Secluded Spring i'm gonna wing it

RE: Reyes, you find a bunch of freshwater mussels at your nearest water source.
Open to one or two others! Set afternoon, light rain. 51F.

If the persistent drizzle wasn’t enough to put a damper on the lone wolf’s mood, than the rumble in his gut was sure to see that through. Ears were flat against his skull, an obvious display and a necessary gesture both – Reyes’ had never been fond of rain dripping into his ears. Gave him a headache just thinking about it – and the last thing he needed was an infection whilst traveling by his lonesome.

Eventually, the wolf came upon the secluded spring, eying it with some level of scrutiny. There was a pack nearby; even with the rain dampening scents to the earth, that number of wolf was hard to miss. It would serve him well to steer clear, but access here was unlimited, and it was wisest to take a drink where you could find it. Who knew when you’d find clean water again, after all? (Even if it never did seem to stop falling from the sky…)

He’d nearly had his fill when he noticed something dark in the water – unable to help his curiosity, the wolf snooped closer. Mussels, he realized with some delight. Reyes had eaten them before, though it’d been quite some time ago…and those he’d sampled (sweet and tender as they were) had first been dropped by some rather engineering crows. Mouth twisting with a hum, the wolf reached forward to wrap his mouth around one, trying to pry it free from its bed.

Hope you don't mind me hopping in!

The later into September is got the more and more reserved the yearling had become. Changing from spending 48 hours within the territory before leaving to now a mere 24. Even now he knew he should have been heading back to the Cove Draven couldn't bring himself to do it. He hadn't slept more than a few hours in a week or more and every waking moment was filled with memories he wished would stay away. His mother's body, the way his siblings had been treated, how alone he had been after everything, every member of the Crest that had disappeared or died.

When he eventually had conceded with his conscience to head back he had been stalled by the scent of a nearby pack. He knew nothing of them but the scents that laid strongest on the border were clear as day, Gent and Raela. Ever since Draven had stumbled upon his finding he had lurked nearby, far enough to not cause any alarms and hopefully not alert them to his presence but he found it called to him like a lodestone. The yearling wanted absolutely nothing to do with them, but the fact that they were no longer in the Crest could mean only one thing. They had let his mother's pack die along with everything else they touched.

Dark lip curled as he prowled down to where he knew the water lay, he had once been so fond of the woman but her continued association with that monster tainted her image. The light rain didn't bother him and the Lagina teen hardly noticed it when his gaze narrowed in on the form of another. His scent wasn't that of the packs, it wasn't that of any packs at all. Wary of the loner Draven made his way to the bank a few wolf lengths away, lapping at the liquid while keeping general attention on the rogue. He wasn't in the mood for surprises.

There is a rabbit's nest nearby. +1 Health

@Draven -- Thank you so much for joining! :D

The yearling’s presence went long unnoticed, especially with Reyes’ head mostly submerged in the water. While he’d trained himself to keep pale eyes open even when beneath the surface, he could hardly see at all, the chill stinging in any place not covered by his winter coat. He couldn’t breathe, and he certainly couldn’t smell – the growl in his belly demanded he keep working at his prize. In fact, the swarthy male reemerged not once but twice in his quest, plunging back in as soon as he sucked in sharply and filled burning lungs. When even the third attempt did not produce any such victory, the wolf finally took a step back and shook the water from his face.

Bleary eyes blinked opened, and noticed the green gaze staring back at him from several wolf-lengths away.

Well. Well.

His bushy tail flung upwards as the wolf grumbled softly, brows knitted by the silence. What did he want? Was it meant to be a sneak attack? The boy stunk of pack – but the more his nose cleared and the more he huffed, Reyes began to realize he smelled nothing like the boundaries only a stone’s throw away. Brows furrowed even deeper, and he tossed his scarred face in the loner’s direction.

“Hey – you from around here? You know how to get these damn shellfish out?”

The rogue shoved his face under the water twice more without so much as looking at Draven who despite his best intentions had his interest piqued. What could possibly be under there that was causing the loner to behave that way? Despite his curiosity hesitation held him back, he remembered stories his mother had told him long ago warning him about wolves who behaved strangely. They could be crazy or they could be sick, the kind of sickness that drove them mad and made them attack without warning.

When the grey eyes focused on him after a few strategic blinks the yearling froze, adrenaline beginning to pump through his veins. If the loner lunged would he be fast enough to get away? His ankle still sometimes throbbed when he ran and if he pushed it to hard he would stumble and that wasn't something he could risk right now. Dark ears pressed backwards in response to the raised tail, a clear sign that Draven had zero interest in any kind of confrontation. the strange hugging that the man was doing only sealed his suspicion, he was clearly either crazy or had rabies.

Taking a step back and preparing himself to flee Draven paused at the man's words. Tilting his head to the right ever so slightly every muscle in the teen's body relaxed from the tense state they had been in. Eyeing the man with caution the Lagina took a few steps forward, then gaining some confidence strode close enough he could peer into the pool but still out of striking distance. Green eyes squinted in an attempt to see through the swirling water but then he nodded, "They're not that hard to get out, but you'll have to get more than your head wet." Kova had taught him when he was a pup, the silver yearling had loved fishing more than anything else. Draven wasn't as good at it, but he knew enough to get by if he really needed to.

@Draven -- ugh, that table is so pretty...and those colors, too!

Reyes was a great many things, but thankfully, legitimately crazy was not high on that list. As much as the younger wolf feared some sort of attack (physical or otherwise), the loner’s mind was already reeling away as he glanced back and forth between the newcomer and the chilly water. He could feel his stomach churning around, demanding he put something in it – frankly, he wouldn’t have bothered the boy at all if he’d been able to get the meal easily.

But he hadn’t, so here he was, one pronounced brow raising high as the youth confessed some measure of knowledge when it came to prying shellfish free of the rocks they so desperately clung to.

Giving a small sigh, the man’s shoulders dropped as he let a tiny fraction of his pride slither away. If he wanted to hill his belly, then he’d have to listen to the younger wolf. “That so?” he hummed, circling back around to where the freshwater mussels still clung on. “You got any more specific advice than that? You help me get these fuckers out an’ I’ll share with ya, how’s that?”

A pause, and he glanced back at the yearling, his brows raised. “‘m Reyes, by the way.”

It's gorgeous <3 Grey really outdid herself with it

Thankfully the loner was more concerned with the mussels in the pool than Draven at all. The yearling still wasn't one hundred percent comfortable but at least he would be somewhat helpful in this situation. Watching Reyes' shoulders drop and then hearing his words was enough to bring something of a smile to the dark Lagina's face. He might be a half-assed healer at this point in his training and some weeks ago almost brought back poisonous mushrooms to the pack but this he could do.

Padding closer with confidence he nodded, "I'm Draven." Looking closer into the water and trying to concentrate through the rippling surface he was quiet for a moment or two. This pool was deeper than the one that Kova had taught him on but the process had to be almost the same. Glancing back towards Reyes he explained, "First you have to use your paws to push on their flat sides until they're a little loose but be careful because the tops of them are sharp and can cut you." Taking a few steps into the cool water the yearling fought back a chill. Carefully placing one of his front paws on the side of the outer mussel he shoved, ignoring the slight prick of the top cutting into the pad of his paw.

After a few good pushes he felt it beginning to wiggle against the ground and he grinned at his small accomplishment. Almost to himself he ran through the next step the same way his brother had taught him, "Then you reach in with your teeth and grab it, but you have to twist it off or it won't let go." Taking a deep breath Draven plunged his head into the pool fumbling for a moment before he could securely get the shell in his jaws then swiftly twisting and pulling it free.

Resurfacing the yearling tossed the mussel onto the shore near the man's feet before retreating to shore himself. Draven was rather proud of himself for being able to even remember let alone execute the task and a huge smile adorned his face as he stepped onto the banks, "Okay you try."

Draven.

Weird name for a kid, he thought -- if there was one thing he could always be thankful for, it was that his mother had given he and his sisters names that not only sounded elegant, but had actual meaning behind them. At least it wasn’t as plain as ‘Cottongrass’, he supposed … though he did wonder how that kid was getting on.

Shaking the thoughts from his mind, Reyes turned his pale eyes back onto the yearling. Clearly, the swarthy youth had done this before, even if the adult’s understanding of shellfish harvesting was only incipient. He hummed softly, indicating he was still keen on Draven’s instruction, and stepped back to allow the boy his space. It was a good plan, apparently, for the wolf ducked his head beneath the water and illustrated without flaw. In less than a breath, he was back up, water dripping from his chin, and one of the mussels hanging from his teeth. Reyes gave a soft grunt, bobbing his head, and then a thought back to mind—

“Before I go an’ get myself all wet,” he grumbled softly, looking back from the stream to the little shellfish in Draven’s teeth, “how y’gonna get it open when it’s all closed up like that? Last time I ate these, they were all opened up. Feedin’, ‘er somethin’. That’s what they told me.”

hope you don't mind me jumping in <3 the "boundaries only a stone’s throw away" bit made me figure they'd easily attract wfn attention.

Patrolling with her father was one of Lucia's favored things to do, after getting out of the valley and out into the world. The chore barely felt like work, even in the despised rain, especially when she managed to earn Gent's praise or stumble across something awesomely interesting. This time, it would be the latter; while sniffing around and leaving her scent here and there, the young girl picked up on the presence of two strangers just outside what the Notch wolves claimed as theirs. She chuffed to her father, who was not far off, but did not wait for his directions before bounding off to see who these strangers were.

They were at the edge of the Spring, looking at something and she had to wonder what was so interesting that it would have them out here and not under shelter. Something about them made them seem different from each other, something in their scents, but she couldn't figure out what. The questions were filling up her mind fast, and so she hurried to start asking them.

Doing her best to seem confident and in control (after all, this was her spring, as far as she was concerned), she approached them from the side with her chin up and her steps light and sniffed out, "Watcha doin?"

(This post was last modified: Nov 24, 2016, 03:35 AM by Lucia.)

Draven Exit

The mussel landed near the other man's feet and skidded across the stone before coming to a complete halt. Shaking his dark pelt to free any excess moisture before he stepped out of the pond Draven tilted his head. Kova had definitely shown him how to open the shells but he was having a hard time remembering how to do it. He hadn't just used his teeth because that was too hard and would cut your mouth so what had he done?

Stepping up onto the rocks it dawned on him. Picking up the shell firmly between his teeth the green eyes scanned for an appropriate tool to use. Spotting the perfect rock, piled on top of another one almost had head level Draven stepped towards it. Taking a breath and making sure the mussel was gripped he knocked once against the stone with the shell. Nothing happened. Knocking a second time a little harder nothing happened again. This time Draven hit much harder, hitting the sharp edge of the mussel against the stone he heard a loud cracking sound. Returning to Reyes and dropping it at his paws only sealed the mussel's fate as a huge chunk of shell broke away revealing the meaty inside. Dark tail waving behind him in pride the yearling grinned, "Just like that."

The pride was short lived however as a familiar scent filled his nostrils. A sickly sweet mix of Gent and Raela and so many unfamiliar wolves, one of the members of their pack was nearby. Tensing he turned just as the dark form of a pup entered into the scene with questions already leaving her maw. It was like staring directly at some kind of mutant mixture of the pair of them, enough to make the yearling's stomach feel queasy.

At first Draven did nothing but stand and stare in silence at the girl but seeing the raised chin and the obnoxious mannerisms obviously taught by her father was too much. Setting his jaw the yearling turned without a word and left the clearing. If he hadn't have left he would have done something he would have regretted. Controlling his speed until he was sure he was out of eyesight of the pair he had left behind the Lagina broke out into a sprint. He had to get as far from there as possible.