Wild Cherry Orchard botanical dimensions

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/sibtablesmall.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 200px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align:justify;">In the past few weeks Sibyl had become accustomed to the heavy, resinous smell of the cedarwood forest which she had come to call home. After the violent encounter with the deadly she-wolf, and her accident with the pit and the kindly, albeit cold stranger, she took refuge in the forest of her pack. She had stayed within the heart of their territory, allowing her wounds to heal and spending time with the new generation of Hollow wolves.

She found having a position and role within the pack, as well as a safe place to sleep at night gave her more confidence than she had ever had with her own family. She had been made a scapegoat by her sister, someone to blame whenever anything went wrong, whether it was Sibyl's fault or not. At first after leaving her prairie home and coming to live in the heavily wooded cedar forest, she was absolutely terrified. She'd never had good experiences with forests, as her sister had always used them as a staging point for ambushes on Sibyl. After spending time with the pack, however, she had come to perceive the tall cedars as guardians, even though it was really the well marked borders of the packlands that kept strangers out. She was beginning to flourish as a pack wolf, and while she would probably always be a wallflower, she was happy to have her place.

She was starting to feel a little bit antsy from being cooped up in Grizzly Hollow for so long, and was just a tiny bit curious about what might lie right outside the borders. She woke up just after sunrise, since she'd be damned if she was going to be caught out at night again, after what had happened last time. She'd decided on checking out what was north of the forest, as she'd never been up that way before.

As she neared the northern border of her pack's territory, the semi-confident stance she adopted within Hollow territory shrunk lower and lower. The cedar trees began to dissipate into more leafy, short types. Fortunately they let in a good amount of the dappled, dull light from the cloudy sky. As the last of the cedar trees disappeared, and the last whiff of pack markings and conifer sap vanished, Sibyl wasn't so confident anymore. Her creamy white belly was brushing against the grass that grew plentifully between the trees, and her red ears were lying flat against her head.

Her wide eyes roved over the ground, constantly checking for any threats. The air here was sweet, perfumy, and it took her a while to realize the smell was from the bright red fruits hanging from the trees and scattered across the ground. She had occasionally encountered the fruits while sneaking around farms to the south, and was surprised to find that they grew so far up north.

Jade had been traveling for so long that even the beauty of the land was beginning to fade. Many months she had searched for Steel. She had heard that he had headed north and so she had followed, confident that she would be able to find him. She had made it to Relic Lore and the region was as beautiful and varied as she could wish for.

The only area that had not called to her, had given her the shivers in fact, had been by the mysterious lake. There, she had met Ava, a reserved but kind fae. Then she'd moved on and met Jessie by the lagoon. She was friendly and was also searching for her sister, a white fae named Cali. She had just left Chantille in the field of flowers. Unfortunately, none of them had seen her brother. So now, she headed farther north.

The tall trees passed away, thinned and she was soon smelling a new scent. It was sweet and pungent. Looking around, she realized that the towering sentinels had given way to smaller trees filled with a small succulent looking fruit. Jade had never seen such trees before, but she found the aroma quite pleasing. Not having seen any other wolves for a bit, Jade had felt her confidence grow exponentially in her solitude. Where she was a basket case around others, especially new wolves, she was she was utterly at home by herself amongst the wilderness.

Feeling some of the fallen fruit squishing beneath her feet, Jade looked down and saw that her tiny paws were being stained red by the juicy pulp. She smiled for no good reason at the sight. She rocked side to side on her front paws and laughed softly as her paws got more sticky with red pulp. Mother would have beaten her for such silliness, but the thought of her matriarch didn't have it's usual effect of dampening her mood. Instead she smiled broader and laughed out loud to spite her mother's impossible ideals.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/sibtablesmall.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 200px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align:justify;">Sibyl continued to creep onward through the orchard, ever cautious. She would just see how far these cherry trees went, maybe catch a squirrel or some other little creature to eat, then head ba- what was that noise? Her ears flicked forward, cupped towards the distant sound. It was so quiet nearly anyone else would have missed it, but Sibyl's senses were keen, due to her constant vigilance for danger.

Sibyl contemplated just heading back and forgetting about her outing for the day. She didn't want to run into anyone who might cause her pilikia, but she couldn't know for sure what the sound was. For all she knew it was just some birds. If it turned out to be something bad, it was bright and dry out today, and she could simply turn around and run as fast as her stumpy legs could carry her. Promising to herself that she would get out as soon as possible if something went wrong, she slunk forward under the shadow of the trees.

As she approached closer to the noise but still could not see the source, she was baffled to find that the sound was laughter. Just a female laughing. She had been so worried about maybe some vicious wolf or bear being the source, but it was only a wolf. But wolf was not necessarily good. Maybe it was a maniac laughing? Perhaps a demon? Would she find some crazed woman eating pups or plucking the feathers off crows?

With timid steps she moved, or rather hid, behind one of the thicker cherry trees and slowly peeked her head around the trunk. Much closer than she had expected, only a feet away, was a wolf stamping away at the ground, laughing joyously. It seems she'd run into a maniac after all. The wolf was facing her, and Sibyl hoped she hadn't been caught peeking. Quickly she ducked back behind the stump and froze in place, with her next breath caught in her throat.

Jade's laugh slowly faded as the novelty of the situation wore off. It was so out of character for her, but it had felt good and natural. Why did it seem that everything that her mother would have disapproved of felt good? Mother had obviously been wrong about so many things. So far no other wolves that she'd met seemed to think like she had. Perhaps Jade wasn't such a failure after all... perhaps Mother had been the failure.

At that thought, she crouched down and looked about frantically, almost as if her deceased mother might have heard her private thoughts. After calming her heart and reassuring herself that her matriarch's ghost was not going to eke it's revenge on her, Jade began to stand upright again. She shook her head at herself. Someone would think her crazy for sure if they saw her acting this way. The tiny wolf was immensely glad that she was alone. However, the timid fae could not help glancing about her to be sure and saw nothing but trees and dark red fruit.

Just as she was about to relax fully, something in the bushes caught her eye and her heart went into her throat, pale sage green eyes wide. A flash of fur in the bushes. A wolf. How could she have missed another wolf? Even so silent a one? One day, her daydreaming was going to get her killed. Hadn't she just been thinking that with her last encounter? Taking a quick fearful breath as she scrambled backwards away from the hidden form, she finally detected the faint wolf scent that was well-masked by the fruity perfume in the air.

In her usual manner, her frantic retreat was faster than her body could keep up with and she stumbled over backwards. She did a single backwards roll through the small fruits on the ground and ended up with feet splayed, ears flat, and tail glued to her trembling body. She stayed low to the ground, getting even more squishy pulp on her belly as she gulped and stammered, <b>"P-p-please, d-don't hurt-t m-me!"</b> Her voice sounded tiny and pathetic, even to her own ears as she waited for her fate to step out of the bushes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/sibtablesmall.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 200px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align:justify;">Sibyl let out a slow breath, as the laughing had ceased and she had gone undetected. She turned as if to walk away, but there was a skittering sound, of paws and body against grass. Sibyl's eyes went wide in shock. She'd been spotted, and surely the lunatic was now charging towards her. Before she even had time to think, her swift legs had already carried her a few yards away. But a tiny voice spoke out, and it stopped her in her tracks. It wasn't the words spoken that made her pause, but the way the voice was completely unknown but familiar at the same time. She had often used that same tiny, scared, groveling tone herself.

Slowly, Sibyl turned back around, her head low to the ground and her tail hanging slack. She was a bit shaken, but no longer did she fear what she had supposed to be a 'maniac'. Before her the female was cowering on the ground, and Sibyl felt guilty for having caused her such a fright. "I'm not going to hurt you, miss. Don't worry." Sibyl spoke softly. It was a strange situation for her to be in, usually Sibyl was on the other end of the encounter, trembling in fear at something completely benign. Sibyl's terminated attempt at escape had put a reasonable distance between the two, and so she took a couple cautious steps forward. "I didn't mean to scare you, miss, I really didn't."

(This post was last modified: Jul 02, 2012, 05:52 AM by Sibyl.)

The small bit of confidence that she'd found in her revelation that her mother may have had the wrong of it all along, nearly slipped away. She clung to it by a thread as she crouched fearfully in the cherry grove. The other wolf turned out to be a small multicolored female, much like her. Perhaps a bit darker in shades with beautiful bronze eyes and a gentle voice. She reassured Jade that she would not harm her and Jade believed her, but a lifetime of fearfulness could not just melt away.

Rising a bit from her crouch, she gave a small smile at the friendliness of the other fae. After a huge sigh of relief and a few gulps, she attempted an introduction. <b>"I-I'm J-Jade."</b> It was all that she could get out just yet, but at least her pulse was slowing and she could no longer hear her blood pounding wildly in her ears. The other woman seemed genuinely sorry for scaring her, when it hadn't really been her fault at all. Once more, Jade wished that she wasn't such a ninny and hadn't reacted so strongly.

She hung her head in shame and caught sight of herself. He varied coat was tinted dark reddish purple in large irregular splotches from the cherries that she had rolled over. She was a horrible sticky wet mess! She glanced at the other fae with a sheepish grin, warm heating her face as she realized how awful she must look.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/sibtablesmall.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 200px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align:justify;">She was glad the female had believed she would not harm her, and had unglued herself a little from the orchard floor. The terrified wolf had given her name in a stammering voice, and Sibyl gave a reassuring smile in response. The smile felt strange on her face, as she was seldom confident enough to wear one. Jade's fur was a sticky red mess, but Sibyl tried to politely ignore it. She could never keep herself very clean, so she wouldn't fault another for it, even if it was from stomping on fruits like a nut. The female had given her an embarrased smile, as apparently she had noticed the mess herself.

Sibyl didn't want her to worry about it, and shook her head gently, again trying out a smile. "Don't worry about it, miss. We all do strange things, sometimes. Jade is such a pretty name," she commented. She did wonder what in the world Jade had been up to in making such a mess. Looking past the berry stained coat, it wasn't difficult to guess what had been the inspiration for her name. Briefly Sibyl looked into her pale green eyes, before averting them to the female's paws. She was a slight thing, not one of the wolves of behemoth stature that the North seemed to breed, that intimidated Sibyl simply with their height. "My name's Sibyl Balik," she said.

With her words and quiet manner this fae brought some ease to Jade's tension. She seemed a bit off kilter actually, like she wasn't used to the role that she was playing. How could she ever explain her current state. The berry pulp over her body was from her tumble, but all of her paws were now stained a dark red...sure sign that they had been berry squishing for some time now. The other fae seemed willing to just brush if off and ignore it, so Jade gratefully followed suit.

When she complimented her name, Jade blushed hotly and stammered, <b>"Th-thank you! P-pleased to m-meet you M-Miss Sibyl."</b> She so hated her stammer. Many thought her less intelligent for it, but she was really quite smart, just painfully shy an awkward around other wolves. Even kind, soft-spoken ones it seemed. With an almost defeated sigh, Jade sat down with a 'thump' as tension left her. She was too exhausted to be terrified anymore. This woman seemed safe enough, but the stress of trying to find her brother and coming up empty-handed time and time again had caught up to her and she just hung her head sadly.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/sibtablesmall.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 200px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align:justify;">Sibyl blinked at the stammered thanks. Never before had she met anyone quite so shy as this. It was somewhat refreshing, not having to be on edge around the timid wolf, and Sibyl found herself much more relaxed than when she had first ran into the berry squashing fiend. As Jade gave a sigh and unceremoniously plopped her rear down onto the patch of squashed crimson fruits, Sibyl winced. She wondered if Jade had not noticed or simply not cared that she was only making a bigger mess. Oh well. She would let her do whatever she wanted. After all, what wolf hadn't rolled in some sort of unsavory mess just to bring the scent back to its packmates as if it were an exotic perfume? Fruits certainly smelled nicer than other things.

The morose way in which the lady hung her head threw Sibyl off though. Just a moment ago the wolf had been a little scared, but seemed to have been enjoying herself. Had her sudden intrusion ruined Jade's fun? A guilty knot formed in her stomach and she unconsciously made a low whine, her red ears folding back. "Is everything alright, miss? I can leave if you'd like, I didn't mean to interrupt your..." Sibyl hesitated, rummaging for the right word, "Dancing?" She didn't necessarily want to leave, she had liked Jade so far, but didn't want to cause the woman any unnecessary stress.

<i>Dancing?</i> Jade lifted her head and tipped it to the side, then with a tiny silent laugh she remembered her earlier actions. She supposed dancing was as good as any word for her silliness. Although her behavior hadn't really made any sense it had been somewhat liberating, doing something despite that fact that her mother would have scornfully disapproved. Even though she hadn't seen her for two years, her matriarch had quite a hold on her actions to this day and it had felt good to loosen the ties that bound her so very tightly.

She glanced at the other soft spoken fae and timidly asked, <b>"P-please stay? I-I'm not sure h-how to expl-plain earlier... i-it just h-appened?"</b> She was glad that she'd let go a bit, but what must it have looked like from Sibyl's point of view? <i>Fairly strange...</i> As to why she was here... time for her reason for being right now to come to light. She was almost reluctant to ask again, fearing the now-familiar answer.

Taking a deep breath, she went on, <b>"I'm looking for my brother. I haven't seen him in two years, but I really need to find him." </b> And just like that, her stutter was gone. Anything in reference to herself and her nervous stutter ruled her speech, but anything about Steel and it vanished like magic. The transition almost startled her,but it wasn't the first time that it had happened.