Mountain of Dire Fighting Shadows

@Chan

Her days were spent traveling and looking for food. Somewhere along the way she'd decided she wasn't going to fail at taking care of herself. She still had days when she thought only of her lost family and mate but she kept going. It was the nights that we're hardest taking shelter by herself when she was so used to curling up with her family or Justin. Then there were the nightmares of what had happened that often kept her awake. Many days had passed since she'd visited the forest or cedar trees and now she found herself in the foothills of the mountain she'd seen from a distance. Having never seen one she wanted to make a visit to it.

In the back of her mind she wished her mate was with her to experience it with him but that wouldn't happen. With it being later in the day she decided to stay in the foothills for the night and then scale the mountain in the morning. Finding shelter was the thing that was in her mind as she searched for a place that would provide her with safety for at least one night while she was in the area. Sonora came across a place that looked promising and thought she should check it out. It seemed to be an abandoned den that had belonged to some manner of creature or other. She poked her head in the entrance to ensure that it really was abandoned before making up her mind.

(This post was last modified: Sep 16, 2017, 08:19 PM by Sonora.)

It had been a few days since the small boy had gotten lost. What began as an innocent exploring trip, soon turned into a very terrifying ordeal. The cove pup had just been exploring the south side of his mountainous home when a colorful butterfly caught his attention. Much like his mother before him, he chased after it and got himself lost. Lucky for him all he did was get himself lost. There was no wildfire to separate him from them permanently unlike his mama. Chan wouldn't see it that way however for he was scared out of his mind. He was hungry too and just wanted to go home. Being four months old though the child had no sense of direction. 


Oversized puppy paws were sore from all the walking and running. His pudgy belly rumbles in protest to not being fed. The only thing the tawny boy had been able to do was accidentally find a small stream to drink from. Now as night began to fall once more his anxiety went into over drive. He had cried himself into exhaustion each night. It was a miracle that a larger predator hadn't found him with the amount of wailing and whimpering he did. 

As it became darker the young boy's whines became more frequent as every little sound freaked him out. He hated this, he was never going to leave the mountain again. Mismatched eyes searched for a large root to hide under since finding or making dens were too advanced. Finding a mediocre one, Chan curled up next to it. He wrapped himself up as tight as possible before  beginning to cry. Why did he have to follow that colorful flying thing? 

Life on her own was something Sonny never thought she would face but there she was in a new place all by herself. It had taken sometime to get used to and even after weeks she still wasn't completely comfortable. The tawny woman had formed a routine which did help and made her feel more stable in her loner life. She'd considered joining another pack but she wasn't sure she was ready for that yet. What had happened to her old pack still haunted her and she feared the same thing would happen again. The last thing she wanted was to get hurt like that again and she didn't think she could take watching wolves she cared about die for a second time.

Night was coming, she usually liked being tucked away before darkness was fully upon the forest. The den she had found she would have fit into but it was a tight squeeze. She didn't really want to be scrunched up and uncomfortable all night so she'd moved on. Sonora had wanted to stay in the foothills but her search for a suitable shelter had driven her further up the mountain. Carefully she picked her way along watching each step she took not wanting to have a fall as she made her way along the trail she'd found. In the twilight she scanned the rock face for any sign of a den.

Sonora wasn't sure how long she'd been traveling up the mountain but it had grown much dark since she first started seeking shelter. Her ear swiveled when the sounds of a crying child reached them. At first she brushed it off as her mind playing tricks with her or the wind on the mountain. Since she hadn't ever been on a mountain it made sense to her the wind would sound differently. Soon as the crying grew louder she couldn't deny that it had to be a real child which worried her. She picked up her pace to search out the source of the crying. The finally she saw a lighter toned object next to a tree root and as she grew nearer to it she could see it had fur. Immediately she knew she had found the crying child which caused her to pause, she wasn't sure how to approach. Her experience with children was almost non-existent still she couldn't just walk away. Quietly she approached not wanting to startle him but fearing she still would. “Hello little one,” she said quietly, “What are you doing out here on your own?”

The sound of footfalls terrified the boy, something deep inside told him to quiet down. That he did just that...barely though. His tail curled tighter around his face as he clenched his eyes closed. The footfalls stopped and for a brief moment Chan thought whatever it was had passed. That wouldn't be the case though for a female voice reached his pinned ears. He didnt recognize the voice but he knew it was another wolf. So he peaked through his tawny tail to see who it was. 

The figure before him was blurry from his tears. Blinking a few times he was able to clear his vision and see a tawny woman standing a short distance from him. She didnt look like his mama or Muses. Maybe Vespertio if he had to pick someone? None of that mattered though for the child was scared and would take what he could get. 

She asked what he was doing out all alone. "I got lost" he sniffles, feeling another wave of tears coming. "Do - do you know where my home is?" He asked raising his head. Being as young as he was he didnt know that others wouldnt know automatically where the cove was. 

It was awkward finding the pup and Sonora was careful to glance around for his mother but she felt that if he was crying his mother wasn't there. The question was where did he belong? She would have to return him to his mother who was probably worried sick. She didn't recognize any of the scents that emanated from him to have a clue as to where to take him. Being so new in this land she only had knowledge of the places she had visited.

The tawny woman was cautious in her approach, she didn't want to upset the boy more than he already was. The last thing she wanted to do was scare him to the point of running away from her. He would only become more lost and she might lose him, he shouldn't be out in his own at night.

The answer he gave to her question was just as she had thought, he was lost. “I see, have you been lost for very long?” She asked using the same gentle tone as she sat back on her haunches. Her head canted to the side as he asked a question of his own. “I'm sorry little one but I don't know where your home is,” She replied apologetically. She felt bad for the pup and wanted to help him, “Maybe we can look for it together?” She offered.

Had he been lost long? Not very long for an adult but for a four month old, it was an eternity. "I - I dunno." He replies with a hiccup. It had been only a few days really. He then asked if she knew where his home was hopeful that she knew the answer. His ears flattened with defeat when the tawny woman said she didnt. Hope filled him once more as she asked if they could possibly look for it together! He sat up to his haunches and his tail began to beat against the ground. He wasn't having much luck finding the cove on his own. Maybe this lady could help him.

A loud crash off in the distance caused the boy to yelp with surprise and shoot towards the agouti woman. With out thinking he ran right between her legs and buried his face in her belly. His whole tiny body shook from fear. He just wanted to go home. He missed his mama and Kajika and the den. 

With his answer Sonora supposed it didn't matter much how long he'd been lost just that he was then. She felt badly that she didn't know where his home was. If she did she would take him there so he could get reunited with his family. She could only imagine how worried his mother must be not knowing where her son was. “It's okay. Why don't you tell me your name? I'm Sonora but you can call me Sonny if you like.” She thought maybe if they exchanged names it might make him feel more comfortable. Her suggestion for them to look for his home together did seem to cheer him up.

That all went away as soon as a loud crash was heard around them. As she turned her head in reaction she felt the pup burying his face in her fur. “It's okay,” she cooed as she licked his crown, “There's nothing to worry about.” Sonora tried to reassure him but with him already being scared about being lost she didn't know if it would he of any help. “Maybe you could describe your home and that can help us find it?” She suggested as a way to learn more about where he belonged so she could take him there. Also it might help to take his mind off of things.

(This post was last modified: Sep 20, 2017, 12:52 PM by Sonora.)

The tawny lady was being nice and asked for his name. She offered hers but before the small child could answer the loud crash scared him. He darted into her burying his face into her belly. She cooed that it was okay and licked his crown. She reminded him of his mama which only made him miss her more. Fresh tears fell from his mismatched eyes as a new wave of homesickness washed over him. 

After a few moments the brown boy was able to pull his head away from her stomach to look at her. "My n-name is Chan" he sniffled before she asked if he could describe his home. Of course he could. "Its on the mountain by a huge lake!" He told Sonny with happiness in his voice. He loved his home and just wanted to go back. "I don't know which way that is though" he said all previous happiness gone. He was hopelessly lost and wished he never left. He would never leave without someone ever again. 

Her attention had been drawn away from the boy for only a moment when the loud crash sounded. It was quickly brought back to him as she felt him bury his head into her side. Though she'd never had children of her own and it had been awkward coming upon the child it wasn't hard for her to know what to do. She spoke softly to him assuring him that it was okay and that he wasn't going to be hurt. At that moment she was all the boy had so she had to be his protector and his comfort when he was scared. It was a new thing for Sonny but she felt confident she could be those things for him.

After a few moments he unburied his head and finally had the chance to tell her his name. “Well Chan it's very nice to meet you,” she told him with a kind smile. She had also inquired about his home and what it looked like in hopes that she might be able to find it. He described it as on the mountain by a big lake. He also said that he didn't know which way it was to where his home would be. “That's okay. I can help you find it and I think that we need to go further up the mountain,” she told trying to add a hopeful note to her tone. “We can start looking in the morning so that we can stay safe. I'm sure your mother wouldn't want anything to happen to you before you can get home.”

So sorry about the late reply! The last week or so has been really hectic! I hope to be more on top of things now

His small brown body quivered against her pale underside. Describing his home to her had brought a sense of happiness for a fleating moment until the realization of not knowing where it was hit him. His pale mismatched eyes looked up to her as she comforted him again by saying they'd look for it in the morning. "I miss my mama" he said quietly in response to Sonny saying that she was sure his mother wouldn't want anything happening to him. 

"Do ya have a den?" He asked curiously. The young pup had been unable to sleep in one since he ahead gotten lost. Sleeping under bushes and tree roots hasn't exactly been comfortable. A yawn escaped his creamy maw as the strangers warmth and presence brought on a wave of sleepiness. This was the first stranger he had meet since Marisol. Her advise seemed like it wasn't true. So far everyone new he's met has been - somewhat - nice. Sonny reminded Chan of his mother. Sweet, caring, and makes him feel safe. He was lucky this woman wasnt malicious and out to hurt him. It seemed like luck was on the pups side.