Electric Air

Lunas Axxya burst into the edge of the Sacred Grove. He was exhausted. After seeking entry into the Willow Ridge pack, Lunas had been asked to prove himself worthy by collecting hellebore and goldenrod for Lady Ellettra, Queen of Willow Ridge. He expected her pups would be born any day now. The copper man slowed to a walk to catch his breath and think a bit. He had loped all the way here from Iridescent Lagoon, taking as few breaks as possible to ensure he completed his task in a timely manner. He had spent most of an afternoon sniffing and searching about in Iridescent Lagoon for the hellebore. Not long before sunset, he had found a thick bush of it, and felt stupid because he had passed a great number of these bushes and not known it was hellebore. He had set off for Northern Eden that night. Now he stood a little way inside the Sacred Grove. A prickly, sudden silence made his copper and black fur itch with unease. He had stumbled across the worst feeling a wolf can know: the feeling that someone is watching you. Even though his personality screamed at him to do anything but this, Lunas stayed as relaxed as he could, remembering he was soon to be a scout for Willow Ridge, and he was here on business, so he was of no threat. He had not met any of Willow Ridge's allies so far, having stayed away from pack land as much as possible. Eventually, he couldn't take the uncomfortable silence. "Show yourself. I come in peace." He barked into the waiting air, setting down the bundle of hellebore he'd had tucked under his chin.

Nose to the ground the arctic wolf trailed through the trees, her silver eyes glistening with intent. The scent of hare had been leading her through the Wildwood for some time now, coming and going in strength as she tried to maintain the trail. The elusive little fuzzball had yet to be seen, but Quick had something else in mind. It would seem springtime was upon them at last, full and flush like the winter had never nearly killed every living creature in Canada, and with springtime always came youth. Where there was rabbit, there was likely to be rabbit nest, and what was better than one? More, certainly.

The course took her beyond the Wildwood's reach and soon Quick found herself in a territory she had left undiscovered before. Unlike the Ghastly Woods, the Sacred Grove welcomed her with open arms. The plush canopy allowed sunlight to sparkle through the warm spring air, allowing ample room to breathe beneath its shelter. If there was going to be rabbits a-plenty this docile land would be the place. The scent of the hare grew infinitely stronger; it had stopped and was nearby. Quick slowed her pace and crept forward.

But when she peered through the trees, she found no nest. Just the one hare, stopped for a nibble of grass. Her brow furrowed with disappointment. Looks like she hadn't won today, but she would still be taking home the consolation prize. A decided leap might catch the rabbit in her jaws, only if she was swift and concise and-

Show yourself!

Like magic, the hare disappeared, leaving nothing more than a few wiggling leaves to show for it. I come in peace, the voice continued. "But not me," she growled under her breath.

Quick stood up, turning toward the source of the sound. With vengeance in her stride she decimated the distance between her and the stranger, finding the copper-toned wolf through the foliage. "Your paranoia is scaring all the food away," she berated him, a glare in her pale eyes. She noticed the bundle beneath his chin and a bud of curiosity bloomed in her anger. What the hell did he have? Was it valuable? Maybe Naira could use some... With a sneer fixed upon her face she lifted her chin and demanded, "What are you doing here?"

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

Lunas eyed the newcomer with uncertainty. He didn't like the tone of her voice or the look on her face, but then again, he had felt that way about his friend, the black Archer yearling, so he decided he could trust her, for now. He was ashamed of himself for not noticing she was hunting a hare, not him. "I'm sorry I scared away your catch. My business here is collecting goldenrod." He told her, flattening his ears a little meekly. "I realize you may not be interested in helping me now, but if you could point me toward some goldenrod, I'd be happy to give you some of my hellebore here and help you catch something else in return, however it smells as if there is a deer kill nearby." He added with a cautious wag of his tail. If she wanted his hellebore, that was alright with him. There would be time enough to return to Iridescent Lagoon after finding goldenrod to pick up more hellebore. The female was a curious type. She seemed irritated that he'd messed up her kill, but he couldn't tell if she was naturally irritable or not. Although, being an Arctic wolf, she probably had a hard time hunting in these types of places, so that gave her more than every right to beat his skull in. But Lunas didn't really want his skull beaten in, she he decided he should play it safe and avoid negative emotions that could cause such violence at all costs. Lunas was naturally a peaceful creature, but unlike with Sköll, he probably couldn't talk his way out of this tension.

My apologies on Quick's account... she's a stinker xD

He had the decency to seem wary, at the very least, of her sneer. If he'd done anything less she would have taken offense but as it were he prevented another bruise to the arctic female's sensitive ego. Ears to his skull he explained his situation in a round-about way. So, he was gathering medicinal plants, and he seemed to think she might be of some help with goldenrod. Quick very nearly rolled her eyes at his request, but she stifled the reaction. What did she look like, a botanist? How the hell was she to know where goldenrod grew? But the temptation of his offer grew as he continued. Medicine and food, now that was something worth her time. The deer she wanted in on for sure. But hellebore she had no knowledge of, so first Quick needed to deem its value before she considered a deal.

Time for Act I. Adopting a kinder tone Quick admitted with some reluctance, "I'm not familiar with goldenrod. Does it grow in these parts?" She glanced around the Grove as if she were looking. Really she was just sniffing around for better direction to the deer. "Do you need it urgently?" She added, molding the situation as best as she could. If her manipulation worked she would know its purpose and if it was worth dawdling around here with this guy any longer. Her questions about hellebore sat upon her tongue but she stuck it to the roof of her mouth, containing it for now. And more prodding and her rouse would be too easy to pick up on. This play required a bit more finesse.

A young pronghorn has fallen behind its herd and starved in the snow. +5 Health

Lunas eyed the arctic female. He definetely didn't trust her, but that didn't mean he couldn't still be decent. Her questions bothered him. She clearly didn't know much about goldenrod. Well, he had tried, right? "Yes, goldenrod likes to grow in fieldy areas. I was simply sent to collect more goldenrod and hellebore. I have no information regarding how urgently it is needed." Lunas told her, trying to sound confident and truthful. He hadn't really lied, though. His mission was to collect more goldenrod and hellebore, plain and simple. She needed to know no more than that. A strange tree across the clearing caught his eye. It had a peculiar fragrance floating from it. Two more deep sniffs told him wheat he needed to know. Goldenrod! With an apologetic half-whine toward the female, he shot toward it and immediately grabbed as much of it as he could, and returned to standing next to his hellebore. The pile looked odd, as if the arctic lady had taken some, or perhaps the wind had simply moved it. Through the branches and bushes bobbing lazily in the breeze, he saw more prey, a young pronghorn that was laying there dead for no reason he could immediately determine. "If you don't mind, I would like to eat and get on my way as soon as possible." Lunas said quietly, although his often musical voice returned, making his words float through the air like a song. "You are welcome to take some of my hellebore. I'm Lunas, of Willow Ridge. Who are you?" He asked, realizing neither knew the other's names or identities.

Don't worry about Quick. It's interesting thinking up how he will get safely out of this situation! Haha, it's good for him!

Quick trained her silver gaze on the older male, her onyx lips pursed in thought. For a wolf who had only moments earlier needed to be pointed toward some goldenrod he sure seemed to have enough of a bearing on the plant to find it on his own. His answers came in a formal tongue, refusing to spare anything. Perhaps it was her own fault for snapping at him to begin with, as it now seemed his suspicions would not be swayed. Her jaws parted in an effort to swing the odds in her favor, but his attention was taken. With a whine of apology the male was off and back again, carrying with him what she could only assume was goldenrod. Her mind bore an internal frown. Clearly he didn't need any help at all.

If you don't mind, I would like to eat and get on my way as soon as possible, he said. Quick followed his gaze and found the body laying some lengths away. A pronghorn. She blinked and returned her gaze to him, mentally filing away this location as fruitful. It would appear there had been many prey here with the lack of wolf-claimed land. Winter's cruel hand had struck a few of 'em down. This would be a wise place to return to.

As if to get her out of his hair he offered her yet again his hellebore. The female resisted the urge to frown. It was difficult to pirate things when they were so freely offered. Was it wrong to take advantage of him? Morally, maybe. But Quick's morals had begun to slide through the cracks of her being. The world was wild, and harsh. Why should she be any different? He did not seem to think the same way, as he introduced himself swiftly and asked the same of her. She took a moment to ponder on the familiarity of his pack. Willow Ridge? Hmm. She'd met a Ridge wolf once before. She had offered to vouch for her if Quick came to their borders, seeking a home. She could have been this Lunas' pack-mate.

"My name is @Naia," she said casually, using the first non-pack identity that came to mind. She almost felt guilty for placing the blame of what she hadn't yet done on the kind member of Cut Rock River. Quick had actually liked her... but oh well. Since kindness wasn't cutting it exactly, she fixed him with an accusatory expression. "You seem a far better botanist than you fixed yourself out to be. The Ridge wolves will be happy to have you." See what he had to say for himself then.

Naia, he thought. It didn't occur to him that this might not be her name. Her abrupt change from cool to complimentary was suspicious, but he let it slide. After all, wolves were not always what they seemed. Her next words had such a ring of similarity to his previous thought that he almost grinned, only just managing to swallow it down and remain composed. He could not allow himself to get flustered. "Thank you, but goldenrod is one of the few I know. Herbs, I mean." He replied. Hmm, that was odd. He didn't recall telling her he wasn't yet part of Willow Ridge. Although, she could've told from your scent, he reminded himself. Each pack smelled different, and because he wasn't really a member yet, he doubted he took on their smell. This situation was making his pelt itch with uncomfortableness more the longer it went on, so he figured he should try to get out of here as quickly as possible. He shifted awkwardly before speaking up again. "Well, I imagine my pack is waiting on me for these supplies. I should be on my way now." Lunas said, stepping back with a nod of respect. "It was nice to meet you Naia." He said with an edge of finality. Lunas trotted into the trees with his two bundles. That had been an interesting encounter. But he was too excited to return to Willow Ridge to wait around chit chatting any longer. Perhaps Elettra had birthed her puppies! Unable to contain it, he let out a happy bark and began to lope toward his new pack.

If you want she can catch up to and stop him. Otherwise he should probably get back to his home.

@Lunas Our thread's not actually eligible for completion points yet so here she goes :p One more from each of us after this one and we can end it. If you want you can let her knock some of the plants from his grasp & run away, or I can ask for a die roll to see if she hits or misses!

Lunas accepted her false modesty with a snippet of truth: that he really didn't know much at all about these plants he had been trying to find. She was positively clueless herself, never introduced to the topic of healing when she was younger - and if she had, then the avalanche wiped that. Whether or not he was telling the truth it bothered her that she could not seem to pry anything out of Willow Ridge's servant. The air must have been rampant with her inner chaos because he quickly made the effort to be scarce. It was nice to meet her, he said, and got up.

Quick clenched her jaw as he began to leave. She couldn't go home with nothing. The deer she would scavenge for Naira and Mapplethorpe and the cubs - but that was expected. She wanted a gift, as well. Lunas had not been able to provide her with any information, so it seemed her gift to Hollowheart Keep would be something tactile instead. The male turned his back and headed for the tree-line. He barked a happy tone, clearly pleased with himself. And Quick was too selfish a wolf to allow him to go off satisfied while she was not.

Quietly she stood, bounding after him before he could get too far. Within range she would aim to barrel into his side, snapping at the herbs he had collected. All she wanted was to snag as much as she could, before turning tail to flee.