Cedarwood Forest Out of Nowhere

dated 11/6/2013

Titan was starting to get very angry. He'd never felt this angry about something before. The ebony child was angry at himself mostly for disobeying the rules. Of course the pup would only realize that the rules were meant to keep things like getting lost from happening AFTER the fact that he was totally lost. However he was also angry at the constant hunger pangs in his gut that screamed out to the dark boy to get food. Titan was beginning to give up hope that he would find home again. Everything around him was unfamiliar now. The trees were different. The sky was different (or so he thought) and the smells all around him were strange. Nothing reminded him of the meadow where his family lived.

Another problem was that the nights were getting colder. Of course Titan had noticed it back home. The gray misted dark child had found himself waking up every morning shivering as the nights slowly grew cooler and colder. Now he realized that the trees had shed all of their leaves, and the young wolf wondered if the cold had killed them.

White flakes of cold started drifting lazily down from the sky. Titan had noticed the cold things a week ago and without any adult to tell him what they were the pup thought of the flakes as cold suns. Mostly because the things looked like little white suns falling from the sky. Though when he had first touched them the things had burned like fire for a second as the flake melted onto his velvet black face. The pup watched in amazement as the little suns piled up night after night engulfing the land in an eerie white.

Now used to the fact that his paws and body would sink through the two and a half inch snow covered landscape, Titan trudged along silently shivering with the cold. His winter coat was coming in quickly but the child was still chilled. The only thing he could do was continue moving forward.

"speech"

WHISPER Caverns

(This post was last modified: Nov 21, 2013, 04:59 AM by Titan.)

Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Accept no defeat, surrender retreat...

hope you don't mind me throwing Maksim in here!

Maksim Baranski spent his days marking the borders of the newly founded Cut Rock River pack, claiming the land in the process and making their presence known. It would be a while before their borders would be well known, though for now time would be spent settling and exploring. His followers seemed to have had the same idea. Now and then he would catch the scent of another criss-crossing through the snowy territory and it brought a small smile to his face. Slowly but surely, the once Darkwater wolves were easing themselves into the vastly different terrain of the Cedarwood Forest. Truthfully, it felt strange to walk among the towering, spiny trees again, though it wasn’t an unwelcomed sensation. In fact, it was surprisingly pleasant for the most silly of reasons: it smelt like Tall Trees; it smelt of home. Such a thought was almost soothing to the Baranski, verdant eyes closing as he inhaled the rich scent of cedar as the sting of the cold winter air almost instantly refreshed him. His relaxed state would not last though. He was currently on the hunt for a predator within the territory. Those two deer carcasses hadn’t come from nowhere, after all. There was a lynx about. Whether or not it was stupid enough to remain even though it had certainly heard the call of the new neighbours was still in the air. That was why he was searching, after all. If he caught a trace of the demand feline, he’d be on it like a moth to flames. Something else caught the male’s attention, however, and he briefly faltered. Once again, he inhaled and the scent stood out like a sore thumb. Pup, and it wasn’t Quil or Cinder. His course changed and he picked up the pace, trotting through the snow as he followed his nose. Minutes ticked past and the smell of the youngster picked up until … there! A young boy with black fur, pressing on through the cold and the snow. The Baranski’s ears folded back slightly—who’s child was this? He cleared his throat a little, making his presence known, before calling out to the growing cub. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#619F28;">“Boy. What are you doing out here alone?” Maksim came to a halt, not too far away yet not too close, and raised his brows quizzically. The youth was just lucky he had been found by the Cut Rock leader and not that blasted, illusive lynx.<b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#619F28;">

we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue

Look Out!

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by a bear nearby. +10 Health

Interesting... Do whatever you want with him :)

Titan was lost in his despair trotting along the mostly virgin snow when his ears caught the strange noise from behind him. Titan's head whipped up, fear clear in his blue gaze as it fell upon a tall large gray male standing not too far away. It was clear that the male had followed the young Thorbens trail, even if it was just for a short distance from Makisms original foray. Titan froze in place eyeing the stranger with a weary look, then quickly dropped his gaze. The child did not know this male and did not want to be bullied like he was last time he'd met a loner. Besides the young male had learned enough from his own family to know that staring was rude. However the childs eyes would occasionally flutter upwards in an attempt to measure the male and make sure the man was not attacking.

A curious but strong voice uttered from the leader making Titans ears shift forward in order to listen more effectively. He caught the questioning gaze of the stranger but did not feel any bad vibes from the guy. At least not yet anyway. So the child turned sideways to greet the male with a slightly wagging tail.

"Well.. That's kinda a long story. Umm.." He paused wondering if it was really okay to be talking to the gray man who kinda reminded Titan of his uncle Kino a little. "My name is Titan Thorben and... I was looking for my mother." He shrugged his wide shoulders sheepishly knowing that the dark lad had truly in all words "messed up" getting lost while disobeying the rules. Titan had an inkling that because of his disobedience he was paying for it now in some way.

WHISPER Caverns

Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Accept no defeat, surrender retreat...

The youth seemed in good spirits and he didn’t seem too scared by the approach of the large leader. Still, Maksim was on alert in case some angry mother did come flying from the underbrush, screaming and hollering bloody murder. The boy’s tail began to wag and so the agouti brute could only presume all was well with him. It wouldn’t take long to find out. Titan Thorben was the child’s name—one that clearly matched the size of the growing pup—and he was looking for his mother. To the Baranski, that meant one of two things: he’d lost his mother in this forest or he’d wandered too far from his pack’s borders. It was easy to get turned around in a territory as vast as the Cedarwood Forest, especially so for a young wolf, and Maksim’s gaze softened. Poor lad. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#619F28;">“Well young Titan,” he rumbled coolly, <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#619F28;">“perhaps I can help you find your mother.” The boy had to be of pack. Simply had to be. A boy of his size simply couldn’t be a loner’s offspring. The Cut Rock leader took a few steps forward. He opened his mouth to speak yet no words came out as a scent was swiftly caught by his sensitive nose. Jaws shutting, Maksim tried to pinpoint the smell. It was moose. Not too far at all. Perhaps this young Thorben lad was hungry? Wandering a forest alone for a while could prove quite tiresome and it was best to presume such things in a circumstance like this. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#619F28;">“Come with me. We’ll get you fed and then we can try and figure out where your mother is.” With a quick nod of his head in the direction of the moose, hoping the young silver dusted boy would catch the scent, Maksim turned and waited for Titan to follow. The boy would have to trust the hulking man, a task that may or may not prove easy to accomplish.

we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue

While Titan waited for the males response his paws scuffled across the ground. The child's blue gaze continued to flick around even catching the tense look of the male begin to falter. Once the hard males eyes began to soften Titan began to feel a little more comfortable even allowing his body to stand at its natural height. Being used to large males with kind hearts at home gave the child perhaps too much trust in a male of such size that could easily injure and kill the boy. Yet the dark pups ears perked up at the sound of his name and his eyes slowly looked closer to the male regarding him calmly as he spoke.

"You'll help me find mom?" Titan asked hopefully tilting his head to the side as Makism began approaching. It wasn't until the alpha stopped noticing the scent on the air that Titan wondered what was wrong. He saw the older males stance and copied it opening his mouth and allowing the breeze to pass over his teeth and tongue.

Food

The growing boy recognized the scent of food but wasn't sure what creature it was. Titan knew of rabbits, mice, ground hogs, and even regular mule deer scent. However his mother had never brought the Thorben brood something that smelled like this before. It smelled vaguely of deer but different somehow.

The stranger spoke again and, nodding quietly, Titan licked his lips while a hunger pain tore through his gut. He waited for the elder wolf to start moving before he even dared to follow. However once they were moving it was easy to fall into a certain rushed stride a few wolf lengths behind the leader. Titan was always great at the game of follow the leader.

WHISPER Caverns

Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Accept no defeat, surrender retreat...

The boy’s question did not fall upon deaf ears and the agouti leader nodded, gazing down at the youth. With a lick of the young boy’s lips, Maksim took that as the signal to move to the carcass and so they did. Titan Thorben didn’t follow too close—smart lad—though the older wolf knew that he followed. The sound of snow crunching beneath two sets of paws was enough to alert him of that. Following his nose, it didn’t take too long for them to come across the fallen moose, already appeared to have been picked at by some other creature. It was long gone by now, though. Maksim would stay vigilant, regardless. He didn’t need some daring creature to charge forth and attempt snatching up the growing cub as a snack. He motioned to the moose with a nod of his head. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#619F28;">“Eat.” Briefly, Maksim watched the youngster before casting his gaze away and into the trees, deep in thought. Where had this boy come from? The man knew nothing of packs in the area, how exactly would he be able to find the dark lad’s mother? Shit. Maybe he’d gotten the boy’s hopes up over nothing. Maksim’s mind ticked away before an idea settled into his head. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#619F28;">“Say, Titan,” he rumbled softly, <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#619F28;">“perhaps you would like to come back to my pack? Just for a little bit—you can rest up for a few days and then we can go out and find your mother. How does that sound?” It made sense, to the Baranski at least. He hadn’t a clue as to how long this boy had been all alone. The leader intended to go and introduce himself to his neighbouring packs, after all. Allies would be a necessity this time of year. Still, he wouldn’t be surprised if the youngster would want to find his mother now … It all rested with him.<b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#619F28;">

(This post was last modified: Nov 21, 2013, 03:32 AM by Maksim.)

we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue

Soon the pair of wolves came upon the scent that set Titan's stomach growling so loud that he swore it sounded like Malia when she was woken up real early in the morning. Titan spied the carcass surprised at how large the remaining bones were. He had never been brought to a carcass before. Food had always been brought to him in neat clean chunks of deer or whole dead rabbits. The smell tempted him closer, as did the males order to eat. Quickly the dark pup trotted forward to investigate the large curving rib bones of the moose.

"This is a big deer." He noted partially to himself though loud enough for the male to hear. Then the pup began gnawing on pieces that looked soft enough to tug off into smaller bits. He ate his fill while casting thankful glances towards Makism. The growling in the young Thorben's stomach ceased as it slowly became comfortably full. Pausing between bites Titan raised his dark crown while the man spoke.

“perhaps you would like to come back to my pack? Just for a little bit—you can rest up for a few days and then we can go out and find your mother. How does that sound?” At this question Titan had to take a moment to think.

So he has a pack, that means he is a leader like mom and dad. Which means there would be food there and a nice warm place to sleep. He thought quietly thinking about the situation. But mom..well.. It's not like I'm going to be able to find her at this rate anyway. I can't even get back home on my own. Drooping his head and resting his chin upon the rib of the moose, Titan sighed knowing that there wasn't much else he could do. Plus he had the chance at a home for a while and food to eat.

"Well, I overheard Inali and uncle Kino talking to mom. She said she had to go out on a mission to find a friend of hers somewhere. I honestly don't think I'm going to find her..." It was hard for Titan to admit this since he had been completely confident on finding Nari when he had first set out. "...and I know I can't find home either..." the lad spoke in an even more depressed tone turning his eyes onto the horizon.

"I'll go with you I guess, but what is your name anyway?" The child asked innocently enough. He was curious as to who his helper was.

WHISPER Caverns

Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Accept no defeat, surrender retreat...

maybe change the prefix of the thread to "join" if you want to claim points for it? (:

Titan settled into the moose carcass quickly on Maksim’s command, chewing at what he could as the agouti male cast an approving glance over the boy. It was good he had not lost his appetite—the Baranski was very much aware of the concerning eating habits of @Quil. He’d need a talk with the young Attaya soon, both her and @Cinder. So many youngsters out of place, without their family, did not settle well with the Baranski. There was already a chill in the air. Hopefully there wouldn’t be any cubs unlucky enough to find no guardian to offer them shelter this winter. Such a thought sent a chill up his spine. The dark boy sighed as he rested his chin upon the meaty bones of the moose but Maksim watched with a stoic gaze. He didn’t want to step on any toes, here. Clearly the young wolf was a healthy one and the Cut Rock leader was sure he didn’t need to be coddled in any way, shape or form. He just needed to be gently steered in the right direction after gathering his strength back. “Uncle Kino” was mentioned and the older male stored the little snippet of information away. It may come in handy locating the child’s home. A slight twitch of his lips threatened to pull them back into a frown as the boy seemed to admit some kind of defeat. Striding over to Titan, Maksim lowered his head and gently nudged the boy’s temple; a friendly gesture of “chin up”. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#619F28;">“Maksim Baranski,” he responded swiftly, a little irritated at himself for not introducing himself sooner, <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#619F28;">“and once you feel you’ve eaten enough moose I’d be more than happy to take you to my home.” Again, he peered off into the trees and nodded. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#619F28;">“It’s not too far from here, actually—it’s called Cut Rock River.”<b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#619F28;">

we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue

After receiving the males name Titan bowed his head in both greeting and submission. He had practiced this before with older wolves from his family. The dark lad knew that "it was the right thing to do" in this particular situation. Like Kino told us.. Respect your elders, respect your alpha's and their actions, then respect your parents. Though Titan was already garnering a bit of respect for the larger wolf. Makism was proving to be a good guy so far willing to help someone in trouble. It kind of made the young Thorben look up to him the same way he looked at his father. Indeed both alpha males had similar "lawful natured" personalities. However Titan was unsure of how this other pack would deal with him. Makism might be nice but that didn't mean the rest of his pack would tolerate him for long.

"Thank you, but I'm pretty full now... " Titan no longer felt hunger gnawing on his stomach that was for sure, but he knew he would probably get hungry later. Mom's always nipping my ears for whining about being hungry. I don't want to..whine too much in front of him. Titan lowered his muzzle sniffing the carcass while trying to think of a way he could thank Makism and help the pack all the same. The alpha spoke the name of his family. Cut Rock River which intrigued the pu for a moment. He knew what "cut" or "cutting" meant, what rocks were, but the young man had no clue what a river was. For now he let the question go worrying more about helping the man who was helping him. "Could I bring some of this with me though? For you or.. umm.. maybe a pack mate?" He looked up with puppy eyes towards the leader hoping to be useful in some way.

WHISPER Caverns

(This post was last modified: Nov 21, 2013, 05:38 AM by Titan.)

Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Accept no defeat, surrender retreat...