Larkcall Lowlands wipe the tears with your doubts

It was a funny image really and Askan couldn't help but snicker in amusement at the thought of his coat being a difficult. Black, maybe tawny? Either way, he had to admit the River King was far funniest than most. He had to be if his words were enough to chase away the Selwyn's glower and actually make him laugh more than once in a single conversation. Perhaps this was a running trend, that the River wolves were just agreeable sorts. It just seemed that whatever-his-name was the weakest link in the chain.

"Believe me, I wasn't so nice when I met him. Might've threatened to beat him up as well, but you know,"he shrugged."Don't take kindly to shameless, vulgar flirts."

And that was exactly what he was, Askan wasn't the sort to beat around the bush. Sure, he was sort of insulting one of his subordinates but from what he could tell it wasn't as though they were the best of buddies. It was fine, surely. Lachesis had to like Askan better than Ayti-whatever. If he didn't he wouldn't have turned up, let alone agreed to even do so in the first place.

Watching the River King search, Askan was intent on listening on what he had to say. Two healers, that was one more than the Rye wolves had, but from the sounds of it Lachesis would be happy to help out. Which honestly, was a massive relief. That said, he wasn't quite sure what they could offer in return. Sure, he hadn't asked for anything and from the sound of it he didn't expect anything either but Askan never really liked the idea of being indebted to someone.

If the healer was anything like Craw, the Guardian would have no doubt turned down his suggestion. But as strange as it was to feel this way, so soon at least, Askan trusted his word. Lachesis was a decent man, a good one. Surely no bad could come of it.

"That'd be really helpful, I'm sure Drestig and Jessie would appreciate that. I'll let them know."He wasn't going to ask for permission, but at the very least he'd make them aware of the show of good faith."And like I said a while back, if you need anything in return let us know. I've been keeping an eye on the herds in the Lowlands. Could pass on a location or two if you need it."

Lachesis was the expert here, but the Selwyn figured he might as well try and help. Sweetgrass, grass that was sweet. Pressing his nose the ground, Askan trudged forward as he tried to find the scent of anything that was remotely sweet.  The duo had been looking for some time when a new smell prodded at his nose and yep, it sure smelled pretty sweet. Using his paw to push away the snow, green shoots soon came into view.

"Hey Lachesis, is this it? Smells good."

@Askan
healer dem 3/3 looking for herbs

His own lips twisted in amusement as Askan confessed that he had not been kind to the large river wolf during their encounter. XIX did not mind. His co-lead has been keen on giving the talkative wolf a chance in their ranks, and while Aytigin was proving be useful (with hunting and patrolling) the ghost would have preferred the male do so without spewing mounds of word vomit. He worried that the ebony wolf might say something to offend their neighbours, and with relations already strained between Whitestone and Wild Rye, Lachesis could not risk an alliance falling through. “Neither do I,” he murmured in agreement, his nose wrinkled. “You have my permission to beat him up if you encounter him again and he repeats his actions,” he added with a sharp wink. Just return him in once piece so I can see, he added, though the words did not roll off his tongue. While Lachesis would never want to see Aytigin harmed severely, a few bumps and bruises would perhaps teach the smart-mouthed wolf a lesson. One that Lachesis was trying to teach him, as well.

As silence fell between the pair once more Lachesis nosed around the edge of the creek, using his paws to push aside the snow that remained. Even the Arctic was tired of the snow and the continuous cold weather—he longed for the plush grasses of spring and the abundance of herbs. His inventory was growing low and he worried that with little resources tragedy would strike the river wolves, for tragedy was not uncommon to the tight-knit group.

His chartreuse gaze focused on the dark wolf as he spoke once more, giving a soft nod in return. Lachesis did not offer his services for something in return—he seldom did. It was not in his nature to do so. The offer was nice, and he would graciously accept it for fear of offending the ebony Rye wolf. "If you don’t mind sharing I’m all ears,” he responded with a slow wag of his tail although he did not glance up from the river’s edge.

He paused as Askan spoke once more, his brows narrowed as he padded toward the ebony wolf. The familiar sweet scent hit his nostrils as he sidled up next to the large male. “That’s the one,” he commented, impressed that the guardian had found it so quickly. He brushed away some more snow, releasing more stalks of grass from their frigid prison. “Collect as much as you can, just be careful not to damage the stems or leaves. There looks like there’s enough for both Hearthwood and Wild Rye.” He would be sure to bring some more herbs once he checked his inventory to see how much he was able to give away.

(This post was last modified: May 15, 2017, 02:12 AM by Lachesis.)

stick with those who stick with you

Askan couldn't help but snort at that. Oh yep, he'd definitely take him up on that offer if the need arose. Not because he was outright looking for a fight, but simply because that slimy bastard deserved it, he had to realise that like actions, words had consequences too. And that if he wasn't prepared to deal with the consequences then it'd be best if he just kept his damn mouth shut. Like everyone seemed to want him to.

As for the location of the bit of information he'd hinted at, just as he'd said , he was more than willing to share. After all, it wasn't as though the Rye wolves could or even would want them all to themselves. And really, it was in their best interests to ensure their neighbours were well fed and content, especially if this alliance was going to go anywhere anytime soon. Thinking back, Askan did his best to drag up some information that would be of use to the River King, something more than a feeble hint. He didn't want to seem ungrateful, or give the impression he was taking the piss. But fortunately, he went scouting fairly often-at least three times a week- and so it wasn't unusual for him to stumble upon some sort of trail. Or find some sort of clue.

"Last I checked, there were signs of an elk herd around Edge Stone Pool, to the north? I didn't actually see them, but I know they were around there. At least within the past few days." He shrugged.

He wished he had more to go on, but as things were he wasn't willing to stray too far from the field. At leas tnot until the pups were born and the snow had melted.He supposed that some information was better, that the River wolves would have an easier time tracking down the herd if they at least had a vague idea as to where it was.It was a bit of a treck but with three litters on the way surely it would be worth the effort, to ensure everyone was fed.

As for his instructions on how to harvest the grass, well they sounded simple enough. But even so, the Selwyn hesitated. He didn't want to ruin them, they would need the grass for the birthing mothers. But what if he did? It would all be his fault, what if a puppy died and he- Shaking his head, Askan bowed down and snuffed the snow out of the way with his muzzle. Then as gently as he could manage, he pulled the grass out by the roots and plopped it to the side. To his relief, the stem and leaves were intact, so he continued until he'd gathered a tidy little pile.

"Yeah, seems so. So what do you do with it? Do they eat  it? Put it uh..." He coughed and shook his head. Surely it couldn't be the latter.

(This post was last modified: May 14, 2017, 07:56 PM by Askan.)

Perhaps the espresso-coloured wolf before him was the key to securing an alliance with the western pack, for Lachesis had no connections with any of Askan’s packmates. He was… neutral with both leaders, but he felt as though he was still on the outskirts with them. They had a better relationship with his co-lead, but he did not know if the Baranski widow had updated them on the incident with the Whitestone rogue. While they had not dissolved their relationship with the wolves on the monadnock Lachesis still wanted to keep his options open and remain on good terms with both of the northern packs. As long as he maintained a friendship with dark male XIX could work his way through the rest of the pack, getting to know the other Rye wolves.

His ears twitched as the darker male spoke, mentioning that he had noticed a group of elk in the north, around Edge Stone. He gave a sharp nod, mentally storing away the information to share it with his packmates when he returned home. “Thank you,” he murmured with a slow wag of his tail, his peridots focused on the younger wolf, “I’ll get my scouts to take a look.” His best scout was currently out of commission, as her stomach swelled with puppies, making it difficult for her to travel long distances. There were, however, some new members that would be eager to stretch their legs and check out the northern pool.

Lachesis worked on releasing some more grass from their snowy graves as Askan worked on his patch. The ebony male’s hesitation caused his lips to curl in amusement but he remained silent as he gently tugged on the stalks of grass, plucking a few of them from the cold soil. He glanced over at his assistant, noting the small pile at his side. “That’s perfect,” he encouraged with a slow wag of his tail as he dropped another stalk into his own pile. Another snort of amusement escaped him at the Rye wolf’s question, his features smoothing. “No, no,” he chuckled as he shook his head, his apple-green gaze focused on the large male briefly: “They eat it. Either the leaves or stems.” Lachesis knew he had plenty of other herbs to spare back in his infirmary; he would be sure to bring some other pain relievers once he assessed his inventory properly. 

stick with those who stick with you

One more response from lachy-bae then fade?

"It's no problem." He responded, with a few friendly flicks of his tail.

And really it wasn't a big deal. He'd much rather see that Lachesis and those he called family be well fed, rather than have them go without, just because he wanted to be stingy. If he was a Whitestone wolf he probably wouldn't have given the information away, or at least so freely, but he was a friend (maybe?) and perhaps even an ally so he saw no reason to. How did the saying go? What's mine is yours?

The White wolf's praise was well received and Askan couldn't help but smile and wiggle his butt-just a little- at it. He'd never done this before, so he figured he would mess up or damage the grass, but from what Lachesis had said he was doing a good job. Sure, he couldn't fish for shit but Askan Selwyn could pick grass! Not comparable in the slightest, nor the sort of achievement he would boast about, but it was something he mentally patted himself on the shoulder for anyway. Because, come on, if he didn't do it who would?

As for the plants use, the Selwyn supposed it did make sense to eat it. The idea of eating grass didn't sound all that tempting, but it was far better than the alternative and from the sounds of it Lachesis agreed with him. Looking down at his little green pile, Askan nosed at it once more, to check it was all good before he turned his attention back to the River King.

"A good haul."If he did say so himself. They'd accomplished their aim and yet the Selwyn didn't quite feel like ending it here. He frowned and pawed at the snow beneath his feet. He'd come a long way right, the Hearthwood River was at least two days trek from here, the very least he could do was offer the man a place to relax for a little bit. Maybe a small snack?"You came a long way just for some grass, might as well relax a bit before you go back." Askan suggested, doing his best not to sound too eager."Just for a bit, long enough to grab a bite you think?"

(This post was last modified: May 18, 2017, 08:53 PM by Askan.)

archived :* will need updated bro-thread soon <3 @Askan

The amount of grass they had collected between the two of them was more than enough to split between the two packs—even with Hearthwood having three expecting mothers. There were a few more herbs the Rye wolves could use to make Jessie’s delivery easier, which he would drop off at a later date once he assessed how much he had for his own pack. Lachesis was not above helping his neighbours, especially when relations were strained between the river wolves and Whitestone. Sharing herbs was the easiest way to forge an alliance. There was no more hostility between Lachesis and the western pack. He was still wary, of course, because it was in his nature to be, but he was far more accepting of their presence now than he had been in the beginning.

He nodded at the dark male’s comment, a cheeky grin tugging at his lips. The unlikely duo had made a wonderful team in collecting the grass. Perhaps he would have to seek out Askan more to do some plant hunting…

His ears twitched at Askan’s words, a single brow raised as his companion suggested having a snack before he departed for the Kingswood. The ghost was certainly not above turning up free food. “Sounds good to me,” he responded with a slow wag of his tail, his muzzle canted to the side. “Lead the way.” A quick break before his journey back to Hearthwood would not hurt. Plus, Lachesis was growing to like the dark male’s company and was not yet ready to leave.

Fade.

stick with those who stick with you