Swallow Swallet count your blessings

With autumn in full swing, temperatures every day seemed to cool a little further, and absent almost any reason to linger - or another plan to deal with or survive it, Alarick had opted in recent days to turn south. Although it seemed a rare thing these days, if luck was on his side, perhaps doing so would mean the winter weather would be just a little less harsh. And maybe, just a little bit more manageable, on his own.

As with almost everything lately, the journey was easy, mostly uneventful. These trees in this portion of the land though were taller and more spacious, something the former hunter preferred over some of the places he’d seen in the past. He supposed he preferred uneventful over something extreme or dangerous, anyway. That was a blessing, too. Despite all that’d happen, he still had things to be grateful for.

Ahead, though, the trees and vegetation thinned out, affording Alarick a glimpse at the cloudy sky above. As he advanced on it, though, it became evident that the area was not just a clearing. The trickle of water echoed to him from somewhere, but that was not what held his focus. Perhaps one of the last things he had expected to find in such an.. ordinary-seeming place, was a chasm that looked both incredibly wide and deep.

Against better judgement, he chose to venture closer, taking slow, calculated steps, until he stood just a few lengths from the rim. Vegetation was present, dangling over and down into the sides of the opening, while an earthen scent rose up from within the chasm. Aside from that, though, there was little else to be seen in the abyss… except, stone and then darkness.

@Alarick

Clover traipsed through the forest, head tilted backwards to gaze up at the large cedarwoods. They seemed larger than any of the other tree species around, and it was a bit of a shame that the bark from the trees had no inherent medicinal properties as there was so much of it around.

Her curiosity was averted by the scent of another wolf on the air, and she followed it, wondering who else was around and what they may be up to. It did not take her too long before she set eyes on the other wolf, even as they blended in fairly well with the now browned autumn leaves. "Hello," she called out in a cheery tone, hoping to alert the wolf to her presence so as to not scare him.

She moved closer, noticing that his attention lay on something beyond, and after a few steps a small gasp left her maw. Staring down at an immense drop, she could make out a deep pool of water below, surrounded by vegetation. If a wolf was to fall in, well, she was unsure of how they would get out. "I wonder what caused this?" She said a bit more quietly, awe apparent in her voice as she spoke, but now very cautious of the edge, not wanting to accidentally tumble in.

The abnormality of such a thing kept him staring for perhaps longer than it should’ve, though he couldn’t deny the urge to just take a quick look over the very edge, so he started forth to do just that. Closing the last of the distance, Alarick peered down, to.. what appeared to be a pool of very dark, murky water down there. And probably no way to get out if someone to fall in. Assuming they survived the fall, anyway.

Hello, a rather friendly sounding voice called out, managing to startle him more than it should’ve. The former hunter turned about quickly, ears pressing back as his eyes settled on the figure of another. Her amiable expression quickly put to rest any concerns he had, though, and he offered a small, almost apologetic nod.

”Good morning,” Alarick offered after a breath to steady himself. At any other place or in any other time, the wanderer doubted such a greeting would’ve caught him off guard as much as it had, here. He was quite fortunate that this individual seemed to be the pleasant sort, just as wary of the giant hole in the ground as he was. And not someone that.. sought to toss another in, for their own amusement.

His gaze was brought back to the spectacle as the other wondered what had created it. ”I am not sure I would want to know,” the hunter murmured in response. There were some things, Alarick thought, that were better left unanswered. This seemed like one of those.

It seemed her attempt to not scare the other wolf only partially worked, but at the very least he had not toppled over into the deep hole. She did not want to think about the consequences of that happening. He responded with a greeting of his own, before returning his attention back to the hole, and her gaze swiftly followed. It was apparent that neither of them knew how the hole had formed, and she found herself internally agreeing with him. Surely whatever had happened was not good, and she could only hope it would not happen again and form a new hole, one potentially closer to her home. It was enough of a hazard that she felt glad it was so far away from where her children were allowed to explore.

"Must've been something pretty intense." Clover peered over the edge, not daring to get her paws too close to where the ground dropped away for fear of mis-stepping or the ground crumbling away beneath her paws. After she had gazed at it for a short time, she eventually stepped back, putting enough distance between herself and the deep hole that she felt comfortable again. "I'm Clover," she said to the male with a smile, ears pricking forward to show that her attention was now on him.

The former hunter could only nod in vague agreement to the statement put forth by the stranger. Whatever was the mysterious cause of this, intense seemed like an appropriate word for it.

Alarick decided that he was going to be a lot more careful in his travels, from this point onwards. He didn’t think any grown wolf could fall in there, by accident, anyway. Even if they were in the middle of a hunt, or something like that, this was obvious enough he believed someone would be able to avoid it. But what about a curious youth? That thought did concern him. If these lands hid other hazards like this, maybe.. it was actually good, that the place seemed so sparsely populated, to this point.

So unaccustomed to company, was he after months of wandering nearly alone, that in such a short time, he’d almost forgotten someone else was standing close by. Her name was Clover, she said, bringing his attention back to her rather quickly. She smiled amiably back at him, and at the sight of such a kindly expression, he felt just a little bit of stabbing pain and guilt in his heart.

”A pleasure. Alarick. Or Al, if you prefer,” the former hunter spoke with a slight nod, mirroring the smile to a lesser extent. He hadn’t forgotten his manners, though he wondered if this woman would pick up on his true state of being as easily as Levi had. It was hard to bring himself to feel anything, anymore. Alarick still missed things like this, but realized he didn’t particularly want to socialize, either. Especially not with someone he wasn’t likely to see again, after this.

He mirrored her friendly demeanor, and offered up a name of his own. "It's nice to meet you, Alarick," she said, choosing to use his proper name as opposed to the nickname he had also given her. Not that she had anything against nicknames, in fact she quite liked them, but just felt that they were more for when two wolves got to know each other better, rather than for use with a new acquaintance or friendly face. Though perhaps he would not be opposed to getting to know her, and vice versa, and she figured it was worth a shot.

"I'm going to take a guess that you don't live around here, considering you're just as intrigued by this hole as I am," Clover said with a wolfish grin, tail swishing happily behind her. It was a good day today, and she felt happy, a little playful even, but made sure she kept her composure in check just enough to not scare him away too quickly. It would do her some good to just enjoy the experience of meeting a new face and getting to know them, or at the very least learn just one small fact about them, even if it was just that they were passing through on their way somewhere in particular.

Clover stated that it was nice to meet him, and at that, the former hunter once more tipped his head. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like this stranger could see past his half-fabricated display of good manners. Despite his present situation, and the more pessimistic tone of his thoughts in general as of lately, Alarick definitely did not want that to negatively affect someone else. If he could, he decided he would try to let that go, for now. To try to enjoy this meeting for whatever it was worth, and for however long it would last.

The other was offering him a grin this time as she spoke again, her posture and demeanor showing a sort of easy-going contentment Alarick hadn’t felt since his meeting with Seri. But it was contagious, and a nice change. Something that allowed him to loosen up a little more. ”Your guess is correct. I am.. just passing by. And, as intriguing as this is,” the former hunter spoke, with a wry smile and a glance towards the gaping chasm, ”I believe I will be quite glad when it is far behind me.” At that, the former hunter took a couple of pointed steps away from the hole, seeking to affirm his paws were indeed on truly solid ground.

”May I inquire as to what brought you here?” He questioned, for the first time taking a moment to truly study the other. Though a smaller wolf, Clover was.. surprisingly pretty, he thought for a moment, but there was one detail that stuck out beyond that, now that he focused on it. They weren’t the most evident, but she seemed to carry the scents of others, with her.

He returned her wide smile with a more gentle and soft one, but it was a smile nonetheless. His words affirmed her thoughts, and she briefly wondered where he was going, or if he even had an idea of where he wanted to go. Adventure was a fickle thing, and though some days she felt the urge to go wander, she was happy where she was, content even. She had a place to go home, and three wonderful children to watch over and make sure they lived a good life. "I can agree with you there, this hole seems dangerous to anyone not watching their step." She would warn the others of this crater to make sure none of them accidentally fell in if they did not somehow notice it.

Clover nodded at his question, more than happy to answer it. "I was doing a bit of exploring, searching around for any herbs or plants that may be useful to me, but it seems as if they've all disappeared for the upcoming winter." It wasn't too much of a bother as she had already stocked up enough to last during winter unless everyone got sick or something bad happened to her den, but she always liked to be on the lookout just in case. "I'm a healer by trade," she quickly added, in case Alarick was unsure of why she would be out looking for such plants.

The other agreed that the hole was dangerous though, and with her comment, the former hunter offered a slight nod. ”I.. hate to think of that happening to anyone. It is.. terrifying.” He didn’t even want to let his thoughts go there, and he was more than content to listen as his company elaborated

She had come here in search of useful herbs, which made sense. Alarick noted that she did not mention the herbs being useful for anyone other than herself, though, which was curious. He was fairly sure she had to be part of some kind of group, though maybe it wasn’t large enough to be worth mentioning. Or, alternatively, despite Clover’s apparent friendliness, the group as a whole was guarded, secretive. A subject he would avoid, then.

The other spoke that she was a healer, which he’d surmised - but it was nice to have that confirmed. ”I see. I am.. sorry to hear that. Winter makes everything more difficult.” He spoke, recalling that the healers back home had also had trouble with their duties at times. Herbs weren’t something he often thought of, which was a definite shortcoming on his part. Winter was a horrible beast all around.

”I.. regret not learning more about that subject, when I had the chance, and I would not mind the opportunity to learn from you. In return, I would be willing to offer my assistance in your search, if you think it would be beneficial.” The former hunter tipped his head slightly as he put forth the offer. It certainly did not hurt to ask, for the worst she could say was no. At best perhaps he could help someone, and gain a little knowledge to possess himself, for it.  Something else came to mind though, at that. ”Please, though, do not feel obligated to accept. If you prefer to work alone, I understand completely.” Certainly, he also did not want to intrude or inconvenience the other, either.

It seemed they were in agreement on their thoughts of the hole, and she took another few steps away from it, just to be sure. She shrugged her shoulders at his next words, a soft hmm leaving her mouth. "It's all part of the process. If they were around all year they wouldn't have time to re-seed and grow for the next season's harvest." A little went a long way when used correctly, and while it could be a bit annoying at times, she felt it was for the best in the long term for the viability of the plants themselves.

Her eyes brightened at the mention of him being open to the idea of learning a thing or two from her about healing and herbs, and she felt her tail wagging happily behind her of its own volition. It was not often someone asked her straight up for a lesson, so this was more than exciting, and she was always more than happy to share her knowledge. If she could help them help even just one other wolf from sharing what she knew, then it was a win-win in her eyes.

"Oh not at all!" She said quite excitedly. "I think it's a great idea! And two eyes are always better than one." Even if her companion did not know the ins and outs of the plant she was searching for, just having them help look made it a lot easier than if she was by herself, and while she was content to do the work by herself, she would never turn down the opportunity to work alongside another wolf.

"Is there anything in particular you would like to know about? Otherwise I can just give a brief explanation on the basics and main herbs that I think are most important." She had a vast knowledge of many different plants, roots, leaves, and other assortment of things with medicinal properties, and was sure she would have an answer for any question he may have. "I can explain it to you while we search together, that way we can do two things at once." She grinned at him, excited at the prospect of having a semi-proper teaching lesson. The only plant she knew that was still viable to gather at this time of year and was likely to grow in the forest was Black hawthorn, and she figured it would be easy enough for Alarick to identify even with a very basic knowledge. Perhaps she could even find some White Fir if she was lucky.

(This post was last modified: Dec 14, 2021, 07:17 AM by Clover.)