Wild Cherry Orchard i'm about as good as i'm gonna get

<blockquote>It was early morning - before the sun had even crested the hills, but had nevertheless bathed the world in that milky dawn light that is somewhere between gray and blue. Quest moved through the cherry trees soundlessly, his limbs tight from the cold but beginning to loosen up as his muscles gained momentum. The land glittered in the fading lights, the brush at his feet covered in a sheer frost. It would be gone soon, melting into dew and soon, soaking into the ground beneath them to go wherever it was that all the water in Relic Lore had gone to.

He took advantage of the spoils, and stopping beneath the arching branches of an old cherry tree, the silver-dusted male bent his nose to the earth and began lapping at the frosted dew. The bitter taste of soil obscured the sustenance of the moisture, but Quest didn't mind it so much. Water was water, and he would take what he could get while it was still possible to get anything at all. His tail began to wag as he moved slowly, like a grazing animal, lapping at the leaves and grass and ridding them of their diamond-like offerings.</blockquote>

Theodore was boring as hell. He didn't care about much in life except staying alive, and even that wasn't very exciting. He would never go all-out in a battle against somebody else if they were trying to fight him to the death. In fact, he would probably just play dead and wait for them to go away before picking himself up and moving on. If some sickness ever got its hands on him, he wouldn't fight it. He would probably just let it guide him to his deathbed and go peacefully. So far, his life had been terribly dull drum, and he was okay with that.

He jogged peacefully through the cherry trees, not really thinking about much at all. Theo figured he might catch some food later and see what the locals were like, but if he didn't, that was okay too. Something caught his attention, though, and he sniffed the air with mild interest. It was another wolf, and with nothing else to do, he followed the scent to a dark colored male licking the ground. "Why are you licking the ground?" he asked, his voice filled with more boredom than curiosity.

(This post was last modified: Nov 12, 2010, 06:11 PM by Theodore.)

<blockquote>Although he certainly felt it was plausible that wolves in Relic Lore liked to happen across one another, Quest was enjoying the morning solitude, lost in the simple task of sating his thirst. By now, the others that called the territory home had also learned the trick of when and where to get water, so he should have expected to run into someone else. Still, the brittle sound of frozen leaves cracking startled him, and he abandoned his pursuit of the frozen dew, looking up with an icy leaf between his jaws. Licking it away, he managed to get the foliage to fall from his tongue as he glanced over the semi-white male who had interrupted his "drink."

It was obvious by his statement that the wolf was new to Relic Lore, but having been in his position not so long ago himself, the look that crossed over Quest's eyes was not of irritation but supplication. He would humor the other fellow, if only long enough to let him know that he had good reason to lick at the ground, and the other ought to get used to it if he planned on sticking around. <b>"The water sources in these territories have all dried up. The only way to get a drink is to take advantage of the morning dews,"</b> he answered calmly, not bothering to introduce himself since the other wolf failed to follow a typical greeting scenario. </blockquote>

During his three years of life, Theo had experienced an awful lot. However, he wasn't keen on taking lessons from what he had been through and reusing that knowledge in the later years. Instead, he tended to forget anything that wasn't immediately useful. The knowledge that they were having problems with water here was one of those "immediately useful" bits of information, so he clutched to it. He idly wondered why a stranger would be so willing to give him such good advice as to how to find water, but he wasn't going to nitpick over that just yet.

"Strange that so many would linger in a place without sustenance," replied Theodore. If it was true that a drought was currently ravaging this forest, it wouldn't be long before the prey began to filter out and the wolves followed it. But perhaps this was only a short drought and the prey would stick it out for a few more weeks and wait for the rains to return. Feeling he should test out the stranger's theory of licking the ground, Theodore did so, finding that he got at least 99% dirt and .01% water. Not such a great ratio, and he spit it out immediately. "Don't have the technique down, yet. How do you do that again?"

<blockquote> Quest laughed slightly, although it was not because he found anything particularly funny. More ironic, he supposed, and he nodded his head at the other wolf's amazement that Relic Lore would continue to foster a steady animal population in spite of the drought. <b>"There aren't so many here as there once were. I've noticed fewer and fewer wolves since the waters died out, and prey along with them,"</b> he observed. <b>"It might very well be unwise to remain, but I think those that have are praying that the autumn rains will correct our problems."</b>

The white wolf's attempt to lick up the dew drops resulted in a mouthful of dirt, and although this <i>certainly</i> had the potential to illicit laughter from the charcoal Aquila, he held his tongue politely. <b>"Go a little slower. Lick at the leaves or grass first, and let them stick to your tongue rather than sticking your tongue to them. The dew will melt quickly and you can let the leaves drop."</b> He canted his head to the side, waiting to see if the other male would try again. He didn't know why he was indulging the other wolf in such a helpful manner, but Quest wasn't one to turn his back on others unless they had done him a great wrong. </blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Nov 13, 2010, 08:14 PM by Quest.)

Prayer was not something Theodore would ever be interested in, like so many other things, ideas, and wolves that passed before his eyes and through his mind. In one ear, and out the other. His mother had used that phrase more than once when he was a child, although he never really bothered to explore what it meant.

Taking cues from the yet unnamed male, Theo once again lowered his head, this time waiting for the frost to melt before removing his tongue from the leaves. They fell to the ground, leaving what little moisture they had gathered this morning on his tongue. It wasn't much, and he wondered how many times he would be required to go through the process before his thirst was satiated. "Seems like a pain in the ass," he replied, batting at the fallen leaves with his paw.

<blockquote> Quest couldn't help but make a snorting sound as the white furred wolf tried again, this time with success, but still very little enthusiasm for the process. Given that the Aquila male had been out here for half an hour scrounging for dew already, he was able to look back on the process and see just how ridiculous it was. But it was a necessity, and survival wasn't so ridiculous, so he refrained from laughing outright at the situation. <b>"Yes, I believe that's a good assessment of it,"</b> he agreed, but his lips turned down.

<b>"Unfortunately, until the streams fill up again, it's the only way to get a drink if you plan on staying in Relic Lore,"</b> he said, echoing the words of the wise wolves that had first warned him about the vanishing water sources. Had he been foolish to stay? Foolish to seek out Ruiko and make himself a semi-permanent home in this barren land? Maybe so, but Quest was weary, and he didn't know how long he would have to travel if he sought out water elsewhere. <b>"Anyway, you're more than welcome to see if you can come up with a better method,"</b> he offered. <b>"I'm Quest, by the way,"</b> he added.</blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Nov 27, 2010, 05:34 AM by Quest.)