Blackberry Fields silver scales, gold chains

All welcome, but mentions for @Lilya, @Rose, @Niq'x since I said I'd make threads <3
Set at the river visible within Blackberry Fields on the map!

Feeling a little too edgy to be alone in the thicket since encountering the embodiment of terror, Duck had decided that morning to strike out east rather than his familiar south-west route. As was not entirely surprising, once Duck had found a fishing spot and path which suited him, he'd rather lost the inclination to explore other possibilities. He liked what was comfortable and familiar, whether good or bad; he could prepare for it, either the pleasure or the pain. And with this pack being full of wolves who seemed determined to be nothing but friendly... the well-used barriers of his youth were getting very dusty, brushed off only in moments of irrational panic rather than with any real cause to be afraid.

The pig had been genuinely terrifying, though, and he wasn't used to experiencing justified fear these days. Deciding that he needed to step outside of his comfort zone for a little bit (which is totally unrelated to being horrified at the thought of running into a boar again shut up) the young wolf had walked in a direction completely opposite to his usual. It was out of the thicket, technically, for the ground was definitely clearer, though there were still thorny brambles everywhere. Feeling both exposed at being in the open and glad for the reduced chance to just waltz right into a beast of hell, he hadn't stopped walking until the sound of water graced his ears - and when it came to a day's work, Duck was as predictable as it came.

Heartened by the uneventful journey and feeling disproportionally pleased at his own initiative to try somewhere new, Duck trotted down the gentle hill towards the narrow river which ran straight through the fields, winding a leisurely path from north to south. Since every good fishing session had to start with observation, especially a brand new, unknown spot like this, he settled his haunches to the ground right at the bank and dropped his gaze to the water, grey eyes calmly casting about for signs of silvery scales, body relaxing as he fell into the comfortable ritual.

K stop, @Duckweed is so cute. :'3
This post, revamped for the third time.

Despite the monotony of Merys' trek southwest, he had been enjoying the extension to his exploration the last few weeks. He decided that it had been time to explore south for once, as he had never truly made it down before he had gotten recruited by @Jynx to join White Fir Notch -- or Round Stone Crest, as it had been back then. The land had opened up again, but luckily it ended up being nothing like the Lowlands he had been stuck in for a week. That had been a difficult trek, primarily due to it numbing his senses. Everything had looked the same, and it had been more than easy to slip into a zombie-like trance. He had been grateful to stumble upon that female in the mist that day, simply to break his being victimized by boredom. He was still deciding if he was grateful for the offer she had given him, that he had accepted, to join the new pack. It had been a lonely few months, so he knew why had allowed himself to falter, but he still had not found any particular reason to find his new home.. well, 'homey'.

He finished sucking the tendons and cartilage from the rabbit's remaining bones, and stood to shake his pelt. Had he really needed that second meal today? No.. but it was a habit from his past as a hunter -- and months as a loner -- to take advantage of all of the small edible creatures he stumbled across. The white blur that had been sighted in his peripherals had been no different, and now his belly was pleasantly stuffed. His blood stained maw lifted to the sky, noticing the sun had played across the sky noticeably since he had left White Fir Notch, and he considered guiltily if he should turn tail and head back soon. An accepting sigh escaped his lungs, but as he lowed his brown eyes, another scent drifted into his nostrils. Someone else had lost their time to these long fields. It was a scent that he had not encountered before, much different than the fresh fir and spruce that he had become accustomed to in the north. The tall grasses and bushes filled his nostrils and tickled his pelt, but he noted the scent of fresh water as well. And of course, the scent of a male blatantly swirled in there with it all.

It didn't have to be time to head back to the packlands just yet. His curiosity pulled him forward into a trot, itching for a cool drink to wash down the stubborn rabbit fur, and to investigate whoever was on the horizon. Once he reached the river, he lapped gulped down his drink, not wanting to pause too long in fear of losing his other destination. He walked and drank, letting the water fall from his mouth and chin before continuing on. Merys was fairly certain he could follow the river and find the male, though he did eye the water longingly as the surface rippled with fish and rocks. Spring had a refreshing feeling; the water had still felt like ice in his throat, but nonetheless spring was on the wind's tides. When Merys was sure that the small white figure in the distance was indeed a wolf -- not that he was miche, he slowed his paws to a halt, happy to see that they had ended up being on the same side of the water. He barked abruptly then, impatient for the male's attention. He flicked his tail curiously, lowered his head in greeting and investigating the now stronger scent. He would not have long to spend here, but he still had to at least see.

founding member | 2016

the post is here to stay this time, woot woot! <3

This had been an excellent idea. The deeper water held so much life, and Duck was almost drooling as he watched the bodies slip downstream, ignorant to the pale slip of a wolf who watched them, hunger and excitement gleaming in his eyes. Still he was patient and made not a single move to provoke them, content for now to simply observe. Some of the fish he saw were bigger than those he caught in his usual creek, and the idea of bringing back such a hefty slab of cool meat was intoxicating, just think of how useful that would make him!

But as with all good things...

Neglectfully absorbed in his craft, the bark made Duck jump nearly out of his skin - and unfortunately, sat as close to the edge of the water as he was, the pale wolf slipped in his surprise and tipped forward, landing with an ungraceful splash in the water. Fortunately the river was not very deep right at the edges so a bigger disaster was avoided - with merely his pride and dignity damaged (yeah because he had much of either to begin with) Duck sputtered as he clambered back onto the earthy bank, it now a little muddier.

It was enough of an alarming event that his typical anxiety was taking a little longer to kick in, temporarily overpowered by the more basic oh-shit-wtf-was-that reaction, following by an unintended dunking. Eyes wide and stiff-legged at how abruptly cold his body was, Duck stared at the wolf who had so sharply barked at him, blinking once as his brain began to catch up and the normal, nervous neurons began to fire properly... that guy was huge. Oh jeez. What did he want. Craaaaapcrapcrapcrap.

Understandably, any wolf might have been startled had they been presented with a similar situation. While Merys had not been very close to his company, he supposed he may have been a little abrupt with his actions. That being said, the four year old was still utterly surprised watching the situation unfold in front of him. Not one second before his voice ended its call for alertness did the pale wolf turn into a jumble of bones and meat, then somehow pleasantly present himself to the river as a sacrifice. Merys froze with confusion, then turned his head to the side awkwardly, as if to see if anyone else might have a better understanding of what just happened. He blinked a couple of times, and spoke to himself, "Sorry? ..I guess?" inaudible, but he wasn't sure what else his reaction should be.

Hesitating to move forward, Merys watched the now drenched fur and bones creatures, amusingly much skinnier, pull himself from the river back onto the shore. He decided perhaps it best to take a few steps closer. He lowered his head so as to perhaps allude to a less startling silhouette, but with every hesitant step he realized that he would be hard pressed to seem smaller than the yearling. He matched eyes with the boy then. There was something in that moment, a mix between the boy's dripping unsteady stance, or his wide, staring eyes that caused Merys to lose grip of a snicker. The snippet of laughter fell from his maw quietly, though he was not unsure that the pale male couldn't hear him, and he tried to stifle the rest of it from being emitted. He dared not approach too quickly, else the boy might permanently end up shit creek without his paddle next time. The thought made him snicker again, and he shook his head and cleared his throat to the side in an attempt to hide it. "-ahm, hm, yes, uh.. ahm. Sorry about that," he called, loud enough so that he knew he would be heard, carefully motioning to the river to their side so that he did not get any more entertaining images of the bag of bones floating downriver in his head. 

founding member | 2016

Even as dread seeped into his bones at the fact that his previously peaceful endeavour was to be spoiled by the possibility of socialising, there was the rather more important matter of the big brown wolf being a total stranger with unknown incentive... At least Nightingale had started off on the other side of the creek, even if she had turned out to be okay. As Duck stared at the man who had inexplicably wanted his attention, though, a third and much more insidious concern bubbled up, seeing the subtle twist of the stranger's mouth and tiny shudder of the head which typically meant one thing.

Duck wasn't close enough to hear it, but he was convinced it's what he witnessed, and so even while he shrunk under the stranger's gaze, his jaw snapped shut and clenched in quiet, angry indignation. If he'd been sitting but half a foot further from where the bank dropped into the river, he wouldn't have fallen at all - but what ifs were pointless. Now he was soaking wet and being laughed at for it.

The stranger offered his weak apologies, and while Duck eyed the distance between them, he did not yet shy away. Instead his mouth just curled in a faint sneer, the strongest defiance he could muster, and then took a careful step back, his hurt pride fighting with his desire to melt into the ground. "Luh, luh, luh, luh, luh, l-l-l-laughitup," he bit out, hopefully loud enough to carry, shaking most of the wet from his fur. He didn't look any less skinny or bedraggled, but that wasn't his fault, was it, he thought bitterly, fixing the brown stranger with a distrustful, wary eye.

The young wolf before Merys was not impressed, but he could not prevent his sick amusement from bubbling out over and over from his maw. It shook his shoulders as he tried to stifle it, but it was nothing that could be hidden at this point. Why this situation had been so amusing to him was remained to be seen, but he was nonetheless enjoying the happiness stemming from his diaphragm. What a small, little thing. He shouldn't be teasing him, but surely the yearling would be able to see the humour in all of this soon. He stood tall, innately keeping his chest full and tail medium-high as the yearling shrunk under his gaze. At this point, a tinge of guilt floated into the forefront of his thoughts and he decided to back track a bit for the boy.

"Luh, luh, luh, luh, luh, l-l-l-laughitup,"

He reeled in his snickering then for a moment, trading it for as genuine of a smile he could muster, "Aww, hey now, no, it's just-" but as the sopping mess of bone and fur wolf shook his pelt dry, the aftereffect had just as much of an effect on Merys' entertainment. Now, instead of the water weighing down what little meat he had on his bones, the fur stuck out in all sorts of directions, making him look like a spikey force to be reckoned with, and Merys could not help losing it again. "I'm sorry, I really am. Do you swim here often?" His weak joke continued his self-amusement, even at the young one's expense.

(This post was last modified: Apr 17, 2016, 06:54 PM by Merys.)

founding member | 2016

The girl was out and about on another one of her solo adventures, enjoying every sunny bit of the turning of the season. The air was kinder upon the lungs, even tasting better upon the back of her tongue, and her slate-colored coat soaked up the gentle warmth from the sun. It was easily decided that she absolutely loved this season, and perhaps it was her favorite; but then, hadn't she thought the same of each of them? It was the novelty, the change of pace that was really drawing her in, and now she was excited to see what the silenced memories of her youngest days were hiding.

No longer fearful of where she might step foot and who might catch her, she wandered freely, northward and eventually into the blackberry fields. There was no goal, exactly, to her venturing until the wind brought her an unexpected revelation. That boy was out here somewhere, and without putting much thought into it, Nineva decided she would go find him. It was secretly hoped by her that the more she inflicted her presence upon Duckweed, the more he'd warm up to her and the better he would feel around her. A piece of her felt guilty each time he stuttered or flinched back, wishing she could help him to find confidence instead. Maybe he wouldn't change, maybe it would be best if she just left him alone, but she wasn't done trying so easily.

As the girl drew closer, another scent could be picked up, curiously foreign. Nothing set off alarm bells, however, until she came upon the scene from the other side of the river. In quick succession she picked up pieces of what was happening; Duckweed soaked to the bone, agitated and clearly not enjoying his company, and the man shaking with barely-contained laughter. Immediately, a protective flare lit up inside of the girl. What the heck was going on here?

Without hesitation she crossed the river, soaking half of herself in the process but unbothered by the cold. Her ears were splayed back as her mismatched gaze pinned itself accusingly onto the other male. With only a few short months of growth left, she was an impressive height herself, and for the first time in her life made use of it as she moved to stand next to Duckweed. If allowed, she would press her shoulder to his in solidarity. If this man had pushed Duckweed into the river... well, she wasn't above running to daddy.

"What's the joke?"

(This post was last modified: Apr 15, 2016, 09:39 PM by Nineva.)

@Merys <3

And there it was, that immediate shift in expression the moment Duck's basic inability to spit out words properly became known, that horrible, horrible moment when he just knew that there was some unsavoury new sentiment floating about in there - whether pity or disgust or amusement. When the stranger started to backtrack, only to crack up again at the sight of a scrawny post-shake runt, Duck glared darkly at him. At least the stranger wasn't trying to be too fake; if he was going to turn Duck into a joke, at least he was mostly owning it. Silver linings, right?

Grinding his molars together as he contemplated the mocking question, wondering whether he had the courage to be as blunt as Gil had and pick out some choice words for the man... But the effect would only be ruined by stammering. Maybe he should just leave. There was no point in fishing here anymore, he'd have to go back empty-jawed and waste the rest of the day feeling aggressively sorry for himself.

He never got the opportunity to make a decision, as the sound of splashing caught his ear, and of course he glanced back at the river only to see a familiar face making her way through the water towards them.

A fresh kind of horror twisted at his gut then, knowing what Nineva was like and unique anxiety he felt around her, knowing that she was, in some ways, just exactly like his mother - proven in this, by coming to his rescue. Oh how gosh-darn wonderful. If he hadn't felt like turning invisible earlier, now it was ten times worse, because his body stood stiff and tense and immobile as she strode to his side, his capacity to move or speak completely disabled. Was this more pathetic than being saved by mummy, being protected by a young girl half his age? Did it matter? She was bigger than him despite their age disparity, just like everyone was always bigger. Ears held flat out to the side, he picked a spot in the distance and just stared at it. She was only trying to help, be kind, be his friend, or whatever it was she wanted... he tried to remember that, as his heart beat cold and hollow and angry at himself. Though he did not recoil when she pressed her shoulder to his, the touch felt like fire, her comfort and protection unwanted. But that didn't matter either, not if he couldn't do anything about it.

Welp. Might as well let this play out. He was familiar with having his agency stripped by well-meaning women, though he was sick to death of it.

Merys had only begun to regain his composure all on his own when he caught scent of the female joining their company. Not that the two wolves had ever gotten around to introducing themselves to each other -- much to Merys' disappointment, he could use more laughs like this more often. The boisterous entrance of the grey child (in smell, certainly not in size) made Merys' lingering amusement simmer to a finish. Now this situation had just gotten weird. Now Merys stood there, looking like the big bad bully, facing these two children down like there was something he was going to do about it. He watched the female move to the boy's side, and watched, too, as he nearly winced from her presence. What a sad story. It would have been one thing if he had just been a small pup born with an inconvenient stature, but it seemed he had also been born without a backbone.

He wondered for a moment if he had stumbled anywhere near borders to a pack, but the two did not smell similar, nor would he have made the mistake of missing the obvious markers, not this far from home. Ew. Home? Not yet. Too soon. Too soon. he thought abruptly. He shook his head to himself. Back to the task at hand. He eyed the two with a look of caution for a few moments, feeling bad for the young boy. Merys had not meant to be malicious to him at any point, he had just gotten out of hand with the surprise and amusement. He did not like that the girl had jumped to conclusions. He turned his expression to a genuinely friendlier one then, jokingly. Perhaps he could help the boy out of his despair, though it could not be said if he would want help from anyone at this point. "We were just discussing fishing techniques! Rocks were a bit slippier than we thought, though, weren't they?" he said to her, and then to him, speaking as though the yearling boy and him had truly been getting along before she had showed up. He wondered if he would take the bait so as to send the girl on her way. Merys would be happy to leave after, if so. Actually, Merys would be happy to leave anyway, but he felt guilty for ruining the pale wolf's day. "My mistake really, I should have thought of the algae before I recommended he try my way," he explained, matter of factly, confident that his tone and expression would make a good case for seeming truthful, committing to the act. It would all depend on the young wolf's reaction to his play. He added a last word and a subtle encouraging look, to hopefully bait the boy. Merys was unsure that he had much in him, but at least he was being given a chance. "I really am sorry about that.. silly of me. I wasn't thinking." Hopefully he would pick up that he was no longer speaking about the fish, but about his teasing. Whatever it took to get them both out of this weird situation.

(This post was last modified: Apr 17, 2016, 07:31 PM by Merys.)

founding member | 2016

al;kdjf sorry for the wait guys
so happy to finally be writing judgmental nin tho ;w;

Duckweed didn't look anything like relieved that she had come to help, and that was of no surprise to Nineva given what had taken place when they had met. It'd been the same way, like he didn't know how to accept help. She'd yet to figure out why this might be, but also hadn't spent too much time dwelling on it, unfortunately not having passed enough time with him to think of him any kind of often. Therefor, his locking up drew little attention from her, not while this man so lacking in comity still had to explain himself.

Her eyes glowed with purpose as she continued to stare him down, demeanor and expression both unwavering as his words began to filter through her ears. The exact description as to what the man found to be so funny was given, and momentarily Nineva's eyes slid to take in Duckweed's reaction in hopes of verifying the statement. Regardless of what his features did or did not tell her, when they returned to Merys' dials, they had not softened at all. She was glad that it was not bullying that the stranger found so much mirth in, but even an innocent explanation was not satisfying, and the girl would have no qualms in telling him this.

"I expect a lot more from an adult than 'I wasn't thinking,'" she answered coolly. "Clearly, he didn't find it funny at all, and even a little self control would have had you stop once you noticed that."

To just keep laughing on regardless, at what was clearly a severe cost to her friend's emotional health, was immature in her eyes and thus a failure on Merys' part that would be remembered. She wasn't the wronged party, however; if Duckweed found the apology suitable, then she would not press the matter further. The question was whether or not he'd even speak up to say. She'd give him the chance to without prodding, though, not wanting to give the impression that she intended to hold his hand through this like a child.