Clandestine Brook Heave Away

For @Landen <3
RE: Kyrios, you have become stuck in a deep pool of mud!

How did this even happen? He’d made it through the entirety of the Fen, hardly even getting his paws wet, but as soon as he was on more solid ground his attention slipped, and this was the price; Talk about a sticky situation! Thanks to the spring thaw, the ground around the creeks crisscrossing through the woods had grown swampy as well, and in several places, large pools of mud had formed, some even large enough to swallow a wolf; Almost… Lucky for me!   The Captain had made an error in his calculations and run aground, and he was now in mud up to his shoulders, thoroughly stuck. Thankfully, it had stopped sucking him down, his paws scraping against a more solid foundation below, but despite his wiggling, he just couldn’t get back up. There was no swimming in this thick goop, and every attempt at a step so far had send him slipping and reeling to keep his balance. He needed to get to a bank so he could pull himself up, the question was just how; Well, I’ve been in plenty worse predicaments… He could even name a few within resent months. Unfortunately, that just wasn’t gonna help him get out of this one. Word Count: 206 Thoughts "Speech"

Betty Wiley

(This post was last modified: Apr 16, 2021, 10:34 PM by Kyrios.)

You said you'll never be forgiven 'til your boys are too

Landen had made his venture further south, still looking for this Oak Free Wind that Leith had gone on and on about… he figured @Leander probably wasn’t too far away because he tried to stick close to his brother, but he did have a set of wandering paws so he wasn’t entirely sure where any of his siblings were at right now. He didn’t know why he had thought coming to the fen was a good idea. It was all swampy and gross. He much preferred dry paws to webbed because there were just so many sicknesses that could come from the fungi that grew here.

Either way, he’d deal with that nightmare later. He was carefully crossing a rather sturdy log over a massive mud puddle when he noticed a figure squirming… and what more? He recognized the figure. His eyes widened. “Ky? Is that yer? Aren’t ya a sight fer sore eyes.” After all, he’d been stuck with Leander and Leith this entire time, a tornado and a scaredy cat… Kyrios was a pirate and a much nicer balance to the various different shapes and sizes of chaotic energy that seemed to run in the Stark brood’s blood.

Landen is travelling with Leith and Legolas

@Landen sorry for the wait <3

Supposedly, a mud-soak now and then was good for the skin, or so he’d heard. Kyrios wasn’t really into health trends though, normal water and a few choice herbs were all he needed to keep his pelt neat; And probably a lot of both once I’ve gotten out of this…! Ever the optimist, the wayward Captain didn’t even consider an outcome where he didn’t escape his muddy predicament, despite the ineffectiveness of his current efforts. He simply gave another, harder wiggle, sure that all he needed was a little extra push.   Still no success, or well, at least not in the area of getting him closer to the shore, but as the splashing subsided, a voice called from above, perhaps drawn by the noise. Kyrios tilted his head back, stretching his neck to try and look straight up. Almost directly above him, the trunk of a fallen tree had bridged the pool, the very same he had deemed too safe of an option, lucky for them both, the newcomer had made a smarter choice. Golden eyes crossed slightly as he focused on the other wolf, and then a broad grin spread on his face, finally connecting the familiarity of the voice. “Would ye lookit what washed in on th’ tide?!” He barked cheerily, entirely nonchalant despite the sticky situation.   It had been quite a while since he’d seen any of his younger siblings, and as always, it warmed his heart that their adventures should cross. Plus, although he’d dealt with his strong protective instincts long before this latest batch of rascals was born, he still felt some brotherly anxiety for their wellbeing; Yet today I’m the one in need of rescue… He almost laughed out loud, stopped only by the mud, bubbling so close to his jowls. Instead, he simply called up to his younger half-brother: “Land, ye mind helpin’ me out ‘ere mate?” He gestured vaguely down at the mud, giving an apologetic head tilt, for the inconvenience. Word Count: Thoughts "Speech"

Betty Wiley

You said you'll never be forgiven 'til your boys are too

A conspiratorial grin lit his features and he wrinkled his nose at the question, hearing the nonchalant cheery nature of his voice though Landen certainly noticed the sticky situation that his older brother seemed to be in. “Of course!” He offered when his brother asked for help. He wandered off for a moment, finding a rather sturdy stick that would be chew-worthy. He brought it over and offered it to him, speaking through it. “Grab onto this n’ Ah can ‘elp pull ya out.” He offered because that was really the only help that he could provide.

He had to wonder how his brother had managed to get himself into this mess in the first place, but then he supposed that the captain was always one to get himself in and out of these situations. Landen was glad he had happened upon him when he had otherwise it might have been the demise of the pirate for certain. He had so many questions, like if his brother had been home or if he had run into any of the other Stark children running about the Lore at the moment, but first he needed to get his brother out.

Landen is travelling with Leith and Legolas

Landen was a good sport, not one to overreact as some of their other siblings might. As he trotted off, in search of suitable means for the rescue operation, Kyrios wondered at the luck of this particular brother being the one to find him, but then he shrugged, simply blessing whatever powers had made it so.   Then, quick as a wink, the tawny boy was back, dragging a sturdy looking honk of wood, no doubt recently loosed from its mothering trunk. Kyrios yipped triumphantly, baring his teeth in compliance as his brother extended the branch. He braced his paws against the swampy bottom, as much as he could, and chomped down hard on the wood, doing his best to ignore the unappealing taste. “Heave ho!” He called through the mouth full of branch, preparing to push off as best he could to help, hopefully, hauling him back on dry land. Thoughts "Speech"

Betty Wiley

You said you'll never be forgiven 'til your boys are too

Landen considered it a sign… there had been a part of him that had been debating heading back towards home, but every time he considered, more siblings showed up and it was all the proof he needed that he should stick around a little longer. The Starks had a history here, and he felt as though it was the perfect place to also make his own kind of history. Still, he didn’t know exactly what he was looking for. He supposed that was where the time aspect of the equation came in. He had time to figure all of that out.

Landen braced his paws against the solid piece of the forest floor that he could find, clamping down as the bitter taste flooded his own mouth before pulling, eager to get his brother out of the sticky situation he was in. He wasn’t used to doing this kind of heavy lifting, but he could do it for family, even if he was more of an herbs man than someone with the brute strength to pull another wolf out of the mud. Still, he had to try, right? He held his breath, as if breathing would make his efforts less effective somehow even though that was not the case.

Landen is travelling with Leith and Legolas

Landen’s pull was strong, enough to start moving his older brother out of the mud, despite the younger’s slightly lankier build. Kyrios for his part, did his best to help, straining against the mucky bottom with his large, steady paws, slowly pushing forwards as Landen heaved. Inch by inch, the Captain moved towards shore, his tail drifting on top of the mud, steering left and right like a rutter.   He dared not press to hard on his end, still worried that his paws might slip at any moment, as they had on his previous attempts. Instead he led the tawny boy take the lead, fighting off the mud through that slow, steady pull. Beneath him he felt that tricky incline which had foiled him before, but with Landen’s support, the older wolf was able to take several steps up towards the bank, feeling his burden lighten as first his shoulders and then his back cleared the mud.   Finally, he felt confident enough to apply more of his own strength, digging his claws into the rocky muck and half leaping forwards. Mucky fingers clung to his fur, trying to drag him back down and just then, his pack paws began to slip, even as he set off, trying to put everything he had into the jump. It was just enough to free him, though the weight of the mud pulled all the power out of his leap, sending him floundering straight at his brother, with only the stick between them. Thoughts "Speech"

Betty Wiley

You said you'll never be forgiven 'til your boys are too

He was relieved to see his brother moving along with the effort. Landen took after his father in many ways, straight down to the lanky limbs and having a bigger interest in plants than most other wolves… family being the clear exception to that rule. He was moving towards the shore, and then his brother was finding his way to the shore, leaping out of the mud with all the power he could muster. Landen’s eyes widened as his brother came barreling for him, taking him down not that it took much to blow him over.

He went crashing to the ground, a ‘hmmphf’ sound falling from his mouth when he hit the ground which was followed by a soft groan. “Ow.” He offered in a low groan before rolling, taking a moment to catch his breath as the wind had effectively been knocked out of him. He wrinkled his nose as he realized in dismay that there were hints of mud in his fur. “Love ya too, Ky, but next time Ah don’t need th’mud bath as thanks.” He couldn’t help but rib and tease his brother as he pushed his way to his feet and he shook his pelt out, not that it did too much.

Landen is travelling with Leith and Legolas

A warren of rabbits is hidden under a nearby tree. +3 Health

Stick and Captain both, flew headfirst at Landen, sending both wolves sprawling. Kyrios supplied a grunt of his own, scrambling to untangle himself from the younger man although his legs and lungs protested painfully. “Aye,” he concurred with Landen’s groan of pain, pausing for a few deep breaths of his own while still in a half-sit.   He felt a faint throbbing in one, outstretched leg, the one that had collided most awkwardly with the stick. But it was no worse than so many scrabes he’d endured in the past. In any case, he was easily distracted by Landen, grinning broadly at the lad’s plight. Kyrios himself, of course, was completely covered in mud after his unintended bath, the only hints of cream fur still visible on the top of his head, russet ears flicking amusedly. “Ah, it’s good fer ye!” He barked, unapologetic, laughter in his voice and sparkling in his goldenrod eyes; “Ye should know, y’re good with med’cines ‘n that.”   Still, the Captain thought some form of thanks was in order, and so he pushed to his feet, grimacing briefly at the jolt in his leg. Before approaching his brother, he performed a shake of his own, though it seemed even more ineffective than Landen’s. Then he shuffled over, lifting one muddy paw to pat the younger man’s shoulder – one which already had a spot of mud on it. “Thank ye mate, I’d’ve been in a right pinch without ye.” Thoughts "Speech"

Betty Wiley