Cubefall!

[ostro_goth]

When Teja comes down with little Egil for breakfast today, the baby almost squirms off his arm when he sees the changes to the bar.

At the foot of the stairs, he puts Egil down and takes his time to walk around the room with him and let him explore all the toys that have turned up, and feed a broken toy into the furnace.

Then, he goes to the bar and gets his vid-screen. Among the choices he has, there is really just one that will fit his situation this year.

"Puppy, change!" he says to Egil, crouching on the floor before him. Then, he taps the button for his new shape.

---

A few minutes later, a long-legged maned wolf and a boisterous fox cub are sharing a breakfast of very nice meat on a very nice rug by the furnace.

Comments

[scarred_grin]

It's almost ironic that Pyrrha never gets to change.

She'd tried, last year. Pushed buttons, and nothing happened. Which is really a shame--she'd wanted to try being a machine. She'd wanted to be the Maschinenmensch, specifically, but no go.

Organic's more cuddly, anyway.

"Oh, look at you two--did you hunt that yourselves?"

[ostro_goth]

The maned wolf shakes his head.

No, I thought breakfast first, he says in canine language, not sure if Pyrrha will understand him in the shape.

But it's worth it, in order to talk to Egil on a more equal footing.

[scarred_grin]

Loki understands it. He used to be more careful with the language thing, when trying to keep the whole avatar situation a secret from her--which is why she'd had to 'learn' Italian on her own, by a computer immersion program, but didn't have to bother with the language of the Goths. She'd already known, by then.

"You're going to go hunt afterward, then?" she asks. "I hear he's a pretty good tracker--and really good at hiding. Not so much with the pouncing and biting, but he's still growing."

She's not hunting. She's just ordering a bacon cheeseburger for breakfast--all the meat, none of the killing or rawness.

[ostro_goth]

I am planning to, Teja says. I will enjoy seeing what he can do already, and help with the kill if needed.

[scarred_grin]

"Just don't, like, leave half a dead rabbit on my pillow or anything," she says, taking her phone out to get a picture of the two of them.

Well, this way she gets a picture that doesn't have the inevitable blood and twigs and whatever else they get into out there. This is the before.

"I'm strictly an intact animal on the pillow sort of girl."

[ostro_goth]

Well alive, and snoring softly, Teja says, with a little canine huff of laughter. I promise you shall have no other.

[scarred_grin]

"I don't think you'd both fit, unless it's a really big pillow. None of mine are that big, but I could probably get one while you're hunting..."

Mmm, bacon cheeseburger. Breakfast of champions.

"Have the cats seen you like this yet? Are they going hunting too? Their style's probably different."

[ostro_goth]

They have not yet, Teja says. They are outside already. Yesterday, Myrrh caught mighty prey -- an entire Frenchman by name of Lesgle!

[scarred_grin]

"They're in for a big surprise, then."

Well, not so much with Egil. And maybe not so much with Teja either--they've seen him in other shapes before, right? Have they gone hunting together?

"You'll have a really good time. Boys' day out."

[ostro_goth]

I am sure we will, Teja says. You are sure that Loki cannot give you another shape for a while, so you may come? And the cats will likely be startled at me -- they know me as another cat, but not as this: - a fox on stilts!

[scarred_grin]

She's silent for a moment, while she takes a few bites of her breakfast.

"...I could be cat again, or I could be a fox. I'm really bad as a cat, so maybe fox is the way to go. I can't imagine I'd be much good at hunting, though."

[ostro_goth]

You could try, Teja muses. If you want. Unless you'd rather watch us and take pictures of us when we're all muddy from the big outside.

Medium-sized outside, really, but it's big enough for the purpose.

Pyrrha is, after all, not so much an outside person. And Teja can easily look after Egil like that; the cub can express himself, and understand what is asked of him. Breakfast on raw meat like this is much less of an adventure.

[scarred_grin]

"I think I might be a fox for a little while, then change back while you guys do your thing, if that's okay with you," she says.

They need some time alone, to go do some family bonding. It's probably close to Father's Day, isn't it? It seems like that time of year.

[ostro_goth]

That would be a good thing, Teja says. I have done well with Egil in our changed shapes so far, and I believe shall keep on doing so.

[scarred_grin]

"He's a lucky puppy, with some really good teachers," she says. "And really good people around in general."

And maybe, just maybe, no fate.

"Lucky little puppy. Hungry, too, looks like."

[ostro_goth]

We make sure that there are good people around him, Teja declares. I think we might let him meet Guppy's children soon, so he gets to play with human children.

The fox cub is still chewing at his breakfast of meat.

[scarred_grin]

"He's been around them," she says. "Not like play-dates or anything, but they've at least seen each other, I think. Some of them, anyway."

But it's good for him to have children to play with. Not that Jack and Adrastos aren't good company for him, or don't like keeping him entertained, but there's an age difference there.

[ostro_goth]

If I see them, and Egil is with me, I will take him to meet them, but never take my eyes off him, Teja promises.