The Wildwood double shot of crown

Valle thread! @Andrey @Viorel -- let me know if it's alright ^^

what i really need now is a double shot of crown

Disorientation consumed his every waking moment. Long gone were the comforts of the Estuary he had enjoyed and foolishly taken for granted… all of it was long gone. Now, he found himself stuck in a strange land he didn’t know. What kind of dangers lurked around every bend? He didn’t know and he wasn’t eager to find out. He scowled softly, tail lashing back and forth in irritation as he huffed. It wasn’t fair. Just when his life had gotten to a good place, someone or something had to go and throw a wrench in his plan. It wasn’t fair.

Needless to say, he was not at all pleased.

What even was he supposed to do in a forest anyway? Sure, there had been forests back home, but he’d lived at the Estuary, on the water where he could fish his food… and now he was in a forest where he had to actually hunt? He found himself disinterested, but this was also a matter of survival and there was a part of him that knew he had to put on his big boy pants and suck it up. He grumbled as he knocked a stick back and forth between his paws, the snow melting under the pressure and heat of his paws but still thick around him. “How does anyone live like this?” He asked rather dramatically, golden eyes rolling as he glanced to his cousins, clearly looking for an answer that Vayko himself could not provide. He missed his Estuary. He wanted to go back.

It was infuriating. He supposed in some ways, location was rather tangential, and where he was didn’t have to affect his life plans… but he just wasn’t seeing that at the moment.

(This post was last modified: Jan 09, 2021, 06:59 PM by Vayko.)

how do i do this again

This was wrong. Everything was wrong.

His tail flicked irritatedly behind him as he followed loosely behind the other Valle’s, his paws dragging with each step he took. Just because he had a burning desire to explore their new surroundings did not mean he wanted to be here. There was no ocean here — no scent of salt on the wind. Just the damp smell that came with the trees, which was not at all inviting.

It felt as though the frown etched across his features would never leave as he surveyed their new surroundings. Andrey did not know how to feel about the move. Perhaps, if it had been by choice, he would have been more welcoming to the idea of a new home. After spending almost two years on the coast he had thought about venturing elsewhere eventually but on his own terms. Not being forcibly removed and thrown into an area that was not of his choosing. Was there even anything here sustainable for him and his family? Or had they been left here to die?

He exhaled sharply from his nose at the tawny Valle’s question. Andrey did not have an answer for him. They would adapt to their surroundings — it did not appear that they had any other choice, as he had no idea where they were and how to get back to the coast — but it wasn’t going to be overnight.

I’ve been all around the world

He couldn’t really remember what exactly happened. He had been out hunting a hare and got a sharp stick in his rump and then nothing until he woke up woozy and retching in this strange place. It really didn’t make any sense at all, but the only saving grace was that he wasn’t alone. It taken some time before Viorel had really truly been able to shake the grogginess, and god being awake didn’t really help him make sense of anything.

Oh well.

Smirking slightly at his cousin’s question the yearling retorted, ”I don’t know, but I guess we’re going to find out.” I mean, what other choice did they really have? Nothing. They either figured out how to survive here or they died, plain and simple. Viorel had always been a look on the bright side kind of situation, especially when there was nothing that could be changed.

The snow almost brushed the brute’s thick chest as he took up the rear of their little trio, making it harder to move at any real speed. Finally after a minute of silence Viorel spoke the question that he hadn’t had the courage to ask since they had woken up, ”Do you think the others are here too?” Then swallowing the uncharacteristic feeling of anxiety he followed it up in an even tone that didn’t reflect how he truly felt, ”Or do you think we’re all alone here?”

Done all there is to do

You smell the remains of an elk nearby. Enjoy your feast! +10 Health

@Viorel @Andrey

what i really need now is a double shot of crown

Needless to say, Vayko did not receive the answer that he had been hoping for. He had been hoping for something insightful from his cousins but they had turned up useless in that regard. He sighed softly, his ears pressing flat against his skull for a few moments. Andrey remained silent, but at least Viorel offered something. He supposed he was right… they were going to have to find out. “If we must.” There was a slight twinge of a pout in his tone as he whacked the stick out of reach. His nose started to sniff the air around him, his eyes wandering from side to side. They would have to figure it out.

It was then that the scent caught his nose, his head cocking slightly to the side with a thinly veiled interest as he gazed back at his cousins. At least he had someone. Being along in this hell would be far worse than being stuck with some family in this hell. “I certainly hope so… if there isn’t, then we’re stuck with each other and only each other and at the very least the Valle wouldn't survive that.” He mused back at Andrey’s question. “I don’t think we’re alone.” he hoped not. He was just going to start saying what he hoped was the case as fact, and if he was proved wrong then he’d just have to eat his own words.

“Do you smell that?” He asked, turning his attention back fully to the scent he had caught earlier. He gave his pelt a light shake as he motioned with his head. “Whatever it is, it smells good..ish.” In his mind, nothing would quite beat the familiar scent and taste of the fish at home, the light saltiness to them from the ocean water… but food was food. They would need to keep their strengths up if they were going to figure out where to go from there.

(This post was last modified: Jan 09, 2021, 07:00 PM by Vayko.)

@Viorel @Vayko

His brother, thankfully, had offered a response to Vayko’s question. There was nothing else to do but find out. Where else would they go? They did not know where they were, how they had gotten here, or which way was home. The best option, in Andrey’s opinion, was to figure out where they were first. Once they knew where they had been unwillingly abandoned they could figure out which way home was in, which could lead them to the other Valle’s. Hopefully. Everything was hypothetical and it was exhausting.

His ears twitched as the conversation between his brother and cousin continued. All he had ever known was the coast and his family; he couldn’t imagine the rest of the pack not being with them. At last he had woken up alongside his brother and cousin — he could not imagine what it would have been like if he had woken up alone.

He shuddered at the thought and quickly dismissed it with a sharp flick of his tail. I don’t think we’re alone, either, he offered quietly, his chocolate gaze flitting between the two as he followed behind. It did not make sense to collect just the three of them and abandon them in this absurd place. But Andrey did not remember much from the last day on the coast, so he could be wrong. He remembered the sand, the tangy scent of the ocean, other members of the Estuary pack nearby … and then nothing.

Until he woke up in this place, wherever they were.

As his cousin spoke up once more Andrey’s head turned in the direction of a new scent. A mouthwatering scent. It was then that the yearling realized how hungry he was, and that he could not remember the last time he had eaten. He inhaled, deeply, once more as he tried to identify if there were any other, (unwanted) scents nearby. Nothing. Smells like a free meal, he responded with a soft curl of his lips as he motioned in the direction of the smell and changed his route through the snow.

@Vayko

I’ve been all around the world

Viorel grinned at Vayko’s response, such a drama queen. If he had been behind him instead of Andrey the yearling would have given his cousin a nip in the butt to lighten the mood. He certainly didn’t like the situation that they were in any more than anyone else, but moping around about it and complaining wasn’t going to get them back to the Coast, or more pressingly keep them alive this winter. Realistically they weren’t going anywhere until the spring, even if they did manage to figure out where they had been dropped.

The smell of the potential meal hit the dark nostrils just a second after his cousin had noticed it. Ears swivelled forward as the yearling turned his full attention to the enticing scent, saliva building in his mouth at the thought of finally getting a meal. Coming to think of it, he hadn’t caught that hare at the Coast, and they hadn’t managed to catch anything in the deep snow yet either. The smell of the elk was intoxicating, and thankfully seemingly abandoned.

Grinning again, spirits lifted at the thought of having something to eat and therefore solving their most pressing problem. Pushing forward to pass both his brother and his cousin his whipped them both with his tail as he passed, ”hurry up slowpokes, lets eat before someone else does.” Viorel’s tone was teasing, he knew from previous puphood races that he was by far the slowest member of the boys. The snow was deep but his beefy frame plowed through it like a freight train, white powder flying all around him. He cackled, it was the best he had felt since they woke up

Done all there is to do

@Viorel @Andrey

what i really need now is a double shot of crown

Vayko knew he was in for a rude awakening. He knew that they would have to stay there, at least until the thawing started to happen, and even then it only made sense for them to leave it they could make sense of where they were to begin with. He certainly had no idea, and he had no idea if either of his cousins would figure it out either. They needed a game plan to get through this. At least they could all seem to find agreement that they weren’t alone. Whoever had put them here had done it deliberately. “Do you think if we made it here that our parents did too?” He asked, more curious this time as he craned his head over to look between both of them.

They all caught the scent around the same time, his grin growing to almost Cheshire-like extremes at the mention of a free meal, a hum of agreement. He would take what he could get, even if he wanted to stick his nose up about everything the land around them had to offer, even the good that came with the bad. “Who just leaves a kill out like this in the middle of winter?” He asked cautiously as they bound towards it. He chose to ignore his cousin’s comments because they all knew Viorel was the slowest of the bunch, with Andrey being begrudgingly faster. “What if it’s some kind of trap?” He asked again with a  frown. He missed his fish.

Fish were so much less complicated. You plucked them out of the ocean and ate them. Were they a little slimy? Sure. Scaly? Definitely… but complicated? No. He bound after his cousin, kicking up the snow as he went towards the source of the delectable scent. He made his way over, spotting the remains of the elk as his mouth watered. He could practically taste it as it’s scent mixed with the scents of the forest floor on the roof of his mouth. He eagerly dove into it, not hesitating to take his share, as if he would ever actually turn down food.

(This post was last modified: Jan 09, 2021, 09:25 PM by Vayko.)

@Viorel

“Do you think if we made it here that our parents did too?” His lips tightened at the question. The yearling would like to think that their parents had made it to this strange place with them but there was a part of him that believed their parents had not departed the coast. If that was the case, would life without their parents be that bad? As much as he longed for the coast and the fresh scent of salt water did he want to remain a part of the Estuary pack forever? Perhaps there were some positives to being dropped off in the middle of nowhere…

Only one way to find out, he hummed in response as he jogged toward the smell of meat, his ears falling flat against the back of his skull. They would have to continue moving, searching through the unknown land that stretched out before them. Which could move them even further away from the coast.

The yearling quickly surpassed his cousin as he pushed through the snow. He was smaller than both Valle’s but he was quicker — even in the snow. As they approached the abandoned kill his brother questioned its appearance which, for a moment, Andrey questioned as well. It seemed oddly suspicious that this much meat would be abandoned in the middle of winter, but the yearling knew it would be foolish of them to turn their noses up at it. If they were going to survive here without their packmates they would have to adapt to their surroundings. Which meant scarfing down any meals that presented themselves to them — whether they had to hunt for it or not.

Whoever had felled the elk was no longer around. He couldn’t make out the scent? scents? lingering around the meat but it wasn't fresh, which meant they were safe to dive in. As long as the meat wasn’t poisoned, of course. However, that did not matter to the dark Valle. Hunger quickly won and he found himself following his brother’s lead.

Fade us out @Vayko?

I’ve been all around the world

Viorel waited for his brother to respond to Vayko’s question, but no response ever came. He wasn’t sure himself but he refused to accept that they had been dropped out here alone for no reason, ”I’m sure they’re around somewhere. We just have to find them.” After all, why would the weird two legs have sent their bees to sting just the three of them and put them out here in the snowy woods? What purpose could that possibly serve?

Thankfully, there wasn’t going to be much more talking. That meant less questions and trying to figure all of this out, whatever the bees had stung him with was beginning to make his head pound. The other Valles overtook him quickly as expected but there was a slight hesitation before they dug into the free meal. How had he not even considered that this was going to be a trap? Back home he would have turned his nose up at such an easy meal being left out for ‘no reason’ but everything felt different here, Viorel couldn’t wrap his head around any of it.

It didn’t matter, Andrey’s words had been enough to satisfy Vayko and the teen was starving, the logical part of his brain was being overtook by his screaming belly. After only one more second of hesitation while his yellow eyes scanned the trees for any sudden intruders he groaned and gave in. Even though the meat wasn’t fresh and was slightly frozen it almost instantly eased the gnawing pain in his stomach that the retching had left.

Done all there is to do