Wild Cherry Orchard What A Beautiful Little Orchard

@Hexamora


"My oh my, what a beautiful little orchard this would be in the spring." Aeus sighed, drinking in the secluded scene. Even under feet of snow, the scent of slightly over due cherries wafted from underneath his paws. The feeling of being somewhere pleasant was refreshing. His paws and legs ached from traveling through the lore, but the serene orchard lifted all feelings of pain. He searched around, inspecting the trunks of the thin cherry trees and pushing snow around with his long snout.



A low grumble rose from his slim stomach. Food would be a necessity if he was going to survive, so with a protesting huff, he began to move with more purpose. As chances of finding something alive lessened, he turned to a tactic that would take more thought. If there are cherries, there are birds. Perhaps I could dig up some permafrost and search for those who are deceased. With an affirming nod he was off to find half frozen avialae. During the frustrating process of labor and no reward, he finally found a crumpled crow. Through deeper inspection, it presumably was injured during flight and covered over by snow. Astraeus began to dine, plucking feathers and snorting raucously to get them off of his snout. As the night faded to early morning, he began to feel as if he was completely alone, but he was fortunately proven wrong.


OCC NOTES: When the post was put up, it was under Astraeus name but something switched and now its under Phyrrus' name. Sorry about that, the next post I will have sorted out. I apologize for the confusion.

(This post was last modified: Feb 18, 2015, 11:40 PM by Phyrrus.)

  

No worries! :)

A couple days had come and gone since the pale woman had taken a nearly fatal dip into the frigid water of the Darkwater Rapids. Her paws only continued to walk upon the frozen earth from the heroic actions of a yearling that pulled the shivering mess of wet fur and bones out from the water, Hexamora's gratitude not exactly the greatest as she later stormed off from the girl when she wouldn't comply to hunting for food.  'Your shivering will ruin it all. I can't think with all that shivering you're doing!' She had whined in a mock imitation of Rift's voice in her head as she trudged through the snow away from the scene while attempting to hunt for herself. Little good that did seeing as there was nothing worth while to hunt(as if her shivering bones would let her hunt) and the few frost bitten bites of fallen birds she did manage to find did little to subdue the roaring beast of her stomach and its constant demands to be fed. If her shivering didn't give her presence away then the thundering rumbles of her stomach surely did.

Today there was no frozen over river to cross and risk falling into(she purposely avoided water sources now) as hardened pads from constant traveling maneuvered over the snowbanks, leaving behind her a trail of paw prints that allowed anyone who wanted to an easy way to find her. Hopefully that little girl didn't show her face or else there was a highly possibly chance it would end up on the floor staining the white snow crimson. But for now there was no other presence except her own, the light airy fragrance of frost rotted cherries filling the orchard she now found herself loping through. It was a pleasant change of scenery for the woman who had more than her fair share of miles now under her paws. Soaking in the hibernating trees her mismatched eyes swept from one thin trunk to another, coming to a halt as they discover she was actually not alone. Tucked beneath the wispy canopy of a cherry tree lay a dark silhouette nearly impossible to see if the sun hadn't begun its morning ascent into the grey colored sky, accenting the fine tips that held a shade of brown when the light shone upon them. A more curious fact was what this stranger was doing. That was when the faint scent of decay temporarily overpowered the floral scent of the cherries, causing her mouth to begin pooling with saliva and her stomach to voice its annoyance with not being fed yet. 'Shut up.' she grumbled at her stomach. The last thing she needed was to be discovered before she was ready to be. Or had her stomach already given her presence away?

"Speech."

      While maneuvering around the limbs and tendons, he realized he was making quite a mess. Black feathers scattered around the trees and blood was soaked through the snow- not to mention the repelling scent of rot. He cleared his throat and continued to eat, ignoring the discomfort of the mess he made. He was completely unaware of the presence of another being until the slight grumbles of a hungry stomach turned his head. It was difficult to see in the blinding sun, but he could vaguely make out a silver silhouette. What are they doing? Do they want to be seen or are they hiding? Without further thought, he stood and brushed himself off, feathers floating away on the breeze.

      Excitement trickled down his back. He had not seen another wolf in something like six months. He was socially rusty and fully expected to embarrass himself, but it didn't matter. This was the "opening gate". This was the message saying, "you made it."  He approached the wolf quietly, not wanting to startle him or her. Once close enough, he saw that they, was her. He readied himself to speak, a little nervous. And with a tilt of his head, he began to speak."My dear, you seem to be hungry. Can I offer you a half crow?" Aeus asked, his ebony lips drawing back into a smile. While waiting for her response, he took another look. The lady was covered in pearl fur, accented with different colored eyes. It was a beautiful variation, something he had only heard about.

(This post was last modified: Feb 19, 2015, 01:21 AM by Astraeus.)

ITS NOT LIKE I WANTED US TO HAPPEN

A turn of the strangers head was all it took for her to realize that her cover was blown, the stranger(now becoming a he) rising to their feet to close the distance that lay between them. Crap. Why does everyone have to be drawn to me? She questioned mentally while the pools of her eyes that lay on opposite ends of the color spectrum tracked his movements closely, even noticing the array of feathers that floated down from his swarthy pelt. With the sun on her side advantage wise it didn't take long to notice the much larger frame he carried that easily towered over Hexamora and her drastically smaller one that was common for the arctic species. Normally the ivory wolf was a confident woman, but now that she was nothing but skin and bones on top of being on the smaller side of the scale her ears flung back to pin flatly against her skull. If she had her normal weight back the situation would be different. There was no way she could properly defend herself in her current condition should things go sour. As much as she hated it she would have to play nice this time around. Luckily the Beauvau woman was excellent at disguises.

"My dear, you seem to be hungry. Can I offer you a half crow?"  The words fell from his ebony lips before a charming smile could grace them. Now that answered the question of what he was doing and why there was a sudden aroma change accompanied by the black feathers, some of which still managed to cling to his fur. Before her jaws could part to speak her stomach rumble to do the talking for her, a clear indication that she was in fact hungry. Actually, down right emaciated was more exact. The lack of a constant meal was beginning to show from the dullness of her pelt and point along her body where some bones could be seen with the right movement of her dwindling muscle mass. "You have no idea how wonderful that would be!" A mock tone of genuine gratefulness laced her words despite the rustiness she had in using such sweet voices. As of late she had been more of the bitter ol' woman who bit everyone's head off than the sweet wolf everyone begged to be around. But with the chance of putting something into her empty stomach she couldn't risk losing it. Thus she took on the role of the sweet, innocent woman. 

"Speech."

(This post was last modified: Feb 19, 2015, 01:58 AM by Hexamora.)

She opened her mouth to speak but the grumbles proceeded to answer instead. He nodded and walked back to the torn bird. He wrapped his jaws around it and hurried back, just in time to hear her actual voice. "You have no idea how wonderful that would be!" He was busied with separating a large portion of the bird away for her when he suddenly felt frustrated. It was the little hesitation before she spoke and then the honey sweet voice that followed that was an immediate red flag. "You don't have to act like that. I have no intentions to harm you, and it would please me to hear what and who you really are." He said, trying to be compassionate. He knew the feeling of having to act innocent, but on the other end it is quite bothersome. "The act was good, it would have fooled another." He looked up with a smirk, tearing attention away from clearing the feathers and guts to the side.

I should probably introduce myself, after a comment like that, it would be a little rude. He thought, remembering to be social and have a appealing attitude. "My name is Astraeus Taranath. But, if you find it more convenient, Aeus." He voiced while settling down to eat the rest of his half. He was very curious about this new lady and why she had to act like she did. He pondered the possibilities as he ate. A secret identity? No self confidence? Or does she just have a bad attitude? He enjoyed the secret identity idea more than the others, all he could do is hope for the best.

(This post was last modified: Feb 19, 2015, 02:51 AM by Astraeus.)

ITS NOT LIKE I WANTED US TO HAPPEN

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

"You don't have to act like that." The jig was up and her act came crumbling down to rest with the pile of feathers and guts before she had a chance to even begin. Mystery male was a cunning wolf, she had to give him that. Her sweet act fooled nearly everyone she used it on. Except this guy. With a soft huff and a shake of her pelt her ears remained pinned to her skull for a moment before swiveling forward to rest in a neutral position. His words said he didn't mean harm, but how could she properly believe anything he said? How was she to know he wasn't pretending to be the nice guy much like she had just pretended to be the good girl? For all she knew the half eaten crow was just the first piece of bate to lure her into whatever trap he had in mind. Of course it didn't help that the pale coated woman was borderline crazy sometimes. What in interesting conversation this would turn out to be.

Astraeus Taranath was his name after, voiced after separating the bird into the two equal shares for hte wolves. No response came from Hexamora as she contemplated giving her true name or the alias she had come to use when meeting others since her run in with the pack pup many moons ago at the carcass of a fallen bison. A bison that should have been eaten by her alone instead of feasted upon by others like some welcomed dinner table meal. "Hexamora." She opted to use, no lie lacing her words this time. It was always a risk giving her true name, but it was the least she could do after this Astra something guy gave her a chance to eat something. Cautiously adjusting her body to hunch over the ground in a not completely laying down position her bi-colored eyes warily swept from the dark hued man to the equally dark hued bird, seconds later digging her canines into the half torn carcass as her hunger took over. God it tasted so good despite the frost bite that had set into a good portion of the meat. And she would have continued to enjoy it if a stronger, more fresh scent didn't interrupt her helpless gorging. There was no mistaking the scent of fresh blood on the air and the mixed aroma of feline(most likely lynx or bob cat from what she had gathered about the felines in this land) and deer. The pearly woman wondered if her current company had smelt it too or if it was just her imagination running wild from her emaciated state.

"Speech."

(This post was last modified: Feb 19, 2015, 02:51 AM by Hexamora.)

"Hexamora, what a pretty name." He said, testing it out for himself. He noticed that her voice was much stronger and meaningful, it was a voice to respect, he decided. She nibbled on her food and stayed silent. He would have said something to fill the quiet morning but something distracted him. The smell of freshly spilled blood rose him from a sitting position. He looked back at the now named, Hexamora. She too could smell it. "It is either going to be a meal or a enemy... or both." He added, taking lengthy steps to where the scent lingered. A recently slain deer lay beneath a lynx, its head swiveling back to face Aeus. For a reward, you must work. That is the law of the world. With a displeased groan, he advanced upon the feline. It made a series of little growls and grunts, unsheathing its claws. He circled the deer waiting for it to scamper off but it stayed planted. Aeus was getting tired of the game and lunged forward with an open mouth full of teeth. The lynx is no idiot. It ran off into the bushes and waited for the two to leave. He sighed, exhausted from his trip, starting to remember the aches. "I am only hungry for a leg, you can have the rest." He smiled. In her state, she needed a large amount of food. He knew that beneath the fur, her ribs could be seen. He severed through the deer's beige fur and dismembered the back leg and thigh. Receiving the reward.

ITS NOT LIKE I WANTED US TO HAPPEN

It took a good portion of her self control not to snort at his comment about her name being pretty after he gave it a test for himself. No fancy title accompanied it and  there was nothing pretty about it. Plain and nothing but a name in which she was to be called. Soon the attention was removed from herself as her companion had indeed caught wind of the recently fallen prey or predator from what he voiced. Without hesitation her scrawny frame was set into motion to follow behind his towards the source of the smell, a helpless groan of what one would think to be of pleasure threatening to escape her ebony lips once her two toned gaze lowered onto the pile of deer meat freshly slain by the lynx that hovered over. A stand off and a few quick movements later and the bristle furred feline was running for the hills no doubt to lay in wait until the canines had moved on from its hard work. Luck had gifted the pair that day.

No argument was made as Aeus decided to settle on only a leg, giving her fair game at the remaining feast. The pink of her tongue slithered out to lick away the saliva that was beginning to dribble down her chops, stepping forward to place herself at a prime position to devour to her hearts content at the stomach yet to be torn open. With a quick glance to Aeus she gave a nod of silent thanks. Perhaps this guy wasn't as bad as she previously thought. Settling down now onto her stomach her razor sharp canines made quick work at slicing a suitable bite from the area before her, a crooning noise of enjoyment barely audible around the mouthful of much needed meat. Finally the gnawing pains of hunger would be soothed.

"Speech."

His eyes flickered upward to see her thanks, it was short but from a wolf such as herself, it went miles. The pair set off to eat, filling themselves to their hearts content. As Aeus presumed, he finished before her. She was still wanting more. It saddened him that hunger was such a normal thing. He never gave much thought to it, but it was quite a pressing issue. It was nobody's fault, just part of living in the wild. He sighed and waited for her to finish eating before he said anything. "Where are you from if I might ask?" He asked, not expecting an answer. He toyed around with the leftover bones, gnawing at the flavorful marrow inside. He often found himself being completely focused on a goal that means nothing to accomplish. Challenges were just things that he needed to have to maintain sanity. Aeus cleared his throat and tossed aside the hollow bone. "I'm from Nunavut. Its quite far from here." He added. "Not many wolves know where I'm from, " He said, quickly choosing another bone to pick at.

OOC NOTES: Sorry for the short post, I'm fading fast. But, thank god for coffee!

ITS NOT LIKE I WANTED US TO HAPPEN