Quarry's Rush [bwp] you've got the juice

Initially he had intended to make a beeline for the mountains and plunge into one of the freezing rivers that trickled down the wall of stone. However, once he had gotten far enough away from the crimson ferns the tawny boy had made a forty-five degree angle turn north-east, toward the small lake north of the Edge. He made sure to steer clear of the pack territory and dipped his toes into puddles of water, or streams, whenever they came across them.

He did not stop. Not once. He glanced over his shoulder occasionally to make sure that the chocolate-coloured girl was still somewhere behind him, but he did not slow down. Not until they reached the bubbling rush north-east of the Edge territory. He only slowed down when he collided with the shallow river, his dark shoulders sagging with relief as the water pooled around him. He glanced around, nervously at first, to ensure that they had not been followed. Surely the coyotes had given up and hadn’t followed them this far… Sachiel didn’t know if he could run anymore. Not yet, anyway. He needed to regain his strength before making another run for it. The only place he knew the coyotes wouldn’t go was the shallows, but he knew Mudpie wouldn’t join him. She would likely head back south, to see if anyone else knew of where her aunt had gone.

Speaking of which… where had that mud-coloured girl gone…?  

(This post was last modified: Jun 04, 2018, 04:25 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

Whoops—clumsy Starhale had stumbled into a thicket, but escaped to tell the tale. Seconds after her friend arrived came Starhale, colliding into the waters with as much gusto as he himself had. She exhaled a heavy sigh of relief after looking him over and detecting he was no worse for wear than before... just a little more tired, probably. Her, too. You were really brave back there. Sorry for being a little reckless, I just... wanted to repay you somehow, She was more of an act first, think later sort of she-wolf. It had gotten her this far...

The suns fractured light rebounded off of more than just water in her peripheral vision, and Starhale heeded it with an excited whip of her tail before looking left. Heaven! She crowed as she bounded her way out of the waters and into the pool of mud, ripe for the taking. No sooner had Starhale looked cleaner than she had in days did she dive into the next mudpond she found, losing her footing in seconds and landing face-first in the stuff.

She tore her face out of the muck, sputtering before laughing, looking back and remembering she had her new trusty companion with her. Pawing her face to rid herself of some of the grime (ineffective, thanks to muddy foreleg), the wriggling Starhale gestured to the many open areas around her. She had an idea of how to repay him, alright. Y'ever take a mudbath before, Hero? She inquired, tail beating against the earth.

Brave? Him? He snorted in response to her statement, a bemused grin sprawled against his tired features. Whatever, he was doing what any decent wolf would have done. He couldn’t live with himself knowing that the girl had literally thrown herself at a trio of coyotes.

Well, he could have, but he was telling himself that he couldn’t to make him feel like a good boy.

Askan and Reyes were sure rubbing off on him…

A single ear flicked to the side as he moved about the water, allowing the cool liquid to splash against his stomach as he cleansed himself of the coyote stink. S’whatever, he commented back with one of his infamous shrugs. He hadn’t expected to be repaid for his good deed. Heck, he didn’t even care if he was. He just intended on getting her away from the coyotes before he retreated to the shallows—where he was safe from the mangey mutts. Mudpie could follow, if she pleased, but he knew she wouldn’t. Not unless the Edge had gained a new member called Sahalie in his absence.

His brows knitted together as she flung herself at a pool of mud—no, dove into a pool of mud. His bottom jaw fell slack with bewilderment as he watched her flail around, coating her entire body in the thick substance. Y’ever take a mudbath before, Hero? He flinched at the nickname but shook his head in response. He didn’t care if fur was splattered with the muck, but he’d never bathed in the stuff before… was it supposed to be good?

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

Four coyotes appear from the shadows, posturing aggressively.

She grinned at his deflection of her compliment, shooting him a look that said: it so isn't!—that, and his shared intelligence, meant the world to her. As she rest her jaw upon her legs for a moment, Starhale waited for him to answer her Most Important question—when, nearby, she spotted four other coyotes. Their aggressive posturing was not missed, and Starhale was on her feet again in moments.

Starhale was jeapordizing him every moment he loitered outside of his packlands. For the moment, they remained where they were.

That's a lot of 'yotes in one day—you weren't kidding, her gaze was for the bristling beasts alone, who surveyed the surroundings to see if there were more than just the two of them. I... I can't go back with you, Hero—I... I couldn't do that to your leaders, or you—wait out this coyote mess, then leave to find my family, that wasn't fair, not at all—not to him, or his leadership, or the packmates she knew she would come to love if she was given the chance. Her ears flattened atop her head. Four coyotes were more difficult to deceive than two, but in her head she was already calculating the way in which to do so.

His head snapped around as he followed the girl’s hazel gaze, his vision immediately going red-black as his tail arched defensively over his back. More coyotes? Y’gotta be fuckin’ kiddin’ me, he hissed as he took a step closer to the mud-covered girl, his mismatched gaze remaining glued to the four figures along the tree line. How did they get so unlucky that they stumbled upon more coyotes after fleeing a trio of them? … Maybe they were more of a problem than he had initially anticipated … maybe he shouldn’t have left the safety of the shallows …

But then what would have happened to Mudpie? Would she have been able to fend them off on her own? Would she have even encountered the coyotes if he had not been with her? 

His ears twitched in her direction as she spoke once more, her words fumbling over each other for the first time since they had met. He wasn’t about to just leave her to fend off four coyotes. He hadn’t abandoned her the first time and he wasn’t going to now. I’m not leaving you, Mudpie, he grumbled as he adopted a more submissive stance as he sidled up beside her, mud pooling around his ankles. Best t’leave 'em alone, he added as he nudged her shoulder with her own and motioned for her to follow the river downstream with a sharp flick of his nose, we’ll stay out of their way ’n hopefully they won’t follow. He kept his bi-coloured gaze fixed on the group of coyotes as he remained in the mud-water mixture, his paws dragging sluggishly through the mess. If we need 'em I can call for my pack. They’re not too far away.

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

Her eyes snapped to the defensive posture Hero adopted, and her stomach dropped as she interpreted swiftly that he wasn't leaving. The coyotes remained where they stood, as though protecting something nearby... perhaps this was where these rude mongrels lay their claim? Her gaze had fallen back to the bristling creatures, but then shifted as Hero came into the mudwater. His suggestion was met with a nod, and Starhale shifted to follow the very direction he had pointed toward, knowing he meant to keep to the river. As his nose brushed against her shoulder, she glanced to him, grinning at the dollop of mud that her shoulder had offered him, free of charge.

Sorry you couldn't enjoy a real, actual mudbath. But, hey, as we army-crawl through it, feel the wonders it works. It's not only fun to fling around, but it helps with aches and pains, and can keep you cool in the heat... she could go on and on. Despite the tension the day had brought about, she could not help but feel at ease around her new friend, even despite this plot twist of more coyotes... and now, she felt even more grateful and thankful for his lingering presence, too. She wasn't sure why he stuck around, as loyal to her in this moment as mud, once it was caked on her furs nice and compact; but Starhale was prepared to open up a can of whoopass on these coyotes if they thought it was wise to follow, even if it wasn't the wisest move of her to retaliate...

He would call his packmates? Well, in the case of his own safety, it made sense—but he could just go home, in that case, and she could just... zig-zag around and hope for the best. Pray they didn't follow her. He was prepared to do so much for a she-wolf who was ill-prepared to pledge her loyalty to those he ran with, for reasons she had candidly expressed. There was the piece of her that wanted to please and appease that compelled her to simply want to do just that, though that piece was also because she feared for his wellbeing.

In the face of adversity, she was a lost lamb. Starhale didn't know the right thing to do, or the right way to go... only that here and now, Hero was the best thing she had come across in months. In their short timeframe together, he had given her a reason to continue her journey, her reason for dispersal... and yet... he had also given her cause to want to stop. If only for a little while... How could she make it up to him? Where did she even start...? An idea came to her: It's gonna be my life mission to find the best mudpond this wilderness has to offer, so you can get the best mudbath ever, she determined with a wave of her plume, as they waded through her favorite channel of sludge (mud). He deserved that, and more—and she would sure come up with more.

He didn’t know why he refused to leave her side just yet. Maybe because he wanted her to make it to her aunt in one piece, or maybe it was because Hawthorne wasn’t at his side so he had to protect someone. Or, whatever. It didn’t matter. Good boy Sachiel just wanted to make sure she was a-okay before sending her off on her own. He did not doubt that she was capable of taking care of herself—she had done just fine up until meeting him and a bunch of mangey coyotes—but he wasn’t going to send her off with a group of coyotes at her heels. He wasn’t that heartless.

His mismatched gaze remained fixated on the quartet of coyotes as the duo continued along the edge of the river to ensure they weren’t being followed. The coyotes lingered along the treeline, their hackles raised and lips curled to expose rows of stained, ivory fangs. But they did not follow. It appeared they were just stacking their claim and had no intentions of pestering the duo, even though Sachiel and Mudpie were outnumbered.

He didn’t know if Askan and Reyes were going to be more angry with a) the fact that he left the safety of the shallows and encountered not one but two groups of coyotes, or b) that there were at least seven coyotes hanging close to pack territory. He knew he had to tell them what he had discovered—even if it got him into trouble.

An ear flicked in her direction as she babbled on about the wonders of mud and its numerous benefits. He nodded absently as he kept tossing his chin over his shoulder to ensure they weren’t being followed, his tail flicking nervously behind him as they trudged through the muck to evade the scrawny canids. Find your aunt first, he hummed in response as he kicked, absently, at the mud, then find me a mudpond. Reconnecting with her family was more important then finding a pile of muck for them (more specifically, him) to roll around in.

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

If the coyotes could let her alone, and stopped dogging them both, Starhale would feel a bit better in continuing her journey. But now there was the matter of his own safety, too. He had pack he had stated could assist him, so there was that comfort... and she supposed that this would have to be enough for her. Starhale had to remember and remind herself she knew what she was getting into when she had decided to travel to find her family. Sure, these coyotes were a bit uncharacteristically aggressive, but these bumps in the road were the only ones she had come across in a journey that had otherwise been relatively smooth sailing (minus her hunger).

She thought of the carcass the coyotes had been guarding, and was disappointed all she had been able to grab was skin... but it was worth it. She knew that for a fact when she glanced at her friend as he peered over his shoulder.

As for what he said, she nodded. I think I might just be able to do them both at the same time. Scout it out, she explained thoughtfully. Yeah, being a scout, that would be cool. And, if she found her aunt, give her reasons to scout out Hero. She was trying to define 'more'. He had given her motivation and inspiration to continue forward (which she had more than enough of to start with, but there was something to be said about knowing you were almost there, really almost there, not just hazarding a guess about it, and the spirit it brought about in you). She found herself also not wanting to let him down, and she wasn't sure how the best way to go about that was. Well, at the very least, she seemed to not be doing that as she had to start with...

I guess that's where they're based, huh? They had been acting territorial... Do you think your pack will try and displace them, eventually? Spring had just passed, which meant cubs... which meant wolves were hardly in the business of going out of their territory toward others. It just made them more territorial of their own, as a matter of fact. Just as the coyotes seemed to be behaving, as she thought more on it...

Maybe living with a group of grumpy, edgy wolves hadn’t completely hardened the tawny youth. There was still a little softness left to him, even if it did not surface often. It was there, somewhere, repressed and forgotten until it was needed.

Occasionally he would toss his pointed snout over his shoulder to ensure they were no longer being followed. He couldn’t believe how unfortunate they had been… two groups of coyotes?! The wolves in the sky must be taunting them; testing them. He nearly scoffed at the thought, his tail twitching idly behind him. That was enough testing for one day. He needed to get the mud-dusted loner away from the hoards of coyotes and closer to her aunt—all without actually leaving the falls. He nodded absently in response to her explanation, his ears cupped forward as he returned his mismatched gaze to the muddy route before them. For now it appeared that the duo were in the clear; unscathed and only slightly rattled.

Her next statement caused the corners of his mouth to tighten. It was possible that a group of coyotes had decided to set up camp at the rush, but he wasn’t sure that all of the coyotes were regrouping at the river… but it was definitely something worth investigating. Maybe, he hummed thoughtfully as he glanced over at her. Depends if there’s more of us or them, I suppose. They weren’t a large pack, but they weren’t small either. They would do whatever necessary to protect their lands. Just make sure y’steer clear of ‘em. They’re not worth pickin’ a fight with. But he knew he didn't need to tell her twice. She was bold, but she wasn’t stupid.

As long as she didn’t rush anymore coyotes she’d do just fine on her own. She just had to stay on course.

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