Fallen Tree Cove Sometimes to be normal is the craziest of all

For @Namid

Word Count: 227

Tagg picked his way along the lakeshore, contemplating retreating to the sheltered roots he’d claimed as a den.  There was a light snow falling, sticking to the ends of his fur and weighing it down. He shook his pelt and some of the frozen water fell, but not enough for his preference.  He had to say he didn’t miss the deep winters living in the mountain brought, but he was glad to be back home.

Home.  That was a strange concept, even though he’d been back for a while.  He was definitely starting to feel much more comfortable here.  He smiled as he thought back to hunting with Moon; she was nice, and Tagg found that she was in his thoughts fairly often.  He wondered what she was up to, and where she chose to sleep.

The scarred male finally made his way back to the small divot in the ground he’d claimed as a nest, but found the tree had released its load into the area.  He sighed and began scraping the snow out, not feeling in any particular hurry this evening.  He only used one paw to sweep the white powder aside rather than digging with both.  He didn’t want to risk gouging the earth and messing up his carefully cultivated bed.  He could afford to be patient if it meant a comfortable resting place.

As he worked, he turned his thoughts to the morning.  He wanted to find either Namid or Vespertio and talk to them about working towards becoming a guardian.  He disliked fighting, but by now he was used to it and he was getting good at it, despite his disability.  He might as well use it for something good: protecting his pack.

"Speech"  Thought

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Rising onto her back legs, Namid broke through the ice that had formed overnight over their designated drinking hole. The cold seeped into her forelegs and made her teeth chatter slightly, but it wasn’t anything that she wasn’t necessarily used to. It was something they needed to do, a daily chore so to speak. If it kept her pack healthy she held no qualms. Her breath fogged the air from her muzzle as she dipped her head to lap up a drink, taking a few moments before turning back and moving up into the forest.

She was alerted to the sound of shoveling, auds twisted toward the sound and she instinctively began to move toward it out of curiosity. Perhaps it was an especially stupid hare shoveling some snow out for a den? Now that, she deemed, would be truly lucky. But, she had just as much luck to find their recently rejoined renegade. A low chuff was given in greeting and she came upon the scene, a small smile gracing her maw. “Would you like some help with that?” she inquired. Trodding forward she used a single paw as well to begin shoveling the snow out gingerly, careful to take only snow with her instead of dirt. She quietly hoped that this den would only be temporary, that he would join the rest of them in the communal den at some point but these things took time. Whenever he was ready they would be too.

OOC comments here!

Word Count: 528

Not long after Tagg started his work, he heard a chuff of greeting and looked up, surprised to see the Queen approaching him.  He dipped his head in greeting to her, then flicked his ears when she offered to help.  “Um, sure.” They scraped the snow away in silence until it was finally clear.  Tagg sat back, glancing up into the tree.  There was still quite a bit of the white powder in the branches above him, and should something disturb the tree he would be rudely awakened by the weight of snow falling on top of him.  “Thank you for your help, though I’m likely to get buried again.” He mused absently.

He looked at the regal woman beside him, turning his head so he could see her entirely.  “Actually, if you have a moment, there was something I was hoping to ask you about.”  He had initially been planning to wait a little longer, get fully integrated into the pack first, but since she was here now he might as well just ask.  Besides, if the time he’d spent with Moon was anything to go by, he doubted he would have too hard a time fitting in with his packmates when he finally did get his jumpiness under control.

“I apologize that I haven’t been very active in pack duties… I by no means intend to let it stay that way.  The truth is, the war followed me in a way I never anticipated.  I find that when I am startled I tend to respond with aggression first and ask questions later.  I wanted to get that under control before I entered a more crowded environment.” He took a breath, not wanting to gush information all at once.  He was trying not to reveal too much as it was.  He didn’t want to burden Namid with information didn’t want and didn’t need; he wasn’t that cruel.  She had enough on her plate as it was, with her recent reclaiming of her position and with spring incoming.

After a moment, the scarred male continued.  “But it happened and I can’t change that, nor would I want to.  I learned valuable things, and though it was a dark time I want to be able to use it for good, for the benefit of my pack.  If it would be acceptable to you and Vespertio, I would like to begin working to become a guardian.” He eyed the queen, wondering what she thought of his goal.  He had vanished once before, but he had been young then.  He hadn’t known what he knew now.  If he were to find himself in a similar situation, he would at least be able to fight his way back to the pack rather than simply running.  He was no longer the coward he had been.

I feel so old sometimes. He thought with ill humor.  The memory of his hunt with Moon flashed back into his mind, the puppyish way they’d bounded about bringing a soft smile to his face.  Then again, others times…

Bringing his thoughts back to the conversation at hand, Tagg watched Namid and awaited her thoughts on the matter.

"Speech"  Thought

(This post was last modified: Jan 16, 2017, 03:23 AM by Tagg.)

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

We'll be rolling this spar, bc I've always wanted to use the roll system but have never gotten the chance >.> please go there and verify you agree to it and we can get this going. I'm excited c:

Once they finished digging out the den they sat back for a moment and rested, curiosity still prodding at her and making her want to ask him why he hadn’t joined them in the main den, but she held her tongue and instead offered a nod of her head and a widened smile. But the smile moved into an expression of focus as he began to speak, his own expression mimicking something of seriousness. Whatever he wanted to talk about deserved her full attention.

Her head cocked to the side as he began, jumping into it and mentioning something about a war. The man had been in a war while he’d been gone? She hadn’t been around him enough to see any real differences in his behavior from what she’d remembered, but it might explain the fresher looking scars that mottled his body. Her heart ached for him, for even if she’d never had to participate in one herself she knew that death was never a pleasant experience. He seemed like he was holding back, for her sake or for his she didn’t quite know but she allowed him to continue at his own pace. Pushing him for information he might not want to give, especially on a topic that was likely to be so sore, would never be a good idea. But, she was pleased to see in his continuation that he seemed to be moving on as best as he could. He even wanted to earn a role! Her smile widened again, pleased at the news. “I am sorry for what you have experienced, I am always an open ear if you ever need to talk about it. But I am pleased to hear you want to earn a role! Whatever you may feel, you are still a part of this family. I support you in whatever it is that you strive to do,” she replied, giving him a nudge to the shoulder with her nose.

A mischievous glint rose in her gaze as she moved to her paws, giving herself a good shake. “But, remember that we do not give third chances. If you want this role, prove to me that you want to give what it takes to protect us.” she said, her tail flagging over her back and her body bowing, enticing him to come at her. It had been a while since she’d done any sort of sparring, but she could always use the practice and it would be a good opportunity for both of them to gain a little more training.

They rolled for you first so I'm just going to say Tagg's attack was a miss.

Word Count: 225

Tagg dipped his head, appreciative of Namid’s willingness to listen. Family. He liked that.  He hadn’t been called family for some time, and it felt nice to hear it again.  Moon’s smile once again flashed into his mind at the word, but he shook it away.  Why was he thinking of her specifically?

Her next words took him by surprise and even caused some alarm, as did her sudden readiness to spar.  Now? I didn’t mean… But he quickly shook it off.  Of course she would want to test him now; a Guardian needed to be ready to defend his pack at any given moment – even at the end of a cold day when he was looking forward to his bed. He shook off the old feeling rising in him.  This was a simple spar, not a battle.  Just a test, not life or death.  

He slid into an easy stance and leapt at her, but miscalculated for the snow.  His paws slipped out from under him, sending him a little to her side instead of into her.  He mentally cursed himself; fighting in the winter was different than fighting in the summer; he knew that!  He scrambled around, quickly regaining his balance and keeping the queen in his direct sight, taking a slightly more defensive position but still trying to compensate for the snow.

"Speech"  Thought

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Namid tried not to laugh as he fell to the ground to her side, instead sidestepping on light paws while keeping her mismatched gaze trained on the male. She eyed him, calm and cool, looking for whatever openings she could manage. He was of medium size, but he was bulky as well which, to her nearly small size, meant that one good knock to her would likely send her off kilter. But she had speed on her side, which would hopefully put her at an advantage. He had experience, but even the most experienced had a weakness. His was obvious, but he’d likely trained himself to avoid attacks from that side of to be hyper aware of it. Still, it didn’t hurt to make sure?

She surged forward, feigning to his good side then at the last possible second moved to the other. She rounded, using the slickness of the snow to her advantage and sliding herself beneath him before rising up and using her strength to knock him off his paws and onto his side. As he hit the ground she spun away, lowering herself with tail flickering behind her frame and an exhilarated grin spread across her maw. Namid was a very passive wolf and was normally able to use her words to get herself out of some tough situations, but when her words failed her she needed to be able to defend herself. This was helping her out just as much as it did Tagg.

I power played a little bit... let me know if you want me to change anything.

Word Count: 271

The scarred man tensed as Namid made her move.  He’d expected her to at least try for his blind side – everyone always did – but he hadn’t expected her to use the snow to her advantage.  He yelped in surprise as she slid under him and used her body to toss him to the side.  He flailed, trying to regain his feet as quickly as possible.  He skidded on the winter ground for a moment before he was able to get his balance back.

Eyeing the pale queen warily, Tagg couldn’t bring himself to share her grin.  Losing a fight would be good for him; it gave him the opportunity to learn, after all, but at the moment he was too frustrated to think of that. Allowing his emotions to get the better of him – something he’d learned long ago not to do – he lunged for her, this time anticipating the slip of wet snow beneath his pads.  Despite this, the queen nimbly sidestepped him and he passed her.  He was so close… he could feel their pelts brush.

He whipped around to face her again, determined not to make things too easy for her.  He growled softly in both frustration and embarrassment. How can they expect me to protect the pack when I can’t even land a blow? He thought in despair.   If he couldn’t do this… if he couldn’t use what he’d learned to help the pack he called his home… that meant his time away had been futile.  Useless.  Wasted time and bad memories.  If he couldn’t do this… if he couldn’t do this, what was he good for?

"Speech"  Thought

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Honestly, she was just as surprised by her hits as she was by his misses. However, as she watched him movements she could tell he was getting frustrated. Everyone who had ever been taught to fight knew that a big rule in fighting was to never, ever let your emotions, especially frustration, get to you. When that happened you weren't focusing like you were supposed to be and then you made mistakes. If they were in a life and death situation, Tagg’s frustration would likely get him killed and she couldn't allow that.

“Deep breathes, you are missing because you are frustrated. Frustration is the biggest killer in a fight, as I am sure you know all too well. Don't fight because you feel the personal need to win, to prove yourself. Fight because you have others to fight for,” she encouraged as they circled.

She knew that he wouldn't fall for his blind side again, and even when she knew that he wasn't doing good with their current terrain she decided that she would allow him a chance at something he was likely advantageous in. Brute strength. She surged forward with a sharp bark, ramming her chest into his and attempting to force him back. Now, it was a battle of wills to see who would get the other to back off first. “Fight for us!” she grunted and as she pushed.

I didn't do a roll since it's not really an attack... let me know if you want me to change it.

Word Count: 233

The fact that she could tell he was frustrated didn’t help Tagg’s situation.  Of course he knew that… he did have something to fight for beyond his own pride… it was his lack of ability to succeed, even in a light spar, which angered him. He couldn’t fail his pack.  

He did, however, force himself to take a deep breath and calm down.  He hadn’t always won even when there were lives on the line… he had plenty of new scars to show for that.  He’d failed before; it was not a new sensation to him.

Tagg grunted in surprise when the smaller queen shoved her body against him.  What is she thinking? I’m much bigger than her! But he set his stance and pushed back, digging his paws into the chill ground and leaning into her, using his bodyweight to his advantage.  He couldn’t help but think of all the times he’d been unable to save others.  He’d failed his parents, failed his sister, failed when he’d been chased away, failed his temporary pack countless times… he’d watched so many innocents die because he wasn’t good enough.  Because he failed.

“I won’t fail Fallen Tree Cove!” He growled, throwing all his strength into his sparring partner and pushing her back a short distance.  His paws slipped again and they sprawled away from each other, suddenly having no resistance to their forward momentum.

"Speech"  Thought

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