Dragonfly Fen The place of the Pines

The juniper needles surrounding them weren’t anything spectacular. He had frequented these woods often enough, observing the different shades of green and learning the different paths that weaved through the trees. Most of his time was spent exploring and escaping the abundance of orange in the Vale. Laur-somethin’ was usually MIA, leaving Sachiel without a playmate. His parents were kept busy with their adult shenanigans which meant he was often left without supervision—not that he minded. It meant it was easier for him to sneak away unnoticed. He did not mind the company of some of his packmates, but only when he was in the mood for it. Their constant need to converse made his head spin, which made it difficult for him to focus on his surroundings and the colours.

In typical Sachiel-fashion the boy shrugged in response to Tikhon’s question, his mismatched pools glancing over at his companion. “Some. Jus’ small stuff.” Most of the time he was unsuccessful but Tikhon didn’t need to hear that. He would most likely help the little Leigh better his technique while they hunted together. (He hoped.) Hunting was an important skill—something he would need to learn regardless of what path he decided to take in the future. Otherwise he would be deemed useless to the Vale—or any other pack. 

(This post was last modified: Oct 12, 2017, 02:43 AM by Sachiel.)

ridge is a mature character

aka he curses a lot due to his frustation with his memory loss

x

ridge associates colours with moods/feelings & uses them to describe others

As they passed through the pines surrounding the Vale Tikhon kept an eye on Sachiel as he was still young. He didn't want to push the boy too much but he also didn't want to baby him either. The pup would be coming into his own in a few months and Tikhon felt he should be treated as such. They were headed to one of the first places the dark agouti had traveled when coming to this land. He'd followed Laike's scent after being left and it had led him to this place that he now called home. He could only home that his brother had also led him to his missing brother. Tikhon had never cared much if he ran into Laike again and in fact part of him hoped that he would to show the brute he had survived without his help. That however wasn't what the dark agouti needed to be thinking about just then. Focusing on the trip he was making with Sachiel and keeping the boy safe was more important.

The dark agouti was curious about how much Sachiel knew about hunting since they would probably be doing some on their trip. He of course didn't expect perfection the first time but knowing how much the pup knew would come in handy later when they did hunt. “Well you have to start small to get better at the bigger stuff,” he stated, “Maybe you and I can bring down something a little bigger while we are out here.” Tikhon knew there were goats on the mountain as well as a few other species so they could have their pick when the time came.

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Bigger stuff. He frowned slightly. Sachiel did not know if he was ready to take down anything bigger than a rabbit. Especially not with the help of the pack. If Tikhon believed they could do it Sachiel would have to trust him because he was not an expert in hunting. Not like the agouti, who had a few years of experience on the cub. He just didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of the older male, or be the reason why their hunt wasn’t successful. How was he supposed to be a valuable member of the pack if he couldn’t hunt? Hopefully this trip would change that; make him better. Make him useful. All he was really good at was exploring and having an exceptional memory. That wouldn’t get him very far in a pack.

“Mmhmm,” he hummed in response at the older male’s suggestion, his mismatched gaze falling on his taller figure for a moment. The boy was curious as to where Tikhon was taking him but he didn’t want to ask. He was worried he would bother the agouti, or annoy him, and that the Artemieva would end the adventure early. The orange was so far behind them that Sachiel had basically forgotten about it. He was just pleased with all the warm, soothing green surrounding them. It put his mind at ease and made it easier to focus. To breathe. 

ridge is a mature character

aka he curses a lot due to his frustation with his memory loss

x

ridge associates colours with moods/feelings & uses them to describe others

As the moved further from the Vale the terrain beneath their paws began to change becoming a little more rocky. They were also traveling in a slight incline which Tikhon remembered descending before as well as stumbling a few times in his weakened state. He kept a close eye in his companion to make sure he didn't stumble and fall. The boys safety was top on his priorities, he didn't want Sachiel to have a bad experience the first time he took a long adventure. The dark agouti figured they might have a few more hours travel where the would come to the place of the blue pine tree’s. He had spoken of large pretty that they might need to bring down but there was also plenty of smaller prey in case they didn't find anything that was larger.

“Are you getting hungry?” He asked the boy since it had been a few hours since they'd left the Vale. Tikhon was used to going without but he didn't know if Sachiel was since he was still a pup. Despite that he thought the child was doing well on the journey and didn't see any reason to slow their pace any. “We could find a rabbit or something. You can have a little practice and we can have a snack?” Or they could keep going and catch something once they reached their destination. “Unless you would like to wait?”

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The terrain had begun to shift beneath them. He could feel the incline from beneath his paws as he slowed his pace in order to concentrate better on where he was stepping. Were they heading into the mountain? He frowned. Would his parents be okay with his lengthy absence? Would they even notice? The frown deepened as they continued their ascent, his tail drooping slightly as his excitement began to ebb away. Tikhon had been planning this since their first encounter, Sachiel did not want to upset or disappoint the older agouti by being so nonchalant about the adventure. It was exciting. He’d never been close to the mountains before, only north of the Vale and in the woods between the rock and the orange trees. But he couldn’t stop his thoughts from straying. It left a heavy weight in his chest.

Was he getting hungry? He blinked, his frown still present on his dark lips. Sachiel couldn’t tell. He didn’t feel hungry and didn’t want to take time away from their adventure. Unless the older male was hungry the boy could wait. He had curiosity fuelling him—he didn’t need food, not yet. “No, m’not hungry,” he answered in a soft voice as he continued maneuvering over the rocks, his mismatched gaze falling onto the male’s tawny frame. “Are you? We can get somethin’ if you’re hungry?” It was the most he had said during the adventure. But he did not want Tikhon to go hungry just because he didn’t need food. 

(This post was last modified: Oct 19, 2017, 09:22 PM by Sachiel.)

ridge is a mature character

aka he curses a lot due to his frustation with his memory loss

x

ridge associates colours with moods/feelings & uses them to describe others

After traveling on the slight incline for a time Tikhon stopped to look around to ensure they were going in the right direction. He didn't think it was too far until they reached their destination. He recognized some of the area around them from when he had traveled through before. Once he had taken stock of their surroundings he started moving again making sure Sachiel was with him. He didn't continue up the incline but instead turned slightly to the right. The ground wasn't level but they were no longer traveling up, he believed the pine trees he was looking for were just on the other side of a stand of trees not far ahead of them.

As they continued he checked in with the pup to see if he was getting hungry. Either way he didn't mind stopping to make sure his companion got the things that he needed. Keeping in mind that Sachiel was still young and probably not used to such a journey. “We will keep going and hunt when we get there,” he stated offering the pup a smile. Then the child said more than Tikhon that he'd ever heard him say. “No, I'm not hungry yet,” he assured, “I do think we should get something before we head back. It shouldn't be too much longer until we are there.” Once they had gotten to the pine trees he thought they could head back to the Vale once the pup was ready to.

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The tawny boy nodded in response. He did not want a hunt to slow them down. There would be plenty of time to look for a meal once they arrived at the pines. Eat before they returned home—much better option. Sachiel could work with that. He had not realized how far of a walk it was to the place that Tikhon had spoken of during their previous meeting. But he didn’t mind. It gave him an excuse to stretch his legs and add more pieces to his mental map. This area was newish to him, as he had only seen portions of the evergreen trees surrounding the Vale. The needles here were different, a more subdued hunter green. But still comforting.

Much better than the orange.

He remained quiet, as per usual, his mismatched gaze focused on the older male as their path began to take on a slight incline.

ridge is a mature character

aka he curses a lot due to his frustation with his memory loss

x

ridge associates colours with moods/feelings & uses them to describe others

It was decided then, they would hunt once they reached the place that Tikhon wanted to show the pup. That was perfectly fine with the dark agouti man he was eager to see what Sachiel thought about the blue pine trees. He led the boy along the incline instead of up which should lead them past the stand of deciduous trees and then would be the blue pine tree forest as he had called it his first time there. It was the first place that really had any meaning for the man after entering the lore.

After that he had wandered growing thinner with each passing day. However, Sachiel didn't need to know all of the horrible details of his time on his own. No, all the pup needed to know was that he'd been sick and gotten better and now Tikhon was holding up on the promise he'd made. When they came to a certain point on the slope the dark agouti man started to lead the boy in a descent down to more level ground.

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for plot purposes, i wouldn't mind getting this wrapped up soon <3

He maintained his pace and did well in keeping up with the older agouti. His strides were much longer than Sachiel’s—more graceful, too—but the boy was trying. He did not want to slow Tikhon down, which was why he had declined the opportunity to hunt. It would be much more rewarding waiting until they had reached their destination, especially since Sachiel was prone to napping after eating a big meal. Being groggy meant he wouldn’t be able to pay attention to his surroundings—to the colours!—for he would be too fixated on the idea of sleep. Plus, he wasn’t hungry. Not yet.

The ground started to become more level beneath his paws, making the trek much easier on the short-legged cub. The trees continued to shift in colours, soft hues of juniper green falling into shades of amber. A darker orange. Better orange.

ridge is a mature character

aka he curses a lot due to his frustation with his memory loss

x

ridge associates colours with moods/feelings & uses them to describe others

That's Fine.

He’d told Sachiel of the blue pine trees and now he was finally going to be able to show them to the boy. It was something that Tikhon had been looking forward to and maybe had even helped him to recover more quickly from his time on his own. Soon he would be able to start the search for his brother. This had been in his mind a lot lately and he wasn't sure how he was going to get started but the dark agouti man was determined to find Lorcan.

Finally she reached the bottom of the descent and Tikhon picked up his pace as he crossed the flat land between the slope and where the trees stood. He glanced back once to make sure Sachiel was still with him before continuing until he came to the tree line where he stopped and waited for the boy to catch up. “We're here,” he finally stated looking up into the trees with needles that were a frosty blue color.

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