Red Fern Forest [TfT] Sapphire gem

Tit for Tat, This or That

This brilliant blue gem stands out brilliantly against the vibrant backdrop of the red ferns. What a find! Maybe you could trade this for a good meal. 

Quiet had become a common description of Relic Lore, with the weather transitioned from spring into summer, the land began to transform into the beauty it once was before winter's grasp. One such land was Red Fern Forest, a land Koda rarely frequented but was relatively familiar of its location and the promise of prey that grazed upon its lush and plentiful leaves--he traveled the forest floor with the carefulness of a cat. His senses on high alert, the fallen king kept his gradually healing limb carefully tucked near his belly, having finally mastered the art of using three limbs efficiently, and listened as somewhere in the trees a owl announced his arrival. He paused to glance into the trees, hoping to catch a glimpse of the ever elusive creature but it was to no avail, it blended with the vibrant red of the leaves and the dark backdrop of brown where tall tree trunks stood firm and healthy. After a moment or so of searching he continued on his way without a word, careful of his footfalls.

He reached the center of the forest as the sun was making its slow descend from the skies, leaving in its absence a canvas swirling brilliantly with orange, red and yellow, it was a beautiful sight that Koda took the liberty of enjoying a few moments more until finally a soft lavender began to cover the sky and he pushed on, senses growing more keen with each step. As he walked he felt the soft touch of fern bushes smooth his downy fur, leaving behind his stench and that of Broken Timber Pines--this would be their hunting grounds. A few meters of walking and he felt the sharp pain of rock against his paw pad and after stepping aside without a sound, his eyes grew fixated on the glistening stone that had nearly pierced his foot.

 Mesmerized, he could not quite make out its color, a mixture of blue and green that absorbed the color of the forest in its plentiful sides, but the shape in itself was enough to make him glance around the forest in search of another who may have caught glimpse of this treasure. Once he was confident that no one had noticed the uncovered stone, he sniffed it, and after catching no scent, thick paws began to scratch at it to release it from the hold in which it was set. His mouth opened wide once it popped loose to guide the gem into his mouth but the motion was stopped short after catching the pair of yellow eyes that stared intensely at him through the brush, from the darkness he could not make out what was staring back at him but he did not appreciate the surprise of another's company.  His only response was a series of deep throat growls, a stiff warning to whomever was hiding to make their intentions clear.

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

There was a shadow following the silvered man through the forest. A scrawny silhouette of russet and slate grey, melting in flawlessly with the brilliant ferns. She'd kept a leery eye on him ever since he reappeared, certain that it would only be a matter of time until he vanished again. So when he went off into the colorful woods, she was quick to follow, using her ever growing skill of hiding and observing. She wasn't really sure what she expected, that he would just keep going and not turning back? Or Perhaps vanish suddenly into thin air, as soon as she took her eyes off his burly form? In any case, she felt almost compelled to trail after, even as the day dragged on and he seemed to be doing nothing more than parade around, sniffing and rubbing against the ferns. It grew rather dull at length, not near the amount of action she might find studying an ant hill and the complex interactions between its residents. Koda was just… Well right now he was staring at the sky, seemingly mesmerized by the look of, what, the sunset? Suppressing a sigh, Nalda followed his gaze in an eye-roll motion, shaking her head to herself.

While the heavens were slowly darkening, it would be a while yet till most of the stars became visible, for now there was no benefit to staring at the sky, nothing to watch whatsoever. It baffled the young shewolf, how so often others would spend their time gawking at pointless, boring things, and then think it odd and wasteful to actually study interesting phenomena like the movement of the stars. Yet she'd been eyed more than once for staying up late to do just that, as well as spending a day watching the movements of fish in a stream rather than playing. It had been a source of much frustration in her early life, everyone so insistent on her acting like a pup even though there seemed no point to such antics. She'd tried, she'd played, both with the puppies she grew up with and others she'd met, sometimes she'd even achieved a minimum of enjoyment. But it didn't change her mind, she still preferred to study, to watch silently. Watch things that mattered that was, not the stupid evening sky.

She would have groaned out loud, had she not remembered in the last instant that she was trying to stay hidden. Quickly her gaze returned to the forest floor, only to find the older wolf no longer there. Frantically she scanned the area, panic fear gripping her for a second; It happened, he's gone! But then she caught sight of the pale form, just a few steps away, standing out clearly against the carmine foliage. He'd moved but was now still once more, eyes this time turned to the ground; This guy! She made a face, hurrying to move in his direction, covered under the ferns. When she came in closer, she got just a glimpse of what had drawn his attention, and this time she was not so quick to dismiss it! A flash of blue, deep and bright in this world of red and brown. A dirty-cream paw loosened the stone from the dirt, the motion making it shimmer azure and turquoise in the light. Nalda's eyes widened, mouth opening in a silent wow. She'd never seen anything like it, smooth and shiny and so rich in color.

Her admirations were cut short by a deep, commanding sound. The yearling stiffened, freeing her gaze of the stone to instead look up and meet the adult's honey-gold eyes; Shit! In her moment of disregard, he had lowered his head, bringing them on level, and now she was caught out. A deep sigh escaped her, eyes closing for a moment as she chided herself. Then she pushed into a stand, freeing her grey frame from the leaf-cover. She knew better than to try and run, couldn't risk him jumping her, and besides she wanted to get a closer look at that stone. "'s'jus' me pops," she assured in a flat tone, the slightest of pouts on her face. Then she moved on quickly, the light of curiosity in her eyes and voice; "Can'a' see wh' you found?"

Word count: 713

Thoughts ”Speech”

(This post was last modified: Jun 14, 2016, 08:33 PM by Nalda.)

Because of work, my activity will fluctuate every other week. For more information and OOC preferrences check out my profile

His growls stopped abruptly as eyes adjusted to the looming figure that stood before him. Time had been generous to the yearling, proportionate and beautiful, he stood to stare at Nalda a few moments longer, a bit in disbelief of having finally met her since his return home, before he remembered why he had stopped in the first place. What was she doing here, and why had she been stalking him?  "Don't do that." he warned, his voice flat and eyes slowly came together in a frown. He did not like being followed, especially by a wolf who could have easily approached him without the theatrics-he cherished her as he did his own girls and would have enjoyed the company.

With the excitement over, he found that his paw had instinctively covered the rock from her view, protecting it from any other prying eyes that could have followed her here, and when she questioned whether she could see it, he lifted his paw to check that it was still where he left it. An aquamarine color glistened in the sparse forest sun and he felt a surge of relief that it was still where he had found it, as though someone who could easily have snuck up on him could snatch it from beneath him as well. He didn't necessarily feel comfortable with allowing her to see it, but he allowed her the access of seeing a piece of it from beneath his thick paws, hoping that would be enough to quell her rising curiosity. "I think someone left it behind." he started off, not intending to return the gem to its original owner. He had found it fair and square.

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

As a muddy paw blocked her view of the blue treasure, the yearling turned her gaze back up to her elders face, pout growing more pronounced. Where did he come off thinking he could keep the thing for himself; What right does he have to it? He frowned, scolding lightly, prompting an eye roll from the young she-wolf, pursed lips relaxing into a light sigh. Frankly she couldn't care less what he had to say, he certainly was in no position to command her around. As far as she was concerned, he wasn't a pack mate, he had no power over her at all. She couldn't care less what he thought about her, he was false, just like her own parents; Abandoner! She wouldn't trust him with even a hair of her being.

The attention turned back to the stone in the mud, a small sliver of blue made visible as Koda's paw moved slightly. Russet ears perked at the comment, the girl's eyes locked on that bright glimmering; Someone, huh? Slowly she stepped closer, just a bit, head lowering to get a better look. It was an awfully pretty thing, a deep, brilliant color, iridescent even in the low light of the dense forest. She'd known instantly that she wanted it, needed it, but glancing back up at the silver man, the apprehension was clear in every inch of his body; Well then… She had to play it smart. Clearing her throat, the young wolf tilted her head, looking up at the large man with wide, innocent eyes. "Yah?" She asked, voice light. A stark contrast from her previous attitude. "Act'ly tha' was wh'I was in th'bushes. I was'lookin'…" Her mind spun quickly as she spoke, eyes never straying from the adult. It was key to project an appearance of total honesty; "Y'see, a stone jus'like tha' was lost by…" Someone..! This was the vital point, she needed to choose the right name; "@Ember!" She smiled; Perfect! Nodding her head lightly, Nalda glanced quickly back down at the hint of blue, then up at the father, expression honey sweet as she explained: "Sh'asked me t'help look for't! Said sh'dropped it somewhere down'ere." That was the best she could do, now hopefully he would bite!

Word count: 375

Thoughts ”Speech”

Because of work, my activity will fluctuate every other week. For more information and OOC preferrences check out my profile

Sorry for the long wait! @Nalda

His ears laid flat on his skull, lips twitched ever so slightly at the sight of her eyes rolling from his command and though he knew that he had very little control over her, he could not help feeling that the respect she held for him was still buried somewhere within her, he just had to remind her and he intended to do just that by presence alone. He knew that Nalda was always a quiet child, and could only imagine how recluse she had become since the departure of both her parents, the poor child had no one but those of the pack and from the looks of it the abandonment had given her a tougher exterior.

His thoughts returned to the stone once more and he couldn't help cocking his head when she mentioned that Ember had misplaced a stone very similar to what he was hiding. He couldn't imagine what his daughter would want with the blue gem, and staring at Nalda he couldn't imagine her fibbing just to claim it as his own, but something within him was resisting his usual selfless self to relinquish it in her hands. His head shook slow, checking for what felt like the millionth time to see if the stone had moved an inch and when he was certain it was still there, he turned to Nalda, eyes seemingly wild, and responded, "Ember lost it...I can take it to her then. I can take it." and he lowered his jaws to scoop the cold gem into his mouth where it rested uncomfortably on his tongue. "have you seen her?" he still needed her help of course, he hadn't seen much of Ember since his return to Relic Lore and was uncertain of where she was keeping herself recently.

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.