see you next fall

ooc: for Cori!



Lyr noticed above her the absence of the sound of birds. Most of them had probably fled the cold weather already. Some flitted about now and then, but their beaks were occupied with warm things to stash in their winter nests. Above the canopy the weather was cold and grey and wet, but beneath it there were few raindrops that managed to get to the ground. This resulted in the she wolf being kept fairly dry - as she liked it. However, it wasn't the world above her head she concerned herself with today but the world below. With every step the cool, fine earth squished between her toes to her enormous satisfaction. Dirt smudged her coat and wet leaves left streaks across her body. She smelt of roots and earth worms.

As she travelled through the forest, off into the wilder parts away from the small pathways, Lyr traversed the undergrowth. Her long, thin snout picked up little bits of goodies along the way in the form of scents, small animal caches and more. There's treasure everywhere! she thought happily, but kept quiet. The only sound of that came from her stalking was the sound of the leaves she rustled as she passed by. It was as though there was a whole world under the forest! She came upon a recently fallen bee hive, the bees long gone. Inside was all matter of things enjoying the sweetness inside, and she took a few combs for herself. She let them sit on her tongue, then threw her head back and let the juice slowly pour itself down her throat. Her face was a muddy and wet mess but her eyes were clear and bright. Every now and then her ears swivelled to listen for others but so far she had encountered no trouble.

Back to sniffing the ground, she tried to find the scent trail she'd been following. She dipped her head below and snuffled around before noticing a cluster of small flowers. Rewarded with a cloud of pollen shot straight up her nose, a coughing fit ensued, waking the entire forest.

Gone Tomorrow

"Hmmm...." The leader of Oak Tree Bend mused aloud, elbows deep in mud. It squished between her toes, and her claws were useless in trying to keep her anchored. The rains had been falling steadily for the past few days, soaking the ground until it could hold no more. It had stopped earlier in the day though, and the she-wolf had taken the opportunity to venture out. Serach and Sceral were left behind, happily playing in mud puddles under the watchful eye of their family.

Venturing out beyond her borders was not something Corinna was still overly comfortable with. Before Oak Tree Bend had relocated, back when they were still Swift River, she hadn't left her territory very much for anything. The only times she left was to track down someone who had gone missing; so this shift in nature was still very new to her. But not unenjoyable. The cheerful grin on her mud covered face was enough evidence for that.

Corinna had been investigating the den of a fox, curious as to whether or not its occupants were home. A hole dug under a tree branch, it had caught her attention as she walked through Red Fern Forest; it looked like a miniature version of the den in which she'd given birth to Aiyana, Rissa, and Torrel. But despite having crouched down into the slippery mud surrounding the tree, her search proved worthless. The occupants, if there were any, were not there.

But that didn't mean the mottled gray wolf was alone. A sudden noise startled her, and in her jolt to look up and see what it was, her forelimb slipped. Unable to gain traction in the mud, her front half slid completely down, coating her creme underbelly with filth. Grunting in dissatisfaction, she pushed herself up, doing her best to keep herself upright. The look of disgust on her face was more than enough to show her displeasure, and as she looked around, she sought out the origin of the sound. It had been loud, but she couldn't see anyone through the vegetation. Striding away from the trunk, she called out, "Hey! Who's there?" Defiantly, she waited, a monstrous mud monster waiting to see if any would respond.

The after shock of Lyr's sneeze was echoed in the loud cries of the birds in the forest. Wildlife of all sorts fled from her noise and Lyr almost thought herself alone before hearing someone call out. "Hey! Who's there?"

The wolf was probably wary of its company. This was smart, especially in the places where the foliage was thick. Lyr considered going to meet her, but she also thought of slipping away. She was considering which route to follow when another sneeze wracked her body and the shock that came along with it knocked her to her knees. She felt her throat begin to swell and suddenly her tongue was too big. Panic ran through her but like instinct she turned it off. Standing on shaky limbs she charged towards the source of the sound.

She burst into a muddy clearing and encountered the other wolf. Hardly taking notice of their appearance, she croaked, "Please... Help," before sneezing again and again. Her watery eyes glanced around the clearing. There were so many plants... When she found the one she thought might help, she threw herself toward it but melted in a puddle of fear. Was this the way she would die? The plant she wanted was all the way across the clearing and would help control allergic reaction. There seemed to be some dust from the mushrooms it was growing in, but this didn't strike Lyr as anything that mattered at the time.

With one final effort she pointed her paw at the plant and stretched her toes out before the fear of death took hold of her and she lost all control of her body. She lay on the muddy ground with no way to move nor breathe, staring at the other wolf.


ooc: pardon the shit post, I'm half asleep xP

Lol oh dear. I suppose Cori could be an ass and just leave Lyr there =p

Gone Tomorrow

With narrowed eyes, Corinna took a cautious step towards the sound. Her ears were flat against her skull, and the fur along her spine had risen. The mud that clung to her matted fur was forgotten, and would only to serve to make her look more intimidating if something would come charging out at her. Which was exactly what happened, although the wolf that came running at her didn't seem to care one bit about Corinna's defensive stance.

Another loud sneeze caused Corinna to snarl in response, but the sudden movement in the foliage was what sent her scurrying. Muscles tensing, she leaped to the side and hopefully out of the path of the oncoming attacker. A female wolf came charging out at her, sneezing a few more times. Lips curled back, Cori bared her teeth at the stranger while circling away from her. The other woman was asking, no pleading for help, but the wide eyed expression on her face was more than enough to tell Corinna to keep her distance.

At least, until the stranger dropped to the ground, apparently dead.

With a start and an aggravated snarl, the Oak Tree Bend leader recoiled as the other wolf's body hit the ground. Mud went flying into the air, covering anything and everything nearby. Stunned, both out of fear and apprehension, the leader didn't move. One of the girl's forepaws was extended and her stare seemed locked on some plants across the clearing from her. Having jumped off to the side, Cori wasn't entirely sure what it was the stranger had been fixated on before passing out, and she wasn't too keen to find out.

But despite her own misgivings, the leader couldn't just leave without knowing if the other woman was dead for sure. So forcing some movement into her legs, she took a hesitant step forward, followed by a few more until she stood at the side of the stranger. Wary and alert for even the slightest movement, she lowered her nose to sniff at the girl's mud covered face. She was alive, but the very shallow breathing indicated that wouldn't be true for much longer. Rotating so she was standing side by side with the lone wolf, Cori looked to where the extended paw seemed to be pointing. She didn't have a damn clue what it was, but she couldn't just leave the girl there.

Striding forward, Corinna reached the plant in question. How the stranger could pick it out over any of the others, she had no idea, but whatever. Lowering her head, she snapped it off at the stem with her teeth. Picking it up gingerly, she walked back to the lone wolf. Unsure of what to do (her healing skills were limited to eating grass to ease a stomachache), she awkwardly nudged the stranger's nose with her own again, trying to pry her jaws open so she could drop the plant inside. From there, it would be up to the stranger to muster up the will to get it down.