The Wildwood One day you'll get home

OOC: For @Rose - using the RE: Cernan, you have become stuck in a deep pool of mud! Backdated to 4/10; let me know if you want a different date for this, I'm flexible :)

4/10/2016
Weather:
36° F, 2° C
Overcast
1:34 PM

This was the furthest yet; the greatest distance from his family that the young boy had ever been. Hunting was never quite as good up on the mountain; unless you wanted to stumble after sheep and goats; and Cernan needed the best chance he could get to have any real hope of success. The child was still quite new at this thing, but he did take time out to practice. Most of the time it was a lot more tracking, and a lot less hunting. He couldn't say he felt like he was improving, but there wasn't a whole lot else to do. When he did manage to find something to chase after, the fun of it was enough to make him want to keep trying – at least if no one else was around. Few things were worse than someone else watching the rookie screw up. 

He blamed the prey for dragging him out so far. Each time the trail escaped him, and the lad thought to turn back, he caught it again. Each time he felt like it had to be so close; that around the next tree he would spot it. Now, Cernan wasn't entirely sure what this critter was, but it smelled edible; perhaps rodent-like. He wished for a moment that he were back on the rocky mountainside; where he could see everything. The foliage here was just so thick, and with the snow melting every few days the ground was wet and gross. Mud stuck to his feet, but it at least made the other animals' tracks fairly obvious and simple to follow.

The woods were so dense in fact, that he actually heard his quarry flee before he saw it. No no no... His head snapped up, ears quickly focusing in on the sound of its hurried footsteps. No, he was so close now! The pup kicked into a run; blindly following the noise through the brush. Golden eyes flicked frantically between bushes and bare trees. He was too focused on finding the darn thing to watch where he was putting his big clumsy feet. The boy turned harshly along a ridge, only to discover that the damp ground was much less stable than he'd thought. Moss gave way beneath his feet and he stumbled; unable to correct the spill in time. Cernan's chest hit the wet earth as he slipped sideways; staggering under the force of his momentum. His pudgy frame descended the slope; paws landing squarely in even more mud. 

The lake child was upright in an instant; the brown-black soil now coating his chest. Crap. The wet dirt behind him was smoothed into skidmarks from his ungraceful descent. Was the thing still nearby? He slowly took a step forward; hating how the muck pulled at his leg. This time it sunk even deeper. Better not go that way. When he tried to step back, though, the chubby boy found it much more difficult. With a soft scowl he brought his other foot forward to try and scrape at the mud, but the weight then settled onto his already mired leg; now ankle deep. Quite sick of this nasty stuff and more than ready to just turn home and forget the stupid rodent, he leaned back and pulled from his back legs this time. Each unsuccessful attempt was met with more and more force, until the boy noticed what was happening.

He was deeper somehow, and he couldn't pull any of his legs out. His hind limbs had sunk in from the effort, and there was no point to anchor from anymore. For a moment Cernan simply froze; staring at the mud and then at the forest around him. What was he supposed to do? Worry began nipping at his brain and he tried again, to no avail. The stuff was holding him there; and as strong as he might have seemed the child was no match for this force. The cold chills of panic rolled down his spine. Oh God, where even was he? He hadn't seen a single other soul this whole time – what if no one else was around? What if he really couldn't get out? Cernan's eyes grew wide with fear and he struggled further. He didn't want to try calling out; the person or thing that came to his summons was just as likely to eat him as they were to help. That, and he hardly liked the idea of someone finding him helpless and soaked with mud.  

But as the minutes ticked by he was running out of options. Now his legs were half gone; sucked into the earth. The pup's heartbeat was deafening. A soft whine escaped him; but it would find no one. He froze. If he kept trying to get out, it only got worse. Then another whine hit the air; driven on by his growing terror. He had no other options. The whimpering built on top of itself, intensifying into a desperate, pleading howl. He looked around frantically, feeling for sure that something awful was now coming to end him. A boar? An evil stranger? The boy started to shake and cried again. He didn't want to die out here. 

(This post was last modified: Apr 14, 2016, 10:43 PM by Cernan.)

The date works perfect for me :)
Honestly probably shouldn't have even mentioned the mother seeing as I don't know where my thread with Kjors is heading e__e;; It's 6am and I'm tired though so... idk maybe it'll all work out.

With all that had happened within the past month, the young Hervok had started to feel a bit overwhelmed. She needed a breather, to escape and really think about what her options were before making any irrational decisions. The possibility of living alongside @Kjors meant that she'd have to leave her family behind, was it horrible that she was beginning to feel like that wasn't such a big deal? The Mother, well, honestly she sounded like Rose's only sure way of ever finding acceptance. The only definite direction towards feeling significant. Perhaps it would sound silly to other wolves, but a sense of belonging was something the fae hadn't felt with her family since she was just a pup, somewhere along the ride it'd been forgotten and to her that was more than just unacceptable. 'There isn't a single living thing on this earth that deserves to feel alone.' Letting out a long, exasperated sigh, the russet child desperately attempted to straighten her priorities.

"Oh, Mother.." the near-yearling hummed, still feeling rather foolish for believing in so heavily what she knew so little about. "Give me a sign that you really exist, I'll accept anything. Just this one favor, and I promise you I'll never doubt you again." and almost miraculously, the deity seemingly answered. The sound was unmistakable, a vile shriek for help echoing louder and louder through the obscure forest she'd found herself in. The child began to run toward the noise, unable to push past the strange feeling of excitement that now made it's way through her core. It was obvious that whatever lied ahead was in some sort of horrible predicament to be making such a foul clamor, but there was no mistaking that this was the Mother's doing, right? "Thank you!" she whispered, now closing in on the commotion.

It was then that Rose saw him, a child around her own age, stuck in a cavernous amount of mud. "Oh my!" The Hervok gasped, hopelessly examining the situation. "Are you alright? No, of course you aren't. Stupid question, my apologies. Uhmm, I'm going to help you.. Somehow." panicked, the fae began pacing the perimeter for anything that could come of use.

Tell me what to do to make it all feel better.

Rose Hervok

@Rose

He was about to cry out again; each time feeling more and more hopeless and panicked. Every time he opened his mouth he risked something dangerous hearing it. And every time made him realize just how doomed he really was, and scared him even more. The jeremiad pleas echoed back and forth between the trees, returning just as hollow and empty as the forest itself. He strained to hear footsteps, spine bristling with the feeling that something was bearing down on him – it had to be. He was almost defenseless here; who would turn down such an easy meal? 

Between shrieks the boy's mind went through every conceivable predator; every rival that could come and end him before he starved to death in the mud. Which was truly worse? Real, audible footfalls broke him from his morbid thoughts and his head snapped about with all the terror and ferocity of a cornered animal. Where where where?! He thrashed again, trying to locate and face his impending death. Even the added strength of adrenaline did little to assist. He was still trapped, and he was still dead. 

As they drew closer he bared his teeth; feeling his lungs struggle to find enough air to compensate for his sheer panic. Any second now... There was no room left in his quivering brain for anything other than self-defense, but what at last rounded the incline was not a bear, or even a swan. It was a girl, and the shock of it erased the lake child's fearful expression entirely. When his senses returned he found that she was even around his age, and she was hardly speaking to him in a malicious tone. His tail; now plastered to his stomach and half coated in mud itself, relaxed just slightly. Had he been less terrified, the boy would have begun to wish himself dead, rather than deal with the fact that he was now drowning in wet dirt in front of a random girl.

Instead of replying, he stared in disbelief, and thankfully she seemed to answer her own question. The other pup was already searching for... something. Her scent registered at last but the pack she belonged to was entirely foreign to his nose. Not a Ridge wolf like Wraith, nor an Oak one like Halie, not even a Grizzly one like his uncle. It didn't really matter though, if she was going to help him. The Prince felt like he ought to say something, but in the wake (and continuing) of his horror he was even more dumbstruck than usual. Cernan hadn't the faintest idea what she was looking for, and he wasn't about to ask. Maybe she knew what she was doing? Well, if not, he knew even less.

Sorry for the sloppy reply, Rose wasn't cooperating with me today e__e''

The poor thing looked mortified, which honestly only further concerned the already frantic Hervok. In this sort of situation.. What was the possibility of her saving the day? She'd wished her brother had been there to accompany her, his thought process had always been just a tad faster than hers had ever been. But the situation wasn't simple enough for her to just turn back and get him now! Who knew how long the boy had been stuck there! 'Perhaps next time something a little less dramatic, Mother.' she frowned, eyebrows furrowing as she tried her best to concentrate on a solution. She had to pull through for the stranger, there was no way around it now that she'd already given him her word.

The near-yearling was finally able to come up with somewhat of a solution when her eyes gazed upon a somewhat larger branch. With that, the possibility of her being able to yank him out of the mud was there, though it would also be plausible to assume that her lack in strength could hinder their success. "The least I can do is try.." she whispered, sighing to turn back to the helpless foreigner. "I'm gonna put this in my mouth, then you're to grab on tight okay?" She smiled, trying to make light of the situation if only to ease the boys nerves a tad. Picking the branch up, the Hervok toddled on over to the fiasco. "Oh-ay, Grag on tigh!"

Tell me what to do to make it all feel better.

Rose Hervok

OOC: So sorry! @Rose

His wide eyes tracked her path; adrenaline rising each time she angled herself away from him in her search. Don't leave... his mind pleaded. It was not that Cernan thought that desertion was in the other pup's plans, but the idea terrified him thoroughly. His question regarding what her plans actually were was answered in due time, as the russet girl's attention seemed to fixate on a... stick. Perplexed, and visibly so, the boy tipped his head to the side while taking in her words. She was going to try to... pull him out with a stick? 

Perhaps on another day, he might have been more skeptical, but as it was any assistance was desperately needed. The lake child pushed away his confusion in favor of blind and total agreement; nodding his head vigorously above a muddied chest. "Okay," he affirmed swiftly. He couldn't return her smile, though some small part of him wanted to. At least she wasn't panicking with him; that was much appreciated. Cernan stared at the branch as it drew nearer; ears picking up from their backward position to decipher the muffled command that tumbled from the stranger's mouth. His jaws parted; reaching for the life-line and clamping down into its bark like he was a hungry beaver.

They ate wood, didn't they? That was his only explanation for what he'd seen of the creatures anyway. Weird little things. His teeth inched forward; trying hurriedly to get the best grip; somewhere back near his molars. He cast a worried glance down the limb toward his rescuer, and bit in as hard as he could manage until it started to hurt. It wasn't difficult; the fear and desperation inside of him practically demanded he never; ever let this chunk of tree go. Right now, it was the Vuesain Prince's only hope.   

Feel free to power play if needed xD!

The plan was idiotic at best but honestly what other options did she have? Rose wasted no time in attempting to wrench the male out once his jaws clamped down on the large earthy branch. She could feel her muscles quickly kick into overdrive as the stranger seemingly started to budge just a tad. Perhaps after this little disaster wrapped itself up she'd think about toning up a bit because, well, at this point in her life it certainly wouldn't hurt. "'Riggle 'roun a lil i' y' ca'" She commanded, though quite frankly anything the fae tried to say now was practically gibberish. It'd take a miracle for something this complex to progress.

'Oh Mother, please let this boy have some common sense! If he'd just shimmy around a bit his body would probably loosen from the mud.. right?' the fae prayed whilst still pondering over a backup solution just in case. "I' I' Wor'gin?" Rose questioned, knowing that he probably had a better grasp on the situation than she did at this point. If progression was being made, the adrenaline build up on top of sore limbs weren't allowing her to tell. 'Please let it be working. I-I don't know what else to do.'

(This post was last modified: Sep 10, 2016, 09:21 AM by Rose.)

@Rose

It was like playing tug-of-war, but much much scarier. He could see her struggling against the weight of his much larger frame, and the power of the earth that so demanded he be consumed and forgotten below the muck. His teeth were digging holes in the wood, and had the branch been smaller, his bone-crushing adrenaline-fueled jaws might have gone right through. They spent a few minutes tugging, with Cernan both desperately trying to pull himself out and also to prevent this girl from being pulled in, which was certainly possible with their weight and size disparity. 

His ears lifted to hear her muffled and obscured words, Golden eyes glancing awkwardly down the length of the big stick. “Riggle round” came in clear enough, but the rest sounded like, well, sounds. Random ones. He glanced down, though his muzzle and the stick were blocking most of the boy's vision. He tried to lift his paws again, feeling the horrifying force below pull right back. This time though, it wasn't quite as bad. The little bit of pressure she was providing shifted him like an inch maybe? With a grunt he tried again, feeling the muscles in his face begin to tire. 

Then his back feet budged, with a horrid sucking sound. Why was the ground trying to eat him?! They sank again quickly, as he tried to move his front instead. He had to switch which paws his weight was on constantly just to keep them from being totally absorbed again. She spoke once more, and the boy's eyes flicked between the russet female and the mud. "Ah, ah fink?" Something was happening. There were now little gaps around his limbs in places that he could wiggle in, at least. He tried a moment more, before a thought dawned. That tiny bit of progress had cleared just enough space in his brain.

"Ey," the lake child began, barely able to say anything around the tree-branch lodged firmly in his maw. "Ry ta jerk ih a few imes, really har!" He looked at her eagerly, hoping he wouldn't have to try to repeat it too much.