she went skidding along the ice. As he quickly caught up to her she looked over at him with sheer delight, a wild grin on her muzzle. She let out a laugh and looked forward again, bracing herself to reach the bottom of the hill and hoping that the snow at the bottom was a bit less icy for when she landed in it.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

To Rikki's horror he began to surpass Evita. He desperately tried to slow his progress with a whine but it was too late. He shut his eyes tightly and waited for the impact he knew was coming. With a deafening roar he reached the bottom and crashed right into a huge snow drift, leaving a lovely Rikki shaped hole as he went. When he tried opening his eyes all he saw was bright whiteness and assumed he was dead. But then the sneezing fit began as his body tried to get all the powdery snow out of his nose.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita watched with amusement as Rikki disappeared at the bottom into a snow drift. She slid after him, landing atop him and the snow pile with a soft thud. She laughed and sprang off of him to stand in the snow beside him, tail wagging as she nosed some snow off of him. "Oh, Rikki! Let's do that again!" She panted a bit from the excitement of the ice slide. "I think I like it here already."

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki could barely contain his shivering as he stepped stiff leggedly out of the snow drift. Luckily he could blame it on the cold snow. He fixed Evita with a dead stare at her overly enthused request to go through that experience again. His eye twitched slightly before he snapped himself out of it. "Maybe...some other time...maybe..." he gave as a weak response. With a glance up at the Death Slope they'd narrowly survived he turned and began to lead the way deeper into the woods. "There are more things to see!" he barked enthusiastically, trying to hide his unease.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita's eyes narrowed back at him as he did to her, though she kept the amused smile on her muzzle. "Oh boo." She gave up with a sigh.

She watched as he began to walk away and cocked her head to the side. More to see? She blinked and hopped through the snow after him curiously. "What could beat that hill?"

As she followed alongside him she couldn't help but wonder if now that they were in this new territory, would they part ways like they always had in the past? She wasn't sure that she wanted to. She was enjoying this newfound camaraderie they had established.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

"Literally anything could beat that hill." he deadpanned in response. He let his thoughts drift as they made their way through the woods, which were becoming denser. It was easier to remember his way around if he didn't think about it too hard. The snow was becoming less deep as they went due to the heavier cover from the surrounding trees and the air felt slightly warmer, if more stagnant. Rikki stopped suddenly and cast around for a moment, nose to the ground, before he wuffled in excitement.
"This was one of our old den sites." he explained as he pawed at a rather dilapidated burrow. It looked as if quite a few animals had called it home since Rikki and his family had left, none leaving it in too good condition. Rikki's tail wagged at his discovery.

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warpugs said the following:

"Hmm agree to disagree." Evita responded critically on the topic of the hill. She continued to follow after him, breathing a small sigh of relief when the snow grew less dense. She was busy looking at the trees when she felt herself bump into Rikki as he made an abrupt stop. Just as she was about to complain about it, he exclaimed they had reached one of his old den sites. She peered her head around his body as he pawed at the dilapidated burrow and she rose a brow. Was this where they were staying? She certainly hoped not but put on an excited face for Rikki, knowing this place held many good memories for him. "With a bit of sprucing up it would be good as new." She came up beside him with a nod.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

"Yup, welcome to our new home." he said brightly. He held the grin on his face and glanced over at Evita, waiting for her reaction. After a moment he gave a bark of laughter. "I'm joking. This place is a wreck now." He flicked her with his tail and continued his tour through the territory. Eventually they came to a babbling brook, fed by a miniature waterfall. The pond itself was frozen over but cool water still poured from the fall. Rikki lapped some of this up thankfully, happy to have clear fresh water again.

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warpugs said the following:

As Rikki declared that this would be their new home she could feel one of her eyes twitch slightly. She breathed a sigh of relief when he exclaimed that it was just a joke. "Oh thank goodness." She spoke quickly, giving the dilapidated den a last once-over before trotting quickly after Rikki.

They came upon the brook and the miniature waterfall and a small smile made its way onto her muzzle. She walked over to the waterfall, poking her nose in it and sticking her tongue out to catch some of the water. It was always nice to see some fresh running water at this point in the winter.

She pulled her muzzle away from the waterfall, letting water drip off her chin as she watched Rikki for a moment. Her mind drifted back to where it had earlier. "Rikki," She began to question slowly, uncertainly. "What do we do now?"

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki had been staring up into the canopy while Evita drank, letting himself become lost in his thoughts again. He was pulled back as Evita said his name with a note of uncertainty he wasn't used to hearing from her. Looking back at her he was careful to keep his face neutral and still as went over her question. What now? He admitted to himself he hadn't really thought that far ahead. Making it here had been as far as he considered.

"What do you want to do now?" he asked carefully, finally daring to meet her eyes.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita eyed him curiously, attempting to gauge how she should respond. "I-... I don't know." She responded after a moments silence. She quickly gave a short cough. "But, a lady shouldn't be out alone in such strange, unfamiliar woods, right?" She walked around him to stand at his other side. "We should probably stay together. At least for a few nights." She gave a quick nod. There was no way he could turn this down.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki perked up at her suggestion and silently let go of a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Yeah, that sounds like a good plan." he agreed quickly. When she came to stand by his side once more he playfully bumped shoulders with her and took off at a brisk trot. He showed her the places where deer and other prey gathered in the spring to eat fresh browse and roughage. Where smaller rodents like to make their burrows and birds their nests. As he showed her these places from his past he found himself remembering them all in more vivid detail, as if speaking them again gave them new life in his memories.

There were more hidden away, quiet places where dens and nightly beds could be made that he pointed out to her as they walked and a calm lake, really more like a pond, where animals came to drink when thawed and wolves could cool off in summer. Finally they came to a small clearing between snow laden birch trees where the snow had been swept away by the wind to pile in one corner and bare ground could just be seen between the light dusting left behind.

"So." he began with a puffed out sigh, "What do you think?"

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warpugs said the following:

Evita had to contain most of her excitement at his agreement. She grinned as he bumped shoulders with her, something he so often did, and she quickly and happily pranced after him in the snow. She listened intently as he pointed everything out to her. She found it nice and almost refreshing how this place changed his entire demeanor. He just seemed more genuinely happy than she had ever seen him.

She slowed to a halt beside him as they reached the birch trees and some ground that wasn't covered in snow. "I love it." She chirped and unlike earlier, she really meant it this time. She carefully stepped off of the snow and onto the bare ground, nose to the ground as she gave the area a brief inspection. She raised her head and smiled over at Rikki.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki felt his chest swelling at Evita's approval. As he watched her examine the clearing he felt something else stir in his chest and couldn't give it a name. He stepped closer to her with his head tilted as he watched her, wondering what life would be like now in these woods and if it could be better than he originally imagined.

Before he knew what he was doing he said, "E-Evita I, uh..."

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warpugs said the following:

Evita blinked and cocked her head to the side as she watched Rikki. "Yes?" She responded a bit uncertainly, suddenly feeling a bit anxious but not in a bad way, wondering what he was going to say. And why was he looking at her like that?

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sourlemonfox said the following:

"I...just wanted to say...that..." he paused and tried to swallow the lump in his throat. He was about to continue when a blue jay came shouting out of the brush and he nearly jumped out of his skin. He gaped for a moment, growing more flustered, before lifting a paw and pushing Evita over into the snow.

"Uhm...tag!" he blurted out, bawking awkwardly before leaping away into the snow, tripping and regaining his feet and continuing his desperate sprint.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita leaned towards him, growing more curious the more he faltered with his words. Then came the screaming blue jay, which also surprised Evita. She jumped at the sound of it but didn't seem to be as flustered as Rikki. Before she could say anything, he had shoved her over into the snow with a large paw. "Ow! Hey!" She protested from her snow pile, eyes narrowing at him. "Tag!" She gave him an incredulous look, watching as he sprinted off. "What the-" She scrambled to stand up. "Rikki! What are you doing?" She continued to watch him for a moment before sprinting after him, finally giving into his bizarre game.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki ignored Evita's shouts and continued bounding through the the snow, narrowly avoiding trees and bushes. A never ending montage of profanities ran through his head and kept him company. He lost his footing a second time and allowed his body to come to a stop before standing up stiffly, having fallen multiple times that day. He grumbled to himself as Evita caught up and he whirled on her quickly, tail sticking out rigidly behind him.

"Wow, you got me, haha, you're fast." his voice was overly loud and he snapped his jaws shut with an audible 'clack'. His eyes were wide as he glanced to the side before looking at Evita again, raising his paw, and smooshing it on her face.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita skidded to a stop beside his fallen body, watching him with a bewildered expression as he got up. She eyed him almost cautiously as he responded before shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "You're weir-" Suddenly his paw came crashing into her again, but this time it was on her face. She shied away from him as he did, partly to get away and partly because the weight of his paw forced her to. "Stop it!" She complained, crouching away from him with her ears twisted back.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

At Evita's shout he immediately dropped back to the ground and rolled over to expose his belly, twisting her head and neck around to look up at her. "I'm sorry!" be blurted, looking acceptably pathetic. "I'm just..." his ears twitched back as he thought before he finished, "happy you're here."

His tail wagged lamely in an attempt to placate her as he wriggled in the snow, whining occasionally.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita stayed crouched as he rolled over onto his belly, eyes narrowed suspiciously. When he began to apologize she slowly rose and straightened herself up. "Well. You have an awfully funny way of showing it." She spoke in an almost scolding tone but quickly sighed afterwards. "Alright, I'm satisfied with your grovelling. You may rise now." She spoke in a dramatically regal tone, with a playful glint in her eye, and motioned with her muzzle for him to get up.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki gave a lopsided grin and a wag of his tail before rolling back onto his feet unceremoniously. "Thank you, my lady." he responded with a haphazard bow that he ended with giving Evita a tiny head bump. He then grabbed one of her ears between his teeth and chewed on it, making sure to drool more than necessary.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita gave a small smile as he rose to his feet. Hopefully all this craziness would be behind them now. As he latched onto her ear and began to drool all over her she whined and started pulling away, pushing on him with her black paws. "Oh c'mon," She whined more, eyes squeezed tightly shut. "You're worse than my brothers!" Although she was upset there was a grin on her muzzle.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki released Evita's ear and, without thinking, gave her a lick across the muzzle. His ears flattened once he realized what he'd done and he barked out a small cough, desperately looking anywhere but at Evita. "Uh uhm." he stammered, mind and heart racing erratically. "I'm really glad you decided to come here with me." he finally blurted out, glancing at her shyly before losing his nerve and looking away again. "You're...a good friend." he mumbled lamely.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita's brows raised but she smiled when he had licked her across the muzzle. She cocked her head to the side before shaking it. "And you were going to leave me behind! Your good friend! I can't believe it." She took on a dramatic air once again, but it was true. Who could leave her behind?! She stretched a paw up to his shoulder and smiled once more. "Well, you're my best friend."

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki had always thought the term 'choked up' to be metaphorical. Unfortunately he was finding it to be very literal. He quickly swallowed in an attempt to break the lump in his throat and darted his head down to bury it in Evita's chest fur to avoid her gaze. He breathed in deeply and felt himself relaxing in her familiar scent he knew so well. "You're my best friend too." he mumbled into her fur, not sure if she could actually hear him or not. He lifted a leg to wrap around her neck in a hug and squeezed her tightly against him.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita was startled momentarily as he darted his head down to bury it in her fur but she quickly relaxed and chuckled softly, straining to hear what he said. "Well I'm glad to hear i- oof!" He had pulled her into a hug and she laughed again. "Not so tight, you're going to break my neck!" Although it was a tight hug, she couldn't deny the fact that she enjoyed sharing that closeness with him.

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sourlemonfox said the following:

Rikki chuckled at Evita's remark before giving her one more squeeze and letting go. He bumped his head against her chest and straightened back up, finally feeling a bit less awkward. Looking up at the trees he could see the sun beginning to set behind the mountains. "Let's go catch a bite to eat and then bed down for the night. I don't know about you, but I could sleep for a week." he huffed, yawning to further prove his point.

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warpugs said the following:

Evita smiled and looked him over as he yawned, as if to check to make sure he was telling the truth. She bounced forward in the snow. "Augh! I could eat a whole buffalo I'm so hungry." She groaned, looking around the clearing. "Sounds like a good plan to me." She suddenly grew silent and paced forward more precisely, getting into a hunting mode. She couldn't help but feel a bit of giddiness in her that Rikki considered her his best friend and she found herself excited for whatever future adventures, or misadventures, they may get themselves into.