Whisper Marsh magical memories we trust

For @Hati! Temp: Clear-- 25F/-4C
RE: It smelled like a deer herd was nearby.. but now there are no traces of them. (4/1/2014)

Spring was gentle on them. A bright sun warmed the hairs of her spine as a gust of chilly wind ripped through her dark fur; pulling her head closer to her shoulders to brace herself from the wind, she pushed forward despite the high winds. Winter had left her secluded to Cut Rock, and since her acceptance into the pack she hadn't been given the opportunity to travel further than the border of her home, with the snow nearly mostly melted she was quick to take the trip southeast toward the Marsh.

The ground beneath her feet changed dramatically; what was once dry and leveled became moist and uneven. With her defenses on alert, she noted that the closer she came to the neighboring land the harder it became to lift and lower her feet and once she was within Whisper Marsh she found herself ankle deep in muddy water that sloshed as she walked; on occasion she would pause, ears perked, to scan her surroundings. The closer she came to the center of the land the stronger the scent of prey floated to her senses though her eyes found nothing of significance, she wondered if perhaps the prey had moved on miles ahead of her.

Angry at her luck, and desperate to catch up to them if they had in fact moved on, she hurried in the westward direction of where the scent wafted in a pitiful attempt at a gallop, and almost instantly her efforts were stalled when she fell head first into the muck. The sticky mud felt more like glue on her paws that sucked her into the mess the harder she struggled, only when she calmed herself did she have the time evaluate her situation. She had to get out of this mess. Now nearly elbow deep in water thick from mud, she pulled her forepaws free with one forceful pull and walked back in the direction she had come; her only concern was cleaning the mess from her fur.

Once the water returned to the depth of her ankle she settled onto her haunches with a defeated whine and lifted her paw to give it a few meaningful licks, the awful taste of urine and grainy dirt filled her tongue though she continued on. When she was nearly half way through with cleaning her fur she stood on all fours, the sloshing sound echoed in the distance, as she caught the whiff of deer on the wind once more, this time with more desperation than before, she walked in the direction in which it came. She was sure she saw a hint of brown fur in the distance or was her mind playing trick on her--it had been nearly two weeks since she'd eaten. Ignoring the mud at her elbow she pushed onward, headed unbeknownst to her, in the direction of the Lagoon.

(This post was last modified: Apr 04, 2014, 03:42 AM by Bastet.)

Avatars by Becca! Thank you!

The dark river wolf had spent half the day tracking a small deer herd through the marsh to the lagoon and beyond, hoping to get a fix on their location before reporting back to a scout or some other member of Cut Rock River. But the elusive herd had been quick on their feet and Hati soon found the cause to be hopeless. Around midday he struck out back towards the territory with food weighing heavily upon his mind due to the untimely loss of what could have fed the entire pack. So he kept his ears and eyes alert and his muscles ready for action for the off chance that a hare or something similar might be detected nearby.

The journey from Cedarwood Forest to the far end of the Iridescent Lagoon had been a long one at a brisk pace, and now that he traveled at a leisurely trot it seemed far longer. It was well into the afternoon by the time he reached the marsh. The marsh itself was uncomfortably soggy and every step was accompanied by an annoying squelch. Hati was only partially through the marsh when a new yet familiar scent wafted up his nostrils. He paused with his nose thrust towards the sky to get a second whiff which came without much wait. He identified the scent as one of his pack-mates that he had not yet met but had often found reminders of within river territory.

Glad to finally have the chance to meet another member of his pack Hati moved into a lope and in no time could see the one he was looking for. She was a black wolf like himself, though a bit smaller, and at the moment seemed rather stuck in the mud. Unsure of what to do in the situation Hati kept hidden in the long grass while he watched her struggle, pause, and then slowly back out of the muck. A breath of relief escaped though the dark male's lips and he trotted from his hiding spot, carefully avoiding the place she had just escaped from, and approached the stranger from the front.

Hati had learned not to over think first meetings, but there was always the initial apprehension. It more difficult for the man to communicate than most, due to obvious reasons, and since strangers were clueless to his lack of speech they often found him obnoxiously rude instead of simply mute. Thousands of times he had tried to brainstorm a sure way to help them figure out why he never talked to them but every option included quite a bit of injured pride which he preferred to keep whole. So he let every situation sort itself out...hopefully this young woman would be understanding enough.

He greeted the black she-wolf with a friendly nod of his head, looking into her strangely mismatched eyes with his single golden one. He let his tail run overdrive, whipping in circles, the unmistakable language of all things furry. His intentions were kind.

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

Lost in her own thoughts, the dark woman hardly noticed the scent of her fellow pack member until he was well upon her, his bark distracted her thoughts from the possibility of food as she approached him. Though she had never met this male before, nor had she seen him much in passing, his scent was familiar to her as she had caught it from the markings along their border and respected this male as her superior. When she was within a few feet of Hati she lowered her body, showing submission, and licked at his chin in a universal greeting before lifting to all fours with a wag of her own tail. She had taken note of his friendly demeanor and as such took him as no threat, although she hadn't suggested such considering that the two shared packs and took pride in their home.

No sooner did the young woman lift to her paws did she watch wind of deer once more, this time it was stronger and much more appealing; there was no denying that the herd she'd smelled was real. Her mix-matched gaze turned toward the higher ranking male with anticipation of a potential meal and contemplated calling the rest of the pack to participate but she would wait until she gained confirmation of the smell from her counterpart; surely her nose was no playing tricks on her. "DEER! I smell deer, do you?" she asked, her tail continuing to sway at her rump as anticipation filled her insides, she could not believe their luck and the possible meal they would obtain from this hunt.

The black female responded to his approach with friendliness, and the initial tension Hati had expected never came. He accepted her show of submission without much formality, licking her face in the common wolfish custom. After they separated he shifted his weight onto his haunches and planted his rump on a dryer piece of ground, suddenly glad to rest his tired paws a bit. He wanted to tell the dark female that the deer herd she was tracking was far gone, and continuing to follow them would be useless, but he wasn't really sure how. His one chance was that the girl would bring it up and he could somehow make her understand through body language.

But she didn't speak, instead poking her nose in the air excitedly, trying to pin point a scent. Confused at first, Hati did the same and was pleasantly surprised to catch a whiff of a second family of deer; this one was much closer than the last. "I smell deer, do you?" Hati hesitated before answering, turning to the east where the smell originated from, carefully weighing their chances. It would take more than just himself and a single pack mate, especially on the off-chance that a wolf of an opposing pack might also scent the beasts. Surely the young woman would realize this and call for back-up? Hati wasn't sure, though, because not long ago he had never even been on a hunt despite his age, and he didn't know what was common knowledge for wolves raised normally.

Finally he nodded, standing back up and shaking off the dirt that stuck to his tail and legs and then looking back at her. We'll need some help. Call the pack, he said within his mind. It was funny how often thinking what he would like to say helped convey his meaning. He waited for her to howl before dashing off towards the deer, which he estimated to be about a quarter mile away. They may as well do some scouting while the rest got here.

There is an elk carcass nearby. It looks like it froze to death. +12 Health

6 for me and 6 for you?

Also, this is now open for any Cut Rock member to join, maybe two more? I'll make a alert in the pack forum...

His silence confused her, and she stood at her spot waiting for his confirmation that the deer she'd smelled in the air was in fact real, when nothing came she felt a whine escape her jaws, her eyes fixated on him as though to say what's wrong. She did not know of his injury, nor of his inability to communicate but the silence that built between them allowed her the opportunity to observe her surroundings, him included. When he looked to have sensed the deer as well Bastet found her spirits rise, her banner of a tail continuously wagged behind her as she began to head in the direction in which the smell had come, if Hati would not take the lead than Bastet had no problem doing so.

Her strides were short lived, noticing almost immediately that the male was not following her, instead he lingered at his spot and gave a commanding look that she had first interpreted as anger but recognized after a moment pass that he had wanted her to call for the rest of the pack. It made sense, two wolves could not take down the bulk of a deer alone and Bastet was in no shake to attempt to wrestle her weight around--her wound would occasionally bother her. She nodded in confirmation, allowing her ears to lower to her skull as her head fell backward and lips pulled back to release a call to those within a mile radius; their immediate attention was needed.

No sooner did her call go up did the male begin to wander, as if occupying his time until the others arrived and Bastet took care to do the same, perhaps food would present itself if she looked hard enough for it and within moments a prize presented itself in the form of meat. She came to it quickly, her nose detecting the frost upon the elk carcass though that would hardly deter her from having her taste of the prey, in fact it made her slightly hungrier. Before she would taste the kill as her own she forced a small bark in the direction of her superior, allowing him the first bite and waited with patience for him to start before she too would take her fill. It would do well well until the rest of the pack showed face.

(This post was last modified: Apr 28, 2014, 10:42 PM by Bastet.)

Avatars by Becca! Thank you!