Red Fern Forest [bwp] only can get better

Almost there, Starhale told herself—even when she was nowhere near. The Tainn covered hundreds of miles, and each wolf she came across had no idea of who she spoke of when she spoke of Sahalie, of her family. Still, her optimism prevailed: almost there! It had become a mantra, and it was to the beat of this thought that Starhale continued ever-forward. She got by through scavenging alone and had lost an ample amount of weight. Nights ago she had found good fortune when she happened upon a young calf that had drowned in a river, finding it near a waterbed. It was bloated with water, but it did the job.

And Starhale felt closer than ever, now. Of course, she felt this way every day; it kept her going. She could not wait to start her newest chapter, and the young girl's tail swayed behind her. Her bright eyes surveyed her surroundings and she was given pause. Never before had she ever seen such a vibrant place; the hues ranged from orange to red, and this place gave her some pause. Tentatively, her leathery nose brushed against a fern as she sniffed gently at it, wondering at the wolves that lurked in this place.

(This post was last modified: Jun 04, 2018, 02:48 AM by Starhale. Edit Reason: BWP added )

Sachiel knew going out on his own wasn’t smart, but he didn’t always want to seek out @Hawthorne or one of the Edge Lords if he wanted to stretch his legs. He wasn’t a complete idiot, which meant he was capable of taking care of himself. Most of the time. The most important thing was that he knew when to vacate the area if things started to go south. He also believed it was important to know the locations of any nearby coyotes and alert his leaders, which was part of the reason he had gone on this little excursion. And because staying within the Edge borders was suffocating him, even if he enjoyed it.

He moved cautiously at first, his mismatched eyes surveying the area to ensure that no scrawny coyotes were following him before picking up his pace. Following a well travelled trail that cut through the crimson ferns, the agouti youth continued south. While the array of colours were limited in the forest—muted emeralds and rich garnet—Sachiel did not mind. It wasn’t like the obnoxious orange that consumed the Vale.

A sound caused his ears to twitch and his brows to furrow as he snapped his head around trying to locate the origin. The fur on the back of his neck startled to bristle as he took a slow step forward, his neck craned as he tried to catch a glimpse of the intruder. Fortunately the scent that accompanied the stranger was not of the coyote variety, but it did not subdue the anxious feeling in the pit of his stomach. He remained tightlipped and did not venture any further as his tail twitched nervously behind him. 

(This post was last modified: Jun 03, 2018, 10:40 PM by Sachiel.)

ridge is a mature character

aka he curses a lot due to his frustation with his memory loss

x

ridge associates colours with moods/feelings & uses them to describe others

Starhale, on the other hand, did not stop. She was enamored with the picturesque setting, taking it all in, and once her nose was removed from the ferns it had traced it was lifted skyward. The wind was not in her favor, so even as she sniffed the air lightly the scent of the nearby wolf was not noted. Had the breeze not been there, she might have, but as she breathed inward all the wind lent her was nearby prey, large and small alike. Starhale fancied she had heard a sound behind her, and looked over her shoulder even as she moved. When there was nothing to be found, she looked ahead and very nearly collided with the observant Sachiel—fortunately for the both of them, she was swift enough to leap aside with a girlish yelp that revealed her heart and soul had simultaneously rocked out of her body with the sound.

Her tail pressed against her leg, and her ears flattened upon her crown as she whirled around to face the tawny male. 'msosorry, I... I  didn't even see you there...! She admitted, hoping to be forgiven for very nearly sweeping him off of his feet. Every bit of her looked sorry, too; her eyes shifted away, and she yawned meekly to boot, hoping her body language would explain she wasn't the sort of girl who was here looking for a scuffle.

Nope, not Starhale—never that! She was only after her family.

He had been looking away, in another direction, when the girl nearly barrelled into him. His mismatched gaze had landed on her dark figure just as she leapt out of the way, her yelp causing his ears to fall backward as a deep grimace collapsed onto his dark lips. His initial reaction was to give her shit for not paying attention to him, but the boy bit his tongue as she shied away from him, her posture screaming submission as she mustered up a feeble apology. The frown remained on his maw as his ears resumed their previous position; upright and rigid. Y’should be paying more attention, he clapped back as his dark-tipped tail levelled with the line of his back, I’m the least of your worries in the forest. If she had nearly collided with a coyote instead of him she would have gotten a chunk of her hide ripped out. He was a little annoyed that he’d almost been run over, but whatever. Worse things could have happened.  

ridge is a mature character

aka he curses a lot due to his frustation with his memory loss

x

ridge associates colours with moods/feelings & uses them to describe others

His response cut her down a little more, and Starhale's body pressed slightly lower in an effort to appease and quell his anger. If there was one thing Starhale could not take, it was that. She fled from it on more than one occasion, and were it not for his final sentence she might have sprinted off tail-tucked then and there—a promise she would never be a bother again. But he had said what he had said, and so she remained, contrite, eyes averted and demeanor exemplifying regret. I know, she admitted with a soft sigh, I've just never seen anything like this place before... and then I thought I heard something and...

She grimaced. He knew the rest. Her ears pressed against her skull, though now pricked forward with interest. Least of her worries he had said. It sounded like an uncomfortable thing to broach, at least directly, even if he had been pretty direct about it himself. Well, I guess it's my lucky day, to get to run into you—instead of what ought to be the most of my worries, She decided, proceeding gently, still quite wary. His posture caused her own to remain deferential and meek.

But she had a hope in her heart that she would befriend him, somehow. He hadn't chased her away; she could only hope he didn't hate her for nearly running into him.

He shrugged at her meagre explanation, his expression remaining indifferent and neutral. The tawny youth was no stranger to being distracted by his surroundings. In fact, it happened more times than he cared to admit. Being attuned to colours kept Sachiel stuck in his head most of the time, causing him to trip over his own feet and distance himself from what was happening around him. However, since the arrival of the coyotes, Sachiel made sure to keep himself aware. He didn’t need another scar from a feral creature.

Her second collection of words caused his brows to snap together in confusion; she was oddly optimistic, wasn’t sure? For now, he responded with an amused curl of his lips despite the guarded expression he continued to wear. He didn’t really know what else to say. Sachiel had never been the chatty type; he was quiet and observant. His greyscale sidekick usually did most of the talking—Sachiel usually just (silently) cheered her on. The boy had acquired a sharper tongue after living with the Edge wolves and was no longer afraid of speaking his mind, but that didn’t mean he did it often. You’re not from around here, are you? Had she even encountered one of the Lore’s many coyotes yet? Boy, was she in for a surprise…

(This post was last modified: Jun 04, 2018, 12:19 AM by Sachiel.)

ridge is a mature character

aka he curses a lot due to his frustation with his memory loss

x

ridge associates colours with moods/feelings & uses them to describe others

The grin he presented with his response caused her to believe: a breakthrough! but she held herself in check, and her deferential posture. He had made it clear he was less than enthused that she had nearly stumbled into him, and really the Tainn couldn't blame him for that. Head-on collisions hurt. But to her credit, she had caused them both to avoid such a painful meeting—which she was quick to forget, in lieu of catering to his own emotions.

Oh, no, she answered. Apparently I've got family here, but, I haven't met them yet. Only heard stories. I like to see things for myself, she said with a grin of her own. There was nothing quite like hands-on experience, was there? Gettin' your hands dirty and really getting to the bottom of things was something Starhale delighted in. Not that she ever really had anything to get to the bottom of in life. Just the bottom of the mudpond, or the cache... the simple, good stuff.

You are, though, yeah? Were you... trying to warn me about something? She thought it a fair question, given his ominous statement. He seemed to know about this forest more than she did... at least, that was how he had made it sound.

The longer he remained in her presence the more he realized that she reminded him of the soft, violet-coloured flowers in the mountain meadow to the south. But she was also pale yellow; joyous and obnoxiously optimistic. Good colours—so far. He blinked his thoughts away as she spoke once more, mentioning that she had family nearby. Huh. He wasn’t surprised. Someone always knew someone else. That was just the way the Lore worked; nobody was really ever a stranger. But he was curious as to who she was related to—for his own gain, not hers. But, as she spoke once more, the tawny youth swallowed his question, his chin tipping to the side as she questioned him. We’ve been having an issue with coyotes lately, he responded with a lazy, dismissive shrug. They’re travelling in groups. He figured it was best to warn her, especially if she planned on heading out on her own again.

ridge is a mature character

aka he curses a lot due to his frustation with his memory loss

x

ridge associates colours with moods/feelings & uses them to describe others

Coyotes, traveling in groups. Starhale knew they could be obnoxious but had never met more than two simultaneously before, and that, as a lone wolf, was more than enough. One heckled her and while she snapped at that very one, the other darted in to steal what she had been scavenging. It was frustrating, to say the least. She had guessed she would run into more of them before her time as a lone wolf had ended, but that was the optimistic part of her speaking. Reality spoke to her in the form of this stranger, and she relaxed further and settled onto her haunches.

Groups... so, more than two, she half-asked; she was thinking aloud, for the most part. I've run into some on my travels, just not here. It's hard enough being a lone wolf without them, she said with a shake of her head, though nowhere in her tone did it sound as though she expected or desired pity. No, she had chosen this path for herself, for now... until she found family once again. Are they up to their normal shenanigans? Stealing food, being rude? Starhale had never been outright attacked by a coyote before, and did not think that this was something she had to worry about, group or not—what she didn't know could, in fact, hurt her.

She did not appear too alarmed by his mention of coyotes—which meant she was familiar with them. Good, it would definitely help her while navigating through the lands of Lore. He nodded softly to show that he was listening; his mismatched gaze never once wavering from her dark features. Living as a loner sounded like hard work—which was why he hadn’t spent much time without a pack. He had also been too young to live on his own; too inexperienced. Maybe now he could, but he was far too attached to the shallows to leave. Not unless something forced him away. He nodded once more at her questions, his faint smile returning once more. A little bolder, he added; and more aggressive. Especially with numbers backing them up. Sachiel and his sidekick usually chose to sideline the coyotes and take a detour on their way back to the shallows to make sure they weren’t being followed. They both knew that the two of them weren’t enough to fend of the coyotes—not unless they wanted to acquire an injury in the process.

ridge is a mature character

aka he curses a lot due to his frustation with his memory loss

x

ridge associates colours with moods/feelings & uses them to describe others