Shroud of the Lost too much candy gonna rot your soul (m)

Random Event: You've come across a cache of stored apples, preserved but fully fermented. Cheers!
For @Loach only. Rated mature due to wolfy kisses.

He'd gone too far. That was clear, and yet... what was the rush? Clouse had his whole life to backtrack. He was onto a different scent in this moment, and not at all plussed about following after it and putting the (in)famous mountain range further behind him. It led to disturbed earth, another animal having already beaten him to the punch. Apparently, it had not found the stowed contents worthwhile. Clouse, on the other hand, was quite pleased to breathe in the sour scent of fermented apples.

Bingo. He was far from unfamiliar with such indulgences, and found the only thing missing now was company with which to share the bounty. For not the first time since leaving home, Clouse found himself feeling a touch... lonely.

(This post was last modified: Jan 17, 2023, 08:46 PM by Clouse.)

And the monkey paw curled, for Loach would be the other man's company.

He too was not wholly unfamiliar with the product of fermentation in certain edible things. The coast hadn't had much to ferment well, but he had been gift a thing or two in his travels. Pretty faces with pretty things. That kind of company he enjoyed most. Fleeting pleasure in his lackluster life.

Yet now it seemed his days were laid waste to responsibility. Not that he hated it by any means, it just meant he often times walked a different path.

With Lana back at camp, though? And Llinnea seemed to get a bit wiser every day...well, he felt afforded the chance to branch out again. To follow the scent of sour apples on the breeze. Granted he was not the only one and he had to wonder if this man had been the one to cultivate them.

I'll make a trade with ya, if you're wantin'. His voice a warm rumble in his throat.

A voice found him then, causing his ears to jump and bright eyes to search for its owner. He met the other wolf's face with a broad grin, though recognition of what had been said tempered this expression. Trade? His sterling gaze darted to the found stores and then back to the stranger. Had what he found belonged to this man, or was he interested in acquiring them from Clouse? Having happened upon both place and items, he was utterly unsure.

He decided to try a small dose of charm, or at least his own approximation of such.

"All I'd really be interested in is your time," he proffered, tail wagging amiably and smile openly wry.

"How about we share?"

marking this post Mature for light suggestion SORRY

He blinked once.

Was he being...propositioned? Something about the thought short circuited his brain. Now, he was not about to go and turn down good, warm company. He just did not know if he should be indulging like that. What if the man came back to camp expecting...more?

Granted, was that really also such a terrible thought? Maybe only for all the questions it might raise.

He shifted his weight, as if he was really as old as his greys often dared to convince others he was. Alrighty, but fair warning...you get one too many apples in me and I might be singing all night. Good natured tone, even if he felt immediately embarrassed by his own words.

Hesitation, and then-

"Hah!" Clouse couldn't help the laugh, pleasantly surprised by the other man's answer.

"Long as you don't mind me singin' along I think we'll be just fine," he replied, now feeling quite a bit more relaxed. The goods available to their taking would only further help to this end, and he felt far more confident now that he was in for a fun afternoon, if not night. It was about time the monotony was broken up, @Wrynn having been the last good company Clouse had seen.

Tail still wagging, he turned to complete the unearthing of this bounty and rolled a few mushy servings toward the other wolf before settling down upon his haunches with his own apple at his paws. Already they felt sticky from the sour-smelling juices.

"What should we toast to?"

The other man was good company. Loach became easily endeared by other men in these ways. When they shared warm and loud moments that it felt could only be mustered between the masculine.

He ignored the warm flush of his cheeks. He hadn't even devoured the stash yet!

Oh, I'll teach you a shanty or two if you get me goin'. He huffed with warm amusement. Happily he took his serving and settled down across from the other man. Charmed in full. Especially when being asked what to toast to.

Well, I'll be honest, I got a lots more to toast than I thought I would. 'Specially in the winter. His voice vibrated with humor and delight. Let's be toastin' to the health of my little crew, hm? But what do you be toastin' to, Mister...? Loach allowed his tongue to flick out over a soft apple.

Ooh, a shanty? The stranger's way of speaking rang familiar with Clouse, reminding him of his myriad of seaside cousins. Did this wolf fancy himself a 'pirate' as they so often did? He'd find out, no doubt, as the occasion wore on. Further curiosities continued to spill from his impromptu companion, and he wondered too if maybe he'd get the chance to meet this self-professed crew.

"Clouse," he answered first, buying a moment to mull over his own priorities. It came far too simply, but there was nothing else he'd come to want in his young life.

"Freedom," fell easily from his lips.

"I'm most thankful for m' freedom."

He bit into the fruit then, savoring the sharp taste only for the pleasant buzz he knew it would bring on. Acquired, others had called it. His tail thumped the snowy ground happily, and his eyes closed briefly in the picture of contentment.

"Tell me more about you n' this crew?"

Clouse.

It felt formal. Warm when mumbled softly under his breath. What was a man like Clouse doing out here? Alone with his fancy name and bundle of spicy apples? Maybe Loach had become charmed too quickly, and the apples could not even be blamed yet.

That's a good thing to be toastin' to. He swung his muzzle upwards in a cheering motion. Then he too pierced the soft flesh of the fruit. A slow ooze of the booze right into his mouth. It was a good taste, in his mind. Even if the bitterness jarred him from how much he had tasted the fatty, salty flesh of fish lately.

Just three o' us. He hummed, licking his lips and accidentally wetting them with the boozy fruit. Me, a woman and a girl. And before you go gettin' any ideas, it ain't a family, Mister Clouse. He chuckled out these words with a glint in his gaze.

A warm, pleasant feeling slipped down his throat along with each soupy bite. It heated him slowly from the inside out, making the snow around inconsequential and chasing away reservations he might have otherwise held. What was there to be mistrustful of, after all? His company was nothing short of a gentleman so far, and Clouse did not anticipate this to change. The young Archer's guard was officially down.

Mister Clouse. He couldn't help a chuckle as he slid down onto his stomach, relaxing fully and stretching out his dark forelegs. He was unfamiliar with such formality, regardless of how his own moniker sounded to anyone else.

"And what ideas of you should I have then, signore... ?" he tossed back teasingly this stranger's way of asking, still regarding the other with a wide and good-natured smile.

(This post was last modified: Jan 15, 2023, 12:32 AM by Clouse.)

Loach allowed his legs to splay out behind him in a frog-like manner. Relaxed, at ease. Between the company and the apples, he felt that he was in for a good night.

Maybe he should have considered the walk back to the split, but... He could revisit that at a later time.

What ideas do you want to have? I'm a seafaring scraggly man named after a fish. Loach. Anything good come from those types? His voice was brimming over with humor as he bit into the apple this time. Allowing more of the fermented mash to be juiced between his teeth.