Nightingale Palisade Frayed nerves and rushing currents

(OOC: For @Sylva, backdated to 7/6/16)

Askan had never been this far south before.  That being said, that didn’t amount too much seeing as he hadn’t even ventured that far south. And why would he? As much as he enjoyed his solitude (or at least acted as though he did), it wasn’t as though he had to go to such extremes to getting it. The others, unlike his family, gave him room to breathe and be himself. They didn’t smother or pester him, and for that he was incredibly grateful. So why had he wandered all this way? It had taken several hours or so, so it wasn’t as if he had been out on a leisurely stroll.

The answer was pretty simple. Askan wasn’t overly complicated. There were weaknesses, parts of his true self that he had to keep hidden, from himself and everyone around him. However, he never made an attempt to hide his need, his almost painful desire to be relevant, to be useful. Simply put, Askan had tired of sitting/moping around, therefore he had decided to put his strengthening legs to good use and scope out the area. That way, he would be more useful to the others, or at least that was the excuse he had persuaded himself into wholeheartedly believing.

During his travels, he noticed that the landscape had shifted. When he had first began roaming the tundra, he had assumed that the lowlands were endless. That they stretched on like an endless night as far as his eyes could see.  And yet, the gaping ravine that laid ahead of him proved that assumption wrong. The massive roar of fast flowing water made his ears twitch as his eyes took in his impressive, new surroundings. There had been nothing like this at home. His family’s lands were similar to the lowlands, and the familiarity pleased and soothed him. But now, he was curious and had to admit it was nice to see some trees and greenery. 

It took him a while to scale down the steep sides of the ravine, but in time he made it to the bottom. His legs ached with the unfamiliarity of trudging down a steep surface, but he couldn’t complain as he had made it down unscathed.  Again, Askan was not familiar with the area, but he could recognise a swelling river when he saw one. The current had to be even stronger than usual and surely it posed a danger to those who were stupid enough to try and cross it. Fortunately, Askan was no fool. He had no intentions of crossing it. He was content to survey the area for a while. To take in the new scents, sights and sounds for a while, before he would retreat the way he came. That was his plan at least, until he saw a figure of a small, dark wolf.  Damn it, this was not what he had in mind.

The dark girl sat by the river’s edge, her tail half submerged, being pulled gently by the weak currents as she sighed to herself, her brown gaze closed and her ears pricked forward, Sylva was unaware of anyone else in the area, though it wasn’t really much of a worry for her, who would be here at this time of day besides her? The yearling had frequently come out here when she needed time to think, or just to talk…

“Sometimes I wonder…” She mused out loud as she glanced down at the flowing water, her ears shifting as though she was listening to something before quickly bobbing her head up and down and letting out a small sigh “I know, I know, I just wonder though, why DO they keep mingling with each other? It’s already a headache to try keep them sorted..” She paused briefly for a moment as her reflection caught the water and she leaned in closer before speaking “Where…-do- you come from…..” Though she wasn’t exactly specific on what it was she was question or to whom she was actually speaking to. “Maybe one day we can find out….”

ThoughtDialogue

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

Askan, contrary to his sisters assumptions, wasn't all that confrontational. It was true that he wouldn't back down from a fight- his ego wouldn't allow that- but it wasn't as though he actively sought them out. If a fight could be avoided, and his pride was left intact, then he'd do whatever it took. But if the other pushed his buttons and wound him up, well then it couldn't be avoided. It seemed as though all of that was irrelevant, the strange wolf hadn't even noticed him, and if it had- well it made no move to acknowldge him. Rude. He hated being ignored. Then again, it was better than being insulted. Nothing ruffled his fur more than that, oh and being underestimated.

Wait- Askan tilted his head and listened. It was hard to pick up on, with the rushing of the river but he could have sworn he heard a voice. The voice of a female at that, soft, revering and almost... affectionate? Who was she talking to? Askan looked about and when he saw no one, not a single soul, he did a double take. Nope, there was no one around. She was most definitely talking to herself. Weird. Was that a girl thing? Did they always speak aloud to themselves? Was it an effective way of managing ones thoughts? Actually, he had been caught talking to himself the other day by that damned @Denali. Well okay, maybe she wasn't damned. She was okay, sort of. Maybe. Ah, he didn't know, girls, women were vexing. But that was aside the point, what he was trying to say was that he couldn't shame this wolf when he was guilty of rambling to himself as well.

Askan had seen a fair amount of wolves of all shapes and sizes in his time, but this one was quite possibly the smallest he had ever seen, even for a girl.  She had to be young, not yet fully grown. The idea of being so small made him want to retch. He couldn't dare consider the possibility of being so weak, so defenceless. He thanked the Gods everyday that he wasn't so small, but he also scorned them for not allowing him to be bigger. Imagine what he could have done with greater size and the strength that came with it.

He was curious though. Was she trying to talk herself up? Was she troubled as well? It wasn't as if he cared, nor did he want to help her, but he wanted to hear what she was saying better so he approached until he was standing at a reasonable, unconfrontational distance.

"Find out what?" He asked, as if he had every right to butt into her business. The way he saw it, he did. "Are you looking for someone, something?"

Sylva jerked up the moment she had heard the voice, her muscles tensing naturally in start as she glanced over her shoulders at the large behemoth looming over as she quickly scrambled backwards a few paces, dislodging a few loose pebbles and sending them into the water’s edge as she placed her back against it while eying the man. She quickly noticed his more distinctive feature as she thought out loud “Black and brown, large, no distinguishing marks, yellow gaze….no…” She paused for a moment, staring at the man in pure disbelief before carefully sniffing the air and giving her head a shake. {b} ‘Impossible...yea...not him..

A few moments passed before it clicked within her mind that he had spoken to her, during this lapse of silence she shifting from smiling awkwardly to waiting expecting long before suddenly yipping “OH! Um..well originally we had come here in order to-” she paused for a moment before giving her head a shake, forgetting the male was there for a moment as she addressed the issue “Come on Sylva, remember what Raela said? Less words…” She paused yet again to suck ina breath before returning her focus to Asken “Well, orginally no, just the river, that’s all, we’ve been fairly curious about their origins and well..you won’t know something unless you ask right?”

ThoughtDialogue

(This post was last modified: Jul 18, 2016, 07:33 PM by Sylva.)

Askan squirmed beneath her appraisal. Her gaze was lingering, potent, and even though Askan was no coward he couldn't help but want to run away. It wasn't judgemental it was.... Askan couldn't put a word to it. Frankly, it was weird and it was more than enough to make Askan regret approaching this dark stranger.

"Him? Who are you talking about? He looked about as though he expected another wold to turn up.

The stranger continued to speak as though she hadn't even heard him. Maybe she hadn't, who knew? She was weird, that much he was certain. She was talking to herself now, was she? Brilliant. Askan didn't know how to respond to such an... Excentric wolf. Not that he had has much experience with others in general. He was working on that though, he was trying to get better, this one though? She didn't seem to be trying to be normal in the slightest. Did she even know what normality was? Probably not.

"The river?" Askan glanced to it and recalled how she had more or less wading it in. Maybe she was a fan of water. But the she had to continue and- wow he surely picked them well didn't he? He couldn't help but squint in disbelief and shake his head in denial. "Wait, you were talking to the water? Right?" He didn't wait for her response. "Ugh, you're so bizarre. Water can't talk. Not like you or I can. Everyone knows that, even a child." He scoffed and turned away. 

The ebony wolf groaned inwardly as she realized that everything she had said came out as a confused jumble of words and thoughts, there hadn’t been any organization or order to her phrasing, something she’d have to work on big time, escapply if she wanted to become a healer and others’ lives under her care in times of sickness. Ear tips perking as Sylva listened to the stranger before nodding in agreement, having had this exact same conversation with @Raela before. “S-sorry sir, I know, it just..you kinda startled me, I tend to ramble when I’m nervous, I know the water can’t talk. She glanced away, her brown gaze trying to hide the embarrassment that burned under her pelt “I just meant that sometimes, you can hear things if you listen, the way the water runs over the stone, splashing over the banks….”

She stepped further away as she finished, her tail wagging gently as she finally found herself able to organize her thoughts and words. “I’m Sylva by the way…” She paused, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips, though she wasn’t really sure what to expect in response, the other wolf seemed ready to simply walk off, his back already turned on her.

ThoughtDialogue

Askan wrinkled his nose at the sudden rush of guilt that slammed into him. Perhaps he could have worded that better,more delicately- not that he was known for such things. Still, he was glad that she understood that her words were nonsensical, and that she was making an effort to clarify herself. If she hadn't, he would have likely gone on his way. He simply wasn't a patient wolf, and he had no interest in trying to comprehend the indiscernible. He'd leave that to self proclaimed scholars and thinkers, Askan was an man of action. Dwelling on things that didn't matter was  simply a waste of time.

With a sigh, the muddy wolf turned to look at the strange small one again. His expression wasn't as  callous this time and his eyes held little annoyance. He wasn't here to fight and neither was she (it seemed) so he allowed the simmering defensiveness beneath his skin to dissipate. She posed no threat to him, if anything the water was more dangerous, and he wasn't even standing that near it.

"I get it." He assured her, glancing at the water then back to her. "Sounds are telling. Sometimes you've just gotta close your eyes and take things in that way." He shrugged his bulky shoulders and approached the little one so he could stand at a conversational distance. Not too close and in her personal space, but not so far that it seemed anti-social.

Sylva? Askan now had a name to put to her pretty face. What? He had eyes and wasn't an invalid. Not that it was of importance, and neither did he allow his brief thought show on his face. He kept it aloof and neutral, as though he was reasonably comfortable around this stranger.

"The name's Askan. So, I'm guessing you hang out here often, cause of the water." He took in his surroundings once more, his striking yellow eyes lingering on the sloping hills and sparse trees. His gaze then flickered back to his company, as whacky as she was. "Could think of worse places I suppose." 

Sylva nodded quietly to herself as the large, dark furred male turned back toward her, her tail wagging with excitement as he proclaimed that he had understood what she meant when she had referred to the water. Many people hadn’t, and would simply write the girl off as one who had ran head first into too many trees, which, as true as that maybe, it wasn’t the point. As he moved closer. Sylva found her efforts rewarded with a name and she nodded as she repeated it internally.

The ebony yearling settled down on her haunches, her back toward the river as she nodded “Yea, it’s peaceful,a good place to clear your head before setting about daily tasks and such, and some of the herbs I hunt grow in abundance around here.” her head tilted slightly in confusion at Asken’s comment before giving a small nod of agreement “I guess so, though I havn’t found any since leaving the cursed forest far to the north..it’s how I got down this way actually..following a river.”

So much had happened, from meeting @Raela, to joining Round Stone Crest, now White Fir Notch, to becoming a healer, and none of it would have happened if she hadn’t followed that river this far south. For a few moments the girl’s thoughts and focus lingered on the river and she managed to pull off the embarrassing impossible and actually forgot Asken was there for a moment until she glanced in his direction and blinked, quickly trying to hide her lapse in attention with a question of her own {b} ‘So..what brings you here?”

ThoughtDialogue

Askan hummed to let her know that he was listening. He wasn't particularly interested as she was rattling on some about things he hadn't asked for, but even he had the manners to at least pretend that he cared. Or at least he had the manners now, the same wouldn't always apply. It really depended on his mood and they were very whimsical things. Instead of thinking about that, Askan looked to the river once more. There were plenty of rivers in the Lowlands of course, but none seemed to flow with such fervour. Perhaps it had been raining heavily near its source.

When she finally asked him a question, Askan glanced back to her. "Hm? Oh." Askan shrugged his hefty shoulders. "Figured I'd wander a bit, get to know the place better. Never been this south before."

Did he intend on continuing his journey south? Probably not. As scenic and educational as this way, he knew where his home was.He had no reason to leave it, not for long anyway. Perhaps when things had settled, then maybe he would but for now he had every intention of heading back home soon. In all likelihood he'd never see Sylva again. A fact that didn't bother him in the slightest. It wasn't that he had anything against her, she was weird but she was polite enough and for that he found her tolerable. The closest to a compliment she would ever get.

"Guessing you're from a pack. You smell like it." Askan surmised after leaning forward ever so slightly to sniff. "Didn't know there was a pack around here."

Unsurprising considering, but really he wanted to know for sure. How was he supposed to look out for his own if he didn't even know for sure whether they had neighbours close by. If they were all like Sylva then surely they would be harmless, but Aksan was no optimist so he just went out and assumed the worst. 

(This post was last modified: Oct 12, 2016, 10:40 PM by Askan.)