Wolf RPG

He was beginning to feel insane. Hungry and strung out on exhaustion, Atticus felt like the days were beginning to repeat themselves. He rarely slept, grabbing fleeting catnaps here and there. His sleep was fitful and plagued with nightmares. His stomach loudly protested the lack of food, but he couldn't force himself to take the time away from his searching to run down something to eat.

He worked in Ravensblood Forest today, following the remnants of Whitefish River as it petered out in a series of narrowing creeks and streams amidst the silent forest. This was the river that Junior had presumably washed away on, yet he could find no evidence of her anywhere. It made no sense. He'd followed it from their lands all the way down this way, and never found a trail leading out of it, never found a body, anything. He didn't understand. So he just searched. And searched. Relentlessly, he searched.

The pack was divided into search parties and yet not since Dante had joined had he felt more of a single unit. Everyone was of one mind: find Osprey Jr. Nothing else mattered, and Dante wasn't about to stop looking until the pup was safely back with her parents. He remembered their sparring match with hope. There was no way that firebrand wasn't ok, no way at all. She was a fighter through and through, adventure and spunk flowed through her veins more than most. She had probably gotten herself out of the river and gotten lost. They'd find a trail in no time.

And so he kept telling himself, but as the hours wore on, optimism was hard to hold on to. Dante scanned the river as he jogged, keeping his nose low to catch any trace of where the pup may have trod. He thought he might even feel it in his bones when he found where she had been, so alert was he keeping for a sign.

Apparently the Beta had the same idea as he, for he too was seeking her out in the area. Dante lifted his head as he came within sight, not wanting to hear the answer but still needing to ask. "Any luck?" His own answer lay in the hopeful question: perhaps Atticus had found something that he hadn't. God, poor Perry.....

Atticus worked in silence, the residents of the forest falling quiet as he moved beneath their lofty perches in the trees. Or maybe he just didn't hear them, being so withdrawn into himself and so absorbed in the task of finding his lost niece. Whether it was a product of his desperation to find her or just side-effects of his exhaustion, he wasn't sure, but he kept seeing her in every shadow, in every subtle movement out of the corner of his eye. He could hear her laughter on the wind, see her sparkling blue gaze in the flashes of sunlight on the trickling creekwater. Her scent was everywhere and yet nowhere around him.

He was heaving a sigh of frustration when he became aware of the approach of another. He startled slightly, almost prepared for harassment of some kind (one never knew what one might encounter in neutral lands, particular those to which other packs were so close), but relief washed through him and he relaxed visibly when he saw that it was only Dante, his own packmate and Gamma. Shaking his head somberly, he replied, "Nope. Nothing." How could a child be so elusive? "I don't get it. Even if she got out of the water and wandered somewhere, there'd be a fucking trail."

Fireblaze was not going to lay down, or even sit down until Junior was found. She was walking in Ravensblood forest, where she saw Dante and Atticus. "Wait up," she called. "I want to help you look for Osprey."

Thinking, she paused for a moment. Walking up to the river, she waded in and sniffed for any recent scents. Rolling a large rock out, she saw tiny claw marks, and scented a very faint scent of Osprey.

"Oh...." Was all she could muster now. "Atticus, Dante! I found something!" Tears welling up in her eyes, she pointed her muzzle down at the rock. "Osprey." Sitting down, she felt the ground beneath her crumble. The rock and I are too much weight for this waterlogged ground. I will save Osprey's scent, if it means it will help find her, was her last thought before she fell.

It was only a few feet down, but she couldn't jump. Her hind leg hurt very badly. Glancing back, she saw that the rock was holding her hind leg at an odd angle. Twisting her foot around, she gasped. "Atticus! Help!"


Hope you don't mind if I join too! I set it dramatically. Sorry! Characteristics! @Atticus

Atticus had visibly tensed when Dante approached and the Gamma assumed he had been expecting trouble instead of a fellow packmate. Dante himself was surprised at how nervous being on neutral ground now made him... he had gotten used to being within borders. Part of that discomfort now was probably due to their predicament, however. His nerves felt like they were on fire.

The fact that a trail hadn't been found yet didn't look too good. "Perhaps she was too wet for the scent to stick? Maybe the trail starts a ways away from the bank." It was a stretch, he realized this even as he said it. But he just didn't know what else to think. The alternative was not something he even wanted to contemplate.

Fireblaze's sudden appearance took Dante by surprise, and as the ground disappeared from under her he gave an alarmed bark. Running over, he looked down, relieved to see that she was alright. Her leg seemed to be hurt though. He turned to Atticus, hoping the Beta may have some insight as to how to get her out of the situation.

He nodded in agreement with Dante's suggestion, though he wasn't really convinced. His mind thought it was a legitimate possibility, but his heart was feeling hopeless and discouraged. An entire pack of wolves hadn't been able to find her trail. He felt like all the possibilities had already been exhausted, all the ideas already tried, all the trails already followed. "Yeah, you might be right," he replied to Dante after a moment of consideration, looking around as he spoke. "Let's try--"

Suddenly, he was interrupted by a newer member of their pack. Fireblaze caught up to them quickly and immediately began running around, looking for signs of a trail. Atticus tried to be appreciative of her assistance but he wondered what, if any, help she could offer, as new as she was and as relatively unfamiliar as she was with Junior. He figured three noses were better than two, though, so he accepted her help without complaint.

A moment later, she shouted that she'd found something, pawing at a rock. Atticus approached a gave it a sniff, his nose wrinkling with annoyance. "That's not Junior's scent, Fireblaze," he commented once he was certain of it. (Osprey Jr.'s roleplayer has made it clear that she doesn't want Jr.'s trail to be found until she gives permission for it, so that's why I had Atticus say this!) He moved away to begin sniffing and searching anew, when suddenly from behind him came the sound of collapsing earth and a shout of pain and surprise. He whirled, bristling and ready for a fight, thinking Fireblaze had been attacked or something. But she'd just misstepped and collapsed some soggy ground layered over rotten wood, dropping her into a depression a few feet deep. It was an easy jump for a wolf, but her hind foot appeared to be caught under a rock.

Sighing and resisting the urge to growl with irritation at the delay, he jumped down into the hole and, placing both of his forelegs on the rock and digging his claws in, he heaved several times. The rock budged a little, but it was planted firmly in the mud and wouldn't move enough to free Fireblaze's leg. He was afraid of injuring her further. They needed to get this rock off of her in one swift movement to avoid crushing her leg any more. "Dante, can you come down here and help me move this rock?" he called up to his packmate, figuring that his strength combined with that of the stocky Gamma's would be enough to do the trick.

Fireblaze stared up hopefully as Atticus leapt down into the hole. He tried to move the rock away, but it wouldn't budge. Whining under her breath, she waited as he called Dante. A moment later, and she hoped to be free.

Her leg was at least crushed. It would take forever to heal. She imagined herself limping around. "I'm sorry, Atticus," she mumbled. "It's all my fault."

Dante watched as Atticus leaped down, staying up so as to stay out of the way for now. That changed, though, when Atticus clearly needed assistance. Carefully he jumped down, taking care in how he landed. It would help no one if his size hurt he or another in the process. Nodding to Atticus he bent his legs, setting his shoulder firmly against the boulder and digging in with all four paws. They only needed to lift it enough for her to pull out from underneath. It shouldn't take too much to do so. With a small grunt he heaved all of his weight against the rock, trying to leverage it up quickly. Between the two of them they should be able to do the trick.

First Peregrine, now Fireblaze. The rocks of the Plateau seemed to have taken a personal vendetta out against the wolves who lived there. They would have to ensure that all the pack was more careful. They could hardly afford to lose able wolves, especially at a time like this when every member was needed desperately.

Atticus glared at Fireblaze as she babbled apologies at him. Yes, it was her fault that he was down here in this hole wasting valuable time when he could be searching for his beloved niece. Dante was quick to join him, and the silvery Gamma hefted with his shoulder. Atticus did the same, and between the two of them, they found pretty good leverage and the boulder came up slowly.

"Quick!" he huffed at Fireblaze, batting at her with his paw to hurry her up. "Pull your leg out!"

With their combined efforts the two managed to get the rock up enough for Fireblaze to pull herself out. As soon as she was clear Dante let the rock fall with a grunt, making sure that Atticus was clear. They didn't need two injuries here. It appeared that the female could walk, albeit painfully. "Why don't you go have Blue take a look at that leg?" He doubted it was broken but seemed sprained pretty badly. She would need something on it.

He watched her go to make sure she had no need of assistance before turning back to Atticus with a meaningful look. They had wasted enough time already and the longer she went unfound the more likely... No. They could continue on down the creek. They couldn't give up.