Heartleaf Creek carry me away

possible subterritory pic

Eskil supposed that technically, winter was over halfway through and spring should be on its way. But still it was cold as ever, and despite the sun's persistence in shining down upon the forest that day, the heaps of snow that lay upon the ground did not budge. He didn't like roving about in the winter, it was an uncertain lifestyle entirely dependent on luck. Whether he would be lucky enough to find food, or find a safe place to rest for the night. He'd already had a patch of bad luck, his sprained ankle still bothering him and slowing his progress. If he could just rest, he was sure it would heal, but he wasn't too keen on staying in one place for long. Settling down in one of the area's packs was an option, but he had yet to find his sister and the more time that passed, the less likely it became that he would. 

Eskil's pointed ears swiveled at the sound of running water. Thinking about it, his throat was a little dry and fresh water would be a welcome change to eating snow. The male limped down a slope, his dark green eyes flicking through the trees to spot a glint of ice and water below. In his eagerness to reach the streambed in combination with his unsteady forepaw, a loose patch of snow sent the Whitebark male sliding down the bank, just barely missing crashing into the trees in his path. He fell back on his rump, his hind legs kicking out and pushing against the snow in a failed attempt to brake himself. With a wince he landed solidly besind the stream, skidding to a stop just a few inches before the frozen shore.

(This post was last modified: Feb 18, 2017, 12:48 AM by Eskil.)

Scout demonstration 1/3 (gonna say Learning the lay of the land counts here..?) also down for some territory discovery

Everything in his life was sorta out of control but he hid it well. Kerberos kept smiling and doing his work for Charred Ash Draw. He was back to wandering around again but never ventured too far to the point of no return. The tawny second wondered what others thought of his trips. It wasn't like he neglected pack duties too. He usually brought something back from his trips whether it be gifts or knowledge. Perhaps he'd have to arrange some kind of schedule of travel days and home days.

The creek was approaching. The male could hear the sound of it but he didn't think he was familiar with these parts. Beautiful tall trees reached up towards the sky. The snow around him seemed untouched by anything. He figured it was likely freshly fallen snow. Surely other creatures came here for drinks from the creek.

There was a sound somewhere that let him knew someone else was in the area. Kerberos picked up his pace as his pale yellow eyes darted around to see what it was. There was a wolf! Who seemed to have fallen down? His eyes examined the path the large stranger had made through the snow. "Excuse me!" Kerberos called out with a bit of concern as he approached the fallen male. "Are you alright? Can I help?"

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Eskil slowly opened his eyes, his ears folded flat as he glanced around where he landed. A voice called out to him, and his head turned towards the source. Evidently someone had witnessed his moment of utmost grace. Eskil carefully pulled himself to his feet. Lifting each paw in turn, he tested the joints and made sure everything was still in working order. Besides a sore rump he seemed no worse for wear. Lady luck might have had a sense of humor at his expense, but she seemed to be looking out for him so far. 

"Oof, I think I'm alright, unless you got something for a bruised ego." He chuckled, looking towards the concerned stranger. Yellow eyed and dark coated, the young wolf's appearance gave Eskil pause. He stared for a few moments too long, hesitation briefly flitting across his face as the pale grey fur on his nape bristled. But it was a short-lived feeling, as Eskil noticed the male's pale yellow eyes were soft, with a kindly expression. Not the little burning coals of hatred that haunted him so.

Eskil shook his head, clearing the thought. He'd always been taught that it was rude to stare. "Sorry, you looked familiar, I thought you were someone else." He apologized.

Scout demonstration 2/3

Kerb was glad to see the male was not hurt except for his ego. "Don't think I know a cure for that." He laughed along with the joke. As he focused his attention again he noticed a switch in the way the male acted. How his eyes stared harder and the fur on his neck bristled. The Rigel male couldn't stop his own hackles from rising slowly. What had the hell happened? Everything was dandy now he was being eyed down.

Before Kerberos could protest the stranger spoke out. "It's alright." He chuffed softly. Whoever he had mistaken him for must have been a rather rude person to get such a reaction. "If you need help finding them I can offer some help. One of my pack mates might be able to help also. We're set up not too far from here.." He let his words trail off as a brow raised slowly. Kerberos was all for helping others but he was interested in knowing more about this man who looked like himself.

"Oh, where are my manners?" He smiled softly. "I'm Kerberos Rigel. May I have your name?" His tail swayed softly to maintain a somewhat positive mood between them.

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There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

Eskil winced, this time from something other than pain. It was a kind offer of the stranger, seeing as they had just met moments ago. Eskil gave a pained smile, appreciating the kindness but having to turn it down. "No, that's fine. It's unfortunately someone I'd rather never run into again." The Whitebark man grumbled. The whole lot of Asurns weren't anything to scoff at, but the yellow eyed male was particularly cruel. Again, it was only by luck's grace that he'd made it out of that one with just the marks over his face.

 He shifted slightly, looking over the younger wolf. He looked like a kind soul. Exactly the sort of wolf that would do well never to run across him either. "But let me give you a piece of advice. If you ever meet an Asurn, run." He said, leveling his dark spruce eyes with the other wolf. 

"Ah, of course, nice to meet you. Name's Eskil Whitebark." He said with a dip of his head. A thought occurred to him. Maybe this wolf had seen Oula in the area, or could at least point him in the right direction. "You said your pack lives around here, huh? There's actually someone else I'm looking for..." He started.

Scout demonstration 3/3

His lips formed a small O shape at the other man's words. Well, then Kerberos would gladly take back his offer on that end. He wasn't interested in meeting someone who wasn't very pleasant.

The tawny male's eyebrows raised with obvious interest when the word advice came into play. Was he really about to take advice from someone he'd just seen slip through the snow into the shore of the creek? Sure, why not! "Asurn? I'm not familiar with that name but, you wouldn't happen to know of Zamoras would you?" It was a softly spoken question almost out of fear that Zerxes would come running out from a tree any moment. "Thank you for the advice, though."

A smile swept over Kerb's face at the introduction. Any face of concern or fear had been swept away. "Pleasure to meet you too, Eskil." His tail wagged slowly even when the large male asked a question. "We do. Who else are you looking for?" He tilted his head as he inquired about the situation. How many wolves was this Eskil guy on the hunt for? Was he some kind of professional stalker? That wasn't really any of Kerberos's business. The guy seemed nice and had just had his ego bruised so the least the Draw wolf could do was help out some.

(This post was last modified: Feb 20, 2017, 01:46 AM by Kerberos.)

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Eskil shook his head, looking at Kerberos curiously. He didn't know of any Zamora's, though it wasn't clear why the man had asked. Was he looking for one? Either way, Eskil wouldn't be much help. He was new to the area, and didn't know who that was.

"My sister, actually. She's the only family I have left, and honestly I'm not sure she knows I'm still alive." He began, a hesitant frown on his face. She'd come and gone so quickly he hadn't seen her himself, but they'd grown up together and he remembered her scent, and he had picked up her trail after she'd left. Unfortunately, he'd long since lost the trail and was more or less flying blind.

"Her name's Oula, her coat is very similar to mine, light grey, but she's much smaller and her eyes are pale green." He explained. Unfortunately a pale grey female wasn't much of a distinguishing feature, but perhaps it rang some bells in Kerberos' mind. "I lost her trail a while back in the tundra, I don't even know where to look anymore." He admitted with a shrug. North, south, east or west, all options were equally viable as far as to where she had gone, he really had no idea.

Scout demonstration 4/3

No knowledge on Zamoras. A true shame but he figured at least he could be watchful for these Asurns. While he wanted to see what they had done he figured it wouldn't be too polite. No need to push the man further than he was willing to share.

Kerb could feel himself sinking in size at Eskil's words. He felt guilty even though he had done nothing wrong. Or maybe that was the pity. He didn't really know what it was but he didn't like it. "I'm sorry." It was in typical Kerberos fashion to apologize, even if he couldn't fix anything. Maybe he could give some sense of hope to the large male but what good was that in the long run? Hope could only get some wolves so far.

His ears perked to listen to the words, rattling his brain for a wolf who may fit the description or name. Oula was by no means familiar. "I hate to be a downer but she's not in my pack if she's around." His eyes looked down out of disappointment. He hated himself for not being able to help more. Hated the fact that this woman wasn't in his pack by some miracle. "But there are some other packs around. One down south by the name Willow Ridge and one on the mountain by a lake called Fallen Tree Cove. They're both nice by my understanding." He wondered if that tidbit might help the male any. "If you'd really like I could probably sort something for you to spend a night or two in my pack to rest." Kerberos offered a soft smile to hopefully seal the deal. Maybe someone else in the pack had seen this Oula.

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@Kerberos

The younger wolf apologized, and Eskil understood it for the platitude it was. Eskil had to wonder if his sister even wanted to be found. Perhaps she knew he was looking for her, and was choosing to stay hidden one step ahead of him. 

Eskil nodded solemnly as Kerberos confirmed he hadn't seen his sister anywhere around. That would just be too easy, wouldn't it? He tucked the little bit of information about the local packs the russet wolf provided into the back of his mind. Maybe he would have to stop by and check there too, but he hadn't quite decided what he was going to do yet. If he was even going to continue searching, for that matter.

Eskil's pointed ears perked at the lad's offer. He tilted his head slightly as he considered it. It would be nice to rest his paws, maybe lend a hand in hunting and get something more substantial to eat than squirrels, voles, and dried out old bones. But he frowned. If he got too comfortable, it was likely he wouldn't want to continue on at all. He'd keep going for just a couple weeks more, and then he could rest assured that he'd made the effort. Eskil shook his head. "Thank you, that's kind of you. But I'd rather not linger too long."