Hollowheart Keep don't hold the wall

RE: There is a freak storm.
Sorry I'm a little rusty with him still, and this is AW! EDITED this post to update his position in the pack, sorry for the confusion for who ever read this before the edit. Please someone respond!


He was hungry, tired and growing increasingly anxious. His life as a nomad had previously had its perks, he could roam as he pleased without the slightest desire to converse with the natives unless he absolutely had to; such as when he needed food, or if a pretty face interested him. Since finding Sagacity he had promised her that he would quell his desire to wander and take up the position as medic; Naira had given him the blessing of their pack, and Mapplethorpe seemed weary. The older male had a reason to worry, Couth was a knucklehead in every sense, he had probably seen through his interview face and questioned his medical skills with scrutiny, at this point Couth was even concerned about his abilities.

And an attempt to forget his stress, as hard as it was, he considered searching for food or maybe some herbs that may be worth salvaging since winter's retreat; lady Naira had suggested he work on a stock pile and the caramel man took her advice to heart. He would be wise to find some herbs to quell their worry over his abilities to the pack-- he would be useful and he would prove them wrong. Sticking to the borders left him more hungry than usual, probably because prey were well aware of the packs presence and were not foolish enough to set foot within their domain, and Couth was much too cautious of traveling without his ashen counterpart for fear of getting himself lost, how would I explain that one, he thought, shaking his head at his circumstances. He would need to venture from Hollowheart in order to find exotic herbs, but without Sagacity at his side he was particularly useless. At that moment, while standing erect in their shared den he felt stuck between a rock and a hard place; setting foot off familiar terrain could potentially send him traveling mindlessly for days.

Sighing deep, for he had big choices to make, he closed his eyes and braced himself for the freak of a storm that had been brewing outside for the better part of an hour and before he would leave the warmth of the shared den with his feminine counterpart, he would give one glance in Sagacity's direction before disappearing. He would prove to himself and her that he could find his way around the pack and back; or get lost trying. It did not take long before his caramel coat was drenched by the onslaught of rain as he decided to roam his potential forever home alone, his nose to the ground as he searched for two scents; flora and prey.

(This post was last modified: Apr 18, 2014, 03:46 AM by Couth.)

I hope it's cool if I forward date this a little bit because technically Quick was ~missing around this time in April xD

Unlike her pack-mate, Quick was attempting to get out of the storm rather than in it. The day had been quickly spent meandering the borders of their closely-guarded pack land, monitoring for scents that were out of place. It was a difficult task to complete when all that she could smell was the increasing humidity and turbulence brewing up over their heads. The Ghastly Woods would keep them safe from rainfall and what not, especially if she were to return to the den-site, but the rumble of thunder pressed her with worry. Strong enough winds would blow branches down, even trees - especially when they were so brittle from the winter. The arctic female held fast for as long as she could, maintaining her duty even as the rain began to fall and the drumming of thunder came closer and closer. But when a flash of lightning introduced a torrent of rain from the murky sky above, the female had to call it.

She bounded swiftly through the pack-land, keeping an eye out for any one else she might come across. The wolves of the Keep were a wander-y sort, often off supporting their own needs in various nooks and reaches of their claimed territory. Quick would not be surprised if she saw one from every which direction off to seek shelter. What she was surprised to see on the other hand was one off in the distance, going... the wrong way? She squinted, trying to make out who it was. Perhaps someone she had smelled before but never seen or interacted with. She raised her muzzle to the brewing storm overhead and called out a song to firstly gather his attention. Not trying to drown with her nose to the rain Quick dropped her head and paced forward, shouting, "What're you doing?"

He propelled forward, his shoulders were squared and head tucked his head in to avoid the rain blurring his vision as he stumbled this way and that further from the shared den with his partner, it wasn't until a hushed voice caught his attention that he slowed his pace. He could hardly hear Quick, her voice was like that of a mumble against the thundering rain, but he knew there was someone out there, calling him to return back toward the way he had come and he turned with a quizzical glance in the direction it had come. Blinding his vision was a figure of white fur, her physique was larger than his own but he was not intimidated, she was family, but it confused him when she came toward him yelling and asking what he was doing. Wasn't it obvious?

"I'm looking for herbs," he yelled in return, despite their closeness the thundering rain made it hard for him to hear and he leaned in further to be sure that she would hear him. It was probably insane to someone looking in on the situation that he was in search of herbs during the craziest weather, but he had promised the pack, especially lady Naira, that he would be responsible for the health of their pack and he had every intention to uphold that promise. So he asked in return, "what are you doing?" he spoke as his legs moved once more to bring him toward his destination, he hoped that Quick would accompany him despite the raging weather.

Quick was visibly taken aback at what he'd said, even going so far as to throw her head back and give him an incredulous stare. It was only when a plump droplet of water landed near her nose that she snorted and lowered her head again. Otherwise she would have preferred to continue giving him that look, perhaps until he realized what he'd said was incredibly stupid, but she would prefer not to drown in an attempt to make a point. But it seemed he would not be deterred by even her sassiest stare because, to her incredible surprise once more, he kept going - still in the wrong direction! Quick flattened her ears, thoroughly confused by this wolf's actions and even more so by his return of the question.

She scoffed and stood in place for a moment, watching his small form get even smaller. It was cold, she was drenched, and her pack mate clearly had a screw lose. His loss, wasn't it? For some reason, she couldn't turn her back on him just yet. He could really die (maybe probably not) out here and she didn't intend to have that on her conscience. Finally she took off after him, wincing as the dirt turned to mud beneath her paws. Yuck, what a feeling. No more than a yard away from him she stopped and slowed to his pace, still hoping he might turn back. "That's crazy," she insisted, her voice still loud. "Anything you find is going to be waterlogged and drowned, and then you'll be too." She reflected on the harshness of her words, unable to convince herself they weren't true. Finally she sighed, squinting through the rain to see their surroundings. "What are you looking for?" She asked, hoping he would embellish what the hell kind of plants he wanted anyway. She didn't recognize those kinds of things.

He did not notice her stare, in fact he had thought her gone when she did not immediately follow him and he moved at a quicker pace because of this, his head lowered every so often to sniff at water logged grass and fallen tree limbs before he continued on his mission. It was simple really, finding herbs, but he was pushing the envelope searching for herbs during such a freak of a storm, as his vision was severely hindered and his senses shot but he continued on anyway, determined to get his stash up before anything happened on the land. Little did he know that this trip would be crucial in his healing of a young Mercy when he would show up at the border, Aponi in tow, emaciated and weak; he would need as much time that he could get to understand this land.

He turned when Quick's voice snapped him back to reality, and stumbled into a puddle that splashed his whole underside up to his forehead in the aftermath, he shuddered and shook his coat free of as much water as possible but it was useless, he was already soaked to the bone. Gawking at her, he watched as she approached declaring that what he'd find would be useless and he'd return nearly drowned in the process, he scoffed, his shoulders squaring before answering, "I'm sure we'll be fine, if you want to turn back you can but I've got a duty to uphold," and he turned once more from the alabaster female. He wondered just then what had kept her in the area if rain was her biggest concern but he did not have time to voice then when another question hit him, "Lady Naira will be having a litter soon and I will need Solomon's Seal and Ergot in case...something went wrong. I'm headed toward the mountain.." he spoke, not knowing which way it was and the distance, especially with the weather as horrible as it was. Giving her a glance he wondered if perhaps she would point him in the correct direction, or better yet, guide him so that the trip would not last longer than it needed to.

Quick was surprised, and a little impressed, when the water-drenched male turned to face her and stubbornly persisted. His offer that she could turn tail and return to her den if it so pleased her caused a twitch in her nose, ears slicking back with irritation from his jab. As if that wasn't enough, another layer of guilt would weigh upon her back as he mentioned Naira's pregnancy. As their medic, she couldn't refute his importance at such a moment, but the strain she felt in her chest that she didn't feel the same importance of duty during what was probably the most important part of a pack's annual cycle was too strong for her to turn back. By all her insecurities she felt inferior to the male, and it was perhaps that instead of camaraderie that would propel the pale female after him. "I'll join you to the mountain," she insisted, refusing to be useless. If he was going out in the middle of a torrential downpour, she would at least accompany him for safety reasons. Since he was so important, and all.

The Arctic held back, allowing him to take the lead, as she admittedly did not know anything about ergot or Soloman's Seal. She pursed her blackened lips into a thin line, her brows lowering in a frown. "What do either of those look like?" She posed, holding her frustrations so they wouldn't seep into her voice. Her knowledge gap regarding healing was particularly vast. It made her a shitty candidate for partnership during this wild outing of Couth's. But her ability to adapt, and learn, and try could possibly make up for it - so long as she did all those things, right now, under the snarling grey clouds.

@Quick

When she spoke his head nodded, a smile crossed the length of his jaws with appreciation as he watched her come to his side with an eagerness that nearly made him forget the circumstances of which this trip would lead them. He had traveled very little from the Hollow, no further than the nearest neighboring land, and yet he was planning an outing with a wolf he shared a home with but did not know--nervousness was boiling within him.

He remained rather silent as they walked opting instead to repeat the names of the plants he was in search for numerous times in his head so that he would not forget. His memory was not the sharpest and could easily become distracted if he concentrated on his directions; but this was what he had Quick for. He knew that it would take a miracle for them to find the plants in this treacherous rainfall that soaked them from head to toe but it was not impossible, and if he remembered anything about harvesting herbs, it would be that they often appeared when you stop looking for them.

Lost in his thoughts he was caught off guard by Quicks question and turned toward her with a puzzled look before the question finally sunk in, "They are hard to describe actually..." he stumbled, having never been asked the question before, "if the weather is favorable, Solomon's seal is a healthy color green with small bulbs attached to them that are a soft yellow to light green color, if they are light green they are most likely not ripe for picking..." he paused, thinking next of Ergot, "Ergot is a funny fungus that attaches itself to grain producing plants, it resembles a brown bulb and is mostly used for bleeding purposes..." he paused, having focused his attention on Quick and hardly noticed that the rain had finally begun to let up and the skies were parting in attempt to bring them sunlight. "Why do you ask, are you interested in becoming a medic?"

(This post was last modified: Jun 25, 2014, 03:52 AM by Couth.)

Though she wouldn't admit it the Arctic wolf was pleased when he accepted her company. She wasn't too friendly even with her pack mates (admittedly this was her own fault for being so damn cold) but it was still nice to actually be in someone's company. Well, as nice as it could be when they were out in a torrential downpour. Thankfully she wasn't concerned with appearances for at the present moment they both looked more like drowned rats than wolves. But they were drowned rats with a mission, and that was what was important.

Quick tried very hard to take in his descriptions, though to be honest Quick had spent no time in her life actually observing plant life. It just never seemed to be that important, but damn if it wasn't important now! She squinted her silver eyes at every piece of greenery they passed, looking at the intensity of the color and if it had bulbs or if it was just moss or more than moss. It was actually very hard work, which made it easy to answer his question regarding her intentions. "Not particularly," Quick admitted with a shrug. If she were to be honest, she kind of more preferred the tooth and claw over the healing after. She was much more a mean wolf than she was a smart one, that was becoming abundantly clear as she tried to look for the Soloman-thing and the Argo. "I am interested in helping you, though."

The rain finally lightened on them, leading into a casual droplet type of thing. It was a welcome relief from the buckets that had been dumping themselves all over the Lore. Without that residual spray mist, it was much easier to see - and with that she spotted some kind of green thing that maybe looked like Soloman's seal? Were those the bulb things he was talking about, or were they just bumps on a plant? Quick turned toward it, sniffing tentatively. "What's this?" she called toward Couth for a more conclusive investigation.

With rain came puddles and there were plenty of them, so many that Couth hardly flinched when he felt his paws slip into the gooey combination of rain water and mud with a soft slush before he pulled his feet back to the surface with minimal effort, though it had suddenly become harder to walk. The closer they were to Mount Dire, the easier it was for the ground to part beneath their weight--Couth was hardly that heavy--but he remained focused on the ground with his nostrils flaring in search of the stench of flora. It had been quite a while since he collected Solomon's Seal or Ergot, but they were so distinct in character, size and color that he could recognize them from plants with distinct similarities, if he could only spot them...

Quick's voice caused his ears to perk backward, the silence between them had nearly caused him to forget about her as they walked along the base of the Mount of Dire path in desperate search of a plant lady Naira would find useful. She was a great help, and her company was appreciated, but he knew that her limited knowledge of plants would cause him to explain and describe to her what they were looking for--he was thankful that so far there was only one. Coming to her side in an effort to get a better look at the plant she was referring to he stood staring at it with scrutiny, studying the buds that covered its parts before his head nodded, excitement covered his face. "You found Solomon Seal." his tail wagged fast behind him, "I can't believe you found it so fast, you were paying attention," he stepped back to give her room for when she would uproot her prize, "you're a natural, maybe you should consider going into medicine." and he plucked a mouthful himself, careful not to puncture the seeds that surrounded the buds--the side effects of Solomon's Seal were quite dangerous. "You think you can spot Ergot?" no sooner did the words leave his mouth did his eyes go toward the ground, wanting to be the first to spot the brown stalk like plant.

It was no understatement to say Quick was surprised that she really actually found it. Truly she hadn't expected to be useful in their task. "Of course I paid attention," she responded half-haughtily, though her smile betrayed her facade as the delight of her discovery tugged on her cheeks. She was actually rather flattered by Couth's compliment and proud of herself. Truly Quick had thought not to be of any use on this outing and yet somehow she was. It had been a bit of a shot in the dark but now that he had confirmed it for her, Quick saw that the plant really did fit the description. It wasn't exactly what she imagined, but it was what it was. She leaned forward to give it a good sniff, attempting to commit the plant to memory, before wrapping her jaws gently about the plant and giving a tug to gather some without breaking any part.

"Maybe," she accepted his challenge, pulling her lips straight in thought. Ergot was brown and grew on other plants. That would be a little more difficult to find than Soloman's Seal, which had been growing of its own accord. She sneaked a glance toward Couth from the corner of her eye to see where he was looking, having joined his unspoken competition with the idea of winning it all. Quick loped closer to the mountainside, silver eyes searching for scrubbery that was less green. But the so-described funny fungus was proving harder to spot, and she feared Couth might go for gold and leave her to second place.