Bramble Falls Forever autumn

for @Clover, set sometime in early-mid November, early morning, clear but cold. We could do the frostflower RE if you haven't yet? let's do it! RE:As colder weather sets in, frost flowers can be found all throughout the forests.

Eager to leave behind the cold, perilous slopes of the mountains, Isomne found herself rising with the dawn. The light emanating from behind the mountains gradually lit the world afire, as she could only imagine the first dawn had, illuminating the landscape below and beyond the mountain's shadow while she, a small pale speck on the dark westward flank, still traveled toward the light.

After some time the gentle music of flowing water called her to drink, and to follow the small tumbling mountain stream toward it's confluence with another, then another. The water's chorus grew stronger with each passing minute, until she paused upon a rocky overlook, a waterfall thundering away beneath her paws, to savor the view and contemplate the last leg of her descent. Morning had finally broken over the peak above with brilliant sunkissed hues, the early mists and fog parting before a brilliant sun, no less beautiful for having been revealed only some time after its rising in the east. The potential paths looked tricky, slippery with small fractal-like patterns of ice on the rocks' faces and tangled with brambles, but beyond lay a frost-jeweled autumnal wood, with the bright silvery stream winding away beckoningly into the embrace of the trees.

Isomne was weary, but she had accomplished her goal, and now a sense of anticipation was blossoming in her chest, chasing the ache from her limbs. The cold, perilous slopes lay mostly behind and above her as she greeted a fresh landscape: the Western reaches of the lands called Relic Lore. The traveler hoped to find them more hospitable than what she had left behind. Though the East had not been without its beauty and even a friendly face or two, it felt good to have the mountains at her back as she looked ahead, out over the falls.

The woman gave a single bark, bright and ringing, a smile coming to rest on her jaws as the sound echoed around the rocky chasm. She could not help it. She was eager to discover what these lands had to offer - the landscape, those who lived within it, their songs, their ebb and flow, she could feel it humming as surely as the thunder of the cascade beneath her feet.

(This post was last modified: Nov 12, 2021, 02:02 PM by Isomne.)

Her insistent snuffling amongst the undergrowth of the forest yielded only a face full of frost-covered flowers. With a twitch of her nose she let out a huff of warm air, watching as the thin film of frost melted to give the appearance of a glistening flower as the weak rays of sun shone down upon it. Her mouth curved up in a delighted smile, tail waving happily behind her. Sometimes it was good to enjoy the little things in life, especially when things became tough and stressful, and she desperately needed a break from her usual duties. At least for the morning.

The sound of a bark echoing from somewhere in the forest had her swiftly standing at attention, head and ears rotating around like a deer during hunting season. It sounded as if it was coming from the falls, and after a short period of silence her curiosity got the better of her and she began trotting along the creek towards it. She soon arrived, head peeking curiously around one of the trees, only to find a wolf stood atop the rumbling waterfall. Clover stepped forward so as to not seem weird by just watching the other wolf from the trees, and paused at the edge of the shallow pool, head tilted back to look at the stranger. "Hello!" She barked up at them in greeting, tail waving amicably behind her by her hocks.

For a moment Isomne stood, taking in the sound of the rumbling waters and the ringing echo of her own call. It was loud and cold and wet here, yes, but the land had a particular quality to it which cradled sounds and seemed to make them stronger, magnifying them in the crisp air until they were flowing through the rocky ravine along with the creek. It was like something she had experienced before, in the Mossy Grotto back home, and to find such a place again made her glad of heart. She took a in deep breath, filling her lungs with the cold, misty air.

"Hello! Echo!"  Isomne tossed her head as she let out another bark, a laugh bubbling from the young lady. This would be an excellent place to sing. Her ears tipped forward to listen to the echo, only to catch another voice calling Hello instead.

Ears snapping this way and that, she searched for the mysterious caller. The sound bounced about her confusingly, and the air smelled only of cold rushing water. Isomne's eyes struggled to pierce through the swirling mists, but at last she managed to spot a pale-hued wolf below, by the pool at the waterfall's base.

"Oh, Hello!" she called again, this time with a surprised and excited air. She waved her tail happily - to meet a friendly wolf so soon after setting a paw in these lands was surely a good sign! Turning her head, she searched for a way down toward the other, trying to choose a good route down the icy, rocky slope.

She'd only made it about half-way down when her foot slipped out from under her, blunt claws scrabbling desperately for purchase in a brief moment that felt like eternity. She gained her footing as the stones she had knocked loose tumbled and splashed into the pool below. Everything had gone quiet in her ears, and the sound of the falls took a moment to come rushing back in as she calmed, and took a moment to catch her breath. Adrenaline made the second half of her descent anxious and painstaking than the first. By the time Isomne reached the bottom, she felt as if long hours had passed since their first greeting, though it must not have been longer than a few minutes.

"Sorry for sending those rocks your way, I hope they didn't fall too close to you?" She asked, looking at the other woman with a mix of concern and relief.

The other wolf responded in turn, seeming just as happy as herself at seeing another wolf. She watched with curiosity as the other wolf began making their way down the rocky slope of the waterfall, but her expression quickly turned to worry as they lost their footing. She stepped forward, wanting to help just in case they fell, but found herself skittering backwards to avoid the shower of stones that fell her way.

By the time her gaze returned to the wolf they had already made it down to solid ground and was heading her way. Now that the two wolves were closer together, Clover could now properly hear the voice of her new acquaintance as she spoke. "Oh it's quite alright, I managed to get out of the way," she said with a wide smile, hoping to ese the other woman's concern. "Just glad you made it down in one piece, I got worried when I saw you slip." She scented the air, happy to find that there was no coppery smell of blood, indicating that the other woman was fine. "I'm Clover by the way, I live nearby here. It's nice to meet you!"

Relief still flooding through her, she returned the other woman's smile gladly. The other woman was of slighter frame than Isomne, her scent mingled with that of water and maple and some floral bloom that the traveler did not recognize. Her voice and body language were friendly, and Isomne was quite glad to have met her. She felt a bit more at ease as the woman spoke, and let herself relax to sit by the water's side.

"That's good to hear," she replied, glad that the other woman was okay. "It's nice to meet you too, Clover. I'm Isomne," she tucked her tail around her paws. So, she lived around this area? Isomne could not help her ears perking up and her tail sweeping behind her. "I've been travelling for some time. You wouldn't mind joining me for a moment, and perhaps telling me a bit more, would you?" she hoped she wasn't being too imposing, but she was eager to share a conversation and some rest after such harsh travels.

The other female was not too dissimilar in appearance and size, being only slightly larger yet appearing more finely built, and with just a dash more darker colouring along her shoulders and back. A curious glint appeared in Clover's eyes as Isomne mentioned she had been travelling, and she wondered where the other woman had been and if there were any interesting stories to tell. Lately she had been largely confined to the immediate area, not wanting to stray too far form her pack or children, other than her single escapade up the mountain to speak with the mountain wolves on Viorel's behest.

"Not at all! She said happily as she sat back on her haunches. "I'm part of a pack that is situated just west of here - Dead Empress Backwater. I was just looking for some medicinal plants to take back when I heard you call out." Clover felt no need to be distrustful and hide information from the other woman. She liked to give all wolves the benefit of the doubt, and Isomne seemed trustworthy and nice so far. "You mentioned you've been travelling, have you perhaps seen what lies beyond the mountain?" She was so very curious about what was on the other side, having not had the chance to check it out for herself given the unfortunate circumstances that had arisen during her travels. But perhaps this new wolf could regale some tales of what it was like.

Isomne's ears perked up in interest at Clover's mention of her pack, Dead Empress Backwater. She was immediately curious about the name, and found herself listening intently. It had a regal and mysterious sound to it, conjuring up ideas of long-ago tragedies or dark intrigues. The mental image was quite at odds with the she-wolf Isomne found standing before her, who gave her an impression of warmth and light, and this made her curious what her packmates might be like. It sounded, though, as if she might be distracting Clover from her duties. Perhaps it was better for such curiosities to wait, and so she bit back any questions on the matter, at least for now.

However, Clover herself seemed to be curious as well. Isomne answered, "Yes, I travelled over the mountain from the eastern side. I didn't spend as much time exploring the area as I'd have liked, though. I wanted to make the climb over before winter set in." In truth she was quite curious to learn more of this region. "I was travelling with another loner, Alarick, but we became separated some time ago," she added, on the off chance that Clover might know the name. Isomne had only travelled with the man for a short time, but had found him a fast friend, and though they had not crossed ways again, she liked to hope that his path had been kind to him since their parting.

After a brief moment, she went on. "I'd be happy to tell you what I do know, though. Would you mind telling me a bit about your pack, and this side of the mountain?" she proposed an equal exchange of information, although she didn't mind if Clover was less forthcoming, it only made sense for a pack-wolf to have some caution toward a loner. Besides, it had been a while since she'd had any one to talk to, or trade stories with. "I could help you with your search, if you like," she added quickly.

Her ears pricked forward as Isomne began to talk about what lay over the mountain, and she found herself nodding along. "I don't blame you, it gets quite cold during winter." She was not planning on straying far from the pack borders once the snow began to fall, not wanting to risk getting caught out alone in the cold just in case something bad happened to her. Now that she had children of her own she felt the need to be extra careful to make sure they grew up with two parents.

Clover scrunched her nose thoughtfully, racking her brain for a wolf that went by the name Alarick, but no one came to mind. "I haven't come across someone going by that name, but I'll keep a look out and let him know you were asking around for him!" There were plenty of wolves that travelled through the forest and lands nearby, and perhaps she would get lucky and stumble across either him or someone who knew him. It was worth a shot.

"That sounds like a lovely idea," Clover said with a grin, hopping up to her feet. "We can chat while we look around." Another set of eyes would be a big help, and it was always nice to have a new friendly face to talk with. "Have you seen all the frost flowers from the cold weather last night? They're quite beautiful," she added, motioning with her muzzle back the way she had come from, wanting to first share in the small delight they had given her if her new companion had yet to see them before they shared their respective knowledge.

Isomne gave a small, rueful smile as Clover went on. So she hadn't met Alarick, it would seem. "Ah, well, it was just a thought. If you see him I would be thankful if you would," she shrugged it away, her thoughts returning to the present moment.

Clover accepted her offer, and Isomne get to her feet with a swaying tail. It would be good to walk and talk, to share conversation with another of her kind. It was something she didn't get to do as often in her recent journeys, and the opportunity to be in company, for however short a time, rejuvenated her tired paws. As she listened, Clover drew her attention to the frost flowers. All through the forest, they glinted and glimmered. From afar it had looked like simply another frosty morning, but up close they were even more breathtaking. Isomne stepped closest to admire one of the strange apparition of ice, resplendent as it clung to tall weed and sparkled in the morning light. "How spectacular!" Her breath misted in the air at her exclamation. "It looks like something straight out of a song!" She wondered how the right conditions could cause such a thing, or if there were some more otherworldly source. Whatever had made them, they were beautiful.

After a moment of admiration, she turned back to Clover. "I don't suppose the ice is very good for the plants you're in need of, though," she added. The frost flowers, as lovely as they were, seemed unlikely to be of any use to a medic, and their beauty also heralded the swift approach of winter.

Apologies for this monster of a post lmao

The other female seemed just as mesmerised by the glimmering frost flowers, and if it was possible Clover would have tried her best to grab one and bring it back to her den, but she knew they would melt as soon as the air began to warm up and she would be left with just a regular flower. Not that regular flowers were not beautiful, for they were, but there was something extra special about these frosted flowers that captured her attention and filled her with awe.

"Oh, do you sing?" Clover asked with a surprised tone, brows raising curiously as the other woman brought up songs. She had only ever heard songs sung to her as a young pup, more lullabies than anything, but she was curious of the songs Isomne seemed to know about that would cause her to compare the magnificence of the frosted flowers to a song.

She shook her head at Isomne's query of if ice was not good for the plants, but also shrugged her shoulders after a moment of thought. "It depends on what I'm searching for. If it was leaves or stems then yes, it can cause them to become quite wet and not store very well, but this type of weather has no impact on the roots of medicinal plants. Just as long as the ground isn't too frozen to dig up." Her tail waved happily behind her as she spoke, glad to be able to share the knowledge that she knew with another. "I do know of a plant that grows near here with flowers of many colours: blue, purple, pink, yellow, even white, but it's really the roots that I'm after. So if you see a plant with dark green leaves and flowers of those colours point it out to me." She was not worried about accidentally poisoning her new companion, as the flowers were harmless, and she would dig the roots up herself to avoid any potential harm.

As they continued to walk, her gaze shifting between the frost flowers in search of the colored flowers she was after, Clover thought about what she could share with Isomne. There really was not much to say, and most of her knowledge lay in the medicinal herbs scattered throughout the forests, but she would try her best to be informative. "The pack has been around for many months now since Spring, and we have many members among the ranks, which is very useful as we had a large number of pups born this year." There was really not much else to say regarding her pack, unless Isomne had any specific questions.

"As for the lands around here, it is largely made up of forests, though further south west lies a large expanse of marshland, and a little further beyond that a great lake." Clover had yet to venture out to the lake itself, but she had gotten far enough into the marsh to spot it in the distance. "And to the north west of here are trees with many cherries and a field of blackberries in the warmer months." That was about the extent of her knowledge, and so she turned to Isomne to hear what she had to say.

(This post was last modified: Nov 20, 2021, 04:56 AM by Clover.)