Dastard's Rapids you know who I am

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Late Afternoon, Overcast, -6F/-21C

I know I’ve dreamed of you

Should he have wandered away from his little bachelor group? Nah, probably not. Was @Vayko going to be pissy about it when he got back? Probably. Oh well, too late now. Viorel wasn’t even entirely sure why he had done it, there was no rhyme or reason to wandering off on his own in this strange area before the crack of dawn. Perhaps it was boredom, or teenage angst, maybe it was the fact that after growing up in a large thriving pack he now only had a single brother and a cousin and that felt more alone than being by himself. Whatever, it didn’t matter. It had taken him practically the whole day to get here and he would get back to the boys shortly by the morning.

Still, Viorel was beginning to doubt that taking this solo hike had been such a good idea. He wasn’t fully comfortable in any woods after growing up on the more open coast, but these trees seemed more threatening than the ones from this morning. An uneasy prickle ran down the yearling’s spine, causing his black and grey fur to bristle momentarily. It was almost like something was in the branches watching him. But, trees didn’t have eyes so he knew this was impossible, he was just imagining it.

The Valle teen had just shaken the creepy feeling when the woods gave way to the sound he had been subconsciously following. Before him stood an icy looking river that looked innocent enough from the surface, but judging by the nasty rapid like whirlpools surrounding every rock Viorel knew it’s danger. This was a clear sign that it was time to turn back.

A sin and a lie

(This post was last modified: Jan 14, 2021, 06:29 PM by Maugrim.)

Clover made her way through the woods, body low as she shrunk into herself at the eerie nature. This place set her fur on edge, but she was looking for a particular plant that only grew in moist and shady conditions, and this place was a perfect location for it to grow in. That did not mean she had to like it, however. Even the birds were quiet, which only increased her dislike of the woods. She continued searching, eyes and nose focused on the ground looking for the tell-tale signs of the plant, determination propelling her forward despite her negative feelings of the woods themselves.

After much searching she stopped and huffed, a frown on her face. She knew the flowers bloomed towards the end of winter, but it must be still too early in the season, or maybe she was just looking in the wrong place. Whatever the reason, she decided it was getting too late in the day to keep searching, and instead shifted her focus onto finding a way out of the forest. The faint sound of trickling in the distance caught her attention, and she started in that direction, hopeful that the moving body of water could lead her out.

When she finally reached the water she paused, her eyes resting on the dark form of another wolf. He was larger than her but not by much, and after sniffing the air could smell faint traces of at least one other wolf on his fur. She hoped he was friendly, and gave a soft woof to announce her presence, letting her tail hang relaxed behind her. "Hello! I'm Clover."

(This post was last modified: Jan 10, 2021, 05:53 PM by Clover.)

I know I’ve dreamed of you

Viorel had stood there, as if mesmerized by the swirling water for a few moments. Yellow eyes tracked small ice chunks as it floated along the surface before being sucked into the current below and never arising again. Yeah, he sure as shit didn’t want to fall in there. Blinking hard to break whatever trance he had fallen under, his ears pricked backwards at the sound of a female voice. How he had not heard the approach of someone else? These woods were playing tricks on him, he missed the Estuary.

Sidestepping away from the icy danger that lay below the rocky outcrop behind him the teen turned to see who had joined him. The Valle boy half expected there to be no one standing there, that would seem on par with everything that had happened since leaving Vayko and Andrey. But, there was. A white woman stood there, looking friendly enough. This put Viorel at ease. Back home the Valles had been a big deal, and frankly he was used to ladies giggling every time they caught sight of one of the men, throwing themselves at him. It was a status symbol really, he had his pick of the litter.

All of this was to say, a friendly appearing woman didn’t seem out of place to him. Grinning his most charming smile, Viorel wagged his tail back at her. Taking a step forward, ”Viorel Valle,” with a wink. In his experience, this was all he really needed to say.

A sin and a lie

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

She felt more at ease when the male before her returned the friendly tail wag, allowing her lips to curl up in a smile. At least she did not have to worry about an unfriendly face in the spooky forest, and maybe he knew a quick route out and was willing to let her tag along. She would eventually find her own way out, but it would be a much more pleasant experience with some company. Clover's smile faltered momentarily at his wink, feeling herself blush as she looked down at the ground rather than meeting his striking yellow eyes. She had never been so overtly flirted at before, and did not quite know how to react.

After taking a couple seconds to compose herself, she lifted her gaze, swallowing before she spoke. "It's nice to meet you, even though this forest does spook me a little." Her voice was light and cheery, despite her still feeling a slight burn of what felt like embarrassment. It was nice, in a way, but her focus was primarily on finding a group of wolves to stick somewhat close to, as well as a nice area to settle in where she could easily forage for herbs and medicinal plants. "Do you happen to know a way out of here?" She asked hopefully, "I've been wandering around here for a while now and would like to get out before it becomes dark." The forest itself was dark even during the day, and she did not want to find out just how dark it could become once the sun fell.

Please no other joiners from this point forward

I know I’ve dreamed of you

Clover looking down at the ground looked pretty normal to him, she was shy, and probably impressed. His own grin grew when her dark amber eyes lifted back to meet his gaze, well at least one thing hadn’t changed since his removal. He still had it going on with the ladies. Her statement made the tense feeling he hadn’t even noticed before relax in his shoulder, so he wasn’t going crazy, it was just the woods. They could handle whatever the woods had going on, he was confident in that.

Nodding in agreement, ”Yeah they’re not pleasant, and I’m sure it’s only going to get worse once it’s dark.” Looking up through the break in the branches Viorel felt a little alarmed at how low the sun had gotten, had that much of the day really gotten away from him? He didn’t know a way out of here but he sure as hell wasn’t going to let Clover know that, besides he was confident in his ability to follow his own way out. Besides, this woman might not be one of the family members that they were looking for, but it would at least prove to Vayko and Andrey that other canines were around in the area.

With another glance over his shoulder towards the icy river behind him Viorel turned back the way he had come, ”Yeah come with me, it’s going to take a while but if we stick together it will be fine.” The sound of a bleating fawn reached his ears. Pausing for a moment at the temptation, a strange feeling came over him, he had just eaten the day before so he was not overly hungry but it was something else that stopped him. It almost felt like it was a trick the woods were trying to play on them. That thought fresh in his brain Viorel started walking the way he had come, trying to ignore the deer’s desperate cries.

A sin and a lie

(This post was last modified: Jan 10, 2021, 08:55 PM by Viorel.)

Well if Viorel was sure the atmosphere would only get even more negative when night fell then she did not want to still be hanging around when that happened. Little sunlight remained to filter through the thick canopy above, and there would be less and less as the sun continued its descent in the sky. She felt herself shiver at the thought of spending the night in the forest, even with a companion it was still less than desirable. But, at the very least, she was glad to have found a friendly face in this unfriendly place.

Clover's entire body perked up when he said she could go with him, tail wagging excitedly behind her, overjoyed at his answer. She did not mind at all that it would take some time for if she went at it alone it would surely take her even longer. "Thank you!" She gushed out, stepping forward to close some of the distance that remained between them. As Viorel seemed to know a way out she would let him go first while she followed closely behind; the wispy branches and thick undergrowth would make it difficult for them to walk side by side even with her being smaller than average.

Her ears pricked at the soft bleating of a fawn, nose twitching as she sniffed the air, however it seemed Viorel had no intention of even investigating as he swiftly turned on his heel and began walking away. Clover hurried after him, a little confused a this reaction, but she herself was not particularly hungry at that moment so decided not to make a fuss about it. She ducked her head beneath a lower-hanging branch, paws seeming to sink in the soil as she did her best to keep close to the darker male. "Are you travelling with anyone?" She asked after a brief silence. Her tone was curious as she had smelled the faint aroma of another wolf on his pelt, but did not want to directly point it out. After all, they had only just met.

I know I’ve dreamed of you

Viorel liked her, she was gushy and it re-inflated his ego which frankly had taken a bit of a hit when he had gotten dropped here. Everything else was wrong, but this single one aspect was right and it gave him a sense of comfort. He wanted to keep Clover around, both for that reason and also to prove to his brother and cousin that this area wasn’t completely barren. Her smile was infectious and he returned it full force, but this time held himself back from winking at her again.

The darkness of the woods seemed to descend on them the second that they stepped away from the rapids. Mist swirled back amongst their legs and the lower hanging branches of the dead trees pricked at their coats. Viorel was fairly confident in his own abilities but something about these woods seemed otherworldly, the sound of Clover’s footsteps behind him seemed to echo back as if they were all around. The Valle’s mouth hardened and the yellow eyes squinted, ”I’m not going to lie to you, it will probably take us most of the night to get out of here.” Looking back over his shoulder he offered a comforting smile, ”So make sure you stay close,” in the mist her pale coat almost seemed to blend in, he looked away, blinking hard.

The silence was eerie, Viorel was thankful when Clover had a question, and an easy one at that. Wagging his tail, the teen nodded excitedly, ”Oh yes! My brother Andrey and my cousin Vayko and I are travelling together.” No mention of the two legs and their crazy bee stings, no need to lay his whole hand out right away. Glancing around again at their spooky surroundings he followed it up with, ”I take it you don’t live in these woods.”

A sin and a lie

She frowned, ears drooping slightly when Viorel told her that it would take them most of the night to get out of the forest. That was not what she wanted to hear, but Clover returned the smile he gave her with a determined nod. "That's alright, it's not as spooky here now that I've found you." She did not need to be told twice about sticking close to him, already right on his heels with no plan to get any further behind. With the sunlight that was still left to filter in through the canopy he stood out, but as night fell his dark coat would blend in with the night, and she would have to use her other senses to keep track of his whereabouts.

His excitement was infectious as he spoke about his family, and Clover found her own tail wagging in response. If Viorel had a small group of wolves he was with, then it was possible she could potentially join them, at least for a short while. She had been travelling on her own for a short while and was already feeling the effects of loneliness. Unless they already had someone with knowledge of herbs and plants, then it was likely they could use someone like her just in case anything bad happened.

Clover shook her head at his question, nose scrunching as she thought about what it would be like to live in this place. "No, I've been making my way down from the North. I was actually looking for a medicinal plant that grows in shady and moist conditions but I couldn't find it in here." She would try looking for the plant in a different shady forest, this one just made her skin crawl too much. "Sounds like you have a good group going on. Have you been travelling together for long?"

Fade out with your next post and I can start one introducing Clover to the boys?

I know I’ve dreamed of you

The statement that the woods were less spooky since he was here only further padded Viorel’s ego, his dark chest poofing out slightly. Ugh, he couldn’t wait to show her off to his family. Before he could get too high on his britches, another weird echo of the fawn reached his ears and he was reminded of where he was. Wandering through the woods that he was fully convinced were haunted, with a pleasant stranger, but a stranger all the same. It brought him back down to earth and his cockiness deflated, a little anyways.

The North, okay, he wasn’t really sure how north she meant, or even if the coast was north of where they currently were. There was only one way to find out, ”The north, have you ever heard of Drowned River Estuary?” Oh, how wonderful it would be if she said yes, and even better if she could give him directions on how to get there. Of course, there was also the problem of figuring out whether or not the rest of his family had been dropped here.

Shaking his head, Viorel kind of half evaded the question, ”No really, we grew up together but got a little turned around and we’ve spent the last couple of days trying to make our way back.” Smiling brightly he glanced over his shoulder again, ”But hey, you should stick with us for a while, maybe we can find your plant on the way!”

A sin and a lie