Thicket of Secrets You can't see the Wind

@Amaryllis her eya go!)

A large ghostly wolf was trending quietly along one of the thickly overgrown trails within the Thicket of Secretes. The phantom was not as ethereal as he appeared. Soft pink orbs ablaze with confidences as he trekked through the dark trail. Out here he was safe from the harsh heat of the sun and the foul light that stung his eyes. Icicle was determined to adjust to these new lands, thankfully there seemed to be quite a few heavily forested areas where the colorless yearling could take shelter during the day.

A soft sigh escaped Icicle as he pivoted his head toward a nearby bush rustling. The albino froze in place where he stood, his neck aching as he turned toward the noise, his nose twitching slightly as he caught the scent of a hare, at least he thought it was one. Prey… The figure hadn’t eaten for quite a few days and he needed energy in order to keep going. Slowly the brute crept toward the bush, careful not to disturb it as he came around to the other side. We could trap it… he realized, the undergrowth was think with a certain amount of luck and some skill Icicle would have at least something to eat as the sun went down.

ThoughtIcicle’s dialogue

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(Ooc: sorry but I guess Ama is being a little cautious atm XD)

They were thick and scratched her coat whenever she grazed by a particularly prickly bush. She had been curious about the thickets and while she could faintly scent the smell of wolves, it felt as if they were a distance away and only checked these borders every so often. So perhaps their own borders lay well within the tickets and these ones were just a precautionary warning to those wishing to find the proper borders.

But she still kept alert and careful as she treaded the spiky trail. Thickets like these were perfect places for Wild Ginger to grow and she knew it would be plausible for them to start blooming this early. It had happened before, when the plant begun to grow as early as late Winter. If she could find some, she would either bring some back with her today or wait till it was grown enough. A panic squeaking caught her attention, making her turn towards a rabbit caught in one of the thickets. It was struggling to get out, its leg having be caught in a particularly nasty snare. Thorns dug into its fur and blood was seeping out of its open wounds. It stopped when it spotted her, breathing heavily. Most likely it thought she would keep on going and not see it if it stopped struggling.

better put it out of its misery, before it does of starvation. Stepping forward caused it to begin thrashing all over again yet it didn't stop her as she carefully bent down and snapped it's neck. Eyeing the leg that was caught, she wondered if she should leave it here for a passerby or try untangle it. If she managed to that, she could take to back to the caches, since she wasn't overly hungry.

But before she could try, she scented something...strange. It smelt of a wolf, a male wolf but very faintly... Her nerves went on end, along with her tail curving over her back in a banner. She had no idea if it was a wolf from another pack or simply a loner but she wanted to be prepared.

However, what came around the bush was a large pale phantom, obviously having also scented the rabbit. She bared her teeth slightly at the boy, because he was young she could tell but something was off about him. It was his coloring. His fur was too pale, his eyes, nose and lips too pink. But he looked sickly too, almost too frail for his size. And that is what put her off the most. His size. He was much bigger then her and if there was a fight, he would most likely do a lot of damage to her.

"Who are you?" She demanded to know, knowing there would be no one to back him up since she couldn't smell a pack on him.

(This post was last modified: Mar 06, 2016, 06:36 AM by Amaryllis.)

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

@Amaryllis she doen’t have to be intimidated by his good looks! also he not really trying to conceal that the movements did cause pain if Amar is the type to notice it))

Before Icicle stood a smaller female wolf, a soft sigh escaped the male as he took note of her more aggressive stance, though with her small size it would have been amusing if he cared to really think about it. pools of collective pink drifted around them, taking stock of their surroundings, the area they were in was not at all commodious or in the larger wolf’s favor. The smaller and more lithe grey furred female would host many more advantages in the enclosed space. Icicle didn’t want a fight though, quite frankly, he was sore, tired and hungry and didn’t feel like losing -more- fur than what was already caught in the briars along the path he had been following.

When the female demanded who he was instead of what he was the large wolf relaxed just a little. Though there was a brief look of surprise on his face. Most wolves only wondered what he was, for someone to actually ask who he was when they first saw him was actually...refreshing for the loner. it showed some slight interest and usually meant that they were only as aggressive as a usual wolf would be, not one thinking they were facing some spectre.

His thoughts of the hare were abandoned for now as Icicle lowered himself down onto his haunches, slowly and deliberately, in order to try and show that he wasn’t a threat nor had any interest in a confrontation. The slowness didn’t come from a cocky attitude that the smaller but older female couldn’t hurt him. it came from necessity. The large wolf’s joints counted to ach, but sitting, the pressure was relieved and he turned muzzle toward Amaryllis. His head turned slowly as when he had sat down to keep any pain from triggering.

“I’m Icicle, ma’am.” he responded quietly, his voice was somewhat higher then one may have expected of one his size, it wasn’t deep and throaty, but at the same time it wasn’t ear bleeding quality of a high pitch.

ThoughtIcicle’s dialogue

(OOC: I know but Ama was just on edge for that post, probably cause this is the furthermost point in unknown territory she's been in since joining gh. but don't worry, she brightens up :D)

Pale eyes swept over the male before her, still very cautious as she watched him sighed and lower himself to the ground. He seemed to be in some pain and it soon clicked as to why. His pale coloring, ghostly white with salmon pink tinges, the high voice that did not quite match his size and his slow movement, so not to trigger anymore pain.

She had heard stories of wolves like this, of wolves with little to no coloring and who were always in pain. But the stories also told they never lived for too long, that they died either soon after birth or if they managed to survive, lived out a life of misery.

However, she was still anxious around the man, even as he posed no danger to her. She realized his size would hinder him in these thickets. But that's what she got for travelling in an area that set her nerves on edge. She was never good with areas this closed in, with nary an ability to maneuver as she liked, even if she would do better then those bigger then her. The cedar wood forests where she lived now were fine, as they were still fairly open but these thickets...

"Well Icicle, I'm Lily." She lowered her banner somewhat and became more relaxed. "My apologies for the...display. I suppose I am just a little nervous, being in these thickets. Never did well in such closed in places." From the way she spoke, it sounded as if the thickets provided a smaller space then they really did. But it seemed the healer within her wanted to help, making her sigh.

"If you'd like, I could try and find some pain relief for you? You do not seem to be very...comfortable at the moment."

You don’t know how strong you are, until being strong is all you have left

Icicle’s head dipped slowly in greeting as he learned the smaller female’s name. “A...pleasure to meet you too, your name, it is quite nice.” Pink orbs slowly roamed around the clearing as Lily apologized, he shifted a little as she mentioned the clearing being so small. “It’s alright...I’m used to that reaction by now.” there was a tinge of bitterness in the male’s voice. usually he was able to keep his emotions bottled up fairly well but Amaryllis’s comment on asking who he was had caused that shield to crumble slightly.

That shield crumbled even further as the small healer offered to find something to alleviate his pain. A look of shock overtook Icicle for a moment as he just..sat there. After a few moments he opened his maw “I...I don’t know what to say..but I….” The usual collective speaker was simply baffled at this, what he saw as, unusual turn of events “No one has ever offered that before...I’ve always just dealt with it...if you think you can…” Icicle didn’t want to fully trust Lily, almost every wolf he had ever met acting in one of three ways. They either hated him for being so unusual, or they were scared and drove him off or they saw him as an oddity, not a wolf. it felt….unusual to meet someone who actually cared and offered help.

ThoughtIcicle’s dialogue

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(This post was last modified: Mar 07, 2016, 03:07 PM by Icicle.)

Amaryllis was somewhat shocked. He might be a little different, with his fur being so pale it looked almost whiter then the snow had been and the pink nearly looking out of place. (Not to mention he barely smelt of like a male at all. Her mind whispers, a small something tugging at her from underneath her skin that she ignores.) But he still was a wolf and was still one of their kind, even if he looked vastly different.

"If I can help even a little, I will do it." She promised him with complete and utter confidence. Though the fact of his starnge smell boggled her greatly. Why did he smell so...off? And his voice as well, it was too high pitched for his size and age, as if it had stopped growing at some point alongside his stature. She wasn't sure what could cause such a thing in a wolf.

She blinked slightly, smelling a faint something familiar on his pelt. It was the smell of Grizzly Hollow and of their youngest member (for now at least), Squeak. But why would he already have the scent on him? Did he meet the young wolf in his travels recently?

"I have a small...query, Icicle. You didn't happen to meet a young girl who smelled like me did you? Of cedar trees and evergreens?" She asked slowly, curiousity lacing her tone, hidng her concern and wariness of it all. Squeak was still around the packlands, Amaryllis had smelt her and seen her tracks around, even if she hadn't actually seen her as of late. She knew the girl was safe and sound, despite her recent run in with whatever had caused her injuries. "It's nothing too major, she is simply a packmate of mine."

Know me for who I am, not what I am

Icicle had managed to recover from the surprise long enough to reestablish his more stoic air, he couldn’t let just how much it shocked him show, otherwise she may turn around and try to use that against him.Others can’t be trusted, their all selfish….right…? Icicle wanted to believe it. He wanted to hold onto and nurture that belief he had grown up with but yet...in less than a week, two wolves were slowly eroding that. The pale canine sighed slightly as he slowly had to start rethinking everything he knew about others.

Colorless ears pricked as Lily spoke, mentioning a pack mate. He had run into the small and quite wolf recently.  What was her name..Pip, that was it. he paused for a moment, unsure if he should reply or not. What if the other wolf that had shown up ended up hurting the little @Pip? Would he be blamed? Chased off by one of the few wolves, that, the realization shocked him, he started to trust?

Pink eyes narrows slightly as Icicle observed Lily while she spoke. Was that...genuine worry? For a packmate..? I..no, I won’t lie to her if she’s worried. The wolf’s salmon pink lips parted as he began “A small wolf? leg injury? If you mean her, then yes, I was heading to a creek to get some water when I smelled blood, followed it and found her, another wolf with your scent showed up. She was light grey and white, dark green eyes. The way she spoke, I assume she was your Alpha, so I left since Pip was with a Packmate.”

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Her alpha? She assumed he was referring to Oula and was grateful the woman had found the yearling, even if Icicle had posed no threat at all. The young wolf had been injured and to wander would not do well for the young one's leg. Though she did frown at the name Pip. Was that Squeak's actual name? Did she finally mange to produce a word and tell someone her name? Or did someone who truly know her come by to find her in the pack and tell her alpha? Either way, it seemed the young fisher had her true name back and it would be a good idea to call her that next time she saw her.

"Yes, that is Pip. The other sounds like it would have been my leader. Thank you, for making sure she was alright though. Along with her injury, she is unable to speak so apologies if my leader came off as...defensive." She wasn't going to mention her leader would also be edgy lately, since hormones could still be somewhat high, since the season was only at it halfway point. Even she had felt the urge but luck was on her side, since there was no one to tempt her this year.

Suddenly remembering the rabbit caught in the thickets still, Amaryllis bowed down and managed go pull it free. "Would you like some lunch?" She offered when she pulled it free, its limp body flopped at her feet. She had noticed his skinny legs and body, almost wincing at the bones that were just about showing. The rabbit would be a better meal for him then it would for her. She could always get something from the caches or hunt something on the way back to Grizzly Hollow. Which made her think. "Are you part of a pack by the way? I cannot smell any others on you so I assume you are not?"

(This post was last modified: Mar 12, 2016, 05:41 AM by Amaryllis.)

Know me for who I am, not what I am

Icicle’s bobbed slightly as Lily confirmed what he had been suspecting. Though it seemed fairly obvious, it was always good to have confirmation. One think Icicle hated was assumptions, considering the sheer amount of them made toward him when someone first encounters the ghostly wraith.

Pink eyes started to follow the female as she reached down for the hare. Icicle’s mind only had one though great...she’s going to take itHe fully expected it and had started to make plans to try and catch something else. Lily’s words hit the skeletal looking figure right in the gut as he stared at her for a moment, unable to hide the surprise when she actually offered it to him.

“I..I don’t know what to say….” He paused for a moment...what should he say? This female was completely contradictory to everything Icicle knew. She hadn’t been scared, she didn’t think he was some diseased pile of bone. To top it all off, she offered him help and him food.She doesn't want anything in return, she doesn't even want the hare… He didn’t want to accept the hare he didn’t want to seem weak, but he knew he needed to eat so slowly the large wolf sat his pride aside and nodded slowly “Yes...please.”

At her next question, a soft sigh escaped Icicle as he looked toward her slowly. “I was...once, but not anymore…”He paused for a moment. He wanted to be part of one so badly, but the only experiences he had ever had in one was so negative, he wasn’t sure if all packs worked that way, and yet instead of keeping these questions bottled up inside and using past experiences, Icicle found his maw opening “I’ve been scared to try and join one…” What was wrong with him?! For so long He had always kept a tight grip on his emotions, to share them was to show weakness, and yet here he was..slowly melting away and...it was a relief.