The Wildwood When it Rains

ooc: Open to all! Please come and cheer my girl up - or make her snap, whichever you prefer ^^

The wind had abated and the lightning stopped, but the rain continued to fall without any sign of clearing. Aideen had gotten hopelessly turned around within the Ghastly Woods, and now found herself no closer to the pass, with the mountains to her left, as opposed to right in front of her snout, where she'd hoped to find them. But with the heavy downpour, any plans of investigating the southern parts of the mountain ridge had been pushed to the back of her mind, and her first priority was finding shelter. It just keeps coming! I thought it would have stopped by now... The rust-pelted wolfess was already disgruntled after her delay in the impenetrable woods, and the gloomy weather certainly didn't help her mood. Drenched, almost to the bone, she made her way through the lighter terrain, searching desperately for cover amongst the trees. It would surely have been a better bet to stay under the thick canopies, but stubbornness had pushed her this far before she gave in to her need for rest, and dry fur; and there was no chance of her turning back! So now her copper lookouts scanned fiercely for any possible shelter, running over trunks, rocks and stubs in the open forest. Fallen leaves crunched under her paws, and above her the branches were mostly naked, only a few brown and golden leaves sticking persistently to their trees; more and more torn down by the raindrops for every second. I tired growl escaped the fae's maw before she once again turned her gaze to the ground and continued her hunt for cover. Finally, luck smiled at her, as a small cavern came into view amongst the rocks up ahead. Speeding up to a run, the orange girl hurried to the dry securities it promised, squeezing into the small space and sighing heavily when her body finally rested on dry ground. Her eyes were already heavy, and as she started to drift off, thoughts of her experiences from the last few days rushed over her. She felt a sting of guilt as she left reality, thinking of the quest she had taken upon herself and the promise she had made; I'm sorry Rayne... Just a few hours, then she would trek out again, she had to make up for the time she had lost! Just a few hours... Word count: 393 I'm not stupid <b style="color:#c7470f">”I've got bark!”

(This post was last modified: Oct 08, 2013, 03:09 PM by Aideen.)

PLOT WITH ME!

Slowly, awareness comes back to Lani. First comes the noise. A mighty rushing noise that seems to be coming form everywhere. She smells the the sharp scent of the trees and the decaying leaves. The deep, earthy smell of the damp earth. She feels a steady. 'plop.' 'plop' 'plop' landing on her head, waking her from a deep but restless sleep. She opens her eyes to dim lighting. Lifting her head and scanning her surroundings, she finds that the rushing noise was the sound of falling rain. Standing shakily, she takes a few steps, stretching her stiff muscles. She winces. She had definately over worked them. What had she done? Her memory evaded her and her thoughts were foggy. She felt sad, but couldn't remember why. She steps out into the rain, washing the dried sweat from her fur. She gasps. Her back stings, she was wounded. Then it came rushing back. Her father's rage, his attack, Canini's intervening, and her running. Lots of running. She chokes back a sob. It was her fault. Caniri was probably dead because of her. She stands in the rain, grieving for brother, her friend, a piece of her soul. Her tears blend with the heavy down pour. When she finally calms herself, she takes a deep breath. She couldn't change what happened. She needed to concentrate on something else. Squaring her shoulders she heads off into the forest. Keeping her nose to air, she explores the territory. She could smell other wolves but the trails were old. She couldn't smell much more than the fresh rain. As she travelled she left frequent scent markers. She couldn't go back home, there was no way she was going back, so she might as well make a knew home. She was claiming this territory as her own. She wanders her new home warily. She is just about to turn back when she catches the scent of another. She follows the faint, drowned trail until she comes to a small cave. Carefully, she steps into the mouth. "Who's there?" Her muscles remain tense, ready to run or fight. She didn't know this area or the wolves in it.

(This post was last modified: Nov 08, 2013, 06:08 PM by Lalani.)

Was this meant to be an RE thread? C: If so, you might want to switch the prefix from AW to RE. ^-^

Drip, drip, drip.Let the sky fall...It was another of life's great mysteries—not the rain sluicing from the heavens as if to wash them all away—but the dog barking up the tree after the cat; or strangers asking the darkness to pull back and reveal those who sheltered within its embrace. Why ask? she wanted to ask of the voice, to leer and taunt, can't you smell it?. Logic argued such a question was asked out of wariness, perhaps even fear, so Cézanne's mind marveled silently once she picked out the scene. The one who had demanded such a thing of the dark space stood in its mouth, such a tempting target for the malicious—didn't you know you see the light better from the shadows, than the light sees into the shadows? A wolf-grin curled her dark lips around bony, smooth fangs, and the wandering queen wormed through the rain-heavy, frost-black bracken. After crossing the broad river on her voyage north, the forest had come alive, trading blackened husks, ashen soil and saplings for vegetation a lot older. Alive, with life, too. Maybe she could've done without the latter.

She was warm and secure within her fur, black-tipped rusty hairs letting it run in rivulets down onto her legs, while her fat undercoat kept her skin dry. Still, she had traveled far in the relentless rain, but the idea of shouldering in between strangers to sleep under a rock roof was somewhat like considering sleeping in an anthill. She'd rather just oust the pair of them and settle in by herself, but on her own it seemed more likely they'd just band up and shove her out in the rain. Cézanne heaved a sigh, not bothering to mask her approach to the dark female at the cavern's mouth. Unless her nose betrayed her, there was another within, smelling of drying fur.» Stick your nose in further and she might bite it off, « Cézanne advised humorlessly, head swaying to the rhythm of her gait. Rainwater had made her tail heavy, but it twitched a few notches higher all the same, as subtle a sign as the hard, unyielding look in her eyes. She wanted the world prostrate before her, but was wary of grabbing it by the neck and pushing it down out here in the wild, where she was alone—would rather take what she was offered, and let the rest slide.. for now.

Taller, thicker, and heavier, Cézanne moved up behind the black female—unless she bolted, or something—with a fine disregard for personal space. With something akin to lazy curiosity she flicked her sodden ears forward, wrinkled her nose, and peered around the girl and into the darkness. If the female in the cave hadn't eaten them within ten seconds, Cézanne was going in, and monsters be damned.

Ooc: Thanks Fen, I thought I had already, but now IT IS fixed c:

A voice broke through the tricolored wolfess' slumber, awaking her with a start. When she opened her heavy lids, a pair of pale bluish eyes were staring back at her from only inches away; the outside light streaming in from behind the stranger making the rest of her face indiscernible. A surprised snarl escaped the sleepy lass, as she squeezed against the back of her little cave, ears press flat to her skull. Her head was still hazy from sleep, so before she had time to react further, another wise sounded outside her hideout; I thought I was safe here! Soon the new arrival showed herself, face appearing behind the darker female opposing her. With the start, and her still foggy brain, there was no room in Aideen's head for sensible thought. Instead, anger flared up within her, eclipsing her shock, and she rose her haggles and growled: <b style="color:#c7470f">"You're damn right I will!" She moved a bit forwards, keeping her teeth bared in an attempt o drive back the strangers; I need to get out of here! She didn't know what these two other wolves were up to, but no matter what, she wouldn't be alright before she had open air all around her. In aims to get out of the shelter, that had become her prison, she continued her harsh tone, snarling viciously: <b style="color:#c7470f">"What the fuck are you two doing, waking me up like this?! How about showing a little consideration?!" While she wasn't quite ready to jump these strangers, one false move on anyone's part would make the fiery wolf lash out; she wasn't a stranger to scuffles and fights, and something about the last arrived wolfs yellow stare rubbed her the wrong way. Word count: 286 I'm not stupid <b style="color:#c7470f">”I've got bark!”

(This post was last modified: Oct 08, 2013, 03:43 PM by Aideen.)

PLOT WITH ME!

It was kinda hasty but it'll work.

Hearing the voice behind her Lalani swings her back to the side of the cave. She wanted to keep both these wolves in her sight. Turning to the female that had come up behind her, "I don't really see how it's any of your business, but I wouldn't have given her the chance." Her eyes now cold, sweep back to the one cornered in the cave. She bares her teeth. "I only came for shelter, I was curious to see who else was around. I haven't been here long. And I shouldn't have been the one to wake you up, you should have done it. Stay vigilant or you'll die." These females definately weren't the friendly type, but then again, she didn't have to be either. She steps away from the cave to give the female an escape route, while she didn't feel like being nice, she knew what it was like to be cornered.

She began sizing up the others. The one in the cave was a rusty color, but smaller than Lani was. It was possible she might be able to take her in a fight. As for the other one, that was different story. She was bigger, and well muscled. She was also still in the way on the cave. Pinning her with an icy gaze she says, "Can you move." It wasn't a question.
Lani didn't know why she said it, she should probably just stay out of it, but she couldn't let the littler female be cornered. It felt too much like deja-vu. If the big one didn't move, she was going to make her.

Sorry for the slight wait.. lack of sleep + work did not agree with me.

The world's a prickly place... Seems like whatever I do it's like sniffing an angry porcupine. Rain didn't precisely dull her spirits, but these attitudes had quickly chilled her mood, and the social temperature kept plunging (or rising, if you considered it in terms of hot anger). The black girl didn't appreciate Cézanne's rather cruel brand of humor, while the nose-biter in question growled her agreement. It was an effort not to roll her eyes. Women. And here she had thought she'd escaped their illogical ways when she left Calder behind.Idly she wondered if being old meant being calm—or at least in control of your spitting tongue and spiky fur. In truth, she felt rather detached, as if watching them both from some cold, distant space. The day wasn't a very inspiring one, and disinterest worked away at her patience, more so fueling her desire to get this over and done with than the rain. It was tempting to just say whatever and walk away, if not for the fact that a bit of solid roof was more tempting. That, and pride. Maledictiō tu, regina Cézanne.

Black backed down, after showing to have more within her skull than Cézanne would've assumed, and saved her the breath of raising the hypothetical question of if angry, hungry bears would have as much courtesy to at least wait for her to wake up before eating her. Still, she didn't count the female out of the equation, and her moving off from the entrance seemed to indicate some sense of.. justice? Pity? It seemed likely she'd attack Cézanne if Cézanne attacked the other, but where did you get in life if you never took any chances? Her hard eyes settled on the smaller wolf within the darkness, her bared fangs and raised hackles—that alone was reason enough to give her a beating. The beginnings of a growl rumbled in her chest, a twitch running along her lips, ears forward and tail rising.

She had wasted little time in taking it all in and evaluating it; wasted less in making a decision. She had size on her side. Even if they ran her off, it seemed unlikely they'd leave any permanent damage."Can you move," Black said, and Cézanne grinned wolfishly, baring all her fangs.» Yes, « she replied.And moved—though maybe not in the direction Black had intended...Sinewy muscles uncoiled and she sprang forward, a ferocious snarl tumbling out of her parted jaws—one eye on the ground, one on the wolf, an ear on the other, all your bases covered, right? Her lower jaw dropped down as she hunched her neck over to cover her throat, pulse roaring in her ears as she dived, fast and precise; it was a long time she had felt this alive, this.. exhilarated, and the only thing missing was something warm between her teeth. Or, something hard; muzzles were bony and rather cold, and it was the fiery girl's muzzle she was aiming for, hoping to grab it and teach her to keep a civil tongue in her mouth—or none at all.

We'll have to be consulting this thread when we make our posts; ideally I would've waited for my roll to know I'm not going to faceplant or something, but -twitch- I wanted to get this up. Puppy, if you'd rather I see the result of the roll and incorporate in my post before you go again, just let me know. ^-^

EDIT: Ok, after we received the message from staff, I changed my post to give Céz a chance to decide how the block and attack lands - It seems I didn't understand the system as well as I thought, but I hope this now is good enough. ^^
- I also want to clarify that the kick is not an attack and isn't hard enough, nor meant, to cause damage, it is simply a blocking of Cézanne's attack - since the rolls signified a such.

Ooc: Yahi!! Fight, fight, fight, fight! xD

The girls whole body was coiled and tense like a spring, her teeth showing, hackles raised, and ears pressed back flat against her skull. She wanted most of all to get out of this crammed space, be able to move; what had she even been thinking crawling in here in the first place? The entire situation was insane, and it only got more so for every second. Eyes so wide, the white in them were showing, Aideen stared from the black female, to the grey beast, and back to the first, growling deep down in her throat; MOVE! Then the darker, smaller wolf spoke, her voice laden with haughty spite. Aideen snarled back as she retracted from the cave entrance, voice rough with anger; <b style="color:#c7470f">"Don't tell me what to do!" The truth of the others words rang in the back of her mind, only serving to further her anger at this point. A rising wish to rip both of the others apart pressed behind the reddish girl's eyes, her thoughts were slow and dense, she needed fresh air. From outside her frame of view, she heard the black girls voice ask the other to back down; How noble of her! The sarcastic thought came slowly, like it was forcing its way through tar, and it was the last one to form before instinct took over completely. As the largest of the three replied thunderously and hurled herself towards Aideen, the girl shot out a hind paw from her coil, attempting to hit the attackers face and push it to the side, such blocking the attack. Then she went into action, every muscle in her form finding its way into a familiar pattern. She might be small and slow, but she had a mother with the exact same disadvantages, who was still a hell of a fighter, and she had taught her daughter well. The slender fae tossed herself forwards, set on getting out of this prison and onto better fighting ground, and, taking advantage of the attackers compromised position, aimed her teeth at the flesh right behind her ear. She pushed forwards, moving to use her grip in place of her lesser strength, to force the woman out of the cave, and give herself a better chance of victory. Word count: 398 I'm not stupid <b style="color:#c7470f">”I've got bark!”

(This post was last modified: Oct 12, 2013, 05:05 PM by Aideen.)

PLOT WITH ME!

Lalani didn't like Big's attitude. She seemed to think that the world owed her something. It was people with that kind of attitude that caused pain and havoc for the rest of us, she thought to herself. She had promised to stop people like this. Big lunged forward aiming for Red's snout. Lani was filled with rage. Why was she attacking the smaller female, when she hadn't done anything?

Red managed to dodge the blow and shoved big's snout into the floor. She fought for some grip and pushed forward. She was trying to manuver out of the cave but it was clear she wasn't going to make much headway when facing the bigger female. 'Well, why not change that?' lani thought to herself. She lunged forward, sending her weight behind her shoulder. Her intention was to knock Big off balence but overestimated the power behind the move and the evenness of the cave floor. She stumbled over a crevice and was sent sprawling past her target. She cringed as she hit the opposite cave wall. What good was she going to be to Red if she couldn't even hit her target? Now she was beating herself up too.

She lept to her feet and took a few steps back out of the cave. "Leave her alone! She hasn't done anything!" Lani shouted at Big's back. She got a sudden flash back. Her brother had said something like that when she was being attacked by her father. Her resolve hardened and everything came in more clearly. She was not going to let Red become her. She centered her weight closer to the ground. She bared her fangs in Big's direction. She was ready.

Again, sorry for the wait. Puppy and I talked this out in a PM and decided to forgo rolls for this post, and then we'll just see how it all pans out.

You try to silence life by grabbing it around the mouth, but life has never learned how to shut up; a hind paw smacked into Cézanne's upper jaw, wrenching her off course and jarring her teeth. Fangs shut with a vengeful click, on nothing, the kind of dissatisfaction that is enough to make you howl—focus. This was not the time to be overrun by blinding anger, anger at one's own failures. She knew better than to blame the world for her own shortcomings, but frustration has a bitter taste and coats her tongue, clouds her mind. She is Cézanne, queen and wrathful, Regina et irata. She is Cézanne and she's always hungry for more.Trapped between a rock and a hard place, there was little to do but shoulder down, and try to salvage something which had so obviously failed. The fiery girl's shorter stature gave her a lethal advantage Cézanne wasn't too keen on letting her abuse, and as the little spitfire launched her own attack, the taller queen ducked down, ears flat. Teeth snapped and found purchase behind their soft tips, grabbing mostly fat and scruff-fur, and Cézanne's entire body vibrated with her vehement growling; her blood sang, not the sweet song of victory, but the dark, discordant hymns of vengeance and black anger, fuel for her mounting rage.What kind of idiot picked fights with every stranger you met?The Cézanne kind of idiot.She grit her teeth as Black came hurtling—and hit a wall.

The rather spectacular display was.. simply beautiful, enough to stun Cézanne for a moment as she stood, dumbstruck with silent wonder, and staring out the corner of her eye at the recovering female. It was one of those moments when she wondered if she'd been hallucinating, or if she'd really seen a wolf go flying like that; she allowed herself to savor the bewilderment, lowered weight and sturdy legs keeping her bound in place even though the smaller female tugged at her. It was, she figured, enough of a soothing balm on her wounded pride; she, at least, hadn't tripped headfirst into a wall. It made her feel better, but only marginally so, and as Black backed out of the way again, Cézanne started to pay attention to what was going on.The constant tug and pressure on her neck was wearying, and cold, yellow eyes slid sideways, to stare at the smaller female. Rain was splattering down Cézanne's back, running off the charcoal tips of her fur, and.. the trapped girl.. wanted out? It certainly felt like it, if the way she was trying to shove Cézanne meant anything. Well, she thought, ignoring Black's shouted comment (she was in my shelter, isn't that enough of a reason?), whyever not? She relaxed, marginally, and allowed herself to have her head dragged around to the right; with a renewed growl she helped out, tried to barge into Aideen's hips to forcibly exchange their positions—the surprise of Black's failure had, fortunately, stolen the body of her hot-headed anger, leaving her feeling just as cold and dispassionate as earlier. She rather missed the company of those flames, the thrumming in her veins, but if she had to pick between slaughtering a young girl and using her brains to catch a few hours of dry rest in the rain—she had to pick comfort.

Ooc: No roll here either, as no attack was made ^^
Also, long post is long!! xD

Her teeth connected, jaws clutching tight, and a taste of blood filling her maw. A feeling of triumph mixed with disgust, as her canines pierced skin and grabbed fat and fur, and her first impulse was to let go immediately, the taste of wolf bitter an unwelcome on her tongue. But with a persistent grunt, the reddish fae held her ground, locking her jaw and pushing at the had-stamped floor with her hind paws; determined to keep her grip. She shoved forwards with all her force, pressing back at the larger attacker, paws scratching at the ground as she tried to force the light pelted woman out of the cave; so that she herself could get free. It was an effort unlikely to pay out, unless the attacker gave up her own advance, but stubborn as she was, Aideen continued pushing. Eyes half closed against the fur of the large dame, ears pressed flat back and shoulders rolled up to protect herself from a possible retaliation, the small femme was unaware of anything going on beyond her own body and that of her target, thus, she could only guess about the thud that echoed lowly through the cave, from somewhere near the entrance; Was that... Black? A voice soon followed, its words no more than a muddle to Aideen, but enough to confirm that the black lass was still out there and doing... Something! Then she felt movement under her teeth, as, amazingly, the brutish wolfess gave in to her pressure, swiveling sideways to give free passage to the outside. The tri-colored girl released her grip, only happy to leave the enemy in her compromised position, and continue her forwards motion out into the rain. A good few leaps free of her prison, she then turned t observe the situation from her open position. Heavy rain still hammering down, quickly soaking her newly dried fur, left the whole area a slippery mess, mud and fallen leaves covered the ground and small streams of water trickled along creases in the forest floor. Copper eyes scanning the surroundings, she noticed a double row of skid marks in the muck, leading down near the cave opening, where miss black was standing, a bit of mud in her fur explaining what had happened; Took a little tumble it seems... Aideen flashed her teeth in a joyless sneer, this whole situation was ridiculous! carefully placing her paws on the slippery surface, the slender girl trotted towards Black, who was still positioned at the entrance. Ears still lowered unsurely, but tail lifted in a peace offering, the small fea approached the larger dame and spoke in a hoarse voice: <b style="color:#c7470f">"This is one pretty mess, isn't it?!" Her tone was harsh, a hint of poison lasing it, but the look she gave Black was diplomatic, even hinting towards apologetic. Then she rolled her eyes and turned them on the big woman, now neatly tucked within the shelter of the cave; <b style="color:#c7470f">"But I guess you got everything you wanted, right?!" Her gaze at this woman held nothing but flames and repulsion, a flash of teeth, that had nothing in common with a smile, following as she continued; <b style="color:#c7470f">"Where do you go around, thinking you can just assault everyone you come across to get what you want?! Give me one good reason I shouldn't widen that wound, now when you're so nicely cornered in there?!" Her tail was lifted now, her every fiber supporting her threat, and promising that she would follow it up, was there any need to. Word count: 590 I'm not stupid <b style="color:#c7470f">”I've got bark!”

PLOT WITH ME!