Pitch Pine Trail But you are an artist

Celandine moved easily through the low light of the forest, camouflaged by the snow. She wasn't hunting, but if something came along begging to be eaten, she wouldn't be opposed to bringing it home. She figured that laying her scent around might be good for the cubs, should they ever decide to grace the lore with their presence. Knowing them, they were probably stalling to make their mother worry, but they weren't exactly due yet either. Whatever the reason, it was nice to stretch her legs. 

The Argyris had always required quite a bit of stimulation; Something the mundane's of subordinate life couldn't sate, and so it was for that reason she took to wandering. She was never gone long. There was too much to be done in the Vale to allow for it, but once in a while, a small trip was enough to clear her head. Maybe the time alone was good for her too. Life wasn't always peachy surrounded by a plethora of Archers. Gods were they everywhere.

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It seemed this land was just one forest after the other, ranging from tall and widely spaced trees, to a spooky forest where little light came through, and finally to tightly-packed and sickly looking trees. Pulling a face of disgust, Nevrakis gingerly lifted up a paw that had squelched in the soggy snow. How anyone could like this sort of place was beyond him; it was wet, it was dark, and most importantly, it was difficult as all hell to walk through. Many times he had had to squeeze through or just go around clusters of trees. Frankly, it was exhausting.

"Akatháristo," the yearling grumbled to himself as he moved onward, hoping to soon come upon a break in the trees that would lead him to exposed ground. He was sick of trees right now. Although, he did have to admit that the trees did give some cover from falling snow and the biting cold wind. Either way, forest or open space, it was still cold, and he would still be hungry. Snow in general made it difficult to hunt as the smaller prey was hiding, and he was definitely not going to try and take down larger prey by himself. He may be naive, but he was not stupid.

Shallow water has trapped several fish in a small pond. Hunt Opportunity

let’s admit the world don’t turn around us

Celandine Argyris

The scent of another was enough to persuade Celandine away from the drier parts of the forest where snow packed beneath her weight, into the spots where every step made a disgusting squelch. She usually avoided them, but now she had a reason to venture into their mucky domain. The prints he left behind made him easy to trail, and his coat stood - even in the dim light of the Fen - in stark contrast to the pristine snow covering the Earth. Just as she was about to call out to him, he muttered something strange. It was either a word, or a language she'd never learned. How very intriguing.

Interest piqued, her pale ears stood high atop her crown, and her head cocked lightly to the side. Ahriosto something? "What does that mean?" She was dying to know. Not even Celandine's insatiable curiosity could make her forget the danger that other wolves posed so she maintained a respectable distance in case this meeting went awry.

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So caught up in his own internal ramblings, Nevrakis did not expect to come across another wolf in these wet conditions, and so upon hearing a voice he spun around to face whoever it was. Incidentally, this caused slushy snow to fly up and splatter his legs, but the yearling was far more focused on the other wolf than the feeling of sludge running down his fur. Wheat yellow eyes darted around until they finally fell upon a pair of similar looking eyes. A sigh of relief escaped from his lips at the sight of the other wolf, even though she was larger than him. He was not used to others suddenly appearing out of nowhere, as he was used to it being just him and his friend. Usually Alistair had scared other wolves away before they got too close, but he had come across a few when he had set out on his own now and then.

It was a few moments after realizing the voice belonged to a wolf, and whose coat blended in very well with the background of snow, that he digested her words. "Oh," Nevrakis began, brows furrowing at her question. He was still not very used to conversing with other wolves, so the question had him caught off guard. "It's an... expression of disgust. Akatháristo." He repeated the word in case she was curious enough to want to know how to say it. "I don't like slushy... stuff between my paws, and I thought I was alone. Heh." The yearling felt the need to explain himself, even though he probably did not need to. Maybe one day he would get this socialising thing down, but that day was not this day.

let’s admit the world don’t turn around us

Celandine Argyris

Celandine watched as the man flipped around, splashing mud and snow all over himself. She must have frightened him. That, or he was a jumpy sort to begin with. Even more interesting, he sighed as his gaze met her own. How odd. Had her presence comforted him somehow? Had he confused her for someone else? Regardless, as their eyes met, she felt her tail raise ever so slightly, tilting just above the line of her spine.

Her dominance did not extend any further than that, however, as his lips began moving, and his voice poured out over the air between them. She'd much rather find out what this word meant than scuffle with him. "Akatháristo." She tasted the name for herself, letting it roll off of her honey-glazed tongue. An expression of disgust? Maybe this could prove to be useful. Clearly please, Celandine felt her tail return to it's original place in line with her spine. "It's everywhere." Her feelings toward the 'Slushy stuff' were similar to his. The Argyris hated the mud, and slush, and anything else that threatened the pristine color of her coat. "And unfortunately, you've found yourself in the middle of it. You can follow me out of it if you'd like?" The offer was extended, though she didn't care if he planned on taking it.

 

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Noticing how the pale female's tail had risen above her spine, certainly in dominance, Nevrakis lowered his head in politeness as, even though they were in neutral lands - nor did he notice any scent of a pack border, he could smell lingering scents of other wolves on her fur. As with Askan, he figured it was best to let the pack wolf take charge, if only to keep the peace. He was not necessarily a submissive wolf, but if things ever seemed to be going badly he would back down without a second thought. It was not worth putting himself into potentially dangerous situations for just anything, and as long as he had nothing to really fight for, backing down - or even running away - would be one of his options.

However, she seemed complacent with his offering of the meaning of the word she was so curious about, even going as far as diminishing her display of dominance, and he let his head raise just a little so he was no longer partially looking at the snowy ground. "It seems I have, unluckily for me" Nevrakis said with a half smile, tail wagging gently behind him, trying his best to lighten up the mood. It was not that there was any awkwardness between them, but he figured the happier he could make the other wolf the better the encounter would go. At her proposition to lead him to drier ground that would not squish between his toes, the yearling nodded eagerly. "Yes please! I can't bear to walk in this any longer than I have to."

let’s admit the world don’t turn around us

Celandine Argyris

Celandine let her eyes sweep over his face, noting the faded scars stretching the length of his muzzle. She wondered how they got there. Had he been attacked by another wolf? No. He'd be less inclined to trust her if that was the case. Maybe a cat or a bear got to him? The possibilities were endless, but her eyes had already overstayed their welcome, and thus, they were forced to flicker instead to the expanse of forest behind him. "This way." she trilled, already moving past him. "You're certainly lucky that I caught you in time. It gets even worse that way." Just the thought of all the slush forced her to shake the imaginary drops off of her coat.

Once she'd made their course clear, the woman slowed to fall into step with his dark form. The broad swing of her tail should have been enough to let him know that she had no ill intentions by doing so. It was much easier to talk when you weren't calling over your shoulder. Her honey-hued voice was light as she asked,"So what's your story then?" It was always interesting to see how much strangers would or would not divulge. It helped her get a sense of their character, and she quite liked picking apart the small details, and filling in the blanks herself.

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Nevrakis eagerly followed the pale female to where she was leading him to a drier area, longing to feel somewhat stable ground beneath his paws rather than the muck he was currently in. "I'm glad you came upon me, then. I can't imagine it being any worse than this." The yearling spoke with a soft laugh, only half joking. He really would have not enjoyed going further into the marsh-like area, and so was thoroughly glad she had offered him a way out. Going around this place would be his best bet as he continued to head in the direction he was going, which was generally just the path of least resistance.

Ears pricked up as the pale female asked what his story was, and while he usually would have been perturbed by such a question, her friendly demeanour made him just a bit less hesitant to answer her question. "Well," he began with a hum, thinking of how to best put his thoughts into words. "My parents were killed when I was really young, I don't... really remember them at all, if I'm being honest. I'm not even sure if I had any siblings, but I do know that someone happened upon the den just in time. He was... not a wolf, but stood on two legs and had no fur. Have you met anyone like that before?" Nevrakis turned to the pale female with a curious expression, but quickly continued on with his story. "Anyway, he took me in, gave me this collar so he would always know it's me, looked after me, and taught me all that I know. At least... until a little while ago. I guess you could say I'm here now and he's not, and that's when I got these scars, actually." The yearling fell silent, a grim look appearing on his face, unsure if he had maybe shared too much with the pale female.

let’s admit the world don’t turn around us

Celandine Argyris

The beginning of his tale was tragic, but not unfamiliar. Death was the unfortunate consequence of life. They would all die eventually. Still, she made sure to soften her features, and nod when she was supposed to. She knew that kind of hurt. Phineas might not have died in front of her, but learning about it hit her just as hard. "My father died too, though I wasn't a child when it happened." The tidbit wasn't one she shared often, or even thought much about. She kept it locked away somewhere in her mind, unwilling to relive the event. What was done was done. 

Celandine only noticed the collar as he was talking, having originally thought the fur around his neck was just matted down. It was a curious thing, made from a material she'd never seen before. It wasn't jagged like branches or round like vines. The pale fae literally had nothing to compare it to. In fact, she wouldn't have known what to call it if it weren't for the man explicitly mentioning it. Thank the gods he did, because not knowing would have eaten away at her.

Even stranger, the man went on to explain a whimsical creature. It stood on two legs, like a bear, but without the fur? It took care of him, and placed this... collar around his neck? Certainly this was the most outrageously interesting story she'd ever heard. Her mind was bustling as she tried to picture it-whatever it was. What color was it? What shape? She imagined something akin to a bear, but green, or maybe brown? "I can honestly say that I haven't," And what a shame that was. "But I'd like to, I think." Unfortunately that didn't seem feasible, since the stranger already stated that the animal was dead. A quick check of it's bones might be enough, but having joined the Vale, she was already about as far as she could wander. 

Questions were swirling through her head, but the solemn expression that the male carried told her it was best to leave it be. He could divulge more if he wanted, but it wouldn't do to pry it out. "I'm sorry. I know what it's like to lose the ones you love." On a lighter note, maybe she could be of service? "Where are you headed?"

(This post was last modified: Dec 13, 2017, 09:17 AM by Celandine.)

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