Red Fern Forest roll the bones

July 21st; Afternoon; Few Clouds; 73 ° F, 22.8 ° C

Out beyond the borders of Fools' Gold Chasm, Adelard Gerau was on a mission. Summer was in full swing and the pups were growing fast. By the time the first autumn leaf fell, he knew Saga and Rhaegara's broods would be eager to fit in with the adults.

He picked his way through the tall, leafy ferns. He sampled the roots and kicked up dirt every so often, but Hudson had yet to return. There were no traces on the ground, no whispers on the breeze. A part of him secretly mourned. The pups had been fine without the Chasm's original Leader, but he worried about the females in his charge. Truth be told, they were all fine examples of headstrong, independent women, but it was in his nature to dote upon them. So, today, he figured he would scavenge about for a couple of gifts.

In the summer warmth, his footsteps slowed and his nose picked up the slack. He had stumbled upon a stray, sun-bleached hoof just moments ago. Surely the whole deer skeleton had to be somewhere close by...

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

He’d lost Isomne’s trail, which was not good. Heading back to the last place he’d seen his traveling companion had brought only the faintest of paths to follow, though, leaving Alarick to proceed northward based solely on the plans they’d discussed before. He was hopeful that he might find her, though, with each passing day and no sign of anything, the feeling diminished.

A twinge of guilt passed through him at the thought, and it was that feeling which drove the hunter forth. Throughout his exploration and attentive searching for his former companion, Alarick had found this particular region held a fair number of trails and scents of his kind - more than he’d come across for a while. The further he went, the more the signs seemed to point to the existence of a pack somewhere within this forest, the ferns, and plethora of wildlife. Curiosity getting the better of him, the former hunter decided to attempt to find them. There were risks inherent in doing so, of course, but also potential gains.

He continued forth, slipping through the forest quietly, taking care to disturb as little of his surroundings as possible. Alarick liked how well the present terrain seemed to camouflage him so well, at least visually. He would pause on occasion, to take stock of his surroundings, and check for scents or markers, to make sure he didn’t accidentally cross any.

A gentle rustling of the forest foliage not too far of prompted one such pause, though what little breeze there was did the hunter no favors. He could not quite tell if the creature was friend, foe, or prey. As such, Alarick remained motionless, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever was out there before deciding on a course of action.



--Hi! Hopefully you don't mind if I take this

Don't mind at all! Glad to write with ya!

His gaze jumped from fern leaf to forest floor, to the tree trunks near and far and back. A scowl threatened to wrinkle his masked face. The deer carcass had to be here somewhere. Just one piece of it would suffice as long as it was in better condition than the hoof he had kicked aside.

Adelard had been snuffling about in a pile of shredded bark when he heard the ferns shiver and shake to his right. His tail came up and his head whipped about. He reoriented himself then, he too, stood stock-still. A blink of his golden eyes did nothing to refresh his stare. There was nothing out there that he could immediately see.

His tail came up, wary and bristled like an angered porcupine. When he called out, it was cautious on the side of geniality, "Hello?"

(This post was last modified: Aug 04, 2021, 06:43 PM by Adelard.)

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

For a short while, there was nothing except relative silence. The stillness of the forest prompted the hunter to suspend even his breath for a short time as he surveyed the area, though it did not take long until someone spoke up. Another wolf, carrying a deeper, masculine tone, which sounded welcoming enough.

”Hello,” Alarick called back, promptly turning in that direction, although the forest foliage did not permit visual contact just yet. Starting forth again, Alarick began to nose his way through the ferns and leaves separating him from whoever else was out there. This revealed a darker figure amidst the forest, sporting a larger build. Bright golden eyes were in direct contrast with the dark mask that made up the man’s face, and his posturing appeared to suggest wariness.

”I apologize if I startled you,” the former hunter added, pausing once he’d stepped around a tree and found himself in clear view of the other. He wasn’t sure if the other had been the cause of the noise he’d heard, or if it’d been some other, unseen prey animal caught between them perhaps - but another wolf was what he’d wanted. Hopefully, he hadn’t unwittingly interrupted someone’s hunt, though.


--thank you, same!

"Hello," the voice echoed in return.

Adelard readjusted his stance, turning now to look straight to where the call had come from. Eventually, the ferns parted and the forest produced a brute touched with rust and shadow.

"I apologize if I startled you,” the rogue offered as he came into full view.

The Leader didn't flinch or even bat an eye. He was not close enough to his pack lands to be defensive, and he was confident enough to stand his ground. For the other man to have the sense to apologize, though, was affable enough for Adelard. He offered a sweeping wag of his tail, "No harm done."

There was a twitch of his nose and the subtle easing of his neck and shoulders. The man was not familiar or recognizable. They were but two gentlemen away from home. "Just passing through or live close by?"

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

One, good look at this fellow led Alarick to believe that he was not the sort to be easily startled, anyway. He just stood there, seeming otherwise indifferent. Not hostile, or irritated, thankfully. There was a swish of his tail, followed by a quick dismissal of the apology - no harm done. The former hunter offered a nod to the other. ”Glad to hear it.”

Notably, the stranger did seem to carry the scents of others. Was he, possibly, a representative from the group Alarick was fairly sure had to be somewhere nearby? He did not state as much, and it was impossible to tell if the pithy question was meant to discern Alarick’s intentions, or made simply out of courtesy. Either way, it didn’t matter.

”Alarick. And just passing through.” For the sake of courtesy, it seemed best to offer an introduction at the forefront, but he did not waste time continuing. ”However, I lost the trail of my friend, Isomne. I was checking to see if she had been this way.” This guy seemed like the sort that would appreciate forthright responses - which the hunter had no issue giving. All of the pertinent details were out in the open, minus his curiosity about the pack - which Alarick wasn’t sure he wanted to bring up, just now.

Sorry for the delay...

"Glad to hear it," the other offered, seemingly appreciative of the not-so-hostile acknowledgment. "Alarick. And just passing through."

Adelard smiled, even as the other mentioned the disappearance of his companion. Isomne. It was a shame the Leader of the Chasm didn't have enough time or thought to even socialize much anymore. If Alarick and Isomne had come this way, he might have seen them sooner or even caught wind of the missing rogue.

He shifted his weight from one side to the other, "Wish I could say the name was familiar." A shake of his head and a sniff. "Haven't seen her." Then, a bit of altruism, as his father would have expected of him. "The mountain range keeps almost everything contained in the east. She shouldn't have gone too far, but if we catch wind of her, I could send a scout to let you know."

Another kindly smile and a small musing of how Huddy would have handled this encounter. Adelard fancied himself a diplomat and considerate colleague. "Say," he had one other question he had to ask. "You haven't seen the leftovers of a deer around here, have you?" He casually swiped his paw across the forest floor, "I saw one hoof on the way here. But, I was hoping to find an antler or a couple of ribs for the cubs I have at home."

(This post was last modified: Aug 26, 2021, 06:58 PM by Adelard.)

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

The other offered an affable grin as his introduction was made, though the expression shifted as the topic of his missing friend came up. Alarick didn’t flinch as the other stated that he hadn’t seen Isomne, offering only the tiniest of nods. Such a viewpoint was unusually pessimistic for him, but he hadn’t expected the other to have met his friend, but it did at least seem to confirm she hadn’t been this way.

However, the other believed she wouldn’t have gone too far, unless she’d wanted to risk crossing the mountains. Which.. the former hunter very much doubted she would attempt. The bit that came after though, was surprising. Alarick’s eyes widened in shock, the offer to send a scout wholly unexpected and exceedingly generous.

”I.. thank you. If that does happen, I would really appreciate it.” The offer felt almost too courteous. Al did not want to dare risk refusing outright and coming across as impolite, or ungrateful. So hopefully, settling somewhere in the middle would be a suitable arrangement for both of them. ”If you cannot spare someone though, tell her.. I’ll be sticking to our plan. She should know where to go.”

The other guy was smiling again, though, as he then posed another question. He’d been searching for the remains of a deer, with hopes of bringing it back for pups at his home. Such a declaration, along with the offer earlier, seemed to confirm this guy was part of a group - potentially even a high-ranking member of it if he had pups. This time, though, Alarick had the displeasure of shaking his head.

”Regrettably, I have not - but I would be happy to help you look for it,” the hunter offered, supposing such a task would be easier with two of them looking. It seemed only appropriate to offer too, in the face of the kindness he’d received earlier.