Thicket of Secrets I Need Hope to Start Again

you come to me with scars on your wrist you tell me this will be the last night feeling like this The Thicket was dense and kept many secrets well-hidden from those who would seek them. But if there was one thing that Anyu could find in the Thicket, it was her den. Though she hadn’t established more than a few days ago, she had placed it in an area where it would be possible for her to find again. She had noted the landmarks and she had found her way back several times already. To one who did not know a den was there, it was completely invisible within the flora of the Thicket. The den was not much to speak of. She had found an old fox den, abandoned long ago, that had been playing host to a family of mice. By the time she had widened the entrance enough, most of the mice had run, though several young, unable to travel, had been left behind. They made a nice meal before she continued her work. It had taken at least a day of digging to make the den large enough for a wolf of her size. She may have been able to finish it faster, but after traveling for so long without enough to eat she was weak and tired. As soon as the den was finished she had fallen asleep inside of it, not thinking about the dangers that might lurk within the Thicket – this new land that she had chosen to stay in for the time being. The night passed uneventfully and Anyu was just waking an hour after the sun rose. The Thicket was so dense that it took longer for the light to penetrate all the way to the ground. It was well past sunrise when Anyu finally emerged from her new den to sniff at cold, crisp air of the winter morning. Even after an hour of sunshine it was still very cold outside. Last night, Anyu had cleared any remaining snow from the area around her den, though there had been very little left. Now she stepped out onto dry earth, blinking in the light sunlight that filtered through the vegetation. Her white fur stood out against the dark colors of the Thicket. Winter meant scarce food and Anyu could hear her stomach rumbling in hunger. The baby mice had hardly been a full meal. Listening, Anyu could only hear a few birds chirping. The other animals seemed to be gone, hiding to avoid the cold morning air. While she did not want to hunt – and, indeed, hardly had the drive to force herself to – Anyu had nothing better to do than lay down and sleep the day away. As such, she turned away from her den and slipped into the thick vegetation of the Thicket. Surprisingly, it was not long before she picked up the scent of snowshoe hare. At first it was but a faint scent clinging to leaves that the animal had brushed against in its passage, and she nearly mistook it for stale. A second examination of the scent made her realize that it was faint, but fresh, and she began to follow the faint traces until it grew stronger. It was twenty minutes before she finally found the rabbit. It was small and scrawny, thanks to the season, but it was still food. She watched it as it scratched at the ground in a small open space. Clearly it was searching for food, just as she was. Unfortunately, it would become the meal today. She crouched, waiting for it to move just a little closer, and then she leaped for her prey, certain that it was hers and she could not miss. i just came to say goodbye didn't want you to see me cry, i'm fine

It had been a great day. With the help of a new acquaintance named Rhysis, the two had been able to fell an elderly deer and have enough food to feed them both for days. Valtyr had gone to his den in the cherry orchard full, full of life and hope. His disposition was a far cry from how he had entered Relic Lore. It was amazing what a good meal could do for a lonely, broken wolf's soul. Or at least this wolf's soul. Perhaps the saying was true that the way to a male's heart was his stomach. Of course the pain would never go away, not completely. But his family would not want him to languish away and perish in misery, desperate and alone. No. He had to honor their memory by doing what they no longer could -- living.

The obsidian beast had awakened that morning in his den feeling quite refreshed. He decided to head back towards his kill in the blackberry patch for a quick breakfast before taking some more time to look around this intriguing place. Valtyr was careful not to stuff himself as he had yesterday. He wanted enough food in his belly to keep him going throughout the day, but not enough to put him into a meat-induced coma. Once full, he decided to go to the densely-wooded thicket. It wasn't exactly in his comfort level to go there. He preferred the openness of the orchard and the meadow. But he had a feeling it would be worth his while to push himself.

Stepping through the thicket proved to be a bit of a challenge for the onyx brute's large frame. The trees and undergrowth seemed to have the objective of tripping him and impeding any progress. The pale morning sun was barely visible through the treetops, further dampening his mood as he continued to go along with this ridiculous whim. He was just about to give it up and turn around when he spied a hare. It was scrawny -- barely a snack for the towering male. He had enough food to last him for awhile. But still, perhaps it could be a snack to keep on hand in his den when the kills were consumed.. And who was he to deny the random gift that had been placed in front of him?

Crouching low to avoid being seen, Valtyr kept his gleaming, yellow eyes trained on the rabbit's movements. His hindquarters were bunched, tense, ready to spring at any second. He nearly lunged before he saw something else -- a glimmer of white fur amidst the trees. A quick sample of the air told him he was not the only wolf stalking this particular prey. A female around his age, the scent further told him. Valtyr decided to remain put and let her take the prize. He really didn't need it, and she was probably hungrier than he was.

The dark male waited for the strange femme to make her move.

And for all the roads you followed...

OOC: Wow, this is lame xD sorry guys, it's like 6 in the morning and I'm tired.

The iciness of the early breeze penetrated through the greenness of the Thicket like sharp icicles, tearing the air of the winter morning. Akila was quite the early riser, and she appreciated greatly the inability of oversleeping the rugged climate offered her every morning. What didn’t please her as much, however, was the displeasing feeling of aching nostrils she was getting almost each day because of the season, the same nuisance that had made her open her bright eyes to a new day in just that instant.

A husky, elongated groan sounded mute under the grid of ramifications and mossy branches as she took the time to stretch the muscles of her fair snout. Then, the cream furred beast lifted the weight of her head to take an unpleased look at the narrowness of what had been her provisional bed for the icy night. She huffed, eyeballs glancing at her surroundings in discomfort. Certainly solitude wasn’t making the best of poor Akila. The once punctual and precise wolfess could have been found the day before roaming like an exalted pup, hungry to explore new terrains inside of the inexorable Thicket. She had wasted half of her day inside of that untamed place, and her day had ended in the duty of finding any hidden seam to pass the night, unable to find her path inside of the dense darkness.

Snowy limbs stretched, and the pale female soon found herself emerging from the secluded burrow. She wasn’t particularly hungry, but she knew in the back of her brains that she’d be by the time she had caught anything worthy to feed his bulky body. Akila stepped firmly on the ground as she sharpened her senses, both smell and ear, hoping to find a small trail or maybe hear the scurrying of a rodent’s legs.

Both of her ears twitched at the same time at the loud vibration of branches cracking near her. It didn’t sound like a rabbit, that was for sure. If it had to be an animal, it must have been something bigger and heavier. Slowly, she paced forward, straight to the direction where the noise had echoed.

And for all you did not find...

And for all the dreams you had to leave behind.

(This post was last modified: Jan 10, 2012, 05:30 AM by Akila.)

you come to me with scars on your wrist you tell me this will be the last night feeling like this Something went wrong. She wasn’t sure what, but as she lunged for the white rabbit it sprang away, dodging her attack with barely an inch to spare. As soon as she hit the ground she lunged in the direction that the rabbit had gone, but it was too fast. Her meal disappeared into the undergrowth of the Thicket. She stared at the space where it had disappeared for a moment, now strongly aware of the growling in her stomach. What had scared the hare? Anyu was so certain that she had been silent, even when she had lunged in to make the kill. Something else – or perhaps someone – had to have scared it. Anyu relaxed her muscles and turned away from the place where the rabbit had disappeared. She barely sniffed the air, not caring enough to look for what may have scared her prey away. Almost without thinking, she turned back toward her den, knowing that he spirits were crushed and she would not hunt successfully today. Before she had taken even two steps she realized that she had caught a scent in the air. Pausing, she sniffed again. Yes, there it was. The scent of a wolf that she had not met before. And, if she was not mistaken, there was a second scent as well. One was clearly male, and nearby. The other was female and was much weaker than the first scent. She struggled with the desire to just leave and return to her den alone. But there was a small part of her heart that wanted company, even if it was bad company. Flicking her ears, she looked around, but could not see anyone right away. Perhaps no one was there and she was imagining things. When her eyes, guarded and dull, had finished a quick look at the surrounding vegetation, she ventured a few words to see if someone would answer her, with little hope for a response. “Who’s there? I can smell you.” Flicking her ears forward, she listened for any sound. It had been some time since she had spoken with anyone, especially since all of the loss she had experienced so recently. She could use some kind of interaction with another of the same species. i just came to say goodbye didn't want you to see me cry, i'm fine

Valtyr watched the hare with interest, glancing up every few seconds to gaze in the direction he had sensed the female was lying in wait. Any second now, she would pounce. The obsidian beast sincerely hoped that, for her sake, her kill was successful. Being hungry, especially in winter, was no joke. Perhaps if she failed for whatever reason, he would share one of his kills with her. It might mean that he went with a bit less (and his hunting partner would, too), but he had another kill in the orchard to fall back on. He would not starve.

But something happened. In the far distance, the undergrowth creaked and rustled. Someone else was here, someone who obviously had no idea that there was a kill at stake. The hare glanced up and began to run off at the exact second the stranger had pounced. His gleaming yellow eyes saw a flash of white fur as the female leapt from her hiding spot. As the hare made off into the thicket, Valtyr felt a genuine pang of sympathy for the girl. Some ignorant fool charging through the underbrush had scared her meal off.

He watched the pale femme take notice of her surroundings and then issue her challenge. Deciding to reveal himself, the onyx beast stepped forward into her sight, holding himself tall, yet not in a threatening manner. He regarded the snowy female solemnly. <b>"I am here,"</b> he stated simply in his quiet, deep voice. His ears listened as another stranger, the one responsible for the lost meal, continued to come forward. His skull whipped around in the direction he sense the other would appear.

<b>"But I don't think we're alone here, either."</b>

And for all the roads you followed...

It took a few minutes of dodging branches and sidestepping roots and trunks that appeared to be as elder as time to finally witness the individual whose sounds had caught her attention moments ago. Or the individuals, to be more precise, as her focused eyes had managed to discover while her tranquil pace led her in their direction. As her common sense had told her, it wasn’t a rabbit she was aiming for, nor any small animal, for the matter. Instead, she saw a pair of wolves among the bushes. The first she saw was black as a raven, and the second, white as snow. One female and the other male, as their scent clearly told, yet her mind couldn’t still decide which one was which. The fair bitch emitted a quiet chuckle, just for her own ear to catch. Quite a rare –and bonny- scene to witness, especially if one thought of the place they were in.

She continued forward, neither lowering nor raising the peaceful speed of her gait; and lifting her stance as she approached near, not to appear dominant, but to make sure the others perceived her inner security. Her ears twitched in attention as she noticed the black beast’s head turning in her direction, and later emitting a few words in a deep bark.

“It certainly seems like you’re not.”

Akila’s voice sounded polite and gentle, just as it had been for her entire lifetime –or, at least, how it had been before her forced recess-; and it went accompanied by a slight nod of her head just as she arrived nearer. “A pleasant morning, isn’t it?” She observed, giving a brief gaze to the endless tangling of branches and weeds of weeds of their surroundings, and giving the half of a smile when she remembered that there was no real way of knowing if the weather was actually as good as she had assumed.

The light colored femme looked down again, giving a social gaze to both of her new companions. Morning wasn't as pleasant to them, it appeared. There was a hint of tension in the air, and she mildly frowned as soon as her nostrils processed the information. “Am I interrupting something?” Akila shamelessly inquired, her position and head as tall as it had originally been, but with a soft wave of her bushy tail.

And for all you did not find...

And for all the dreams you had to leave behind.

(This post was last modified: Jan 14, 2012, 06:24 PM by Akila.)

ooc// i'm sorry i'm so rusty, guys. I haven't roleplayed with anyone in at least 6 months. i'm still getting used to this. you come to me with scars on your wrist you tell me this will be the last night feeling like this Looking up at the black male as he stepped out of the foliage, Anyu first thought that he was the culprit. But there was the other scent to consider as well, and this male didn’t seem interested in taking the blame. She must have looked pathetic, standing there with her posture so low and her eyes so dull. Though she knew, logically, that the loss of the rabbit was the fault of some outside force she couldn’t control, she was already blaming herself for it. She was a bad hunter or she wasn’t quiet enough. Whatever had caused the rabbit to run, it surely had to be some fault of hers. She was a failure after all. She sat down ungracefully and looked at the wolf with disinterest. It was clear by her demeanor that she was blaming the loss on herself. “So you are,” she said dully. “Is there a reason why you were watching me?” Her voice was dull, but there was still a little bit of the strength that was once there. She hadn’t always been this way. Her eyes were dull, and even a bit darker than normal. Her tail was still, laying on the ground beside her leg. The appearance of a white wolf from the vegetation surrounding them didn’t surprise Anyu. She knew that she had scented another wolf, and she and the male could hear the stranger coming. It turned out that the second wolf was the female that Anyu had scented. Something in her head clicked and she realized that it must have been this female who had scared the rabbit away. Try as she might, she couldn't care much about it, though there was a slight hint of irritation in her eyes. “It is far from a pleasant morning,” Anyu responded in a dull tone, with only a slight hint of animosity to it. She already blamed herself, so she wasn’t quick to act angry towards this stranger. With that in mind, she sharpened her eyes a bit, trying to put some of the strength back into her gaze. Her posture even improved a little, though she just couldn’t bring herself to hold her head as high as the others. Some former alpha she was. Anyu gave the female a sarcastic smile, letting her irritation show just a little. “Nothing at all,” she said in a tone that was sweet and happy in a fake sort of way. “I was just out for a morning stroll to stretch my legs when I ran into this gentleman here.” The hint of sarcasm in her voice gave away her lie, but she didn’t care. She was hungry and she wasn’t sure if she wanted company after having screwed up such a simple hunt. Her sarcasm was just a way to vent her frustration. i just came to say goodbye didn't want you to see me cry, i'm fine

Valtyr regarded the snowy femme before him carefully as she took notice of his presence. She appeared rather glum about losing her breakfast. Then again, he probably would have looked the same way if their roles were reversed. But upon further examining her, the obsidian beast noticed she was not only simply sad. There was a depression in her eyes, something that he himself was all too familiar with. Her entire body showed it, now that he looked again. It couldn't simply be because she'd lost the hare, could it? Valtyr had known his share of unstable wolves. Perhaps she was one of them. Or perhaps she carried a burden too great for her spirit to bear. Either way, it was not his place to question her.

He snorted softly at her question. <b>"I actually was watching that hare, too, but when I sensed you were nearby, I held off on it. It wouldn't have done you much good to crawl away and have me the one who scared off your breakfast."</b>

It was then that the other stranger showed herself -- yet another white female. She held herself well, much unlike the first girl. He watched with interest as the two conversed briefly, glancing back and forth between them. Except for their differences in health and stature, they could almost have been sisters. Maybe they were and he just wasn't aware of it. When his first acquaintance threw her sarcastic remark out, Valtyr gave a scoff.

<b>"You're a poor liar. You don't want to at least berate this other girl for scaring away your kill?"</b>

It was meant to be a teasing statement, not one to be taken seriously. But at the same time, Valtyr was interested to see if the depressed femme would take the bait and loose her venom on her doppelganger. Entertainment and all that.

And for all the roads you followed...

Where there was only a risible hint of nervousness, tension proceeded to take over the air around the trio as the snowy white female spoke her words as an answer to the previously given questions. At first, the large she-wolf only managed to witness the desultoriness of the other femme’s voice, but as she continued with the talk, all dullness transformed into the clearest of sarcasms. Akila stood still, raising one of her eyebrows at the discourtesy of the white stranger, covering her body with blank eyes as a matter of examination. Then, the ebony male barked, and her amber eyes moved to carefully watch his mouth as he finished with his provocation. He mentioned a kill, a prey, and suddenly the beige femme could understand the bitterness that populated the sultry atmosphere.

In a quick movement, her skull turned to face the light vixen once again. “Oh” she mushed in an understanding smile “Did I unknowingly alert your prey? I apologize, if that’s the case” Akila finished her speak, and nodded one more time as a final signal of politeness, yet unwilling to take her stare far from the snow colored beast. alert eyes examined relentlessly as her head returned to its tall previous position, snout tense, tail lifted a few degrees, waiting for the other’s response. Even if she understood the unholy feeling of losing a potential prey –worsened by the scarceness of the season, and the fact that they were alone-, and acknowledged the rage the white’s voice held, she didn’t completely agree on her manners, and, to tell the truth, she didn’t like them. Not to mention Akila didn’t know her, and had no way of knowing if the male’s tease was actually encouraging her to ignore the apology and attack if given the chance. A rather foolish decision, in her opinion, giving the difference in size and the notable hunger the stranger seemed to hold. It didn’t matter, the fair femme had decided not to be the one who would judge her, and neither would she start the so waited riot, but if she was in threat, she’d be well prepared for a fatal desinence.

And for all you did not find...

And for all the dreams you had to leave behind.

(This post was last modified: Jan 14, 2012, 07:44 PM by Akila.)

you come to me with scars on your wrist you tell me this will be the last night feeling like this Though there were two wolves standing there with her, Anyu remained less alert than the other two. A part of her knew that she should be closely watching the actions of both wolves, especially the white female that was apparently the one who scared the rabbit away. Anyu gave no external signs of aggression, and she had no desire to provoke a physical altercation with the white female. Sarcasm would be the only sign of her irritation. Anyu turned her gaze to the black male as he spoke to her. So, they had both been hunting the hare. The other female, however, had not been, and if the male had not given the hunt to her then it would have been his hunt that was interrupted. Or he would have been the one scaring away her meal, as he said. “Thanks then,” she said in response, her voice a bit dull, though she was genuinely thankful that he had refrained from hunting the rabbit once he was aware that she was also hunting it. “I could have used the meal. It’s been some time since I last had anything substantial.” Anyu snorted in response to the male’s next statement. “I wasn’t trying to hide my lie. And perhaps I will berate her some.” At this, Anyu chanced a glance at the female, a hint of resentment in her eyes. Still, Anyu did not show any outward signs of aggression. She had no intention of attacking. She had also sensed the teasing behind the male’s statement. Though the other female still kept her head and tail up, Anyu did nothing to improve her posture. Her ears pricked forward to catch the words of her two acquaintances as they spoke. The only real change in her posture was the slight lifting of her head so she could better see the two strangers. Turning her attention to the female, Anyu responded to her apology. “For an apology that was sadly lacking in sincerity,” she responded curtly. As depressed as she felt, she could not help but release some of the old fire that had once been a part of her personality. There was no denying now that this stranger was the one who had scared away her meal, which was so precious during this season of scarcity. “I’m not convinced that you even give a shit about what you just cost me. You don’t care at all.” Suddenly Anyu’s eyes blazed and she lifted her head higher. “You don’t care that you just cost me the meal that could be the difference between life and death for me.” Her challenge was clear, though she had no intention of turning the situation into a physical altercation. Her eyes, no longer dull, were trained on the female, but she made no move. There wouldn’t be a fight unless the other female started it. Clearly, Anyu was waiting for a response, to see if this female was even worth her anger. i just came to say goodbye didn't want you to see me cry, i'm fine