Secret Woodlands Took a tumble

RE:- Rayne lost his footing.

Overjoyed with the new prospect of being in a pack after leaving the small gathering at the borders-he gave the reason of wanting to explore the lands, alone despite the other male's offer of taking him around. It was a nice enough offer to Rayne’s ears, having made him smile kindly at the other when it was made. However, Rayne declined it for now, claiming to be far too tired to be shown the borders and more than likely forgetting to listen. Besides, he had added afterwards, I’m sure I interrupted patrols before, howling at the borders. I’ll join you later, perhaps, after a rest. Though it was a bit of a lie he told, Rayne being sorely tempted to merely ask the way to the den to rest his weary paws and body, the larger burnt sienna male hoped the younger wolf didn’t hold it against him as he wandered the lands. He had just wanted some time and space to himself to gather his thoughts and contemplate upon them. Not to mention how starving Rayne was. The feeling that he couldn’t rest until something was in his stomach made him keep moving. Pausing to take in his surroundings, knowing he was still within the borders due to the scent marks, Rayne peered around in search of any signs of prey. Perhaps there were rabbits or something hiding under all these threatening thorns...However, not watching where he was going, Rayne stumbled on a root that stuck out of the still frozen ground and sent him tumbling, as a yelp flew from his throat. ”Oof!” Grunting while the breath was literally knocked out of him, Rayne attempted to glare at the offending piece of wood that had stumped him and left him flying over his feet in his hunger. Deciding to stay laying down to catch his breathe, Rayne felt his thoughts wander. He remembered his dear friend, the one who helped him find his sister. Had @Aideen found a pack to settle into? He hoped so, worry worming its way into his still heaving chest at the thought of her starved body laying limp, frozen and covered in snow....

(This post was last modified: Mar 21, 2014, 02:28 PM by Rayne.)

Aideen Smoke

The flame pelted lassie was patrolling - did she ever do anything else? - though, this day, her eyes were wide for herbs as well as prey. She followed the same path as always, marked clearly by the scent-trail of her alphas along the border, but now, as some of the snow had melted away, and no new flakes had fallen for many days, it looked different than before. Patches of yellow, green and brown were visible under the heavy brambles of the thicket, and here and there, fresh sprouts popped their pale green heads up through the cold dirt. These were the young woman's targets today; as a healer-in-training, it was one of her duties to look for herbs, especially now wee the stores were depleted after the winter, and many fresh shoots held plenty of remedial potential.

Every time she came across one such bud, she would stop up and bend down her head to inspect the young plant, and then either pick it carefully, or leave it be, to grow into its full potential. She had gathered a small bundle, and was about ready to head back for the den, when she heard the cry; Oof! It was followed by an audible thud as something, Someone, hid the ground, and Aideen wasted no time in rushing towards the sound. As she came upon the scene, a large, Rufous wolf laying as long s he was on the forest floor, her jaws parted, dropping the diligently gathered herbs; "Are you okay?!" She asked with concern lining her features, carefully stepping closer to check to fallen man for any injuries. Suddenly she froze, eyes widening, worry disappearing from her face as disbelief and elation took its place; "Rayne..? Rayne is that really you?!"

She couldn't believe her eyes, yet, here he was, right before them. He was quite a lot thinner than last time she'd seen him, but so was she; winter had been rough on everyone. But it was definitely him. "What are you doing here?!" Her face was one big smile, any thoughts of herb-gathering gone from her mind, as she looked upon her old friend.

Word Count: 359

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Rayne lifted his head when he heard the other call out, an answer on his lips to placate his new pack mate- because surely, no other wolf should be nearby, if they were not of the pack-and reassure them he was fine-but they were frozen before they ever left his tongue. A familiar figure stood before him, having recognised him and was happily calling his name. Freshly pick herbs, by their scent, were dropped by her paws when she opened her mouth, elation clear on her face. Rayne’s own face was frozen in shock, before he shook ihmself out of the stupor and felt a grin make its way across his face. "Aideen?!" He cried joyfully, leaping to his feet before wincing slightly when his left paw-the one that had caught the root which had caused him to tumble- throbbed somewhat painfully. It was something that would have to be looked at but he attempted to ignore it as he inspected the woman in front of him. Yes, it was his old friend Aideen! Thinner than before but it was most certainly her! He had thought he'd never get to see her again, not after she had helped him find his sister. Laughter bubbles up joyously in his throat, a part of him still not truly accepting the sight of Aideen before him. "Yes, it's me Aideen! I just joined the pack! I thought I'd explore a little before heading off for a rest." He replied excitedly with a happy gleam in his orange eyes and his tail swinging behind him. "I can’t believe it! I didn’t think I’d see you again, at least not so soon! But that matters little now. How are you? Are you gathering herbs?" His nose pointed down towards the dropped plants and though he didn't recognize many of them, he had a feeling that the cache for them must have dwindled over winter.

Aideen Smoke

She couldn't believe the words that erupted from the big wolves maw as he jumped to his feet, her own overjoyed incredulity mirrored on his face. Tail a high, fluttering banner behind her, the fox-like girl found herself dancing with excitement, while her glittering copper eyes inspected her friend. Their keen gaze noticed Rayne's small wince as he put weight on the paw, and saw how he quickly pulled it back; but at the moment she was too discomposed to truly pay notice to it. I can't believe it! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! Kept echoing in her mind as the sienna man explained how he'd come to be here; No way! Pack mates?! It was unbelievable, with the vastness of the land, that they should end up in the same pack.

Rayne's words even seemed to reflect her thoughts, as he voiced his own disbelief, before his attention turned to the plants that had fallen when she first called out. Aideen had completely forgotten about her gathered herbs until now, and she felt a faint heat flush her cheeks as she looked down at the small pile in the snow; I could have crushed them in all my dancing around! She shook her head at her own brainlessness and looked back up at the brown boy, a sheepish expression on her, grey masked, face; "Yeah..." She piped, rubbing one leg with the opposite paw; "The stores are low, and these early sprouts can be very powerful..." She trailed off, partly flustered that she had gone off like that - That's not important. OR interesting! What did he care about the use of fresh herbs - and partly because her thoughts had gone to the woman who had taught her this; Ashanti... I wonder where she is now...

As silence stretched between them, the petite lassie looked at her paws, feeling strangely deflated now that her initial enthusiasm had died out; replaced by dark and saddened thoughts. After a little while, she shook her head once more and bowed down to pick up the precious herbs; There's no use in worrying about that now! She walked a few steps to carefully put down the little bundle, gingerly placing it on a small rock amongst the branches of the thicket. Then she turned back to address the rest of Rayne's questions, a, slightly pale, smile on her lips; "Thank you, I've been very well. I came here a few months ago with... Another friend," Her smile grew, and she felt her heart grow a little lighter, as she thought of Coal, heat once again flushing her face.

Tail slowly starting to wag again, the tri-colored girl sought to meet her friend eyes as she continued: "How about you, are you well? Did you find your sister?!" She hoped her efforts in seeking out Senka and bringing her location back to her brother had been fruitful in helping the siblings to reunite. Aideen thought of them both as friends, and nothing would make her more happy than to hear that they had found each other, even in the midst of this horrid winter. She had just finished her question and was about to sit down to wait for the reddish man's answer, when she remembered something; "Your paw! Did you hurt it? ...Here, let me take a look!" She motioned for him to extent his limb so she could examine it, face suddenly serious as she slit into healer-mode, calmly considering what best to do to help her friend; It depends how bad it is... Hopefully it's just a sprain. And then, she couldn't help but smile a little; it seemed today would offer quite a catharsis of all the emotions she had build up over the past months; A perfect way to start the spring!

Word Count: 633

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It still hadn’t quite settled in. Where he thought it would be an age before meeting up with her again, it seemed something-fate?- had drawn them to meet each other again. With his tail still swinging behind him, tilting his head, Rayne frowned at Aideen. Something had gone over the normally happy dame for a moment and it worried him slightly how quickly she went from being cheerful to being somewhat...melancholy? was the only way he could think of describing it. Deciding to try and take her mind away from it, he watched as she moved the herbs away, he opened his maw to ask what they were. ”What kind of herbs are those?” His orange eyes stared at the small plants that were now laid out on a rock nearby, as if studying them to remember what they looked like. ”Once I start doing patrols, I can keep an eye out for any herbs, if you’d like.” Offering to do such a thing wouldn’t be hard for him, as it would be quite easy to keep an eye out for the rather helpful plants while he did his patrols. Besides, he did want to help his friend. Something fluttered in Rayne’s chest when she answered his earlier question, saying she was well and that she had come to be with the pack months earlier with another friend. Something in her voice and eyes when he stared into them made him chuckle deeply, a small amount of cheekiness wiggling its way into his chest. ”And who might this friend be?” He asked teasingly, his own eyes sparkling with mischief. However, it didn’t last long when a question after his sister distracted him. “Yes, I did find Senka!” Rayne chirped happily, a broad smile settling on his face.. “She’s settled well in her new pack, for which I’m grateful. Perhaps, once everything's settled here, I’d like to see if I am able to go visit her again in the coming year.” It looked like Aideen was about to sit down but it seemed she had noticed his reaction to his injured paw, which had not been putting as much weight on it as he should have during their conversation. “Oh, it’s fine Aideen! Nothing to worry over!” Rayne attempted to reassure his friend, smiling at her sheepishly as she asked to look at his paw. “It’ll just be a sprain or something-nothing to worry too much over! A little rest should fix it, don’t you think?”

Aideen Smoke

Her smile grew wide and bright when he asked about the plants she'd been gathering, her tail wagging high above her once more in renewed excitement; So I haven't been boring him! This made her glad, she was very eager about her newfound purpose, and anyone asking to hear of what she'd learned always made her feel warm inside. Coal had had to put ear to much of her exhilaration at this new knowledge, and, though he was always kind and full of interest, she was beginning to feel slightly embarrassed about babbling so much about herbs every time they saw each other; Though, it has been a while now, since I last saw him... But the thought was fleeting, gone right after it arrived, consumed in her enthusiasm.

Glittering copper eyes met bright oranges when the girl grinned warmly at her friend, a fresh warmth spreading in her chest at his offer; "You don't have to, I mean... It can be quite time consuming, especially when they're this small," She gestured at the bundle on the rock; "But, if you really want to, it would be a great help!" She beamed at him, tail still flailing like a young birch in a storm. She was about to explain what to look for, when he commented on her mention of Coal; and her face flushed. The mild teasing was clear in his cunning eye, and the emotional young woman knew, all too well, how easily her feelings registered on her face.

She gazed shyly at her paws, tail slowing it's wag; though thinking of Coal always made it sway a bit. Her feelings about the large man was growing to be very clear to her, but she was still young when it came to love, and the sensation was still quite perplexing to her; "Well... His name is Coal," She started, glancing back up at the reddish wolf, feeling a little awkward; "We uhm... Well, we met not to long after you and I and... He got injured, so I helped get him here in early winter. We've... denned together." The full story was too long and complicated, at least for now, and that was all she felt comfortable saying. Her eyes returned to the trampled snow below her snout; It's such a strange feeling... But, kind o wonderful!

The slender girl was more than happy to jump on to a new subject, and Rayne's words about his sister delighted her. She finally relaxed enough to properly seat herself on the frozen ground, once more grinning brightly, tail sweeping over the snow. It was such a joy to see him again, and now they would be sharing a pack! I still cannot believe it! When he mentioned visiting Senka, come spring, she waved her ears in interest; "Oh, that sounds lovely! Maybe I could come?" She would very much like to see the spirited lady again, an she was rather curious to see the siblings together; They seem so different. It was a bit like her two older siblings, Calesta and Yami where as different as night and day, but that didn't stop them from loving each other fiercely.

When Rayne dismissed his injury, the young healer gave him a pointed gaze; "Are you sure?" She asked, concern lacing her voice. She eyed the paw warily, it looked all right. After a few moments, she stretched out her own, smaller, forelimb and swiftly scraped together a pile of snow; "Well, at least put some snow on it to cool it, it'll help lower the swelling if it's a serious sprain." She looked back up at the maroon lad, a small smile once more replacing her serious expression; "I'm so glad to have you here!" The ambivert girl had made a few friends in The Woodlands, and she hoped to make more, but she was still overjoyed to have an old one back as well.

Word Count: 654

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“I’d be all too happy to help!” Rayne chirped, bowing his head with a smile, his eyes sparkling mischievously as Aideen spoke more about her friend. Deciding she had been teased enough, he moved on and answer her question. “I’d like the company, if both of us are able to be spared at the same time.” Having a companion on the journey would be nice to have, it wouldn’t be as boring and the time of travel would pass by quickly. Besides, he did think Senka would like to thank Aideen personally. Glancing down at the snow being pushed towards him, Rayne nodded and laying down, he gently placed the cold snow around his ankle. Sighing at the slight relief that it gave, he turned back to her. “Thank you. Are you looking to become a healer?” The guardian question lightly, somewhat interested in learning what his friend was now doing for the pack. ”I’m planning to become a guardian,” he added, as if he had almost forgotten to say. ”Suppose we can patrol the borders sometimes together?” He thought outloud. ”I mean, I do need someone to show me around and point out the scent markers.” He hastily covered up, a small blush heating his skin. The large male hoped Aideen didn't take it the wrong way.

Aideen Smoke

The orange girl smiled when he assured he'd be glad to help her out, nodding back; "Thank you." She could really use the help, what with stores being depleted after winter and her now being the only one with the knowledge and time; Another set of paws would be highly appreciated!

She was glad when he moved on to the next subject without addressing Coal, she wouldn't have known what more to say, and the topic made her all warm and flustered. His agreement on travelling together to meet Senka made her even happier, tail waving wildly as she smiled broadly, dancing a little on the spot. She took a moment to compose herself, then nodded, face a little more serious, though still smiling. "Of course." She agreed, while spring would, hopefully, mean that the time hunting for food would be lessened, the new year brought other responsibilities; they might not be able to both leave the pack for a longer journey. But she hoped they could; I would love to see Senka again.

When the russet man lay down, dutifully covering his sprained paw with the cool snow, Aideen too sat down, smiling more softly now; but still equally warm. He asked about her dream then, and she blushed slightly, looking down at her paws; "Yeah..." She said, looking back up with a bright light in her copper eyes; "I think it was always in the cards... I mean, I like helping others, you know that," She grinned at him; "When I learned about herbs, I just knew that I wanted to be a healer." Finishing her speech, she glanced away again, shyly, but when Rayne told of his own ambitions, she was quick to encourage him, meeting his orange eyes with a wide smile; "Oh that's a great idea, I'm sure you will make a great guardian!"

He continued to suggest they patrol together sometime, which only made her more elated. She didn't even notice his light fluster, simply nodding gladly; "Absolutely! I will be happy to show you around." If her circumstances had been different, his question might have made her self-conscious or bashful, but with her heart filled with Coal, she didn't even notice the possible undertones of his enquiry; or her own words. She just smiled brightly, overjoyed at the prospect of spending more time with her friend. "Not now though," She added, wrinkling her brow in a semi-serious grimace; "You need to rest that paw."

Word Count: 411

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“I promise, I will rest it.” Rayne chuckled lightly, smiling warmly at Aideen, flushing at her encouragement. “The faster it heals, the faster you can show me the herbs to keep an eye out for!” Amazement that he had found his friend after so long and without really even trying kept his heart filled with joy. It was spring too, meaning that more herbs would be sprouting in the warmer weather, which meant the caches would be full of useful herbs. Suddenly, his smile slipped off his face as another thought entered his mind. It was nearing his birthday. A month away, give or take a few days, if he had kept track of the seasons properly. He was getting older. Who was to say this would not be the start of something that might strike back at him later? Rayne knew he was not vain and knew that wolves like him did not last forever but it seemed not that long ago, his mother was nudging him to stand up along with his sisters, with his father standing nearby with a happy smile. A pang of sadness struck a chord in his heart at the thought of his father, who his mother claimed he got most of his personality from. How was his mother? He had promised to go back to her once Senka had been found but now, he did not want to leave. He wanted to stay near his sister and there was now promise of spending more time with friends. Shaking his head, Rayne tried to steer his mind away from those thoughts by asking Aideen a question. “So how long have you been a part of the pack?” Lame question, he realised but he needed a distraction from the ache in his heart, and the thought he had essentially abandoned his mother.

Aideen Smoke

It was impossible to stay serious in Rayne's company, and boring too! A bright smile once more spreading across the tri-colored girl's face, she dunked the snow joyfully with her tail as Rayne promised to follow her orders and rest his wrist, before proclaiming his excitement about helping with het gathering. She laughed warmly, both giddy and amused; How wonderful that we're pack mates! She was slowly making new connections around The Woodlands, but to have such a good friend here made her very happy.

And the suddenly, the joy was over. The maroon boy's smile vanished, as if pulled off his face, and in its place spread a grimace of pensiveness and pain. Aideen responded with an expression of shock; "Wait, what's wrong?!" Her eyes instinctively shot to the snow covered paw, brows wrinkling; Maybe it's worse than I thought?! But it didn't seem like the injury was the issue - the wrist rested peacefully in its cooling poultice - and Aideen's eyes returned to her friend's face, wide with concern. Rayne seemed to shake it off though, asking an unrelated question in a, mostly level, voice.

The orange lass tilted her head slightly, looking at the boy through slightly narrowed eyes. After a few moments of silence she attempted to shake it off, answering his question, though in a voice much more muted than before; "Uhm... Well, we came in the beginning of the winter... So, some months now." She smiled, but palely. Suddenly she felt very tired; Probably all this excitement... With a small sigh, the slender girl rolled her shoulders, glancing upwards to try and tell the time; though the sun was hard to spot trough the branches, even when they were still mostly leafless. Returning her eyes to Rayne, she gave another smile, more genuine now, and gestured at his sprained leg; "We should probably get you back to the den..." There was a risk the wrist might still swell, making it hard to walk, and it was better to get the walking over with now so he could rest for a longer period. She couldn't help but smile to herself; You really CAN'T stop thinking like a healer, can you?

Word Count: 366

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