Posts by sidewalkpup

^{I'LL BE A DREAMER —}

^{She was alive. What a strange thought to have. Of course she was alive. She'd been alive for three months, going on four. So why was it so surprising to feel the blades of grass beneath her paws? The wind rustle her fur?}

^{Why did it feel like she had just taken her first breath when she knew for a fact that she had been breathing for months? Her soft green eyes looked around, trying to piece together all of her foggy memories for the hundredth time. She hadn't been able to come up with a mother or a father in the blurred colors that made up her memories before recently. If she'd ever had one, she did not know them and she probably never would. Oh well.}

^{She had this strange feeling that she remembered being surrounded by people she knew, friends and family. But if any of them were real she could not picture their faces. So she brushed off the idea, deciding it was her own overactive imagination and the strange dreams she sometimes had.}

^{She shoved the thoughts away, exhaling softly as she glanced around the grassy area she'd resided in for all of her remembered life. The fox pup was honestly surprised she had lived this long off of random plants she'd consumed, going on pure hope that she wasn't about to poison herself. Coupled with the fact that her mint colored fur was hardly camouflage, she was slightly impressed by her durability. This being said, the child had grown tired of this place. She wasn't sure what exactly had stirred her in that moment, but all of a sudden she was on the move. She didn't think twice about leaving her former home behind, though she did wonder what exactly was drawing her in this particular direction. She hadn't ever explored very far, never having a reason until now. What she found was the grassy area opened up into the largest body of water she had ever seen. She had never heard of the ocean before and so had no knowledge of why so much water had collected in this particular spot. But what she understood even less was why she seemed to be pulled further still by some invisible force. Somewhere out there was something she needed to find. And she would find it. She was nothing if not determined.}

^{Upon deciding she couldn't swim at all, let alone swim across the ocean to an island in the distance, the girl trotted around curiously, nose tilted upwards, breathing in the smell of salty air. By pure luck it seemed, the girl managed to run into a large bird who had apparently learned manners from somewhere and decided not to eat her. He told her he was an albatross, though she did not know what that meant. Her offered a ride and she accepted, though she wasn't sure where he was taking her. She had never learned not to trust strangers. Fortunately, he dropped her off on the shore of an island, with nothing more than a hurried, "they're around here somewhere.. probably.." before taking off.}

^{She was left there, standing in silence on the sand, unsure what she was meant to do now. She had come here for a reason unknown to her and now there was no going back. Unless, of course, the bird ever returned to check up on her. Supposing there could be more creatures as polite as the albatross, the child began walking slowly away from the ocean, into the depths of the island. This was interesting, to say the least.}

^{"Hello?" She called to no one in particular. "Your air is salty. I don't know why that is, but I thought you might want to know, in case no one has ever told you. I assume they didn't mention it out of politeness, and maybe I shouldn't have either but I figure, y'know, the politest thing I can do is tell the truth, so there you have it. Although, now that I think about it, you probably knew it was salty already. It's kind of obvious, honestly." She paused long enough to realize she was rambling on about things that weren't important. "Oh, also, my name is Sidewalk. That seems like a weird name. I don't know what it means, I just know it's my name. I think maybe I shouldn't tell strangers my name, but I don't know how you're supposed to become not-strangers if you don't ever tell each other your names." And that was all she had to say for the moment, so she sat down and waited for something to happen.}

^{/ eek sorry this is so long! anyway hello!}

^{— TILL THE DAY I DIE}

^{I'LL BE A DREAMER —}

^{is it bad that that's exactly what I was thinking when I wrote that /}

^{Wide, slightly disproportionate, ears flickered atop the girl's head as she stared in silent wonder at the person who had approached her. She had never really met anyone before. She wasn't counting the albatross or the friends who lived in her imagination. This person was different. Something about the way she looked, the way she spoke, conveyed a feeling that this wasn't just another wild creature trying to survive. Whoever this was, she was doing more than just existing. She was living. Maybe Side could find a way to do that. To do something more than just move through day after day in a fog of disconnectedness. Yes, she quite liked that idea.}

^{Also, this person was talking. Maybe she should listen. "Ignore it? I suppose that's fair. Maybe I'll figure out how to ignore it. The thing is, once I start trying to ignore something, then that thing is all I can think about, so it might take me awhile." She stopped herself from continuing with a quick reminder that she needed to stay focused on the important things. "I'm really glad that you're a kind stranger! It would be bad if you weren't. Though I suppose it'd only be bad for me, really. I don't know what I'd do against a mean strang- woah you're name is really long! Arc..Pela..ghost..? It sounds cool when you say it, anyway. I think I'll just call you Archi, if that's okay." She smiled brightly, curling her poofy tail over her paws. "I don't know what an Admiral is. Or a Rift for that matter. But those sound cool too. I also don't know why I'm here. My feet took me and I let them because I had nothing better to do. Also a bird took me part of the way. He was really big and sort of nice. He carried me across the water. I was pretty scared because you guys have a lot of water out there. What do you even do with that much water?" Evidently, she had a lot to say and a fairly nonexistent filter.}

^{— TILL THE DAY I DIE}

^{I'LL BE A DREAMER —}

^{For once she wasn't talking. The words stuck in her throat and she didn't know exactly why. Something was prodding at her mind. At her heart. Something she didn't understand and she wouldn't understand for a long time. It was a similar feeling to the one that had brought her to this place, only it didn't spur her feet into sudden and unintentional movement. Instead, it rooted her to the spot. She was still for the first time in possibly forever. Even her breath was caught in her lungs, as if her entire being was just.. waiting. Because there was a reason she had come here and deep down she was somehow aware that she was about to find it out. The idea set her nerves on fire.}

^{She knew something was happening before she even saw him. It was like finding something you'd been looking for forever. Except, she was only a child. She hadn't had time to lose anything yet.}

^{Then she saw him. Her eyes met his, swirling with an emotion that looked similar to the way she felt. Something about him was familiar and yet he was completely foreign. She knew she had never seen him before and yet, she recognized those eyes. That tuft of dark fur atop his head. "You're one of my imaginary friends." She said before she knew what she was doing. Her eyes widened at the words that left her mouth and she hesitated, unsure how to fix what she'd just said. The surprise that followed her strange outburst took over, pushing away the squeezing feeling that something important had happened and she had missed it. "Um, I don't.. I don't know why I said that. I'm sorry.. - Hey! Wait!" He was gone. She didn't know how that was possible. One minute he'd been there, right in front of her, and the next there was nothing. Had she really just imagined him? "Where'd you go?" She rose to her feet, stepping slowly around Archi, to where the boy had just been. The empty ground confirmed his disappearance. "I really thought you were there.. Am I crazy?" She looked to the Admiral for help, before turning back to the ground for any sort of clue as to whether or not that boy had really existed. She hoped he did. She liked his eyes. "I promise not to say anything weird if you come back." She added, though she knew it was an empty promise. She was never going to stop saying weird things.}

^{— TILL THE DAY I DIE}

^{I'LL BE A DREAMER —}

^{tbh timeline is wonky but its finneee side is gonna be in this thread anyway} 

^{Mint ears flickering, the girl would approach, drawn by the small crowd of people. Much unlike the dark furred cheetah, Side adored crowds. She was smiling wide as she squeezed her way into the group. She was looking for the center of all of their attention. But she was not expecting what she found. One paw frozen, mid-step in the air, Side stared at the now-visible kid. "Hey it's you!" She said, louder than was probably necessary. But she couldn't help the surge of excitement that sparked in her chest. "Remember me? From when I thought I imagined you? I actually didn't, because you're standing right there and everyone can see you. That means I'm not crazy. At least.. not in regards to this. Anyway, I like your floofy mane thing. It's really cool. I wish I had a head-floof, but all I have is a tail-floof." She paused, curling her fluffy tail around and holding it in front of her for emphasis. She realized she'd forgotten to mention her name, because for some reason it never occurred to her. Like he already knew her name. Except he didn't, that was a silly thought. "Oh also, my name is Sidewalkpup. I added 'pup' to the end because I saw some other kids do that. I still don't know what a sidewalk is. I don't suppose you do? Oh you have a brother! That's cool! Hi Treacherycub! That's a really long name. I guess my name is really long too.. Why does everyone have such long names?" Side did not seem very inclined to let anyone actually answer her questions. As soon as she was done asking, she was off to the next thought. "I wonder if I have a brother. If I did, wouldn't he tell me? Except, maybe he wouldn't even try to find me because that's what my mom did.. I think. I have a mom, right?" She glanced to Archipelagoisland, frowning slightly, "Don't you have to have a mom? Or no?" She honestly wasn't completely sure.}

^{— TILL THE DAY I DIE}

^{I'LL BE A DREAMER —}

^{Sidewalkpup knew nothing of Valentine's Day or Riverside. She didn't know this person and honestly didn't really care at the moment. In any other situation she would be scrambling in front of everyone in her haste to meet this stranger - and, let's be honest, unintentionally spill her life story through ceaseless rambling. But she wouldn't do that now. She wouldn't do that because their was a whole basket full of actual candy. Truthfully, she had never had candy before so she wasn't sure why she was so excited about it. She just knew deep down that candy - specifically, these pretty pastel colored candies - was an amazing thing and she loved it. And so, before anyone had a chance to realize that giving this hyper child pure sugar was not a good idea, Side would rush forward and stick her nose in the basket, examining all of the goodies. She was kind of like a kid in a candy store! Actually.. she was pretty much exactly like a kid in a candy store.}

^{Sidewalk would reemerge with one of the boxes of the sweetheart candies and pop a few into her mouth. Then she'd scramble out of the way because the older people were talking and it was probably boring anyway so she'd just sit off to the side and eat her candy.}

^{— TILL THE DAY I DIE}

^{I'LL BE A DREAMER —}

^{Sidewalkpup had somehow managed to come across some seeds. Perhaps her albatross friend had brought them to her from the mainland. Probably not. She had never had much interest in gardening, but now that she possessed these seeds, she felt the need to follow through with them. Plus, she didn't actually know what they would grow into, and the curiosity was killing her. And so, the mint green fox child set off in search of the perfect place to start her new garden.}

^{She finally decided on a little clearing near the pine forest where the trees parted just enough for some sunlight to filter through. She frowned as she set the seeds on the floor, glancing around in slight disappointment. She'd sort of expected gardening to be simple. But she had absolutely no idea what to do next. Just stick them in the ground? It seemed like there was more to it than that. Hm.}

^{Collecting her seeds, Side set off once more, this time calling out as she traipsed about the island. "ADMIRAL ARCHIE?" She wasn't sure exactly why she thought Archipelagoisland would be able to help her, but the lady had seemed nice enough. Plus she was like the only person Side knew. "HEY DO YOU KNOW HOW TO GARDEN?" She would continue to shout as she walked, despite having no idea where the Admiral was and whether or not she could actually hear the girl.}

^{— TILL THE DAY I DIE}

^{I'LL BE A DREAMER —}

^{There was something to be said for the fact that Sidewalkpup had not yet fallen off the Gull Rocks and into the rapids below. It was most likely due to the fact that no one had told her not to go there yet, so she really wasn't aware of the existence of such a place. As soon as someone did tell her the place was too dangerous for such a young child like her, then she would immediately need to find the Gull Rocks. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. Sidewalkpup had somehow actually managed to find a reasonable place to attempt swimming. Perhaps someone had mentioned the idea of learning to swim at Wander's Cove to her. Whatever it had been, she was there now. Only, no one was learning to swim. For some reason, she had imagined someone would be there 24/7, teaching kids to swim. She had been expecting this person and was no disappointed that the area was relatively empty. What was she supposed to do now? She had walked all the way out here and had no intentions of leaving until she was able to swim.}

^{With a huff, Side plopped down, casting her pale green eyes around the area. "HELLO?"}

^{— TILL THE DAY I DIE}

^{I'LL BE A DREAMER —}

^{She hadn't met these people. She was pretty sure she'd seen both of them but never actually spoken to them. The mint furred girl would give a wide grin. "Hiya! I don't suppose you know how to swim?" She'd ask towards Imaginedragons who had arrived first. Then her head would turn towards Blueskies as she approached and introduced herself. Her previous question forgotten for the current moment, she wave her fluffy tail in greeting. "Hi, Blueskies! I'm Sidewalkpup! I'm gonna learn how to swim." She said that definitively, despite not yet having an answer as to whether or not Imaginedragons knew how to swim and was actually willing to teach her. Sidewalk didn't know how to not be loud. She didn't think she'd ever find life mundane, but if that's what happened when you grew up, she would just never grow up.}

^{— TILL THE DAY I DIE}

^{I'LL BE A DREAMER —}

^{It wasn't hard for Imagine to have the attention brought back to her, as soon as Side was reminded of her reasoning for being here. Fluffy tail lashing excitedly, she couldn't help but hop to her feet. "Will you teach me how?" She asked, glittering eyes conveying her anticipation. She began to pace in circles, unable to keep herself still for this long. She wanted to race into the ocean already, but figured if Imaginedragons was willing to teach her to swim, it was only polite to wait for her.}

^{— TILL THE DAY I DIE}

^{I'LL BE A DREAMER —}

^{"Hi! I'm Sidewalkpup!" Would announce the girl's presence. Why was she awake and roaming random parts of the territory? Side wasn't sure. She had probably been following Fore or something. Bushy tail waving behind her, the fox pup squirmed through the group of people, not at all bothered by the fact that she was pushing past adults who were talking about probably important things - she didn't know if they were important or not because she wasn't actually listening. "Admiral Archi is a really important person, but she's also nice which I think is cool. Also, I don't really know anyone else. Oh, except Blueskies! Hi Blueskies!" The child would turn to wave, delighted to have recognized someone there. That made two people that she knew in this clan! Three if you counted the curious cheetah cub who kept disappearing and had yet to actually speak to her.}

^{— TILL THE DAY I DIE}

^{I'LL BE A DREAMER —}

^{Sidewalkpup was the next one to bound over, mint green eyes bright with pure energy that she never seemed to tire of. Instead of sitting or standing or anything that involved being still, the child just wriggled around, bouncing a few times in an attempt to deter the constant need to move. "Hi Dean! I don't know what an ambassador is but you smell funny." She paused, then amended quickly with, "Not in a bad way, though! Also, what's a Dark Dynasty? Also, my name is Sidewalkpup. Also, have you seen how much water we have? Because it's a lot. I just recently learned it's called an ocean. Did you know that? Oh! But you can't drink the water because it's gross and salty. I tried it already." It would seem this girl did not know how to stop talking. Not that she noticed, of course.}

^{— TILL THE DAY I DIE}

^{I'LL BE A DREAMER —}

^{She was gonna learn how to swim! Her fur was puffed out, her small paws carrying her in circles around Imagine now. Though she did pause long enough to answer the question. "I've never been in water before, but I don't know why I'd be scared of it! It looks friendly enough." She giggled. She didn't realize, however, was how unfriendly water had been to her past life. How close she had come to drowning in the Colouredclan river. If she had remembered this, she would have been more wary. More afraid of the sparkling blue depths that had tried long ago to claim her life.}

^{— TILL THE DAY I DIE}