Arbol Rosado we were born to be suburban legends

AW! Late morning, Overcast, 68F/20C

from charming to alarming in seconds

It had been about a week since he had started feeling better, and only two days since his mother had given him a fully clean bill of health. He had wasted no time in immediately bolting from pack territory and he had not been back since. There was a lot of turmoil within him, the ongoing sibling rivalry with @Torianna, the abandonment of his father, the death of his grandfather. Oh, also Archer had died, but he didn’t really care much about that since he had never known his cousin, but that had made everyone else mope around like it was the end of the world so it certainly didn’t help the vibe.

He would stay gone as long as he could before he might face any serious consequences. Or he got too hungry and got tired of surviving off of small game. It had only been a couple of days, he had more time. Plus, he was staying close enough that he could probably make a brief re-appearance to make his mother happy before disappearing again. He liked it here, in the cherry orchard, particularly under the cherry blossom tree that seemed to tower over everything below. Khalon lounged lazily, and in this moment he had convinced himself that he wanted for nothing.

Hope its okay to toss her in!

Red twinged paws moved leisurely through the forest as the sun rose higher from behind the clouds. Rocky foothills gave way to gangly woods which gave way to more boring usual looking. The yearling's small but powerful frame moved with easy grace through them. Saying she was bored was a mild way to describe her mood. Their little gang was a little overwhelming and she wanted to get away for a bit. Her desire to get away had left her utterly bored. Maybe she would find some poor critter to chase after and torment until that began to bore her as well.

Tilting her head back she gave the air a good sniff. Her coal nose twitched at the scents around her, trying to decide which to follow. That was until the scent of one of her kind drifted past on the breeze. Cyn stood a moment trying to decided whether she'd even have the patience to meet another stranger. She'd rather not. But her boredom overruled her antisocialism and she moved silently, following that scent. She moved with lethal silence, halting when the tawny form of another appeared beneath one of the trees. He looked to be about her age and didnt seem to have a care in the world. He did however reek of others. Must be that pack that Lyx said his dark friend had told him about.

She debated whether she should make herself known...she could get information about the pack to bring back to Paeryl. That would certainly put her in his good graces. Yet again she didnt particularly want to talk to anyone. Ultimately her antisocialism won out and she turned to leave before he knew she was there. That was until she carelessly stepped on a twig and it snapped beneath her weight. She froze and silently cursed to herself. So much for that...

(This post was last modified: Aug 01, 2024, 09:58 PM by Cynder. Edit Reason: spelling error )

from charming to alarming in seconds

He felt a stirring in his throat and suppressed the cough that was threatening to climb by clearing it. He had coughed enough. Plus, ever since Grandpa Rochus had passed of the same illness there was a mild level of anxiety that he might be next. Afterall, his mother had not thought to warn him that the other man was going to die, maybe she had told him he was all better but that was not the truth. He didn’t know what to believe at this stage of his life.

Had he cleared his throat just a second later he would not have heard the distinct snap from behind him. Ears swiveled in response as his leathery nose began to twitch, taking inventory of what might have caused that sound. Too loud to be a rabbit or a squirrel, yet definitely smaller than a bear or something that might have definitely caused him severe damage. Turning to look, gold eyes made direct eye contact with blue, a girl around his age, only slightly smaller than he was. He raised his chin slightly in silent greeting, a question in his eyes as he regarded her. Who was she, and why was she sneaking up on him?

She knew better. Knew better than to be so careless about where she stepped. The light tawny girl had learned how to travel near silently. It was a careless mistake and she was luck enough that it wasnt a life or death, just her antisocialism on the line. She froze and her stormy gaze snapped to the other, holding her breath praying to the gods that he wouldnt spot her. They ignored her pleas as the boy's opposite colored eyes locked with hers.

He said nothing, only lifting his chin, his gaze holding a silent question. She huffed in annoyance as her dark ears flicked back momentarily. Fine. Lifting her own chin she stepped out of the bushes. The rest of her body language of casual, loose, but ready to strike if need be. Her gaze shone bright from behind her unsymmetrical mask as she took in the sight of him better. His coloring not remarkable, much more blended together than her own. His height unknown as he lounged easily enough. She mulled over what to say as she studied him. @Felyx was always better at this than she was.

"You come here often?"

If she had a hand she woulda smacked her forehead at the useless remark.

from charming to alarming in seconds

Khalon watched as the girl emerged from the bushes and he could really take in the full sight of her. He had been right in guessing they were around the same age, lightly coloured, facial markings unsymmetrical. He found her plain looking - other than her eyes which reminded him of his younger cousins. Other than the fact that he didn’t know very many wolves from outside of the Backwater he wouldn’t have given this girl a second thought.

Her comment caused him to snort, an uncomfortable sensation on his still tender throat. Still, he smirked and responded, ”Only lately.” He had thought about lying, but saw no real reason to. He smelled of a few others, but not nearly as many as he knew clung to his own pelt - she was a loner and he belonged to a pack. Other wolves might be worried about being polite, but he was just worried about not being bored.

Talking to her was better than staring at the clouds waiting for something exciting to happen, ”You? Come here much?” She hadn’t over the last two days, he would have noticed.

Anxiety chewed at her as her useless words echoed in her head. "You come here often?" How stupid could she be? Cynder refused to let it show though as she kept her features casual and bored. As if she hadn't just made herself look a fool. His snort made her skin bristle and it took all her effort to not let it show.

The other kept his demeanor cool as well as he responded "Only lately" before turning her own question back onto her. Her coal nose flared as she assessed her surroundings. He was clearly from a pack, larger than her rag tag group by the smell of it. His relaxed demeanor also told her they had to be near enough that he was comfortable in the area. She tucked that information away, she would most likely share it with @Felyx later.

The light agouti yearling considered how to respond once again, hoping to avoid repeating her previous blunder. "First time" she responded simply with a shrug. There was no harm in giving him that truth. Cyn settled onto her haunches as her stormy gaze flicked about the small clearing. "Anything interesting around here?" She inquired, a bored look on her face as she looked back to the boy. If he was from here then surely he'd know if there was something worthwhile around. If not then she could be on her way.

from charming to alarming in seconds

The tawny teen was intrigued by this loner, he was intrigued by all loners in truth. The whole conversion was rather blase and shallow but he had long grown bored of pack life. Or, more realistically he had put up a disinterested front to protect himself from all the hurt that seemed to haunt the Backwater. If he didn’t care, then it wouldn’t hurt when someone else left in a huff, or died from an illness that he had given them. If he didn’t care then it would not sting when his mom or siblings tried to pretend like his appearance wasn’t a ghost like reminder of Vayko.

But realizing that would take a lot of self-reflection and Khalon was just a teenager who was not emotionally intelligent enough for that. Instead, he sank into the bored haze and let it envelop him and soothe his turmoil. Looking back towards the cherry trees he wrinkled his nose and responded, ”Only if you’re interested in watching trees grow, or babysitting an endless supply of other people’s children.” He wasn’t bitter at all, right?

Turning back to her with keen interest in his gold eyes he questioned, ”Where are you from? Anywhere has to be better than here.” He could take off, right here, right now, would anyone even notice? Just another in a long parade of deserters.

Her blue grey eyes gleamed as the bitterness filled the air between them. If it were a scent she would inhale deeply, savoring it's richness. Hummm it would seem as if the other teen wasnt happy per say in his current situation. The tawny twin knew her redder half would pounce immediately. Her fluffy banner flicked behind her with amusement, send a small puff of dirt up. "That does seem incredibly dull."she agreed with a shrug glancing around them once again. His question drew her attention back to him, noting his interest.

She debated on spinning a story on an imaginary elaborate home or with the truth. She could draw him in with wonderful images but not knowing what he wanted to hear she opted for the latter. "Eh" Cyn shrugged "Everywhere and nowhere." Her demeanor remained neutral, indifferent really. She hadn't particularly care that she and Felyx had been born to a lone female, then snatched away. She couldn't miss something she's never had. "Been a free spirit my whole life." She added guessing it would pull envy from the other teenager. If it did she would relish in it.

from charming to alarming in seconds

Gold eyes seemed to light up at the mention of everywhere and nowhere. It felt mysterious, intriguing, it felt like the kind of thing he was so desperate to be a part of. Being a free spirit would mean no more Torianna and her constant need to steal anything good from his life. This could be just for him, going anywhere and everywhere, doing whatever it was that he wanted to do whenever he wanted to do it.

He shifted his weight to be more upright, at attention, ”How does someone survive their whole life as a free spirit?” That was truly the only benefit he saw to remaining in the Backwater. There was always food to eat and a warm place to sleep, and he didn’t need to worry much about danger or predators sneaking up on him now that he was a teenager and large enough to defend himself. It was the thing many wolves dreamed of - the safety and security, and yet it bored him to nightmares. There had to be something else out there in life.

He watched her closely now, she didn’t seem underfed or raggedy or generally unkempt. He could manage if she could, he believed that.

She guessed correctly, the gleam in his eye and his straightened posture told her so. A faint smug smile tugged at her inky lips at the satisfaction. Now these were the games that she liked to play, figuring out other's weaknesses, what they're envious of, and being able to use that against them. Her dark banner swept the ground behind her twice more, creating more billows of dust behind her. "Well, you find others like you." She shrugged to keep up the "it doesn't matter". "Helps with the surviving part without being suffocating." It was true. Pae's gods could be strict on the rules sometimes, but she and Felyx were resourceful enough to navigate around them while staying in their good graces. She studied the other teen, his dissatisfaction with his situation practically rolled off him. But, she was unsure if he'd make a good addition to their band. She could always keep this conversation tucked away for a rainy day. "What's it like being in one place your whole life?" She was giving information so it was only fair she'd get some in return.