Wild Cherry Orchard Retrace

A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

 

Reach for the stars

Feeling a small prick of relief, Jynx relaxed only for a few moments. Emrys was not upset that she had not revealed herself as an Alpha that day. And honestly, who should care? It was the character of a wolf that mattered the most, not the rank you held. If you made a great first impression, it made all the difference. Still, she was not surprised when her white coated friend asked why she had left that pack. It was a perfectly reasonable request, although the details concerning her answer were not exactly pleasant.

 Raising her head to a more natural position, she looked him in the eyes, with a little more of her previous confidence this time. "That's what I was going to get to next." Her russet ears pivoted back on her crown then. "But, it's not quite as cut and dry as you might think." As she mentally prepared herself to continue with this next segment, her nerves flared with bitterness at the memories. After a moments thought, she decided it was best not to start at the very beginning, when Rook had found her, injured and brought her to the CedarWood forest for treatment. Those days concerning the past and how she had gotten separated from Hearthwood River were gone. Clearing her throat softly, she parted her lips to speak again. As the words flowed, her voice which was filled with neutrality, gradually took on a more resentful tone. "The original lead pair never tried to take back their positions. As far as I know, their former second still leads." Her yellow eyes narrowed, flashing at the thought of Veho. "The day I left, hours earlier we both were at the borders to accept a new member. I don't know why, but as soon as my partner arrived his whole demeanor seemed...different. Tense." Her brows furrowed, knitting down. She shook her head slightly. "We had always gotten along well enough I suppose. We weren't close, but there certainly weren't any disagreements between us. But the way he looked at me that day...I felt unappreciated."

Wetting her dark lips with her tongue, she moved on. "I confronted him later about it. I was less than happy, as you can imagine. We exchanged a few heated words while I tried to express myself. And then he made it perfectly clear that I was not needed. Not wanted, or in any way, his equal." The skin above her nose crinkled, but her teeth remained hidden. "He never even offered me an explanation regarding why he seemed so irritated. So I decided that I would rather go it alone, then work alongside such an arrogant, self absorbed wolf." In her eyes, Veho had been haughty. That he had thought himself too good to need her, when in fact, she had done her share of contribution. Wolves like that, Jynx had no interest in associating with. She took another pause, and relaxed visibly. "But now, as you can see, I am much happier. I am finding my niche, with a pack who truly appreciates me for who I am." She managed a faint smile. She could not sway Emrys' opinion in favor of one pack or another, but she certainly did hope that he would avoid the CedarWood forest. It was not the Hollow wolves who had earned a black mark in her book, but Veho himself. But the past was the past. Time to move on.

It had been news to Emrys that Jynx had been an alpha at the time of their meeting but finding out that she had kept it from it at the time had not swayed his opinion of her. The reason’s she hadn’t told him were her own just as he had his own reasons for leaving his previous home and not finding a pack to join right away upon coming to Relic Lore. He wasn’t one to judge another for their choices, instead he was there to help where needed whether that meant healing an injury or offering an ear. In this case It seemed that Jynx wanted to tell him a lot more than he expected but Emrys stayed attentive as she spoke.

When she told him of wanting to leave her pack he felt it only natural to wonder why she would want to leave. After all despite being a loner most of his life he was well aware of the things that a pack could offer. Before she told him though she was sure to warn him of the complexity of the situation, “These things rarely are.” Emrys couldn’t imagine the difficulty of being an alpha with the choices that had to be made and things that needed to be done. Still he was curious what would have driven her from such a position.He was patient in letting her continue at her own pace and as she began speaking once more telling him the story of what had set her decision he listened and watched her. It worried him how her expressions changed and the tone of her voice but he let her continue thinking it best she get it all out in one go. It saddened him that it hadn’t worked out for her as an alpha but if she felt it was best to leave then that was what she had to do. “I think you did the right thing leaving,” he told her hoping it might give her some comfort. “No wolf should make you feel as though you are not appreciated especially in a pack and pack leader. Him expressing what he did only shows that he didn’t know how lucky he was to have you leading beside him.” He also did agree that she seemed much happier now that she had joined a new pack which was the other reason he felt she made the right choice. “I’m glad that you have found a place where you are happy and feel that you are appreciated. Seeing the way you hunt when we first met any pack would be lucky to have you and it sounds like this pack knows that.” Though he didn’t know everything about Jynx he had the distinct feeling she was one to work hard for her pack and for her ex-coleader to recognize that was preposterous.

(This post was last modified: Aug 17, 2016, 01:14 AM by Emrys.)

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

Reach for the stars

The whole time she had been speaking, Jynx had forgotten to hold her breath, out of wonder of what Emrys may think. But she had trusted him enough to spill all the beans and it was nice knowing someone was there to listen. At the end of it all, he seemed to side with her reasoning, supporting the decision she had made. Maintaining the small smile that had formed on her lips, she rose to her paws. "Thank you, Emrys. I've been working hard in my new pack...they are a good group of wolves. Raela and Gent made me feel truly at home." The names slipped off her tongue without a second thought, unaware that her friend had already run into the Lieris before. She thought highly of the man. A reliable pack alpha who immersed himself actively with his subordinates. Quality time such as that, Jynx felt, were the building blocks for a healthy alliance.

Easing her way back towards a more casual form of conversation and leaving the subject of Grizzly Hollow to be forgotten, she recalled their first hunt together. "I have actually gained some more experience while I've been there. I have a reliable hunting partner, and we both hope to claim the official title of hunter, in time." Allowing him to take the lead in moving towards the blackberry fields, as she had never visited them before, she soon fell into step beside him again. "We already have a medic in training...but..." She had to pause, choosing her words carefully. "...I am not entirely sure if I trust her judgement. She's still young." While Sylva was a decent wolf, with her loopy nature, the huntress was left questioning her skills in the more serious field of healing. 

As the clusters of cherry trees gradually thinned behind their backs, giving way to the more open brush which was sure to be filled with blackberry bushes, Jynx kept a mental map on hand of the route they had taken. Also accounting for direction, so she could calculate this landmarks location in relation to her home. With her instincts always buzzing with life, she kept a constant eye out for any game trails, tufts of fur from would be prey, or prints in the earth. But slowly, her thoughts drifted towards Emrys and his life. She was thriving in White Fir Notch...but what about him? He was still alone and she was left wondering what he would do once the colder weather began to set in. "Emrys...what happened to your pack?" The question came in the spur of the moment as a sudden curiosity that had never crossed her mind before. Yet she was curious why he chose the lifestyle of a lone wolf.

Even though he hadn’t ever been in what he would call a real pack Emrys could understand the difficulty of a decision it was to leave. Even with the pack of males that he had run with for that short time it had taken him some time before he finally decided that he needed to leave them. So he could only imagine how hard it must have been for her. He also didn’t take the fact she had shared the story with him lightly, after all this was only their second meeting. “You’re very welcome. Having a good group of wolves around you makes working hard for them much easier, I’m sure.” She also mentioned Gent the alpha if she was in fact talking about the same wolf that he’d met. “Gent, your alpha is he a large black male?” Emrys questioned curiously. He found it interesting that if she spoke of the same wolf he had met then perhaps this was a sign that the white male should not ignore.

The conversation changed to how she was now doing in her new pack, Emrys was pleased to hear that it was going well for her. “You’ll have to show me all of these new skills you have been learning sometime. I hope that you are able to claim that tile, it would be well deserved,” he said with a smile. The white male was happy that things were working out for Jynx and that she had something she could work towards. It may not be an alpha position but it was something she could be proud of all the same. Leading the way toward Blackberry Fields Emrys wondered why Jynx would bring up the medic they had in training just then. It seemed to him to come out of nowhere which led him to the question, “Do you think that she might need some help in her training?” If that was the case Emrys was more than happy to help a fellow healer.

It didn’t seem to take too long for them to get through the orchard as the low hanging branches of the trees that had surrounded them seemed to thin out. This allowed them to see the path in front of them much easier to find their way towards their destination. As they walked side by side Emrys scented the air for any herbs that might be available to him in this area of the forest. His thoughts having settled on what Jynx had said about their medic and wondering if perhaps he should take the dark man up on his offer. The question that was asked of him next though threw him a little, they hadn’t every really spoken much about him. Though he supposed it only natural for her to wonder about his pack or lack thereof. “Well, I’ve never really had a pack,” he answered, “I was born a lone wolf and had remained one till the spring of last year when I found a group of males and chose to join them but I decided that wasn’t the life for me so I left them after a few months. Then I came here and started a new life where I could practice the healing arts as my mother had.” Emrys hoped that might answer her question as it was the short version. This was the first time that he had answered that question or told anyone about his past for that matter but he didn’t want to hid anything from her.

(This post was last modified: Aug 22, 2016, 07:01 PM by Emrys.)

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Ah, so it seemed that Emrys did have some sort of connection to Gent. Maybe they had met in passing. Her head bobbed slightly in a nod, her tone hinting at her innermost thoughts of the man. "Yes, yes he is. He, my hunting partner and I seem to get along particularly well." She added with a slight chuckle, recalling the seemingly endless occasions that they had hunted together, or chased off a rival. "I would be glad to show you a few more tricks, especially when it comes down to hunting. I'm sure I'll get there someday, but I don't want to just be specialized in one role. I want to know more, a little bit of everything, so I can be as adaptive as possible." 

While no longer an Alpha in her new life, this was something she wasn't in the least bothered by. Jynx was perfectly happy being the hard working huntress that she was, while serving as the packs second. While power was a nice thing to have for some, the stress of leading a pack was simply not a challenge she wished to face at this time in her life. Or ever, quite possibly. If her ambitions ever changed and she wanted children of her own and was in the position to do so, then maybe she would take a second look at her wants and needs in life. As the blackberry fields grew closer, and when Emrys inquired about Sylva, she glanced his way thoughtfully. "...Possibly." She began. "But I have never seen her work with a patient yet, so I can't judge. She's...a bit eccentric to put it lightly." A wolf like Sylva who talked to plants, trees and rocks, left Jynx cautious of her technique. That is, until she saw her in action. 

In the lapse of silence that followed, Jynx watched Emrys carefully. In how he sniffed the air for the herb he was looking for and where his eyes landed. She was trying to learn from him by observing, even if they had yet to fully veer away from the subject of pack life. She hadn't known how he would take her sudden question, but would settle for any answer he chose to give. Or none at all. Even after all her time in the lore, she had yet to completely reveal her origins to a single soul. So imagine her surprise when the first words came out of his mouth. A sudden heat burned un-familiarly at her chest as she recognized he was born a loner, just like her. But she kept silent, listening with complete attention. When he had finished, her reply consisted of the key element in her past too. "Oh, well that explains things. You know...I was born a lone wolf too. I never knew my parents.Some older fellow found me and raised me himself. I learned a lot from him, until it was time for me to move on, where I ended up here." And there was her own short version of her past. She didn't mention names, or specific regions or how she used her knowledge at a young age to survive as best as she could. Jynx was a pack wolf now, and she wouldn't that lifestyle for any other.

So the Gent she spoke of and the one that he had met were one in the same which caused Emrys to think that taking the idea of him meeting both Gent and Jynx as a sign more seriously might not be such a bad idea. “I met him once when the snow was still on the ground,” he confirmed, “He seemed a good man.” It also seemed that Gent could possibly be her hunting partner though Emrys wasn’t positively sure about that, “It’s good that you get along especially if your hunting together. Disagreements could cost not only you but the pack.” Having spent some time hunting with others as a group he did understand that arguments when trying to catch prey could mean that the pack wouldn’t eat that day. “Next time we hunt together I’ll hold you to that,” he said with a slight bump of his shoulder against hers. “I think it’s smart learning a little of everything, it will make you more versatile and therefore more valuable to the pack.”

With the new knowledge he had about Jynx and Gent being part of the same pack he knew that he had more to consider about the offer that had been given him by the dark male. Though he had considered it some in the past it he felt that it was time he gave it a little more consideration especially now that he was starting to rethink living on his own. If he did take Gent up on the offer of joining then he would have Jynx there to help whereas he wouldn’t have anyone if he took Lachesis up on his offer, having never been in a real pack before he thought having a friend there might be better. His thoughts drifted to the medic that her pack already had and the fact that Jynx wasn’t sure that she trusted the medics abilities. “Well, if you think she might like help I wouldn’t mind helping her,” he offered, “But I don’t think that it’s wrong to be cautious of her abilities until you actually see her with a patient. What does Gent think of her?” he asked not sure the alpha would share such information but he was curious all the same. There was nothing wrong with being cautious in Emrys’s mind, being cautious is what kept him alive in his life as a lone wolf.

Their journey to Blackberry Fields gave him the perfect opportunity to see what other plants might be available to him other than the ones that he was out to collect. However with the question posed to him by Jynx any thoughts of collecting any herbs that he scented left his mind completely as he considered the by way to answer which he finally did. Opting for the truth because he didn’t want to lie to her especially after she had been so truthful with him. He also knew that no friendship could be built on lies and he considered her a friend. “Explains what things? I think you lost me,” he asked curiously as he let his gaze fall on her. Then she went on to tell him about her past. “I’m sorry that you never knew your parents but it sounds like the one that found you gave you a good life. I’m glad he found you and helped you.” It was sad that she hadn’t known her parent’s and in that moment he felt lucky to have had the time he did with his mother. Some selfish part of him though was glad that things had turned out as they had because then he might not have her as a friend now.

(This post was last modified: Aug 22, 2016, 10:19 PM by Emrys.)

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Reach for the stars

With a soft hum of agreement, Jynx nodded. "He is. Highly respectable too." She said, not withholding her honesty of Gent. But what she did not comment on was her numerous achievements while paired with either the black leader, or Merys, or even the pack as whole. Such as driving out the grizzly bear when staking claim to their home, or making a meal out of the boar who had trespassed. While proud of her accomplishments thus far, Jynx did not wish to come off as boasting, possibly tarnishing Emrys' impression of her. Should they meet again and get the chance to strengthen their friendship, then maybe she would brag. Just a little.

"I doubt it's the same with all wolves, but us three..." She referred to Gent and Merys again. "...we just seem to have a natural understanding. The kind where verbal communication isn't even needed." Could Emrys ever learn to hunt with her in such a manner? She was certainly curious to find out, and would not mind the challenge of teaching him. At the gentle bump to her shoulder, she only huffed contently, failing to notice how her steps were perfectly in sync with his own. "I'm sure our aspiring Medic wouldn't mind an extra hand. Gent seems to like her...despite her oddities. He trusts her, as far as I am aware." She informed him. Now that Gent was a father, having Sylva around in case of any incidents requiring her attention, was helpful. Even if the man knew his fair share as well, a little weight off his shoulders couldn't hurt. In her eyes, when it came to medicine and being prepared, the more the better.

Apparently her little statement to his reply concerning his origins had been confusing. Or she had spoke too soon, without thinking. Blinking, she shook her head, embarrassed. "Oh! Sorry...I should have worded that differently. See, shortly after we first met, I had got to wondering why you were out on your own, and not with a pack. Especially in the middle of winter." She jested, knocking her shoulder against his, like he had done. "But you are clearly have done well so far." To Jynx, not knowing her real parents had never been a big deal. The wolf who had found her raised her as her own. Be it by blood or not, she saw only him as her dad. A feeling of fondness crept into her chest as she sifted through her memories with her adoptive father. "I am glad he did too. He was my mentor, but I never found out why he chose to live alone too." She shrugged with a small little sigh. Realizing they had gotten sidetracked, she peered under a blackberry bush, curiously for any sign of herbs. But she hadn't the slightest clue what she was looking for. As she raised her head to glance over a shoulder at him with those yellow eyes, she tried to switch gears. "Maybe we should get to looking for that plant you were wanting." She suggested, her tone implying that he should take the lead." What was it that we were looking for?"

It seemed that Jynx had a high opinion of her leader which was important to Emrys. He felt that his friend was level headed and wouldn’t have that strong of an opinion of someone unless they deserved it. He had seen that when she had spoken of the alpha which she had co-lead with. “I’m glad to hear that.” Especially since Gent had offered him a place in his pack so hearing that he was a good man and respectable leader would most certainly help in making the decision. However he felt the same about Lachesis who had also offered and place in Hearthwood River. So he supposed that he would have to base his decision on something else he wasn’t sure he could decide between two good leaders.

While she spoke about the natural understanding that she had with her and two others he couldn’t help but think that she had something special which only added to the reason’s he thought she had made the right decision in leaving the one pack and joining her current one. “I think you have something special with them then and I agree that it’s probably not the same with all wolves.” The white healer felt that it was something you didn’t find very often and when you did it was something that should be appreciated. He was curious about the thoughts of the dark alpha concerning his current healer which Jynx seemed glad to answer. The fact that she didn’t think Sylva would mind a hand was some comfort, after all he didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes. That wasn’t the way he was going to make allies among the healers of the packs or to help Lachesis. “Well I would be willing to lend an extra hand if it was ever needed but it is good that Gent does trust her. He doesn’t seem to be the type to let anyone in if he didn’t. Though I still think that you need to for your own opinion of her.” Just because the leader trusts someone Emrys didn’t believe that the pack had to automatically trust that wolf.

Her comment had caused some confusion in him after he had explained his past to her so he was glad when she explained what she had meant. He nodded his final understanding, “I see and I can also understand why you might wonder about that. I am glad that I could clear that question up for you,” he said with a shy smile as she bumped his shoulder the way he had done her. He hadn’t known she had been curious though it was understandable since he felt that most wolves tried to find a safe place to spend the winter. “I get by and though the winters are always hard I did make it through but I don’t know I think this life might not be what I want anymore,” he shook his head, “I’m not really sure about things yet.” Emrys smiled when she said that she was glad to have had the wolf that had raised her in her life. “Suppose we all have our reason’s that make us feel that it’s what we have to do.” His of course had been his mother and the way she had raised him but the farther he got from her death the more he questioned if he was doing what was best for him. Jynx then reminded him why they had come to Blackberry Fields in the first place, “Right of course, it’s called Mountain Tobacco and it has a yellow flower,” he told her so that she would have some idea about what they were looking for. He had taken the lead and as he did so he scanned the area for the plant as well as sniffed the air in case it’s aroma was carried to them on the breeze.

(This post was last modified: Aug 26, 2016, 04:10 AM by Emrys.)

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Reach for the stars

Mountain Tobacco. She had never heard of such a plant before. But then again, if anyone was the expert here, it was Emrys. Jynx specialized in tracking prey, their habits and monitoring the condition of the population. She hardly had bothered with the plants. The closest thing to that, was sticking her nose in among the grass and weeds to track her quarry down. At least the description he gave her of what it should look like, was something to go by. "Hrumm...alright..." Was her reply, brows furrowing as she peered around. Looking for anything that fit the bill. But this was easier said than done. There were so many plants she had seen that had yellow flowers. How to tell them apart?

Picking her way through the fields slowly, her muzzle hovered above the strands of grass, while her eyes darted from one patch to the next. Searching for anything with yellow petals on it. It was quite obvious by just the way she moved, that she was still rather clueless. A wolf like Emrys on the other hand, would know what they were looking for. The differences between them couldn't have been any greater. After several painstaking minutes of poking and nosing around, Jynx spotted a flash of yellow amidst the dominating green of the fields. Picking her way closer, she inspected the plant. It's buds were yellow alright, but the stems rather long. Unknown to her, she had stumbled upon some yellow rattle, instead of the mountain tobacco they were looking for. Still completely clueless, she called over her shoulder to Emrys. "Hey...is this what you wanted? It...seems to fit what you described." Oh she had so much to learn! There were subtleties to identifying the correct plant, other than plain physical appearances. But the best way to learn, stemmed from ones mistakes.