Poison Path pink + white

RE: Snowmaggedon! A foot of snow has fallen overnight! Click for setting. All welcome, perhaps FTC wolves? @Namid @Moonshadow

Quick as the faux-spring had come it had gone back away. Rowan considered himself lucky that he had begun to climb the foothills of the mountain when the snow had briefly cleared. He was already within spitting distance of the descent to Lost Lake when the snow had started in on him the evening prior. Now it coated the entire world like a suffocating white blanket, drowning out scents and sounds and leaving him to cope with his thoughts on his own.

There was a pack smell here, one which he considered with a flick of his tongue against his nose as he moved through the valley toward the water. Perhaps he could ask them if they'd seen his wayward daughter. Or he could just gather some information regardless - for an eventual homing ground, if it came to that. He let the thoughts agitate in his brain as he moved closer toward the smell, then became distracted by something bright and colorful against the monochromatic backdrop. A string of red color in his peripheral vision, almost like a constellation pointing... where?

His gaze held captivated on the red berries, a stark contrast to the snow-coated landscape and the dark barren branches. In the springtime purple flowers would bloom to warn wolves away from the deadly nightshade, but now they looked festive... pretty... tempting. He nosed one, sniffing at the sick-sweet smell that lay just beyond the skin of the berry. His dark ears slicked against his salt-and-pepper skull, swinging his muzzle away from the temptation quickly. He had lived long enough to know that when the smell was equal parts painful and inviting, it wasn't worth the risk.

The Attaya shied away from the plants and moved out toward the lake. Gently placed steps lead him down the snow-coated bank to the edge of the body. He was lucky to have wound up on the side where the water wasn't completely frozen, a feat he didn't take for granted as he lowered his head and lapped at the icy water to replenish his energy for the continued search.

I have loved the stars too fondly

Namid has traveled up to the nightshade path to scout out some food. She tried to broaden her horizons from time to time to keep them from over-hunting in their little patch of paradise and this was close enough. Hares had a habit of nestling themselves into the dead patches of the poisonous plant and once you were able to flush them out they were ripe for the picking. She lifted her legs high, dredging through the large amount of snow that had fallen. The pale woman was just barely on the medium scale, small for her species. With her smaller stature it made it hard for her to get through the taller drifts, but she hopped through them with dragonus puffs of white condensation from her jaws. Auds remained perked as she moved, mismatched gaze wide and attentive as she looked. But, what she found wasn’t a hare. No, it was something more pleasant.

The dark form of a male, crouched low and lapping up a crisp drink from one of the tributaries, fell into her line of sight. His pelt was dark with silver and red accents, his stature on the large side. Something about him felt familiar to her, but she couldn’t quite put her paw on it. She moved forward, tail swaying at her hocks in a neutral stance and she applied a smile to her lips in a friendly manner. “The water on the mountain is a fresh treat, of the purest I have ever drinken,” she offered in conversational greeting, pausing a reasonable distance away to make sure she didn’t seem threatening.

To be fearful of the night

(This post was last modified: Mar 21, 2017, 11:14 PM by Namid.)

OOC! Mind if I pop in? :)

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Word Count: 205

Tagg was out checking the border.  He found himself doing this more and more often, especially since Kajika had left.  He knew the beta should return before long, but he was still worried about his friend.  Besides, a few extra runs wouldn’t hurt.  He had pups on the way, after all, and he wanted to make sure this territory was safe for them. Safe for everyone.

When he finished, he began heading towards the lake.  He cursed the weather for being so fickle and suddenly dumping more snow on them after a warm stretch, but he supposed that was inevitable.  He knew it wasn’t quite time for winter to be over yet – he just hoped it would be before his children arrived.

As the russet man stepped from the trees, he was surprised to note that he wasn’t alone.  He could see a strange man – on the other side of the border, thankfully – drinking from the clear water.  He also saw his queen.  Curious, the guardian in training trotted over to join her.  She was not showing signs of aggression, so neither did he. He dipped his head respectfully to Namid but didn’t say anything, not wanting to interrupt any conversation that might be happening.

"Speech"  Thought

l

He got a whiff of the she-wolf on her way to meet him, not making a move as he continued to lap at the water's edge. A distinct lack of urgency accompanied the smooth transition of his head lifting away from the lake, turning to face the approaching wolf as his pink tongue snaked across his muzzle to lick away the errant drops of water that remained. He'd gotten a scent of the pack borders nearby and knew he wasn't intruding. It seemed she knew this fact as well, her tail swung low while a simple smiled graced her face. Satisfied that this wasn't an ambush, he let his tarnished gold gaze meet her's - a mismatched stare - and paused. It wasn't Jaysyek, clearly, but he had the feeling he'd met this wolf before.

A dark ear twitched toward the sound of her voice, drawing the rogue male a step or two closer. He gave a low rumble of consideration, still scanning his memories for a blue and brown eyed wolf. "Second to none," he agreed. The image of the willows was appearing at the forefront of his mind, for some reason. It wasn't terribly surprising - he intended to give Elettra a visit if he made it that far, apologize for everything, thank her for the home Willow Ridge had been to the undeserving boy and his beloved sisters. But that didn't seem to be the reason that it was stuck under his skin. Perhaps if he had something to jog his memory. A younger Rowan would have tripped over the need, but he was tired physically if not mentally, and therefore much more forward. "What is your name?"

As the words departed from his jaws there came another to their gathering, a ruddy wolf bearing the scent of the dual-eyed wolf. Same pack. He approached swiftly (bearing the difficulty of trudging through the foot of snow the sky had unceremoniously dumped all over them over night) and stopped at the side of the female, greeting her and turning a one-eyed gaze on Rowan. Perhaps this was a pack where they were only allowed entry if they didn't have two of the same eye...? Seemed Rowan would have to be on his way then.

adopt thea?

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

I have loved the stars too fondly

He turned to face her and she was met with a pair of rusted gold eyes, nowhere near the intensity of her husband’s but handsome all the same. Namid almost never forgot a face, but names...names were a tricky thing. She knew this man from many years before, in these very lands, but his name escaped her. She could smell the willows, see their wispy tendrils curling around her and picture him fishing her out. “Second to none,” he replied and she chuckled good-naturedly. When he inquired for her name she was happy to answer, maw opening to speak before the presence of another approaching interrupted her. Silver slathered auds swiveled back along with the turn of her head to see Tagg joining them, taking his place behind her side. She offered him a chuff and a nod before turning her attention back to the man at hand.

“My name is Namid Vuesain, though...I suspect ‘Star-Dancer’ may help to jog your memory a bit? Perhaps willow-dancer would be a fitting replacement,” she laughed with a swish of her tail. Her mismatched gaze watched him curiously, wondering if he would remember her and hoping that he would. “I feel as though it has been a while and...I must say your name has escaped me as well,” she said, prodding for a name on his half. She would be sure to not forget it this time.

To be fearful of the night

OOC!  

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Word Count: 208

Tagg had to say he was a little annoyed that this stranger didn’t offer up his name before asking for the queen’s, but he supposed not everyone knew the ruling pair in the area.  He was stopped short as she replied, indicating that she recognized the man.  The veteran had to say he wasn’t surprised; she had remembered him after all, even when he’d been gone for a year.  Though she hadn’t recalled his name either.

“I am Tagg Easfall.” The subordinate added, including his last name only because his alpha had done the same.  He wondered if this stranger had perhaps seen his mate around; she had been missing for several days, and he was getting worried. He knew she could take care of herself, but she was expecting their children and he wanted – no, needed – to know where she was.

He hesitated asking, not wanting to interrupt this apparent reunion with his own troubles.  He knew his queen would want to know about the beta’s whereabouts as well, though, so finally he spoke. “You haven’t seen another black wolf about lately, have you? By the name of @Moonshadow? ” He thought he’d keep it vague, at least, so the stranger didn’t think there was a weakness in the pack.

"Speech"  Thought

l

A low but jovial chuckle rolled from his throat, the staccato sound echoing in the snowscape as the female reminded him of her name, and the title she wore. Namid was right. Vuesain he wasn't sure about, but then again, he was never much good at last names unless the wolf went around waving it like a twelve-foot-flag. But Star Dancer, he remembered it well. Now in his mind's eye he saw her, or a less mature version of her, entangled in the limbs of a willow tree. He himself had been a Willow at that time, on patrol of the borders following the birth of three princes. The memory tugged a lopsided grin out of his generally stoic expression.

For a moment, anyway. He tried not to smile so stupidly as he turned toward the male's introduction, tipping his blackened muzzle toward the snowy ground. "Rowan Attaya," he clarified in response, his lackluster gold eyes wandering between the two wolves. His gaze settled on the she-wolf for a quick moment with a quicker smile. "I knew you looked familiar. And how are those stars, then?"

After a beat the male, Tagg, spoke again - a question that bordered on casual though the contents of which suggested some smaller urgency laying beneath his soft words. Was there something about wolves of his color that made them unable to stay in one place? It seemed they were never where you could easily find them. "I can't say that I have," he delivered the disappointing news with a shake of his head. Apologetically he sought the males eyes - er, well, eye - and delicately attempted to withdraw a little more information. "Is Moonshadow a packmate of yours - missing?"

adopt thea?

-apologizes profusely-

I have loved the stars too fondly

Tagg added in his name afterwards and she felt bad for not introducing him. She’d gotten so caught up in her reunion with her acquaintance that she’d forgotten about his presence entirely. And his mention of Moonshadow brought up a whole other can of worms entirely. She knew he’d been running himself ragged looking for his mate and it made it all the worse that she was known to be pregnant now. Of course Namid had been doing her own investigating and had been turning up empty too. She could only hope that she would show up unscathed and do her best to look.

The laughter of the other brought a swish to her tail. “Rowan Attaya,” he said and she offered a nod. Ah yes, it was coming back to her now. “Shining brightly, happy to be reunited with an acquaintance,” she replied, mismatched gaze twinkling in amusement as she bantered. Her expression settled a bit as the subject turned back to Moonshadow and she moved to give further explanation. “Moonshadow is my second and Tagg her mate. She has been missing for far too long for comfort,” she replied. A grimmer expression settled onto her pretty features, “She is also pregnant with her first litter.”

To be fearful of the night

OOC! You're good :) I will probably be pretty scarce for the next 2-3 weeks due to finals myself.

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Word Count: 278

Tagg supposed the knowledge that his queen knew the stranger before was comforting; it meant she at least had an idea of what to expect.  Their talk about stars confused him, but it was clearly something that had meaning for the two of them so he didn’t ask.  It likely wasn’t important.

Still, he couldn’t say he was exactly comfortable with how much information about his mate Namid was divulging.  He didn’t know this stranger, and being pregnant might make Moon a target.  He didn’t like to think that she was out on her own, weaker than normal.  Not to say that she couldn’t take care of herself; she just wouldn’t be at 100% for a while. He was worried.

He nodded along with his leader’s words, glancing between her and this Rowan. If he found her, would he bring her home? Or at least let them know where she was? At least he knew – though he never doubted for a second – that their leaders noticed these things and did care.  It almost made him wonder what they’d thought when he’d first gone missing.  But that was a long time ago, and it didn’t bother him anymore. He was home, at that was what mattered.

“If you see her, will you tell her we’re looking for her?” His worst fear was that she was laying injured in some ravine, thinking her packmates were going to give up on her. This wasn’t the first time she’d disappeared, after all. But this time she had a concerned mate. He wasn’t going to give up on her. “If anybody’s hurt her…” He mumbled under his breath, more to himself than the other two.

"Speech"  Thought

l