Red Fern Forest movin' on is the hardest part

RE: A double rainbow stretches through the sky.

March 2nd; Late afternoon; Cloudy, slightest of drizzles; 52 ° F, 11° C

Being "home" for even the briefest of moments was always nice. For the past few weeks, Sawyer had been relishing the meet-up between him, Sharlee, and Oleander. A reminder that he had a safe place to return to when he needed it. Between the nice spring weather and watching the rolling clouds, the rogue was having a hell of a time. Sawyer had had enough. It was either now or never when it came to figuring out when was a safe time to head north.

Beneath a double rainbow-streaked sky, the Archer ventured into the Vale of Secrets. Getting this far had been tough. He had traversed this path twice now, carrying in his jaw the last of his loot for the wolves of Fools Gold Chasm. Chest heaving and saliva dribbling down the right side of his face, he rejoined the rest of his offerings. The half-dug cache had proven to be enough; he had only been gone for a day at most while he made a second trip.

Half-lidded eyes counted the objects with care, hoping it would suffice. If grace was on his side, maybe his absence and delay would even be excused or dismissed. He would have to see.

At only a few wolf-lengths away from the place where Adelard had marked, Sawyer was already in a good place. A few summoning barks were offered, special delivery...

Sawyer waited for some time. Every time the trees creaked or ferns rustled, his head turned. No dice... yet... He heaved a heavy sigh. When he took a seat, he flattened a nearby fern.

Seconds became minutes. Minutes became an hour. Before the wanderer knew it, he had taken an unexpected nap beneath the two-rainbow sky. He awoke with a start, relieved to realize that evening had not yet fallen. Phew.

He pushed himself up onto all fours, bones feeling like old tree trunks. His eyes fell upon the pile of untouched gifts and, without warning, he thought back to @Sharlee. Hm. A devious smirk settled on his handsome features and he gawked at the 3-point antler. His eyes raked over the other gifts - a thick animal bone, a turtle shell, and a large goat pelt scrap - but, he immediately came back to it.

A glance to the right. A glance to the left. Ears up. Ears to the right. Ears to the left... A thief's unmistakable simper. In one swift movement, he ducked his head and snatched the antler in his teeth, and ran for it. He would be back but, whether he replaced the antler or not would remain to be seen when he came back to the east. The Fools Gold Chasm wolves wouldn't miss it, he was sure, and if they realized what he had done... They'd have to catch him first.

{Exit.}

(This post was last modified: Mar 16, 2022, 03:49 AM by Sawyer.)

you musn't be afraid
to dream a little bigger, darling
⟡ ⟡ ⟡

Woya happened upon the objects by accident, but Sawyer's scent still lingered and it was easy to recognize that this was a drop of the items once promised by the vulpine young man. She smiled, the shell the first to catch her eye. There were two uses for those that she knew of, and the many scratches of puppy teeth and claws upon the carapace made clear to her that of them it must be a plaything. The little shit actually came through.

She nudged the trio together in a way that would allow her to carry shell and bone within the fur, likely to drop either here or there but better than making three separate trips given her relatively small jaws. Woya would take them to Adelard before giving the children their toys.

Levi was searching for useful flora amongst the new growth beginning to push past the wet, retreating snows. The more warmth returned to the land, the more robust his stores became. He'd managed to find some hellebore and was returning for more when something different tickled at his nose. Curious, he followed it, and realized too late he'd come upon Woya.

As scared as he was of her ire, he couldn't help but linger. That smell...

She was carrying something, it looked like a dead animal.

"Who was that?" he asked her at a distance, tawny ears raised to catch the answer.

Woya's nose twitched when it inhaled Levi's stench. Her amber eyes rolled and irritation began to squirm beneath her skin. This time, given her jaws were full and she'd otherwise been in a rather good mood, she aimed to simply pass him by with nothing more than a cold shoulder. The idiot tried to talk to her, though.

Who was that?

She scoffed around the fur and answered him curtly, and without stopping her stride.

"Nun'ya business."

/ Woya's exit

Leviticus frowned and pouted like a child denied. Would it have killed her to just say a name? He looked to where she'd been, and snuck forward, investigating. The earth had been manipulated, and he lowered his dark nose to sniff for clues. The other's scent was strong enough here for him to finally recognize it in full, his heart stuttering to a stop in his chest.

Sawyer.

He blinked at the dark earth, then looked out, into the fern-choked forest where he must have gone. He wanted to run after the trail, but the thought alone caused his lungs to seize and his head to swim. His legs shook, and he felt the need to vomit.

He physically couldn't.

(This post was last modified: Mar 16, 2022, 06:02 AM by Eros.)