Skyfall Glen respite

-continuation of this thread set later in the same day. @Siyet

Onwards Jethro had continued with a new acquaintance to accompany him, ascending just a little higher into the hilly terrain, and closer to the colossal mountain. The two of them had continued to follow a small stream, scanning for signs of prey trails as they went, which the dark one found were becoming more common. Also present, though, the further they went, was the unmistakable scent of water. A lot of it.

A few more minutes passed before he caught a glimpse of something wonderful. ”A lake!” The dark one exclaimed aloud. It appeared the stream they had been following had come from the lake, meaning their plan to follow it had been worthwhile. The mountains had more than one lake, it seemed, and unlike the one the Cove wolves lived around, he hadn’t had to climb nearly as far to get to this one.

”C’mon, let’s go!” The search for food was forgotten for a moment, Jethro did not waste another moment launching forward into a sprint, quickly weaving his way through the last of the trees that separated him from the lake. He did not slow even upon reaching the shore, but continued forth, leaping into the wonderfully cold water to submerge himself in it, enjoying the relief it provided from the summer heat.

He didn’t expect the two of them to have any trouble finding food somewhere along the shores of this lake, be it fish, or some other land animal that might venture here for a drink.

(This post was last modified: Aug 07, 2021, 04:59 AM by Jethro.)

(Aug 07, 2021, 04:59 AM)Jethro Wrote:  

-continuation of this thread set later in the same day. @Siyet

Onwards Jethro had continued with a new acquaintance to accompany him, ascending just a little higher into the hilly terrain, and closer to the colossal mountain. The two of them had continued to follow a small stream, scanning for signs of prey trails as they went, which the dark one found were becoming more common. Also present, though, the further they went, was the unmistakable scent of water. A lot of it.

A few more minutes passed before he caught a glimpse of something wonderful. ”A lake!” The dark one exclaimed aloud. It appeared the stream they had been following had come from the lake, meaning their plan to follow it had been worthwhile. The mountains had more than one lake, it seemed, and unlike the one the Cove wolves lived around, he hadn’t had to climb nearly as far to get to this one.

”C’mon, let’s go!” The search for food was forgotten for a moment, Jethro did not waste another moment launching forward into a sprint, quickly weaving his way through the last of the trees that separated him from the lake. He did not slow even upon reaching the shore, but continued forth, leaping into the wonderfully cold water to submerge himself in it, enjoying the relief it provided from the summer heat.

He didn’t expect the two of them to have any trouble finding food somewhere along the shores of this lake, be it fish, or some other land animal that might venture here for a drink.

After traveling for a little while upstream, the other wolf spotted it first, a wonderfully, cool looking lake. Siyet followed as he ran towards the lake then jumped in, and she jumped in too.

The water helped to cool her down as it's ran through her fur. She swam around in the water enjoying the colder temperature. It reminded her of the lake nearby where she used to live.

As she was swimming she felt something brush against her leg.

"Fish! Lots of them!"

She turned into the water and dove headfirst, trying to find on of those tasty, delectable fish. She looked in the water and found her prey. She snapped her jaws towards it.

The next moment she rose from under the water with a wriggling little fish between her teeth.

"I goff une! (I got one)" She said with a mouthful of fish.

A young Bull Elk has gotten separated from its herd. Hunt opportunity! +10 Health

The excitement at finding something as simple as a lake was shared between the two of them, it seemed, as Siyet was quick to trail him into the water, jumping into the cool liquid with matching fervor. It was the most energetic he'd seen her yet, and a far cry from the timid creature he had met only a few short hours ago. For a short time, the two of them swam and splashed, relishing the feel of the cool water.

Siyet was the first to note the presence of fish, and once Jethro paused, planting his limbs into the mucky ground beneath the water, he could see that she was indeed correct. Dozens of little fish had been stirred up by their disturbance of the once tranquil lake, the creatures darting this way and that through the water. Siyet was able to snag one without too much difficulty, emerging from the water with a prize in her jaws.

Jet flashed her a toothy grin and a nod. "Few more of those would make for a nice snack!" At that, he traipsed away from her, intent on creating enough room for each of them to fish without disrupting the other's hunt. Once he'd gotten a decent distance away he stilled himself in the water, patiently waiting for his prey to come closer. They did, and he took a dive. At first he came up empty, but after two subsequent attempts, he had some good fortune.

A prize in his jaws, Jethro bit down on the small, scaley creature, stilling it's wriggling in his mouth. With that done, the dark one trudged back to shore, placing the deceased fish beside a large stone along the shoreline, where he could keep a clear eye on it. That done, he turned to wade back in, intent on repeating the process to attempt to catch a few more before he ate.

(Aug 07, 2021, 07:09 PM)Jethro Wrote:  The excitement at finding something as simple as a lake was shared between the two of them, it seemed, as Siyet was quick to trail him into the water, jumping into the cool liquid with matching fervor. It was the most energetic he'd seen her yet, and a far cry from the timid creature he had met only a few short hours ago. For a short time, the two of them swam and splashed, relishing the feel of the cool water.

Siyet was the first to note the presence of fish, and once Jethro paused, planting his limbs into the mucky ground beneath the water, he could see that she was indeed correct. Dozens of little fish had been stirred up by their disturbance of the once tranquil lake, the creatures darting this way and that through the water. Siyet was able to snag one without too much difficulty, emerging from the water with a prize in her jaws.

Jet flashed her a toothy grin and a nod. "Few more of those would make for a nice snack!" At that, he traipsed away from her, intent on creating enough room for each of them to fish without disrupting the other's hunt. Once he'd gotten a decent distance away he stilled himself in the water, patiently waiting for his prey to come closer. They did, and he took a dive. At first he came up empty, but after two subsequent attempts, he had some good fortune.

A prize in his jaws, Jethro bit down on the small, scaley creature, stilling it's wriggling in his mouth. With that done, the dark one trudged back to shore, placing the deceased fish beside a large stone along the shoreline, where he could keep a clear eye on it. That done, he turned to wade back in, intent on repeating the process to attempt to catch a few more before he ate.

Siyet was content with her fish, she was glad to finally have some food. She saw the dark once attempt a few times to get a fish with no luck. She snickered a little, fish still in her mouth. The fish took this opportunity to wriggle loose from her mouth. She looked over at the other and saw that he finally got on. She had to catch some more for the one she lost.

She dove back in and snapped her jaws. She missed the first time. She went back for some air and took a moment to enjoy the cool breeze coming off the lake in her face. After that moment, she dove back in and was able to snag one. She came back up and saw that the other had put his fish by a rock for safe keeping. Good idea, she thought to herself. She deposited her fish next to his and pranced back in joyfully.

Back in the water she was able to catch another two fish and thought the three would suffice, she was too hungry to keep fishing. She got to shore and shook her fur furiously to get the wet off it. She looked and saw the other near the pile of fish.

"I was able to snag three of them, how did you do?" She smiled at her new companion. A new light in her eyes.

Fishing, at least in this lake seemed relatively easy, and Jethro was grateful that it was one of the few forms of hunting that he'd practiced a fair amount, before now. The dark one did not consider himself perfect, but his time spent amongst wolves who wouldn't have given a shit if he starved had taught him about survival. He'd had to learn to get food where and when he could - fish had been a fairly common theme, then. Easy as it was, though, it was a somewhat time-consuming process.

Each time he made a movement or caught a fish, he'd have to wait, almost completely motionlessly for the rest of them to settle down, before he could make a move again. But he was a patient man and given just how damned hot it was out, there wasn't anywhere he'd rather be than in the lake, anyway. On one of his trips back up to place a fish on the shore, he spotted movement further along the lake - a younger bull elk that must've ventured down for a drink.

While he didn't think only the two of them could kill such a creature, at least it did prove their thoughts right. Other land animals were coming here, making this a decent spot to hunt for more than just fish, if the need arose. He wasn't quite sure just how long they'd been at it, but as he approached the shoreline with a fifth catch in possession, Jethro noted that the sun was beginning to set in the sky, bathing the lake and surrounding area in a rather majestic hue of red and orange. This place was absolutely stunning, and he had a feeling he'd be back here.

His attention was brought to Siyet as she posed a question, and he let the fish he had drop to the ground reply. "Got five. Couple of 'em are pretty small, though. You?" But still, five was a decent amount. Studying his newest acquaintance, Jet had to admit the other looked better than she had, earlier. Happier, more energized. That was good.

"Also, have ya thought about if you'd like to meet the mountain pack. Or, the other one?" Jethro questioned, harkening back to what he'd been asked, earlier. If she chose either, he hoped it would be the cove wolves, as he felt a little better about bringing Siyet there. Either way, though, with a bit of food, water, and rest, the journey to meet either group would be much more manageable now.

(This post was last modified: Aug 08, 2021, 01:31 AM by Jethro.)

Siyet was impressed that he had caught so many fish. Although, she would have more if that one wouldn't have gotten away from her. Pesky little fish. She felt happy that she was able to catch some food and would soon have a full belly. She started to dig into one of the fish when the other posed a question about meeting a pack.

"Another pack huh?" She took another bite of fish. "I mean..are they friendly? I don't want to impose on anyone.." She looked up at the other and studied him for a minute. She could see that he had a contemplative look. Like maybe he was deciding if it was even a good idea.

She was starting to feel homesick. Maybe being around other wolves would help that. Maybe she would be able to find out what happened. If not maybe she could make some friends who could support her as much as she wanted to support them.

She thought about this some more, looked back at the lake then at the other while taking another bite. She was starting to feel more energized with food in her belly.

With the sun beginning to set, the heat of the day also finally seemed as if it were beginning to fade away. The air was still hot, humid - though a cool breeze coming from across the lake helped with that. Jethro settled in, picking a fish at random and beginning to tear and chew at it while his company thought over her answer to the question he'd posed. There was a note of hesitancy there, as well as an understandable desire not to impose on anyone. It was a desire the dark one understood to a degree, though their reasons for it were likely much different.

"Yeah, the mountain wolves are pretty cool. I have a friend there, and I spent some time helping them out before comin' down here to explore." They had seemed open enough to welcoming him at the time, which was saying something. He wasn't sure how it'd go now, given how long he'd been away, but he did not think Siyet would have any trouble being accepted into their group, if that was what she wanted, anyway. He shrugged at that, pausing to tear and consume another chunk of meat from one of the fish at his paws, before continuing. "They live by a lake, too." He tacked on. It was almost as though he missed the place. Or more so, the friend he'd left behind, there.

The dark one gave his head a shake, continuing with his meal with an occasional glance towards Siyet. He didn't particularly care what she chose, though the cynical portion of his mind sort of wanted to get rid of her sooner, rather than later. He wasn't sure he wanted to make friends with someone else, only to have to leave them behind eventually, too.

Siyet pondered at the thought of meeting another pack. She wasn't entirely sure how that would go down. She had once been a part of a pack and it had pretty good structure. Trying to learn all of the intricacies of a different pack probablynwouldnt be easy.

She took a break to roll around on the ground to scratch her back. "If they are close to the lake how come we haven't seen them?" She asked. She turned back onto her feet and continued to eat fish. Hopefully this new pack wouldn't despise her, and they would as least be willing to accept her for who she is.

Relative silence fell over the two of them for a time, while Siyet seemed to contemplate her answer, as well as what she wanted. She hadn't told him a lot about herself as of yet, which again contrasted heavily with his friend back at the cove. Nori had been far more open about her desires, her history, and her family, even on the first day they'd met. Siyet, though, was seemingly more introspective, which Jethro respected. As he took and chewed another mouthful of fish, the other responded to his question with one of her own.

"They're at a different lake. Maybe a day or so away, higher up in the mountains." Having traversed the region a bit, Jethro was had grown more accustomed to the challenges of climbing and descending from the heights. By no means was he perfect, but practice helped. It was a luxury he was not certain his companion had. "If you wanna go, I'll take ya there. If not.. come tomorrow, I'm gonna keep explorin'." He offered a small shrug in addition, uncertain as to the intentions of the other.