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Post by Ferabird on Apr 14, 2009 21:20:04 GMT -5
Never before had the little morganberry been kept so very busy! Sure, her previous warren had possessed many more members, but her chores then were mindless busywork. Here with Dorian there was only one other leveret to share her duties with, and sweet little Laurelin adored nothing more with bouncing between the rooms of the Does and Jack on her golden toes and being recognized. Even if they didn't commit her name to memory, they knew her from the other clearly and could ask things of her not just because it was there to be done- but because it may be something she excelled at. Even now the magenta-eyed bun was bobbing along at an attractively fluid pace, all the more pleased that her long dragging ears needn't be awkwardly tucked back seeing as sand and stone would far from dirty her. The worst she ever got was a bit dusty- and that usually ended in a feverish bout of sweeping rather than any worry about her own appearance. Always she kept a brush or comb about her, borderline envious of the gorgeous manes all of her fellows possesed. Still, it was a pleasure to brush them out, wash them, leave them shining. It was a guilty pleasure, really- one that left the brilliantly-colored little leveret with butterflies in her belly because whenever Dorian visited his does or another Jack happened to meet one of them it would be her hard work that made them shine. Oh- but to get her mind back to work! Well, sort of. Her current little bit of manipulation was the most daring thing she ever indulged in... if it could even be called that. By now the whole Warren knew how gently she teased knots loose, or how she'd spend a good hour softly brushing out a shine while either attentively listening or very purposefully not hearing a thing. So... who did it harm to linger about a doorway when she had a few moments? It's not like she'd wander into their rooms without an invitation.... |
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Post by Nako on Apr 14, 2009 21:51:06 GMT -5
 Horrible. Just.. horrible. That damned Jack had left her home. He KNEW she'd wanted to go! Angry, fuming, Aisha paced back and forth in her room, paws unsheathing and retracting violently as she worked out her frustrations. She'd wear a rut into the floor by the year's end, for sure. Her father.. her mother.. She'd wanted to visit them all at the gathering happening in a warren far off. Dorian had opted not to take any of them. She didn't know whether it was because he wanted to break her in or perhaps he didn't want to bring the blind Doe as well. It wouldn't have been fair to bring just one of them. Did the other Doe have more influence than her? It was too early to tell. She didn't know where she stood in this warren. Finally, she unsheathed her paws with one harsh 'shnikt', throwing herself onto the sheets of her bed. She wanted to tear something up... slice it to pieces with her claws... but she knew that the consequences would be dire if she dared. Frustrated, alone, and missing her family, there was only one thing to do with unbridled rage. Despite herself, the tears began to fall, sucking in quick breaths that squeaked out in quiet sobs. |
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Post by Ferabird on Apr 14, 2009 22:07:05 GMT -5
Many many a strange sound had Laurelin heard coming from a Doe's room in the past. After all, with the array of skills so many possessed and how often they were visited by their Jack, it only made sense! This, however, was none of those sounds! And for some reason it broke the warm-hearted little leveret to hear the quiet sobs emitting from within.
"Oh no, Miss Aisha! Please don't cry..." she'd mumble, daring to ease her nose in with a nervous twitch of her whiskers. What would Dorian think if he knew one of his Does was left crying while she was supposed to be here to take care of them? "Please- would you feel better if I brushed your hair, Miss? Maybe I could fetch you a drink?" Bright lop ears sagging to a droop, she'll even dare creep a few steps into the room in an awkward crouched position that puts her belly submissively near to the floor.
Here's hoping she succeeds rather than having something thrown in her direction! Not that she wasn't ready to flee....
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Post by Nako on Apr 14, 2009 22:21:07 GMT -5
Immediately, Aisha shot up straight in her bed, eyes wide, yet not quite facing the leveret. With a trembling paw she hastily wiped the tears from her face, trying desperately to gain her composure. How miserable it was, for a leveret to take pity on a Doe. "I.. I wasn't..." But even as she denied it, her voice cracked with emotion.
She was quiet for a moment, not sure whether to scream at the leveret or take its offer. Not all leverets were good with tact, especially if they weren't aware of the strong sense of pride that Highlanders had... even the Does. Finally, she spoke, still not quite looking the leveret in the face. "You may.. brush my hair."
In truth, she very much preferred company to being miserable on her own. Having grown up with leveret siblings, she hadn't quite developed a distaste for leverets, though their place in accordance to hers had certainly been learned; she'd spent years with nothing but leverets as playmates, so they made suitable companions when lonely. Perhaps that is why her mother had tortured the leverets so.
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Post by Ferabird on Apr 14, 2009 23:12:43 GMT -5
Thankfully, this particular leveret has a delightful learning curve. That, and her behavior could be selectively interpreted as worry for her own skin should one decide they preferred believing that to the notion that a leveret dared feel pity for one above their station.
"Yes ma'am!" she'll chirp up the moment she's given leave, subdued little hops carrying her to the bed with a head bowed so as to assure she's properly deferential. Were it not for her bright pelt, the behavior of the little creature may well have been enough to make her disappear. All the same, she'll wait at the edge of the bed for the Doe to either get comfortable or pat the matress to beckon her up. From there- out comes one of the thin combs so often used to coax out tangles.
And once all was settled, she'll dutifully say not a thing about the tears and go delicately about running the strong bristles through the earth-toned mane. Gently- mind you. The whole point was to find any large tangles and work them out before she pulled out the softer brush, after all. Were there none, it'd be a quickly-finished step. And even were she to find anything to coa x out, Aisha's hair was mercifully shorter than her Jack's! "So pretty." she'll coo thoughtlessly, ever-so-envious. The next step was the one that should hopefully leave the Doe feeling pampered, a hair-bristle brush taken up next to begin that soothing pattern of sweeps. Long stroke after long stroke, varying from the foremost part of her brow to the shorter strands that went as far back as her shoulderblades.
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Post by Nako on Apr 14, 2009 23:43:53 GMT -5
Leverets were a funny thing, really. Especially this one. The leverets in her former warren often were stricken with a rather noticable malaise. Heike was never eager to please, and his sister had been so docile and kept out of the way that she had hardly known her at all. The ones she was related to... the line drawn between leveret and Doe was not as clearly defined as it was with those who were not from the litter she was.
The amusing, scuffling wiggle that the Morganberry lop was famous for was actually able to bring a small smile to Aisha's face. With how she moved, it reminded her of a wooden leveret toy she'd had as a child whose legs flopped on little wheels while pulled, making it look as if it were running.
The leveret was deft and precise as always. No wonder the vain, long haired Dorian valued the little thing so much. Absently, Aisha wondered if the Jack would have the Morgaberry turned Doe. She'd heard how much the Jacks lusted after those strange, loppy ears. She honestly didn't see the allure; Aisha wouldn't prefer a Jack with weak, floppy ears on any day of the week.
What was the leveret's name? She hadn't asked, and whenever the situation came up where she was, she was always fitfully distracted. Like now, as the softer brush ran through her mane from the roots all the way to the tips of the hairs, causing her eyes to flutter shut. She remembered how her Doe mother would brush her hair; The Doe wasn't always there to raise her, as it was not a Doe's place, but her mother had always made sure to spend a few days out of the week to train her and talk to her about the ways a Doe should act. Considering the situation, Ashta was really the only one there that could teach her. Aisha wondered if she too would be allowed to be a part of the lives of her children, or if Dorian would hire some aged Doe to do it for her.
At the leveret's envious coo, Aisha's ears quivered just a bit to swivel toward the leveret. "Did you do this for the Does at your previous warren?"
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Post by Ferabird on Apr 15, 2009 0:04:37 GMT -5
Laurelin had thankfully never realized how odd her slink might look, but then again Nanny had assured her that she had the motion down, and that it was a good way to curb the violent urges of most Jacks and Does. Well- unless her Jack was a sadist, but that wasn't often an issue.
"Oh no, Miss." she'll answer politely, never hesitating for so much as half a moment in that delightfully rhythmic brushing. Taking just a grain or two of initiative, she'll even explain herself. "My last Jack, he had so many does. And they didn't like my ears, Miss. But Nanny always brushed me when other Jacks visited, brushed hard until I thought my ears must glow. So... so I know what it feels like getting brushed." On she goes, careful not to tap the back of the brush against the Doe's mask if she'd decided to retain it.
And now... time to take a bit of a breather and see if the chatter had annoyed the Doe or provided a desired distraction. One had to be so careful feeling it out sometimes, though Aisha was so far a delightfully agreeable example of her caste.
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Post by Nako on Apr 15, 2009 0:15:39 GMT -5
Aisha never willingly took off her mask. It was so much a part of her that she had to be reminded to do so. If it had inconvenienced the leveret, she hadn't noticed and therefore did not make a move to remove it. So she let the leveret go on with her chatter, half listening to what she had to say. In all honesty, it wasn't because she felt what the leveret had to say was unimportant, but rather because her mind was elsewhere. However, she -had- caught the fact about Does not liking her ears. It made sense. She wondered if the leveret realized just why. With how audacious she was about mentioning it, Aisha guessed not.
"Many Jacks are attracted to lop ears." Aisha mentioned nonchalantly, testing the waters of just how much this leveret comprehended. Aisha was assuming the leveret was female, as most did. At the very least she -acted- quite female. "Honestly, it doesn't bother me. I feel like it's really petty to bully leverets like that." Even though she had bullied Valeny.. but that had been different. She was stealing her brother away from her, stealing one of her only friends. When she had grown up.. she'd realized it was probably all for the best that things had happened that way.
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Post by Ferabird on Apr 15, 2009 0:45:14 GMT -5
For all her experience in learning the temperments within a warren, Laur had some pretty glaring gaps in her understanding of what attracted a Jack. She just knew the results of it.... be you a Doe or a leveret. And in the latter it tended to be unfortunate unless you were exceptionally lucky. All that aside, the spoken observation on the Doe's part leaves a pink similar to that of the little leveret's brow tinting her cheeks. Finally, a very brief pause between strokes of the brush. Well- how's that for an awkward revelation?
"Oh..." Clearly she'd not known, and it suddenly became one of those things she shouldn't go mentioning in polite conversation. "Thank you, Miss." What else could she say? That was a useful little thing to know, and the hope that the claim she wouldn't be a bully as time marched on was so very nice...
But still- one must keep brushing! Stroke after slow, soothing stroke.
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Post by Nako on Apr 15, 2009 0:57:50 GMT -5
Had she really not known? Aisha's eyes rolled back toward the leveret when she paused, trying to read her discretion, if not trying to do it somewhat discreetly. What if Dorian went after the poor girl? She'd probably get outright trampled by Dorian's overpowering personality. Well, even if she wasn't a pushover, the leveret would have little choice. Still, the girl was probably quite safe until they had more leverets. There was no way that Talaith could run it all on her own.
"That is enough." Aisha stated before rising back up into a sitting position, running her paws through the freshly groomed fur. Aisha pride herself in being independent, but grooming oneself was truly a grueling task, and because she hadn't quite developed a knack for keeping herself perfect and proper, the leveret was certainly making the transitional period much easier. Speaking of the leveret... Aisha looked down at the tiny thing. She was like... a puppy. A cute, talking puppy. Aisha had always wanted a pet, but rabbits were not always keen on keeping things of the sort as they were messy.. and time consuming. Was it bad to think of a leveret as a pet?
"What is your name?" Aisha finally thought to ask, looking over the leveret very closely. She was thinking... sizing the leveret up. Was she really as innocent and demure as she acted? Her evaluating expression was not particularly frightening, but rather appraising if not intense. Aisha couldn't help it; she was a rather intense person when she was allowed to be.
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