Cold Water Creek Lucid Sounds

@Alarick  I hope this location is okay, I decided to have Isomne wander north from her previous location a bit in her travels
RE: Winter makes a comeback! A cold snap drops a dusting of snow across Relic Lore, killing early spring flowers.

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Isomne tried to hum a little tune to lighten her steps, but for once, her heart wasn't in it. Her paws and legs were all muddy, still stained red from the long journey through the sierra hills. One would think that travelling along a creek, she would have ample opportunities to stop for a bath and a bit of personal care, but the recent cold snap had left her reluctant to do more than steal up to the edge of the icy, fast-flowing water for a drink. This was not the calming, soothing, healing, singing river of her home, no, but still, she had been reluctant to stray far from the sound of it once she had happened upon it days ago. It seemed to meander endlessly through the cold hills and empty forests, and Isomne felt that it must be leading her towards something. There must be a source, or else perhaps she could follow it until it met a river, or even the sea! Just think of being able to see that! She had several shanties ready for such an occasion, not that she was likely to ever need them. She had no idea what she was looking for, anyway - somewhere far enough from home to feel safe and hospitable enough to make some sort of life for herself, she supposed, but that didn't feel right. She wanted to run back to her old den, back to all the familiar faces she missed so dearly. Was she really never going to see any of them again, never go back? She couldn't really come to terms with it, even after weeks on the road. But there was nothing for it but to keep travelling for now, unless she wanted to settle forever in this ghostly region, or worse, make her mother disappointed with her for tucking tail and turning back. Which she did not. But she felt so alone!

It should have been simple enough - follow the creek, right? It could only flow one way, right? Only, it wasn't as easy as all that. She would be going along all fine and dandy, until she came to a spot she couldn't traverse - the banks would be washed out or the creek dashing boldly through sharp rocks on a course that one would need wings or a deathwish to follow. And so she would find some other route, around the base of a hill or something, only to find the creek was flowing off in some unexpected direction or doubling back on itself the next time she found it. It was like something out of the old tales and songs, some faerie trickery, or else she had slipped hard and fast into early cognitive decline. Or maybe she was just not cut out for the lone-wolf, rugged survivalist lifestyle - that was hardly surprising. None of it made much sense, but it was what it was, and she could only strike along as best she could in a vaguely northerly direction, wishing she had some survival skills in more than wandering aimlessly and scavenging, or else one of her siblings or friends along to help her. But she had none of that anymore, and she would just have to get used to it.

She'd become so wrapped up in her frustrations that she was hardly aware of anything besides the perplexing, hypnotizing eddies of the stream she followed and the hole growing in her heart. Maybe that's what happened if you lost your song... you lost your way, too. She tried humming a little louder, hoping to drown out her loneliness.

(This post was last modified: May 10, 2021, 04:37 PM by Isomne.)

Alarick glanced about the forest, but it was the same as always. Quiet, empty, and he was unaccustomed to it. Alarick missed having the others; his friends and family around him, to provide support, protection, or comfort. He often found himself wondering how they must have felt, what they thought about where he’d gone. Were they searching for him as desperately as he would’ve been for any of them, as desperately as he wanted to find them? Giving his head a shake, he attempted to ward those thoughts away. If he ever wanted to have a shot at seeing them again, he needed to stay alert. For his own sake, he couldn’t afford to spend too much time contemplating that. He had to keep his senses sharp and wits about him to stay alive. None of that solemn stuff.

In the last few days, he’d been drawn a creek, which he’d opted to follow. It at least provided a form of company, its soft babbling something of a comfort in his otherwise mostly lonely new existence. At first, it had seemed as if it were flowing in the same southerly direction he’d opted to travel, perhaps coming down from the mountains that ran parallel somewhere to the west. But the longer he followed it, the more apparent it became that was not the case. It seemed to snake this way and that, not defined in its path at all.

Perhaps he would’ve given up on it, was it not his most strategic advantage at the moment. The attentive former hunter had been certain to mark and make note of any subtle pathways he’d spotted; areas that prey animals or otherwise tended to use to reach the creek. Such was how he’d managed to keep himself fed, and it was perhaps fifteen or so body lengths away from one such pathway that he’d chosen to pause, settling into a slight dip in the earth amidst the trees and brush, where his fur would be best disguised. He had yet to adhere to a set schedule, so a rest was in order. The prospect of obtaining a meal in addition to that, if some unsuspecting creature came wandering down the path, was just too good to pass up.

But when he was at last treated to the sound of something else alive within the forest, a prey animal, it most definitely was not. Instead, it was the soft note of an intriguing melody echoing to him from somewhere up ahead. Clearly generated by one of his own kind, it was the sort of tune he’d only heard a few times as a young pup and then an adolescent when those nomad types had stayed with his pack for a few days.

The sound grew steadily closer until at last, he spotted someone amidst the trees. A lighter-toned woman, though her body from perhaps her belly down through her legs and paws looked stained by mud or dirt. From the distance that separated them, she seemed almost so in tune with herself and her melody, that he felt almost guilty at the thought of interrupting it. But that desire for companionship, conversation, was far too strong. Besides, the pragmatic portion of his mind told him, she might have information that could guide him back home. A slim chance, but one well worth taking.

”Good day, miss,” he called out cordially, pushing himself up into a seated position. The former hunter remained in that posture, ears perked forward, tail tucked around his paws to appear non-threatening. He didn’t know if this stranger was the type to startle easily; even if she wasn’t, though, it was the polite thing to do.

"Oh!" Isomne halted, exclaiming her surprise at the sudden greeting. It had certainly broken her out of the headspace she had been in, and she left her melancholy tune cut short. Her eyes traced back and forth for a split second until they fell upon the source - a man concealed in the underbrush in a sort of smallish natural hollow. His coloring helped him to blend, as if he were part of the landscape itself. If he hadn't called out, she'd probably have strolled right on by, none the wiser. It was not the most comforting thought. If he were a snake, he might have bitten her!

Still, it was nice to see another living soul - and luckily, he sounded like a friendly fellow. She smiled and gave her own greeting in return, ears forward with curiosity. "Hello there, good day to you too!" She tilted her head slightly, considering him. "What are you doing there?" she wondered aloud.

The reaction he drew from the other upon issuing a greeting was almost immediate. The melody she’d been humming to herself was cut off abruptly, followed by a surprised exclamation. She also paused in her stride, her gaze dancing back and forth until she spotted him. Concealed as he’d been amidst the trees and still not quite revived spring shrubbery, the former hunter idly wondered if he would have even been noticed if he had remained silent. Although, not here, now.

The light woman didn’t seem dissuaded or concerned by his sudden appearance, a pleasant smile and courteous greeting returned to him almost immediately. She also studied him momentarily, so he took the opportunity to do the same. She didn’t seem to be malicious, nor, more notably, carry the scent of a pack or others. Although he supposed that could’ve been disguised, possibly by the dried muck that still coated her. If he was to take the apparent lack of wolves and packs in.. whatever this region was so far at face value, perhaps both of them were without a home.

Maybe this could be more advantageous than he’d thought. Blinking once, Alarick noted the slight tip of her head, a motion that preceded her question. When it was spoken, it prompted the hunter to offer a grin in return. ”I was hunting. Or more precisely, waiting for my prey to come to me.” He explained, taking a moment just then to stand and then give himself a shake, ridding his coat of any bits of dirt, old leaves, or other debris that had been clinging to it.

His grin faded just a bit as he then sauntered forth a few steps at a relaxed pace, opting to close the distance between them to something more suitable for conversing. ”That was a nice tune you were humming, earlier. I’m sorry I interrupted it.” Although she didn’t seem particularly bothered by it, the apology felt proper to offer nonetheless.

As the stranger approached, Isomne sniffed questioningly at the air, but it gave away little to her nose. This didn't phase her much. She wasn't in the habit of intensely studying others, instead preferring to get to know them through simple conversation. A chance to share even the briefest of exchanges was all too rare for a traveler, and something to be appreciated. She gave a wag of her tail as her smile was reflected by him, listening intently as he explained what he'd been doing, hidden in the brush like that.

"Like an ambush? I see..." she considered this for a moment, mulling it over as the man shook debris from his coat. Isomne had had little luck trying to replicate the hunting tactics she'd grown up with - mainly tracking creatures and chasing them down - by herself. Relying upon sheer dumb luck and scavenging had kept her from going completely hungry, but it certainly left something to be desired. "I'll have to give that a try sometime, thanks."

She gave an easy shrug at his apology. She was not offended, any perceived slight already forgiven and forgotten. "Don't worry about it! I was just improvising to help pass the time, I guess. It gets awfully quiet, travelling." She said lightly, her tail giving another proud wag. It had been too long since she'd had a chance to chat, but longer still since she had an audience, and the compliment fed a part of her that was close to starvation. She was inclined to offer an encore, but it didn't seem quite tactful to do so just yet. Instead she decided upon an introduction, which she had neglected until now. "I'm Isomne Yvain. Nice to meet you."

The pleasant, welcoming countenance of the stranger appeared to shift ever so slightly into something more thoughtful upon hearing what he’d been doing. She appeared to consider the tactic, as though it were something brand new to her. Perhaps it was? The hunter bit back an urge to continue on in his explanation of the tactic, which he would’ve been more than happy to offer further details on. To help others was perhaps one of the things he took the most pleasure in, now more so than ever. However, now didn’t quite seem like the right moment to go launching into such things just yet.

Instead, Alarick settled for offering a nod of acknowledgment as she thanked him, glad to be of help. ”You’re welcome.” He spoke, sauntering forth a few more steps until the distance between himself and the other was perhaps a few scant body lengths. Much closer now, he could see the dirt that covered her legs was mostly dried, indicating whatever she’d gotten into hadn’t been especially recent. As cold as it was, he couldn’t fault her for not wanting to wash it off, either. Her eyes were a rather warm shade of amber, too, and friendly. He was quite grateful and fortunate that he appeared to have met someone decent so early on in his travels.

The other shrugged off his apology, and though he hadn’t been especially concerned about it, Alarick still found himself relieved to know it wasn’t a big issue. It was his turn to tip his head inquisitively as she spoke, thoroughly intrigued at the notion. He hadn’t the faintest clue how one could go about.. improvising a melody. ”I.. understand that. How do think of the melodies, or.. does it come naturally?” Although he sought to understand it conceptually, either way, it was a talent he certainly didn’t have.

He might’ve completely forgotten about introductions if the other hadn’t shifted to that subject next, providing him her name. The hunter’s ears turned back a notch in slight embarrassment at nearly having forgotten such a thing, although his smile broadened. ”It is a pleasure to meet you too, Isomne. I am Alarick.”

"Alarick," she repeated the name to herself, hoping it would be better committed to her memory. Isomne was pleased to have met him, for he seemed just as pleased as she was. Whether or not they ever met again, she hoped she could remember this encounter with a kind soul on her travels fondly. It had certainly made this cold day a little brighter. She tried to think of how to best answer his question....

It was not that she did not have endless things to say about how to improvise a melody. But, where to begin? Some of her earliest memories were of singing along with the rest of her family. She did her best to think back to the very basics. "Well, you can start by making changes to a song you know... or you can just play with sounds," she paused for the briefest of moments, a breath, and went on. "Like... oooo... is a note," she sang one tone, "and OOOO, that's another... different ones have different relationships, some get along, some don't, and you just try to put them together in a way that works," she realized she probably wasn't making much sense, and stopped herself with a laugh. "Anyway, I'd be happy to trade singing lessons for hunting lessons," she offered, although so far his advice had probably been worth much more than hers was, so far.

(This post was last modified: May 15, 2021, 01:12 AM by Isomne.)

It was an odd experience, to hear someone use his name again, after so many days of quiet. And someone that was not part of his family, at that. It once more threatened to bring thoughts of them to mind, but he forced them away again. Along with the thought of inquiring about directions, at least for the present. He hadn’t considered it before, but how exactly could he explain what had happened to him, without it sounding incredibly odd and.. probably crazy? He was only barely able to make sense of it, himself. To speak of it was.. an entirely different thing to consider. It was likely best to try to avoid that topic altogether, then.

Hearing about singing was far more pleasant, anyway. Alarick listened with keen interest as Isomne elaborated, putting careful consideration into how to structure her responses. Her expression shifted as she thought and went through the various stages of explanation. It tipped his head in a mixture of reverence for the ability, and slight bewilderment.  The hunter believed he had a fairly solid comprehension of what’d been said, but.. very little idea of how to translate that into something tangible.  

”You make it sound simple. But if I tried, you’d probably laugh. Or.. maybe, wish you were deaf.” He shrugged a little at that, a soft chuckle escaping him at what was probably going to amount to a rather lame attempt at humor. His ears turned forward in interest at the proposal though, one he found himself nodding in agreement to rather quickly.

”I believe that’s a fair trade. Two of us are better than one, and I’d be happy to share anything I can.” Alarick offered a smile at that, although in truth it was probably an understatement. To have a purpose again - something to distract from the thought and loss of his family felt nice.

Isomne gave another lighthearted shrug and a noncommittal "hmm", her ears tipping forward to listen as Alarick went on. She wasn't sure if he was being humble, self-deprecating, or truthful, but she sincerely doubted it could be as bad as that. Probably he wasn't giving himself enough credit. She'd certainly never wish herself deaf, at the very least! Singing with others was natural enough for most wolves, and one of her favorite things in the world. It was simple enough to learn, as natural as howling really, and that made it all the harder to master... but Isomne was of the firm belief that sharing in story and song together with other was a truly worthy venture for its own sake. While performing for an audience was wonderful, getting them to participate too was truly transcendent. Perhaps someday, if she was fortunate, she might have a chance to do that again. She was sure she would be glad to hear him sing - after hearing her own voice in solo for the duration of her travels, anything else would be music to her ears!

Her expression transformed into a grateful, exuberant smile at Alarick's second statement. "Really, you meant that?" she asked, enthusiasm redoubled at his simple and straightforward offer. Her earlier somber mood had entirely evaporated now at the prospect of making a new friend. Even if it were just for a short while, camaraderie might just make her new existence far more bearable. She was ready to take him up on the offer without hesitation, assuming he was being  serious and not making an offhand joke. Alarick seemed earnest and friendly; she was inclined to take him at his word.

As it turned out, the joke did indeed flop, maybe even more than that. Perhaps it was more like crashing and burning. All he received in response to it was a dubious and sort of perplexed-looking stare, which made the silence that followed all the more uncomfortable. The former hunter did not usually consider himself to be a supremely self-conscious individual, but it was hard to suppress a feeling of embarrassment at that moment. Unconsciously, he kneaded the ground with his paws, but realized it after a moment and checked the movement, battling the instinctive urges to look away or turn his ears back as well.

Expressions of humor and jokes were still not a good idea, noted. He’d never been particularly good with them, anyway. Best to leave that to others, then, and stick to what he knew.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait long for the subject to shift again slightly, his companion appearing particularly enthused at the prospect of an alliance. It was a feeling the former hunter was also content to bask in, and he offered a spirited nod. ”Yes. I don’t have anywhere else to be. It would be a pleasure to trade knowledge with you.” That was.. well, a bit of a lie. He did have somewhere to be, but no idea how to get back there. But the words were warm and genuine, accompanied by a happy smile and an energetic tail wag.

On a more serious note though, he turned away slightly, gesturing with his nose in the direction of the creek, and then back to where he’d previously been hiding as he posed his tentative inquiry. ”Did you.. notice what I was watching, when I was sitting there?”