Drooping Willows the moon still shines

RE: Iseldir - You've come across a cache of stored apples, preserved but fully fermented. Cheers!
Open but preferably either/both siblings

Venturing out of their own small patch of forest, Iseldir was careful not to go too far. He kept to the trees at the meadow's edge, sure to listen watch for dangers as he went. Still, he found the day of explorations lifted his spirits a bit. And then. he had come upon something quite unexpected and welcome, just as his stomach began to rumble. A perfect cache of fruit deep, still beautiful deep into the winter.

He had dug the frosted apples out of the leaves and snow and nibbled at it one, finding them to be sweet and tangy. Selecting another, he covered them over again and then trotted homewards with the stem clutched carefully between his teeth. Such a treat was something to be shared, and he hoped that with this prize he could find some company to join him in returning to the tree. They could eat as many as they liked, and carry a few back home too!

His tail wagged over his back as the archer lad forged through the snow back toward the willows, letting out a bark between clenched jaws.

Nineve was by far full grown and yet still as she moved she did so with the grace of her mother. When she pounced on her target, she did so with the strength of her father.

Lifting her head up from the ground, she panted heavily through the white hare clutched in her jaws.

She was grown enough now however, to realize the hardships their little family had. Her and her siblings had been born through a drought. Their once small pack now smaller. Their father had been quite injured from a bear attack. Eve's cousin blind and unable to hunt for herself.

Eve clutched the hare tightly, she knew this meal was of dire need. She would carry it back to their rocky den site and was setting it down at the opening when her brother's woof between closed jaws sounded her attention.

"What have you found today, brother?"

(This post was last modified: Jan 23, 2023, 12:37 AM by Nineve.)

It was Nineve he came across, returning with a gift of her own to help sustain their family. For the moment it seemed to be only the two of them, and so with a glance around to make sure, Iseldir waited for Nineve to cache her kill and then gave a sweep of his head, tossing the apple her way.

A moment was granted for her to inspect the prize before he swept his head again this time in the other direction, bidding her to join him with a conspiratory smile. She could see for herself that the fruit was good, he wanted to show her the rest of what he'd found. This season had been hard on all of them, and this midwinter blessing seemed like the perfect way to lift their spirits again and give them all a little sweet treat. Nin and he could share a few and then figure out how to bring more back home.

His gaze glinted brightly as he glanced back to see just what his sister made of the invitation.

Eve stowed the food away, hoping that either Hagar who had been injured or Ra who was unable, might take the prize for themselves.

Turning back to her brother and snorting the dirt off of her nose with a shaking, she sniffs the apple tossed her way. A rather odd scent and yet, somehow appealing. "Your always finding such interesting things!" She says with a laugh as she examines the apple. Picking it up, she settles it on top of the fresh mound of dirt where the rabbit was stored. Now whoever ate could have dinner and a snack!

"Alright Ise, lead the way!" She called out to her silent brother as she went prancing into his direction.

(This post was last modified: Mar 08, 2023, 04:21 PM by Nineve.)

She'd leave this apple in their cache, and come with him to where the rest were hidden. Good, hopefully they could bring a few more back with them. Iseldir's silence was broken with a satisfied bark, soft and low in his chest. His voice still had some way to go toward deepening, but in timbre it already resembled that of the quiet bear they called father, Hagar. Then they were off.

His paws moved in an easy rhythm, shoulders rolling and tail wagging proudly behind him. He was determined that today would be a good day rather than another grey one. It was good to see Nineve's smile. Such interesting things, as his sister called them, he thought of as the bounty of their realm and thought that it should be shared amongst their family. More than that, the gifts spoke more than he could or would, to lift their spirits and say what he could not. As Nineve matched his stride just behind him, hers as always more graceful than his own still lanky gait, Iz moved with a proud jaunt in his step. It was good enough to eat up the distance across the snow-crusted terrain quickly, and soon they came to the edge of the clearing where the mysterious fruit was still tucked away safely under the leaves and snow.

Sniffing about the area where he'd found them before, he could smell the unusual, sour sweetness and began to salivate. He scratched at the snow with still-large for his frame paws, looking to his sister, sure she too could smell the apples now. Hopefully, she would not turn up her nose at them.

(This post was last modified: Feb 13, 2023, 08:38 PM by Iseldir.)

Eve followed her brother with a happiness. While Hagar and Avella were off doing more 'adult things' like trying to support the pack and Ra slowly meandered around the territory doing whatever she did, it was really just the three of them. Three peas in a pod.

As they traveled through the territory, Iseldir would think of the gifts which their land gave to them. Eve thought of lands beyond. She head peered out over the open meadows and rise. She looked to the heights of mountains in the east. She was wonderous, curious of places beyond. She'd go, too, but only if it meant her brothers at her side as well. Since there wasnt much going on here, how would her brothers feel about doing some adventuring?

Eve wondered with a 'hmmm' on her lips and slowed as they came to the ridden cluster of ferminted apples. She comes in nearer to her darker brother, sniffing the apples and then reeling her head back with a sneeze. "Those sure have a strong scent!" Woah! Looking to her brother then, "Well, you gonna try them first or am I?" She asked him daringly.

Her reaction was similar to what his had been, when he'd first come across the fruit. But she did not seem to find them off putting, either. That was great! Izzy grinned at her words then, answering her dare with his own dare in return.

He had already nibbled on one of the apples, so he knew they were good and there was no harm in sharing. Dipping his head to the cache, he selected one from among the rest and gave it a toss, catching it in his jaws and biting down with a satisfying crunch. Juices flooded his palate as he experienced the unusual taste. It was good.

Then, placing the now broken fruit on the snow to hold under his paw he bowed into play position and began to chew on it with his side incisors. A laugh bubbled up from his chest as his gaze returned to Nineve's, to see if she dared join him yet in the revelry.

Her brother went for it, knawing and tossing about one of the apples from the cluster. The drought had made many a prey either die or flee. Too many which had done so and now left even less for the predators to hunt during the now winter. Eating anything edible that they came across was a must. The children would have fun with it but it was also survival which drove them.

Giving her brother a snort as she watched his display, she then chose one of the apples from the hidden cache herself. She tossed her muzzle up as she bit wildly into it, ferminted juice filling her mouth. It really was good! And she dances around her brother playfully as she chews at her new food-toy.

(This post was last modified: Mar 08, 2023, 04:21 PM by Nineve.)

vague power play to start a game of tag between them! hope that's okay c:

Life was never not about surviving, it seemed, but what made it worth living if not enjoyment of moments like this? And sharing them with those he cared about? The young Archer had only begun to scratch the surface of such thoughts, but since seeing his brother and father in danger and out of sorts, seeing their family work to survive he had been thinking about things and gradually coming to his own understanding. He'd keep trying to liven it up where he could, until he couldn't, he'd decided.

Izzy tossed his head once more and gave a grin before catching the apple and crunching away at it as the watched Nineve dance around him. He was very glad to see her up for play, these days none of the siblings were as carefree as they had once been but there was a sort of rebellion against life's challenges in their silly game. The boy moved into an exaggeratedly defensive posture over the cache, raising his tail to wag over his back, daring her to steal another.

He would not try to prevent her from partaking, rather tapping her lightly with a paw at his first opportunity before bolting away, kicking up a shower of snow in a game of tag. Now it was her turn to guard the prize!

(This post was last modified: Mar 10, 2023, 09:55 PM by Iseldir.)

And so the young wolves would play. Even as the hardship of life weighed on them. They had been forced to grow up quickly, facing trials before their little brains could even understandwhat they were- cold, hunger, thirst... But there was no loneliness, despite their stapled titles of 'loner'. The trio held fast to one another, determined if they were to make it, it would be hand in hand paw in paw.