Ghastly Woods far away, far away

dated 2/20 keeping this REALLY vague (mainly on WRF bits) since I'm not sure how things are going to turn out. no one has to reply right away but I wanted this up. Consider it a meet-and-greet on the first leg of the journey. I'm sort of imagining they'd (@Castel @Niles? @Larkspur?) all be traveling loosely together, like a few miles apart and howling every so often to keep each other informed. Let me know if there's anything you're not okay with or anything you wanna discuss. There's a lot of potential for discussion IC in this thread. Also @Kino
roughly at 28.30438, -703125

The forest was like a sigh of relief. Sahalie had not expected to find trees so close and underbrush so thick—all it was missing was a little mist. It had been enough to leave the tundra behind her a few days ago, and discovering that the land south of the fjord was not so sloped and dangerous she had considered just a bonus. But this place felt like home in a way that other forests had not. She closed her eyes and imagined it was springtime: the forest would be comforting in its darkness, a refuge from the hot sun, alive with birdsong and the chattering of squirrels. It was a poor replica of Oak Tree Bend, but it was nice, at least, to find a slice of comfort in the foreign wilderness to the west of Serpent's Pass. Good enough a place as any to stop their travels for the night, now that the sun was settling and the snow was awash with pink and red.

Already she felt better. The woods was a small sign that her feet were on the right path. The frustrations and anxieties of her brief northern life were falling away like a winter coat, and she almost felt as if she could look back and see little tufts of her fur caught in the brambles that raked her coat like a hug. She popped out into a small clearing, noting that the ground sloped up to the east. They were probably getting close to the mountains—she could not see them anymore. But the ground was not rocky and it was a good place to settle. It was time to call the others.

They had traveled together at times when the terrain was rough, but Sahalie wanted to explore and encouraged them all to do the same. She did not want to force a pace on anyone. Instead, she reveled in the fact that for the first time in her life she did not have to feel guilty for being on a wild adventure. She did not have to ignore the wanderlust that itched the paws of countless Tainns, because how else would she find a home if she did not go looking for one?

(This post was last modified: Feb 20, 2017, 11:19 PM by Sahalie.)

Odin was different from the rest, simply a tag-along, a detour, work they didn't ask for. He wouldn't be surprised if they snuck off in the night and left him to find his own way to the willows, one eye and all. The going was different to his last time here. He was still adjusting to the lack of depth perception and once they reached the trees, found himself more often than not bumping against snow covered bushes and cold hard trunks. Without meaning to, he often began to drift off to the right, unless he tilted his head just so, leaving his blind side behind him and his ears working overtime to compensate.

When he finally caught up to Sahalie he was exhausted. He threw himself to the ground, closing his good eye for just a moment as he tried to catch his breath. He wouldn't be a burden and he wouldn't let himself slow them down but the unfamiliar terrain was taxing and despite his protestations to anyone saying as much, he was still just a kid. He wasn't even sure what his grandmother might be able to offer, it wasn't like she could regrow his eye. With a sigh he lifted his head to look about for the rest of their merry little band, an attempt of a smile offered to the Tainn girl, perfectly comfortable with the silence that surrounded them for now.

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

Castel was more than happy to be with Sahalie, and she'd made sure to keep as close as possible to the plump female on this trip. The silver-flecked girl was brushing her flank along the darker-furred one's side every now and again, trying to get her excited for the adventure ahead. She could sense the other girl's anxieties the moment she found her at the border of Rye territory with Askan and @Niles. She just wanted this to be fun for everyone involved - it was stressful, yes, but it was the adventure of a lifetime, and she was so happy that she was privileged enough to be a part of it. So, she bounced between Hal and Niles, encouraging them and bolstering them on ahead.

Well, not bounced, per say. More just drifted, because she was still not at one-hundred-percent. Far from it, actually. She wasn't recovering from overdoing it the last couple of weeks as quickly as she wanted to. She was no longer out of it as she had been that one morning with Niles, but she still hurt, and it was not easy to keep up with the others. Still, she forced herself to, regardless - she was, in fact, having fun. Plus she was so glad that Niles had decided to go with her.

She knew enough about the dark boy to know that she wanted to have him around for a long, long time.

The change in terrain brought about a change in Sahalie's attitude, and Cas smiled, though she was achy and beginning to get claustrophobic in the dense woods. She craved the lowlands, but she would honestly rather be here, trudging alongside her friends and possibly more-than-friend, and about to embark on a wonderful, amazing, wild adventure.

"We thought of what to name the pack yet?" she asked, brushing once again alongside Sahalie before returning to Niles' side, not wanting him to feel insecure or left out. She wanted him as comfortable as possible, and though she was totally willing to help, it probably wasn't very well-concealed that she wasn't feeling her best. Not as much flouncing or chatter or bubbling over. More physical contact, nonverbal encouragement, and questions directed so that the others might talk as much - if not more than - her.

Stopping was a blessing, and the silver-and-russet girl flopped down immediately, panting just a bit from the exertion.

(This post was last modified: Feb 23, 2017, 05:46 AM by Castel.)

If I ever leave I could learn to miss you

Kino was happy to see that Hal was finally relaxing as they entered the cover of trees, the density of it reminding him greatly of the girl’s home. Perhaps that was why she seemed so content, though at the same time it worried him. Hopefully it wouldn’t bring up any painful memories for her. Once he’d come back from his meeting up the mountain he’d found Castel and another wolf he didn’t know along for the ride with Hal. She’d told him that she was going to pick up Cas, but he hadn’t been expecting a tag along. Oh well, as long as the other proved to pull his weight he didn’t care much.

He drifted along behind quietly, topaz gaze sweeping this way and that leisurely. He was content to be the sentinel, watching but leaving the talking to the girls if they saw fit. It was good for Hal to have another girl, considering that the males seemed to be out weighing her right off the bat. They both had enough spunk to counter it, though the little silver girl seemed to be distinctly less chipper than usual. He chalked it down to just being tired from the journey as they all were. It always seemed to be more tiring to travel in a group, in his opinion. When Hal finally decided to stop he moved to side up next to her, giving her shoulder a friendly shove and offering a grin. He lowered himself to a sitting position, allowing some rest before he’d go out and try to scavenge up some grub or look for some places that they could bed for the night. If worse came to worse, they could all just pile together to sleep and keep warm.

With sentimental boy as my nom de plume

Since @Niles and @Larkspur still have not joined I'm gunna play it as if they're not here yet or whatever. Still feel free to jump in guys! I just want to get this stuff moving. I know you're busy with wedding stuff, grey <3 
If either of you guys are too busy to join just let me know so I don't have to wait to start the next round. Which ideally I'd like to start by 3/15. NO POSTING ORDER @Odin @Kino @Castel

Larkspur and Niles still hadn't arrived, but Castel was at her side and Morganna's son had more or less collapsed in the snow in front of her. When Alastor arrived she sent him a nervous, yet hopeful grin: she felt bad that everyone was so tired. Odin especially concerned her, since his wounds were still healing and on top of that he had to adjust to having only half the vision he once had. He was so determined to prove himself but the girl wished that he'd slow down. She wasn't even sure he'd traveled in the forest before, and if he continued on in this manner he was likely to have a twig snapped in his remaining eye. At least she wouldn't have to be the one to explain that to Morganna. Castel flopped down in the snow, too, and Sahalie decided it was best if they all take a seat.

Unfortunately none of this would concern Odin, but this was what he had signed on for. Hopefully he would take the cue and go to sleep or something. "Well, uhh," her eyes jumped back to Alastor, "That's sort of what we wanted to talk about. We haven't decided yet." Sahalie did have a few ideas, but they weren't an exact location or a name. "We're going to go back over the mountain, to the valley I was born in, but the rest of it is up in the air."

"I was gunna wait til the other guys showed up, but I might as well bring it up now. I was hoping we could all discuss what kind of place we'd like to live, what we want to look for." Sahalie wanted to live in a place they all loved and they could all be happy. Castel seemed a little perturbed by the closeness of the trees here. This left Sahalie concerned that she would not settle in to Spectral Woods well, and perhaps might not enjoy the darkness that The Vale of Secrets provided. 

(This post was last modified: Mar 11, 2017, 10:09 PM by Sahalie.)