Wolf RPG

Waiting for Sequoia's return was pretty grueling to Laurel. She healed a little every day, but what was it all worth without Indra there? Laurel still missed both her children terribly, and she wished that there was something they could do right now. Druid didn't seem in any hurry, and while Laurel was grateful that Druid took care of her while she was unable to hunt herself, she felt the itch to march over to Ursus to retrieve what was hers every day. How could she ever go on living without her beautiful children? Life seemed drab and dark every single day. Plagued by nightmares in her sleep, and waking up with the same knot in her stomach every morning, thinking about Indra and Abel in the claws of that maniac, and Mahler having walked out on her for another woman — just like so many men had in her life.

The wait was terrible. Laurel limped along the previous borders of Rivenwood that morning, feeling forlorn and looking out into the lands beyond with a grim look about her.

This was a little far to wander, but Fennec had wanted to explore the depths of the swamp.

No doubt @Figment would be irritated with her if she stayed away too long, but a short peek wouldn't hurt. Besides, she needed to start to get to know the neighbors. She knew that Bronco couldn't wander as freely as she could, at least not yet, so the job of ambassador would likely fall to her.

She grinned a (slightly wicked) grin at the thought.

There did seem to be a pack when she emerged from the swamp, paws lightly caked in the mud she'd occasionally wandered into. She'd only had one close call, nearly slipping sideways into a deeper portion, but had managed to avoid the worst of the mess. That was good because it stank. She'd clean up in the first clear water she found... for now, she explored the limits of this claim.

It was old and faded. If anyone was still here, they didn't have the numbers or interest to keep up the scent lines. She paused, then turned her head, listening carefully for any sign of anything. Old claims were eerier because they tended to spell misfortune. She was intensely curious about what had happened here.

A limping gait could be heard, drawing closer slowly. Then an abrupt pause, as Laurel noticed the stranger at their borders and observed. She continued towards her, then, satisfied to note that it was a woman at least. Laurel did not feel like she had the energy much for recruitment, but she knew she'd have to at least try her best to convince this wolf to help their cause. Either by joining or getting her pack involved, if she had one.

Hi, this is Rivenwood, Laurel said. She knew that any wolf could tell that their borders were faded, but she still wanted to make sure that wolves knew that they were here, and they were creating new borders, a new pack. I'm Laurel. The other wolf smelled of different wolves and Laurel wondered if she was of a pack, but stayed her tongue for now.

Fennec froze when she heard the voice and leaned towards it with interest, catching every word carefully. Rivenwood. She repeated, trying to remember if that sounded at all familiar. She didn't know it. Apparently this was too far from the Caldera to have crossed paths. And you live here? She asked, a little skepticism showing, though there was also a slight tilt to her features that hinted at a smile.

If you do, I wanted to meet the neighbors. She didn't sense an immediate threat, but despite her casual words, she was ready for any response. Her ears were tuned and ready to react if the woman made any sudden movements herself.

Laurel bobbed her head in a nod when the stranger asked if she lived here. She didn't even introduce herself back, which was honestly pretty rude. Laurel decided to bury her contempt for that under a mountain of pleasantries when the woman said that she wanted to meet the neighbours, though. She must be living in a pack nearby. Laurel's heart leaped up, though she couldn't help but think pretty pessimistically about getting this woman to help her and hers out. She had to be delicate about it, though.

You live nearby? she asked with a friendly tone, sounding interested. Where does your pack live? And what's your name? The woman had never given her name to Laurel, after all.

Fennec's expression shifted a little as Laurel asked her questions, and she took on a little of the presence she sometimes wore to give fortunes. At the base of the mountain. She answered, truthfully (if a little nonspecific). I am the witch of the wood. I mostly keep my services to my pack, these days. But I can help strangers, or new friends, for a bit of a trade.

She hadn't decided yet entirely, but the idea of being known for this only appealed to her. She wanted a reputation that preceded her, built entirely on hearsay, and for wolves to come to their borders seeking an audience with the witch. Maybe it was a little over the top, but fuck it. She'd always been a dramatic weirdo. Why stop now?

The base of the mountains. It wasn't very far, but definitely wasn't all that closeby either. Laurel nodded as the woman introduced herself. 'The witch of the wood'. Was that her name? Laurel didn't ask more, more interested in services than in trying to outsmart the woman into telling her true name. She cared about those things when she was younger, but these days there were more important things on her mind.

Laurel didn't waste time to share: My children were taken from me by another pack. We're raising an army to get them back. Sequoia'd been gone so long, though. Would she return in time? Is there anything you could do to help? Provide poison, maybe? Fight? Tricks? .. Anything? She was beginning to sound desperate, but then again, she was desperate. Indra and Abel were her entire world, especially now that Mahler was gone. Apart from them, Sequoia was all she had, and it just wasn't enough.

Before Fennec became a mother, she probably would have done a reading. In fact, she knew she would have - had the signs tell her where they were, what their fate was, good or bad. And she would have thought little of it.

Now, however, she could relate and knew that what she was going through had to be hell. Even though she didn't know Laurel, or these children, Fennec's eyes narrowed in a rare, visible shift of emotion. Whoever did this... it was fucked up.

I know poisons. I don't carry them with me, but I can bring some. I'll even lower the price. All I'll ask in return is that you spread the word of my pack and what I offer. Poisons, healing, fortunes. Whatever they need.

Fennec tilted her head slightly as she waited for a response. She could fight, but she wouldn't offer that to another pack. Not when her own still needed establishing. While it would be funny to hear the reaction Fig and Bronco might have to that news, she knew better.

Poison was not entirely what she wanted, because there were so many practical sides to it, but Laurel nodded anyway. She'd learned lately that you should be happy with whatever you could get. Thank you for your help. I'll spread the word, she said with a nod. She didn't actually know many wolves, had no idea who to spread it to, but it was a vague enough agreement that it didn't matter overly much.

Laurel didn't really believe in such things, and yet she could not help but find herself asking the witch: Throw in a fortune for free..? She didn't want to know, and yet she did — what would the future have in store for her? Should she confront Merrick herself in Sequoia's absence, or wait patiently for her to show herself?

For free? Fennec was tempted at first to tell her to shove it. She had a reputation to build and giving out charity readings wasn't going to do it. She didn't like the idea of anyone with a rough break trying to take advantage of some 'better nature' they thought she might have. (Even if she did, the Witch absolutely did not.)

She couldn't do it, though. If she had lost Killdeer she'd have been desperate for any sign, any help, and Fennec could at least try to give this woman some kind of lead. Even if it turned out to be bullshit.

For the first time ever, Fennec actually tried to do a read based on nothing she interpreted. She wanted to see what was coming, not what the woman had done. Just give me something. One real thing.

She stood there silently for a while, trying to read just about anything she could in the wind or the sounds that surrounded them. But there wasn't anything. Nothing good.... nothing bad.

It seems like your way forward is to wait. It doesn't seem like the outcome will be a bad one. You might not think you've been a good mother, but you have. And your children know that.

Then a shiver went down her spine and she knew, without a doubt, that her first statement had been wrong. Maybe in the scheme of things, waiting was the best option, but she got the sense that it meant accepting the outcome as it was. That if she wanted a future, she'd need to move on and leave at least some part of her children behind.

But that isn't what I would do. And I don't think that's what you should do either. It's just what I read.

Fennec couldn't leave it with that. It wasn't what she would have wanted to hear and it isn't something she'd have accepted. She could tell, from the woman's tone, that they were similar in this. I'll bring it tomorrow.

She'd provide her the poison she wanted, but the rest she'd have to find for herself.