Log file from Two Moons. 12/30/1999 23:53:36 Title: Healing Spheres? Characters: Cutter, Suntop, Minx Synopsis: Cutter and Suntop share a whitecold, healing experience at the base of the fathertree. Base of the Lost Holt Father Tree(#765RJ) A dense grove of grotesquely shaped trees dominated by one immense Grandfather of a tree whose age is no less great than its size. It is obvious that the old tree has survived a terrible tragedy and you can see some of the scars left by the terrible blaze on the snow covered branches. Snow lies piled around the trees roots and in drifts around the Father Tree. Like old friends, the gnarled trees embrace one another, their many branches entwined and now snow collects atop them, occasionally crashing down to the ground below. You awaken in the cold winter night to the sound of cracking and snow falling, perhaps from branches above. Suntop ducks out of the tree and pauses. When did it become Whitecold?? Before he can freeze, he ducks back in and grabs a spare fur. When he next emerges he is all grey fur, blue eyes, and yellow hair...but he's much warmer. Cutter is sitting at the base of the father tree, leaning against the broad trunk, apparently enjoying a doze in the late afternoon sunshine. He too is wearing a thick fur but, the cold doesn't seem to be bothering him at all. The yellow-topped fur hobbles over to his father, ** I don't know how you can do it... ** he muses, leaning up against the tree as well. A bright, blue eye pops open as Cutter's mouth draws into a lazy smile, **It's easy if you're used to it, I suppose.** Funny but, he can almost imagine that this is /before/ and Suntop's still a cub if he really tries. Suntop grins around the fur and swats at the topknot in his father's hair...much like a cub would do. ** Used to it? I'd probably freeze first. ** Cutter grins and sits up, **Well, I didn't say to go rushing into a snowdrift bare as a treewee, did I?** he sends with a chuckle and reaches up to ruffle the golden hair above the fur. Suntop doesn't mind the ruffle as this has been the closest the father and son have been in...turns. ** No, but it might be interesting to see. I will if you do... ** Cutter seems to consider that for a moment before shaking his head, **Your mother wouldn't be very pleased with that idea, you know.** he sends with a laugh and a sparkle in his eyes that's been missing for some time. Suntop quirks a bright eyebrow, ** I don't know...I'm sure she could find a replacement if you're too frozen... ** Cutter's brows lift at that, **You think so, cub?** he asks with a lighthearted chuckle as he gets to his feet and drops his furs, **You're sure you want to explain the reason why to her?** Suntop doesn't doff his furs at all...he actully pulls them closer about him as he looks up at his father. ** Hrm...you're probably right. We could get Ember to tell her. ** Cutter laughs at that as he straightens to his full height and promptly meets up with a low hanging branch. This of course brings a short end to the laughter as he rubs his head and gives the limb an offended look. Suntop's blue eyes shift up to the branch, a bit of his humor fading as well, ** You could get Redlance to move it... ** he offers softly. A hint of the humor returns to Cutter's eyes as he regards Suntop with an almost wry grin, **Or I could just learn to duck, eh?** he sends and then reaches over to snatch the sunny one's fur. In the process, he dislodges a pile of snow from the limb overhead and it showers down over the two of them. Suntop didn't expect the snatching so the fur gets lost. "Hey!" he yelps, trying to dive after it. Of course, the snow-shower doesn't help at all... Cutter's laughter rings through the clearing, that is, until a large pile of snow lands on his head. This brings a surprised 'Oof!' from the wolf chief and then another burst of laughter follows Suntop's dive and the ensuing shower of ice crystals onto him. Suntop pushes himself up out of the snow, blowing the powdered ice out of his face, "If I get ill, I'm blaming this all on you..." he doesn't mean it, of course, as his eyes are shining. While Cutter is laughing, he acks a snowball and pelts it...close range, at his father. Maybe the cold doesn't bother him all that much after all. Cutter is caught off guard as he brushes the snow off the top of his head. The snowball catches him full in the face making him take a step or two back in surprise. A hand swipes over his face, getting rid of the reminents of the snowball before he stoops down and scoops up a handfull of his own, shapes it into a ball and tosses it in Suntop's direction with a grin. Suntop inherited his aim from somewhere, and it wasn't Leetah. The snowball gets the Suncub in the chest, but he is ready. Another goes hurtling towards his father...now that he's taller there's more to aim for! Cutter dives to avoid that one, snatching up another fistfull of snow on his way. As he gets to his feet again, another snowball goes hurtling toward Suntop. Suntop gets pelted again. but isn't going to let that stop him. Another snowball gets scooped up and hurled. Cutter, already in the process of scooping another snowball, almost gets that one in the top of the head but, instead takes in on the shoulder as he looks up and shifts to one side. **You're pretty good at this game..** he observes with yet another burst of laughter and launches the snowball he just made. Suntop rolls to dodge the snowball and scampers around a tree to use as a barricade. Another snowball gets scooped up, "You should see me throw a spear..." He teases and throws another snowball. Cutter is already on the move and dives behind a snowdrift at the base of a tree, **Hah! You missed!** he sends as the snowball hits the tree behind him but, his grin turns into a surprised 'o' as the spray hits him. **Puckernuts!** he exclaims as he launches another one in Suntop's direction. Suntop laughs and ducks around the tree, preparing another snowball. "Hah!" Of course, his father's snowball gets him right as he throws the next one. Cutter falls onto his back laughing as the snowball hits Suntop and is left open when his son's missile skims the top of the snow drift and lands square in the center of his chest. Suntop shakes the snow from his face but grins widely as his father gets pelted. Cutter brushes the snow off of his chest, tosses another snowball and darts off to end up behind a tree, large enough to hide him, hoping that Suntop didn't see where he went. Suntop peeks around the tree once the snowball barely misses him. Oh, he hid. Not good. This is the part of the game Suntop isn't so good at...unless he cheats. Which he does, extending his awareness out to locate the feeling that is his father. The next snowball flies at the hiding tree. As the snowball hits the tree, Cutter peeks out from behind it, **You're cheating, aren't you?** he sends with an undertone of laughter as he hurls another snowball across the clearing. He doesn't bother with waiting to see where it went, instead, he runs for another tree and ducks behind it. Suntop counters, ** You can scent me, I can 'feel' you. Seems fair to me! ** Another snowball aims for Cutter as he runs. The snowball glances across Cutter's back just as he reaches the safety of the tree, **Well, if you look at it that way.. maybe.** he sends as he scoops up a fist full of snow and makes one snowball then repeats the process, creating two missiles which he promptly sends flying, one right after the other and darts for another tree. , o O (You know.. if someone were watching closely, it might look like Cutter's working his way around the clearing to get a really good shot at Suntop) Cutter is ducking behind a tree after hurling two snowballs in Suntop's direction. Minx meep, flying snowballs! Climbing down from a branch above, she decides to stay above the fray. Suntop gets smacked by one snowball, but the other one misses. He quickly brushes the snow away, gathering some more up for new snowballs that immediately get thrown at Cutter. Only one at a time in his case though. Minx grins. Cutter scoops up more snow for two more spherical missiles and steps out from behind the tree just in time to catch the second one somewhere near his stomach. A burst of laughter rings out from Cutter as he tries out Suntop's tactic of throwing them a bit more slowly first one.. then the other.. and moves to another tree while they're in the air. Suntop is bent down to get more snow as one of the snowballs gets his back...and goes down his shirt. "Ayii!" He jumps up and tries to bat the snow out. "Oh, now you're in for it..." Half-dancing from the cold he throws the two snowballs at his darting father. Minx scrapes some snow off the branch, stealthily. Makes a ball. Takes aim. One... two... Suntop's eyes light up and grins as he watches his niece... Grinning like a fox, Minx releases the snowball at Cutter the next time he is within view. Is darting really the word to describe one who's movements are more akin to the branch horn than a wolf? Perhaps in this case it works just as well. Cutter lets out a yelp as one missile hits him on the back of the head and the second catches his arm, **Good shot!** and then the snow starts to drop down his collar, **Ayie! <>** he sends as he does a similar dance to Suntop's, forgetting about making more snowballs for the moment.. and that's exactly when he spins around to take Minx's in the face. **Mrph!** Minx curls up laughing. ** Looks like you didn't need my help after all, uncle. ** Suntop falls down, laughing, ** Thank you, cub! ** Perfect...just perfect. Minx smiles innocently at Cutter. Hmm, maybe this is a good time to find a less exposed branch. Cutter swipes the snow off his face and pats at his shoulders hoping to get rid of the snow that's melting down his back. He glances up at Minx and grins as he scoops up more snow and lauches a snowball at her.. and follows that with one in Suntop's direction. Suntop is still rather prone on the ground where he fell, so he gets the snow right in the face. "Pfeh!" He shakes his head and gathers more snow...but he's tiring. When one isn't a hunter they don't always have such stamina. Minx hides behind the trunk of the tree, barely in time. ** It's too cold for getting wet, I'm going to look for a warm den! ** Cutter leaves the trees and moves into the clearing with a swiftness that belies his willowly stance. He scoops up Suntop's fur as he passes it and stops once he reaches his son's side. He reaches down to offer him a hand up. Suntop works on catching his breath as he brushes snow from his clothes and hair. Ugh...he's wet...and cold. Minx has the right idea. He starts to stand when he sees the hand in front of him. Sky blue eyes look up at his father a moment before he takes the hand. Cutter helps his son up with a smile that's very much like the Cutter that Suntop would remember from his youth. He shakes the snow out of the fur then drapes it around the one that looks so much like him and normally acts so differently. He then steps back and moves over to pick up his own fur as he sends, **The cold didn't seem to bother you all that much. <>** Minx walks around to the back of the Father Tree. Suntop pulls the fur about his shoulders...and that's when he begins to shiver, ** Not until I stopped... ** he offers a rarely seen smirk. ** But it was worth the chill. ** Even if Cutter doesn't feel it, Suntop does. Somehow, somewhen, something started healing... Cutter pulls his own fur around his shoulders and nods, **Yes, it was..** he sends as his gaze moves to meet Suntop's and one corner of him mouth lifts in a lopsided smirk of his own. He then turns toward the father tree and starts trudging through the snow, **You'd do well to go dry off and put on some other clothes until those dry out though..** he sends sounding truly concerned for Suntop's well being as he disappears into the fathertree.