Sex: MaleMist was a strange thing; Floating around like clouds, but all the way down by the ground, and when you walked through it, it drenched your fur like rain. Orren had only recently learned what it was, and he was still not sure that it wasn't some kind of magic. Evil magic! The copper tinted boy scrunched up his face in disgust as he walked on, with every step feeling like cold, sticky fingers clung to his limbs, trying to hold him back. It made exploring much less enjoyable! Not that there was much left to explore. The young Baranski had long since investigated every nook and cranny of the land his parents and their pack called home, and he knew the line of the borders by heart. He longed to go further, to travel, not just beyond the borders, but beyond the whole Cedarwood Forest, to see the rest of the land known as Relic Lore. But he was held back by the command of his parents; Stay within the lands... He sighed in a deep, theatrical manner, lowering his head so his snout hung only an inch over the damp ground. Indifferently, he sniffed a few times at the earth, as expected, finding only the usual scents. Everything around here was just the same as always, fog or no fog; BORING! Straightening up, Orren turned his head eastward, where he knew the borders lay close; tantalizing. Maybe he could sneak just a little trip? After all he had grown a lot since his last misadventure, he was pretty much adult sized now, if still somewhat lanky. And, being honest, this wouldn't be the first time he disobeyed; Over the past months he had taken a number of these little dashes, never going far, but just catching a breath of something new, when he could no longer stand being cooped up within those maddening borders. Today he was getting that feeling again, needing to see something new; Something other than trees..! But how far would he have to go for that? While his mind was still debating, his paws was already carrying him towards the border, nasty mist forgotten as the thrill of adventure filled him. Word count: 367 Thoughts ”Speech” |
Fog had never troubled the Cut Rock River princess. Her sharp sense of smell cut right through the haze where her eyes could not, but then her eyes had never been much help to her anyway. It was an entertaining exercise for her to wander the territory by smell alone, trying to construct with her imagination where she was and what it looked like on a clear day. Her wanderings had delivered her to the eastern part of the territory, likely because somewhere in her subconscious she was drawn to the scent of her wayward brother. She became aware of Orren’s presence as she neared the eastern border, mentally rolling her eyes the closer she walked to the boundary. Did he bail again?
”Running off again?” The pup’s high-pitched voice pierced the fog, and although Karina could not see her brother in the mist she knew from his strong scent that he was nearby; close enough to hear her. Her smirk was audible in her voice-- it was always a gratifying thing to catch one’s siblings at their mischief. Admittedly, Karina had taken her own leave of the territory not too long ago, but that had been for a good reason! She was looking for herbs to help Dad, and what was Orren doing? Just bailing out on his responsibilities, as usual. Karina took a few more pawsteps toward Orren’s scent, her cloudy blue eyes searching the fog for a moment before finally locating her brother’s silhouette a few wolf’s lengths away. She braced, readying herself for his inevitable tackle—if she had seen Orren then he had definitely seen her.
He had one paw raised, hovering above the scent line, the strong smell of his parents filling his nose, emphasizing the act of defiance he was about to commit, his heart racing in his chest; then he heard the call, putting him on the spot. He froze, head ducking down, ears falling back; Karina! Slowly, he turned around, a grimace twisting his features. Tangerine eyes narrowed to see through the fog, one ear tentatively lifting to locate her in the low visibility. For a moment she was hidden, salt and pepper fur blending in with the mist, then he heard her steps, paws crunching against the frozen needles on the forest floor and turning his head slightly, he caught sight of her. He knew she probably hadn't seen him yet - her weak eyes having even more trouble with the haze than his own - and part of him felt bad for taking advantage of that, but mostly he felt annoyed with her, ruining his great escape. So with a sudden jolt, he leapt at her, lanky legs carrying him swiftly towards her; "What's it to you?!" He barked, half irritated, half excited at the prospect of a brawl. He came at her, front legs outstretched, hoping to knock her over and land on top of her; Who does she think she is? Calling him out like that! Well, he wasn't gonna let her ruin his fun. She's one to talk! He knew all too well that she had had her own escapades beyond territory; part of him was even jealous, knowing that she had had the courage to go farther than him. But he pushed those feelings away, choosing to take back the high ground by toppling her over! Word count: 290 Thoughts ”Speech” |
The princess heard her brother shoot a reply back to her and she oriented herself toward his voice, her blue eyes wide and searching. Though he wasn’t yet visible, the energy exuding from Orren was palpable—he was gearing up to attack. Karina only had time to duck her head defensively when Orren tackled her. As the pair crashed to the ground Karina yelped in surprise, and not just from the sudden attack. She hadn’t realized just how big Orren had gotten—he was nearly the size of Aleksei! Thank the gods Aleksei didn’t also make it a habit to throw his weight at her. Karina squirmed beneath her brother’s body and snapped her jaws to keep him away as she attempted to reorient. She wormed her way around into a submissive position on her back with her front paws up to bat away the onslaught. Her lips pulled back to bare her little white canines, mouth hanging open playfully to meet Orren’s next attacks.
She and Aleksei didn’t really wrestle much anymore, and she had forgotten that it was a great way to channel her emotions and let off steam. That seemed to be the case with all of her interactions with Orren lately—all of her annoyance and frustration, all her pissy teenage angst, every bad feeling she experienced she somehow found a way to blame on Orren. He was an easy scapegoat, seeing as he was never around to defend himself. Being close to him and breathing in his scent was having the opposite effect though, and her enthusiasm for the fight began to evanesce. Although he was the most irritating person she ever met, he was her brother, the wolf with whom she had shared a womb, all her meals, snuggles at night… His scent was a calming one, and she found that her anger was subsiding the longer they wrestled. She let out a high-pitched whine, as she always had when they were little puppies, to signal that it was time for him to back off and settle down. She had submitted, and she had taken quite enough punishment for now.
It was a great relief when he collided with her, their limbs tangling as they fell against the forest floor; it had been way too long since he had wrestled with his siblings. They grabbled for a while, jaws clashing, Orren's larger weight assuring that he stayed on top, until Karina - as always, way too early for the lively lad - called it quits. A disappointed grumble left his maw, but he stepped back, allowing his sister to get to her feet, having learned long ago that ignoring her boundaries she would refuse to play with him another time. This time she seemed to have gotten enough even earlier than usual though; Why? Was she really mad at him? Pouting slightly, Orren sat down on the brown pine-needles under their feet, fur prickling in the moist air. He looked at his sister noticing only now, just how much bigger than her he had grown. Karina had always been the smallest, but the difference had gotten a lot greater as they grew older; It's strange... Of course the young man knew that wolves came in all different sizes, but it was weird to him that, while both he and Aleksei kept growing larger and larger, their sister seemed to lag behind; Maybe it's a girl thing... It made him sad though, since it probably meant that Karina wouldn't be as keen on a good brawl in the future. Of course there was still Alek, but he had become so serious lately; And BORING! Looking down at his sister, the black-tipped boy felt the mixture of sadness and irritation press within him, the heavy fog not serving to lighten his mood particularly. Finally he asked her, voice a good bid harsher than he really meant it; "So, You gonna let me go now?!" His orange eyes glistened, hackles prickling, a spark of anger quickly growing within him to a large fire; "Really, why do you always have to be such a downer!" He didn't mean it, not truly, but the anger was flaring within him, all the pent up emotion from the past few months escaping at once, fueling the rage, that was really just as much fear and confusion and uselessness; "Can't you just leave me alone?!" He snapped his jaws, and felt tears pool in his eyes; I just wanna get out of here! Word count: 395 Thoughts ”Speech” |
Karina rolled onto her side as her brother let her up, venturing a small, tentative wag of her tail to signal a truce. It seemed all Karina needed was a good brawl to release her frustrated energy, and she was already feeling warmer toward her wayward brother. ”So, you gonna let me go now?” he questioned her, and the girl cocked her head in question. Apparently the physical fight had not served to alleviate Orren of his bad feelings, because his tone indicated he was now gearing up for a verbal fight. Words were a battlefield where Karina had more of a chance against Orren, and she rose to her feet in preparation to fire back a retort.
Orren spoke first though, delivering a cutting blow that left Karina reeling. A downer? It wasn’t really the words he used but the way he said them, anger blazing in his fierce orange eyes. Karina’s ears flattened as she met his fiery gaze with large, questioning eyes. She was no longer sure she was ready to jump into this argument, and for the first time she wondered whether her own behavior could possibly have been to blame for some of the tension in their relationship. All along she had blamed Orren for everything, but how could her brother look at her with such hate if se hadn’t done anything wrong herself?
Confusion, embarrassment, and hurt welled up inside Karina, and she trembled as she searched for a response to her brother. Finding none, she defaulted to her usual response in an overwhelming situation—she turned and ran, fighting not to release a sob and failing. As she charged through the fog, her emotion-laden thoughts didn’t stop for a moment to wonder where she was going. She didn’t notice that the hidden scenery all around was entirely unfamiliar. She had no idea that she had sprinted straight into unclaimed territory, and as soon as she tired she would be lost and unable to find her way back by herself.
![[Image: KjorinaB.png]](http://u.cubeupload.com/advokate/KjorinaB.png)
![[Image: JeWBS4.png]](http://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img537/6721/JeWBS4.png)
As soon as the last word left his lips, he regretted them, and when he saw his sister's reaction, he felt even worse. Caught up in his own emotions, he had forgotten who he was arguing with; Or AT..! This wasn't Aleksei, who had no trouble standing his ground and yelling back, or his parents who never hesitated to slap him if he got too far out of line; this was Karina, his sweet, innocent, intelligent, gentle sister, who was much more easily hurt. And it was very clear that she was hurt, her slight body trembling, a shimmer of emotion in her cloudy blue eyes. Instantly, his anger sizzled out, the sight of her devastated expression making his stomach twist. The rust colored boy's ears fell back, his own expression morphing into apologetic folds; "Karina I'm so..." He began, but before he had time to finish, she was gone, disappeared into the forest behind them; beyond the border. "Wait!" Orren yelped, instantly setting after her in long, awkward leaps. His gangly limbs made his run jagged and uncomfortable, but he pushed on, knowing that Karina would have the same problem; Even if she's not as tall... He grimaced as he made a wrong step, twisting a paw in the rush to follow his sister's trail, but he didn't slow; Damn it! Damn it, damn it, DAAMN IT! What an idiot he was, really it was no wonder his family avoided him when every time they did talk to him, he just yelled back. He didn't know how long he had been running, but his lounges were burning, and his paw had started to throb when he finally stopped, panting heavily. A short glance around revealed that he was in an area he didn't know, the pine and oak trees standing densely around him, no sign of Karina between the trunks. A long, low whine lift his maw as his head slumped, ears hanging in misery; I can't lose her! But the pain in his paw was growing stronger, and he had no idea what direction she was in, let alone where home was. Lifting his muzzle, the River prince sniffed hopelessly at the air, hoping to catch scent of his sister, but it was difficult among all these foreign smells. Desperation in his voice, he attempted to call to her, all of his remorse in the words; "I'm sorry Karinochka, please come back!" He pleaded to the shadows, hoping she was not too far away to hear. The nickname was one he had used a lot when they were just starting to speak, the round sounds of their father's native tongue both easy and fun to play with; now he seldom spoke it, very few situations calling for the endearment. His head fell back down, hanging heavily from his slumped shoulders, but he kept his ears perked, hoping that she would answer; I'm REALLY sorry! Word count: 486 Thoughts ”Speech” |
Karina felt her brother calling behind her and slowed somewhat, emotionally torn. The childish part of her wanted to keep running because Orren deserved to feel bad about what he did, but the kindhearted part of her still felt guilty about the way she had been acting toward him lately. Her ears shot up as she heard what sounded like a small yelp of pain behind her-- did I imagine that?-- and Karina stopped in her tracks. Her brother’s scent was cloaked by the fog, but she could hear him barreling closer. She held her ground, trembling, wanting to call out to make sure he was okay but also wanting to hide so she could lick her emotional wounds by herself, in peace. Karina heard her childhood nickname ring out through the trees, which triggered a fresh flood of tears. How long had it been since she and Orren had used terms of endearment for one another?
”Orren?” she called out, ”Orren? I.. I’m scared.” The last part was spoken quietly, almost to herself as she realized just how lost she was. She saw her brother’s form emerge from the mist. Was that a slight limp? She approached him shyly, blue eyes trained on the forest floor. "I’m sorry too..” she said with a sniffle, eyes darting upward to meet his for the briefest moment.
She sniffed at the joint that he seemed to be holding gingerly. "Does it hurt?” she murmured, and without waiting for the answer she declared, "I can help!” She was off again, but this time with a purpose. There was a certain tree around here that smelled just right—not the cedars, but a different one, a less common one.. She could have found it instantly if it weren’t for the fog. It’s here somewhere! she said to herself completely focused on her task, running from tree to tree in her search. "Over here!” she called triumphantly to Orren. She began clawing the bark off the tree with vigor, channeling all of her guilty, embarrassed feelings into the action.
A few moments of silence passed, and every one filled his heart with more dread; I'm so stupid! What am I gonna do now? What if she's lost?! ...Forever. Then he heard it, muffled by the distance and the fog, but still audible to his strained ears; "Karina!" He exclaimed, both in relief and reply, and he staggered forwards another few steps, wincing as he put weight on his aching paw. She said something else, but he couldn't tell what, and fear started to swell in his chest; "What?!" His voice sounded strangled, and he was starting to feel like he couldn't breathe properly. Then he caught sight of her through the haze, her pale form almost blending with the vapor, inching closer; and a small smile formed on his lips; She's okay! As he watched her close in, head turned down, eyes never straying from her paws, the smile stiffened on his lips; she was coming back, but what was she coming back to say? It wasn't until she was right in front of him, that her cornflower eyes flicked up, just for a second catching his warm tangerine's; and she muttered an apology. It shocked him a bit, honestly, he was used to being the one blamed for things going wrong, and he had acted totally rotten. Still, his kindhearted sister was not only forgiving him, but taking some of the blame on her as well, and it made his smile widen; though the expression formed on his face was not the usual, impish glee, but rather a much more tender look as he regarded his sibling. There was another second of calm between them, then Orren leaned forwards to lovingly nibble her behind the ear, feeling warmth spread in his chest, and across his face, as he quickly pulled back again. Karina didn't seem to have noticed her brother's embarrassment though, her focus now on his injured paw. He cringed back slightly, both afraid that she would touch the tender ankle and hesitant to admit he'd been hurt. The budding healer paid no heed though, suddenly yelling something and the next second bouncing off, clear excitement throughout her body; Well I'm glad my pain could cheer you up... The lad thought to himself, but it was only half-hearted as he was honestly happy to see her so animated, no sign of any bad feelings left between them. Sitting back, the boy tilted his head and watched with a bemused smile as his sister danced around, sniffing trees, aching leg almost forgotten as he looked on. Only when the light pelted girl called out to him, did Orren realize that she had found what she sought, and as he got to his feet and started limping over, she began clawing at the tree, like a bear marking his 'territory'. The copper lad stopped next to the tree, watching Karina's actions with wrinkled brows. "What, exactly, are you doing?" He asked, when curiosity finally got the better of him, no hint of arrogance in his tone; How's scratching a tree gonna help? He was honestly curious, and rather confused. Meanwhile, the throbbing in his ankle had picked up, the small limp over to the tree apparently too much for it, and a pained grimace began forming on his face, although he tried to hide it. Word count: 556 Thoughts ”Speech” |
Karina dug into the tree with her forepaws, relishing the feeling of the soft bark peeling away beneath her nails. Reminding herself that the tree was a living being, Karina pulled herself away from her task out of respect for the organism. There were many plants that suffered great losses or even gave their lives so that a wolf might heal, but a tree did not have to be one of them. Orren hobbled over with a question on his lips, and Karina blinked wordlessly. She had made so much progress with her brother in the last few moments, so she worked extra hard to gather some patience and speak with a tone that hopefully didn’t sound too patronizing. "It’s…” What was this plant called again? "..It’s medicine. It smells like medicine,” she explained. And not like stomach medicine or bleeding medicine or headache medicine.. it smelled like hurt paw medicine. She knew it for sure, though she hoped Orren wouldn’t ask her how she knew. She wouldn’t be able to explain.
The eager pup sniffed at the materials she had gathered at the base of the tree, searching for one that smelled just right. Her quivering nose immediately isolated a large hunk of bark, and Karina flipped it over curiously. It glistened with a thick layer of frozen sap on the underside. "This one!” she yipped excitedly, lifting her odd blue gaze to meet her brother’s. "You chew it,” she encouraged, using a forepaw to push it closer to her injured sibling. "It won’t magically heal or anything.. but it will help.” She spoke with the confidence of seasoned healer, though truly Orren was her very first patient. She turned her attention back to the pile of bark, wondering if there was any way to save the other pieces and bring them home.
Home. Uh oh. Karina swept her gaze across their surroundings, knowing before she even looked up that she wouldn’t find anything familiar. Even if there hadn’t been any fog, the smallest Baranski pup had never gotten much use out of her eyes anyway. "Nothing smells like home,” she mumbled, sinking to her belly to watch her brother intenerate the bark. Perhaps Orren had a better idea of where they were.. he was always running off. He had probably spent loads of time out here, and as soon as his paw felt better her would lead the way back home.
Like the Scrub Pine, the bark of this tree is also beneficial in relieving joint pain when ingested as well as healing cuts and sores. It may share a habitat with Scrub Pine on the heights of Mount Dire, but it is also found alongside the cedars in Cedarwood Forest and the trees that make up Sacred Grove, Red Fern Forest, Spectral Woods, Umbra Copse, and Ghastly Woods. It is also sparsely found on the edges of Dragonfly Fen.