Blackberry Fields me and god, we don't get along

@Hrun -- I'm leaving this timeline a lil' vague until I know for sure what's going on with the group hunt

And there's an old man sitting on the throne

Travelling with an escort, a friend was so much better than travelling alone in her humble opinion. The days just seemed more bearable, especially in the winter months where the air around her was cold enough to snap at her paws and through her fur and the prey was scarce and scrawny. They had been trailing the edge of the fields for some time now, and she was eager for their next adventures. She was thinking to continue their ventures east, then perhaps north or south once they hit an obstacle they could not cross, but she would have to consult with Adelard before a decision was reached.

For now, however, the snow crunched lightly under her paws as she stepped carefully, humming softly to herself as she tracked tracks left by either a deer or an elk towards the northeast. Admittedly, her tracking could use some work; her parents had trained her in basic survival skills, of course, but she had more training in advising and diplomacy because she had found that was where she had excelled. She regretted it now, and she knew she should have trained more in hunting and fighting. Oh well. It was too late to dwell on that now.

All she could really do now was hone the skills she hadn’t put as much effort into and hope she lived long enough to tell the tale. Simple enough, right? She would figure it out, she always did. She glanced upward, catching the sun on the horizon to the west with a glance over her shoulder as she sighed. She should be getting back to Adelard. He wasn’t too far from her and she could reach him before the sun was fully consumed by the earth in the distance.

that's saying that i probably shouldn't be so mean

Hrun woke up that morning restless and irritable. He, not particularly being a wolf to hide his feelings, woke @Maugrim up with a sharp jab in the rib, informed him that he was restless and irritable, and then left without any further explanation. He hadn’t wanted to be alone, per se, but wanted to be away from his twin until he worked out his feelings. Most of his day was spent alone, though, as it had seemed that wolves were few and far in-between.

The dark male had spent most of his day doing a whole lot of nothing. Time passed, as time had a tendency to do so, and Maugrim ended up still as restless and irritable as he’d been that morning. There was so much nothing out there, he sort of felt like he and his brother would have been better waiting until the spring came to start their new beginnings. But, alas, they were here now, far from home. It would be pointless and, worse yet, shameful to return back home.

On his way back to where he’d left Maugrim earlier that day, though, was a wolf. He sniffed, not sure if the girl was that Xulia Valle she had met, or the old woman and her daughter. None of the girl’s smell was familiar, so he could only assume that she was alone. A spark of excitement lit in his heart and he made his way to the woman, “Hello!” he barked out, his tail wagging excitedly behind him. He paused, noticing the tracks that she seemed to follow. His smile faded, his ears pinned, and he spoke more quietly now. “Oh, I apologize. Please forgive me, I had not noticed that you were tracking something...”

And there's an old man sitting on the throne

Rhaegara had been following the scent, though realistically she knew that she lacked the means to hunt it. She was by herself, and even with Adelard bringing down a prey of this side would be difficult… it was, perhaps, best to leave it as it was. Still, she was never quite known for giving up a fight. She hummed softly before hearing a bark, her ears pinning against her head for a moment, relaxing before she turned her head to spot who had interrupted her work. It was a man, no pack smell on him though the scent of another seemed to cling just as she was certain her own travelling companion’s scent clung to her own pelt.

He quickly apologized, seeming to sense that he had interrupted something and she just offered a light shrug. “It’s okay; the prey is far too big for me to take down alone.” She brushed it off as she trotted back, head tilting to the side out of curiosity for just who he was. “All is forgiven.” She clarified a few moments later before coming to a halt a few wolf lengths away from him, looking him up and down for a moment. “My name is Rhaegara.” She offered cordially, always one to stick to the mannerisms and posturing she had been taught unless a situation called for otherwise.

“Are you from the area?” She was always looking to learn the lay of the land and her surroundings, and perhaps he could help with that. She only hoped he could help with that. “I’m afraid these lands have me a bit more turned around than I am willing to admit.” She wasn’t lost, just uncertain of where she wanted to head to next.

that's saying that i probably shouldn't be so mean

Was she… inviting him to hunt with her? She had specifically said it would be too big to take down alone, but hadn’t said anything past that. She forgave him, but Hrun was still struggling and trying to figure out what she wanted of him. He didn’t think he was in the mood to hunt, and as Rhaegara continued, he decided that she didn’t want to hunt. Unless she was about to bring it up. “Uh,” he could only think to say, “I, uh… Hrun Aethelred,” he finally stumbled out. She took the lead of the conversation and managed to pull him out of his confusion. Hrun shook his head, “No, I’m not from here. My brother and I came here from Mosquito Bay, searching for…” he paused, both of the Aethelred siblings had never quite pinpointed what they specifically wanted out of their excursion. “Something,” was all he could manage, offering a bit of a shrug.

“Admittedly, there are much less… inhabitants here than we both had expected. Something may have happened, but I haven’t done enough investigating to figure out what,” that and, if he was being honest, he wasn’t terribly interested. He just wanted to settle and, more importantly, for Spring to come.

“If you are turned around… then why not turn the other way?” he offered, turning around himself to illustrate.

Rhaegara had shrugged off the kill because she had been trailing a herd far too big. It would take multiple wolves to take down, more than just one or two. Hrun. She dipped her head in greeting at the introduction. He seemed disoriented, confused… or maybe that was just who he was. He was travelling with his brother and she hummed, taking note of it. “Anything in particular? I haven’t been in the area long, but perhaps I can help?” She posed with a frown, wondering just what the man and his brother were searching for.

She hummed in agreement. “I was surprised. It’s a little foreboding if you ask me.” She admitted as she glanced around at the otherwise desolate surroundings. “Everyone I’ve encountered is new to the area and hasn’t been able to piece together what happened.” She admitted. He offered advice and she let a smile onto her maw. “I’m travelling with a friend… we agreed on East, so East we go… I just don’t fancy the idea of trailing the mountains in the distance, especially not with winter so firmly gripping the land.” She explained a little more, hoping it made more sense to the man.

(This post was last modified: Mar 10, 2021, 09:32 PM by Rhaegara.)