Cedarwood Forest To laugh and dance in safety

For @Icicle

Salmon tongue lolling easily from between parted jaws a certain pep was to be had in Enoki's step that morning as ebony limbs managed to find themselves loping leisurely through the confines of cedar wood forest. Not even the constant nagging of her estrus cycle to fulfill her primal needs could dim the lighthearted and carefree attitude the two toned maiden felt while weaving effortlessly like a blur between the gigantic trunks, each stride managing to leave behind the faintest set of paw tracks in the melting snow marking where she had come from previously. As if the overwhelming scent of Willow Ridge upon her pelt wasn't indication enough.

Rounded ebony audits remained relaxed and poised forward the further she ventured into the forest, each deep inhale filling her lungs with the pleasant aroma of pine needles and various quarry a huntress such as herself would have a hay day attempting to collect to bring back home as a token of her journey. Yet hunting was not the item listed on her agenda today, instead a simple 'me day' was to be had to enjoy what the world had to offer. Whether that was a spontaneous encounter with an unknown wolf, discovery of a new hidden lair; now that Skoll was aware of her covert cut out in the mountain's behemoth side, or simply enjoying the comfortable weather now that spring was on the rise.

Pads pressing into the mixture of slush and exposed pine needles, the faint sound of trickling water caught Enoki's attention enough to shift her path of travel. A drink of fresh water would be a great relief compared to the dead of winter task where one was having to chew snow for a soothing drink, especially with her body feeling like it was about to incinerate at any given moment. Humming cheerfully to herself as she trotted along it didn't take long for the slow flowing creek to come into view, smoldering amber gaze taking in her surroundings once her paws reached the shallow banks before lowering her skull to lap delicately at the water's surface. Ah, much better than eating snow.

You'll know how strong you are when that's all you have left to be.

Icicle moved slowly across the melting snow as he wove between the trees of the Cederwood forest. Feeling the soft pine needles underneath the melting liquid brought a mixed reaction of relief and reluctance to the almost skeletal looking colorless wolf. Soon spring would be upon them and with that the days would be longer and the sun would be shining brighter. For many wolves this was a welcoming prospect, for for Icicle it meant shorter nights and less time in darkness. The young wolf didn’t hate beauty or anything, infact he sometimes could enjoy the way the sun shined on ridges and broke the skyline...as long as he was safely under some trees and away from the burning glare of the light.

A small sigh escaped the ghostly white being as his ears pricked. The soft sound of water slowly trickling away was yet another herald of the coming warm season. A rough pink tongue ran over pinkish rubbery lips as the albino made his way toward the creek to satisfy his thirst. |No point in moaning over winter’s loss| Icicle knew he had been dealt this hand of cards and he didn’t feel like complaining, he’s lived this long with it, he could go a lot longer.

Slowly the large canine stepped out of the trees. He moved with his usual slow care in order to keep his body from aching. That, he saw was the only bright side to the coming warmer months. his bones ached less and he would be able to move quicker, though the definition of quicker could vary. Icicl had never attempted to run full out, the trotted he had used before had been excruciating enough to show the wolf his limits in that regard. He paused to look around, a scent on the air told him that he wasn’t alone, slowly, he turned his head toward the direction the smell had come from and that was when he saw her, a blurry mix of light and dark shades

He narrowed his eyes into light pink slits as he tried to make out more details of her, but from this distance she remained a blurry shape. Icicle sighed softly before returning to  the task at hand. moving further down the bank, as to not startle her, for most females seemed to be on edge during this time, Icicle intentionally stepped heavier than he usually did to give his presences away as he bowed his head over the bank and lapped at the cool, refreshing liquid.

ThoughtIcicle’s dialogue

(This post was last modified: Mar 08, 2016, 03:06 PM by Icicle.)

Today it seemed fate had ruled out the possibilities of discovering a new hidden lair for herself, or enjoying the blissful weather alone. Rather, it was going to be an encounter with the most peculiar of wolves, one almost as strange as herself; if not stranger. It was the sound of crunching snow beneath heavy steps that roused the piebald woman from her leisure drink at the creek, ebony skull lifting with tendrils of icy water dripping off the tufts of fur coating her chin to cast a smoldering amber gaze upon a distant figure partaking in the same task she had just moments ago. There didn't seem to be any signs of aggression nor any indicating smells other than the obvious cologne of wolf present as the pale wolf drank.

Taking this small factor as a clear indication the pale figure was safe to approach and having acquired her fill of liquid sustenance for the time being, Enoki warranted a gentle smile to appear upon the swarthy features of her countenance before slowly advancing toward the other. "Hello there." Her naturally sweet voice filtered through the air once ebony pillars paused a respectable amount of distance away, not wanting to intrude too far into the male's personal bubble should he turn out to be more aggressive than his outer appearance portrayed. Lifting an ivory dipped tail it flagged lightly at her flanks, brushing aside the looser bits of snow flurries present upon the ground.

Know me for who I am, not what I am

Icicle kept his attention on the chilled water as he lapped up his share of the water. A cool shudder running down the albino’s spine as the cold liquid made it’s way down his throat. Upon finishing he slowly lifted his head to avoid triggering more pain, the skin along his neck and just above his shoulders still sported a fresh sun burn from the wolf’s recent trek under the unforgiving sun. Pale ears pricked as he turned toward Enoki as she spoke. No matter how many times Icicle encountered a kind wolf this past week it continued to surprise him, but a little less each time.

The first thing that the ghostly white male noticed was Enoki’s cheerful behavior and the fact that she hadn’t gotten too close...yet. This...is still odd…. Icicle observed, though he had mixed reactions, It still seemed unnatural to come across wolves that actually didn’t treat him like a plague infected beast or some unnatural most and yet he couldn’t help but to become suspicious and yet wanting to trust that the female meant no harm but for him, past experience was a bitter teacher and cautious won over as he became more guarded.

he kept his own tone, though naturally higher then one may expect from a wolf of his size, neutral and devoid of emotion, he spoke with respect, unsure if this female may have been an Alpha or a touchy loner, one couldn’t be too careful “Good evening ma’am.” Icicle lowered himself onto his haunches with an unusual amount of slowness and care,as though he was trying to avoid causing more pain to his joints.

Bright amber eyes widened in surprise at what they came to witness once the ivory coated wolf came to face her, but the gentle expression upon her ebony features refused to falter as he lowered himself into a seated position in an almost painstaking manor. This wolf seemed awfully young to be undergoing any joint issues commonly found in elderly wolves and a pair of soft pink eyes matching a pink nose where a normal coal black one should have been briefly through the piebald maiden off further, brows furrowing together curiously at the sight. Enoki hadn't crossed paths with a creature as bizarre as @Icicle before both within and outside Relic Lore, but the magpie resembling wolf was not one to cast judgement so quickly.

Quickening the pace of her waving banner, the smile nestled upon her marred maw remained in tact despite the emotionless and oddly high pitched drawl the other offered in greeting. "Pleasant weather today isn't it?" She casually provoked the odd looking male for a chance to begin some small talk, bright gaze surveying the soft sunlit, yet shady forest surrounding them for a spare moment while rounded ears listened both for a response from the young wolf and the current cacophony of chirps, thrills and clicks made by the various species of birds claiming the cedar timbers as their home. Gradually her gaze returned to the other, ivory painted flanks soon coming to rest upon the snow and mud clad earth. Plush tail wrapping neatly around her left side. "What's your name? I don't think I've seen you around here before." Enoki asked, head giving a curious tilt toward one side.

Know me for who I am, not what I am

A colorless but thick tail thumped quietly on the snowy bu muddy mixed surface as the pale wolf ‘s eyes  roved over Enoki while she spoke.  His ears angled toward her as she commented on the weather, His eyes closed slowly with the sunlight filtering in. An old habbi that had developed from the stinging light, no matter how little sunlight there was, it always managed to cause discomfort for Icicle.

The weather...it’s warming up. That was the ivory furred wolf was willing to say for now. He responded politely, which was all he was really expected to do by social standard. it’s warming up and getting brighter he thought, somewhat bitterly. The warmer weather would mean shorter nights, which translated to longer days, meaning that that ball of hateful heat would be bearing down on Icicle even longer than what he had to suffer through the widner. A small sigh momentarily escaped the wolf. No point in moping, the sun will shine no matter what, just adapt like always.

His mind set now, Icicle returned to his present conflict. This black and silver piebald was friendly..really friendly, something so far that Icicle had only encountered in one other wolf,the Grizzly Hollow female @Amaryllis. Icicle’s usual strategy was simple. He answered a question, he didn’t add to the conversation, he wouldn’t add to it nor would he give his opinion. Some that past experience has taught him had little value to others.That is how life worked among others.

Yet, here was someone else, breaking the very social code that Icicle had learned, allowing him the chance to give more than just a simple answer or statement. is it possible… he wondered as she inquired about his name. Maybe some other there do..No. Icicle snarled at himself. He was starting to let his guard down, it would come back to bite him. It.Always.Did.

The ghostly white wolf inhaled deeply, he had considered giving more than just his name, to maybe even ask her own, but no, if she wanted to give it then she would. If he didn’t ask questions then he didn’t risk the anger of others“I’m called Icicle, Ma’am.”

ThoughtDialogue

Angled head soon righted itself and splayed dark ears backwards for the briefest of moments noticing the snowy male bring his pinkish eyes to a close, single ear soon rotating forward when he spoke upon the warming of the weather. An almost dejected sounding sigh following shortly after. Indeed it was warming and although Enoki was unaware of the discomfort the sun offered Icicle both visually and physically, she was rather glad for the addition heat upon her ebony infused hairs. Father Winter had had his portion of the seasonal cycle to bombard the lore with abundant days of blistering blizzards, bone chilling frostbite and endless snow drifts to both romp and become lost in, but now it was time for spring to arrive. For flowers to blossom and new life to take root.

After what seemed like an internal battle on the pale wolf's behalf a moniker was finally provided, the smile upon her leathery lips widening ever so slightly. The addition of a politely tacked on ma'am at the end warranting a consistent thump of her ivory dipped tail lightly against the soil. Not often did Enoki hear such proper and respectful words falling off the tongue of others these days, often reasoning it to  the fact that the new generations were not raised to the same standards as hers was. Another reminder to her increasing age. "Pleasure to meet you Icicle. I'm Enoki." Icicle, how befitting his name was for one that looked as he did. Granted it would have been perfect to a tee if his gaze held true to a shade of icy blue that better reflected the naturally occurring winter formation than the soft cherry blossom pink they obtained now. Yet nobody held any form of control in regards to their genetic combination. The piebald female was a prime example, her specific genetic defect occurring in nature less than one percent of the time.

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

A pleasure to meet you

The white wolf was utterly baffled, his ears pricking as though to try and catch those words again, She had said them, that Icicle was sure of, one skill he did possess was listening, and he was SURE that was what she had said. Soft pinks eyes blinked, he wasn’t sure what to say now, this conversation hadn’t followed any path that Icicle had expected. He didn’t like this, not knowing what to do. He survived by knowing stuff, how other wolves act, how they think, and how to properly respond to them. The world was suppose to follow a set order. Someone says something, Icicle responds, usually it ends with the other person either trying to run Icicle off or dismissing him completely. @Amaryllis was an unusual enough case but there had been something different about her...she managed to get to the colorless wolf in ways he didn’t really understand, but here was yet another wolf.

Is it really a please? Icicle thought bitterly as he tried to figure out how to navigate these new waters. It couldn’t really be a pleasure, could it? He wanted to believe it, he truly did, but at the same time, it would mean having to leave the security of what he knew, though what he knew, he was slowly starting to question it but it something that the chalky wolf just wasn’t ready for, so instead he decided to give another limited answer, she couldn't get offended if he didn’t show emotion right? This way, she would learn little and Icicle wouldn’t be putting himself at risk “Yes ma’am…” He said slowly, quickly making sure that he phrased it properly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too.”

ThoughtIcicle’s Dialogue

Sorry this took so long to get up! Feel free to post an exit for Icicle and then archive! <3

The low thumping of her ivory dipped banner ceased for a split second when Icicle spoke, returning the kind sentiment only to end the conversation there. No attempt at stirring up a casual conversation as Enoki had hoped tagging itself onto his final words. Hm, must not be the conversational type. She thought with a minor twinge of disappointment. The older woman was looking forward to possible getting to know just who this strange creature was, but if the boy was not one for idle chit-chat she wouldn't push the matter. Considering his lack of wanting to communicate what was the point in sticking around then? Maybe this was just nature's way of reminding her that she had task to fulfill back with the Ridge. Those caches couldn't fill themselves up as much as Enoki wished they could on some days.

Alas, the decision was made then to relieve the male before her of her company and return back to the confines of the Ridge after paying the meadow a visit in hopes of buying herself a little more time outdoors. Granted she wasn't the only female undergoing some semblance of a heat cycle this season; Morganna no doubt being a raging bitch until her needs were sated while thwarting any other female foolish enough to try and beat her to the punch, Enoki thought it best to avoid the female population for the time being. If she was kept busy hunting the chance of running into one of them would be greatly diminished.

Casting her smoldering amber gaze skyward to peer through the dappled canopy above a certain look contorted her features to give off the impression she had remembered something important while her swarthy limbs hoisted her frame back onto all fours. Only after a few fleeting moments passed did her gaze wander back to the pale face of Icicle, an almost apologetic smile adorning her lips. "I do hate to bring this encounter to such a short end, but I just remembered I have an errand to run which is why I was out this way anyways. I do hope we have the chance to meet again and have a proper conversation." Sincerity coated her words as she spoke them gently, her tail lifting to wag behind her in good spirits. Perhaps if their paths did cross again he would be more open to conversing with the piebald maiden. One could only hope. A simple nod was given to @Icicle in farewell then before her paws began to trot in the general direction of Hush Meadow, eventually the silhouettes of the towering timber engulfing her embodiment until her fading form was out of sight.