Shallows Edge Secondhand smoke

This is not a mandatory thread, join at your leisure.
@Phoenix @Remington  @Lyanna @Reyes @Pietro @Sachiel @Lance
Backdated to the same day as the OTB disbanding thread.
Note: SE can smell the smoke but they won't be able to see it. At this point they don't know about the fire or OTB disbanding.
Leader dem 1/3

I don't care if heaven won't take me back

The day had started off like any other, it was only when the sun began to set that things seemed off to the Selwyn.

The first sign was a massive flock of birds that soared overhead, darkening the sky as they rushed north. Askan paused and squinted up, he couldn't help but wonder where they were going.  It was a bit early for them to be migrating, wasn't it? Sure, the early bird often caught the worm but this seemed too much, something had to be wrong. And then, not moments later it was unmistakable. The scent of smoke lingered on the breeze , Askan coughed and shook his head as he tried to rid his mouth of that awful, ashy taste. Like many wolves, Askan had never seen a fire before but that didn't matter. It was an instinctual thing, a little niggling thought in the back of his mind that told him to run and never look back.

And yet Askan remained. Standing atop the Shallow's Ridge he stared out at the woods to the south, with his brows drawn and his lips down turned as his tail lashed behind him, fraught with concern.

There was no flickering of flames or crackling of wood, the Shallows were clearly not in any immediate danger and yet...Askan tipped his head back and let out a long, bellowing call. At the very least the other's needed to know about the potential threat, then maybe they could figure out their next course of action.  

(This post was last modified: Sep 26, 2018, 12:14 AM by Askan.)

Being alone had always been tough on the young boy, but being alone knowing that his parents had gone elsewhere was rough. It made him feel crazy sometimes - the silence within his head screaming and crying. The knowledge of their true departure hadn't hit him until a few weeks into his stay in the Edge. A time when everyone was sound asleep in the den and he laid there, wide awake, until he eventually pulled himself away to cry outside. He was thankful for a home but sometimes, he wished he had gone with them instead of opting to stay as they had asked. Lance had only wanted to be a big boy, able to take care of himself but it was far from that.

So when a voice rattled the cages of the forest around him, the boy slunk in the direction of the call. It was unfamiliar but he knew it to be important - though, that didn't deter him from hiding in a nearby bush, keeping his distance somewhat far away.

The day was reaching an end, or so she thought. Having made a last patrol along the borders, Lyanna was nearing her little hole in the hill when Askan's call echoed through the depths of the forest. Her russet ears perked forward in interest and she stood statue-still for a moment as it faded before leaving the rest she'd have to wait for behind. Pressing forward into the territory toward the ridge in utter obedience, she was naturally curious as to just what this was about. Obviously something important, because Gods know that man didn't waste a sliver of energy on anything that wasn't.

In short time she came upon the scene, apparently the first to arrive. The girl absentmindedly glanced around, taking note of the Selwyn waiting with concern plainly visible in his face, browns drawn. Her own did the same then; it wasn't often that she'd seen him with the sort of look about him. She glanced over the handsome thing of a pup who was nestled behind a patch of foliage before-

Wait.

What?

Stopped dead in her tracks as that sunk in, Lyanna's golden eyes peered over him quizzically. Since when had the Edge adopted a kid? Had they taken in a stray? Perhaps one that had fumbled its way to their borders, or was lost, or hurt. The tip of her tail flicked at her hocks. Was he...Why did he look so sad? Gazing from the boy to Askan atop his throne and back, perhaps whatever motherly instinct Elias had once seen in her was responsible for the pang of sadness she couldn't help but to feel in turn. She wasn't going to leave him there to endure the gathering alone.

A soft smile graced her lips and with a wag to her tail, Lyanna went ahead and plopped down where she'd stopped - a reasonable distance away from the boy but close enough that perhaps he would feel included. At the moment, her attention was divided between whatever Askan had in store for the pack and the newest addition to the crew.

Something did not feel right but, then again, nothing felt right since the departure of his closest friend.

He seldom slept through the night anymore and spent most of his time pacing the pack territory. The tawny youth still frequented the borders, his mismatched eyes searching for a familiar flash of greyscale fur or a glimpse of a mud-stained girl. But there was nothing. Even the scent of coyote was beginning to fade. Which was good for the agouti boy, as he had become a magnet for the scrawny mutts over the summer months. Fortunately he had been able to evade them unscathed, but that did not make him any less of a target. Just because he had been lucky thus far did not mean his luck would continue. Eventually it would catch up to him and the coyotes would make a snack out of him (or his tail).

His nose twitched at the unusual scent in the air. A frown creased his handsome features as he glanced around, his ears twitching in the direction of Askan’s call. He hesitated for a moment, his tail flicking idly behind him as he teetered on the balls of his feet. After a pregnant pause he swallowed and dragged his paws in the direction of his leader, his lips tightening into a thin line as his thoughts began to wander. What was happening beyond their forest? Should the Edgy Crew be worried?

He clambered up Askan’s perch and slumped down onto the ground beside him, his tail tucking neatly across his paws as he tried to follow the leader’s golden gaze. Sachiel remained silent, for now, his brows pinching tight as worry began to gnaw hungrily at his insides.

ridge is a mature character

aka he curses a lot due to his frustation with his memory loss

x

ridge associates colours with moods/feelings & uses them to describe others

The coming of fall heralded the inevitable return of winter. Reyes’ mood wasn’t sour, per say, but perhaps a bit wistful for the fading summer. Kept to himself, out of place – always out of place – and maintained duties as they were. Reyes had promised himself he was allowed to brood for exactly three days, no more and no less, but time seemed to slip between his paws and suddenly weeks had passed.

The wolf frowned, considering which packmate might be most game for a wrestle – sure that would right his mood – when Askan bellowed for the pack. It wasn’t a simple howl, it was a roar. It set all of Reyes fur on edge, spine tingling. His thoughts of wrestling and melancholy were gone and he went loping towards the source of the call. The scent of smoke soon became evident, doing nothing to alleviate the cold prickle of fear. He remembered that scent.

Had never seen the fire himself, but Mama had chased them all off their little mountain home when it came. “Did anyone see it?”

Great. Wonderful. This was exactly what all of them needed.

Pietro had not experienced fire in the truest sense of the word - mere embers and lingering smoke from a bush burn that he and Sovanna had passed on their way to the Lore the year prior. But he knew the smell, and he knew he did not like that smell. That smell could potentially mean burned and injured wolves.

Askan’s call wasn’t unexpected, and the young Archer slowly limped his way toward the gathering. Torn muscles not quite healed in his back and haunch were still giving him hell, and he felt guilty for not being around as often for his packmates.

Silver eyes flicked about, landing on the youngest one among them. He didn’t seem hurt, but he was cowering down. Perhaps he needed looked at, at the very least.

Attention drawn back to Askan, Pete cleared his throat. ”What are we going to do?” The young medic liked to have a game plan. A course of action that he could be expected to take. He knew without a doubt approaching the fire was out of the question, but part of him - a big part, actually - was calling for him to go see if anyone needed help down south.

Leader dem 2/3

I don't care if heaven won't take me back

Askan would have been awfully pissed if the other's didn't heed his call. He didn't summon them often, wasn't the sort to beckon them over just for a touch of small talk. He knew they all had their agendas, routines they liked to stick to, he had little to gain from interrupting that. But this was important, everything else could wait. His subordinates rushed onto the scene, equally alarmed by that awful smell- and then Reyes appeared tense and curt, almost as though he knew what was happening, like he'd experienced this before. Askan gritted his teeth, how much did Reyes know that he did not?

"We need to know where it is, whether... it'll come our way." It was hard to plan for something he'd never even seen, let alone experienced. Good thing he kept Reyes around huh? "We need someone quick on their feet to head south and see if you can figure out what's happening. Any volunteers?"

He glanced about, wondering if anyone was willing to take up this mission. It was a risky affair but they couldn't just sit in the dark and hope it didn't become an issue. Hell, not knowing even now was enough to get under the Selwyn's skin; he wanted answers and he wanted them now. Idly, he couldn't help but wonder whether Oak Tree Bend was all right. Were they out of the fire's path, were they just as worked up about it as the Shallow's wolves were? Probably. Perhaps they could join forces, at least then they'd have more paws on the ground.

There was a new scent in the air and she didn't like it because knew what it was from. Fire. This one was too close for comfort. Did the others know? She never really thought if the cold north had such things nor the southern, hot desert. But the west always seemed to have one that brought so much smoke. Try as her mind might pick at those things her legs were already carrying her through the red fern forest, back to the Edge.

She didn't think it was on her heels or the Shallows. But nothing could slow the race of her heart and quiet her fearful thoughts. She had to talk to someone. Would they even be awake? How would she explain without blubbering like an idiot?

It was as the sun set Askan's voice broke against her frantic mind. A bit of relief rose in her heavy chest. He knows something isn't right.

Relief was short lived. Would it get worse? It usually, always got worse. She'd never had to leave the creek permanently over fire but she knew what it could do. How fast it could tear through dry woods like a starving beast.

With heavy sides she came upon the pack gathered about. There was no hiding the frantic look to golden eyes as they swept around, taking tally. Where was Phoenix? She wanted to ask but instead tried to smother her loud breaths by closing most of her mouth. Trying to smooth her silver mask while taking in the Selwyn's words.

"I'll do it," she huffed out because she needed to do something and she sure as hell didn't want any of the younger ones running off into who knows what.

(This post was last modified: Oct 13, 2018, 08:20 PM by Remington.)

With the smell of distant smoke in the air, it was no wonder everyone was on edge. Like the majority of the others, Lyanna didn't have any personal experience with wild fire, but, as always, she was more than willing to do what she could.

Askan asserted his concern to the gathering following Reyes' inquiry as to whether or not anyone had seen the occurrence, and it didn't take long for someone to volunteer for the job of heading south to follow up. Remington was still rather foreign to her, yet Lyanna naturally felt as though the grey-furred girl would face a measure of danger in going off to investigate alone. "I'll go with her," she spoke plainly. She could have elaborated to comment on the risk Remington would be taking in going at it alone, but there wasn't a dull wolf in the bunch of them - surely she didn't need to waste her breath.

”I’d like to go with them as well,” Pietro piped up, perking his ears. ”If there’s any injured wolves, then they’ll need a medic.” Sure, he had no firsthand experience with fire or burns, but he knew what he would need to heal them if need be.

Besides, he was fast, too.

This might even be fun.

The small black wolf cleared his throat, looking at Lyanna and Remington. ”If you two are alright with that as well.”