Feral Heart

Computer art is very hard to master - I suck at it - and you are so talented! Don't put yourself down. :3 You're doing very well, and I hope to see more of your art, floof! <3

A calm fell over Sage upon hearing that there were no more badgers around, and she suddenly grew shy again. She pulled her claws out of the earth, small clumps of dirt wedged into her paws as her fur immediately fell back and relaxed. She blinked at the striped creature, one of her ears flattening against her head in shame. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I always act like this whenever I get nervous." The canine bent down and ran her tongue over her thin front leg to comfort herself before raising her head and sheepishly adding, "It's something I was born with, I guess."

Sage sat down and stared at the badger to burn its image into her mind. Not all badgers had been as friendly as this one, she realized, which was probably why she had flown into a panic upon assuming she had offended it. She worriedly thought about the long scar embedded on her flank - the one she had received from a hostile badger after she had accidentally stumbled upon it - but it was hidden underneath her soft pelt, so she never really thought about it until now. She blinked at the thought of Xachi's sad tone quivering in her words when she had told Sage that there were no more of her kind with her at the moment.

"You sound sad," Sage remarked. "Have you ever met your own kind?"   

((Okay, thanks. :3))

Sage decided the farmhouse was too much for her. She preferred not to be alone with a creature not of her kind, especially since it was a cat. Not caring how much noise she made, she made a mad dash for the door, hastily leaping up and catching the doorknob in her mouth before twisting it roughly and squeezing out the exit. Her feet moved faster till she was running at top speed, flying past the silent houses as the wind blew in her fur and tossed back her ears. A dash of adrenaline sped through her veins, and she almost closed her eyes as the thrill of traveling so fast rushed in her heart. She was going so fast, she thought she would trip, and she almost did, barely missing a sign when she veered a little too far to the right. She immediately slowed down, going at a steady jog and ignoring her rapidly beating heart.

Presently, Sage came across quite an interesting scene. A badger was clawing its way up onto the shore while a pup stood nearby and watched. She wondered if they both were fine - their pelts were plastered to their bodies, and shivers were running up their spines. Curiosity flickered across her eyes, and she cautiously trotted over to them, watching for any unexpected movements aimed towards her.

"Hello," Sage greeted them carefully. "Are you okay?"

As the figure approached, Simon saw that it was a boy, only younger than him by a year or two. A smile twinkled in his eyes at the boy's response. "You guess?" he asked, and a chuckle slipped into his words. He shot an affectionate glance at the dog as she lifted her hind leg to rapidly scratch at the back of her ear. "Well," he said, "she's a pleasant dog, more well-mannered than a lot of the dogs I've met." Curiosity flickered on his face. The dog almost looked depressed, and he reached out to stroke her soft chin in hopes that it would slightly lift her spirits. Her fur was cool to the touch, and it felt good against his fingers. "How'd you two meet, if you don't mind my asking?"

Welcome back! :3