Blackberry Fields gained in fruit

RE: Isuni, you eat something that gives you a stomach ache.
Anyone's welcome!

This was the price she paid for gluttony, Capable thought to herself miserably. There had been several late season berries left in the patches – hungry, alone, the young woman had helped herself to the apparent bounty. They were both sweet and tart, warmed by the sun and juicy enough to quench any thirst. The prize was well worth the scratches she took to her dark nose and ruddy muzzle – if she wore a few thorns, they’d be easy enough to remove, especially once she got them wet. Never did the woman consider that she could eat enough to give herself a bellyache.

Apparently, she’d thought wrong.

A few hours after her feast of fruits, the redhead lay curled near the thicket. If nothing else, the patch of briars offered her a far amount of protection while she bemoaned her current situation. There were no pack scents, she was not trespassing, but one never knew what sort of strangers they’d come across. Honestly, she was less concerned about other wolves – often Isuni’s size put others off from attempting to cause her harm – it was the other predators of Relic Lore that worried her. A lynx or mountain lion could cause considerable damage. Even coyotes, when working together, could injure a wolf, especially a wolf in her current state. And she had no one to blame but herself.

“Stupid, stupid,” Isuni scolded herself, tail swishing unhappily through the grass. Perhaps it would pass soon. She could only hope this was a temporary thing. These were the days she wished she was still among the pack. “How hard would it be to find a healer?”

While he was apt to stay within pack lands so close to his acceptance, the swarthy male had patrolled the borders prior that day, and then set out to explore further. It had been awhile since he had been within the vicinity here, and so it felt almost strange to be walking among the familiar lands once more. As a pup, he had not done much exploring outside of Copper Rock Creek – but even the Fields held a welcoming familiarity to them.

All he needed to do was coax Mirren to bring forward Copper Rock Creek once more.

Despite his current solitude, a voice drifted to him. Blinking, the swarthy wolf propelled himself closer to the direction, his nose twitching as the scent of another finally came to him. He came upon her – a coat of red tawny, and his amber eyes glanced over her stoically. He had not been able to decipher her words, having not paid attention, but rather than be completely off putting with his presence, the Tainn decided he could at least attempt conversation. Perhaps the wolf could offer him insight that he could take back to either his brother or Nina. “’Lo,” he offered in quiet greeting, continuing to close the distance between the two as his tail gave an amicable wave through the air. He did not know enough about the surrounding areas and the scents to determine if she was form another pack or not.. but he did not know if Secret Woodlands was even looking to recruit.

'cause its home, but it's gone

Were she not so focused on her own foolishness and gluttony, she might have noticed the shadow approach before he spoke. As it were, Isuni was wrapped up upon herself, paws tucked neatly underneath her frame as she began to lick her ribs, wishing to soothe the ache she’d put there. The sudden voice gave the large woman a start, chestnut eyes wide as she struggled to pull her paws out from underneath her own weight. As she stood, her hide caught the brambles, and once again the loner was punished for her inability to remain aware of her surroundings. It seemed the universe was simply trying to remind her how unfortunate life alone could be.

Muttering under her breath, the redhead pulled herself free from the thorns, leaving a handful of guard hairs behind as she finally turned her gaze on the other wolf. Fortunately, she was met with a friendly wag of a tail. Her shoulders slacked in relief, head dropped a few inches as she answered with a small wave of her own. Truly, Isuni was in no position to scuffle – honestly, she didn’t even feel like she could much outrun anyone, weighed down by blackberries as she was.

Eventually, her expression turned sheepish, and she tilted her head to one side. “Hello yourself,” she greeted @Nios quietly, bobbing her head once in acknowledgement. “These…these aren’t your berries, are they?” she hazarded – she hadn’t smelled any other wolf’s claim on the delectable fruit, but Capable had also been…a bit eager to taste the last of the summer sweetness. It was entirely possible she ignored something in hopes of filling her belly sooner. Oh, but could this day get worse?

A wild dissertation appears!

Nios, had he not been the son of the stoical wonder, Ruiko Tainn, might have cringed as he noted the awkward twist the she-wolf gave. His eyes drifted casually to her side, where she had been cleansing, noting scratches upon her body -- but nothing alarming, and so he did not comment. She was youthful.. attractive, even, though Nios was able to find the finer qualities of any she-wolf he happened upon.

Her sheepish nature was not lost upon the wolf, who simply remained still, spare for his tail as it gently swung through the air. He lifted his wolfish brows at her question, feeling the corner of his muzzle quirk at the hint of a smirk. He could have made quite a lewd comment regarding 'berries' and what was his, but he refrained.. she seemed such a delicate lamb, he was not willing to scare her off so suddenly.

"No," he offered, canting his own muzzle as his bright amber eyes gleamed in the direction of the berries. He recalled stories of his father coming to these very lands when he was younger -- and just how much the elder Tainn had despised the berries and received a bellyache each time he was foolish enough to try them. "Not quite to my taste," he clarified, glancing back up to her once more.

'cause its home, but it's gone

Shallow water has trapped several fish in a small pond. Hunt Opportunity

A delicate lamb she most certainly was not, though Isuni was hardly in the best shape of her life. Feeling a far bit more fragile than the Mackenize Valley wolf was used to, it left her in no position to argue, and with no room to be seen as more than a broken china doll dropped on the floor. Offering the older wolf a sheepish grin, she gave a short bob of her head. “Glad to hear it,” she murmured softly, glancing once from the shade to the briar patch. “Though can’t say I’m eager to try again. Taste good, but…” The woman offered a one-shouldered shrug as she brought her sienna gaze back to the man. “…not worth it, I think. I’ll steer clear from now on.”

After a moment of consideration, the woman released some of the tension from her shoulders as she bobbed her head, realizing slowly that this male stunk of other wolves as well. He was a pack animal – inherently, he was more dangerous than the average lone wolf she crossed, regardless of his smaller size. He was healthier (presumably) and had friends that would come to his aid if requested, no matter if she weren’t an aggressor (she had to assume).

Deciding to air on the side of caution, she introduced herself. “I’m Capable. Recent transplant. You from around here?”

A wild dissertation appears!

The conversation itself was drifting away from the berries, and while he noted her final comment about not trying them again, he spoke no more on the matter – he held no interest to what she intended to eat again, if he were to be blunt. Instead, his bright amber eyes scanned over her, his nose twitching as he attempted to determine what pack she was from. Yet his time away from these parts of the land had given him the inability to truly tell – and so he refrained from any assumptions.

“Nios Tainn,” he offered in turn, withholding the information of Secret Woodlands. Instead, he focused upon her question, and the stocky wolf gave a gentle nod, though his shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Born and raised for a few months here – and now returned.” His return to Relic Lore was not so recent – but the reunion between he and his siblings? Very much so.

It still wasn’t information he was willing to share just yet, and so he leaned back slightly, allowing his muscles to relax. “You plan on sticking around?” If she was a ‘recent transplant’ as she called herself, it didn’t necessarily mean she wasn’t simply passing through.

'cause its home, but it's gone

we are not things

“Ah. Thought I smelled pack on you,” the woman returned with a wry grin, unable to help her casual glance around. That Nios had already insisted she wasn’t trespassing or stealing mattered little – it wasn’t as if she thought he was lying, necessarily, but if he wasn’t in charge, how would he know for certain? (Given, she was operating under the assumption that he wasn’t an alpha for he didn’t introduce himself as one, and all the leading wolves she’d met tended to make that very apparent.)

But if he didn’t want to talk about it, she wasn’t going to ask. Some wolves were weird about that sort of thing – truth be told, she wouldn’t want to talk about Moose’s Tooth and the family she’d left behind, so she wasn’t about to ask whatever family he might or might not have. Instead, she focused on the more current question, bobbing her head. “Yeah – think so. Winter’s coming, it’s hard to travel, you know? Trying to find a safe place to make a home. Wintered alone last year, while on the move. Definitely not looking for a repeat performance,” she chuckled softly, shaking her head. Before she was still angry, and she was still afraid – living with a pack had seemed too scary to actually try.

“Don’t suppose you know a good place for a girl?”

A wild dissertation appears!

She was laid back – a nice change from the whirlwind companionship he felt his life had included the past few months. His ear would flicker at her wry grin and statement – her assumption drawing a faint smile to his lips. “I do have a pack – but they are not my birth pack,” he spoke, offering only a brief correction to her assumption and without delving in to the details of his life. The thought of Copper Rock Creek stirred an ache in his chest, but he pushed the thoughts of his home away – one day, he would live there amongst the red rocks of the creek once more.

His bright eyes regarded her quietly, and with a casual nod to reveal he understood, Nios allowed his thick muzzle to give a nod in the direction of Secret Woodlands. “I have no doubt my Leaders would accept you if you promise to pull your own weight – my pack is a little west of here. I can take you to the borders if you’re interested.” They were growing in numbers, but he did not doubt Nina or Mirren would turn away a healthy, kinder wolf such as the one before him. And despite his best intentions.. he was almost enjoying her easy companionship.

'cause its home, but it's gone

we are not things

Idly, Isuni wondered what happened to the shadow’s birth pack – or perhaps he was like her?  Perchance he’d left the group because he did not agree with how the alphas ruled over their subordinates.  It would be welcome, to know a wolf in a similar situation, but the woman did not ask.  If someone asked such a question of her, she was fairly certain she’d be rather offended by the notion.  Even if she wasn’t, she was still unlikely to tell the truth.  Arrow might have sent someone after her, robbed of his whipping boy.  She wouldn’t put it past her father, either, if Moose’s Tooth had lost its other caretakers since her departure last June.

All the same, she dismissed the thought, taken aback by @Nios’ offer.  That…wasn’t actually what she was after, truth be told.  The woman still found herself wary about pack life, and while the man before seemed the likeable sort, she hardly knew anything about him, or the wolves he currently resided with.

So she offered him a smile – a genuine one, for no one required him to make a kind proposal, regardless of her ability to accept such a thing – and bobbed her head low.  “I’ll keep it in mind,” she promised, ears flicking forward.  “I…was in a very ugly situation in the last past I was a part of.  I’m not…”

Not sure I’m ready.

“I hope this isn’t rude,” Isuni tried instead, feeling all the more sheepish as she lowered her head past her shoulders, ears out to the side as she shifted on her feet uneasily.  “I’d just…like to get to know the forest a bit better before I commit to anything.  But if this seems right, I’ll come back.  I’ll look for you.”

I’ll let them know you’ve done your job well.

“Until then…perhaps it’s best I get going, after all…”

(This post was last modified: Nov 17, 2015, 06:10 PM by Isuni.)

A wild dissertation appears!