Wild Cherry Orchard shinin' like a fiery beacon

@Huddy

And there's an old man sitting on the throne

She had pressed on East. She wasn’t terribly far from the forest, so she felt comfortable wandering a bit, though she didn’t dream of going too far, at least not yet, at least until she was ready to move on. She hummed softly to herself as she walked through the Orchard, noting the trees and wondering what might have grown there as well. Winter was such an awful season for sightseeing. She had never necessarily had the time to sightsee before. She had almost been certain that Rhen had sent wolves after her to end the last of the Rayvne line, but after so long with no conflict, she was willing to accept that perhaps Rhen simply hadn’t cared so long as she never returned to her former kingdom.

A displaced Princessa seemed almost fitting for a loner. It was like some kind of cruel irony, really. She wasn’t bitter… just sad. Sad she had lost her parents in such a horrific way and sad that her siblings were in the wind as well. Perhaps some day she would find them, or they would find her. She could only hope. She hummed as the snow crunched lightly under her feet, eyes peeled and nose on alert for anything that might be of interest, whether it be another wolf or her next meal.

that's saying that i probably shouldn't be so mean

Well if you wanted honesty that's all you had to say

Huddy and Sága had ventured north-west from the pristine lake to what looked to be an orchard. In the summer he suspected it would be covered in an abundance of fruits, but winter left the branches barren and skinny, looking more like skeletons than harbingers of sweet treats. They had to rhyme or reason in their travels, other than to see if they could find any of their respective relatives. Their travels had been completed in mostly comfortable silence, something he was finding he liked more and more in the younger woman. Other than his sister, he didn’t much care for wolves who yabbered on constantly. When Hudson spoke it was for a reason and it seemed it applied mostly the same to his monochrome companion. They did, on occasion, share stories about their homes and their families and found they had more in common than he’d thought.

The pair had split up upon encountering the orchard to look for something to eat and somewhere big enough or with enough coverage for them to make camp for the night. It was on his little excursion that he came across a tawny woman, perhaps a few years younger than him and smelling to be alone. The way she held herself felt regal and poised even as she simply stood and his head cocked to the side. She was certainly pretty, though he didn’t think she held a candle to Saga. The man was still dozens of yards away, but let out a chuff to announce his presence to avoid startling her.

Ashbash 2016 - Ian Schneider 

(This post was last modified: Jan 13, 2021, 01:29 AM by Huddy.)

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

And there's an old man sitting on the throne

Truth be told, Rhaegara had not been certain of what she would find in wandering out this way. She had only parted from Adelard for a moment, determined to try and find something to hunt with the promises that she would catch up with him, hopefully with prey to take down to find their next meal or at least with a full belly herself. It had been a decent amount of time since her last meal, but that was to be expected in these harsh winter months. She was truthfully just grateful to have a travel companion. It didn’t beat out having a pack, wolves to lean on, but it was something more than the weary life she had been living as of late.

She heard a chuff, though it was faint on the wind and it had her head turning, catching sight of a man in all black, her head tilting lightly to the side as she let out a soft chuff of greeting back though she was respectful about it. Perhaps she had missed a scent marker? Were these lands claimed? She doubted it. She had a feeling that if they were, she would already be looking at the business end of the wolf’s pearly whites. She wasn’t certain if he just wanted to make his presence known to her, or if he wished to speak so she found herself turning, slowly heading towards him with a friendly wave of her tail back and forth, a casual sway. “Hello.” The greeting fell short and to the point. “Do you know much about these lands?” The more information she could get, the better off she felt she’d be.

that's saying that i probably shouldn't be so mean

Well if you wanted honesty that's all you had to say

The woman turned toward him at his announcement of his presence, her demeanor already much better than that of the little rascal he’d come across. Perhaps he needed to stop comparing other wolves he encountered in these lands to him, but the boy had certainly left a bad taste in his mouth. He knew it was his fault for being weak enough to be pushed aside like he had been, but still!

His company’s words were short and to the point, something he appreciated immediately. There was no need for idle chatter if they both had something they needed, and it seemed that the woman had much the same questions he did. “Afraid not. Just got dropped off here out of nowhere a few days ago. Not even sure where this is,” he replied with a shake of his head and a flick of his tail. “You happen to see any wolves that have the last names Macieo or Tainn?”

Ashbash 2016 - Ian Schneider 

And there's an old man sitting on the throne

Rhaegara had been blessed to have nothing but positive interactions in these lands thus far, and she hoped it would remain that way. She could not afford a fight at the moment, and so anything she could do to avoid such a fate was something she would do. She frowned softly at his answer to her question. It had clearly not been the one she had been hoping for, but she knew that it wasn’t the man’s fault.

He was ‘dropped off’ there? That question caught her attention. “What do you mean ‘dropped off’? Did you not come here of your own accord?” These lands were terribly strange and she was having a hard time making sense of all of it. What in the seven hells was going on here? His own question caused her to ponder for a moment before shaking her head. “No one with that surname that I can recall.” She verbalized her answer, an apologetic tone carrying over the air because she wished she could be of more help.

that's saying that i probably shouldn't be so mean

Well if you wanted honesty that's all you had to say

Her questions about him being dropped off surprised him. He supposed he hadn’t thought about other wolves simply traveling to the land instead of being kidnapped like he and Sága had been. He was a little jealous if he were being honest, though he wondered why she were here and how she didn’t know where she was if she came of her own accord. “Guess you weren’t kidnapped then. My friend and I were taken from our families by humans and dropped off here. Just woke up a few days ago with no clue where in the hell we were, still don’t. Thank your lucky stars,” he said, his lips pursed.

She said she hadn’t met anyone by that name and a flicker of disappointment ran through him, but it was quickly extinguished. No point lingering on it, he just needed to move on to the next place. “S’alright. If you do, let ‘em know Hudson and Sága are looking for ‘em,” he replied. His silver gaze looked around them in search of signs of company but he found none, and he couldn’t detect the scent of pack on her. “You out here all alone? Winter’s dangerous for a loner.” Hudson wasn’t sure when he’d suddenly come into the business of picking up strays, but he couldn’t leave a woman alone in good conscience. His father had raised him better than that, independent streak or not.

Ashbash 2016 - Ian Schneider 

And there's an old man sitting on the throne

Rhaegara could not resist her brow furrowing even more at the mention of kidnapping, and humans whatever those were. She was blessed to be from northern lands left untouched by the humans. “What’s a human?” She felt he was a good font of information. Whatever a human was, it was capable of hunting down and taking a wolf and dropping it in another location… that made it dangerous. What if one of those things came back, and swiped her up only to drop her elsewhere? It sounded completely disorienting if she were to be completely honest.

Hudson and Saga. She had to assume he was Husdon, for the other name sounded a bit too feminine for a man like him though she supposed she couldn’t judge a book by it’s cover. She had met a wide variety of names in her time, and while most were gender conforming, she could concede that some had not been. The question fell and she shook her head, though it was technically a lie, so she explained further. “Travelling with a friend. I’ve only stepped away from him for a moment in search of a meal, or perhaps a herd with a weakened member for us to hunt.” She explained, before realizing she had never offered a name. She wasn’t sure he cared, but she had been raised with proper manners and that meant an introduction. “My name is Rhaegara, most just call me Rhae though.”

that's saying that i probably shouldn't be so mean

Well if you wanted honesty that's all you had to say

She asked him what a human was as, once again, his head tilted as he thought. A rumbling hum filled his chest as he tried to remember how his father had described them to him and Woya. ”They’re hairless except on the tops of their heads. Kinda look like newborn pups in a way. They walk on two legs and speak in a tongue you can’t understand. They pinched us with something that made us go to sleep then we woke up here,” he replied, hoping that would satisfy her curiosity. He didn’t really know how else to explain it to make her understand more.

She mentioned that she was traveling with a companion and that she’d been looking for a hunt and his auds swiveled forward in interest. He’d also been out looking for food, but the only prey he’d be able to capture himself was something small. With four of them, they’d be able to bring down something much bigger than could fill all of their bellies. She introduced herself and he gave a nod of his head. “Nice to meet you, Rhae. If you guys are looking for food, I have a proposition to help us all out,” surely she’d agree?

Ashbash 2016 - Ian Schneider 

And there's an old man sitting on the throne

She listened to his description, and to be quite honest she found herself horrified. However did a hairless creature survive in the winter? She supposed it made sense that they could not be understood, not when they also could not understand the songs of the birds. “Sounds… gross.” She admitted, trying to find a word but tactfully only finding the word ‘gross’ to be an accurate summation of her thoughts on the matter. “What a strange power they seem to have.” She very much hoped to avoid a run-in with one of these ‘humans’… but she would have to be on her guard until then. She’d make sure to warn Adelard as well.

She caught the way her words caught his interest, her head tilting to the side as she focused her brown orbs on him with curiosity brimming over her in that moment. A proposition? It intrigued her, and as a diplomat she felt the need to further feel the situation out. “What kind of proposition?” She could not speak for her travelling partner, but she could decide whether or not she was interested enough to bring the message back to him and get his thoughts. She was fairly certain no sane wolf would turn down a meal.

that's saying that i probably shouldn't be so mean

(This post was last modified: Jan 12, 2021, 07:02 AM by Rhaegara.)