Log-fall Foss the other side

@Caelean I got carried away, whoops. Pip had a lot to 'say'.

The little mute was in high spirits. Even spending time peripherally around the nearby pack had been good for her health. Fishing for them to repay their kindness brought her a sense of peace she hadn't felt since the last time she was with her family. She thought of each of them daily. Not just Aegir, Kyrios, and Kjell, but of Veho and Oula, Lily and the pups. While Pip mourned her time away from Grizzly Hollow, it wasn't an unmanageable feeling that kept her from enjoying the things around her now.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder... Had she not followed Kjell back then, would the pack have disbanded? Had it only been Ophelia's death that led to the fracture or did she also have an integral part of its demise? Regardless, she wished them all well in whatever their current endeavors were. She longed to find Veho most of all. Her former Alpha had been through so much - too much - and she wished to bring him some sort of solace for all that he had lost.

Shaking her head, Pip reminded herself there was no point in speculating. Despite the disgustingly freezing temperatures, she closed her eyes to smile skyward at the sun dappling through the trees. It was time to enjoy the things she did still have. With the help of Lachesis and his pack, that now included her health. She wasn't back to normal by any means; her ribs still showed and her coat wasn't as thick as it should be against the winter cold. But the little mute was brighter and far more capable than before meeting them.

As she walked on, Pip realized something about these woods was achingly familiar. By the time she reached the creek, she realized she knew exactly where she was. This place had been the beginning of her downfall into the lowest point in her life. The flash flood that had wrecked such havoc upon her left few signs now upon the bank. While the log that once stretched across the water had been washed down with her, several more had piled up in its place. A beaver's den? She wrinkled her nose at their scent. Yes, it certainly was a beaver's den! She had little love for the vermin, but something good had come from running into one. It was in fighting with a beaver that the little mute had met her mate. A silly, naive part of her felt the rise of hope in her chest. Was Kjell nearby? Was he waiting for her here on the chance that she would find her way back?

But there would be no such reunion, she realized. No one would be here to run to her defense if she chose to tangle with the vermin this time. The sad reminders everywhere of all she no longer had were really putting a damper on her previously decent mood!

(This post was last modified: Feb 04, 2018, 02:55 AM by Pip.)

Caelean kept wandering. It seemed his desire to find a pack had withered away some. Which was considerably funny to the young boy since the weather seemed to be getting worse, not better. He did his best, though. Caelean avoided trouble and used only as much energy as he could afford to give. The nights were freezing and the days he did his best to stay active and produce warmth along with soak up any heat from the peeking sun.

Today he ventured somewhere brand north. His short form had winded up north of the Springs. The place was a hodgepodge of trees. The snow seemed unable to lay even here and thus he was given a show of the deep browns of the barks. It was lovely really. Caelean was positive his mother would have loved this place. There was plenty to climb over and explore. Sadly there seemed to be no scents of a back here.

But oh. There was something familiar. Something smelled familiar enough to tickle his memory. The thought was still fresh enough in the Balik's mind. His tail whipped behind him as he called out. "Hello? Hello!" If he remembered correctly the kind female hadn't said anything their last meeting but perhaps this time she might be willing to speak. He had proved himself friendly after all!

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

@Caelean

Upon hearing the call, Pip looked back over her shoulder, russet ears perked high with interest. She recognized that voice... Expecting it to be one of the nearby pack's wolves, the agouti female was even more surprised to realize it was the young boy who had helped her farther south with catching rabbits! Immediately, her tail wagged quickly, bum wiggling in happy greeting as her ears fell back and she smiled widely. What was he doing this far north? Surely it was far from home? Or was he like her and prone to wandering instead?

Whatever the story, it was nice to see a friendly and familiar face. Maybe this time, she'd actually learn his name! She wondered if he was waiting for her to introduce herself first and found herself amused by the very idea. He'd be waiting an awful long time. Forever, in fact.

Despite the pair only knowing each other from a shared hunting trip, Pip had to fight the urge to race up to him and bury her nose in his pelt as she would with Aegir. While the little mute imagined he might not mind - maybe he needed some mothering - she felt it was probably too soon to really know how comfortable he would be about that.

He noted how she still didn't seem to say much and he didn't exactly understand why. Regardless he was grateful that her body posture seemed to take on a friendly stance. He kept moving to close the distance between them, being rather careful of where he placed his dainty paws. "I-I didn't expect to see you again." He admitted with a sheepish grin on his dull colored face. It wasn't said with bitterness, though. He was pleased to have seen the small female again. Any familiar face was a good face. Right?

"What are you doing here?" The Ballik boy asked with his usual soft tones. Maybe then she might say something to him. Not that he was fully holding his breath for it.

Pip fondly looked on at the boy. His sheepish little smile was too cute for words. Handily enough, she had none anyway. As he moved closer with aching slowness, the little mute closed the distance with a playful boop to his nose with a raised, outstretched paw. His question was only met with a smile. He was slower than most, it seemed. Others had figured out she couldn't speak by now. In the effort of giving him a hint, Pip opened her mouth to let out a soft chirp, tail wagging wildly. Surely that would be clue enough he'd get no real answers from her?

But what Pip wanted to know was the same! What was he doing out this way? Didn't he have a home? A family to go to? Or was he like her and had deigned to simply travel around instead of rooting himself to one place? Wasn't he too young for that? Wasn't his mother worried? Did he have a mother?

Pip could play that part if he needed a temporary one... She could help take care of him, feed him! She wasn't nearly as thin as she was when they first met. While the mute had always been small, her ribs had never shown quite that fiercely as when he came across her. No longer a skeleton, her ribs were more readily hidden under her thickened coat and a thin layer of muscle and fat stores.