Larkcall Lowlands Scritchity-Scratch

Phoenix - you have contracted fleas! All welcome.
Current Age: 12 weeks - Pups begin to accompany adults on hunts for a short time and are capable of returning to the pack den on their own.

It had started when she had woken, the burning prickly feeling deep under her fur. The little girl had first tried a scratch which yielded temporary relief, followed up by an itch down her paw, met with a nibble. Her relief was short lived, mud coloured eyes still stuck in transition to the burning orange they would become, squinting at the edges as she frowned. She had had itches before but they usually stopped once she scratched. Maybe this was something else?

A puff of air left her lips as she tried to distract herself from the newfound heat and burning itchiness. There had to be a way to make it stop, some secret cure out there somewhere. It seemed every time she left the den unattended she was scolded, but mother and father were nowhere in sight, @Askan was sleeping (and as tempting as it was to barrel across the small clearing and grab one of his ears for a good tug she was growing out of such childish games), and the other strange one wasn't as much fun as the big darks.

Small dark paws carried her to the stream, knowing the water to be cold while her little body was burning, perhaps if she walked through the water it would fix whatever it was that was causing her such grief. As water pushed around her legs, the tickle of a hundred tiny bodies racing to escape the pull of the water coursed up her limbs. She watched the stream move around her body and experienced the drag of the current as she moved further downstream and unknowingly into the open tundra.

(This post was last modified: Aug 13, 2016, 10:53 PM by Phoenix.)

It was becoming a routine now, for Lorcan to spend his time wandering around the lowlands, in search of something of interest to entertain him whilst he was free from completing pack duties. He also used the time he spent exploring to make sure all was well in the vast area of tundra fields which surrounded the monadnock; checking for signs of disturbance near the marked borders, keeping an eye out for any hunting opportunities and watching out for unfamiliar wolves in the surrounding area. Today the subordinate had travelled further out into the tundra, hoping to find a new area to familiarise himself with and then maybe he'd take time to relax there, away from the bustle of the pack den.

The sound of water flowing the in the distance caught his attention, and as his russet ears pricked up to focus in on the direction of the noise, so the streamline figure of his body followed and he began to work him muscles into a comfortable jog towards the source of water. As he moved through the tall grasses of the tundra pains an unfamiliar scent suddenly caught his attention. There was someone else nearby. Immediately, his tail flickered curiously and his salmon pink tongue swiftly broke out from the confines of his mouth to sweep uneasily across his jowls. Keeping his body low, Lorcan stalked slowly through the tall grasses towards the strangers scent, golden eyes soon dancing over the shimmering surface of the stream as its water moved beneath the dappled sunlight. Trailing silently along the path of the river, the sound of gentle splashing alerted him to the smaller dark-haired figure moving through the water ahead of him downstream. It was only after watching the smaller figure for a brief moment did he realise it was just a pup. Immediately more at ease, presuming the young child to be no threat, Lorcan wagged his tail in playful greeting and approached slowly but still left a few metres between them. "Going for a dip are you?" He barked playfully, moving to purposefully splash his own paws deep into the cold water, sending a cool spray into the air between them.

(This post was last modified: Aug 15, 2016, 06:58 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

(OOC: I was hoping you'd respond Jacqueline, I can't help but poke in cause Askan has such a soft spot for lil Percy. It'll take a while for askan to clock on, so you'll have a few posts uninterrupted, if that's okay guys ^^)

Askan wasn't enjoying the hot weather at all, so the only thing he could really do to ensure his comfort was to nap in the shade. Sure, he could have taken a dip in the river but he couldn't say that he enjoyed the feeling of being soaked through. His fur, being so thick, did a wonderful job of keeping him warm in the colder months, but his summer coat was not nearly as effective in keeping him cool. The summers back home weren't that bad, or at least he didn't remember them being this warm and muggy.  Then again hindsight had its way of distorting the truth, so maybe he was just being picky. Either way, the dark wolf spent the summer days on his side with his legs splayed out comfortably. 

Whilst he did slip in and out of deep sleep, for the most part Askan was awake and aware of what was going on around him. Or at least he thought he was, how was he supposed to know that Percy had pattered past him and headed to the stream? If he'd had his eyes open, and set them firmly on her he would have obviously realised and intervened. But they were not, so he continued to lay there, ignorantly blissful of the puppy's wanderings.

It was only when he heard a rustling to his left did his eyes flicker open. It took his lemon coloured eyes a moment to adjust to the light, but when they did he noticed that the long grasses to his left were the source of the disruptive noise. They shuddered and shook, and Askan rolled his eyes a little. Was the pup attempting to pounce on him again? Did she really think he'd fall for the same trick twice? With a sly twinkle in his eye, the dark wolf- as quietly as he could manage- got to his feet and approached the grass. Towering over the greenery, Askan poked his nose into the grass with a grin.

"Come on pup, you're gunna have to try harder than that to fool me." He said, fully expecting a sulking pup to spring out of the grass.

But no, instead of a pup a terrified squirrel dashed out of the foliage and ran for it's dear life, till it was able to clamber to the safety of a nearby tree.

Askan stared after it, dumbstruck. Well okay.... He had not expected that. He did however, expect the pup to rush out, laughing at his fool's mistake. He hoped that she would. But no, the clearing was quiet and still. He was alone and Phoenix was not to be found. 

"Percy?" He called as panic began to set in. He whipped his head around to look to the left, and then to the right. His neck ached with sudden movement but he didn't notice, there was only one thing running through his mind. Almost blinding panic. Not the little one, not on his watch. Not when he was responsible. "All right you got me, you can come out now. Phoenix? Please, come on. I'm not playing anymore." 

She didn't respond and all Askan could think of as he pressed his nose to the ground was, shit shit shit.

(This post was last modified: Aug 15, 2016, 07:31 PM by Askan.)

@Lorcan @Askan <3

The voice was foreign and for a moment, the girl wondered if it might be Jeebie Fuhkin, but her small head twisted in a shake, no, no the voice was all wrong. Even the colour was wrong, this wolf much lighter than her long lost friend. No matter what her mother had told her, she had had fun with her new friend and he hadn't hurt her, so surely strangers couldn't be all that bad?

His splash hit her square in the face, water getting in her ears and eyes. A squeaky growl was offered as she tried to shake the water clear of her ears but her toes were barely scraping the bottom of the stream and her dark head was pulled under as she was swept further away with the current. Deciding this definitely was not fun anymore, she tried to run away from the water, but with nothing to push off against it merely drove her back to the surface for a much-needed breath of air.

Panic set in, forelimbs lifting to slap at the water in an attempt to climb out, more water in her ears, eyes and nose. She started to cough as she struggled to breathe through a wall of turbulent water. The bank didn't seem to be getting any closer.

PP with permission from becuffin

Lorcan watched the young girl, expecting her to laugh when the cool spray of water rained gently over her. However, when his paws plummeting into the deep depths of the stream, it created a splash much larger than he had anticipated. Oops! Golden eyes widened as he watched the water rise up and crash down over the girl, the majority of which hit her directly in the face. Lorcan flinched as his muscles burned to move towards her, but he stayed still for a fraction of a second, just to see if she would simply be able to shake it off and he would see her stand there glaring back at him in a wet mess. She didn’t shake it off though and as he watched her small body move with the current, Lorcan quickly began to wade in after her.

“Hang on!” He barked in panic, as he watched her head slip under the water. Pushing through the water as fast as he could, lean muscles forced his slender figure through the water towards the drowning pup, breathing a sigh of relief as he watched her break back through the surface to gasp for breath. “I’m coming!” He called again as he neared her, feeling his paws break away from the stony surface of the water bed and was immediately forced to swim the remaining metre to her side. Water splashed against his face as she struggled. Lorcan snorted the water out of his nostrils and paddled to reach her, his neck reached out to grab her as the water rose up to just above his shoulders. “I’ve got you..” He breathed before grabbing onto the scruff of her ebony fur, and kicked his paws to lift her up higher out of the water than his own partially-submerged body.

With full force, he pushed his paws against the water and swam across to the bank, placing her gently down on the dry land before exiting the water himself. Immediately he grabbed the small girl again and moved her further away from the water’s edge and into the soft grass. He didn’t even think to shake his pelt dry, too concerned with the state of the pup and if she was breathing. Lorcan nudged her body with his nose, trying to get her to cough, or cry, or something. “I’m so sorry, I really didn’t mean to splash you that hard!! Are you okay?” He whined in desperate apology.

(This post was last modified: Aug 27, 2016, 07:45 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

Askan's nose led him to the river. Once he hit the bank, the scent gathered in one particular spot, a cluster, as though Percy had been standing there for a moment or so.  He breathed deep, as though he thought it would help, as if it would give him some clue as to her whereabouts. The dark wolf reared his head up and looked left and then right. She had entered the water- that much was obvious- but his sense of smell was made obsolete by it. He couldn't track her in the water, he couldn't stick his nose in it and follow her trail. The river was fast flowing but not too deep, he could stand in it easily and he thought Percy would be able to manage that too. But the same couldn't be said for further downstream, for all he knew it could swell out at the sides and get deeper. 

It was only natural to assume that she had been swept off with the current, he truly doubted that she had waded her way up the river. It would have been hard work for little gain, so he tossed that theory aside and concocted a quick plan. He'd follow the river for as long as it took to find her. Maybe she'd been washed ashore, somewhere unfamiliar so that she didn't know her way back. With that, Askan broke into a gallop. He didn't want to go too fast so that everything was a blur, but he needed to go fast enough to actually find her in a timely manner, before it was too late.

Askan had never been a swift wolf. He was never going to be the fastest, but his worry spurred him on, it drove him forward and made it easy to ignore the beaming midday sun. His paws thudded against the mud of the riverbank and he dragged in warm mouthfuls of air. His ears twitched at every little sound and his piercing yellow eyes stayed fixed on the river and the opposite bank. Where on earth was she? Why hadn't he-

It was then he spotted- on the same side of the river- a figure standing hunched over a little one. A little black one, who wasn't moving. If Askan had just stopped to take in the scene before him perhaps he would have made the correct assumption as to what was happening. Perhaps he wouldn't have just deemed that wolf a threat, maybe he would have even recognised Lorcan, or at least cared that it was him. But he didn't, to hell with the consequences of attacking a wolf without warning. He had plenty provocation, and currently all the Yukon wolf was seeing was red.

Askan broke into a sprint, his muscles coiled and tensed as he closed the distance with impressive speed.  His fur stood on end, giving him the appearance of hulking, almost rabid beast intent on conflict. Askan was no longer the petty, childish brute. He was a wolf of war, and by the Gods was he ready to fight, to protect.

With all of his weight and bulk, Askan barrelled into Lorcan, sending them both tumbling to the side. He scrambled to his feet and quickly glanced back, Percy was at a safe distance, she wouldn't get caught in the fray, he wouldn't allow it. His attention was then firmly set on the interloper, his enemy. All feelings of familiarity were cast aside and thrown to the wind, for all the good it did Lorcan might as well have been a stranger. 

"THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!?" He roared, his voice deep and timberous, a vocal manifestation of his resounding fury. Without warning, Askan lunged forward, intent on drawing blood. His jaws snapped at thin air and he snarled, blindingly infuriated, before he threw himself forward again, intent on pinning the tan wolf to the ground.

(OOC: Hope this is okay!! Also @Phoenix, not sure how you wanna play this. We decided the two are just going to spar so this shouldn't take too long, hopefully Percy won't get in the way!)

(This post was last modified: Aug 27, 2016, 06:50 PM by Askan.)

@Lorcan @Askan Sorry this took so long!

There was nothing Percy hated more than being rescued. She was perfectly capable of doing things for herself! However, this occasion may just have been the exception to the rule. She was terrified. What had happened to the narrow shallow stream? Why couldn't her feet touch the bottom anymore? The itchy-scratchers were far from her mind now, probably drowned, just like she was about to be...

The stranger came closer and the young pup was showing the whites of her eyes. Had he come to finish her off? Hadn't her mother warned her there were bad wolves away from the tree and that was why she should never leave without a grown up? She had promised not to go away but now it seemed like that was exactly what was going to happen...

Her muzzle wrinkled ready to try and lash out (for all the good it would do her, she would be far more likely to land another mouthful of water), but that wasn't enough to deter the browny wolf as his teeth closed around her scruff and dragged her back towards the bank. Eyes closed tightly and she let her body go limp as she tried to imagine she was anywhere else.

How embarrassing. Some stranger was saving her because she couldn't do it herself.

The stranger placed her on the grass and she kept her eyes tightly shut. Maybe if she pretended she was dead he would leave and she would never see him again? He was apologising, but for what? She was the one that had been bad, and left the tree when she wasn't allowed. It was an innocent mistake but that didn't mean her parents wouldn't be mad at her. They might even make her stay with the strange white one. Urgh but she should say thank you. She did have manners after all.

An eye cracked open, about to apologise and thank the stranger when a familiar voice roared somewhere nearby. It was enough to jerk the child up to her feet, "It's okay! I'm okay!" she tried to calm Askan over his growls and snaps, but she was almost certain he wouldn't hear her, even if she was right in his ear.

To Lorcan’s great relief, he noticed the black pup’s eye flutter open, revealing a single orange orb. A heavy sigh escaped between his parted charcoal lips as he leant down closer to her so that he could visually check her over for any signs of injury. However, the opportunity to check that the young pup was alright was swiftly stolen from him when something – or rather someone barrelled into him, and in one sudden movement Lorcan found his paws had been swept clear off the floor. Landing in a heap on his side, chest heaving from the weight of the blow, Lorcan let out an instinctive threatening snarl as he shifted himself back onto all fours, hackles raised as he steadied himself.

To his surprise, his golden gaze fell upon the figure of another wolf – and not the rabid cougar which he had expected may have been the cause of his sudden assault. White brows furrowed as he glared at the dark-haired individual, but upon realising who it was, his expression softened only slightly with familiarity. Askan? A question was roared at him and Lorcan suspected that whatever answer he gave was not going to be accepted, given the state of pure rage the brute was in. Feeling somewhat intimidating by the large snarling wolf in front of him, Lorcan took it upon himself to match his dominant posture. Uncharacteristically, his tail raised to wave dominantly above the smooth curve of his spine – whilst his russet ears gave away his unease as they lay slick against his skull.

As Lorcan had predicted, he was given no time to respond as he was confronted with Askan lunging straight towards him. Turning to dodge the attack, Lorcan leapt to one side, but Askan was too quick and Lorcan whined as he felt the male’s fangs penetrate the fur by his thigh. Not willing to further injure his limb, the Whitestone subordinate begrudgingly submitted and fell to the ground beneath the brute force as he pushed to pin him down. However, Lorcan refused to be completely dominated, and so curling his body around tightly, he jaws snapped in the air between them in attempt to prevent his attacker landing another bite and then suddenly, he swiped his paw through the air and tried to scratch at the male to slap him off and away. “Askan, stop! I saved her!!” He growled, hoping the message would get through.

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

Percy's objections fell on deaf ears. Askan didn't even notice that she was on her feet, let alone trying to get his attention. It didn't even occur to him to look her way, not because he didn't care (this display made it blatantly clear that he did, in his own way), but simply because he didn't have it in him. His eyes burned with such an intense loathing that he simply couldn't pull his gaze away. He didn't even blink, even though his eyes burned with the need to.

His first attack proved fruitless and Askan roared with frustration, but to his vindictive satisfaction the second landed a hit. Clamping down on Lorcan's thigh, Askan wrenched his neck backwards with the intent of doing as much damage as he possibly could. Even in this blinded state he was under no illusion that Lorcan- nor anyone for that matter- would just take this beating. He was prepared and willing to take some damage himself, if anything he wanted to get hurt, he wanted to bleed. He deserved it really, he'd failed, he needed to pay the price. He'd expected a retaliation of some sort, but instead Lorcan flopped to the ground like a fish on dry land, with Askan's jaws still piercing down on the loose skin of his leg. The action immediately eased the tension of Askan's hold, he was no longer tugging, yanking with the intention of ripping. He was simply holding on, his neck bowed down to accommodate the new position.

Lorcan was not idle however, and was quick to take advantage of Askan's brief lapse of concentration. His paw landed a solid hit on Askan's jaw, which only proved to irk the Yukon wolf further.It hurt, enough to make him wince, and shook his head a little to try and chase the pain away. 

"Saved?" Askan snapped, as he relinquished the hold of Lorcan's leg. He towered over him, spreading his gait to that he could stand above the other, his neck craned down so he was almost pressing his face into Lorcan's.  Askan's tongue lashed in his mouth as he trembled all over, unable to contain himself. "You think I'm a fucking idiot? I SAW YOU! THE FUCK'S SHE DONE TO YOU? SHE'S A KID!!"

Just thinking about it, seeing Lorcan standing over her in a similar manner as to how Askan was now.... It was more than enough to make another thunderous snarl vibrate in his throat. Askan didn't want to calm down, he didn't want to see reason. He didn't want to give this fuckhead a chance to try and explain himself, to spout his lies. Askan knew what he saw, there was no mistaking it. He would have hurt her- Askan shuddered at the disgusting, foul thought- and he had to pay for that. With his blood preferably.  Askan reared his head back, with the intention of tearing the bastards throat out. God's he do it and be done with this shit.

(This post was last modified: Sep 11, 2016, 07:13 PM by Askan.)

The small girl stood there, fur sopping wet, mouth agape as the two grown ups snarled and snapped. Askan had a hold of the stranger's leg and the small girl winced as the stranger flipped over. She could hardly hear the words that were spoken for the ringing in her ears and the pressure building in her chest. Her stomach started to roll and for a moment she couldn't decide if she wanted to vomit or not. A casual heave bought nothing with it and she considered perhaps this feeling was a want to scream, but what would that achieve? Who would hear her all the way out here?

Before she had made up her mind she was moving, jaws parted wide just as Askan's had been. Sharp puppy teeth not yet shed wrapped themselves around a dark ankle tightly, her own growl joining the chorus as she tried something, anything to get his attention. It hadn't crossed her mind that he might kick back and send her flying, that perhaps in the middle of a brawl was the last place she wanted to be... But she was going to hold on and hold on tight until he stopped what he was doing and listened to her.