Willow Ridge these walls are crumbling

For @Hagar please!
RE you discover some other creature's kill cached away, frozen solid but otherwise perfectly edible.

shadow reveals what daylight obscures

A sky of cold stars winked above the forest. The dark-furred Archer lad held his tail aloft as he made his way home below, blurring between shadow each tree's shadow. Things had  been... strange lately, but he had taken it upon himself to bring back home a gift for Hagar.

 It had been some time since he'd found the frozen stag in the forest, and not the easiest thing to find his way back in all the deep snow. Then it had been a matter of to removing the best part of the hind leg so that it was manageable to carry back home.

If the gift brought a smile to their da, then the effort would be well worth it. Everyone had been feeling some strain recently, and Izzy looked to the quiet man as a source of stability. Hagar deserved a token of thanks and recognition!

The fact that he hadn't hunted the trophy himself was a slight disappointment to the youth, but it was still quite a good find. Perhaps they could go on a hunt together soon and bring something to the family. Iseldir had been picking up on and feeling the strain lately too, and was seeking a way of helping and reaching out.

Reaching the familiar place beneath the swaying boughs of the willows, he dropped his prize and let out a soft bark, his breath fogging in the air.

Iseldir Archer

(This post was last modified: Dec 15, 2022, 04:47 AM by Iseldir.)

As was life, there were ups and downs. Avella's brother had vanished and Lantana had moved on, but at least Camden and Ra were still with them. It was difficult for him to walk still, but at least the burning was finally starting to ebb and he no longer woke with fever. The children remained healthy and growing, yet he couldn't help but wonder how soon it would be that he'd be replaced as a prominent figure in their lives.

He rested in the shadows, slumbering shallowly. The young boy's bark roused him, and he blinked his mossy eyes open blearily before lifting his head and giving out a yawn.

"What is it, Iseldir?" he asked with a smile, tail thumping the ground amiably. At least there was still now.

(This post was last modified: Dec 16, 2022, 04:14 AM by Hagar.)

shadow reveals what daylight obscures

Hagar's voice greeted him from the darkness. Iseldir tipped his ears to catch the words, pawing gingerly at the deer leg and then trotting closer in response. He approached the man where he reclined and sniffed at his fur for a moment, bopping his forehead against the solid shoulder.

It had become the boy's habit, especially around his family, to let his actions speak for him rather than words. Though he listened very closely to the others and was picking up many new phrases, he used other forms of communication far more.

So when Hagar asked a question of him, he concentrated for a long moment on all the things weighing on his mind, few of which he understood at all. The dark-furred Archer lad settled in next to his father before giving a response that was very short in comparison to his time spent chewing on it.

"y'okay?"

Iseldir Archer

When Iseldir gave his silent greeting, Hagar nibbled at the fur atop his crown to say hello back. Patiently, he waited for the answer. Of all the things that the boy could have come to him with, the father thought his first choice to be rather kind. He smiled down at the child and nodded.

"I am," he spoke as well to emphasize the veracity of the point. Before he hadn't been able to be so sure, though he'd done his best not to infect the children with worry. Now, he felt confident that he would not meet an unfortunate end so soon. Hopefully, he would even escape the ordeal without a permanent limp.

"How are you?"

shadow reveals what daylight obscures

The boy let out a slow breath. "Okay," it was an affirmation of Hagar's answer and a response as well. He was glad to see Hagar feeling better. Izzy was relieved to hear the surety in his father's voice, though he himself was still doing his best to understand everything. But, he did feel that they would all be okay. After all, they had each other.

He raised a paw to smooth the fur at the top of his head again, looking up to Hagar's gaze. While his brother Daegal looked far more like their mother, Izzy would be proud if he grew up to be like the bear-like man. He hoped Hagar would be there to see it one day. Until then, Izzy had a lot of growing and learning to do, but he was working to become stronger and more clever every day.

Recalling his prize, Izzy gave a quick grin. "Hungry?" He inquired.

Iseldir Archer

Hagar would, of course, have to take the boy's word as truth. His dark tail gave a few pleased thumps against the ground, showing that the older wolf was happy to hear it. As much as he might want to shield the children from the more unpleasant aspects of nature, it would be a disservice to do so. They would grow and need to face them sooner or later, no matter his wishes.

The question prompted him to look at the slab of meat that Iseldir had brought with him, and he nodded his head 'yes' while smiling.

"How'd you get this?" he asked, motioning to it without grabbing for it. That was Izzy's food! His son deserved the first bite.

(This post was last modified: Mar 13, 2023, 12:11 AM by Hagar.)

shadow reveals what daylight obscures

At Hagar's nod, his son beamed internally, the pride shining through to his eyes. He knew Hagar had not been able to hunt like usual, and the whole group had dwindled, meaning this rich deer meat was a rare boon. Iseldir was pleased to have found it and hoped it would make help make Hagar strong.

Only at the bear-like man's insistence would the boy take a bite, so that his da might be encouraged to start eating as well. But he couldn't help from wagging his tail with pride, and nodded back over his shoulder with an exaggerated gesture to indicate the relative distance and direction of the stag carcass he'd discovered. "Found it, just lucky," he answered with a smile.

It was too far for him to bring back by himself, but buried in the deep snow as it was, there was a possibility they could return to it and keep feeding for some time as long as it was not discovered by others. For now, it was a gift from the Lore ripe for the taking by the wolves of the Ridge and the young Archer was glad to have happened upon it first.

Iseldir Archer

After Iseldir began to eat, Hagar pulled a thick strip of flesh from the proffered whole and happily munched upon it. Venison was his favorite meat by far, and winter had not yet stolen this carcass' flavor. His ears lifted at his son's answer, hoping it meant what he thought it did.

"Was there more?"

With help from the other remaining adults, they could bring it to the den site to ensure that the pack got as much of the sustenance the carrion could provide rather than leaving it for other hungry animals to pick from or even completely whisk away.

"Scavenging does take luck, but there's skill to it too."

Perhaps Izzy would have a talent for tracking as his father did. The thought made Hagar's tail wag with a little more zeal.