Wild Cherry Orchard The silver lining

Clear — 13° F/-11° C
Random event-There is a heavy snowstorm on the way.

With her legs moving smoothly Luz ran through the trees. Her claws digging into the cold ground with each step. While her muscles worked beneath her cream pelt. The clear skies had made the day a perfect time to run and keep her muscles toned. The air was heavy and if what she sensed was true then there was a storm coming. She wouldn't be able to run like this with heavy snow on the ground for a while until it melted some. Her breathe came out in a frosty mist. Even though her lungs were starting to burn from the cold air she kept going. Weaving between the trees she seemed to race the wind that blew up what little snow that lay on the ground.

Finally the she wolf slowed to a trot in a small clearing in the trees. She didn't want her muscles to cramp so she cooled them down as she took interest in the area around her. The trees limbs were bare and though the snow covered up the scents it seemed that this area still smelled a little like fruit. Something red in the snow caught her attention and ears pricked with interest she padded over. When she saw what it was a smile crossed her face.

She hadn't expected to find any fruit left among the cherry trees left and the one that lay frozen on the snow before her was a surprise. Dipping her head to look at it better she noticed that though it was a cherry it was not a cherry that she would like to eat. The red was marred and it looked as though it had been thawed and refrozen into a mush like substance. Even with this it still looked like a cherry just not a very edible one.

The wind whistled around her and an idea came to her. Opening her mouth she picked up the remains of the cherry and padded along hoping to find a rabbit trail. There she would leave it and wait to see if anything would come along and try to eat it. Maybe that way she could catch a rabbit or something and get a cache started before the snow started to fall.

(This post was last modified: Nov 18, 2014, 06:07 PM by Luz.)

Firefly had been heading out of her territory, on her way to the ghastly woods when she noticed something fly past her in her peripheral vision, going the way from which she had come. Spinning around, the russet huntress darted after whatever had been running in the direction of her borders. Dang, it's so fast! Fly thought to herself, surprised. She was extremely fast herself and was having a hard time catching up to the streak of pale fur that had crossed her path. As the distance between the two began to close, Fly could tell that it was a light colored she wolf that she was chasing after. The woman seemed to slow down and finally came to a stop by the cherry trees. Fly also slowed and came to a stop, but hung back to see what the girl would do next. Did she intend to continue on towards the Black Thorn Downs border or would she stop here? Fly stifled a giggle as she watched the girl play with one of the last cherries to remain in the orchard though winter was on its way. In a cheery voice, Fly called to the woman, "Hello! What are you doing with that cherry?" Fly asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion. Trotting over to the pale woman, Fly remained a respectful difference away and kept her head and tail in a neutral position. The girl was not presently a threat to her pack so as far as Fly was concerned this was an opportunity to make yet another new friend. Who knows? Maybe I can bring her back to the Downs like I did for Florence and Vera, Fly thought optimistically. "Speech"

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

Luz had already begun to move away from the spot she had picked up the cherry when a voice called out to her. Dropping the cherry is surprise she turned to look at the brown wolf before her. She hadn't realized that she had been followed and it surprised her. She hadn't come across anyone in these lands so far but then she chuckled to herself she likely had out run them before they had a chance to meet.

Tail wagging behind her in greeting she smiled. "I'm going to see if I can use it as bait on a rabbit trail." She told the red hued she wolf before her. "Wanna come?" She asked tipping her head in the direction she had been going. She wanted to see if she could catch something but if the other didn't want to she could try later.She didn't know the area and hadn't even realized that if she had kept running she would have come across the border of a pack. It was a good thing she had slowed down before then because at the speed she had been going she likely would have run across the border without realizing that she had crossed it until the scent of a pack there would have become to strong and it would have been to late to turn around.

"My name is Luz by the way." The pale girl said a grin on her face as she watched the stranger before her. Maybe she could finally have a friend in these parts. That is if she didn't run right out of the area.

Firefly smiled as the girl explained her plan. "That's brilliant!" The russet huntress exclaimed. "I would love to come." Fly barked, letting her own tail wag as the pale girl did. Once the girl introduced herself as Luz, Firefly felt a little abashed that she had not offered her own name first. That had been rude, but Luz hadn't seemed to mind. Eager to make up for the mistake, Fly announced "My name is Firefly, but you can call me Fly. I am a hunter at Black Thorn Downs, but Ive never thought to use the fruit to lure out prey." Firefly lifted her nose to the air and began testing it for the scent of prey. She could smell deer and that made her mouth water, but those would be too large for the two girls to take down. They needed rabbits. Patiently, Fly marched forward continuously testing the air until she finally caught the faint scent of rabbit. "Okay, I found a scent over here so there must be a trail nearby. We can follow the trail to its burrow and leave the berry nearby. When the rabbit comes out we can catch it!" Fly called out, glancing at her new companion. The plan seemed pretty smart and Fly was fairly impressed so far, but they still needed to put it to the test. She watched Luz to see what the girl would do now. Since it was her idea, Fly assumed it would be right to let her find the tracks and place the berry. "Speech"

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

At the brown wolf's exclamation Luz's ears went back as she looked down embarrassed. "Not really." She mumbled. The trick had been one her parents had taught her and it helped with luring out elusive prey. Inwardly though she was pleased that the one before her thought so but she would never have said it aloud. A smile crossed her face as the stranger introduced herself and as someone within a pack. She watched with amusement as the Fly walked around sniffing.

So this one is a hunter in a pack in the area. Maybe she should consider asking if there was a chance she could join. Would they need someone like her though? All speed and stamina with some strength that she hadn't been taught to use. She had always been alone with her parents so maybe this would be a good opportunity for her. The thoughts bounced around the pale girl's skull before finally she decided that she would ask. There was nothing wrong from asking and if they didn't need her then she could get information about the other packs in the area at least.

Before she could say the words that balanced at the edge of her tongue Fly spoke up. She obviously thought that Luz should do this and an almost nervous energy filled her. She was used to others taking the lead ,even if they were younger than her, and when she was supposed to take the lead she could. She just got a little nervous because she didn't want to screw up or make a fool of herself. That would be bad considering she was going to ask about the pack that she would consider applying herself to.

Before she picked up the berry Luz questioned "Will you tell me about your pack?". Then with a mouthful of snow and berry she padded in the direction that the other had indicated her limp more noticeable now than it was when she had been running. Her eyes scanned the snow before her as her cinnamon tipped ears twitched to listen to her companion. She was curious to see what the hunter said.

Fly watched as Luz picked up the berry and began carrying it over to where Fly had indicated the rabbit scent was coming from. She noticed that the girl was walking with a limp and wanted to ask how she had gotten injured but before she could get the question out, Luz asked a question of her own. Fly forgot about Luz's limp and followed her, more than happy to brag about Black Thorn Downs. "Of course I can! My pack is named Black Thorn Downs and is growing very big and strong just before winter. It's good that we have so many wolves, too, because I believe there is going to be quite the snowstorm to usher in this year's winter season. We will need all the help we can get making sure the food caches are all full before prey starts to get harder and harder to find." Fly decided it was best not to give away the location of her pack just yet; the girl seemed innocent and harmless enough, but one could never be too sure. Still, there didn't seem to be any harm in giving away the names of her alphas."The leaders are named Tokino and Minka and they are both very kind but also very strong. They have a son named Kova who will make a great leader one day and plenty of other pack mates who are all good at their jobs and very loyal." Fly prattled on about her pack, until the two girls came upon the rabbit hole. Fly took a few steps back, giving Lux room to position the berry as she pleased. With a quick glance of the surrounding area, Fly found a bush that still had a good bit of leaves on it, though they were all brown and rotting."We could hide over there, unless you have a better idea." Fly suggested using her tail to indicate the bush she had seen. Knowing they would have to stay quiet once they went into hiding, Firefly decided to make the offer now and give the girl some time to consider."You know, if you are looking for a pack to join, I am sure you would make a good fit in Black Thorn Downs. I can introduce you to the alphas if you would like." Fly gave an encouraging smile, but then remembered the girl's limp and with a quizzical expression asked,"Oh yeah, I meant to ask. Why are you limping? Did you get an injury recently, because I know a little about herbs so maybe I could help." As Fly cheerfully waited for the girl to answer all of her questions, she failed to understand that she may have overloaded the girl with information. This was what had gotten her into trouble with @Bane: she just didn't understand that sometimes her personality could be a lot to handle. Fly was young and still had a lot of growing to do, but hopefully, one day the girl would learn to reign in her emotions. Or, perhaps she would just be a chaotic mess for the rest of her life. "Speech"

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

With her ears ringing from all the information that Fly offered up she had to smile. Black Thorn Downs? She wondered briefly about the name. Could it be after a plant or bird of some sort? She wasn't sure but maybe she would find out later. Her ears pricked at the names of the leaders. Minka and Tokino. They were names that she would need to remember if she ever wanted to join the pack and of course Kova as well if he were to be the future leader.

The rabbit trail appeared before the two and Luz stepped forward careful to keep her paws away from it. What good could come from leaving behind the fresh scent of wolf when they were trying to catch something? Then again the berry would likely have her scent all over it. Carefully she placed the berry so that it was next to the trail within sight of of it but not on it. This way it would draw the rabbit or whatever decided to come along and take a bite closer to the bush that Fly indicated.

Lifting her head she started to walk to the bush so that the waiting could begin but froze in surprise at the brown girl's words. Her ears pricked forward "Really?" she asked in a surprise. She hadn't expected this. Not at all but she should have she mused as she continued to look at Fly. A smile spread on her face before freezing at the next words out of her companion.

She shook her head slowly "It's an older wound and I don't think putting stuff on it now will help." She let out a sigh as she moved so that the younger wolf could see the mark clearer. The scar tissue was pale and no fur grew from it but the surrounding fur did a good job at hiding it. "I would prefer not to say how I got it though." She left it at that hoping that there wouldn't be any more questions about her limp.

Then to change the direction to a lighter subject she injected "Would you be willing to show me to your borders when we are done with this?" She asked tipping her head in the direction of the berry that lay on the snow.

Firefly watched as Luz placed the berry next to the trail.That's smart, Fly thought impressed with the girl's forethought. Fly was more of a 'try till you get it right' kind of girl and didn't usually think ahead so when someone else did she was always impressed. Luz had finished placing the berry and was heading towards the bush when she froze. Fly barely noticed this, not being one to observe body language very often, but she did detect a hint of sadness in Luz's voice when she answered the question about her limp. Fly frowned, disappointed that she could not help and her black lips drew down into a deeper frown when Luz turned to reveal a pale scar on her leg. No fur grew over that area of skin, but the surrounding fur was thick enough to conceal it at first glance. Immediately Fly opened her maw to ask about how the young girl had gotten such a vicious scar, but before she could Luz admitted that she would rather not say where it came from. Normally, Fly would have persisted, but Luz quickly changed the subject. It seemed that Luz, whether she knew it or not, would make a very good friend for Fly and already knew how to handle the boisterous young girl. Easily distracted, even a poorly concealed change in subject would drag Fly's attention away from the matter at hand. Having been asked to take Luz to the borders of Black Thorn Downs, Fly quickly forgot about Luz's limp and would most likely not be reminded of it until later that night or even several days later when the thought would randomly pop back into her mind. With an excited smile Fly barked an affirmative to the woman's question and then focused her attention back on the berry. If they could catch the rabbit then Luz could bring it with her to the borders and perhaps offer it to the alphas if she decided to ask to join the pack. "Speech"

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

The short bark that the eager brown girl gave her was a relief. If she hadn't agreed to show Luz were the border was she might not have found it or she could have stumbled upon the pack borders by chance. Of course she could have found someone else's borders and insulted them by calling for the wrong leaders and creating some embarrassment of her part. That wouldn't be the case now that she had a guide towards the edge of Black Thorn Downs. A guide and a new friend and possible pack-mate her tail wagged behind her as a happy chuckle spilled from her lips.

Trotting behind the bush the pale girl lay down. Her head lowered onto her out-stretched fore-paws as she watched the rabbit trail. Her eyes glanced to her companion and she gave her a smile. They could be waiting for a couple of minutes or hours depending upon if a bunny or something decided to show up. Though everyhting about her was nearly still her tail still twitched behind her. She couldn't wait to see how the leaders of the pack would react to her and a nervous excitement filled her. It made her heart pump faster in her rib cage.

Trying to distract herself she whispered to Fly "So why are you called FireFly?" She understood that the girl's coat was like fire but why the last part? Was it because her parents liked the bug or something? Or maybe it was her desire to be like a bird? She would wait for the answer so that the questions in her head could be silenced.

Fly followed the pale girl behind the bush and crouched down next to the girl. Like Luz, Fly's whole body remained still except for her tail which continued to wag in excitement as they wait to see if the plan would work. Fly hadn't really thought through this waiting part. They could be here for hours waiting and that would be boring. The russet woman frowned as she considered this down fall of Luz's luring technique. Luckily, Luz seemed to be happy to walk, or at least whisper, while they waited. Excitement restored, Fly happily answered the pale woman's question."Well, my mother named me Fire because I have red fur on my back, even though her fur is pure white. My father's fur was brown and black. My brother has a combination of the two, but my mother wasn't sure where I got my red fur from. So since it was unique, she included it in my name. The Fly part came a few months later when I was old enough to run and she noticed how I could run really fast and when I did she said I looked like a streak of fire." Fly smiled, but then her lips twisted into a grimace."You thought I was named after the bug, didn't you? Everyone does!" Fly rolled her eyes, but gave a mumbled chuckle. Who would name their child after a bug? "You're pretty fast yourself, though. What about your name? What does Luz mean? Does it have anything to do with being fast?" Fly asked, tilting her head to the side as she often did when something made her curious. "Speech"

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

(This post was last modified: Nov 21, 2014, 02:37 PM by Firefly.)