Poison Path It's in here with us

Spooky RE: You take cover from rolling fog in a rocky cave, but on closer inspection it seems as if someone has been clawing at the walls - as if they were desperately trying to escape...

AW for one or two others, especially packmates Di hasn't interacted directly with or older siblings!

Diantha was slowly regaining her confidence. She'd been a little more worried about venturing from her mother's side since her dad died, frightened by the dangers of the world. He'd been in the territory when he'd gotten hurt, and if he could die somewhere so safe, what hope did she have? The other children, the not-siblings, didn't seem to share this fear - or be concerned about her loss at all. It frustrated her.

But in the end they still had their dad, and he'd taken her dad's place. It seemed... wrong. But also right. She didn't want her mom to have to do all these things by herself. Di didn't understand everything a leader did, but she knew it was a lot of work. They all had a part to play, and the young girl was still figuring hers out.

Today she decided to take a chance and wandered further than she ever had before. She even crossed over the scent markers - but she kept close to the lake. She didn't want to get lost, and as long as she could find the water, she could find her way back home. If she was going to start going out again, she was going to go big. If she could come out like this, she could be safe inside the borders.

It was quiet out here in the early morning. The sun was only just rising - which was why she'd chosen now, when everyone else would just be starting their day. It gave her time to be gone without too much suspicion, and to be out here when the other critters were sleeping. She would be safer. Or so she thought, until she spotted the darkness rising over the water and rolling towards her. Di stared at it as it grew, her fur prickling, until it started to but up against the shores around her.

The girl turned and ran, darting up the first path she saw to escape this rolling thing that was chasing her. A rocky crag loomed to one side and Di darted inside the small cave, hunkering down near the back and staring at the entrance with wide eyes, waiting for the thing to come for her.

Leo would be the first to admit, he’d been doing his best to avoid the pups, ever since Aleister’s death. He’d lie to himself and say it was for the better, that the best way he could take care of them was to make sure they were protected – which wasn’t entirely wrong – but he knew it was only half true. Somehow, facing them meant facing the fact that he was really gone, that Leo was the oldest Vuesain male now. A responsibility he did not feel ready for in the slightest. So, he walked the borders, taking on a role he could manage, and that kept him out from dawn until dusk. He’d only just started his day however, when he came across an unexpected scent crossing the line marking Sanguine Cove territory. He was always on the lookout, or sniffout, for scavengers daring enough to sneak in and get at their caches, what he hadn’t expected was someone sneaking out; Someone who had no business being out there alone this early. Without a second thought, Leo veered off course, following his little sister’s trail down to the lake shore and onwards alongside it. Like Diantha, the yearling spotted the incoming fog, however he knew what it was – a sign of the season, caused by the drop in temperature. Still, he would very much prefer to have the pup back home before it hit, or the search could become much more complicated. So, he hurried his steps, brows furrowing as the scent trail suddenly diverted from the lake, taking a rocky, and much less used path, into the woods. “Di!” The worried brother called as he followed the girl, onto rough ground where her scent was much harder to track: “I know you’re out here!” Thoughts ”Speech”

Lakela @DA

(This post was last modified: Oct 02, 2022, 11:12 PM by Leo.)

Di waited, huddled as far back in her little cave as she could good, staring up the steep slope to the opening. She wanted to look away, wanted to close her eyes, but she couldn't bring herself to do either. She needed to see it coming. Maybe it wouldn't find her in there; it didn't look like it had eyes, but she didn't know what it was! What sort of monster came from the lake like that? Why hadn't mom told her about it?

And then she heard a familiar voice, her older brother calling for her. She couldn't determine from his tone if she was in trouble or not, but she didn't think she was supposed to wander so far and so assumed that she would be. For a moment she thought about staying silent, but she'd clearly already been caught, and there was no way he hadn't seen the big monster... maybe he'd scared it off. He was big and strong, after all, like their dad.

Taking a deep breath, Di slowly uncurled - until her gaze landed on marks along the walls. She hadn't noticed them before. Long, pale scores against the rocked lined the cave from her to the entrance. They looked like claw marks. Di blinked. What had done that? Even more frightened of the possibilities of the cave, the girl jumped up toward the mouth - only for her paws to slip and for her to slide back down. Her claws left light scratches in the stone, similar to the ones already present.

She couldn't get out - like whatever had been in here before.

Already frightened by the lake monster and the thought that there was something hidden in this den with her, Di started crying and scrambling up the slope, panic only heightening every time she slipped back when she was nearly within reach of the entrance. "Leo!" she wailed. "Help! Leo!"

This was not a very fun adventure!

His little siblings weren’t really pups anymore, at least, they weren’t small and easy to look after. At their age, Leo had been pondering adventure too, exploring these very same paths on his own. Those were different times though, before draughts and cougars; When Da was still… But now he was the adult, the closest thing they had to a father, and it was his responsibility to look after them. The fog had reached the shores now, and was slowly starting to creep into the woods, snaking around the tree trunks in white, wispy tendrils. The moist air made scents even harder to track and Leo was forced to slow down, his nose hovering right above the rocky ground as he breathed in deeply. She couldn’t have gotten that far, yet her smell was already diffusing; “Damn it!” Raising his head, he made to call out once more, when a muffled sound reached his ears. His head swivelled, ears perked in different direction as he strained to hear; ‘Help! Leo!’ Double damn it! “Di? Di where are you?” He called, frantically trying to zero in on the direction her voice was coming from; “I’m here Diantha!” She had to be close by, but why did her voice sound so muffled? “Di where are you?” He called again, hoping the answer would lead him to her. Thoughts ”Speech”

Lakela @DA

The panic was threatening to strangle her now, surging around her with each backslide. Her heart was pounding in her ears, making it nearly impossible to hear anything beyond the scrabbling of her own claws on packed earth and rock. She heard Leo's voice, but not what he was saying. Still, knowing he was nearby encouraged her. "Here!" she shouted as loud as he choked voice could manage as she struggled to escape. She could see the lake monster approaching the entrance but that was less important now. "Here! Leo I'm stuck! Help!"

She never should have gone out by herself, especially with everyone still sleeping. Well, not everyone, since Leo was here. Thankfully. "Leo!"