Drooping Willows looking up from underneath

Pip's path starts at the junction of Cut Rock River where it sharply travels south and cuts through Whisper Marsh before heading east into Drooping Willows close to WR packlands.

It was her first time returning to the place at Cut Rock River where the beaver had first attacked her. By now, her leg was fully healed, though her hock would always bear the ugly scars from the encounter. Only on particularly cold mornings did she have a barely perceptible limp, but it wasn't slowing her down any at the moment. The recent rains had filled the rivers to the brim, bringing with it large fish that she couldn't wait to catch.

As she approached the river, however, she saw the rough surface of it. There were downed trees still in parts of the river. Pip assumed they must be the source of the white caps as the water was forced over new obstacles. Having grown around the ocean, she was no stranger to waves. How bad could waves in a river be? Certainly nothing she couldn't handle. The little wolf lacked confidence in many areas, but around water was not one of them.

Of course, this river had surprised her before.

She stepped in at a more shaded area where an outcropping of land created a calm pool. Pip's ears flicked back against her head as water immediately closed over her back - it was much deeper than before, too. While less than ideal, she still felt confident enough in her paws to be able to handle it. The agouti female waded farther out towards where the white caps raged and she could see large fins even through the water from farther off. Yes! Perfect time to fish! The prey were out and huge and she would shock everyone with her enormous catch!

The fisher didn't have to wait long at all. With her paws planted firmly in the still part of the river, she drove her muzzle into a white cap to snag at the body of thick-skinned sturgeon. It wasn't a fish she had encountered before, and had she, she would have known better than to attempt to take one on her own. Easily as long as she was, the sturgeon gave a mighty thrash as her teeth sunk into its flesh and pulled her right off her paws and directly into the path of the powerful current.

To her credit, she was able to hold on to the thrashing fish for quite a while despite the warning signs screaming in her brain to get her paws back on solid ground. But self-preservation finally won out over the need to catch the fish and she let go, her head finally breaking above the rapids to suck in air and realize she was already washed downriver. Panic hadn't set in just yet, though it should have as her legs weren't strong enough to fight the swift tug of undertow.

Just stay calm and get to shore, she told herself. A task far easier said than done, even for one who could not speak at all. Pip's breaths came faster as fatigue washed through her quickly. Trees on the shoreline were flying by faster than she ever thought possible, but it was ahead in the water that gave her heart a fearful pause.

There was a dip in the river. Between two large rocks, water surged up angrily, frothing like a rabid animal and roaring like the sea on a stormy night. Pip put in another round of effort despite her exhaustion, striving with panicked kicks to find any amount of purchase. Her efforts were in vain and the little wolf was pulled down under the water. For a moment, it was impossible to tell which way was up. She found her legs were frozen and she simply floated beneath the river's surface until the rapids forced her back up. As soon as her muzzle broke free, she sucked in a violent breath, shuddering on the exhale. Her chirp of alarm for her packmates was drowned out by the roar of the river around her. Another attempt to force her tired limbs into action was in vain as her small body was slammed into a broken tree hidden beneath the water. A moment of pain flared in her side before her head, too, connected.

And it's peaceful in the deep
Cathedral where you cannot breathe
No need to pray, no need to speak
Now I am under all

The little wolf's limp body washed up along shore as the rapids died down. Above her, a willow trees drooping branches brushed along her soaked fur.

Tyne was still depressed about @Ayla’s disappearance. This had caused him to be dethatched from everyone, his family and new packmates. Despite his detachment the tawny hunter still tried to pull his weight by filling the packs caches. He knew the importance of pulling his weight and with new pups the caches needed to always be full. After a long morning of hunting small prey like rabbits and squirrels Tyne decided to take a walk.

As he walked the sound of rushing water filled his russet ears. Deciding that moving water might help wash his sorrows away he slowly made his way to the river. He felt like an empty shell moving through the forest. He missed the coast, his parents, Ayla, the way his life was before that fateful day. The roar of the overfilled river thundered over his thoughts causing the male to look up. The tornados had left the forest riddled with fallen limbs, trees and other debris. The river was no different than the surrounding forest. Fallen trees riddled the water causing white caps that reminded the man of the waves of the ocean. A small smile crossed his ebony lips as he momentarily forgot his troubles. Movement in the middle of the river caught the corner of his eye…

Looking down river the hunter saw nothing but could have swore that he saw something brown above the water. Just when he thought he was seeing things there it was again. Then horror flooded over him as he realized that it was a wolf and even more so when the wolf let out a chirp. The realization that it was Pip in the water caused Tyne to become sick. Without a second thought his feet began to fly along the bank rushing after his age-mate.

Her head kept bobbing under the water as the current sucked her under. Gold eyes were locked on her as his mind raced about what to do. He raised his muzzle to call his family or packmates but he was abruptly cut off when a giant bolder was in his path. There was no way to jump over it and if he tried to go around it he would lose sight of Pip. So in a split second decision his feet pushed off the shore into the rapids after her.

His mind was so focused on getting to the tawny mute that it didn’t have time to realize what exactly the consequences of his decision would be. The current was stronger than what he had expected. He was sucked under the surface into the dark water below. He fought his way back to the surface and gasped for air. His eyes desperately searched for Pip but she wasn’t anywhere to be found. Tyne was sucked under again but this time he was unable to get back to the surface in time…

Everything had stopped moving and was quiet. The tawny hunter began to cough up water as he came to. Lying on a bank he gulped in lungfuls of air as if he hadn’t ever had any before. After a few moments and after his brain received the precious oxygen of had been deprived he remembered about Pip. He tired to jump up but his body wouldn’t respond only his head would move. Taking all his strength he lifted his head to look for his age-mate. He spotted her up river a bit, lying there limp – not moving. “Pip” he called shakily “Pip!” he called again a little louder hoping she would hear him.

For OOC preferences just check Moonshadow's profile

Anyone else, feel free to jump in. <3 Trying to get this moving again. Grey, I know you mentioned wanting to throw in either @Skoll or @Niles in here.

It was with agonizing slowness that Pip came to. All over, the small wolf felt sore. She took slow, careful stock of her injuries and determined none of them to be severe enough that she shouldn't attempt to stand. Her waterlogged ears caught her muffled name. Groggily, Pip lifted her head and turned. Tyne? The she-wolf frowned, trying to reason through just what had happened. If @Tyne was here, they couldn't be too far from packlands.

Finally lifting herself up, she wobbled on unsteady paws and stumbled her way over to her packmate. The yearling practically fell on top of him when finally she reached him. Her tongue immediately went to work on lapping away the river from his face in concern while her own fur remained soaked and forgotten. While she tended to the older wolf, Pip's ears slowly fell back in dismay. Aside from Tyne, she could find no familiar scents around them. Granted, she had not explored the entirety of Cedarwood Forest, however, she'd never seen trees like this in the forest.

What was worse - Pip could smell other wolves nearby. Had she the voice for it, a quiet whine would have worked its way up her throat. As it were, she pulled away from Tyne and began to pant anxiously. They should leave quickly. The only problem was...she wasn't sure which way to go or where they were in relation to Grizzly Hollow territory. She longed for the ability to howl out and call for help. However, perhaps it was best she could not for she would likely alert the wolves of the nearby pack to their presence.

Since he had heard something of a ruckus - okay, so it wasn't so much a ruckus as a chattering wolf bird at the site of fallen game - Niles had been curious. His little talks and occasional strolls with his sister @Ravenna had breathed some life back into him or, at least, just enough to have him eating and acting lively again. It had been hours since he had left his dead raven behind, but this would be the first time he had gone without it and had no concern for where he had stashed it away. At present, he was much too busy using his nose, following a number of scent trails until he had to stop. There really was someone nearby. His silver eyes went from a small-sized girl then immediately to the large male at her side.

Niles' ears collapsed into the back of his neck. If they had been closer to Willow Ridge borders, he might have let out a possessive growl, but, alas... Hope and fear mingled together with one another in his stomach until he stepped forth from underneath one of the umbrella-like trees. His Father had told him once that they had family to the west (at this though, he briefly lifted his eyes to the sky before staring at the couple again). Before he even knew it, his tail was wagging, though it was more out of loneliness and interest than nervousness.

A trace of a smile found his face and his whiskered brows lifted as he regarded them now, standing confidently without arrogance or offense. He mostly wanted to talk to the younger of the pair, thinking of her as a possible playmate, but without words there was no definitive way to make his eager whimper call out to only her. A whine soon followed and this time he made sure to gauge the male's response. Impressive as he might have been, being just as large and tall his father Angier and half-brother Skoll, he slid down into deep play bow and yapped at them. He couldn't say for certain if they would be glad for his appearance, but hopefully they would understand that he wanted to interact with them in one way or another.

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

The small Mizuno didn’t stir the first time he called her name. He called it again in hopes that she would respond. After what seemed like an eternity the girl finally moved. Her head turned towards him and he was able to let out a sigh of relief, he couldn’t lose anyone else. As Pip made her way shakily towards him he was able to roll on to his stomach and shake some of the water out of his ears. His small pack mate nearly fell on top of him when she reached him and began to lick the water from his coat totally disregarding her own.

With charcoal dusted audits alert to their surroundings Tyne’s creamy muzzle reached around to lick the water from the girls face. She was always tending to everyone else and he believed that she needed to be taken care of too. “Are you ok?” he asked between licks. She seemed alright enough to have stumbled over to him and begin to wash away the river but he wanted to be sure.

The forest around them was unlike anything the Kersey male had ever seen. They didn’t stand tall like the trees back home or back in the Hallows. They seemed to hang and droop as if they were sad – ironic. The trees weren’t as troubling as the scent of unfamiliar wolves. There was a crunch nearby that caused Tyne’s head to snap around. He wasn’t about to let anything happen to Pip.

Gold eyes searched the tree line for the stranger ready to protect his family. Eventually a grayish brown yearling appeared through the brush. His stance was non-threatening and he seemed like he wanted to play? Tyne cocked his head as the yearling bowed down playfully. Hummm strange he thought. Standing up slowly Tyne gives his pelt a shake and steps in front of Pip just in case. This other wolf didn’t seem like he wanted to attack but that could just be an act. He waited for the other male to speak first to make sure his words and tone matched his body language.

For OOC preferences just check Moonshadow's profile

@Niles - Pip wants to make friends! Just have to convince @Tyne!

Pip lowered her head for Tyne as he began grooming her in kind, her tail wagging low in appreciation for his attentiveness. Even if they were lost, at least they were together. Surely they could find their way back with the two of them. The mute girl knew if it was only herself, she would be hard pressed to find her way, but Tyne was a great hunter. He knew how to track far better than she did.

His quiet question to make sure she was okay was met with a gentle smile and nod. Aside from bruising along her sides, Pip found herself to be relatively uninjured. Her orange eyes tracked back to the river, recalling just what had brought her this far in the first place. The water wasn't nearly as wild here which is perhaps why they'd been deposited along the banks here.

Distracted as she was by the river, Tyne's sudden movement had the little she-wolf flinching. Her eyes followed his gaze and she spotted a darkly furred male at the treeline. His tail was wagging, she noted, and he held himself in a friendly manner rather than a threatening one. Maybe he could help them!

Just as she thought it, Tyne moved to stand in front of her as Blitz often did whenever he didn't approve of a situation. Protective, she thought with fondness. And while the little Mizuno was unbearably shy, the wolf nearby looked for all intents and purposes as if he wanted to play. If they played with him, maybe he would help point them home or even escort them? He didn't smell like a loner. It must be his pack that was nearby. If they were anything like him, they must be a friendly bunch that wouldn't mind offering help. Hoping to encourage the wolf closer despite Tyne's intimidating posture, Pip wagged her own tail and gave a soft chirping greeting.