Windsong Fjord you have fallen from the sky

ALL WELCOME! | late morning, overcast @ 64.92354, 29.17969 (literally the base of the mountain)
Random Event! Strong winds are whipping up leaves into small colourful whirlwinds.

Could they have gone further south, to the mountains? Their mother had mentioned she had met their father in a mountain range, although this one did not look as spectacular as the one their mother had described. A frown cut into his lips as he shifted his weight from one front leg to the other, his tail flicking behind him. No—he wouldn’t try the mountain yet. The yearling was not ready to make the climb. Not until he was certain his siblings weren’t lurking around the forest below.

The wind kicked up around him, causing the leaves that littered the forest floor to become air-borne, circling around him. A grim frown worked it's way onto his dark features, his brows furrowed. He was not used to all these trees and leaves. With a loud exhale from his nostrils the boy gave his coat a quick shake as another gust of wind tore through the trees. Can you not? He thought venomously to himself as he kicked at a pile of leaves, his frustration growing as he trailed along the base of the mountain.

Seven was having a bout of bad luck.

First, he and his siblings had decided it was a brilliant idea for them to split up.

Next, he had lost their scents. Probably because of all the wind. Or maybe his nose wasn’t that good… whatever.

They were also in unknown territory!!! And didn’t know where they were!!!

Apparently Seven was the only one absolutely disturbed by this, as his siblings seemed rather calm (maybe even a little excited?) about exploring the lands of Lore. Another sigh escaped him as he rolled his eyes dramatically. They were supposed to be looking for family together. Not off gallivanting wherever.

And he was the less serious of the three. Pfft.

Neko should have been out here looking for herbs long ago, during the summer before so many of the plants had died off. She didn’t because when she first joined her pack, she didn’t want to leave the safety and comfort of the fields. It was only after her hunger and loneliness faded into her memory that her wanderlust once again began to assert itself, and she left with the intention of exploring the mountains southeast of the fields. She had let @Drestig and @Jessie know that she would be out searching for herbs.

She was out here to work, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t take breaks to play, and the wind and autumn leaves made it fun. She was still a pup the last time she had seen the leaves change color and fall from the trees, and she knew that soon, many of the trees would appear bare and lifeless.

The winds were strong and constantly shifting, and they seemed to her to be coming from every direction at once. The wind itself wasn’t that interesting, but when it carried the brightly colored leaves and spun them around in circles, she couldn’t help but watch with delight and fascination. It wasn’t long before she began running around in circles, chasing the leaves as they drifted.

She was too occupied with her chase to notice the larger male wolf nearby until she heard the rustling when he kicked a pile of leaves. She immediately wondered if he had seen her silly games. She sheepishly stopped running and greeted him a wag of her tail. “Um... Hello there.”

(This post was last modified: Oct 21, 2017, 03:46 AM by Neko.)

A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

Seven, too, had not been paying much attention to his surroundings. His muddy gaze fallowed the dance of leaves as they swirled around him, kicked up by the wind. As he watched the colourful whirlwinds a frown cut across his dark features, his brows pinched tight. He hoped a storm wasn’t brewing—he did not know these lands well enough to endure a storm. The onslaught of falling water would wipe away the scent of his siblings, making it even more difficult for him to track them. Perhaps they shouldn’t have come here. Life was good on the reserve. Meals were easy to come by. They were safe, protected by a never-ending fence. Most importantly, they had been together.

The sound of another caused him to stop abruptly, his ears perched high atop his skull. He turned toward the timid voice, his head tipped to the side as he met her amber gaze. The stranger looked a lot like his brother, but her eyes—they weren’t the right yellow. Selwyn yellow, his mother had called it. The same yellow that danced in his sister’s skull. But not him. Nope, Seven had been blessed with beautiful dirt coloured eyes. So awesome.

“Uh, hi,” he greeted lamely, his legs stiff as his tail fell slack between his legs. 

Neko averted her eyes from the stranger’s gaze but still watched him cautiously. He didn’t seem hostile, but she still wasn’t entirely sure. His stance seemed a bit stiff, and his voice sounded almost sad, or maybe depressed. Her first instinct was to try to comfort him, but what comfort could she offer to a complete stranger? And for all she knew, what she saw might have just been his normal demeanor. Still, in spite of the gaps in her training, she had the heart of a healer, and if someone was hurting, she wanted to help.

Even with her best intentions, she was still young and still frequently felt the urge to play, even if she wasn’t a puppy any more. When another gust of wind swept more leaves off the ground and spun them around in front of her, she suddenly wanted to chase them, but she kept her composure, mostly. Her eyes followed the leaves as they spiraled into air, and the muscles in her legs twitched as she got ready to jump, but somehow she resisted the urge to chase the leaves again, at least for now.

Within a few seconds, she had turned her attention back to the stranger. “So, um... do you live around here?” she asked, at this point just trying to make conversation, “perhaps on the mountain?”

He was growing frustrated with the wind as it ripped between them, ruffling up another pile of leaves and sending them cascading around them. Gross, he thought hastily to himself as his muddy gaze watched the array of colours fall to the ground. The tundra was barren for the most part, and the few trees that were carved into the land were coniferous; never shedding their needles. Aside from the larches, of course, after they changed to brilliant shades of gold.

The voice of the dark stranger caught his attention, his brows furrowing at her question. Did he look like some kind of mountain wolf? His father had come from the magnificent (or so his mother said) Selwyn mountains, so he must have some mountain blood pumping through his veins…

He scoffed at her words and shook his head defiantly, a lopsided grin working its way onto his dark features. “Nah,” he started with a dismissing roll of his shoulders, “not from here and definitely not from the mountains.” A single brow arched high into his forehead as he peered at her, his chocolate gaze studying her dark figure as a few leaves fell from the branches overhead, adding to the mess on the ground. “You from around here?”

Neko hesitantly pawed at some of the leaves that landed near her, but retained her composure even though she still wanted to chase them. She made a point to face the stranger and keep her ears perked in his direction so that he would know he still had her attention even if she was mildly distracted. “Not originally,” she answered, “I came from pretty far south last spring and joined up with a pack in the lowlands not far from here.” She gestured with a fore-paw, pointing northwest in the general direction of the fields.

Before continuing to speak, she stopped chasing the leaves and sat straight up and squared her shoulders. She turned her full attention to the stranger. “I’m their healer,” she said with a hint pride. “Well, I still have a lot to learn, but so far the pack and the three pups are strong and healthy.” Their continued health was probably more a credit to the hunters than to herself, but she was still proud of the pack that she now considered her family. “Right now I’m looking for more herbs before winter sets in.” At this point, she still wanted to chase the leaves but found them much easier to resist. She was now representing her pack.

So this chick was a local. Interesting. His head tipped to the side as a lop-sided frown pulled at his lips, his brows pinched tight. This place was nice ’n all, but Seven wasn’t sure he could picture himself actually living here. Exploring had grown on him, for he had been exposed to a buttload of new sights since leaving the Reserve. But settling down? Here? Not likely. The trio were on a mission—to find their relatives and adventure. Easy peasy.

But then what? Did the boy really want to return to the Reserve—behind the great silver fence, where the strange naked two-legs poked and prodded at them?

He wasn’t sure. It was something he would have to discuss with his siblings—when, and if, he ever found them. When he found them. Because he would find them… he had to.

“Healer, huh?” He quipped in response, his curiosity continuing to blossom. “That’s pretty neat. I don’ got any skills myself, kinda useless to be honest.” He laughed. Because it was the only thing he was good at. Laughing at himself. “What kinda herbs you lookin’ for?” He didn’t know anything about herbs but perhaps if he feigned interest the girl would be willing to help him. 

Neko remained sitting but wagged her tail when the other spoke. “Nonsense,” she said with a smile. “I doubt that you’re useless. Everybody has some kind of skills. Sometimes it just takes a little while to find them. My pack has hunters, protectors, and scouts too. I’ve even met a teacher from a neighboring pack. Even just playing with the pups gives the leaders time to do their stuff. I bet you’re good at least one of those things.” Of course, she hadn’t forgotten how hard it had been for her to live on her own. She hadn’t had time to learn or practice any healing skills. She had barely kept herself fed.

She frowned slightly as she stopped to think about the next question about what kinds of herbs she was looking for. “Well, not really anything specific,” she said, “just anything that can maybe treat infection or ease pain. Like the bark and leaves from the western redcedar can kill fleas and ticks, or pineapple weed can help an upset stomach. I’m just sort of scouting the area to see what I can find, then when I find something useful, I take it home and cache it. That way I’ll have it when I need it.” She wasn’t sure if he understood what she was telling him, or if he even cared, but he seemed to be opening up to her, and she thought that was a good sign.

He couldn’t help but laugh. Again. If there was one thing he was good at it was laughing, which was why he did it often. The peppered Selwyn rolled his eyes at her comment, a cheeky grin pressed neatly against his dark lips. “I like your positivity, but it doesn’t make me any less useless.’ He shrugged. ‘It’s okay, though. I’m pretty good at bein’ useless. That’s kinda like a talent.” He wasn’t terribly awful at hunting, but not good enough to pursue being a hunter. That would also require staying and pursuing a pack… and Seven wasn’t so sure he was committed to this place. His mother had come and gone, after not being able to find what she was looking for. Once the boy met up with his siblings would they decide to stay, or would they return to the Reserve just as their mother had? So far he wasn’t fond of this strange land and the feral wolves, but that didn’t mean his brother and sister felt the same…

He listened patiently to the girl as she responded to his question. The boy didn’t understand most of the mumbo-jumbo that rolled off her tongue, but he appreciated the lengthy and detailed answer. It was much more than he thought he was going to get from the stranger. “Neato!” His tail wagged frantically behind him as he flashed her another cheesy grin. “Apparently my uncle is supposed to be good with plants, too. My mom ’n grandma told me. He’s supposed to live around here, somewhere. Supposedly.”