Cedarwood Forest trick or treat

The night of the red moon had passed slowly, and she did not choose to dwell upon the omen that it presented. Instead, Metrophanes chose to cloister herself away from it. The teachings decreed that she pay homage upon this fateful night. Without her sisters beside her, without even a safe place to build an altar, it was best to simply let the hours pass. For the first few days afterwards, Metrophanes had felt a great distress within herself. A hollowing, as if she had allowed herself to be gashed open and something vital removed. It was the first time she had gone without her sisters or her gods - but there was no going back. She couldn't fathom witnessing their doubt. So she traveled. The trees around her were innocuous enough. Darkened by rain, and yet punctuated by the vivacity of autumn. The girl was saved from the biting wind because of her foray in to the wilderness, and for that she was thankful - however, Metrophanes did not know where to lay her thanks. That too, left her feeling numb with alienation.

She never went far from her safe haven; a junction of stone and forest, where an ancient cedar had fallen and wedged itself amid exposed stone. There was a den here, but it wasn't of her kind. It was old, dry, and smelled dimly of raccoon or some such animal. She was small enough, nimble enough, to use this shelter for a night. By morning she was aching all over, and resigned herself to future sleep in the open air. For a few days and nights, all she did was range between groves of trees. The passage of time was obscure to her. All Metrophanes could gauge was her own hunger, her thirst, and the solemnity of being so far removed from civilization.

It was the afternoon now, on day number who knows. The forest had thinned out as she slunk through it. Sunlight caught upon patches of ruddy red leaves, many which were piled upon the forest floor. She watched as dust drifted in the sunbeams - and even briefly wondered, Am I like these trees? Do I glow as I fade? And with a huff, the morbidity of her mind was ignored. Her hunger was too strong for her self-pity now.

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(This post was last modified: Oct 24, 2014, 10:08 PM by Rho.)

The Young Slayer Girl had decided to not go far from her home in her explorations. She had scouted out the further regions, especially around the Ghastly Woods, but as of yet she hadn't reconnoitered the areas close by and in her home, the lands where the Cut Rock River wolves dwelled among the tall cedarwood pines. The day was clear; no signs of clouds in the sky, and no biting cold wind freezing her down to her very bones. It was a nice day, with the evening sun shining down upon the ground, which was slowly being covered in the red and brown leaves that died and fell from the trees, leaving them bare. Winter was coming, she could feel it, and she hated it. Her previous winter had been so harsh, and so many bad things had happened that she had grown to expect bad things from winter. Plus she hated the feeling of constantly being cold. Adsila stopped and shook her head to clear the thoughts away for the time being. She didn't want to think about things like that and waste the daylight that was left which could be used to discover some new and interesting.

Her time spent looking through the cedarwood forest was not a complete waste, in fact, it was quite fruitful. The scent of a stranger was wafted by a slight breeze into her path and she paused, muzzle lifting into the air, her nose twitching. Following the scent, Adsila soon came upon a tiny, chocolate-brown female. Her eyebrows raised slightly as she stared at the female for a few moments before stepping forwards with a low woof. "Hello?" She questioned curiously.

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The thought that the world would soon be turning cold and icy had not entered the girl's mind; she was so far removed from her mountain home, and the forests just beyond, that the concept of frigid wind and a sky filled with sleet just... Didn't register. She lingered among the moss and brambles of this alien place with its blanket of red and gold, and never once thought about the most dangerous time of the year. Or the imperative that she had to find somewhere - without a pack, a wolf could easily succumb to the wild.

Metrophanes didn't exactly lurk between the trees, where the dark swallowed up the taupe of her graying pelt. To lurk would imply that she was hunting something, or someone. It was a fiendish thing to do, and this yearling was far from that. Her attention was firmly planted upon the loose soil by her paws, though. Sniffing along the forest floor, nimbly avoiding roots (some which were of larger diameter than her own body, which was frightening in a way), and entirely preoccupied.

Therefore, with no ill intentions arising from her own actions, Metrophanes was stupefied when a voice - as well as a wolfish call - surged through the trees. Her body instantly went rigid, and her head lifted from the ground-level survey; however, Metrophanes could not initially identify the source of the sound. A thin line of fur raised across her shoulders. With a sweep of her gaze, she set about finding the stranger - idly thinking, perhaps it is one of my gods, and not a wolf at all.

If only her doubts could be so easily erased.

But it was no god - or at least, Metrophanes determined the dark silhouette to be distinctly physical, and by that virtue, mortal. As soon as she identified the nearby figure as a wolf, her head dropped and her tail tucked neatly against her hocks. Hello. The girl responded a second or two later. The tone of her voice was low, as if guarded. And yet, as much as Metrophanes wanted to flee the scene, she remained rooted to the spot.

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@Rho

The tiny, chocolate-brown wolf froze when Adsila spoke, her head lifting and hackles raising before she responded with a hello of her own in a guarded voice. Canting her head to the side, the Young Slayer Girl stared at the female for a moment before cautiously stepping forward and into an area of the cedarwood forest where a beam of light illuminated her, hoping that if the female could see her properly she wouldn't be so defensive. "Hey," she said softly, staring at the stranger curiously. It was not often she met wolves that were not a part of Cut Rock River so close to her home, but then again, it wasn't as rare occurrence as it could have been.

Lowering her head to be on the same level as the wolf, who was by her standards, absolutely tiny, only reaching up to around her shoulders, maybe a bit more. She guessed that with such a small stature being wary of everyone was a good idea, and so she made her stance more open and friendly to the female, hoping to not scare away a potential friend. Tail tapping her hocks, Adsila smiled. "My name is Adsila Slayer. I'm part of a pack around here called Cut Rock River..." her words trailed off, unsure if she should divulge any other information about her pack. She was not used to speaking to strangers, and so she awkwardly shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Uhm," she said softly, glancing at the female, "Do you live nearby... or are you part of another pack?" The Young Slayer Girl inhaled deeply, but couldn't catch the scent of a pack on the chocolate female's pelt. "Oh uhm, I'm sorry, I forgot to ask what your name was." Adsila quickly said, heat rising to her cheeks as she looked away, embarrassed.

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As the stranger slipped in to the light, Metrophanes gave them a fleeting look; enough to gather a sense of the stranger's figure now that it was easier to view. A glance was all she allowed of herself, as Metrophanes wasn't about to make an enemy out of this rogue - except, this was no rogue. As the other wolf introduced herself Metrophanes did little more than listen.

A pack wolf? She was lucky that another yearling had found her then. Had it been anyone else, anyone older, then there was a good chance Metrophanes would've been driven off - or so she assumed. Adsila continued speaking but the wandering girl was too busy lost in her own thoughts - enough so that, when there was silence, Metrophanes' lack of a response made things quite awkward quite fast.

But she would remedy that. My name is Met- Oh. No, she couldn't say that. How had she already forgotten her vows? High Priestess, yeah right, I can't even follow the most basic rules of the Order anymore. Rho. My name is Rho. Yeah, that would do.

I didn't realize there was a pack in the area. I... I haven't been here very long. Briefly, her tail swept across the ragged earth beneath her. She shared an apologetic look with the other girl, but that too was short-lived. Did you.. Grow up here?

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Adsila looked back at the chocolate female, her ears twitching at the sound of a name before it got cut off, like the female hadn't meant to say it, or didn't want to divulge it, maybe for a secrecy reason. She knew some wolves liked to keep their identity to themselves, but she had never felt the need to do that. “Rho. My name is Rho.” A smile graced her facial features when the female gave a name (maybe it was a nickname?), albeit one that sounded foreign, at least to her. "That's a pretty name, Rho," she said softly, "does it mean anything?"

Rho gave her an apologetic look when she spoke of not knowing there was a pack nearby. The Young Slayer Girl nodded, knowing that the chocolate female was probably on edge about it. When one was alone and near a pack of strangers, it was okay to be fearful when their intentions were unknown. "It's okay, they're very nice wolves. They let me and my brother join a while ago when we arrived at their border, looking for a home." Her movements slow and deliberate, Adsila sat down on her haunches, still looking curiously at Rho.

A frowned pulled the corners of her lips down as her brows furrowed. She had grown up 'here' in a sense, but in a place far away, over the mountain, where she was not likely ever to go again. It held too many bad memories for her to go back to. "Not here specifically. I was born over the mountain, but my pack disbanded when I was young and so I was cared for by one of my fathers' good friends. When I was just over a year we parted ways and I joined this pack with my brother." Once she was finished talking, Adsila looked away for a few moments, gathering her thoughts. "What about you? Were you born in Relic Lore?"

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That's a pretty name- the girl chimed, and while Metrophanes heard the compliment, she hardly reacted. Until the idle little question was posed, -does it mean anything?and a small smile latched itself upon her face. Probably, its a word from my parent's native language. But she hadn't seen her parents in a long time, longer than her absence from the Order and the sisters. Upon mentioning her parents, Metrophanes' voice faded to a low tone, and her expression was briefly restless. But Adsila went on, breaching the potential awkward silence with a brief history lesson.

The mention of a brother made Metrophanes cant her head ever so slightly, as if she hadn't heard correctly. Still, she said nothing. -my pack disbanded when I was young and so I was cared for by one of my fathers' good friends. When I was just over a year we parted ways and I joined this pack with my brother.

What about you? Where you born in Relic Lore?

Relic Lore? No, I was born elsewhere. On a mountain actually, like you, But not the same mountain, most likely. She would have remembered someone like Adsila. Thinking of Mount Petrakhos had the same effect as her momentary recollection of her parents - a brief look of concern, and then nothing. I lived with another pack briefly, and now I'm here.

How much easier would life be if she had someone to lean on? Probably quite a lot easier. But none of the sisters would've dared leave the Order with her - and Rho hadn't even considered asking. Her thoughts lingered upon Adsila's mention of her brother, but she didn't bring her thoughts to light.

With a small sigh - easing through her nose as she shifted her weight - Metrophanes let her guard down a little. She drifted closer to Adsila now that she was sitting, curious of the other girl but still... Unaccustomed to the attention. Another thought occurred to her then. Do you think... I mean, not to impose myself, She paused, swallowed her nerves, and continued with her thought, Would someone like me be welcome in.. Your pack?

She did miss the repetition of pack life. And maybe this situation was pre-ordained. A fateful encounter, enacted by the very gods she had grown to doubt.

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(This post was last modified: Oct 25, 2014, 07:14 AM by Rho.)

Silvery green eyes widened curiously. A word from another language? All she had been brought up to know was English, and had never even heard another language being spoken out loud before. Sure, she knew that some wolves spoke in other tongues, but she had never been taught, nor felt the need to know. One language was enough for her, though she supposed knowing a few words in another may be interesting to learn. She didn't ask what it meant though, or what language, as she imagined it to be too personal, and if she herself was in that situation she would rather keep it to herself. Something like that was special, especially since her own parents were gone from her life. Dad dead and mother a deserter.

“Relic Lore? No, I was born elsewhere. On a mountain actually, like you.” Adsila smiled at Rho. She had always wondered what life was like outside of Relic Lore, but had never taken the chance to break free and go see for herself. If she was being truthful, she would admit that she was afraid of the unknown, of what it may hold for her. Change was not something she liked, as she had experienced much of it at a younger ago, and most of it bad. A single nod was her response as Rho continued to speak. She had also lived in a previous pack, one that she had joined out of desperation, but even though she was ever grateful to them, she just didn't fit in like the rest of the members did, including Ace.

The chocolate female seemed to relax and moved closer to the Young Slayer Girl, hesitation in her posture as she spoke. “Would someone like me be welcome in.. Your pack?” Her tail thumped on the ground as another smile appeared on her face. "Of course! Maksim, well, at the moment Lachesis, and Kisla would welcome you to the pack. You just have to show that you are a loyal, hard-working and truthful member, and you will be welcomed like family. At least, that was how it was for me." She was hopeful now. Maybe Rho wanted to join Cut Rock River?

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On one hand, Rho did not wish to admit defeat. If she could survive on her own, she'd do so - and if this girl could not guarantee a place for her, that'd be alright as well. There was a glimmer of hope within young Metrophanes. On the other hand, she was adapted to living with others. She ached to be in the company of her sisters again, or at the very least have a friendly face to greet her when she woke up. In the weeks following her departure from the Order, Metrophanes' spirits had gradually lowered and her nerves had grown raw with the change around her. This girl, stranger that she was, presented a way out - a way back.

And when Adsila gave her confirmation, punctuated as it was by the beat of her tail, Rho could not stop her own tail from wagging uncharacteristically; her reserved nature swiftly overshadowed by the brilliance of the moment. Really? the girl queried, sounding equal parts exasperated and joyous - this time, she did not hide behind a steely wall of indifference. Before Adsila could say anything else - or respond to her rhetorical murmur - Rho stepped closer, and her voice swept around the clearing once again. I'd like to meet them. Can you take me there? I mean, to them?

Of course she can, dummy. The real question is, will they accept you? Metrophanes thought, her mind working to try and calm the rising spirits within her. Logic dictated much of the wandering girl's behavior, but now she wanted to ignore all sense of logic and decorum. To shrug off a lifetime of doctrine and simply be happy. Something within her prevented that, to a degree. What if this was the wrong choice? What if they thought her ill-suited to their family? The chance of being rejected was real, and it was terrifying.

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Adsila grinned when the chocolate female responded with the excited wagging of her own tail and a joyous "Really?" punctuating the air. She could practically feel the waves off happiness rolling off of Rho, instead of the steely wall of indifference that she had been met with during their entire conversation. Before the Young Slayer Girl could respond in any way, the chocolate female stepped closer and spoke the words that Adsila had hoped she would say. “I'd like to meet them. Can you take me there? I mean, to them?” She could feel her once crushed spirits soaring at the thought of her new... friend? joining her pack. It would break the monotonous cycle that she was stuck in, and she would also have someone to converse with other than her brother, who for the last two months she hadn't seen hide or whisker of.

"I'd love to!" Adsila chirped happily. "It's just that way," she looked in the direction she had come before, "and it's not that far either. We can make it to the border before sundown if we go now." Her tail wagged ecstatically behind her as she glanced back at Rho where she could see hesitation in her eyes. "There's nothing to be worried about. Lachesis is really nice, he's my uncle... well, not my real uncle, but he was with us when me and Karp grew up. He's standing in for Maksim until he gets better. As for Kisla, I don't know her very well, but she seems really nice. As long as you don't break the rules or do something you shouldn't." The Young Slayer Girl quickly shut her mouth when she finished speaking, splaying her ears to the side apologetically. "Sorry, I ramble too much when I get excited," she woofed softly.

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