Zephyr Rill These are the lies

@Inna // Partly cloudy -14*F, -26*C Morning

After successfully crossing the frozen waters of the lake Niki had scampered far away from them where there was solid ground beneath his feet. Water just did not agree with him, nor he with it, and so the immense relief he felt upon arriving in a forest where tall and majestic sequoia trees had rooted themselves into the soil was insurmountable. This was where he felt at home: amongst the trees and the critters that lived in and on them. He was used to the crunch of leaves under his paws, though with the often snowfalls lately it was more of a squish between his paws as he walked through the slushy snow that was not quite fluffy. With due time he would barely be able to walk through the snow with his shorter legs so he made the most of it, scampering through the trees as best as he could without slipping over onto his face.

The white yearling came to a pause as he emerged onto the scene of a babbling brook, frozen at the moment but looked as if when it was not frozen would reach no higher than his stomach as he was particularly stouter than most wolves where it would reach to roughly about their knees. The stream bed looked younger than the forest around it as evident by the still slightly rough stones and gentle slope of the river bed, but that did not make it any less dangerous. Cautiously moving closer to the edge, he looked down at the ice, carefully wiping a paw across the surface to brush the snow off. A frown made its way onto his maw. The ice was too deep for him to crack it and be able to drink some water, and he had already learned his lesson of licking the ice itself to try and get any drop of liquid when he had been younger. Padding along the edge, Niki scanned the ice as he went seemingly upstream - though for all he knew it could be downstream - to try and find a spot where the ice was thin enough to break underneath his weight.

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Lately Inna had so much on her mind and though she knew she had to do what she could to help her pack through the winter she'd decided she needed to take a break. It wasn't going to be like it had been when she had left the previous winter especially since she felt that at least one Baranski needed to stay true to Hearthwood. This time she just wanted to get away from the pressure she felt and just be for a little while but she had a stop she wanted to make, her father's grave. She hadn't been there since the day she had found out but she finally felt that it was time she went. The Ethos seemed cold despite the current weather conditions, definitely not the inviting place it was when the flowers were in bloom. However, after arriving Inna could only stay at her father's grave for a few moments before she felt an overwhelming need to leave. It was something she was sad about but it was clear she wasn't ready to stay longer, in time she hoped that would change. As she traveled further outside of Hearthwood she started to feel a little better deciding that taking this break might have been a good idea. She didn't worry about hunting or patrolling, she could worry about those things when she returned. Inna felt she had traveled a good distance from the Ethos when something white caught her attention. Out of curiosity she decided to see what it was which she soon found that it was another wolf. For a few moments before making her presence known to him she watched as he came up the side of the stream she'd been following and looking out across it. Finally she stepped into his path though still a little distance from him, “Whatcha doing?” She asked since he didn't seem to be from around the area, perhaps she could offer him a little help if that was what he needed.

(This post was last modified: Dec 12, 2016, 04:31 AM by Inna.)

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you.

 

@Inna Sorry I took so long :x

Niki came to a sudden stop when a black wolf appeared in front of him, ears flicking back as his legs bent slightly at the knees. He thought he had been all alone and was not expecting company, but at the female's innocent question he straightened up with swishing wags of his tail by his hocks. "'m lookin' f'some thin ice t'break so I c'n ge' s'me wate', y'hap'n t'know a spo' where th'rive' is flowin'?" The white yearling grinned a wide, wofly grin, his amber eyes gazing into her own orange eyes as he spoke. Her coat was as dark as his was light, but it was her fiery eyes that caught his attention the most. "Name's Neem bu' I ten' t'go b'Niki." He left it open so that the dark female could offer her own name if she wished, but if she preferred to keep it to herself he did not mind at all.

Nose twitching as he inhaled, Niki picked up the scent belonging to her and a multitude of other wolves. A pack! Winter was really starting to kick in as evident by the frozen brook near his paws and it would be high time to join with a group that would best help him survive it. Food was already scarce and as he was not the best hunter in the world he definitely showed it, though at best health he always was a little scrawny-looking. "D'y'live 'round here? I've trav'led from ove'th'othe' side o'th'mount'n so I don'know this place a'all." The white yearling gave a sheepish grin at his words, hoping that the dark female would be kind enough to offer him some assistance with the snowy landscape around them. He did not wish to get lost in unfamiliar territory, but maybe with a friend by his side that would not happen.

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No Worries!

Running into someone wasn't what Inna was expecting at that time of the day and with it being so cold but here she was watching the white male. When she felt she had watched him enough and become overly curious about him she made her presence known with a simple question. Did she know where the river was flowing, “You've only got to go up stream,” she indicated with her nose the direction he would need to travel, “I doubt it's very far but be careful as the river this stems from runs through pack lands.” Her pack lands to be exact and she would hate for him to accidently step across the border and get himself in trouble. It was rather clear as she'd watched him and took in his scent he was alone so would have no help. “Inna, it's nice to meet you Niki. What brings you this way.” It was best to get that out of the way. The way Niki spoke with interesting to Inna, she'd never heard anyone speak like he did but as she thought about it he had a question for her. “I don't live very far from here,” she admitted, “Is there something you needed help with?” She asked curiously. Since he wasn't from around here and didn't know the area she thought he might be looking for something that she could probably help him find. She was still curious about why he was traveling when the weather wasn't very ideal for it.

(This post was last modified: Jan 06, 2017, 04:16 AM by Inna.)

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you.

 

@Inna

The white yearling nodded enthusiastically at the information the dark female provided, barking out a thankful reply. "Thanks! An' I'll make sure t'stay out o'th'pack lan's, wouldn'wanna cause any trouble." Trouble was the last thing he wanted to be a part of right now; food, water and shelter was in the forefront of his mind, although company was not far behind on his list. Niki's tongue lolled out happily from his maw at receiving a name in return. "Righ' back a'ya Inna. I's nice t'see anoth'r friendly face." That was not to say he had anything against seeing an unfriendly face, but so far the wolves he had met in this strange land had been more on the approachable side than not (even if they tried not to be). "Well, I explored a bi'ove' th'mount'n an' decide' i'was no'f'me. Now I'm here."

Niki shrugged in response to Inna's query with a slight shake of his head. "Nothin'in partic'lar. Wou'b'nice t'have some comp'ny f'a li'l bi'though?" It did get a little bit lonely with all of the travelling he did, but if the dark female lived nearby then maybe she would not mind tagging along with him. Of course if she had other tasks needed to be done he would not object to her refusal. There were much better things to be doing than going along with a whim of a loner. "Y'said t'head upstream, yeh?" He was not sure how far upstream he would need to go but hopefully it would be far enough from the pack lands she spoke of that he would not be intruding on them. At the very least he could just eat snow but that was a last resort.

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Inna felt that he would have better chances of getting a drink at the river since it moved a little faster which was why she’d directed him to it. She also felt giving him fair warning about Hearthwood was only right so that he could have the opportunity to be cautious of the area. “You’re welcome, that would be a good I would hate to see something bad happen to you for a simple mistake.” At least she hoped he wasn't the type to go stepping on pack lands just to start trouble. She smiled, “Yes it is,” she agreed, “Especially when you're out on your own.” She of course knew that from her time away from the pack the previous winter. She understood how important it was to keep one's self out of trouble when you were traveling on your own. As for what had brought him this way she could relate to his answer as she had wandered some herself. He'd been on the other side of the mountain, Inna hadn't ever been there, it was a place she might have to go there someday. “Do you like it around here more than you did there?” That was what she was more interested in. Since she was out here and he was friendly she felt she should see if she could help him with something. Find his way maybe or a little help hunting, it was winter after all, she didn't see any harm in doing that much but as it turned out all he wanted was a little company. “I think I can keep you company for a bit if you like,” she'd come out here for a little change of scenery and keeping Niki company seemed like the thing to do just then. She nodded when he confirmed the directions she had given him, “That's right and if you like I can take you there?” Since she would be keeping him company and all, why not take him and then she could help him to not get in trouble with her pack.

(This post was last modified: Jan 11, 2017, 04:15 AM by Inna.)

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you.