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Description

Part of being a leader is knowing that one is neither immortal nor invincible. Your tokota must select and train an heir.

Buffy's paws pounded into the dry, crumbling earth as she raced along the lake's edge, yeti pup in tow. It wasn't a particularly special pup. It wasn't even hers. But she had decided to take charge, alongside her cousin Cassandra. In light of recent events, she had taken it upon herself to train the pups, and today was Torrens' turn. They were the matriarchs now.

"B-Buffy?" Torrens huffed, struggling to keep up. "I can't... Can we slow down?" Buffy continued to run. Torrens wasn't going to improve her endurance by giving up. The soft huffing from the yeti began to grow fainter and fainter. Buffy finally slowed to check behind her. Torrens was sprawled out in the grass on her back, her tiny chest heaving up and down as she tried to catch her breath. Buffy exhaled deeply in an aggravated sigh and padded back towards her ward.

"Come on, Torrens, we're not stopping now."

"I feel like I'm gonna puke." The monotone response came from underneath shaggy bangs, an otherwise expressionless muzzle indicated she wasn't going anywhere fast.

Threatened by vomit, Buffy planted her rear in the grass to agree to a break. "Fine. Then we're running back without stopping." Torrens did not reply, afraid to tell her mentor she was being pushed too hard. After all, Buffy was the mentor. Even so, Torrens preferred her sessions with Aunt Cass.

"Buffy?" the little black toki asked through little bursts of huffs. The tundra toki didn't respond. Torrens elected to continue anyway. "Anirniit's so far from home. I don't mean to complain about the distance," she interjected, "but... we only ever come here to train. Even when there's on prey to hunt." She paused, giving Buffy time to formulate a response. "Why is that?"

The flecked toki took a very long time to respond. She leaned over and brushed Torrens' bangs out of her face so she could see her silver eyes. "You know the stories about Aippaq and the Ridge of Elders you hear sometimes around the Holidays?" Torrens blinked those silver eyes. "Anirniit Valley is... sort of like that."

Torrens waited for more, but apparently that was it. She rolled over onto her stomach, bangs sticking out every which way. She yawned to release some excess heat, but quickly put her chin on her paws as a sign that she wasn't ready to keep running just yet. All this fur was terribly hot, even for fall.

"It's not a good story."

"Buffy?"

"I mean, it's not a story you need to hear, not right now. When you're older."

Torrens realized Buffy was referring to something deeply personal, something that tied her to Anirniit Valley and its apparently unpleasant lore. Not wanting to pry, she instead offered to change the subject. "Buffy?"

"Hm."

"...Can we stop by the glacier and get ice on the way back?" she asked hopefully, knowing even Buffy enjoyed indulging in chewing bits of ice off of the floe that graced the northern mountain range they passed through fo their treks down to the valley. Buffy smiled at her and offered a single wag of her tail.

"...I told you, we're not stopping, honey."

RIP Torrens
Featuring:

Description

Part of being a leader is knowing that one is neither immortal nor invincible. Your tokota must select and train an heir.

Buffy's paws pounded into the dry, crumbling earth as she raced along the lake's edge, yeti pup in tow. It wasn't a particularly special pup. It wasn't even hers. But she had decided to take charge, alongside her cousin Cassandra. In light of recent events, she had taken it upon herself to train the pups, and today was Torrens' turn. They were the matriarchs now.

"B-Buffy?" Torrens huffed, struggling to keep up. "I can't... Can we slow down?" Buffy continued to run. Torrens wasn't going to improve her endurance by giving up. The soft huffing from the yeti began to grow fainter and fainter. Buffy finally slowed to check behind her. Torrens was sprawled out in the grass on her back, her tiny chest heaving up and down as she tried to catch her breath. Buffy exhaled deeply in an aggravated sigh and padded back towards her ward.

"Come on, Torrens, we're not stopping now."

"I feel like I'm gonna puke." The monotone response came from underneath shaggy bangs, an otherwise expressionless muzzle indicated she wasn't going anywhere fast.

Threatened by vomit, Buffy planted her rear in the grass to agree to a break. "Fine. Then we're running back without stopping." Torrens did not reply, afraid to tell her mentor she was being pushed too hard. After all, Buffy was the mentor. Even so, Torrens preferred her sessions with Aunt Cass.

"Buffy?" the little black toki asked through little bursts of huffs. The tundra toki didn't respond. Torrens elected to continue anyway. "Anirniit's so far from home. I don't mean to complain about the distance," she interjected, "but... we only ever come here to train. Even when there's on prey to hunt." She paused, giving Buffy time to formulate a response. "Why is that?"

The flecked toki took a very long time to respond. She leaned over and brushed Torrens' bangs out of her face so she could see her silver eyes. "You know the stories about Aippaq and the Ridge of Elders you hear sometimes around the Holidays?" Torrens blinked those silver eyes. "Anirniit Valley is... sort of like that."

Torrens waited for more, but apparently that was it. She rolled over onto her stomach, bangs sticking out every which way. She yawned to release some excess heat, but quickly put her chin on her paws as a sign that she wasn't ready to keep running just yet. All this fur was terribly hot, even for fall.

"It's not a good story."

"Buffy?"

"I mean, it's not a story you need to hear, not right now. When you're older."

Torrens realized Buffy was referring to something deeply personal, something that tied her to Anirniit Valley and its apparently unpleasant lore. Not wanting to pry, she instead offered to change the subject. "Buffy?"

"Hm."

"...Can we stop by the glacier and get ice on the way back?" she asked hopefully, knowing even Buffy enjoyed indulging in chewing bits of ice off of the floe that graced the northern mountain range they passed through fo their treks down to the valley. Buffy smiled at her and offered a single wag of her tail.

"...I told you, we're not stopping, honey."

RIP Torrens
Featuring: