Riddle Heights unlucky skin

There are some things a wolf cannot forget. Give a woman a fish, and she eats for a day. Teach a woman to fish, and you feed her for life. There were probably some sayings about extending kindness or leading with grace, but Desideria could not be arsed to remember any of those. At the given moment she stood atop the frigid heights, eyes watering as the wind whipped freezing fog around her in swirls, and she could not find a damn thing.

Now, it was not to say the eldest Barreda was a particularly poor tracker, for that would be a lie, but a cold nose and a cold mind made it hard to focus, and locate the wolves she was looking for. There was always the possibility that Namid had picked up her family and moved, but it was not a possibility the small Timber wolf was interested in entertaining, at least not until she found the lake and made certain for herself.

If the appearance of Orin taught her anything, it was to be certain of nothing. (To trust no one but yourself.) Carefully, the female began to pick her way back down the slopes, cursing softly whenever her ankle wobbled and threatened to give out. Hell, but those healers did a bum job, didn’t they?

OOC!  

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Word Count: 280

Tagg picked his way through the terrain, mentally cursing his decision to head along the mountain instead of further down into the valley.  What was he likely to find up here?  But Kajika had said something about hunting, and the russet male was determined to help his over-worked friend in whatever way he could.  If that meant he had to head out into quite arguably his least favorite weather, he would.

Plus he wanted to prove to Moon he wasn’t afraid of a little fog, despite his aversion to not being able to see very well.  With a pang he realized he probably wouldn’t get to see her until later that afternoon, if not until she returned for the night.  He hadn’t woken her before he left… he hoped she didn’t think he was ditching her. He’d just needed to find their missing beta.

As if that had gone very well.

Despite the wind making things a million times harder than they needed to be, Tagg suddenly caught a scent.  It only took a moment for him to realize it was a wolf – and therefore nothing he could bring back to the pack to eat – but he did recognize it.  Curious, he began making his way towards where he thought the smell was coming from.

He let out a short bark to announce his presence; he didn’t want to startle anyone in this confounded frozen air.  When he finally got close enough to make out the wolf, he stopped. “It can’t be…” He breathed.  Unease prickled in his gut.  There was no way they could have talked about her just that morning, and then have her here… “Des, is that you?”

"Speech"  Thought

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Picking her way down and across the slope was tricky business – but bum ankle be damned, the wolf was not about to fall on her face and go rolling down the rest of the mountainside like an overgrown pup. She might have made it, too, had a small bark not startled the female into stumbling over a large rock. In an awkward heap, Desideria tumbled, falling first onto her chest while her back legs scrambled wildly in an attempt to keep the situation from growing any worse. Alas, the snowpack was not her friend today, and her hips fell to the side shortly afterwards, the timber wolf sliding several lengths down the slope until an old, rotting tree stump halted her gradual fall from the heights.

Des groaned softly, pulling all four limbs underneath her before remembering there was someone else – feeling sorry for herself could come later. The woman hoisted her meager weight upwards and whirled about to face the stranger, only to realize that face was one she very much recognized, even after more than a year.

“What’s the big idea?” she spat unhappily, clearly favoring the one limb. “You trying to kill me, spooking me like that? Damn lucky this freakin’ stump was here. Hell.”

Her shoulders sagged. It could have been much worse.

(And oh, didn’t she know it. That’s how she ended up in Orin’s clutches in the first place, wasn’t it?)

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Word Count: 227

Tagg had not meant to startle her – in fact, that had been the idea behind the bark.  It would figure that in trying to help he made the situation worse.  The venom in her voice caused the scarred man’s ears to fall back.  She was very much a different wolf than the one he remembered; maybe this wasn’t Des after all.  “I was trying not to startle you.” He snapped, not in the mood to deal with someone being rude.  Still, once again his attempt to be kind had caused problems.  His voice softened. “Are you okay?”

He figured she wouldn’t accept much help from him considering it was his fault she fell, but if he was the reason she was holding her leg like that he had to help.  It would certainly give Neha some practice, that was for sure.

“I’m sorry I bothered you, though.  I’m from one of the packs in the area and I thought you were someone else. My name is Tagg.” She could probably smell his pack on him – he knew Moon’s scent was likely still heavy on his pelt – but it wouldn’t hurt to mention it.  If she was just a loner looking for trouble, it would be good for her to know this was not a good area to be.

If she was looking for help, that would be another matter entirely.

"Speech"  Thought

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Things change, Tagg Eastfall.

Realizing in short order that the younger wolf did not appear to have ill intentions, some of the bristle fell from her coat, but Des made no attempt to move closer. The longer she rested, the less her paw would buzz, certainly wouldn’t hurt. Besides, you never really knew with anyone, and just because the pack wolf looked apologetic didn’t mean he wouldn’t change his mind. Didn’t mean he was trying to play some cruel trick.

Ears remained against her skull, orange eyes wary as her tail curled around one back leg. Oh, if only he knew – it really wasn’t that different at all. In fact, it was the intervention of one @Namid Vuesain that had changed the defensive little thief into a proper pack animal – but that was a long time ago, and there had been plenty in between now and then keen on molding her into something else.

“I know who you are. I’m not that different looking, am I?” A few scars, maybe. At least she hadn’t lost another ear, or her tail (though it was a near thing, she rather thought). But not that different. Even her winter coat wasn’t that thick (and blast this frosty air, too). “You’re talking about Fallen Tree Cove though, yeah? It still down there, on the lake?”

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Word Count: 263

Her silent stare was starting to make Tagg uneasy.  He was prepared to fight for his pack – that’s what a Guardian did, after all – but doing so in this confounded fog would be a very uncomfortable experience, to say the least.  She did appear to be injured, however, which would give the scarred man the advantage.

So it is Des after all. “No, not that different… I was talking about you with Kajika just this morning.  It seemed too big a coincidence that you should appear the same day.” And you certainly behave differently.

It was possible his memory was flawed, since his time at war had remolded his thoughts to recall Fallen Tree Cove as some sort of haven.  It was, just not in the way he’d dreamt of it during his absence.  He thought once again to Moon, and thought maybe that wasn’t quite true.  Not only that, but such time could drastically change a wolf.  It had changed him, after all.

“Yeah, the Cove is still around.  Vespertio and Namid are still leading, too.”  Maybe she was here because she was coming back; it was entirely possible his theory, spouted off to help the beta feel better, was true.  Maybe she had left on necessity and hadn’t been able to come back until this point.

He smiled, wagging his tail to try to help lighten the atmosphere and put her more at ease. “Will you come back with me? Neha can take a look at your leg, and I bet some of the others wouldn’t mind seeing you again.” Namely Kajika.” Though he didn’t say this part out loud.

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“Kajika…”

I wonder how he is? was followed quickly by the short shutdown of the thought – if Tagg was being this strange with her, who was to say how Kajika or Namid would behave? Some small, whispering voice in the back of her mind suggested that perhaps she should not go back at all – who was she, to expect a welcome after so much time away? Oh, it wasn’t something she’d gone seeking to leave; quite frankly, she had no reason to leave Fallen Tree Cove at all. It was fairly similar, come to think – falling down there, falling down here. Maybe she’d come full circle.

Des continued to watch the wolf warily when something seemed to click quietly in place. Neha. “Neha? Neha’s a healer now?”

The last time she’d seem the cubs they were just…they were just children. They must be so big now, and to think! Namid’s daughter had grown to become a healer for the pack, staying with the pack, her friend must be so proud-- And her thoughts halted dead for a second time. Were they still friends? Namid must think so little of her now—

Ears rolled back slowly and she seemed to shrink down in place, shoulders hunched as eyes bore holes into Tagg’s chest. “I don’t…know. I was…” Gone. Taken. Alone. Abandoned.

No one came for me!

“…away for a long time. Namid-- The alphas might be mad.”

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Word Count: 215

He smiled lightly as she breathed the beta’s name.  Perhaps she had shared the man’s emotions? But she seemed to quickly move on from that thought, so maybe not after all.  At the mention of Neha, Tagg grinned. “Yes, she is.  I haven’t needed her services as of yet, but I am told she has certain proclivity for the trade. You should see them, Des; I can remember when they were born, but Neha and Cernan are so big.  And they have two little sisters now.”

As soon as she began speaking again, Tagg knew he’d been right.  There was a certain guilt in her voice, one he knew all too well.  One he’d shared.  There was something else, too.  Accusation? Anger? He couldn’t place, and he didn’t want to push it at the moment.

“I was gone for a long time too.” He soothed.  “More than a year.  I only returned a short while ago.  Fallen Tree Cove offers second chances; they’ll take you back.” He said confidently.  He could clearly remember his doubts when he’d finally reached the borders of the Cove after his absence.  He’d been so worried that after everything, after he’d worked so hard to get back, they would reject him.

But they didn’t. And he was certain they wouldn’t reject her, either.

"Speech"  Thought

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It was hard to imagine Namid’s first litter to be all grown and almost proper adults by now – but a lot of time had passed, hadn’t it? When she’d fallen, the frosts had only just started, and they were well into the thick of winter now. It was over four seasons. Why, they’d be proper adults in the coming spring, and some small, tiny little part of her heart ached at the thought that she’d missed almost everything. Even the addition to Fallen Tree Cove’s family, they’d be almost full size, even if they were young.

Her legs gave a little shake, threatening to expose so much more than she was willing to share with words alone.

Tagg’s voice brought Desideria swimming back, surfacing from her own thoughts as reality beckoned. And for a moment, she held her tongue. So he was gone, too? He smelled like pack – the first part couldn’t be a lie. But the second part? He wasn’t a mind reader, what did he know? The circumstances under which they accepted they accepted the Eastfall wolf might not apply to the former thief. Teeth ground softly, the thoughts clearly whirling behind her sunkissed eyes.

“Maybe.”

She backed a little further away.

“I gotta do something, first. Important. But…I’ll be there soon.”

Probably.

You can post one more time and archive! She has a little detour to make before appearing. :9

OOC! Sounds good! Also, I was listening to this song earlier and it made me think of Des. Dry, by Silvercrush  

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Word Count: 216

The scarred man could understand his old friend’s doubt, but he wished she would trust him.  He had been in her position before, though he couldn’t be sure just how long she’d been gone. It couldn’t have been too much longer than him, and why would Namid and Vespertio let some of their members have a second chance, but not others?

Still, he nodded when she said she had something to do before she came.  He didn’t ask what it was, however.  That was for her. Whether it was an errand to run, someone to meet, or something she had to do for herself, it was none of his business. If she showed up at the border with a gang at her back, that might be concerning, but he didn’t think she was like that.

At least, he hoped she wasn’t.

“I’ll see you then.” He promised.  “And sorry again for startling you; I really was trying not to.” He dipped his head to her and moved off.  The day was getting on, and if he wanted to make it back to the pack tonight he’d best catch something and get on.  He wasn’t sure he would find anything up here, but he didn’t want to overhunt the lower lands, so he would continue looking.

Until next time, Des.

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