Iridescent Lagoon slept on the shore

It was just before dawn and the sun still had a ways to go before it would peek its way above the horizon. Yet the sky was still brightening from the deep dark indigo of a starry night to a lighter hue, with pale yellow beginning to appear along the eastern horizon. Sibyl had been awake for a while now, bronze eyes fixed on the lake, not a single ripple marring its surface. With all the excitement she had been through recently it was nice to just take a rest and meditate. She was lying down on the near the shore, her fore-limbs stretched out in front of her and her head resting on the earth between them. She liked how quiet and calm it was; the lake hardly making any sound and no other animals could be heard nearby. It felt safe here, for the time being at least.

The haunting wail of a loon echoed across the lake causing Sibyl to abruptly lift her head from the ground, red ears turned forward to listen. She hadn’t expected the sound and had been startled out of her reverie. It was time she got up, anyways. Pushing herself up to a sit, she scratched at the back of her head with a hind leg. The dust and dirt of her most recent ventures, particularly through the burnt Wildwood, had worked its way deep into her pelt. Its usual auburn and cream tones were dull and greyish with no shine to it. She rose to her feet and walked towards the lake, stopping when her toes were just barely touching the water. She could tell it was quite cold, but it wouldn’t be unbearable for her to go in and try to get cleaned off.

Sibyl lifted her front leg, white paw poised just over the water in preparation to step in. But she hesitated. Oh, it was going to be so cold! She placed her paw back on the ground and stood staring into the still water, not yet disturbed by her step. Her reflection looked back at her and she scrutinized it; was that what she looked like now? As anyone would do when faced with a mirror she made a few faces into the reflection, smiles, frowns, grimaces. She tried her hardest to look fierce, fangs bared, nose wrinkled and hackles raised, but the result wasn’t as ferocious as she had hoped. She just looked ridiculous and the expression felt awkward on her face. Displeased with her likeness she thrust her paw into the center of the image, breaking the reflection and sending ripples outward. The cold water bit at her submerged paw and sent a chill up her leg. It was cold, but she really did need to wash off the ash caked up in her fur. It was starting to itch and the smell of burnt wood clung to her. She also wanted to make a good impression on others, and couldn’t really do that when she looked like she crawled through a fireplace. Well, the burnt part of the Wildwood might as well have been a fireplace, but she didn’t need to look like it.

Gathering what little courage she had and taking a deep breath, the little brown wolf suddenly charged into the lake. The silent pre-dawn was interrupted by the crash of her suddenly dashing into the water, with water splashing up around her in a cacophony as she ran. The chill hit her like a wall and she gasped and shivered. She stopped when the water came up to her shoulders, which wasn’t extremely far in given how short she was. Ripples radiated from her body, disturbing the lake’s tranquil surface. Sibyl stood still, letting the cold water seep into her fur as she endured the cold water.

(This post was last modified: May 10, 2012, 10:09 AM by Sibyl.)

The day had yet to be greeted by the sun and the lands were still cast in the shadow o darkness. The pale wolf was on the move again, despite the earliness of the hour. For some reason he was once again was filled with the need to move on and be somewhere else. Ever since he'd entered this incredible territory he would wake up with this feeling. The feeling that it had something else to show him, something amazing. Whatever the case, sleep was lost to him and he crossed land that he could sense more than see right now, headed towards who knows where. Well, he would know when he got there, Koda mused to himself.

As he moved through the forest an acrid stench filled his nose and it wrinkled with distaste. His ears flattened against his head and his lips curled up over long white fangs. He knew that smell all too well. Fire. Or the aftermath of it anyways. Just then the sun began to break the horizon and bring definition to the land. He felt his heartbeat speed up, almost uncontrollably. The sight of the burnt land, coupled with the unmistakable stench was overwhelming. Fire had, indeed been here. In a heartbeat he was in another time...

<i>The merciless flames ate at the ground, seeming unstoppable, until the skies gave up their bounty and torrents of rain fell to subdue the merciless inferno. The smoke burned his nose and made his eyes water. The ashes on the hot ground were everywhere, scalding to pads of his feet. He had to find the others... He headed back towards the dens, the ground still hissing as the rains put out the flames. Bodies littered the ground as he passed, some of wolves. Unrecognizable! His heart clenched, but he continued towards the den. Others would surely be there. But they weren't. Five days he'd waited with no food or water. Five days of torturous agony, knowing that he was the only one to survive both the stampede and the wildfire caused by the freak lightning storm. Why had he survived? Why?</i>

With a start, Koda snapped back to reality and realized that he'd been running blindly through the scarred forest until he burst free of it. Exhaustion ate at him now. From his wild run and from his emotionally spent heart. He stood with his legs splayed widely, taking slow deep breaths to calm himself. <i>That was in the past. He HAD to move on.</i> After a few moments his breathing slowed and his heartbeat returned to normal. All right. <i>That</i> was a first! It was also the first time he'd been anywhere near anyplace associated with a fire since he left his old home behind, long ago.

As he came back to reality he took note his surroundings. There was a large lake before him, painted with the beauty of the sunrise. <i>This was where he'd been headed.</i> He was sure of it. It's majesty called to him and he simply gazed out over it's still waters for long moments. Then a sneeze abruptly interrupted his reverie. He suddenly realized his legs and face were coated with a thin layer of ashy dust. It must have been in his throat too, from his panicked breathing, for he felt immeasurably parched. Just as he decided to make his way down to the lake for a revitalizing drink, the sight of another wolf leaping into the frigid water caught his attention. His mouth hung open for just a moment, before he collected himself and slowly walked closer in the hopes of getting that drink and maybe meeting another friend...

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

Her jaw lowered to the water, pink tongue flicking out for a drink. Sibyl wasn’t aware of the approach of anyone behind her, but as she stopped drinking a prickling feeling went up her spine. It was an eerie sensation, a feeling of something else’s presence, which she hadn’t felt or noticed at all by the lake earlier. She held still and the sound of water sloshing against her ceased. Her nerves were on edge yet she feared to turn around and see what could be there on the shore. Her ears flicked back, straining to hear if anything was making its approach behind her. The prickling sensation had only increased, and she was sure something was there. She was positive she had heard the <span class='word'>sibilant</span> sound of footsteps over grass. She could swim out into the lake, but the lake was far too large to easily swim across. Even if she did try to swim away, what if whatever was on the shore could swim faster? She could also run back onto the land and try to get past whatever was waiting there. She would have to turn around first, however.

Slowly her head turned until she was looking back over her left shoulder. The shore looked like it had when she first entered the water, vacant. She was certain something was there, though! The sense of being watched was creeping and crawling along her skin, only increased by her inability to locate the watcher. She quickly flicked her head the other way, this time looking over her right shoulder and yelping in shock when she actually did see someone. There was a wolf there, glinting silver in the half-light of the imminent dawn, making its slow approach from the shore. Sibyl turned immediately so that her body was now facing the wolf with her bronze eyes fixed upon it. She made no attempt to move any further however. The wolf was close enough that she could detect its scent, and from it she could tell it was a male about her age and that he carried the familiar scent of burnt wood. She was not yet familiar with the other packs of Relic Lore, yet she could at least tell he did not smell like a Hollow wolf.

<i>“Hello?”</i> She said as more of a question than a greeting, her voice a quiet murmur. She looked uneasy and kept eyes and ears focused on the stranger.

While Koda walked with confidence, he showed no aggression. He was a firm believer in only getting aggressive when needed. This was a simple encounter and there was certainly no need to spook her further than she already was. She hadn't seen him right away, but must have sensed him, since her head whipped about searchingly. Then she'd spotted him and faced him, looking rather anxious. He couldn't really blame her. It had been entirely unintentional, but he'd surprised her in a moment of supposed solitude and he was a large unknown male to boot.

<b>"Hello."</b> His voice was deep, yet soft and comforting at the same time. <b>"I didn't mean to startle you. I am Koda Reinier. I am merely after a drink of water, I won't intrude on your time."</b> As he approached the shoreline and caught sight of his reflection he paused. There was a light dusting of soot over his entire lower half and smudges of darkness randomly scattered across his body. <b>"After a bath,"</b> he laughed. He was true to his word though and entered the water down the shore from her, so as not to increase her anxiety.

He dipped his head a couple of times, his pink tongue lapping at the water as he drank deeply. Then he swam out deeper in the bone-chilling water. In all honesty, Koda loved to swim. He didn't get much opportunity to do so in his travels. He paddled out and swam a few laps, being sure to stay out of the female's area. He didn't ignore her, but he didn't stare either. When he deemed himself clean enough, he exited the water and gave a mighty shake, knowing the end result would be him looking like an oversized fuzz ball until he dried. It was not his best look, but it couldn't be helped. Then he lay down and proceeded to calmly lick his fur dry and smooth. He faced her, but kept his gaze averted, hoping that she might continue the conversation. He felt a little bad for interrupting her, but it had been necessary.

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

As Koda spoke, she averted her gaze, lowering her head to look instead at the water rippling against the shore. She hadn’t meant to be so bold as to gawk at him so impolitely, but she had been surprised. Yet she kept her attention focused on the silvery wolf as he made his way down the bank, flicking her eyes up occasionally to keep watch. She briefly considered quickly slipping out of the water and making an escape, but there really was no reason to. This fellow seemed quite friendly and polite and seemed to mean her no harm. She could continue about her bath without worrying too much. She was starting to get quite cold from just standing around in the icy water, anyways. She turned around and gave a shudder from the cold, then kicked off the mucky lake-bed to paddle out into the lake.

She swam out a few yards, and then turned back towards the shore. She had expected the male to still be standing there as she had not noticed him enter, but instead he was also in the water swimming about. She kept watch of him out of the corner of her eye, suspicious, but as he seemed to mind his own business she relaxed. Sibyl had always enjoyed swimming and strangely enough the inherent risk of water was a danger she had always been able to overlook. If it was brighter she could even try diving for fish. She paddled back and forth along the length of the shore, careful to leave space around Koda but otherwise preoccupied with swimming. Eventually she tired of swimming and returned to the shore. As she waded out of the water her tongue lolled out in a pant and her russet fur was saturated and dripping. She shook out her fur, water spraying off in all directions.

Sibyl didn’t know how long Koda had been out, but she noticed he must have been there for some time as he was almost dry and quite fluffy. A little giggle escaped her, but she turned her head away quickly, hoping he hadn’t noticed. She walked further up onto the bank away from the muddy rim of the lake and onto grass cropped short by roaming deer. She circled around before flopping down onto the grass, still panting from the exercise. Her fur was clumped in messy spikes by the water but she wasn’t the type to fuss with her appearance, she’d at least gotten all the dirt and ash out. She glanced over to Koda resting just a few yards away and decided she might as well make some small talk. <i>“Nice to meet you, sir. My name’s Sibyl Balik, I don’t suppose you’re from around here?”</i> She spoke softly, looking out at the lake as she talked. It seemed to glow pink and gold with the reflection of the morning sky, the sun soon to rise.

Koda' patience apparently paid off, for once she relaxed and swam for a good while, the female exited the still frigid water to lay in the cool morning air. She kept her gaze on the water, which pulled his own dark golden eyes back to it. The early morning sun was just rising over the horizon and had begun to paint the water in fantastic colors. Anyone who had known Koda for any length of time knew that he loved to swim and even fish if he was lucky. They knew that his favorite times of day were at sunrise and sunset by the water. He was confident enough in his masculinity and strength to not feel strange admitting that he loved the colors that the sun splashed over the water's surface at the beginning and the end of the day.

The woman finally spoke, softly interrupting his quiet reverie of the beauty of a sunrise. He gave her a smile, although he was unsure if she even saw it as she kept her gaze averted from him, even as she spoke. He supposed that she was a bit on the shy side. He was greatly appreciative that he'd never been a particularly shy wolf himself. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable again, so he said nothing of it and acted as if it were a normal thing to speak to someone while looking at something completely different.

He did look her way, however, when he answered her. <b>"I am most pleased to meet you, Miss Sibyl. No, I am not from around here. I have traveled here from the Yukon, moons west of here. I have recently entered this region that I've come to know as relic lore. What about yourself? Do you hail from around here?"</b> His ears were alert for her words and his eyes shown with friendly curiosity. He'd met a few nice wolves along the way, since entering this region and one or two not so nice ones. This fae seemed to fall into the prior category and he was glad of it. He was growing weary of traveling and was certainly had no wish to <span class='word'>intromit</span> conflict into his life.

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>Sorry this post took so long and isn't very good :( </span>

Sibyl peeked back out of the corner of her eye towards Koda and saw that he was looking towards her. She looked back out at the water for a moment until he began to speak, which she then reluctantly turned her head to face him. She knew there was no reason for her to act submissive to this friendly lone wolf, yet she found it difficult to make eye contact with the man. She tried her best to keep her eyes on him as he spoke but her coppery ears were folded to the sides. She kept averting her gaze off to the side or downward, not confident enough to meet his eyes.

Regardless of wherever Sibyl's sight wandered, she was paying attention to what was said. She had never heard of a place called Yukon, but it certainly seemed far away. She had also been a traveler who somehow ended up in the Lore, and she wondered if he had also accidentally stumbled upon the place on a weary trek to nowhere. It was actually more calming for her to face Koda as he spoke, as his cordial expression and demeanor was apparent. Koda seemed to be one of the big northern types that most often intimidated Sibyl with just their height, but his patience and affability slowly calmed her anxiety.

She shook her head to his question and met his eyes as she spoke this time, <i>“No, sir, I grew up far south of here. It’s been nearly a year since I’ve left home; it’s quite different but not so bad. I’m in a pack now at least, I’m not sure how I managed that,”</i> There was a ghost of a smile on her face, and her black-tipped tail thumped the ground a couple times. Sibyl had been unusually fortunate so far, as everyone she had met in Relic Lore had been kind and courteous, trying to help in whatever way they could. She felt a twinge of guilt as she never had anything to give in return for their help or hospitality.

Koda waited quietly after asking his own question regarding her origins. For long moments, not a <span class='word'>pip</span> came out of the skittish female. Finally, his patience was rewarded when she faced him and spoke quietly a bit about her old life and her recent entry into a pack of relic lore. It was rather odd that she seemed amazed to have been accepted into said pack. She seemed to have little confidence in herself. He found himself wishing he knew how to give her more belief in her own worth, but he was not sure what he could do or say to boost her self esteem, knowing very little of her, beyond the few words that she had just spoken.

When she spoke of her new pack though, a bit of her happiness in finding it came through with a small smile and a few brushes of her tail. Maybe she would find herself with her new family. She was young yet and had plenty of time to grow into herself. It was a never-ending process after all! <b>"It has been a year too for me being on my own. I am happy for you that you have found a pack to call your own once more. They are lucky to have you."</b> His words were simple, but true. He believed that every wolf had their worth in a pack and on their own. They just had to find their place and their talent. He still searched for his place, so she was one step ahead of him already.

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

Koda's words of good will lifted the little wolf’s spirits and again she gave her tail a shake. <i>"I'm not so sure about that, but if you say so, sir."</i> there was a lilt of humor to her voice as she spoke. He hadn't yet the chance to see Sibyl fail spectacularly at anything yet, but she wouldn't reject a free compliment. The trees surrounding the lake had begun to resound with the chirping and rustling of awakening birds. Sibyl’s attention was drawn across the lagoon, to the eastern horizon which grew brighter and more golden with each moment until the brilliant orb of the sun began to steadily climb its way up over the distant white capped Riddle Heights. The lake was illuminated fiery orange by the reflection of the sun and the two resting wolves were lit up by the aureate glow of the sunrise, causing Sibyl to squint and look away.

She slowly propped herself up into a sitting position and pawed at the ground nervously before speaking, <i>“Hey, are you hungry or anything?</i>” She felt like she had something to prove to this wolf she had just recently met, as if she had to some way live up to his compliment. She wanted to be a useful pack member, someone who was able to contribute more than take. She wanted others to feel lucky to have her around. Maybe, just maybe she could help find some breakfast for the two of them. She was absent mindedly watching her paw crush the grass beneath it to a paste as she thought. She pulled herself back into reality and tilted her head to look over at Koda and see what he thought. <i>“I don’t think I could manage a deer, but I think I saw a beaver lodge on the north edge of the lake?”</i> she offered.

(This post was last modified: May 21, 2012, 08:24 AM by Sibyl.)

Koda smiled kindly at the shy fae. She seemed pleased by his comment and at the same time looked doubtful of it. After sitting up and harassing the grass at her feet for a time she asked if he was hungry and then suggested beaver hunting. That was a delicacy that he had not tried and the idea appealed to him. His stomach growled loudly then and he laughed out loud. Apparently his belly agreed that it was a good course of action. <b>"The vote is in and all of me agrees that is a wonderful suggestion!"</b>

The creamy silver wolf stood up and wagged his tail gently at her. He decided that he would let her take the lead and initiative in this venture to hopefully give her a sense of accomplishment. He really wanted to see her smile and stand a bit taller with confidence. <b>"Perhaps you should take the lead, since I have never hunted the builders before,"</b> he suggested. Then he waited for her to take the lead. He was hungry but there was no huge hurry so he gave her time to think about taking the initiative and lead the way. He looked at her directly with his golden gaze, but friendliness and encouragement was all that showed in them.

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.