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Post by Epesi on Feb 27, 2009 16:26:47 GMT -5
That revelation is the last thing Kenai was expecting; the mammoths have done a good job of hiding their pain up to now. Kenai looks at his paws. "I'm sorry," he says quietly. "I know how it feels, too."
There it is: the guilt, the pain, it's all back. It truly never goes away. That warm feeling of well-being is gone even sooner than he expected; it seems far away now. Still, remembering what Miko said about smothering, Kenai makes an effort to pull himself together. He looks up from his paws to smile halfheartedly at the mammoths.
"Sorry," he says again, but with different meaning this time. "You said you wanted to get away from all that. It's just that the wounds are still pretty fresh for us, too. Maybe we should talk about something else."
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lilik
Recognized Mortal
Posts: 58
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Post by lilik on Feb 28, 2009 0:20:37 GMT -5
Miko nods, understanding completely what Kenai says about moving on to something else, and sorry himself for anything he might have stirred.
"All for it" he comments, "So..." he looks for something, anything to talk about besides that.
Lilik chimes up with something, "So hey Koda, I've heard ya talk alot about Bucky, but I bet he could never do this". The calf rushed forward one or two steps, then stepped backwards trying to hit the marks she made before.
Miko sighed, "Lilik, I hate to be practical and ruin fun" he told his sister, "but that's just going to slow us and the bears that are letting us come with them, down".
"Oh sorry" Lilik smiled.
"Hey" Lylo laughed, "that's weird, 'cause last time we were letting them come and now they're letting us come so...it's weird, except I'm gonna be nice and not ask to ride Mr. Kenai since that would probably squisher him" the calf smiled as he walked past the bears a bit.
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Post by Epesi on Mar 2, 2009 0:02:12 GMT -5
Kenai smiles a little at Lylo's remarks. "Thanks; I appreciate not getting squished."
After a moment, his smile disappears suddenly; Lylo's words have made him think back a couple of days to the last time he saw the mammoths, and he just realized something. He looks guilty and embarrassed.
"Speaking of which...I don't think I really thanked you guys properly before. Or, um, at all." The last part trails off to a mumble and he looks away sheepishly. He thinks Koda might have thanked them -- Kenai doesn't remember that part too clearly, since he was too busy throwing a fit. "So...thanks." He looks back up. "Thanks a lot. Your herd really helped us out, and I owe you all."
He hopes that by being vague like that he can avoid admitting that he has no idea whether Miko was the mammoth he actually rode -- another point of embarrassment.
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lilik
Recognized Mortal
Posts: 58
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Post by lilik on Mar 2, 2009 11:11:01 GMT -5
Miko smiles, "Not a problem, oh and as for the riding, that was not a problem either, any time I hear my friend Tipo, the one you guys rode, complaining about it he's not really complaining, just says you have a talkative brother there" Miko indicated.
"So do you bear cubs play anything fun at these things?" Lylo asks Koda, "maybe I could try to learn and join in if I wouldn't embarrass you too much".
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Post by Koedi on Mar 2, 2009 21:06:46 GMT -5
Lylo's question wakes Koda out of his brooding a little, and Koda tries to push it out of his mind. Knowing that doing anything will help him shake off this funk, he tries to think of all the games that bears AND mammoths can play.
"Umm...Well we like to fish and climb trees...There's always wrestling...Hmm...Digging for roots?" He glances at the mammoths. "No....Uhhh..." He scratches his head, knowing very well that mammoths cannot fish, climbs trees or dig for roots and that a wrestling match would be slightly biased.
"I dunno...I can't think of anything at the moment. Sorry." He frowns apologetically, unable to think of anything but not wanting to exclude the mammoths out on the fun.
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Post by Epesi on Mar 2, 2009 23:53:12 GMT -5
Kenai smiles back, feeling better already. "He'd be right," he laughs. Then he quiets down and glances at Koda awkwardly -- he's not too talkative right now. He turns back to Miko. "Well, when you go back, will you give -- uh -- Tipo my best?"
He's almost surprised by the sound of Koda's voice behind his ear, since the cub has been silent for...a few minutes now. Kenai looks over his shoulder to watch him, listening to the kids' conversation. Hoping to be helpful, he chimes in, "There's that fish tossing...thing. And there's always, um...swimming?"
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lilik
Recognized Mortal
Posts: 58
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Post by lilik on Mar 3, 2009 11:03:40 GMT -5
"Yeah" Lylo admits, "I guess swimming wouldn't be too bad, so long as we don't get so heavy we sink".
Miko sighs, "Well you are no where near an ocean so I think we'll be fine".
Lilik smiles, "We are to near the ocean, Miko, that's where the fish are going that aren't interrupted by the bears" she says.
"Well, Lylo's not liable to fall in...unless he's really trying, although knowing him..." Miko trails off. His brother just shots him a look, "They always think they know everything, just 'cause they're older" he comments to Koda, knowing he'll probably find a sympathetic ear.
Lilik grins, "Yeah, older brothers are the worst know it-alls, huh Lylo?" she asks her twin who is two minutes older than her.
"Sure are" Lylo says...then looks confused as Lilik laughs. He catches what she did though and frowns, "Hey!" he protests, "that's not funny!".
Miko smiles over at Kenai as he listens, "If nothing else, I've found younger siblings are always amusing" he comments with a slight eye roll.
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Post by Koedi on Mar 3, 2009 18:12:40 GMT -5
Koda giggles, his mood lightening again.
"Yeah, I know what you mean...Kenai here is the most stubborn bear you'll ever meet! I've tried to teach him how to fish several times, but he never listens, not once!" Koda giggles again. "The only time he could catch one is when it landed right in his lap! Even then he had some trouble though."
He shakes himself as if to rid himself of his mood and jumps down from Kenai's back.
He sniffs the air and brightens. "The salmon run is just around that bend right there!" He points with a claw to a stubble of trees.
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Post by Epesi on Mar 4, 2009 0:55:39 GMT -5
Kenai chuckles at Miko. "I'm learning that...slowly."
Sounds like Koda's talking about him again. Kenai listens and frowns, and as the cub continues, the frown becomes deeper. He sighs softly, but holds his tongue. The good news is that Koda is obviously feeling better.
He turns back to Miko and makes a face. "I just wonder if I was ever this...amusing. I grew up with two older brothers."
Feeling Koda's weight leave his back, he looks around to see where the cub went, and his hopes go up as he sees the cub sniffing the air. Sure enough, he finally hears the words he's been waiting for, and his own mood brightens considerably. "That's the best news I've had all day!"
Laughing, he takes off for the trees at a run.
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lilik
Recognized Mortal
Posts: 58
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Post by lilik on Mar 4, 2009 10:50:25 GMT -5
Lylo looks a bit surprised as Koda goes on about how Kenai could never catch fish. "He couldn't, gee what was he doing the whole time he was growing up" the calf shook his head.
Miko was about to turn and lecture his brother on commenting so freely and rudely on other animals like that, when Kenai's other statement about growing up with two older brothers hits him. Miko tries to fit this with what he knew about the bear beforehand...but then he didh't know anything.
Koda had only ever mentioned Kenai when mentioning brothers though so Miko gets the impression the cubs taken in and, if that's true, his respect for Kenai threatens to shot up a bit, but he does as he would have told Lylo to do and keeps to his own business.
Instead he just smiles as the bear takes off at a run.
Lylo and Lilik take off after Koda as well. "Hey, wait for us!". Miko laughs, "Since when did you two even know enough about what a salmon run's like to be excited?" he asks as he keeps up as much as he can without a run, they don't need the ground shaking.
"Well Koda made it sound exciting" Lilik answers, not slowing her pace.
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Post by Koedi on Mar 4, 2009 13:58:54 GMT -5
"Hey, wait for me!" Koda calls out after his brother, his slow pace turning into a sprint.
"The fish aren't going anywhere Kenai!" He calls out again, laughing heartily at his brother's eagerness to get food. He skids around the corner and pounces onto Kenai's back again, hanging onto Kenai's mane and catching a free ride as he usually does. His sadness is completely gone with the arrival at the salmon run, a gigantic grin on his maw.
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Post by Epesi on Mar 5, 2009 18:06:17 GMT -5
As he clears the trees and the river comes into view, Kenai stops running, skidding a little in the process. He doesn't want to make another splash entrance -- he's going to draw enough attention as it is. Fortunately, there don't seem to be many bears at this part of the river right now; maybe he'll get a moment to relax before he starts to draw a crowd.
He's only spent one day here and one day away, but it feels like he's come home from a long journey. He closes his eyes and breathes deeply, releasing it in a contented sigh.
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dashtheplayfulcub
Recognized Mortal
Huge Fan Brother Bear and of 101 Dalmatians the series. (And Alvin and the Chipmunks)
Posts: 95
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Post by dashtheplayfulcub on Mar 5, 2009 18:19:39 GMT -5
Just then a small cub by the name of Dash had made his way to the salmon run. This was a very new place to him. He had never been to this part of this forest before. He hadn't realised how far he walked to get to such a wonderful place he knew it had taken him a while.
"I guess from now on this is my new home" Dash said more to himself then to anybody else. It was at that time where he noticed where he had ended up. "Oh great a salmon run" He said to himself sadly with a sigh.
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lilik
Recognized Mortal
Posts: 58
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Post by lilik on Mar 5, 2009 19:42:58 GMT -5
Despite their own hurried rushing forward, it isn't lost on the mammoth twins that they still didn't belong here and were simply just graciously allowed to tag along as it were, so Lilik and Lylo peer out at the bears already there and try to find a spot where they wouldn't be too much in the way.
As one of the bears glances up, Lilik gives a nervous smile, "Uh, don't mind us...or ask which bear we might have come with, we...don't want to embarrass anyone and won't be causing trouble anyway so..." she breaks off.
Miko is visible as well and one of the bears companions looks the mammoth up and down, "Uh...yeah well I'm not about to say anything that will provoke your body guard there so..." he shrugs.
Eased up by this, Lylo trods out into the actual river, "He's not our body guard he's just our brother" he says.
"Ah, more reason to leave you alone" is the bears almost teasing statement with a smile. Lilik spots Dash walking out and tilts her head at the newcomer, wondering who he belongs to but doesn't ask since that would be forward and rude.
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Post by Koedi on Mar 5, 2009 20:36:29 GMT -5
As Kenai skids to halt, Koda clings on him for dear life.
"Woooahh! Next time you decide to stop so suddenly, at least gimme a warning!" A little shaken, he hops down and takes a deep breath, then exhales. It feels good to be home and he's glad that he has his big brother there with him. Things were starting to look up now that he's back with all of his friends and family.
"Last one to the waterfall is a rotten fish!" He calls out to Kenai, already dashing up ahead, laughing.
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