Red Fern Forest The silence guides our minds

@Koda and @Anneliese here is our meet n' greet thread ...and it looks like Io's in a good mood tonight, lucky Anna!

July 7, Early evening, Sunny 88F/31C

It was almost silent. Pale ears rotated at every scrap of sound that came her way. The warm air held little breeze and the ferns rustled only the slightest, a soothing hum that echoed in Redfern Forest. The birds were lulled by the lazy warmth and by the coming dusk, their songs were simple and infrequent now. Uncomplicated harmonies plucked at her attention as she ambled through the neighboring forest. It helped to have another set of parents, it gave her more opportunity to get out and stretch her legs. Iopah had always held a curious streak, and it was not likely to change now. She wanted to be familiar with this forest and learn of the wolves she shared it with.

The soft brush of her ivory and grey coat against copper-stained fronds gave away her presence, but hers was not the only one in the forest. The tread of another, as familiar as her own, made the woman stop and curve her head over a gray shoulder. Her muzzle broke into a grin as she searched for him, eyes flashing merrily. She expected him to be close by, whether trailing behind or leading out of side; it only mattered that he was near. It was not often they had opportunity to slip away together. The silence held for a minute as gold eyes cast around, then she called out with a low chuff. On the heels of that playful sound was a mighty rustle of foliage as Iopah dashed away, inadvertently announcing her location in the impromptu game.

Out and about on one of her little adventures disguised as a scouting trip, Anneliese found herself amongst the ferns. A little bit more familiar with the area by now, she found that this was one of her favorite places to explore in the east. The rampant monilophytes acted much like the sea, moving large waves and offering seclusion to those who dipped beneath the faux surface they created. She swam through them now, the whispering made as her body parted the fronds a mellifluous sound to her ears. For a time, it was all she heard, and their damp leaves were all that could be scented, the air far too calm to carry anything other than air to her lungs. Eventually, however, a distant rustling drew her attention.

Anneliese glided forth, head angled to stay above the reach of the crimson plants. The closer she came, the more the still air offered to her, and soon she learned that she was around others of her kind. Her knightly nature was triggered, defensive mechanism clicking to life within her. Hopefully, however, it would all be unnecessary, for Anna as always was curious as to who these strangers were and what their lives entailed.

Allowing herself to be consumed completely by the plantlife, Anneliese navigated the murky pseudo underwater, closing the distance between herself and her targets. Iopah's welcoming sound managed to work its way into her ears, but she knew the beckoning was not for her. Still, she returned it to let them know that she was near, a soft but well-traveling woof slipping from betwixt her teeth.

PLOT WITH ME!

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

@Anneliese!
@Koda is welcome to appear at any point, for the time being it is assumed he is vaguely "somewhere in the Red Fern Forest"

Every fiber was tuned to listen and watch behind her. It was a game -whether Koda had realized it yet or not- and she was ever eager to play it. The ferns enveloped her, rustling faintly as she sank down into them. It was a good a hiding place as any; both of them were busy, often pulled in different directions with their responsibilities and they had to sneak their fun any way they could get it.

She was still hiding, beginning to peek her head between maroon fronds, when the answering chuff came... but from in front of her now. What? Had Koda somehow snuck around to her other side? Or had someone else happened upon them? That last idea was a little disconcerting, but embarrassingly so. Some unknown wolf had caught her playing hooky with her mate? She held onto the hope that it was Koda and parted the ferns much like Anneliese had, with the only sign of her the waving and whispering foliage above. Eventually an unfamiliar scent came to her nose and she knew the game was up—this was not Koda she was creeping up on now. She hurried now, taking no care with silence and letting her head rise to search the tops of the ferns.

The flash of white was much closer than she expected. Iopah stopped suddenly, tail naturally curling upwards. "Can I help you?" She asked clearly, casting her voice so it would fall over the hiding wolf. There were logical reasons to evade detection, and Iopah was very curious indeed to hear them now.

Sorry for the wait! 
@Anneliese @Iopah

He watched her slip away from the pack at a distance, curiosity had always been his weakest point and when it came to the female lead of the pack, he was always anxious to spend as much quality time to her as possible--since the birth of their pups, and even the founding of their pack, they hadn't much time together. He followed her in silence, stopping when her head would lift up to search for the creature following her and hiding long enough to see her continue on her path toward Red Fern Forest, and he slipped past their border with the confidence that their second's in charge would ensure that the pack was well taken care of. It shouldn't take them long to return, perhaps a few hours or so, and the male didn't hesitate to take this moment with his wife, it had been a long time coming.

When she stopped he did, listening to the chuff that left her jaws and immediately his lips twisted into a grin, having expected that she'd known he was following her the whole time. The moment he lifted his head to face her he watched her dart off and within the split of a second he was off, sending dirt behind him as he did. His speed was nowhere near that of Iopah's, but he never lost sight of her, watching her up until the moment that she came from behind a tree expecting him to be there; instead her company came from that of a Oak Bend member. Worry overcame him and he stepped into the scene with his head low and hairs raised along his back, a low growl flowed from his jaws as he stared the white woman up and down--what was she doing here? His wife's question was the only words for a moment until he finally broke his silence,  "lets hope she wasn't spying on us," he was speaking more to Iopah then Anna but she was welcome to defend herself.

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.