Nightingale Palisade ignite your bones

All welcome! Lorcan is returning back from his healer-trip (Light Snow, 38°F, 4°C)

The air felt crisp and cool as its frozen fingers stroked through his deep thickening fur, causing a chill to shimmer down his spine as his lean figure snaked through the curtain of trees towards the lowlands. The world had been alive with hot, fiery colour; the autumn leaves had once brought a warmth that had radiated from every blanketed surface, even when the sun brimmed along the far horizon. Now, that warmth was gone; the rich autumnal colours faded out beneath a thin sheet of freshly fallen snow.

A heavy breath teased past the corners of his hot charcoal lips, forming a gossamer cloud that was swiftly swept away in the morning breeze. As the male moved, his hot aching paws melted through the snow, exposing the red leaves which lay just beneath the glistening white surface. Golden eyes peered onwards through the dark silhouettes of the trees towards the hot flickering of the sun as it rose up from beneath the horizon, casting light across the lowland expanse - and the monadnock which nestled within it. Home.

Lorcan would have yipped in delight had his jaws not been clenched firmly around the fragrant bouquet of medicinal plants he carried with him. The subordinate wasn’t sure how long he had been gone, two weeks, maybe three, it was hard to tell when the days all seemed to blur together. With a rejuvenated sway in his step, the healer traipsed onwards, ready to settle back into pack life.

 

(This post was last modified: Oct 06, 2016, 07:38 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

Askan was feeling better. That wasn't to say that he was on cloud nine, or that he walked with a spring in his step, he simply was (more or less) back to his usual self.  For better or for worse, that was yet to be seen. And honestly, the Yukon wolf was more than relieved. He wasn't one to pay close attention to his faults (if anything he made a pointed effort to ignore them at all costs), but even he had to admit that he had been intolerable as of late. He wasn't sure why, but ever since that scrap with Lorcan his mood had plummeted into a downward spiral until he could barely stand the thoughts in his head. And then of course that damn pale stranger had tried to console him with his nonsense talk of 'feelings and self worth.' Askan tsked at the thought. What rubbish, he was fine. He hadn't been at the time of course, but he was fine now. 

With the mess in his head all sorted out, Askan felt ready to face the world and his allies again. 

Trotting along, Askan couldn't help but note that he was making good time- considering the conditions and all. The snow barely coated the ground, or hid the carpet of fallen leaves so it wasn't as if he had to wade through it, but it was enough to warrant some care. After all, Askan wasn't the most sure footed of wolves so he didn't want to run the risk of slipping over and making a right fool of himself. His bruises had healed by then, he stopped noticing them days ago but even now he couldn't help but idly wonder what that Whitestone bastard was up to.

His ire had waned somewhat, since Percy had explained what had actually happened down by the river. But Askan was not quick to forgive nor forget, so even though Lorcan technically hadn't done anything wrong, Askan wasn't willing to let it go. In his mind, one way or another Lorcan was still to blame. 

It seemed as though the Gods had a funny sense of humour, or that they particularly enjoyed testing Askan. For as soon as he concluded his thoughts about the Whitestone wolf, he caught his scent. It was an accident on Askan's behalf, he was breathing deep, pulling in cold air and huffing out warm. But as soon as the scent touched his nostrils recognition slammed into him and he stumbled to a stop, nearly tripping over fallen branches in the process. Damn it and he'd been having a decent day too.

Squinting against the low sun, Askan searched through the blur of trees. With his sharp eyes it didn't take long to spot the wolf skulking in the shadows and once again Askan glowered in distaste. An accusation was coiled on the end of his tongue, but for once the dark wolf swallowed and instead chose to ignore his presence. Whatever, Askan didn't care. He just wanted to go home, and he wouldn't let Lorcan stop him.

Ooh Askan just got blanked! xD Hope this is okay? Let me know if you want me to add any more

The woodland was quiet, aside from the single robin which sang fervently from a branch high up in the bony canopy, and apart from the gentle crunch and splash of his paws as they traipsed through the thin layer of crisp snow, everything around him seemed still and frozen. It was almost as if all the fauna that usually began to appear in the early hours had today decided to remain curled up in the warmth of their ice-laden burrows, which for a small fleeting moment, meant that Lorcan felt almost completely alone.

Though as he took a deep breath, to breathe a contented sigh, a familiar odour tarnished the fragrant scent of the herbs he had clasped between his jowls – and he found himself snorting out a cloud of hot air in contempt.

Askan was apparently around nearby.

An irritated flick of his tail was given as he considered what could happen if he bumped into the brute again. Lorcan was only just making a full recovery from the last injury he had received during their scuffle; with help from the golden rod paste, only a few small scars remained - only visible due to the section of fur that had yet to completely grow back since the attack.

He paused to briefly shake his pelt, deliberately not bothering to look around, before he continued to casually snake his way through the trees in the direction of the lowlands. The whereabouts of the swarthy male did not deter him from returning home with the herbs he had collected, having spent weeks away from the pack, Lorcan was adamant that he should return as soon as physically possible. That meant there was simply no time for petty distractions.

 

(This post was last modified: Oct 12, 2016, 06:47 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

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

Askan didn't care for Lorcan, and neither did he crave his attention nor approval, but the fact that he ignored him was outright insulting. Who did he think that he was? Askan had expected- wanted- a response of some sort but the damn Whitestone wolf had denied him that and it made Askan's fur stand on point. Ever since his conversation with Percy, and the following one with her old man Askan had made an effort to stay his temper. It's not as though he liked getting angry, these feelings were not int he slightest enjoyable. He just couldn't help it, it was always someone else's fault that he felt this way.

Askan didn't want to kick up a fuss and act like a petulant pup. He wasn't going to demand Lorcan's attention, as his pride wouldn't allow it. So the next best thing was to ensure that the wolf couldn't ignore him even if he wanted to. As to how to go about that? He wasn't sure. Squinting at his retreating form, Askan took a moment to check out the other wolf. He no longer walked with a limp, it seemed as though his injury had healed. Good for him, Askan supposed. But.... Was he carrying something in his mouth?

The Yukon wolf probably wouldn't have noticed if it hadn't been for the items stark colour that stood out against the white of the snow and brown of the trees. The hell was he carrying? Askan tilted his head curiously and broke into a trot. Whatever it was, the other seemed to be holding onto it with care, like it was precious.

This discovery posed another issue. How was Askan supposed to get hold of that thing? Should he just rush in and take it? No, probably not. That would no doubt seem like an act of aggression, and even though Askan held no affection for the other, he wasn't hankering for another fight. Believe it or not. This truly was a bit of a pickle, and whilst Askan was trying to figure it out, Lorcan continued to make his get away. No doubt if Askan delayed any longer he'd lose him. Which of course made Askan question as to why he even cared, why did this matter? Cause he was a petty man, that's why. But he didn't see it that way of course, but it was true. 

Walking parallel to Lorcan, Askan occasionally glanced over at him. If he wouldn't acknowledge him now then maybe he would if he couldn't shake him. Askan had no intentions of calling out to him, but he wasn't going to let this drop either. It was a battle of will to see who gave in first. And it was a battle that Askan was determined to win.

(This post was last modified: Oct 13, 2016, 01:23 PM by Askan.)

The sun rose further in the sky, casting a brighter light across the glistening white snow that blanketed his path back home. Askan’s scent still lingered potently in the air. Even as the agouti male continued to traipse further away from where he had originally caught the brute’s scent, the thick musk clung ominously to his nostrils. Still, Lorcan continued to pay the swarthy male no mind, unwilling to be distracted from the task at hand, or at least while Askan still remained out of sight. Out of sight, out of mind — or so the saying went.

Alas, the sharp crunch of the snow and the serpent-like rattling of the leaves alerted Lorcan to his location. Russet ears flickered in response to the sound and his hackles rose for the briefest of moments when he realised that the brute was positioned somewhere behind him. Was he being followed? Lorcan daren’t look back. White brows furrowed, golden eyes glared forwards stubbornly and his shoulders hunched over as he continued to march through the trees; trying to convince himself that he hadn’t been spotted, regardless of that fact that the familiar odour was growing stronger.

He heard movement to his right and without even a second glance, he knew who it was. He would have gritted his teeth had the herbs not been between his jaws. The skin along his muzzle wrinkled, exposing a flash of white fangs, although he was careful not turn his face towards Askan so that the expression may go unnoticed. He could feel those daffodil yellow eyes upon him. They sent prickles down his spine. The feeling of being watched was uncomfortable and unnerving, but Lorcan refused to be intimidated.

He let out a snort, sending a hot cloud of air out from his nostrils.

A few tense moments of silence passed before Lorcan finally rolled his eyes and shot a glare across to his unwelcome companion, a single white brow raised in question. No words were spoken, but the message was clear: What do you want?

(This post was last modified: Oct 13, 2016, 03:31 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

Askan had hoped for some sort of response, acknowledgement, so when he received the callous glare he counted that as a win. One point to Askan. Lorcan hadn't stopped, but now Askan was certain that he would. He wouldn't leave him alone until he did. Even for Askan this little display was very petty, and a small voice in the back of his mind told him was wasting his time. Didn't he have anything better to do? He knew that Lorcan wasn't at fault for what had happened, he should thank him really. But would he? Of course not. He'd rather die than say sorry. If he wasn't careful that might just happen one day.

Whilst not the most astute of wolves, Askan picked up on Lorcan's unsaid question loud and clear. What did he want? Well.... Nothing really, from him anyway. He repeatedly told himself he wanted nothing from the Whitestoner, so why was he kicking up such a fuss? Pride mostly, but perhaps there was something else. Perhaps he would have used this time to think about it more but- something rustling ahead caught his attention.

At first he barely thought anything of it, after all these woods were not void of life, but then out of his peripheral he saw a huge, hulking bear clamber to it's feet. And that bastard Lorcan was heading right towards it. 

Time seemed to slow as panic took hold of the Yukon wolf. What should he do? Askan was no coward, but even he knew that provoking a bear was more or less a death sentence. The best course of action would be to leave it the fuck alone, as it seemed distracted, it's nose sifting through the fallen autumn leaves. And yet.... Askan glanced back at the other wolf who continued to hurry along, doing his damned best to pretend that Askan wasn't there. If the two came face to face, Askan had no doubt that the bear would not react kindly to the Whitestoner. He recalled once being told that driven by their need gather fat reserves for the winter, they were particularly temperamental this time of year, and so should be left well alone. Or at the very least, should be faced by numerous experienced wolves.

It wasn't Askan's problem if Lorcan got hurt, it'd be his own damned fault, besides he didn't even like him. But Askan couldn't just- He wasn't heartless.

"Lorcan! Stop!" Askan called out, his timberous voice breaking their stalemate. 

No sooner had Lorcan momentarily diverted his attention towards the swarthy brute, did his russet ears swivel around at the sound of rustling ahead of him.

Unfortunately for Lorcan, with the bouquet of herbs hanging right under his nose and Askan’s strong musky scent engulfing the air immediately around him, he did not notice the bear’s scent lingering on the autumn breeze – and so, he ignored the subtle sound of disturbance up ahead, presuming it to just be an arctic hare darting out from its burrow, and continued to remain focussed on moving forwards whilst all the while keeping an eye on Askan.

To his irritation Askan didn’t even bother to utter a response and instead seemed content to just taunt him, floating silently by his side like some bothersome bloodsucking parasite.

Parasite. Lorcan scoffed inwardly at the thought, as his golden gaze broke away from the dark brown of the brute’s fur and flickered down to glance at the crisp white snow that melted beneath his hot paws, enjoying the cool wet feeling between his toes as he moved.

A thunderous shout snapped through the brief moment of satisfaction, and in an instant Lorcan had turned back to look wide-eyed at Askan, noticing the panic in his voice. Golden eyes immediately narrowed in to the area ahead of them where the swarthy male’s attention was focused and he took a sharp inhale when he spotted the large bear who was now staring right at them.

His paws slammed to a sudden halt and the dark fur along his spine bristled in fear as Lorcan immediately coward down submissively, not wanting to appear threatening towards the foraging beast, herbs still gripped between his teeth.

Frozen with fear, he prayed the grizzly wouldn’t charge.

 

(This post was last modified: Oct 13, 2016, 07:46 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

I don't know why, but the picture of the bear made me laugh so hard. What a strange looking fellow.  Also Askan has a potty mouth, sorry not sorry.

At the sudden outburst of noise, the bear whipped its head up and stood up on its hind legs to get a better view of the situation. The beast hadn't been out looking for trouble, it simply wanted to forage before it had to retreat to it's den for the winter, but now that it realised that it wasn't alone trouble was certainly on it's mind. It let out a rumble of warning and bared its teeth in a snarl.

Askan shifted uneasily at the bears response. By no means was it charging- that'd be the worst case scenario- but it didn't seem willing to ignore Lorcan either. It was clear the bear wanted him to get lost, but from the way it was staring at the Whitestone wolf with such intent, Askan feared that if he tried to make a break for it, the bear would follow in hot pursuit. At least Lorcan had the mind to make himself look as submissive and unassuming as possible, but honestly Askan didn't know how long that would work. He needed to start backing up, staying put wasn't doing him any favours. 

Askan wanted to call out, to tell Lorcan to move his ass. But from what Askan could tell, the bear was so focused on what was in front of it that it hadn't even noticed his presence. He'd done his part, he didn't need to stay, he now had a clean conscience. And yet... Askan knew from first hand experience that Lorcan was no fighter- not that he'd recommend trying to fight the bear- and that his first instinct seemed to be to curl up and protect himself. Right now, that did jack shit. He needed to snap out of that mentality and high tail it home.

Sighing, Askan dug his paws into the shallow snow and pulled his lips back into a snarl. If Lorcan wouldn't get the hell out of here of his own volition then Askan would make him, whether he liked it or not. It was a stupid plan yes, no doubt about that, but this was what Askan was good at. He excelled in making a lot of noise and a big fuss along with it.

"Oi you fat fuck!" Askan roared, dashing towards the enraged bear. He skid to a stop several metres from the beast and grinned menacingly, his eyes narrowed in disdain. "Come on you shit, why don't you pick on someone who can take it?" Askan mock lunged forward, his teeth snapping at empty air. If this didn't work then he had no idea.

Lorcan didn’t want to die.

He crouched down, completely terrified, watching wide-eyed as the intimidating size of the grizzly bear doubled as it shifted up onto its hind legs. The bear grumbled, curling its fleshy top lip back to flash its sharp yellow fangs. The agouti male whimpered, curling his tail up tightly between his legs.

A petrified glare was shot across to Askan out of the corner of his eye. The swarthy brute was lucky enough to be positioned somewhat further away from the disturbed beast. Lorcan on the other hand, being right in the firing line of the beast, didn’t know whether to stay still or run. He couldn’t even whimper as the bear took a few steps closer, not with the bouquet of herbs still stuffed in his mouth.

Refusing to let himself become a mangled heap of flesh and fur, Lorcan decided to take some kind of action. A forepaw lifted up to hover shakily above the ground and paused, before he slowly placed it back on the ground to take a single step back. Golden eyes shot back up to the bear who continued to voice his annoyance with grumbles and snarls. Slowly another step back was taken. His plan seemed to be going well…But then Askan had to go and interfere.

The brute’s voice roared through the air and Lorcan grimaced, watching in horror as Askan charged straight towards the angry bear. The bear charged forwards a few paces, unhappy with Askan’s advances. With the bear distracted, Lorcan made a dash for it, scrambling to his feet and twisting his body around as fast physically possible so that he could sprint in the opposite direction away from the imminent danger.

Now a safe distance away, Lorcan turned back around in search of Askan, who was lunging at it. He wanted to shout at him to leave it and run, but he still had the herbs he had spent weeks collecting preventing him from making much noise at all. He wasn’t about to just ditch them.

For a moment he considered running and abandoning the lowland wolf. He had caused all this mess after all. No, he couldn’t! What if Askan got hurt?! He might have been an annoying arsehole, but the brute didn’t deserve to get mauled by the grizzly. Lorcan shook his head in turmoil. Dashing to the nearest tree, he quickly discarded his precious bouquet at its base and then immediately sprinted back a little way towards Askan, before he could change his mind.

“Askan! Come on!” He snarled desperately, hoping the male would hear him over the sound of the bears growling. “Askan. Run!!!” He barked impatiently, muscles tensing as he prepared to make a quick exit.

 

(This post was last modified: Oct 14, 2016, 07:17 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together