Hush Meadow A Path Not Yet Traveled

[Ehh, my first post.. always a little timid! :3]

Long days of wandering had brought her here. Navar's feet were sore from the amount of ground she had covered in the past few days. She didn't stop for more than a few hours a night until she was up and sniffing out a new path, letting her paws carry her further and further from her home. If that's what you would call it. It was now later in the evening, the sun casting a warm glow that turned her lightly tanned fur into a soft pool of golds and browns. Her head remained close to the ground, her nose able to swiftly catch a lingering scent of another past. She wasn't picking anything up and upon reaching the meadow of tall grass she stopped and lifted her head to peer over its reaches. It stretched as far as she could see, with tall trees lining the northern side, and she was not happy with the prospect of having to walk that far to find better coverage.

She wished she could stop, to quit aimlessly wandering around the world in search of something she felt like she would never find. With a heavy sigh she sat herself down and licked her muzzle. <b><i>"Hungry.."</i></b> She had been so consumed with her travels that it had been quite sometime since she remembered eating last. Her stomach growled in unison protest and she grimaced. She was too tired, and it seemed that this grass would easily blend in with her fur and allow for a safe resting spot. There wasn't much of a breeze blowing and she didn't catch a scent, so hopefully she could rest here awhile before her hunger would drive her on. Circling twice, a habit by nature, she laid herself down in the grass. Her paws pulsed with her heartbeat..

<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>OOC: You did fine! I didn't mean to make this post so long!</span>

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j347/holdbacktherain/tables/sibyltab.png) bottom center no-repeat; background-color: #33353b;"> She loved this place. The seemingly endless sea of grass, the whisper of wind over the rolling hills, the warm sun that touched the ground uninterrupted by any trees, all brought back memories of home. The good memories. Sibyl's black streaked shoulders barely broke the top of the dry golden grass, her petite frame moving as easily through the meadow as a fish through water. The remnants of the afternoon sun warmed her ears, though it was much cooler than she would have liked. She wondered how much cooler her first northern winter might be. She had no purpose for coming to the meadow, she just wanted to enjoy the day. There was a spring in her step as she absentmindedly wandered through, enjoying the various sights and sounds. She nearly felt guilty for being so pointlessly overjoyed. The meadow really did set her mind at ease. As she was rounding the top of one of the wide curves that made up the place, she noticed a place where the grasses seemed to part unnaturally not too far in the distance. Perhaps someone who hadn't grown up in a prairie wouldn't notice the little blemish among the countless blades of grass, but Sibyl saw it. Her nose caught the slight scent of wolf, and she figured that it might be a wolf settled down to rest. She wondered if she should even disturb them, and perhaps they would be annoyed at her for sticking her nose in. But she remembered the time she had been attacked in the willows, and when she ran to the meadow for safety she had fallen into a ditch and passed out. She was glad that a stranger had found her that time, as the ditch was nearly about to flood. There was no danger of a flood now, and the wolf wasn't in a ditch, but it couldn't hurt to check if they were alright. Slowly she ambled down the hill, making her approach to the place where the grasses had parted. From this close she was sure it was a wolf, the scent told her so, and soon she saw a tawny female curled up to sleep. <b style="color:#8a90a1">"Excuse me, ma'am? Is everything alright?" She spoke softly, not wanting to surprise them.

table by bryony

OOC: I may have gotten a little into it as well. XD

<blockquote><i>Oh, dear lord!</i>

The evening sun beamed down on her, and she fidgeted restlessly. Her back paw came up, scratching at the back of her ear where the fly kept landing. Her front paws were layered in dirt, an uncontrollable consequence of her rodent excavating activity. Of course catching the rodent was an entirely different matter. She had not yet been able to reach the mole that had raised the tunnels of dirt beneath the rows of green. Several lines lay in ruins; soil upturned and the earth scarred in the wake of her claws. There was much more length to the tunnels than she had currently managed to dig up, and rather than continue on with her digging activity, she reclined briefly onto her haunches, tracing the lines with her eyes until they disappeared into the closely growing blades of grass. She knew they didn’t burrow too far underground until the winter months. The hollow mounds were proof of that. It was just a matter of finding the right location in the tunnels.

Really, it shouldn’t be that hard. She had come across the length of tunnels about ten minutes ago by chance and decided to pursue a snack before a more proficient hunt later that night. While she had started the excavation more amused than anything, she had quickly become focused on her work and was now very interested in finding the creature. Her nostrils flared, scenting the surrounding air and she shifted her weight, rising to approach the neared upturned soil. It was an earthy smell, full of minerals and musty types of fungus that grew within the dirt. But more than that, there was the scent of rodent. This smell was musty as well, though it was much more prominent than the faint particles in the dirt. It was deeper, she thought; not necessarily rich, but some how much fuller. She had smelled it before, eaten moles even, and she knew that she hadn’t wasted her energy on something fruitless.

She followed the ridge of dirt, pausing now and then to look for movement along the line. It was after finding the scent becoming much stronger and a solid half an hour later that she finally found the sweet spot. With a rush of excitement, she leapt into activity, a loud call of triumph breaking through the air. <b>"HaHA!"</b> Dirt flew every which way as she raced to dig out the creature before it burrowed deeper into the earth. She was rewarded by the sight of a slightly rounded rump and pink, wiggling feet. She lunged forward, teeth snapping sharply on the hind end of the small rodent. It uttered an angry hiss before she silenced it completely, ending it’s life by refilling her own.

She licked her jowls, small splatters of blood around the front of her muzzle. It hadn’t been terribly messy, and though she was dirty, it was mainly just her muzzle and paws covered in dirt. The red in the mixture was minimal and she cleared most of it away with her tongue. So absorbed in her activity, she had not noticed the company of other wolves in the area. And though it caught her attention now, she was tempted to ignore it and curl up into a little ball for a solid nap. She certainly didn’t want to go rushing about anywhere. Even though she’d only had a pin prick of food.

Move… or lounge. Move… or lounge. She put off making the decision by firmly planting her rump on the ground. And then leaning into a relaxed sit. Move… or lounge? She sighed audibly, leaning further.

Whoops. Decision made. </blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Aug 13, 2012, 05:01 AM by Vaeri.)

<b><i>"..quiet now little one, dry up your tears, mother is here to protect you from your fears.."</i></b> A soft melody lifted from her throat, barely audible as she watched the blades of grass swirl with each exhale. It was a song that her mother used to sing to her when she and her brothers couldn't sleep at night; which was often considering they were always moving and changing. Travel like that was hard for small pups to manage. Day was often time for sleep and night was time for play. Nothing but faint whispers of her mother's voice crossed her mind as she nearly let the feeling of relaxation pull her to slumber. It was only the sudden caw of a bird over head that snapped her back to reality followed an annoyed look on her face and a slight growl in her throat. Lifting her head to watch the bird skim the skies over head, she caught the voice of another. Although their words were spoken softly, it startled her that she hadn't noticed their presence before.

Her head whipped up and to the side, seeing another wolf standing before her. It was her immediate reaction to tense slightly, the thick hair along her ridgeline prickling as she eyed the other from afar. Scent told her the wof was female, but she was almost too taken by surprise to notice anything else. She didn't seem to be hostile in the least bit, perhaps slightly concerned, so Navar restricted herself from instinctivly growling and positioned herself on her rump.She cleared her throat before speaking, her ears alert on top her head. <b><i>"Why yes, yes. I'm fine. I was just stopping to rest for a moment, but I should be on my way soon.."</b></i> She was unaware of this wolf's position, or if she was another loner like herself. Navar didn't have the intent of actually moving along, but she was curious as to if this fae was friendly or not.

Navar's left ear swiveled to what sounded like a loud call of victory. A slightly puzzled look crossed her face, as she was not able to actually see where the sound came from through the tall grasses. Maybe there was a pup nearby? Maybe there was a pack nearby.. she tensed at the thought. Most of which she had met were not fond of travelers who didn't wish to join them. She watched as dirt flew into the air in spurts and then it became silent. She was puzzled by this point. Maybe the female before her could explain.

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j347/holdbacktherain/tables/sibyltab.png) bottom center no-repeat; background-color: #33353b;"> Sibyl flinched as the female jerked her head towards her, seemingly taken off guard by her sudden appearance. Her red ears folded back in a sorry expression and she ducked her head down. She hadn't meant to surprise her. The woman mentioned that she was alright and that she would be leaving soon, and Sibyl shook her head. <b style="color:#8a90a1">"Oh, no! Don't go. I mean, you don't have to stay. But you don't have to go. I don't live here even. I just wanted to make sure you were alright." She babbled, the last sentence coming out so quickly it was garbled into one breathless word. A exclamation was heard in the grasses, and Sibyl's head swiveled in the direction of it and blinked owlishly. She hadn't noticed it before, though she couldn't tell whether that was due to lack of attention or if it had just suddenly occurred, a rooster-tail of dust sprayed up into the air. The little wolf tilted her head, trying to listen for any more noises, but there were none. The woman looked like she expected Sibyl to have an answer, but the only answer Sibyl had was for her brows to climb up her forehead. She was just as baffled. Sibyl's overactive imagination couldn't even construct what sort of beast would yell and fling dirt around. <b style="color:#8a90a1">"Do you think it's dangerous?" She whispered.

table by bryony

It seemed as if Navar's quick movement jostled the fae a bit and she tried to make an effort to relax herself. She took a breath, exhaled, and loosened her posture. From the apologetic gesture and softness of her voice Navar decided she wasn't hostile to begin with and felt slightly awakward by being so off putting. That's how things normally happened for her anywawys. Even as the lady's words seemed to tumble from her mouth, she was a bit appreciative that she was concerned for her in the least bit. That was something she wasn't very familiar with. A flicker of a grin snaked across her muzzle and hung there for a second before she spoke, <b>"Oh, well.. thank you. I'd prefer to stay here for awhile. It's rather nice. Even though I don't know exactly where I am."</b> She wouldn't usually disclose that she was unfamiliar with the area, but the female seemed harmless enough. Maybe she could share a bit of information on what this land would bring her in her future venture through.

Her thought process was interrupted as she turned back in the direction that the exclamation had risen. There was still silence, but quickly casting a glance in the direction of the female before her she noticed that she seemed as baffled as herself. She held eye contact with the distance as the little wolf asked her if she thought it was dangerous. Navar gave a light chuckle, knowing that if it were something dangerous it certainly wouldn't have drawn such confusing attention to itself. Her stomach gurgled once more, and she cleared her throat to try and mask the annoying sound. Golden eyes glanced back to the fae and she gave a sarcastic grin.<b>"I don't think it's dangerous..It appears to be a rabbid gopher to me.."</b> she said, with the slightest note of sarcastic humor in her tone.

(This post was last modified: Aug 14, 2012, 02:43 AM by Navar.)

OOC: Sorry for the delay. Had some things to get done.

<blockquote>She was like a slug. Except she didn't keep plodding along at the same pace, she just slowed down until she hit a spot and then once she found it, it took an enormous amount of effort to get moving again. At least until she wasn't aware of the fact the there was food in her belly. She supposed then, that she wasn't much at all like a slug. They hit a roll pretty quickly in their movement, it was just infinitesimally slow. And she should know, because she had watched their movements before. Perhaps it was just a mental block, where she felt she must eat or suffer <span class='word'>phthisis</span>, and once she did she must take the time to slowly glean all the nutrients she could. But that would be too complicated, more she thought it because she had a severe moment of complete laziness when there was something to digest. Not because she wanted it, per say, but because she felt the lethargy in her very bones. Still, she peered behind her back for a moment, as if checking to make sure that no slime trail had appeared, before she brought her attention back to the fact that there were other wolves within her vicinity.

They weren't very far off. In fact, in her state of current stillness, she was able to catch the gist of their conversation. Something about danger and what appeared to be a rabid gopher. Her ears flattened and she looked down her front, ready to forcefully deny any such allegations. Of course being covered in dirt from her face down with a bit of blood splattered here and there, she couldn't shake the dirty little self on her right shoulder sticking her tongue out and blowing a raspberry. Well. The woman had a point.

Thoroughly distracted, she dragged herself to her feet and gave herself a half hearted shake in attempts to rid herself of the dirt. A small amount shifted with her movement and fell to the earth, though the majority still clung to her fur and limbs due to it's moist nature. It wasn't dust after all. Her eyes narrowed mildly and she brought her front foot up, attempting to scrape away the dirtiness on her muzzle. The hairs stood on end where she rubbed and smeared away the dirt in streaks.

Huffing, and not one to be deterred from much, she finally decided to go see what all the fuss about the apart rabid gopher was about. Of course she was certainly glad that she didn't have foam spewing from her jowls, but then, that might very well add to a humorous encounter. She was slow about it and as she spotted the others, finally, she plopped to her rump almost immediately. Sliding ever so slowly to her stomach to lie down facing them. Which, all things considered, she was only too glad to do.

She watched the other females for a moment, sizing them up in their current affair. They didn't seem to be off a pack, merely by the way they held themselves away from each other. But then, it could just as well be a pair of wolves within such a pack that didn't want a thing to do with each other but were forced into each other's presence by circumstance. Rolling all of this along through her thoughts, her brow rose ever so slightly. <b>"A rabid gopher, eh?"</b>
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http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j347/holdbacktherain/tables/sibyltab.png) bottom center no-repeat; background-color: #33353b;"> Sibyl hunched down, her white belly brushing against the ground. <b style="color:#8a90a1">"Not... Not dangerous? I still don't want to run into a rabid gopher. M-maybe we should just go the other way?" Even if it wasn't a gopher, Sibyl wasn't sure what she would prefer it to be. A tiny bunny? Yes, maybe it was just a tiny bunny. She had nothing to worry about. It would just be a bunny, with huge, yellowed curving buck teeth, foam dripping from its mouth. Sibyl whimpered quietly, her eyes growing wide with fear. She kept her gaze fixed on the slope, waiting for it. Her companion hadn't moved, though, and Sibyl was trying her best to be brave so she held still, but her tucked tail betrayed her attempt at bravery. <b style="color:#8a90a1">"Uhmm," she hummed, watching as a brown shape began to appear over the rise, slowly, like a dawning sun. No sunrise she had ever witnessed had been in the shape of a muddy little wolf, however. <b style="color:#8a90a1">"I... I don't think that's a gopher." Sibyl was facing the... well... wolf-gopher? Her eyes slid to the left to glance at the golden lady at her side. Her look seemed to ask "What now? When she looked back to the wolf approaching them, instead of continuing, it sort of chugged to a stop, then suddenly sat down.

table by bryony

Golden eyes peered over to the wolf next to her and watched as she cowered close to the ground, a small wimper leaking from her muzzle. It seemed that calling the subject in question a rabid gopher was not the best decision. Navar didn't mean to scare her, she actually said it with humor in her voice, however sarcastic it did sound. She did need to work on that. Not being so sarcastic. She guessed it probably wasn't her most wonderful feature. Her head tilted slightly to the side with the mention of running the other way? Was she not catching something? It was her nature not to be fearful of the unknown. That's just a part of life. <b>"I'm quite sure we will be fine. Just stick here with me."</b> she attempted to reassure the fae. She could see the fear in the wolf's eyes, the way she held herself so tightly in position. Navar was slightly confused by this but she didn't want to say anything else to the lady to make her more uncomfortable.

Their eyes seemed to be watching in exact time as the reddish brown figure came closer to them through the meadow. Well, she was right. It wasn't a rabid gopher. It was a wolf. A female scent she caught in the breeze along with the smell mud and metallic blood. Her fur slightly bristled, but no emotion crossed her face as the wolf came up before them and slid herself down to lie in front of them. Kind of an odd thing to do when meeting two strangers. She might have guessed the other two wolves might know one another, but the dark furred lady beside her seemed to stare at her with a questioning look. She shrugged her shoulders, and attempted to lift her voice a bit, keeping her overuse of sarcasm in mind. <b>"Well, I suppose your not a gopher, but it was a good guess from seeing dirt cascading through the air.."</b> She didn't want to question the wolf if she was a member to these lands. What were the chances of three loners meeting each other while passing through?

(This post was last modified: Aug 19, 2012, 10:31 PM by Navar.)

<blockquote>They were an odd pair. One of them riddled with uncertain body language while the other seemed to be bristling at the appearance she had made. It was all well and good she supposed, though she refrained from looking at her own rambshackled appearance again. No need to draw any more attention to it than she already had. Besides, if these two woman couldn't understand doing what you had to in order to get a meal, perhaps they were actually in a pack. She wasn't informed enough to distinguish which scent belonged to whom and what other scents they carried belonged to whoever else they had encountered. Pack life made it far easier to bring down bigger meals and glean more nutrition. She wasn't all that bothered by it, but getting the meal had been a success and she was happy enough to have eaten, even if it did involve far too much movement at the current point in time. She couldn't help thinking a gopher would have been a lovely meal.

Her gaze trained to the more confident of the two, a small smile lifting at the corner of her lips. <b>"I suppose it was. Though surely an ant crippled with elephantitis could have made the number too."</b> Her smiled widened impishly, before it settled once more.

While the distance between the three made an odd formation to speak in, she wasn't particularly inclined to able over in their direction. With her belly full and the state of one of the females quite on edge, she was only too happy to keep her position and settle in to it. She was only disappointed that she could not fully stretch out amidst the grasses and take a nice long nap. Or could she? It wouldn't be a total breach in etiquette, would it?

<b>"So what brings you here?"</b> Look at her, putting aside her immediate urges and partaking in polite conversations. What a peach.
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(This post was last modified: Sep 01, 2012, 06:52 PM by Vaeri.)