The Wildwood terrified zombies

Takes place while @Maera (tagged for reference) is out in the Ghastly Woods || Mid-morning, Overcast -9 ° F, -23 ° C || All welcomed!

He remembered her form at the entrance of the den just this morning. Kerberos grew to welcome her nudges or voice in the morning. This morning Mae had announced she was going on a trip and would be back by nightfall. A groggy Kerb had agreed and gave her a gentle "Be safe please, Mae." before he accidentally dozed off again. The youth had slept in till the mid-morning. The skies gray above as panic settled within him. He had jumped to his feet and raced out of the den. Entirely forgetting about their early conversation. A bark was sent out into the woods but nothing came back. "Mae! Mae!" He trotted off and noticed how the sky seemed to weep above. Everything would turn to slush and soon her scent would wash out! He whined and paced in circles not entirely sure how to take this. Would he be alone again? Everything had been so dandy yesterday!

Kerberos took in a deep breath before he whispered to himself. "Calm down, everything will be okay. She'll be back. Maybe she just needed a breather." He wandered aimlessly into the woods. Listening for the sound of water. A cool drink would clear his head and allow him to focus more. He hoped that he could even find a meal for them to eat while laughing about his current behavior. For now though, he would trudge through the snow and slush in search of Mae or resources.

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Cold.

Crunch.

Cold.

Crunch.

Cold.

W a i t, stuttered his brain. Because was it supposed to be cold after, or was it supposed to be crunch next? He didn't know, the two words just swam sickeningly just behind his eyes. And he could argue that they weren't even really words anymore. At this point they were nothing but jumbled sounds that could've been words, maybe. Really, he wasn't too sure.

Either way, he'd lost track of the world there for a second and everything seemed distorted. The trees were suddenly too big, and the ground lurched up to meet his paws instead of the other way around. It was like everything was faraway, and he was just disjointed lines. His head hurt the longer he thought about it. Because he was supposed to be his brain and everything was supposed to feel together. Except it didn't.

And maybe his head or his brain was the problem in the situation he found himself in. If he shook out the weirdness maybe the rest of his body would come back. He blinked when the world blurred and shook, nothing but a faraway sensation. Everything still felt muddled.

But there was a sense of clarity that was settling in, annoyingly slow in his veins and he knew that no amount of shaking would speed that up. The sky above was a cloudy grey. He could hear rushing water. His paws felt cold in the snow. And he could smell someone, or maybe it was more than just a someone and it was a some-two. He couldn't tell. It was like his nose could smell, but there was a wall of snow and fuzz blocking him from actually realizing it.

He blamed it on the trees. The trees muddied everything up, looming over him and pointing him in the wrong direction. Yeah, that sounded good. He started when the wolf appeared from said trees, meters away from him. His body gave an uncertain wobble, yellow eyes blinking owlishly as he stared at the stranger.

(It was supposed to be crunch, his brain hummed unhelpfully. But at least his thoughts were catching up to his body.)

(This post was last modified: Dec 16, 2016, 04:55 AM by Cottongrass.)

@Cottongrass

Kerberos heard the crunching. Barely scented a stranger in his area. alert and cautious, the Rigel male didn't have to peer far to see who it may be. A pale figure against an ivory background. Had they wobbled too? This seemed dangerous. And he had promised Mae he'd stay safe. This seemed to be the exact opposite of safe.

He also realized he couldn't just leave the loner out here to wobble away. Kerb had teamed up with Maera for survival. What if this wolf needed someone's help too? Creeping forward slowly, Kerberos tail waved behind him in a friendly manner. "Hey...you okay? Need some help?" It was a good start. If he could learn what the hell was wrong with his larger stranger than he would be able to figure out what to do. Kerberos decided if the male was contagious he'd probably leave him out here to wither (seemingly such a rude act for someone as nice as Kerb) and if the male was somewhat healthy Kerb might offer him a place to rest and a quick bite. The tawny male knew he couldn't give this wolf too much unless he could provide something in return.

"Call me Rigel. You got a name?" He gave out his last name for the sake of security. Usually, he'd be all chipper and bubbly but there was something odd, maybe even unusual about this encounter. Every other wolf Kerberos had met so far had been healthy. Not wobbly too.

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Why would he need help?

It took a second for everything to settle into place. The dots connected, and all he could think was oh. Because yeah, if he felt weird his everything probably looked weird. His brain kicked into overdrive, thoughts whirring away as he forced himself to just focus for a second. It wasn't a good time to feel disjointed and cloudy like the skies above.

"No." He pressed the lone word carefully out of his mouth, his own tongue feeling leaden. Really, he wanted to babble about how he swore he was normal. That he didn't know why other wolves kept thinking something was wrong with him. And you know, maybe there was and he just didn't know it because he got that feeling a lot. Like, a lot a lot. But he was getting sidetracked, which he didn't need right then. His thoughts jumped to Reyes in a last ditch attempt to fix whatever was going on. Because Reyes thought he was crazy or something like that and hey, he got free food out of the male. So why wouldn't it work with this wolf?

(He didn't actually want the food that much. But he wouldn't complain.)

"I'm just tired." He shrugged, tail wagging and an apologetic smile spreading across his features. His ears rolled back against his skull for a second before flicking back forward, listening to this Rigel. A part of him worried about lying, the idea of it itching and settling beneath his skin. But he had the sneaking suspicion that saying he thought too hard and now the world didn't feel real wouldn't do him, or anyone else, any good. "I'm Cottongrass." He chirped, forcing his paws to settle and not shuffle in the snow.

(This post was last modified: Dec 16, 2016, 05:53 AM by Cottongrass.)

No.

Such a simple word. The fact that the wolf who had been wobbling managed to form it was enough of Kerb to relax his posture. Standing tall instead of in a creeping, crouched position. The claim of 'being tired' was brought up and Kerberos said he could understand that. This wolf didn't smell of pack which meant this @Cottongrass was a loner too. "Better rest soon than. Not safe to be wobbling alone." He chuckled gently. "Are you traveling with someone or out here alone, Cottongrass?" Kerb's dandelion eyes peeked over Cotton's shoulder to see if anyone was trailing after.

Kerberos wondered if Mae was close by. Curious as to just how far she had gone today. He had to nightfall to be alone, or so she had said. But it also seemed he wasn't going to spend all day alone. The tawny male settled his rear into the cold ground. "Maybe you should sit with me for a moment." His tail thumped against the snow and a wide smile spread across his face. "I got somewhere warmed to rest but I think you need to settle down for a second before I show you. That is if you want to rest in my place." Kerb knew there'd be questions if Mae came home and smelt someone else in their den. As long as nothing went wrong, though, she'd have nothing to be upset about.

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He smiled, jaws parting and tongue lolling out in a goofy grin. Because it worked, it worked and that must've meant everything was better. The cataclysm was avoided. He wouldn't be branded with a horrible reputation like Friend Killer, or Wolf-Eating Monster. And really, that made everything good in his mind. This time he let his big paws shuffle in the snow, trotting forward towards Rigel with his hindquarters wagging. Because he could do talking, he could do talking so good. Rigel would just have to watch, be blown away by how well Cottongrass could talk even when everything still felt all sloshy.

"I was uh, I was uh." Wait, that didn't sound right. He started over, with just as much gusto as he had moments before. "I've been traveling with my friends." That sounded better, way better. 'Cause Vic and Avery were his friends, even if they weren't with him right then. That's just how good friends they were, really. "We've been looking for some of our other friends." He added on, ever so intelligently, ready to keep on with that similar line of thought. But Rigel started talking and his jaws clicked shut. He listened as best he could.

"Sitting down - sitting down would be nice." He decided, taking a few more shuffling steps to the male's offered side. But not too close, because he really didn't want to mess up anymore. He dropped onto his hindquarters, settling into the snow. His yellow eyes drew back to Rigel's own, returning his own cheery smile even if somewhat distracted. There was a lot going on, suddenly, or so it seemed for him. He was okay with that.

"Only if you're uh, only if you're okay with that." Really, he didn't want to be any more of a bother. He already startled them, and, well, he wasn't too sure what was going on now. But he had a feeling that he could mess everything up real easily without realizing. Don't ask him how he knew, though. It was just sort of a given with him.

(In reality he didn't want to be that pitiful, to be offered stuff from a wolf that didn't like him. It was a very fine line he was sure he was treading.)

(This post was last modified: Dec 16, 2016, 06:58 AM by Cottongrass.)

poor @Cottongrass , i love him already ;-;

Kerberos's mind was very on the fence about this male. He seemed crazy one moment, fine the next, and crazy again. He didn't want to openly ask again if Cottongrass was sure he was okay. It would just seem so pushy and rude. But there would be blame on him if he brought home a crazy one. "I've been traveling with a friend too." Kerb smiled softly. "But, uh, where'd you lose your other friends? The ones you are looking for, that is. I might be able to keep an eye out for you." It was a kind offer, perhaps the least Kerb could do.

As the pale wolf took a spot next to Kerberos, his eyes gently watched him. Listening to that awkward sentence. He didn't move, though, didn't even shift his weight to the other side. "Just stay friendly." Kerberos reminded himself. "You have to see the whole situation before judging.."

"I'm alright with it. Gives you time to rest and maybe clear your head before your friends come to get you." The Rigel male offered another smile in Cottongrass's direction. "How far are they from here?" He wondered how easily his new company would share information. Was it truly taking advantage of the situation? Or merely taking an opportunity?

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<3

"That's nice." He murmured, nodding along to Rigel's words. It was good that they had traveling buddies and that they weren't alone, because they seemed nice. And even if Cottongrass didn't know anything important - he knew that nice things were supposed to happen to nice wolves. It was a rule, or something. One that he was sure explained why he always had so much bad luck hanging around him. So Rigel must've been really nice, to have a warm den and traveling buddies. And that he was willing to offer even a little to a wolf like Cottongrass.

He gave a soft smile, ignoring the frown that threatened to tug the corners of his lips down. Because they asked him a question, and he was supposed to answer questions. Even if he didn't like it, because he wasn't a puppy anymore that could get away with that. "I uh, lost my friend on the other side of a mountain somewhere around here." Really, he wasn't that familiar with the land but he was certain that the mountains were involved. Had to be. "Her names Neha Vuesain. She's, uh, nice." He hadn't forgotten about her, he'd just put her to the side of the list of things that dictated him.

"But my friends are looking for someone else, though." At that he let himself frown, expression furrowed in thought as the details slipped by him. He was sure he could hold everything together a little longer, but it seemed like he couldn't even manage that. "I'd have to - I'd have to ask them about it, again." His shoulders heaved, giving a nervous shrug because of course he would forget now. He tried not to let it get him down as he kept talking.

"My friends?" He mumbled into the air, mostly talking to himself as he took to squinting into the woods he came from. It would be impossible to actually see them, but it helped him reorient himself a bit. Which was all he really needed. "They shouldn't be - they shouldn't be too far." All he knew was the general direction of somewhere between north and west, and the idea of the sun rising as he walked.

(Cold, crunch, cold, crunch ticked his brain.) It had gone on for a long time earlier, but probably not that long. The word far struck him wrong, but so did the word near. They were somewhere in between. He nodded to himself at that thought. But there was something still wiggling, still moving beneath his skin and forcing his paws to fidget in the snow below. It was a sense of wrongness that clung to him and stole away where all of his logic should have been.

"I could probably find them again if I needed to." He offered, gaze faraway on the trees. Because he was good at hearing the words underneath, and he was good at answering the questions everybody thought but never asked. Like 'how far are they from here' sounded a whole lot like 'how long will it be' and 'when will you leave.' At least that's how it all sounded to him. Which he was fine with, really, he would just needed to convince himself a bit more and he'd be alright. Because he had almost said he'd leave the moment they said the word, but nobody ever said those quiet words. They were just thoughts that seemed to slip in between the spaces of sentences. Everything was just hotsy-totsy, really.

@Cottongrass seemed to be making Kerberos increasingly uncomfortable. Everything that the tawny male had offered, he was thinking of pulling out of. But he would have felt awful. Offering a fellow Lone Wolf somewhere warm to rest before yanking back the offer. It caused an uncomfortable feeling to form in his stomach. Not quite like butterflies though. Perhaps there was more of a resemblance with the feeling being like worms wiggling. Whatever it was, Kerberos was willing to do what he could to cool the feeling.

There were two things the tawny male kept in mind as Cottongrass spoke. A location and a name. Mountains and Neha Vuesain. The name was interesting but he also assumed his could be viewed the same way. "I'll tell Neha you're looking for them if I ever run into them." A thoughtful gesture to try and cool the feeling in his gut. Part of him wanted to tell the male he had to go, that he had forgotten his friend needed him. Kerberos knew his mother wouldn't have approved of such behavior, though. Perhaps the only thing that was keeping him glued down to the ground next to Cottongrass.

Kerberos had started to notice how the pale wolf seemed to repeat things. The sentences "I was uh, I was uh" and "They shouldn't be - they shouldn't be" seemed to strike him as the most peculiar. Was Cottongrass doubting things? Was his new found company unsure of who was who and what was what? He could stop his hackles from barely raising. A chill down Kerberos's spine as he forced himself to listen. "Who are they?" His voice was full of curiosity. The Rigel male seemed to be trying to push his limits. All the information he could drain out of Cotton wouldn't go to waste. It would properly be exchanged with Mae.

"No need to find them yet unless you need to. You still should rest and perhaps even eat before trying to run off again." Kerberos's tones a gentle coo to the pale wolf. Almost trying to lure him to stay longer. How much could he gain from this stranger? Or was he wasting his time on a delusional creature?

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Everything just felt wrong, and he couldn't figure out why.

Because he was answering every single one of Rigel's questions without hesitation. Except they kept coming, piling up all around him in the freezing air. He felt like he was young again, like when he did something without thinking and his parents started to question him. Asking him why did he do that, what was he thinking, what did he think would happen. It was always during those moments the painful realization would come, the moment when he felt the guilt and shame because he was so stupid, wasn't he? He didn't have any of the answers they wanted and he had nothing but silence, the kind that settled beneath his skin and rubbed him raw.

All the scene needed was his dad's heavy sigh and even heavier stare, weighed full of disappointment. Or maybe the sound of his mother's careful voice, coming through lips that were always pressed thin with annoyance. He didn't like it. Because he had left home to get away from all of that, but it seemed to follow him in the form of a stranger.

He didn't know what he was doing wrong. Even if nobody ever said it to him, he knew that he was always the one that was somehow bad. He drew in a quiet breath, brow furrowed in confusion as he looked for the answers Rigel wanted. They had to be somewhere inside of him, even if he wanted to fall into his old habit of being quiet whenever someone made him think and be serious. "Victoria and Avery." Fell carefully from his lips, ignoring the impulse to babble and say that Vic didn't like being called her full name. Maybe he was talking too much, or getting too sidetracked. He couldn't tell anymore.

And there was a part of him that wanted to blurt out that Rigel could meet them if they wanted to. That maybe that would fix everything. But that held too much magnitude suddenly. Because he just wanted everything to be over. He wanted to run away and pretend that this encounter never happened. Rigel meeting Vic and Avery would make it permanent, that if the siblings knew the whole world would suddenly know. So he kept quiet, teeth clacking shut around the sentence.

"Okay." Was all he offered instead, nodding along to Rigel's suggestion. Even if he grew more and more tempted with each passing moment to break the cycle. To say that they didn't need to pretend to be nice, that he'd be okay if they didn't like him. But he was scared and selfish, terrified of what the answer might be if he let those kind of words out.