Whisper Marsh without heart and without shame

Backdated to June 24th.
All welcome, but maybe @Skoll or other.

The sooty girl pressed her tiny milk teeth into the worn chewing stick that @Sven had given her. She pressed and chomped and gnawed with all of her might, though the skerrick amount of bark that she managed to remove were not satisfying. It was an endless cycle; if she couldn't get any off, she would try harder -- if she did manage to get any off, she felt proud and wanted to get more. Her brother was the best; this was the best toy ever! 

It also helped stave off both her loneliness and longing for milk. Attica could only recall three different wolves that came to keep her company. The white with milk, the one she spent the most time with and yearned for the most; the black one who always made the white one cross; and, her brother, who was typically the most fun. Other than that though, she was frequently left to her own devices, and it was getting harder and harder to entertain her puppy mind. She dragged her large stick in her teeth, the long wood dragging its other edge along the ground behind her. She waddled out of the den excitedly, tail wagging back and forth. She did her best to toss the heavier stick forward, then bounded after it to show it her wrath once more. If no one was going to spend time with her, then her and her stick would be happy out in the sunshine. This world smelled so much better, and was brighter -- despite her mother's warnings to remain hidden.

I hope you don't mind. <3

Renier Lyall
you can set yourself on fire, but you're never gonna learn

The marsh was the least of his favorite places to be any time of year. Which was considerably odd since as a child it had been a great place to escape and explore. Back in the day when he could convince Ryvet to tag along, or trick Taima by making up some kind of competition. When those things didn't work he came alone, often to practice hunting. It was where he had gained some skill. Maybe, those memories were the reason he was lurking in the tall grass. Checking for something worth chasing despite hating the smell of mire, and the squelching mud against his toes.

What Ren would find was far from what he expected. The shift in the grasses caught his eye, and hopeful he approached. There was not the scent of prey, but a mixture of Sven and Hecate. Then, he saw a small puff of black dragging a large stick. This had to be Skoll's latest. Where was the brute? Where was her mother?

The moral debate began. He had not caused any harm to any of them, yet he wouldn't say his presence would be welcome. But, he didn't exactly feel better about just leaving her here. There were a couple names that made that difficult.  Red ears tipped sideways, he headed to her where he would likely catch her eye. "Wow, that's a mighty big stick you're packing there. Where did you get it?" Masculine voice was light, one corner of his lip turned up, as his tail beat the air behind him. The picture of a friendly giant or so he would hope. If not then at least he had done the right thing should mom or dad show to cuss his ass.

(This post was last modified: Jul 08, 2016, 05:39 PM by Renier.)

A large voice came from overhead that startled the young Archer, causing her to twist and cower instinctually. She wasn't supposed to be outside of the den, she knew, and her mother would be angry with her when she saw. Despite knowing this, Attica could not allow herself to stay put for the long periods that her mother left her. It would be worth any of the scolding she received to play with her stick outside in the fresh air with all the smells. 

And large wolves.

Her blue eyes widened against her dark sooty face, as she tried to figure out who had found her out. Once she realized it was not her mother, and that the red wolf had actually asked her about her stick, she stood back up to her full, yet tiny, height. Her ears still lay flat against her head; she had never seen this wolf before. At the mention of her prize, she looked down at the stick that had fallen from her mouth in her surprise, quickly lost in its distraction. She was so fond of it, she had to pick it up once more in her mouth, as though to demonstrate such. "Shck," she said through her teeth and wood, her tail wagging timidly. Maybe the red giant was nice and would like her stick, too. She couldn't be sure, as she had not completely gotten what he had said the first time. 

No matter. Turning slightly from him, she pulled the stick, arching her neck up as far as she could so that it didn't drag entirely along the forest floor. It slipped out of her mouth, as per normal, so she laid down with it and began chomping on it once more, eying the red wolf with a wagging tail, still unsure of his purpose here. 

Renier Lyall
you can set yourself on fire, but you're never gonna learn

The girl's defensive stance could have easily sank his heart. But, it was only a natural response for the circumstances, and he brushed aside. Quickly as she sunk, she rose with confidence. Golden stare found her open eyes. They were really blue, something he had forgotten about young pups. He wondered if they would stay, or likely silver like her bloods. Those images left a knot in his throat, and he swallowed. She wasn't crying for her mamma, and he could wait around till she came back. He had been through worse to worry what Hecate could have in store for him.

At the mention of the stick with quickness she retrieved it. The simple act made him smile. "Uhuh," he agreed with her, once again reminding himself how young she was. He had never been good at understanding Bishop or Rook at that stage, but it as clear what she was talking about. This was going to be hard. How would he get any information? It seemed like she was use to entertaining herself, and likely just didn't know the danger of a stranger at this point. Still he had to know she was being looked after it, as strange as that seemed. He had no business being here.

Once she laid down, chewing at it like any pup would, w he took a chance to sit across from her. "Your brother get your stick or your mom?" He tried again, his own tail gently tapping the ground in turn. This may just test his patience.

Attica gnawed on her stick happily. It had already been thoroughly worn when @Sven had given it to her, not that she would have known the difference between worn and new at the time. It had simply been an exciting gift and it was what had been entertaining her through much of her time alone, and her painful and irritated gums as her teeth continued to break through. Her drool softened pieces of the wood so that she got that satisfying chewing feeling, but the drier edges also gave her something to tear at and work towards. It really was her best friend in times of loneliness, as was much of her time now.


So, when the red giant sat down and asked her about it, she was confused between her options. Either stop chewing on her favourite stick, or be happy that this wolf was appreciative of it as she was. Who had given it to her? Truly, it had kind of just appeared in the grass.. though Sven had been the one to show it to her, so maybe that was what the stranger was asking. “Rr-rr,” she answering him, pausing mid-chew, speaking through the stick. This wolf wasn't very exciting yet, so a mix of answering him and keeping the stick company seemed like a good middle ground to sustain both of the Archer princess’ interests.

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

Renier Lyall
In a trap, a trip I can't grip

His efforts was returned with an, "Rr-rr", and his brow furrowed. "Oh," he kindly replied. He wasn't even going to attempt to decipher that. But, it appeared she was teething. He couldn't remember a lot at that stage of his life. It wasn't until his younger siblings had arrived was he reminded how sharp baby teeth actually were. He remembered being fairly tolerant of Bishop's playfulness, but often tried to get out of babysitting when he had lost his patience with the twins.

There was one thing he was sure of. He was of little interest to Attica Grace Archer, and the Lyall wasn't sure if he should find this humoring, insulting, or painful. But she was an Archer, so he shouldn't be surprised. He did his best to shuffle those thoughts aside, and instead ponder a different route. Food was probably the only thing on her list of wants besides those of comfort. Hmm .

Maybe, heaven or fate or lady luck....whatever, decided to smile upon him. A sudden breeze brought the scent of a dead moose to his nostrils. He tipped his head back, taking it in. There was a hint of possibly coyote, but he wasn't sure. "Hey, you hungry? We could get another thing to chew on." He figured it was best to see if he could entice her, and than he could check to see if there was a threat to deal with or just free lunch.

The red giant seemed happy with her response that her brother had given her the stick, and now that she thought of it, she was too. She loved @Sven and he always made her happy when he was nearby. A little smile formed on her maw at his picture in her mind. He was huge like this wolf too, but different colours. She liked how wolves were different colours. Sven was salty-peppery, and her mother was white, that one male wolf was black, and now this wolf was red! Life was pretty neat sometimes. She had yet to see a wolf that was green like the grass though.. or blue like the sky. She couldn't wait!

The large male's voice opened up again with blandishment, and her blue eyes focused back to reality and away from rainbow-coloured wolves. Hungry? Hungry? Her tail started wapping quickly against the padded ground with excitement. She even stopped chewing on her favourite stick, it all together forgotten. Her tiny pink tongue stuck out as she panted lightly, the idea of food causing her mouth to water instinctively. She did not eat as often as she would like.. you know, preferably always, though she had gotten used to waiting for her mother or brother to return with something. "Yes!" She exclaimed as she stood up without hesitation, and stepped gingerly over her stick, almost tripping in her excited bound forward. The idea of following the stranger away from her home gave her a slight pause, and she looked up to him nervously for a moment. Where were they going to go? Would her mother be upset with her? Would Sven be okay with it? Though certainly the red wolf was the boss just like the other adults.. right? 

Renier Lyall
Never thought I'd be the one who would slip

The code word was hungry. The mention of it she immediately went into super, excited, happy mode. Even letting go of her beloved stick. His own red tail gave a wag in turn. There was something about getting a pup's attention. Hey, who didn't love food?  Why her body language spoke enough, he clearly understood the yes! The rogue smiled faintly, taking another step in the right direction. Calculating how far it would be till they reached their prize. Then he noticed there wasn't a dark blur following beside him. The rogue halted to find her suddenly quite still.

Pale brows pulled together, a hint of concern to the light of his eyes. If to say what's wrong? Then it dawned on him. So she did have an idea about sticking around. He didn't think this was bad at all. Maybe, that's how she had been kept safe so long. Staying near the den, and minding her business. Luckily, he knew what to do in this situation. "You don't have to follow me if you don't want. In fact you can stay right here and chew your stick, and I'll bring you something back, hmm?" His own father had done this trick when Calla was a little weary about venturing out. There was no need for her to go if she didn't want. In fact he might prefer she stay here as well, especially should or mother or brother returned.