Whisper Marsh Where mud should never be

Charcoal stood rigid, staring at the single patch of muddy slush at his paws. He lifted his head to where a dry patch of land rested about five feet away. Brow furrowed in concentration, anyone who passed would think that the wolf was in the middle of a life or death situation where one wrong move could mean the end of the world. His haunches shifted slightly and Charcoal leaped forward. The previously solid ground beneath his feet bent last minute and the wolf plummeted into the slush.

He let out a frustrated bark as he sank up to his belly in the frigid mud. Shivering, the wolf waded through the mud, paws scrambling for a purchase on the unstable terrain as he hauled himself out of the muck. Tail tucked in between his legs, Charcoal cautiously inched through the marsh, spatting and growling insults about snow, mud, and everything else relating to the cold and dirt.

The thin layers of snow did nothing but hamper his progress. Mud and snow collected on the extra fur around his paws, clumping in between his pads and making walking awkward and uncomfortable. He growled to himself, the mud sucking at his pads as he trudged along, a loud 'pop' signaling every single step the wolf took. Lifting his head, Charcoal stared at the midnight blue sky above his head. Maybe traveling would be better if he waited until morning. No. He thought, shaking his head. The sooner he was out of the marsh, the better.

The velvet blue of the night sky hung above her, offering her comfort in the twinkle of its scattered stars. Jayse found little in their lights tonight. Though they were above her, where they belonged, her world remained upside down. There was some comfort to be united with Rook and Borden. There was more faces she had to see. More work that needed to be done. Questions that needed to be answered. This was not the life, the legacy she wanted to leave her children.

It was to the Ridge she finally convinced herself to go. Sure, she was uncertain what she thought she would find, but she did want to pay Elettra a visit. Her dear friend would know all she had missed, wouldn't she? The pale wolf longed to know how she was. Had she found someone suitable for herself? Children grown?

A fragile sigh of longing fled from her lips, as her long appendages padded along, ears erect upon her crown. Though no longer the white Queen she had been, she was finding that perhaps those feelings had not entirely died. Perhaps, there was still a royal, a leader in her heart dying to be again. What was a Queen without a King? Those ideas would break her confidence. A stiff gait, she began to move faster.

As slender frame brushed along the dead stretches of grass, she kept to the edge of the Marsh, forcefully making that dark nose of hers work to be certain there was no close threats. Not crippled by her age, she was likely not as fast, not as reactive as she had been. For her sake she rather be on alert when it came to wandering in the night.

The lone traveler continued, even though she was not in the middle of the marsh, there was suddenly mud slowing her paws, marring her clean coat. Alright. Calmly she thought, her mismatched eyes peered about. Mud was not going to stop her, but it could certainly try. Unwanting to overexert herself, she took it slow, slowly willing her limbs to slide up from the cold sludge. It was in a pause for breath she heard the loud suction pops of another, struggling to do the same. Rounded ears dipped back, and her body froze. "Hello?" All she could smell was that of wet earth, and ice.

(This post was last modified: Dec 09, 2014, 12:32 AM by Jaysyek.)

Charcoal huddled in the shelter of a clump of reeds, mist curling around his paws. His piercing green gaze drilled into the ever shifting water. I don't like you. He growled to himself, turning his gaze skyward just as the sun began to peek from around the clouds. Peeling his sodden coat from the ground, he shook himself off and inched forward, slowly sloshing through the marsh. The amount of water he encountered was beginning to lessen and the ground was firm in most places, a welcome relief signaling the end of his trek.

The wolf was so caught up in his own little world that he barely noticed the soft whisper on the wind. He paused abruptly, blinking, snout raised to scent the air. A voice? He thought. He stood, shivering in the water, ears pricked forward attentively. The wind? No. He was certain that he had heard a voice. Almost certain. 50/50. He was pretty sure had heard a voice.

Shaking his head, Charcoal let out a low woof. If it really was a voice, he would probably receive a response. If not then, oh well. He peered into the mist for a few moments, the water gently lapping at his legs. Inching forward, he raised his paw out of the muck and glanced over his shoulder, moving cautiously despite his intense need to get out of the marsh. He kept his head down, mind reeling from the stress of being in such a new and strange place. "I just hope this place isn't haunted." He murmured.

I meant to be better at this. :X

Mind monsters threatened to play tricks upon her, when a deep bark shattered their cruelness before it could begin. It was only but a second did she remain still, before appendages sharply pulled her in its direction. It seemed silly, and maybe a tad bit foolish she just had to be sure what was out there. She wasn't a lame, toothless wolf. Simply a little more aged.

Firstly she did not see the dark loner. A faint sigh, and plans to urgently get out of this place, his body crept near a lighter contrast, and revealed him more of a wolf than shadow. The lady paused, mismatched eyes rover over his pelt. No, she could not possibly know him. He was a little more lanky, and shorter than other black wolves she had previously met. What was he doing at this hour? Puzzled, and curious she mindfully began walking behind him. He muttered something, but she was not close enough to catch it. A frown, she bit her lip. How was she not going to scare him to death?

"Erh, Sir," she began lightly, than more loudly added,"Are you lost?" Cause why she was almost just a stranger to this place, it didn't mean he couldn't be either. Confident, she stepped closer, waiting for a sign she should stop or prepare herself for something worse.

(This post was last modified: Jan 14, 2015, 04:45 AM by Jaysyek.)

I have two rules: First, I'm never wrong. Second, if I'm wrong ... go back to the first rule The fur along his back stood straight up, rising and falling like a wave passing along the length of his spine from the tip of his tail to the scar at the back of his neck. Charcoal stood rigid for about a second as paranoia slowly made its way under his skin. For a moment he really did believe that the marsh was haunted and the ghostly white figure behind him was a ghost seeking vengeance on those stupid enough to encroach on its land. Though the thoughts were retched from his mind when the figure spoke and stepped forward, revealing the "ghost" to simply be another wolf. A heavy sigh whistled out from in between his teeth. His shoulders slouched as he turned to face the wolf, shaking his head. "Just passing through." He woofed, tail swishing from side to side lightly as he offered the stranger a nervous smile, waving away the last shreds of the frantic thoughts racing through his mind. I gotta get out of this marsh. He sighed to himself. Returning his attention to the stranger, he tilted his head to the side. "Although I am curious as to what you're doing all alone in a place like this." He prodded lightly, lowering his head. "I thought I was the only one here." If there was anything to be gained from traveling across the land, it was shady characters were often found in places like this. He didn't mean to intrude, he just wanted to know whether or not it was safe to let his guard down around this stranger. "Speech"

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

It wasn't the first time, nor likely the last she had been mistaken for a ghost. More than ever she felt like one, roaming her old home as nothing but a stranger on an endless search.

There was nothing said about ghosts. The young man stopped to see her. Jayse had a loose smile tug at her mouth. So far he did not seem like any bad company. The pale wolf acknowledged his answer with a simple nod. Who in the right mind would want to stay here after all? A moose, she mused, and the thought made her smile grow. Only those miserable beasts would find pleasure here.

Pleasantly surprised he seemed up for chatting despite the location and everything else her ears tipped forward, and her tail gave a single wag. She had been alone far too long. It was her turn to let out a long sigh. It couldn't hurt to just tell him, could it?

"I'm on a search for my mate. We use to live near by, and we came back hoping to reclaim it. It seems things have changed a lot more, I was on my way to the willows to talk to a friend. I didn't exactly mean to come so far into the Marsh, I heard..well I"m guessing it was you?" Eyebrows swept across her mismatched eyes, one of gold, and the other blue. Easily her mask smoothed, and she shook out her rough, wishing the sun would warm the earth a little quicker now that it was on its way up.

Without knowing if he would care to hear more, she was quiet for a second before deciding to add."I better keep moving. Cold mud is not my favorite." A smile flicked upon her muzzle,and she continued in the same direction, not exactly caring if he followed or went his own way.

(This post was last modified: Jan 14, 2015, 05:05 AM by Jaysyek.)

Shallow water has trapped several fish in a small pond. Hunt Opportunity

I have two rules: First, I'm never wrong. Second, if I'm wrong ... go back to the first rule Charcoal blinked after the strange wolf before bounding forward a few steps and sloshing along behind her. "You wouldn't happen to know a way out of here ... by any chance would you?" He asked tentatively, slowly veering off to the side when the sharp slash of a fish caught his attention. He stood beside the pond, leaning forward to peer into the murky water, only to get a face full of mud when the fish splashed again. Lunching forward, he made to tackle the fish. Unfortunately the small pond was deeper than he originally thought and his paws sank into the mud, momentum carrying the rest of his body forward and depositing his entire torso in the pond. He remained in that position for a few seconds, his tail and hind legs lashing out furiously in the air before he managed to gain some traction and wheel backward, prying his face from the water. Quickly shaking himself off, Charcoal simply glanced around and trotted away from the pond with his head raised as though nothing had happened. Nobody saw that. He murmured to himself. We're good. Nothing to see here. Never really liked fish anyway. He couldn't help but start to shiver as he fell into step behind the other wolf, flurries of snow collecting on the ground and nestling in between his shoulder blades to form a light blanket. "Speech"

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

"I do," she called over her shoulder, but he would have to keep up. There was a lot of ground she needed to cover, and she was impatient to reach the Ridge. She heard the distant splash as well, but food was not on her mind. It was not needed in this hour, and fish hardly sounded appealing, worth the effort. There were more splashes of water, but she did not look back thinking he had gone his own way instead.

As a light snow fell, sprinkling them in a white dust, the faint movement of him following become apparent. So, she would have company. She cocked her head back to dark wolf only to be suddenly shocked. He was more wet than he had been, and it was evident he was freezing.  "See that hill up there." Muzzle pointed to where the earth rose, and the marsh gave way to untouched snow.  "We just need to get there, I bet by then the sun can help you dry off." Then she could look over the willows, and make the final steps of her journey. See if Elettra would help her, knew of something to help Borden when she found him. She would not leave this one to freeze, and wander in the mean time.

(This post was last modified: Feb 11, 2015, 05:30 PM by Jaysyek.)