Stonewatch Timbers I've Got These Habits That I Cannot Break

For @Askan! Backdated a few days, using the random event of The Lore experiences a bout of unseasonably warm weather.

It was official—Cottongrass was undeniably, irrevocably, and hopelessly bored. And it only took three long weeks of what was more or less isolation for him to realize that. In the beginning he had considered hunting down Victoria, maybe convince her that they could still find an adventure somewhere in the world that didn't involve Grizzly Hollow. But then he realized that he didn't know where to even start looking for her other than the general direction of south. He had even considered finding Reyes, except he didn't know the first thing he would do if he found the older wolf. Join the pack his friend had settled in? That was... Well, he gave that idea a hard no accompanied by a pained cringe on his part.

He couldn't help but feel abandoned. After all, he had spent a whole entire month looking for Vic! And when he did find her, he discovered that she was going to run off to join some pack that he wasn't even entirely sure existed. Then there had been Reyes—Reyes that was also running off to join some random pack! It seemed like one moment he had thought everything was coming together, that maybe all three of them could go and explore and be friends. But instead he ended up alone.

Yet Cottongrass found that he could sulk for so long before it just got sad, sad and unfulfilling.

And after a week of solid sulking, he had considered all the things he could do to try and entertain himself in his newfound lonely existence. Like—he could climb a tree! But he didn't think climbing a tree and pretending to be an owl would be the same without that one girl to offer him food when he inevitably fell. Then he thought about climbing a rock and hoping it magically summoned that one boy, the quiet one with dark fur. Except he couldn't remember where the big rock was. And the big rock he did know where to find was... Well, that big rock had a cave and that cave was full of decidedly bad times. He had even tried walking into a tree! It didn't summon Cas, though, and it just left him feeling like a fool.

Which left him with nothing but one last drastic measure—he would try and make his own fun. It seemed like a good idea at the time. The sun was warm against his back, the snow was soft under his paws, and the air fresh in his lungs. He was going to scale one of the many slopes that were unique to the area, and then he was going to slide down it on his stomach. There was no way it wouldn't work. Cottongrass had accidentally found himself sliding down backwards on similar slopes plenty of times. Why wouldn't it work if he did it on purpose? Really, he prided himself on the sheer genius of his idea.

He would climb the slope, slide down the slope, and repeat until he either got bored or tired of doing it. And as he neared the top of one of many ridges, his excitement only grew. His tail swished in the air behind him as he picked up the pace, because this was it. This was the place he'd start sliding just to test the idea. It was a spot on the slope that wasn't too high but not too low either with plenty of space for him to slide without hitting a tree. He couldn't get the idea out of his that hey hey hey, he was practically a genius now! Inventing stuff and doing things!

Turning on the spot, he looked down at the slope. And with a prance in his step and a shake in his tail, he gave an excited pounce forward. He landed hard on his stomach, legs skewered in awkward angles beneath his stocky frame. Nothing... Nothing happened. There was no majestic slide down, no rush of adrenaline. No, there was just Cottongrass on his tummy in the snow. He gave a frantic wiggle forward, trying to propel himself with his hind legs because maybe he needed some more momentum—

He only sank deeper into the melting snow.

And in that moment, Cottongrass felt like the whole entire universe had come together just to say one very rude and obscene sentence to him that he wouldn't dare repeat.

It was inevitable really. Askan had tried to remain within the field, to go about his usual daily routine as though nothing had changed. But try as he might to deny it, something had changed, the season was upon them and it made it near impossible for Askan to linger near his female pack mates. Sleeping wasn't too much of an issue seeing as he slept with Reyes in their own private little den. But as soon as he left the safety of their shelter the sweet ,nose-aching scent smacked him right in the face and made him want to crawl back inside.

As tempting as it was, there was no way Askan would ever allow himself to sleep all day. If he was going to hide from the women of the north he figured he might as well be productive whilst doing so. Hence he roamed the timbers, as he-once again- searched for Percy. It was true the season cause a massive distraction, but did that mean Askan had given up on her? No way. Not now and not ever. They had already searched these woods before and for all their efforts they found nothing, but even so he would look, he would search all day if that's what it took.

That was his intention anyway, but of course the world had a funny way of grabbing a hold of his plans and tossing them aside, as though they were irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. As fucking always.

Trotting up the snow coated hill, Askan revelled in the clarity of his thoughts. The hazy fog of the women's scent had long left his system and out here, amongst the trees and hills he was free from their allure. He was free to be who he really was. Their siren song could not effect him, he could think and do as he pleased. Or at least that was what he wanted to do, until he stood on some soft, warm snow. Which, when he looked down wasn't actually snow at all. It was a white wolf. One that-for some reason- he recognised. Seconds past and as he stared down in complete and utter bemusement a proverbial light bulb pinged on in his head. Wait a minute was that who he thought it was? Bright yellow eyes. Short and stocky. Oh yes, he'd recognise that goofy face anywhere.

"You!" Askan exclaimed, though really it sounded more like an accusation than anything else.

Stepping off of him, the Selwyn took a couple of steps back. It had been a long while but clearly he hadn't changed at all. In the least. He was clearly just as childish as he had been before, but no less endearing. Not that Askan would admit that.

"What are you doing? Get up kid."

(This post was last modified: Mar 06, 2017, 12:22 AM by Askan.)

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

@Askan :D

Lying in the snow with his tummy growing cold, Cottongrass wondered what would happen if he stayed like this forever. He could become one with the snow! Or maybe even winter itself if he tried hard enough! And who needed sliding when you could learn all the secrets of snow and winter? Certainly not Cottongrass, that was for sure.

But the longer he laid there, the more uncertain he grew. Because for starters, he was cold. The snow melted under the heat of his body until it seeped past his coat and onto his skin which he ddin't appreciate one bit. He was also bored, maybe even more bored than he was before. And he didn't even think that was possible until then! It was all enough to make him consider trying to go sliding again. There was no way luck hated him that much, right? To ruin his second attempt at sliding again? He didn't get a chance to find out.

As at that moment, someone went step step while Cottongrass went squish squish. He started, head tipping back and expression one of pure bewilderment while whoever was standing on top of him shouted "You!" right down at his face. And—

"Hey hey hey!" He barked, wiggling and squirming away in undeniable excitement. Because hey, he knew this wolf! Recognized those sharp features, yellow eyes, and muddy coat. And the moment they stepped off of him, Cottongrass wasted no time in leaping onto his paws and whipping around to face them. "It's you!" He chirped. "You! The guy from when the, when the, when the, uh, sky lit up and screamed!" Now if he could just remember their name—

"Askan!" He practically bounced on the spot, rocking on his heels with his rear wiggling away behind him. A part of him was really tempted to just keep on squirming away, maybe even start play-bowing and darting around to get Askan to play with him. But he had a feeling that the older wolf wouldn't really like that so he stayed in his own personal bubble even when his paws itched for movement. "I was sliding, and being snow." The words fell from his mouth like those were normal, everyday things that wolves just did.

Maybe they were for Cottongrass. But who knew at this point.

Askan didn't expect such a pronounced response, but that's just what he got. And considering what he'd been like the first time they met, he shouldn't have been surprised, after all it had been painfully clear that Cottongrass was a bit of an oddball. Watching the goof leap to his feet, Askan took a step back to give him some space and watched him prance with a subdued sense of amusement. He was just like a pup, a giant fluffy pup who just didn't have an off switch.

"Yeah it's me."

It was rather difficult to be grumpy and gruff around him, as he radiated all sorts of nice, positive feelings, but Askan was already beginning to feel a little worn down. There was only so much he could take before it all got a little too much. It was like looking at the sun for too long and having these odd dots swimming around in his vision. Cottongrass had enough sense to at least try to calm down and for that Askan was grateful, even if he didn't say anything.

They'd met in these woods before so he didn't feel the need to ask why he was here, for all he knew this was his home, that he had a den nestled away in one of these hills. He had to admit he was surprised the kid was still a loner though. Winters were harsh for the toughest of folk and there was nothing about this overgrown kid that suggested he tough by any meaning of the word. Sure, he was stocky and compact but in the grand scheme of things it mattered little.

"And it's called thunder and lightning. The sky doesn't scream." It was like talking to a child. A big child.

Eventually Cottongrass got around to explaining as to why he'd been laying on the floor and....Sometimes Askan didn't even know why he bothered to ask. He wasn't sure what he had expected, but it wasn't that. The whole sliding bit, that made sense- more or less. But being snow? The Selwyn sent Cottongrass a dubious, sort of 'really?' look and shook his head. He did have white fur and Askan had stepped on him but- it was ridiculous. Hopefully Cotton's stupidity wasn't catching.

"Is this what you've been doing all winter? Messing around?Why haven't you found a pack by now?"He asked, though his voice wasn't unkind, just sort of gruff.

 

@Askan

In that moment, Cottongrass wished that he did become one with the snow. He bet the snow didn't have to listen to Askan's gruff voice ask a bunch of questions it didn't want to answer. And maybe Cottongrass could get away with ignoring the older male, just chirp some one-syllable answer before changing the topic. He could tell Askan about how it had rained not too long ago, how he tried to take shelter in a cave only to find himself pinned between two angry wolves. That was something he could ramble about. Or maybe he could perk up and ask Askan what he was doing, flip the conversation around to something Cottongrass was comfortable with. Wouldn't that be something!

But standing before the other wolf, he found that he was losing his momentum. All of the excitement and giddy joy at seeing someone he actually knew was fading while his mind tried its best to whir away. "Y—yeah." He chirped, the smile on his face starting to feel forced. It was just that... What else was he supposed to do during the winter? Hibernate like a bear? Let himself die from boredom? And maybe Askan knew something that he didn't, which wouldn't come as a surprise to the younger boy. Most wolves seemed like they were a lot smarter than him when it came down to life. Cottongrass just wished it didn't always involve packs.

He considered telling Askan his life story, right then and there. About how he wasn't good at being in a pack and that's why he left home in the first place. How all he really wanted was some friends that didn't leave him and they could all go on adventures for the rest of their days because that's what he thought friends were supposed to do. But when he found Victoria and Avery, he tried to help them find Grizzly Hollow except he lost them. And when he did find them again, Avery was gone and Victoria was abandoning him for some pack he didn't even knew existed until then. Then there was Reyes, Reyes who said they would stick around until Cottongrass found Vic and—

And yeah.

His paws were sinking into the snow and he looked down at the prints he was leaving. With a slow breath he looked back up at Askan, his gaze avoidant and ears rolling back against his head for a second. He licked his lips and tried to figure out what he wanted to say. Because why didn't he find a pack by now? Before he had almost considered it. Almost hunted down Victoria to wherever she ran off to. Almost tried to follow Reyes.

"I don't know." He said, lying to himself and fully aware.

It was a little odd how Cottongrass managed to be so chatty one moment and almost silent the next. Something had changed and no matter how many times Askan went over the last few minutes in his head he just couldn't figure out what. Not that he cared, mind you, wasn't like he felt bad for him, or whatever. Well, okay maybe he did just a little. The tiniest bit. If it was Askan's fault, well he hadn't meant to upset him or put out his fire. It just sort of happened when he spoke to people. He was a little too blunt, too coarse and for the most part he didn't mean to offend. Usually.

Askan disliked a lot of things, but having his questions ignored was up near the top. Instinctively he wanted to demand that he respond, that it was only polite to speak when spoken to, but that sad, forlorn look in Cotton's eyes. Contrary to common belief, the Selwyn did have a heart. He wasn't going to push him too hard, lest he really upset the overgrown kid. Cause come on, can you imagine Askan dealing with him crying or something of the like? He'd sooner lay down on his stomach and slide away.

"Say...A friend of mine said he was travelling with a guy called Cotton. Do you happen to know Reyes by any chance?" That seemed like a safe enough topic. And really, it had only just occurred to him that this Cotton and the one @Reyes ' spoke of could be one of the same. Stranger things had happened.

He couldn't deny that he was-at the very least- friends with Reyes as he absolutely honked of him. His scent clung to his coat just as tightly as his own one did, not that he was complaining. It was a nice smell, a familiar smell. But because of it he was certain some of the others had been giving him odd looks. Adelayde in particular, he had no idea what was up with her. All he knew was that he wasn't gonna ask about it.

"He was looking for you. Said you were planning to go to Grizzly Hollow, or something like that."

His feelings of sadness and bitterness were interrupted when @Askan mentioned Reyes, the familiar name catching his attention and holding it. His gaze jumped to Askan's bright yellow, head cocked and ears twisting forward with his expression curious.

"Um." He started, ever so intelligent while the gears of his brain whirred away. And maybe it would have been easier for him to just tell Askan his life story instead of having bits and pieces poked out of him. But he found that there was no turning back, not when he couldn't spontaneously control time. He would just have to settle for being asked questions and explaining himself like a normal wolf. Which was unfortunate when his thoughts moved slow and everything felt awkward.

"Reyes was, uh, helping me find my friend." Was what he eventually settled on, the words feeling wrong even when he licked his lips and cleared his voice. And the next part was even harder because he couldn't remember ever planning to go to Grizzly Hollow. He wanted to find Victoria and Reyes thought it would be good to go south to look for her. But he never really got there, not when she was a whole lot closer than he thought she would be. It occurred to him that he couldn't remember what he might've told Reyes about the whole... Victoria predicament. He was pretty sure it wasn't the truth. Not if the older wolf thought that Cottongrass was going to join Grizzly Hollow.

On top of his head his ears rolled against his skull and he took a step back while his tail curled around one of his hind legs. "She was the, uh, one that wanted to go to Grizzly Hollow." And he thought he did too. That they would go see what all the fuss was about before moving on or something. "But I'm pretty sure she's gone now." He finished, sure that he wasn't going to spend any more time looking for her. Not now and maybe not ever.

(This post was last modified: Mar 31, 2017, 01:16 AM by Cottongrass.)

So he did know Reyes. That was something at least. But why did he sound so pessimistic about the whole thing? Cottongrass had always come across as a chipper lad, Askan thought that he'd be happy to hear about Reyes. But apparently not. Whatever was wrong with him, it had to be heavy, after all even Askan-who was shit at these sorts of things- could see the weight baring down on his shoulders. He'd mentioned Reyes in an attempt to lighten the mood, but clearly that effort had crashed and burned like a meteorite that had fallen from space.

Askan was at a loss. What was he supposed to say and do now? From the sounds of it, he'd lost a friend....And was sad? Askan knew what that felt like, after all his friend was gone, lost in the big wide world. But did that mean he could sympathise with him? Maybe even comfort him? Not really. He didn't know Cotton all that well, so the thought of doing so made him more than a little anxious. Not that he'd admit such a thing. He'd rather eat his own tongue. Still, he couldn't just do nothing. He had to help him in one way or another. It was just a shame he didn't know how!

"That's the problem with being a loner, you don't have a purpose. A drive to achieve your goals." He was supposed to be helping, but that sounded rather snooty, didn't it? As though he was looking down on poor Cotton. Damn it. Not at all what he was aiming for. "But I mean, there has to be something you want, right? Everyone wants something."

The moment Askan spoke, Cottongrass had already decided he was going to run away from the wolf. He shuffled backwards, ears pinned against the top of his head and tail coiled tight around one of his hind legs as he looked over his shoulder to the surrounding forest. Because he didn't need to be scolded. It was one of the many reasons why he left home! He couldn't take his dad's scorn, his mom's frustration. And as he considered one of his many possible escape routes—

Askan started talking again. He was unable to help himself as one of his ears twitched and he found himself turning to look at Askan, his head cocked and expression confused. There had to be something he wanted? At once several thoughts flooded his mind but he ignored ever single one. He blinked and cocked his head to the other side in curiosity.

"What do you mean?" He asked, finally, shuffling on the spot to face Askan proper. And without pausing or looking away from the man, he dropped onto his hindquarters into the snow. His tail gave a tentative twitch behind him. Because Askan? He asked a lot of questions and maybe it was fitting because it was a part of his name or something. But personally, Cottongrass just thought it made the whole entire world feel slow and heavy. It also made his paws itch and his skin crawl but that was besides the point.

He wanted to know what Askan meant by asking him what he wanted. What it could mean. And if Cottongrass heard the older wolf mention packs again he was going to run away and never return. Or maybe even growl just a little bit and then run away! Confrontation wasn't his strong point but that didn't mean he couldn't dream.

(Even when he was honestly more likely to break into frustrated tears than actual anger at this point, but did @Askanknow that? He thought not... Or, well, he hoped not.)