Swift River all the lies in the books

@Treyah or @Reiko or both. Want to see how the teenagers get along?

Sakari put one careful paw in front of the other, nose hovering so close to the ice that her breath left behind little fog marks. She watched and listened for a crack with every footfall, testing the ice for its strong and weak spots. If she found a particularly thin patch, she could lick, gnaw, and otherwise bore her way through to the liquid beneath. She had done crazier things for a meal, and a hunch told her that this part of the river would be particularly well stocked. Wolves didn’t den near barren rivers, and judging from the abandoned den she’d uncovered this place used to be a thriving mecca.

She had spent a little while sniffing around the vacant den site, hoping to stumble across some long-abandoned cache. All she achieved for her efforts were several heaps of rotting fur and dusty bones.  The wolves who used to inhabit these lands had been gone too long. Sakari only hoped that they hadn’t chosen to leave because the river ran out of fish.

Sakari flexed her paws impatiently, watching her claws scrape across the solid, impenetrable ice. The ice was so thick at the edge of the river that it appeared bright white, but Sakari could hear water trickling toward the center of the river. It would be dangerous to step out further, out of reach of the riverbank, but perhaps a few more steps and she could find what she was looking for...

A new found confidence, he began to take up wandering solo. Part of it was thanks to Kerb and Maera. With them it would seem things would be better, and this new home wouldn't be so bad. It was more than that. The words of the silver man had changed something within the boy. A reminder...

He ambled along the snow, often trying to stick to deer trails to ease the walk. But, even when he had to wade through drifts it did not alter his mood. He did feel different. Less worried, and more curious. An eagerness to see and find things himself. Where he was going, wasn't anywhere new. They'd been shown the Swift River, but Reiko wanted to do his own exploring. With words where he was going, and he would be back soon he left the Wildwood behind.

It was by memory, he attempted to find the River. Often the youth had to readjust his calculation and direction, until he found the Sacred Grove. Once there he knew it was only a matter of time till he found what he wanted. A little further, he could pick up the water's scent. The further he walked the more relaxed he felt. This place reminded him of the blue misted woods with its quiet atmosphere. Even in winter's cold there was something different about it. A pull that gently tugged from the trees themselves.

The Tainn was easily on course for what part of the river he wanted. The snow covered boulders came into sight, and then the river itself. His yellow eyes found themselves on the dark figure of a wolf. What was it trying to do? Slowly, he trudged closer, trying to remain quiet, while interest sparked in his gaze. Hoping for an answer.

(This post was last modified: Jan 20, 2017, 09:30 PM by Reiko.)

Sakari was oblivious to the young man watching her, so intent was she on the ice beneath her nose. A few footsteps, and she was out of reach of the riverbank, but the ice was already looking darker. Clearer. The girl threw a look over her shoulder to ascertain the distance to the bank, and when she did so she caught the boy’s silhouette in the corner of her eye.  She squinted, centering her spy in her vision. An odd yet comforting, settled feeling draped like a blanket over the girl. It was as if seeing the boy against the backdrop of the frozen river was somehow right. Like he belonged here. 

As soon as the feeling came it was gone, and Sakari was once more a lone female in the presence of a stranger, in a very precarious position to boot. Her hackles rose, and she scrambled to turn and face the newcomer. “Who—“ was all she managed to call out before her back foot plunged into the river. An echoing crack sounded and quite suddenly icy daggers were clawing up Sakari’s left flank. She was so surprised she couldn’t even swear; she was only able to let out a distressed, strangled bark.

Sakari struggled to reclaim her foot, but the pull of the river was too strong. Her free hindfoot scrambled for purchase on the broken edge of the ice, but as soon as she put weight on the edge it crumbled too. Now both of her hindlegs dangled uselessly behind her, the current tugging at them and the girl to which they belonged. Sakari growled from the effort it took to keep her upper half on the ice, claws digging into the frozen surface.  If she let go, in seconds the current would sweep her beneath the ice, and that would be the end of Sakari Noatak. 

You can powerplay them to safety or not.

He settled closer to get a better view, when he realized it was a girl on the river. On a frozen piece, when she caught him in her sights. The young Tainn flinched, but did not retreat. He had been...he was gawking at her. Now he felt it hadn't been the best of ideas. He should have let his presence known, or flat out asked. For a second he thought it wouldn't matter. In the next her dark hair rose, and she faced him. Too late. He wasn't entirely scared, but she was probably one of those lunatics. Even if she was just a girl.

A single word fell from her lips, then the ice began to split, and part of her was in the river. Shit.... He had made this happen! Now he felt worse for not minding his manners. For not knowing what he should even do now.

An awful bark left her mouth. A whine slipped in his throat, and he shifted down the incline intent on helping her. He'd never been taught, and he didn't exactly want to fall in neither. She was trying to get out, pulling against the remaining ice, trying to lift her leg. He thought maybe she'd do it. More ice broke, and all she had was two paws keeping her from being swept away. "I'm gonna grab you!" He went from the bank of the river, to the snow and ice at the edge hoping this would work. (At least his rump was on something substantial.) Stretching out, he grabbed for the scruff of her neck, using all his strength to pull her back to safety. She could tear into him after he saved her.

How long she spent clinging to the ice she couldn’t say. She didn’t see the boy approach, but her eyes lifted to his when he stepped out on the ice in front of her.  Despite being slightly younger, he was clearly heavier than her –he would be growing into a much larger wolf than she. If his weight cracked the ice beneath both of their forepaws, it would likely be the end for both of them.  He warned her that he was about to grab her, which was certainly polite but very much unnecessary in the present situation. She would have let a mountain lion reach for her if it meant escaping the icy daggers inching up her spine.  She was too terrified to speak, but her eyes widened in a way that screamed, ”hurry!”
 
A boy he may have been, but he had quite a grip. The girl’s claws scrabbled furiously against the ice, gaining purchase inch by inch. With her rescuer’s sturdy hold on her ruff, Sakari was able to claw her way onto the unbroken ice.  The moment all four paws were on the frozen surface, the ice beneath the two wolves shuddered ominously. The pair scrambled for the safety of the bank. Sakari was so happy to feel the slushy, solid earth beneath her feet that tears slid down her cheeks from the corners of her eyes. She turned to her rescuer and buried herself in the fur against his chest, shaking uncontrollably. If he attempted to move away she would press closer, eyes glued to the hole in the ice that had nearly claimed her life. 

With a firm grip, little by little she was able to fight against the ice. All he could do was try to keep his feet planted, and his hold tight. A whine tugged from his throat, as she was so close....

Finally! She was no longer a part of the river, but now the ice groaned in protest of this new weight. Together they reached the bank. He let out a yip, his red-tawny tail rapidly wagging. His first real heroic deed! When yellow eyes dropped to the girl, he wasn't sure what he saw there. It didn't look like relief. Was she still afraid? Before he got a word out, she nestled herself against him, shivering. Oh, he'd be cold to if he'd just taken an icy dip. It was rather unexpected, his ears tipped sideways, and then he froze like a statue. "It'll be okay now," he assured her. Though, when the words left him he wasn't sure the assurance they carried was true. Couldn't she get sick? He wished @Treyah was here, maybe she'd have a better idea what to do. Or could get help. Mom, and Dad would have known.

For now, he was all she had. He gingerly took a seat, feeling she would likely follow. It may take awhile for her to get warm, and with nothing better to do he'd sit with her until then. "You traveling with someone?" He wondered, thinking it strange for her to be on her own. If someone was near by they could help. He didn't exactly want an angry parent or sibling questioning him in this position.

A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

The boy’s voice sounded far away to the girl; just soothing sounds that were drowned out by the pounding of her own heart in her ears. Perhaps everything would be okay… for him. She could smell it on him; the boy had a family to return home to, where they would no doubt comfort him after his traumatic experience today and laud him as a hero. Soon he would put the trying events of today out of his mind.
 
Sakari’s only home was the mercurial river itself; the entity filled her belly and gave her life, but also presented a very real danger to the girl every time she approached its shores.  Sliding slowly down that broken piece of ice toward her chilling demise was a brilliant metaphor for the girl's life up to this point, and if she had been coherent enough to understand his attempts at comfort she might have laughed in her rescuer's face.
 
Ever so slowly, the present was coming back into focus. Gradually she was able to form a sentence in reply to the boy’s question, though silence dragged on for many moments before her shaky voice penetrated the frigid air.
 
“No.” Her brain was chugging slower than a baby turtle through the mud, and she was unable to produce any lie or explanation or even word beyond the simple utterance. She huddled closer as the boy shifted his position, body quaking violently. 

Fear begin to chip at the young wolf. She did not respond, and he worried she as going to pass out...or worse. Why he thought of howling Swift River was a bit further from the draw; he wondered if he would even be heard.

Finally, she managed a shaky no. There was no sudden relief. Just bewilderment, and sadness. She shouldn't be alone. Left out in the cold. At some pint she must have left her family. Was it intentional or not? They had left the Bend and struggled for a bit, but he had always had someone to lean on. He couldn't fathom making it on his own in such a time.

"I won't leave you," he steadily replied. Confidence slowly coming back to him. He had a new plan. He was going to help get her warm, learn her name, and take her with him. He brushed his nose against the top of her head. "When we get ya warm you can come with me." He paused for a moment to see if she would disagree. He felt, she was likely too frozen to offer much. He began speaking to fill the quiet.

"I moved here not long ago with my parents, sister, and a friend. We found two other wolves Kerb, and Maera who are great. Together we're gonna form a new pack. My dad use to live here, and he wanted us to see it. It's different, but I get to do a lot more." He had to do a lot more, but didn't mind it so much. He was never really bored. "Sometimes I miss the woods were I was born." He missed the others too, but didn't say that.

" Our old pack wasn't bad. It's just....my other sister took leadership and my mom worried she would treat us poorly. Specially if she had her own kids. So they decided it was better to leave, and stay out here. I think you'll like them. They won't care if you stay." He smiled despite doubting she could see it. "Oh...my name's Reiko. What yours?"

(This post was last modified: Feb 16, 2017, 03:57 PM by Reiko.)