Whisper Marsh dead gardens

OOC here!

The dark brute reciprocated the wagging of her tail, smiling sheepishly as he did so. At least he wasn't all kerflooey anymore, that was one good thing... now to somehow slip away from him so she could continue her walk of solitude. Apparently that wouldn't be the case anytime soon, as he stood up and looked over to a nearby bank, indicating with his muzzle and gaze that they should find a place to chat where there wasn't the potential to fall through the ice and drown. Sadly a couple of creatures has already met that fate, and the tawny female would rather like to live another day. She carefully followed the darkly furred male as he tiptoed across the frozen ice, slipping here and there where her nails couldn't find purchase in the icy grooves of the chilled surface.

Yvly hummed softly when he introduced himself as Wraith, and though she already knew he was from Willow Ridge she didn't voice her thoughts, and as he continued speaking a shy grin appeared on her maw, the softest of giggles her first reaction to what he called the pack  she called family. "I suppose you could call it that," the tawny female said with a flick of her ears, vividly remembering that one encounter with a bear around Grizzly Hollow's territory. "Grizzly Hollow," she added, hoping to soothe any embarrassment he may have. "Hmm..." Yvly began when Wraith asked her what her name was, "Ghost doesn't sound too bad," she said with a smile. "But I go by Crystal." That was the name she preferred to go by, rather than her real name, and she was also upholding one of Grizzly Hollow's traditional pack laws by using said alias. Plus one point for following the rules.

296 words

Yvly Doramor

imagine we are higher than the arrows,
casually we're breathing with the pharaohs,
tragically we fall just like the arrows.

Her quiet laughter was a balm to all of his mishaps since meeting her and Wraith couldn’t help but wag his tail faster for it. Despite her initial snarling – which he couldn’t blame her for in the least – she gave an impression of a steadfast individual who was really quite gentle.
Grizzly Hollow, yes! That was it. It left him wondering just how many bears they dealt with coming from a place named after them. In his head, Wraith had the impression of a powerful pack filled with battle scarred veterans. And then there was the female. Delicate, but not fragile, he determined. Well-groomed and ferocious when the time called for it. Yes, she fit that image he had of the pack as well. The little ghost was quite capable.

When she offered her name, Wraith nodded. It suited her well. In the highlands where he was born, he’d once found a cave as a pup that glittered like the skies at night with all the twisting spires of precious gemstones. Beautiful and strong, they were. As was she.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Crystal. I’m sorry again for racing into you like that. You’re really not hurt?” Wraith asked with concern.

Finally, the black wolf lowered his head towards his paws and pressed his chin gingerly against his foreleg. A sharp pain flashed up his muzzle and wrapped all the way to the back of his skull, forcing a twinge in his face. Hoping to ease the throbbing he caused, the brute lay in the snow and let the coldness numb the pain. Aside from the strange behavior, he voiced no complaint about his injury, convinced it would heal with time.

OOC here!

It seemed her open friendliness had finally reached through to Wraith as he seemed to walk with a bouncier step the more they conversed. It was actually kind of nice having company in the foggy marshland, and there was the added benefit that if she fell through any ice she would have help in getting back onto dry land. Drowning was not something on her to-do list for today. She turned her muzzle to glance at the dark brute when he asked if she was really okay, and usually she would huff or roll her eyes, but she could tell that he was genuinely concerned, and so spared him from any sarcastic comments. For the time being, at least. "And you too, Wraith. But don't worry about me, I can handle a lot more than that." Such as tangling with grizzlies. They were especially common in Grizzly Hollow territory, sadly. The ringing in her ears had also faded away to practically nothing... she would be right as rain in a few days.

She stopped walking when Wraith's dark fur had disappeared from her peripheral vision, and looked over her shoulder curiously to find him laying in the snow, a pained expression on his face. "Are you okay?" Yvly asked as she sat down next to him with the slightest worried expression on her face. Though she did what she wanted and damned the consequences, she wasn't opposed to helping others when they needed it. The tawny female knew very little about herbs as she stuck to doing her jobs, either scout or hunter, but sometimes she was sent off to collect some medicinal plants for the healer. "Ergot..." she muttered softly to herself. "Ergot is good for headaches," she continued in a louder tone, now directing her words towards Wraith. "I'm not sure where it is found, but if you have a healer in your pack..." Her words trailed off as she glanced down at the snow around her paws, unsure of what she was doing. It wasn't in her nature to go out of her way to help another wolf.

351 words

Yvly Doramor

imagine we are higher than the arrows,
casually we're breathing with the pharaohs,
tragically we fall just like the arrows.

Amber eyes flickered up at Crystal as she asked if he was alright. Forcing a smile, he nodded. "Oh, yeah, yeah, I'll be fine. Just a twinge is all." In truth, his whole jaw ached, but Wraith was certain it would pass if given enough time. However, her suggestion had his ears flickering towards her.

What in Fenrir's name was Ergot? It sounded like something rotten that grew on corpses. He closed his eyes, his tongue sticking out a little at the imagery. "Sounds gross, but if you say so," he said, sitting up to nip affectionately at her downcast muzzle. "Thank you for the advice." Wraith tilted his head, going through what little he knew of his packmates. It was pitiful how he didn't even know if there was a healer among them. In his birth pack, he knew details of his family down to the most minute, and now, he was lucky if he knew a wolf's name.

Time would fix all things, including his lack of knowledge.

"I'll have to ask Craw. I'm sure he'd know," Wraith shared, speaking of his friend who'd been the reason he had joined Willow Ridge anyway. "I should have had him come explore with me. Speaking of...what was it you were doing out here before I interrupted you?"

(This post was last modified: Jan 22, 2016, 07:42 PM by Wraith.)

OOC here!

"It tastes just as bad as it sounds," Yvly mumbled shyly at the affectionate nibble on her muzzle she received from Wraith, not used to such behaviours from others as she often kept her distance from them. It was different, but not off-putting, and she decided that she liked such actions, not that she would admit it to anyone besides herself. Lifting her gaze when the dark brute voiced his thanks, the tawny female merely gave him a smile in response. Being thanked was also uncommon in her experience unless if she was repaying a debt she had owed someone. In truth there were many things she considered unusual that others saw as the norm, and part of her joining Grizzly Hollow was her remedying that, which was partly the reason why she hadn't run off yet.

At the mention of a name she hadn't heard before tawny ears perked up curiously. "Who's Craw?" Most likely a friend of his, but it wouldn't do any harm to learn more about Willow Ridge. She had heard on the grapevine that her and Wraith's packs weren't on the best of terms, and it would be good if she knew a little bit about the inner workings of the 'rival' pack, not that she saw it that way. It didn't bother her one bit, she would interact with whomever she wanted (not that it would be that often) and go where she wanted regardless of pack standings. " Oh, um..." Yvly began absentmindedly, ripped from her thoughts by Wraith's question of what she was doing in the frozen marshlands. "I felt like exploring outside of pack territory." Some of the most truthful words she had spoken since arriving in Relic Lore. "I'm thinking of becoming a scout," she added, though wasn't sure why she did.

302 words

Yvly Doramor

imagine we are higher than the arrows,
casually we're breathing with the pharaohs,
tragically we fall just like the arrows.

Just as bad as it sounded? Well, that certainly inspired him to hunt down someone who could find it for him... No, thank you! He'd suffer through the ache in relative silence. A moment or two of bellyaching could hardly be avoided, especially if it gave him a reason to keep talking with Crystal. Her company was rather enjoyable, all things considered!

Her bashfulness hadn't gone unnoticed, however, Wraith rolled right over it in an easy way so as not to draw attention to it and embarrass her. "I definitely need to keep a hefty stock of it then. For my enemies," he jested. "May they be ache-free."

The question of who @Craw was brought even more animation into the dark wolf's expression. "He's a good friend of mine. Actually, I ran into him the first time we met." Wraith grinned with the memory of it. "I promise I'm not usually so clumsy. Different circumstances, but we'll just say it was abnormal. Anyway, he'd been pretty stemmed and was ready to rip into my hide, too. We worked it out though and even managed to hunt together after that. He invited me to join him in his travels down South back to his pack. I hung around the pack borders and pestered them long enough until they had to accept me," he teased. It wasn't exactly how it happened, but had enough truth in it to be passable.

Their conversation easily melded into what each had been doing outside their pack's territory and Wraith laughed at finding their reasoning was very much the same. "Me, too. I'm hoping to eventually know these lands as well as I knew my birth pack's territory." Crystal's revelation of wanting to be a scout had him tilting his head in consideration. "That wouldn't be because you prefer to be alone, would it?" Because clearly, he was ruining that possibility.

These two <3 :D

She giggled softly again at Wraith's quip, corners of her mouth lifting up in a wide smile. It was easy to laugh and be herself around him, almost effortless. If she wasn't so caught up in the moment she may have been confused, but for now she projected her attention towards the dark brute as he began to tell the story of how he and this Craw had met. Yvly noticed the enthusiasm in his features and sparkle in his eyes as he told his tale of how he had also run into this other wolf, much like he had her. A sly grin appeared on her maw as Wraith mentioned pestering the pack until they were forced to accept him. She herself had gone back and forth many times before finally gathering up enough courage to call out to the leaders of Grizzly Hollow, and had yet to regret that decision. "I'm sure the pack was absolutely pleased to have you join their ranks," the tawny female said with a twinkle in her dark amber eyes.

However, her good mood dimmed just a bit when Wraith raised the topic of her reasoning for becoming a scout was to be alone. Truth be told that was part of the reason, but also so she had a reason to stretch her legs and see beyond the territory of her pack. Alone was what she knew, alone was what she liked, but she wanted to fix that and force herself to go out and meet new wolves; broaden her experience of the world. "I do like to be alone a lot of the time," Yvly hummed softly, "But I want to rid myself of that habit... and being a scout seems like a good way to do that." It wasn't often she revealed so much of her inner thoughts, but she felt that she could trust Wraith with them. He seemed nice. "Plus I like running," she added, cracking a grin again to try and lift the spirits of the conversation again.

340 words

Yvly Doramor

imagine we are higher than the arrows,
casually we're breathing with the pharaohs,
tragically we fall just like the arrows.

(This post was last modified: Jan 25, 2016, 06:52 AM by Yvly.)

"Of course they were," he laughed. "Who wouldn't want to have a bumbling Northerner in their pack?" In all honesty, he was far from bumbling. Maybe he wasn't the most graceful on flat icy surfaces, but give him a sleet-covered mountain and he would run circles around anyone. "Now, it's okay. I know what you're thinking. And it's okay to be a little disappointed your pack didn't find me first."

Wraith couldn't recall the last time he'd been so chatty. With Crystal, the laughter continued to roll and he loved that she was doing so just as much.

When the light in her eyes dulled in response to his question, Wraith's own energy diminished to match. He made no jokes; only sat patiently and let her think it through. Her admission of enjoying being alone didn't surprise him and only served to make him doubly grateful that she seemed to enjoy his company otherwise. He wondered what it was about a scout that made her think she'd be alone less, however. Those he knew of rarely spent time around the pack, moving as satellites throughout much of the day and sometimes even during the night before returning to the pack's heart.

"Well, as a scout, you would get to see more of me," Wraith pointed out, his light-hearted energy returning when her smile reappeared. "As for running...do you care for a race?" The dark male turned to peer about the marshlands. The fog had receded quite a bit while they spoke now that the sun was starting to burn off the most of it. Catching sight of a large oak at the edge of the marsh with boughs laden with so much snow that it practically drooped into the ground, he grinned. "How about to that tree?"

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OOC: She's gonna whoop your ass, Wraith.

OOC here!

The tawny female canted her head to the side, an impish look on her face. "Well I suppose I'll need to have a word with this Craw and remind him not to pick up any more bumbling strays on his adventures." It was nice to be able to joke around with another, something she couldn't remember doing for a very long time... uplifting, in fact. "If they had then I wouldn't be the newest face around," Yvly laughed softly. She didn't mind being the newest member of Grizzly Hollow, it gave her... certain privileges, for the time being. At least until someone else showed up.

"Hmm," Yvly began, eyes glinting mischievously, "I suppose that's true. Guess I'll just have to ask to scout out more places around here then." To be honest she wouldn't mind seeing Wraith again, and not just once, either. He seemed to really pull at that friendship string she had hidden a long time ago, or maybe she was letting him? She didn't really know which, but that could be a good thing. Breaking out of her deep thoughts, the tawny female just barely caught the last part of his sentence "... do you care for a race?". Did he even have to ask? Because hell yea.

Her dark amber gaze wandered over to the large oak on the edge of the frozen marsh Wraith had pointed out as their finish line, and she gave him a sly smile. Too easy. "Eat my snow," she said playfully with a vociferous bark, digging her heels into the snow and pushing off into a sprint, letting the blistering cold wind rush through her fur, feeling her spirits soar as she let loose the pent up energy inside her. It was good to just let it out sometimes, and with a flourish of her tail she came to a skidding stop just past the tree, turning around to see if Wraith had managed to keep up with her.

329 words

Yvly Doramor

imagine we are higher than the arrows,
casually we're breathing with the pharaohs,
tragically we fall just like the arrows.

Woah! Wraith hadn't even the time to prepare before the smaller wolf racing off as quick as a diving falcon. Already thoroughly impressed by her start alone, he laughed and ran after her, indeed eating the snow she kicked up with the gleeful nature of a wolf half his age. Whereas his thick body broke through the crusted ice and snow with great strength and power, her paws practically flew over the surface without hardly having to touch down at all. Bogged down as he was thanks to his weight, Wraith lagged far behind and ended up trotting the rest of the way when it was clear he hadn't a snowball's chance in Fenrir's jaws of keeping pace with her.

"You are something else," he complimented freely, still amazed at just how fast she was. "Your pack must be proud to have someone so fleet-footed for hunts. Perhaps one day, we could give that a try together, hm?" While Wraith hadn't the speed, he certainly had the power and stamina to make taking down larger prey easier. He knew it was what had snatched Craw's attention the most when they met and what had allowed him entry into Willow Ridge in the first place.

With the sun now at its zenith in the sky, Wraith's gaze wandered back towards the Drooping Willows. "I should probably head back soon," he murmured with some regret. His time had been well spent with Crystal, but he felt the burn of duty forcing guilt along the back of his neck. "But we'll see each other again," the black male assured with an easy smile.

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OOC: Sorry for the wait, friend! ;w; Also ooooh, maybe they could take down a piggy together with the help of another. 83