The Wildwood dead leaves and the dirty ground

( Remy's got a random event this time around so, shall we? :3 )

Quite unlike herself, Remy listened intently to the small female's words. Despite her militant attitude her atrophy was the supercilious blood that ran through her veins and reared its ugly head almost predictably often. Despite the odds she had found camarederie to exist between herself and Sibyl. Whatever reason the alliance formed was now obslete in importance - once the pale-coated female gave loyalty it was near impossible to wrench that devotion away. Sibyl's nervous laughter was no longer a sign of weakness as it was just a character trait of one of her brothers in arms, and like all those brethern she deserved her utmost respect. She peered over her shoulder while the pair meandered through the sooty woodland. "<b>Nice lady, hm?</b>" Remy pondered out loud, tilting her head as if it would help the thoughts roll in her head. Perhaps it'd be worth her while to maybe meet the nice lady upon their certain arrival. Servitude was a necessity in one such as Remy's life - already having an ally was helpful as well.

By the end of Sibyl's explanation Remy had come upon an unsurprisingly fallen tree of a surprisingly grand size. Raising on her hind legs she placed two large paws on the blackened bark, pressing her weight into the trunk. There was a little give, as was expected from its death, but there was little rot within the wood. With the right leverage and the proper application of strength the Geddes lady hoisted her body atop the dark wood, looking back upon her partner. "<b>Y'know, maybe she did. Maybe she was just another wanderer like me. I could pass for the leader of a pack, couldn't I?</b>" She mused, a sly smile playing along her dark lips. Then she turned and leapt from her perch... and tumbled into a ditch.

Luckily Remy had leapt by choice (mind, not at all knowing that her fall would be quite so deep) so the repercussions of her foolish actions included nothing more than a sharp pain that shot through her legs and soreness in her paws following her landing. The fallen tree's girth had shielded the trench directly behind it. Had she been within uncomfortable company, her embarrassment likely would've turned into rage. Thankful for Sibyl's presence she managed to cover up her foolery with a pale smile. She searched over the walls of the ditch for Sibyl to make an appearance, though she wasn't sure if she had even made it past the tree yet. There was likely a way around it if scaling it was beyond the russet-hued female's capabilities. "<b>Guess that's karma for you,</b>" she called, hoping the she-wolf was nearby. She lifted herself up once again, finding the ditch was slightly deeper than her standing height. A grunt of displeasure escaped Remy, red ears flattening to her head. The ditch was entirely strange in itself - it looked as though a massive boulder had once been in its place and it just suddenly disappeared, leaving a gaping hole in the smouldering wildwood. Its origins, however, were of no interest to the large wolf; rather, she wanted to know the way out of the damn thing.

<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>(Ooh exciting! :D)</span>

Sibyl had followed her up to the side of the great fallen log. The tree went over the top of Sibyl’s head and she would have sworn it had housed some ancient tree spirit, at least before it had fallen. She grimaced as she imagined the grand tree going up in flames, the poor spirit stuck inside to watch its world fall to pieces. She eyed the gargantuan timber warily as her companion leapt atop it. Sibyl carried quite a few stories and superstitions from her home, tree dwelling spirits among them. The spirit probably didn’t appreciate his old home being stomped all over, she thought.

Remy’s words weren’t very comforting, and just increased the sense of unease. <i>“I guess so,”</i> she admitted. If it had been Remy standing there in place of Jaysyek on that moon-lit night in the meadow, Sibyl would have believed her just as well. Maybe even more so, as Remy was of an even more daunting size and disposition. But so far she seemed pretty nice, anyways. Sibyl watched as Remy dived off the log, wincing as the louder than expected ‘thud’ of her landing reached her ears. She heard the lady’s call from the other side of the log and sighed in relief. <i>“Are you okay? I’m coming around,”</i> she answered. She could have scaled the side of the stump, but had thought better of it and walked all the way around the side of the tree, passing the exposed network of its roots which had been torn from the ground when the tree had fallen. She sure as hell wasn’t going to invoke this brooding tree’s wrath.

Making it to the other side, she glanced around for the light colored wolf but was concerned when she did not find her. But then glancing downward, just under the shadow of the giant tree was a great furrow. Sibyl’s mouth dropped, forming a silent ‘O’; that’s where she must have went. <i>“Well, I suppose that’s karma, when you go and step all over him like that,”</i> the brown wolf grumbled, more to herself than anything else. It was entirely reasonable to her that the irritated fallen tree opened up that enormous ditch all but itself, just out of spite. She slowly approached the side of the hole and placed her front paws carefully near the lip, crouching down on her forelimbs. She poked her red snout over the edge and gazed down to its single occupant. <i>“Oh- Ah! You’re stuck aren’t you?”</i> Sibyl’s eyes widened upon seeing just how far down the hole went. <i>“Ma’am, I don’t think I can pull you out of there…”</i> she worried. Sibyl had difficulty breaking her way out of a wet paper bag on good days. And even if she wanted to, it was a bit far of a reach and there was the risk she would tumble right into the ditch as well. Then they'd really be stuck. Sibyl gave a frustrated whine as she stared at Remy, pondering.

Remy was slightly disheartened when Sibyl's nose appeared over the edge of the great ditch, for it was a lot farther away than she had imagined it to be. Without anything to scale it by the land's random pockmark hadn't seemed quite so intimidating, but given the red female's appearance it showed how truly deep it was. But for this, no fear grew within Remy's soul; instead she quivered with excitement. She had not been doomed by an angered tree spirit, but rather given a challenge to test her strength and means of intelligence, and the hot-blooded female was never a wolf to turn away from difficulty. She was thankful, though, that the smaller wolf hadn't followed her lead - it'd be work to get Remy out of the depression in the ground, much less a wolf of less strength and size. "<b>Well I don't know who <i>he</i> is or why he thought a ditch could hinder Remy Geddes, but it won't,</b>" she grumbled, mossy gaze shifting around the dark walls that surrounded her. Pressing her body weight into her paws she found there was little give to the earth, barely making an impression of her pads on the hole's walls as she did so. There went her first option - she couldn't well try and dig herself a set of stairs to get back to the top.

At Sibyl's revalation she glanced back up at the female, squinting as her figure was partially silhouetted by the sunlight behind the grey clouds of the sky. Remt gave a short bark of laughter, admitting "<b>Yeah, I'm stuck, but only for now.</b>" She had to agree that Sibyl would be incapable of somehow lifting Remy from the cavernous clutches she found herself to be in, but Remy knew there was a use for her yet... she just had to come up with a new idea. Turning around she faced the farthest wall from herself, crouching low to the ground and tensing her muscles to gather the potential energy within her legs. Then, sharply pressing her white paws into the dirt she launched forward, taking a leaping stride before angling upward and attempting to scale the wall. But her paws grappled the side several inches short of the lip of the pit and she sank back. Taking a step back she examined her clawmarks, tilting her head to the left while she scrutinized the distance between freedom and where she had fallen short.

"<b>Maybe,</b>" she called, "<b>there's something we - well, I guess I mean <i>you</i> - can push in here that would make up for this last little bit that I can't clear.</b>" Brows furrowed, she pondered if it was the best idea. Her own weight helped to drag her down as well. She wasn't necessarily bulky but she was indeed big, especially for a female, and that extra weight took away from her speed the same that it did from her vertical leap. Remy figured her physical strength was obsolete within the chasm - she couldn't very well just bash her body into the walls to try and find a way out. She'd have to use her head for this one. Finally she turned back toward Sibyl. "<b>If this gargantuan tree found a way to fall over, there's bound to be something smaller that's fallen too. Maybe like a hollow log that you could roll this way?</b>" She hadn't looked before she leaped so she had no way of knowing if she was grasping at straws or if there actually were more trees taken to the same fate. But regardless, she sent a hopeful smile up toward the bronze-eyed girl. Remy trusted her.

(This post was last modified: Apr 20, 2012, 05:36 PM by Remy.)

<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>Sorry if posts get either a little slow or a little short, I've got a busy week coming up but I'll still be able to reply!</span>

Sibyl wasted no time springing into action. With a nod and a <i>"Yes, Ma'am"</i> her head disappeared from view, and she was trotting off to look for something, anything that might work. She galloped in a little circle at first, disoriented, and then headed off towards a pile of promising looking rubble. There was a round, blackened segment of tree trunk that did not look too heavy, and Sibyl worked her way behind it, over branches and brambles, and braced her right shoulder up against it. However, as she gave it a solid shove, it made a crumbly cracking noise and split into large chunks of charcoal. She quietly growled at the bits of carbonized wood, kicking at them with her back leg as she stepped over them.

Sibyl gazed over the mess of burnt branches and debris. There had to be something of use here. Most of the larger pieces of wood were either blackened to a crisp or too large for her to move anyways. She’d just have to look a little harder. She darted around the vicinity, this time purposefully knocking over boughs and making a ruckus, looking for some sort of object that would serve as a step. Underneath a messy heap of scorched wood Sibyl had excavated a log of about her width and half her length. The outside of the trunk was ashy and cracked from heat but the inside was not burnt, if not a little grey and dried. Somehow this piece had been sheltered from the hottest flames. Sibyl placed an ash encrusted fore-paw onto the log and gave it an experimental shove. The wood budged and then rocked back into place. It was a little heavy, but she could manage if she really worked at it. She took a deep breath, and again placed her right shoulder against the log. This time, as she dug her feet into the ashen ground and pushed at the log, it moved instead of crumbling to bits. Sibyl was able to move the log, but she frequently stopped to catch her breath. “I have something, I’m almost there,” she called out between breaths. With a great amount of time and effort, Sibyl finally arrived near the edge of the pit, panting. It wasn't something she would normally do, but she would do anything she could to help out a friend. Or, someone who could be a friend. She straightened herself up, from a crouch to a slouch at least, as she caught her breath.

<i>“Ma’a- Remy, I’ve got something you can use,”</i> she placed her shoulder back against the log, <i>“Watch out, I’m about to roll it in!”</i> she shouted as loud as her meek voice could manage. With a great final heave she leaned into the side of the trunk, her fore legs coming off the ground and hind legs sinking into the cinders. As the log cleared the lip of the ditch and fell down into it, Sibyl suddenly fell over with the loss of support. <i>“Oof!”</i> Sibyl lay for a moment before sliding her legs back beneath her to stand and moving to the edge of the pit. She peered down into the bottom of the crater. Hopefully she hadn’t squashed Remy…

( it's alright, and i'm sorry this is post is poop >_> )

Almost immediately Sibyl sprung away - one blink and her companion had simply disappeared. The only assurance that she was still alive up there Remy got from the noises of chaos coming from above. Having heard them before, she knew they were Sibyl's. So strange how such a lithe creature could create such a racket! Over the sound of the ruckus she could've sworn she heard the smaller female calling out her success, but Remy couldn't be too sure. Thus far she hadn't been the slightest way provoked by her current situation, but her literal hole in the ground prevented her from seeing anything at all that was happening above ground. Remy preferred to be in the know at all times, so that was slightly unnerving, but she merely grit her teeth and stand as stoicly as she could, feeling like a soldier under the line of fire. Thanks to Sibyl's hard work her stress was short lived - the sounds of ragtag crashing around became just one rumbling hum. It was either the work of an alien spaceship or something large being dragged across the ground, and personally Remy would prefer the latter. It had taken Sibyl a deal of time and strength to move the object but it had appeared an insignificant amount of waiting for the large wolf - her happiness at Sibyl's job did wonders for her patience.

Then came the moment of truth: the bronze-eyed girl's warning, and the great noise of a final heave followed by a momentary eclipse of the sky above as a sizeable log tumbled into her prison. She had edged away from the sound of Sibyl's voice just before she'd shoved the object over the edge so Remy was well out of harm's way, but certainly trapped in the line of ash and particle debris that came off the log in its impact. Waving her head to try and clear the smog, Remy coughed out the ash that tried to invade her lungs and closed her eyes while the dirt settles. Cracking one mossy eye open she felt a great deal of pride in her chest for her newly annoited companion. It was a great hunk of wood she had uncovered and - as she disocvered when she stepped forward and placed her weight against it - sturdy to boot! A successful laugh rose up to Sibyl, paired with a few swishes of her black-tipped tail. Remy called, "<b>Well done! Excellent, even.</b>" She'd taken the <span class='word'>germinal</span> idea and made good work of it indeed.

Once more Remy backed up to the opposite wall of the ditch, taking a grand leap and springing upon the fallen wood. There was the noise of a slight cracking as her full body weight exerted itself on the weakened wood, then the "whoomph" sound of her body as it soared and landed perhaps a little uncomfortably close to Sibyl. When her paws touched the earth she stood with pride, a wide grin taking over her pale face. "<b>Huh! Who would've guessed?</b>" She exclaimed somewhat vaguely, shoving the dark spot of her forehead into Sibyl's cheek with gratitude. Hopefully she didn't use too much force, but then agains he was quite happy.

<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>It's ok, mine isn't any better :/ </span>

Sibyl blinked through the cloud of dust kicked up by the log, catching a glimpse of her red-eared companion through it all, who was apparently not crushed to death. She heard Remy’s pleased words called up to her and her tail wagged in glee. She felt quite accomplished with herself, for such a little feat. It wasn’t often that Sibyl was praised for anything she did. She moved to the side as Remy backed up for a leap, and was a little surprised when she suddenly landed beside her. Sibyl’s tail picked up it pace, swinging frantically to and fro, and she returned Remy’s smile. Sibyl wasn’t prepared for the head-butt, and instinct took over as contact was made, causing her to flinch and skitter back a couple steps, bronze eyes wide and head pulled defensively back to her shoulders. Though she quickly realized what had happened, that she wasn’t being punished but simply shown a gesture of thanks.

Sibyl relaxed her shoulders and neck but maintained her respectable distance. <i>“I’m glad we got you out of there,”</i> Sibyl gazed up at the bright spot in the clouds which the sun was behind, squinting. The rescue had taken longer than she had realized, and the day was steadily wearing on. <i>“I suppose we should get going, though.”</i> She quietly noted as if talking to the sun. She looked back to Remy, an eager expression on her face. <i>“Well, shall we go?”</i> She had turned her body in the direction they had been briefly traveling, away from the gargantuan fallen trunk and it’s trap, but her eyes and ears were still pointed towards Remy, waiting for her lead.

The adverse affects of Remy's headbutt had gone unnoticed by the giant of a female; blinded by her excitement she would fail to see how when Sibyl skittered backwards it was out of defense besides the sheer force of her movement's imposing will. And when she would stop and pull her head back, Remy would only turn her head away and look over her shoulder at the chasm she had escaped and couldn't have without Sibyl's help. Fiercly she gave a good shake of her fur, letting the dusty ashes and particles of rotted wood fly from her pale coat. While it wasn't the perfect method it did certainly return a lightness to her fur, though bits of the mess still clung stubbornly to her undercoat. That was less of a concern than their journey. Nodding, she glanced once at Sibyl and then on the direction they had been heading. "<b>Definitely, let's get out of here.</b>" Then she took off without another thought, leaving behind nature's cruel surprise.

As it turned out, the ditch of doom had been the last stop on their trip out of the fire-eaten Wildwood. Expertly hopping over fallen branches and stones, slinking through stiff bushes and around charred trunks of trees, the scent of life appeared suddenly in the stale air, snaking through the untouched atmosphere as if carried by the wind. Red ears perked forward, lifting her head from the bed of leaves she had been sniffing and turning toward the breath that had come from the west. It wasn't the smell of cedarwood, no, but it was the fresh aroma of green leaves. A sly smile would appear on her maw, passing only one glance toward her travelling partner before she began to pad in the direction of hope. Her footsteps were quick for her size, though not difficult for a slimmer wolf to keep up with, body propelled forward with her her tail swishing like a rudder behind a boat.

It wasn't long, then, that the ashes coating the floor would begin to disappate, and the wood grew less grey, and the bushes were suddenly growing new buds. There was no distinct border between one side of the Wildwood or the other, rather a gradual change, but it still seemed as though they had stepped through a mirror into a blooming forest. Remy finally halted, throwing her head back and looking upon the canopies of the trees overhead. Beneath their dusty paws were fresh fallen leaves, and dark, well-watered dirt beneath those. This side of the Wildwood was a damn <span class='word'>barnburner</span> compared to the southern end.

"<b>Halfway there,</b>" she grinned, chest full of pride at their journey so far.

Sibyl worked her way along through the undergrowth after Remy, eyes kept to the bobbing tail in front of her. She moved quickly, in little bursts, like a little sparrow flitting from branch to branch. She was observant, careful to check over and behind each and every obstacle, not wanting a repeat performance with the pitfall. She had began to smell the fresh scent of new green foliage through the bitter tang of burnt forest, and she noticed that Remy must have noticed the same, with the backward glance cast her way. The gradual change in the forest, the rejuvenation of its vegetation and the return of its animals since after the fire, became more apparent as they continued their way, hopefully out of the damned haunted place. Just as gradual, Sibyl’s posture changed, less of a skittering slouch, and more of a assured stroll. She no longer felt the strange gloom that had been hanging over the burnt woods like cloying incense. Perhaps it was just the fresh air, but it raised her spirits.

Sibyl stopped alongside Remy and followed her gaze upward. The tall trees and clusters of leaves made her dizzy to look at it, but it was better than the oversized used matchsticks masquerading as trees that they had left behind. She turned her head to look at her companion. Sibyl had taken this nice lady’s help for granted, and she still hadn’t a clue who she really was. They still had a ways left to go, she might as well find out. She opened her mouth and closed it a couple of times, almost starting to speak but not quite. She wasn’t a very charismatic wolf, and the right words to say eluded her. She took a breath, and finally deciding what to say, quickly blurted out <i>“So where are you from?”</i>

Standing tall among the virile forest, she couldn't help but to stop and smell the roses for a proverbial moment - even if there were no roses; the clean leaves and blossoming life was just fine as well. It felt as though she were cleaning her lungs of all the ash and soot that remained within the dead woods, replacing their tainted air with a cleaner, fresher one. Whether or not that was only happening in a metaphor it certainly did serve to rejuvinate her mossy gaze, a brightness appearing within their pale depths. Remy found herself both surprised with Sibyl for her changing posture as she took on more confidence, and that her companions change in confidence had subsequently somehow pleased her. Curious, that was. Typically she couldn't give a rats ass about others <i>personally</i>. She cared for her comrades, for her packmates, for her leaders, but usually only in terms of support. She wasn't much interested in others' <i>feelings</i>. Feelings weren't dutiful; they were unnessescary in caring out one's tasks. How strange that it made a difference to her at all...

Taking note from the corner of her eye of Sibyl's hesitation, she awaited some form of question, unsure of what the content might be if it caused her so much difficulty to ask. But when the question came it was actually relatively simple - nothing more than her origins. Remy raised one eyebrow and squinted, as if in deep thought over what one would assume to be such a simple question. After a vague pause, she'd toss her head and begin on her travels again, as if she were dismissing the question. But a few steps in she responded, simply, "<b>Alaska.</b>" There she hailed with her pale coat and thick fur, a wolf made for the harsh life of cold, cold winter, and uncertain darkness, and little relief of warm weather. One couldn't just blame the weather for her temperment, because it wasn't the only cause for her strange nature. Remy didn't know what was neccesary to disclose at the moment. Her pack had been rather militant, which lead to her inflated sense of duty and respect, but her judgmental quirks had come from her life as daddy's girl where the spoils were far and few in between but very much so <i>hers</i> whenever they were.

While walking she would slow her pace, shifting to the side slightly so she could speak more easily to her red-eared companion. "<b>Don't suppose you've ever been there?</b>"

<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>Sorry this one is short :/</span>

A little pang of disappointment worked its way through her as Remy continued onward, disregarding her inquiry. Sibyl followed, scarlet muzzle pointed towards her toes. She was used to being ignored or swatted away like a bothersome gnat, but she had thought maybe this wolf had actually somewhat enjoyed her company. Given this, Sibyl was surprised when Remy finally gave her curt reply, Alaska. She’d heard just a little about it, a cold, foreboding place; according to her Aunt, at least, it was a place where giant animals the size of mountains were born. Sibyl looked up to her large Alaskan companion, eyes wide with wonder and a hint of understanding. It all made sense now. “Oh, Alaska… I see,” she murmured, finally peeling her eyes off of Remy and looking ahead.

Sibyl picked up her pace, moving up to walk alongside Remy. She shook her head and answered, “No, it’s quite far from here, isn’t it? It sounds…” Sibyl fished around her head for the right word. Cold, dark, snowy, icy, scary… Not wanting to insult the lady, Sibyl settled with “- It sounds interesting.” She could handle winter and foul weather as well as any other Canadian wolf, but the harsh way of life in Alaska seemed a bit too wild for her. With any luck, Sibyl would never end up there.