Red Fern Forest I won’t back down

ALL WELCOME! Set just outside FGC borders.

Her world had become wet! It seemed every other day now, water was falling from the sky, turning the dusty chasm into a surge of mud. Now, this was not actually a bad thing, not to Apolline at least. She absolutely loved the mud! Splashing, rolling, digging, and chasing all the funny critters that lived in it, the cinnamon pup usually looked all brown, covered head to toe in grime. The only downside so far had been the ‘mudhole’ filling with water – apparently that was how it was supposed to be, and the adults seemed relieved – but at least she had plenty of mud to dig in elsewhere. Now that her legs were stronger, and her parents less keen to bring her back to the den whenever she strayed, she also had much bigger reign of the land around the chasm. Jumping on the opportunity to explore further and find even more mud to dig in. Today, her ventures took her north, with plenty of stops along the way to inspect potential new mudholes. So far though, none of them had passed her rigorous requirements, and, in the way of kids her age, the girl was starting to lose interest. So, when her roaming eyes caught sight of something bright yellow, she instantly left her path to inspect this other new thing in her world. Thoughts ”Speech”

(This post was last modified: Aug 29, 2022, 01:09 PM by Apolline.)

(And we wander where we will—)

The world is, all things considered, both large and small. Vast expanses have vanished under his tireless trot, horizons ever shifting and stars wheeling, shifting their orientation upon that navy vault. And yet, everywhere is more of the same: it smells of rivers, of woodlands, of deer and bears and coyotes, it sounds of bubbling brooks and crying eagles, cougars screaming among the peaks. Wolves upon wolves upon wolves, meek and proud, fierce and content.

He's tried what they offer.

Finds it .. lacking.

It works for a time—y'know, you get company, food in your belly, and for a little while it seems like shit's gonna be pretty alright, right? But the seconds slither by, drops of sand in the hourglass, imperceptible at first until it's a tidal flood of restlessness, and Malien is off again. More miles vanishing under his paws.

And some just plain don't like him. He'll do what you want, but that subtle little sneer in the corner of his eyes don't sit right with all. So they tell him to eff off and who is he to fight for nothing?

Mmh, no. That's not Malien's thing. More miles vanish under his paws. Another year passes, another, another...

This place is full of ferns clinging to their majesty, revived by a drought he knows nothing of. He just sees the rich, earthy hues of thriving plants finally given their succor, smells the thick scent of a nearby pack; his nose wrinkles as he ambles along, hoping for better luck. Rabbits, dead or alive, or any such small critter.

What he finds instead is, well, small and alive, but hardly on Malien's menu of edible animals. It's a pup, just a few months old, tawny and pretty, fitting right in with the bronzed colors of this place. She's by a patch of sunflowers, tall, vibrant yellow things that outsize her in a somewhat comical fashion. Malien huffs to himself, amused by this picture of innocence. Concludes she's probably from the nearby pack, so best tread carefully.

He makes no secret of his presence, steps perhaps a tad carelessly on a few dried leaves, disturbs the undergrowth and snapped-off branches. Ears forward, tail relaxed, he stops just on the wrong side of slightly too close. "Pretty, innit?" he muses, flicking an ear.

(This post was last modified: Aug 31, 2022, 07:03 PM by Malien.)

Having grown up during a draught, Apolline hadn’t seen many flowers in her short lifetime – mostly small whisps of white or pink amongst the dried grass. This was entirely different! Giant disks of brown surrounded by golden pedals as big as tree leaves, each one towering higher than her head, so she attempted to stand on her hind legs to examine them further, only to fall on her tail.   So captivated was she, that the rustling behind her didn’t even make her ears turn, muddy eyes transfixed on one particularly large flower. Even when the voice sounded close behind her, she only perked one ear, head tilting as she pondered aloud: “Per-dee…” Her muzzle bobbed in agreement, gaze finally tearing away briefly, to glance over her shoulder.   She didn’t recognize the grey wolf, but that meant little, up until this point her whole life had been about meeting strangers, to her this might as well be another pack mate. She was much more interested in the flowers, turning back to admire their grandeur; “Is like th’ sun, but more close.” Thoughts ”Speech”

Oh boy, she's sheltered. Somebody's little princess wandered out of their kingdom, eh? He resists the urge to huff. Shoulda scared her, taught her a thing or two about the world—woulda been a kindness in the long run. Things you don't know have sharp teeth and eat little girls that go wandering.

But that's not quite his schtick. In the end, he finds her pretty endearing, takes her lack of concern as an invitation to overstep again. Malien ambles closer, one ear constantly listening for angry, scared parents or guardians. Glances down at her, at the radiant sunflowers reflected in her innocent eyes. Huffs slightly this time. Damn kids.

"S'called a sunflower," he tells her, standing beside her. Some of them could grow very tall even for him, a veritable forest of thick stalks and bobbing yellow crowns, but these were a bit more manageable. "And they always face the dawn." He steps past her a little, and turns, putting his paw against the stem of the nearest sunflower and pushes it down, towards her.

Muddy eyes glanced sideways as the silver stranger came to join her, briefly lifting to study his pale face. The golden eyes stood out brightly against their steely backdrop, again making the pup think of the sun, as so many things seemed to do today.   However, her attention was instantly drawn back to the flowers when he gave her the name, and she turned up her face in wide eyed delight as he offered her a closer look. “Fleur… Soleil?” She muttered, tilting her head a little, it didn’t sound quite right, but she liked it anyway.   She gave the flower a good sniff, then, finally, turned to give the stranger her proper attention. Perhaps testing her father’s language finally made her remember the manners he had tried so hard to teach her. At least, she finally found it appropriate to Introduce herself, complete with bright smile and wagging tail; “I’m Apple!” Thoughts ”Speech”

Is he someone who likes pups? Sometimes, he thinks he is—times like this, when her eyes are turned to his. When it feels like she stares into her soul, and probably sees a whole lotta shit that isn't there, and .. he won't go so far as to say it makes him wish he were someone else, someone better by conventional standards, but it makes him wonder about things he's not quite sure he has the capacity to even understand. So he doesn't. Just feels oddly naked under that innocent gaze, and then the moment is gone.

She's practically got her face in the flower, a little halo of yellow, when she mumbles something unintelligible. "Huh?" One of Malien's ears flick, head tilting, trying to pick anything out of it—closest he gets is "flow", or something. Flow so lair? Ah, who cares. He takes his paw off the sunflower, letting it recoil, nearly slapping him in the face in the process.

Apple? "Cute," he responds before he even realizes it, ears pricking forward and tail giving a half-high wag. But also, come on? Apple? What are her siblings called? Pear and Cherry? (Nobody tell him of Ice's parents ridiculous naming traditions, he'd have a stroke) "I'm Malien." One ear flicks, back, forward: his golden eyes stray from her face to the forest. He's surprised they're still alone. "D'you live around these parts, Apple?"

if either of you aren't okay with woya eavesdropping just let me know <3

When it had occurred to her that she hadn't seen or caught scent of Apolline in a bit too long for comfort, Woya had pulled away from her auditing to track the child down. With how cruel nature had been to them lately, she would not put past it stealing another from them. The further her trail led from the territory's center, the more urgency she moved with.

Her scent grew stronger just as the pack's markers had begun to fade from notice, and the first-time mother was rather horrified that she'd gotten so far. She would need to talk with @Adelard, Levi, @Wrynn and @Isomne about this and preventing it from happening a second time.

Hearing talking, her heart leapt in her chest, fears all but confirmed. Thankfully the wind was on her side, and she prowled through the cover of the ferns with anger making sharp lines of her features. Her lips were pulled back in a toothy scowl, and every muscle was prepared to ambush the stranger if needed.

... and they always face the dawn.

Fleur? I'm Apple!

Cute. Malien. You live around these parts, Apple?

He didn't seem to mean harm, but still she felt that was very much enough. Woya breached the cover she'd been hidden beneath, glare fixed on the unknown wolf while she sternly called her daughter to her.

"Apolline."

For likely the first time in her life, the child was in trouble with her mother.

(This post was last modified: Sep 18, 2022, 06:02 AM by Woya.)

Her tail wagged happily at his response, which she took as a compliment, something she didn’t get all that often. She smiled widely at his own introduction, perking her ears to make sure she heard it right. However, the question gave her pause, head tilting and brow furrowing as she tried to understand; Of course she lived here, didn’t he? Before she was able to properly formulate her confusion into words, a sharp voice drew her attention away from Malien. The sudden appearance of her mother brought the grin back to the pup’s features, her sheltered mind entirely missing the seriousness of the situation – sure, she’d never heard her moms voice sound like that, but she had yet to realize that she’d done something wrong. Thus, tail happily wagging, Apolline ran to Woya’s side, all joy and excitement; “Maman!” She danced in front of the pale alphess, briefly glancing back over her shoulder at her new friend; “Lien’s showed me the sunflowers!” To her this was all good, she’d made her first friend, on her own, after all and learned about something new and wonderful. The truth was about to hit her like a rock slide. Thoughts ”Speech”

Is that a rustle among those rusty ferns? One of his ears flick, golden eyes beginning to stray to the deep shadows.. only, he changes his mind: if someone is there, what'll happen will happen. He's far enough away from the thickets that he won't be taken by surprise. Good enough for him. So he returns his attention to little Apple, to ask her where she lives, only—well.

There had been a rustle among those rusty ferns.

She's pale as a ghost, a wisp, that final slanting ray of sunlight behind jagged mountaintops.

The muddy pup—Apolline, not just Apple—seems oblivious to the implications of everything going on. Somebody's sheltered little princess, indeed. And there's a curious sensation, a twang of pity in his cool heart, for while this is expected, it is not what he had wished.

"There you are," he says, something blunt and uncanny about it even as he's quickly stepping backwards, dropping his head and letting his tail fall, tip straight down. Malien's no idiot, he's got no interest in being ripped to shreds by an angry mother.

Her daughter didn't realize the full extent of her innocent transgression, and much to her own chagrin, Woya found it endearing. She wished that Apolline could remain as she was, warm and open to the world without fear of it's darkness. Such was not their reality however, and it would be a disservice to her child to pretend otherwise. Woya remained stern, no matter how cute her little Apple was.

Lien’s showed me the sunflowers!

Her gaze shifted back onto the interloper, and even as she regarded him coldly she knew that perhaps she should be grateful he had been here to keep other predators at bay. It couldn't be ignored, however, that simply being wolf didn't mean he was necessarily safe himself.

There you are.

She bared her fangs again without thought, irritated by the words. Fuck him.

"Can I help you?"

The words were imparted curtly, expecting a dismissal rather than any true need.