Lost Lake she laughs like the sound of thunder

Random Event: Chan, you've gotten your tongue stuck to a chunk of ice! For @Lila only.

Chan rest within the forests that surrounded the lake. He'd been hunting for snow hare, but had only managed to find a fox on a similar quest and a popup mountain spring thickening with slush and ice. Thirsty, he'd decided to lap some up, tongue wandering to any and all water that had not yet frozen solid. He supposed he hadn't been paying enough attention, as his tongue caught on a chunk of dry ice and suddenly his vision was partially obscured by the object that had all but fused with his skin.

Minutes later, he'd yet to resolve the issue. Pulling certainly hadn't worked, and at one point he'd tried to break the ice against a tree trunk, but obviously that had proven difficult to accomplish. Eventually, he'd managed to pull both his tongue and the entirety of the rectangular piece into his mouth; it bulged against his wolfish cheeks but he kept his lips sealed stubbornly shut, hoping that his body heat could melt it off before the brain freeze killed him...

(This post was last modified: Feb 04, 2021, 10:38 PM by Chan.)

I think there's a flaw in my code

She was starting to think how it was going to be much harder to leave to the Bend than it already was. Leaving didn't have to be permanent necessarily, but the thing was she wasn't positive about that. She'd never meant to leave the Bend long and that hadn't turned out for the best. Each time she'd departed her absence had increased. Her last the worst. A pattern she wanted to avoid all together, especially because the mountain wasn't the only thing growing on her.

Hoping to find Chan on his own, when she came across his trail she hurried to catch up. She tried her best to make sure he wasn't stalking something. So far she couldn't make out he was after anything in this direction.Good. She didn't want to spoil a hunt. Spotting his silver coat she gave a warning bark then darted toward, him. She was gonna nudge his cheek when she paused, brows knitted in confusion, her legs pulling her backwards. "What on earth? You ok?" If it were any season but winter she'd think he got stung by a bee or something, but that couldn't be it.

As immersed in his little problem as Chan was, and being that he was in the safety of his forest, Lila's call caught him enough by surprise that he jumped. Twisting round to see her, he tried to greet her with a smile, but it was difficult to accomplish while still keeping his lips closed. The concern that his predicament caused to cast over her face quickly trumped his efforts to melt away the ice, however. With an audible blem, Chan not-so-gracefully pushed the chunk back out of his mouth.

"I uh, I goth thuck," he explained with his tongue weighted down into the frosty air as his ears folded backward sheepishly. This was typically a situation children got themselves into, not grown men... Ah well, maybe she could help somehow? Chan was certainly out of ideas.

I think there's a flaw in my code

As he opened his mouth she supposed his tongue would come out all swollen or something...not a big ice cube encased around his tongue. How? Was her clear expression, until he spoke. Then she had to stop from cracking a smile. It looked painful, and she tried to focus on that. "Ouch, um..." So he'd been trying to melt it, or bite it, but that hadn't worked. She stood a good minute, staring at it. Her biting it didn't sound like a better option, and licking it... They both didn't need their tongue stuck. "Warm water would be nice about now." But she couldn't think of a place in the Lore that had that, she'd only found a hot spring on her travels. It had only been because someone had pointed it out to her.

(This post was last modified: Feb 05, 2021, 02:13 AM by Lila.)

Warm water, why did it take her saying those words for him to remember?

"Tha hoth thrings," Chan smiled broadly. They were a walk, he supposed that was why, but at this point what other options did he have? This was the dead of winter, not some quick autumn or spring freeze; he was more likely to eventually suffer frostbite than for it to resolve itself if his body heat wasn't going to be enough to melt it.

"Goo' think'n."

He moved, gliding past Lila and brushing flanks as he did so to encourage her to follow. He'd appreciate her company on the little trek, even if he couldn't talk properly the whole while.

"How ya likin' tha lake?"

(This post was last modified: Feb 06, 2021, 12:19 AM by Chan.)

I think there's a flaw in my code

It sounded like he said hot things, and she bit the inside of her lip to keep from smirking once more. He knew what she was saying, but it took her a second longer to realize he'd about read her mind. Hot springs! "So there is some here," she remarked, hoping they were not too far for his sake. She didn't think he'd lose his tongue, but she'd never quite seen anything like this.

She allowed herself to smile when he spoke again, nodding even though her tongue wasn't the one constricted. Clearly, he knew the way, and at his encouragement she followed him, sticking close to his side.

"It's beautiful, and...it...it's so tranquil here. At the lake it almost feels like the rest of the world doesn't exist. It must be amazing in the summer too. What do you like about it the most?" Of course when she asked it, she crinkled her nose ever slightly. "You can tell after your tongue's free if you want." Her tongue hurt just looking at him. "You probably have a lot of things."

Chan tried to grin around the ice and his useless tongue, touched that Lila was so fond of his home. His head bobbed, nodding that yes; he loved those aspects too, that it was lovely in the Summer, especially when the rest of the Lore baked under the sun's heat, and yes, he had a lot that he liked about this place. Chan had a lot he liked, period; he wasn't a complainer, he always focused instead on silver linings, even if sometimes they were so thin they could barely be seen.

"Althatude," he attempted anyways, but she was right; it was uncomfortable to talk, especially when he was leaving his tongue out in the cold Winter air for so long. He began to chomp on the ice, attempting to get it back in his mouth so he could rest the poor extremity. 

He bumped shoulders with Lila, then shot forward, breaking into a sprint; the quicker they made it to the springs, the sooner he could talk with her properly. Besides, they certainly weren't too old to race.

I think there's a flaw in my code

"I'm sure you're not saying attitude ..oh altitude?" Puzzlement knit her brows together, a smile of uncertainty. Maybe, he'd said all that too. She remained quiet, it wasn't life or death. He was trying to keep the disfigured cube in his teeth. Why, she thought about filling the silence she didn't. She didn't love the sound of her own voice.

With his prompting, she urged her own paws to keep up. Winding their way through the evergreen trees, it felt good to run carelessly. If she knew where they were going she might have passed him, instead she found it fun enough to trying to synch her movements with his. Jumping over a long at same time, and changing direction, tough she felt always a second or two behind. With her mouth wide open in a smile, she soon shoulder bumped him. Were they getting any closer? She hadn't thought of it being beyond the mountain because she felt he would have clued her in on that. They were definitely going west so she shifted any anxiety over the eastern woods away.

She was about to slow down, ready for a breather. About then an awful smell smacked her in the nose. She was about to put on the brakes, when she remembered she'd come across the same scent. They were getting close! With a new wind she pushed herself to go a little faster. "Keep up!" She hollered certain she'd find the springs now.

Chan caught whiff of the heated water as well, pushing his legs harder in eagerness to finally be free of his ridiculous predicament. Lila easily passed him, her frame far better suited to speed than his. With a grin he pumped faster, doing his best to at least catch up to the lithe shadow as she urged him on. They broke past the tree line and flew over a small hill, and there it was; the hot springs, with their clouds of steam and warm, loamy rims. 

When his paws at last transitioned from wet snow to baked earth, he let out a sigh of satisfaction. Without hesitation he went straight to the nearest pool's edge and dunked his muzzle into it's shallows. The warm water immediately released the ice from his tongue, the skin stinging and aching with the rushing return of heat. He backed up quickly and gave his whole body a shake. His tongue curled and pushed against his teeth as he tried to work it back into feeling normal again.

"Omygob."

Chan plopped down onto his rump. That had certainly been a lesson... he'd be a lot more careful about drinking from anything less of open water from now on.

"Thangks," he spoke, pushing through the pins and needles. He smirked, "for not leabing me to die."

(This post was last modified: Feb 08, 2021, 01:56 AM by Chan.)

I think there's a flaw in my code

There was something satisfying about beating him to the water and she didn't hide her glee. Though as he melted his tongue, she took a minute to catch her breath, even though she hated the scent that filled her nostrils.

She cringed, as he strode out, seeming to test his tongue. "Does it taste as gross as it smells?" Was he even able to taste right now?

She gave him a look of empathy. Not exactly glad he had experienced this, but grateful she hadn't. She'd likely still be on her own trying to figure it out hoping no one saw her.

Then she let herself laugh, not just from the whole ordeal but his expression, and words. "Well of course. Even if you'd lost your tongue I was prepared to make sure you didn't starve." She wasn't sure how, but the thought had crossed her mind. Along with some other ghoulish ones she'd try to delete from memory. "Now," she began, deciding to sit down beside him, "you gotta tell me about the lake. Even just a few words. It'll keep your tongue working."Or she hoped, it had to sting pretty good from the rapid temperature change alone.