Blackberry Fields worms

All welcome, BTD or others! @Minka ?
Partly Cloudy — 75° F/24° C

Summer just kept getting hotter and hotter, with no amount of panting or running back and forth managing to keep Lugh cool. On days like this, he often cooled off by swimming in the nearby pond. With the sun still climbing up into the sky and the day growing ever warmer by the hour, Lugh decided it was the perfect time for a dip.

Humming a little tune to himself, Lugh trotted down the familiar path that lead to the local pond. It was sort of a gross puddle, musty and stagnant, and as summer wore on it just kept getting smaller and smaller. It wasn't really a place Lugh would chose to drink from, but it served its purpose for just getting one's paws wet.

Lugh certainly didn't think it would last all through the summer, but couldn't help his surprise as he pushed through the last few yards of tall grass to find... nothing. Lugh's ears folded down and he frowned as he surveyed what had once been a cool retreat. The little pond was gone, though not dried in its entirety, leaving behind a muddy circle where the last bits of water clung to the soil and the reeds that once struck at its bank sadly wilted.

It wasn't the end of the world, and if he traveled just a bit farther towards the treeline he would easily find fresh, running water, but he was already here anyways. Lugh stood for a moment as he considered his options, then walked to the center of the mud patch and laid down. With a horrible loud squelching the herbalist stretched his legs out, front and back, then rolled back and forth as he coated himself in the mud like the world's weirdest looking pig.

The brown wolf's tongue hung out of the side of his mouth, his panting breaths rolling over the light pink flesh. Dae was not enjoying the current weather conditions and the heat of the summer months at all. His coat was thinning in order to help him keep cool, making his slender features ever more unkempt and coyote-like as he trotted through the trees.

He had wandered into the area after being a loner for quite some time now, and it didn't take him long to notice the scent of a pack, one that he was hoping he would be able to join. Hope was not something he allowed himself to feel so freely, but, as he was a wolf, he was a social creature and he knew he wasn't doing too well on his own.

Then he broke through the treeline, a field with tall green grasses presenting itself to him. Oh, how he loved the peaceful demeanor fields held. He smiled and closed his eyes, taking in a large whiff of the air, picking up the various plant and animal scents around him. One in particular caught him off-guard, that of another wolf, a male. His eyes blinked open and Dae looked around for it's source, as it was close from what he gathered, but he could not see anything through the height of the grass.

Rather cautiously he lowered his head towards the ground, taking in more of the wolf smell. Perhaps this individual would be friendly, and hopefully a member of the pack he had discovered nearby. Dae stepped forward, following the smell until finally he came to a mud pit. The canid he had been seeking out was there, in the pit, rolling back and forth, his fur caked with the substance. He gave the stranger a weird look with a brow raised and his head tilted to the side, wondering why he was doing such a disgusting thing.

Dae shook his head, that wasn't important right now. He needed to find the pack's leaders and ask them if he would be able to join or not. He took a step towards the individual. "Hey," the brown wolf said, uncertainty clear in his voice, something that wasn't present often. "Uh... I was wondering if you're a member of the pack that lives around here?"

An unconventional method, perhaps, but it did work to cool Lugh off as he wriggled about in the muck. However, a voice came behind him and Lugh stood, turning about to face the stranger. The Whelan looked like a swamp monster, with mud clinging to his fur in thick clumps. Lugh's grinning mouth, white teeth and pink tongue included, were at stark contrast with the grey brown mud covering him from snout to tail. The Whelan really didn't consider just how very odd he looked right at that moment. Blobs too heavy to fight gravity's pull fell from his hide to rejoin the rest of the muddy patch.

Lugh waited patiently for the wolf to ask his question, then with his neck outstretched he quickly twisted his head this way and that. The motion rippled down his spine as he gave his pelt a good shake, spattering mud everywhere. He was still dirty, and would likely need a good soak in clean water to undo what had been done. But that would have to do for now, and Lugh looked over the wolf, a dark brown male of equally small stature who he'd never seen before.

"Yes, I am! Black Thorne Downs, resident pack o' th' blackberry fields. I'm Lugh Whelan, 'erbalist." Lugh introduced himself, his head ducking politely. "Why d' ya ask?" Lugh's bright yellow eyes peered at the stranger, wondering just what his business would be. Perhaps to join their little family? Or deliver news from a neighboring pack? Lugh's tail swayed merrily behind him as he waited for a response.

Dae kept his melancholy gray gaze fixed upon the stranger, watching him as he rose to his feet and turned to face him. He fought the urge to make a face at the sight before him, a mud covered canid, grinning at him, the colors of his teeth and tongue standing out against the thick brown sticking to his small frame. His gaze followed the clumps that were too heavy fall back into the pit with a disgusting splat. Dae simply couldn't hold a straight face, his mouth held slightly ajar and his brows raised. This expression only increased in intensity as the wolf shook himself, mud being flung this way and that.

His voice caught Dae's attention and he shook his head, trying his hardest to ignore the mud. His expression returned to normal and his ears went forward as he listened to the stranger speak. So he was from the neighboring pack! This information excited him, what good news, but his features showed none of this. He seated himself, placing his darker front legs together neatly. "It's nice to meet you, Lugh," he said. "I'm Daemon Sheffield, a loner, and I wanna join."

While he waited calmly and patiently for a response, his gray gaze ran over the male. He ignored the small amount of mud that was still clinging to his multicolored coat, focusing more on the individual's body. It held various features similar to that of a coyote; long limbs as well as his size. In the darker markings on his face lay two butter yellow eyes. The male was small and petite, just as Dae was. He found it amusing of the similarities in appearance that the two shared and he cracked a smile.

His focus of attention then returned to the goal at hand; joining the pack, Black Thorn Downs. The dark brown canid would have approached this stranger with a nonchalant and carefree nature, but he knew that if he wanted to be accepted in, he would have to hold his cocky demeanor at bay. It was proving quite a hard task for him to do so far. The usual traits about him were simply itching to get out and express themselves. A slightly irritated sigh escaped his mouth at this.

Little bit of PP assuming Daemon will come along with Lugh. If not, let me know and I can edit :) Also I figure they can chat a little bit as they walk to the border, where I'll then tag Minka and she can come in?

"Fair enough!" Lugh laughed, noting the yearling was straight and to the point. He was even polite enough to ignore the sorry state of Lugh's appearance, which won him points with Lugh. "Daemon, eh? Pleasure t' meet ya! I don't see any reason to turn ya away, but unfortunatly, I'm not th' one qualified as t' say who can or can't join our little family. But 'ow about we take a walk to th' borders, see if I can call up my leaders Minka and Tokino Lagina an' see if they can take a look at'cha and let ya know either way?" Lugh chattered. He then blinked, his brow flickering as he thought. He hadn't seen Tokino around lately, who must have been out hunting or scouting. "Actually, it's more'n'likely you'll be seen by Minka." He added thoughtfully, as if that would have any significance to a stranger.

Lugh stepped out of the soft soil of the mud pit, rounding about it to face in a direction that would lead them right to the fringes of his pack's territory. He glanced over his shoulder back at Daemon, jerking his head in a motion that signaled the male to follow him. He waited for Daemon to follow or walk along side him before he started off at an easy, unhurried lope. He glanced sidelong at the silver eyed wolf as they walked, a curious quirk to his lips. "So, what brings ya t' this part o' th' Lore?"

yep, sounds good to me! c:

Dae seated himself in front of this new wolf, Lugh, as he listened to the mud-covered individual speak. His dark brown ears went forward as he heard him talk about meeting the pack's leaders, Minka and Tokino Lagina. He nodded at this, a polite smile spreading across his narrow features.

Lugh motioned with his head for him to follow as he turned around, facing a direction unknown to Dae. He did as he was told, bounding up to him and placing himself to the side of the small male, keeping in pace with him. He paused at the question Lugh shot at him next, thinking over his answer. He wasn't sure what the word "Lore" meant, but he assumed it was due to his accent of sorts.

"I've been on my own for a while," Dae responded, his melancholy gray gaze travelling up to the sky and the clouds. "You know how it is. The freedom of it's fun as hell at first, but then you get lonely. That's where all this comes in. I smelled the pack, and thought, 'Why not? I'm not doing well by myself.'" He shrugged as he finished, before turning his narrow head to look at Lugh.

"What about you?" the coyote-like male said, in an attempt at conversation. He was still a little rusty with his socializing. "How'd you come to live here?"

Lugh nodded as Dae spoke of freedom turned to loneliness. The healer tended towards extroversion, and really couldn't stand being alone for too long. While the chocolate wolf's attempts at conversation may have come off a bit stilted, Lugh took no notice. Lugh was a conversational juggernaut, he just barreled on through.

"Well, it's a bit o' a long story... Hell, got the time t' tell it I guess." Lugh chuckled... As if the Whelan wasn't going to take the opportunity to yammer someone's willing ear off. Distances were always shorter with some conversation, anyways. "Me an' my friend, Ryka- Oh she lives 'ere too, by the way. Smart woman, an' I owe my life to 'er more'n' once over. But, anyways, me an' Ryka came out o' winter worse for wear, the rest o' our pack unfortunately didn't make it through..." Lugh's ears dropped as he gave a short sigh, quickly moving on from the unpleasant memories. "Anyhow, we were just bumblin' around an' ran into Miss Minka down by the wetlands further south, she'd been 'aving trouble with 'er ol' pack and was fixin' to set up a new one with 'er an' 'er mate. Need somewhere to raise cubs, ya know? So we ended up 'ere, got the den set up an' everything, I think we're doin' quite well for ourselves so far." He said with a grin, his tail proudly wagging behind him.

During Lugh's rambling, having crossed over much of the blackberry field, the flora of the area had become thicker and eventually yielded to trees and shrubs. The mud coated male lead the lone wolf down a short slope, where the wall of odor that marked the beginnings of the pack's territory became evident. Lugh tipped his head back and with a short, high pitched howl called for @Minka. Lugh then settled down onto his haunches, not knowing how long it would take the busy mother to make her appearance.

Lugh looked towards Dae, a smile on his face. "Relic Lore's a good place, I think you'll come to like it." He told the lone wolf with certainty, "It's got somethin' to it. I don' consider myself too... spir'tual, I guess, but there's somethin' you can really feel 'ere."

(This post was last modified: Jul 24, 2014, 03:06 AM by Lugh.)

Minka had been busying herself on the far northern borders where the trees stood the thickest, a spot that was often overlooked or rushed through on patrol. It stood on the edge of the Lore and the forest grew so thick they had little to worry about as far as intruders went, but the alpha knew how important upkeep was anyways. the tawny woman was taking her time, digging her claws into the boughs of the greenery, leaving her scent and skat at the border, shedding excess fur into the thicker bushes. It would be easy to see and smell even from afar now that this land was their home and intruders would not be welcomed. Finally content with what she had accomplish the fae turned to head back out on patrol when the call reached her ears.

Without hesitation Minka changed direction's towards the herbalist's call, cutting through the territory rather than making her way all the way around it. Still, it took a long while before she reached the scene as their lands were quite vast and it was smartest to stick to the worn paths or you would get caught in the thorns. Coming through the foliage with ease the Lagina woman's golden eyes flashed from one male to the other. One was Lugh, her trusted herbalist and mate's second and the other a complete stranger. Judgement and observation came hand in hand in just moments, small for a male, though almost identical to that of Lugh the stranger seemed much scrawnier. Whether this came from being a loner or genetics the alpha couldn't be sure. Turning back to the man she did know she greeted him warmly, "Lugh, you seem dirtier than usual, and I see you've found a friend." The words were teasing, light and carefree, though she fully expected him to explain the situation in full now that she was here.