Beaver Dam lying to forget

@Spieden <3

March 6th; Evening, after sunset; Partly Cloudy; 46° F/8° C

Twilight had come and Tannis could feel it in his bones, making all four of his tawny limbs itch and burn. Up along the receding river that led to the main part of Heartleaf Creek, he darted across the cold, pebble-covered banks, visually likened to an owl as it flit and soared through the trees in search of mice. The urge to hide was starting to override everything else. Now that the sun had slipped down behind the canopies of the trees, it didn't matter if all he had been able to fill his stomach with was a pitiful squirrel. It didn't even matter that the forest around him had grown quieter as he traveled further north. Maybe he would be back for the Princess Morganna, to gain her favor and lobby for employment under her rule, but for now, he wanted nothing to do with them since Morganna's "guard" had warded him off. Following the trickling creeks he came upon a beaver dam, where the sound of sharp teeth clicking at the low branches filled his ears, followed by timely splashes as the beaver family who lived there continued building their home.

He shivered, wishing that he had been able to at least keep half of the winter coat that he had already shed due to stress and continually crawling over and under things as he made his way south and into Relic Lore. Along the muddy river banks he spied three adult beavers atop their impressive barrier, placing sticks and building material on top of it in a pile. It seemed their daughter from their previous litter had not found a mate yet. Tannis sighed, remembering his own parents. It was unfortunate, really, but he supposed in time he might be able to come to terms with what had happened.

He moved about to find a decent place to lay down, rather glad that the grass around here had finally become lush, green, and comfortable for him to lay down on. Tucking his limbs close to his body and nestling his nose into the grass, he exhaled, lonely but glad he was physically still in one piece.

(This post was last modified: May 08, 2014, 01:03 AM by Tannis.)

The cover of encroaching night served as Spieden's shroud, as she left the cover of trees and brush to walk along the exposed bank of the creek. The rising halfmoon's light was weak, the Coho's dark brown and black coat dissolving easily into the shadowed hues of the evening, her silver highlights further obfuscating her form. Tripping around in the dark didn't sound pleasant, and the stream bed made for an easier route than wrestling through the undergrowth of the forest.

The musky aquatic scent of beaver caught her senses, which provided the tantilizing opportunity for hunt. As a lone wolf food was never a promise, but for her she could hardly remember a time when it had been. Anything she caught or found now was hers, and she wasn't left to crack out the brain or scrape the fat from skin just to have something in her belly.

As soon as she could see the dam spanning the river, she slowed her footsteps, sidling just to the edge of the treeline. She tried to keep her footfalls silent, but apparently not enough. The loud 'smack' of a leathery tail on water not only alerted the other beavers that a predator was near, but told Spieden that her effort would be wasted. She knew they would hole up in their dam long enough for a hunter to grow bored. But, this hunter had time.

Spieden tread closer to the timber hewn fortress, her nose ghosting over the edge that connected with the bank. With a small hop she was on top of the causeway, carefully picking over the hard packed mound of sticks. A swath of green just the other side of the dam called to her as the perfect place to lay in wait for the rodents to reemerge.

Just as Spieden was nearing the other bank, she finally noticed the grey and russet figure already huddled on her lawn. She froze in place, keeping her higher ground in case she needed to beat a hasty retreat, but folding her ears and tail close to herself. She nervously licked at her nose as she stared at the male, wondering if he had already staked out this place as his own hunting ground.

Under the flawless sky, feeling alright

Spieden Coho

Careless, not hopeless, you can't bring me down

(This post was last modified: May 07, 2014, 01:00 AM by Spieden.)

It felt like he had been resting there for hours, but in all actuality it hadn't been long until he was discovered. His ears perked up from their usual positions at the side of his head at the sound of someone approaching. He flattened himself further into the grass and might have gotten up if it weren't for his partial confidence in thinking he was decently camouflaged. His pale eyes darted towards something or someone moving in the distance and, just like that, he was seconds from being discovered.

The woman had the nerve and courage to stomp all over that dam, and Tannis merely watched in amusement. Perhaps he could learn something, but it seemed she was just using the impressive structure as a bridge. She was nearly on the same side the rogue had chosen to settle down for the night. Their eyes met and, again, his ears lowered. It might have been funny that at the same time her tongue came out to lick at her nose, he had done the exact same thing, but he soon realized that she had the upper hand. She was on higher ground and he, well, had set himself up to be thwarted and driven off just by laying down in an obviously submissive pose.

His tail, had it been thoroughly visible instead of curled up at his backside and tucking itself against his belly, might have attempted to wag in a friendly albeit anxious manner. He had had his fill of traveling for today, after slinking around Princess Morganna's borders to no avail for so long (he had thought to ask to stay, but thought better of it the more her guard made it clear that he had not been welcome). As it seemed that the beavers weren't going to come out very soon and it had seemed like she had the intentions of hunting one of them for dinner, Tannis let out a low woof, one that escalated into a characteristic whine.

Don't mind me, he verbally whimpered as loudly as he could without garnering the suspicions of the beaver family within their fortress. I'll just stay here and watch. I'll be quiet. Promise...

(This post was last modified: May 08, 2014, 11:37 PM by Tannis.)

There was a tense moment where Spieden waited for the man to do something, but he remained nestled in the grass. His folded ears weren't a bad sign, but it threw Spieden off in a different way. She expected a fight, but there wasn't one and she was left with the nervous feeling of anticipation.

She winced at his bark, her muscles tensing in expectation of something, something other than the high, placating noises that emerged from his lips. A few beats longer she watched him, making sure that it wasn't all a ruse. Promises were hardly worth the air that carried them. Nonetheless, there was a stick jabbing her right in the paw and she couldn't stay up here forever. The beavers were probably starting to wonder what all that racket up there was, in any case. With her fiery eyes locked onto the male, she slowly descended. Right forepaw, left forepaw, one hindlimb then the next, each motion made with caution. Perhaps it was overly cautious, but Spieden wasn't sure what normal codes of conduct were anymore.

Once on solid earth, she slowly creeped around him as if he were a coiled snake that might strike at any sudden move. She circled around and faced the dam, but kept the male a few yards away and within her view. She didn't make a motion to sit, instead standing in an awkard hunch, still not entirely at ease with the whole situation. She was hungry, and this wolf seemed alright so far, but everything seemed alright right up until the moment it wasn't.

Under the flawless sky, feeling alright

Spieden Coho

Careless, not hopeless, you can't bring me down

As any fearful creature might, he watched as the lone woman descended from her perch, one foot before the other. Then, as soon as she was on the grass he averted his eyes, listening as she walked in a wide circle around and away from him. She stopped moving to face the dam and he let his eyes lift up to look at her before following her gaze out to the beaver's impressive work, a landmark that could have possibly been there for as long as the Lore itself. He might have snorted lightly, shrugging his shoulders at the thought of being unable to find out what beaver actually tasted like or even thinking about hunting beavers in water, an element of nature he often avoided unless he really had to quench his thirst or beat the heat on a summer day. The longer they both remained there, though, the more apprehensive Tannis became. He slowly lifted his head, though his ears remained pinned to the sides of his skull.

"Am I... bothering you?" he asked, his voice reduced to a murmur. "I mean, I can leave if you want?" He raised himself so that he was in some sort of a slouched sitting position, his neck craned downward as he looked over her. The whites at the sides of his eyes emphasized the nervousness that was apparent in his face as he grimaced further. He really didn't want to ask such a thing, but the woman in the Grove had asked him and he felt that it was only conventional that he do the same, even if he had every reason to be afraid of whatever threat the dark-pelted woman might pose.

"You okay?"

It didn't pass Spieden's notice that the male looked just as nervous about all this as she did. The knowledge of this didn't set her any more at ease, however. How he might respond to her remained a mystery, and she kept her distance. As he spoke, his voice was soft enough that Spieden had to strain to hear him over the soft trickle of the creek. She wasn't sure how to respond, but didn't make a move nor voice to stop him from rising.

'You okay?' Spieden's stare had morphed into a look of general confusion, as if what this male had said something absurd and unexpected. Her curled posture straightened somewhat, though her elbows remained crouched. The question surprised her, but it did force her to take stock of herself for once. Was she okay? She supposed that she was alive and free, which was enough. "Yes, 'Okay' seems about right." She spoke softly.

She reflected his own question back onto him. "I could ask you the same." Spieden likely knew the answer though, whether or not he would give it honestly. The turn of his ears and the whites of his eyes told her well enough how much her presence was bothering him. "It's fine, I'll leave. You were here first." She blurted with a small whine, rocking back on her paws to turn and leave.

Under the flawless sky, feeling alright

Spieden Coho

Careless, not hopeless, you can't bring me down

He continued to look her over, his interest in the woman growing just enough to summon from him the faintest trace of gentility that he thought he had forgotten; she had seemed confused, surprised even as she fully acknowledged him. Her own voice had been as quiet as his as she declared that "being okay" seemed to be appropriate in regarding how she currently felt. What came next was something he had expected and it sent him spiraling back from the mindset that had initially offered his concern. Perhaps she was like them... like the pair of beasts he had encountered in the Grove. If that was the case and she offered her leave, then Tannis figured that it was for the best. The more the thought about it all, the more he grew anxious over her departure.

He let the silence stretch on for a little while longer than was socially comfortable for either of them and, as she made even the slightest move that signaled she was willing to let him be, he uttered a whine of his own. "W-waiiit..." He paused to gauge her reaction, "Please wait." He made a sound that was meant to be a whimper, but it sounded more like a frightened pheasant whose cry started on a low octave and rose up in scale. He almost got up to go after her but he quickly remembered who he was and what might happen if he dared to even approach her. She might attach him, he might be messing with another princess... he might be messing with... one of them.

Steeling himself, he reclined forward and lowered his nose back into the grass, his ears coming up for a split-second before coming back down. "Will you tell me if you know of a good place to hide?" As if to try and keep her from getting suspicious or becoming extremely wary of him, he added, "I'm being hunted by wolves..."

He implored her to wait and Spieden's amber eyes narrowed, considering disobeying and stalking off anyways. But curiosity got the best of her and her paws remained rooted to the ground. Everything this male did confused her, how he kept whining and looking generally uncomfortable with her presence, and yet he wanted her to wait? She couldn't think of what he would want from her, and wasn't entirely sure if she even wanted to know.

Spieden couldn't help the incredulous gape of her lower jaw, but quickly snapped it shut. Now she really wished she'd left instead. "You're what? Hunted?!" She wanted to yell but kept her voice down to a frantic whisper. Her eyes widened and she cast a sidelong glance at the foliage to one side and the forest across the creek. Perhaps his hunters were tracking him even now, waiting in the shadows and watching their every move, hearing their every word. If this wolf had a target on his head, she didn't want to be in the way when the ax came down on him. Maybe he was a criminal, or innocent, but either way Spieden had no faith in any law of the land and didn't want to be seen with a wanted man.

"Look, don't tell me. I don't want to know." She hissed. Even if she had been here for long enough to know of any hideaways, she sure as hell wouldn't share them with this rogue. "All I know is I don't want you anywhere near me when they find you." Cruel, perhaps, but she had herself to look after.

Under the flawless sky, feeling alright

Spieden Coho

Careless, not hopeless, you can't bring me down

(This post was last modified: May 16, 2014, 01:15 AM by Spieden.)

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the snow. Hunt Opportunity

His tail wriggled in a show of anxious desperation, but the answer he was given made him react in a way that might have suggested he had been nipped at or bitten. "You're what? Hunted?!" she hissed at him. His ears rotated back as though their tips had been pinned back against his nape. "Look, don't tell me. I don't want to know." Tannis could have been stabbed in the chest by how he shifted and rolled over on his side, wanting nothing more than to melt into the grass and never reemerge from it.

He had played the wrong cards; this woman was not so willing to grant him the sympathy, concern, and protection he craved. If anything, there was somethng he could at least confidently confirm, she had nothing to do with the wolves of the Ravine. Or so he hoped. With a whimper sounding out in her direction, he crawled about on his elbows, hoping to make his leave without so much of another word from the woman. If she wanted nothing to do with him, had nothing to offer him, then he figured it was best to make himself scarce.

"Sorry," he whined, just loud enough for her to hear before creeping his way through the grass and underneath the gnawed branches where the scent of beaver ran thick in his already burning nostrils. "Sorry, sorry-sorry, sorry..." Without even a second glance he headed to the west, not stopping until the trees along the edges of the Cedarwood Forest granted him enough cover over his head. If luck was on his side, he wished to be forgotten by the dark-coated lady, to become nothing but a memory long misplaced by the Beaver Dam on a very ordinary mid-Spring evening...