Bramble Falls venture

The moment he’d seen it, he had known. He wanted to get up there, no matter the effort required or the cost to himself. Summer continued in full swing, though they were in the latter half of that now. Waiting any longer would just make the trip all the more difficult.

Maybe it still was. But he wanted to get as high up on that mountain as he could. Maybe even to the very top, if possible.

Jadon did not, however, intend to rush the journey. Although he’d never been much of a fisherman, the wanderer supposed it couldn’t hurt to try his luck when an opportunity presented itself. Here, in the wake of a stream and falls that cascaded down from the mountains he eventually planned on ascending was an opportunity to do just that.

He tentatively dipped into the water downstream, where it was calmer, seeking any movement. Any sign of a fish he might be able to snag.

--aw - 78F/26C

She had been lazily treading water downstream from the waterfalls, the nearby rushing water providing a nice background noise. Although treading water was perhaps not quite the correct term, as her paws most definitely were able to touch he silty ground. But it was the thought that count, right?

Rye blew bubbles from her nose, enjoying the frothy feeling it produced around her muzzle. Caught up in her gleeful and childlike enjoyment of such a simple action, she did not realise another wolf had appeared further upstream until they had stepped into the water.

Almost like a shark stalking its prey she began to slowly move closer, only her nostrils and top of her head visible above the water. Rye was not expecting to catch the wolf unawares given the visibility of her red-hued fur, but it was fun nonetheless.

Keen as he was, searching for any sign of movement, he did eventually spy a disturbance in the water ahead of him, coming at him downstream from the waterfall. It was a wolf, he realized, that almost seemed to be slithering through the water, with only a portion of her head and nose visible.

He’d heard of a catfish before, but never a wolffish. Had he been the sort, Jadon might’ve afforded a laugh at the thought, but as it were, he simply continued to watch bemusedly. Was this some sort of fishing technique he’d never heard of, before? Maybe?

If so, it seemed to work, or at least aid him. Suddenly, there was a flash of movement much closer. He lunged, and managed to snag a fish by the tail. It flopped about in his grasp, threatening to break free and nearly smacked him in the face a couple of times before he was able to get out of the water and kill it. Either way though, it was successful.

Glancing back to her, the loner gestured with his nose first to the fish, and then back to her, head tipping inquisitively. Do you want this? He meant to ask. It seemed fair, considering she'd quite possibly aided him.

An animal that smells of burnt fur can be seen nearby tending to its young, each account for and unharmed. {BWP}

It seemed she had been spotted almost immediately. Using her tail like a rudder Rye steered herself up the creek, splashing just a bit as she half-walked half-swam towards the male, beady yellow eyes locked on his tawny form. She wasn't expecting him to suddenly lunge into the water, skittering off to the side as he thrashed about with something in the water.

But upon realising he merely had a quite angry fish in his jaws she resumed her stalking, watching as he exited the water to put an end to the fishes' demise. Rye stood still in the creek, lifting her muzzle out of the water just enough to reveal her mouth and chin, licking her lips as she stared at the wolf. Although fish wasn't her favourite piece of meat, it was still food, and she couldn't be too picky.

The wolf gestured between her and the fish, a clear question in his eyes, and she grinned silently at him. She wouldn't say no to a free offer of food. She exited the creek with a few prancing hops, shaking out her coat with gusto. Rye wasted no time in moving towards the wolf and the fish, keeping her body language neutral so he understood she wasn't going to try anything devious (yet), and took a large bite out of the fish, happily chewing on it as she sat back on her haunches.

"What brings you out this way?" She asked after swallowing, licking her lips again.

The stranger didn’t hesitate to bounce forth and snatch up the fish mere moments after it was offered. There was a grin on her part, which he responded to with a small nod.

He took a few steps back after that, providing her space to grab and eat. Strangers fascinated him, with the differences in personality and codes of ethics.

Jadon had met others before who had outright refused any sort of help, even when it was clear they needed it. That they would potentially die otherwise. Then there were others - perhaps as this young woman - who despite not appearing to be in need, showed no hesitation whatsoever.

Opportunists.

Each had their reasons, and it wasn’t his place to judge them. At least not outwardly.

A question was asked. Simple enough to answer, and he pointed again with his nose, this time upwards, to the mountains. That was what’d brought him here, and where he would go, soon.

He drew in a breath just then, though, and noted something. The scent of fire had permeated the air for weeks now, but this was different. Amber eyes locked on to a trio of figures across the river. A bobcat and its two cubs had ventured up to the waterline, appearing to be the source of the charred scent.

The young seemed fine, unharmed, though the mother.. even from a distance, he could tell she’d been burned. How badly, he could not be sure of. Bad enough that pain seemed affect her gait, at least.

-thought I'd address the Random Event thing

(This post was last modified: Oct 02, 2023, 04:04 PM by Jadon.)

The wolf gave her space as she ate, which amused Rye. The thought to snatch the fish and sprint away with it crossed her mind briefly, but ultimately she figured the morsel wasn't worth such an act, and she had been feeling a bit lonely as of late. Having a conversation with another wolf where what she said didn't really matter since they likely wouldn't see each other again was quite emotionally stimulating.

Instead of speaking he motioned towards the mountain, which she gave a brief and cursory glance. "Not much of a talker, eh?" Well, she could certainly talk enough for the both of them. When his gaze shifted to something behind her she turned to look, scoffing softly at the sight of a singed bobcat and her offspring.

Rye wasn't dumb enough to pick a fight with a protective mother, or at least not all the time. The smell of burnt fur had the skin of her muzzle wrinkling in distaste. "Wonder what happened to her?" she said idly, not actually caring in the slightest, but wanting to fill the silence as she grabbed another bite, figuring the other wolf wouldn't mind.

The woman posed a question, sparing him only a cursory glance. A part of Jadon wished he could’ve responded to her. He wished he could have a conversation with anyone again almost more than anything, for it’d been so long. He missed the connection, but he could not.

That was how it was. If he still had her eye, Jadon offered another slow shake of his head. He allowed himself a soft huff, hoping it would convey that he couldn’t speak. It wasn’t anything against his present company.

Jadon glanced from the burnt cat and back to his company as she addressed it. Her question didn’t sound as if she actually cared, which he understood, though he did feel a shred of sympathy for her. He didn’t miss the way her face wrinkled in disgust, nor the way she just kept eating.

His stomach rumbled a little. With a nod to the woman, he hoped to politely excuse himself and tentatively wade chest-deep back into the river, careful not to cause too much of a disturbance as he tried to scan for fish. He still needed to eat something, himself.

He merely huffed at her in response, but she hadn't been paying close enough attention to catch that it was regarding the question she had posed. She was used to others being in a bad mood or annoyed, usually because of something she did. Actually it was most often due to her bad behaviour, but that was beside the point.

Ryenne idly chewed on her mouthful of fish as the wolf excused himself and re-entered the water, presumably looking for another fish to catch. Well if he insisted then she would very happily eat the one still at her paws. She wouldn't look a gift fish in the mouth if it was practically served up to her on a silver platter.

"I think I stepped on a couple mussels in there, if you're into that sort of prey," she commented, licking her lips with mild enthusiasm. They weren't her favourite source of food, but compared to catching a fish they were much easier to obtain.

The stranger seemed content to let him go back to what he’d been doing prior, and content to continue chewing on the fish he’d left behind. Once more he noted the lack of thanks, but even at that, he couldn’t bring himself to feel overly miffed. Some might find his lack of conversation offensive in return - and besides, it was just one fish. It wasn’t that much.

...a couple of mussels, he tuned back in to catch the last bit of what the stranger suggested That was an idea he honestly hadn’t considered. While they’d be but a mere bite, it was better than nothing. Especially if he could scrounge up a few of them.

That would be the backup plan, then.

Jadon would nod to her again, a deep gesture meant as both a thank you and possible goodbye, before excusing himself to begin wandering further down the river. He kept an ear turned back though, in case the other had further questions, suggestions, or comments.

-i think we’re at 10 after you post again, so feel free to fade if you’ve nothing else^^