Fallen Tree Cove heaven's winds bring hell's rains

For @Cernan only. Let me know if the date doesn't work for you. Clearly the birds aren't actually hunting or even chasing her but Nineva's imagination has run away with her. She has unintentionally dove into the very outskirts of FTC's territory.
Dated 11/30 - clear skies, afternoon.
Random Event: Migrating geese are making quite the racket.

They could never just leave her alone. Nineva thundered over shale and snow, climbing terrain she had never been upon before in her life, gasping thin air and ignoring the ache that was beginning to overtake her body. She had just wanted to push farther than she had before, to see something new. She had always admired the mountains from afar, wondered what it would be like to be that high up in the atomosphere. Not a word had been said to her guardians and friends, for as was her usual mistake, she assumed she knew better, and thought they would only discourage her from something benign. She had been terribly wrong, and now, she was running for her life.

Their racket echoed over and within the stoney craggs, making it seem as though there were so many more than their truly were. It only further fueled her fear, adrenaline flooding her system and clouding her mind. She thought only to run, to escape, as the geese flew low behind her, chasing her. They were hunting her like a pack, her mind told her, and she could not accept any other possibility. They were hunting her down and if she allowed them to catch her, they would kill her.

At last the terrain suddenly shifted as she reached a final peak, and below was a thin expanse of forest crescented around a lake. If she had not been so panicked, with the demon birds at her heels, she would have been taken by the sheer beauty of what lay before her. As it was, she could only register that the trees might provide safety, and so she threw herself downward, over the cliffs and drop offs, barely thinking before she placed each paw step. It was only luck that brought her down safely, and though several times she slipped or tumbled, garnering bruises and scratches, but her bones and skin remained intact.

They had swooped down after their prey, bleating and honking and chasing, and she all but threw herself into the cluster of pine trees with a scream abandoned from her throat. Diving down under coniferous brush, she escaped, the winged beasts balking at the forest line and at last foregoing their chase. She lay quivering as the sound of their raucous blaring faded, curling tightly into herself as tears burned her eyes threateningly, utterly unaware that she now lay within the territory of another pack.

(This post was last modified: Dec 06, 2015, 02:38 AM by Nineva.)

OOC: I love this dork <3

The sound of geese was now well-known and memorized by the youngest Vuesain. It had become a daily experience; to be walking along and to hear the frantic, chaotic noise those nasty flying things made. The boy always regarded them from the forest floor with apprehension and a tinge of anger. He hated those birds. They had proven to be very similar to those white beasts of death that had nearly stolen his precious sister away. Geese were smaller, but they seemed to have a very similar attitude; one which Cernan had swiftly learned of when they hissed at him on a few certain occasions; just like the evil Swans. They didn't even look that different; but at least he was big enough now to do something if a stupid goose attacked. Well, if it was really only one goose he would be okay. He wasn't so sure about a whole mess of the scoundrels. For the most part they just flew overhead and made tons of noise; and if they were down by the lake that was fine too. Cernan didn't go by the lake much anymore; and definitely not unattended.

He heard the ruckus first; a single tawny ear stood up and rotated to catch it and wake the child from his nap. Afternoons always seemed to be slow for everyone, including the prince. As much as he loved the security of the den and the other pack mates found within, he couldn't help but doze off every once in a while when he found a nice toasty rock to sit on. The mountains had plenty of those. Sadly, at this time of year the rocks themselves suffered most from the cold, and were no longer that warm to the touch; even in the daylight. However, on clear days like this the sun could still warm up his fluffy coat to a lovely temperature; and the cool air made for comfortable sleeping for a being so wrapped in insulating fur as he. It also seemed pretty safe up on top of them, and that was very important.

With a lazy yawn he turned his gold eyes to the sky, and sure enough the tell-tale shape of a flock of demon-birds appeared on the horizon. The boy stared on with half-lidded eyes, finding nothing other than those silly creatures to be worried about. That was, until he heard the scream. The shriek wasn't too far away from Cernan's position within the borders of the Cove, and the sheer shock of hearing someone else cry out so loudly and suddenly on such a lackluster afternoon shot him to his paws in a fraction of a second. He moved so erratically that his balance failed; unable to ascertain up from down so soon after waking; and his chubby frame slipped off the boulder sideways. The pup toppled to the ground on his back with a flail of his stocky legs and a soft thud. His breath was stolen from him on impact and escaped with a grunt.

Still terrified of what was happening to warrant such a horrible sound so close to his home, Cernan rolled to his paws once more and hastily shook out the pine-needles and dirt. He stared off into the trees for a moment with a horrible feeling of dread. It had sounded like Neha, but different. It definitely wasn't an adult-sounding voice; and that was the weirdest part of all. The wind too, did not cooperate in his quest to figure out who was screaming on his doorstep. With a hard chuff of air from his nose in mild frustration and confusion; the youngster parted ways with his napping-rock. A soft whine threatened to push through his throat, but the Prince kept quiet. He was headed toward the border; toward someone who had just screamed as if they'd been attacked by a swan. If the cry had come from the lake's edge he would not be out here alone.

His big feet thumped along at a lope that was quick but cautious. He wanted to see whatever was going on before it saw him and attacked. If someone needed help he could always call Ma or Pa in a heartbeat. Finally after a few painfully tense moments a form came into view. Someone was curled against the ground just up ahead; and the sight made him freeze. Cernan's head whipped around nervously; legs splayed and ready to bolt away. Nothing smelled suspicious, and he couldn't see any monster birds or giant vicious pigs. The boy swallowed anxiously, lowering his head and tail. A few gentle steps more brought him closer to the girl. She looked horrified. He halted some distance away with his head just above his ankles as he watched her. He had heard of other young ones like him from Neha and Mama; but never seen one for himself. She sort of looked like Neha, but at the same time she was totally different. To meet an age-mate that wasn't his sibling was certainly a novel experience; and he might have savored it more if she wasn't cowering in the woods all by herself and screaming like that. Finally a sound parted his jaws and reached nervously across the distance between them. "A- Are you okay?" he spoke softly, his tone rising with concern. She didn't seem hurt.

(This post was last modified: Dec 07, 2015, 07:59 AM by Cernan.)

Silence thickened the high-altitude air, and she could feel it pressing in against her skin. The geese had landed and quieted down as they began to feed, dipping their long necks beneath the fresh water, and from where she was this meant an elimination of the sound entirely. Yet still she did not feel safe. Slowly, realization that she had ran far, far from home drifted into her mind, and she could smell strongly the scents of other wolves, none of whom were familiar. She had trespassed, a crime in any pack's book and certainly she would be in a large amount of trouble if she was discovered. Yet was it safe to leave? The indecision of what may be worse, being sniffed out or leaving the cover of the forest, froze her to the ground. It wasn't until she heard paw falls approaching her at a brisk pace that she moved at last, head swerving round to view who it was.

To her utter surprise, it was a boy her age, and he seemed just as startled as she. Her eyes widened slowly as they stared at each for a brief moment, her lips pulling back in a grimace of fear. He seemed concerned, yet still she could not convince herself that she was out of the metaphorical woods. She was in the wrong, and far too far from @Kenelm or @Rook to have anyone come to her rescue.

"I um... I...." she murmured, slowly gathering her spindly legs beneath her to lift herself an inch or two from the forest floor. Her eyes dropped away from his face and into the snow and the dirt, and her cheeks began to burn with shame. "Th-the geese, they were chasing me... I thought... I thought they were gonna kill me..."

She showed her teeth. His tail buried itself closer to his stomach even if she was just doing it out of fear. He hadn't seen many fearful snarls in his time, and while he understood it on a base level it was still unnerving with how anxious the atmosphere was. A single paw hovered in mid-air; seemingly unable to decide if it was better to run and get help or to stay with the girl. She wasn't getting up or coming any closer though; and finally his patience was rewarded with speech; albeit nervous and stuttering. At least she wasn't angry with him. As the foreign pup gathered herself his posture lessened; ears daring to lift slightly from his skull.

The geese were chasing her. His dandelion eyes grew wide with wonder and a horrible twinge of fear hit him square in the gut. Now he knew where the scream had come from. The geese had never dared to rush at anyone for more than a few yards; or at least the prince had never seen them do so. Swans however; they could do anything. And they would attack even adults for no reason. If geese attacked them from the sky then no wolf was safe. Reflexively the boy looked up through the trees just to be sure none were coming after them right now. Oh this was awful. He'd thought that the smaller birds were less of a threat, but if they'd hounded this girl into the trees that idea was totally wrong.

The realization and the deepening of his fear made Cernan's scruff prickle up and he turned to look at the silver wolf again. "Did they hurt you?" He asked suddenly, now wondering just how much he should fear the things. "A swan tried to kill me and my sister," he blurted out, wanting abruptly to affirm that he wholeheartedly believed what she'd said and had even had his own harrowing experience. "Those birds are monsters," the boy added with conviction, his fur still bristling with hatred and fear. He should have known better than to let his guard down just because they were a bit smaller.

(This post was last modified: Dec 09, 2015, 05:46 AM by Cernan.)

As the words left her mouth, she had to wonder if maybe he wouldn't believe the severity of trouble she had truly been in. She recalled how odd @Tomen and Rook had both found her fear to be, though that was of a much smaller bird. Still, the Hollow wolves thought owls could be friends. Maybe she really was being irrational, and yet--

He took her absolutely seriously. Nineva's ears lifted as he scanned the skies, seemingly worried himself about what the event she just explained might herald, and then; his own experience. She didn't know what a swan was, but clearly it was yet another type of feathered beast. She wasn't alone, birds really were the enemies of wolves!

"No, they were flying above," she explained, standing just a little bit taller now. Step by step she crept toward him, his understanding now making him to be a welcoming presence to the girl. She wanted to be close to him, so that they could be safer together if the geese came back.

"I was so sure one was going to swoop down and--" her words were rushed and then suddenly cut off as Nineva clamped her jaws shut and swallowed hard. The feeling of eagle claws within her skin and the vision of the ground disappearing from beneath her own paws played vividly behind her eyes. She was so much bigger now, certainly any bird would not be able to manage such a feat as lifting her up, and still the fear was embedded deep within her all the same.

"I'm so sorry I trespassed. I just was so scared."

She hadn't appeared to be harmed in any way, and her words confirmed it. She was lucky then, but as the pup spoke Cernan's eyes drifted warily upward once more. He glanced down at her as she rose, cautiously coming closer to him. For once the Prince held his ground, perhaps thankful on some level for her presence now that he knew those things were flying around. Maybe the geese were quietly circling the woods, waiting for them to leave. Were they that crafty? He wasn't sure. 

Again she began to relay more details, and the lake child's gold eyes widened a little. The silver girl locked up all of a sudden, visibly afraid and probably still quite freaked out from her encounter. He waited awkwardly for her to continue, searching her stony face for more information. She mentioned trespassing, and the chubby boy's fur began to smooth out. Words sort of tumbled from his mouth before he really stopped to think about them. "It's okay, I mean..." Was it okay? He couldn't picture his Mama getting angry at another child for an accident like this, or Pa really, and they were the ones who she'd have to answer to. "If those things are hangin' around, you shouldn't be alone. My Mom and Dad probly won't mind." 

He was a good boy. The words he imparted to her were his mother's; that's why he and Neha weren't supposed to wander off on their own. Creatures lurked outside of the pack. The thought of his pack jogged a question loose, and he looked to the strange pup with a new curiosity. "Where's your pack anyway?" Every pup had to have a pack, right? And parents, of course. He hadn't really met any other groups beside his own to compare to, though. 

It's okay was a simple reassurance, and yet it helped greatly all the same. Still, guilt and a drop of shame settled like silt at the pit of her stomach. As understanding as Cernan and his relatives may be, she still had broken a vital pack law. It wasn't just that it could have been extremely dangerous, perhaps even lethal, in another situation with less forgiving wolves; it was the sheer principle of it. Nineva knew better, but her fear had made her blind. It was utterly unacceptable.

Her mixed feelings of relief and regret were made evident by the wandering of her eyes, the leaning back of her ears and the drawing of her brows together. She did not focus until her new friend asked her a question, gaze finally settling upon his face once more.

"Down the mountain and in the forest," she answered him easily, tail curling with a brief few wags at the mention of her temporary home. "Grizzly Hollow. I'm uh, Nineva, by the way. Who're you? And your family?"

If they were going to be as hospitable as Cernan expected, she ought to know a few things about them and certainly remember them, both for their good deeds and the debt she now owed.