Fireweed Rise MY SHROOMS!

Note to self: After meeting Trisden, Treena, Chantille and Elletra, and before meeting Sloane
Dusk/Nightfall 62 degrees cloudy

The fowers seemed dull and colorless. The sun had just dipped blow the horizon
causing the shadows to bend and swallow up the world. The red flowers were now dark
as blood in the coming night. The dark clouds were closing in on the stars, and casting
even darker shadows onto the earth. The coming night would be a black one.


Even so, wolves ruled the black night, and felt just as comfortable there as in the
bright sunlit day. A wolf streaked across the rise, her silver fur looking dark gray in the
shadows. Then the she wolf stopped suddenly. She lifted her head and sniffed the air.
Her furry quarry had escaped into its burrow. Now the female sat back down panting
heavily. She would not eat today.


My stomach is eating my insides out! She whined softly while she caught her breath.
Her treck down the mountains had resulted in more food items appearing, and she was takiing
the time to try and hunt some. Since she was seperated from her father she had not been
eating well. So now was the time to catch a meal.
Too bad I haven't even caught one filling meal yet. Or I would actually be interested in
the flowers around here. She remembered looking down from Riddle Heights at this very
field and wanting to visit it, but now she was so hungry she didn't care to look at her beautiful
surroundings.


After she rested for a bit the wolf yearling stood back up and began nosing around the plants
and flowers for something to eat. Even a mouse or bug would do. She didn't care what she
across. The silvery wolf had trotted all around the field until at the very edge she found
something odd. Mushrooms were growing at the edge of the field and the trees. They
seemed to be growing out of the old fallen logs that littered the edge of the field.
Narimé sniffed at the mushrooms wondering if she could eat them. Most of the mushrooms
were about one to three inches tall with a wide white umbrella. At the edges of the umbrella
were orange looking colors.


Great I have to find something to eat that MIGHT not have the possibility of killing me. She
stared at the mushrooms deliberating on whether to eat them or not. They had a musky scent
to them which made her nose twitch. It wasn't an unpleasant scent but it didn't smell
delivious either.
Now what do I do? The yearling continued to edge closer to the fungus trying to
make out whether they were poisonous or not.

(This post was last modified: Jun 18, 2012, 06:59 PM by Narimé.)

<blockquote>Time was easing by, and she felt less and less horrible and more and more numb. Even the flowers of the fireweed rise, typically the color of hot blood and brilliant, especially in the late spring weather, looked listless and unimpressive. There was no reason at all for Ava's visit to the Rise that day. She hadn't ever seen it before, besides knowing it was the place where the Swift River and Poison Path animosity had first truly erupted. But walking helped her cope, somehow. The mechanic movement of her legs, forward and forward again, and the static feeling of dirt beneath her paws was a comfort to surround her mind in rather than thoughts of abandonnment. The visits were short, now that the pups had arrived, but the black-furred she-wolf tried to get out once and again anyway. In a way, it kept her sane.

The silver fur was easy to find in the Rise; it stuck out so starkly against the flower's red. Between the clouds it would flash brilliantly, and beneath them the glow would turn to a darker, ashen grey. Ava hadn't a clue who the running wolf was, but she became the target of her travels. As she raced through the field, the shadow girl followed, loping at a consistent pace while the other dashed and paused, dashed and paused, until finally she took to the edges of the field and slowed considerably. Ava did not. It didn't really matter to her if she snuck up on the wolf or not; her plan of action wasn't anything sinister. In fact, if anything, it did not exist. She was merely curious with an empty mind - and the silvery being did well to fill it.

Where Ava was a shadow, the other female was a ghost. It seemed only fitting that she haunt wherever the other haunted, even if only for the night. The imagery was fun to play with as they moved across the field, silent through the night as it slipped over Relic Lore, but soon enough the other female had stopped. She appeared to be sniffing around some of the fallen trees, but the notion of not knowing the other didn't stop the dark-furred females approach. Swift and quiet she would head up the rise, golden eyes focused on the same object that had transfixed the silvery she-wolf. Mushrooms?

"<b>I don't recommend it.</b>"

Ava announced her presence with a simple declaration, coming through the flowers and closer to the girl. Her <span class='word'>volant</span> movement finally stopped a few yards from the stranger, maintaining a respectful distance. Her head tilted toward one shoulder slowly, peering at the fungi. Ava had never seen them before; she wished she had. For some reason, more than anything, she wanted to be right and give the girl correct advice. She wanted something to go her way, but she had no authority. Even guessing that the girl was planning to eat them was entirely out of thin air; the Poisoned girl knew nothing of her actual intentions. But she pretended she had, staring forward on the lanky creature.</blockquote>

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Narimé heard the voice before she saw the wolf who'd spoken.
With blue eyes searching her surroundings she realized the shadow to her left
was actually a very dark wolf. A dark wolf with firey eyes watched her from a distance.
The hunger sounded itself in the silvery yearlings stomach. However after looking over the
mushrooms and then back again to the black wolf Narimé decided not to just pluck the
fungus up and leave. Besides maybe this wolf knew that the fungi things were poisonous.


"So why shouldn't I try even a little taste of one?" She asked keeping her head and
body lowered. This female had the same scent on her that Treena and Chantille had.
Was she from the same pack as the others? Even so she didn't want to make a pack
wolf angry at her for any reason.
The silvery yearling did not want a pack coming after her for something stupid. So she
kept herself lowered and neutral. So far she had met two wolves from this unknown pack.


"But I guess you're right. Why hazard a taste if it may kill me." She answered her own
question while keeping watch on the female. The mushrooms still looked tantalizingly good
as Narimé stood above them, but for now the female would keep all of her attention.


May I ask a few quick questions?" She dipped her head and waited for the black she
wolf to reply. If she didn't want to answer then she could just tell the yearling off, but
Narimé wanted to know first an foremost why the wolf was creeping on her. Then if she got
an okay answer she would ask the female if she might have seen her father. Maybe
she could even ask if Chantille was doing okay too. They were in the same pack right?
I wonder what their pack is called? I have met three members already and I don't even
know the name of the pack itself. Knowing the name of the pack may come in handy
in the future if she ever needed it.

(This post was last modified: Jun 18, 2012, 11:40 PM by Narimé.)

<blockquote>Ava was pleased to find the lanky female was not startled by her arrival. Her eyes, a strange shade of blue that almost seemed to reflect lilac tones from within their depths, flickered between Ava and the mushrooms. A delicate smile egded on to her face; she could see and smell the youth of the female, but at least she wasn't stupid enough to listen to the black female without questioning it. Eventually she seemed to agree that Ava had any validation, though her words suggested a little defiance. "<b>I mean, you <i>can</i>,</b>" Ava said with a listless shrug. She wasn't going to stop the silver-furred girl from taking a big ol' bite if that was honestly what she wanted. "<b>All I said was I wouldn't recommend it.</b>" And she could be wrong, of course. Perhaps that mushroom was the most succulent edible in all of Relic Lore, tasting like every delicious meat and hot blood all put together. Maybe it was some magical plant that would fill your entire belly with one small bite. Who knew? Ava certainly didn't, and she was starting to be quite untrusting with things that she didn't know.

<i>But I guess you're right. Why hazard a taste if it may kill me?</i> That much surprised her. The night-colored female tilted her head a little, tail twitching with amusement. The pale-coated females naivety rather reminded her of her own youth, and it was refreshing to see something thinking, and trying, and wondering. Pack life was making Ava into quite the grisly wolf, though she usually had to Ice to relive her puphood, but he was unavailable now. This female, however, similarily colored at least a little bit, did a decent job of reminding her of freedom of mind. A grateful smile appeared on her face, both for Ava's own good and to ease the youth's stance. The Poisoned female stood rather lazily, entirely neutral and not attempting to <i>appear</i> anything for certain. Her easy grin was an invitation for the young wolf do so herself.

Of course, she went on giving her surprises. Questions? "<b>Haven't you just asked me questions?</b>" Ava countered, a little jest in her calm voice. It was a playful jab that she meant nothing by. After a moment of consideration, she let her haunches sink to the ground. The grass was cool, but still dry from the day-time. Fixing her anticipatory expression on the younger female, she raised her chin and brought it back down in a slow, smooth motion. It was a deliberate nod, one that gave the go ahead for her <i>quick questions</i>. The female did not entirely lack caution, but she certainly seemed to have an air of freedom that older wolves tended to forego. Ava wouldn't likely approach someone with questions lest she feel a little cocky, but the younger wolf didn't have an air of arrogance about her. In fact, she was entirely polite - just a little forward, if anything. Strangely curious, she awaited the interrogation.
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{I}Well at least she's friendly, and she doesn't seem to be the
fight you now ask questions later type of wolf. Narimé liked smart wolves.
Wolves who would rather think of a way to solve a problem instead of just jumping
right into it. Then when the female sat down she relaxed further. Her shoulders relaxed
and her head came up a bit still in the neutral height.
"I guess you're right I already asked you some questions." She smiled back at the female
and wagged her tail a bit showing more friendliness the the stranger.


She thought about the wording of her questions and then decided to scrap her
first question about the female creeping on her. Now that the wolf was chatting with her
the yearling could see that she wasn't out to get her. Besides maybe she was just enjoying
the night running. If Narimé wasn't so hungry she'd robably like to just run the whole night long.
Run and be free, run and feel the wind brush her pelt, run through the scent of the firey flowers.
So her next question came to mind, and in a cheerful voice she asked the female her questions.


"Okay then!" She smiled, " One question I wanted to ask is if you had seen an older white
male wolf with gray fur down his shoulders to his tail. He has amber eyes too." She
cocked her head slightly and with an innocent look added, " He's my father... I have been
looking for him for about a week and a half now." She finished her first question and
waited for an answer. If the black female was in the same pack as Treena and Chantille
then Narimé knew that she probably wouldn't have seen him if her packmates hadn't.
But it was worth a try, she still wouldn't give up on him that easily.

<blockquote>Thankfully the female took no offense to Ava's jest, which in turn helped to lift her drowning spirits somewhat out of the cold water. In turned she seemed to grow a little bolder, if only by the smallest amount, allowing a smile to take to her youthful face and a jaunty wag to begin in her tail. Strange that this had been what her life was like before, when she was nothing more than a loner herself. Friendly nature, cautiously approaching others, never having to puff her chest out and demand of another what they were doing on her property. Ava liked everything the silvery female reminded her of.

Whoops, spoke too soon. Almost immediately the girl asked her about her father, recently left and in desperate search of. It took a great deal of strength to mask her face, but the black-coated girl was getting quite good at it. Ava usually hated it when others spoke of their family members; it pained her so greatly to recall how she had abandoned her own. They'd been so broken, she hadn't wanted to stay with a reminder of the past. And now karma had caught up to her - Poison Path was what she would have lived, back with her siblings. But it was quite sweet that the young girl was so intent on finding her daddy, she was so young... Briefly her gaze flickered between the cool ground and her new-found companion, while Ava consoled herself. A thoughtful expression had been slapped on her face to keep the silver female none-the-wiser from her inward pains. After her selfish feelings had disappeared, she considered the actual question as was requested of her.

Actually, the male wolf's description <i>did</i> sound familiar. Athena's new mate was a large wolf, with mostly white fur and a dark saddle on his back. It wasn't necessarily grey... and he wasn't exactly "older". Then again, how old could this young girl possible be? She seemed to be barely a yearling, with her legs still long for her frame. He was a large wolf as well, like the one the silvery female was destined to be... Still, the idea seemed a little far-fetched, so Ava gave a slight shrug and a gentle shake of her head. "<b>Unless your father's name is Tlarx, I haven't met anyone to meet that description. Are you sure he came this way?</b>"
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Narimé was at once surprised that the female had even seen a wolf that
matched her fathers description. But then she was let down by the males name. Tlarx?
No that wasn't her father. She shook out her feeling of being let down and listened to
the she wolf. Her last words made Narimé grow more sad.


"Yeah both of us were heading north, but then we got seperated suddenly after
a bear attacked us at a carcass." She grew more silent at the bear attack part of her story.
"So since he was leading me north I continued to head north to see if I could find him.
I thought maybe he was leading me to this place since there are so many wolves
around here." She closed her eyes remembering how she'd ask him every day where
they were headed and he'd never answer.
Please let him be safe, or at least in a better place and not suffering like he was while we
traveled. She looked down to the ground and sighed. Her tail stopped wagging while
she sat in her place.


"Well that was my first question. My second one is maybe a little more personal
but I would like to ask if it is okay." She tried to change the topic now to keep herself
from getting too depressed about her father.
"May I ask what the name of your pack is? I only ask because I have met two other
wolves with the same scents on them as you which should mean you guys were all from the
same pack. Right?" She put a smile back to her face though her tail did not wag this time.
She still felt a little down from before.

<blockquote>Seperation by travelling. It seemed to always happen, and yet most wolves she met (herself including) were touched with wanderlust. Why go off when little good came of it? This Ava knew as well; her friendship with Ice had caused her enough trouble and her secret romance with the finest wolf of Grizzly Hollow was already tugging on her heart when the night grew dark and lonely. Traipsing around did no good. And yet it afflicted them all. Ava pondered on it as she observed the sadness that befell the youthful female's face, the silence in her heart reflected in her lavender-tinted eyes. Her chest was an empty cavity, she hardly felt her own heart beat, and yet Ava still felt sad for the yearling she barely knew. "<b>The same thing happened to myself and my siblings. I'm sorry.</b>" Too bad it wasn't Tlarx.

Personal? Ava looked at the other curiously. They'd been within each others' company for less than a few minutes; what kind of depth-reaching questions could she possibly have?

What was the name of their pack? Ava was at first relieved; it was not a question she was uncomfortable answering, but it did require some thought. When Rhysis had been in charge, their secrecy was of utmost importance. The name of their pack, the location of their pack, its numbers, its intentions, its well-being, those had all been secrets to keep within her teeth until the end of time. But the fact never left her, never failed to cause her pain deep within her chest: they were <i>gone</i>. And basically everyone already knew their pack's name already... what was the point? She eased a gentle sigh from her jaws, as though giving up on any notion of keeping the past traditions, and turned her head back upon the pale-furred female. "<b>I'm Ava, second in command of the Poison Path wolves.</b>" It ser ved both as an introduction, as well as an answer to her question. "<b>Which of my pack mates have you met?</b>"

Ava was not certain if it surprised her or not that her packmates had just as much of wander-touched paws as she did. At least, that's what she figured if two of them had met this poor yearling already. Perhaps she'd been hanging around the mountains? Briefly she wondered if the girl would have to find a home in Relic Lore, or if she would continue her search for her father.</blockquote>

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Narimé smiled softly. She remembered the caring Chantille and then
elegant Treena. So far her thoughts about This Poison Path pack was that
they had honerable proud wolves in their ranks. I wonder if all of the packs
have such respectable wolves residing in them. A thought flashed through
the females mind as she sat watching her paws.


"When I first came to this land I passed through the rugged peaks
of the mountains that your pack lives in." She began her little story since
it seemed Ava wanted an answer. The barely noctilucent black wolf
did not scare Narimé, in fact she was surprised that the smaller wolf was actually
the second of the pack.


"While I was passing through the mountains I almost fell off of a ridge that was
leading down to a little lake. Fortunately a wolf named Treena Rose had been
checking the borders and noticed me. She heled me out and led me to the bottom
of the mountain ridge." Narimé shivvered at just mentioning her close call on the ridge.
The yearling could easily remember dangling off the steep wall over some very sharp boulders.
"She was a respectable wolf. She didn't have to help me I know that. I know that most
loners are killed after crossing borders. Maybe she helped me cause I was only near the
border. I didn't cross it yet." Narimé didn't realize even now that just being near Lost Lake
meant that she had in fact crossed the border. However lack of border patrols meant that the
scent along the border had faded. So Treena did not punish her for being ignorant.


"Then while I was hunting around Drooping Willows I ran into Chantille." Narimé
avoiding talking about how she'd met the wolf by tripping right in front of the white gal
while she rested. If Narimé could blush she would've in embarrassment as she spoke to Ava.
"She was a really nice wolf. She really seemed to actually care about my situation. It was
kinda strange actually. I haven't met a wolf in this land yet who actually seemed to care
about others like that." Narimé looked back to Ava. She seemed to care more than
Treena had about her position. purhaps there were some kind wolves in the world.
"But so yeah they both had the same mixed pack scent that came off of you. So they
have to be your packmates right?" Narimé flicked her ears flatter and cocked her head again.
She waited for the female to answer. But Narimé was sure all three of them
had came from the same pack.

<blockquote>A smile widened across her dark face as the tales of her wanderlust-touched friends and their encounters with the young she-wolf unfolded. Ava was quite a bit surprised when Narime mentioned that her original path of entry to the plentiful - and mostly flat - lands of Relic Lore were the trecherous mountains. Therefore it only made sense that she had a difficult time traversing them without the help of one of the Poisoned mountain wolves. Pride swelled in her heart at how useful Treena proved herself to be both in mountain-walking herself, and instructing the silver female to safety. "<b>Treena is a strong wolf with a good heart. I'm glad you made it safely through the mountains - sometimes they're hard even for me, and I've made them my home for months,</b>" she said, noting the truth of her words. As much as she loved those rocky paths, they were always changing. Sometimes a few rocks fell and blocked one way. Other times the easy way home reeked of cougar and to avoid confrontation she had to snake down the dangerous side of the mountain.

She couldn't help but feel a little proud of Narime as well when she mentioned a simple rule that so many wolves seemed to consider unimportant: loners do not cross pack borders without permission. Ava then saw fit to mention, "<b>The mountains are not ours - as much as we like to lay claim to them. Poison Path wolves frequent the rises, but our lands lie hidden in the valley.</b>" Whoops, that sure sounded enigmatic. "<b>What I mean to say is you were far from borders, so Treena was just another wolf on neutral territory. You have nothing to fear from us.</b>"

Next, she went on to mention the Willows. Ava had never actually ventured back after her initial meeting with Ice. It was almost like a sacred place that it felt strange to hear of someone else's interactions within the spooky territory, especially when it involved someone close to Ava. Yet it was unsurprising to the black-coated she-wolf that Narime had nothing but praise for Chantille's personality. The two had never really interacted, yet the cream-furred Bay wolf was the entire reason that Ava was not limping around. Briefly she glanced at the fur that grew jaggedly over her scarred left paw and felt somewhat bad about how she constantly ignored Chantille's presence. The female had nothing but kindness to provide the world... well, that and healing. Perhaps, now that Naira's absence had truly settled in, she could take some pointers from Chantille instead.

But those were matters for another time. Looking back to Narime, Ava smiled, pleased at the outcomes of her stories. "<b>Chantille has a heart big enough to care for all of Relic Lore. We are lucky to have her. And yes, they are both cherished packmates of mine.</b>" At the distance that the two she-wolves sat, Ava could smell no form of territorial or bodily claim on the silvery female. She hadn't been in the Lore for too long, judging from her stories, so Ava had to wonder... "<b>Do you plan to stay in Relic Lore? Or will you continue to search for your father?</b>"
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