Heartleaf Creek Misty Memories

@Yvly

The mist was prevalent in the forest, clinging to the trees and surrounding vegetation rather thickly. Amaryllis treaded carefully, because one could never know what could emerge from the depths of the mists. Once, she knew a long time ago, a deer had leapt from the mist with nary a sound and unluckily struck her scouting partner in the side of the head in its fright. It had been clear the creature had caught their scent, whether faintly or strongly, and simply dashed away in a direction it thought it was safe in. She remembered how she had alerted another pair who were patrolling nearby, ones whom they were supposed to meet in the middle after inspecting potential hunting grounds. They ran off to get a healer but it wouldn’t help. He would be dead when they returned.

She had waited with him, attempting to help him but he had always been a soft boy. Only a yearling and excited for his first official scouting trip. Whispers had gone around the pack, even passing her lips, that there was something wrong with him. Always ill and weak muscles. All were surprised he even made it to his first year.  

But Amaryllis would not have given up on him. She gave him herbs that made him feel alive and energetic. Always coaxing him to walk with her as far as he could go. This had been the furthest he had made it, because she convince his parents and her alphas that fresh air and walking would help strengthen him. They had not cared for him. They barely cared for him at all, not since it became clear how much of a failure he was.. His brother, stronger and broader, was the one they set their sights on.

And so had she, once upon a time. The meek brother was sweet and kind but his brother...

Amaryllis shook her head. Her past did not matter. It was gone and nothing of it was left. Besides, the past was the reason for her scar, the reason she felt so hollow now and why she was all alone. Why she had left them all behind.

The bubbling of a creek alerted her before she nearly stepped in it. She looked down carefully and indeed, there was a creek at her feet. She stared into it, wondering if it would give any indication that fish lived in it.

Lots of excitement for this thread :D Also, being very vague about @Pip and the join thread <3

Since meeting Squeak the day before the tawny female had been very reluctant to travelling far from the cedarwood forest, but she'd been on the far most east edge of the area her pack had claimed as there own and had spotted a fairly large creek in the near distance. So of course she decided to investigate. On a very misty day, too. She was just full of great ideas. Keeping in mind the distance she was putting between her and Grizzly Hollow territory, Yvly trotted onwards, tawny ears perking up at the sound of water gently flowing down its intended channel. While it was a soothing sound, to touch the water was cold, as she had figured out by dipping the end of her muzzle in it to quench her thirst. Pulling up she shook her head, mouth set in a grimace from the icy feeling in her jaws and face. Winter just made everything so cold, and she didn't like it.

Glaring down at the water as if it had done something to deserve her hate, Yvly sighed and picked her way along the edge of the creek, being careful not to touch the dreadfully freezing liquid. Her dark amber eyes could spot a mountain in the far, far distance, somewhat out of focus from the intense mist surrounding her. She had seen its alpenglow when she sometimes rose early in the mornings, but mostly later at night when the sun was descending in the sky. She'd grown up on very flat plains, so the idea of a mountain was preposterous to her. Who would want to live on a great, big rock? The tawny female broke out of her thoughts as an unfamiliar scent drifted through the air, catching the interest of her nose. Her eyes sought out the figure nearby, landing on a wolfish form staring down at the creek with a seeming curious expression. "Hello?"

320 words

Yvly Doramor

imagine we are higher than the arrows,
casually we're breathing with the pharaohs,
tragically we fall just like the arrows.

Pale eyes eyes lifted from the water as a voice pierced the mist, catching her attention as she twisted to look at the source. It was another wolf, staring at her with dark amber eyes. She tilted her head, studying the other with a curious scrutiny. To trust this wolf or to not? There was a few moments of seemingly awkward silence. 


Amaryllis then smiled kindly, her posture relaxed but confident. They were on neautral territory , no need to hold power over others when there was no reason to.  Or be submissive  either. 

"Hello dear," Despite not having truly spoken to anyone in a matter of several weeks, her voice came out clear as the water before then.  "It is quite misty for the moment is it not? Though I must say, it is lovely to see face after so long alone." 

It was nice, to see another wolf after some time of not interacting with others. She had not joined any packs over the course of her journey, except during winter or dire situations in which she left the moment it was safe to do so. And even then, she only interacted with others when necessary. Not that she did not wish to but many didn't wish to socialise with wolves who they saw as burdens to their pack. It was tough though, to join a pack during the winter months. They trusted no one and thought only to feed those within the pack. But they knew that an extra set of eyes and another wolf to bring in food would be a benefit. 

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

You get my last post for the night :D

The greyscale female with pastel yellow eyes glanced at her, a scrutinizing look in her gaze. Yvly also ran her eyes over the others coat, noticing the scars cutting across what once might have been a very beautiful face. Dragging her eyes so they were no longer staring at the scars but instead the older woman's chin, Yvly allowed the silence to stretch on, waiting for her to make a move. Swiftly the other smiled kindly, body relaxing, and the tawny female followed suit. There was no need for any posturing to go on, as they were very much within neutral territory and she would rather not get into a fight at this moment. She couldn't put herself in danger when Squeak could need her, not that she didn't trust the smaller female to look after herself. She just felt oddly protective of her.

"I myself prefer it when the sun is out," Yvly responded with a smile, hoping to alleviate any remaining awkwardness that may be remaining. Taking a quick whiff of the air through her nostrils, the tawny female could pick up no other scent than her own. "You are alone in your endeavours?" she queried, wolfy brows raising slightly to emphasis her question. The greyscale female with her pastel yellow eyes must have been very tough to have endured the winter so far as well as she had... she would make a good pack mate, tough and not afraid of getting dirty. That is, if her personality wasn't off-putting.

252 words

Yvly Doramor

imagine we are higher than the arrows,
casually we're breathing with the pharaohs,
tragically we fall just like the arrows.

.

Chuckling, Amaryllis nodded. "I like the mist. I find it somewhat soothing and peaceful. Everything is so quiet. It is a nice change from all the noise that accompanies the Sun. But to each their own." Amaryllis felt the other glance at her scars, eyes soon dropping down below her face. She was not surprised by it. Her scars were what put most off her, when they are her face. It was a pity sometimes, but it was something she had grown used to.

"Yes, I am alone. My name is Lily." Amaryllis answered calmy, with a quick of her lips that could be mistaken for a smile. It was her name, a nickname that was given to her for those who could not say her name properly. She did not feel up to giving her full name, not just yet. That would have go wait until she knew she could trust the other woman. "I am right in assuming you are part of a park yes?"

She had caught the scent of cool evergreens and something that could only be put as the smell of cedar trees. It smelt of safety with a pack. "I have tried looking for a pack this winter but most neither want an extra mouth to feed or are much too wary me - or more rather outsiders. Which I understand when the weather has been so harsh as of late. Still, I suppose it would be wise to attempt again before winter's end. One does not simply know if the weather decides to change its mind and worsen still."

There was a small implication that she wished to join but Amaryllis would wait until she was offered. She felt it rude if she outright asked the tawny woman to join her pack, when Amaryllis had only just meet her. And if not, then she would move onwards.

OOC here!

"Crystal," Yvly replied when the other gave hers, offering her own name back to the greyscale female whom she would now call Lily. It was a pretty name... one of those flowers that sporadically grew near her homeland in the spring. Tawny ears twitched when Lily voiced her assumption of her being in a pack, simply canting her muzzle to the side in an agreeing response. Lately she had been trying to express more of her inner thoughts through words rather than just actions, but that courtesy was mainly extended to those she trusted most. First Lily would need to pass the level of trust she had set before anything other than a simple interaction happened.

It seemed that the older female loved to talk, or at least liked to give away a lot of information she thought would be useful, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it required more effort on her part to look interested in the conversation rather than drifting off into the abyss of her mind. However, when Lily spoke of trying to join a pack, the tawny female smiled knowingly. She knew how hard it was to find a pack to accept a stranger into their midst, especially during winter, and so she was that much more grateful to Veho and Wacipi for allowing her into Grizzly Hollow. Yvly also supposed the scarring on the greyscale female's face was a big turn-off, but to her it spoke volumes of strength and durability that others may lack. "If you are still seeking a pack the one I currently reside in is not too far from here. I'm sure the leaders would be willing to let you join, we could use a couple more members." Willow Ridge was a far larger pack, and they would need more of their own if bad went to worst.

309 words

Yvly Doramor

imagine we are higher than the arrows,
casually we're breathing with the pharaohs,
tragically we fall just like the arrows.

   

The other introduced herself as Crystal, affirming that yes, she was part of a pack. Not only that but Crystal invited her to come back with  her to the tawny she-wolf’s pack. "That would be lovely." Amaryllis smiled, before catching the scent of rabbits nearby. Twisting her head to gaze around, her pale eyes fell on some tracks nearby. They started off looking like the rabbit had been heading towards them before leading away from them, looking like they had scented the wolves. Or simply had arrived earlier for some water but had been scared off by something, which seemed more likely. Rabbits were skittish creatures. Not to mention their necks were so easily snapped...

Amaryllis licked her lips before speaking.   “Why not take some food back to your pack? I am sure with this winter, food might be somewhat scarce.” She suggested, eyes still focused on the tracks as she spoke before drawing them away to look at Crystal. ”And a rabbit would be a welcome snack either way.”

While waiting for a response, Amaryllis wondered what kind of pack Crystal was a part of. While Crystal was not unkind, it was clear she did not speak much nor allow herself to trust someone right off the go, which was a fair thing to do. She herself did not trust Crystal but was grateful for the offer to bring her back to the other’s pack. Was it a big pack or a small one? Were the leaders kind? From the few words Crystal spoke, it seemed they were willing to accept other on the basis of other pack members so they surely were not cruel.

(This post was last modified: Feb 05, 2016, 07:26 AM by Amaryllis.)

OOC here!

"Wonderful," Yvly said with a smile. But first, she wanted to know if Lily was particularly great, or at least above average, at something, before taking her to Grizzly Hollow borders. She wouldn't bring a nugatory wolf back to her pack. It seemed that nature was in Lily's favour as the wind offered them the delicious scent of rabbit that was likely nearby. Hunting wasn't a very hard skill to be good at, but rabbits were a bit tricky to catch in snowy conditions. At least then, if they caught any, Lily would have an offering to present to Veho and Wacipi as a show of good faith. The greyscale female's suggestion was met with an affirmative cant of Yvly's muzzle, her dark amber eyes already zooming in on the rabbit tracks in the snow.

"You lead the way," the tawny female said softly. If Lily was going to present a rabbit as a gift, then she should be the one to take charge of the situation and make the first move. Plus then she could evaluate Lily's skills in not only hunting, but also thinking of a plan to catch the intended target. As a proficient hunter herself, Yvly knew that one of the best tactics for hunting rabbits in snow was to creep up onto them from behind and make a leap to land on them. Once the rabbit started running it was already over. In spring, however, if a wolf was fast enough, they had the chance to catch the running prey, but it was quite difficult. Yvly's eyes landed on the other's pastel yellow eyes, waiting for her to make the first move and, essentially, tell Yvly what to do in order to catch a rabbit.

290 words

Yvly Doramor

imagine we are higher than the arrows,
casually we're breathing with the pharaohs,
tragically we fall just like the arrows.

   

Tilting her head, the pale woman stepped up to the tracks and carefully sniffed at them. Amaryllis carefully traced the rabbit for a few steps making sure to not mess up the tracks in the snow and kept up with the correct scent trail. There were a few rabbit trails of carrying strengths mixed in with the stronger, fresher scent and she knew with those experienced, they could mix them up.

Lifting her head to look back over her shoulder, Amaryllis paused for a moment. Her mind was going over a form of attack to get the rabbit.  “It might be best if only I go after. Two wolves might be a greater chance of spooking it. If I am able to, I will go around and pounce on it  but if I happen to miss it, it will hopefully head back here. I’ll give warning, if that happens so be prepared.”Without waiting for a response, Amaryllis quietly but swiftly moved off to find the rabbit, going in an arc to its tracks in hopes it hadn’t gone too far and she could cut it off without alerting it.

And thankfully, it hadn’t. Its burrow wasn’t far, about twenty meters from their position near the bank of the creek, among some dried out bushes and it was snuffling around the roots, looking for something. Food, perhaps but hidden by a partial snow bank that surrounded a tree, Amaryllis cared little for what it was doing and eyed it up. She had managed to get into a spot that if she was careful enough, she could block it from its burrow and capture it. or at the very least, have it run into the opposite direction, towards Crystal.

It hopped a few more feet away from its burrow, alert yet still looking for food. But the wind was in Amaryllis’ favour, blowing towards her. Waiting for the right moment where it had its back turned to her, Amaryllis leapt over the snowbank and with careful footing, took only a few steps before sweeping the rabbit up in her maw by its back. It let out a shrill squeak of surprise and attempted to escape, trying to kick at the air before going limp as Amaryllis tightened her maw and a sickening snap could be heard.  good. Amaryllis thought giddily, turning back towards where Crystal was and heading back. Rabbits were always so easy to kill....