Hoshor Plains flashing without a sound
i will pry his bony fingers free
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#1
All Welcome 

indra followed the snowclad river, somewhat unsure of where she was going -- or where she would end up. her whims would take her today -- it was good to explore, and familiarize oneself with the lay of the land. the skies had cleared into a brilliant aquamarine blue and for a moment, she forgot it was the enduring, interminable throe of winter.

ahead along the bank a swarm of bison swilled, their massive forms lumbering across the misty banks, their shapes black and distorted by the sunlight's high noon slant. indra had never seen bison -- not this close -- and she breathed in the sweet scent of grass and musk, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the temporary respite from winter's chilling breath.
now the wren has gone to roost and the sky is turning gold,
and like the sky, my soul is also turning.
on my teeth
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Ooc — Laur
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#2
His encounters to the northwest had been...unpleasant, if he had to describe them. Redshank was still covered in small bites and bruises, some from other wolves, some from would-be meals. He still hadn't managed to put on any bulk, and grew more feral looking by the day. So, the boy travelled inland. He had at least one goal in mind, however, and that was to find Titmouse again.

Redshank had made to cross the sun-drenched plains, cut through them before heading further south, but his attention was stolen by the herd of massive beasts that made their home here. The milled around the frosted river, their cries and grunts breaking the silence of the grasslands. A small, vibrant form sat at a distance away from them, and Redshank peered closely, noting the distinct scent of wolf.

His devilish instinct told him to cause a stampede, watch her run in terror, but he hadn't the strength to. The sights of the giant creatures only served to cause his stomach to twist and growl in hunger. He licked his lips and instead began to pick his way down to the female, softly chuffing to get her attention.
i will pry his bony fingers free
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#3
as the bison meandered down the river, some dipping their broad faces to the water, others clambering up the bank with their calves, indra was made aware of a presence. her ears rowed back atop her fiery head and she turned her neck around, scouring the area for the source of the soft whuffing sound that was distinctly neither the rush of water or the sound of the herd.

an adult bison had noticed their presence, and it lifted its shaggy head from the water and studied the two predators with a wary deep-brown gaze.

indra's eyes fell on a wolf that was making directly for her - the first thing she noticed was the sulkiness of his smoky stare - his eyes were rimmed in a golden color that somehow lacked the characteristic warmth she associated the sunny color with. his fur was darker than hers, but sported a bold pelage of dark brown and dusky dun. she noticed he seemed thin, almost disportionate -- she did not get up but felt her hair stand slightly on end. "hello?" she offered, unsure if he meant to hunt her down or seek her company.
now the wren has gone to roost and the sky is turning gold,
and like the sky, my soul is also turning.
on my teeth
220 Posts
Ooc — Laur
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#4
She was a pretty thing, all feminine softness and gentle, cascading colours that Redshank could have found attractive if he saw girls in that way. As he stalked towards her, he sized her up only to judge her level of threat. Weak and starved as he was, the boy knew he had to take care when approaching strangers; each and every encounter had a chance of going south at any moment. His recent skirmishes were proof enough of that.

She turned to him with doe-like auburn eyes, offering a hesitant greeting. Something about her bearing hinted at regality, but Redshank was quick to disregard it and came to a stop a few paces from where she sat, suddenly noticing the the bison who was looking at them. He stared it down, but it remained steadfast, gaze unwavering. "So which one's th'weakest?" he asked, turning back to the girl with a smirk, though even he knew trying to take down a bison would be suicide.
i will pry his bony fingers free
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#5
she did not move as the malnourished male approached her, though she never once dared to blink. he had a somewhat dangerous aspect about him -- not enough to make indra want to flee, but not enough to make her let her guard down either.

as close as the wolf was, his attention was focused elsewhere. indra followed his gaze - for a moment the trio shared a strange silence, a quiet exchange between two wolves and a prey that vastly overpowered them. indra dared not meet the challenge in the ungulate's gaze.

"we're the weakest ones." she replied simply, drawing her gaze back to him.
now the wren has gone to roost and the sky is turning gold,
and like the sky, my soul is also turning.
on my teeth
220 Posts
Ooc — Laur
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#6
Well, shit. She had him there. He remained silent at her reply, lips forming a thin line as he begrudgingly accepted the fact. It was true, the two wolves were still only adolescents and the bison had hundreds upon hundreds more pounds on them. Not to mention the sheer numbers the prey had. Still, Redshank licked his lips as he stared, both hunger and self preservation at war as he debated whether it was worth it.

Maybe he could just...eat the girl. Though the mere thought was enough for him to shake it from his head. He was a opportunist, but he wouldn't stoop that low. At least not yet.

With a huff, the boy sat, throwing his bony rump into the grass as hard as he could, gaze lingering on the bison once more though he avoided its dark cold, calculating eyes. "You in a pack?" he asked, almost hopeful, but the scents on her pelt were too varied, a telltale sign of a loner. Still, it didn't hurt to try, he would take anything he could get at the moment.
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#7
indra observed his thin-lipped expression, finding a wry amusement in the way he still hungrily regarded the bison. if she had half his tenacity, perhaps they could have felled a beast that day -- but indra was a woeful hunter, as was evidenced by her poor condition. redshank's condition did not seem much better, though she found it hard to believe he lacked the skill to hunt. something about him seemed precocious, in a concealed sort of way. she would not have liked to learn that he had for a moment considered eating her (r00d).

he asked if she was in a pack - a difficult question to answer. "i'm traveling with some friends, but it's not a pack." at least, not yet. she curiously looked him over as she asked: "what about you?"
now the wren has gone to roost and the sky is turning gold,
and like the sky, my soul is also turning.
on my teeth
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Ooc — Laur
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#8
Friends. The word struck a nerve, and Redshank's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. He tried to play it off by turning to observe the other bison roaming the field, watching as they foraged through the snow-covered grasses. The only friends he had ever had betrayed him; they just left and never came back. His only hope was that their rotting corpses were lying at the bottom of a frozen lake somewhere — that they had gotten what was coming to them. He snorted at her question. "Packs are dumb." No they weren't. "I don't need one." Yes you do.

He looked back to her slim face, a single ear cupping forwards, eager not to linger too long on the subject. "Who are y'friends?" It was a slim chance, but maybe he knew of them.
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#9
if indra had a rude bone in her body, perhaps she would have scoffed at the notion a wolf did not need a pack. without the pack, the lone wolf starved -- surely their threadbare and skinny forms were testament to that. all the same she simply regarded him silently, no ridicule or derision evident in her soft amber gaze. she wondered what drove him to such a vehement opinion of packs -- surely, there was a story somewhere.

same as indra was not naturally rude, she was not naturally nosy -- and did not ask for elaboration. happily she humored his query, hoping like him that perhaps he knew of them. "my sister laurel, she looks like me except tawny.. and her .. friend, xan. he's huge." she eyeballed redshank as if cognitively comparing the two, and nodded: "yeah, he's tall - oh, and white fur. are you really living alone? i don't think they would mind if you decided to visit them."
now the wren has gone to roost and the sky is turning gold,
and like the sky, my soul is also turning.
on my teeth
220 Posts
Ooc — Laur
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#10
He was silently thankful for her lack of prompting him for further explanation. If pressed, the boy probably wouldn't have even been able to string together enough reasons for exactly why he was so against them. When it came down to it, it was really just Rannoch the boy despised. When he noticed her staring after mentioning her sister and another, Redshank involuntarily drew himself up ever so slightly, almost as if trying to impress the girl with his severely lacking form.

Laurel and Xan. He couldn't say he wasn't mildly disappointed he did not know them. Though, if they were anything like the girl before him, he knew he could have easily taken advantage of the trio (even despite Xan's apparent bulk). She seemed...easy to persuade. Naive in a way. Her sudden comment threw him off guard, and the boy blinked at the red-haired girl dumbly for a moment. That was the nicest offer he had gotten in a while.

"Wait, really?" His ears perked, a brief flicker of hope crossing his features before he caught himself. His brows fell just as quickly as they had risen. "I mean...well...yeah. But I've been doin' fine on my own," he added hurriedly, glancing away awkwardly. "Wh-where are they? I might, y'know, run into 'em one day."
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#11
indra's offer had been genuine. she had always been upfront in that way -- she often spoke with a baldness that would make any creature take her words to heart. in some ways, indra was incapable of guile and sometimes, it came at great disadvantage.

she hoped her invitation would have been well met, for in some ways she was concerned for redshank's condition. his reaction was difficult for her to fully decipher: did he really hate other wolves, or was his dislike of them simple burnout? bitterness? indra would have liked to have known.

"we're over in bearclaw valley." she answered smoothly, offering up the location almost too easily. maybe reek had never warned her not to tell strange males her address, but she didn't think redshank was strange -- not any more strange than she and laurel were. "that way, if you get lost." she pointed in the direction she had come with a slender muzzle.
now the wren has gone to roost and the sky is turning gold,
and like the sky, my soul is also turning.
on my teeth
220 Posts
Ooc — Laur
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#12
He was surprised by her honesty. The girl quite effortlessly gave up her and the other's location and he shifted uncomfortably. It was a good thing he wasn't some psychopath that would hunt them down using that information. He could tell her upbringing had been wildly different from his own; Sol would have beat him severely had he given some stranger the whereabouts of their hideout. Or maybe she was indeed just unbelievably blind to repercussions.

He glanced in the direction she had gestured to, taking a moment to memorise the site and the mountains in the distance. He wasn't entirely sure he would take up her offer, however tempting it was. "Th-thanks," he said, forcing out one of the more seldom used words in his vocabulary. He shifted again before deciding to impart some knowledge, wanted or not. "Be careful who y'tell that sorta thing to, by the way."
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#13
The smile on her muzzle readily dissipated as he issued her caution: she regarded him gravely, her expression somewhat mixed with both confusion and suspicion. Indra had to wonder what he meant -- while her life up to this point had not been free from hardship, she had never met a truly iniquitous individual and as such was incapable of envisioning such an encounter. 

Certainly an encounter with absolute evil would absolve her of such a naive outlook. She knew so little of the world and its inhabitants.

She delivered a sidelong glance and tilted her muzzle. "how come?"
now the wren has gone to roost and the sky is turning gold,
and like the sky, my soul is also turning.
on my teeth
220 Posts
Ooc — Laur
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#14
Predictably, the girl was confused by his comment and Redshank noted the quirk of her muzzle with a resigned sigh. To be fair, the boy was just as oblivious to true evil, never having been exposed to the absolute horror that resided within the world. The horrid mind of his former — and very much unwanted — custodian did not even scratch the surface.

He shrugged cooly, looking back to the bison who had directed its attention elsewhere for the moment, though the flick of an ear let them know it was still keenly aware of their presence. He glanced back at her with grim seriousness. "Y'never know who you're really talkin' to." He let the statement linger for a moment before he was no longer able to resist toying with her for at least a little bit.

The boy broke into a wicked grin and leaned towards her. "Some weirdo might come up an' steal y'tail! Then murder y'whole family!"
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#15
Her query evinced a sigh from the rangy stranger - she wondered then what Redshank was thinking. Did he find her pathetic or ineffective? Perhaps he thought her warm outlook on life was horribly misguided.

After he spoke she remained silent for some time, examining the implications of his ominous language with the rumination of some scholar bent to their task. He may have tried to assuage the levity of the situation with his quip about her tail, but Indra was fixated on what mind -- whose mind -- could be capable of such a thing.

After a while the girl shrugged and a small smile re-bloomed across her features. "thanks for the warning. I hope that weirdo isn't you?
now the wren has gone to roost and the sky is turning gold,
and like the sky, my soul is also turning.
on my teeth
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Ooc — Laur
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#16
His remark didn't quite have the effect he had intended, launching the girl into a deep introspection rather then having her scream in fright. Perhaps she wasn't as childish as he had first thought. He realised he had been leant forward as she puzzled over his words and withdrew with a frown, leaning back on his hindquarters and letting out an unsatisfied huff.

The gentle brightening of her features coaxed his own to relax, and he gave a shrug at her words in a no problem gesture before letting a playful, lopsided grin spread across his lips. "Could be," he said nonchalantly. He then suddenly leapt at her with a snap of his jaws, trying to incite some sort of actual reaction this time.
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#17
indra watched redshank carefully, observing his features for any visible reaction to her quip. she did not dismiss his warning entirely - it shelved itself in the back of her mind, occupying some distant reach of her conscience. it would not be dredged up again until after her interaction with ithrik -- and then, that revelation would consume her.

for now she was blithely unaware of her doomed future -- but she was not unaware of redshank, who suddenly shifted enough that she recoiled in time for his snapping jaws to only narrowly miss her cheek. her hackles bristled immediately and her tail flung upright in outrage. "hey!" she blurted, this time standing stiffly in case he came at her again. she did not know enough about him to know for certain if he was playing, and so remained defensive in case it turned out he wasn't.
now the wren has gone to roost and the sky is turning gold,
and like the sky, my soul is also turning.
on my teeth
220 Posts
Ooc — Laur
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#18
There we go. The girl recoiled just in time, missing Redshank's teeth by a hair. He hadn't really aimed to harm her - he had actually grown to sort of like the red-haired girl despite her blissful naivetivity. However, she could be a liability to both a pack and her group of friends if she just gave out information willy nilly like that (even though Redshank was just as guilty sometimes). As she leapt to her feet in alarm, he released a boyish cackle. The fact that she wasn't sure he was teasing or not was a welcome one to the Cairn; he preferred it that way.

However, he couldn't help but let his tail flip over his back in a playful manner as he danced away from her. The bison gave a snort at the antics of the wolves, a thunderous sound emitting from beneath its heavy hooves as it began to shuffle off. Redshank took his chance and aimed a nip at the girl's ear as he rushed past her, daring her to come after him as he raced and subsequently disappeared into the herd of beasts.
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#19
ur gonna get us killed omg

the dark-furred male whipped round roguishly, his tail flung over his backside and a cackle pressed from his lips. indra's ears pulled forth and she scoffed, her furrowed brow lifting as she realized, at least tentatively, that he was somewhat playing. she was about to sass him, or chase after him -- but the low rumble of spooked bison captured her attention and she halted, stiff as a board and head turned in the direction of the startled beasts...

and then, a blur of burnt sienna and chestnut -- a flash of teeth -- indra shied instinctively but redshank had the advantage of surprise and his teeth clipped her ear. she growled and shoved her shoulder in his direction, swinging her head wildly away like a startled horse. she felt a hot brand of competitiveness seize her and lunged after him, issuing a few nips at his haunch.
now the wren has gone to roost and the sky is turning gold,
and like the sky, my soul is also turning.
i will pry his bony fingers free
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#20
i desperately need to clean/trim down indra's threadlog, so i am archiving here. laur, lmk if you want a thread in the future <3 also, hope the PP is ok 

their play, tentative at first, eventually grew into an all-out, fast-paced game of wrestling. indra was not as strong nor as quick as redshank, and his fangs caught her often -- but it didn't matter, she was learning -- and that was all that matter.

their play was cut short by a howl -- laurel's presumably -- and after explaining her reason for leaving, and thanking him (if a bit stiffly and out of breath) for his advice that she had no idea she would soon revolve her life around, indra left.
now the wren has gone to roost and the sky is turning gold,
and like the sky, my soul is also turning.