Cedarwood Forest Nostalgia

Dark, icy walls pressed in around the pup as she plunged into the pool, and though she could swim a little instinctively the intense shock had rendered her flailing limbs useless. She felt a fish tail slap against her nose as she sank, and her strange blue eyes popped open to take in the hazy, bubbly world around her. She gasped at the scene, and icy daggers shot down her throat and into her little lungs. As her body fought to expel the water Karpos’s maw closed in around Karina’s scruff. In an instant she was dangling above the pool, coughing out water and kicking her legs uselessly. He deposited her on the shore, and Karina was on her feet the instant she had control of her breath.

”I touched one!” she reported proudly, her entire body waggling with glee. Her face fell when she noticed the concern etched across the dark male’s face. He began rambling about taking her to Lachesis, and Karina’s eyes widened in horror at the idea of her day with Karpos being cut short. ”No! No, no, no I’m okay!” she insisted, and really she was. The water had been shockingly cold, but now that she was out of it she felt warm all over. ”See?” the pup gave a mighty shake, flinging the River water out of her pelt before turning in a little circle to prove to Karpos that she hadn’t incurred bodily damage.

The pup shuddered as the breeze picked up and sudden chill hit her; standing still wasn’t helping anything. ”Let’s run to that rabbit den!” she suggested, noting the scent in the wind. ”You can show me how to catch a rabbit! Please? I can scare them out and you can catch one!” Hopefully Karpos would take her suggestion and forget about any silly notion of taking her to Lachesis. The thought tugged at the back of her mind that if Karpos agreed she would have to see a bunny die—which was sad—but not quite as sad as her immediate concern that Karpos would abandon her to the healer’s herbs and tonics.

The girl was hasty to respond, declaring she did not need the medicine wolf and instead they should hunt rabbits. When she turned, he checked to make sure she was not injured anywhere and he gave a chuckle. “Come on, we’ll go see Lachesis and then we can go and I’ll teach you about hunting. I’m sure your fine but when I was a pup back in my dad’s pack, I fell in and I caught a cold that lasted at least three weeks and I wasn’t allowed to leave the den.” He said out of pure concern, leaving little room for debate in his voice. Why did she not want to go see his uncle? Did Lachesis scare her or something? Perhaps she was afraid of the strange herbs that he used despite how foolish it was.

He had to remind himself that she was a pup who had a good time with both of her parents. She had never gone through any of the hardships that Karpos had gone through and hopefully she never would. He knew that Kisla would never abandon her daughter like Rosealia had him. Maksim would never foolishly get himself killed like Shade did. She would grow up with her siblings, safe and sound. He was going to make sure that happened as long as he was a member of Cut Rock River. If he happened to leave come spring to form a pack of his own, then he would still seek a strong alliance with Maksim and always be a friend towards them if they should ever need it.

Shall we add @Lachesis to this thread or start a new one?

Karina’s ears flattened and she stared at Karpos’ paws as he told his story. Three weeks in the den didn’t sound so bad to her... especially if Karpos was there to keep her company. The pup knew better than to argue with the tone he was using, so she switched tactics when it was her turn to speak. "Okay… but you have to stay the whole time.” A quick stop by Lachesis’ den wouldn’t hurt, as long as she had the older male’s promise that he wasn’t dumping her off on the healer. It felt strange to be negotiating to spend less time with Lachesis.. Usually it was the other way around. Typically Karina loved her visits to the medicine wolf’s cozy, aromatic den. Lachesis was calm and patient, and he actually taught the pups things that Karina was good at doing. She might be hopeless at hunting and fighting, but her one point of pride was her bovarism that she could smell herbs better than Orren and Aleksei combined.

She followed Karpos’ lead, remaining quiet in a sullen sort of way. She couldn’t deny that she was feeling a chill though, and Lachesis’ den was closest... Maybe a quick visit just to warm up wouldn’t be so bad. Karina picked up her pace to a trot and drew up next to Karpos. ”That den you stayed in for three weeks.. that wasn’t in Cut Rock River,” she ventured, and then realizing she hadn’t actually asked a question she added, ”Where did you grow up?” The pup’s odd, cloudy eyes were wide with curiosity.

We can just continue it here ^^ If @Lachesis doesn't wanna join perhaps we can PP a visit?

Karina agreed to his coaxing offer with no negotiation room and she followed him towards his uncle's den when she started to ask strangely personal questions. Karina was smart and quick to pick up on things and so the man with the scar let out a small chuckle and nodded. "I had five different homes before I was the age of one." The fact had chilled even his own thought as he went into further details. "I liked just outside the borders of a pack with my father, mother, and auntie Pella for about two months. My mother abandoned my sister and I and that was when my father met Lachesis and Anastasia. You don't know Ana - she went missing during the past winter - but she nursed my sister and I. They all raised us - Lachesis and I aren't truly related since we are not of the same blood but the bond is still there." His long explanation began.

"After my mother left, my dad set claim to a fen down south and across the mountains and the pack was called Pitch Pine Trail. I lived there for four more months - living through the murder of my father - before the pack collapsed. I headed to a pack on the mountain where I joined and then they moved to another place just off the mountain before they kicked me out for no good reason. Then, I came here after collecting my sister from a pack against the mountains. I was trying to reunite my family." The explanation was lengthy as his story came together. It was somewhat awkward for him to explain it all to a girl so much. "You truly are lucky to be surrounded by those who love you Karina. We're all your family here."

(This post was last modified: Dec 04, 2014, 12:12 AM by Karpos.)

<3! Wasn’t sure if they had arrived yet, so I played it out as they hadn’t. :P Feel free to burst into his den! :)

With winter just around the corner the healer was constantly stressed about not having enough inventory. There had been no major injuries the previous winter, but his inventory depleted after his return from the mountain as he had attempted to self-medicate after Ana’s disappearance. There were many plants that he would have to get before snow covered Relic Lore. He felt as though he was running out of time, even though he knew he had plenty. A frown creased his maw as he shuffled around his den, organizing his current plants and doing a mental count for what he had and what he needed.

Not only did winter cause the long-legged to worry, but it also brought up painful, unwanted memories. Last winter he had his blue-eyed china doll by his side before the mountain stole her. Even though she had been gone for nearly a year, it was still strange. Thinking about her still caused his heart to stiffen and his chest to tighten. XIX firmly believed that she had survived the snowstorm and had made a home with a local pack. Perhaps she was too scared to test the mountain once more to let Lachesis (and Maksim) know that she had survived. Or, maybe she had formed her own pack, and was unable to leave. Either way, he refused to believe that she wasn’t alive… she had to be.

A sigh rolled off his tongue as he realized he had been pacing his den, his movements immediately ceasing as he flopped to the ground. As much as he enjoyed his solitude, sometimes Lachesis hated being alone. It allowed his thoughts, and memories, to consume him, and it was not healthy for the once troubled youth. He had just gotten better and was starting to prove himself to Maksim… he couldn’t fall apart once again.

stick with those who stick with you

Five homes before the age of one year was unthinkable to Karina. What would her life be like if she had already moved two or three times? The shy, sheltered Karina that was terrified of her own shadow could never have survived that. She would have been a very different girl.. Karpos must have been a very strong pup. She already knew that of course, but having the tragic backstory just made him all the more real, and all the more dreamy. He needed help, he needed healing, and Karina knew just the girl for the job.

She shuddered as she imagined abandonment and death separating her from her parents. It hit just a little too close to home, with Maksim’s recent injury. She was struck suddenly with the pressing desire to run home and snuggle with her parents and brothers. Even Orren. Would things be different between her and Orren if they had endured a struggle like Karpos and Adsila? Would he cross Relic just to find her if they were separated? Somehow Karina wasn’t so sure.

As they reached Lachesis’s den, Karpos said the words that stopped the pup’s heart for a beat: ”surrounded by those who love you..” Her strange blue eyes widened. Did he mean.. love love? ”L-love?” she squeaked, her jaw quivering from cold. Too embarrassed to hear him reply, the pup darted into Lachesis’s den, the herbal scent of the place and the healer himself soothing and calming her frazzled little nerves. ”I f-f-fell in and I’m c-c-cold and-“ the pup started to explain to the healer, but she was interrupted by a violent sneezing fit. It was warmer in the den, but not warm enough.