Willow Ridge i can take so much, until i've had enough

Music Inspiration: 'Human' by Christina Perri. Early evening, cloudy, -6°C.

As Lorcan had anticipated, the gathering of willow trees provided poor shelter from the heavy snow and freezing mountain winds. The agouti male awoke, bleary eyed and disorientated, curled up against the trunk of the tree that he had slumped against earlier that day. Golden eyes blinked slowly as they strained to focus on his surroundings and his heart sunk when he realised that all he could see past the snow covered trunks was even more vine-like branches of frosted willow trees.

For what seemed like a long time, the agouti male remained curled up at the base of the tree, his thick bushy tail tucked protectively over his scarred muzzle in attempt to keep warm. The situation seemed hopeless at this point. He knew that he couldn’t go on much longer; with no food and short periods of rest, he wouldn’t last more than a few more days out in the wild.

Lorcan closed his golden eyes, a sigh causing a cloud of white steam to slide out from between his dry charcoal lips. He knew that if he gave up now he’d most likely never see the coming spring, but if he kept going who was to say he would ever make it to his destination? It seemed the odds were against him either way, but still, he refused to give up. He was sure that if he just kept going he would find someone soon. He just had to keep moving.

On shaky limbs, the agouti male struggled up to stand and slowly, after placing one paw in front of the other, he found that his aching paws were still able to walk. The movement made him dizzy though, and so he pressed his dark lashes together into thin slits, barely looking where he was going as he stumbled forwards absent-mindedly through the willow trees.

Lorcan didn’t know how long he had been walking for when finally a pungent scent reached his nose and snapped him back to reality. Confused and disorientated, he instinctively moved his way towards it, golden eyes guiding him through the blurry maze of snow, rocks and trees – until he tripped and stumbled, tired legs unable to bare his weight any longer, the male tumbled part way down a steep verge before slumping to a stop against a large boulder. A weak groan left his throat in recognition of the impact, before everything faded to black…

Lorcan is unconscious. He has numerous fresh scratches on his muzzle and some bruising to his right ribcage.

(This post was last modified: Dec 22, 2017, 10:58 AM 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

 @Leotie @Sven @Ravenna @Odin @Kip @Nicolò @Romanov  She's calling for backup! Also Guardian Dem 1/3

The heavy snow had been ceaseless, dousing them in the white powder until it reached the girl’s underbelly. Of course that was likely no amazing feat considering how short she was, but it made navigating that much harder for her. Plus, her tummy was always cold! Her winter pelt had come in full, thankfully, which made her still thin frame look a little more filled out. It was likely she would stay in her current state through the winter, with prey being scarcer than usual. She’d live, of course, and she’d push through it. She’d dealt with a hungry stomach before and now that she was with her family she felt like she could push through anything.

She wondered how Piety and Cyril were doing with everything.

The young Archer girl had been out and about at the borders. They were slowly gaining members, as Odin and that girl that was with him had joined, but there was still one presence absent that threw her through a loop. Her mother. It weighed down on her like a log, knowing that she was gone because Addy had been inexperienced and tested her boundaries too much and gotten herself lost. To know everything she had put her family through and now this? It was hard, she wasn’t going to lie, and she had started doing little searches of her own here and there to see if she could find anything about where the piebald woman had gone, but she knew she had to be in the here and now. For her family and for their pack. So, she did what she did best and shoved it down and hide it away from the world’s prying eyes. Dealt with it alone in the cold of night then bucked up for the morning.

This day the snow had finally stopped and left the world blanketed and eerily quiet. She stopped every so often to refresh a border, even though she was certain it was strong enough to deter even a wolf missing their nose, then moved on. Her amber-yellow gaze trained on movement in the distance and she paused, brows pulling together. It moved again and she saw the distinct figure of a tawny pelt. Tail lifted and chin rose as she strode forward, noticing them getting ever closer to their borders. “Hey!” she chirped, trying to get their attention. What were they doing? As she got closer she noticed their choppy movements, the stuttering in their step. They looked like they could fall over any minute and she quickened her pace to the little hops she had to take to get herself over the snow. “Hey! You oka--” she began but stopped because suddenly the stranger was taking lumbering steps, crossing their borders then promptly collapsing on the ground. Oh great. 

Adeltra sped forward to the man’s side, a frown etched onto her maw. He was severely emaciated like she had been, though worse it seemed because she had never passed out. It was clear that he wasn’t moving anytime soon, but she needed to call someone. So, she lifted her head and called. Someone’s crossed the borders. There, that ought to get their attention.

(This post was last modified: Dec 13, 2017, 04:01 PM by Adeltra.)

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

guardian dem 1/3

the devil is & always will

Sven was already there. He crested the snow-blurred horizon in time to see the stranger tumble, and Adeltra run to his side. His vision blurred as the familiarity of the scene haunted him. Instead of an outcropping of rock he saw that old weathered tree; instead of the rogue he saw Angier's slumped form; instead of Adeltra, it was Niles, simpering and unhelping. It was the youth's howl that shook him from the grips of the memory, calling for help rather than panicking or scaring. Good girl.

The pale Archer descended the slope quickly. When he passed Adeltra his muzzle glanced her crown, a physical reassurance that everything would be okay. Even if this man passed, at least she didn't have to suffer the pain of losing someone known. It would, hopefully, be a lesson rather than traumatizing. Still, they would do well to try and save the wolf. He was still breathing, and after a quick sniff down, Sven deemed him harmless and alone.

He sent up his own voice, requesting Ravenna specifically, communicating that they were in need of medical help. Then he curled around the man, covering his tawny body with his silver to share his warmth while his long tongue began to meticulously clean the fresh wounds.

be a gentleman.

Guardian Dem 1/3

She'd been lazily gnawing on a bone outside the communal den to pass some time. Her paw from an injury the previous year had started acting up after her morning border patrol. She thought it best to rest it for a time before she went out hunting for the pack. Her head came up heating Adeltra's call if someone crossing their borders.

It seemed the little Archer was taking well to being back and really pitching in. A growl let the woman as she rose to her paws. She moved as quickly as she could despite the subtle limp in her pace. It didn't slow her down much because she found the child pretty quickly Sven was with her.

Leotie didn't say anything at first but surveyed the scene. The emancipate male reminding her of the state she had been only months ago. How thin she had been when Sven had found her. The cuts across his muzzle like the ones she carried on the inside that we're still healing to that day. It startled her at first the memories that she tried so hard to push away but then she steeled herself, “I’m here to help if you need it,” she said coming to brush her shoulder against Sven's, the small touch a comfort and reminder that what had happened was in the past and she was moving past it.

(This post was last modified: Dec 13, 2017, 04:45 PM by Leotie.)

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you

Medic dem 1/3

A stranger, yet another, had trespassed her border. The call already brought her moving quickly into the direction of the call that when Sven's sounded, declaring that medical attention was needed if her, she was close. Ravenna picked up the pace, knowing now that this was not just a situation Sven or Odin could handle, but one that might require her specifically.

When she arrived, Adeltra, Sven and even Leotie was on scene. Sven was at a lay, wrapping himself around the tawny stranger which breathed yet did not move. It was easy to tell what was wrong with him - winter was sucking the life out of him. Ravenna had seen it too many times, in her sister, in her father, in her aunt... Knowing so much of her family had died in the winter made her feel as though this wolf at her door was already doomed. But she'd try.

"Del - Leotie," She snapped the names quick to gather their attention, "You two are the most swift of us." (Beside little @Kip, but she had not yet come to the show.) "Run back to the den and grab some things for him. Adeltra grab one of the pelts and Leotie, the Chaga mushrooms... I know you know them well." Ravenna could not help the small smile, having nearly shoved those mushrooms down her mouth a time or two. The mushroom should do him good to increase his blood flow and immune system, while the pelt would provide extra warmth for him. She had Arnica and Aconite too, but decided not to leave Leotie to carry the whole collection with her, at least not on a wolf they knew nothing about. While Ravenna was not happy this man had stumbled into their territory and in doing this, brought his problems with him, Ravenna was no evil wolf, either. Even if it's meant using some of their winter storage, she would do it to try and save the stranger if only with a hope that it would be worth it in the long run to do so.

"I'll be right back..." She then spoke to Sven, deciding that while the other two gathered something to warm him and help cure him, Ravenna would make way to one of the nearest caches, knowing some food would do the thinned wolf some good as well. Digging out one of the caches, she found nothing but a half eaten muskrat, the vague scent of Romanov still present. It would do for now. Grabbing it, she headed back to Sven and the stranger not far off, settled the kill down somewhere near the unconscious wolf's muzzle, sat down, and waited. After a moment, she turns to her cousin. "Do you know him?" She asks curiously.

(This post was last modified: Dec 15, 2017, 05:55 PM by Ravenna.)

The scent of muskrat drifted up his nose and caused his dark nostrils to flare – the first sign of movement since he had passed out.

When Lorcan came to again, he acted as if time had not passed at all. The groan that he had made before falling unconscious began to vibrate again within his throat, causing a faint croaky-sounding moan to rise up out of him as he suddenly began to stir. Pale brows pinched together, and his dark lashes clenched shut in discomfort, as he winced weakly in response to the pain that now throbbed at his right side where his thin body had collided with the boulder.

Lorcan's dark lashes fluttered open and his blurry golden gaze immediately fell on the muskrat that now lay directly in front of his muzzle. For a moment the hungry male sniffed at it curiously, his mouth watering. Instinctively he attempted to shuffle himself closer towards it so that he could grasp it in his jaws. However as the agouti male tensed the muscles in his slender limbs in order to move away from the cold, hard surface of the boulder he had fallen into, he suddenly felt his sore paws press up against something soft, warm and furry.

Lorcan's frown deepened and his muzzle wrinkled in confusion for a moment before he finally thought to glance around him. Golden eyes widened as they strained to focus on the two silver figures that were suddenly hovering over him. Startled, Lorcan yelped and jerked his head back, his body flinching as he instinctively tried to scramble away – but to no avail – his legs refused to work. Struggling with all his might, he squirmed around to eventually roll onto his back.

All four paws and his tail tucked up against the pale fur of his belly as he released a desperate whine, the whites of his eyes showing as he pushed his ears back and pulled a fearful grin. Finally focusing on the bright silver stare of his closest captor, he squeaked out a weak bark and dragged his tongue across his grinning lips.

Please don’t kill me.

(This post was last modified: Dec 15, 2017, 09:49 AM 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

Guardian Dem 2/3

Sven was the first to show, tailing her and arriving just a few seconds after her call. His muzzle swept her crown and she offered a hum and a wag of her tail, clicking her teeth affectionately. He swept himself behind the man and pulled him close, clearly warming him with his massive body. She wondered for a moment if Sven knew the man. Leotie was quick to follow, her pale cousins tawny shadow. There was something going on between them that sparked the young Archer’s curiosity but it  wasn’t her business to ask.

Ravenna was quick to follow and dealt out orders which Addy was happy to follow. She turned and shot like a cannon, pushing her small body quick over the snow drifts. She bounded to the medical den, grasping the biggest pelt she could find before turning and sprinting back. She felt connected to the man and his condition, having been in a similar place not long before. She was glad someone had shown her kindness and she wanted to spread that to anyone else who might need it .

When she arrived she headed toward the man but stopped in her tracks when he awoke suddenly, auds shifting forward alertly. He was flipping out, and so close to Sven that she worried for the pale Archer’s safety. But, the emaciated male was quick to submit. He quivered and shook and in hindsight she released that Sven’s position might make him feel like he was being cornered. She moved slowly, placing herself in the tawny rescuees sight. Her ears were low and her posture low as well, a small smile on her lips. She was small and a pup, likely the least threatening wolf there out of the bunch and she wanted to use that to her advantage. She placed the pelt on the ground at her paws so she could speak.

“Hi, you’re okay. You’re in Willow Ridge right now. No one’s going to hurt you, we’re here to help. If anyone tries anything I’ll kick their butts,” she said with a wink, her tail wagging gently behind her frame. “We’re gonna take care of you, if you’ll let us. My name’s Adeltra, what’s yours?” she asked gently.

(This post was last modified: Dec 15, 2017, 03:36 PM by Adeltra.)

guardian dem 2/3

the devil is & always will

Leotie found them next, and he could see a distance in her eyes that told him she wasn't comfortable with the scene. Still, she offered assistance, and he was about to tell her to fetch Ravenna when his silver cousin appeared. Immediately her training kicked in, as well as her leadership instincts as she delegated jobs to Leotie and Adeltra both. Sven stayed where he was, content in knowing that his own role of simply sharing body heat was important right now, and merely watched as the trio of girls took off to play their parts.

Ravenna was the first to return, as she had the least distance to cover. The pungent scent of the muskrat tickled his own nose and in turn his stomach, but of course he was nowhere near as in need as the unconscious. Still, the Archer made a mental note to help himself to a nice dinner after the fiasco was over with. He would say he had earned it if they ended up saving this man's life.

"No," was the simple answer to Ravenna's question. He was pretty certain he had never seen the wolf before, and all he could smell on him was the nothingness of the snow and the rogue's own musk. He looked back down at the stranger, as if to take a closer look, but then the once lifeless mass began to roll and shift against him. Sven felt the rough pads press into him and saw the panic began to set in; it took nothing else to convince him to leap away from the awakening wolf. Wether he was aggressive, foolhardy or simply startled Sven would not allow himself to get bitten. His ears folded back and his eyes narrowed as he watched, waiting for the other to come to his senses before making a new judgment. It wasn't until Lorcan's eyes widened and he tucked into himself submissively that Sven relaxed again.

Adeltra, chipper as always, had returned and was quick to try and soothe the startled stranger. His ears twitched upward again at her words, a nod accompanying the phrase we're gonna take care of you to confirm this for the man. He waited a beat, then took a few tentative steps forward. If allowed, he would wrap himself about the man again. The wind was harsh and he was too frail to be subjected to its cruelty.

be a gentleman.

Guardian Dem 2/3

It wasn't the time to dwell on her past or the fear that it might happen again. It was time for action, she had been in this place though she couldn't help but wonder how far the man had sunk. As far as she had, did his mind go away to where he lost time and didn't know where he was? Questions that would remain unanswered for now for the stranger in their doorstep was in fire need of medicine, food, and rest. She knew all too well and he was lucky to have stumbled upon the wolves at Willow ridge, they had nursed her back to health as she knew they would him.

Sven had wrapped his body around the man to keep him warm and Leotie couldn't help but smile at his action. He may think himself poison or bad but she knew that there was good in him whether he saw it himself or not. At Ravenna's order she nodded, “I do know it well,” she stated before turning and taking off at top speed to gather the mushroom that Ravenna had specified. Many times she'd had to eat the fungus to help her to get back on her feet. She could sympathize with the stranger as he would have to eat it too even if the alpha shoved it down his throat.

She was quick in her task and soon returned to the scene with the mushrooms clamped firmly in her jaws. She placed them on the ground at Ravenna's feet. By then Sven had left the strangers side and Adeltra was telling him that they were going to take care of him. “She’s right, we will make sure your back on your feet in no time,” she added her tone carrying the knowledge of what she had been through. Leotie didn't dare go any closer than she was, a scared wolf was a dangerous wolf she knew all too well. She hoped their words would calm him so that he could get the help he needed.

(This post was last modified: Dec 15, 2017, 04:35 PM by Leotie.)

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you