Cider Fall Run, Chainsaw, Dog???

[mansbestend]

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.

Comments

[astralpouch]

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.

[mansbestend]

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!"

[astralpouch]

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.

[mansbestend]

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!"

[astralpouch]

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.

[mansbestend]

"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."

[astralpouch]

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.

[mansbestend]

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.

[astralpouch]

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.