Wild Cherry Orchard You are so fragile and thin, standing trial for your sins.

@Kjors

Mahle wasted absolutely no time making her entrance into Wild cherry orchard, savory scents of meat filled her nostrils and she needed to find the source. While not quite famished, she didn't want a repeat of the previous mistakes already made on her journey. 'There's no room for error at this point. If I can help it, I won't die.' Drawing in the perfume once more, she could tell it wasn't that far off. 'The more I eat the longer I can go without later.' quite silly reasoning, but was it not worth a try? 'This could work...'

Not quite able to get a firm grip on her senses, the ex-princess was finding it difficult to pinpoint where exactly her next meal was. 'It's close but... I can't.. Find it?' beginning to grow frantic, the she-wolf found herself panting. 'Where..?' she sniffed around the cherry tree's a bit more. 'I'm not strong enough to hunt right now, and the fruit around here is almost non existent. Finding carcasses is all I've got.' she could of cried. Why was life seeming to be so cruel to her? Were the spirits angry over something she had done? 'Calm down Mahle, You'll find it if you just.. Calm.. Down.' breathing heavily, she searched on. 'But if I can't find it soon, I'll have no choice but to go without.'

Almost ready to give up, the she-wolf plopped down on the earthy floor below her. 'Why can't I do anything by myself anymore? It used to be so easy!' Frustrated, the girl began to whimper.

(This post was last modified: Apr 15, 2015, 09:40 PM by Mahle.)

I'm a mountain that has been moved,
I'm a fugitive that has no legs to run.
I'm a preacher with no pulpit,
Spewing a sermon that goes on and on.

It would seem he was destined not to explore this orchard to its fullest. Or perhaps he was simply fated to find whimpering, wounded women. Trekking through the fruit trees in search of chipmunk burrows or rabbit dens, he was distracted by the sound of a high-pitched whine. Ears swiveled and Kjors exhaled heavily, debating the benefit of approaching yet another schlemiel. It certainly did seem to be his modus operandi lately. Thus far, it hadn't exactly worked out poorly, but the dragon couldn't say he'd reaped an immediate benefit yet, either.

Almost forthwith, he chided himself for such restlessness. He'd planted the seeds, but plants never sprout immediately. They required water, food, and the gentle warmth of spring sunshine. It would take care on his part, if he wanted to reap any of the harvest he'd started. With this in mind, he pressed his nose to the air and shifted forward in search of the pitiful sound. Just another day, just another wolf to rescue.

Yer becomin' soft in yer old age, Kjo.

With an annoyed mutter, he shifted out from the dense stand, finding the young wolf upon the leaf litter. She was collapsed in a heap. It look almost as if someone had tossed a corpse carelessly upon the forest floor, she was a sprawl of limbs and poor condition. He tipped his head to one side before taking a step backwards, wondering vaguely if her appearance was due to a communicable disease. "Y'okay, kid? Lost? Yer lookin'…rough. Seen dead bodies that look better."

Every charming, Kjors... Sigh. He knows the way to talk, apparently.

It most certainly wasn't the first time Mahle had screwed up like this, and it probably wouldn't be the last. She knew lying around hungry and weak could get her killed, so why did she insist upon doing it all the time? Though it wasn't completely her fault, she hadn't been in a very strong mindset since the day she had left home. Almost completely giving up hope, the former princess slowly turned to meet the gaze of a possible new threat. 'Shit.'

If the cream coated wolf had any strength left, she would of made a run for it. Alas, in her current condition she didn't really see much of a point. "You could say lost I suppose." murmuring, she broke eye contact with the man. 'I know I look horrible. No need to correct him there.' Glancing over at the surrounding cherry tree's, the tawny wolf cursed mother nature. It was like they were set there for the sheer purpose of taunting her. "Of course they wouldn't have any fruit. Why would they?" It was obvious the spirits had lost interest in their guide. Why else would they put her through so much trauma? If they cared she would of been safe, not wallowing in thought of how this man might kill her. "He could try to eat me. Ha! Not much to eat anymore though. Better off finding that carcass.' Oh how she yearned for that carcass. "Say, you wouldn't happen to smell any food near by... Would you?" As if he'd try to help her, there's no way every wolf out there was as kind as the last she'd met. 'Guess It's all over for me now.' He'd dispose of her, or leave her behind. There was likely no in between. Mahle tried her best to accept this probable fate.'I had a good run.'

(This post was last modified: Apr 15, 2015, 10:17 PM by Mahle.)

I'm a mountain that has been moved,
I'm a fugitive that has no legs to run.
I'm a preacher with no pulpit,
Spewing a sermon that goes on and on.

"Ah did say lost," Kjors drawled dryly, narrowing his eye a fraction. The dragon was not feeling as gentle as he did in days past – perhaps he'd simply extended all the pity or compassion he'd been storing up the past five years of his life. Even then, the wolf before him was absolutely pathetic. She made not a twitch to move out of the beast's way. What if he'd come intending harm? It wasn't breeding season any longer, and she need not fear a rogue male for that reason, but he was healthier, older, and entirely more clever than the poor creature before him.

Perhaps she was lucky, then, that wasting her life would serve him no purpose. There was no boon to wasting his energy. Kjors was not a needlessly cruel beast. Savagery was only exercised when it served his current purpose. His current machinations were much more long term, and if he wished to reap anything, he would have to sew wisely and without distraction.

With a huff, he spoke again. "Hadn' been huntin'," he rumbled, lifting his brow as he cocked his head to the side, studying the loner from a different angle. "There're small critters in these parts. Like th' trees – not that there's much fruit right now, bu' th' lil' squirrels an' shit like th' buds. When's th' last time y'ate?"

Was it even worth trying to save her? Would she be of any use to him later on? If she was going to pass regardless of his efforts, well – he was an opportunist, not a saint. Charity cases could find a mother hen to cluck over them. "Wha's yer name, kid? Wha's in it fer me, feedin' ya?"

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

It seemed the man had it all wrong. Even though she looked a wreck, it wasn't like the girl was starving or anything. 'How long has it been.. hm.. maybe yesterday?' nonetheless Mahle was no fool, she'd use him in anyway possible. 'It's obvious I'm not going to succeed in my own catch anytime soon.. If he thinks I'm starving, hell. I can be starving.' Clever, or so she thought. 'I can see why he'd think that I was though. I'm in poor health, sprawled out on the ground. Who knew one of my mental breakdown's could be beneficial' Stock up on food, leave with a full belly. Her plan was still in motion after all.

"I don't know.." the traveler huffed. "Probably a couple of days." Pulling off the helpless look was easy. After all, it wasn't a complete lie. "I was looking for a carcass not to long ago.. Not quite sure what happened with that.." She closed her eyes, this man didn't seem to be of any threat. 'He's safe... For now at least.' The former princess could only hope her little trick was working. With a pathetic whine, she rolled onto her side.

"My name's Mahle." There was no real harm in giving out her name to a stranger, especially with her family so far away. However, she'd leave out the 'former princess' part just in case. "Mahle Psyxḗ.. What's in it for you..?" There wasn't anything for her to give, he should of known that by just looking at her. "Well, what do you want?"

(This post was last modified: Apr 16, 2015, 08:59 PM by Mahle.)

I'm a mountain that has been moved,
I'm a fugitive that has no legs to run.
I'm a preacher with no pulpit,
Spewing a sermon that goes on and on.

A few days?  That wasn't so bad – the youth was just being dramatic.  A week or two without something to sustain yourself, that was starvation.  She might be hungry, but she wasn't in dire straights.  Feeding her wouldn't actually save the wolf, and Kjors swished his tail thoughtfully as he waited for his other questions to be answered.  Small and scraggly as he might be, he was no wolf's serving boy, and the idea of feeding another wrankled something in the back of his mind.  It was one thing, to share a hunt and split the prize.  It was entirely another to do all the work and reap none of the reward.

Single eye still narrowed, he regarded, sanctimony etched in his facial features as he weight the options.  If he told her want he wanted, all he'd get from her was bunkum.  Empty promises of what she thought he wished to hear and no follow through in the end.  It was unlikely he'd ever see this wolf again.  Slowly, his ears rotated backwards until they were flat out to the side and the corner of his upper lip began to lift, showing off a sharp white knife.

"If y' ain' got nothin' t' offer, kid, y' ain' got no deal.  Ah got enough t' contend with." The badger woman and her flighty moods, an offer to join Cut River Rock, which couple with his…fondness for @Amisun and confusing concern for @Karina , something that still baffled him even with time and space to think on it, was becoming more and more appealing.  (But ultimately, what was she but a princess, a tarnished treasure tossed to one side when she didn't shine as brightly as the other gems?  Someone was foolish and wasteful, and Kjors would not see such a jewel be treated so poorly.  What was a dragon but a creature who understood how to treat his most valuable riches?)  "Either y' got somethin' Ah can use, 'er yer on yer own, savvy?  Ain't got time fer charity cases."

(This post was last modified: Apr 17, 2015, 02:10 PM by Kjors.)

'Wow, stubborn one, isn't he?' Mahle was growing a tad frustrated. What was it he wanted? "I'm sorry... I don't quite understand how to handle a situation like this.. Perhaps I'm supposed to offer you some sort of skill I possess?" Even in that category the yearling was lackluster. Brought up with the illusion that she was some sort of 'key' to her family Deities, she never really had much time to develop any actual expertise. "You wouldn't happen to be a spiritual man, would you?' How sad that the very spirits failing her could be her only saving grace.

"I'm actually quite powerful in the spiritual department, I suppose you could even compare me to a Priestess If that would make it easier to comprehend." With a smirk, she continued on before he had the chance to interrupt. "Yes. In fact, I'm almost positive if you help me out now.. At the end of my journey they will bless you with good fortune." She shakily propped herself up in attempt to be more eye level with the peat-tinted wolf. "Or if that's not enough, I plan to establish a pack of my own one day. Conceivably I could invite you to stay, thus you'd have guaranteed shelter when the time came." However that wasn't entirely the best promise to make. The idea of having her own pack was just that, an idea.

"If you're looking for something specifically, please fill me in. I'll do my best with whatever it might be." she allowed herself to once more hit the earthy core below her, planning to stay lying until the wolf brought her food or at the least left her alone. 'All of this for some food I might not end up needing, what's going on here?'

I'm a mountain that has been moved,
I'm a fugitive that has no legs to run.
I'm a preacher with no pulpit,
Spewing a sermon that goes on and on.

Did Mahle not continue speaking with such brio, he might have actually cut short her long list of offers. Ultimately, he was glad she felt so prolix this day, for he imagined he'd not received such an assortment of delectable options if he were quick to inquire about any one of them. Only when the youth had finally quieted back down, requesting specifics of him, did he finally open up his grizzled maw once more. The irritated look had lessened by some degrees, and the timber wolf regarded his acquaintance with significantly more interest this during this second round of interrogation.

"Yer offers are competitive ones, Ah'll give y' tha'. Ah intend t' live under no banner but me own, lass – though Ah'd rather consider ya an ally than an enemy." Of course, he suspected the flavor of their future interactions would much be dictated by the tone they set here. "It gains us little t' be speakin' in terms a' th' future. Yer previous…work though, tha' intrigues me. Ah am a spiritual man, lass. An' Ah serve th' Mother as faithfully as Ah can." In his own…special way, but that did not need to be spoken. Her will was interrupted by the individual, of course, and occasionally twisted by the dragon as it thus suited him.

Ears flicked forward as he paused, eye searching the younger female. Her pantheon was not his Mother, though he could not rule out the possibility that the Mother stood in the company she worshiped. Even then – did he know the Mother of which he spoke? As far as he knew, outside of Ered, he found little other follows of the All-Seeing, All-Knowing. Could she commune to a power she'd not touched before. "If Ah feed ya, ye'd beseech her on me behalf, then? Th' others – Ah'd not seek th' fortune of others. Ah told ya, Ah'm a faithful man. Bu' Mother…"

He trailed off, waiting for Mahle's answer.

Sorry I made you wait!

Offering the warmth of a den wasn't enough, she had a feeling it wouldn't work but anything was worth a try. Mahle was in to deep, sure she didn't need the food, but now she wanted it more than anything. This encounter had quickly turned into a challenge, and she intended to win. 'Normally I don't like games, especially difficult ones!' funny how things change. "I'll consider you an ally nonetheless. You've taken quite a bit of your time to talk to me already. I would never let that go to waste." With a smile, she considered her next course of action carefully.

The yearling wasn't quite sure what her visitor meant by 'Mother'. Could it be he was generalizing the spirits into one big entity? 'Mother nature..? The mother of spirits? Or could he possibly be referring to a completely different God?" The possibilities were endless. Mahle wasn't, nor would she ever be, a liar. 'I'm in a tough spot right now, I wonder...' If he wasn't describing anything in her spiritual realm, She'd just have to do her best to contact this new deity.

"Ah.. Mister.. Oh, I never got your name.." Strange that she was going through all this trouble without even knowing such basic knowledge."This mother you speak of... Exactly what path is it that you follow again?" the former princess cocked her head, insuring she'd hear everything that would next leave his lips. Religion was a curious thing. "You have my word, I'll make sure you get anything you want."

I'm a mountain that has been moved,
I'm a fugitive that has no legs to run.
I'm a preacher with no pulpit,
Spewing a sermon that goes on and on.