Luna Hill someday you'll return to it

@Cessair

October 22nd 2014
Early Morning - Patchy Rain Nearby (? playing this like there's rain clouds but no rain yet) 36F/2C

Minka - You found a pumpkin patch!

The solo hill that marred the otherwise flat fields was a regular haunt of Minka's, especially after a border patrol. While their own territory was composed of rolling hills, blackberry bushes and spruce, fir and pine trees the actual fields were smooth until it reached their borders. That is except for Luna Hill, where the tawny alpha now lounged, her golden eyes watching the clouds wearily. Originally the woman had come up here to watch the borders as she often did, the vantage point allowed for her to see any intruders or visitors long before they saw her or reached their markers. She had been distracted however by the menacing shade of dark grey black that the sky had turned, it would seem they were in for some rain. Truthfully the mother didn't mind, when it rained hard enough the pack's communal den became quite populated and it was a quiet time she loved spending with her family and subordinates. Usually they would pass the bitter weather away with entertaining her ever growing pups with stories, both truthful and obvious tall tales. It was something @Kova in particular had always enjoyed, he was growing to become quite the story teller himself, though Minka believed her daughter @Noble also had fun.

With a small smile and this in mind the golden eyes watched as a few stray drops made their way from the clouds. Standing slowly the fae rustled her pelt back into place ready to wander down to the den and await the rains to come. That was until after a brief glance behind her caught something peculiar that made her heart stutter and skip a beat. Just a flash of orange instantly had Minka moving towards the object and farther away from the den where she had intended to go. Growing on the far slope was the same large orange objects that she had found last year, but this was so far from where she had seen them last. In a daze the fae moved through the bulbous vegetation, half expecting to see Simaea to come barrelling through them screaming in anguish gripped in a delusion. That was impossible though, the dark woman was gone and probably dead, lost in a blizzard to never return. Suddenly gripped by grief she had never let herself feel before Minka threw her muzzle back and howled for the Nite to return. Though they had not been particularity close and at times had had a volatile relationship they had been packmates, and not until now did the Lagina realize that if she had not come back by now she never would.

(This post was last modified: Dec 11, 2014, 03:54 PM by Minka.)

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So, Cessair is in desparate need of a pack. Mind if I throw a half-dead wolf at Minka's feet? You don't have to take her, of course; I just need to get her to do something.

All the sensations Cessair would normally enjoy on an peaceful almost-raining morning such as this seemed an indistinguishable blur. She was aware of nothing but the gnawing, consuming pain of hunger from the pit of her empty stomach. When had she eaten last? Trying to remember was useless. With such poor health, it was more comfortable for her spirit to float somewhere outside her deteriorating body, if such a thing were possible. Though her thoughts were nowhere in particular, her paws seemed to know where they were going, and Cessair soon found herself in a vaguely familiar field.

After another minute of walking, Cessair suddenly remembered. This was the field she had visited last time she was in this land, two or so years ago, and it had been filled with blackberry bushes. Food! In a fit of delirious ecstasy, the exhausted woman galloped to the nearest cluster of bushes and thrust her nose among the leaves to search for berries. Her excitement died as quickly as it came when she realized that blackberries were out of season. Crushed, she slowly turned and continued her aimless walking. Cessair's thoughts were as foggy as her senses, but somewhere deep in her consciousness, she knew that she was dying and that it was entirely her fault. So many precious months of her life she spent chasing a lost cause, and when finally she gave it up, she was so insistent on being cautious and making the right decision in choosing a pack that she quite possibly blew her chance of ever joining one. She was so weak that her sense of orientation no longer functioned, so she couldn't find her way back to the pack territories she'd visited, and certainly no sensible pack leader would take her in when she was already all but dead. She would be as much a burden to them as she always had been to herself.

Thump. Cessair hadn't been paying attention -- her paw collided into a rock. No, not a rock. She took a step back and struggled for several moments to comprehend the round orange object in front of her. No explanation came, so she started walking again. Thump. It was another. Thump. Again. Was she going in circles? Cessair knew she wasn't functioning well, but she was certain that she could still walk relatively straight. She looked around, practically squinting through the grey fog of her waning vision. The orange things were scattered everywhere. She sniffed at one, though she could smell almost nothing, and searched again for a word. Purple? No. Plum? No. Wait. Plum-et, Plum-in, Plum-kin. Plumkin! No. Pumpkin! That's food, right? Cessair hastily dropped herself beside a pumpkin and began gnawing on it. Within a few moments, she managed to scrape through the tough skin to begin pulling out the pumpkin meat. Though Cessair tasted nothing, she could feel it sliding down her throat. It almost hurt as her stomach began at long last to do its work. But, oh, it was so euphoric.

A chill descended along Cessair's spine, jerking her awareness back to her surroundings. A wolf was howling, and it was nearby. Oh no. Had she wandered into a pack territory? Was she feasting on another wolf's pumpkins? She leapt to her paws, eager to flee, but her senses weren't fully functioning and she couldn't locate the stranger wolf. Cessair's frenzied mind was reeling, but she couldn't come up with a solution. So she froze. A scrawny scarecrow teetering in the breeze in a field of plump orange gourds.

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There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

@Cessair I hope you don't mind I revived this, I thought it was important to explain how Cessair came to BTD <3 also that 15% is all for you!

During her howls she hadn't noticed the sound of teeth against vegetation, or even the approach of the other wolf. It wasn't until a few moments later that she heard a rustling and her howl suddenly cut off. Heart pounding she whipped around, golden eyes scouring her surroundings, flashing from pumpkin to pumpkin frantically. Had Simaea actually returned? How fitting would it be that she would find her now amongst the same objects that had healed their relationship this time. Moving swiftly towards the noise the pumpkins blurred past her until finally at the bottom of the hill she looked upon another. As soon as the light coat came into her view her heart fell and it felt as if someone had delivered a blow to her belly.

It wasn't Simaea but instead a loner who looked like she was on the brink of death. Trembling in cold or fear Minka couldn't tell but her eyes widened when she saw how thin the other woman was, her bones poked haphazardly through her fur. Taken aback by her appearance for a moment the alpha said nothing before her eyes softened, "My name is Minka Lagina, I'm an alpha of one of the nearby packs, please let me help you." She knew nearby there was food, she had noticed the moose carcass when she had arrived at the hill and had been planning on enlisting the help of a subordinate to drag it back and cache it. The plan had changed, clearly this woman needed it much more than she. She would also need a healer, but it could wait, first she needed sustenance.

Making up her mind she spoke once more, the words soft but urgent, "Please, stay here, I'll be right back." Turning and moving swiftly throughout the patch once more she hardly took notice of the pumpkins, her mind becoming a tunnel focused only on reaching on the carcass. Coming upon the moose Minka latched her teeth into the hind and tugged until a large hunk of meat detached and hung from her jaws. Within moments the tawny fae returned to the starved stranger and laid her gift down at the other's paws, her eyes urging her to please accept it.

Sorry for being so slow. Thanks for the 15%. ... I'm not sure how to use it...

Cessair heard something approach. First the howling stranger, and now this? She spun violently in a circle in search of the coming threat and knocked herself down in the process. A fleeting moment of clarity visited her as she shakily stood back up. You fool. The howling wolf and the approaching one are the same. The thought brought little comfort. Cessair looked up from her paws just in time to see a magnificent stranger appear at the top of the nearest hill and the clarity immediately departed. She could do nothing but stare and try to maintain her balance.

The stranger spoke. Cessair heard, but she continued to stare without seeing, without understanding. Concentrating on processing what she had heard took nearly all her effort. What was a Minka Lagina? Did she say "name"? That was probably a name. Alpha. Is that food? Cessair nearly dropped back down to gnaw on the pumpkin when she processed the word "pack" and froze again. This Minka Lagina was the pack leader. Pack leader. Trespassing. Danger! "Let me help you." Not danger?

"I'll be right back." An enticing scent roused Cessair and she blinked. There was the stranger, much closer to her, with meat hanging from her jaws. Cessair hadn't noticed the alpha's departure. Now the meat was at her paws. The alpha was still watching her. Was this a trap? Could she take food on a strange pack's territory? It would be so easy to just lower her head and eat. Could she afford not to? The scent of the meat was overpowering and Cessair quickly forgot everything else. She dropped to her stomach to relieve her unsteady legs and buried her face in the food.

Whatever this meat was, it felt like the best Cessair had ever tasted. She could feel energy flowing back into her exhausted frame as the sustenance slid down her throat. It was gone all too soon and she felt even hungrier than before. But she was a little better. She had licked her lips for the third time before she remembered that the alpha of a strange pack was still in front of her. And she had just eaten this alpha's food. Cessair jumped to her paws and swayed for a moment before regaining her balance and opening her mouth to speak. A violent cough ensued, so she cleared her throat and tried again. “Your food...I...um...” The sound of her own hoarse voice surprised her. "Thank you." Another cough. "My name is Cessair." A fit of coughing seized her. She looked wearily up at the alpha, apologies written across her haggard features.

Sorry this was so slow!

Minka had no way of knowing if the stranger had understood her words or not, as they had been met by nothing more than a blank stare. Still, she held the gaze for a moment before she had left to fetch the morsel of food. Whether or not this woman was in her right mind or not she was still alive, and that meant something the alpha, for every life meant something until proven otherwise. There were few wolves that she had met that had managed to prove to the Lagina woman that their life was worthless and the world might even be better without them. In fact there was only one and he resided to the south in a pack she had once called her family, in a territory she had once called her home.

It seemed like an eternity that the meat stood untouched at the strangers paws while she stared uncertainly at it. The longer it sat the more anxious Minka became, her tail wagging limply behind her and a whine creeping up her throat, was she too late to save this woman? Then the greyish fae dropped down upon the venison and just a few moments later it was gone. The result was almost miraculous, it took just a few seconds and the stranger was back on her paws once more, but this time seeming to comprehend the situation.

At first Minka watched her warily as she swayed, unsure of how the stranger would act now that she had some nourishment. Though to her relief she seemed thankful rather than venomous and the alpha let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. The voice that left the other fae was hoarse, as if it hadn't any use for weeks. Smiling at her thanks the Lagina woman shook her head, "You needed it more than we, please come back to the territory with me, our herbalist @Lugh will be able to help you much more than I can." When it came to herbs and medicine it had always been in one ear and immediately out the other. Besides the fact that she was a fool when it came to the subject Lugh had proven himself to be  more than worthy of the title that he carried.

click!

Cessair  pricked her ears forward, trying to listen as the kind alpha spoke to her again, but the new sensation of food digesting in her stomach distracted her immensely.  Her stomach hurt, and she wasn't sure if it was because she was still starving or because of the sudden reactivation of previously atrophying muscles.  Maybe it was a combination of both.  The emaciated woman rocked back and forth on her paws to keep her balance and relieve the pain as her core muscles worked.

The alpha finished speaking as Cessair lapsed in and out of concentration.  She was so cold!  Her paw pads had long since grown calloused and ceased to feel from her extensive traveling, but she suddenly became aware that her ankles were numb, too.  So focused on finding sustenance was she that she forgot to notice that winter was approaching and temperatures were sinking.  Cessair began to shiver.  Then she remembered again that the alpha wolf was still standing before her and probably awaiting some sort of response.

What had she said?  Come...territory...herbalist...Lugh...help.  Herbalist?  Cessair had met an herbalist once; it was the last time she was in this land, several years ago.  That kind wolf -- what was her name? -- had showed her which herbs would help relieve her of her nightmares.  Those apparitions rarely troubled Cessair any more.  Why should she need another herbalist's help?  Another coughing fit interrupted her thoughts.  It was food she needed, not herbs!

But the alpha also wanted her to come into the pack territory.  Had that been an invitation or a command?  It hardly mattered; this wolf wanted to help her, and there would be food in the territory.  Cessair realized that she had already started nodding when she shook herself and made another attempt to speak.  "Thank you.  I think...  I could use some help..."  Her tail wagged limply and she almost managed an appreciative smile.

(This post was last modified: Feb 01, 2015, 03:17 AM by Cessair.)

sorry for this short crappy post -.-

It was concerning to say the least, to see the way Cessair swayed back and forth as she stood, as if she couldn't even hold her diminished body weight. Golden eyes watched closely as emotions passed over the other woman's face, first blank and then confused before finally acceptance and a nod. Smiling encouragingly Minka watched to make sure the other fae would follow before she began to walk back up the slope. Pausing at the top she felt conflicted, she knew she had to get the sick woman back to their territory as quickly as possible. On the other paw with another mouth to feed, a starving one at that they would need all the extra food they could manage, especially with winter at their doorstep.

Glancing at the pale coat of her new companion there were apologies in her eyes, "Cessair... do you think you would be able to carry back some of the moose with you? It would do good to replenish our caches while we can." Minka winced at the thought of having to ask this of a woman she just had to rescue from the patch of vegetation, but the good of the pack was her first priority. While this included the woman now it also meant that she had one more responsibility, one more life she had to get through the winter. Whatever they left she could send her subordinates to fetch, but the more they brought back now the more they could guarantee would make it within the borders. Nature had a funny way of giving the gift of a meal and quickly snatching it back if you didn't accept it quickly enough.

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Sorry; life got really busy and I sort of forgot to reply to this thread.

Minka began to walk up the hill, and as Cessair followed, her senses were somehow simultaneously flooded and numbed.  She was cold, she was tired, she was starving but her stomach was full.  The sounds of pawsteps, distant rain, and birdsong melted together into a dull cacophony that drowned out any coherent thought.  The confused woman quickly forgot what she was doing.  All she could remember was that she was supposed to follow, so she focused what few shreds of concentration she had on the tawny coat in front of her.  Follow the leader.

Then the leader stopped.  Cessair stopped too, tripping over her paws in the process.  "Carry back some of the moose..."  The leader had asked her for help.  What if she didn't?  What if she just walked back over to the moose and ate more of it?  And then curled up to sleep?  Then she could eat more of the moose when she woke and go back to sleep.  Eat, sleep, eat, sleep.  And when she ran out of moose, she'd just sleep some more.  She was so weary, she could hardly even hold her ears up.  After three years of travelling, Cessair felt like she had seen the whole world and certainly deserved a little sleep.  Why, she could sleep right up to eternity.  That would be nice.

The longer Cessair stood thinking, the more she leaned until finally she lost her balance and stumbled over to the left.  She forgot what she had been thinking as she picked herself back up, but then she remembered Minka's request.  She turned around and tottered back to the moose before she could lose her balance again.  Gingerly, she clamped her teeth around it and started walking back up the hill.  Except she didn't walk -- her paws immediately fell out from under her and she found herself sprawled on top of the piece of carcass, which hadn't budged an inch.  Cessair stood and realized that perhaps the whole piece was too heavy.  She gripped the meat in her teeth again and haphazardly tore off as large a chunk as she thought she could manage.  Trying not to drool all over the fragrant food in her jaws, Cessair staggered back up the hill.  Though she was off-balance and exhausted, her eyes sparkled dimly with pleasure at being able to help even this little bit.

(This post was last modified: Mar 08, 2015, 08:52 PM by Cessair.)

Once you post your exit with Cessair you can archive this :)

Cessair seemed confused to say the least, every time that Minka spoke to her she was met with a blank stare. Then suddenly she started toppling over and the alpha stepped forward with a surprised yelp, but the girl was quick back on her feet. Then... she was down again, this time on top of the carcass. Ready to lift her muzzle and call for assistance, forget all about the moose it wasn't the biggest concern at the moment when once more the other woman was on her feet. This time she successfully pulled away a scrap of meat and the look in the copper eyes assured the Lagina woman that she had made the right decision. The fae before her might not be much to look at, concerning even, but it was obvious she was a hard worker and took pride in pulling her weight. She would fit in well within the Downs, these were the types of wolves they were looking for.

Minka sunk her teeth into the remaining carcass and pulled off another large chunk herself before following closely behind up the slope. Once they reached its apex the tawny tail gestured that the refugee should follow her down the other side and into the territory that would be her new home. The Downs had a new member, at least for now, and if she continued to pull her weight the invitation would remain open to stay. Picking her way carefully down the slope as the meat set her off balance Minka made her way back into her homelands where she would find the nearest cache to bury her find. Then she would take Cessair to see Lugh, the woman was obviously in need of some serious medical attention.

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