The Cougar Eye you don't need to run

1-2 others please.

Heck. He had not meant to get so turned around. So disorganized. So lost and far away from home. Especially with the strange runty-wolves running around. Legolas was taking his little bird-friend (Chip) for a quick tour of the territory when he realized he had gone too far north and left the safety of the forest behind. The trees had begun to grow sparse as he continued north, his little nose twitching as he approached the south-western edge of the lake. Little Chip was nestled between his shoulders (and clinging on for dear life) as the ivory boy loped through the trees. Typically the boy was very observant—more so than his siblings!—but he had been too excited and lost track of both time and direction. And now he was at the edge of the lake, standing in front of a big stinky yellow pool of liquid, wondering where the heck he was. He took several wobbly steps back, his blue-green gaze searching around frantically to find something familiar, but nothing stuck out to him.

Hadn’t he learned his lesson last time?

(This post was last modified: Sep 14, 2018, 01:55 AM by Cyril.)

she smiles like a georgia summer

Her mother was sick. In fact, she’d been sick for a little while now. So sick that she’d had to step down from her position as leader. And, well, quite frankly that just wouldn’t do. It wasn’t that the platinum girl thought any less of her mother for having to do what she’d done. In fact, she respected her for it. Nineva had just been doing what was best for the pack. But, she knew that it was killing the silver queen to have to do it. So, Ellery decided to do something about it. With Neha temporarily taking the lead spot, it left her with less time to do her duties as healer. This also meant that she couldn’t focus on Nineva, which delayed her healing. To try and mediate this, Ellery had been playing very close attention to what the Vuesain had been treating the girl’s mother with. Thus, when she noticed that they were running low on the stinky smelling herb skunkbush Elle went well on her way to find some more.

Being older, as well as much larger than most pups her age, she’d been given more freedoms. The freedoms had extended to the borders, but desperate times called for desperate measures. The Hervok girl was normally a straight ace. She never did what her parents told her not to do. Stuck right in lines with the rules and never caused trouble. She could feel her hackles rise as she finally stuck a paw across the border she’d been pacing for the past half an hour. A clenching in her gut alerted her of her guilt and anxiety, but another part of her assured her that it was okay. That her intentions were just and right. This was the beginning of Ellery’s taste for bending the law for what she saw was righteous.

She knew where she needed to look, thanks to the tawny woman’s great descriptions. Near the mountain, which loomed in the distance. If she could see it, it couldn’t have been that far away right? With her deep, persian blue gaze (recently darkened from the lighter puppy blue) set on her goal in the distance she kept her pace at a trot. She needed to make this as fast as possible.

Yet, this was also her first outing from the confines of the Keep. Everything was fresh and new and...exhilarating. But, at the same time it wasn’t her beloved home. It didn’t have its twisting tunnels and tricky stone canyons that one could easily get lost in if they didn’t know the way. No, she still prefered the Keep. She’d return soon, she reminded herself, with medicine in tow and the hope that her mother would soon reascend to her rightful place.

Slowly, a scent began to permeate the air. Her nose crinkled in distaste at the new smell, though as she continued on her path it only grew stronger. What was this awful smell? Soon, she also began to see steam rising in the distance. Perhaps a lake? But what kind of lake smelled so foul, she wondered? She found herself nearing the edge, gaze fixed on the yellow pool in wonder before movement caught her attention. Lifting her head, with fluffy auds perked forward, she saw another wolf across the way. He looked to be about her age (or perhaps older, considering her advanced height), with a pale coat like herself. But, instead of pure peliage he instead had earthy colors interwoven as well. She had never seen another wolf her age before, and, well, she didn’t exactly know what to do. So, she simply stood where she was and stared warily.

she laughs like the sound of thunder

He should have turned back when he realized he had gone too far. Retreated to the safety of the trees, where his family was only a loud bark away rather than a long howl. His legs quaked beneath him as he tried to steady his breathing, his blue-green eyes continuing to scan his surroundings. Fortunately, for now, he was alone (with Chip) and had evaded the pesky coyotes that he had encountered before. Last time he had had both Jynx and his father to protect him from the mangy creatures but this time he was alone. Chip, although a wonderful adventure buddy, would not be much help if he encountered unwanted guests. Legolas just hoped he could make it home before one of his (older) packmates realized he had slipped away once again. His father had not scolded him for his last escapade—only because Lachesis knew that Legolas was a good boy and followed the rules—but he would definitely scold him this time around.

His ivory snout was pointed in the direction he had come from when he was greeted by an unfamiliar scent. This one was not feral, like the one that belonged to the coyotes, but it certainly was not one he recognized. His nose twitched as his ears swooped back against his crown. Even little Chip shuffled in the nook of Legolas’ shoulders, his little feathered body attempting to flatten against the boy’s ivory fur. He turned, awkwardly, to face the foreign scent as his frail body continued to tremble.

It was a girl, close to his age (he was guessing by her size). She looked a little confused, just like him, but not at all threatening. But he couldn’t be certain. It was possible that she was a decoy or something. All Legolas knew was that he couldn’t trust anyone but his family and his packmates and this girl, despite her age, was a stranger. And strangers were bad news bears.

He swallowed but did not say anything. Instead he stared at her, utterly dumbfounded by her sudden appearance.

she smiles like a georgia summer

Whereas Ellery looked composed and stoic, the boy in front of her appeared to be literally trembling. She blinked in surprise at this, not used to seeing anything other than determined togetherness. After all, she was surrounded by big bad adults who didn’t take no for an answer. She wasn’t scary...was she? Sure, she was sure she could be if she needed to but this was another pup her age. And, she felt like she could take him if she needed to. With this, she tried to awkwardly soften her stance. This led to a shuffling of her paws and a weird, half-smile half-grimace.

Her persian gaze looked around them, wondering if she should just turn around and head back home. But no, she couldn’t. She’d broken the rules and gone beyond the borders for a reason. A good reason. And she’d be damned if she turned around and returned empty pawed. Movement caught her gaze over the boy’s shoulder and she zeroed in on it, taking a moment to gather what it was. “Is that...a bird?” she asked, her brows raising in question. Did he...did he know he had a bird there?

she laughs like the sound of thunder

Now she looked a little awkward; uncertain. Had he made her uncomfortable? Oh no. He had not meant to make her uncomfortable—he was supposed to be the trembling mess. That was his schtick.

The boy remained where he was with his oversized paws rooted to the ground as his limbs continued to quiver and his sea-green pools fixated on the cream-coloured girl. Legolas was accustom to wolves his age—he had two annoying siblings back at the Surge—but he had forgotten that there were other wolves his own age beyond his siblings. This was uncharted territory for him just as much as it was for her.

He blinked at her question, his brows snapping together as his legs finally fell still. Chip had not been forgotten; he had just hoped she wouldn’t notice the soft bundle of feathers nestled between his shoulder blades. But. Then again. There was a bird. On his shoulders. Kind of hard not to notice. Ch-ch-chip, he mustered as a feeble response before quickly averting his gaze from hers.

she smiles like a georgia summer

The boy seemed to snap back to reality, stopping his incessant trembling. She didn’t think she’d seen anyone, or anything, shake like that before. And before another pup no less! She watched his brows pull together, and she wondered for a moment if he really hadn’t known there was a bird perched on his shoulder. His silence didn’t help, but finally he spoke. He stuttered out a response, and it took her a second to realize what it was. A name. He’d named the bird? And chip of all things.

Oh well. Not her circus, not her monkeys.

“Ah, well...that’s nice,” she said lamely. Small talk was not something she was good at. “Do you know what this stinky place is?” she asked.

she laughs like the sound of thunder

She did not seem very impressed by Chip. A small frown tugged at his pale features, his tail twitching nervously behind him as he returned his sea-green gaze to the blonde. It did not matter. She was a stranger to him and Chip was his friend; if she did not care for the feathered creature that meant more Chip for Legolas. She could find her own Chip. Or friend. Or whatever. He took a tentative step back, his brows narrowing as she asked another question regarding he smelly body of water before them. The boy shrugged, his lips still curved into a soft frown. He could feel his feathered friend readjusting between his shoulders, clearly disgruntled by the unexpected movement. N-no-no. It was the truth. He had never seen the strange pool before—and he was not sure he wanted to again. Never been here before, he wanted to say but the words sat in the back of his throat. Words weren’t his strong suit. Or socializing. Or anything, really. He blinked instead, his paws shuffling awkwardly beneath him.

(This post was last modified: Oct 04, 2018, 05:06 AM by Legolas.)

she smiles like a georgia summer

The whole interaction was going horribly, she decided. She didn’t think it was all her fault, as she could tell the boy was just as awkward as she was. She didn’t really care, per say, as she didn’t know if she would see him ever again anyways. But, if she were to take over the mantle of the Keep she would need to get used to socializing. She pondered for a moment on what to talk about, before the scent gave her an idea. “Uh, speaking of stinky. Do you happen to know if there’s any skunkbush nearby? It’s a plant to help with, like, colds and stuff. It doesn’t smell very good and it has a bunch of berry looking things all over it,” she asked. Hopefully he could help her out so she could get home quickly.

she laughs like the sound of thunder

He blinked, the soft frown still present on his pale features as he studied the strange girl. Legolas knew he wasn’t the best at conversation or socializing but he should at least be trying. And not make things so heckin’ weird. His paws shuffled awkwardly as he listened to her speak once more, a question filling the space between them. Skunkbush. His ears twitched at the name. He knew that word—and that plant. His fear of crossing the borders (and Chip’s injury) had kept him confined to the dens and the communal area, which meant that he had grown familiar with the plants in his father’s medicinal den. He knew it was found closer to the mountain soil and that his father even had some tucked away inside his den. But he couldn’t invite the girl across the borders. Heck no! He wasn’t looking for a scolding. Y-yeah, he stammered, his little brows pinched tight, I-I know w-what it is. A rare smile caused the corners of his mouth to lift. M’d-dad’s a h-healer. H-he’s got s-some. ’N-n-n there’s s-some n-n-n— he frowned as the word struggled to fall off his tongue —ear the m-mountain.

You discover a half-eaten deer carcass. +5 Health