Turtleback Lake hope's out the window

Name: Driftwood Surge
Image: here & here
Lat/Long:  (70.49557, 49.92188)
Description: At the base of the mountain, where the lush forest surrounding Turtleback meets stone, lies the headwaters of Driftwood Surge. A cascading rush of water cuts through the forest, lined with towering cedars and over-sized boulders scattered haphazardly along the shore. There are a few calmer bends in the river, lined with pebble beaches opposite piles of driftwood, surrounded by a sea of evergreens. The ground is uneven as it shifts from mountain to forest; the beginning of the river is lined with towering rocks while the most eastern shores are more level and lush with foliage. 

Tags for @Risaela @Matheo @Oksana @Lavender and @Lilliana -- whoever wants to join feel free! I would like to keep this moving quickly <3

He wasn’t really sure what he was looking for. But something had possessed the alpha to rally up the river cubs as the sun cascaded through the forest, welcoming the pack to another day amongst the towering cedar giants. Once the troops had gathered the ghost set his course for the south-west, skirting the shores of the lake he adored so much. It was partially a scouting trip; partially a hunting trip. Truthfully, Lachesis had decided just yet. It depended on what they found.

Travelling with pups wasn’t always easy. There were questions tumbling from their mouths and their paws often deterred from the path he’d chosen. So, naturally, the trip was going longer than expected. But he did not mind. It was very seldom that the pups spent time together, for now they were at the age where they developed personalities and often preferred to do things on their own. But sticking together was important—especially all the issues that had occurred among the river wolves. It was important for them to stick together, even if their personalities differed.

The mountain loomed over the forest, catching the rays of morning sun. A sound of rushing water caught his attention, his ears twitching in the direction as he glanced back at his followers. Wanna check it out? He asked as he motioned toward where the sound was coming from, excitement bubbling within his chest. Something felt good about the land they had stumbled in. Similar to the same feeling he had gotten when they settled in the north; in the Kingswood. 

stick with those who stick with you

It felt like it had been a long time since she'd spent any time with her uncle Lach. Since her father left she had been trying to keep herself busy so she wouldn't have to think of all the questions that she'd already asked her mother a bajillion times. She wasn't going to let this day be ruined by the mistakes her parents had made, she was going to have fun with her uncle Lach sld the others and it was going to be great. That was the decision the little Crow had made and she was sticking to it.

She followed the pale figure of Lachesis through the kingswood towards turtleback. She didn't know where they were going exactly and she had to wonder if he knew at all. She bounded up beside him, as she took in their surroundings. Parts of their journey started to look different to her. Places she'd never been and she couldn't help but notice how pretty it all was.

When the sound of rushing water reached her and Lachesis asked about checking it out she smiled. Yes, let's. What do you think it might be? She asked curious what he thought. Her first guess was a river or a waterfall. She hadn't quite decided on which yet. Maybe uncle Lach could help her to decide. Either way she stayed right next to him so that she would know if they headed off to check out the sound.

Table by Arla

(This post was last modified: Jan 09, 2018, 12:45 AM by Oksana.)

Please see Sharlee's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you

Reid had decided to tag along with Lach and the pups. He could help the other man keep them moving should they get too distracted and make sure that no one got left behind or hurt. Trailing behind the group he could see that Sana was bounding along next to the other male and Reid shook his head with an amused smile while his tail swayed behind him. She was enjoying this that was for sure and in truth so was he. The day was perfect and it seemed like there was a hint of adventure in the air. Likely because of the pups excitement at seeing new things outside of the territory.

A sound caught his attention and Reid tipped his head it sounded like water. Maybe they could go and get a drink since they were in the area. Lach turned back and asked if they wanted to investigate the source. Sana was quick to agree and then ask what he thought it was. Reid simply gave a nod before turning his gaze to the rest of the group to make sure that no one decided to wander off if they weren't interested. He fairly certain that everyone would be seeing as how the excitement over what could be making the sound was contagious. Even he felt it bubbling in his chest.

Lavender was trying to be more open to the idea of leaving pack territory. Her endless supply of anxiety often held her back, making her hover at the borders of Hearthwood as she toyed with the idea of crossing over. She enjoyed patrolling the Kingswood, for she found comfort among the towering giants, but it was the world beyond that frightened her.

So, at her father’s suggestion at going on an adventure, the girl leaped at the opportunity. To show her sister (and her packmates) that she wasn’t just a bundle of nerves. That she really was useful and wanted to do normal things, like exploring. She trailed behind at first, sniffing at the abundance of new scents and taking in the new surroundings. At first she thought they were heading toward the lake, for she was no stranger to the soothing shores, but her father continued toward the mountains. She swallowed, chartreuse gaze fixated on the looming rock in the distance. Yikes. She hoped they weren’t climbing that. She didn’t know if she was ready for that.

But the sound of rushing water caught her attention, along with her father’s. He paused, his ears pricked forward and an unfamiliar expression unfolding across his pale features. It made her think of hope, something she had not seen in a long time. Her tail wagged as she bounded up alongside Oksana, her lips pulling into a wide grin. It was nice that Reid had accompanied them, for she had come to like the scarlet male. Perhaps the newest river wolf was worried the pups would be too much for the older Stark…

Let’s go! She chirped with an excited wriggle of her body, her paws tapping along the forest grown to emphasize her point. Without waiting she sauntered forward, her lithe body weaving through the towering evergreens as she followed the sound of bubbling water…

He glanced over at his companions, a lopsided grin perched effortlessly across his worn features. The excitement that bubbled within him was difficult to subdue, for he had hoped they would stumble upon something of interest. He had been on the look-out for a new home for quite some time, only voicing his thoughts aloud to his mate and his second, Aytigin. It was time for the river wolves to start fresh elsewhere—where ghosts did not haunt their trees, painful reminders of the sorrows they had endured. He was still unsure how the rest of his pack would feel, especially his children, but he knew in his heart that it was the right move. They needed to unify, for recent events had begun to pull them apart at the seems. As one of the founding packs in the north staying close was important to the pale Stark, for he had grown fond of the expanse during their three year reign in the Kingswood.

The excited noises from his companions only stretched his smile wider and he stepped after his daughter, his plume swaying gently behind him as they padded closer to the sound of moving water.

The ground had turned rugged, a mixture of both greenery and stone as they neared the base of the mountain. He watched as Lavender continued ahead of the group, her pale form dancing through the trees. She was excited too—a good sign.

The trees begun to grow sparse, a sudden dip in the distance causing his heart to thump erratically within his chest. Just as he was about to shout at Lavender to stop she did, her chin pointed back at the group joining her. The rock ended abruptly, a wide river cutting lazily through the forest below the cliff. It reminded him of the rapids but different; better. He approached the edge hesitantly, his chartreuse gaze sweeping over his surroundings… There, he pointed with his nose, his expression still soft, there’s a path to the bottom. Just steer clear of the water. He could not tell how fast it was moving from their perch and he did not want his daughter, or Oksana, to get swept up by the glacier-fed water.

stick with those who stick with you

Most of the adventures she'd had were on her own, this was the first that she'd gotten to take with her uncle Lach and she couldn't be happier. What was even better was Reid had come along too, how could she not be happy to be having an adventure with her two favorite men. Lavender was there too and she was excited for her friend to be getting away from Hearthwood with them. There were so many new sights on their adventure that sometimes Oksana didn't know where to look first. She wanted to see it all and spent time walking beside everyone in the small group.

It was the bubbling sound that made her curious about what was making it. So when Lavender went off to see it so did Sana right behind her friend. She stopped when Lavender did and looked over the edge before turning back to Lachesis as he spoke pointing out a path. She looked to the path and then to Reid. This looks a lot safer than the path to the pit, she commented to the red man with a smile. Let's go see what's at the bottom, she added to the rest of the group before starting toward the path.

Please see Sharlee's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

A snort of amusement escaped him as Lavender took off to race in front of them bouncing here and there through the trees, Sana close behind. The ground was turning rougher and the dips in the ground more frequent. He hoped that they didn't trip and hurt themselves in there excitement to see the water. As he watched suddenly they stopped at what he could only assume was a small cliff. Padding to the edge he dipped his head to look at the river that flowed beneath them and the rocky shore. A smile spread on his face. He liked it. There was a sort of rugged beauty here that was softened by the water's presence and fallen trees only added to it.

Lachesis was the first to point out a way down and the red man gave it a look over. Sana commented that it looked safer than the path that they had used when they had gone into the pit. Reid looked to her. Yes it does but lets still be careful anyway okay Miss Sana? He didn't want her to trip over the rocks on the way down. That also went for Lavender and he gave her a look to see if she had heard him or if she had bounced on ahead again. Then he made his way after his dark friend to follow her down the cliff's side to the bottom.

(This post was last modified: Jan 28, 2018, 04:27 PM by Reid.)

the path leads to the pebbled beach in the picture <3 slight PP of them reaching the bottom, let me know if not okay <3

She tiptoed toward the edge of the rock, her nose wrinkling as she observed the surging river below. The further it went the smoother the surface became, which lead the pale Stark to believe there was something exciting beyond the rushing water… but that was for another day, when the stone wasn’t covered in snow and slippery. She turned toward her father and their company, her tail wagging frantically behind her. This river was much better than the river back home! There was so much to see, so much to explore! She could make out a collection of fallen trees on the other side of the cliff… and couldn’t help but wonder if they would be accessible in the warmer months…

Hers thoughts were dispersed by the voice of her father—there’s a path to the bottom. Perfect! Without hesitation she bounced forward, her chartreuse gaze observing the path pointed out by the older Stark. It looked safe-ish, which was good enough for her. Normally she would have shied away from the idea, for it had taken the nervous girl weeks to get comfortable leaving pack territory, but today she was filled with a rare bout of adrenaline.

Let’s go see what’s at the bottom. She nodded frantically at the crow’s suggestion, her dark lips curling into a warm smile as she followed closely behind her friend and the scarlet male. There was an abundance of soft, round stones at the bottom of the cliff, most of them still covered in a thin layer of snow. There was so many! At least twelve. Maybe twenty. But definitely more than six! Padding toward the edge of the river she glanced once more at her companions, as she was curious as to what their reactions were…

(This post was last modified: Feb 01, 2018, 06:28 AM by Lavender.)

Lachesis waited until the other three reached the bottom of the path to began his descent down to the pebbled beach. He was absolutely enthralled by the river. With all his time spent at the lake he couldn’t believe it had taken him this long to find the secluded mountain river. His own steps mirrored his daughter’s, as they were fuelled by the excitement that bubbled within him. Lavender seemed pleased with their discovery, as she was bouncing all over the place in an attempt to see as much as possible. The little Stark was usually more withdrawn than her eccentric sister and never seemed enthused by their adventures… until today, that was. It was a good omen.

Even Reid and Oksana looked pleased with their discovery. All the signs were pointing in the right direction… he had not even been looking for a place to relocate. Not yet. But the place had found them… surely it was a sign that this was where the river wolves were meant to be. Not among the haunted trees in the Kingswood. Where ghosts reigned and tragedy followed the wolves like hungry fleas.

What do you think? He asked, his voice soft as he addressed the three wolves before them. Reid was one of their newer members… would he even be willing to relocate with the Hearthwood pack? Lachesis knew his children would follow him, and their mother, wherever they went. It was obvious that the older Stark was not happy among the cedars; even his children had begun to pick up on it. What of Oksana… and Inna?

stick with those who stick with you