songerein | Cider Fall Run, Chainsaw, Dog???

Entry tags:

Cider Fall Run, Chainsaw, Dog???

Who: Denji, his dog Maple, and YOU! Whether you have a dog or not!
Which: Open Dog Walkies Log
Where: Wildlands
What: Denji begrudgingly decides to do some stupid exercise for his stupid mental health.
Warnings: Denji's got a garbage mouth and concerning dark humor. If they encounter a monster it'll get messy.

"Denji!"

A very large snout nudged a messy head of blond hair, facedown in the pillow. The teen responded by grunting and rolling his head to the side.

"Denji Denji Denji!"

To the average ear, Maple the faerie dog- like any other canine- made a series of grumbles and whines to try and garner attention. But to Denji's ears, he could hear his name repeated, clear as day, as if Maple had somehow picked up perfect English.

"Pleeease, Denji...! It's time for a walk."

"Mmmmmghhh no."

"But you said! You said!!" Maple decided to take drastic measures. When she reared back on her hinds and planted her massive paws on the boy's back, she started digging motions.

That did it. With a yowl, Denji was up and flailing to shove the massive dog off of him. By God, he was so fucking glad he clipped this girl's nails the other day. He didn't need to start his day with gouges on his back.

"Okay! OKAY! Holy fuckin' shit-"

"YAY! Walk time! Finally!" Maple immediately sped to the door of the modest tree house.

Denji, meanwhile, all but poured himself out of bed and immediately stiffened the minute he left his cozy covers. Fuck it was cold. It was sun-up, but barely. He could only hope things would warm up a little in a couple hours.

After brushing his teeth, fixing his hair, and throwing on a set of sweats to layer on and keep him warm, he was only a little less of a tired zombie.

"...Breakfast..."

"Breakfast in town!"

"I can make breakfast here..."

"Then I'll pee right here while I wait!"

Denji's face scrunched. "...Fine. We'll go out for breakfast, you fuckin' terrorist."

"AWOOO! Breakfast in town, make friends with everyone! Cure depression!"

"...That ain't remotely how that works."

---

Denji wouldn't have a fully working brain until he'd finished his hot chocolate (he could have whatever he wanted for breakfast, none of you are his mom) and his breakfast sandwich. He was just finishing the latter when he headed for the gates into the woods.

Maple, meanwhile, was licking the last bits of toast crumbs from her jowls. Passersby may wonder when Denji had made friends with a bear, but Maple was no longer the little puppy he'd taken home from the shelter. Made of plant matter and flowers, she was a cluster of red, orange and gold leaves and sprays of purple flowers made manifest.

When anyone approached, her big bushy tail would wag as she loped over, ready to greet. Denji was likely busy pressing the heel of his hand to his jaw to crack his neck a bit or masking a very wide yawn, clearly not a morning person.

Clutched in his other hand was a fire axe dotted with a few stray flecks of dried blood and inky substance.

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What a morning! The sun's up, it's time to run around and revel in the day!

Spotting Maple and Denji, Amaterasu has no qualms running over and pouncing on Maple who was already starting to outgrow Ammy's size. The goddess may not 'speak' like the dog, but the action is more than clear enough - she's thrilled to play with friends again.

Maple play-bowed and was ready for the pounce, flopping over and grumbling her glee when the goddess hit full force. It was wrestle time! Which game did Ammy like better, Munch Face or Grab Legs??

Denji chuckled and stretched his arms behind his head. "Yo. She's been kind of a brat lately now that she knows how big she is, so don't be afraid to go nuts. She sure as hell doesn't go easy on me..."

The answer comes pretty naturally as Ammy grabs at one of Maple's paws, playfully but gently tugging, still perfectly gentle with the animal.

Actually, Ammy's favorite game is chase. After bouncing off of Maple, the wolf bumped her shoulder into Denji's leg with a playful "Grrf!" before starting to run along the path, baiting Maple and Denji both into running.

Maple earned a slobberfoot. Ammy has won Grab Legs. So skilled...

But when Denji was bumped, the canine was up and barked. CHASE!! She ran off before anyone could stop her. Fortunately, Denji laughed and went on after them.

"Accomplice!! I knew it!"

CHASE CHASE CHASE. While Amaterasu often had winds under her feet giving her an advantage, she wasn't about to leave these two in the dust - she made a few loops around trees, ducked into bushes, jumped up rocks and hills before jumping back down on the path.

It was pretty out. Amaterasu was leading them around on her favorite path, where the dream was lush and vibrant and green, sunny and warm and almost nostalgic. Of all of the places, this was where Amaterasu looked most natural.

It was the best day for this kind of stuff, for sure! He loved the smell of the rich, earthy air, how soft the moss was underfoot, and if his nose was right... there was a tree of apples somewhere around here that was begging to be picked.

"You can smell it too, right...? I think we've got apples somewhere!"

Oooh, apples! Ammy perked up - that DID sound good right now, she could eat every apple off of a whole tree! The goddess turned her nose to the wind to catch that sweet smell, trotting in the suspected direction.

Apple trees in the dream world really were fantastic. Every apple was just the dreamy ideal, big and plump and shiny right on the branch. The tree finally coming into view, it looked beautiful, almost overburdened with its fruits. WOO. This was a perfect snack time spot.

"Woo! Apple time, fuckin' apple time! Maple! Let's roll!"

The faerie dog didn't need to be told twice. Already drooling a sweet honey, she was moving along with Denji to follow the trail of the tree. And oh, what a sweet, sweet bounty it was.

Some apples were a mottled red and gold. Some were simply gold. But each was crisp, sweet, and juicy, filled with motes of nostalgia and the first warm bite of a good meal on a sunny day. Denji was already climbing a tree to grab a couple.

"Shit, I've never had a gold apple before... lemme try some."

Retrieving apples is always as simple as cutting them down with a single painted line. Standing next to Maple, Amaterasu cut down a whole branch's worth of apples with a single swipe, leaping and catching a nice shiny green one for herself and leaving plenty for Maple to indulge in, too.

She was chowing down, happy to have another meal. Denji just managed to pick two golden apples and settled himself atop a branch.

After a quick polish on his shirt to admire their sparkle, he took a bite. ...Sighed in bliss, and chewed. His chin was a mess of apple juices.

"Holy shit...! I don't think I've eaten a single nasty thing here yet!" Now he ate ravenously, no table manners, as he chomped away.

It's been nice to have nonstop hits! Dreams are a delight. Ammy wags her tail, looking up at Denji in the tree... she draws a circle around him, and the tree starts blooming in cute white apple blossoms.

Ahhh what a beautiful morning to have a nice walk out in the Wildlands with Pooka and Mashka. The weather looks really good for the fall time and winds cool and crisp.

Now normally she would think twice going to the Wildlands on whim as there might be creatures that could attack anybody but Anya wouldn’t want to come in unprepared for anything so she snuck in her daggers as a precaution. So she shows up at the Wildland, dressed causally with dog and rabbit in tow, and carrying some daggers inside her satchel.

In addition, Anya carries along with a breakfast sandwich of flat sausage patty, bacon, cheese and eggs, a hash brown, a green salad, and a flask of hot coffee since she anticipates to have breakfast out in the fields and dog treats and carrots for Pooka and Mashka respectively.

As they turn around the corner, the trio could be spotted within Maple’s line of sight and Pooka begins to bark at her, eager to meet a new friend. Mashka shyly hides behind Anya’s ankles because anxiety rabbits do exist.

Maple padded over to go say hello to Pooka as Denji raised a hand in greeting. He'd noticed the rabbit, but he knew a sheepish little thing when he saw one.

Shy person? He'd tease. But a shy critter was to be respected.

"Morning. ...Dude, what'd you get? It smells awesome."

Pooka barks in eager anticipation as he and Maple meet for the first time while Anya reciprocates the hand wave in return, though Mashka still hides behind her. The poor rabbit just can’t get over her anxiety and the Grand Duchess wants to apologize on her behalf.

“Oh hello there. I actually pack myself a breakfast today since I am also here for a long walk with my dog and rabbit as well. It is nothing too fancy: just a sausage, bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, a hash brown, a salad and hot coffee. But they do make for a delicious on the go breakfast meal,” Anya replies.

Maple immediately threw herself down in a play bow. Size didn't matter, friends were friends.

"...Daaamn... yeah, I gotta start makin' breakfast sandwiches at home. I make a real good egg with a jammy middle. Don't think I've ever had a hash brown though... what're those?"

“They are essentially julienned potatoes that have been either fried or baked to a golden brown crisp. It was one of the first recipes I was able to learn from reading at the archives for new meals to make,” Anya replies to his question.

Pooka happily barks at Maple again, wagging his tail as much as he can.

Maple got the game started, keeping herself hunkered down low to start mouthing the little friend. Paws? Ears? But she was oh so gentle.

"Like a breakfast french fry patty... that sounds so good...!" Next mission: Find and make or buy a hash brown. He liked french fries, especially when they were a little extra salty and crispy.

"I picked up cooking pretty quick after I found work and got a place to live. It beats the Hell outta diggin' through the trash for years and hope nothin's too gross."

“Yeah, like a breakfast french fry patty,” Anya chimes in agreement, that does fit the description of a hash brown very well.

Pooka brings out the paws, barking that he is ready for this. Anya couldn’t help smiling at these two getting along so swimmingly.

“Oh it certainly is better than having to dig through trash and find something that is edible enough. I would hate to imagine having to scavenge food among the trash. The orphanage I once lived in did at least provided food for me and several young orphans. It was not the fanciest of food but it was tastier and better than trash.”

He whistled in awe. He would have loved the orphanage life or even possibly foster care. But the Yakuza would never have given him that chance.

"Man, everything is better! I would'a loved the 'gruel' or 'porridge' from the storybooks over hoping what I dug up wasn't gonna make me sick or whatever. It was always a gamble, and most nights I chose to go hungry. The aches n' gnaws beats barfing or shitting your guts out in an alley."

He brushed off his hands on his pants.

"Anyway, my life's normal-ish now, so that's nice. Kinda wish I could figure out this dreamotion stuff, though..." He stretched and checked the path. Guess they should get going, but... Pooka and Maple were having fun. Let's give 'em a little more time.

“I’ll take the orphanage porridge at any time of the day than starving myself for hours. That’s usually a breakfast meal in Russia but you could try to eat it for lunch or dinner,” Anya nods in sympathy.

Oh gee and she thought that living in a rough orphanage was pretty rough. Well there is no need to dwell on the past right now.

“I have been playing around with dreamotion energy for two years so far and, I can tell you, that it was not easy trying to master each skill without trials. There have been times where I did struggled on some areas more than others. So I could try to help you to figure out dreamotion energy in any way possible.”

"I dunno... I've had help n' lessons before, but the most I can do is make toast with different stuff on it. It tastes fine and it makes nightmare monsters blow up, though. So I have that goin' for me."

He polished off the edge of the fire axe and nodded.

"Anyway, they'll probably catch up once they realize we walked off. I could curl up under a tree and fall asleep if I don't get movin'- the whole 'morning person' thing is a work in progress."

“That is understandable. Everyone here has to learn things about dreamotion in varying capacities and levels, so not every two people will have the same mastery level and skills for the most part,” Anya replies in return, “At least the toast is a great weapon against nightmare monsters.”

“Oh yeah. I have been dealing with a bit of a schedule slip following me trying to get back to playing violin for a while now. I must have lost some hours for sleeping as the result of trying to play it at night.”

"Oh yeah? You any good at it?" He would lead the way and folded his arms over his chest. He wondered what sort of instrument he would take up if he wanted...

Maybe the drums? Those sounded fun.

“Thankfully I’m quite skillfully in playing it. I was able to learn from a friend who once came here over a year ago, taught me everything from finger to chord placement to how to angle the bow. It was a lot more fun to play with than having to sit down on piano lessons, I can tell you that.”

"I guess so. But imagine how mysterious you look sittin' at a piano, eyes closed, and each tickle of the keys just snags everybody's fuckin' heart. Got 'em in the palm of your hands..."

A beat.

"Well, violins are romantic too, so you could do the same there and be standing... shit. No, you're right, piano's worse for it."

“That’s what my friend thought of pianos too. When I first told him that I was thinking about doing piano lessons and that my sisters did it a long time ago, he said that it was not that fun and had me try violin instead. Plus sitting on a chair for hours can sometimes take a toll on one’s rear too.”

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Cider Fall Run, Chainsaw, Dog???

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