The Wildwood i'll bet the odds against it all

 

February 12th, Midday, -14°C, Light snow.

Leaving Willow Ridge in the early hours of the morning, right after speaking with Ravenna, had meant that he'd had the entire day to travel north. For once, whilst it had been bitterly cold, it had not snowed. The sun had been warm on his back for much of the journey; its golden light had filtered down through the sparse, drooping branches of the willow trees and danced across his tawny coat — making him feel more eager and rejuvenated as he wandered. The break in the snow had also made travelling easier for the agouti male. However, by sunset his luck had run out and the snow had once against begun to fall from the sky.

Lorcan had decided to hunker down for the night, close to where he had met Piety in the woods a week previous, besides the stream. A small part of him had hoped to stumble across the woman that same night but, with the snow falling as heavy as it was, he knew deep down that there was little chance of her straying too far away from her son and female companions. Curled up beneath the thick, sheltered canopy of a large redwood tree, much in contrast to the willows he had left behind, Lorcan slept through the bad weather until the sunrise the next morning.

The high-pitched trill of a small bird startled him awake, causing the male to scramble up immediately onto his paws and deliriously look around. After reminding himself of where he was, Lorcan gave a thorough shake of his coat to dust himself off, and lapped up a quick drink from the nearby stream before setting off again. Remembering how Piety had mentioned that her group planned to settle in the woods beside the mountain, Lorcan took the decision to following the river upstream, towards the wildwood where he had previously collected Chaga mushrooms for Ravenna.

It didn't take long before the snowfall returned, though it was nowhere near as bad as the previous night. However, to keep himself distracted from the cold and the long journey that was sure to be ahead of him, the healer allowed his gaze to inspect the nearby foliage as he loped beside the moved beside the river. Spotting some Salmonberry foliage growing in the damp soil beside the water, Lorcan gathered a few leafy stems to take with him. He also stripped some bark from a few White fir trees as he passed them by. He hoped that Piety and her group would find some use for the plants when they did eventually settle down.

Carrying the gifts gently between his jaws, the agouti male continued to journey on upstream through the lightly falling snow, hoping to catch the scent of Piety and confirm that he was actually heading in the right direction...

(This post was last modified: Feb 11, 2018, 12:02 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

She still had to scout about. Piety had already informed @Cheedo of where they were going to head once they were ready. That didn't mean the pale female could take a break, though. There was always the possibility of other places or even local threats. She had to be positive before fully settling the group down.

Her paws led her south, to the general area where she had run into Lorcan. Perhaps it would be a social hot spot and she would find someone else. It was a bit of a silly hope but she was living off of hope now. Piety had nothing else but hope and a son at the end of a day.

In her thought, a familiar scent tugged at her nose. Her brows furrowed sharply. He was up here again? It wasn't a problem really. The Santoro wouldn't mind another interaction with the healer. She was just more concerned about multiple trips up north from the wilows so soon after one another.

Piety broke free of some foliage. She stood off to the side of him and for a moment she was content to watch. Just to see what he was up to. Herb collecting it seemed, nothing unusual. What was unusual was her standing there looking rather baffled by his presence. So she awkwardly let out a gentle woof. "Wasn't expecting to run into you again so soon." She moved a bit closer, tail lazily swaying behind her. "What brings you up this way now?"

# C W T

Lorcan continued to wander further upstream, his golden eyes scanning the nearby foliage whilst his nose occasionally sniffed at the crisp winter air for any sign of Piety. As he trailed along beside the river, he caught sudden whiff of her familiar scent. Immediately the agouti male paused in his tracks, head up and ears alert. Glancing around slowly, his golden eyes began to search for any sign of the female nearby. She had to be close. The scent smelt fresh.

The quiet rustling of the foliage to the of right of him caused his russet ears to swivel atop his head. Looking over towards the direction of the noise, Lorcan heard her bark a few moments before his golden eyes eventually spied her. The agouti male watched as she moved to approach him from between the tall redwood trees. A smile pulled at his lips as she greeted him and his black tipped tail moved to wag frantically behind him.

Lorcan appeared a little hesitant, the slight furrowing of his pale brows betraying how uncertain he felt in that moment. He placed the medicinal plants he had collected gently down at his paws before speaking. "I was wondering if you were still in need of one more?" Lorcan looked to her then, his expression hopeful. "I've been dismissed from Willow Ridge." There was nothing holding him back now. He had no pack to return home to. Now, the pair of them had all the time in the world to talk. That was, if that was what Piety wanted.

(This post was last modified: Feb 11, 2018, 04:12 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

The healer's words caught her off guard, her good ear quickly flattened against her skull. Dismissed? She had so many questions; what did that mean, dismissed? Had he gotten into trouble? She thought they had been treating him well.

It would have been rude though to ignore his former question. Her good ear raised again and her head gave a sharp nod. "We are and it'd be an honor to have you if you'll come." A soft smile broke her features. Piety knew the man was a skilled healer, one that she'd much rather have amongst her ranks than have to borrow him from afar. Not to mention his presence had been missed by her. Perhaps her late husband had been right. All she had needed was some time.

"Bringing a gift?" Her muzzled tipped to point at the plants on the ground in front of them. It was flattering if he was but she would never require such a thing from him. She was aware that perhaps it was a bit formal but had the star-crossed wolves ever been formal with each other?

She motioned with her head for them to settle down. They both had certainly had a long trip and she knew it would be wise to rest before either of them went anywhere.

# C W T

Lorcan noticed how Piety's one good ear flattened when he mentioned that he had been dismissed from Willow Ridge, causing his pale brows to twitch in realisation as he considered for a moment how his words might have sounded to the female. "No, don't worry, I asked to leave..." The male quickly explained in hopes of reassuring her, before his golden gaze drifted off to one side sheepishly. "Talking with you made me realise how unhappy I was living there. The members were nice, but there was too much family drama to deal with." The male's expression saddened as he remembered what Ravenna had said to him when he had asked to leave.

Piety quickly lightened the mood, however, by providing an answer to his initial question. The male's golden eyes brightened again as he looked towards the pale female, a bashful smile once again tugging at the corners of his charcoal lips. "I was really hoping you'd say that..." Lorcan admitted with a relieved smile, before swiftly asking. "Is it still just the four of you?" The agouti male was curious to know if Piety had managed to recruit anyone else in the time that had passed since they had last spoken.

At the female's own question, Lorcan nodded, his black tipped tail swaying behind him with pride. "It's just a few things I managed to collect along the way. It's not much, but I thought it could be used to start off your medicinal cache once you decide on a location to settle." At her silent invitation, Lorcan moved off to the side a few paces to clear an area between himself and the river bank before settling down in the thick snow at the base of the nearest tree.

(This post was last modified: Feb 11, 2018, 04:52 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

There is a rabbit's nest nearby. +1 Health

She gave a sharp nod to show she understood but she kept her thoughts internal. Piety had not intended to be a driving force. She was not keen on stepping on Willow Ridge's toes again. Especially when she was trying to handle her own situations up in the forest just a pawful of days north of the Ridge wolves. At least she had offered some support to the healer.

"It is. I couldn't seem to pull anyone in." She chuckled softly, tail flicking in the slightest bit of annoyance. "Suppose all the loners have already packed up for the winter." Her shoulders rolled softly as a sigh escaped her. The mother should have just ridden out the misery wave in the North and waited until the spring to try and move or re-settle things. It was a mess though and she had only contributed to it.

Guilt settled in her gut but she pushed the feelings aside for now. It was something she had gotten good at as of late.

She settled beside him, close enough to let the tip of their fur mingle but she wasn't going to go planting herself right into his coat. "Rather thoughtful of you. I have to admit it will be a huge relief to have a more skilled healer around." It was no secret to anyone that Piety wasn't the most trained healer around. Lorcan had only taught her a few plants before things got tense. With her son traveling and @Lenae's stress conditions, it was only a matter of time before someone needed something.

"We're in the woods for now but...I'm thinking of settling on the mountain. Sure you're game for that?" A brow arched softly above her brown eyes, gaze settled on the tawny male.

# C W T

Lorcan gave a soft roll of his shoulders. "Maybe." He acknowledged, before the agouti male gave a thoughtful tilt of his head. "Or maybe it's because they don't know you're here yet." He suggested gently with a raised brow. "I suspect once we've claimed some land more loners will start showing interest." To the agouti male it made sense. As of right now, it seemed that Piety and her group — which now included him — were still wandering around as loners. Whilst they might have remained close, he could detect no distinctive scent upon the fur of their leader. Nothing to tell him that were indeed part of a stable pack. Soon though, that would change, and any wolves travelling near their territory would know that they were there.

The healer released a relaxed sigh as Piety shifted down to settle closely beside him. Giving a contented thump of his tail against the snow, he remembered their time spent talking atop the monadnock together. A knowing smile pulled at his lips as she commented about having him around a skilled healer for her pack. "I've always been around." He smirked teasingly. "Who do you think dropped off those herbs at the borders last Spring?" Lorcan tilted his head in anticipation, waiting to see if she would understand his hint and figure it out.

When Piety mentioned her idea to locate her pack on the mountain, Lorcan's russet ears perked up in interest. He remained silent for a few moments, and stretched out a single forepaw to gather the small collection of plants towards his chest as he considered her question. "As long as the main den is sheltered enough to keep the rain and snow out, I don't have any issues with settling on the mountain." He confirmed, before suddenly thinking of something. "Although, we should probably sniff around to make sure there aren't any cougar dens close by. I'd rather avoid a fight if we can help it..." He remembered fighting off the cougar with Craw in the lowlands and the one which had been slinking around in the willows. The last thing he wanted was for any one to get attacked, even if he was a healer.

(This post was last modified: Feb 11, 2018, 05:42 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

"I sure hope so." She huffed with a soft shake of her head. There was safety in numbers and she needed those numbers. Perhaps she shouldn't have worried so much. Surely Lorcan knew what he was talking about.

Piety smiled softly at his words. "It makes more sense now that I know you were so close." Her tail give a few thumps against the snow ground. She had a suspicion but it had always been just that. "Thank you." The pale female whispered softly. She had been grateful for his silent presence in the form of those gifts.

"Understandable." Her head nodded sharply. Piety hadn't even thought of the presence of cougars. Perhaps it was for the best she had the Artemieva man around now. He was already picking up slack where she missed it. "Once we get there and get settled I'll scout about a bit more for any dangerous areas." She could very easily get Cheedo to tag along with her, as the woman was very much Piety's right hand at this point.

She lazily let her shoulders settle, relaxing with ease. "Might be a bit soon but I ought to ask...what might you wish to do once we settle down for good? Role wise and such." A pale brow raised with curiosity evident in her gaze. Was he still set on being a healer? Did he pick up other skills in his travels? Was he perhaps seeking a bigger goal all together?

# C W T

Lorcan turned to give a small smile towards the pale female as he thanked him. It was nice to know that she had appreciated his gift, even if she hadn't realise they had been left been him at the time. No matter the state of their relationship, or how many miles lay between them, the agouti male had always tried to look out for Piety. "You're welcome." Lorcan replied quietly, his voice warm, as he reached across briefly rest his muzzle upon the thick white fur of her shoulders.

Pulling back away gently, Lorcan listened to her suggestion to scout around the possible territory for in search of any potential dangers. The agouti male nodded in agreement with her idea. "Scouting around for local water sources and possible hunting grounds would be a good idea too, and of course, any nearby packs." He suggested thoughtfully. There was certainly a lot to think about when forming a new pack. Fortunately for Lorcan, he had served in enough of them to have learnt a thing or two about what was important to consider when choosing a permanent place to settle.

Gathering the small collection of plants protectively against his chest, his russet ears flickered back towards Piety as she asked him what role he might like to hold within the pack. Lifting his head slowly to focus more on her question and meet her warm brown gaze for a moment, Lorcan's immediate reaction was to offer himself as healer. However, he remembered how until him, her son had been the only male within the group. If the pack was to function as a stable unit, they would need male leader. Though that role came with numerous important responsibilities, some of which Lorcan questioned if he was the right wolf for. Lorcan had never held a strong desire for leadership. He was used to following orders and fulfilling the wishes of others.

The fact that Piety had even asked about his role within the pack, knowing full well the groups current dynamics, made the male question if she had been trying to hint at something. He couldn't be sure though, not unless she clearly stated it. Licking a little awkwardly at his charcoal lips, Lorcan looked across to her shyly out of corner of his eye. "I'll always be a healer at heart," He confessed honestly. "but, if you'd like for me to have different role I will." It was all that he could say without being too specific. He hadn't sought her out with the intention of leading alongside her, just protecting her. However, if it was what Piety desired of him Lorcan would struggle to turn her down. Lachesis had proven it was possible for a wolf to divide their time between being leader and a healer, after all. His ears pressed back against his head. He was probably just over-thinking again.

"Did you have anything particular in mind for me?" It was the one question whizzing through his mind as he looked to her, a nervous, but hopeful smile pulling at his lips.

(This post was last modified: Feb 11, 2018, 07:40 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together