Ghastly Woods cat and mouse

Lost. Modesto had never been so much so before. A rather particular woman she was, who even in her youth had always known what she wanted to do, become and what she wanted from others in return. She had known many others to be lost, emotionally or physically so but never herself and now she was overwhelmed by it.

The phase gray wolf had never known anything beyond the inlet of her home. Sure, she had traveled further inland along the river which cut into their home land off the ocean. She had explored the forests and great rocks, the prairies and plains but home was never far off nor the ocean.

Now she would sniff about as she moved and she could not detect the salty air. It was thick, muggy and musty here. She had ran into this place for cover after she had escaped from the confinement she had been trapped in. A cage, she did not know the term, forced from her home by two-legged, hairless creatures. This forest was so stifling, suffocating. The brambles and branches tugged and pulled at her and she ran, trying to escape this wretched place.

When she came to see another wolf in the distance she was breathless, a wild panic in her orange eyes. She was not accustom to engaging with outsiders and cared little for them but now outsiders was all she had. Help me get out of here..! There was both a demand in her tone and a sharp desperation for the other's assistance. Modesto had to get back home.

(This post was last modified: Jan 18, 2021, 03:23 AM by Modesto.)

@Modesto

But somethings you can't undo

The teens had been in this strange area for….a week? Maybe a little bit more? A little bit less? It was getting hard to tell, especially since Viorel had mostly stuck to these woods and the immediately surrounding area. His hope had been that just like @”Sharlee” had shown up, some of the others would start arriving too. It turned out that this strategy would pay off, while out wandering (rather aimlessly) through the woods the familiar scent of salt brine mixed with wolf musk caused his nostrils to flare. That was distinctly Estuary smell, he was sure of it.

Dark paws quickened beneath his body, yellow eyes flashing between the spaces of the trees, searching for whoever it could be. When the familiar voice let out a demand to the woods a smile broke out across his muzzle as his speed picked up to a sprint. Snow flew around them when he skidded into the small clearing that Modesto was standing in. ”Aunt Modesto! Tongue lolled out of his young mouth as Viorel practically skipped towards her, now they were one closer to having a complete set you could say. Nose wrinkled unhappily as he commented, ”You stink like the two legs, did they get you too?” He would be curious to see if his aunt thought she had been bitten like Vayko, or stung like he had assumed.

And one of them's you

The voice caused her ears to jerk up, a brightness in her eyes that was both relief and excitement, and a hint then, fear. It was true now she wouldnt be forever lost in this wretched forest on her own but it was also now true that her little nephew was also lost with her.

She made quick steps an Viorel ran quick to her direction, sending a spray of snow all around their phase-gray bodies, molted and lush in this weather. Viorel...! A growling purr as the woman roughly lifted a foreleg to move around and tug on the young wolf to embrace him. They did. Sly little leeches... She hisses as she settles her limb back down and shakes her skull. I thought I might have been able to take one down, but then I felt a stab in my flank, like an irritating bird. Bite or sting or for her, a stab.

I dont know what they did to me.. She breaths deep, lifting her head high and casting her sunshine gaze to the engulfing woods around her. And I cannot find the Sea. I cant even scent a direction to turn to. How exactly far away was the ocean that she couldnt smell it on the breeze? Blast this damn forest!

(This post was last modified: Jan 25, 2021, 12:12 AM by Modesto.)

But somethings you can't undo

Viorel leaned into his aunt’s embrace with a smile, it reminded him of being a small pup again. Something about being tucked under a family member’s arm and the salty brine smell of the Estuary lingering in her coat eased the homesickness he had been feeling. The teen furrowed his brow at her words, a stab, ”I thought that they stung me, but Vayko was so sure that it had been a bite. But, it’s all so confusing, it’s hard to remember what really happened.” Had it been a sting, a bite, a stab like a bird? And the even more pressing question is why would they do that?

Following her gaze Viorel looked upwards, the branches of the forest had seemed suffocating at first, but now they were slowly beginning to feel like home. Humming slightly he suddenly felt nervous to tell his aunt their future plans, she had always lived in the Estuary and might be disgusted with the thought of staying here. ”We don’t know where we are, or how far from the Estuary we are. So far it’s us, and Vayko, Andrey and Sharlee, no sign of anyone else.” He was rambling, so much had happened since he woke up and it was hard to decide what was most important to say first.

”Oh! And this strange wolf none of us had ever seen before, she was also dumped here and smelled like the Estuary. She claimed that the two legs had rubbed the smell on her, but it all seemed so suspicious.” Modesto was older, had lived through more than any of the teens, maybe she would have some idea of what was going on here.

And one of them's you

Viorel explained how he believed he had been stung, and Vayko bitten. It confirmed with her then that her dear littermate's child was here as well somewhere in this forest. This too made her happy to hear that he was okay, but both knowing the two pups were here and not home was off putting. Andrey and Sharlee were here as well and her ears perked, an obvious look of concern on her features. The lot of their pups were here, but not the parents?? What kind of sick ploy was this!? The children were close to aging to adulthood, but they still had much to learn. Separating them from their parents seemed a horrible way to cut off the next generations sucess. It was a good thing Modesto was here, obviously.

And what of your mother? He said they were the only ones but wanted to confirm. If anyone had been fit to lead in her mother's place as she aged away, it had been Sita. Whether the naked creatures did that or not, she is not one of us. She is not to be trusted. The woman commanded. Outsiders are always to be met with civil manner but caution. But this is not home and we hold no upper paw here, be weary and attentive with anyone you meet not of blood.

Another deep frown and she moves to press her forehead to Viorel's own. Often when she gave command, she would smooth it over with affection. A way to insure her opinion be heard and hopefully, fulfilled. If she were the only council member here with a lot of pups however, she feared her voice would be drowned out; An unneeded resource, old and washed up in the eyes of a yearling. Where have you all been settling?

(This post was last modified: Feb 06, 2021, 05:26 PM by Modesto.)

But somethings you can't undo

The teen watched his aunt closely as concern played across her salt and pepper muzzle. Well, guess she doesn’t have all the answers after all. His ears pricked forward at her question, and then pressed back against his skull, he didn’t want to deliver the bad news to Aunt Modesto. Shifting a little uncomfortably on his paws he murmured, ”No, we haven’t found Mum, or anyone else either. Just the four of us.” Then his dark face lightened up a bit, ”But, we did meet another loner who has been staying with us, she’s a trained healer and seems pretty cool. And, now we have you too!” That had to mean something didn’t it? Maybe the others would show up soon.

The command was a little annoying, but Viorel didn’t let it show. Instead his chest puffed up a bit proudly that they had made the right decision, ”Yeah, we didn’t let Annaliese - the one who smelled like us - stay. It was all too weird, plus she was being a bitch.” Normally the Viorel teen would have never sworn in front of a member of the council for fear of reprimand, but there was no council here. They were all on an equal playing field here, and perhaps he had the upper paw seeing as he and Vayko had careful plans.

Nuzzling Aunt Modesto back affectionately he growled in content. He was too proud to say it out loud, but it was very comforting after their entire upheaval to have his Aunt here. Perking up with a smile he pulled away. ”Oh, we found a great spot to stay! South-west of here, near a creek so we can fish.” And they were planning on staying there, hopefully for a long time, but he didn’t offer that little tidbit of information up yet. He wasn’t sure how Aunt Modesto would react to hear that they didn’t plan on trying to find their way back to the Estuary.

And one of them's you

Could end here?

Her lip quivered and her jaw tightened at hearing that her sister was not among them. Nor any wolf of age, for that matter. Though she feigned a smile as the boy lightened up, trying to cheer the mood by saying another had joined their little group, an outsider to them and yet of these lands they were not. Maybe she could be of use to them and a healer, he said? Modesto figured she would have to judge the other wolf when she met her herself.

She hadn't any right to act in such caliber to a prince. Modesto spoke with a little hiss, whilst aiming to boister the young wolf's ego. Good. The manner was settled then as a wolf of disinterest for this 'Annaliese'.

Modesto listened carefully then as he mentioned a 'great spot' where they had all been settling. As long as it isnt in this wretched forest. She spoke, still feeling horribly weighed down upon by the been tangles of vine, moss and bramble. Show it to me then. She would then will, eager to get out of here and get reunited with the rest of her nieces and nephews.

(This post was last modified: Feb 06, 2021, 11:02 PM by Modesto.)

One more post each?

But somethings you can't undo

Viorel frowned deeply and his ears pressed harder against the back of his skull when he saw his aunt’s quivering lip. He made no verbal acknowledgement of it as he knew that Modesto was a proud woman and wouldn’t appreciate it. Instead he just gave her a single lick to the chin, he understood that lonely feeling all too well. Waking up here and having some of the family you love but not everyone.

The empathetic sadness didn’t last long, the mention of prince and lack of reprimand did well to bolster his confidence. Salt and pepper chest puffed out out further and a look of pride swept across his face. That’s true, what right had Annaliese had to talk to himself and Vayko that way? It wasn’t their fault she hated pack wolves and had been taken from her home, they all had. Bitch. Viorel grinned, he liked having his aunt around to reassure him that they had been doing the right thing, plus, safety in numbers and all that.

Looking up at the surrounding woods, the very same eerie ones that he had met Clover in, Viorel shivered a little. He hated this place. Standing up and stretching leisurely he gestured with his muzzle, ”Follow me,” then set out at a gentle lope. He remembered how crappy he had felt upon waking up and could only imagine that his aunt must feel the same.

They hadn’t been walking long when a thought whisked through the teen’s mind. As quickly as he had thought of it, it was out of his mouth, ”Hey Aunt Modesto, you know how my dad went missing while on that scouting trip?” That was the story that had always been told to him, that Platon had gone out scouting and had never returned, no hide nor hair of him found by the rescue searches. ”You don’t think that the two-legs took him do you?” I mean, they had taken all five of them, what if this wasn’t the first time?

And one of them's you

OP! Yeah forgot about the 10+ posts things. Jingling multiple sites makes me so confused!!

A silent sorrow, with flattened ears does the youth lick under the greyed chin of the phase-grey wolf and she sighs lightly, her hardened orange gaze softening for him. It was not at all his fault and she should not reprimand her blood for it. If she were alone here with the lot of her sister's brood, she needed to make the best of it. @Vayko and @Sharlee she had always kept rather protected, given their mother's soft and gentle nature. The others had harder willed mothers who had not needed Modesto's help with them as much.

This could now go two ways. Either the youngers would feel she was not needed and old news or, given she waa the only one experienced, they would turn to her for opinion on many matters. A wise and powerful woman they would see as useful in their young and inexperienced rule. And one of them surely, would be the one to rule. A lead need be made should they survive the winter united until they were able to travel effectively to home.

With a newfound pride in the youth's step and Modesto ever so the same following, she was eager for the 'farewell-fuck you' to the tangled forest. Silken black ears perked at the mention of the boys unknown father. She nods silently to his question, though the whole subject of that had seemed quite the scandal. How close Sita had become with a man not her husband shortly after his disappearance, how much so her daughter had not looked like her missing mate...

That could definitely be possible... She would murmur to the boy and it were true. After all, Modesto hadn't the truth be known to her on what happen to Platon. A large, powerful and dignified man, one Modesto would have thought her younger sister Sita would have been more upset over loosing. Modesto had her speculation though of course wouldnt tell the boy that. Maybe, somewhere, Platon was still very much alive.

(This post was last modified: Feb 07, 2021, 05:19 PM by Modesto.)

But somethings you can't undo

In his excitement of finding his Aunt Modesto the teen had almost forgotten how much he hated these woods. It put him on edge the atmosphere here, as if something, or someone was alway watching them. As spooky as they are though, he couldn’t help but admit that they had given him both his friend Clover and his aunt. Maybe they weren’t all bad afterall? As soon as the thought flit through his mind a skittering sound above caused his eyes to whip upwards. There was nothing there. Nevermind, he definitely hated it here.

Viorel missed his aunt nodding, but smiled brightly at her words. The thought of meeting Platon, the dad he had heard about so much back at the Estuary was thrilling, if naive. Dark tail swayed easily behind him, ”Well, if they did get him I hope we find him here.”How cool would that be? Oh well, there was plenty of time for that later on, for now he just had to get Aunt Modesto back to the others.

And one of them's you

FADE