don't move you'll drown

February 24th, Mid Morning, Light Sleet, 32F/0C

@Tokino @Inali @Raela @Cessair

No Posting order and I kept their position in the line vague besides Tokino following behind Minka

To say the weather was miserable would be an understatement. The days had began to warm up, reaching temperatures high enough that the snow began to melt into a wet slush and the earth softened to a gooey mud. The nights however were still frigid causing freezing overnight, coating the slush in a layer of sheer ice by the mornings. To top all of this off it had began to sleet in the late hours of the night which further soaked the already drenched land. The Downs search party was already soaked and they had only left their makeshift den a few hours ago. Their stomachs and legs were coated in the mud that splashed up from beneath the slushy snow and sucked at their paws in places.

This morning marked the second consecutive day the band had been travelling, first they had headed east until they reached the base of the mountain before turning north. Their paws had carried them farther north than Minka had been since entering the lore until they reached a deep ravine divided by a river. First she had led and then her mate, switching off as their legs got tired as to who would head the front and plow through the majority of the untouched snow.

They had been walking through the ravine for nearly an hour before Minka slowed, her golden eyes focusing in on a patch of snow ahead. Suddenly she barked and bounded the next few yards with renewed energy before stopping to investigate her find. Her heart sank as she realized it was not what had had hoped. Before her lay a set of paw prints but they were much too large to be either of her pups, obviously left behind by an adult. The scent that surrounded them was stale but even so was one the mother didn't recognize, but it still gave hope that this land was inhabitable. Perhaps her children were still alive despite the odds.

Tokino trudged along behind Minka glad to be on the trail where the snow was already pushed aside by Minka's sturdy frame. His paws ached from the ice and snow, but Kino wasn't sure if it was because of the hardness of the ground or if he was beginning to get arthritis. Most of his family had damn long healthy lives, but there was the occasional wolf within the Lagina's who would die young from health issues. Tokino could only hope to live as long as his mother and father had. One thing was sure, he wouldn't give up on life without a fight. Not with a pack to care for and young ones to teach.

Well, if they could find their young ones.

After exhausting the search for Noble and Kova around the northern and southern territories, Minka and Tokino decided to move the search even farther north. They were in an alien land now and Tokino wasn't sure if his pups would have traveled so far. Then again, they had already searched everywhere else. So where else could they have gone but here in this strange place?

The gray wolf lifted his head expectantly as Minka rushed forward. His paws, though aching, hurry to keep up and see what she had found. Craning his head over her body to see, Tokino spots the paw prints in the snow. They were fairly large. He moved around Minka pushing through the snow again to look closer at the prints. An adult wolf, but the smells pretty much gone... He sighed while his body seemed to deflate. It wasn't beyond the realm of possibility for Noble or Kova's paw prints to be much smaller than this one. If only that ever so stale scent was a familiar one. Just knowing that his young were alive would make him feel a whole lot better.

They're what? Eight or nine months old now. Noble's prints might be that large by now... He thought hopefully before glancing back at his pack mates. Looking for scents and sights in single file wasn't the best way to search for someone. Slowly he looked towards Minka seeing the look on her face before touching his nose to her cheek.

Why don't we stop here to make a den for the night and send out a few wolves to search the surrounding area. Spread out a little you know? Cover more ground.. Hell, I'll go out myself too. He spoke softly to Minka knowing how tired she must be from plowing through the snow.

Like a mystery without a clue

Minka & Tokino

There is no me if I cannot have you

Speech. 

The weather had been awful weather to travel in. They had left pack territory two days prior though Inali had been hesitant to leave since both of her alphas had decided to take part in the search party for their children. In the end, she had joined them with a couple of other packmates knowing that the territory would be left in capable paws. The travel was not hard on her, for she had trained her body to be used to travel long distances. Still, plowing through snow was an exhausting exercise. She trudged behind both Minka and Tokino, wondering not for the first time where in the world were the pups. The search parties had traveled through both the northern and southern territories but with each passing day hope seemed to dwindle.

 

Still, the searches continued and the border patrols increased. One way or another, the pups would be found. She hated seeing the worry etched on both her alpha's faces. She wanted to feel that long ago contentment they had all possessed once. But alas, it was not meant to be. Inali was determined to find something. Some clue that could lead to the pups whereabouts. Her head lifted suddenly as she watched Minka speed toward a specific snowbank and Tokino soon after. Her heart jumped in excitement. Had they found something? Inali immediately ran towards the pair, stopping shortly a couple feet away from them. Her smile dimmed as she heard the news. A stale scent. She took a sniff and her tail that had begun to wag slowly stopped its exuberance. She didn't recognize it either. With sad blue orbs she watched Tokino comfort her alpha and her heart ached for them. She stepped away to give her close friends some privacy. As she waited for intructions whether to pan out or stay put she took the liberty of staying in the range of her alphas but continued on a search of her own. The petite scout kept one ear cocked towards Minka and Tokino ready for orders as she scented the ground. Maybe she could find another scent. Hopefully it was one she recognized. Had Noble and Kova passed through here? Were they together or separate? The questions kept piling up but there was no answer.

Plodding through the frigid muck and melting snow was irritating, if not familiar to the skinny vagabond. This had been her daily course of action for months, and she still found her behavior falling into its old patterns as they trudged along. Deeply introspective thoughts were interrupted by the slightest rustle of a bird, or falling of melted snow. She trailed the group, lacking the rank or confidence to walk any closer to her new Alphas. While she was grateful that she did not have to plow through the mush, the ground became even more slippery and soft after all those paws had pushed it around. She found herself slipping on the occasional patch of snow or treacherous soil, and was careful to keep herself as upright as possible each time. Raela would have been grateful for the warmer temperatures, and the warmth that came with them, if the sleet and slush hadn't soaked her underside to the skin. If anything, it was colder and more miserable now with so much moisture under her coat. At least the top half of her was keeping some precipitation out. Sections of the trail that consisted of snow instead of mud were a welcome reprieve, managing to clean off the bottom of her pads before they dove back into the next disgusting section of earth. How she wished she could have been resting, but the pups needed her. She had volunteered knowing full well that it meant long hours of searching high and low. The lost children were probably far more miserable than her right now – if they were still around here somewhere.   It was some time before they reached the ravine. Raela felt no different about the location than she had any other; everything was new when you kept moving around. At least Black Thorn Downs had begun to feel familiar, stable. Her ears rotated constantly. Since no attention at all was on the girl at the back, she was free to look as twitchy and nervous as ever. Alone, surveillance and observation would save your skin more often than not; this Raela had learned quickly. Her bright orbs flickered about the landscape, with her head occasionally following suit. She was picking up on insignificant things, but no news was good news in a strange place. Her attentive sweeping was halted by Minka's excited yip. She moved forward with the others at a swift trot, slowing a few feet from the leaders. She could see on their faces that the find was not of consequence. Old adult tracks. Tokino confirmed her suspicions with a sigh. Raela paused to scent the air around them, put gathered nothing fresh or familiar. She hoped a small trace of the Downs' scent would linger on the youngsters, as she had no clue what their individual scents were. She lowered her head and ears when her Lead male turned to look at her, wordlessly admitting that she had nothing of consequence either. Those poor kids... She wished that if they had run into an adult like this, that they had at least been friendly. If the kids were lucky, maybe someone had taken them in. Her sensitive ears caught Tokino's speech, and the female couldn't help but agree with his words. Cautiously, she took a step forward, her body low and unassuming. She hoped speaking to them now would be permitted. ”I would be happy to go out and look as well.” The shabby woman offered gently. Even in her condition, Raela's senses were well-tuned. Her greatest strength was her ability to perceive, and where better to use it than when finding a missing person, or persons? Image © Chris Smith Photography Manipulation © Jenandra

(This post was last modified: Feb 25, 2015, 08:26 PM by Raela.)

            

Like wind rippling through grass, the familiar rhythm guided her movements.  Glance at the turf ahead, scan this bush, that snowbank, the horizon.  Step, lift, step, lift, step, lift.  Time went on.  The sun continued its perpetual journey, and with each wink of the waxing and waning moon, Cessair was the same.  She grew older, she grew thinner, but she was always traveling and searching.  Traveling and searching, even since her puphood.  Surroundings changed and seasons changed, but -- rocks, trees, rivers, mountains; winter, spring, summer, autumn -- all was the same.  Sleep, wake, walk, eat, live.  Die.  Grass in the wind.

But this was a little different.  Now, Cessair had to interrupt her scanning to glance at the paws of the wolf in front of her to keep the same pace.  She moved with a line of wolves, slicing through the landscape into unfamiliar territories.  Instruction came not from her own intuition, but from the direction of two wolves -- her leaders, heads and tails held high despite the fears creeping through their thoughts and gnawing at their heels.  And almost every other wolf in this pack; she deferred to them too.  Curiously, she was not the lowest.  Despite her health and lack of skill, Cessair learned she was expected to show a just a little dominance in the company of some of her packmates.  Doing so did not come naturally to the former nomad, and truly she did not much understand the necessity of dominance outside of the highest-ranking wolves, but Cessair was determined to trust the system her leaders enforced and to learn to comply with it as well as she could.

So, when Minka rushed forward in a burst of excitement, Cessair paid attention but compelled herself not to follow her own thrill of hope and dash forward to investigate.  The excitement evaporated as quickly as it had formed.  Whatever Minka had found, it bore no evidence of the lost pups.  The search party paused as the two leaders spoke to each other, so Cessair gingerly moved toward the not-so-exciting something.  It was an old set of tracks made by an adult wolf.  A stale scent lingered, but told nothing of who had made those prints in the snow.  For a moment, Cessair wondered if those tracks could belong to her long lost brother, but she forced the thought to perish.  Alive or not, her brother could no longer be important to her.  She had given his memory back to the river and merged her will with that of her leaders.  She was a pack wolf now.  The tawny woman began to survey the vicinity, nose to the ground and ears trained on her leaders as she awaited their insturction.

(This post was last modified: Feb 28, 2015, 06:16 PM by Cessair.)

I give permission to the last player to pp Minka to do whatever to fade this thread out!

The hope had been short lived and once more Minka felt disappointment and a certain hopelessness grip her being. Feeling Tokino at her side the woman side stepped so her mate could have a clearer view of what she had discovered. Still she clung to the hope that if other wolves were around that meant the land was inhabitable, it had water which probably meant food so that meant survival. Before her mate had had a chance to speak about splitting up the tawny fae had turned, her golden eyes seeking out and focusing on Inali. Waiting until their eyes met the alpha addressed her scout, "Inali once we've returned home I want you to take a few days to rest, then seek out Cut Rock River and ask Maksim if he could spare any members to aid our search. Perhaps @Naia could lend another set of capable paws and eyes?" Minka quickly turned once her words were finished, not wanting to see the excitement she was sure would be in her second's eyes. She knew her friend wouldn't mean to be inappropriate and was only wishing to see her lover but the woman couldn't stand to see happiness, not when she herself was so crushed.

The warm touch of Tokino at her cheek was welcome as Minka struggled to contain the tears welling behind her clenched shut lids. She had been doing her best to contain the majority of her emotions among her subordinates but moments like this were harder than most. Nodding silently she took a moment before she croaked, "I'll stay with Cessair and search for shelter, please be home before dark." Her pink tongue licked at her mates chin in concern, she hated splitting up even if it was more efficient. The thought of another member or Tokino going missing or being trapped and injured in this ravine was terrifying, and a very real possibility.

Still she watched as the trio set off, first together but moving farther and farther apart as their forms disappeared into the distance. Then she turned to the woman who stood behind her and nodded that they should get started on their own task. An hour or so of scouring the nearby area up and down the slope past and almost silence besides inquiry if the other had found anything. Suddenly Minka stopped in her tracks as she found the remnants of what had once been a den dug out in the snow. Half melted it didn't look like much but it was the stale scent that lingered that had caused her body to grow hot. Suddenly her howl rang loud and clear, reverberating off the walls around them, Noble was alive or at least she had been recently when she used this den.

It wasn't big enough for the five of them to stay in and so the two women would have to keep looking but Minka wouldn't allow them to go too far. Every time they wandered out of eyesight the alpha dragged them back, maybe her daughter would return here, maybe they would find her. Eventually they settled on digging out an abandoned badgers nest dug into the side of the ravine so they could squeeze them all in if need be, with the exception of one standing watch of course. Their mission was complete and now all they could do was wait and hope for good news from the other group.

click!

Speech. 

Her paws moved across the snowy, mushy terrain, her muzzle scenting both ground and the air around her. Would they, by some miracle of the fates, find the children's scent? A prickle at the base of her spine alerted her that she was being watched, so the petite rust colored woman lifted her head. Her warm blue gaze connected with Minka's golden gaze. Her alpha spoke of once this mission was over, one would quickly follow. She nodded, her eyes now brimming with excitement. Her alpha turned her gaze away, and Inali felt bad at the warmth in her heart. Minka was suffering, and that reminder crushed whatever she had been feeling. Sure, she would be glad to see her lover but she wouldlet herself feel the emotion when her two morose leaders were not present.  

Soon, the group was divided, Minka and Cessair choosing to stay and find a den for the night. Joining Tokino and Raela, a search began. The wolves seperated, each heading their own direction to cover more ground. Her paws quickly moved across the mushy terrain, hating the slush she could feel seeping between her paws. It reminded her of Whisper Marsh. Gross, she thought. But then she scented something that made all those thoughts dissapear. It had been a couple hours since the search had started and she had had no luck, which made her that more determined to find something.

The scent was incredibly familiar. Kova had been here! Her heart filled with new warmth. Minka had alerted them that she had found Noble's scent, which had practically made the small wolf yelp for joy. As the hours continued to fall, she had tried to to follow Kova's scent but it was stale and spotty. She found no traces of Noble, so unfortunately she had to conclude that they hadn't been traveling together. Night began to fall and Inali forced herself to head back to their makeshift camp. When she met up with Tokino and Raela on the way, she told them of her findings. Heading back to camp, Inali relayed the news to Minka before allowing her weary body to take a rest. Her soul was hurting, but it was hopeful.

Raela dipped her muzzle in acknowledgment as Minka instructed them. She would do her darnedest to find some trace of the little ones. Without ceremony, she turned, moving into the distance with the others. There was purpose in her stride. As Tokino and Inali fell out of view, her search intensified. Raela broke into a brisk trot, splashing slush onto her paws as she went. The woman orange ears rotated like satellite dishes, but they picked up useless things. Her nose had no more luck, and in the places where she stopped to inspect the ground more closely, it got wet and muddy. She cleared her nostrils with a snort, winding through tree trunks as she circled around the ravine. Raela was heading back now, having noted the darkening sky. Still her eyes darted about, and the woman stuck to ridges and hills when she could. She would find these high places and spend a good few minutes just observing, hoping, for a sign of the young royals. As the sun disappeared, the brown wolf had turned up nothing. The tracks and scents of prey, of other wolves even, but no children. Soon, Tokino and Inali had rejoined her on their trek back to Minka and Cessair. Inali's findings had put some pep in the girl's step; it was the first real sign that the kids were still alive. Raela was relieved, and so glad for her grief-stricken leaders. Minka's discovery doubled her excitement, and Raela was near confident that they were alright. Still, she felt sick knowing that they had passed through here; that they were so close yet so far. As she settled down for the night, her heart and mind raced. She was itching to keep looking, but her weary body was oh so thankful for the rest. Besides, it was better that the group stay together; at least for now.     Image © Chris Smith Photography Manipulation © Jenandra

            

Cessair could see that emotions ran high in the search party as Minka gave her second another mission, but she herself did not know what to feel.  She hadn't gotten to know the royal children well enough to genuinely miss them.  Even if she had, Cessair knew she could never comprehend the extent of despair her leaders must be feeling.  Minka and Tokino must be very strong for letting their emotions show so little and keeping level heads.  Such admirable wolves were they in Cessair's eyes, and she was eager to return to searching to so she could find any sort of clue that might ease the fearful parents' pain.

But Inali and Raela quickly volunteered to search with Tokino, leaving her to search for a den with Minka.  The hunt for the pups would be in able paws, Cessair told herself, and she would probably do best to stay with Minka for now anyway.  At her alpha's signal, she began trotting down the ravine with an eye and an ear on the tawny coat in front of her and her nose to the slush.  The duo's journey was quiet and for a long while fruitless.  The lack of conversation allowed Cessair to do some thinking as she searched, but after an hour or so of examining rocks and dents in the snow and more rocks and more dents, her senses began to feel numb and she grew too exhausted to concentrate on anything but the task at hand.

Minka's sudden howl startled Cessair, and she jumped as if she had just been woken from a trance.  Cessair was beside her leader in a moment, but what had so excited her only confused Cessair.  They had been looking for a suitable den, but this one looked a little small.  It wasn't until Cessair sniffed toward the entrance that she caught the stale and faintly familiar scent and understood.  At last, they had found some sign of the pups!  It certainly wasn't as good as finding one or both of the pups themselves, but at least it meant they were alive.  Later, after digging out an abandoned badger's den and settling in for some rest, the other search party returned and brought news of the other pup's scent.  Both of the royal children were alive for now, and Cessair was again motivated to go out and find them.  But she and the rest of the party were exhausted, so she settled in to rest instead.  There would be plenty of work to do in the days to follow.

(This post was last modified: Mar 28, 2015, 03:41 AM by Cessair.)

I promised this post yesterday IM SO SORRY but mom took me out everywhere for my BD.

Tokino stayed by Minka's side for a little while helping to warm her as the others headed out to search for Noble a little longer. He gave Inali a lick to the muzzle in farewell before she headed off in her own direction. Then, seeing as Cessair would keep an eye on Minka, Tokino turned to head out and search a little more. He would take a direction separate from the other two gals. I'll be back soon Minka.. He said quickly before brushing past her tawny form.

He struck out then pushing through the snow and keeping his nose close to the surface of the white wonderland. His paws were also numb from the cold, however he couldn't help but head out this last time to look. The silver hued wolf searched and searched around the snowy territory before heading back much later. On his way back to Minka the Lagina wolf was depressed as all hell. His tail and head drooped low while his legs ached. He was walking much slower than the others, but somehow the man crossed paths with Inali on the way back. Her news immediately caught his attention and raised his hopes. He knew that just finding a sign of the pups meant that they were very much alive. It was just a matter of finding them now.

They returned to meet up with the others, and Tokino moved to bring himself up next to Minka once more. The news had been passed through all of their search party now, and the group was both excited and tired. They had hope again, and just having a little bit of hope helped to give some relief to the wolves who had worried for so long. For now they had to return to shelter and warm themselves up. A well rested wolf would work better then a half frozen tired zombie would. Still, Tokino almost couldn't rest with the information he knew now. The only problem they all had to figure out now was trying to find out just wherethe pups had roamed to.

(FADE OUT for Kino)

Like a mystery without a clue

Minka & Tokino

There is no me if I cannot have you

(This post was last modified: Apr 16, 2015, 08:00 PM by Tokino.)