Cedarwood Forest drip drop

<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>(This is outside of the GH border, btw)</span>

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j347/holdbacktherain/tables/sibyltab.png) bottom center no-repeat; background-color: #33353b;"> Drip. Sibyl flinched when the fat droplet of water landed right between her golden brown eyes. Wincing, she rubbed the side of her paw clumsily over the spot, wiping away the cool feeling of the rouge drop. Tilting her head back, she glared past the needley branches overhead, up at the grey undulating sheet of the sky. She was supposed to go hunting today. She wanted to catch a couple of hares to fill the pack's caches, and thought that maybe the pups would enjoy a fresh treat. It would be no good if it started raining, but she hoped that the rain might wait for her to at least catch something first. With hurried steps, she continued on towards her favorite hunting spot. Thipp. She was nearly there when she felt the second drop land squarely between her shoulders. She could always turn back, but maybe the rain would hold off for just a little bit longer... Drip. Plip. Drop. Flit. Apparently not. She had turned around, but the handful of drops were quickly followed by a loud accompaniment of drumming rain. The wide spaced cedars afforded her no protection from the downpour, the slick water covering her coarse pelt. She had only made it a few hurried bounds before she caught sight of something that looked much more promising than running through the rain. It was a huge, old, fallen tree, covered in green mosses and greyed with age. At any other time it would be inconspicuous at the least, or boring at best. It blended in with the countless other woody flotsam of the forest. At the moment, though, with the rain pouring down over her head, it looked as good as paradise. The log was slightly propped up at one end from the help of the hill it had fallen onto ages ago. Shifting her scurrying paws in the direction of her new destination, the russet female sprinted towards the log, diving the last few feet and shimmying her lithe body beneath. She huddled up into the mostly dry spot that the cover of the log afforded. So much for hunting today, she thought.

table by bryony

The day had started well, with a few clouds gathering in the distance, but it had been a comfortable temperature and there was plenty of light, so Cessair had deemed it a day to travel. To her, moving about in some way or another made it easiest to think about some things, and forget about others. It was just too bad that the little wolf had no idea which of those functions she wanted to carry out. The result was a confused mess of too much information being processed at the same time that left her tired mind spinning. When the tangled scenery of the Thicket of Secrets thinned out into an open cedar forest, Cessair grew relieved somehow, as though the un-crowding of the vegetation facilitated the un-crowding of her own mind.

As Cessair advanced deeper into her new surroundings, however, she began to grow worried. This was unexplored territory, and anything could be just a few pawsteps away, especially since the overload of unfamiliar scents made it difficult to pick out what was what. Then the rain decided to wreak some havoc of its own. The first drop landed ahead and to the left of the small brown form, but it surprised her enough that it might as well have been the nightmarish rogue wolf from her visions suddenly jumping out in front of her with his teeth bared. Cessair stopped dead in her tracks as the miserable drops began showering her in earnest. A worry lingered in the back of her mind as she began to frantically search for shelter that she might stumble on an unfriendly stranger, but the only thing that was clear in her mind at the moment was that she didn't want to be caught in an unknown area completely drenched, so she continued her search.

Cessair was so relieved when she saw the old tree lying on the hill -- not the most comfortable lean-to, but it would be enough -- that she almost forgot about the rain and everything else as she approached it. Expecting to find peace at last harbored under the log's weathered branches, she hurled herself inside. Horror instead greeted her. Something stopped her dive abruptly, and it wasn't chilly and damp wood like she was anticipating. She looked up sheepishly at the company into whom she had just launched herself. There was nothing but a dim outline of fur and glowing bronze eyes. Cessair flung herself backwards almost as violently as she had thrown herself in and immediately set about apologizing. <b>"Oh my goodness -- I'm sooo sorry! I didn't realize there was anyone else here! What a klutz I am!"</b> Although her tail was glued between her legs and she tried to show every sign of submission she could, Cessair remained under the tree in the desperate hope that the stranger would be kind enough to let her stay.

The damp odor of cedar and rain made the strange man feel slightly comfortable. He padded along at a leisurely pace, pads pressing upon the needled floor as he went along. The rain was light, breaking through the canopy here and there. Pelt remained a bit wet, but far from being drenched. He traveled with a stoic look, his cold brown eyes set dead ahead on nothing. It was a peaceful day, hopefully not to be ruined by some aggravating wolf.

He breathed in a large quantity of the moist air, allowing it to saturate within his lungs before he expelled it. He did so through his mouth, permitting his tongue to loll from his jaws afterward. Boredom now seemed to lace his thoughts; there was nothing to do. Nothing at all. Perhaps a hunt was in order? No, he wasn't all that hungry. Maybe honing of his skills? Walking was nice right now. Why was he being so damn picky?

The wolf stopped dead in his tracks. His claws pressed into the earth as he teetered forth, front limb muscles bulging before he settled his weight evenly back through his lower half. An apology broke through the air, one that seemed feminine. Squinting almost half-annoyed, Vium ran his pink tongue over his ivory fangs before he began to slink forward. Within minutes, he had spotted a wolf- one of lighter hues, while the other was more mottled. Curious. He watched to see the other's reaction, not caring whether or not he was to be spotted.

<center></center>

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j347/holdbacktherain/tables/sibyltab.png) bottom center no-repeat; background-color: #33353b;"> Even though it wasn't comfortable beneath the log, a little cold and a little wet, the steady thrum of the rain against the wood and the soil lulled Sibyl into a state of relaxation. She let her mind wander, while her lids grew heavy with drowsiness. She was just about to fall asleep when something shoved into her side. Before her mind could catch up with what had happened she yelped shrilly, a scream much louder than would be expected to come from her small form. She was already up on her feet, staring wide eyed at whatever it was that had invaded her shelter. Sibyl didn't know what she had expected it to be, perhaps a cougar or an enraged wolverine. Her brows knit in confusion when she saw it was only a young female, no bigger than herself and her fair fur drenched by the rain. Before Sibyl could say a word the girl was already apologizing, meekly positioned. She was obviously no monster and so Sibyl relaxed. Sympathetic, her red ears folded back and she let her wiry tail sway in a friendly fashion. <b style="color:#8a90a1">"It's okay, miss. You don't need to apologize. The weather got so bad all of a sudden, there's no need for you to be out there too catching cold. I can share." In her panic she had evacuated the cover, but now that she saw it was safe she stepped back underneath. She sat next to the female, though was careful not to touch her. <b style="color:#8a90a1">"Good thing there's enough room for us both," she commented, offering a small smile. Even though it was a large timber, Sibyl thought it lucky that they were both small enough to fit comfortably. A bigger wolf might find themselves with a wet tail. She directed her gaze to the watery world outside, just to check on the progress of the storm. It was still pouring, the rain slanted slightly by a wind that had picked up. Squinting, then blinking just to make sure her eyes hadn't deceived her, she noticed a figure standing silent in the downpour. She sniffed at the air, attempting to catch his scent, but the rain had cleansed away all evidence. There was no telling how long he had been there without her notice, and that bothered her. Was it just another friend? Or... A small whine squeaked unconsciously in her throat. <b style="color:#8a90a1">"If he's looking for some place to stay, I don't know if we have enough room for him..."

table by bryony

Now safely settled under the log with her newest chance acquaintance, Cessair thought she might as well introduce herself. Even though the other female easily forgave her hastiness, she still felt like she needed to at least make a better second impression. Anyway, she felt it would be good to inform this other wolf that she was only a wandering loner, since the rain rendered what would otherwise be telling scents useless. <b>"My name's Cessair. I've been wandering around on my own for a while trying to decide what to do with myself. I don't mean any trouble coming here if this is in your territory."</b>

Cessair considered adding something more when she noticed that the other wolf's senses were trained on something outside their shelter. She ducked her head down to peer under the branches and drew in the air for a scent out of habit. Of course that action gave her nothing but the heavy smell of rain, but at least she could still see the set of four tawny paws. Four <i>big</i> tawny paws. Immediately Cessair's mind flew back to the night that the huge rogue wolf had killed her mother, but she dismissed the thought just as quickly. That wolf was dark grey, not tawny. It was with satisfaction, however, that Cessair realized her flashbacks were becoming less and less of a problem.

Confident that she wasn't the skittish wolf she used to be, Cessair pushed herself through the branches until she was sort of crouching half under the log and half out in the rain. She was already soaking wet and she wasn't going to get any drier under that damp old tree, so Cessair decided to introduce herself to the new stranger. Once she could discern his form through the rain, the little wolf looked him over. He looked healthy, and since she couldn't smell, she figured he must be a pack member. Maybe she did stumble into pack territory, after all. <b>"Hi! I'm Cessair. Are you trying to get out of the rain too?"</b> The other female inside mentioned that he probably wouldn't fit with them under the log, but she still wanted to be kind. She only hoped he didn't mind the rain, though.

The rains were picking up; heavy droplets began to slam through the cedars. He passed an older tree, its low hanging branches sweeping at his right flank as he did so. The voice of a wolf entered his ears as he came forward. With a curious cock of his head, the dark man blinked his pale browned eyes before speaking to the lighter colored female. She had called from beneath a fallen tree; a shelter from the rain. He did not need such.

"...Vium..." The strange wolf introduced himself, voice deep and rumbling. He took another step forward, in an unafraid manner. It seemed these two wolves meant no harm. "I am fine.... out here..." His sentence trailed off, and he gave a look around the soaking forest before speaking again "I wouldn't want..." With a sniff of the damp air, he figured both wolves were female "...you ladies getting your pelts soaked..." He offered a polite grin, but rather than a dashing one, his lips twitched. Looking at his paws, Vium shook out his pelt before swiftly moving to the right.

He seated himself beside a cedar, hugging the base where the water was least likely to cling to his fur. With a dreary sigh, he closed his eyes, ears perked and listening for the voices of the women.

(This post was last modified: Sep 13, 2012, 11:28 PM by Vium.)

<center></center>

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j347/holdbacktherain/tables/sibyltab.png) bottom center no-repeat; background-color: #33353b;"> While she listened to the creamy female introduce herself, Sibyl had kept her eyes trained on the wolf beyond. She was surprised at Cessair's boldness in greeting the man. Where Sibyl had withdrawn herself deeper beneath the log, the younger girl had leaned out, calling out to the stranger. Motivated by her new companion's bravery, Sibyl popped her head out from beneath the branches as well, her wide eyes peering with owlish curiousity at the male. The male had said something, a single word, and it took her a moment to realize that it was his name that was spoken. Despite the torrent, he had chosen to remain out in the rain, yet stayed close by. She eyed him suspiciously as he moved to sit beside a nearby tree, though she knew there was no need for her caution. She was afraid that he might have wanted to steal their cover, but he had shown himself to be disinterested in such a thing. Sibyl had to reassure herself that it was fine, it was safe, and she wasn't even far from home. How many times had she been afraid of someone, only to soon be shown that there had been nothing to worry about? Letting a deep breath of the cool, humid air flood her lungs, she steadied herself. The two others had already introduced themselves, and not one to forgo manners, it would only be polite for her to give her own name. <b style="color:#8a90a1">"Well, it's nice to meet you folks. Some company in a storm is always nice." The russet wolf's voice was small, nearly swallowed up by the tattoo of the rain. Her head dipped politely to them both. She directed a small smile to Cessair at her side, though when she looked back out to give the same to Vium, his eyes were closed. She didn't think anyone could fall asleep so quickly in such uncomfortable conditions, but she wasn't sure. Her brows raised in bemusement, though she continued, <b style="color:#8a90a1">"I'm Sibyl Balik, from Grizzly Hollow."

table by bryony

Out of the rain and contentedly conversing with her two new acquaintances, Cessair wanted to feel calm and peaceful. There was something amiss, but the little wolf quickly deduced that the problem was her hogging of the shelter while another wolf was getting drenched. Still, Vium had rejected her offer to share (even though it was probably because he saw there really wasn't room for him) and had chosen his spot in the rain, so Cessair dismissed the feeling and tried to think of other ways to be friendly.

It did please the lost little wolf to hear that Sibyl was from a pack, and one she hadn't learned of yet at that. The male couldn't have also been from this pack, though, or else the russet female wouldn't have needed to introduce herself to him as she did. Gazing curiously at the black and tawny male through the rain, she saw that he had closed his eyes, but surely his ears were still functional. If it was Cessair sitting out in the punishing rain, she'd probably close her eyes too, in order to protect them from the streaming water. Unwilling to let the thought of Vium's lack of shelter plague her, Cessair turned her attention back to Sibyl. <b>"I don't have a pack, but I've been looking for one. I haven't learned of Grizzly Hollow yet -- would you mind telling me a little about it?"</b>

Cessair kept her ears trained to hear the sound of the russet wolf's voice when she made a reply, but she was constantly aware of and enjoying the lovely <span class='word'>diapason</span> of the rain drumming on her shanty but welcome shelter. Her eyes insisted upon occupying themselves as well, so she trained them on the mysterious male out in the rain while she listened. For his sake, she hoped the rain would at least lighten up soon. Unless, of course, he liked this rain. Every wolf may be different, but Cessair had a hard time believing anyone could be comfortable out in that downpour.