The Petting Zoo By Heart and Home and Crowd Play - [Closed!]

[anemosagkelos]

O P E N

[FrostyPeaches]

-blesses thread opening with my stinky presence <3

idr how to roll all attempts at once for the chance route
1d4

[FrostyPeaches]

1d4 >.> sorry

[FrostyPeaches]

1d4 >.> sorry

[FrostyPeaches]

1d4 >.> sorry

[FrostyPeaches]

1d4 >.> sorry

[Astoria]

SNAKE EYES
Ticket(s): 8

ONCE UPON A
Ticket(s): 25

1 4 3 6 2 for RP prompts
(Also it's too late for me to adjust it now but clearly I can read XD I thought you had to do all 3 prompts for each one lmfaoooooooo.. whoops)

Twig was curious to about this particular arrangement. A petting zoo? This wasn't something she was exactly in the know of, but if it sounded like it's name, then it was a place where you can pet things? Looking at the sign a little longer she decided to go on in and see what it was all about. Maybe she'd even help out. Stepping inside she realized she wasn't sure if she even know what she had signed herself up for.

1 - Sand dog
> A whine pulls your attention to a sand dog lying down and staring up at you. It clearly wants something, but what does it want? Or what does your kin attempt to give it?
> Two sand dogs are playing a fierce game of tug of war. Which sand dog does your kin help and why that one?
> Your kin trips when their hoof falls into a hole. A nearby sand dog growls at the indiscretion. How does your kin apologize? Or do they?

Twig looks towards the sound of a sand dog that's laying down, not too far from where she stood. Did it require aid? Snacks perhaps? She had snacks, that was one thing she almost always had on her! Digging around in a pouch she had, she pulled out what looked like a dried strip of something or another, was it fruit? Was it meat? Who honestly knew, she sure didn't. It could be either one, she carried quite a variety in there, it was hard to say which she had grabbed. Offering it to the sand dog she hoped that's what it liked.

Her attention was then stolen by that of two other sand dogs playing a game of tug of war, and it was not something for the feint of heart. As she watched them, neither wanting to give way, she figured she'd have to try and help one of them become the winner. But which one? The longer she stood there, the more she could see they were getting tired, but it was as if they were going to stay there till either one of them won or they perished in the process. Finally she decided to help the smaller of the two.

After that fiasco was finished she moved to back up and found herself stumbling as her hoof slipped into a hole that she never would have noticed. Unless, of course, she had stepped in it. It was one of those types of holes. Stumbling forward turned into face planting with a loud 'ump' and a wince and she looked over at a sand dog that didn't seem particularly pleased by her fall. "Hey, did anyone tell you it's not polite to growl at someone who just fell. At least I didn't fall on you." She said as she finally managed to stand up, not really bothering to dust herself off.

2 - Owlcat
> The owlcat has been staring at a specific spot just behind your kin for an uncomfortably long time. What does your kin think is going on?
> Your kin feels a tugging on their ankle. The owlcat seems to want to show you something. What is it?
> The owlcat is fighting with the lion. Who’s winning and what does your kin do?

Moving on she realized that someone, or rather, something, had been staring at her? No, behind her? As she watched the owlcat curiously she finally looked behind her and didn't see anything. Looking back she looked again to see if it was staring at her. It was not, it was definitely behind her. Twig finally looked back at the owlcat and gave a nod of understanding. "There's a ghost back there right?" As long as it wasn't out to get her, let them watch it all day long.

As she went to move somewhere else, there was a tugging sensation at her leg and she looked down and couldn't help but smile. "Well hello there." She said cheerfully as she gave the owlcat her full attention. "Oh, do you have something?" She asked down at it curiously. Did it have something in it's paws? She wasn't entirely sure as it was still kind of sitting on it. Finally she was able to coax it into moving and it was a dead mouse. "I hope that's not for me, not because I don't like it, but because I don't think that will agree with my palette."

A loud commotion broke out and she wondered what it was. She saw a flash of fur and screeches and yowls and came upon a lion and an owlcat, hackles raised. At first she wasn't sure what to do, but it turned out the owlcat was winning in this scenario. Still, it wouldn't do any good for any of them to be fighting like this. She quickly stepped between them, making some odd noises herself and puffing herself up big, in an attempt to maybe intimidate them. She wasn't sure it worked at first but they both stared at her oddly and that was that.

3 - Lion
> Your kin realizes the lion has been stalking them while they go about the paddock.
> The lion shows its belly. Is this legit? Is this a trap? What does your kin do?
> The lion is yowling for help. What kind of help did it want/need?

As she left it seemed the lion wasn't quite done with her yet. As she walked around, wanting to check out some of the other places she realized that she wasn't alone. Turning around she stared at the beast, "I'm sorry, did I forget something?" She asked curiously, standing her ground. She did her best to appear big and menacing, but she was quite lithe and wasn't sure that was the case. OH, she realized she had snacks, perhaps that was it. Digging into her back she tossed something it's way and it seemed to sniff it curiously before eating it.

It rolled over and showed it's belly. ??? Was this real life? Looking around she wondered if this was some ploy for her to get closer so it could pounce. However, it didn't seem overly threatening, so perhaps she'd be safe. Taking a breath, she gave a little shake and then moved towards it and gave it's belly a nice little scratch and hoped she didn't get her leg ripped off in the process.

As she began to walk away it began to yowl at her. What happened? She turned and looked around and couldn't see anyone else nearby? As she came closer to inspect, she realized that it was stuck on its back. "Oh dear, that is quite the trouble." She said as she looked around and then decided that she was just going to have to push it over. It had sunk into the soft sand and had gotten stuck. Moving to the side she gave it a nice push and away it went.

4 - Cave worm
> These cave worms are pointier than usual. How does this make it harder or easier for your kin to interact with them?
> You spot the cave worm curled up around something. What is it? is it someone?
> Oh no, the cave worm is fighting with its fellow cave worm. What does your kin do?

Carrying on she decided she'd take a peek at some of the cave worms. She wasn't really into them, but some kin were. As she grew near she realized that these one's were quite pointy. She wasn't even sure she'd be able to touch it to be honest. Giving it a good look over she wondered what she could even do with it. Finally she decided to see if it wanted to interact, perhaps it could play a game? Though what kind of games did cave worms play. Perhaps it could play fetch. She threw a stick and it didn't seem particularly impressed.

Frowning, she turned and began to look at some of the others. One of them was curled up, perhaps it was sleeping. Then again, maybe not? As she grew closer she realized it was wrapped around something? Shielding something? It was hard to tell from this particular angle. Giving a huff she wondered if she should intervene, perhaps it was a toy or something. Still, she decided to get a closer look and did her best to see what was in there. At least it wasn't somebody. She wasn't sure what would have happened then. She just knew it wasn't something alive so she decided to let it be.

It was apparently a favorite thing because the cave worm she had first met was coming after the one that was curled up around the object, which she could now see was a basket. Perhaps food had been in it at one point? Anyway, the two were fighting now. What was with all the fighting today??? Digging into her pack she pulled out some snacks and tossed them their way, perhaps that would solve the issue, if it was revolving around food.

6 - Eagle
> The eagle is standing with its wings outreached, beak open. What does your kin think is happening? Does your kin help the overheated eagle?
> An eagle is building a nest in the corner. What does your kin do?
> One eagle screeches sharply at anyone who nears it. How does your kin show it’s respect?

Moving on she decided to check out the eagles. They were quite lovely things and she always wondered what it was like to fly in the sky. One in particular was hot. She had seen enough birds do this on hot days and she looked around to see if she could find a nice shady spot for it to go in, perhaps even some water. She wasn't able to locate any water so she walked over to it and blocked the sun with her body, hopefully some shade would help.

As she stood there she spotted another one making a nest. "Awwwwww." The words escaped her mouth, baby eagles had to be such darling things! After standing there for a few moments more she spotted some twigs laying around and decided to leave the other eagle to it's own devices and hope it was able to find some water. Collecting the twigs she brought them over to the one making the nest and smiled. Hopefully it would find them useful.

Finally there was another one that was screeching quite loudly. She finally decided it was just liking the sound of it's own voice, which wasn't entirely a bad thing, though it wasn't exactly pleasant to her ears. Still, just because she didn't enjoy it, didn't mean the other eagles or the maker felt the same. Approaching she gave it a smile and a small bow of her head before finding the last meat snack in her pocket and offering it to it. "You have a lovely voice." She said and then she turned and pranced away.

[SkylerKarashi]

Chance Rolls!

[Scaramouche Fandango]

Chance Rolls!

[Lirilei]

Chance rolls!

[Yuki]

Chance rolls!

[Ryuukishin]

Chance rolls!

[Nashawryn]

Chance rolls!

[Scaramouche Fandango]

Tea Dragon
Strange Creature was thrilled to see such… well, such strange creatures. That was always her favorite part of the winter market, was getting to meet and interact with animals unlike any she’d ever seen before. This tea dragon was a delightful thing, as all tea dragons were- and the fact that it had two extra limbs was all the better. With eight legs, the dragon had a better grip as it scaled her leg to sit on her back. She nuzzled its gently rounded horns, admiring the gleam of its hide. Tea dragons were such odd little creatures to begin with, and these smooth, maneless ones reminded her even more of lizards than the one she had. What would Bloom think of this tea dragon?

She laughed as the dragon scrabbled up her neck to sit on her head, its tiny claws tickling. It swirled itself around her neck, dipping its face under hers, and she took the opportunity to tuck her chin down and hug the little dragon. Four legs, eight legs, all dragon legs were good legs. She kept playing with the tea dragon until it yawned and stretched out, gently snoozing with its legs flopped at its sides.

Satisfied that the tea dragon was content, she moved on to…

---

Gryphon
Gryphons were… unsettling, in the way that eagles were also unsettling. But not so unsettling that they were to be avoided; they merely needed additional respect. Something she’d learned was that when you approach a temperamental animal, it helps to keep your eyes slightly lowered; direct eye contact could be seen as a territorial threat or a challenge for a predator species, and a predatory threat that could send a prey species skittering for the bushes.

But this gryphon wanted… more than just her respect and good animal manners. This gryphon wanted a snack. It was really quite a young gryphon, looking closely at it, and both young mammals and young birds were often fairly dependent on their parents for food.

So what to feed it?

Her first impulse was eggs, because eggs were a safe choice. Most things could eat eggs, even if eggs weren’t a typical part of their diet. Eggs were easy to get, full of nutrition, and the shells were fun to rip open or crunch. But the seaside location of this winter market proved to be advantageous; the waters were chock-full of fish, it seemed, leaping silver-sided in the shallows. It would be easy to catch one and present it to the gryphon.

The gryphon’s baleful eye glared at her as it watched her. As hungry as it was, it was also proud, and who was she, a land-bound commoner, to even deign to mouth a fish? Would not she take a bite, a slave to the basic instincts of her kind? At the very least, the land-servant would surely remove some shimmering scales, marring the presentation. Did she not know who the gryphon was? Did she not know her place? Its crest flattened as she laid the thing down, and it stared at her as it took the first bite.

Acceptable. With all the dignity of a starving seagull, the gryphon horked down the fish without chewing, a series of mad swallows that eased the silvery snack down its gullet. Imperiously, it head-butted the Kimeti. She’d paid tribute with fish, now she needed to pay tribute with pets! Pet the gryphon! Pet the gryphon now, before it changes its mind!

For her part, Strange Creature had no idea about the judgment going on in the gryphon’s mind- she wasn’t really a… cat/bird person. Still, she knew an animal that wanted to be petted when she came across one! After gently stroking the gryphon and telling it how handsome it is (gaining her so many points in its esteem, she obviously wasn’t as stupid as she looked), she moved on once more to the…

---

Spiders
Strange Creature was content to just watch the spiders. They were hypnotic as they moved, their frond-like tendrils swaying back and forth. And the webs! Normally when she saw cobweb, she simply admired the shine of the dew on it in the morning, or collected it to use to treat wounds. But these webs were so, so much larger, each silken thread visible and shimmering. The patterns they wove were precise and intricate, and one spider was weaving far stranger patterns than the others. It was hypnotic to watch, and as she did, words came unbidden as she watched the pattern change and grow, looping and spinning. There was a poetry to its silent work, the way it loosed silk and retraced its steps, over and over again until the pattern emerged.

A spider’s work is never done,
Even when the web is spun.
They sit and sit and wait and wait,
Content to stop and meditate.
For who’d deny a tasty fly
By being hasty or asking why
Why they sit and wait so long,
But a spider’s rarely wrong.
The web’s a slippery, tricksy trap
For any bug, the trap will snap
And then the spider eats her fill
And flexes more her weaving skill
Every web’s the web before,
But with destruction so much more
Behold the ancestral iteration,
As each web feeds a generation.

She took a step back and the pattern became clear. A spider itself! The spider had chosen an interesting web design, with eight long spokes and two central hubs, not just one. The effect was that of a self-portrait, and it was quite a clever thing to see. She had a sense that the giant spiders were proud of their self-sufficiency and didn’t need her help- but might appreciate a token of her appreciation. She stamped her hooves a few times in applause, and went off to find some big beetle grubs to toss into the web.

In her pursuit, she found another big bug…

---

Cave Worm
The cave worms were not spider food! They were quite large, however, with clicking, chittering mandibles and glittering carapaces. They seemed even bigger than normal cave worms due to the enormous frills around their heads. And oh, how sharp those frills were! Getting close to them wasn’t impossible, but it was challenging, and that was a bit of a shame because cave worms were pretty cool and she really wanted to pet them. However, there were other ways to engage. Calmly and quietly, she sank to her knees, tucking her legs beneath her. The cave worms skittered over to investigate, and she submitted to their questing antennae and sensoriums. Did these things have eyes? Yes, there they were, right at the front of the face. Tiny things, she doubted they saw well— but she also knew they wouldn’t need to see well, as fine-tuned for their dark home habitats as they were. She sat patiently as the cave worms gently tasted her; there was no real biting, they were quite gentle bugs.

She suspected that this would freak some kin out, but not her. These were just animals like any other, and they were curious about their environment and the other life in it. It wasn’t their fault they were extremely pointy and extremely large. They were just bugs. At the end of the day, just bugs.

And speaking of bugs, she was still on the hunt for some big grubs for the giant spiders, so once the cave worms started to lose interest, she got up (slowly, as to not step on anyone) and returned to the hunt. On her way, she encountered…

---

Sand Dog
The dog was whining and pawing at her, and she didn’t know what it wanted. She was annoyed- not with the dog, but with herself. She really should learn more about mammals. “Are you hungry? Do you want a treat?” The dog’s ears snapped up at mention of a treat, but it didn’t stop pawing at her. “Do you want… a walk?”

Paw, paw.

“Do you want… a bath?”

GROWL, then paw paw paw.

“Well, what do you want?”

The sand dog continued to paw at her, almost aggressively. It rolled onto its back briefly, pulling its paws up to fold them under its chin. It looked at her with the saddest, wettest eyes a dog ever had, then whined again.

Strange Creature stared at it. When a lizard rolled onto its back and stayed like that, something was horribly wrong, or it was playing dead as a defense. But this dog, this… admittedly kind of pathetic right now dog, didn’t seem to be sick or defensive. More like it wanted a-

oh.

“Do you want a belly rub?”

Paw, paw, paw whine whine wag tail wag wag wag.

“You do! You do want a belly rub! I can do that!” With a gentle hoof tip, she scratched the sand dog’s chest and stomach, dragging her hoof back and forth, ruffling and smoothing the fur. Pressing down a little harder, she shook her hoof around, moving the dog as it squirmed gleefully. It rolled again, springing to its feet and dropping into a play bow, tail wagging furiously. She jumped to the right, and the dog followed. The dog jumped to the left, and she followed. It sprang away like a hare, leaping and twisting, begging her to chase it.

So chase it she did, until the dog grew tired of the game and flopped down in front of her. She quietly petted its head for a bit. Dogs were fun!

---

As she’d played with the dog, she had noticed an enormous log that was halfway rotted into the sand; a good source of grubs if ever she’d seen one. A massive elephant beetle larva was hers for the taking; she carefully bit down as she carried it, making sure not to pierce the flesh of the wriggling thing. Her mouth watered a bit; she rather wanted to eat the grub herself, but no, this was a gift for the spiders. Gently, she tossed it into the most massive of the webs and watched as a smallish spider came over to wrap it up. She’d learned a lot about some very interesting creatures today! She’d have to come back again to spend more time amongst them. She nodded at the Kimeti doe and her mother running the place. "What a fun assemblage! I've never seen tea dragons or cave worms or spiders like this before, and I've seen a lot of animals. I'll be back to say hi again!"

[subducting]

Chance rolls!

9