Round Stone Crest When it rains, it pours

Camilla skittered along through the pouring rain, her shoulders hunched and ears pinned against her skull. Generally she didn't mind the rain. What harm could a bit of water do? Calling this rain seemed awfully generous, every drop was like an ice cold flick, again and again still she was soaked through, sore and stingy. What had she gotten herself into, huh? Could things get any worse? She wanted to say no, that it things would be up from here but even she struggled to be optimistic. She wanted nothing more than to hurry back home and huddle up in the warm safety of the Vale's den, but she couldn't do that. The thought alone made her shake her head so fast her vision blurred. Noooo, that wasn't even an option. What would she even say? Camilla wasn't much of a liar, had the imagination but not the stomach for it, so she'd have to tell the truth.

Sorry Mum, Dad. I got bored and decided to go off on an adventure. Yeah, that wasn't gonna fly. This was the only way. And besides, maybe things would get better? How worse could things truly get? She climbed higher and higher, mindlessly moving south. Anything, anywhere would be better than this, surely.

Thunder cracked across the sky and Camilla flinched so hard her steps faltered. Her paw lost it's grip in the churned mud as she fell down with an unladylike "oooof!"

For a long moment she laid there, the rain- and maybe some tears- pricking her eyes when she.... Oh, well looky here at what she'd found. Just ahead was a den nestled between stone, shelter from the rain and a place to rest her weary body. Unable to contain her delight she wobbled to her feet and hurried ahead, near diving headfirst into the den. This was the first break she'd gotten in weeks, she was not going to let this good fortune go to waste!

(This post was last modified: Oct 25, 2018, 02:47 PM by Camilla.)

Ferreiran didn't hear the wolf at first thanks to the rain. The downpour also rendered his nose mostly useless. Everything just smelled of rain. So when he finally saw her, it was almost startling. She didn't seem to move very gracefully, as he noticed, an amused grin on his face, as she fell to the ground, slipping. His tail had merely twitched in a acknowledgement of the thunder. Storms were part of life. They came and went and there was no reason to fear them.

But then she got up, and ran into a rock. Huh? He couldn't see the gap between the stones from where he stood. So he stepped cautiously towards the rocks, ears pricked. The storm thundered above him, and he pinned back his ears, whining. So much for not being afraid of thunder, he growled at himself in his mind. Then he saw the den and the wolf within it. He grinned at the sight of her all snuggled up.

Have you read my player preferences?

To her surprise the den she'd stumbled upon was rather nice, dry and spacious with ample room for her to stretch her legs. And stretch she did, first down into a bow then up again so she could kick out her hind legs. A content smile graced her pretty face as she span on the spot, trying to find the best place to settle. Once then twice, the Tainn then folded herself down and curled her tail around her side. It was a bit cold out, and being soaked through as she was wasn't helping at all but... Camilla sighed and her smile died.

This den would do fine, she'd dry off, catch some shut eye then head out tomorrow. Yeah, that didn't sound so bad did it?

Camilla only just happened to see a dark shape moving about in the rain, she squinted wondering whether her tired eyes were deceiving her. But nope! There was someone out there, all alone out in the cold and rain. Well that wouldn't do, would it? Besides, she could do with some company, maybe they could give her some information, tell her where she was and whether there was any food about.

"Hey." She called gently, without even taking a moment to consider whether they were good or bad. "There's plenty of room in here, come on, it's warm and dry."

On her belly she shuffled to the entryway of the den and poked her snout out, like a mole peeking out it's hole.

So I left this a little vague, but I was thinking I could maybe let him have his first crush? If you have other things in mind for her, just tell me.

A WEAK MAN CAN ALWAYS BE FOUND IN A CROWD

Ferreiran blinked in surprise, but uncomfortably crawled in next to the girl. He couldn't help but notice how pretty she was. The den was bigger than it looked from the outside, but his fur still pressed against hers. He shifted, trying to find a position to wait out the storm. The cool earth on one side of him and the warm body beside him on the other created an imbalance.

He yawned, realizing how sleepy he was, and settled his head on top of his front paws. A brief silence passed before the dark wolf asked, "So, what's your name?" If the coyotes hadn't mysteriously disappeared, this would be a prime moment for them to show up and halt this conversation, like they had many times during the summer. Wasn't the first time he was glad they were gone.

BUT THE WISE MAN IS ALWAYS ALONE

Have you read my player preferences?

I'm cool with it, see where it goes!

Cammy laid there, all dainty and ladylike as the stranger shuffled in and settled close. Honestly, she didn't mind it. It had been aaaaaages since she'd seen a friendly face and beggars couldn't be choosers, now could they? Besides, he looked a bit rough around the edges, had clearly been a loner for a while but at least he wasn't ugly or smelly! Maybe a little shy and awkward but that was okay, she was pretty sure he'd warm up in a moment or so. If not well... she didn't have to stick around, did she?

"Camilla Tainn." Her name rolled off her tongue like they were song lyrics, soft and sweet. She loosened up then, not so soft and proper as a big smile dawned on her lips. "You can call me Cammy though."

More often than not she preferred to go by her nickname, it wasn't so stiff and proper. Yeah, she was a lady but where was the fun in being fancy all the time? Cammy needed to loosen up, it was part of the reason why she'd left home. Or maybe...it was, sort of. Honestly she hadn't put too much thought into it at the time, she was rather impulsive anyway so it wasn't out of character.

"What about you?" Her ears perked forward, clearly interested in hearing what he had to say.

A WEAK MAN CAN ALWAYS BE FOUND IN A CROWD

"Camilla Tainn." Ferreiran loved her voice. It was like tinkling bells in his ears. "I'm Ferreiran Morse," he offered his name in return. Then since his was such a long name, he added,"Call me Ferr. Or... Uh, whatever, I don't mind." He smiled shyly, internally kicking himself for babbling. God, why did she have to look so good.

He drank in her scent. She smelled good, not like she had been a loner for some time, but like a wolf who had been protected. She might die, his brain reminded him. Winter's coming. He shouldn't feel this way for a wolf that might not have any experience with the loner life. It was dangerous to leave a pack so close to winter, didn't she know that? But he couldn't entirely set aside his desires."Me?" he asked, broken from his thoughts. "Well, I left my birth pack this summer and I've just been surviving for a while."

BUT THE WISE MAN IS ALWAYS ALONE

Have you read my player preferences?

You smell the remains of an elk nearby. Enjoy your feast! +10 Health

Ferreiran Morse. Cammy felt as though there were too many rs in his name. That they all blended together in some growling sound like, rrrrrr. Ferr was a lot better, far less of a mouthful and it gave him more character. Like he was actually a person, as opposed to some weird tongue rolling sound. He sounded surprised that she'd taken interest in him, and why not? It wasn't everyday she met someone that actually wanted to talk to her, some of the wolves she'd met were awfully uptight with not a friendly bone in their body.

"Yeah you, you dummy." Her words were a soft, playful jibe as she bumped into him with her shoulder. "Just surviving? Sounds sort of boring." After all, there was so much more to live than just getting by. In part, it was part of the reason she was so glum about being on her own, it was hard to live when all it was her responsibility to make ends meet.

"Isn't there anything fun to do around here?" Her question was emphasised by a cute little head title, like butter wouldn't melt.

"Just surviving's okay," he protested. "Better than the opposite." Ferreiran didn't really know anything to show her. He'd had lots of fun with Vaken, but that was just stumbling on amusement in everyday life. He knew nothing about what this wolf liked. Unless..."There's some mushrooms I heard about. They make your vision all weird, so I'm told. You want to try a few?"

Normally, he wouldn't talk so much to a wolf he barely knew but he was in a talkative mood. Silent Ferr would come back, surely. Soon he'd be a shadow in the form of a wolf, yellow eyes gleaming from the security of a good hiding spot as he watched other wolves go about their lives. That life was safe for him. Nothing new, nothing he'd have to fight to understand. But if he could never have a true conversation with anyone again, he wasn't sure if it would be worth it.

Have you read my player preferences?

Mushrooms? Her nose wrinkled at the thought, she wasn't that sort of girl! Eating mushrooms and getting all silly was below her, she was a lady, all dignified and proper as a Tainn should be. She shook her head, shooting the suggestion down in a swift, if not gentle motion. Why would she want to go back outside into the rain anyway? She was happy just where she was thank you very much.

"Why don't we....tell me a story? I love stories." Her smile seeped into her voice and it was infectious, bright and earnest. "You tell me one then I'll tell you?" It seemed like a nice way to pass the time and to wait out the rain. And if push came to shove they could just huddle for warmth and have a nap.