Sierra Hills You know that I am no good

@Darrah

Several days had passed since her last excursion, and she could only hope Koda's curiosity had been sated enough by her oenomel facade, too sweet and submissive to ever be considered a threat... No, never a threat... Out here in the red hills she could pull her lips in a sneer, head held low in the juvenile rattle grass, the shake betraying her for the snake she was. It would need a few more weeks. What a pity...

Dark head lifted as silver eyes took in the surrounding landscape, paw dragged through sandy soil, Perhaps she might find some devil's nettle if she looked hard enough? although it wasn't usually her sort, being more help than hinderance it would certainly add legitimacy to her claims of healing...

Maybe some wormwood?

The misted woods beyond could hold a bounty also but there was only so much she could carry at one time. With a heavy sigh she dropped her nose back to the ground to try and find anything worthwhile taking home. It was then she noticed the criss-crossing tracks of wolves coming and going. She wasn't near pack borders yet but the trails alone were warning sign enough. She diverted her own course northward. After all, she didn't want to go starting any wars. Yet.

Sierra hills had been one of the last remaining territories to visit on Darrah's little check list. He'd never found the time to really get a feel for the place his first time around, though in his defense there was never much reason to. This time, however, he'd inspect the surroundings more thoroughly. After all, he was still looking for the Bend's many, many missing wolves. 'And I won't have to worry about Nayeli this time, yeah? Should be a pleasant trip.' or so he thought.

"Aghhh." The prince grumbled, stumbling through the slashed mountains with a bit of difficulty. "Why would anyone want to come here?" Perhaps this was the true reason Darrah had strayed away from the hills for so long. His big goofy body just wasn't built for this sort of atmosphere! "Note taken. Won't be coming back here anytime soon." with a sigh, the heir trudged forward through the warm red sand. He'd only just arrived, it was far too early to call it quits.

It had became apparent rather quickly that wolves had often traveled through the sandy terrain, much to Darrah's disbelief. Paw prints flooded the ground just about everywhere, though the boy hadn't exactly remembered any packs residing in the near area. Perhaps they had belonged to his fellow Bend members? Or, maybe not. One perfume had definitely differed from the rest, there was almost no questioning that it had belonged to someone outside of his pack, and it was fresh. He'd track it for the time being, for the wolf in question could very well possess some sort of valuable information in regards to his mission. "Or they could just be crazy like the rest of em'. Seriously, haven't I filled my meet and greet quota already?"

Celebrate the way the night hides scars.

Darrah Tainn

At some point,

I started looking at the ground more than the sky

It’s hard even to breathe.

No devils nettle, no wormwood. Perhaps this was a total waste of time after all? A distant mumbling set her joints to lock, well trained hackles not daring to rise as what was left of her tail twitched, hips swaying to make up for the lack of length like an over-excited child. Harmless, I'm harmless! she conveyed with well practiced steps, head dipping low and ears pinned back while the whites of her eyes showed her inability to focus on one spot. Her shoulders had stooped, spine curving as she tried to make her small frame even smaller. "H-hey!" she called out, voice wavering between optimistic and cautious, to the much larger wolf who seemed to be following on her trail.

"I-ah... I hope I didn't wander too close? I was just looking for some wormwood... the rattle grass won't be ready for a month or more yet..." bore him to death with talk of plants and he just might lose interest... Or maybe it would make him even more interested... what a pain that would be. Seemingly recovering a bit of her nerve as he drew closer, levelling her spine and allowing her ears to unfold a little, a casual lopsided smile crossed her face. See? harmless. "I live a bit north of here but I'm only new to the area. I didn't realise there was a pack this way." She could only assume they were not on bad terms with the Pines pack if she hadn't been warned to steer clear. Even if they were, surely her still dancing rump should be enough to put the other wolf at ease.

Omg I'm literally so sorry! Didn't realize it'd been this long since you responded! Dx

Thankfully it hadn't taken long at all for the raven prince to track his target. In fact, they greeted him before he ever even had the chance to spot them out. 'Easy!' the Tainn smiled, trotting over to the woman with an almost misplaced sense of ease. She was still foreign, after all. "Wander too close..?" Darrah asked, momentarily puzzled with her statement. "Oh, Uhh. To a pack? Nah, you're safe. The hills don't have any claims." was it just him, or had the stranger appeared rather over-frantic about something? '..Nah, just that poor judge of character again I bet.' he sighed, what a horrible character flaw to possess.

"Wormword, eh?" Darrah hadn't the slightest clue what the plant was, but it sure sounded horrible. He hated everything about worms, their disgusting pink slimy bodies and their.. their.. The boy shivered just at the thought of them. "My pack's erm, south from here. You're in the clear, believe me." For he'd be the first person to cause an uproar about a stranger wandering too close to the boarders, had that actually been the case. "And about the uh.. Wood and rattle stuff, well, I'm not that great with vegetation but uh.. I could help you, I mean I have a couple of questions to ask you first. I'm looking for some things too or uhm, wolves actually."

Celebrate the way the night hides scars.

Darrah Tainn

(This post was last modified: May 26, 2016, 07:25 AM by Darrah.)

At some point,

I started looking at the ground more than the sky

It’s hard even to breathe.

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

So sorry @Darrah, SoW threw me :x

These hills don't have any claims, a pity but unsurprising - these hills could be a difficult place to eke out a living if you only saw what was placed before you. She had no doubt it harboured hidden aquifers, small havens for predator and prey alike. The vast expanse between here and there would be unmeasured though and while isolation held its charms, it offered little for those hoping to keep their pack alive through a trickle of new recruits.

The dark man so casually brushed off her concerns of wandering too close she could only assume they were further back in the trees, south, far enough that gathering the rattle wouldn't pose a problem in the future. Small blessings. He seemed clueless to the other plan she had listed, and didn't seem overly enthralled with the idea of learning, and still he offered to help... Ah but for a price. Not some bleeding hearted do-gooder out to save the world, no he wanted something in return, now these were terms she could understand.

Somethings was an odd way to refer to people he might be looking for, and truth be told chances were low unless the wolves were in the Pines that she would know of any of them at all. "Thank you for the kind offer, I can manage just fine, but I'd be more than happy to help with your quest if I can..." He could owe her one later, if she held information of any worth to him.

Aw, don't worry about it ^u^

Strange that the woman had declined his offer to help, though not strange enough for Darrah to really question it. He was more appreciative than anything, she'd complied so easily with his own request that nothing else had really mattered. "Really? Thanks!" He grinned, sitting down to make himself more comfortable as he ran through the most accurate descriptions he could of the pair in his head. "Well, there's two. Suppose it'd be good to start off with that." though he could only really remember one.

"A white wolf, or er, Tawny.." Or so he'd been told. Darrah couldn't recall any previous confrontations with Serach's missing brother, though apparently the male had been around for his younger days. "Brown eyes, smaller than me but bigger than you.. He goes by Sceral.." every bit of the description had been well rehearsed, he could only hope it was precise. "Even though it's not likely anyone has seen him, I've been made aware that it's still best to ask.. Uhm, as for the other one.." His beloved sister, the one that there was still hope for. "Zera... About the same height as Scaral, but she's black and silver.. Piercing dandelion eyes, it'd be hard to forget her if your path's crossed.." and Gods be good he sure hope they had, for the prince was quickly running out of leads.

Celebrate the way the night hides scars.

Darrah Tainn

(This post was last modified: Jun 16, 2016, 07:38 AM by Darrah.)

At some point,

I started looking at the ground more than the sky

It’s hard even to breathe.

@Darrah she is awful I'm sorry XD

She knew few wolves that might fit the of white or, er, tawny and all of those were long since dead and or gone. Brown eyes were common enough among them but none matched the name, and wasn't it a unique one too? Sceral. The small shake of her head, pained expression on her face might make it seem as though she was sorry that she couldn't help him (although truthfully she was more pained at having to endure this conversation as though she cared). "Not one I've crossed, sorry." That he had been made aware it was best to ask was an interesting tid-bit on its own. Perhaps he didn't care so much for the first wolf as he did for the second...

And there it was, the spark of hope. Black and silver, dandelion eyes... wasn't that what @Nalda's mother looked like before she vanished? She had hardly managed a good look at the woman and it could be said she was more brown than black but that might simply be a matter of the light. Those woods behind him did look dark. Ah hell even if it wasn't the lead he was after, perhaps it would be fun to give him hope. "I'm not certain on the name but there was a girl that fit that description in the Pines when I first joined, although she didn't stick around. She left her daughter behind, headed towards these hills." Add another tangled thread to the web and see what she managed to catch. Perhaps Nalda's mother was this man's sister after all?