Larkcall Lowlands Youth in Trouble

Percy is hunting Lemmings! All welcome, spree preferred because of her dismal LP situation.
RE - The sky darkens with ash from a distant forest fire... but she hasn't noticed it yet because she's looking North.

Would she never learn?

After the fiasco that had ensued when she got swept away in the current of the creek, anyone might think the girl would know better, that she would stay put when the grown-ups told her to. But there was so much to see and do. She had watched @Askan and her mother chasing rabbits and while she was almost certain she wouldn't be able to catch one on her own, that didn't mean that she would forever be content for others to bring her meals they had worked hard so hard to earn. It was time for the girl to start earning her keep, or at least that was what she told herself.

She passed the scent marked lines easily, her now orange eyes daring to roll a little as she remembered all the times she had been told not to cross them. Silver ticking was now evident about her face and down her body. Her puppy fur was vanishing gradually replaced with longer, coarser fur that would eventually become her winter coat. She didn't know what winter was, but she had already begun to notice the days growing shorter and the days seemed even wetter than they had been in the spring.

Now she was sure she had seen them around here before, little fat rodents, barely more than a mouthful for an adult. Hmm... Wait. What was that?

(This post was last modified: Sep 12, 2016, 06:47 AM by Phoenix.)

The air was thick and heavy with the lingering scent of smoke, Askan noted as he raised his snout and breathed deep. Granted, the scent was faint as though the fire was miles away, but even so it was enough to make the Yukon wolf stop in his tracks. He had only ever seen a fire once, as it ravaged through the now distant Selwyn woodlands, but even so he knew that it was something to fear and to avoid at all costs.  Fortunately, the winds seemed to be blowing in his favour. The air was relatively still and calm, so it was unlikely the fire would make it to the Lowlands before it puttered out. Still, the darkened sky on the horizon was a harrowing sight, the sort that he doubted he would forget for years to come.

As distracting as the fire was, that was not why he had ventured away from the den site. For the past few days he had done little aside from rest. Even now, his sides ached from the his collision with the sun dried ground. Not only that, but his jaw ached too after he'd been sucker punched by that damn bastard Whitestone wolf. The only saving grace, was that his foot was fine. It didn't hurt at all, much to his relief. Despite his aches and pains, the way Askan saw it, it was all worth it in the end. Hell, he'd do it all over again if he had to. The discomfort was nothing he couldn't handle, it barely even registered in his mind.

Turning his gaze away from the sky, Askan pressed his nose to the ground again. This venture from his den was not without cause, the pup (unsurprisingly) had wandered off again and Askan took it upon himself to check up on her, to see what trouble she had gotten herself into this time. 

Despite the fact that the Yukon wolf enjoyed her company, it couldn't be denied that he had been avoiding Percy for the past few days. It wasn't out of regret per se, it was simply that he was worried what she now thought of him after she had seen him act like that. There was no denying that Askan was worried,was hesitant that she no longer wanted him around. Or worse yet, that she feared him. The mere thought was enough to make him shudder as he trotted along, nose to the ground.

This was his attempt at making amends. He wouldn't go as far as apologise, as in his eyes he had done nothing wrong, but he understood that he had to do something. He needed to clear the air. And because of that, he had no intention of scolding her when he found her. She wasn't supposed to roam this far alone, but he didn't want to curb her sense of adventure either. It was what made Percy, Percy. 

To his relief, it didn't take long to find the not so small pup. Her dark coat did little to conceal her in the long grass, she stood out like a sore thumb really. Making his presence known, Askan huffed in greeting as he came to a stop by her side. He had no idea what she was up to, and he had every intention of finding out.

"What you up to pup?" He asked with a pleasant swishing of his tail.

The girl crouched down low, blazing eyes focused on the small rustle in the grass. Sight zeroed in on a twitching black nose adorned with whiskers. She inched closer, closer and coiled her muscles ready for the pounce... but the lemming picked up on @Askan's steps before she did and darted for cover, much like Percy wished she could after what he said to the stranger by the creek.

She couldn't wipe the sour expression from her face, failing to answer his waving tail with any movement from her own. "What do you care?" she blurted back without a thought before attempting to storm off further into the tundra. She wouldn't let him see her cry. "I'm not yours and I'm busy. Just leave me alone." After all, weren't they all always busy? That was a good enough excuse, right? Good enough to leave her alone with nothing but sticks and bugs for company. Now she wanted to be alone he decided to come after her? Typical.

In true Phoenix fashion, she was so focused on where she was getting to that she forgot to look where she was walking. The rolling earth disappeared beneath her feet and she fell forwards, barely catching herself before her chin hit the ground. Gods, what was she playing at. She couldn't even walk in a straight line without falling over. How on earth was she going to help the pack at all? She was just a burden they all had to bare.

Askan visibly flinched at her words. It hurt so much more than any bruise or scrape he had received the other day. They were cold, void of any of her usual warmth and joviality. Her gaze was scathing and callous and it was then that it dawned on Askan that she hated him. He stood there frozen, not even breathing nor blinking. He'd expected.... Honestly, he hadn't come there with any concrete preconceptions. Obviously, he thought that she'd be a bit miffed, but for once he had been hopeful and look where that got him. It only set him up for disappointment and Askan could barely stomach it.

"I-" Askan blurted, his voice trembling like a leaf in the wind.

He wasn't sure what he had intended to say after that, his mind was blank but it was all for naught as Phoenix clearly had no intention of listening to him. She didn't even want to look at him. He was scum. The lowest of the low. Askan swallowed thickly in an attempt to clear away the tightness in his throat, not that it did him any good. It still felt like his breath were being choked out of him, as though his little slice of home, of happiness was caving in on him.

Askan stepped forward with every intention of following her, he had to try and explain. He hadn't meant it like that. So he had to fix things, to make it right. "Phoenix, if you'd just-" 

But then she took a tumble and without thought of her feelings towards him he rushed forward to aid her, as he always had before. It was almost second nature now, a knee jerk reaction.

"You okay? Gotta mind your step around here. Can you stand?" Askan gently nosed her side, encouraging her to get to her feet. Falling down was just part of being a pup, as long as she got back up that was what counted in the end.

(This post was last modified: Sep 17, 2016, 07:44 PM by Askan.)

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

It all seemed to jumble together, @Askan calling out after her, the ground rising up to meet her, and the sound of heavy steps getting closer and closer with every beat of her broken heart. She was frozen in time in that moment, the sudden roiling of her stomach keeping her paws rooted to the earth when all she wanted to do was spring up and bound away. It was too late now, he was here.

The young wolf threw herself sideways, bringing her rump to the ground and finally allowing her chin to touch the earth. Oversized paws quickly came up over her snout and eyes, blocking out the sun and the sight of the large dark wolf that had come to her rescue. A sigh betrayed her farce (as though he wouldn't be able to tell that she hadn't fallen instantly asleep), and she tried to fold her ears closed against the caring words he spoke.

Of course, it was her fault, she should be watching her step... Eyes cracked open and paws fell away from her face, the fiercest glare she had ever mustered thrown in Askan's direction. She threw herself forward with teeth snapping at the air, hoping to grab some small part of the larger wolf and let him know in no uncertain terms that she wasn't in the mood. "I can stand. Just. Fine!" After all, apparently it was only swimming she struggled with... and walking in a straight line.

Askan could tell that she was angry, but it had never occurred to him that she would ever try and lash out at him. Sure, she used to nip and tug at his ears but that was in play. That sort of behaviour was excusable. But right now her intent was clear, as was her loathing for him. It felt as though the wind had been knocked right out of his lungs, like a bison had charged head first into him. It hurt. Not because she landed the hit, no even he was quick enough to take a cautionary step back, but because he knew that she wanted him to suffer. She wanted to cause him pain. Maybe this is what he deserved.

Askan didn't dare approach her as she got to her feet. He wanted to, he wanted to fuss and really make sure that she was all right. But he wasn't welcome to anymore, she had decided that she didn't want him anymore, that they weren't friends. So this was what it felt like? It was shocking really, he didn't think it would be so sharp, so piercing. Physical wounds were all well and good, he could grit his teeth through the pain and limp on if need be. But this, it was staggering, he felt as though he had lost his tether.

It dawned on him just how much their friendship meant to him. He'd never really thought about it before, and why would he? What they had was good, it was fun. He liked it. But it was all in tatters now and Askan didn't know what to do, he didn't have the know how or experience to try and but their patchwork friendship back together.

He'd lost....

Askan swallowed thickly and blinked away the tears threatening to well up in the corners of his eyes. This was stupid, why was he getting all upset about this? It's not like he had friends before, and he was doing just fine. He was fine. He was fine. He was fine. But if that was the case then why did his chest feel so tight? Why did he feel as though he just wanted to run and hide from the world?

"Okay, I get it." He told her, doing his damned best to keep his voice level. "Just wanted to check if you were okay."

It was a strange look that crossed the larger wolf's face. Once that twisted her gut and made her want to gag. Guilt, she might later learn to name the emotion but for now it was just Wrong, wrong, wrong. The edges of her mouth contorted into a grimace as her rump fell heavy against the ground. Sure, she hurt - but did she really want Askan to hurt too? Maybe... maybe there was something that she had missed? "W-wait," she finally managed to blurt out, her distress clear in her voice. He may not have moved to leave yet but she didn't like this feeling. Maybe as a grown up he would better understand.

"I'm not okay." she finally said after some thought, small shoulders starting to shake from the effort of processing such big feelings. A few months ago, she might have just thrown herself on the ground and cried until the feelings went away, but she had quickly come to learn that that really didn't make anything better. "I was itchy, so I went in the water, then it got really deep really quick and I couldn't get out..." The stranger had been telling the truth. "I felt stupid because he had to save me so I pretended to be asleep, then you were there... and I was happy but scared... and it got better..." but her voice had begun to shake. A few short, deep breaths were drawn in before she could bring herself to meet his eyes.

"And then you said I'm not yours." She had to stop again to save herself from breaking down, it was a lot for such a young wolf to deal with. "But I thought you were. I thought we were friends." Hell, she thought he was family. He had always been there. Always. So what had she done to push him away?

(This post was last modified: Oct 11, 2016, 10:50 PM by Phoenix.)

Askan had intended to leave her alone. Not because he wanted to leave, but because he thought that she wanted him to. So when she protested for him to stay, that's exactly what he did.  Even if she hadn't sounded so distraught he would have stayed, so the fact that she was made the prospect of him leaving her side nigh impossible. He'd have to be dragged away, kicking and snarling- a task that he doubted anyone would volunteer to do. And for good reason.

The Yukon wolf wasn't good at listening, he didn't really have the patience nor temperament for it. But when Percy told him exactly what had happened and how she felt- well he was helpless to do anything but listen. Knowing that he had jumped to the wrong conclusion, it was like a kick in the gut. Askan wanted to be right, so when he learned when he wasn't... Well, he didn't feel good. But that wasn't really the problem here, he could deal with all of his internal shit later. So he stowed that away and just listened. And as she continued to explain it dawned on Askan that all of this, this terrible awful conversation was actually his fault. All because he hadn't watched his words, because he'd just blurted them out without a thought of how they could be interpreted. 

Askan thumped down onto the floor into a bedraggled laying position, with his paws spread out in front of him. This was.... It was all a misunderstanding. He didn't know whether to laugh... Or do the opposite. He certainly didn't want to do that, fortunately (somehow) he had managed to get a hold of himself. At least now he wasn't going to break out into tears like a fool. Not that he would have thought the same if Percy had done so, she was exempt from the bitter light Askan cast upon himself.

"I..." Askan shook his head. How was he supposed to explain? How could he fix this, make this right? He had no clue, but he had to try. "That's not what I meant, we are friends. I just... I meant that I'm not your dad. Lorcan said you were my daughter, so I said you weren't, which you're not. That's all I meant."

This was hard. Feelings were hard, and putting them into words was even more so. He didn't know whether he'd done it right, or even done them justice, but his feelings were out there. He'd made an attempt to set things right.

"I didn't mean to upset you, you know that right? I just wanted you safe."

Percy's jaw was held slightly agape as @Askan's words sunk in, the silent "Oh..." thought but never spoken. The sick feeling came back threefold as she realised just how silly she had been, that she had missed part of the conversation, and she grew hot under her fur with embarassment. She had been getting herself (and Askan) upset over nothing. Shoulders slumped in equal parts relief and defeat, it was a lot of effort to stay angry and miserable for so long. She inched closer to bury her forehead into his shoulder, her back legs rising as her tail began to wave.

"I'm sorry," she finally found the words. "I wasn't upset when you came to save me, I was just worried you were gonna hurt the other guy. He didn't do anything wrong but everything was gonna be okay, then I didn't hear what he said and I thought we weren't friends." A smile had begun to edge onto her face again, a hint of a laugh building in her tone. "Did he really think you were my dad? You're not old enough to be my dad!" Now the air was cleared and the misunderstanding resolved, she was able to see the funny side of it. All was right with the world again.

She bumped into her companion as she thought she caught another flicker of movement in the grass. "I was trying to catch one of those little brown things but they're so fast." she finally admitted the secondary source of frustration that had pushed her to breaking point, hoping Askan might have some tips to help her finally catch one of the speedy little rodents.