Wild Cherry Orchard a cage called freedom

<blockquote><font style='margin-left:20px;'>A sliver of gradient blue and gold over the edge of the horizon announced the arrival of the dawn. Normally, Coquelicot would not have been up until the sun shone clearly on the cusp of the afternoon, but the incessant chatter of the birds quickly roused him out of his light slumber. The tri-colored wolf rose to his paws and languidly stretched his joints, mouth pursed into a slightly grim slash as the early morning mist settled over him.

Despite having a somewhat slender frame, his thick fur not only exaggerated a larger appearance but also took a fair amount of time to dry once wet. Which was the reason why Coquelicot rarely wake up at dawn, for it was nothing short of illogical. The branches above him rustled above from the antics of his feathered avian companions and Coquelicot glanced mournfully upwards to be hit in the right eye by a cherry projectile.

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(This post was last modified: Aug 02, 2010, 01:14 AM by Indru.)

Niija found it easiest to slip away in the early morning, when the rest of her siblings slept—if she waited much longer, she would be caught in their attentions. It seemed that she had become the pack's surrogate mother, taking care of both the pups and yearlings, offering Indru and the other adults her advice and natural wisdom. As much as she cherished her family and loved that they came to her and depended upon her, Niija also cherished the brief moments she could escape and spend time by herself.

After making sure all of her siblings were accounted for in the den, the tawny female escaped the borders and headed north. Before long, her golden eyes took in the beautiful cherry orchard. Its perfume beckoned her and Niija slipped in between the trees—just in time to see a poor creature get hit in the eye by one of the red fruits.

Stifling a chuckle, already sure he was fine, the female asked, Are you alright?

(This post was last modified: Jul 30, 2010, 08:48 PM by Niija.)

<blockquote><font style='margin-left:20px;'>Coquelicot had closed his eyes just in time before the impact, but nevertheless the cherry stung as it hit his closed eye, bounced slightly, and fell pathetically to the ground amidst leaves and its fallen brethren. What good fortune. With a resigned sigh, Coquelicot supposed it couldn't be helped if one was hit in the eye by a falling cherry. But despite his logical acknowledgment, he couldn't help but flush under his fur in embarrassment in spite of himself when a nearby voice sounded, inquiring of his welfare.

So apparently someone had seen the incident. Blinking at a faster rate than usual, he turned to see a tawny, golden-eyed female as he stammered out a somewhat hasty reply in a half-attempt at nonchalance,<b> "Y-yes. I'm okay. It was just a cherry." </b>As soon as the words left his mouth, his mind caught up with the situation and he concluded that he probably came across as rather foolish to the other who had witnessed his earlier embarrassing situation. It wasn't a particularly good impression on his part.</blockquote></font>

-intrudes- hope you don't mind guys. :D

Though following his sister had not been intentional, Indru had found himself abruptly crossing her fresh scent as he travelled back home, to Swift River. He had hesitated for a moment, a paw raised as he decided which direction to travel in, before shrugging and placing it down in her direction, his others following soon after. As he neared her he picked up another scent, one of a lone male, which he had not noticed before, as familiar was Niija's to him and his concentration on it and though he knew Niija was capable of handling any danger, he was pleased he came.

It appeared that the two had just met when Indru arrived, missing the exchange between them but smiling slightly as Niija's laughter. Hello, he greeted them both friendly, his gaze leaving the male to instead fall on Niija who he approached with his head raised and tail curled over his back. Though Niija was a respected member in their pack he still ranked higher than his sister, but he knew she would not begrudge the submission his rank required unlike some of their more volatile siblings.

Niija smiled naturally, disarmingly; it would be hard for anyone to think such a radiant and humble creature would take pleasure in mocking the embarrassed. No, she had truly laughing with the poor fellow at such an unexpected and—honestly—comical incident. Her brother approached shortly after with a smile on his own face, greeting them in friendship. Indru asserted his dominance over her, though as was typical of the siblings, Niija merely dipped her head in acknowledgement. Though she was only a subordinate, she was highly respected within Swift River—and that afforded its own show of stature.

Turning back to the "wounded" male, she said, I am Niija Tainn of Swift River. Her brother, she expected, would want to introduce himself on his own. Some say that when you cause cherries to fall from a tree, the number that fall signifies the years remaining in your life. She tilted her head, considering, I'd say the bird that did this is quite unlucky.

The approach of another individual momentarily distracted Coquelicot from his embarrassment as he turned his attention to study the newcomer, a large tawny male whose bearing suggested that he held a dominant position and was likely part of the only pack in current existence, Swift River. His suspicions were quickly confirmed as the female wolf introduced herself as indeed a member of Swift River. "My name is Coquelicot False," he introduced himself in turn with a polite dip of the head.

The now-named Niija preceeded to offer a tidbit of folklore about the cherries to which Coquelicot listened to with slight intrigue and amusement. Of course it wasn't logical to believe in such tales was Coquelicot was quite a thorough skeptic, but nevertheless such frivolous legends and the like were amusing to consider. "I've never heard that before," he mused, turning an eye upwards at the rustling birds residing in the canopy of the cherry trees. "Back where I come from there there weren't many cherry trees to be found."

Indru Tainn. His tie to Swift River was left off due to Niija's previous mention and the scent of the pack that redoubtably clung to their fur. Returning Coquelicot's short dip of his head with his own, his eyes glanced over him quickly before turning back to his sister as she spoke. Niija was full of stories of myth and folklore, and he smiled at this one having not heard it before and glancing down at the cherry in question curiously. It was not uncommon for his sister to start a piquant conversation with her anecdotes and Indru remained silent as the stranger beside them remarked on them, his fiery eyes turning back to him as he spoke.

Where did you come from? The question was harmless, and Indru's genuine curiosity showed that he had no malicious reason for asking the question. Me and Niija have only lived here, he explained, and though he did love Relic Lore the world beyond it hold a mysterious intrigue for him. This male was brought to Relic Lore for some reason and though Indru did not resent it to say he had noticed the influx of new wolves since the fire would of been a lie, and at the moment their reason's for why here were unknown to him. Was there a reason you came to Relic Lore?

The tawny female soon excused herself for reasons unknown and Coquelicot watched her as she disappeared amidst the orchard trees, wondering what business she had to attend to. The voice of the newly-arrived male quickly stirred him out of his mild reverie. He turned to look back at the one named Indru Tainn, a spark of recognition in his eyes at the name. So this was the alleged Alpha that didn't have a very good impression on Weldering.

His gaze became a bit more intrigued as he scrutinized the larger male, searching his expression for any hints to suggest Weldering's negative impression, but found none. It was still too early to tell anyways. "Not from here. A place closer to the sea," he responded, slightly guarded. Although Coquelicot couldn't fault Indru's curiosity - with his identity as the leader of a established pack in Relic Lore, it made sense that he wanted to learn more about the influx of outsiders. "Not in particular. I came with two siblings, but we soon split up."

It didn't take long for his sister to depart and Indru smiled after her fondly, it was not uncommon for her to be seemingly called to elsewhere by something only she could see, it was never questioned as Niija never was. He could see that the question had put the male slightly on edge, quite rightly too, but it was purely asked for innocent curiosity and he nodded and smiled after the male had finished speaking. I haven't seen the sea. Neither he nor his brother — among others of his family — had strayed much beyond this portion of Relic Lore, any further had just been mischievous curiosity but he had siblings who had left and he marvelled slightly at the thought of exploring even further.

Some of my siblings left too. He added, smiling at the unintentional mind reading Coquelicot had performed. Perhaps they have seen the sea. Laughter broke his muzzle briefly and he felt a small twinge of jealousy at his sibling's innocence and lack of knowledge over their parent's death, would they ever return and find out? Do you plan to stay here long? It wasn't uncommon for wolves to come and go, flowing like Heartleaf Creek, through his three years Indru had smelt many, many wolves. Though he equally knew that they occasionally stop their drifting and found a pack.

Coquelicot wasn't particularly surprised when the tawny male explained that he had never seen the sea. The Tainn family was apparently a somewhat old family in Relic Lore, which was significantly more inland that wouldn't permit a quick sojourn to the ocean. Although he was never one to be awestruck by the beauty of nature, the fierce waves of the coast were inspiring with their dangerous beauty. "It's quite nice there, if you're into sight-seeing," he offered, shrugging.

Siblings - although connected by blood, often seemed to stray far and wide if they didn't remain in their birth pack. Well, such was the nature of things. Coquelicot considered Indru's question with a thoughtful expression. He honestly didn't know himself. It may be a good idea to try and find out his two sisters' whereabouts, after all, it had been a while since he had last seen them. "Probably not," he mused, "Although that's subject to change." he added afterward, still contemplating the decision.