Cedarwood Forest Every Night

For @Veho

She had a lot on her mind. So much that she had decided to take a walk, a long one, to think it all through. For the first time in months, she had left the territory of Secret Woodlands, feeling the need to be on her own, somewhere she wouldn't be disturbed; even though it sent a cold shiver down her spine when she crossed the borders. There was some pleasure in taking up the old adventuring, as she headed south, to lands she had not explored before. She knew the forests were different down there, more pine, sparser underbrush, and therefore concluded that it would be as good a place as any to explore and, hopefully, find some more herbs to supplement her stores.

On her way down through the more familiar thicket, she moved swiftly, that old, trademark rushed manner in her gait. But as the day grew later, and she got farther and farther away from known ground, she slowed down. This was mostly to take her time and study the scenery, at least that was what she told herself; But truthfully, the farther she got from the Woodlands, the heavier her stomach felt. The russet healer had developed quite a superstition that anytime she was away from the pack, disaster would strike. She had come home after months lost in the north, and found Secret Woodlands changed dramatically, @Iopah and Koda gone, marked traitors and enemies of the pack, and @Nina distraught. Then, she had been stupid enough to leave again, venturing across the mountain in search of her old friend, and upon her return, she learned that Kite had vanished, her and Mirren's daughter left motherless. So she felt deeply guilty, leaving again like this, but she had to.

It seemed change was far from over in the Thicket of Secrets. With @Miccah now her official mate, Aideen had hoped to spend a quiet winter, before questions would inevitably arise in spring. But alas she was not that lucky. After her conversation with Nina, and @Danica's rank challenge, the vixen girl had needed room to breathe, space to let her mind turn things over on its own time. And that was why she was now here, in these Cedarwoods; exploring, searching for herbs, and thinking.

Word count: 380

"Speech" Thoughts

Several ventures he'd gone south, once or twice, Veho had gone east. This time, when the itch struck him and the pack boarders were secured, the budding medic decided to turn his nose northwards. He didn't intend to stray far for today, but he'd yet to explore the side of the forest north of the pack's grounds. Today he sought a specific item, one slightly more difficult to find. It wasn't because it was far, or a particularly rare thing, but because the fungus he sought preferred a specific habit. It grew in thickets, which was a bit more burdensome to find in a thick forest, but he was aware the trees thinned the further north he went.

If he actually crossed out of the forested territory, there would be a proper thicket that stretched on. A rumor, as he'd never seen it in person, but the medic had no reason to doubt the words of other wolves. He was about halfway there when he realized the presence of another wolf. It startled him – for perhaps the first time, his tail rose well above his back. They were still close to Grizzly Hollow here, and this woman did not smell like a loner. She brought with her the scents of many, and while she did not seem imposing, he could not know her intentions unless he asked.

"Hello!" he greeted the stranger, drawing to a halt as he held his head high. "I've not seen you in these woods before. May I ask your name, and from where you hail?"

She was so far gone in her ponderings that she never noticed the sound of footfalls in the underbrush, the approach of the stranger going completely unnoticed until his voice suddenly broke through her thoughts. Head shot up, ears flattening back and tail tucking as she stared ahead wide eyed, at the wolf who seemed to have materialized there, out of thin air. Her nose crinkled, whiskers quivering as she sniffed at the air, taking in the scent of the unknown male; Pack wolf. And not one she knew either, though that wasn't saying a lot; Aside from the blackberry wolves, whom she hadn't seen for a while, the vixen medic didn't know much about the wolves living in the lands surrounding the Woodlands. The strange man was stocky build, not extremely large, but with broad shoulders, defined muscles and a wide chest. His coat was a base of grey and silver, marked with darker parts, and a few splashes of dusty brown. Something about him called to mind unwanted memories of a long lost wolf, of course he had been large, lighter in color... But something about this man still reminded her of Coal.

She met eerie, ghost like eyes, and the resemblance was lost, memories shattered in her mind as she quickly averted her gaze; Both because she didn't want to appear rude or challenging, and because looking into those eyes made it trickle coldly down her back. Instead she directed her coppers at the surroundings, surprised to see just how far she had gotten from the thickets; I really wasn't paying attention AT ALL! After a little while, she suddenly remembered that the grey man had asked a question and turned her attention back to him, heat burning on her cheeks in embarrassment. "Oh sorry!" She began, slowly trailing her eyes up along his muzzle, to those unnaturally pale, silver eyes; "I'm Aideen Smoke... Athesila." She added the last name after a short pause, suddenly remembering. Her cheeks grew even hotter, but a small smile appeared on her face; she couldn't help it. "I come from Secret Woodlands, in the thickets just north of here." She explained, daring to wag her tail slowly behind her.

As she got over the shock of his abrupt appearance, the petite medic's usual, outgoing manners slowly came to light, smile growing wider, and ears lifting in an interested manner. Looking around again, more openly this time, she asked; "And you? Do you live around here?" Curiosity tickled in her mind, where there really other wolves so close to the Woodlands? Calm down, he could have come from far away..! Then, at a sudden impulse, she added: "Are you of Whisper Caverns? Or perhaps Willow Ridge?"

Word count: 454

"Speech" Thoughts

PLOT WITH ME!

Silence fell upon the pair like a thick blanket – while the strange female had surely heard him, it took her several moments to answer. Though she came to a halt, the rust-colored dame simply stood, giving the male a once over before quickly averting her eyes. Veho could not help his small whine, tipping his head to one side as he offered a gentle wag of his tail. While he was enforcing – was he even doing that? – his pack's safety, he meant no harm nor ill will to the wolf he'd simply stumbled upon. He did not want the other to feel threatened by his presence.

Once she finally responded, the medic offered an encouraging smile, bobbing his head once to illustrate he was still listening. Only when she inquired after his own name did he speak again, not wishing to startle the vixen any further. "It is my pleasure, Aideen! I am Merlin, and I hail from Grizzly Hollow – my pack can be found further south among these trees. We are relatively close to the border, or I would not have disturbed you," he explained with a smile, glancing over his shoulder once in the general direction of the pack's grounds. While @Rook was a kind, understanding fellow, he was certain even the masked man would not want a random stranger wandering around their territory, especially given the current state of Borden's…decline.

Shaking the thought from his head, he paused for a moment of thought as his new acquaintance burbled an additional question. "I am afraid I am unaware of these packs you speak of. Are they near here? Allies of yours? I must admit, prior to joining Gaheris and the Hollow, I associated namely with other loners – and a few yearlings, from Oak Tree Bend. I was a bit of a rambling man, myself," the wolf admit with a sheepish smile. Until just now, even he hadn't realized his former habits. He would have to amend that now, as a proud member of a clan. It was important to find others and learn from them, and, when possible, make alliances. A wolf would never know when he found himself in need, or when others would need his assistance, and Veho would always aspire to be the sort that those ailing could turn to, no matter their circumstances.

When the grey man reacted affably, offering an encouraging sound and friendly expression, the last of her apprehension faded, tail wagging happily in response to his smile. She nodded, like he had done, in response to his introduction, raising her brows a little when he mentioned his pack; Close?! She certainly hadn't meant to encroach on someone else's territory, she wasn't aware of any pack living in these woods; I really should get to know these areas better..! Her self-chastisement was interrupted by Merlin's answer to her, now redundant, questions, clearly suffering from a fit of guilt himself. Always eager to soothe in any way possible, the female medic quickly spoke again, a reassuring smile on her lips; "Oh don't you worry, I only know them by name myself. It's nice to meet you Merlin." Briefly, she noted that he had only offered up a first name, where she had given her full calling. She didn't pay further attention to it though, there could be many a reason; Perhaps he doesn't have one. Not all clans were equally concerned with that kind of title, her own last name had been an oddity where she grew up, though in Relic Lore it seemed more common.

Sitting down on the needles, Aideen briefly looked into the forest beyond her new acquaintance, the direction he had indicated when speaking of his pack, then returned her gaze to him; "Grizzly Hollow I haven't heard of before, have you lived there long?" Being so close to Secret Woodlands, it surprised the petite lady that the pack was unfamiliar to her; Nina certainly has never mentioned it... Of course, if she had just bothered to come down here earlier, she could have found out for herself. There was no use in worrying about the pat though, she was here now, and she might as well learn as much as possible; "You mentioned a Ga...heris? He leads there?" She asked, struggling a bit with the unfamiliar name. Now that they had gotten to talking, she felt just as comfortable with the pale young man as she did with most wolves, expression friendly, copper eyes glowing with warmth and excitement - She loved meeting someone new. As a sudden after thought, she added; "Oak Tree Bend, I know that name! But they live beyond the mountain, that's a long journey." Tri-colored head tilted, an encouraging smile on her lips as she waited for answer, friendly curiosity lining her features.

Word count: 411

"Speech" Thoughts

PLOT WITH ME!

Once Aideen sat, the medic follow suit, his bushy tail settling into the bed of pine needles provided by the trees. Now that the woman was aware of borders nearby, she didn't seem terribly likely to go running off and crashing into the Grizzly Hollow lands. There was no need to continue to try and assert his dominance – truly, that was so exhausting. Veho would much rather try to make friends, or at the very least, make the encounter as friendly as possible. Fortunately, his acquaintance seemed of like mind, and his smile only grew.

"I joined the pack in July, recruited by Gaheris. He is the alpha there, yes," he hummed, confirming the information for the other wolf. Rook had told him that the knowledge of their pack must grow, after all, and this seemed the safest way to do so. Tipping his head after a moment of thought, the medic hummed. He'd never heard this name mentioned by his friend before. "The pack was established only a few months before I joined. It was small, once, but growing now. May I enquire after the name of your alpha? I think it appropriate to share with my own leader – knowledge of the wolves who share the forest is important, I suspect, should either of us ever need assistance."

And there, while not said outright, was the hint that the wolves of Grizzly Hollow were of the kind, resourceful sort, and he could only hope the Woodland wolves and their leaders of like minds. After a moment, he allowed the conversation to turn to Oak Tree Bend, smiling at the memory of meeting both prince and princess. It was a long journey, he reflected, but the Ancestors had steered him with divine purpose, and he was glad to have taken the long road. "It is! It is a long journey – occasionally I travel to the mountain to look for healing supplies, but I haven't ventured further since I've joined the pack. Wouldn't want to stray too far," he chuckled, shaking his head. Pausing, he gave Aideen a curious look. "Say, do you have any strange plants in the Woodlands? I know most wolves don't pay attention to such things – but I'm a bit of a collector, myself, I will admit. A new discovery is always so…uplifting, yes?" These days, he was often searching for more mnemonic herbs for Borden, but even a description of an unknown would do. Oh, how Veho would love to investigate the woods surrounding this other pack – but all with only explicit permission, of course!

Her tail thumped graciously against the ground, smile bright and kind as she watched the other take a seat across from her. A nod of understanding was given as he confirmed her question, ears twitching attentively at the sound of his voice. Her head tilted as he continued to speak, expression still open and encouraging as she listened. The fact that the pack had only recently been established comforted her a little, at least she hadn't been completely ignorant about the lands and wolves around her home; Only mostly... Recently. Which could be excused with all the preoccupations she'd had in the past months; At least I'm here now! Nodding along to Merlin's words, the fiery shewolf chuckled lightly at his finishing note. This character had quite a way with words, and all of them were not just chivalrous, but kind too. Hopefully that was a homage to the mentality of his pack; It would be nice to have FRIENDLY new neighbors this time. Smiling warmly, Aideen dipped her head back; "Of course, Nina Hervok rules in Secret Woodlands, alongside Mirren Tainn. I will tell them of you as well." She ended the statement with a playful wink, underlining the more diplomatic wording the male had used.

Then he went on to address her words about Oak Tree Bend, and her ears instantly perked; Healing supplies?! She would have laughed with him, had her interest not been caught by that term, now she simply looked back into his ghostly grey eyes, lights twinkling in her own. She had no time to ask before he did, and again his wording made her grin to herself; The important part though, was that he seemed to hint at a vocation similar to her own. Tail wagging intensifying, Aideen looked at the grey man with an eager expression, speech taking on its trade-mark rush as she answered: "Very much! In fact I came here in much the same errand, I am a medic you see, and always looking for new herbs. Much like yourself?" At that she tilted her head, smiling a little teasingly, as if she'd 'seen through his ruse'. "I never make a habit of going too far either, but some plants you just can't find in the thickets." Her voice was ecstatic as she grinned at him, words almost tumbling over one another on their way out of her mouth; "Strange isn't a word I'd use for what we have though, but then again it's what I was trained using." She shrugged, sending him a knowing glance, then continued enthusiastically: "But perhaps we could trade, I'm sure you have something here I can't find at home. That is, if you are willing to part with it." She looked at him expectantly, slightly breathless after her rant. She just couldn't help it, she hadn't spoken with another healer for so long.

Word count: 479

"Speech" Thoughts

PLOT WITH ME!

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

“Ah! What a pleasant surprise!” Veho chirped happily – he had no idea he’d been in the presence of a fellow medic! Had he known, he might have skipped all the formalities. Grizzly Hollow was important to him, yes, inspired by the timocracy as he was, and @Rook most important at all, but the man was born and raised a healer, and there was little more in the world he was so truly passionate about. All at once his expression brightened, the sun bursting from behind the clouds, and his tail waved in quick arcs upon realizing he stood in the presence of a fellow.

“I am a medicine man as well,” the wolf rumbled happily, smiling reaching all the way up to his pale silver eyes. “I studied under a master whilst amongst my birth pack, and have been practicing while I wander. These days, I suppose I have a home base amongst the cedar wood forest. One must prove themselves to their new companions,” he chuckled, swinging his head. While he had no doubt Rook had taken him at his word, it did not trouble Merlin to prove his worth to the other members of the pack. Medicine was his passion – he would always practice and always be a student. In time, the others would come to see this, and he would be titled properly.

Until that day, however, he was content to continue his errands, building up his stockpile for the impending winter. “I would very much like to arrange a trading system,” Veho murmured, delighting in Aideen’s suggestion. Not only would it save him from having to seek some of these more northerly species out, but he assumed they would exchange knowledge about their respective medicines. No matter his age or experience, he always sought to learn something knew. “We have some things specific to the cedar wood and the nearby river, I believe – perhaps it is wetter than your home? Is there something specific you seek, my friend? I would be happy to oblige. Or, perhaps, we might go on an errand together sometime – I would enjoy herb hunting with a friend.”

Veho is so delighted. New best friend! Healing buddies forever!

YEEEES Best healer buddies forever!! Sorry for the wait, I had super fun writing this though, we need to keep this (friend)ship alive :D

Her smile was shyly hesitant, tail wagging lightly while she looked for his reaction. And he didn't disappoint, his entire being brightening as he joyously confirmed her suspicion. The small woman's own grin grew in confidence, tail lifting a little higher from sheer excitement as its waving gained intensity. His bellowing voice rang between the trees, and Aideen could do nothing but laugh with him; To think he scared me at first... By now there was nothing eerie about the silvery man, as warmth practically radiated of off him, and the fellow medic felt almost giddy in his company. It seemed his stream of words would never end, which made her less self-conscious about her own ranting, and she nodded along, answers and questions piling on in her head while she patiently waited for him to finish. When he finally paused for longer than a breath, she hardly knew where to start, and had to laugh and shrug her shoulders in defeat for a second, meeting those oddly intense, pale eyes. Then she took a breath, collecting her thoughts and spoke with a smile as wide as her face; "Oh I've only been studying for a few years, I never even knew of medicine until I joined Secret Woodlands. But Nina has been training me, she's an amazing healer, I've learned so much..." She trailed off, smile growing melancholic as she remembered that day so long ago when she had met Ashanti and heard about healing plants for the first time. Now she was a medic of Secret Woodlands, and it seemed ridiculous that she had once been so clueless. Returning her attention to Merlin, she bended her ears apologetically, picking up her thought stream where she left off: "Trading would be wonderful, it's much easier than having to seek out the same herbs separately. And we could learn from each other's experiences as well, I'm sure you know more about the plants around here than me." She beamed at him, every hair on her body standing on end in her exhilaration. By now she had forgotten exactly what he had asked and suggested, but her mind was running on auto, the enthusiasm pushing her into that oh so familiar habit of rushing her words, the end of one almost falling over the beginning of the next: "I came looking for some mushrooms, the thickets are very dense and mostly deciduous, I was hoping it would be more open and moist down here... You mentioned a river? There are no larger water sources in the Woodlands, perhaps you have some reeds and other water plants? I've also been needing lavender, it needs a lot of light, but water too, perhaps you have some? The only place I know of is at the base of the mountains to the east, and that's such a long journey... Of course I would only ask if you had some to spare, especially now that winter is growing near, I understand that we need to keep our stores full, hm?" Finally, as she once again had to pause for breath, the enthusiastic lass realized that she had once again been prattling on, and her grin turned sheepish; "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... Perhaps I should let you answer?" Her ears waved humouredly, it was really a joy to meet another healer. Word count: 558 Thoughts ”Speech”

Dawnthieves.de

(This post was last modified: Oct 27, 2015, 11:08 PM by Aideen.)

PLOT WITH ME!