He should have thought ahead, he chastised himself as he waited. He never should have brought Isuma into the farmyard, even if he hadn't been smart enough to be afraid of the dogs for himself. He still wasn't used to not being on his own anymore, and he berated himself for the stupid risk he had taken with her. More, he had brought difficulty to Rory, scaring his animals and upsetting his hounds - upsetting him with all the disturbance. He hoped the hunter wasn't too upset with him. Would he banish Jigano from visiting the farm again?
The worst part was the waiting and the not knowing. Not knowing whether Rory would ask him to leave... or if it would be the angry dog that came crashing through the door next, rather than his friend. So the fox waited, tense and unhappy as his gryphlet shivered against him. But as the seconds turned to minutes and the barking of the dog stayed distant and muffled, he began to relax a little, his alertness becoming watchful rather than fearful.
Rory was courteous enough to knock, even though it was his workshop that Jigano had invaded, but white ears perked up in gladness at seeing his friend just before lowering in guilty apology. He sniffed the proper hand politely, reassuring himself with his friend's comforting scent, then tilted his jaw into the scratch, relaxing a little when the human didn't immediately chastise him. Isuma, too, raised her downy head, yellow eyes wide as she looked at Rory for the first time.
The hunter's gentle words were more than Jigano had dared to hope for, and he brought his ears cautiously up again, relaxing further as he realized that Rory didn't blame him. He watched alertly as the hunter retrieved his tool and project, the fox tilting his head in curiosity as Isuma also turned to try and see what had caught his attention. At the quiet question the fox thumped his tail again, this time more cheerfully as he turned to nose at Isuma, encouraging her to step forward. She uncurled from her little ball fully, letting out a soft Reep? of curiosity. After thinking for a moment, and seeing the quiet unhappiness in Rory's posture, Jigano sat up and put his nose down to her. Gently he grasped her between neck and wings, right over her shoulders, and then held her out, encouraging Rory to hold out his hands so he could deposit the softly squeaking bundle of fur and feathers into them for proper pets.
The worst part was the waiting and the not knowing. Not knowing whether Rory would ask him to leave... or if it would be the angry dog that came crashing through the door next, rather than his friend. So the fox waited, tense and unhappy as his gryphlet shivered against him. But as the seconds turned to minutes and the barking of the dog stayed distant and muffled, he began to relax a little, his alertness becoming watchful rather than fearful.
Rory was courteous enough to knock, even though it was his workshop that Jigano had invaded, but white ears perked up in gladness at seeing his friend just before lowering in guilty apology. He sniffed the proper hand politely, reassuring himself with his friend's comforting scent, then tilted his jaw into the scratch, relaxing a little when the human didn't immediately chastise him. Isuma, too, raised her downy head, yellow eyes wide as she looked at Rory for the first time.
The hunter's gentle words were more than Jigano had dared to hope for, and he brought his ears cautiously up again, relaxing further as he realized that Rory didn't blame him. He watched alertly as the hunter retrieved his tool and project, the fox tilting his head in curiosity as Isuma also turned to try and see what had caught his attention. At the quiet question the fox thumped his tail again, this time more cheerfully as he turned to nose at Isuma, encouraging her to step forward. She uncurled from her little ball fully, letting out a soft Reep? of curiosity. After thinking for a moment, and seeing the quiet unhappiness in Rory's posture, Jigano sat up and put his nose down to her. Gently he grasped her between neck and wings, right over her shoulders, and then held her out, encouraging Rory to hold out his hands so he could deposit the softly squeaking bundle of fur and feathers into them for proper pets.
