Rising Sun Valley Forest of Aspens [Discovery Thread]

@Summer Just in case you didn’t read it in the New Territory thread, I’ve decided to change the location of this place, which I still don’t have a name for. Suggestions? Anyways, now it is no longer in the lower right corner of the map. It is to the left of the place in the map that says “Map of the Teekon Wilds.” It’s to the left of that, and directly above that mountain there. You might wanna go to that thread and look at all the pics I posted to get an idea what to write about in here. Also, I’m making this really vague because of that whole thread with SC and all. Oh, also I kind of PowerPlayed…? I made the assumption that Summer was going to show up. Also, sorry this is so short… >.<

Red’s Coyote blood was restless once again that day. She had been nearly everywhere this side of the map: Duck Lake, Wapun Meadow, Arrow Lake, Northstar Vale, and — of course — Sunspire Mountain. She knew she could just travel west along the rest of the map, where she was sure to run into wolves from other packs, but for some reason that day, her instincts drove her farther north. She traveled northwest along the mountain, looking down on Northstar Vale at some point, and then went even farther still, until she was staring off into the distance at a place with no name.

Down the mountain to the north was a forest of hundreds of aspen trees. It was summer, so their leaves were still green, but Red could imagine quite clearly how beautiful they would be in the fall, when they turned yellow-gold and red. The coywolf began making her way down the mountain so that she could explore this untamed, unnamed forest, wondering what was in store for her. Little did she know that she would soon have a companion at her side, helping her make this wondrous discovery

Rar Stevie the ramble-monster rar rar rar

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Summer was a creature both blessed and cursed with a large heart. Both of his parents had one of the same. They loved fiercely, with every inch of their very souls. To his mother, it was her greatest strength and joy. Nothing brought her more fulfillment in her life than to love those she cherished with every piece of her being.

Dhani, though. While his father's heart was just as large and his love just as fierce, for much of his life it had been his curse. His love made him feel weak and unworthy. He gave his all to those he loved, but never did it feel adequate enough for so great was his admiration that he felt he never could live up to them, could never please them, could never make them love him back. At every turn in his life, his love had been his failing until the day he had met Summer's mother. Everything then had changed, until suddenly it was the same and it was in his love for her that he lost his life at the very same moment she lost hers.

The Little Leviathan had yet to determine which was more true for him, but that was the blessing of youth. There was still time for life to show him his path and to teach him of his heart with each passing day. Today was one of those where, compelled by his heart, he had struck out early in the day to follow the trail of a packmate for whom concern had gripped him.

He came upon her now, admiring a forest that he failed to notice as anxiety tightened in his chest. Now that he had finally come upon the red wolf, he felt suddenly stupid and awkward. She was going to think he was creepy--following her all this way just to ask if she was alright since the attack? He didn't even know her! Yet, she was pack. Dhani had always said that a pack was family, and nothing was more important than family. Maybe he didn't know her yet, but that was really the whole reason he was there.

Swallowing back his nerves, Summer stepped forward towards the coywolf and chuffed lightly to announce his presence. Awkwardness written all over the teen, he squeaked out a nervous little, "Hi," and then fell completely silent, for some inexplicable reason scared that everything about the friendly, happy scenario he had envisioned was about to go terribly wrong.

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Um… I’m going to assume I don’t have to match your length…? Oh, and I feel like I’m kind of PowerPlaying by having Red know automatically exactly what Summer is feeling… I’ll change it if you want. >.<

Name suggestions?

Red’s ears flicked back in concern for a moment when she heard a wolf greet her from behind. And then she smelled the Sunspire all over his pelt, and relaxed, turning to face him. It was Summer, whom she barely knew and had only briefly met during the attack on Fox and her minions. She gave a warm and welcoming smile as she watched him squeak out a, ”Hi.” He seemed… overly nervous, kind of the same way she was around new wolves, although she seemed to be growing out of that slowly. She knew what it was like to be on the giving and receiving end of an awkward hello. She didn’t want anyone to feel that anymore than they had to. So she gave him a smile and gestured with her head to follow her down the mountain to the forest she was eager to explore.

She went past the tree line and saw ahead of her a sprawling forest of mainly aspens, with some other deciduous trees interspersed, as well as a few coniferous ones dotted here and there. She closed her eyes to listen and could hear the skittering of many prey animals in the trees and running around the forest floor. She turned back to give another smile to Summer, wondering what his opinions of this place were. She barked out this question, tilting her head to one side, curiously, to wait out the answer.

Lol of course not! And I don't mind at all; Summer is pretty obvious with his emotions, so pretty much anyone can read him like a book. As for names, ummmmmm.... Emberwood? Cinderwood? Cause the leaves will look all firey one day? Amberwood? Cause yellow? I'm not the best at this XD

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The ebony boy watched as the female gave her wordless response. He cocked his head slightly, curious as to why no speech had come from her lips. When again she did not say a word, choosing instead to bark and gesture towards the forest below, he came to the conclusion that perhaps this one simply was not one to use her voice. The thought actually made him feel better, for speaking was not one of his strong points either. A small smile graced his lips then, accompanied by a genial wag of his tail.

Summer nodded his head, accepting her invitation. He began to follow her into the trees, his eyes grazing the territory much like her own. It was a lovely place. Peaceful and quiet, with a relaxing stillness to the air that smelled sweet like grass and sap. He looked to the girl as she barked and smiled. "It's good," he said simply. Little did he know how much more would be in store for the woods when the leaves changed their colors and would swim like flames against the sky in the Autumn winds. There was so much yet for the seven month-old to see.

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I actually did come up with a name: The Alabaster Wood (alabaster is a color; it means white/silver), named for the color of the trunks. But I really like Emberwood, now that I think about it… The only problem being that it wouldn’t fit for three out four seasons of the year, which is why I was trying to think of something not-Autumn related. But I do like Emberwood… *is off to make this a poll so people can vote on the two names* >.< *is bad at coming up with final decisions…*

*comes back like two hours later, wondering where the hell the time went* Sorry… >.<

Red was happy with Summer’s response, even if it was only two words long. She wasn’t much of a talker herself, so it would be completely hypocritical for her to be bothered by a short answer. Besides, all that mattered was that he liked it. She was eager to explore farther into the woods, and showed this by charging full-speed through the trees, then turning and barking for her young companion to follow. Her tail wagged furiously, a sure sign that she was delighted to be discovering a previously unknown location.

But she also knew that she had to stick close to her friend, since he was only juvenile and shouldn’t be left alone for very long. To be honest, Red couldn’t be sure that this was necessarily a safe place, and was almost tempted to send him back to the Sunspire. And then she realized that that would require her to go with him, since — again — he was only a juvenile. Sighing, she decided she would simply have to be careful. If there was any sign of danger, she’d be sure to get them both the hell out of there.

But for now, she was eager to press on. She continued bounding ahead, and then turning back to make sure Summer was still with her. It was in this way that they discovered the lake at the forest’s center…

Sorry this cuts off so weirdly. If I had kept going I would have had to write like another four paragraphs of description. >.< So! You can describe the lake in detail if you want to. I know I’m the one trying to discover the territory, but new ways of seeing a place are always welcome, and it might help me flesh it out a bit more. ^_^ You can use as little or as much description as you want.

Bah, I like them both!!

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Summer was taken by surprise when his company took off to head deeper into the woods. A resplendant smile was quick to light up his face and his paws thrust him forward between the alabaster tree trunks in her wake. As he ran, he took in the sights as best as he could. There seemed to him to be nothing worrisome about about the forest; he got no ill feelings of foreboding as he raced along between the trees. It did not occur to him to try imagining the place when darkness fell, when likely the tall aspens would look like skeletal fingers reaching up out of the ground towards the sky and their bright bark would give the air below the branches a mystical almost eerie glow. For now, he was happily oblivious, simply enjoying the sense of adventure he got from following the flash of red that was his packmate.

Summer slowed to a stop at Red's side as they came across the lake, sucking in gulps of air for his throbbing lungs. His gaze went out along the surface of the water, which was still like plates of glass. Gentle ripples danced across the water like shimmering ribbons, winding their way to the lush shores, wrapping around cattail stalks and rich, saturated soil. The scent in the air was of earth and wet and sun, which gave Summer even more cause to sink into a sense of relaxed contentment as he stood, taking it all in.

The ebony youth nosed softly at his packmate's shoulder and strode forward towards the water, wanting to get a closer look at whatever little wonders were scattered along the shore. As he approached the clear waters, he spied flurries of minnows skittering around under the water like little slivers of silver caught in the tide. In a moment of juvenille excitement, he reached forward and pawed at the surface of the water at them, his smile broadening as they wriggled away. Turning, he whined eagerly at Red; an invitation for her to join.

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OMG GREAT DESCRIPTIONS! ^_^ And no need to match my length.

This place was, indeed, amazing. It was gorgeous and the sun lit up the forest floor beautifully, creating dappled pools of light everywhere. The woods seemed safe enough, too, which was good because it meant they wouldn’t have to worry about anything attacking them. It seemed that most predatory animals were scarce, which also meant that there was an abundance of prey. Red could see the scurrying forms of rabbits and voles bounding through the underbrush and diving for cover. Perhaps she would come here again to hunt.

Soon enough, the coywolf could smell water on the wind. Freshwater. And she couldn’t hear it moving, which meant it was probably a lake. Ten or so minutes later, she was proven correct as she and Summer stepped away from a break in the trees only to come face to face with a big body of water. A few waterfowl swam lazily across its surface and ignored the two wolves. Red watched as her companion strode toward the shore and then dipped a paw into the water, scattering a school of minnow that had been previously swimming about. Then he turned to face her and whined for her to join him.

She smiled and came forward, gazing into the water at her reflection. She remembered doing the same thing on the day of her awakening in the Teekon Wilds, looking at herself in the reflection of Duck Lake. That had been at least a few months ago now, and the scared self she had been back then seemed hardly like herself now at all. She still almost never spoke, and still ran if things looked dangerous, but slowly, she was learning to trust those who didn’t automatically look mean.

Breaking out her reverie, Red grinned at her reflection, and then slyly dipped a paw into the water. She held it there for a moment, then suddenly whooshed it towards Summer, attempting to splash the pup.

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Summer's tail wagged as his packmate came to join him at the water's edge. She didn't say much, but he was quite convinced that he had made himself a new friend. He enjoyed the quiet of her company and the pleasantness of her personality. He felt silly now having followed her out here to make sure she was alright from the fight. Clearly she was in good health and in good spirits. He didn't regret for a moment being there with her, though.

It was about then that he felt a little wave of warm water splash against his face. He jumped backwards in surprised and shook his head. He turned and looked to his companion in shock, noticing immediately the smirk on her muzzle. A smile soon slipped across his as his eyes narrowed. Reaching a paw down into the water, Summer prepared to splash her back. Two could play this game, after all.

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Red noticed Summer dip a paw into the water, and immediately flinched away, expecting the splash at any moment. When it happened, she laughed and allowed herself to get drenched in lake water. A moment or two later, she waded into the lake to have a swim, barking for her friend to join her. It was a good day to swim and they were both already wet.

She paddled around happily, snapping lazily at fish who skittered away just below the surface. This place was awesome. And it was here, while swimming, that the seed was planted. The little part of the back of her mind nagged at her and nagged at her and she couldn’t figure out what it was saying quite yet. Later, she would realize her submissive nature was slowly changing, and she was beginning to feel the instinct to lead. To bring a group of wolves here and become their Alpha. If this thought had surfaced right then, it would have scared her. But as it was, she was too busy splashing around in the lake to notice the changed overtaking her mind…

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Summer laughed softly as his friend succumbed to his splash. Her barking rang a joyful tone in his heart, something he had not felt in quite a long time. He watched her turn and set out for the water, his tail wagging gently at the fun of it all. It had been a long time since he had actually played. Dhani had spent much of their time together teaching him how to survive. How to have fun, though.. Well, that was something his father had forgotten how to do himself.

The boy was quick to follow after his friend. He splashed into the water recklessly, actually hoping that he would splash her instead of nervously trying to avoid it. He paddled out until his toes just barely touched the ground. Summer turned to look at Red as she enjoyed the water too, but instead his gaze was ensnared by a group of ducks swimming around a few yards away near the shore to their left. His eyes narrowed and a grin danced across his lips. He yipped an alert to Red and gestured towards them with his muzzle, hoping she would pick up on his subtle suggestion at a new game they might play.

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Sorry, but I'm gonna cut this short and archive it so I can actually let Emberwood be discovered. And because I don't know if I'm gonna be playing on Red anymore.

Red ignored Summer's call to play, feeling a sudden urge to get out of the water and nap. Even though she was happy to be here, she knew they should probably leave soon before anyone at the Sunspire knew they were gone. She gave a bark to Summer to come along, and then paddled to shore, shaking off the water that clung to her coat.

Then she walked a few steps towards the tree line, turned to look over her shoulder, and barked again. Without waiting to see if he was following, she bounded through the woods, determined to get home before she got in trouble.