Lost Lake sugar rush

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Aphrodite was fribble. It was a month ago or so when she'd found herself outside of Poison Path territory, staring down a rotting carcass and an angry black wolf. Thankfully mother had been there to save her and Elliot's butts. But that had been a whole month ago and the entire ordeal was a misty memory in the child's mind. Perhaps if she'd been more mature of mind, she'd have kept to the lands of her pack, but if she was more mature of mind, then she wouldn't have had to worry about what laid outside of the borders to begin with. The child was curious and growing, longing more furiously to see what laid beyond the prickly walls of Poison Path. How she loved those prickly walls, but it was awfully hard to see beyond them.

The adults seemed frequently busy and Aphrodite would not bother them with her quims. She was a little bigger now, her legs were longer and her pale fur a little fluffier. She could hear and see better than ever! It would be a tiring journey, but one she was prepared to take. And this time, she wouldn't be threatened, because she wasn't a tiny baby. Maybe she'd even bring a mouse back to Elliot, if he didn't decide to chase her down. Her mother's anger was hardly something she remembered from the last time, so as she made her way quietly from the pack den, she could only imagine how proud Athena would be when her daughter brought back a mouse!

Once the den had disappeared, Aphrodite broke into an awkward little jog. The scent of Poison Path surrounded her, enveloped her, kept her safe. But in a single instant, the scent let her go. She'd passed the borders and the prickles, in view of the lake again. It seemed clearer than before. She gave a nervous glance over her shoulder, still seeing the prickles. A step forward then another brought her a few yards away, a location she still thought of as safe. She could run back fast if she needed to. Part of her wished the lake wasn't so far off or she might've tried to play in the shallows. Instead, she found her ears attracted to the sound of rustling in the underbrush. She fell into a crouch, her tail wagging above her. Her nose prodded the air, and she crept forward, spotting the caramelly and dark-striped animal, small...Nameless. It was a chipmunk, but Aphrodite didn't know that. <b style="color:#c980d2">

(random note: my use of the wotd is based on the adjective use, rather than the noun definition, i believe)

(This post was last modified: Jul 15, 2013, 07:50 PM by Aphrodite.)

Lurking until the end of July - Please PM/tag me to get my attention

DIBS!

I solemnly swear

• NAIRA AQUILA •

that I am up to no good...

She was hardly a stranger to these lands and as it was she only planned on passing through on her way by Bramble Falls. Long ago she had noted the absence of Belladonna’s scent from Poison Path and she could only help but wonder where her spirited daughter had escaped to? Off on adventures of her own no doubt, not that her real mother would have tried to stop her, but she would have liked to see her a little better prepared than she had been.

She had often wondered if the girl had stopped to speak to Athena of her plans or if she had simply up and left. After all, she did not breed weak willed children, even this years litter, safely tucked away in the Pass were a testament to that. An absent smile was plastered to her face as the scrap of white came into view, well clear of the borders, but her parentage was unmistakable. She was not the type to bring harm on children intentionally, no. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t take the opportunity to stir up mischief when it presented itself. Their raid on the Poison Path caches were a testament to that.

For a moment, she wondered what @Mapplethorpe would think of her daring approach, and quickly shrugged the thought off. At times he seemed almost as devious as she herself was and she even considered that it might be better that it was she who had encountered the youngling, instead of her more wily counterpart (although that did not mean that he would not apparate at any given moment). Schooling her features into those of a harmless, motherly wolf she stopped a short distance from the somewhat distracted child and called out in a friendly manner “My we are quite the adventurer aren’t we?”

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<b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#A4A1A0;"><b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#96E1D6;"><b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;"> Her paws carried her noisily forward and the fuzzy little monster lifted its head. The girl paused, her ears twitching and she stared at it. The desire to eat it was gone and she simply wanted to play with it. It was cute and had large cheeks and a skinny little tail. But it had seen her, and in the blink of an eye, the little creature was gone. The girl whined, a shrill and terrible noise. And lifted her head when a voice came to her. Had this woman scared her furry friend away? The child narrowed her lightening blue eyes, but gave up on her feebled angry attempt when she saw the woman's face. She seemed nice! Not like that scary man she'd faintly remembered from before. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#96E1D6;">"Avenure." She repeated, sort of. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#96E1D6;">"I avenure! I alo Aferdide! Her tail wagged behind her and she hopped towards the woman. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#96E1D6;">"No smell like Poi Paf." She said, her nose wriggling at the lady. What was Aphrodite to make of that? Not everyone would be from Poison Path, she knew well enough. So she supposed it was alright. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#96E1D6;">"Scurd fud!" The child said, looking over her shoulder back where the chipmunk had been. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#96E1D6;">"Oo get fud?" Pale brows rose over blue eyes with interest. Would this lady get some food for her?

Lurking until the end of July - Please PM/tag me to get my attention

I solemnly swear

• NAIRA AQUILA •

that I am up to no good...

Her smile broadened as the outgoing child parroted back to her. Oh perhaps this was just a little too easy... but it had been her own lack of attention to security that meant @Adonis was taken from them, and it seemed nothing had changed. Perhaps it was just lazy wolves attracted to the Lake? “Hello Aphrodite!” she beamed at the youngling encouragingly a brow raising when the girl commented on her scent, “No but you do. I lived here once upon a time though. I know your mother very well.” she reassured the child. After all, if the child believed her to be a friend it would make this all so much easier. “I suppose you could say I’m your Aunty Nia...” she suggested with a wag of her tail, eyes quickly scanning the surrounds for any approaching adults.

When the child exclaimed that she had scared away her food, a momentary pang of guilt shot through her chest. How sad for the poor tike, to be expected to feed herself at such a tender age? Yes she herself had taken a still live fawn to her own daughters, as a play thing, a tool to learn... Her daughters didn’t need to go in search of their own toys. “Oh no darling! I’m so very sorry! I didn’t mean to scare your food away... but I’ll tell you what? If you want to come with me, I’ll find you something even bigger and better and then your mother will be so proud!” She tempted the child with a tilt of her head towards the Falls and a welcoming smile. Even if she didn’t feed her with food, she could feed the child’s sense of adventure with an accompanied trip to the grove below, and from there? Well, only time would tell...

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<b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#A4A1A0;"><b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#96E1D6;"><b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;"> This woman claimed to know Queen Athena. Everyone ought to know the Queen, so Aphrodite didn't find this surprising. She claimed to be her Aunty Nai. That sounded like a nice name and perhaps it meant that Aunty Nai was important to her mother. Aphrodite's tail wagged, <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#96E1D6;">"Aunty Nai!" The child chirped, her ears up and she bounced a bit again. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#96E1D6;">"Know Queen-Momma Atena? Bess fren!" It was less a question and more of a direct statement. If this woman knew her mother, the Queen, then she would certainly be Aphrodite's best friend. Aphrodite loved her mother and had the utmost respect for her. She didn't see her mother much, but that was just because she was busy! The lady seemed sad that she'd lost Aphrodite's food. It was okay, she desired to say, but the Princess couldn't find the appropriate words. There was always more food! But the woman offered to get her some more food if Aphrodite just followed her. An adventure? Well...If she was Aunty Nai and knew Queen Athena, then Aphrodite didn't see the harm. The child liked adventures and she liked food and learning. And Aphrodite especially loved making momma happy. Her tail continued its happy, insistent wag. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#96E1D6;">"We venture!" The girl had made a note of the direction Aunty Nai had nodded in and began to happy bounce that way, hoping her new found family would follow.

Lurking until the end of July - Please PM/tag me to get my attention

I solemnly swear

• NAIRA AQUILA •

that I am up to no good...

We venture! Indeed they would. Her smirk might have been slightly more sinister if only the child were wary enough to see it, but as she happily bounced along, Naira took a moment to mark the ground with a few good scratches. No harm would come to the girl and the trail she would leave would be easy to follow, this time. She made sure as they wandered towards the steady crescendo of the falls that her flank would brush against adequate boulders and her pads would leave traceable steps in the spongy earth.

The climb down would be steep at best, but it was a journey she had taken several times and as they drew near she called the child back to her and away from the slippery edges of the falls. “Aphrodite! We have to play follow the grow-ups now ok? Thats it, slow and steady!” she encouraged as she picked the easiest path to the forest below for the much smaller wolf to take.

When the land finally leveled out, she realised that much of the day had gotten away from them. Knowing the child would probably be growing quiet hungry she nosed through the trees, uncovering a foxes cache quickly enough convinced that the juvenile marmot, hardly more than a mouthful for a full grown adult should carry the young girl through just a little bit further. All the had to do was make it to the borders of what had once been Swift River, a place she now knew to be abandoned.

“It’s not very far now, and then we can catch the bestest present for your mother ok?” she said with an enthusiastic wag of her tail. It would be far too far for the girl to return on her own, but she had left a clear trail all the way here and continued to brush against trees as they went. This was not a lesson she wanted any of them to go forgetting any time soon.

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<b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#A4A1A0;"><b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#96E1D6;"><b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;"> As they approached the falls, Aphrodite could only eye them wearily. She'd never seen something quite like them before. In fact, she hadn't seen most of this stuff! All of this was new, and she stopped dead in her tracks, ears suddenly alert at the older wolf's voice. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea...But she was a brave girl, a strong princess. She'd make her momma proud of her! Turning around quickly, she ran back towards Aunty Nai. Tail wagging, she'd forgotten all about being scared and gave a swift little nod. Aphrodite would follow the rules well. Follow the grown-up! Falling in line behind the stranger, Aphrodite soon began to find this whole adventure very tired. Did they really have to go so far away to find a present for momma Athena? Before they even made it to the forest floor, Aphrodite was yawning. She hadn't gotten a nap today. Her legs ached and her eyelids were growing heavy. Aunty Nai brought her some food and the warm flesh and a full belly helped the Princess a little bit. Her tail found the energy to wag a little more, especially when the stupid hill was behind them. She was proud of herself for not once asking if they were there yet. The girl liked surprises and if she had any sense at all of how much longer they would be, what kind of a surprise was that? <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#96E1D6;">"Yesss, Aunty Nai." Aphrodite said, her voice sounding heavy and sleepy. Shaking her head, Aphrodite picked up her feet, trying to keep up a pace beside her "aunt". And for the first time since they'd left, Aphrodite looked over her shoulder. Her ears tipped back for a split second when she realized she could no longer see or smell any trace of her home. Faint panic gripped her, but she wanted to be strong, and this must've been part of being strong, or Aunty Nai wouldn't have taken her on this adventure.

Lurking until the end of July - Please PM/tag me to get my attention

One more each? (we can drag it out more if you'd like...)

I solemnly swear

• NAIRA AQUILA •

that I am up to no good...

It was only now that she stopped to think about just how exhausting such a journey could be to such a young wolf. She herself had no troubles at all, but she was full grown and had large lungs through which to take in air. There was also a considerably larger gap between her strides meaning the child would need to work twice as hard to keep up, even if she did lessen her pace. She had been doing so well for so long so it wasn’t really a surprise that the poor child sounded so exhausted.

And still she was willing to follow. It wasn’t far now anyway...

Shortening her strides and attempting to slow to allow the child a chance to keep up, familiar trees soon towered about them. It seemed like an age since she had last set foot in the grove, and while the sights were the same, the scents were very different. Gone were the criss-crossing paths of Marsh, @Ice, @Corinna and @Triell. Gone were the well marked borders of what had once been Swift River. She could feel the ghosts that lingered though.

Smiling to the child she began to wade into the water. “We will catch your mother a nice fresh fish, and then we can have a nap before we go back home again, ok?” she offered innocently, indicating that the child should remain on the bank and just observe this new skill rather than soak her pretty fur. Thankfully the salmon were still spawning and easy enough to pick off as they sluggishly attempted the end of their voyage. Head soaked and large fish clamped between her jaws she moved back to the bank to deposit her catch in front of the young princess, before shaking the excess water from her fur.

Then with a dramatic yawn she moved to nestle herself amongst the roots of a tree, indicating that the smaller wolf should join her for a ‘nap’, every indication of her intent to leave erased from her features as she kept her reassuring motherly smile plastered to her face. If all went to plan, the pale princess would collapse in exhaustion, and knowing her well supplied with food (the fish she had just caught), water, and the relative shelter of the place that she now rested, she would vanish amongst the trees, using the water to cover her tracks and becoming as much of a ghost as any that still wandered these woods. With such a clear trail left it couldn’t be long before the alarm was raised that the child was missing (if it hadn’t been raised already), and she planned to be long gone before any of the Poison Path wolves caught them up.

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sounds good to me!

<b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#A4A1A0;"><b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#96E1D6;"><b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;"> Her tongue was held tightly between pointed puppy teeth. Oh, her legs ached so much, she simply wanted to stop. At least Aunty Nai had slowed down, which enabled Aphrodite to slow her own pace a bit. It hadn't been the child's desire to be scabrous, but certainly there was a better, closer place to get a present for Queen Athena. But the child said nothing. It had been hours and she'd said nothing. Maybe it would have been better if she had said something, but she'd said nothing and now she was quite far from home with a woman who claimed to be her Aunty Nai, though Aphrodite realized that she hadn't heard of Aunty Nai and maybe all of this was some big joke. But she'd sounded so kind and her face was so welcoming. Trees rose around them, and within a few minutes, Aunty Nai stopped. So they were going to get a fish for Athena? Her tail wagged as she watched Nai wade into the water. Her paws itched. She'd wanted to get the present for her mother, but she figured that this was simply the next best thing. It was exciting to watch the "hunt" take place. It had been no time before Aunty Nai had a plump fish in her jaws. Her tail wagged and she skipped forward offering to take the fish so they could quickly get home. It was dropped at her paws, and Aphrodite quickly gathered it, though it was a lot larger when she held it, and she could only take a few steps before she had to put it to. She was about to make an attempt to rearrange it, but Aunty Nai mentioned the word 'nap', and Aphrodite yawned. Well, a nap before heading back up that big mountain would be smart. The child joined Aunty Nai amongst the roots, draping herself comfortably over one of the knotty nubs. Within a few moments, the child had passed out, glad to be off of her paws and finally resting after such a long journey. Her tongue smacked sleepily, the taste of fish something she quietly noted as she successfully drifted off.

/Aphrodite exit (I'm just going to make a new thread after Naira leaves)

Lurking until the end of July - Please PM/tag me to get my attention

I solemnly swear

• NAIRA AQUILA •

that I am up to no good...

It didn’t take long for the exhausted child to doze off and it was with no qualms at all that Naira dragged herself up and headed towards the River - after all there was water a plenty, no foul weather in sight and she had left the pup with enough food to get by for what she would consider a more than reasonable length of time to allow her pack to recover her. She was happy to leave a clear trail for her rivals to retrieve their missing child this time, but she would not lead them back to her own door. Heading west was effortless before she stepped into the river. Even at this time of year the water was frigid about her creamy legs and pulled at the dense fur on her stomach as she waded across and further downstream.

West - she would continue to travel west. Towards the Cedarwoods to see for herself if any of @Taima’s family remained. Deep down she knew it was unlikely she would get so far but perhaps she would encounter one with news? Something to take back as an offering to the young ward now in her care, some direction in which to send her scout with hopes of relaying the girl’s fate to her family. After all, nobody knew better than her the gnawing pain that could only come from not knowing.

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