Fuzzy Slippers

Note to self= after the thread with the lone female yearling, before the thread with Makism.

@Gent

The boy had been turned southward by a number of means. Mostly by the wolf scents he had found. However the child was still as lost as ever. He was quickly learning about the places he'd seen, but was no closer to learning about the route back home than when he'd first became lost in Whisper Marsh. Unbeknownst to the youngster he was actually on the correct route homeward. Or at least he was a lot closer than he used to be.

The trees had given away to open ground and stiff dried grasses poking through the now four inch cover of snow over the earth. The pup, having had a meal not too long ago with a nice male wolf, was not overly hungry like he had been before. Only tiny pangs of hunger prodded his belly, but they were pains that could easily be ignored while traveling. Titan had a spring in his step today as he roamed westward from the marsh towards the Iridescent Lagoon. He had noticed that the few trees he could see had turned from only cedars to a mix of cedar and willow. The willow trees made the boy feel all warm and bubbly inside. They reminded him of his home. Which means I'm getting closer. Titan thought happily to himself.

Spying the glitter of ice and water from his vantage point, the dark wolf pup bounded forward suddenly reminded of his thirst. Once he sped over the snow to the bank the child slowed to gaze at the beautiful scene. Wilows ringed the outside edges of the shoreline. Cattails mostly dead from the cold stood stubbornly against the wind lodged in thin ice. A thin film of ice had formed over the shoreline of the lagoon. Deeper into the center of the lagoon fresh tempting unfrozen water lay. An experienced wolf might have broken the ice at the edge of the shore to get water by rearing up on its powerful hind legs and crashing down with stiff forelegs. However Titan did not know how to do this act yet. Nor did he know how dangerous it was to walk out on this ice.

Slowly the boy edged out onto the freezing cold stiff water, (his words for what he saw as ice) and reached for the liquid water. His paws slipped forward and a loud "CRACK!" sounded startling the boy backwards. The cracking continued almost sounding like thunder. Titan, being gravely frightened of thunderstorms, bolted backwards back onto shore and towards the only cover he could see; a dead row of bushes near a large willow.

Only too late did the boy realize that the bushes were wild rose plants with thorns. The young Thorben crashed into the bushes and immediately began flailing around crying as the winding plants entangled him with long sharp branches.

"GAAAAA!! SOMEONE HELP!! WAAAAAAHAAAAAHAHAAAA!" His snarling cries echoed over the landscape while the pup struggled blindly to free himself.

WHISPER Caverns

(This post was last modified: Nov 18, 2013, 07:56 PM by Titan.)

Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Accept no defeat, surrender retreat...

ooc: we'll just pretend there's a reason gent is this far south because i can't think of anything xD; Gent trekked through the piling snow, boredom eating away at his mind. The precipitation muffled all sound, and the silence was driving him crazy. He was very much a social personality, even if he didn't always like the wolves he met, and so the solitude of travel did not sit well with him. This ultimately turned his mood sour. He looked more like a child than a man, thanks both to the transitional age he was at and the near pout present on his face. Each step was a kick at the snow, and his movement was slow and unenthused. And then, gloriously, something happened. The shattering of ice ripped through the air, snapping Gent out of his reverie of gloom. His entire posture changed, transforming from downtrodden to tall and alert. Hopefully, the sounds had come from something he could interact with, instead of something trivial. Shortly, it was proved that circumstances lay in his favor. Shortly after having heard the ice break, the panicked screams of a whelp in distress assaulted his hearing. Though very tired from travel, he moved rapidly, bounding over the drifts toward the racket's source. Shortly, he came upon the trouble, and winced to see what the boy had tangled himself in; that had to hurt. "Stop moving!" he commanded as he approached the situation. It was going to be a lot more difficult than this needed to be if he kept thrashing around. At any rate, Gent attempted to assess the situation, and began gingerly pulling back at the died thorny vines.

His calls not surprisingly were answered. Luckily for the boy it was not a coyote or a bear who came to his demise, but a dark male yearling. The black as night wolf hurried closer as Titan thrashed making more of the thorns sink deeply into his skin.

Titan spotted the dark shape just as Gent came to a stop and barked an order to stop moving. Reluctantly Titan froze up; though his legs and tail were still shaking from the shock of being poked bloody by thorns all across his body.

"It hurts.. " Titan moaned as the darker lone male began extracting his sensitive young body from the thorny tentacles of plant. One leg came free, his right paw planted itself firmly upon the ground while Titan tried twisting his head to help.

"Ouch! " Four thorns prodded his neck while the boy turned his head. "This stuff stinks! " His nose wrinkled into a snarl while the dark lad stiffened himself making it easier for the other older guy help out. Though the childs dark blue gaze turned to the tufts of his fur sticking on the branches Gent had already taken off his riddled body.

"Please don't pull out all my fur buddy! " The last word turned into a yelp as a tugged thorn scraped across his skin. Titans eyes looked at another thonry brach falling to the ground and felt his back leg free up from the plants grip. "Thanks though.. I mean.. At least your helping me.. " Titan couldn't help but be reminded of how the first yearling he had met on his ridiculous journey had been a troublesome bitch with no ounce of pity.

WHISPER Caverns

(This post was last modified: Nov 21, 2013, 07:53 PM by Titan.)

Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Accept no defeat, surrender retreat...

@Titan

Gent as a hero was an unexpected sight if one had a glimpse at the surface of his personality. However, the boy was often quick to act as he was now, so long as it did not present to great a danger to himself; lending a helping paw often resulted in an owed favor to cash in on further down the road. Especially when the situation involved a youth. Gent loved befriending those his age and those younger than him, for they were the most susceptible to blind loyalty. The process was painfully slow, but limb by limb the whelp was freed from the clutches of the thorny vines. Once completely disentangled, Gent let loose the twisting branches and instead wrapped his maw around the younger boy's scruff. He carried him only a short distance, away from the danger of both the thorns and the sinking ice until they reached a small expanse occupied only by snow all around. Setting him down, Gent instantly set to work digging them a hollow in the banks so that they may have shelter from the biting winds. "Why wouldn't I help?" he asked rhetorically, dismissing the thanks as though he thought nothing of the favor he had just performed. "I'll get us some shelter, and then we'll make sure you aren't scratched up too bad. How much does it hurt?" If the boy had any lacerations too deep, Gent hoped he would be able to scrounge up something aid in the healing process. It would be one hundred percent luck if he could find anything still worth unearthing under all this snow, however.

(This post was last modified: Dec 21, 2013, 09:21 PM by Gent.)

He was finally free. Though Titan eyed the incredulous look on the other male when he asked "why wouldn't I help?" then licked one of his banged up legs.

"I don't know it's just... Well I met another younger loner like us, and she was quite frankly a bitch with no heart." He had hesitated before saying the swear word. Titan had heard Tokino spout the angry word from his muzzle before and felt that it was just right to describe the loner Avaline. She had been the first wolf Titan had ever truly met with a bad nature about her. Knowing and growing up with all good wolves around him made Titan unsure around the troubling loner. If anything he'd been shocked by her nastiness. Perhaps it had been a good thing for the boy to see that not everyone in this world wanted to help him survive or become "friends".

"She bullied me after I was hurt by a giant bird that mostly ran along the ground then left me for dead laughing about it as she left." He answered the other wolf wondering if his good nature really was true and not something fabricated for the occasion. " I'm sorry if I don't trust other loners immediately after meeting her." He tried to give a reason for that earlier prickly attitude Titan had sported.

Titan was amazed that Gent was helping so much. Being a soul who couldn't take something without giving another thing in return made Titan reluctant to allow this stranger to help him any further. "You don't have to..." He tried intercepting the black wolf's words at the mention of finding shelter. However the younger boy gave up and let the male fuss over him. He was used to letting his mother and the other adults fuss over him then later trying to help them out in any way he could. "Not hurt bad just...prickly feeling all over.." Titan moved to try and lick the area's that were beginning to feel itchy even as the healthy boys body began the slow healing process.

"I'm Titan Thorben of Whisper Caverns pack. Who're you if I might ask?" He kept his words respectful especially since this older male was helping him out. It was only right to do so and act respectfully for him.

WHISPER Caverns

Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Accept no defeat, surrender retreat...

A silent snigger shook Gent as the pup let slip a cuss word, though he wondered what haughty fool would abuse a whelp. Gent had failed to inherit his father's rapid temper, and could never be understanding of those who would let their own anger hinder them by raising hatred and resentment in others. "Loners who are malicious remain alone, and therefore die. She'll have her's." The hollowing was quickly accomplished, creating a cove within the icy snow that would shelter them from the wind. He nudged the boy under the resulting overhang, feeling that such coddling was necessary due to the boy's voiced reluctance in receiving so much aid, before laying down himself, taking the shape of an elongated letter 'c.' This would make it so that any rogue gusts would hit Gent rather than reaching the scratched up boy. "Hey, I'm happy for the company," he assured him, watching as Titan tended to his own wounds, making certain that the boy was being honest about their severity. "I am Gent Lieris. It's nice meeting you, Titan. Though, if you have a pack, what are you doing out here alone?" Gent had tensed at Titan's self introduction for the mention of a pack, as the thought crossed his mind that perhaps he had unintentionally wandered into occupied territory. However, after a few deep breaths, he was assured that there were not proper markings to claim the land. That wouldn't keep any wolves from getting aggressive, however, though he did possess the benefit of having rescued their youth. He considered inquiring about the pack's nature, of rooting out whether or not it would be a suitable place to settle, but the thought was dismissed in a huff. Gent would not stray from his original goal; he would become a member of the fabled Nomad's Pass pack, no matter what winter threw at him nor how long it took to travel to their peaks.

(This post was last modified: Dec 24, 2013, 08:09 PM by Gent.)

"Loners who are malicious remain alone, and therefore die. She'll have her's."

That comment helped Titan somehow. He felt better thinking that somehow fate would pay her back in time. Curling up comfortably behind Gent and next to the wall of snow Titan continued licking each prickly yet itchy injury. It took a few licks to each scratched up place before the wounds would stop bleeding or leaking clear fluid. Then he would move on to another area. There was only one place he could not reach and that was a row of pin pricked scratches form the thorns that were set at the top of his head. For this itchy place Titan simply swept a paw over his head to try and quell the itching.

"Hey, I'm happy for the company,"

This guy was cool. At least so far Titan had a healthy respect for the young loner. He wondered what living alone felt like. With no overprotective adults around or annoying siblings to talk to. Titan wasn't so sure he would like to live alone for too long.

"I'm glad to be your company." He answered the older male while itching his head again.

"I am Gent Lieris. It's nice meeting you, Titan. Though, if you have a pack, what are you doing out here alone?" Titan tilted his head nodding in greeting then listened to the question.

"Aww.. well. My mother went out on a mission to some faraway pack. She's been gone for a lot longer than she should have been. Everyone's been worried and I think she got hurt someplace. So I went out to find her, though now I kinda realize that I'm never going to be able to find her when I can't even find the way home myself. " He pursed his black lips annoyed at himself for being so stupid. Unlike his brother Yuka, Titan usually did things before thinking about it first. This usually got him into trouble just like he was now.

WHISPER Caverns

Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Accept no defeat, surrender retreat...

Gent continued to watch the boy. When he noticed him pawing at his head, he decided to lend a paw. Gent ran his tongue between the boy's ears, quickly cleaning up the minute wounds for Titan. He then stretched out his limbs, let out a yawn, and got a little more comfortable, settling in to listen as the boy explained his situation. What Titan said, Gent couldn't exactly wrap his mind around. While he was well aware of why the boy felt the way he did, there was no way for Gent to feel any form of empathy for him. Given the events of his life, Gent had never been able to become attached to a particular person, much less know what should have been innate; undying affection for his parents. His mother had been nothing but a milk bottle for him, and the only emotion his father ever betrayed was passionate anger. The couple that fostered him through the later portion of his first year had come along too late to have any lasting emotional impact on Gent, proven by how easy it had been for the boy to abandon both them and the pack that had taken him in. Given this lack of understanding, Gent avoided eye contact, instead directing his gaze over the banked snow and into the dark, as though he were on alert for any roaming threats. What he did know, was that this was a big problem for Titan, and that he was both capable and willing to assist the boy. If he could get Titan home, or least likely but even better yet, find his mother, he was certain to be able to rely on him as an ally for a great length of time to come, unless something else happened to lead the boy to be unwilling to honor owed debts. "That's horrible," Gent responded softly as he returned his gaze to Titan, doing a decent job of faking what he was incapable of honestly feeling. "Perhaps its the weather that's kept her away? She might be sheltering with this foreign pack," he offered, wanting to give the boy hope. "I have a destination far north that I must reach, but I can help you find your pack before continuing. You couldn't have wandered too far, right? And then, as I travel, I'll keep an eye out for your mother, if you tell me a bit about her. How does that sound?"