Frozen Fire

Thoughts are like burning stars and ideas

Whisper Caverns

They flood and stretch the universe

Namid’s stomach growled once again, causing her to flinch. She doubted she had ever been this hungry before, and the hunger had been gnawing at her bones for the past few weeks. The snow had scared away most prey in any area, sending rodents and other mammals down into their holes for the winter. With most of the easily catchable prey tucked away from the cold, what was out there either didn’t reside on the ground or was too big for her to catch on her own. On occasions she’d been able to suffice herself with tough snow hare or a ferret but other than those meager rations, she’d been a starving girl.

The Star Dancer’s lack of food showed in her physic. Her fur wasn’t up to its usual luster, it no longer looked well-kept and shiny but rather it was bed-ragged. It clung to her body, which had grown thin and slightly emaciated looking. Her mismatched eyes were dim and non-too alert like they usually would be, and her nose seemed to never stop running. Everything about her said she wasn’t up to par, and that showed even more in her sluggish posture and movements. With her sapping strength it made catching her food to keep her going even more difficult, which was never a good thing. The poor girl had been through a hell of a time for these past few months.

The only things that had kept her going was the thought of her companion, @Rook , and her parents. She knew that Rook still needed her in some form, and she needed him. He was her best friend, and she had made a promise to him to help him find a cure for his father. That was something she couldn’t break, and she wanted to see him as well. She also knew that her parents would never allow her to take these conditions lying down. They would have had her hide for giving up easily when things got tough, saying she wasn’t raised in that way. And the thing is, she knew she wasn’t. Though her body wasn’t strong, her mind was. Namid had the spiritual and mental strength like that of steel, and she’d be damned if this took her down. Where there was a will, there was a way. This thought made her pause for a moment, take another look around her to see if she possibly had her bearings, then continue to trudge on the way she was going with grim determination.

(This post was last modified: Feb 23, 2015, 02:37 AM by Namid.)

Hope it's cool if I snag this, it seemed kinda lonely. :)

Once she had come down from the mountainside, Mojave found herself thankful to be on more even ground.  Though calling it even ground was a bit of a stretch; even here, there seemed to be some sort of lumpy and bumpiness to it.  So she had found foothills then, she decided, though the depth and range of the forest she had delved into seemed to go on forever.  And really, if she had paused for a moment to take in her surroundings from when she had been along the ridges and higher climes of the mountains, she would have seen that she was in the thick of wilderness.  This was forest country and unlike bat country, she could stop there.

Stopping was supposed to be apart of the plan, but she felt pushed forward and drawn in to the thick woods.  There was a certain warm there that had been sorely lacking in higher elevations.  It was a minor comfort and any more than that would have surely been formication to her.  She wanted the comfort and the security of the woodland, but not the total absence of life around her.  Which initally was almost what she wanted to call it — Mojave could smell and sense that others had been there, but for the most part the area felt devoid of other beings.

That was until she spied out the figure through gaps in the timber.

Instinctively, she choose to draw closer to them, chuffing to capture their attention and bring it to her.  With ample time left in her closing approach to decide if they were friendly or not, Mojave offered up a wave of her tail to announce hey, I'm friendly!

(This post was last modified: Mar 09, 2015, 06:56 PM by Mojave.)

How lovely are the portals of the night Namid Macieo when stars come out to watch the daylight die Namid plodded on, head low and breaths coming in pants with a slightly expended tongue through her teeth. The cold nipped at her skin, sinking through her pelt and giving her a shiver. It was imbedded in her bones at this point, and it felt like it would never go away. She was so out of it, she wouldn’t have noticed the other younger wolf approaching if it hadn’t been for the chuff. It wasn’t like she had been expecting company either way, having not seen another soul in so long. She went rigid for a moment, pausing as her head flew and her nose sniffed. Slowly turning around her gaze was met with the form of a youthful girl of earthy tones and intriguing golden eyes. The maiden, it seemed, was in better condition than the pale woman and it made her cringe to think that someone younger than herself could take so much better care of themselves. It definitely made her feel old. However, the thought was quickly banished as she cracked a smile. Her own tail began to wag and she chuffed in return, moving to greet the she-wolf. She felt excitement vibrate through her entire body at the sight of another being other than her prey, one that she could have a conversation with. Perhaps the girl even knew where they were and which way she could be or should be heading. “Hello! I must say, I am delighted to see another soul in these woods. You seem to be faring better than I,” She chuckled, but it was only half joking. This girl seemed to be a god send, a gift that could settle her on her right path for the first time in months.

Ayelie-stock @DA

      

Most surprisingly came the beamish attitude of the other she had come across. A moment of sheer success pumped through her body language; the wave of her tail became most definitely pronounced at this. It had been a while since Mojave had encountered anyone who was delighted to see her. Winter was never the most kind season to dispersals of any sort, especially wayward youth. She was a fresh-faced yearling on the grand scheme of things, left to wander the earth until she found something more to her liking. And so far, this place was giving her a modicum of hope.

"Faring better than you?" she couldn't help but prompt as she joined the tawny female. A wary once-over didn't really tell her anything, so she hoped that her new found companion would fill in some blanks. Yet before she would allow for a response, Mojave added: "I don't know about that. You look like you've been traveling about as much as I have." Sure, there was a certain haggardness to the older wolf, but Mojave wasn't so sure that her own appearance wasn't off putting in itself. She was thin and well, dirty. If not for the kindness of strangers (or recruiters that she had spurned) and a bit of scavenging, the tawny Ostrega knew she would have been much worse for wear.

How lovely are the portals of the night Namid Macieo when stars come out to watch the daylight die Namid’s words seemed to excite the yearling, the girl’s demeanor brightening further and a not so gentle wag shaking her tail. Her own smile widened a bit further at the display, an affectionate glint flickering in her oddly matched gaze. A curious look took over the expression of the younger and she flicked her gaze over the form of the Star Dancer before continuing with her reply, stating that Namid didn’t look quite as bad as what she thought herself out to be. In a way, she was glad for this. If she didn’t look quite as unruly as she thought she did, perhaps she was in for less of a chance of being taken advantage of if she did happen upon other wolves. This had been a thought in the back of her mind for a while now, that perhaps if she had finally found a morsel of food another might come along and take it from her because she was too weak to fight back for it. Trailing her own eyes over the tawny pelted girl she did notice a certain lack of healthy luster to her pelt and perhaps a bit less meat on her bones that what there should be. Despite that, to Namid she looked better for the long run. A chuckle bubbled up the pale woman’s throat, “Well, I am glad to hear that I do not look the part of the haggard old woman I feel. Tell me, might I ask for your name? My name is Namid Macieo,” She inquired, a friendly wag settling itself to shake her own tail. Namid was finding she liked this beamish young she-wolf.

Ayelie-stock @DA

      

(This post was last modified: Mar 19, 2015, 01:07 AM by Namid.)

She found as she surveyed the other that she was a unique being in herself.  Mojave had never seen bi-colored eyes before and found them fascinating.  But her gaze did not linger long at the countenance of the other, and she diverted her gaze out of respect.  Even if neither party was apt to get into a fight, it was driven by instinct alone.  This aversion came only briefly, as she could not help but raise her gaze again as the female spoke.  Introductions were at hand and if that was one thing she was getting better at, it was that sort of conversation.  For all her beamish qualities, Mojave had her moments of sheer shyness and awkwardness.

"I'm Mojave, it's nice to meet you," she offered with a smile.  She didn't think Namid to be a haggard old woman herself, though she supposed someone may have mistaken her for that.  "How long have you been traveling for?"  Since the mention of her being a traveler hadn't been dispeled, Mojave took it as truth.  If nothing else, she imagined that she had a fifty-fifty shot of being correct, and if not, well, it seemed like she was in good company for a tale either way.

Namid was used to the staring, the too long glance in her direction at her eyes. She had met only one other with the same bicolored pigmentation to their gaze, and that had been her companion himself. It no longer bothered her when someone did so, and it also no longer made her want to puff out her chest in pride. She did love her eyes, they were something that reminded her and kept her link to her mother wherever she may be. But she had grown wiser in years and the bird-like antics when someone paid attention to her were no longer in affect. This is why when the young yearling did that same curious eyed stare before ducking her head bashfully, the pale woman only smiled gently.

Mojave. That, Namid thought, was certainly an interesting name. She’d heard none like it, it was quite a charming name and seemed to fit the spunky girl perfectly. The following question Namid had no definite answer for, though she knew it had been months. Too many sunrises and sunsets had passed for it to be any other, and it occurred to her that this might be the perfect moment to ask for directions if the young girl had any to give. “I very much like that name, Mojave. I have heard none others like it. I have been traveling for a while now, I have lost track of how long exactly except that it has been months. I was separated from the pack I resided in during a snow storm that left me rather confused and out of place. Perhaps you might know the direction that Whisper Caverns might be? Or even Whisper Marsh?” She inquired, the words seeming to tumble from her maw in a rush to speak them in hopes for a insightful answer. At that point, she didn’t care if it seemed foolish her predicament. She would spill her guts if it meant the return to her home and her friends.

A slow smile stirred on her face once again as Namid commented on her name. Perhaps it was sort of a vain thing, but she quite liked her name as well, though she had no ties to the place or meaning or whatever it was that it should have had. Though truthfully, she could attest that she had heard no other names like it either. It seemed like it should have been bestowed on someone much more exotic than her, but perhaps she was her own exotic being somewhere down the line.

Though when it came to the matter of stories, she could have only wished that her own was as tragic. She too had been separated from her own pack, her family at that, but it hadn't been because of some weather condition at hand. But it could have been rough like that; she sympathized but only briefly. "I'm afraid I don't know where either of those are, to be honest," she said, feeling the smile falter from her countenance. "I came down from the mountains, I've never been... here, before. I'm sorry," and it seemed like such a meager offering at that.

But in the same turn, she couldn't help but wonder if her new found companion was also alone and travelling. "Have you found somewhere to stay out the rest of winter until you can search for them again?" She had nowhere to say she came from now, but perhaps that would change in time. Yet the thought of commitment, the thought of having to settle somewhere troubled her. The last go of that hadn't gone so well and now that she found herself out in the wilderness on her own, Mojave had wondered if her own situation was truly and wholly her fault. Yet her youth allowed her to scoff at the idea that she had somehow been at any fault.

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

Maybe after this we can each do an exit if you want? 

At her compliment, Namid found Mojave gave a rather humble take to it. There wasn’t any denial, but there was no emphasis either. In complete honesty, the young girl reminded her greatly of herself at her age. She seemed to have the right amount of wanderlust in her eyes and a kindness in her heart that could lead her to the greater things in life that everyone wanted for themselves. Naturally, she hoped that whatever she longed for in life would come to her as she normally did for anyone because the pale woman’s heart was softer than she knew. However, she knew that if she were to gain those things, the yearling would have to go through many hardships as Namid herself had faced. Perhaps Mojave would have the strength in spirit to get through these barriers.

There was no way that she could feign the disappointment that showed in her mismatched gaze at the youth’s reply, the denial that she knew where Namid had been talking about was. She was back to square one, and several days further behind her goal. It was getting hard to keep her head high anymore, she felt as though she would never be able to find her way back home. Who knew what she would find when she got there anyhow, everything could be in shambles for all she knew. Not that it wasn’t for her anyways, but she knew that she couldn’t stop. She couldn’t stop moving until she got the goal that she herself had planned in her mind, for a better life.

In response the second of the questions that Mojave asked, she shook her head. “I cannot stop. I have to keep moving until I find them, no matter how long the winter lasts. I made a promise that I have to keep, to someone very important to me,” She replied, giving a reassuring smile to the girl. No doubt she would object to Namid’s way of moving if she was anything like the Star Dancer, but perhaps she could understand that she needed to keep her word at whatever extent it took her to do it.

(This post was last modified: Mar 29, 2015, 11:12 PM by Namid.)