Cedarwood Forest Your wooden heart is rotten

It was a nice day, even if she felt a little bored as she traversed the borders. The sky was patchy about her, dark grey clouds and light blue sky mixing as rain drizzled down from above. Flashes of light and thunder rumbled in the distance, as if threatening weather that was even worse. She hoped that was not the case, because it looked like it would absolutely pour down if the thunder followed through with its threat. Yet she perked up a little as she came across one of the many hunting trails that littered in and around Grizzly Hollow. And she knew it was one of the trails due to a half rotted tree that stood at a bend of the trail. It was a spindly little thing, partly leaning towards the ground as if it was bowing and mostly dead with its graying bark and few leaves. Surprisingly, it had yet to fully topple though it did look like it was leaning a little more than usual...  

Frowning slightly, Amaryllis tilted her head as she sniffed around near the slightly odd tree. It was a landmark, she knew that, that was used for one of the pack’s hunting trails yet the trail seemed remarkably...faded. Which she found very odd because she had been this was only a few days ago and the scent had been very strong with deer and other prey. Not to mention the physical trail itself, the marks of other animals and things, had become rather hard to pick out now instead of being easy to spot. Huffing, wanting to find out why it had been significantly diminished, Amaryllis turned to begin trotting down the trail while keeping an eye out. Why had it stopped being used? The vegetation was still as strong as ever in the area, green and bright and thick with leaves and fruit which was why it drew the attention of plenty of animals so why had there been very little traffic on this trail as of late?

The creaking of wood was the only thing that warned Amaryllis before a shadow fell over her and instincts took over as a burst of speed surged through her, pushing her forward and away from whatever was about to fall onto her. Amaryllis nearly yelped as a branch clipped her left back leg, gritting her teeth as a sudden flash of pain struck her.  

But she kept going until skidding to a stop several meters away, Amaryllis panted as she turned and stared at the rotted tree that now lay across the trail with her heart beating nearly out of her chest. It was only a small tree by comparison of the ones around it, a slim thing barely wider than half of Amaryllis herself for which she was grateful. But even then, if it had truly fallen on her...

Well, it would not have been pleasant to say the least. Her eyes trailed to the end of it, to spot the trunk had been split and the stump was still standing, sharp bits of wood spiking up like teeth ready to bite. What the hell had caused the tree to suddenly just fall like that?! Yes, it was rotted but it had held firm for quite some time! And there was no intense storm happening at the moment, there were no wicked winds to topple the tree so why? Cautiously, she crept close to the tree, her curiosity strong and wanting to know why it fell. Evidence of rot in the wood confirmed why it was weak and why it could have toppled but nothing to prove that was the ultimate cause that sent it over the edge.

Than Amaryllis remembered the bad storm that happened within the last two days. Yes, the sky was somewhat dark now with rain clouds and there was thunder rumbling above her right now but there was one where the wind had been whipped up furiously so maybe that was the cause? It was a thin tree, rotting right where it stood so being pushed and pulled in the strong winds would cause it to become even weaker. Maybe it had not snapped fully then but enough that even the weight of the tree over a few days, no matter how slight, would easily have finished it off.

Perhaps the deer who frequented this trail knew this and steered clear because of it? It would explain the faded scent too, if a storm had rolled through here.  

A sharp pain in her leg as she moved it drew her attention to her leg. Her breath stopped in her throat as she stared at the injury to her leg. She thought she’d just been grazed by the branch that struck her and was not expecting anything too bad but looking at the blood dripping down her leg, she was proven wrong. It was several inches long, only a shallow wound and it was more superficial than anything but still deep enough to cause worry to bubble up in her chest. Gritting her teeth, Amaryllis took a deep breath and tried to ignore the pain. She needed to get to the infirmary. Now. Or at least find something to stop the bleeding and pain.    

But the tree, she remembered. She could not jump over it without potentially making her injury worse and the brush seemed to be working against her at the moment because it was unusually thick in this area, at least for the normally easily navigated forest. And she did not wish to accidentally infect wound by having anything get stuck in it. She would simply have to walk the trail until she found a spot where the brush became wide enough for her to cut back towards the infirmary. Sometime, living in a forest had its downsides, compared to living in places that were campestral.

Her leg protested as she moved away from the tree, her fur having being stained red by the blood that had seeped from her wound. It had slowed down now, the blood beginning to congeal around the wound though it was still sluggishly coming out.

Renier Lyall
you can set yourself on fire, but you're never gonna learn

After abandoning the mute girl he felt some remorse. So she hadn't started to cry, or stare at him in shock. Instead she had worn a smile of understanding. He had no reason to feel bad. Ren felt bothered by it all. If he could have done something different. The rogue didn't want to pull on that thread so for awhile he couldn't persuade himself to do anything about it. Like his life, he didn't know what the hell he was doing. Now more than ever. How could he begin to change it?

Eventually in his loneliness the forest beckoned to him. The trails of its realm familiar. Maybe, a chance to see his brother or the care-free young lady persuading him it could be the time. He did need another bite to eat to satisfy his stomach for another week. With the chance of rain in the sky, this place was better for cover. It wouldn't be the first time he found shelter in the cedars.

Light of foot, and his nose often quivering to test the air he remained alone. This part of the forest was not heavily traveled it seemed. Odd. He was sure his dad had showed him a deer along here, even little marmots or something. A shrug of his shoulder, he was about to change course. Suddenly crack! Groan! Bam!  Instinctively he hit the ground, but nothing rushed at him. While his golden eyes darted about waiting for another to fall, nothing happened. {i}That was dumb.{i} A grumble around his breath he stood up, resuming his walk as thunder seemed to rumble overhead on cue. He could care less if the skies opened and poured everything they had. There was little that mattered to him.

Turning a corner, he spotted the likely cause of the noise. How that small thing made such a sound he didn't know, but it wasn't the tree he saw any more. There was a silver hide, and the scent of blood tinging the air. "Hey, are you okay?" He hollered, rushing forward. What he would do when he got there, or an answer was unknown.

(This post was last modified: Jul 22, 2016, 05:04 AM by Renier.)

So caught up in what herbs she could use on her wound or what creek was closet to wash it out, Amaryllis wasn't very aware of her suroundings in all her woolgathering. Surprise made her tense up as someone hollered at her, her mind not catching the words as she swung her head around towards the voice with teeth bared, and a snarl already creeping up her throat as her tail was raised out of instinctual fear, despite not yet knowing who or what it was that was coming for her. She was injured and someone - another wolf, she realised as her pale eyes landed on him- had just come running at her, yelling like he wanted to...wanted to what exactly?

His words still hadn't gotten to her, her heart pounding loudly in her chest as she stared at him. He must have caught the scent of blood, the very thing that was coating the wound on her leg alongside that of another wolf and acted without much thinking.

"I'm fine." She finally managed to blurt out after a few tense moments, ears lowering in embarrassment with her tail as she realised what he had spoken only a few moments before. "I...the tree fell," she shrugged back in the direction of the fallen tree. "And I um, was nearly caught under it. It managed to just get me in the leg thankfully." Clearing her throat nervously, she glanced at her leg as if to prove her point. It was still somewhat painful and the wound looked rough but she could ignore it for now. It had stopped bleeding almost completely now, though the darkening red blood was still evident.

Glancing back towards the other wolf, she wondered where he had come from. He didn't smell like that of Grizzly Hollow or of...anyone really. A loner then? But that didn't matter. She realised as her skin felt hot. Her gaze had been settled on him for a minute or two as she gathered her thoughts back together, as jumbled as they were from the fright of both the tree and this stranger.

"I'm sorry for my reaction," Her mouth felt dry as she apologised, her tounge flicking out, in a nervous habit and licking her lips as she cast her eyes down briefly, shuffling her paws before looking back up at him. "You... surprised me. I didn't think there was anyone else out here. But thank you for, for your concern." The words got stuck on her tounge but once they were out, sincerity rang true in them. She was grateful this man seemed to care enough to check on a stranger, even though he didn't need to or was simply acting without thought.

"My apologies if I startled you," she added, mind turning in an attempt to lighten the mood somewhat with a small chuckle and afterthought. "Though I suppose the tree falling did enough of that don't you think?"

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

Renier Lyall
you can set yourself on fire, but you're never gonna learn

Why he had the intent to go over the tree, he halted. The rogue was suddenly met with a scarred face, teeth out, and a harsh sound of 'get the hell back' coming at him. The Lyall held his ground, golden eyes holding to the lady, quite uncertain how this would end. There was suddenly this loud silence that hung between them, but he wasn't about to back off.

The ramblings that came out of her caused a brow to raise, eyes shift between her pale yellow stare, wound, and the tree. "Thankfully?" He queried, thinking that was a weird way of putting it. Sure the tree had missed her head for instance, but a wolf needed their legs too.

With caution he climbed over the fallen tree, shaking his coat out as he stood on the other side. Like Pip he could tell she was part of Grizzly Hollow by her scent, and it was one of the reasons he wasn't about to let her walk away. The man shrugged his shoulders as she insisted on apologizing. "Understandable," he replied nonchalantly, thinking she had good reason to do what she had. There was another sorry, and a  grin quirked on his muzzle.  "You could say that," he agreed. "I think you got the worst of it." He glimpsed to the ugly red. Did it hurt like hell?

(This post was last modified: Aug 11, 2016, 11:33 PM by Renier.)

is not good at writing injured/in shock characters. Let me know if you want something changed!

"Well, better my leg than my head." Amaryllis chuckled nervously, her scars shifting slightly as she gave a small grin. "I've already got enough scars on my face; don't need to go adding anymore there now do I? Besides, I'll be fine. At worst, it'll scar over and I'll have another one to add to the collection." She tried to joke lightheartedly, eyes followed him as he climbed over the tree, her legs shaking as the adrenaline wore off and shock started to settle in alongside the pain. Her leg did still ached terribly, the sluggish trail of blood still there while her heart was beating rapidly in her chest. Not to mention she suddenly felt like she wasn't getting enough air in her lungs. Perhaps she should lay down for a few moments...

Settling her rump down on the ground a little harder then she thought, Amaryllis winced when it agitated her wound, a fresh splash of blood oozing out along with a blaze of pain shooting up her leg. Maybe it was good that this wolf had arrived, she thought as she was feeling a little light headed. Had she underestimated just how deep her wound was? Some wounds, she knew, didn't look too bad on the outside but could be quite a lot worse then originally thought to be.

Her tounge felt heavy as she spoke next, flicking out between her teeth while words tumbled out from her maw. "You don't happen to know about herbs do you? I know some that'll stop the bleeding..." Trailing off, Amaryllis let out a small whimper as the pain soon showed itself as more then just a small ache and her wound was actually hurting. Okay, that was not normal. Perhaps her wound was worse then she thought and adrenaline had kept her from noticing until now. It had only looked shallow when given a cautionary glance but she must have misjudged it preciously as she swiveled her head, noticing there was a steady trickle of blood coming from it now. Most likely having happened when she sat down with too much force. She had never been good with large open wounds, mostly having handled things like colds, headaches or small cuts.

"I need you to find some ergot, have to stop the bleeding." The words were forced from her maw as she turned to look at him. A small amount of fear had entered her eyes, not to mention having settled in her chest. Regardless of how deep this wound was, the bleeding needed to be stopped. "It grows on wheat or barley around here. Just grab some and bring it back. And don't eat it." She hated sounding so authoritarian but her heart was pounding in her chest and her mind was still reeling at the amount of blood that was coming from such a small wound.

No worries Silvia. I think you're doing good. :3 You're fine to note his arrival.

Renier Lyall
you can set yourself on fire, but you're never gonna learn

The lady offered a laugh, why making light of her situation, her scars.  It was definitely off. But, he wasn't about to judge her under the circumstances. Pain did things to a wolf, and being faced wit a stranger at the same time none the less.Why her scars on her face was obvious,  he wasn't sure what to say. If he should speak at all. He would like to say scars were nothing to be ashamed of, but he didn't know their origins. Instead he gave no response, not even a nod of his head. His concern increased, however.

She slumped, and he watched as the movement re-opened the wound. It looked a lot worse now. Why he had heard her question, he made no motion. His mind was racing. He knew what would, and was recalling a place to fetch it. At her sudden whimper he met her light, yellow eyes. "You better lie down," his tone gave little room for protest.

Swiftly he nodded as she rambled off the rest of information. "I know where to get it." There was more than pain in her gaze, and he wished someone was around that she knew. A better medic, but he would have to do. "Do me a favor, concentrate on something. Your breathing. How many branches are on that tree.  Focus." Then, he was off, certain he could find it in the forest. He just had to pull out his mental map, remember where he had been shown the first time, and how to get there from here. Since they were on the outskirts of packlands it was a task he could accomplish. He darted down a used path, then veered off it, across more deadwood, where the forest opened up. He spotted what he needed, and paused only to make sure it possessed the ergot. A flick of his tongue over his teeth, he bit down at the bottom, biting and pulling till he managed a good mouthful. He knew well enough he didn't want to get a taste of it himself. Now he was trying not to snort it up his nose as he navigated his way back.

(I’m soo sorry for the wait ;-;)

Amaryllis didn’t protest when he told her to lay down, stretching her front legs in front of her as he assured he he knew what to look for and where to look for it. That was good. It probably meant he had some knowledge of the plants, or at least what was in the area. She didn’t think much of that fact as she did what he asked next and focused on her breathing, trying to take deep slow breaths to calm herself. She didn’t notice when he left to go look for the ergot.

It was just a nick, she tried to tell herself, to make sure she didn’t fall into any sort of pain ignoring trance. I mean, it was from a falling tree but it’ll be fine, I’ll be fine.

It was from a tree, a small half rotted one still had some weight behind it. Had it been any bigger or if she hadn’t reacted so quickly, the situation would have been much worse. And both thankfully and luckily, someone had been nearby to help too. As long as they stopped the bleeding, she’d be fine.

It was only a short time he was gone to fetch the ergot but to her, it felt like forever to her. “Thank you,” She rasped, her throat feeling dry out as he arrived back, her eyes focused on the plant he held carefully between his teeth. Once it had been placed near her, Amaryllis took a small amount of the ergot and slowly chewed on it, spitting the plant out once she had gotten what she needed. After a few moments, she felt as if her blood was burning but tried not to worry. She had heard from others who had used it that the burning sensations meant that it was working. And she had made sure to only swallow a very small amount and even then, not the actual plant itself, only the small amount of mixed up juices that had been on her tongue. Twisting her head around, she carefully licked her wound and watched it, making sure to see if the herb was helping.

@Amaryllis

Renier Lyall
you can set yourself on fire, but you're never gonna learn

It was easy to keep a face of indifference when she swiftly took the remedy. Even if he was slightly concerned what may happen. But, she seemed to know the dangers of it, and he held back saying much else.  He didn't think it would work immediately, but she cleaned it none the less."Why don't you give it a minute, then you can try for home, or I can even make sure you make it the rest of the way" he suggested. Thinking she was about to take off again. It wouldn't do either of them good if she passed out. Why he wasn't afraid of Grizzly Hollow, it never seemed to take much for wolves of other packs to jump to conclusions. Act instead of question. Fighting was a favorite past time of his, creating enemies wasn't. He had no idea how her pack mates behaved except one. Which, suddenly made him hopeful.

"I'm Renier, by the way. You been apart of the Hollow long?" He attempted a friendly form of conversation. Perhaps she would know what to call the mute girl, and could possible tell her hello in turn. Gaining a bit more knowledge of his former home wouldn't hurt. It'd be nice to know how things were going else where in the world. He wasn't yet certain how his other plans would make out.

Suddenly, as the panic slowly subsided, she felt cautious around this male, Renier he introduced himself as. Why had he been so close to the borders in the first place? Had he been hanging around to steal from their caches? Or was he interested in joining? Yet he helped her so it was clear there were no bad thoughts lingering in his heart.

"I'm Faye," She finally replied, deciding to still be polite but as Veho had asked, to use alias around strangers. She was keeping her shoulders relaxed as she begun feeling somewhat better. At least the blood had stopped flowing from her wound and she didn't feel as light headed as before. “I’ve been a part of the Hollows for about five months. Are you familiar with the pack?” It was a genuine query and the male didn’t seem to have any ill intentions of any sort so she was willing to put aside the fact of him being in the borders. If he had wished to do something, he wouldn’t have fetch the plant for her or be so kind as to offer assistance if she wanted it. “You seemed to know where to grab the herb so were you once part of it?” It wasn’t hard to tell he had no mingling scents of other wolves on him, at least not strongly so she suspected he was a lone wolf.

“Perhaps I should rest before heading off by myself. I wouldn’t wish my packmates to be given the wrong idea and chase you off before being able to explain what happened.” While she was sure her packmates would wait till there was a explanation given, she still wasn’t sure how they’d react to a possible stranger helping an injured friend back to the den. “I wouldn’t mind some company for a short while, however.”