Secret Falls Deep in the dark I don't need no light

@Orionis

I don't care if heaven won't take me back

The forest surrounding the Falls were deep and dark, a gloomy labyrinth of trees and dried foliage. Askan liked to think he knew these parts well by now, but even he wasn't as bold to assume that he had explored it's every nook and cranny. As the name implied, this forest held many secrets beneath it's canopy. Askan doubted he'd ever discover them all in his life time, perhaps it was high time he started thinking about leaving a legacy. It was what his Father had wanted, after all. What they had argued about so damn often...

Askan shook his head as he continued to prowl through the shadows.Whatever.

Soon enough, Askan came upon a hollow log. He would have ignored it and simply moved on but...unless his ears deceived him there seemed to be something scratching around inside of it. A meal perhaps? Or maybe even a coyote? Well, there was only one way to find out.

(This post was last modified: Aug 19, 2018, 02:41 PM by Askan.)

Orionis had realized—far too late—that he had strayed too far.

Being a good boy and listening to his mom wasn’t always fun, causing the boy to grow restless when he had to stay put for too long. He had gotten his first taste of adventure and he was hungry for more—which meant his paws did his thinking for him.

He did not pay much attention to the changing scenery at first as he was too captivated by the new scents that swarmed his little nose. It was the overwhelming variety of scents that made him oblivious to how far he had gone. Not until he tripped on a stray root and collided with the soft forest floor, a soft oof! escaping him. Once he regained his composure the boy glanced around nervously, his little sonars flattening against his crown as he realized he was no longer in a place he recognized. Oh no—his pudgy body began to tremble—oh no! Momma was gonna be so mad at him!

It wasn’t the fear of getting scolded by his mother that caused him to move. No—it was the sound of another approaching, paired with the scent of a stranger! that caused the little magpie to spring into action. He sprinted toward the nearest source of cover: a large, hollowed out log. Safety! He pushed himself into the darkness, crawling deeper into the depths of the log in order to make himself disappear… but the steps drew closer… the scent grew stronger… but he was safe… he had to be safe… nobody could find him here…

But a shape appeared at the end of the log—long and dark with brilliant golden irises. He’d been found!

Orionis screamed.

I don't care if heaven won't take me back

Askan's ears flew back as an ugly, shrill scream reached them. Right. Okay then. What was he supposed to do now? He didn't appreciate being screeched at, but he most certainly wasn't going to kill the pup for it. Nor was he in the habit of eating lost little puppies either. Perhaps it was a bit of a stretch to assume the boy was lost, but he couldn't see or smell his mother so it seemed like the natural conclusion to come to.

Though it was a little hard to see, Askan could make out the boys dark coat and rusty eyes. He'd hoped that the cub would be a little less...nondescript, that he'd be able to figure out who he belonged to through looks alone. But apparently not, Askan would need to do some digging then. Wonderful.

"That's enough of that." Askan told the boy, still ducking down so he could peer inside the log. Though his voice wasn't kind, he was hardly growling at the cub. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Backing up a little, Askan gave the cub some room, lest he wanted to exit his little hidey-hole- or log, whatever. Even though he'd already checked, the Selwyn half expected a furious mother to come charging onto the scene, with teeth bared and frantic eyes. When he found nothing of the sort he continued.

"Where is your mother?"

(This post was last modified: Aug 19, 2018, 02:42 PM by Askan.)

He couldn’t stop himself.

He knew it was a polite way to greet someone but he didn’t care. This was an actual stranger!!!! And that was danger!!1! He continued to scramble backward as he screamed, his paws clawing desperately at the damp wood, but there was nowhere to go. The hollowed inside only went so far. He was trapped?! His screaming died down as realization settled in and turned into frantic whimpers as he struggled to process his situation. But he didn’t know what to do—he had never experienced fear before. He did not know how to react. How to save himself. What if his mother never found him? He folded against the log, his oversized paws shielding his face from the intruder as he began to accept his fate. This was it. He was going to be gobbled up by some stranger and his momma was going to be soooo mad! Heck—he was going to be extra scolded for getting eaten!!

That’s enough of that.

Immediately the boy grew quiet—both the whimpering and screaming coming to an abrupt halt.

I’m not going to hurt you.

Likely story.

He blinked, his rust gaze narrowing as he pulled his paws away from his face in order to observe the expression of the golden-eyed creature. It still looked scary and Orionis did not believe it for a second. That sounded exactly like something a puppy-hungry monster would say.

Where is your mother?

Well, double heck—he didn’t know! Off hunting… somewhere… close to the lake. But… he couldn’t remember where she said she was going.

Out, he answered in a small voice as his body continued to tremble.

I don't care if heaven won't take me back

Out. Well, that told him a lot didn't it? Askan huffed, had he been human he would have no doubt pinched the bridge of his nose. The hell was he supposed to do with a pup who didn't want to talk? He wasn't going to drag the boy out and force him to speak. But he wasn't willing to leave him to fend for himself either, it seemed as though they were at an impasse then. How wonderful.

Still, he had to give the boy credit where it was due. Pups could be so trusting, unaware of the dangers a stranger could pose, but not this one. Whoever his foolish mother was-she was no doubt exactly that, having chosen to get knocked up in the first place- at least the boy had a good head upon his shoulders.

"I'm Askan." He told him in the hopes that it would help break the ice. "I lead the pack nearby, Shallows Edge."

Perhaps in revealing his identity it would encourage the child to do the same. But Askan wasn't going to hold his breath. Setting his rump down on the ground, Askan curled his tail around his paws. Very rarely did he sit down in the company of strangers, but he was just a kid, what was the worst he could do? Bite his ankles?

(This post was last modified: Aug 19, 2018, 02:42 PM by Askan.)

A young fawn has gotten separated from its herd. Hunt Opportunity, +8 Health

A frown creased his dark features as the yellow-eyed stranger observed him. The older male wore an expression Orionis was not familiar with but it was one he desperately wanted to learn … even if he did not understand it. He remained tucked into the back of the hollowed out log, his little limbs trembling as he tried to assess the situation he had gotten himself into. It had been foolish to wander away from momma when he had been told to stay put. IT was all his fault! He had been very bad and mother was going to be very upset with him.

I’m Askan. He blinked, his head tipping softly to the side. Why was the yellow-eyed wolf introducing himself? Was he a good? He shuffled forward, but only a few steps, as this Askan continued his introduction. Shallows Edge. The boy was not familiar with the name. He only knew of Driftwood Surge—where his sister and uncle lived. Curiosity got he better of him. M’Orionis, he introduced as he continued inching forward, his brows pinched tight. No pack. He probably shouldn’t have been telling a stranger this but the man had introduced himself … so that meant they weren’t strangers anymore, right?

I don't care if heaven won't take me back

Askan ears perked as he heard movement, it seemed as though his proverbial olive branch had worked. Or at the very least the pup wasn't as skittish anymore, convinced that Askan was a big monster who intended on eating him for lunch. The boy's name wasn't of that much interest to the Edge Lord, but he couldn't say he was surprised to learn that he had no pack. It was obvious really, why else would he be alone in the wilds?  

"Well then Orionis, what do you want to do?"

Had he been Reyes, he would have likely tried to snatch the boy up for himself- as he'd done with Hawthorne all those months ago. Askan on the other paw wasn't quite so...snatchy. He had very little interest in cleaning up other's messes and whilst it wasn't the Orionis' fault he'd gotten lost, it certainly was his mother's. Being a loner she had no one else to watch over him, she ought to have been extra vigilant. Aside from chewing off her ear if he ever happened upon the woman, Askan wasn't really sure what to do.

He took a few more steps away from the depths of the log, his oversized paws shuffling beside each other as he drew closer to the older male. Sure, this Askan still looked like a monster, but he no longer looked like a threat. It was entirely possible that the boy was far too trusting and that the dark male was going to gobble him up as soon as Orionis left the safety of the log behind but whatever. It was too late to go back now.

A frown creased his small, pudgy features. What did the yellow-eyed stranger mean? What do you want to do? Find momma, he answered, his voice soft but determined. As though it was the most obvious thing in the whole world. The adventure had been fun while it lasted but he was over it now. Orionis just wanted to be reunited with his mother as he could only imagine how upset and worried she was. He’d been a very naughty boy by venturing too far… and he worried if he’d ever find his way back to her. Momma by lake, he added, his nose scrunching up together as he peered at the yellow-eyed male. Know lake?

I don't care if heaven won't take me back

Right, Askan should have expected that. His brows drew together as his ears tipped forward a little and then back, as though they were little radars looking for an answer to this tedious conundrum. The best place to start, he supposed, would be to gain a description of the woman. Was she dark like him too? He'd been about to ask when the boy brought up another point, one that was arguably more important than his own.

"Yeah I know it." When people used a prefix like 'the' it wasn't hard to figure out what they were talking about. He only knew one big lake enough to be referred to a the lake. Even his own paled in comparison, in the size department at least.

"It's that way." Askan gestured with a flick of his snout."We're not far, won't even take half a day."

Askan supposed the pup thought he was so terribly lost because of the massive change of scenery, when in reality it didn't seem as though he'd wandered too far. The shift between deep forest and lake shore was no doubt jarring to the young boy, but now that Askan knew he wasn't lost lost, he wasn't too concerned.