Stonewatch Timbers Road of the lost

Date: January 9th
Setting: Light snow on and off - Early morning - 21 ° F

The sound of soft chirps were absorbed by a small pair of ears while a steadily growing warmth could be felt upon Hexamora's cheek from the small rays of morning light temporarily breaking through the grey clouds above that threatened to release another round of snowfall. The rounded ears on the top of her head cupped forward then back as the petite arctic woman began to rise from her slumber, a thin layer of snow covering the ivory hairs of her curled up frame like a blanket quickly dispersed of when her body lurched forward on to sleep filled limbs then came to a upright position. Standing up now she gave a good shake of her pelt to rid both snow and sleep from herself before slowly blinking open mismatched eyes glossed over with the tiredness that still remained. Parting her jowls the pink of her tongue rolled out from between them to hang towards the ground as a yawn came forth, issuing with it a small whine before licking over her chops while the front portion of her body dipped down in the form of a bow. Muscles rippled beneath her thick winter coat as she stretched, enjoying the sensation until it came to an end when she rose to her relaxed height. Taking a look around her surroundings there was nothing new to be concerned with. All around stood sentry like timbers, the different species partly unknown to the woman, but all of them held a light dusting of snow upon the needles that held firm to their branches regardless.

A rumble of her stomach soon echoed its desires of food, its counterpart; her throat, making its own requirements known by the dryness that now encased it when the woman attempted to swallow. One was easily curable, her head leaning down to bite at the powder that quickly went from slush to water thanks to the warmth of her mouth. A few bites was all it took to quench her thirst. Food was a different case. Tilting her head back into the air her nose twitched for the smell of prey, hoping to catch the scent of something edible that wouldn't require too much effort to bring down. Even a nice carcass would do just fine with plenty of meat left on the bones to fill her quarreling rumbles. But standing around in one spot wouldn't help her find anything. Placing one paw in front of the other Hex began the search ears pinned forward to listen for the slightest noise or caw of a raven that potentially meant food, bi-colored eyes rotating from left to right to catch movement while her nose focused on finding something worth tracking. Nothing but the musky, moldy smell of dampened trees graced her nostrils the further she walked, the occasional scent of lynx scat breaching the more calming perfume of the surrounding timbers. Was it better to have stayed down in the ravine she found herself in some time ago where she ran into the little twerp of a pup @Kova who also managed to be swept up in the string of blizzards? Time seemed to be so lucid without a proper sense of direction. At least down there a river was readily available and provided a food source. Hexamora wasn't the greatest at fishing, but that was still a better option than her current predicament.  There didn't seem to be anything edible here. Or that was just her laziness speaking since the ivory woman hated having to work for the things she wanted meaning she would have to work for her next meal instead of swiping one away from an unsuspecting wolf.

"Speech."

(This post was last modified: Mar 31, 2015, 05:12 PM by Hexamora.)

Snow filtered between the boughs in the forest of great pines. The morning sun was weak overhead, it cast deep shadows of the pine trees. The shadows slivered like living things across the snow with every groan and sway of the trees in the breeze. Noble was not used to the forest, not after the ravine and not after a childhood in a blackberry thicket. She made wide berths around each shadow, path taking a haphazard course without the unidirectional ravine to guide her. The snow was falling as unsteadily as her bony, dark paws. But, she had done it. Noble had made it out of the ravine. Exhausted, starved and thirsty, at least she was free.

Though it seemed like too much of a good thing; the freedom here was overwhelming. Every direction stretched out without obstacle and she found her path stopping and starting in different directions. Which way to go? Noble had not thought behind escaping. The wideness and unfamiliarity of the forest was daunting, the idea of making it home was further lost. She had needed to leave the ravine and the way out had been clear. What now? Resounded in her head as her path spiraled nowhere. There was no answer.

Finally, she had to stop and found a sunny clearing to pant in. A dark pelt clung pathetically to her frame, the raggedness doing nothing to hide her starvation. The shadows slipped and fell over themselves beyond her little patch of light. A tail curled over her front legs as she sat and watched them. In the distance something shifted, the movement lighter and more determined than a shadow should be. Noble stiffened and let a soft growl free.

Suddenly and unexpectedly the sound of a soft growl breached the silence of the frigid winter air, bringing the small rounded audits of the equally small wraith white woman pricked forward. 'Don't tell me that pup found me AGAIN' was the first thought that came to mind in response to the sound. That little nuisance of a pup, Kova seemed to have a knack of finding the Beauvau woman. Angling her head toward the gray washed sky littered with heavy clouds ready to release another load of fresh powder above, the coal black sensory organ twitched as it attempted to catch the scent of the pup on the breeze. A different scent was brought to Hexamora's nose though. Different, yet similar. The odor spoke of the same pack fragrance with the faint sweetness of blackberries and musk of earth, but the identifying scent of maturing male wasn't present. Instead it was replaced by the putrid scent of a growing female around the same age. Great. He had siblings and she just managed to be discovered by them.  

A disgruntled groan leaving the inky lining of her lupine lips, front limbs rotated to bring her embodiment towards the direction of the growl. Narrowing mismatched optics to a partial slit they came to roost on the swarthy pelt of a scrawny wolf off in the distance. A bemused snort left her nostrils at the sight. Really? That was what made that growl? Sure was a lot of noise to be made from something that looked no better than a water logged rug. Oh well, at least she could have some fun with this pup like she had her brother. Maybe she would be even more fun to toy with. A dark smirk momentarily graced black lips before disappearing, body standing as tall as she could given her short height.  "You're not scaring anyone, pup." came the words void of amusement. Tail swaying lackadaisically behind the rounded curve of her rump. 

"Speech."

Trapped.

She was trapped... as much by her fear than anything else, but that didn't matter. Her eyes were wide as the figure came closer. It was now more wolf than vague shadow. She scooted backward, gaze snapping side to side as she did. If she'd known what lay in either direction she would have run. Fear sent pins and needles along her legs as they came closer and she remained in her doomed place. Perhaps it would have better if she could stop the growl, but it was far beyond her. As far as Noble was concerned this woman was coming to eat her and the growl was all that might convince her otherwise.

The reprimand was like a slap in the face. She recoiled sharply, drawing back on herself and blinking rapidly. The growl was temporarily silenced. Chest heaving into the ground, Noble smeared her eyes against dingy forelegs and looked back up. Hexamora was smirking down at her. Noble stared back, waiting for something else to come her way. She waited long enough for some of the fear to morph into resentment. What was this woman's problem? Noble felt her feet brace the earth; not to rise, but simply hold her place.

"I don't care." The words were softly enunciated, tremoring the whole way. Noble's eyes widened at the words, shocked by her own nerve. Chest heaving and heart hammering, Noble stared back with a look as if to say 'So there!' This woman had wanted to come over and pester her, she would have to deal with it. Softly, very faintly, the growl vibrated the back of her throat once more.

Each step the wraith white woman took forward, the swarthy one took back. The smirk that had adorned her lips only grew wider at the retorted words that left the swarthy pup's mouth. Her snowy form propelling forward to slowly circle the black fearful wolf with eyes as wide as the moon like a vulture waiting to descend on a carcass, mismatched optics never leaving the dark hairs of Noble's pelt. Maybe she could make a quick meal of this meager pup. Or a snack at least. The thought was idle swept aside. Sure was a tough statement from one who couldn't hide the fear that threatened to rattle her skeletal frame like an earthquake. "A lot of spunk coming from something to little." A bemused laugh following her words as her vulturous circling came to halt near the pup's left side hearing the low growl that began to vibrate her vocal chords once more. A defiant stare following suit. "What's your name, pup?" Hexamora ask, bringing her lids to a partial slit in a scrutinizing glare.

Waiting impatiently her tail gave an annoyed flick behind her, a single brow raising while her head leveled out above that of Noble's. Tick..tock..tick...tock. The Beavau didn't have all day to wait for a response. "Why aren't you tucked safely in your precious den with your brother and pack mates?" She demanded, speeding up the conversation along as resentment laced her words from the idea of having a pack to call home. How weak pack wolves were. Having to lean on others to get through the day. How pathetic. Unlike Hexamora who was strong and had herself to lean on. A much better wolf than any pack one could ever hope to be. Although her current condition did little to help her mental cause. Pure arrogance.  

"Speech."

A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

It was ironic how terror worked.

Noble's attention was razor sharp and legs were bent like oiled springs under her, just waiting for a command her brain was too panic-stricken to send. She couldn't decide which eye shade to focus on. Gold eyes glanced frantically between cool green and soothing brown as it was the only problem. Her logic was frayed with her nerves; escape seemed an incomprehensible option. Pride was an ideal rarely bothered with even when she wasn't paralyzed with fear. Her dark belly hugged the ground as the white wolf continued circling.

Hexamora stepped to her left side and lingered just beyond the edge of her sight. Noble's lips pulled back to reveal stark white teeth against the dirty backdrop of her muzzle. It was worse to not be able to see her. Her golds eyes raced around the clearing without the mismatched eyes to agonize over. It was like being dropped and having nothing to hold onto. Breath coming fast and shallow now, she almost missed the question. Noble rotated over a belly that stayed pressed the ground, shoving snow aside as she shuffled to face Hexamora. "Noble." Her voice thrummed pathetically in brief response. She didn't have the guts to ask the same question.

And she certainly didn't have the guts to answer the stranger's next question. Noble turned her head away, sunlight catching on features that starvation had defined. She didn't know. Every part of this winter was a mess of humiliation and disillusionment; she'd been stupid enough to get lost and her family had never come for her. She could just image the picture Hexamora had painted: Kova stretched out, leg kicking in a dream. It was like Hexamora knew.

Noble blinked and looked up with clear puzzlement. "How do you know I have a brother?"

For a moment all interest in the ground hugging pup was lost as a delicious scent on the air got her coal black nose to twitching and stomach to rumbling loudly. Indicating that something(most likely a cougar or lynx) had made a kill near by, by the way the air began to permeate with fresh blood and musky deer hide. Absentmindedly the pink of her tongue protruded past the curtain of her lips to dance across them in a quick lick before returning to its usual position behind them. She could almost taste the meat now and she would have if the current company in her presence didn't speak up and ruin the minimal amount of concentration she was having about food and whether to go get an easy meal or not.

Pacing back into the swarthy girls vision her own angled down, a flicker of bemusement passing over the heterochromic optics. Noble? Wow, they really just dished out whatever came to mind for names around here didn't they? "Noble? That's your name?" A short laugh erupting from her lungs as the corner of her lips turned up into a smirk, skull lowering to give the girls face a good once over. "You don't -look like a noble to me the way you're cowering into the snow there child. But my name is Primrose." The smirk gradually growing in inches across her colorless maw. "As for your brother you smell just as disgusting as he does. That scent is all over you like it was him. Makes me sick." Taking an inhale of the immediate air surrounding the mangy looking pup it was then that a look of said disgust wrinkled the skin over her muzzle, a step being taken back as the wraith white woman put on an act as if she was going to vomit from the smell. Pack wolves always smelt so horrid. Yuck.

Another stirring breeze and the smell of the awaiting deer struck her nostrils hard enough to bring her head completely away from Noble. Turning her attention westward where the smell was coming from. Another involuntary licking of her chops and rumble of her depleted stomach. Should she keep toying with the furball then eat or go grab a bite then toy with the furball more after? Decisions decisions.

"Speech."

-slinks in with obscenely late post-

The insult scarcely registered with Noble. She looked at Hexamora, blinked silently and looked away. She was hopelessly lost and on the verge of starvation in the middle of her first winter... this wolf could go ahead and poke fun with her name for all Noble cared. The mention of her family did pull a stronger reaction from the ebony girl. Dark legs tensed under her and lips tightened in a scowl. But, they were safe. No matter the cruel things this woman was saying now, it didn't matter. They were just words and her family was safe.

There was only one thing she truly cared for now and, with a shift in the breeze, it appeared. Somewhere in the forest was a meal. Every so slowly, Noble made to look back up at Hexamora. She said nothing of the scent on the slim chance the white wolf hadn't noticed. The white muzzle was already turned away when the dark gold rested on Hexamora's face. The distraction was telling and an answer in itself. A blood-red tongue came out to clean the ivory jaws and Noble felt herself inch away involuntarily. What reason did she have to stay? A gut-feeling and previous experience told her this wolf was not going to share.

Hexamora might have been still making up her mind, but Noble's was set. She'd had enough of this unsettling encounter and had already started to extract herself in the white wraith's distraction. A low rumble made dark legs gather under her and suddenly she was stumbling away.

(This post was last modified: May 29, 2015, 03:37 PM by Noble.)

I dont even know. Bunch of word vomit. -.-

The decision was suddenly made for her as a shift of darkness in her peripheral vision caught her attention enough to pull her mismatched gaze from the direction of the spilled blood. Instead turning to glare down at Noble. "And where do you think you're going?" A brow raising in place curiously while each colored optic watched the fleeing yearling stumble over herself in an attempt to escape Hexamora's presence. "Don't you like my company?" A faked pain tone lacing her words. Slowly bringing her wraith form to circle the ebony pup until her directional exit of choice was blocked. Noble wasn't going anywhere until she was done with her. Not the other way around. "Surely you would like a meal before you leave. It's not proper to skip out on an invitation." Sinister smirk threatening to tug harshly at the corner of her swarthy lips. Admittedly the pup was hardly as fun as Kova. The boy had actually been useful and taught the elder woman how to fish. Hell, they even managed to come across a stergon which is a fish that makes for a great meal. This girl though? Nothing but rattling skin and bones.

Flicking the point of her tail like an ivory whip behind her she lowered her head and dared to touch the crouched vermin at her paws with the coldness of her nose against hunkered shoulder. Prodding the bag of bones westward towards the smell of deer and blood. "If you want to live I suggest you follow. Unless you want to die. I have no problem with that either." A snicker escaping her lips while snow colored paws began the trek towards food and the promise of her body regaining some of the weight she had lost since ending up in this hell of a place.