Whisper Marsh watching, waiting, commiserating

RE: Taima is sprayed by a skunk.

Say it ain't so, I will not go! Turn the lights off,

TAIMA LYALL

carry me home! Na na na na na na na na na na!!

January 22nd; Late morning; Light snow; 5° F/-15° C

Borden had told her to stay within the pack territory. Not once but on several occasions. The speech never changed, no matter how many times she had heard it or however many times he rearranged the words. It was just "blah blah blah, Taima don't go too far. Taima, no exploring today. Taima, stay here." Since her encounter with the dark-pelted man and her most recent lecture given a few weeks ago, her curiosity for the 'outside' world had merely been kindled after this morning's "Taima, be careful" from her father.

Being careful, she realized was something she could quite happily do. With the mind to keep her eyes peeled and her ears up, the young Lyall took an hour's journey to the southern part of her home. One hop and a frivolous skip effortlessly brought her over the territory borders and, in what seemed like no time at all, the girl was skirting about the tree line that made up the perimeter of Cedarwood Forest. Humming to herself, she trotted about, craning her neck about as she pressed her nose to the ground, searching for something of interest. Some time ago, she had learned from her Uncle that during his time between packs, he had hoarded away things of value.

Taima tried to compile a list in her head, thinking of all the things he had mentioned - things a lone wolf would have needed or depended on or simply liked. Frozen mice, frozen birds, bits of flesh, deer antlers, bits of animal hide... Coming to the base of a seemingly characteristic tree, she mused to herself with a loud "HmmmMMMm." Circling about the base of the tree, she tip-toed around it, then playfully stood upright against its trunk with her forepaws firmly against its bark as she peered around to its other side.

Once back down on all-fours, she cast a skyward glance at its branches, staring until five large snowflakes landed on her nose. Shaking her head from side to side, she went back to investigating the old pine tree's roots. About half of the tuberous roots were arched up from the ground, creating several perfect places to stash away secret treasure. Ever so attentive to where she placed her paws as she clambered over a root that had grown around a large rock, she made her way around the tree once more only to feel the earth give way beneath her feet. A gasp sounded out as both of her stocky paws slid forward, her elbows scraping against the large root she had managed to scale. She peered down into the hollow she had unearthed then let out the most ridiculous greeting, "HERRRRROOOO?!"

She laughed to herself as no one answered her, but no more than two seconds after she had opened her mouth, a pair of beady eyes peered back at her from the depths. Something was in there and it hastily scurried about out of sight. Her eyes widened and her tail wagged as she started to dig, trying to make the opening of the tunnel a little larger. "Herrrro?" she repeated with a giggle, stopping for a moment to see if it would move again. Before she could even say another word, or even begin to ponder what belonged to the funky stench that had reached her nostrils, she saw a flash of a white stripe... then... an even thicker cloud of the odor was sprayed into her face!

A scream echoed through the forest as she withdrew her head and wriggled away from the burrow. Her eyes kept closed as she flailed about on her side, raising her paws to her muzzle and face to wipe the mist of stink from her face. She coughed and sputtered, unable to get around the reek that had assaulted her senses. Pffff, so much for being careful...

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(This post was last modified: Jan 26, 2013, 01:04 AM by Taima.)

If he was being honest with himself, he was lost — again.

But the golden boy was never honest with himself.

So he was hunting.

Two days ago he had wandered down from the mountain, which was something he hadn't done since that terrible-awful-zombie-attack-that-was-not-to-be-mentioned. It had been nearly four months since he had set his down on ground that was level, ground that wasn't paved in hard stone that calloused his paws, ground that was a tapestry of grass. He hadn't really thought this through, though. Being that it was winter in Relic Lore, there was hardly any grass to be found anymore. But oh boy, he meant to find it. Looking out into the horizon from the cliffs, he had seen dark green smudges off in the distance that... well, it certainly could have been grass to a golden boy who had never really known trees.

Now, he twisted and turned about in the snow that would have swallowed a smaller wolf whole. But he was bigger now than he had been the last time he had descended the Pass, and he had already begun to grow into his long legs. Datura Aquila threatened to be a very large wolf indeed. Perhaps he was even a bit on the chubby side — the golden boy had always been one to sneak an extra rabbit from the cache when no one was looking. Even in the winter, his fur had a healthy, well kept sheen to it. He knew how to look out for himself. Or did he? These lowlands were so much harder to navigate without the vantage points of cliffs and rises... Honestly he had no idea where he was going once he reached the floor of the valley. Just a vague idea where that smudge of green had been on the horizon.

And now that he was finally here — where he imagined the green smudge to be, he realized there was no grass here at all. Those were trees in the distance. Ominous trees. His stomach churned. The thought of being encircled and trapped in some terrible woods again gave him the willies. Suddenly he paused mid-step, his forepaw dangling in the air. No, he told himself, Datura, you're being a baby. You're a grown up now and grown ups aren't afraid of trees. And suddenly he found himself getting closer, closer...

He was just on the edge of the trees when suddenly he was electrified by a piercing scream. At first, he jumped at the suddenness of the noise. Run away! his instincts screamed. It's a ZOMBIE! But the instinct was quickly replaced by his hardened resolve to be the grown up wolf he longed to be. Taking a deep breath, he let calmness sink back into him. That was not a zombie. That was a girl{i}. A girl in need of help? A damsel in distress? Suddenly he thought of his sister Bella, and all the times she had — no. Bella wasn't his sister anymore. He wasn't supposed to think of her anymore.

Besides, there was a girl out there who needed his help.

And Datura was nothing if not chivalrous.

Eager to prove himself, the golden boy raced off towards the source of the sound, and found that he was there in an instant. Boy, sound sure carried a lot better than it did in the mountains. It was almost deceiving— HOLY MOTHER OF GOD.

Suddenly he reeled backwards as if hit by a wall. "What on EARTH is that smell!" he choked. Whatever it was, it made his eyes sting, too, and he jammed them shut. "Where are you!" he called, fumbling his way around the roots of the tree looking for the girl from behind the darkness of his eyelids. "Are you alright?" Where was she? He had seen her flailing about only two seconds ago...

So unsure of his feet on this strangely level ground, Datura was incredibly clumsy. On top of all that, he had his eyes screwed shut... and perhaps this was not a very good idea, since only a moment later he stumbled over a tree-root and fell flat on top of a writhing, furry mess.

(This post was last modified: Jan 23, 2013, 06:34 AM by Datura.)

Say it ain't so, I will not go! Turn the lights off,

TAIMA LYALL

carry me home! Na na na na na na na na na na!!

She continually gasped for air, trying to right herself and get back on her feet so she could run as far away from that tree as was possible. Her mind screeched and screamed as she was temporarily decapitated, hoping she would at least be able to see in the next few minutes that passed. She could barely hear the sound of another approaching over her panic. As though her flailing couldn't make this particular scenario any worse than it already was, something heavy and large fell right on top of her. With her luck, she could only hope it was the being who seemed to have been looking for her. Her watery eyes immediately opened and she squirmed in fright; she hadn't anticipated him arriving so soon... and in such a fashion. "GET OFF OF MEEEEE!" she screeched, unable to properly identify who or what had decided to tackle her and subject her to more suffering. "Giiiiitttt!"

Panting as she wriggled her hind legs to no avail, she blinked a number of times before she was able to catch sight of a blurry, plume-like shape she assumed was his mahogany tail. Her eyes, once seemingly plastered shut, widened in realizing that this dude was not one of her brothers. Half a whimper was uttered, the sound overcome and replaced by a growl and defiant threat, "If ya don't get off of me, I'm gonna give you to the count of three before I... before I... ohhhh.... ow." She winced, the terrible smell of skunk starting to spur an impending headache.

She lifted an ivory paw, pressing it into his side as she huffed, tears falling from her eyes in attempt to recover themselves. "I'm not all right," she frowned, simply laying on the forest floor. "I can't see." Great, her conscience moaned. So, now what? You're far away from home, no one knows where you are, and this dolt found you...

Taima sniffed a couple of times, her eyes closing again as her temples throbbed. She tried to roll over, to cradle her nose in-between her wrists. "Did you get it?" she snuffled, the fur on each of her cheeks starting to become stained with tear-streaks. "Is it gone?!"

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(This post was last modified: Jan 26, 2013, 01:06 AM by Taima.)

The screaming just didn't stop, did it? As he felt her squirm away from him, his ears fell back against his head. More than anything he would have liked to have told her to shut up and stop being obnoxious, but that would have been terribly rude. Datura never really bothered to impose his social etiquette on others outside of his family anyway —he felt sorry for them, sure, but you never knew what kind of background these strangers came from. So he braced himself and hoped that he would be able to endure her stupid wailing if she felt like she needed to continue... although, man he was really starting to get a headache. Was it the smell?

"Calm down, I'm getting off you," he said with a groan, almost unwilling to open his eyes so that he could step away without stepping on her. The throbbing in his head made it hard for him to see, and this was only exacerbated by her untimely wiggling underneath him. The whole untangling business became a right bit of fumbling on his part, with many a "'Scuse me, miss," and "Errr sorry about that." It took him a few more moments to finally regain his footing and hits wits, and by that time he was losing himself in his thoughts. Man, a sigh of half exasperation and half exhaustion billowed from his lungs, That was an effort.

He felt a paw on him. He stiffened. He did not like to be touched by strangers.

"I'm not all right. I can't see"

Suddenly he softened, slowly turning to face the little damsel in distress. Although it was still a little hard to see through the stinging vapor, he could make out a the fuzzy blob of the shale-furred girl. An overwhelming desire to protect her and fix this damn mess he had stumbled upon rose within him. Datura, after all, had always wanted to be someone's hero. And if Bella didn't want him to be her hero.... Once more he shoved the thought aside and closed himself up and his grimace deepened — but he would have blamed it on the stink.

"Did you get it? Is it gone?"

He wasn't quite sure what this "it" was, but as he cautiously threw a glance over both shoulders, he saw nothing. It was probably gone now. "Don't worry, I scared it off," he said in the bravest voice he could imagine. Smiling broadly, he puffed himself up. Unfortunately, though, this gesture caused him to inhale quite a large quantity of the stink. Spluttering and coughing, the golden boy said, "Hey, come on, let's go somewhere else less smelly."

(This post was last modified: Jan 24, 2013, 05:27 AM by Datura.)

Say it ain't so, I will not go! Turn the lights off,

TAIMA LYALL

carry me home! Na na na na na na na na na na!!

"Don't worry, I scared it off," he announced, the obvious prideful tone biting at her ears. She glowered at him, his figure appearing no better than a hazy outline. Are you sure 'bout that? she had wanted to test him, absolutely, positively certain that her stink-bomb aggressor still laid in wait, hidden safely in the shadows of his lair. Though the young man coughed along from the stench that was now well-embedded in her face and neck, he suggested that they leave the area.

Another half-whimper left her as she stood up on shaking legs, her eyes repeatedly blinking in hope that her vision would return to the way it was before. Once sure she was able to walk, she turned to face the youth, whose brilliant rust and gold fur stood out almost conveniently against the stark white-and-brown of the forest and marsh. Taima took a small step toward him, focusing on the dark splotch of black that she knew was his nose in the middle of his face. Another step made her ears draw back, suddenly feeling so very self-conscious about her physical state.

"L-lead me?"

The simple request sounded foreign in the girl's ears and, though she appreciated that he had been there and arrived at just the right time, she inwardly hated how weak it made her seem and sound. "Please?" She tried to smile, confident by now that she must have looked utterly lame in his eyes. She would never admit it openly just yet but something about him reminded her of one of her imaginary pack mates, and merely his presence attracted her to him, namely the sound of his voice. The apparent nerve and grit struck a chord and she unexpectedly discovered that she wanted to know who he was... to see who he was. Two tears fell from each of her dull citrine eyes, realizing that she was afraid for the very first time in her life.

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He had been gazing off into the trees, looking for a likely course of action that wouldn't involve any zombies. Luckily, the girl's dubious glare went unseen by the golden boy as his muzzle flicked left and right. Nothing appealed to him. Datura knew very little of this area, and he felt with increasing certainty that there wasn't going to be any good if they traveled deeper into the belly of the forest. He disliked the skeleton trees and the dark firs and the leaves littered on the ground that crunched strangely under his feet. Behind him, though, the landscape was more open, more inviting. To a boy who had grown up exposed to all the world on a jagged cliff-face, being naked and visible on a vast marsh that was frozen over seemed the best option.

"L-lead me?"

The directness of the question caused him to jump slightly as he looked back to the girl. A curious mixture of feelings began to build inside of him, something that was part disgust and part ache. What was it about the weak that had him captivated so? Why did he always feel the need to fix them, to protect them if he could? Datura, as a rule, did not like weakness. The plaintive tone in her voice scared him and strengthened him all at once. He was afraid that her vulnerability might be contagious, he did not like the ache in his heart when he looked at her crying. Yet at the same time he never failed to hearken to the call to lead.

Tentatively, he turned, swishing his tail about in front of her face. His golden face swung back to look at her. "Here, grab on," he woofed softly, unsure if he really wanted to do any more touching than he already had today. "But no yanking." At this, his voice hardened and his face darkened, and perhaps he became a little less handsome. But the storm clouds passed quickly, and once more the smile appeared on his lips.

"I' won't let anything else get you."

(This post was last modified: Feb 07, 2013, 01:27 AM by Datura.)

Gosh, Sarah, sorrysorrysorry for the wait! Also feel free to PP them walkin' around, going wherever... <3

Say it ain't so, I will not go! Turn the lights off,

TAIMA LYALL

carry me home! Na na na na na na na na na na!!

She kept trying to blink out the unwelcome sting of the skunk's foul mist, the relief only coming gradually as more time passed and her eyes continued to defend themselves with tears. He instructed her to take hold of his tail, this oddly-shaped blur that only came into focus as he held it out to her inches from her snout. If she concentrated hard enough, the bristles of the golden plume could be picked out, tufts of gold easily distinguishable from the end comprised of burnt sienna and umber hues. She keenly craned her neck forward, her forepaws shuffling forward as she opened her jowls. "But no yanking," he firmly instructed. Taima's brows rose but she gently and gingerly clasped her teeth around her aid's tail, swallowing beforehand as not to slobber all over his assumedly gorgeous fur.

She was able to pick up the scowl on his face but it did little to dampen her spirits. Renier and her father could do worse with such dark words and the harshest of tones, and this haughty knight's hard tone barely fazed her. With the means to follow him and not get lost while she recovered her eyesight she felt her heart take flight as he told her that he would not let any more harm come upon her. Taima nodded slightly, smiling all the while as she waited for him to lead the way.

What's yer name? her mind started to question, the thrill of knowing this young man sending her to such great heights as they walked. You must be very brave to have scared that retched, smelly creature away. Are you from around here? My name's Taima. I can't... I can't see you properly but I can tell you're... well... I like you. Thank you for saving me. I don't know how I can repay you but I think I know how... I think. On and on her mind rambled and she kept quiet, impatiently waiting for her vision to clear and her senses to sharpen again. Oh, to think she could enrapture him, to discover and fathom the idea of one's first crush... even as he had actually and literally fallen on top of her.

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(This post was last modified: Mar 13, 2013, 01:02 AM by Taima.)

• Then one night you found me in my army issue cot
  And you told me of your flash of inspiration
  You said fusion was the broken heart that's lonely's only thought
  And all night long you drove me wild with your equations
  the temptation of adam, josh ritter

From time to time he would pause, throwing a glance over his shoulder to make sure she wasn't going to bite down spoil his tail. What he found instead, though, was the most curious look on her face as tears rolled down her cheeks. What on earth was this about? All the golden boy could do was wonder as he wandered out onto the frozen marsh, the girl in his tow. Awkwardness began to seep into his bones like the cold as silence fell about them. He wondered if she should say something, but for the first time in forever his words seemed to fail him. He could think of little to say to console the girl because honestly he thought she needed to suck it up... In addition to that, Datura was beginning to understand that leaving the site of the accident was not enough to escape the smell: she carried it with her. Gradually it became more and more difficult to think of anything else, and some part of him understood innately that it would be just as rude to comment on the smell of a lady as it would be to tell her to man-up.

Maybe fifteen minutes went by before he finally found some way to express himself politely. "I think we ought to get you cleaned up," he said soberly, casting his attention back towards the girl before turning to scan the veritable tundra that opened up before them. He had no idea where they were, no idea where any liquid water would be. How do you clean anything without water? (To someone as literal as Datura, snow did not count as water.) "Do you uhhh... Uhm." It was hard for him to face her, as the wind carried giant blasts of the putrid stench towards his nose, and he found himself stumbling over his words again. "You probably know this place better than I do. Is there any sort of... place we could wash you?" That didn't sound awkward at all...

Note to self: Taima age = 7 months; roughly 7-8 human years old.

Say it ain't so, I will not go! Turn the lights off,

TAIMA LYALL

carry me home! Na na na na na na na na na na!!

Minutes passed and as her bronze-armored knight continued to lead her away from the skunk's hollow, she stared happily at the back of his head. Then, all too soon, he turned and Taima's eyes widened as she stared into his face. Her left eye was first to improve; the pitch black pupil eagerly taking in the angles of his jawline, the russet hues of his ears and forehead, the vibrant color of his irises which perfectly matched his coat, and the sharpness in which his fur laid smoothly along his nape. He suggested that she clean up, then asked if there was a nearby place to wash herself off. Her brows brazenly formed a scowl on her face as she questioned the intelligence of her guide. Where exactly was this kid from? Didn't he know what water smell-- ohh. Her train of thought derailed itself as she remembered that skunk spray still hung heavily in the air around her and, instantaneously, she felt another wave of embarrassment wash up and over her every hair of her being.

Taima nodded, her scowl melting from her masked features as she let go of the boy's tail. "U-um," she stammered, looking around her before confirming that the trees of the Cedarwood stood at her back. "There's a marsh near here. If we keep walking we should find the edges of it." She sniffed, attempting to blink her only right eye to no avail. In attempt to remember how the Marsh looked like in the autumn when she had last laid eyes on it during an impromptu adventure on the outskirts of her home, the girl closed both her eyes.

"I remember it had... these... tall reeeeds," she recalled, the word unnaturally strained as she tried to describe the place her savior was looking for. "But I dunno if the snow covered them all. If we... If we keep moving away from the forest we should find it?" She looked at him expectantly, all the while hoping her description of the place helped him. The snow seemed to stretch for miles beyond the tree line, but if her directions for finding the place were sufficient, then the pair would be able to discover the edges of the iced-over swamp, nearly void of cattails and wildlife but perfect in getting rid of most of the stench that penetrated her mottled coat.

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i am addicted to quoting that lyrics that don't fit the situation:

• Look me in the eye and tell me you don't find me attractive
  Look me in the heart and tell me you won't go
  Look me in the eye and promise no love's like our love
  Look me in the heart and unbreak broken, it won't happen
  where does the good go, tegan and sara

Why did she wear that frown on her face? Datura wasn't so great at reading facial expressions, normally being pretty non-receptive and oblivious, but he felt as if she thought he was some sort of idiot. Instantly his own face fell into that same judgmental stare as he wondered at how alarmingly ungrateful this girl was acting. He had just freaking saved her from a stink monster — for by now he had easily convinced himself that he had been present for the battle — and here she giving him ugly looks. He deserved more than that. He deserved to have someone fawning at his feet and saying, "Yes, Datura," and "Thank you, Datura," and "Oh, you are ever so brave, Datura."

Instead, all he had was some thankless, smelly girl.

But perhaps she remembered herself, suddenly, because darkness faded away from her features before she decided to answer him. Mirroring her, Datura let his own face soften as well. To be honest, he wasn't really sure how he was supposed to handle a situation like this. He really was just making it all up... He didn't want there to be any tension if there didn't have to be. He wanted to get along with her, he really did. So if she was willing to be reasonable, then he could find it in himself to go easy on her. "What's a marsh?" he quipped suddenly, unfamiliar with geographical features that weren't crags, passes, cliffs, caves, ravines, ridges, or outcrops. And what on earth were reeeeds? His brows quirked as he followed her eyes around the landscape, wondering what reeeeeds were and what the point of mentioning them was if you couldn't even see them. "Is a marsh wet?"