- Character Biography
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Dr Moontail trudged through the countryside, pulling his winter coat close over his sweater. Despite the cold, he breathed more freely than he did in Bouillabaisse Harbor or on the Golden Hide. Here he was alone with nothing but his thoughts as he breathed in air as clean an crisp as the snow and leaves crunching under paw.
As he moved among leafless trees he scanned the space looking for the small orange flowers poking through the exposed leaf litter or the patches of snow. Eranthis plants usually bloomed in late winter to early spring, and were therefore far easier to find without having to freeze your whiskers off, but now he was looking for the more elusive Eranthis Vulpinus, which only bloomed during the middle of winter. What exactly was supposed to be pollinating them at this time of year still eluded botanists who had been in the field for years longer than Amatis had even been alive, and that was unlikely to change over the course of his weekend break, but this search was just about finding one and bringing it home. Any additional study would be a bonus that the weather would have to permit.
Speaking of the weather, he should set up his tent. It was quickly becoming dark and if he wasn't mistaken, he could see storm clouds coming. Well, best hope that it was simply a light snow and not a full-blown winter storm. He'd set out this weekend
He found a large and flat enough space to drop his pack, and started setting up his tent, tying off the required knots with practiced and fast paws. He would be more than ready by the time night truly fell. Tomorrow he would spend his Saturday looking for the Eranthis Vulpinus. He knew that it grew around here from a survey the museum had conducted the prior year, he just had to find it.
The campfire was lit and his dinner of herring potato pie was heated. He ate it slowly as he just sat in the silence of the natural world, muffled pleasantly through his knit hat. He was quite happy with this purchase for certain, with the button-on ear covers that had certainly done their job of keeping his ears warm.
He could listen to this silence all day for the rest of his life.
Settling in for the night, he closed the tent's door and wrapping himself in his bedroll, slowly drifting off as the plans in his head crumbled and melted like the snowballs he had been pelted with the other day.
Dr Moontail awoke to the sound of the storm and the shaking of his tent. He pulled himself from where he lay, shivering in the freezing wind that slipped through the canvas. Peaking through the flap, the outside world seemed to have been erased.
For now, at least, his knots hadn't failed and his tent was holding against the storm. Unable to do anything, Amatis crawled back into his bedroll, adjusting his tail-cover as he did so, and tightening his hat. He lay, unable to sleep with the noise through the thin walls as the wind howled and snow fell in thick furies.
He hoped it would be clear by the morning.
The next Monday, his absence wasn't felt until around midday when his colleagues found themselves passing by the sour-faced botanist's door. Usually the wildcat would have stepped out at exactly the same time as he did every day, but today the door stayed firmly shut. One finally decided to risk it and knocked on the door. Finding it unlocked, they poked their snout in only to find Dr Moontail wholly absent. Someone was sent to his tenement, as this absence was very much not in character for their usually prompt colleague, where it came to light from the landlady that Dr Amatis Moontail had set off after work the prior Friday.
@Marble
As he moved among leafless trees he scanned the space looking for the small orange flowers poking through the exposed leaf litter or the patches of snow. Eranthis plants usually bloomed in late winter to early spring, and were therefore far easier to find without having to freeze your whiskers off, but now he was looking for the more elusive Eranthis Vulpinus, which only bloomed during the middle of winter. What exactly was supposed to be pollinating them at this time of year still eluded botanists who had been in the field for years longer than Amatis had even been alive, and that was unlikely to change over the course of his weekend break, but this search was just about finding one and bringing it home. Any additional study would be a bonus that the weather would have to permit.
Speaking of the weather, he should set up his tent. It was quickly becoming dark and if he wasn't mistaken, he could see storm clouds coming. Well, best hope that it was simply a light snow and not a full-blown winter storm. He'd set out this weekend
He found a large and flat enough space to drop his pack, and started setting up his tent, tying off the required knots with practiced and fast paws. He would be more than ready by the time night truly fell. Tomorrow he would spend his Saturday looking for the Eranthis Vulpinus. He knew that it grew around here from a survey the museum had conducted the prior year, he just had to find it.
The campfire was lit and his dinner of herring potato pie was heated. He ate it slowly as he just sat in the silence of the natural world, muffled pleasantly through his knit hat. He was quite happy with this purchase for certain, with the button-on ear covers that had certainly done their job of keeping his ears warm.
He could listen to this silence all day for the rest of his life.
Settling in for the night, he closed the tent's door and wrapping himself in his bedroll, slowly drifting off as the plans in his head crumbled and melted like the snowballs he had been pelted with the other day.
Dr Moontail awoke to the sound of the storm and the shaking of his tent. He pulled himself from where he lay, shivering in the freezing wind that slipped through the canvas. Peaking through the flap, the outside world seemed to have been erased.
For now, at least, his knots hadn't failed and his tent was holding against the storm. Unable to do anything, Amatis crawled back into his bedroll, adjusting his tail-cover as he did so, and tightening his hat. He lay, unable to sleep with the noise through the thin walls as the wind howled and snow fell in thick furies.
He hoped it would be clear by the morning.
The next Monday, his absence wasn't felt until around midday when his colleagues found themselves passing by the sour-faced botanist's door. Usually the wildcat would have stepped out at exactly the same time as he did every day, but today the door stayed firmly shut. One finally decided to risk it and knocked on the door. Finding it unlocked, they poked their snout in only to find Dr Moontail wholly absent. Someone was sent to his tenement, as this absence was very much not in character for their usually prompt colleague, where it came to light from the landlady that Dr Amatis Moontail had set off after work the prior Friday.
@Marble
