Swift River find a way

Moving deeper into the Grove, Kite found a river that still moved despite the chill of winter. She knew better than to get too close, though she was thirsty. Looking to her left and right, the L'Crowe moved nearer to the waters and lapped at them, quenching her thirst before moving onward. It was strange, how still this territory was... she could not even hear the branches of trees surrounding her playing against one another. Only the tranquil river could be heard, though Kite could not say she minded it.

Kite prowled the edge of the river, though minded herself. Her task was to find tickleweed... and her mother had informed her long ago of where to find it. The woman had clever ways of keeping something in Kite's mind forever; tickleweed tickles the river, relieving it of the headache it has from all the noise it can make... and her mother had said more as to what it did. The prominent one: pain reliever. Kite had seen it when her mother went to collect, and had to bring home many herbs to her mother on more than one occasion. It was unfortunate Kite was an aspiring scout as opposed to medic, because truth be told she would be a good one. But she preferred to travel and meet others, to keep tensions low and to be in the know far more than she did seeking herbs and applying them. It was tedious and boring, and not a lifelong task Kite desired to be affiliated with. Kite the Scout sounded better than Kite the medic, she romanticized...

Round and round and round we go, keep on going 'til it snows... Where we stop nobody knows, you just gotta follow your nose... To be quite truthful, Tannis Andreas was just another lost soul who had found his way into Relic Lore. For the past few nights he had laid between the blackberry brambles in the fields to the north, absolutely restless and somewhat bored, only to conjure up one of many tuneless songs in his head to keep himself on his feet. The way he saw it, the more he traveled, the further he became from Corvinus Ravine; and, more than anything else he desired, he longed for a sign that told him he had come far enough, that no one would come looking for him.

He stopped once to catch his breath, even if that meant flattening his ears, arching his back and coughing up a storm with his russet muzzle pointed to the forest floor. By the time he recovered, a few seconds later, his eyes shot up to the trees above him angled his muzzle upward. Keep going, keep going, don't stop 'til the wind's blowing... Don't stop 'til-- His train of thought was abruptly put to a halt and his auburn ears came up. A sliver of hope flickered over his face only to be replaced by an expression of veritable fear. His limbs trembled and his tail came up between his legs and against his tawny belly.

Someone is coming...

The whines that elicited from his lungs and through his nose could have been considered ear-splitting if he hadn't reduced himself to a string of mild whimpers. Hide... HIDE! He looked to his right and to his left to no avail. Well, that would have to do... Up against where a Grove tree had a moderately sized stone against its roots, Tannis pressed his forehead against the makeshift "corner," the tree bark against the left side of his temple and the cool stone against his right. He hunkered down into what he thought was a perfectly camouflaged ball and "hid."

(This post was last modified: Apr 30, 2014, 06:39 PM by Tannis.)

Her search would be a while, she knew. Kite wanted to help the Woodlands, though, and so she would search until she was certain there was nothing to be found. What her mother neglected to inform her of was seasons the herbs particularly grew in... and she had not memorized the pickup schedule she and the L'Crowe matriarch had established when it came to bringing in the harvest. When something looked familiar, Kite drew closer... but no, it was not what she was looking for at all. Narrowing her eyes, Kite stepped away from it, and continued forward. It would be by the riverbed. That was the extent of her knowledge, bar the mental image in her head.

The wolf that had darted off and hid plainly near a tree was legitimately missed by the yearling, who was so immersed in her task that she had not heard his traipse from afar, even while he had headed toward her. The Creek sang louder than his footsteps, and her saucer-like ears had not picked up on his movements. Kite continued to look, hoping that the plant would come to her sooner rather than later. She moved past the trees in which he hid... though had she chanced a glance, she would have seen him for certain. The girl was annoyed by her lack of success, but was practicing patience in this journey. It was difficult, but she forced herself to keep calm and scout on. The woman's tongue wrapped around her upper canine and she parted her jaws some, trying to sample the air.

His ears ever so slightly twitched as he heard her wander past. When he thought he assumed right in thinking the other creature had meandered well away from him and cleared the area, his head came up and to the side, his nostrils filling with the scent trail she had left in her wake. It made his nose scrunch up as though he were about to sneeze but he was able to quell it by holding his breath. He stared for sometime at the wolf, panicking now at the sight of her sampling the air. His fur bristled in his anxiety and without a second thought he darted off to one side, careful to avoid any underbrush that might rustle under his paws.

It seemed that success in evading the stranger was in reach as he eyed the riverbank some distance away. A hopeful and rather stupid smile splayed out across his snout as he tiptoed forward, but then... a cough forced its way from his chest and past his sealed lips. Then another and another until he was downright wheezing. Terror seized his limbs and he whipped his head toward where he thought he had seen the lone woman. Had he been the personality to make use of curse words of expletives, he might have, but instead, he plainly stood in plain sight, unsure of what to do or say aside from softly whimpering as he anticipated the confrontation that was going to unfold. Right here. Right now.

Another puff of air that was a sad excuse for a cough sounded from him one more time before he fully clenched his jaw, inwardly ordering himself to cease his infernal hawking. His tail curled beneath him and his ears lowered even further; it was much too late to run now, she was going to find him now... maybe... maybe... in three... two... o--.

(This post was last modified: Apr 30, 2014, 06:39 PM by Tannis.)

I hope it's okay to jump in! }

The Canyon was a thing of the past now, far away, not worth remembering. Yet Pyrrhus Epirus still found himself looking over his shoulder as though the bleached bones of the pack would rise and chase him down, inflicting their own fate upon their leader. The image haunted his dreams, strangely void of any guilt or regret for the things he had done. They were weak. They deserved to die. Pyrrhus was strong, and he still walked among the living. Such was the way of life, and the young wolf realized this, and therefore could not understand why the memory would not let go of him. Would it be baggage for the rest of his life, he wondered?

But Pyrrhus didn't care to mull over things he could not conclude, so he rose from his resting place in the sun and meandered about the wilderness, not quite sure where to go. The scents and feces of other wolves was everywhere but none were recent, making the woods seem a bit lonely with no company. The white male was not used to being on his own; ever since leaving the Canyon he couldn't shake the feeling of being small like a pup in a huge world, and at times like this when it was so silent he felt nearly suffocated by it.

Within the multitude of smells that coated the forest, Pyrrhus didn't notice the two that would have provided useful information. He wandered directionless, keeping somewhat close to the river, until a loud wheezing sound caught his attention just as the overwhelmingly strong scent of a male wolf wafted up his nostrils. Not bothering to berate himself for his lack of alertness he strode confidently towards the russet stranger. They were about the same size, though the other looked slightly underweight, and by the looks of the man's incessant wheezing there would be no physical trouble. However, the stranger looked extremely scared of something, pale eyes staring off in the opposite direction, and Pyrrhus wasn't entirely sure he wanted whatever that "something" was to find him. He backed off a bit into the shelter of some low brambles and peered into the distance, searching for whatever was so frightening.

(This post was last modified: Apr 30, 2014, 05:49 AM by Pyrrhus.)

Her exploration was put to a pause when she caught sounds in the not-so-distant distance. Kite's cupped ears swiveled to the side and she looked much as a deer may when smelling predator; the L'Crowe bristles, feeling threatened, and turns on her heel, her muzzle draping over her throat and her nostrils flaring. Her tail was not high, it hung anxiously between her legs. She did not know what she would face when she turned... but as her eyes fell upon it, Kite instinctively desired to lord over the other for but a millisecond. And in the next, she felt bad, licking her chops and lowering her head some to appear nonthreatening.

Of course, her mind was racing, so it was then that something else occurred to her. It might not be her that he was so frightened of. Kite inhales deeply, but... no, no predators. Must be me, she deduced, and tilts her head. Y'okay...? She gently queries, her voice quiet, but loud enough to speak over the bubbling waters beside her. Kite shifts her weight, not yet noting the presence of another. Truth be told, Kite had no idea that the other was there; the wind was in his favor, as opposed to her own. The terror the other had must have been from something visible, because if he could smell something she knew that so too could she. Sure that there was nothing in the immediate area that would launch out and kill the two of them, Kite waits, patiently, for his response. She hardly wanted to be a bother... and oh, all knew that the girl had no whims at all to frighten another.

A couple more wheezes sufficed as he eventually regained himself, quieting just enough to hear a near-whispered, "Y'okay?" A gasp fled into his chest as he immediately looked over at her, oblivious to the other party who stood behind a thicket of brambles, watching and waiting for an opportune moment to reveal himself or walk away. Another noisy wheeze escaped his chest and he brought his eyes to the woman's feet. His ears drew back and he visibly shook as he took a few steps towards the brook while still keeping his eyes on her. She hardly seemed threatening, and nothing about her stance told him that he had trespassed or bothered her. The concern in her voice, alone, had been enough to draw him away.

"I-I-I'm fine," his breathy response rasped in his throat. "Fi-ine." Another cough, but he craned his gray- and russet-hued head down to lap up some water. Not like it would do any good, but at the very least it would clear his throat, or so he hoped. He sneezed, water droplets spraying from his muzzle before he hastily shook his head and neck. He looked at her again, he head held level with his shoulders as his muzzle angled downward, his whole body language conveying the vibe of a scolded child. His heart still thrummed a terrible rhythm in his chest, "I didn't mean to bother you, but I-I'm gonna get going now."

He started to withdraw himself from the scene, turning about to find a place to hide until she was well away from him so that he could continue on to wherever he was going without having to worry about another nearby. He hiccuped once and as he lifted his eyes to stare into a wall of prickly vines, he saw a pair of striking green eyes. He gave a start, his jaw dropping in absolute fear as he struggled to get his feet to cooperate beneath him while he tried to turn around and run in the other direction. He hobbled a mere three meters before practically face-planting into the mud at the edges of the babbling stream.

A yelp sounded out as he lifted his head just enough so that he could continue to crawl away, until he believed himself undoubtedly done for. He thought he could have known those pair of eyes anywhere, but unbeknownst to the turkey of man, the pallid face that he had seen did not belong to that of anyone of his past. He whined as he hid his eyes beneath his paws and wrists, "P-please don't hurt meeeeeee. I know nothing, have said nothing."

The ivory wolf was tense while he waited for the horrors that he was certain would soon be revealed. From the way the red wolf was shivering it was sure to be something terrible. Pyrrhus tried to hunch down further in the damp dirt, careful not to disturb the growth around him. His life could depend on his ability to remain perfectly silent. It never occurred to the foolish man that his olive eyes that peeked out from the bushes could give him away. But for a while nothing happened, and Pyrr felt himself growing anxious. His imagination ran wild with images of a monster creeping up behind him and snapping his spine, and the thought was too terrifying to turn his neck to check. So it soon came to be that the fearless Pyrrhus Epirus, the only one strong enough to survive the blizzard that his pack perished in, was shaking in fear over something he himself had dreamed up.

Crack!

A whine nearly escaped the rogue's muzzle but he clamped it shut. He could hear the beast moving closer and fought the urge to flee. He glued his eyes onto the distant shrubbery, and when a dainty young wolf's nose poked through it was all he could do to keep his mouth from gaping open. This couldn't be what he and that other guy were freaking out over, could it? He stared, still in shock, as a tawny female walked kindly towards the shivering wimp and said something so quick and short that Pyrrhus couldn't understand it. He grinned and snorted silently, quickly rebuilding his confidence. It was unbelievable that a big strong male would be so scared of a petite lady such as this one.

He craned his ears to catch the male's response, and discovered that he was still nearly as frightened as he had been before. What was their relationship, Pyrrhus wondered. It couldn't be good if the woman had such power over him. The white male had half a mind to go out their and kick some sense into the man's head, but he didn't want to interrupt and end up missing a good show so he stayed put. But after just a few words the two seemed about to leave. In that second the red male's eyes met his, and then jerked away as their owner leaped forward and dug his face into the mud. Pyrr blinked, a bit confused at this turn of events. He watched, dumbfounded, as the man began crawling through the mud in an effort to put distance between them.

"P-please don't hurt meeeeeee. I know nothing, have said nothing." In Pyrrhus's mind a memory flashed to the surface. The only wolves he knew who could possibly react to him in this fashion were those who he had accidentally brought death upon not long ago. Now that he thought about it, this red wolf looked slightly familiar. Could it be? Was it possible for such a weakling to survive the freak blizzard? Pyrr's eyes widened, and a scowl formed on his face. In an instant he rushed from his cover and stormed over to who he believed was his old subordinate.

"THAT'S RIGHT YOU DON'T!" he roared, moving to flip the underling over onto his belly. He would mess him up so bad that he truly wouldn't know anything. Pyrrhus didn't need any reminders of his past that could get in the way of his future. With their faces inches away, he continued snarling. "It's unfortunate for you that you didn't die when you were supposed to!"

His stammering brought a great deal of unease to the warmhearted Kite, who did not understand what she had done. He moved to run off, and she wasn't about to chase him... but to be sure he was alright, she slowly stalked forwards. The wolf had not gotten far when he ran into another, and although she could not make out what the whimpering one was saying, she could with ease make out the roaring of the ivory man, his voice so explosive and voluminous that it startled even Kite for an instant. Her ears fell flat atop her head before thrusting forward, and her teeth flashed out into the evenings light as she felt some strange protective pull for the simpering one. It was clear that he was weak! Dealing with him would be hardly an issue if it came to a fight. He'd be belly up in an instant, she imagined, and it was with that thought in her mind that she transformed into a force to be reckoned with rather than a meager, sweet girl.

Her muzzle dipped to protect her throat and she moved toward the confrontation with a snarl threatening to spill over the edge of her lips. Only when she arrived did the noise break free, her tail in a rigid line outward as her ears flattened defensively atop her head, eyes narrowing to protect themselves as she rolls her shoulders forward, forcing her weight to be distributed evenly on all fours. He was far bigger than her, which left her with her only true asset regardless... speed. Hey! she snarls, and noting their faces inches away she shifts forward again to intervene, Why don't you pick on someone your own size. Or mine, the suggestion is impish, hoping to provoke him to leave off the other male—who would likely run away when given the chance—and attack her. But with her defenses prepared, she was ready.

(This post was last modified: May 23, 2014, 08:08 PM by Kite.)

Tannis probably shouldn't have given them both such a cowardly display. For as soon as the cry had fled from his lips, his scrawnier, wheezing, and whimpering frame had been successfully rolled over. Now belly up, with his back pressed into the river bank, he was forced to look up into the face of a white-furred beast who roared at him with conviction with fearful yellow eyes. He squeezed his eyelids shut and looked away, a string of nonsensical gibberish escaping from his mouth, "I di--. I-sor--. I-I..." It might have advanced into something more like broken sentences if it weren't for the fact that the woman he had tried to escape from suddenly began to stand up to his attacker.

She barked at him, demanding for his attention while Tannis stared at her in a silent plea for help. One more whistle-like whine emitted from his nose as he cringed, feeling the Corvinus' hot breath at the side of his face. He closed his eyes with a grimace as he saw and heard the woman continue to provoke the male. Perhaps this was the day he would die and he would take her with him by mere accident. By trying to find a life beyond the Ravine and the place he had been born, he had not meant to subject her to such folly; the thing was, it was only a matter of time before he paid a price for his cowardice and foolishness for not finding a place to hide away much sooner.

He tucked his forelimbs to his chest and drew his tail up against his exposed belly. If this was it, he was already partially willing to accept his fate...