Wild Cherry Orchard If Only I Could Fly

you come to me with scars on your wrist you tell me this will be the last night feeling like this In the winter there were no cherries to decorate the landscape with their color. There were few birds roosting here in the winter as well, but the remnants of nests in the trees spoke of the birds that lived here when it was warmer. Though there was a lack of spring songbirds, a mountain bird, soaring through the air in beautiful, alate flight, graced the orchard with his music. His blue feathers seemed to glow in the sunlight as he drifted away toward the forest. Though there was no snow beneath the trees, the grass was damp. What little snow had been there had melted away beneath the rays of the sun, which were warm for this time of year. The sun was high in the sky and the day was only half over. For once Anyu was somewhat well-fed – or as well fed as any lone wolf could be during the winter. She had leisurely wandered from her den near the edge of the Thicket of Secrets and then across the Blackberry Fields until she had reached the orchard of cherry trees. The trek had taken the better half of the day. On her way she had run across the scent of snowshoe hare and had managed a successful kill. Her belly full, she now rested beneath the shade of the cherry trees, her eyes drooping as she struggled to fight off sleep. It was the call of a bird roused her from her half-sleep. Curious, and even somewhat bored, Anyu stood, stretched her legs, and took a few steps until she was able to see the sky through a break in the trees. Overhead a simple hawk soared over the orchard and the fields, searching for his next meal. Anyu watched as he circled twice before he soared off in a new direction. Prey was scarce this time of year, even for a hawk that did not need large prey to survive. As the hawk disappeared from her field of vision, Anyu turned away. The sight of the hawk made her realize just how trapped she was. If she could fly then she could go anywhere she dreamed of going; she would truly be free. Instead she was trapped on the ground, where the pain of her memories kept her from truly living. Her tail and head low, she wandered away from the open space in the trees. Soon she was beneath the shade of a gnarled old cherry tree. There was a hollow at the base of the tree, among the roots. There, she curled up, covering her nose with her tail. To any unobservant passerby she could have been a stray drift of snow that had managed to gather beneath the trees and avoid the rays of the sun. Soon she was asleep, her breath coming in a steady, deep rhythm and her mind dreaming of how things used to be. i just came to say goodbye didn't want you to see me cry, i'm fine

Clear skies in winter still meant cool weather. Despite that unspoken law, the pale sunlight seemed to rejuvinate the barren landscape. Pines and furs glistened a deep emerald; beckoning animals into the safety of their embrace. Birds sang distantly while a few thin deer cropped at the newly discovered grass that appeared under the receding snow.

The damp grass felt pleasant under his paws after treading the icy snow for so long. It almost made up for the rumbling in his belly.Erde sighed and continued plodding,trying to avoid the slushy-brown snow patches. He had been exploring the area around his new den in the Blackberry Fields-all the while hoping to run across a rodent or hare- when he caught a new scent. It had been faint, for scents did not cling long or well to snow. The smell of a lone female would not have roused much interest;he assumed he would meet her eventually without going to extra effort. However, the underlying scents of weariness and sorrow stirred protective instincts in the male. <i>No lone wolf who smells <b>that</b> vulnerable should be by themselves.</i>

So here he was, nose to the ground, following the scent of this female into completely new territory. Erde wagged his tail. It was nice to explore without getting chased by a hostile pack, but he <i>wished</i> he could've eaten something first. His internal grumblings stopped when he passed into a cluster of cherries. They looked grey,gnarled, and vaguely sad without their beautiful blossoms. Erde paused, stretched, and gazed at a hawk soared high above. <i>Good hunting, brother.</i>

After watching the hawk wheel through the pale blue skies for a moment, he dropped his nose to the ground again-only to discover that he couldn't find the scent. it should have gotten stronger, not faded! His large paws treaded a wide circle as he whined in growing frustration. How could it just disappear? Erde stopped his dizzying circle and lowered himself onto his haunches in the damp grass. Dappled light played on his pelt as he swung his head, yellow eyes searching the cherry orchard.

(This post was last modified: Jan 18, 2012, 05:48 AM by Erde.)

you come to me with scars on your wrist you tell me this will be the last night feeling like this She wasn't sure how long she slept for, and because she intended to spend the night beneath the cherry trees she didn't really need to know. Free to be lazy for the remainder of the day, Anyu was content to remain curled up in a ball among the tree roots. She would have stayed that way for some time to come, but something caught her attention and roused her from her slumber. She was dreaming that she was back in her home far from here, with her mate by her side. Together they led the pack she had once created. As one, the pack was hunting. Anyu was on the trail of an injured elk when another scent crossed her path. She recognized it as wolf, but it was a stranger. Startled, she suddenly found herself awake beneath the tree, her tail tickling her nose. With little warning, she suddenly sneezed; a loud sound that could have been heard from quite a ways away. Shit! she thought. Now that she was awake she could still catch the faint scent of wolf in the air. The scent was clearly male, and he had to be nearby. Wasting no time - for he was surely aware of her presence - Anyu scrambled out of the depression between the roots of the tree. Little emotion showed on her face as she looked around for the stranger that was somewhere in the orchard with her. Though she could not see him just yet, she knew that he was there, nearby. Perhaps he was watching her. “Who’s there?” she demanded, intending to sound strong. Her voice came out slightly hoarse and sounded just as weary as her mind was. Hoping to appear somewhat self-sufficient, she held her head and tail up as far as she could manage (which wasn't much) and pricked her ears forward to try to hear any response from the stranger who was so close by. i just came to say goodbye didn't want you to see me cry, i'm fine

He remained sitting in the liquid silence of the cherry orchard for but a few moments, but that was long enough for the cold, damp grass to start becoming uncomfortably wet on his furry bottom. Still he sat, debating the merits of standing and searching some more or sitting and waiting. Erde lifted his nose to the air and inhaled deeply, but found no trace of the female's scent. Perhaps the breeze, his constant companion in winter, had shifted. Although there was the delectible scent of fresh-kill floating on the air. His stomach growled loudly, but not as loud as a sudden, explosive sneeze.

The male jumped, startled, and swiveled his ears. Was it...her? He cocked his head and listened. Faintly, a rustling of paws on dead grass could be heard. He lowered his head and looked at the cherry orchard out of the corner of his eyes. Experience told him that a dominant wolf would be....more friendly...around a stranger showing submissive behavior. Although he couldn't see her, it didn't mean she couldn't see him.


<b>"What have I stuck my nose in this time?"</b> he mused. It certainly wouldn't be fun to run into a dominant...but if this female needed help, he would stay. Erde squared his shoulders shook his entire body, pelt rippling. Doubts cast aside,he started toward the place where the sneeze originated. He took care to let his paws fall heavily on the grass, so as not to startle her. As he went farther in, the trees grew closer together. He squinted. Was that cherry ahead larger than the rest?

A voice, rasping with weariness, issued suddenly from ahead of him. <i>I Finally found her!</i> He relaxed his ears and tried to reply in as mild a voice as possible. <b>"Just a loner, passin' through."</b> Was that whiteness by the base of the cherry the female? <b>"I smelled you earlier."</b> He stated after a pause.

you come to me with scars on your wrist you tell me this will be the last night feeling like this She waited for some sign that there was indeed someone out there. There was just the slightest movement of air beneath the trees, and that gave her just the faint scent to go off of. Trying to figure out what direction it was coming from was near impossible. At least she had her back to the tree that she had been sleeping beneath. It would provide some semblance of protection if the stranger in question were planning to attack. The sound of paw steps on the damp grass made her prick her ears forward. The wolf was coming from the direction in which she had come, and she turned her gaze to that part of the orchard to watch for him. She was wary; while she could hold her own in a fight for a short time, she could be easily overpowered in the state she was in now. Winter had been hard on her, as had her mood. Depression made it hard to even force herself to hunt. Finally the male came into view. He was darker colored, in contrast to her white coat, but was not black. Instead, he was a dark shade of brown. He was just a little shorter than he, but in better health and therefore most likely stronger. He also appeared to be a bit younger, though how much so was hard to tell. She watched him with guarded eyes. Her posture was far from dominant, but she was not submissive either. She listened, and not long after he first came into view she heard him speak. She was hoping that this was not some persnickety wolf who would try to worry over her health. Some wolves she had met were quick to offer her charity, and that hurt the pride she had developed when she had once led a pack. Trying to sound strong (and failing), she lifted her head a fraction of an inch and said, “So you were following me.” It was a statement, not a question, as she was assuming that this wolf had followed her scent to her location. With that assumption, she added a question. "Why?" i just came to say goodbye didn't want you to see me cry, i'm fine