Jigano cracked an eye open to watch Rory and Isuma from time to time, his singing growing a little unsteady as he held back laughter at their unlikely little band. Both the gryphlet's enthusiastic peeping and the hunter's increasingly silly lyrics were almost more than he could take without rolling into the snow in gales of wriggling vulpine humor.
The luxere weren't in a hurry to reach them, but their approach was at a steady meander, curious as much as drawn to the singing. Many humans sang to them in the winter, some in voices sweet and clear, others gruffly, reluctantly, but still with respect. It was rare that anyone other than children sang with such lighthearted fun and lack of dignity, but it didn't seem to bother the gentle creatures. It was the intent and the attempt that they appreciated, and besides - this was a very unusual little group. At the very least they were worth investigating more closely, if only for the novelty of a man, a fox, and a small gryphon sitting in the snow and singing together in the strangest choir any luxere had seen in quite some time.
The gryphon's voice trailed off as the first luxere crunched a hoof into the snow nearby, nosing about at the last leaves of a nearby bush. Her yellow eyes widened as she grew still in Rory's hands - then stretched up as high as she could reach on her hind legs, in danger of overbalancing as she tried to get a closer look. Obligingly, the luxere swung its head over to sniff at her, careful with its antlers so as not to hitRory by accident. Isuma put her foreclaws gently on its nose while she investigated it for a few seconds before the much larger creature grew bored and huffed gently, pulling away. The gryphlet toppled forward with a squeak while the deer went back to grazing, curiosity assuaged.
Jigano had fallen silent when the luxere had turned to examine his companion. He wasn't - quite - worried, but the size difference was significant and he was just a little tense until the encounter had concluded and Isuma was left safe - if a little ruffled - in Rory's hands. The fox shook himself ruefully, the collar and bag once again swinging at his throat, and he paused to consider their surroundings. Well... it wasn't quite what he'd had in mind when he'd first set out that morning, but the luxere were as good as a blessing and the brief terror of his visit to the farm had faded.
He settled into the snow and contorted himself, trying to get his paws to reach the collar and slip it off over his head, wriggling around until he'd finally managed it. The blue-eyed glance he slipped to Rory was almost shy as he picked up bag still attached to it, and deposited it on his friend's thigh before sitting back, managing to look both proud and embarrassed at once as his tail twitched and his ears flicked in small movements, his foxy body language far less controlled than what he managed in his human form.
The luxere weren't in a hurry to reach them, but their approach was at a steady meander, curious as much as drawn to the singing. Many humans sang to them in the winter, some in voices sweet and clear, others gruffly, reluctantly, but still with respect. It was rare that anyone other than children sang with such lighthearted fun and lack of dignity, but it didn't seem to bother the gentle creatures. It was the intent and the attempt that they appreciated, and besides - this was a very unusual little group. At the very least they were worth investigating more closely, if only for the novelty of a man, a fox, and a small gryphon sitting in the snow and singing together in the strangest choir any luxere had seen in quite some time.
The gryphon's voice trailed off as the first luxere crunched a hoof into the snow nearby, nosing about at the last leaves of a nearby bush. Her yellow eyes widened as she grew still in Rory's hands - then stretched up as high as she could reach on her hind legs, in danger of overbalancing as she tried to get a closer look. Obligingly, the luxere swung its head over to sniff at her, careful with its antlers so as not to hit
Jigano had fallen silent when the luxere had turned to examine his companion. He wasn't - quite - worried, but the size difference was significant and he was just a little tense until the encounter had concluded and Isuma was left safe - if a little ruffled - in Rory's hands. The fox shook himself ruefully, the collar and bag once again swinging at his throat, and he paused to consider their surroundings. Well... it wasn't quite what he'd had in mind when he'd first set out that morning, but the luxere were as good as a blessing and the brief terror of his visit to the farm had faded.
He settled into the snow and contorted himself, trying to get his paws to reach the collar and slip it off over his head, wriggling around until he'd finally managed it. The blue-eyed glance he slipped to Rory was almost shy as he picked up bag still attached to it, and deposited it on his friend's thigh before sitting back, managing to look both proud and embarrassed at once as his tail twitched and his ears flicked in small movements, his foxy body language far less controlled than what he managed in his human form.
