Cold Water Creek with deadness in your eye

RE:A mysterious fog rolls over relic lore

There was trepidation in his footfalls. This fog was new, and this side of the lore was unknown. The damp that clung to his nose made him careful. No need to go dropping into a bog unknowingly and get in that kind of predicament. Over here he had the feeling such a thing would swallow him up. Not that he felt he'd be missed. No attachments these days, too old and long gone for family.

Imagining the deep water could only be a few paces in front of him he took another turn, heading north. There was a creek somewhere, and he was trying to let it guide him. Even it was not something he wholly trusted in. He could hear it, smell it, but had yet to see exactly where it was. How much it twisted and snaked, or its width. A creek would be better to fall into than a bog, but that would be foolish. Vareth didn't like to appear foolish even without a witness.

Soon he was sure nightfall would be here, and he wasn't going to keep ambling around like a blind idiot.

It seemed the vast sea of red was never ending as each carefully placed paw dragged the agouti woman through yet another curtain of ferns, some tickling the edge of her muddy tinted nose while others nearly poked an eye out if Kaeruka wasn't careful. To add salt to her potential wounds, an impenetrable layer of fog had gradually rolled its way in make navigating about that much more tedious of a task for the poor girl. "Just great.." Kaeruka grumbled horsely under her breath which led her back to the whole point of treading through this maze of ferns. Water. A parched throat enjoyed the small repreve provided by the fog as each inhale brought subtle traces of moisture within, but nothing else.

Weary limbs trudged onward as nostrils pinned themselves to the ground in hopes of catching the slightest whiff of water, weaving through the abundance of ferns and trees. Time passed and the sun above gradually made its descent to make room in the sky above for his lunar lover, applying the pressure on the poor female to find what she was searching for. Up ahead, charcoat dusted ears could catch the faint sound of trickling water, but her nose picked up on something else completely, or should she say someone.

Word Count: 214

gothxmoth 2021 - Sebastian Unrau

: D happy to see you again!

Be it instinct or that sixth sense he stopped, looking over his shoulder. He wasn't alone any more, and turned about fully where he believed the stranger was. He did not need to see the woman to know she was there. In this place a scent of his own kind was hard to miss.  "Looking for a drink too or just out of this mess?" If she lived here she might not like the comment but he'd yet to come across a pack. So he guessed she was just as unlucky as a traveler as him. But if she did happen to live here, he'd convince her to get him out of here. Win, win right?

Watchful, his mismatched eyes hung to the fog waiting for motion. He couldn't remember how many days it had been since he'd last seen a wolf. Obviously, too many. With a neutral stance, he hoped the stranger would appear. Perhaps an odd hope, especially with twilight passed, but this day had been just another long day of many. They were so uneventful he blurred them all together.

"There's a creek close." Then he tightened his teeth together, because if she'd decided to turn around he was talking to himself at this point.

Glad to be back again and see some familiar faces, missed y'all c:

Kaeruka's nose apparently wasn't the only one that picked up on the wolfish scent that clung to the ferns as a voice suddenly echoed through the fog before the tawny woman could properly contemplate what to do next. Well, so much for stealth. Pear green eyes honed in on the portion of fog where the voice had seemed to originate from, charcoal dusted ears splaying back in a mixture of hesitation and contemplation. Had she really heard the voice of another, smelt another, or was her level of dehydration so extreme now that her senses teetered on the line of being deemed delirious?

Clearing a scratchy throat that didn't exactly help her predicament the tawny woman swiveled her head in the direction of the stranger's voice, subconsciously feeling like an idiot should her later thought be true and this stranger in the fog turn out to just be a figment of her delirious imagination. "Err..both?" Kaeruka's voice was uncertain at best, but she spoke truthfully. She needed water, wanted out of this maze, but also wouldn't mind a dose of social interaction. How many moons had passed now since the last time she crossed paths with someone of her kind since leaving her birthplace? Besides, the dirt as she walked didn't exactly make for the best conversationalist.

"How close is close exactly?" With each word uttered into the fog her limbs cautiously guided her forward in a blind search for this stranger willing to help, eyes attentive to the slightest shift in movements and body ready to bound away should she be walking straight into a trap. This didn't feel like one, but it was definitely better to be safe than sorry.

Word Count: 282

gothxmoth 2021 - Sebastian Unrau

It was his good fortune she had the same goals. Or so he'd think for the time being. There was no way of knowing how long this fog would last or if it ever went away exactly. Since he knew a thing or two about madness he was hoping the first was true rather than the later. Least for now he wasn't alone.

"I can all but see it. I feel like just need to branch off a bit more to the east. Hoping some willow trees, may crop up so I'm really sure." Which there didn't seem to be a lot of over here, making the water elusive. "Or any plant that hangs by creeks I guess." She could be a better water plant expert...maybe. Or her eyes could be sharper to see if one way was better than the other. He was definitely open to suggestions, and felt she probably didn't want to go about falling into it either.

It was white of her face, like a ghost, pulling from the fog itself caught his attention first. There was a moment of awe or dumfound on his facade, till he saw the rest of her figure. Still slightly unearthly looking, yet real. A faint smile appeared on his lips, to make up for his impression. Perhaps put himself and her at ease. "Bout had me thinking I was conversing with a ghost or phantom," he explained. "But I've never heard of ghosts seeking water." She was smaller in stature than him, but appeared in good health. She was probably quick on her feet.

Inch by inch creamy limbs traversed further into the hazy forest with this stranger's voice being the only source of some sort of beacon to guide the tawny woman along, ears opting between satellite mode and pinning forward to catch the slightest shift in sound while pear green eyes narrowed to capture even the slightest ripple or swirl in the fog that may indicate where her new companion of the fog may be lurking. There was no luck thus far, but luck wasn't entirely against Kaeruka's side as soon enough the unknown male spoke once more.

Charcoal audits swiveled just a fraction to the right where the voice seemed to be originating from, limbs swiftly adjusting their course while maintaining a readiness to spring away should danger be afoot. He mentioned something about willow trees or some other form of a water-loving plant being a good indicator of where this creek may be hiding, potentially just a slight degree to the east. All in all, it sounded quite sound to Kaeruka, but the tawny woman wasn't exactly that knowledgeable in the plant department to say for sure how reliable this bit of information was. Although that didn't coax her into not looking around briefly for any signs of said trees.

Growing into her slim and nimble build, stealth and hunting had been more of her forte than dabbing in the medicinal world where days were spent learning about the various plant life. The million and one ways they could be used to heal and used harmfully were not all that intriguing to her as a pup. That was a lifestyle her brother Kankuro had chosen, studying under the guidance of their mother who had an affinity for the art of healing.

Alas, a darkness began to manifest within the fog that gradually grew larger and darker with each slow stride forward; she wasn't trying to accidentally fall into the creek, until eventually distinct features could be chiseled out. This stranger was quite large in stature sporting a coat of mostly black-browns with hints of ginger that blended in, overall appearing to be well off aside from being lost of course. A dumbfound expression plastered upon his face while a pair of mismatched irises took in her own figure emerging slowly from the foggy abyss. Honestly, his expression was quite priceless and earned a light chuckle from the tawny woman. Had she accidentally spooked the man?

It was only a short minute later that Kaeruka received her answer as the once dumfound expression transformed into that of a faint smile which indeed put herself a little more at ease before admitting his thoughts. Another light laugh falling from inky lips as the woman's tail gave an amused swish behind her. "Yeah, I can't say I've ever heard of such a thing either." The edges of her own lips began to form a soft smile of her own, tail continuing a slow sway at her heels. "Suppose I should introduce myself as proof I'm not a ghost. I'm Kaeruka."