Iridescent Lagoon [BWP] black vultures circling the sky

Afternoon, Scattered Clouds, 86°F, 30°C | RE: A recent heat wave has left the forest drier than usual | @Sedna

The forest was dark and eerily quiet. It made the sharp crunch and crackle of brittle leaves and the sound of small twigs snapping underfoot echo that much louder through the cedar trees as he moved. A result of the forest debris having grown dry beneath the scorching heat of the midday sun, it made his attempts to travel through the area unnoticed practically impossible.

Traipsing quickly, in the hope that he would avoid drawing too much attention from the pack which he could smell nearby, the dark male continued to meander his way through the tall redwoods towards the lagoon, a thick twisted tree root clenched possessively between his jaws.

When Miska finally reached the edge of the lagoon, he took care to place the moss-covered root down safely on the muddy bank, far enough away from the crumbling water's edge that there was no risk of it accidentally falling in. Stepping out into the sun, with his back turned to the shadowy forest, the male moved to lap at the cool, refreshing water, though his ears remained upright and alert for any suspicious rustling that could sound out behind him.

(This post was last modified: Jul 29, 2018, 02:24 PM by Miska.)

you rollin with us or you gettin' rolled over

The girl knew better than to walk over the smelly line, but she had given the other puppies the slip, and while her tracking skills left much to be desired she could have sworn her fathers scent led this way, despite the way it faded with almost every step she took. White dotted brows drew together as she snuffled through the underbrush, surely sounding far more like a piglett on the hunt for truffles than a wolf. It wouldn't hurt anyone if she just wandered down to the lagoon. It wasn't that far from the borders anyway.

And besides, her ma was right there! (or so she thought), completely missing the fact the far younger wolf was also a male. If she was really quiet, she might even be able to nab the stick that was probably meant for her and her brother anyway, why else would ma be bringing it home?

The dryness of the earth and foliage beneath her paws did little to mask her approach, and the child quickly abandoned all plans of being sneaky. Once her teeth closed around the prize she began to scramble backwards with haste. This one was gonna be all hers!

the gloves are comin' off

The cool water of the lagoon helped to soothe his throat. The scorching hot temperatures and subsequent lack of moisture in the air had caused it to grow dry, sore and irritable. As his salmon pink tongue lapped eagerly at the water, his dark tail swayed contentedly behind him and his shoulders sagged with relief.

Miska was unable to enjoy the feeling for long though, as a damp and earthy scent reached his nose and immediately drew his attention away from the ripping water at his lips. It was the same scent that had been lingering in the air, the one belonging to pack he had smelled nearby. Now it was much more pungent however, more distinct, and he could pick out accents of pine, cedar and the musky whiff of beaver mixed in.

A cold shiver ran up his spine, causing the dark fur along his back to stand on end. Convinced that he had been spotted, his ears flattened anxiously and his stance became rigid as he proceeded to lift his head from the water and slowly turn around. Amber eyes inspected the dark forest with suspicion as the sound of rustling reached his ears, causing his heartbeat to quicken.

Amber eyes narrowed, then widened in surprise, as caught sight of a small silver pup – no older than a few months – slip out from the shadows of the tall cedar trees. Miska relaxed a little and observed the girl curiously as she bound towards him, attempting to greet her with a tentative wave of his tail. However, as she moved to grab the moss-covered root he had placed down on the bank, his posture changed.

“Hey, no, wait!” He called after her as she began to scramble away, hoping that it would encourage her to stop for a moment, long enough for him to catch up. Dark paws stepped after her, his ears pressed back awkwardly against his head as he tried to chase after her without seeming too threatening to the small pup. “Be careful with it, that’s mine.” He informed her as calmly as he could manage.

The girl expected to hear her mother’s characteristic chuckle, some comment thrown about how she was lucky the matriarch was in a good mood, or kids these days. Instead it was a more masculine voice that came forth. Youthful, but clearly not belonging to a woman, and it caused the girl to lose her grip on the stick, eyes widening momentarily in panic, her heart in her throat.

It wasn’t her mother.

However, terror gave way to anger in the blink of an eye, for the girl only had a very small body and very big feelings. She could only really bring herself to feel one thing at a time. How dare he pretend to be her mother! The young child rallied, stepping possessively over the stick, her legs splayed wide and chest puffing fiercely. ”Nu-uh! Is Mine!” he owed her for his trickery, after all.

Morganna had been trailing her daughter at a distance, and as the girl trundled closer to the lagoon she had settled herself in the shade to observe. The loner hadn’t gone unnoticed, but he didn’t seem the fearsome sort, in fact, he seemed rather intent on trying to pass by relatively unnoticed, so for now, the Archer would observe from a distance.

She had wondered what the root he had been carrying might have been, and it seemed her daughter had the same curiosity (or perhaps it was just Sedna going after something the others didn’t have yet). When he took notice of her daughter, her head lifted, muscles tensing ready to move, but he tried to make himself look smaller and her daughter rallied, a fearsome sight if ever she had seen one.

The proud mother snickered. She hadn’t come out seeking entertainment but while ever the younger wolves were managing amongst themselves, she was happy to sit back here and observe. Maybe she might even learn something about the stranger that wouldn’t be driven by potentially false words.

Miska had hoped that maybe, if he remained calm and non-threatening, the small pup would take pity on him and return the twisted moss covered root to his possession. He moved after the girl, his head low and tail swaying at his ankles, as she attempted to scramble away with it. As his long legs drew him closer, however, it became obvious that the pup had no intention of giving it back. The root may have fallen from her jaws, but she now positioned her body possessively over it and fiercely claimed it as her own.

The male gave a huff in irritation, a frown creasing his brow and his shoulders sagged down, as his amber eyes gazed down to the root between her tiny paws. Eyeing her with a narrowed gaze, he contemplated what to do next. It would have been easy to snatch it back off of her there and then, but Miska had no intention of physically overpowering the pup.

Clicking his teeth together, he took a large step back before calmly settling down onto his haunches, thick tail sweeping over to settle over his dust covered paws as he scanned the area around them. Perhaps he could convince her to trade it for something else, something of potentially much greater value. “Okay...” He murmured, his amber gaze returning to the small silver girl. “What do you want for it?” A single brow lifted as he gave a sharp tilt of his head, curious to hear what she might be willing to trade for the root.

(This post was last modified: Jul 29, 2018, 01:48 PM by Miska.)

Sedna wasn’t particularly versed with the idea of swapping or trading, as long as she had something, it was hers, and if someone else had something and she took it, then it was hers as well. How long she would manage to hold his stick hostage was yet to be seen, but her anger had been cooled some with the way he stepped back and didn’t try to treat her like a clueless baby. ”Hmm...” she thought on the question he had asked her. What was cooler than the twisty, mossy stick?

The big fish was pretty cool.

All the fish were cool, and they felt slimy and were great to eat and throw at the other puppies... ”Catchafish! A reeeeeal big one!” her eyes had grown wide with excitement, her tail waving in wide archs over her back. It still hadn’t clicked to the girl that he wasn’t a member of the pack.

You encounter three coyotes marking a nearby tree.

Dark ears pricked up as he heard the small girl murmur, excited that she was actually taking his offer of a trade into consideration. The tip of his tail flicked up and down upon his neatly collected forepaws as he waited the few moments it took the pup to decide on an item worthy of such a deal. Her suggestion of a large fish in exchange for his twisted tree root was not what Miska had expected, but he nodded nonetheless in agreement, a small smile slipping across his charcoal lips as he glimpsed the excitement in her bright blue-grey eyes.

“Sure, I can get you a fish…” He said, perhaps a little too confidently, for he had little experience of fishing. “First, we have to spot one though.” He explained, moving to stand up and face back towards the glistening water of the lagoon. Stepping over, his forepaws came to stand at the muddy water’s edge where he had taken a drink before, his amber eyes staring down into the lagoon’s murky depths in search of fish-shaped shadows.

“Tell me if you see one.” Miska said quietly, as he continued to stare hard into the water, his tail swaying slowly behind him in concentration.

A few moments later however, a sudden gust of wind stole his attention away from the water. Snapping his head up quickly, Miska sniffed at the air and identified the scent of several coyotes on the breeze. Usually the yearling would not have paid much notice to them, but with the pup hanging around him, he was inclined to feel somewhat responsible for her safety. He glanced down at the small silver girl now, his brows pinching together anxiously.

“Hey, uh, actually this might take me a while. There’s no point you sitting around getting all bored. Why don’t I take you back to your parents and bring you the big fish later?” He suggested, a nervous smile pulling at the corners of his charcoal lips, as he backed away from the water and turned to face the part of the forest where she had appeared from.

Tiny paws thumped the ground when she was promised a fish. The other puppies were gonna be soooo jealous! Some of the fish in the lagoon were even bigger than her ma! What if he caught her one of those and it was too big for her to even drag home?! She bent down to pick up the stick, dragging it with her to the banks of the lagoon to stare down at the murky water alongside the stranger, placing it securely beneath her splayed legs again, eyes squinting to try and make out any fishy shapes. It was then that there was a sound behind her, and her silvering eyes finally settled on the trio of troublemakers bringing a scowl to her face, her cheeks puffing with displeasure.

Unfortunatly, the child was still too small to grasp the concept that it was fine to be brave, as long as you weren't foolish. "No, fish now! Home boring." The girl demanded, her tail inching higher as she stared the vermin down. They wouldn't dare.