Sex: FemaleShortly before sunset Seraphina stretched before trotting gracefully over to the lagoon for a few quick laps of water. She had spent the afternoon hunting and had successfully managed to catch a deer by herself. Happily impressed with herself she now planned on taking a stroll through the forest to pass the night away under the beautiful red glow of the moon. Of course, it was this moon that she attributed her hunting success to; a Blood Moon always brought about good luck with hunting. Phina's lips pulled down in a bitter frown as she thought about what else a Blood Moon brought: increased fighting and higher chance of death. This had proven true when, just about two weeks ago, she had awoken in her den to the sound of her sister's frenzied howl. Rozalea's mate, Puck, had been murdered and according to King Oberon it was by the teeth of her cousin, Flyn. Phina knew that Flyn was a loose canon but she doubted that he had killed Bastion; her instincts screamed that something was missing from that story. Nevertheless, Flyn had run away that same night and that choice certainly made him look guilty to the rest of the Revelry Rapids pack. Phina owed him her gratitude, however, because he was the first wolf to ever leave the pack and this gave her the courage to do the same. Now she was here, wherever the hell here was, by the side of some odd lagoon. Used to the water in the rapids which was violent and dangerous, the stillness of this body of water left Seraphina feeling strangely misplaced in a world with which she was very unfamiliar. Seraphina's warm brown eyes looked up to the sky and she felt reassured that no matter what land she was on the sun and the moon would always hold command of the light and the dark that rained down upon her. Those two things would always be constant, familiar, and welcome. The sun was only just beginning to fall below the land, but soon it would and the land would be encompassed in darkness aside from the wonderful glow of the Blood Moon. Though the Moon had not risen yet, Seraphina tilted her head back and howled her appreciation for Her and Her guidance. "Speech" |
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The dark wolf stretches out his body and legs allowing for a lengthened pace to take him faster over the landscape. His claws dug int the soil and leaf litter kicking up earth as he sped forward under the bloody moon. That fine silver misted black coat sways in the cool breeze while the trees whisked by in a blur. For some reason the dark Thorben's paws brought him closer and closer to his sisters resting place. The lagoon was a place he loathed, but at the same time he couldn't just avoid the area because of that feeling. Titan had to visit sometimes, if only to see and feel his sister near him again.
Those big jet black paws crunched on the dried grasses as the heavy male slowed down to a trot. He was nearing the lagoon, and the grave of Malia Thorben. It was then that the sound of a howl rose up from a short ways down the shoreline of the lagoon. Titan slowed his pace down to a slow walk as he listened to the call. His mood was a little bit dark right now. So Titan couldn't understand why a she wolf was howling so happily. He wondered what he should do just then. Go to the woman and tell her to stop that racket, chase her off, join her in song (though his howl may be much more sad), or go and see the woman. Titan wasn't sure what he wanted right now, to be with another wolf or to be alone. However his paws kept him moving, and as if they had a mind of their own, they pointed the young male in the direction of the lone she wolf.
He spotted her long before he actually reached her. With a rather plain looking coat of ginger, gray, black, and cream; he didn't recognize the voice or the pelt of the stranger. Finally stopping his movements, Titan slunk to the shadows of a willow tree trunk. He had grown up in the caverns of his mothers pack, so the male was very used to seeing and getting around in the dark. Even at this far distance from the she wolf he could plainly see the details in her coat as well as the expression on her maw. The dark wolf was still unsure if he wanted to meet her or not though. For now he hid silently in the shadows watching the woman do whatever it was she was doing. His mind imagined Malia's ghost slipping past him towards the woman with a wicked grin on her face and a playful wag in her tail. That's right... Malia wouldn't be angry with a new wolf visiting her. She'd be trying to dominate them as well as attempting to make friends... he thought quietly before allowing his own chin to tip upwards. Titan let out a deep sad song from the bottom of his heart pour into the air. He hoped the stranger would join in."Speech here."
Shortly after Seraphina's happy song ended, another tune floated across the thick mist and reached her attentive ears. This howl was filled with sadness instead of mirth, and this sound weighed heavily on the Faye's heart. She tilted her head back and once again howled to the Mother Moon, but this time her call was rich with sadness to match that of her mysterious companion. As their song came to an end, Phina turned to face the direction where the sound had come from. A pair of blue orbs, blue as the water and as the sky, watched her from the safety of the shadows of a willow tree. The wolf's coat was black but had a silvery sheen to it that made it easier to see in the dimming light of sunset. Seraphina warily approached the wolf and as she did she could tell that he was a young male, but large for his age. Aside from his piercing blue eyes, he reminded her of her brother, Sindri who had been the only one in their family to inherit their mother's pure black coat. "Hello there. My name is Seraphina, but you may call me Phina if you wish." Phina dipped her head respectfully as she offered her introduction. Her intelligent brown eyes remained steady as she took in the reaction of the stranger to her introduction. The last few wolves she had met since leaving home had not often been very friendly or welcoming. She had quickly learned to avoid the areas that were marked with distinctive scents so she knew that she was not intruding on pack territory. As long as she wasnt intruding, she saw no reason why her introduction should illicit any kind of aggression from the boy. Growing more confident as she logically observed the situation, the tawny woman took a few more steps toward the wolf, stopping when she was several tail lengths away. "Your song sounded very sad but the night should always be a time of celebration. If you don't mind me asking, what is it that has you so upset?" Phina's voice held her normal regal tone, but was also peppered with the lighter tone of sympathy and of curiosity. "Speech" |
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"My name is Titan Thorben of Willow Ridge pack." He spoke quickly then allowed the silence to consume the air around them.A t this rate Titan was proving to be quite mysterious and almost bad boy like. A stark difference to his normal open and confident attitude. Depression changed Titan greatly, though there were ways to make him forget the sadness. Usually he had to distract himself from the dark thoughts with work or schooling. Other times he tried to socialize to keep himself from feeling this way, but the place itself had that depressing effect on him. Just because he knew that it was the place his sister had departed form this world. Perhaps there was no way for him to distract himself while at the lagoon.
The she wolf commented about his call and asked why he was so sad. Titan turned away and looked towards the lagoon which was reflecting the moons blood red light. It almost looked as if the lagoon itself was filled with wolf blood. The thought made him shiver before Titan replies to the stranger.
"My sister died here late this past winter. I sometimes come here to check up on her, but I can't ever... It's impossible... For me not to be sad here.." He said slowly as if unsure if he should be handing out such information to a complete stranger. Then the dark wolf sighed. Why was he out here anyway? What was talking to a stranger going to help him with?
Seraphina wondered at what could consume this young boy with such sadness. And under the light of the Moon, for that matter! She was not usually the type to make herself emotionally available or to seek to understand other's emotions, but the Moon brought out the best in wolves and brought to the surface the best version of herself. Well, at least she thought it did. It certainly wasn't working for this young man and Phina began to wonder if the powers of the Moon were meant for her pack alone. She nodded respectfully at his greeting and offered her own. "My name is Seraphina F--" She paused just in time, remembering not to give out her last name. "Seraphina. My name is Seraphina but you can call me Phina." She offered an encouraging smile and was relieved when the boy offered up an explanation for his melancholy. She certainly would not have been able to figure out a sensitive way of prying the information from him. Now that it was out in the open she could try her best to offer some comfort. "Where I come from we don't believe in death," The she wolf said matter-of-factly and realized quickly that it might have sounded offensive. With sympathy tugging at her usually stern heart, the she-wolf struggled to find an explanation and finally found a solution within the memorable words of her mother. "We all belong to Nature and we serve Her in whatever form She needs. Sometimes She needs wolves and sometimes She needs worms. But She would never truly kill any of us; She just changes our forms." Seraphina offered a gentle smile as she felt warmed by the memory of her mother's teachings. Something was still missing though and finally Seraphina found the strength to speak from her own heart. With a slight sigh, she spoke gently to the young, dark male, "Your sister may not be with you but that doesn't mean she is gone. The one's who truly hurt when someone passes on are the ones who are left behind." Phina's brown eyes were soft and filled with a sympathy she might not have been able to call upon during the daylight hours. "And would your sister want to see you look so sad at the thought of her memory or would she want you to be happy when thoughts of her crossed your mind, even in a place like this?" Phina did not give the boy much time to answer. He didn't need to voice his answer, it was one that he should carry inside. With a more cheerful smile she flicked her tail in invitation. "Why don't you help me out? I needed to find a few herbs and you must know these lands better than I do." Truthfully the tawny woman didn't need any herbs, but it surely wouldnt hurt to learn what these lands had to offer and she could spot someone in need of a distraction. She always preferred to distract herself rather than deal with her emotions so she was happy to provide the service to someone else who was in need. "Speech" |
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He became more interested in what she was saying as she mentioned her belief in death. Or rather her disbelief in it. Titan hadn't come across anyone yet who didn't believe in an end to everything. Then again he never asked about what others believed.
"We all belong to Nature and we serve Her in whatever form She needs. Sometimes She needs wolves and sometimes She needs worms. But She would never truly kill any of us; She just changes our forms." Seraphina's words struck a chord in the dark Thorben. He had never stopped to think of death in any other way except termination of everything, total darkness, or oblivion. What this woman spoke of sounded much more...complex. She spoke as if nature was a living being, a female, who moved and shaped the world. The idea of nature that Seraphina spoke of intrigued Titan. He nods slowly in approval before allowing a sigh to touch his lips once more.
"You sound as if you have much respect and trust for this lady Nature." He commented quickly before glancing towards the she wolf again. She now spoke of his sister asking if she would be okay with him acting the way he did right now. A small flick of his ear was the only answer he gave to that question. At least, until Titan spotted a large windblown pile of willow leaves. He could imagine that if his sister were here and nothing bad had happened in their lives; that she would be rolling around in the leaf pile right now.
At the mention of herbs the dark wolf's ears lay gently to the side of his head in a relaxed manner. His gaze switched to the dried grasses where ergot might have been found if Fall hadn't killed the fungus yet. Though other mushroom species like muscaria were flourishing because of the rain during the fall, ergot was almost all gone.
"Well I suppose I could find you some hellebore or cowbane. Do you need to heal someone or kill em?" He asked half jokingly. Two plants he knew he should be able to find here were very different from each other. One helped with certain ailments while the other was lethal. He wasn't sure which the woman might need.
Seraphina frowned at the mention of using plants to kill other wolves. "Is that a custom here? Do some wolves really use herbs to kill other wolves?" Seraphina kept her composure, but a thin streak of horror and awe could be heard in her voice. With a quick shake of her head she declined the dark wolf's offer, "No, where I come from we would never use a plant to kill someone. That is a horrible abuse of nature." Seraphina paused and then gave a sly smile. "If you want someone dead, you should do it with your own teeth." There wasn't much killing done in her birth pack. They were so isolated that there wasn't much conflict from other wolves and her father was so strict that there wasn't much inner conflict either. Still, all of the Faye had heard the story of how there pack had been created. Sometimes killing was necessary, but if it had to be done then you should have the courage to do it yourself. With a sigh, Phina considered which herbs would be here. The ground was wet and mushy because of the proximity of the lagoon, but the path was well worn and obviously a popular place for wolves out for a stroll. The dappled woman scented the air and was happy to detect a faint scent of pineapple. "Well, I've ben concerned about stomach aches. I have recently left a home that I spent all four years of my life in and the food here is slightly different. Perhaps, Pineapple Weed would help." Phina turned to the silver misted wolf to see if he could also scent the plant here, or perhaps he would mistake it as chamomile as many younger wolves did. "Speech" |
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"No, I've never heard of anyone doing it. Though I've been taught that the lethal plants can be used if a wolf cannot be saved and is in terrible pain. It is a faster death than suffering through it. Or trying to rip out their throat. Especially if nightshade or muscaria mushrooms are used." Titan shrugged at the woman then glanced to a hellebore plant. Now he knew what kind of she wolf she really was. The good kind who only wanted to help. She didn't seem to be like wolves who might use lethal plants to kill for their own gain. That made her go up a notch in his eyes.
Stomache ache... There's nothing to help that near here... He thought before hearing the plant that Seraphina called "pineapple weed". Instantly Titan's attention was on the woman as she looked about the ground. "I have not heard of that herb before..." He screwed up his face as Titan turned thoughtful. "What does it look and smell like? Maybe I've seen it..." and then again maybe I haven't. It might only grow in her land. He thought while taking a few steps towards the woman. Titan was always up for learning new herbs because he wanted to know everything he could to possibly help his family and pack. Titan didn't want to lose another family member and not be able to do anything about it like he had lost Malia.
Seraphina shook her head in disdain at the thought of using a plant to kill another wolf, even if that wolf was suffering. Lady Nature did what needed to be done and if a wolf was suffering it was because he should be or needed to be. It was not the responsibility of another wolf to become a murderer because the suffering one could not bear his cross. Not wanting to take her negative thoughts out on the boy, Phina focused on finding the Pineapple Weed. When the boy said he hadn't heard of it she was surprised. She could definitely scent it in the area, and if he lived close to here his teacher should have shown it to him. It was a pretty common plant as far as Seraphina was concerned. More than willing to take on the task of educating the boy about Nature, Seraphina offered a gentle smile. "It looks a lot like chamomile, actually. It has narrow, feathery leaves and a yellowish head at the top. But this weed is shorter than chamomile and never has any flowers." As Seraphina described the plant she let her eyes scan the foliage around them. Luckily she did see a small patch of it nestled tightly into the crevice of a thick tree root joining its trunk. Trotting over to the plant, she called over her shoulder, "This is it! And if you crush it you will be able to scent the strong smell of pineapple. Give it a try if you'd like."As the woman kicked away the snow that had covered the base of the plant and carefully uprooted it, she continued her lesson."It usually only grows from May to September, but it seems we were lucky enough to find a survivor. It helps with stomach aches, infected sores, and fevers." Seraphina glanced over at the young, dark male to make sure he was listening. With the moon in the night sky, Seraphina was being more polite than usual but that still did not completely cure her of her impatience when it came to teaching someone who wasn't a good listener. She hoped this wouldn't be the case with this young man. "Speech" |
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With a twitching nose Titan observed the scent of the crushed plant then dipped his head forward to take a small bundle of it. He could bring this to @Elettra to see if she knew of it or had any in her stores. Then the male brought the little bundle of pineapple weed to a clear space and dropped it in the snow. He would remember to take the plant back later.
"What's chamomile? Do you know if it grows around here? Can it be used for medicinal purposes?" The questions began to rain out from Titan's maw as he looked towards the woman (but not at her) with round curious eyes. She had successfully distracted him from the dark thoughts of his sisters death.